Saturday, January 25, 2020

Conformity and Rebellion in Antigone Essay -- conflict, change, mistake

Would you rather not have conflicts in your life? Antigone is a play, based upon conflicts between the characters. Antigone is the sister of Polynices, who is dead. Polynices is considered a traitor to Creon and he doesn’t bury those who are against him. As conflicts occur, Antigone, Creon, and the Chorus argue on whether to have Polynices buried or not. Conflicts are a necessary part of life because of the changes that we run in to. It is appropriate to rebel and create conflict when we believe in doing the right thing to do, but someone is taking the necessary tool away from us so we can’t accomplish those goals. Also, it is appropriate to conform when violence gets out of hand. The changes that happen make us, the readers better individuals and once we have the conflicts solved, we won’t repeat the same mistakes and then conformity is possible. It is appropriate to rebel and create conflict when you believe in doing the right thing, but somebody takes away from you the necessary tool from doing so. The main conflict in the play between Antigone and Creon is the best example for this argument. Antigone believes that everybody deserves a proper burial. In her opinion, even if somebody is a traitor or dislikes Creon’s views, he or she deserves a proper burial. In this case, Creon decides that Polynices doesn’t deserve a proper burial because Polynices is a traitor to him. Antigone now wants to bury Polynices and doesn’t care about Creon’s edict. However, Ismene warns Antigone,† But think of the dange! Think what Creon will do!† (469). Ismene is telling Antigone that she is scared of burying Polynices behind Creon’s back, because if they get caught they will be punished greatly. Ismene and everybody else in Thebes are scared of Cr... ...d how we can be better individuals from the original conflict. Choragos Is telling us if we want to be happy, we have to be intelligent. In Antigone, it is appropriate to conform when violence gets out of hand. This happens when all of Creon’s love ones die because of how his stubbornness and pride. However, it is appropriate to rebel when we believe in doing the right thing to do, but someone is taking the necessary tool away from us so we can’t accomplish those goals. This happens in the play when Antigone wants to bury Polynices, but Creon is too powerful and causes fear upon all of the people of Thebes. We can learn from this play that conflict is necessary in our lives, because without it we can’t learn. Works Cited Sophocles. Antigone. Abcarian, Klotz, and Cohen, eds. Literature: The Human Experience. 11th ed. Boston: Bedford. 2013. Print.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Big Bad Burger

The Brain Behind the Big, Bad Burger Section 1: Analysis Most Americans will consume any food regardless of the calories, nutritional value and health related consequences. The Brain behind the Big, Bad Burger article mentions the importance of using a Business Intelligence System (BIS) which â€Å"provides them with insights, not just mountains of data† (Levison, 2005). Business Intelligence gets its strength from being able to pull data from disparate sources store it for use in a loosely coupled way, and then pull it out in an accurate and meaningful way.Organizations can pull data from customer surveys and sales reports; however, this information is useless without a framework. Jeff Chasney, CKE’S CIO clarified this point further by stating â€Å"There's nothing worse, in my opinion, than a business intelligence system that reports changes on a weekly basis, he says, because those systems don't provide any context as to what factors are influencing those changes.Wi thout that context, you don't know whether the data is good or bad; it's just useless† (Levison, 2005). BIS gathers information from various data points in the company to create multifaceted contextual statistics for better decision making. For example, BIS helped CKE determine if the Thickburger was actually contributing to increases in sales at restaurants or if it was just cannibalizing sales of other, lesser burgers. CKE Thickburger in fact did increase their sales â€Å"it was selling like gangbusters†.The success was measured through a variety of data points including cost of production, average unit volume compared with other burgers, total sales for each of the test stores, and the contribution of that menu item to total sales (Levinson, 2005). The Monster Thickburger exceeded expectations in test market, and this is why CKE decided to roll it out nationwide. Section 2: Summary of Discussion Questions 1. BIS add values to CKP by focusing on the company's most im portant performance indicators which included sales and cost of sale, historical and forward-looking business trends.BIS uses econometric models to provide context which explains performance. By having this information the company is more agile and responsive to improve making decisions and finding problems areas to correct and take new directions in the rapidly changing fast-food industry environments. 2. Some tips for using BIS is for strategic decisions such as what new products to add to menus, which dishes to remove and which underperforming stores should be closed. BIS can be used for tactical matters like renegotiating contracts with food suppliers and identifying opportunities to improve inefficient processes.BIS can also help improve the infrastructure of the supply chain. BIS is an analytical tool that helps executives make better decisions. It is important that we pay attention to data quality and integrity to make sure that we are not basing our judgment on erroneous dat a. I will also suggest devising key performance metrics (KPI’s) that are most relevant to the business to examine the deviations that are causing losses to the operations and locate opportunities areas to grow and take advantage of. One last tip which is very important is to take into account users’ feelings, and address their concerns up front.The success of the BI systems is user acceptance and without user acceptance, companies will waste time and money establishing a Business Intelligence System. 3. The Monster Thickburger was a good idea because it increased sales at restaurants and it narrowed its overall losses and even turned a profit in 2003. As long as you have an idea of what information you are looking for a system can be implemented in order to find that information and make sense of it. References Levinson, Meredith. (2005). The Brain Behind the Big, Bad Burger and Other Tales of Business Intelligence. CIO Magazine.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

How Is Cast Iron Used in Architecture

Cast-iron architecture was a popular type of building design used throughout the world in the mid-1800s. Its popularity was due, in part, to its efficiency and cost-effectiveness — a regal exterior facade could be mass-produced inexpensively with cast iron. Entire structures could be prefabricated and shipped around the world as portable iron houses. Ornate facades could be imitated from historic buildings and then hung on the steel-framed tall buildings   — the new architecture being built in the late 19th century. Examples of cast iron architecture can be found in both commercial buildings and private residences. Preservation of this architectural detail has been addressed in Preservation Brief 27, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior — The Maintenance and Repair of Architectural Cast Iron by John G. Waite, AIA. What Is the Difference Between Cast Iron and Wrought Iron? Iron is a soft, natural element in our environment. Elements like carbon can be added to iron to create other compounds, including steel. The properties and uses of iron change as different element proportions are combined with various heat intensities — the two key components are mixture proportions and how hot you can get a furnace. Wrought iron has a low carbon content, which makes it pliable when heated in a forge — it is easily wrought or worked on by a hammer to shape it. Wrought iron fencing was popular in the mid-1800s as it is today. The innovative Spanish architect Antoni Gaudà ­ used decorative wrought iron in and on many of his buildings. A type of wrought iron called puddled iron was used to construct the Eiffel Tower. Cast iron, on the other hand, has a higher carbon content, which allows it to liquify at high temperatures. The liquid iron can be cast or poured into prefabricated molds. When the cast iron is cooled, it hardens. The mold is removed, and the cast iron has taken the shape of the mold. Molds can be reused, so cast-iron building modules can be mass produced, unlike hammered wrought iron. In the Victorian Era, highly elaborate cast-iron garden fountains became affordable for even a rural towns public space. In the U.S., the fountain designed by  Frederic Auguste Bartholdi may be the most famous — in Washington, D.C. its known as Bartholdis Fountain. Why Was Cast Iron Used in Architecture? Cast iron was used in both commercial buildings and private residences for many reasons. First, it was an inexpensive means to reproduce ornate facades, such as Gothic, Classical, and Italianate, which became the most popular designs imitated. The grand architecture, symbolic of prosperity, became affordable when mass-produced. Cast iron molds could be reused, allowing for the development of architectural catalogs of module patterns that could be optioned to prospective clients — catalogs of cast-iron facades were as common as catalogs of pattern house kits. Like mass-produced automobiles, cast-iron facades would have parts to easily repair broken or weathered components, if the mold still existed. Second, like other products mass produced, elaborate designs could be assembled rapidly on a construction site. Better yet, entire buildings could be constructed in one place and shipped all over the world - prefabrication enabled portability. Lastly, the use of cast iron was a natural extension of the Industrial Revolution. The use of steel frames in commercial buidlings allowed a more open floor plan design, with space to accommodate larger windows suitable for commerce. The cast-iron facades were really like icing on a cake. That icing, however, was also thought to be fireproof — a new type of building construction to address the new fire regulations after devastating fires like the Great Chicago fire of 1871. Who Is Known for Working in Cast Iron? The history of cast irons use in America begins in the British Isles. Abraham Darby (1678-1717) is said to be the first to develop a new furnace in Britains Severn Valley that allowed his grandson, Abraham Darby III, to build the first iron bridge in 1779. Sir William Fairbairn (1789-1874), a Scottish engineer, is thought to be the first to prefabricate a flour mill in iron and ship it to Turkey around 1840. Sir Joseph Paxton (1803–1865), an English landscaper, designed the Crystal Palace in cast iron, wrought iron, and glass for the Great World Exhibition of 1851. In the United States, James Bogardus (1800-1874) is the self-described originator and patent-holder for cast-iron buildings, including 85 Leonard Street and 254 Canal Street both in New York City. Daniel D. Badger (1806–1884) was the marketing  entrepreneur.  Badgers Illustrated Catalogue of Cast-Iron Architecture, 1865, is available as a 1982 Dover Publication, and a public domain version can be found online at the Internet Library. Badgers Architectural Iron Works company is responsible for many portable iron buildings and lower Manhattan facades, including the E.V. Haughwout Building. What Others Say About Cast-Iron Architecture: Everyone is not a fan of cast iron. Perhaps its been overused, or it is emblematic of a mechanized culture. Heres what others have said: But I believe no cause to have been more active in the degradation of our natural feeling for beauty, than the constant use of cast iron ornaments....I feel very strongly that there is no hope of the progress of the arts of any nation which indulges in these vulgar and cheap substitutes for real decoration. —   John Ruskin, 1849 The spread of prefabricated iron fronts imitating masonry buildings quickly aroused criticism in the architectural profession. Architectural journals condemned the practice, and various debates were held on the subject, including one sponsored by the recently founded American Institute of Architects. — Landmarks Preservation Commission Report, 1985 [The Haughwout Building,] a single pattern of classical elements, repeated over five floors, yields a facade of extraordinary richness and harmony...[The architect, J.P. Gaynor] invented nothing. It is all in how he put the pieces together...like a good plaid....A building lost is never regained. — Paul Goldberger, 2009 Sources John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture, 1849, pp. 58–59Gale Harris, Landmarks Preservation Commission Report, p. 6, March 12, 1985, PDF at http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/CS051.pdf [accessed April 25, 2018]Paul Goldberger, Why Architecture Matters, 2009, pp. 101, 102, 210.