Ethnic studies Essay Example for Free

Ethnic studies Essay The students, united, will never be defeated! . This was the rallying call of students at San Francisco State University trying to save their Asian America Studies classes in 2008. 40 years after the first Third World Liberation Front protested and fought against discrimination and for their rights to have ethnic studies classes, the fight still continues. Students fought to have classes from the perspective of ethnic peoples, and not the Eurocentric point of view. In doing so, the struggle for ethnic studies from students and the community challenged and broke the status quo and construct of race in a Eurocentric America. Ethnic studies in the U. S. campuses started in the 60s along with the Civil Rights Movement, opposition against the Vietnam War, the fight for womens rights, and many other fights by the people for their rights. In March of 1968, The SFSU Third World Liberation Front was created by students of different ethnicities coming together. This was the longest strike in student history, and resulted in the creation of ethnic studies at SFSU, as well as increased admissions for students of colors to the university. The second longest strike occurred in UC Berkeley, with the strike more violent than the first. The clenched fist was the symbol for the strike, equality, power, unity, and change for the minority groups in America. Over the years, there have been many strikes and protest from students to have ethnic studies. California was a hotbed for the struggle of ethnic studies because it has the most immigrant and ethnic groups in the United States. It was a melting pot of African Americans, Asians, American Indians, Latinos, and so on. It was really only a matter of time before they stood up against discrimination. When people of color got up in unity and went on strike, it scared them. Them referring to the white political leaders of the schools. The first to stand up to discrimination is usually those that are educated and realize they can make a change through their actions. Students of ethnic background fought for social justice not only for themselves, but for a larger picture going back to their communities. Ethnic students are representatives to their families and communities. Many of these ethnic students were the first to attend college because their parents or families came to America in search for a better life and an opportunity for their children at an education. As these strikes were occurring, the community came to support them. Not only the communities of ethnic students, but white supporters as well. Supporters that understood the struggle of the ethnic groups, and came together to fight together. Quite a few white students had come to the point of understanding, what our cause was, what it meant, and that we did not want to take over the university, take over the country, we wanted ends. When we think third world we think of people that are improvised, poor, and lacking education. These third world people a Though they werent really third world students, inadequate access to classes that represented their ethnic background meant they had no way to really learn the struggle of ethnics people that came before them. Luis Alarcon made a point that he considered UC Berkeley his university, but the president of Berkeley disagreed and said the university was for the people of California. Although Luis is a person of California, the president did not consider the university for him. As a race of minorities, they were trying to free themselves from being third world citizens in the United States. What we got from this agreement were things that we as third world peoples deserved, and we as students, and we as citizens of this country deserved. But is there a scientific claim that makes certain people third world, or is it a political agenda to people ethnic people third world citizens? Ethnic people living in the United States in the were often discriminated against. As Laureen Chew said, of course I blamed it all on ourselves and our family for being born Chinese, etc. They blamed their race, instead of finding a fault in society for making them an inferior race that were mistreated unfairly. Even today, although racism is not as obvious, it is still alive and in place. Color-blind racism serves as the ideological armor for a convert and institutionalized system in the post-Civil Rights era†. Minorities can be discriminated against their morals, values, and character without whites sounding racist. But is being color-blind discriminating as well? By not seeing color, one fails to recognize that we still havent reached a level where we only judge from character, and not the color of our skin. Its apparent we today, have not reached that goal yet. Tom Horne Arizona superintendent of public instruction believes in cutting off ethnic studies classes because it will divide kids up and only teach them narrowly about the race they were born into. Ethnic studies is for the empowerment of not only ethnic students, but for all students who want to learn about the history of different peoples. It wasnt so long ago when minorities were second citizens in the United States. Many were segregated against, beaten, killed, and uneducated. But what were the terms that classified certain peoples as a different race from whites? Race is a concept with signifies and symbolizes social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies. So because people of different ethnicities have different bodies, specifically skin color they were disadvantaged in comparison to white Americans. The word domination reminds us that the institutional racism is a type of power that encompasses the symbolic power to classify one group of people as normal and other groups of people as abnormal, the political power to withhold basic rights from people of color and marshal the full power of the state to enforce segregation and in equality. To break this institution, learning ethnic studies brings out the truth of this country, which in turn brings out the greatness of the United States. Ethnic studies allows us to think critically about our relationship in terms of our relationship this country and our backgrounds. It gives us a basis to deal with historic racial issues such as the Zimmerman trial. Ethnic studies departments in the CSU are at the forefront in leading students to balanced, critical, and open discussions of racial and ethnic matters that, unfortunately, have yet to be resolved in the US. Its important to have a format in educating students so that we may form our own educated opinions and learn facts on the history of our ethnicities. People gave up their bodies for their right to have ethnic studies. I wanted to give you a poem, but I give you my body instead. As she finished her speech, her fellow supporters agreed with her with loud applause. She was only one of many proponents in decades of struggle by students to fight for their ethnic studies departments. The protesting for ethnic studies was intertwined with the opposition against the war, civil rights, and other social issues going on at the time. In 1999 the issue was California becoming increasingly wary against immigrants, using them as a scapegoat for the economy failing. Protesting at Berkeley meant defending affirmative action, defending the rights of immigrants. The protesting in SFSU was the longest lasting student protest. Their cries for we want the puppet! meant they wanted to discuss ethnic studies with S. I. Hayakawa who did not rally with the students even though he was Asian American. These students were subject to police violence, who went into the cafeterias to harass and attack the students. At Valley State University, Latino students with the black students protested in order to have more representation in and open up classes for Chicano studies and Black studies. So what role does race really play in all of this? We know that even if its not about race, its always about race. You can say that the student protests were all about race. When you ask people about which race they are, one normally gets a response like, asian, black, white, or so on. The two schools of thought, Primordialism and Instrumentalism, are opposing forces in which the former believes that races existed, that races are biologically determined and distinct from one another. The latter believes race as a man-made, human created reality. It is an instrument that was constructed sociohistorically in order to allocate resources. An outcome of the struggle for ethnic studies is that it challenged what the racial norm really was. By fighting for their rights, the protestors inadvertently chipped away at what really defines race; a racist invention to divide and allocate resources. But can we really ignore that our race has nothing to do with our genetic makeup and the way we look? Discriminatory and prejudiced behavior towards minorities was the cause of the student unrest, as well as gaining support from non-ethnical students and community. Jesus Rodriguez realized people can be so quick to attach certain characteristics to a persons race. The characteristics we attach to minorities are theyre lazy, they dont want to leave the bottom, theyre slow learners, etc. With this in mind, white people in power discriminated these minorities, saying they dont belong in their universities. Many white people believed in the status quo or race at the time and opposed the ethnic protestors. But what about everyone else that eventually sided with the protestors? Especially during the 60s and 70s, people began to fight for each others rights. The division between races between people were lessening, and the thought of a human race were expanding. They fought for their own rights and they fought for each others rights, because they realized all minorities at the time were going through the same struggle. I believe that it is important for every American to know their history, even if it has nothing to do with their color or ethnicity: since events such as the Third World Strike influenced some of your fellow Americans, these same events indirectly influenced you as well. Where would we be without ethnic studies today? Without the efforts and sacrifices of those student protesters, someone like me might not even appreciate and understand the struggle that so many went through. We stand on the shoulders of those who dared to challenge injustice and discrimination, and broke the barriers of race and racial equality. Leon, Teresa W. History of AAS at CSUN. N. p. , 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Shiekh, Irum. On Strike: Ethnic Studies Progressive Films. Progressive Films. Progressive Films, n. d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Ethnic Studies Ban Racist? YouTube. YouTube, 13 May 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. CSUN Student Political Activism 1960s/70s The Storm at Valley State YouTube. YouTube, 27 Jan. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo. Racism without Racists: Color-blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America. 3rd ed. Lanham: Rowman Littlefield, 2010. Print. SF State Third World Student Strike. YouTube. YouTube, 22 June 2007. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Save Our AAS. YouTube. YouTube, 09 Nov. 2008. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Leon-WIlliams, Teresa. Lecture Notes on The Historical Origins of Race CSU Northridge: Login to the Site. N. p. , 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Student Unrest at SF State College and S. I. Hayakawa. YouTube. YouTube, 19 Apr. 2008. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Leon-WIlliams, Teresa. How the Blind Perceive race. . . CSU Northridge: Login to the Site. N. p. , 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Rodriguez, Jesus. Re: Race the Working Field. Weblog comment. N. p. , 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. Leon-WIlliams, Teresa. Prejudice Discrimination. Moodle, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

The Issue of Female Identity in the Novel The Trick Essay Example for Free

The Issue of Female Identity in the Novel The Trick Essay This paper examines the issues of gender within Janice Galloway’s novel, The Trick is to Keep Breathing. The paper considers the identity crisis that the character of Joy Stone in the novel faces and discloses how this crisis is triggered as a result of social oppression. The Trick is to Keep Breathing is primarily a story about the mental health of an individual and tells of how she has suffered to such an extent that she has been plummeted into depression, self-loathing and anorexia. One of the key themes in the book is that of alienation. The main character, Joy, is suffering from a loss, a loss that is not recognized in the eyes of society; she is the mistress of a dead man. Whilst the family of the man are able to openly grieve and be acknowledged for their position in her lover’s life, she is forced to hide her feelings away, together with her knowledge of her lover’s feelings for her, in her own secret prison. Her position as a mistress leaves her with no place to grieve and the social constraints of society entail she is restrained from mourning. Social institutions mean that she has no justifiable relationship with Michael and therefore is without purpose, she has no existence. She is thus socially oppressed and such oppression acts as means by which Joy’s identity and place in the world is stripped from her. Joy has no real control over her life. . She is thus trying to grief alone and quietly but her inability to publicly release her feelings and gain recognition for how significant she was in her lover life mean that loses all self respect and she subsequently endures a lifestyle that is devoid of any significance. She completes her daily chores with very little feeling and her future stretches before her in a daunting and formidable fashion. Even time is meaningless to her. Joy’s depressed and emptiness plays out on both a psychological and a physical level. She is obsessed with her own image and allows her self perception to be negatively impacted by the magazines she reads and the inferior way in which they make her feel. The only way in which she seems capable of having some control over her feelings is through denying herself food. She attempts to rid herself of her sense of loss and her frustration with the way in which society treats her by starving herself and thus intertwines her identity crisis with her physical body. But the physical manifestations of her oppression only serve to enhance her feelings of loss, â€Å"Empty space. I had nothing inside me† (147). She is increasingly becoming separated from the world in which she lives, the people who surround her and even her own body. Gender is of extremely relevance within the novel and her relationships with various male figures such as the doctors, an ex boyfriend and her boss form an important element of the story. All of the men she encounters are dominant, overpowering characters who, in their own ways, wish Joy to submit to their wishes. Her memories of her ex-lover control her, the doctors think they know what is best for her and wish for her to do as she is told and other characters simply want to seduce her. However, Joy has lost all ability to adhere to the men’s wishes and she suffers a form of breakdown; one which rebels against what is socially expected of her and strives for freedom from the entrapment of the male gaze and their endless orders. She learns to create meaning for herself, not by adhering to what society deems meaningful but by defining this for herself. By stripping things of the meaning attributed to them by society she is able to rid herself of her oppression and see life in a new light. She learns that she is happier if she doesn’t live by society’s rules and, whilst this may her appear chaotic to an outside audience, it frees her from her personal prison.

Impact Of Cyclone Nargis In Myanmar Environmental Sciences Essay

Impact Of Cyclone Nargis In Myanmar Environmental Sciences Essay In May 2008, a very severe cyclonic storm1 named Nargis caused the worst national natural disaster in the history of Myanmar. It killed almost 80,000 people and thousands of people are still missing in this catastrophic event1. The devastating cyclone was initiated in the area of deep convection, which was established in the Bay of Bengal, in late May and then intensified rapidly into a severe cyclone with the action of warm water and upper-level tough1. This strong cyclone hit the coastal areas of Myanmar on May 2nd and brought serious damage to these areas. In this essay, the major factor that contributed to such a tremendous loss of life during the storm will be first discussed and then followed by the factors accounted for the great damage after the storm. The essay will be concluded with some issues regarding the choice of human being on the cyclones attack. High surge wave First and foremost, the high surge wave brought by the cyclone Nargis was the most significant cause for the great damage during storm. The massive surge which was triggered by cyclone swept away everything like houses, roads and other infrastructure on its way in the inland area1. The 12 feet high wave swept away and inundated 50 % of house in the low-lying area. At least 10,000 people in Bogalay had died because of the storm surge1, it is a town 50 miles southwest of Yangon. Flooding with several serious consequences The secondary effect was the flooding caused by surge in the low-lying area. Flooded sea water ruined the agriculture area and other residential places. The high salinity of sea water damaged the vegetations growth there as well. More importantly, the soil then became saltier which makes it unfavorable for the planting of vegetation and thus affected the food supply in affected area evermore. In addition, flooding caused the blockage of road and this further broke down the public transport network. People could hardly get through the flooded area and this caused inconvenience to people especially the elderly. Moreover, the electricity power lines were damaged and this led to electricity shortage in the low-lying area for about six to seven days. Furthermore, the wells used to be providing clean water were submerged by the sea water. As a result, the clean water systems were polluted. To conclude, the food, electricity and clean water could not be found in the coastal area of Myanmar and this lack of resources further deteriorated the situation. Due to the absence of these three basic survival elements for over four days, the number of the death kept on increasing to an unimaginable level. Satellite images of flooding In addition, the satellite image of Myanmar could demonstrate the destructive damage brought by flooding. In figure 2, it can be seen that rivers and lakes are sharply observed as there was a sharp boundary between them and both the vegetation and fallow agricultural area on April 15. The Irrawaddy River flows in the south direction and the Mouths of the Irrawaddy are formed by numerous distributaries 2. The deep blue green area near the shore was wetlands. Cyclone Nargis attacked directly the Mouths of the Irrawaddy and then moved to the northeast of coastline2. After 20 days, the coastal plain was flooded shown in figure 3. The agricultural areas had been totally destroyed and most of the coastal areas were covered by sea water. For instance, Yangon with population over 4 million was almost completely submerged by sea water whereas several large cities with population from 100,000 to 500,000 experienced large magnitude of flooding2. The flooding turned the coastal areas of Yangon i nto muddy places. Figure 2 NASAs Terra satellite- Burma coast on April 15, 2008, before the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Nargis Credit: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/nargis_floods.html Figure 3 NASAs Terra satellite- Burma coast on May 5, 2008, Tropical Cyclone Nargis causes the devastation of flooding. Credit: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/nargis_floods.html Strong wind Furthermore, the strong wind brought lots of damages to the Myanmar area. Cyclone Nargis was a strong Category 3 or minimal Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph and gusts of 150-160 mph3. The strong wind resulted in devastating damages to the environment. Since the area of Myanmar is very poor4, the houses were usually made only by thin woods instead of concrete. As the storm brought the strong wind to the coastal area, most of the houses were destroyed; it was because they could not withstand the high speed wind. More importantly, the wind would bring all the debris and broken woods especially those from the houses along its track. This particularly endangered human lives in that area, as the high speed flowing woods could possibly destroy any lives or properties along its way within a few seconds. Therefore, human lives as well as properties were destroyed in large scale under the influence of strong wind. Aya, near the Ayeyarwady estuary in Myanmar. Cyclone Nargis caused significant land loss and coastal erosion. (Credit: Hermann Fritz) Mudflow effect Last but not least, the mudflow was one of the factors causing large amount of death in Myanmar5. The heavy rainfall brought by the cyclones saturated the muddy area with water and thus pressure would be built up on the mud surface. When the combination of water pressure and gravity of the mud is larger than the resisting force, the high speed mudflow will occur. The mudflow which contained large amount of suspended particles and silt rushed into the coastal area, hence many residents of low-lying rice fields were simply swept away in Maynmar4. It was estimated the death has been to 140,000 cases or more. People were crashed with the broken woods in mudflow, swept away or suffered from suffocation4. Even worse, the mud flew on the coastal area prohibited the excavation of the buried people, making it more difficult. The mud blocked the transport network which presented a difficult challenge to disaster management; and would result in serious damages. Poor management of international relief From above, we have screened through the factors causing significant destruction during the passage of strong cyclone. Then, the discussion should move on to the factors of great damages after the storm. The blockage of international relief by the military government was a major reason for the great destruction of lives and properties6 after the storm. Many disaster assessment officials had to wait for few days in order to get the visa and enter area of Myanmar6. This further hindered the relief work as the international relief teams and private charity groups were not allowed to fully assess the situation. As the disaster could not be fully assessed, teams could not estimate the amount of relief materials and other supplies required promptly. Moreover, as mentioned before, Myanmar is a poor country which does not have enough relief technology and equipment to help rescue the buried people out of the mud flow. Due to the initial blockage from the military government, the internationa l relief team cannot enter the affected areas promptly. This delayed the time of the arrival of foreign relief teams and as a result, most of them arrived there after three days of the event. However, the survival time limit of human being buried in debris or even mud was only forty-eight hours and this increased the number of death. In fact, when the teams finally arrived, they could only do little as the golden period had passed through6. The International Federation is stepping up its efforts to get food and water to those most affected by cyclone Nargis. Credits: http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/08/08051202/index.asp Blockage of assess In addition, access was a challenge for the rescue teams to face. The United Nation estimated that there are 1.4 million of survived victims who need resources like food, clean water, medicine and shelter7. However, most of the flooded area could not be entered by trucks. Instead, the helicopters were required to transport the relief materials. The situation worsened because the Myanmar government was too poor to have enough helicopters. Moreover, it took time in sending extra helicopters from other countries. Eventually, the officers allowed the first of ten helicopters from the World Food Program to carry food and water supplies from Yangon into the delta after a 10-day delay. The other nine were en route to Myanmar7. Some people died out of starvation as the supplies reached the impact area only after the ten days delay. Secondary damages of flooding Besides, the tidal surge drove inland from the sea caused secondary damage to the cities of Myanmar8. Three quarters of livestock were killed and almost half the fishing fleets were sunk. Moreover, a million acres of rice paddies were salted by the seawater surges8. This flooding of seawater cut the local food supply and inundated the low-lying area. Water pipes and electricity power lines were destroyed that people had to survive through four days without electricity and clean water. Even worse, the flooded areas remained flooded for a week and the water was contaminated by the dead bodies. There was a clear lack of sanitation facilities for the 500 people. said by an officer from red cross9. People had no choices but needed to drink the polluted water in order to survive. This led to the spread of water-borne diseases like cHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclosporiasisyclosporiasis and aHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoebiasismoebiasis. Reports of digestive tract d isorders and malaria were heard and one in five people was reported sick9. In addition, the lack of transport resulted in a shortage of medicine. When people got sick because of drinking unclean water, their situations would probably worsen and they may die eventually. This caused a viscous cycle. Cyclonic storm1 named Nargis was the worst national natural disaster on the history of Myanmar. Both the natural and human factors greatly worsen the impact brought by cyclone which caused lots of death and damages. Natural factors like high surge wave, mudflow and flooding reconstructed the low-lying area of Myanmar; whereas human factors like poor preparation for the cyclone and delay of the relief teams further worsened the situation and increased the number of the death and damages of properties. The coastal low-lying area of Myanmar originally had fertile soil and favors agriculture10. However, after the storm, all the agriculture areas were inundated by flood water; and the farmers lost all their farming products in three hours10. The power of nature cannot be modified by human being and this can be well demonstrated by the example that cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar. Unfortunately, people had to earn money so they chose to stay there. On the other hand, Hong Kong, as an Asian c ity also, is always sheltered. Hong Kong people probably never give a serious thought on what will happen if this typhoon hit our city instead. Some of us might even hope that the typhoons could attack Hong Kong directly so that there will be no working or school days. Hong Kong is a safe place that no one can remember the destructive typhoon and it leads to our neglect of unfortunate disaster elsewhere in the world. Should we change our attitude and understand more about how people suffer in the other part of world; and ultimately show more care to the unfortunate ones?

The Ethics of Spam Prevention Essay -- Internet Computers Technology E

The Ethics of Spam Prevention The user base of the Internet and World Wide Web grows by millions of users each year. In recent years this has created an explosion in the number of Internet email accounts and addresses. Companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Netscape have made free email accounts available for the world to use. Many people have multiple email accounts on the web, in addition to those that they may have for business purposes. This increase in the number of users around the world surfing the Internet and using email has created a new problem and a very disturbing trend. Spam or unsolicited email messages, has become such a problem for people that it is common for users to spend a large portion of their time online just sifting through and deleting unwanted email. Spam has become an effective form of advertisement for any company or individual that uses the internet. Practically any type of product or service imaginable is being promoted through the use of spam. Many of these products that are being promoted are pornographic and can be offensive or harmful to people, especially to children. These spam messages however, are sent out indiscriminately to any email address that the spammer or source of the spam can find. Part of the reason that Internet users have more than one free web based email account is to avoid spam. People create new accounts for themselves because the spammers have found the old addresses and filled the inboxes with unwanted email. The progress of spamming technologies has created a whole new set of security products and features that companies and email providers must give users to make them competitive among email providers. Individual citizens and businesses have the ... ... enforce it. This type of a policy would certainly cause a drop in the billions of unsolicited messages sent each day, which are costing individuals time, money and productivity. Bibliography Google .com, 23 May 2004, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%E2%80%9C@msn.com%E2%80%9D John Leyden, 10 Mar. 2004, The Register, 22 May 2004 , http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/10/big_us_isps_set_legal/ Spam Statistics 2004, 2004, Spam Filter Review, http://www.spamfilterreview.com/spam-statistics.html David E. Sorkin, 16 Dec. 2003, Spam Laws, 22 May 2004 , http://www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.html Paul Roberts, 19 May 2004, IDG News Service (PCWorld.com), 22 May 2004, http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116178,00.asp John Leyden, 27 Apr. 2004, The Register, 22 May 2004 , http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/27/spam_law_review/

Thomas Alva Edison Essays -- Essays Papers

Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Alva Edison was one of the greatest inventors. He was a smart man. Thomas invented many things such as the light bulb and phonograph. Without the light bulb we would still be using candles and lanterns like they did many years ago. Although Thomas was deaf he worked hard and never gave up. Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He had many family members. He had a father named Samuel Odgen Edison and a mother named Nancy Elliott Edison. Thomas' mother pulled him from school because Thomas' teacher called him a"retard." Nancy Edison taught her son at home. Thomas has six siblings and he was the youngest child in the Edison family. Thomas was interested in many things as a child. At age twelve Thomas got a job at the Grand Trunk Railroad. While working at Grand Trunk Railroad Thomas was a typesetter, press operator, editor, and publisher of his very own newspaper called the "Herald." Thomas got his news for his newspaper from telegraphers at other train stations. Thomas liked many things, but mathematics was not one of them. He enjoyed reading books about science and philosophy. His favorite book ever was Isaac Newtown's Principia Mathematica. Thomas was interested in inventing the light bulb. Thomas was a scientist as a kid. He like to test many things. When he was young he built a laboratory in the family's basement. Thomas did experiments he found in science books and got jars and che...

Physics of a Mountain Bike Essay example -- Physics Papers

Physics of a Mountain Bike This paper will discuss some of the physics involved in bicycles. Specifically, mountain bikes with suspension. A bicycle is a very energy efficient vehicle. Its wheels allow its rider to make full use of inertia and gravitational potential energy. The basic design of a bicycle has been around for over 100 years and compared to other things, has changed very little. Some of the topics that will be covered are: frames, wheels, suspension forks, suspension frames, brakes and how all these things affect speed, momentum and stability. Some of the key parts of any bicycle are the frame, forks and wheels. The most common type of bicycle frame is known as the double diamond. It is called this because if you look at the frame, it is diamond shaped with 2 smaller triangles forming the front and rear. This designed has endured because it is easy to build, strong and efficient. The tubing that a frame is made with is usually round but can be many different shapes even on the same bike. The reason for this shaping is to increase the rigidity or improve the ride quality. For instance, the sloping tube that goes from the front of the bike to the pedal junction of the frame is sometimes ovalized along the horizontal axis at the pedal junction to make the frame flex less side to side. Frames have been made from many materials including wood, steel, aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber just to name a few. Each of the materials have a strength to weight ratio, tensile strength and cost of production that must be taken into accou nt before deciding which will work best. For example, when a frame made of beryllium was introduced, the strength to weight ratio was very high. The weight was extremely low but the cost wa... ...etty. The faster you go, the smoother it gets and the greater the force required to stop. Mass times velocity is not fun when applied to a crash. Mike Farrentino in an article in Bike magazine says, â€Å"The faster you go, the longer the crash, the greater the force of the impact. Seconds seem like hours, and the clatter and gasp and thud of cart wheeling bike and body parts is not a sound easily forgotten. †¦In spite of this, whatever any of us say, we all want to go fast†¦.Momentum is the secret key to the universe. It is the rush of joy. It is the heavy hand of gravity. It is the grin of a child, feet off the pedals, bombing downhill on a tricycle.† Sources Bike magazine: volume 10, number 2 March 2003 Bloomfield, Louis A : How things work, the physics of everyday life, 1997 Kirkpatrick & Wheeler: Physics, a world view, third edition, 1998 www.howstuffwork.com

Hilton Hhonors Worldwide Rewards

Hilton HHonors Worldwide: Loyalty Wars: (Due Week 9, Oct. 29-Nov. 2) ? Compare the Hilton HHonors reward programme with other reward programmes you know about or have researched. Be sure to discuss the differences, how they value guests and their offerings. ? Does the value of the Hilton program justify its’ cost. Explain in terms of the value of a customer. ? What is Starwood trying to do and how should Jeff Diskin respond? The Hilton HHonors Worldwide reward programme can be compared with several other loyalty or recognition programs offered by leading hotel chains of the world.Similar programs are being offered by many airlines, department stores, car rentals, video and book retailing, credit cards, movie theaters and several other international entities in the service industry. The first one that can be considered in this regard is the Priority Club Rewards offered by IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group). The IHG group comprises of Intercontinental Hotel and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resorts, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. (Ref: https://secure. priorityclub. com/hotels/). The program is offered across 4,500 properties operated worldwide by the group.The program is open to everyone free of cost. It allows the members to earn points not only by staying in any of the member hotels but also by earning Priority Club points when purchasing goods and services with any of their partners or earn miles with their partner airlines. The partners are specially customized in accordance with prevalent tastes and popularity in different parts of the world and include leading brand names in airline industry, fashion retailers, vacation and tour operators, mobile and telecom services, car rentals, home and furnishings, electronics, computers, etc.The choice of partners is vast as compared to Hiltons’ rewards program. In many territories local co-branded credit cards are also offered which entitle mem bers to earn points on each and every spent. For the stay at the hotels, members can earn 2000 points for every stay outside the hotels outside North America, Mexico and Carribean in Intercontinental Hotel and Resorts while for all other geographical locations and all other hotel chains included in the group, the members earn 10 Priority Club points for each US $ 1 spent.The program has distinct features comprising of points that never expire and no blackout dates for Rewards Night, thus allowing the members to stay anytime. Unlike the Hiltons reward program, members can also use a combination of points and cash for their stay. Furthermore, members can redeem their points for flights with no blackout dates on over 400 airlines across the world ranging from North America, Europe, Middle-East, Central to Southern and Far-east Asia. However, unlike the Hiltons reward program, double-dipping is not allowed.But as an added incentive to members, free lounge access at several airports is a lso offered to the members thus enhancing members travel convenience. Similar to the Hilton reward program, the points in IHG Priority program can also be redeemed for several other items besides free nights at the participating hotels. Yet again, the choice offered by IHG is vast as compared to Hilton. The points can be redeemed for hotel stay, airlines travel, tour packages, adventure sports and merchandise from leading retails and entertainment providers.In addition, gift cards from several brands are available. A very appealing feature is an option of donating points for charitable ventures in keeping with IHG philosophy that ‘rewarding others may be the best reward of all’. (Ref: http://www. priorityclub. com/rewards/us/en/redeem/catalog/charitable-donations). The IHG program lays special emphasis upon member satisfaction and recognition. Hence , the members have several value-added services offered for free. A separate toll-free reservations line is offered. They are offered priority check in and check out services.Their individual preferences are stored in the system (Personalized room-preferences profile) offered at every stay without asking e. g. smoking or non-smoking rooms, bed-type, etc. Requests for late check-outs are given preference and in certain locations, extra benefits like airport pick-up services, free internet, free newspapers, etc. are offered. Extra level of service is also offered to members for room upgrades, complaint resolution, customer service feed-back services, etc. Just like the Hiltons’ reward program, the IHG Priority program also has different plan levels based upon ‘qualifying points’ and ‘qualified nights’.Accordingly, 3 tiers termed as ‘Club’, ‘Gold Elite’ and ‘Platinum Elite’ are offered. (Ref: http://www. priorityclub. com/hotels/us/en/global/support/about_priorityclublevelsef:) Bonus earnings for Gold Elite are 10% and those for Plati num Elite 50% over the base points earned. Moreover, the Elite members are offered extra benefits and advantages like complimentary upgrades and guaranteed room availability. In this respect, it appears to be more attractive to customers than Hiltons’ reward Silver and Gold VIP status.Over and above the stated benefits, multiple promotions are offered at different times promising extra points, free room upgrades, etc. to attract more and more customers. Another popular loyalty program is Fairmont President's Club that allows access to a host of exclusive benefits and privileges. Besides the standards being offered by the loyalty programs of almost all big hotel groups, Fairmont goes a step ahead by offering members services like concierge reservation, complimentary use of health clubs, golf-clubs and even use of BMWs at select locations. Ref: https://www. fairmont. com/fpc/benefits/). Another impressive and acclaimed loyalty program, not by a hotel group but an airline, is th e one offered by Etihad Airways. Though relatively new in the competitive airline industry, the Etihad Guest program has introduced several new initiatives for the frequent travelers generating big business for the airline and proving to be a significant factor in the phenomenal success of Etihad. Very aptly, it has been awarded 2012 Freddie Awards.Etihad Guest was recognized for the Best Redemption Ability, Best Elite Program and Best Loyalty Credit Card among all airlines in the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. (Ref:http://www. etihadairways. com/sites/Etihad/global/en/aboutetihad/mediacenter/newslisting/newsdetails). The program was also runner up in the four remaining categories: Best Promotion for Earning, Best Promotion for Redemption, Best Customer Service and Program of the Year.Hence, it can be concluded that the member retention and brand loyalty competition is fierce and offering innovative and extensive services to customers is imperative to lure more and more individual a nd corporate clients. It seems quite obvious that the value of Hilton reward program does justify its cost. As per the belief of Hilton Hotels that regard frequent guest programs as the lodging industry’s most important marketing tool, serving to direct promotional and customer service efforts at the heavy user. (Ref: Case Study by John Deighton and Stowe Shoemaker).Loyalty programs have been at the core of how hotels attract and retain their best customers for over a decade. However, they can only be as cost-effective as multiple competitors in the market let them be. This study reveals that the previous year had been successful for Hilton. Revenues had been in the region of $158 per night per guest, and occupancy had exceeded break-even. Also Hilton HHonors rewards program was not established as a profit center but was required to break even each year and to measure its effectiveness through a complex set of program metrics.The program is run by a small team of 30 employees . A research by Hilton revealed that guests identified by their HHonors or airline membership numbers occupied 22. 5 percent of all the rooms occupied in the Hilton Hotels and Hilton International network in a year. More importantly for Hilton , activation, retention, and member spend per visit all have improved. Augmenting the financial gains is the valuable database the HHonors rewards program provides to Hilton. These are the most critical and demanding customers who provide vital feedback and valuable suggestions.The program staff can establish individual contact with these members through mail or in person and not only obtain valuable feedback but earn lifelong loyalty. Plenty of focus groups and quantative research can be carried out further enhancing means to develop brand loyalty through personal profiling and personal recognition techniques. The phrase attributed to Diskin interestingly sums it up i-e ‘ People care about organizations that care about them. (Ref: same case study).In addition, the program also offers opportunities to target other customer segments. Furthermore, the program is also being used as a tool that can help the travel manager with compliance to their overall travel policy by offering special incentives to stay at Hilton rather than at a competitor due to personal choice of the travelers. The Hilton program proves to be even more effective by developing additional services for returning customers at check-ins and by appointing guest relations managers to offer special personalized services to loyalty members.All these factors contribute to make this program valuable in expanding and retaining clients and thus justify the associated costs. Starwood is introducing a new aggressive frequent-guest program that it hopes will help attract more business travelers to its Westin Hotels Resorts, Sheraton Hotels Resorts, The Luxury Collection, Four Points, Caesar’s, and Starwood’s new W brand hotels, representing more th an 550 participating properties worldwide. The program is expected to raise the stakes in the loyalty-program fierce competition amongst big hotel chains especially since Starwood plans to run it by a