50 Years of Speed :: essays research papers

The Goodyear Thunderdome was the first purpose built Oval speedway outside of the continent of America. Construction started in November 1984 and it was officially opened by the Mayor of Keilor on August 3rd. 1987 although it was christened by Americans Richard Petty, Bobby Hillin Jnr. and Rodney Combs along with local men Jim Richards,Graeme Crosby and Gary Rush. The first race was only a couple of weeks later when a 300 Km. Touring Car race was run on the combined Oval/road circuit.The race was won by Terry Sheil and John Bowe in a Nissan Skyline(the only time a Japanese car has won on the Thunderdome) from the Commodore of Larry Perkins and Bill O’Brien. Allan Grice had been quickest in practise with a lap of 1m.45.74s and he also set the fastest lap in the race with a time of 1m.46.17s. Later that year another race took place on the combined circuit and this was a round of the World Touring Car Championship.Pole position went to Klaus Ludwig in an Eggenberger Ford Sierra with a 1m.42.92s but in the race it was his team mates Steve Soper and Pierre Diuedonne who took the honours from Emanuelle Pirro and Roberto Ravaglia in a BMW M3. The race was not without problems as it began to rain very heavily just before the start and so for the only time a race was run on the Thunderdome in the wet. The other feature was that the combined circuit goes in a clockwise direction (same as for AUSCAR) which was fine for the locals but not so good for the European Fords and BMWs. The first Oval meeting was held on February 28th. 1988 and it was a mixture of Americans, mostly from the Winston West series,and Australians. A bonus for the organisers was that just 2 weeks before the event Bobby Allison, one of the imported stars, won the biggest NASCAR race of them all, the Daytona 500, giving the Thunderdome a huge publicity boost.

Good vs Evil Essay

Going back to as far as we can remember there has always been a battle between good and evil or right vs. wrong. At the end of the day we are all faced with a moment where we must make a decision. A series of made decisions will, as a result, mold our character to somehow define ourselves as either good people or bad people. It is no surprise that this very own reality is the focus on our entertainment as well. We lose ourselves in an action packed film about a superhero saving the world from a villain to spending an evening watching soap operas where Mr. Perfect goes through an injustice as Mr. Wrong in Every Sense takes his woman away from him. But before all of this technology took over, this scenery was given to us in a more witty and creative way. We will discuss these mentioned roles in two superb stories that until this day simply cannot be replaced by special effects and/or exaggerated and unnecessary stunts. Let’s begin by discussing this subject along with one of O’Connor’s masterpieces â€Å" A Good Man is Hard to find†. This is a story without restraint on going straight to the point. We may describe O’Connor’s style of writing as a no apologies type of writing. The story begins by portraying an almost ordinary family. There is a grandmother, who plays the main role, along with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. This family discusses the possibilities of taking a road trip to Florida whereas the grandmother tries her best to persuade them into not following along with the plans. Being the paranoid elder we read about, she brings up the recent release of a killer and saying how â€Å"I couldn’t answer to my conscience† (449) if her family came across him. Moving on to spoiling the finale, the story ends with every member of the family being shot and killed. Although brutal, it is tied completely to the title as the family comes across a cold hearted, merciless killer who did not care for the pleading of poor old grandma. As previously discussed, this is a classic case of the innocent (good) sadly falling under the mercy of a criminal (evil). O’Connor was an author that wrote with a purpose and meaning behind every story. Even though some may argue about this being simple a story for entertainment, we are able to take a look around and notice that scenarios like the one in the story happen around us sadly. Therefore, the reader can relate and surely sympathize for the family and what they went through. One of O’Connor’s greatest attempt in revealing the mindset behind a character like The Misfit is through one of his final words after killing the grandmother by saying â€Å"She would have been a good woman†¦if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life† (459). Moving along to Boyle’s â€Å"Carnal Knowledge† we will find a variation of the Right vs. Wrong scenario. In this story we will read about the common scenario of a man, Jim, doing whatever it takes with the purpose of pursuing love in the arms of a very selfish and egotistical Alena. Like many, Jim works hard and enjoys eating meat, as he would love nothing more than to have â€Å"Beef, mutton, pork, venison, dripping burgers, and greasy ribs† (569). But his whole world is turned upside down when he meets Alena, as he was laying on the beach feeling lonesome. In contrast to him, Alena is an animal rights fanatic. Regardless, cupid’s arrow had struck Jim from the moment he laid eyes on her. He tried changing everything about himself to try and win her heart. Jim lost his job, became a vegan, and became part of animal rights protests to impress her. The sad part of the story was not love striking Jim. Instead, Alena being as self involved as she was, did not reciprocate the feelings he had for her. She did not reciprocate anything at all for that matter. After all his effort and attempts, Alena ends up with Rolfe and leaving with him to Wyoming, Along with this devastating heart break for Jim, during their whole friendship he was mistreated and being unfairly dealt by the woman who stole his heart. This is another relatable topic as we see this happen all the time around us or to us in our daily life. We find a relationship where there is and abuser and an abused. There is a relationship where there is right vs. wrong. Good vs. evil and right vs. wrong. We learn about this endless battle through stories, poems, movies, etc. Most importantly, we must treasure the brilliant work from authors like Boyle and O’Connor, which show us some of these scenarios through some of their writing. The same way we recognize the faults and the attributes in these characters, we can learn a thing or two and avoid making the same mistakes or catching ourselves while we still can before we hurt someone or even ourselves. We can all agree that right is most important after all.

My Understanding of Parents-Children Relationship Essay

During the past twenty years of my life, I was always regarding my parents as extraordinary and authoritative models of my life. I adored them so much as if everything they had done was not only right but also great. As for my parents, they paid much attention to setting a good example for me since I was a little girl. The situation lasts and I have never thought of any possible changes in the relationship between my parents and me. However, after reading the passage Predictable Crises of Adulthood written by Gail Sheehy, my old understanding of parents-children relationship is replaced by a totally new one —- nothing remains unchanged forever and the parents-children relationship is no exception. Actually, there are changes in my relationship although I did not detect them before reading the passage. As I mentioned above, my parents were regarded as the models of my life and this impression was established firmly from my early childhood, influencing me greatly during the past years. In my eyes, they were so preeminent that they could have everything done well. In fact, they were intent on setting an example to me by building up such kind of holy and authoritative image in my mind. However, as I was growing up, I gradually found that my parents were not the God. It was impossible for them to control everything in life and sometimes they were confronted with difficulties. In the recent years, with the broadening of my horizons, I gain my own beliefs, some of which are quite differently from that of my parents. I find that they are no long as holy and remote as they used to be. Now my parents and I am sharing a more equal relationship. On the one hand, they respect my opinions, treating me as an adult. On the other hand, I would like to consult with them whenever I am confronted with difficulties. Therefore, the relationship between my parents and me has changed. They are no long holy and authoritative, but amiable and friendly. They are more like my friends rather than parents. In the next decade when I become a mother, my relationship with parents will be likely to get into a new stage. My parents are such good models of my life that I firmly believe that they are excellent and extraordinary parents. As a result, it is quite possible for me to develop similar parenting pattern. Also, my parents will certainly offer me suggestions whenever I am confused. The role of my parents in the  relationship changes again. At this stage, they will become my model in terms of parenting. At the last stage of their life, parents may become too old to take good care of themselves. Thus, special care for them will be needed, which will wholly shift the relationship between my parents and me. There exists an interesting phenomenon: the senior tend to become more childlike when they are getting older and older, while their children, who are at the best stage in their life, become the reliance of their parents. Thus, the roles of my parents and I will exchange as the process of life. I, in return, will take care of my old parents just as they took care of me years ago. The relationship will go to the opposite side of the one in the earlier stage of life. Except for the love between parents and children, nothing remains unchanged forever. The relationship between parents and children changes as the stage of life processes. These changes are inevitable, just as the life cycle goes on. We should accept the changes positively and face them bravely. Only by adopting the right relationship at the right stage can one lives a better life with the relationship between parents and children.

South Africa During and After Apartheid

South Africa is a land blessed with natural resources including fertile lands, metals and mineral resources such as platinum, gold and diamonds. The climate is mild which is ideal for land activities.The richness and potential of this country attracted Dutch and English in the seventeenth century. South Africa has one of the unique histories in the world. It is evident how colonial racism emanated from Europe. The whites invested power and politics which is still manifested today.In the seventeenth century, South Africa was colonized by English and Dutch. Boers and Afrikaners were the English domination of the Dutch descendants. The discovery of diamond and other mineral resources in 1900 motivated the English invasion as a result of Boer War. Racial discrimination in Africa started with the enactment of Apartheid laws in 1948.Apartheid was invented when an uneasy power- sharing between the Boers and Afrikaners held sway until 1940’s. Since Afrikaner National Party was able to gain strong majority, they established Apartheid as a means to reinforce their control over the social and economic system. Initially, the objective of the apartheid was to maintain white domination and leadership while extending racial separation (Chokshi, Carter, Gupta, Martin and Robert, 1995).The term Apartheid is from the African word for â€Å"apartness† was actually coined in the 1930’s and later used as a political slogan of the National party. The social and political custom of Apartheid was materialized under law after the primarily Afrikaner Nationalists came to power in 1948 (â€Å"Apartheid†).When Apartheid was institutionalized, racial discrimination started. Apartheid, as racism made law, consisted of numerous laws that denied basic human rights and political rights for black people. They were obviously exploited and their lives were segregated with the white people.People of mixed race like Asians and Coloureds were also exploited and terrorize.    It was a system dictated in the minutest detail as to how and where the large black majority would work, live and dies (â€Å"Human Rights, Historical images of Apartheid in South Africa†).The ultimate goal of Apartheid was to establish â€Å"racial separation legally† and to maintain the guarantee of white authority. The restrictions formulated by the Apartheid laws and effects placed the black people in the difficulties regarding land issues, living areas, jobs, personal relationship, political rights, constitutional and human rights.The Group Acts of 1950 divided the lands in which blacks and whites resided into distinct residential zones. The best urban, agricultural and industrial areas were expectedly given to whites while blacks were given only some distinct areas in South Africa. Blacks were not allowed to live and occupy areas that were named as â€Å"white zones†.Even marriage and relationships were so extensive and encompassing for blacks. It is illegal and against the law to marry a person of different race. Couples and families were strictly required by law to obtain state permission before they could live together and authorities had given any right to refuse such permission.Every black South African has their own passbook issued by the government that will determine where they could live and work which they have to carry every now and then.   In terms of Education, the Bantu Education Act of 1953 was instituted to provide black pupils with different way of learning than white students. Black students were given different orientation, expectations and future goalsWorks Cited:Chokshi, Monal., Carter, Cale., Gupta, Deepak., Martin, Tove and Robert Allen. 1995 â€Å"The history of Apartheid in South Africa†. Stanford Universityhttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.ethics.html  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Africa-Apartheid†Africana, The Encyclopedia of the African and African American   Experience.http://www .africanaencyclopedia.com/selections.htmlâ€Å"Human Rigths, Historical images of Apartheid in South Africa†. United Nations 2008 http://www.un.org/  Spindle, Tim., Shafer, Rachel., Joliff, Kevin.,Henderson., Sarah.,Bradford, Stephanie   and David Weigman.†Laws and Effects of Apartheid†http://home.snu.edu/~dwilliam/f97projects/apartheid/Document5.htmlâ€Å"Apartheid, South Africa†.Wander the Planethttp://www.wandertheplanet.net/SouthAfrica/apartheid.htm

British Colonialism In Daniel Defoes Roxanna English Literature Essay

British Colonialism In Daniel Defoes Roxanna English Literature Essay Max Weber in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism claims that Capitalism â€Å"educates and selects the economic subjects it needs through a process of survival of the fittest† (Weber 154). Weber believes that there is a direct link between institutions and individual characters. In other words, one can say that Capitalism would not survive without economic men and also economic men could not maintain their social place without Capitalism. In the following the researcher tries to show that at least certain men and women, were swayed by the logic of Capitalism’s productive possibilities. Defoe was intensely interested in capitalist modes of production, efficiency and improvements and in the exploitation and expansion of new markets along imperialist lines that would favor English trading interests. Defoe was also interested in the politics of his time and in the social issues. Defoe was a mature product of the cultural process initiated by Capitalism. In ot her words he is a master over circumstances, over nature. He has the confidence, despite his mediocre birth, to comment on the social, political, and economic affairs of his day. In turn, Roxana was a woman, who, despite her reverses and her own mediocre birth, could entertain princes and kings. In the beginning of this emerging capitalist interest, and with the thirst of reform, Defoe was able to synchronize in his own life Capitalism’s vision of a new social order, of commerce’s role and change. All his novels are rich in content and context. Roxana has been called by modern critics Defoe’s darkest novel. Many critics have claimed that the greatest difference between Defoe’ last novel and his earlier works is Roxana’s greater gravity. Many critics described it as a novel whose primary concern is with the psychological nature of Roxana and Amy’s sin. Roxana has most often been appraised as a story of moral decay, in which the heroine progre sses from â€Å"virtuous poverty to corrupt wealth.† Roxana has also been criticized as a woman with a cynical attachment toward those who love her and whose rational self-interest places her as the embodiment of Defoe’s vision of a corrupt society. Roxana is a heroine who rushes toward material comfort and self transformation at the price of her soul. Roxana’s internal world of memory and guilt concerning her various sexual partners, the death of her daughter Susan at the hands of Amy, and the like, becomes the price Roxana pays for the control she assumes in external world of financial and sexual interests. In this aspect, two factors about Roxana should be emphasized: the nature of Roxana as a new economic woman caught between profit and spirituality and the issues of empire and slavery which were not only important in the fictional life of Roxana, but also in Defoe’s life. Considering the above mentioned remarks, some examples are traceable in the nov el. For instance, when Roxana discusses the dangers of marrying a foolish husband her remarks repeat one of Defoe’s favorite maxims about the nature of commerce, while also underlining the context of commerce’s international nature: â€Å"I was a Warning for all the Ladies of Europe, against marrying of Fools; a Man of Sence falls in the world, and gets-up again, and a Woman has some Chance for herself; but with a FOOL! Once fall, and ever undone; once in a Ditch, and die in the Ditch; once poor, and sure to starve† (ibid 96).

App that Rates Fitness Apps Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

App that Rates Fitness Apps - Dissertation Example Methodology The process will begin by a feasibility study of the requirements to carry out the process of developing the application. It includes designing specifications of the application, coming up with the right platform and language. The website and links that will be integrated with the app evaluated and collected. The app will be a collection center for all other fitness app by giving rates according to likes and dislikes. The algorithm for incrementing and rating the app will be designed. Upon gathering all the materials, tools and specifications, the coding process will be started. Artificial intelligence ideas concerning app likes and rating will be made an inherent feature in the design. System will be significantly tested and maintained routinely. Stability will be checked against time, varying platforms and processor speeds. A fully developed system will be rolled out and launched into the market. Literature Review There are many applications and websites that use the same concept to make recommendations to their customers. The concept regarded here is a ranking system that makes content and collaborative predictions (Gedikli, 2013). An example is Goodreads. It is a huge site for readers and makes suggestions to its readers based on what they had done previously. The proposed application will borrow a lot from the way these applications were implemented. Smart Phones are always with among humans thus it can be monitored for progress and advance in the course of action.

The Changing Geography of International Business Essay

The Changing Geography of International Business - Essay Example The political, technological and economic changes lead towards cultural diversities in the 21st century all around the world. The main objective of the paper is to consider the most significant characteristics of four regions namely Latin America, China, Russia and Africa that have shaped the business environment and that outsiders need to be aware of when initiating a new enterprise or while establishing operation there. The two significant characteristics that have been chosen for the study are culture and language, and politics. Culture and Language of Latin America The word ‘Latin America’ is used to explain the collection of 21 countries in the continent of South America. The language that is spoken is Latin. It has been observed that Latin America enjoys components of historical experience, culture and language. Latin America is an ethnically diverse region and is also deemed as a mounting political and economic force. The main languages that are spoken in this con tinent are Spanish, Portuguese and French (Teegan & Doh, 2002). Conventionally, the Hispanic family is a cohesive group and the most vital social unit. They generally believe in extended family. It has been observed that in Latin cultures, the familial group is quite crucial. In a few of the Latin American countries, peasants might leave their workplaces during holidays so that they can meet their relatives in other parts of the country. They also tend to attend the funeral, weddings of their friends, or distant relatives. A manager may be faced with greater difficulties related to non-attendance impacting the workplace to a major extent (Martinez-Calimano, 2006). According to a study conducted by Geert Hofstede for Latin American countries, it was noted that there is high power distance in Latin America. In Latin America, the people in higher level of authority expect to gain respect from others and are familiar to make decisions without taking into consideration the viewpoints of their subordinates. Latin America has low individualism rate. In Latin America gender roles become quite different in comparison to the United States, men hold the greater authority. There is high uncertainty avoidance in Latin America (Geert Hofstede, 2012). Politics of Latin America Latin America enjoys neither total-socialism nor free-market neoliberalism. The region has been ranked as the third most unbalanced region in the world in the context of post-war period. Political unsteadiness has been one of the most persistent issues in Latin America. It has been noted that from the year 1971-2000, three nations belonging to Latin America were consistently democratic within the thirty year phase, while the other countries have changed from democracy to autocracy and vice versa at least once during the time period. It can be analysed that such political instability tends to obstruct the economic development via its impact upon the accrual of both physical and human capital (Blanco & G rier, 2000). Culture and Language of China China has a prolonged history of cultural competence. China is considered as globe’s oldest civilisation among the culture that subsists today. The Chinese have been capable of preserving the old values still today. It is identified that when the Chinese entrepreneurs are operating their