The American Beaver as a keystone species and there effect on the Essay

The American Beaver as a keystone species and there effect on the north american ecosystem - Essay Example This paper purposes to explore how the animals achieve this great impact. The American Beaver is considered as a keystone species in the North American wetland areas by the ecologists. Keystone species are animals whose activities and abundance determine the integrity of the community and its unaltered persistence through time (Schulze 238). The activities of the American Beaver result to creation of dam and reduction of the flowing speed of streams. Moreover, it results to deposition of sediments on the beds of those streams. This improves the ecosystem of the fish and other water animals in those streams. Therefore, the activities of these animals improve the living conditions of the other water animals and hence they are keystone species. Moreover, the activities of the American Beaver also have an impact to the animals living in both the riverbanks and those living on the other landscape. This is because these animals have the capability to influence the course of succession, species composition, and structure of plant community (Rosell et al 2). These animals can change the composition of plant in an area thus bettering the habitant for other animals. Their foraging also clears the land thus making the ecosystem very favorable for the predators. However, they sometimes fall trees that can destroy the ecosystem of the birds. Therefore, the activities of the American Beaver have an influence to the community of the terrestrial animals also and thus it is a keystone species. The American Beavers activities results to felling of trees on streams that block the streams thus converting the flood plains of streams into wetlands. The activities of these animals have resulted to creation of several wetlands on areas that were previously occupied by flood plains. In other areas, their activities have resulted to expansion of the existing wetlands. This has been mainly through the felling of trees

Vaccination of children. The importance of parents need to vaccinate Research Paper

Vaccination of children. The importance of parents need to vaccinate their children - Research Paper Example Vaccination of children. The importance of parents need to vaccinate their children According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), â€Å"Vaccinations not only protect children from developing a potentially serious disease but also protect the community by reducing the spread of infectious disease†. Vaccination can help children for the growth of their immunization system. Children during their developmental stages are vulnerable to many diseases. They may not possess adequate resistive power to counter the attacks of diseases during their infancy or early childhood period. Many children forced to suffer death before the introduction of the practice of vaccination of children. Diseases like diphtheria, small pox, measles, polio etc can cause immense problems to the children during their early developmental stages. After the introduction of vaccination for child diseases like polio, small pox, diphtheria, measles etc started to decrease or disappear from the world. In other words, vaccination of children saved millions of lives since its introduction. Today, in most of the countries vaccination of children against dreadful diseases starts immediately after the birth itself. Periodical vaccination against different diseases may continue till the child reaches his/her 15 or 16 year s of age. In short, vaccination of children can save millions of lives and therefore the parents should give more attention to the periodical vaccination of their children. This paper analyses the importance of child vaccination. Importance of Child Vaccination Up through the early 1920's, diphtheria was one of the most dreaded childhood diseases in the United States, killing over 10,000 people every year. We started vaccinating children against diphtheria in the 1930's and 40's, and today it is rare for a doctor even to see a case of diphtheria. In 1962, the year before measles vaccine was introduced; almost 500,000 cases of measles were reported in the U.S. In 1998 and 1999, only about 100 measles cases were reported each year. Until the middle of the 20th Century, smallpox was one of the most devastating diseases the world has ever known. In 1967, the World Health Organization declared war on smallpox with an intensive, worldwide vaccination campaign. Twelve years later, smallpox was wiped out - gone from the Earth forever. Parents in the 1950's were terrified as polio paralyzed children by the thousands. Now the fight against polio is nearly won, and soon it will join smallpox as nothing but a bad memory (Vaccinations for Children, Why and When, 2011) The above statistics clearly show the importance of vaccination of children. It should be noted that some of the serious diseases which hunted human for a long time, is under control at present, only because of the development of child vaccination system. It is necessary to vaccinate babies using a baby vaccination schedule. This vaccination schedule normally starts immediately after birth itself. Today, medical science has a vaccination schedule for babies and the strict observance of this schedule can help the babies to resist the attack of dreadful diseases. The normal vaccination schedule of a child is given below. AGE VACCINES Birth BCG, OPV, Hepatitis B 6 weeks DTP, OPV+IPV, Hepatitis B, Hib, PCV 10 wee ks DTP, OPV+IPV, Hib, PCV 14 weeks DTP, OPV+IPV, Hepatitis B, Hib, PCV 9 months Measles 1 year Varicella 15 months MMR, PCV Booster 16 months Hib Booster 18 months DTP Booster, OPV+IPV Booster 2 years

About the bridge and router

About the bridge and router Introduction In this current assignment I will discuss about the bridge and router. This assignment I will explain the definition of what is a bridge and a router in detail. The bridge and router has its own advantages and disadvantages in many ways by looking thru its capability and specification wise. Bridge is a wired connection which is only use for that computer which is connected to it and router is a wireless connection which can be shared by many other computer or laptop. Secondly, I will calculate and find the subnet mask, number address in each subnet and first and last addresses in subnet. 1.The answer is yes it is possible to replace the bridge with a router. Thru coming year our technology is expanding rapidly because of that many alternative way can be done to solve networking problem. I will explain what are a router (refer to figure1.1) and a bridge (refer to figure1.2) individually in performing a task to connect thru the network.   In telecommunication networks of today, the bridge is a device that enables us to connect to the local area network known as local area network to another local area network which uses the same protocol as Ethernet or token ring. You can imagine that the bridge device as being to be able to decide whether a certain context of message from another person to someone else is by going thru to the local area network in your current building or to someone else on the local area network in another building which is located across the street. The bridge examines or checks each message carefully on a local area network, passing thru those which are known to be within the same local area network, and forwarding those which are known to be on the other interconnected local area network. In bridging networks of today, a computer address or a node address have no accurate or specific relationship to location where it is located. For this reason, messages are randomly sent out to every single address located on the current network and only can be accepted by the intended and matching destination node. The bridge learns which addresses are on specific network and create a learning table in order for each subsequent message to be forwarded to the correct network. Bridging networks commonly are always interconnected local area networks since broadcasting each and every message to all available destinations would causes a flood to the larger network with unwanted traffic. For this reason, router networks such as the Internet use a scheme that assigns addresses to nodes so that a message or packet can be forwarded only in one general direction rather than forwarded in all directions. A bridge operate at the data-link level of a network also known as physical network, is by copying a data frame from another network to the next network by moving along the communications path. A bridge contains more overhead and lesser amount of repeater. The bridge processes the packet at only the two layers; the repeater processes each frame at only on one layer. The bridge will need to look for a table and get the forwarding port together for it to regenerate its signal; only the repeater will regenerates the signal. The transparent bridge works by using two processes known as bridge forwarding and bridge learning. If the destination address exists in the forwarding database which is already created, the packet will then be forwarded to the port number to the specific destination host which has been attached. If it doesnt exist in the forwarding database, forwarding will be done on all parts which cause flooding. This process is referred as bridge forwarding. Moreover, as each frame reaches it destination, its source address will indicates where a particular host is located, so that the bridge knows where to forward the frames to that address. This process is called bridge learning. The key features of a transparent bridge is that the stations are not aware of the existence of a transparent bridge and reconfiguration of the bridge is not required because it can be added or removed on its own without knowing. The advantages of bridging is that its self-configuring which doesnt require any skillful technically expertise to configured it because is not as complex as the router. Secondly, the price of a simple bridge device is not expensive at all compared to the router. Thirdly, it isolate collision domain which will reduce the size of collision domain by using micro segmentation in the non-switched network. Fourthly, bridges wont deny the introduction of management or performance information and access control. Fifthly, local area networks interconnected in the bridge are divided and the physical constraints like the number of station, repeater and segment length will not be apply. Sixthly, the bridge manages incoming trafficking and lessens the bandwidth to be wasted by avoiding all unwanted flow of data located in between the network segments. By using this method it can effectively ensure that the optimal performance on both sides of the network segment. Bridges might be functioning jus t like a traffic police on the city street, by controlling the movement of the legitimate data and not allowing all unwanted traffic passing through it. Bandwidth that is wasted will create unwanted delay of time and reduce the performance speed of the current network used. A bridge is therefore can also act as a bandwidth monitor, by channeling important relevant data and discarding rubbish to improve the bandwidth throughput. It also can be thought out as a traffic shaping or a managing firewall. Seventhly, the network bridges improve the functional length of a network by connecting each single local area network segments. A network is possible to be segmented and join together without requiring the need of creating IP subnets or the usage of a router. The network bridges expand the capacity of the network without the requiring for hardware equipment something like cables, and software constraints which is the firewalls. Eighthly, the bridge network is capable of connecting both s imilar and different local area network segments. It is connected, for an instance, an Ethernet segment connected together with a Token Ring segment, which allows both to function as one and by having similar IP address. A bridge connects local area network segments thru many different protocols, a local area network segment including the Internet and a wireless local area network (WLAN) with a local area network segment. The bridge network can also be used to connect two carrier sense multiple access or collision detection (CSMA/ CD) local area network, and a token ring local area networks with a carrier sense multiple access or collision detection (CSMA/ CD) local area network. It is important to connect different segments possessing non-similar protocols for data transmission. The disadvantages of bridging are that the scope of broadcast has no limit in the bridge network. Secondly, extremely large networks are not being scaled in the bridge network. Thirdly, the bridge network delays the length of time for the action to do buffering and processing. Fourthly, repeater and hubs cost a lesser amount of price compared to buying a bridge.   Fifthly, a complex network topology can pose a problem for transparent bridges. For example, multiple paths that are located in between the transparent bridges and local area network can cause the bridge looping. The spanning tree protocol is to help in reducing the problems with complicated topologies. In packet-switching networks such as the Internet which connect to the world wide web, the router is a device that is capable, in some cases, software that are inside the computer, so that it determines from one network to another network point in which a single packet should be   forwarded toward its right destination. The router is connected with at least two networks or more networks and it determine which way to send each packet containing the information based on its own knowledge of the current condition of the working networks that it is connected to. A router can be located at any gateway in where one network can be met with another network, including each point-of-presence on the Internet will surfing in the World Wide Web (WWW). A router is most of the time is included as a fraction from the network switch. The router sometimes can create or maintain the table for the current routes used and its own conditions and using the information together with distance and cost the algorithm to decide on its own to choose the best route for each packet thats been given. Typically, a single packet sometimes moves through a specific number of network points with the use of routers before reaching at its currently set destination. Routing will function by associating with the Network layer which is located in layer 3 where it is in the standard model of network programming, it is called the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. A layer-3 switch allows the switch to be able to perform routing functions properly. An edge router is another kind of router that interfaces with an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network. A brouter is combined with a bridge network and a router. For the home computer users and business computer users which owned a high-speed Internet connection by using a cable, satellite, or digital subscribe line (DSL), the router can be like a hardware firewall. This fact is true because even though if the home or the business owned only a single computer at home or at work place. Out of many of the engineers trust that the usage of a router provides a higher protection level against hacking by hacker compare to a software firewall inside the computer, because none of the computer Internet Protocol address are easy to be revealed to the Internet. This makes the port scan which is a technique for exploring weaknesses almost essentially impossible to be done. In addition, a router does not simply suck up the resources in the computer as a software firewall does. Commercially manufactured routers are easily to be installed, its sold at a reasonable price, and made available for hard-wired network or wireless networks. The advantage of using a router is that the data can be travel between different networks, so that you can use the local area network and wide area network connectivity at the same time. The router has many different type of connections which can be connected to a lot of architecture, many kind of media from the internet and also for internal use within an organization. The router is useful for transferring data to others because it makes its own decision by taking the best route and paths in order to get the correct data to the target node. Router has domain that will cause smaller collisions. Wireless Internet also known as the router provides super quick broadband speed, approaching up to two megabytes per second or even quicker. More and more customers are hoping for the broader bandwidth, so the number should slowly crawl up steadily over for the next few months or years to come. Wireless internet is more reasonable and has better performance wise over the satellite broadband , this is because satellite signals typically needs to travel around tens of thousands of miles away. Wireless internet is also extremely responsive, when you are launching up the web pages, downloading emails is quicker, and able to engage in teleconferencing or video conferencing over the internet, your wireless internet system will be able to yield ultra quick transmission. Weather condition, radio frequencies distraction, and traffic congestion can all impede wireless internet flow. Moreover, with the building of transmission towers across each nation, it safe to say that if people who live within a average proximity of an urban area, those people will be more closer to the wireless Internet tower. The wireless Internet broadband service allows rural Web surfers a certain way to get into the high speed telecommunications without requiring to lay down the fiber or reconfiguring in the public switched telephone network system according to the updated digital subscribe line (DSL) sta ndards. Thus, sending communications to a much smaller town in certain area which lacks of cable infrastructure or merely seeking to dodge the slow speed and sometimes complicate the plans associated with digital subscribe line (DSL), wireless Internet is just a beautiful method to boost your surfing time. The disadvantages of a router is because of the cost of the router will be more as it is more expensive compared to the hub, bridge switch. The router has more bandwidth when it is interconnected with many buildings or when it is doing some updating.The router must have a larger latency during the time when there are a lot of packets to be sorted. With the help of wireless Internet service, there still the problem of someone with bad intention, inside within the wireless traffic, hacking to get into your own connection from a distance away and its done by a person known as a hacker. So, you will need to make sure that youre using the wireless security to make sure all the private information in it is kept safe from other stranger viewers such as hacker. There are many available firewalls which work and perform task better enough for this specific purpose or you can just go look into by using the network system which is able to create a password protected connections. Verizon wireless and Sprint wireless are two out of many popular wireless companies in the business of today. Verizon wireless offers several different kinds of wireless devices which are often used by customer. Hand phones and wireless broadband Internet are also very popular services that they currently offering. Not only that they also provide service for personal digital assistant (PDA) and wireless personal computer (PC) cards. Wireless technology can appear in many different kind of various forms as well. You will be able to find wireless speakers for the stereo system also, wireless headphones for communicating, wireless receivers and transmitters and even microphones to talk over the net. You can also find wireless computer mouse, wireless keyboards, satellite television (TV), cordless telephones and even the garage door controller without manually doing it. In the next coming generation will probably bring us to a world filled with many kind of wireless technology devices. H ard wired devices will in the end up as being a device or a thing from the past generation, once wireless technology will enlarge. As the wireless Internet technology improves, personal digital assistants (PDA), blackberry devices, and other well known hand phones or personal computer (PC) hybrids will likely depend on it increasingly on non-fiber based transmissions. Thus by learning yourself for now about the current wireless Internet trends and developing initiatives, that you can knowingly position yourself as the earliest adopter of the next generation of Wi-Fi concerned technologies. Understanding what is what at its cutting edge of telecom tech development will also fill your overall investment portfolio. Bridge device has some similarity with a router, but it does not analyze the data that is being forwarded. Because of this, bridges are typically quicker at transferring data, than but not as versatile as a router. For example, the bridge cannot work as a firewall like most of the routers can in which show the disadvantages of the bridge compare to the router. A bridge is capable for transferring data between different protocols such as a Token Ring and Ethernet network. A router on the other hand are like traffic police, they examine each single packet of data, get the accurate destination address and forwards it thru the network to be sent to the right address. Bridging and routing are both method of performing data control, but it work through many kind of different methods. Bridging takes place at Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model Layer 2 which is referred as data-link layer while routing takes place at the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model Layer 3 which is referred as network layer. This difference the meaning of a bridge and a router where a bridge directs frames by following the hardware assigned media control access (MAC) addresses while a router makes its own decisions based on the arbitrarily assigned internet protocol (IP) Addresses. As a result of that, bridges are not bothered with and are not able to recognize networks while routers can capable of doing that. Open System Interconnection (OSI) Model Layer 2 is the protocol layer which will transfer the data located between the adjacent network nodes in the wide area network (WAN) or in between the nodes on similar local area network (LAN) segment. Data link layer also provides functional and procedural means to move the data between network entities and sometimes provide the means to spot and mostly correct errors that may happen in the Physical Layer. Data link layer is also related with local delivery of frames in between the device on similar local area network (LAN). Data link frames, as these protocol data units are used to be referred as, will not go over the limit of a local network. Inter-network routing and global addressing are bigger layer functions, allowing data link protocols to concentrate on local delivery, addressing, and media arbitration. By using this way, the data link layer is analogous to specific neighborhood traffic cop; it endeavors to arbitrate in between parties contending for gaining access to the medium. When a devices attempt to make use of a medium during the same time, frame collisions happen. Data link protocols specify how devices spot and heal from such collisions, but it will not stop it from occurring. Delivery of frames from layer 2 devices can affect the use of unambiguous hardware addresses. The frames header will contains source and location addresses that will show which device originated the frame and which device can be ignore to get and process it. In other word, the hierarchical and routable addresses from the network layer, layer two addresses are flat, meaning theres no part of the address that might be able to be used in order to find out the logical or physical group to which the address come from. The data link also provides data transfer moving across the physical link. That will be able to transfer many data link protocols which do not have acknowledgments of successful frame reception and acceptance, and certain amount of the data link protocols maybe will not even have any form of checksum to find or scan for the transmission errors. In this case, higher-level protocols will provide flow control, error finding, and acknowledgments and retransmission. Open System Interconnection (OSI) Model Layer 3 is the network layer job is to do end-to-end packet sending including routing thru intermediate hosts, where else the data link layer job is to do node-to-node frame sending on similar links. The network layer will also provides functional and procedural means of transferring changeable length data sequences from one source to one location host thru a single or multiple network while maintaining the standard of the service and error control functions. This difference the meaning of a bridge and a router where a bridge directs frames by following the hardware assigned media control access (MAC) addresses while a router makes its own decisions based on the arbitrarily assigned internet protocol (IP) Addresses. As a result of that, bridges are not bothered with and are not able to recognize networks while routers can capable of doing that. When designing or creating a network, one can choose to insert multiple segments into a single bridged network or to divide them into many different networks interconnected by using routers. If a host is physically transferred from the current network area to next network in a routed network, it has to obtain a new internet protocol (IP) address; if the system has been transferred within the bridged network, it doesnt have to be change or modified anything. The consequence which by replacing a bridge with a router is that the router will cost more expensive than the price of a bridge and more complex to be set up or understand compared to a bridge. Secondly, router operates only at the first three-layers of the network while the bridge operates only at the first two layer of the network. Thirdly, is that router are not created to provide direct filtering compared to a bridge which does it. Fourthly, a router normally requires a longer amount of time which makes it time consuming in order for it to search for the routing table compared to searching for the filtering table which takes up lesser amount of time to be searched. Fifthly, a router is required to decapsulate and encapsulates the specific frame and modified the current physical addresses in the frame because the physical addresses in the arriving frame define the old node and the present router; both must be change to the physical addresses following the current router and the n ext hop. The bridge does not modify the current physical addresses. Changing addresses, and other fields, in the frame means causing a lot of unwanted overhead. 2a) Log ² 500=8.95 extras 1s=9 possible subnets: 29=512 mask: 9+8=/17 b) 232-17=215=32768 addresses for each subnet c) The first subnet: The first address is the starting address of the block. 16. 0. 0. 0 In order to find the last address, you need to write 32,767 (one lesser than the number of addresses in each subnet) in base 256 (0.0.127.255) and adding it with the first address (in base 256). First address in subnet 1:  16.0.0.0 Number of addresses:  0.0.127. 255 Last address in subnet1:  16.0.127.255 d) The last subnet: Note that the subnet 500 will not be the last possible subnet; but it will be the last subnet used by the organization. In order to find the first address in subnet 500, you will need to add 16,351,232 (499 ÃÆ'- 32678) in base 256 (0. 249.128.0) into the first address in subnet First address in subnet 1:  16.0.0.0 Number of addresses:  0.249.128.0 First address in subnet 500: 16.249.128.0 Now you can be able to calculate the last address in subnet 500. First address in subnet 500:16.249.128.0 Number of addresses: 0.0.127.255 Last address in subnet 500: 16.249.255.255 Conclusion In conclusion, we learn that bridges and router has their own advantages over each other. For example, the bridge will not be distracted by any other device which will intercept the connection because it uses cable to connect to the network without moving thru the air. Another example is that the router is able to be connected by many other computers within a certain range in distance unlike bridge which is able to be used by a single connected computer only. There are consequences of replacing the bridge with the router is that the router will cost more than the price of the bridge. Abstract In telecommunication networks of today, the bridge is a device that enables us to connect to the local area network. The bridge examines or checks each message carefully on a local area network. In bridging networks of today, a node address have no accurate relationship to location where it is located. Bridging networks commonly are always interconnected local area networks. A bridge operates at the data-link level of a network by copying a data frame from another network to the next network. A bridge contains more overhead and lesser amount of repeater. The transparent bridge works by using two processes known as bridge forwarding and bridge learning. The advantages of bridging is that its self-configuring which doesnt require any skillful technically expertise. The disadvantages of bridging are that the scope of broadcast has no limit. The router is connected with at least two networks or more networks and it determine which way to send each packet. Routing will function by associa ting with the Network layer which is located in layer 3 where it is called the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The advantage of using a router is that the data can be travel between different networks. The disadvantages of a router is because of the cost of the router is more expensive than the hub. Bridging and routing are both method of performing data control. Bridging takes place at Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model Layer 2 while routing takes place at the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model Layer 3. Protocol layer will transfer the data located between the adjacent network nodes and network layer job is to do end-to-end packet sending. The consequence which by replacing a bridge with a router is that the router will cost more expensive. Reference 1) Wikianswer What are the Advantages of routers over bridges[online]. Available from:http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_Advantages_of_routers_over_bridges 2) Wikipedia Bridging (networking)[online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridging_(networking) 3) SearchSecurity What is bridge?[online]. Available from: http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci211705,00.html 4) SearchNetworking What is router?[online]. Available from: http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci212924,00.html 5) Mcgraw hill Connecting LANs, Backbone Networks, and Virtual Networks[online].Available from:http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/dl/free/0072967757/281778/SolStd15.pdf 6) Wapedia Wiki:Bridging(networking)[online]. Available   from:http://wapedia.mobi/en/Bridging_(networking) 7) eHow The Advantages of a Network Bridge[online]. Available from: http://www.ehow.com/list_6023005_advantages-network-bridge.html 8) blurtit What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using A Router?[online]. Available from: http://www.blurtit.com/q7578003.html 9) zimbio Advantages And Disadvantages For Wireless Internet[online]. Available from:http://www.zimbio.com/Keyword+Marketing/articles/5/Advantages+Disadvantages+Wireless+Internet 10) Wikipedia Network Layer[online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Layer 11) Wikipedia Data Link Layer[online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Link_Layer 12) (figure1.1) Available from:http://www.belindahaikes.com/VisualCultureandTechnology/VCT1998/68573-router-diagram.gif 13)(figure1.2) Available from:http://www.oreillynet.com/network/2001/03/16/graphics/Figure4_2.jpg

Cuba :: essays research papers

Conclusion Though it's immediate effect is mostly symbolic, U.S./Cuba policy in 1998 reflects a positive shift in attitudes amongst the leaders of Cuba and the U.S. Many would argue that only the lifting of the embargo completely would serve as redemption for a mislead American foreign policy. And then again, many others would argue that softening the terms of the embargo only further strengthens the Castro regime. The debate is far from over and the solution is very unclear, but there certainly are recognizable indicators that we can allude to and build assumptions. One, is the growing global marketplace. This driver acts as a facilitator of reform by inspiring the individuals and leaders of Cuba and the U.S. to seek relationships outside of their immediate borders. The U.S. stands as the lone holdout in the growing number of countries linked to Cuba through trade relationships. We are pressured by the WTO, GATT, OAS, Mercursor, FTA, and a growing number of regional and international trade organizations to allow some form of trade relationship with Cuba. Not that the U.S. is opposed to unilateral actions, but opposed to free trade--not likely. There is a growing populace of businesses within the U.S. that are lobbying for trade with Cuba. They wish to explore Cuba for oil, utilize it's skilled workforce, and open hotels. Unfortunately, because of domestic issues, the present U.S. administration stands powerless to further change our policy in Cuba. As Presidents have increasingly linked foreign policy with trade on the bi-partisan level, we can expect to see a continuation of this tre nd. Second, Time. The Cold War is over and slowly the wounds are disappearing. No longer does Cuba represent an ideological or military threat to the U.S.. Embargoes are implemented and maintained in countries that fear military attack. With Castro's dwindling resources and increasingly smaller number of soldiers, it is fair to say that Cuba represents no threat to the U.S.. Another function of time can be witnessed in the population of Miami, were the majority of Cubans are now American born. These American born Cubans have never lived in Cuba, nor have they experienced any facet of the revolution first hand. They have integrated into American society and possess no ill will towards Fidel Castro. Third, Communication and Travel. Last year, tourism put $1 billion dollars in the hands of Cuban business owners. Tourists, even American, have been flocking to the picturesque island in record numbers. Cuba :: essays research papers Conclusion Though it's immediate effect is mostly symbolic, U.S./Cuba policy in 1998 reflects a positive shift in attitudes amongst the leaders of Cuba and the U.S. Many would argue that only the lifting of the embargo completely would serve as redemption for a mislead American foreign policy. And then again, many others would argue that softening the terms of the embargo only further strengthens the Castro regime. The debate is far from over and the solution is very unclear, but there certainly are recognizable indicators that we can allude to and build assumptions. One, is the growing global marketplace. This driver acts as a facilitator of reform by inspiring the individuals and leaders of Cuba and the U.S. to seek relationships outside of their immediate borders. The U.S. stands as the lone holdout in the growing number of countries linked to Cuba through trade relationships. We are pressured by the WTO, GATT, OAS, Mercursor, FTA, and a growing number of regional and international trade organizations to allow some form of trade relationship with Cuba. Not that the U.S. is opposed to unilateral actions, but opposed to free trade--not likely. There is a growing populace of businesses within the U.S. that are lobbying for trade with Cuba. They wish to explore Cuba for oil, utilize it's skilled workforce, and open hotels. Unfortunately, because of domestic issues, the present U.S. administration stands powerless to further change our policy in Cuba. As Presidents have increasingly linked foreign policy with trade on the bi-partisan level, we can expect to see a continuation of this tre nd. Second, Time. The Cold War is over and slowly the wounds are disappearing. No longer does Cuba represent an ideological or military threat to the U.S.. Embargoes are implemented and maintained in countries that fear military attack. With Castro's dwindling resources and increasingly smaller number of soldiers, it is fair to say that Cuba represents no threat to the U.S.. Another function of time can be witnessed in the population of Miami, were the majority of Cubans are now American born. These American born Cubans have never lived in Cuba, nor have they experienced any facet of the revolution first hand. They have integrated into American society and possess no ill will towards Fidel Castro. Third, Communication and Travel. Last year, tourism put $1 billion dollars in the hands of Cuban business owners. Tourists, even American, have been flocking to the picturesque island in record numbers.

Soundtrack of My Life

Zachary Smith English 1100 Soundtrack of my life Music is one of the greatest and most influential devices that we as humans deal with on a day to day basis. It plays such an important role in our lives and helps build character without us ever thinking twice about it. In today's society there are so many types and genres of music that you can find a song for any type of mood that you're in. Music has the power to bring thousands of people from opposite walks of life together.When I stop and think about the songs that bring up the best memories it creates a wide spectrum of genres. Ranging from Garth Brooks the â€Å"Thunder Rolls† to classical Ave Maria, to Bone Thugz N Harmony and Sweetish Rock band by the name of Volbeat. The list of songs to come not only have personal stories behind each and every one of them, but they also tell a timeline from my earliest memories as a child growing up with three older brothers, to the highs and lows of being a teenager in high school, a nd to spending a year in Afghanistan.  Like read about memories? Read also  Flashbulb memory!Being the youngest of 4 boys growing up I didn't get to make a whole lot of decisions for myself, and to be honest I didn't really care I just rolled along with whatever Jake, Kyle, and Nate wanted to do. Growing up in the country and living on a farm we naturally became conditioned to listening to country music. At that time Garth Brooks was the country artist hot on the scene. I can remember watching some of his music videos on TV and thinking that he was the coolest guy ever. One of my greatest memories with my brothers is Garth Brooks had a live concert on TV and all of us boys decided to put on a concert of our own.We all ran to the garage and grabbed instruments that could be used as guitars and drum sticks and then raced through the house, meanwhile ignoring moms yelling of â€Å"no running in the house,† and then back down stairs as fast as we could for the start of the co ncert. As the concert went on my brothers and I were jamming away on our fake musical instruments when the song â€Å"Thunder Rolls† came on. I can vividly remember watching Garth Brooks walking on stage, and at the start of the song it was pouring down rain and lightning flashes were oing off everywhere and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. As a kid I sat there awestruck with amazement watching his every movement believing he was in an actual thunderstorm. Seeing Garth Brooks standing there soaking wet from head to toe has left a forever image in mind that I will always associate and think of when I listen to his music. Growing up as a young boy I could remember that whenever I would be in the car or somewhere near a radio station, mom would always have country music playing and I believe that's where I get my love for country music from.On the flip side with dad, he introduced me to the world rock. Great artist such as Guns N Roses, Lynyrd Skynard, and AC/DC. The song f rom the classic rock genre of music that has really stuck with me is â€Å"Free Bird† by Lynyrd Skynard. â€Å"Free Bird† was my getaway song, the song that put me at ease whenever I needed to relax from the stressful life of young boy, because mom didn't pack my lunch right or I couldn't go play with my friends. As we all know, these are troubling times in a young boys life and â€Å"Free Bird† was always there to bring me back down to earth.In the short 10 to 15 years that I have been able to really comprehend what music is, there have been very few songs that have really given me goose bumps. Once again a country artist by the name of Toby Keith came out with a song in 2003 entitled â€Å"American Soldier. † As every young boy does, they think and will argue about having the coolest dad in the world, but no, really I do. I can remember sitting in my parents' bedroom late on Sunday nights and just wait for my super hero dad come walking in, in his black and green army uniform with his dark as night glistening combat boots.Seeing him walk through that doorway would be the highlight of my weekend. In Toby Keith's song he describes the â€Å"American Soldier† by saying † I can't call in sick on Mondays when the weekends been to strong, I just work straight through the holidays and sometimes all night long, You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door, hey I'm solid, hey I'm steady, I'm true down to the core. † To me those lyrics perfectly portray what I see in my dad, so every time I hear that song I can't help but think about him and get goose bumps again.By the time high school rolled around I had made it through my embarrassing boy band phase and found myself listening to the likes of NAS, Kanye West, Outkast, and my absolute favorite Bone Thugz N Harmony. Every day after school let out my brother Nate and I would meet up at his green 94†² Ford Ranger with pins in the hood, dents in the d umpers, and scrapes in the siding, as we headed to another day of soccer practice. While on the way we would blast our Bone Thugz and pathetically attempt to try and rap along.We used the lyrical talent of artist like Outkast, Kanye, and Bone Thugz to get is ready for another sweat pouring, muscle aching, tiresome practice. Just to turn around and to do the exact same routine again the next day. For many young adults, college can be a confusing time in their lives. My first go around at college Lil Wayne was the new biggest coolest artist on the scene and rap was becoming ever more popular. Instead of flocking toward the rap music like most college kids did at the time, I moved in a different direction.A direction that you normally don't find among the young college scene, and that was toward classical, opera, and piano music. Even till this day I can't pin point exactly what it is about classical, opera and piano music that intrigues me so much. I think that part of my attraction t o this style of music is that I find it very relaxing and mind calming. There have been numerous covers of â€Å"Ave Maria†, and my favorite would have to be done by Franz Schubert. This is where the start of my new appreciation of music began.It wasn't until I listened to Franz Schubert singing â€Å"Ave Maria† that I really listened carefully and opened my eyes to the pure God given talent and beauty of her voice and I found that immensely more satisfying to listen to instead of something that would of been created in a studio. Now I currently enjoy listening to musicians like Michael Buble' and Norah Jones and have gained an appreciation for the artists who use their true vocal talents. Furthermore, during my first stint in college I joined the military and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012.The life of a soldier is pretty single and strait forward. You wake up and go to work. Whatever you want to do before and after work is up to you, so like most soldiers I used some of my free time to go to the gym and workout. Everyone has that genre of music or artist that will get them pumped up and ready, like most soldiers, I get wound up by loud, fast pace music that gets that red fluid inside me boiling. Through a fellow soldier I was introduced to a Swedish metal group called Volbeat, which I surprisingly enjoyed because it is the complete opposite style of music that I enjoy.For the remainder of the deployment when I visited the gym, Volbeat and Avenge Sevenfold served as my constant to get me through my workouts. No one knows what our futures will hold. We have no idea what kind of trials and triumphs lie awaiting us. One thing that we can bank on is music. Music is one of the very few constants that pass by from generation to generation. A world without music would be a creature that I would never like to see. When we scour the caverns of our brain some of our greatest memories are associated with music.I'm a firm believer in that everything hap pens for a reason because it shapes the type of person we are today. The same thing applies with music. Looking back over my life, there was a phase for each type of genres of music that I listened to. In my 23 years, my musical interest have ranged from country, to boy band, to rock, to classical and metal and I don't think I would be the exact way I am today without having all of those music genres in my life. In 23 years I have created so many great memories through music and I can only hope that God blesses me with another 23 years to make more memories.

Napoleon Dynamite: High School Movie Painted on a Canvas Essay

Ahh yes, here we are again another high school movie filled with lots of loud hip music, partying, nudity, drugs, awkward social interaction, and teens rebelling against all authority and normalcy. That’s what these movies are about; right? Wrong. Napoleon Dynamite falls short of all stereotypical preconceived notions I had going into this movie. No everyday character trying to fit in, no parties, no sporting events that need to be won, and no drugs or drinking. The picture is actually very refreshing, the fact that it doesn’t have any of these rapidly changing scenes or dialogue filled with horny teens discussing their experiences and sexual destinies with each other. The introduction sets a long, slow pace for the movie, and really sets the artsy, low budget tone. Opening credits start with names written on items such as, school food, rulers, pencils, notebooks, and so on. The settings are dull, the music is strange and mellow, the wardrobe looks like it is from an early 90s thrift store, and it is set in a small town in Idaho which explains the movie so well. The main character is in fact Napoleon Dynamite, a nerd without much to brag about. He dawns coke bottle glasses, parachute pants, t-shirts with horses and dolphins on them, a fanny pack, and moon boots. He is everything a nerd would be from this era, but without the typical genius that normally comes with being a nerd. He isn’t a computer whiz and doesn’t engage in science or math club. In fact, he is actually part of the FFA which makes sense because he does help raise a llama at his grandma’s house, and also works for a day at a chicken coop. Don’t let any of this fool you, these are mere mentions for there is no part of Napoleon’s life that really dominates the movie. The movie consists of Napoleon, his brother Kipp, Pedro, and his Uncle Rico getting into lame situations and activities in a lame town. I mean as far as the major events consistent with teen movies, there is a dance and there is a school president election which becomes the main focus of the movie about ? of the way through the flick. Napoleon and Pedro run a campaign which amounts to maybe 4 scenes in the movie. They also have to ask out girls to the dance which maybe takes up 2 or 3 scenes, so it’s not centered on teen competition or romance. It really isn’t center around much, except the small adventures of the above mentioned characters. A worthy mention about this movie is that it is dry not just the humor but every aspect. It is dryer than a saltine cracker on a napkin, on a paper plate, in the middle of the Sahara desert. I mean dry. Every character involved is, not just Napoleon. The music, the scenery, the plot, the scenes, the interaction, and activities all fit together beautifully in this movie masterpiece. I can say this is definitely a work of art, this film is not a slap stick comedy by any means, but I found myself very pleased with the amount of laughter it brought into my life. There is no doubt this film will be a cult classic for years to come. This is a quote worthy movie, for the little dialogue that it does have. How or when to use those quotes in your daily life is probably a task however, mainly it would be while discussing Napoleon with another viewer. Short mention also, the camera work is simple and fabulous; they nailed the mood of the movie with the camera So what does happen in this movie you may be asking yourself? I have not really painted much of a selling review up to this point. It is a must see! If you have that eye for art, if you enjoy independent films, if you don’t mind an amateur cast, and you â€Å"get† dry humor than you need this movie in your life. I don’t want to spoil all of it for those who haven’t been graced with this movie. Napoleon calls his brother Kipp at home because he needs Chap Stick to cure his dry lips. Pedro has a sweet bicycle called the Sledgehammer and it is customized with pegs, shocks, and a Mexican flag on the back of the seat. Napoleon takes Kipp to a free trial at Rex-Kwan Do, a questionable martial arts instructor they saw on television; everyone knows that Kipp is training to be a cage fighter. Uncle Rico films himself throwing a football†¦ to nobody†¦ in a field†¦ alone†¦ with a van. Pedro shaves his head because his hair is making him hot. If that isn’t enough to make you want to watch this film than I’m not sure you would enjoy it. Mainstream movie goers would probably be better off with the likes of American Pie or Super Bad. Also a mention in closing, there is no crude humor, no nudity, nor foul language, so this movie is appropriate for all ages.

Does Content Marketing Help Retain Current Customers

Does Content Marketing Help Retain Current Customers Content marketing is celebrated as an excellent strategy to widen the sales funnel. Producing a variety of content geared toward a prospective customer keeps your brand top of mind, persuading them to move further in the sales process. Rand Fishkin explained it best  when he said that content marketing is at times a long and laborious process of constantly reminding your customers. So its easy to think once that sale is completed, so is the content. This is a huge mistake by marketers- its essentially ignoring and devaluing an individual once they become a customer. Instead there should be a content strategy in place that builds value, strengthens customer trust and increases potential for brand evangelism, upselling and cross-selling opportunities. #ContentMarketing still continues after the sale. It  constantly reminds your customers of you.The After the Close Dilemma After the sale, there is the vital step of keeping your commitments. At its core, it means keeping your customer happy. Did you guarantee your product or service could solve a specific need? Then it had better deliver. In addition to carrying out the agreement, there are natural emotions and hiccups along the way, including: Buyers remorse New influencers and decision makers Resentment or aggression Distrust Failure to build value Ian Lurie of Portent, Inc. describes the post-sale risks perfectly in the following graph: While his example was specific to marketing agencies, every customer goes through a post-sale evaluation of their purchase. Failure on your part to keep commitments and continue to drive home value opens the door for your competition to get the next sale. So what should you be doing to keep the customer? For many businesses, this may mean tailoring content for multiple departments in charge of project delivery, customer service and long-term customer relationship building. Here are recommendations for each of these three key areas, and some examples of companies doing it best. #1 Project Delivery For most business, going back to keeping your commitments falls on the project delivery team. Think of the software, medical or finance industries with a robust sales staff and defined sales process. Often a closed deal is passed to an account manager. And then, unfortunately, a client is often  underwhelmed because the focus is more on the initial sale rather than project delivery. Since most customers have an established and trusted relationship with the sales representative and not the project delivery team, content marketing can help with this sensitive transition between sales and project delivery, helping you  meet a customers expectations and keep them for the long-term. How do you do this? Building Trust With Customers The last thing you want is for your customers to not trust you after youve made the sale. Distrust stems from a variety of circumstances, such as confusion with your service delivery or perhaps a poor experience with your type of business in the past. Content helps lessen any growing  doubt by establishing credibility and initial trust with the prospect. For example, our agency provides our clients with a tip sheet to making web design projects run smoothly. While many of the tips may seem obvious, it positions us as a serious firm that is dedicated to delivering work on time and on budget. It helps customers trust us. Addressing Customer Inquiries How many times have you scrolled through a lengthy FAQ page and never found  an answer? An ideal customer is one that is proactive in educating themselves, so your content marketing should at least  help a customer do that. Free graphic design tool Canva is great at proactively addressing customer questions, taking their help beyond the basic FAQ page. Their DESIGN 101 newsletter guides beginner users on how to create new designs, ultimately drawing them back to the Canva site. While this is a free tool, educating users after their initial sign up keeps the hype alive and more signups coming in. Off the shelf answers like this not only immediately address customer inquiries but save time for the project delivery team. Do more than provide customers with an FAQ. Use email and blog content to help them learn.Does Your Customer Understand The Features? Some of your customers may be purchasing your service or product for the very first time. While the sales process sells the customer on features and expected outcomes, that doesn’t mean that  theyll immediately know how to handle what they just purchased. You will probably have to help them out quite a bit after the sale. For example, You Need A Budget. (YNAB) simplifies their budgeting platform through a library of tutorial videos on how to effectively use their service. Instead of crafting an FAQ and calling it a day, YNAB repurposes many of their customers’ top concerns and questions into video to continue use of the product. If the client does not use the product, they wont see much value in it. Ongoing content ensures continuous usage. Customers purchase based on features and what should happen. They will need help to MAKE it happen.Pointing Out New Needs Upselling is hard, but crucial for service-focused companies  that want to  maintain a viable business. Essentially, you have to be on the lookout to upsell.  A great way to do this is to re-convert existing customers by continuously responding to market demands and creating new product features. For example, when Twitter was rolling out their own advertising platform, Twitter for Business, they partnered with other social media gurus on webinars to educate current Twitter users on social media best practices. By covering new trends in social media, Twitter not only promoted their brand, they upsold Twitter ads. A current customer is still a potential customer. Are you ready to re-convert them to new features?#2 Customer Service In an ideal world, you gathered enough information  in the initial sales process that you’re prepared to react to any client objections, problems or questions. In reality, this isn’t usually  the case. While your established processes, tools, and people have a large impact on the success of customer service, content marketing can also play a role in reducing customer frustration and abandonment. In other words, your content can be that bridge that cross that gap. Addressing Customer Emergencies Customer emergencies are where customer service can either excel or crash and burn. The horror stories of unprofessional and unhelpful customer service departments are shared all over the web. To create a responsive customer service environment, it is important to make sure they have  useful content they can refer to and share with customers. This content might be in the form of informational one-sheets, downloadable help guides, videos or social media that can take some weight off their shoulders when an extraordinary issue arises. A common case study in poor customer service is the airline industry- and the gold standard is Virgin America. Before content marketing was a bonafide strategy, Virgin America’s safety video took a typical safety message  and revamped it for their customers. Delta is doing something similar with their safety videos, too.  I see flight attendants as an interesting mix between safety guards and customer service- this video marries the two in an entertaining way. Solving Common Product Issues Even if you believe your product or service delivery is 100% foolproof, any time  a customer has to handle any part of the execution, chances are theyll run into some issues. Based on how many customers you have, this can become overwhelming for customer service to manage. Similar to creating content internally, many companies are opting to put the content creation in their customers hands. Enabling customers with tools like community forums and knowledge bases is a great way to use content to build customer service (not to mention the SEO benefits). Moz is a perfect example of communities that use  the expertise of their clients to help  new ones. Continuing To Build Trust Remember the importance of building trust during project management? Customer service keeps that foundation secure. Customer mistrust can stem from many occurrences- product recalls, poor media coverage, buggy features, and unsatisfactory delivery–just to name a few. Social media is a perfect tool for a customer service team as long as proper training and processes are in place. Even if you prefer email to handle most of your customers questions, social media can keep you in front of  your followers in a personal way. Dan Norris of WPCurve is an excellent example of continuing to build trust with his potential network. While he lets his service delivery team handle all customer communication, his Twitter followers receive company updates and accomplishments to drive home trust in using WPCurve. Explaining Sensitive Issues Personal concerns and sensitive topics may play out in a business transaction. Its never fun having difficult conversations with a customer, but content can help ease anxieties and keep a project on task. The Vanguard Blog takes the formality and nerves out of personal issues like investment, retirement planning and tax planning through the expertise of Vanguard employees. By publishing blog posts based on common issues and conversations they have with their clients, theyre helping the greater community in handling complex and sensitive issues. #3 Customer Advocacy Within your client base, there are a small percentage of customers who truly love what you do and want to tell people about it. This is a marketers dream, as word of mouth still reigns supreme. Building a customer advocacy base takes a lot of time, but building content that enables your current supporters is a good starting point. Continuing Product Loyalty Once a sale is complete, that doesnt mean your customer is 100% guaranteed to re-purchase when the time comes. Whether it takes days, weeks, months or years for a re-purchase, content can keep your business top of mind when the timing is right. Copyblogger offers membership-only access to third party companies such as New Rainmaker and ongoing discounts to events and training. Their members also receive access to advanced articles, webinars and their community forum for paid members. Continuously providing value after a membership is purchased reminds the customer when theyre ready to renew how invaluable their service has been. Even if your business is not a membership-type business, you can still create a membership feel with exclusive content only available to current or past customers.