bruce lee Essay examples -- essays research papers

BRUCE LEE Bruce Lee was perhaps the greatest Martial-Artist ever. He was born in San Francisco, California on November 27th, 1940. A few months after his birth, Bruce and his family move back to Hong Kong. Bruce starred in a number of films as a child. His first starring role was actually when he was six years old! It was a role in a film titled "Little Orphan Sam". At the age of 12, Bruce begins taking Martial-Arts instruction from the legendary Sifu Yap-Man, a master of the art of "Wing-Chun" gung-fu. During the next few years, when he was not practicing his art, he could be found in the movie studios with his father. At the age of 18, due to the numerous streetfights he was involved in, Bruce alone was forced to move back to his place of birth, San Francisco. Bruce arrives with around $100 dollars, given to him by his parents. While attending the University of Washington, he majors in Philosophy. It is here he meets his future wife, Linda. He lives with an old friend of his father's, while working at the Ruby Chow Restaurant, in exchange for room and board. Unable to finance his education, he begins giving Martial-Arts lessons to various students at the University. Bruce attends a Martial-Arts tournament in Oklahoma, where he is "discovered". He is invited for a screen test for an untitled pilot, which is scrapped shortly before production. Fourtunately, he is chosen for for the role of "kato" in the television series, "T...

The United States Needs a Terrorism Czar :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

The United States Needs a Terrorism Czar Introduction Drug trafficking activity and terrorism activity have much in common. Both drugs and terrorism have strong national security and law enforcement components, they have military components, border control components, economic and trade components, medical components, and agricultural components. Today there are some 50 federal agencies with some degree of counterdrug responsibilities and at least 12 federal agencies with important counterterrorism responsibilities. This paper examines one model for unifying them under an executive branch, White House director's office, as outlined below. Drug trafficking and terrorism are illegal clandestine activities with strong national security and law enforcement threat components and operational similarities. Terrorists like drug traffickers, need weapons and engage in violence to achieve goals. Terrorists, like drug traffickers, are often involved in hiding and laundering sources of funds. Both terrorists and drug traffickers operate transnationally, and often get logistical and operational support from local ethnic satellite communities. Both groups often rely on the criminal community for support: they may need smuggled weapons, forged documents and safe houses to operate effectively. Finally, both groups need a steady cash flow to operate. In the case of terrorists, where state sources of funding are rapidly diminishing, drug trafficking is an attractive funding option. Increasingly, terrorist organizations are looking to criminal activity and specifically the drug trade as a source of funding. The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces, a guerilla force) in Colombia are but one of many cases in point. Some experts have looked to the "drug czar" model in seeking to reform government structures to fight terrorism. Counternarcotics efforts have forced local, state and federal agencies to build operable, cooperative, inter-agency relationships. The need to build and maximize similar relationships to deal with terrorism exists and some have suggested that the "Drug Czar" [White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)] model may have applicability to the counterterrorism arena. Legislation is currently before Congress on this issue [H.R. 4210]. It appears that the bill will not be enacted this year but will likely be reintroduced next term. Another structural option might require that federal departments and agencies make their counterterrorism capabilities available for the efforts of the terrorism director.

Analytical essay on Primo Levi’s “If This Is a Man” Essay

Primo Levi’s book ‘If This Is a Man’ is a novel about a German concentration camp, one among many novels on the same subject. However, this book is exceptional as Levi never ‘raises his voice, complains, or attributes blame’. ‘If This Is a Man’ is an objective story told in a detached tone using scientific language, which sometimes makes this book not a confession but an analysis. Nevertheless, distant tone and unemotional language bring the horrifying message across with even greater impact on readers. The saddest, the most powerful, and the most ironic chapter of the book is the central ninth chapter, called ‘The Drowned and the Saved’. Here the author’s talent as well as his training as chemist comes through in unique manner. Instead of telling the story, Levi analyses the reasons, the methods, and the effects of German concentration camps. The result is more like an essay or even lab report rather than a part of a novel. The diction of the chapter is sharply contrasted with its content, emphasizing the terrifying events described. Already the first sentence of the chapter (â€Å"What we have so far said and will say concerns the ambiguous life of the Lager.† P. 102) reveals a lot. This sentence is the first step in building up the emotionless tone through technical diction. The first person point of view used throughout previous chapters is suddenly replaced by the pronoun â€Å"we† as it is used in official documents. With every following sentence, the dryness of expression grows gradually: â€Å"To this question we feel that we have to reply in the affirmative.† (p. 102), â€Å"†¦the Lager was presumably a gigantic biological and social experiment.† (p. 102), â€Å"But another fact seems to us worthy of attention†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 103). Read Also:  Analytic Rubric for Essay The impact of language is reinforced by the structure of the chapter. As Primo Levi names the Lager to be an experiment, he writes his analysis of the reasons and effects of the concentration camp in the form of a lab report. One can clearly distinguish statement of purpose, method statement, hypothesis, observations, conditions, and conclusion – all the important parts of a lab report. However, as said before the detachedness of the structure is in sharp contrast with the content. For example, the â€Å"method  statement† (â€Å"Thousands of individuals†¦ are enclosed within barbed wire: there they live a regular, controlled life which is identical for all and inadequate to all needs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  p. 102) describes plainly and understatedly terrifying conditions of the camp. Levi does not complain, he just says that the conditions are â€Å"inadequate to all needs† but the underestimation brings the message across more powerfully, especially when compared to previous chapters. Similarly, the author writes: â€Å"And one must take into account a definite cushioning effect exercised both by the law, and by the moral state which constitutes a self-imposed law;† (p. 103), a statement, describing the conditions of â€Å"the experiment†, implying that there is no law or sense of morality in the camps. However, yet again, there are no protests or grumbles, and the reader has to find the meaning behind the statement himself. â€Å"Variables† in the experiment are two categories of men – the saved and the drowned. Sudden change of tone – from official to poetic and back to official – is used to accentuate the difference among the prisoners, to bring it across for the reader that in the Lager the only choice was either to survive or to die. Everyone struggles to survive and in this brutal exertion, all means are justified. â€Å"If some Null Achtzehn vacillates, he will find no one to extend a helping hand; on the contrary, someone will knock him aside†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 103). With this line author clearly states the moral of the camps: if I’m not for myself, who will be for me? With bitter irony Levi avers that the law â€Å"to he that has will be given; to he that has not will be taken away.† (p. 104) is openly at work in the camp and to obey this law is the only possible way to survive. Thus, the morality of the Lager is the antithesis of morality of normal life the way the concentration camp itself is antithesis of normal world. This passage is even more sarcastic when the fact that Primo Levi himself was not particularly strong and capable prisoner but rather a ‘muselman’. However, as it has been mentioned in the beginning of this essay, Primo Levi’s book is different from other novels on the same topic. All the writers have shown the brutal morality, or rather immorality of the Lager and deduced from it that â€Å"the Hà ¤ftling is†¦ a man without inhibitions† (p.  103) thus giving up on the humankind. Levi’s attitude is different. He believes that humanity of the prisoners is still hidden deep in their souls waiting for an opportunity to recover. (â€Å"†¦in the face of driving necessity and physical disabilities many social habits and instincts are reduced to silence.† p. 103) and as it becomes evident in the end of the book, he proves to be right. Another fact worth mentioning about this chapter is that the title â€Å"The Drowned and the Saved† used to be also the title of the English translation of the novel, indicating hence the importance of the chapter. As a conclusion it can be said that the novel ‘If This is a Man’ by Primo Levi and especially the ninth chapter is a unique account of the horrifying actions carried out in German concentration camps as it tells the story unemotionally using scientific diction to accentuate the seriousness of matter discussed. Analysis of the reasons behind setting up the Lager, methods used to break down human soul and the effects of the actions carried out by SS officials gives an appalling insight to one of the most horrifying events of the 20th century.

Customer Benefit Package (Walmart vs Luxury Clothier) Essay

Wal-Mart is no doubt the biggest retail store in North America. It is considered to be the most efficiently run retail business in the world. Wal-Mart compared to luxury retailers have a lot of contrasting factors both in goods and services provided. The most significant factor that I see when one is to compare Wal-Mart to a luxury retailer is the price. Wal-Mart is considered to be a discount retail store which is why their products are reasonably priced goods whereas luxury retailers tend to be highly priced. To contrast the Customer Benefit Package of Wal-Mart against a luxury clothier for purchasing a suit or a new formal dress, there are many contributing factors. Different people look for different types of benefits from the products to satisfy their needs. Typical sources of benefits are Good Comparative Price, Good Quality, Good After-Sales Service, Reputable Company Image, Well Known Product/Brand, Low After-Sales Costs, Prompt Delivery, Well Designed Product, Fashionable, Ease of Purchase, and Reliability. In terms of price, Wal-Mart has definitely an advantage over its competitors particularly a luxury clothier in this case. Let us say we compare Wal-Mart to Zara. Zara’s prices are definitely higher than Wal-Mart. In terms of quality, Zara sources out more quality materials used on their products to provide their consumers with that certain quality they are expected of because of the name as compared to Wal-Mart, which limits their stocks on a per style, per season basis due to purchase cost. This gives the customer a sense of pride knowing that not too many people will have the same item on their closet. Zara or any luxury clothier is focused more on quality design for this is their main area of business. They spend on the design, style and quality. A luxury clothier or Zara for that matter is a well-known brand. Consumers buy their products because of their name. They have trust in these brands. These brands carry sophisticated designs with upscale fashion and offer excellent or one on one customer service. This is an advantage that they have over Wal-Mart. They provide their customers with that assistance in referring or suggesting other products, such as accessories that may suit the buying customer. In case of Wal-Mart, they have their in house brand, George, which provides consumers with reasonable  priced products and carry other brand names as well so consumer has more choices. The difference here would be the preference of the consumer. Do I go for a dress or suit with a brand name or a suit or dress that would fit me well and does not matter what brand it is. A luxury clothier would have more variety of choices since clothing is their main line of business. For its goods, a luxury clothier carries more accessories to go with the suits or dresses they sell. Their staffs are knowledgeable enough to assist the consumer what accessories they can wear together with the suit or dress. Wal-Mart on the other hand, does not have this kind of service where they can suggest to their consumer what to wear together with a suit or dress. Wal-Mart’s staffs are not trained for this kind of service. Another major contrasting factor between Wal-Mart and a luxury clothier is its service. This plays a major role in the decision making process of the consumer. Am I satisfied with how the stores staff assisted me? Did I have an intimate shopping experience? How long did I have to wait to pay? Was the staff courteous and knowledgeable about their product? One would even go as far as coming back to that store just because of how he/she was treated by the staff. I like shopping in that store because the staff treats me like a VIP. Wal-Mart offers various after sales service that keeps their customers going back to them. The Cash Back Reward program that they have entices its customers to go back and shop in their store. This is where they have an advantage over luxury clothiers as the latter does not have this kind of a program to customers. Wal-Mart also has an adequate return policy wherein they freely accept returns within a specified time frame. Wal-Mart has a lot of cashiers considering the size of its store. For a luxury clothier, they usually have 2 to 4 cashiers and on a busy day, you would see lines in the cashier. Wal-Mart boasts of offering top quality products and services, providing its customers with a â€Å"one-stop† shopping experience. They offer various products from food, clothing, housewares, gift items, garden centre, and auto centre. It also offers services such as financing, travel agency,  pharmacy, vision centre, salons and photo centre. It also offers McDonald’s in almost every store. You can also shop online by creating your account with them. There are definitely a lot of contrasting ideas between Wal-Mart and luxury clothier. There are many contributing factors mentioned. Why do people go to Wal-Mart? Like many consumers’, the main reasons would mostly be due to convenience, impulse buying due to being a â€Å"one-stop† shop, after- sales service and the price. For a luxury clothier, it would be more of the brand you are buying, the quality and reliability of the product, image of luxury clothier, updated style or fashion, and one on one customer service.

Frito Lay Case Study

Develop A Plan for Implementing the Chosen Alternative Porter’s Generic Business Strategy Cost Leadership Strategy It is a low cost strategy focusing on broad mass market. – Requires good scale facilities, tight cost and overhead controls and cost minimization in selected functional areas like manufacturing cost, marketing, r & d and advertising Reasons for cost reduction:- Learning experience Frito Lay’s is a worldwide leading manufacturer of snack chips and has 8 to 10 top ten famous brand with brand loyalty customers. They have skills and thereby increase the productivity of the labour.Specialisation and division labour Standardization of work may increase productivity by labour. Efficency is the key factor with less training. – Economies of scale Mass production will reduce the cost. As per test market, Frito Lay’s will be serving about 1. 98 million households that are identified as users of snack chips at the area of Minneapolis – St. P aul Metropolitan. As such, – Control of expenses can charge lower price to customer – Low price strategy serves as a barrier of entry to competitors Differentiation Strategy It is pursued when the product can be differentiatedSun Chips Multigrain Snack is a crispy consisting of blend whole wheat, rice, corn and oat flours with lightly salty multigrain taste and slightly sweet aftertaste. Brand loyalty able to create barriers to entry for new entrants Frito Lay’s has good reputable brand name with their other well-known brand and it is difficult for competitors to entry for new entrants due to high cost of marketing. Frito Lay could use their brand name as the key differentiating strategy in attracting new customer 3. Focus Strategy – Focuses on certain segments of the market in selling productsFrito Lay’s target market segment is those who is taking snack but not everyday because of health conscious concerns – Able to focus efforts on specif ic target market segment more efficiently Develop A Plan for Implementing the Chosen Alternative Porter’s Generic Business Strategy Cost Leadership Strategy It is a low cost strategy focusing on broad mass market. – Requires good scale facilities, tight cost and overhead controls and cost minimization in selected functional areas like manufacturing cost, marketing, r & d and advertisingReasons for cost reduction:- Learning experience Frito Lay’s is a worldwide leading manufacturer of snack chips and has 8 to 10 top ten famous brand with brand loyalty customers. They have skills and thereby increase the productivity of the labour. Specialisation and division labour Standardization of work may increase productivity by labour. Efficency is the key factor with less training. – Economies of scale Mass production will reduce the cost. As per test market, Frito Lay’s will be serving about 1. 8 million households that are identified as users of snack chips at the area of Minneapolis – St. Paul Metropolitan. As such, – Control of expenses can charge lower price to customer – Low price strategy serves as a barrier of entry to competitors Differentiation Strategy It is pursued when the product can be differentiated Sun Chips Multigrain Snack is a crispy consisting of blend whole wheat, rice, corn and oat flours with lightly salty multigrain taste and slightly sweet aftertaste.Brand loyalty able to create barriers to entry for new entrants Frito Lay’s has good reputable brand name with their other well-known brand and it is difficult for competitors to entry for new entrants due to high cost of marketing. Frito Lay could use their brand name as the key differentiating strategy in attracting new customer 3. Focus Strategy – Focuses on certain segments of the market in selling products Frito Lay’s target market segment is those who is taking snack but not everyday because of health conscious concer ns – Able to focus efforts on specific target market segment more efficiently Frito Lay Case Study Develop A Plan for Implementing the Chosen Alternative Porter’s Generic Business Strategy Cost Leadership Strategy It is a low cost strategy focusing on broad mass market. – Requires good scale facilities, tight cost and overhead controls and cost minimization in selected functional areas like manufacturing cost, marketing, r & d and advertising Reasons for cost reduction:- Learning experience Frito Lay’s is a worldwide leading manufacturer of snack chips and has 8 to 10 top ten famous brand with brand loyalty customers. They have skills and thereby increase the productivity of the labour.Specialisation and division labour Standardization of work may increase productivity by labour. Efficency is the key factor with less training. – Economies of scale Mass production will reduce the cost. As per test market, Frito Lay’s will be serving about 1. 98 million households that are identified as users of snack chips at the area of Minneapolis – St. P aul Metropolitan. As such, – Control of expenses can charge lower price to customer – Low price strategy serves as a barrier of entry to competitors Differentiation Strategy It is pursued when the product can be differentiatedSun Chips Multigrain Snack is a crispy consisting of blend whole wheat, rice, corn and oat flours with lightly salty multigrain taste and slightly sweet aftertaste. Brand loyalty able to create barriers to entry for new entrants Frito Lay’s has good reputable brand name with their other well-known brand and it is difficult for competitors to entry for new entrants due to high cost of marketing. Frito Lay could use their brand name as the key differentiating strategy in attracting new customer 3. Focus Strategy – Focuses on certain segments of the market in selling productsFrito Lay’s target market segment is those who is taking snack but not everyday because of health conscious concerns – Able to focus efforts on specif ic target market segment more efficiently Develop A Plan for Implementing the Chosen Alternative Porter’s Generic Business Strategy Cost Leadership Strategy It is a low cost strategy focusing on broad mass market. – Requires good scale facilities, tight cost and overhead controls and cost minimization in selected functional areas like manufacturing cost, marketing, r & d and advertisingReasons for cost reduction:- Learning experience Frito Lay’s is a worldwide leading manufacturer of snack chips and has 8 to 10 top ten famous brand with brand loyalty customers. They have skills and thereby increase the productivity of the labour. Specialisation and division labour Standardization of work may increase productivity by labour. Efficency is the key factor with less training. – Economies of scale Mass production will reduce the cost. As per test market, Frito Lay’s will be serving about 1. 8 million households that are identified as users of snack chips at the area of Minneapolis – St. Paul Metropolitan. As such, – Control of expenses can charge lower price to customer – Low price strategy serves as a barrier of entry to competitors Differentiation Strategy It is pursued when the product can be differentiated Sun Chips Multigrain Snack is a crispy consisting of blend whole wheat, rice, corn and oat flours with lightly salty multigrain taste and slightly sweet aftertaste.Brand loyalty able to create barriers to entry for new entrants Frito Lay’s has good reputable brand name with their other well-known brand and it is difficult for competitors to entry for new entrants due to high cost of marketing. Frito Lay could use their brand name as the key differentiating strategy in attracting new customer 3. Focus Strategy – Focuses on certain segments of the market in selling products Frito Lay’s target market segment is those who is taking snack but not everyday because of health conscious concer ns – Able to focus efforts on specific target market segment more efficiently

National Junior Honor Society Essay

To be SCHA Queen would be a great accomplishment. I would be able to demonstrate my leadership skills and express my love for show and horses. As SCHA Queen, I would take great pride in being a spokesperson and representative for SCHA and be able to increase membership in SCHA. SCHA means a number of things to me. This was my first year, but I always looked forward to waking up and going out to ride. Another reason why SCHA means so much to me is it keeps me and my horse in shape for other things involving our riding career. Its always fun to see how much my horse changes and develops during the season, and even how I change throughout the season There’s no where to go but up, and that means improvement. SCHA has changed me by changing my attitude about competition. I’ve now learned that winning is not always everything. , it may sound cliche , but, everyone is a winner when you improve on anything. I also have become more confident horseman and I am able to push my hor se to do his best. I have only been riding for about 3 years and SCHA has truly brought out my inner horseman. Now that I am more confident in my riding skills I try to teach my horse new things as well as teach myself. In addition to new skills and confidence I also made new friends. I met new people and learned some facts about riding I hadn’t known before. In general I am very shy and usually keep to myself, but this season has really taught me how to come out of my shell and talk to everyone. I now know that I can talk to anyone in the club and they will be more than glad to help me with anything I may need. A key part of being Queen would be helping others in SCHA. This would include encouraging others during their events and being a good sportsman. I can also give positive feedback about what a person is doing while riding, to help them in a way that they can ride better and be a better sportsman. To help others in SCHA I can share the knowledge I have learned in SCHA and my experience with horses. Just as other people have shared their knowledge with me, I can do the same for other people so the horse community can grow. My friends are always curious about what I do with horses and what SCHA is. I’m lways more than happy to share that information with them in hopes that they will be bit by the horse bug too. Â  As SCHA quee n I will bring a good values, leadership skills and a positive attitude to SCHA. It would mean a great deal to me to be able to represent SCHA at this level level.

Why does globalisation generate winners and losers Essay

Why does globalisation generate winners and losers - Essay Example Against this background, this essay seeks to critically analyse the extent to which globalisation can be said to be causing more harm than good to the other countries. The essay starts by defining the concept and goes on to analyse the factors that make globalisation unfavorable to the other countries. Basically, globalisation can be defined as the economic activity taking place across the national boundaries (Buckman 2004). Globalisation is a result of internationalisation of financial markets which aims to promote free trade as well as direct investment among member states across the world.  The advent of globalisation has resulted in the liberalisation of trade where the geographical barriers that used to block this kind of trade have been removed. This has resulted in people from different geographical regions becoming more connected. There are key players that drive globalisation and these include the multinational corporations, World Trade Organisation (WTO), World Bank and t he International Monetary Fund (IMF) (Rodrick 2001). Governments in different countries also play a pivotal role with regards to the concept of globalisation as they are the overall authority which would be responsible for regulation of the operations of the multinational companies. The WTO also plays a pivotal role in that it facilitates the platform through which international trade agreements are negotiated and enforced among member states. On the other hand, the World Bank and the IMF are major actors in that they provide with the needed financial assistance in the form of loans as well as technical assistance to the governments or multinational corporations that wish to invest in other different countries. However, whilst the concept of globalisation is noble in that it liberalised trade among nations, it can be noted that it is not the case the rich and powerful nations are in most cases on top of the situation where they are the ones who are seen carrying investment to lesser developed countries. This emanates from the view that the large financial institutions that should sponsor the activities of globalisation such as World Bank and IMF are controlled by the powerful and developed western nations. These developed nations have all the financial assistance they need at their disposal and they are the ones seen investing in poor and less developed countries whereas the less developed countries are not able to invest in developed countries. Thus, the flow of the wealth is often seen as one sided and there is no equality in terms of sharing of the wealth (Bond 2002). The wealth is seen flowing from poor countries back to the developed countries hence these nations will be winners while the poor countries will be losers. The developed countries aim at extracting wealth especially in rich mineral resources areas while the local people of the host country will have little to show for the investment carried out at their door step by the foreigners. The investo rs often get a huge chunk of the revenue generated from the investment carried in other countries. The local people are losers in this case as they suffer the fate of being used as cheap labour whereby they will be given very little pay that does not correspond with the amount of work they will be doing. Globalisation has often been criticized for the unfair redistribution of wealth that has been obtained in poor countries. The less developed countries in most cases do not have equal powers compared to their counterparts from the developed nations. For example, many African countries are very rich in terms of the natural resources they possess but unfortunately, most of these countries are very poor and are dependent on aid from the rich nations. Instead of