Assess Walmart from a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Essay

Assess Walmart from a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) perspective. How are the tensions that exist in Walmarts business model likely to influence its efforts to improve its CSR credentials - Essay Example From South America, the company opened branches in all coasts of the continent boosting its revenue correction. As Wal-Mart dealt with most of the America glossary, the announcement to improve the nutritional value of its brand was a two-way strategic move since it served as a marketing strategy to win more customers and a social responsibility strategy. The social responsibilities exhibited by Wal-mart are based on its positioning in the market, its employees, the revenue it generates and the goodwill by the company management. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to the rule whereby the business get into self-dogmatic process to plough back its earning to enhance social welfare. Different people argue differently concerning corporate social responsibility. Some view CSR as a way to win over customer while others think it is actually a diversion of the real intention of any business and its economic gain. However, according to Hill and Langan (2014, p.1) "†¦the strategic importance of corporate social responsibility for both large and small businesses only continues to grow†. It is also argued that corporate social responsibility is a good tool to reduce workers turnover and helps in the recruitment process too. According to Lee (2007, p.34), the founder of Wal-Mart Sam Walton, insisted that among company main objective was giving customer high quality products, which often there before presumed enough to be considered corporate social responsibility. This was until he died in the year 1992 where afterwards the company took a divergent perspective of donating or giving out the monetary contributions outlook of the corporate social responsibility. For example, according to Mermod and Idowu (2013, p.32), Wal-Mart contributed money and commodities for Hurricane Katrina relief. Today, Wal-Marts benevolent donations are above 1 billion every year. This indicates the difference in the level of corporate

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Essay Example for Free

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Essay In the late 19th century, 1886 precisely, it was discovered by the Supreme Court that the United States intestate commerce was un-regulated. Consequently, it became a Federal responsibility to fill up this vacuum. This gave birth to the 1887 Interstate Commerce Act. This act needed personnel to enforce it, but the Justice department had a shortage of investigators. Hence, the Attorney General then, Charles Joseph, took the initiative of plunging into other agencies like secret service for investigators. However, the congress frowned on this development of using Treasury staff as investigators and they promptly passed a law against this in 1870 (Kessler, 2006). The Attorney had no other option than to embark on an inception of ad-hoc investigators, so he hurriedly put together a formal group of investigators, which was named Bureau Of Investigators (BOI), with agents supplied by the secret service. These agents that became the first set of BOI agents were 12 in number. BOI later metamorphosized into FBI, invariably meaning that the first set of FBI agents were actually agents from Secret Service agents. (Timeline of FBI History) As expected, the BOI was christened several names until it was eventually named FBI. It was given the name the United States Bureau of Investigation in 1932. In the preceding year, it was adapted to the Bureau of Prohibition and renamed the Division of Investigation (DOI), until finally in 1935 it became the FBI. (Timeline of FBI History). The bureau started with precisely 34 agents, out of which 10 were agents from the secret service. In 1932, the first FBI laboratory was opened officially in order to facilitate scientific crime detection, under the directorship of J. Edgar Hoover, the first FBI director, who was formerly the director of BOI, the mother of FBI. Edgar served as a director for over 47 years and immediately after his death, a law was passed to limit the tenure of directors of FBI to a maximum of 10 years. (Timeline of FBI History) Edgar was quite articulate, he did not only champion the FBI laboratory, that developed DNA testing and pioneered identification using fingerprinting system in 1924, he was personally involved in many of the assignments and project executed by the FBI. The first official tasks these agents were assigned was to enforce The White Slave Traffic Act of June 25, 1910. (Timeline of FBI History). The agents were visiting and surveying prostitution houses. During these early years, the FBI’s jurisdiction was constrained simply because most of the investigations were already assigned to the local police and other law enforcement agencies. It was only given the responsibility of investigating bankruptcy and postal fraud, antitrust violations, destruction of government properties, and other crimes on â€Å"Native America reservation†. The Mann Act, which prohibited the transportation of ladies for prostitution and decadent acts and the Dyer Act, the Vehicle theft law both further empowered the FBI. Many of the criminals that once evaded the local police across the United States were doomed by these laws. The bureau was empowered to bridge the gap across the state where criminals choose and use to disappear from other agencies.   In the1930s, FBI declared war on crime and they achieved a great success for they either apprehended or killed several notorious criminals that were involved in crimes ranging from serial killing, kidnapping, robbing. Criminals like George â€Å"Machine Gun† Kelly, Alvin â€Å"Creepy† Karpis, â€Å"Baby Face† Nelson, to mention only a few, were all caught in the net of FBI.( Timeline of FBI History) All these names will ring a bell to historians of criminal and crimes. Irrespective of the fact that FBI was still in its early years, it succeeded in apprehending the whole revolutionary Mexican army based along the California border in the 1920s. Yet another achievement of the early FBI was the leveling of the strength and influence of the famous â€Å"Ku Klux Klan†, who influenced and sponsored many organized crimes. In later years, between 1940s to1970s, FBI delved into major espionage cases against United States and her allies Nations. These were the years FBI was gaining maturity. Eight Nazi agent plotting sabotage to American goals were arrested, six of them were executed. It was also during this period that the FBI embarked on a Joint US/UK code braking project and the bureau was able to break the â€Å"Soviet Union intelligence and diplomatic communication code†. The bureau had planted spies into the soviet intelligence working underground which must have led to the arrest of the Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel in the year 1957, yet another major early achievement of FBI. (Douglas,2007) Together with all these achievements and progress recorded by the FBI in its early years, there were occasionally allegation of digression from major espionages and crimes. FBI allegedly indulged itself in controversial issues such as probing the affairs of the civil right activists. Leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr T.R.M Howard became the focal point of FBI’s surveillance. During this period, FBI was unable to crack some major murder cases such as the killing of George W. Lee and some other black Americans. Rather than concentrating on major crimes, FBI investigated and upset the activities of political organizations in the United States including non-violent political and civil right groups. Amongst this is the popular Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Unfortunately, many of these individuals and groups could not be connected with any crime, the FBI was even alleged to indulge in blackmail in netting some of its victims. A journalist once claimed that an anonymous letter was sent to Luther King by FBI, advising him to commit suicide. Several individuals have been said to be on the record of FBI, for it investigates and files the record of virtually all the top celebrities and rich man in the United State irrespective of the sphere of life the individual operates in. From the celebrities in the entertainment industry to politicians, academicians and lots more, the FBI has a thoroughly researched document on them all. Among these individuals are: Elvis Presley, the Famous Musician, Walt Disney’s founder, Frank Sinatra, John Denver, John Lennon, Jane Fonda, Groucho Marx, Charlie Chaplin, MC5, Lou Costello, Sonny Bono, Bob Dylan, Mickey Mantle, to mention only but a few. (Douglas,2007 ) Such were the activities of the FBI until the murder of John F. Kennedy. The task and responsibility of investigating the killing of the president of the United State was too enormous for the local police, hence, the new president instructed the FBI to take over the case. This development led to the congress passing a law to back this development up. Therefore, thereafter, the FBI handled all homicides at such level. Till date, FBI has been in charge of investigation of murder of all federal officials. This killing of Kennedy could be said to revive the FBI, for soon after the killing the â€Å"Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act† (RICO ACT) was enacted, which enabled the FBI to dig into organized crimes networks. (Timeline of FBI History)The bureau investigated the popular crime syndicates and families that were fast becoming the brain behind all major crimes in large cities and small towns too. Today, the RICO Act is still used for all organized crime. From1910 to 1996 the congress kept coming up with different types of laws that increasingly focused on and regulated the activities of both individual and organizations, laws regulating political, personal and economic activities of all and sundry. This increasingly regulation kept on bestowing more power to the FBI. Its responsibilities were redefined to include areas that were exclusively left for local law enforcement agents.   Not only was the bureau allowed to handle cases of bank robbery, theft, fraud, gambling etc. The federal laws further empowered the FBI when some laws were enacted that narrowed the scope of privacy right by defining distribution of obscene literatures, migration across state line to indulge in non-marital sexual acts and even speeches and association that threatens the existence of the United State or promotes or protects any foreign interest as criminal. Overly, the FBI was empowered to investigate any individual’s or organization’s activity that is political in nature. These reports serve as intelligence report to the presidency, State, justice, war department and other federal agencies. The bureau does not only help alert and curb crimes, it also helps in implementing loyalty in among federal workers. The bureau is also saddled with the responsibility of disseminating information for the purpose of influencing the public opinion and reducing the powers and influence of political activists. This information dissemination authority was given to the bureau in 1940s and in 1950s, it was further refined into cognate programs. (Douglas,2007) The 1984 Olympic brought another major development in the FBI. (End of cold war,www.fib.com). The bureau formed a unit of selected agents to assist with curbing the major crimes and terrorism that could arise at the 1984 Olympics.   This development was necessary when Athletes from Israel were murdered by terrorists. This team was given the name Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) which later became the SWAT. Again, 1984 the computer Analysis and Response Team (CART) was formed. After the cold war, terrorism was reduced tremendously, this consequently reduced the task of the FBI, hence agents of the bureau were assigned the responsibility of tailing fugitives who have escaped and crossed state lines. In the 1990s, over 300 agents resigned due to fewer activities in the FBI. (End of cold war,www.fib.com)

The History And Methods Of Soap Making

The History And Methods Of Soap Making Some individuals find it amusing to make their own soaps at home. Soap making has been a pleasurable hobby to a few soapers, as they are frequently called. Isnt it a great way to bond with your kids over the weekend? More than that soap making encourages enjoyment either for pleasure or as an earning potentials just by being creative in your talents. The wonder of soap making is that you can get your imagination run wild and come up with something unique that is entirely based to your own specifications and liking. You can likewise create exceptionally fun gifts for any occasions. Which are better, handmade soaps or commercial soaps? Why not choose commercially produce soap? Little did we know that these commercial soaps are unhealthy to our skin? Normally, we tend to buy soaps that give the most lather and stronger fragrance which is likely the more reason that we should not choose. The lather is actually just chemicals that we enjoy rubbing in our skins which may eventually cause dry scaly skin. Handmade soaps are better than those we buy commercially. Why? Because handmade soap uses only oils from flowers, herbs and spices that bring about the natural aromatherapy which gives a soothing effect on our body. They are basically hypoallergenic and safe to use all over our body even to face and hair. If you want to know more about homemade soaps then read on. In this book, I will show you how fun and easy it is to create your own handcrafted exotic designed soaps. Plus, the ultimate factor is to turn your personal hobby into a lucrative business. How would you like a grasp of that splendid opportunity? Soaps Humble Beginnings We have been using soap every day in our lives since we were born. But have you ever paused for a moment and wonder how all this started? The farthest demonstration I can find that people uses soap is from the earlier history which dates back to around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon. A formula was found written in a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC consisting of water, alkali and cassia oil. Before that there were no records or documentation that the grand baths of kings and queens are soaps, instead they use essential oils. In 1550 BC Ancient Egyptian were found to bathe regularly in animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salt. Beginning from the 7th century soap was produced in West Bank, Kufa and Vassra (Iraq). Soaps were already perfumed and colored and come in liquid or solid form at that time. Even soaps for shaving already exist. In the 8th century, soap making was then a renowned necessity for both man and woman. The recognition was attributed to Charlemagne who mentioned that soap is one of the useful products. Chemists were the ones who produced the soap made from vegetable oil (olive oil), aromatic oils (thyme oil), and lye (al-Sosa-al-Kawia). During the 13th century, a manuscript was found to contain soap recipes such as sesame oil, a sprinkle of potash, alkali, and some lime. Mixed all together and boil. When cooked, they are poured into molds and left to set producing a hard soap. A local record of the Bristol Company of soap makers were found in the year 1562 1642 which includes the names of more than 180 individuals including members of the family and those who were engage in trading for the business. Included in the record was the production of Bristol soap which is a soft type of black soap and Bristol grey soap which is the harder type was believed to have been largely supplied in London sold only a penny per pound. In the 16th century finer soaps are introduced using vegetable oil. In this modern time history, a better understanding of hygiene emanated due to the need of reducing population of pathogenic microorganisms. It was until the 17th century that a commercial production was born a high quality transparent soap product was introduced by Andrew Pears in 1789 in London. It was then during the late 18th century that soaps were industrially manufactured after promoting awareness for cleanliness and health. In 1862 Andrew Pears son-in-law Thomas J. Barratt opened a factory in Isleworth. Low-priced good quality soap was produced by William Gossage. Soap powder was manufactured by Robert Spear Hudson in 1837 by grinding the soap with mortar and pestle. Up to this day, Unilever is the largest soap business which was founded by William Hesketh Lever and his brother James who bought a small soap works in Warrington in 1885. It was also in 1806 that a certain William Colgate opened the first great soap making concern in New York called Colgate and Company, They started selling individual soaps of the same size or weights only in 1830. Then in 1872 they introduced the first perfumed soap called cashmere bouquet. Competition started to manifest when William Proctor and James Gamble opened a new business by selling candles and soaps house to house. They started their business venture in Cincinnati, and achieve tremendous success in a few years time and became a huge manufacturer. They distribute products in large quantities to major cities and in 1879, Proctor and Gamble launched Ivory Soap in the Western United States. Another company was born, B.J. Johnson making soap entirely from palm and olive oil. Their soap gained incredible success that that pave way to renaming their company after palm that brought about the birth of Palmolive. The emergence of this four major companies transformed soap into a multi-billion dollar industry. The intense of their competition also give rise to the introduction of laundry detergents in the early 1990s.CHAPTER 1 Superstitions and Myths The Folklores of Soap As I tried to look into the Myths of Soap, it made me aghast to find out the different versions of their story. Some says soaps are made from human corpses while others say otherwise. Would you believe that? Yuck!!!! Yes, that was my prompt reaction. But it is what it is they say. This is the storyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. During World War II, the mass production of soap was originally taken from the Jewish concentration camp victims. However, the Yad Vashem Memorial denied the fact that the Nazis did not mass produced soap from human corpses. They said that the story was only made up to scare off the inmates. On the contrary, evidence shows the possibility that research facilities did developed a process of soap production from human bodies. The speculations of human soap came about because of the presumption of the labels RIF found on bars of soap, meaning Reichs-Juden-Fett or translated as the State Jewish Fat. It was then explained that in German acronym, i and j were frequently interchanged, they vary only in length. It was then afterwards corrected. RIF stands for Reichsstelle fur Industrielle Fettversorgung or National Center for Industrial Fat Provisioning. The RIF is the German government agency who was in-charge of soap and other washing materials in production and distribution. They concluded that RIF soap is a substitute product of poor quality and does not contain human fat at all. This story has been circulating Lubin in October 1942, apparently the Germans knew about this. In fact a certain chief Heinrich Himmler received a letter stating that Poles believed the story of the Jewish people being boiled into soap. As the word spread so widely, instilling fear in the minds of Polish population gave them the reason to boycott the buying of soaps. This prompted Himmler to cremate or bury the bodies immediately. I thought that was the end of a gruesome story but there is more. A certain Sigmund Mazur, a laboratory assistant at the Danzig Anatomical Institute testified in the Nuremberg trial. He attested to the truth that production of soap was made from the corpse fats at the camp. More so, he added that 40 bodies can extract 70 to 80 kg of fat and can produce more than 25 kg of soap. Finished products are kept under the hand of Professor Spanner. This time there are available witnesses to his statement, they are The British POWs (the labors that constructed the camp), Dr. Stanislaw Byczkowski (head of the Department of Toxicology at the Gdansk School of Medicine). The holocaust survivor, Thomas Blatt who investigated the subject found only a few concrete documentations and with great frustration found no evidence of the said experimental soap. Somehow, evidence came up proving that a small scale of experimental soap production did exist. Mazur even gave a copy of the recipe. Here it is: 5 kilos of human fat, mixed with 10 liters of water with 500 or 1000 grams of caustic soda. Boiled all together for 3 hours and then cooked. The soap will float and the rest of the sediments and water remains at the bottom. A bit of salt and soda is added to this mixture. Then again water is added boiled for another 2 3 hours. Letting it cold, the cold then is poured into its mold. There are more other versions of the story like the report made by Alexander Werth that he did actually see the experimental factor and saw the parts of the corpses. We also have the Alain Resnais who published the testimony of the Holocaust survivor. Acting on the contrary side is the Historian Yisrael Gutman who specifically said that it was never done on a mass scale. Then it was corrected by a certain Holocaust historian Robert Melvin Spector that the Nazis did indeed use human fat for the making of soap in limited quantity though. The veracity of the myth is difficult to solve, it is up to you how you want to conclude this part of the story. On my side, I am still overwhelmed with disbelief. What about you, would you rather believe the myth, or not? CHAPTER 2 Soap Description and Its Composition Basic elements of soap amaking http://www.purenaturalsoap.org/basic-elements-soap-making-ingredients.html CHAPTER 3 Tools You Need Lets get started with your soap making venture Soap making, it is not as hard as you think it is. Take time to look into your kitchen you might find the things you need, if not you can always visit nearby stores. If you are not much of a kitchen person, I presume that you should need to go shopping first. Funny as it may sound but you do have to go buy the important and basic tools you need before moving further on. What you need are the following: Scale (digital or manual) have an accurate scale measuring 1/10th of an ounce. This is used to measure all your ingredients like oil, lye, fragrance, additives and water. Safety goggles and rubber gloves you must wear this during the process to protect your eyes and hands from lye solutions and caustic raw soap Stainless steel pitcher with lid or any heat resistant plastic this is use for mixing your solution. Large stainless steel or plastic spoon definitely for stirring solutions. For smaller soaps (2-3 lbs) you may use a large pyrex pitcher, but for bigger size you will need an 8-12 quart stainless steel pot. Glass or plastic bowl or a pitcher- this is use to hold your liquid oils before adding to the soap pot. Candy or Meat Thermometer an accurate and quick reading is preferred to monitor the temperature of your solution and melted oils. Small beakers, ramekins or measuring cups this is used to hold your fragrance oils, colorants, separated soap and additives before adding to the soap. Small spoons and whisks use to blend colorants, fragrance oils, and melted oils. Large stainless steel or plastic ladle is used to ladle out a bit of raw soap to blend colorants . Stick Blender blend oils and other mixture and start saponification process. Soap mold be creative, you can use any shape of container that are leak-proof. You may use plastic, glass, or stainless steel. Never use aluminum or metal. Plastics are preferable. Rubber spatulas- used for scraping to make use of all mixture leaving nothing to waste. Paper towels or dish cloths for wiping spills. Rags to catch spills while working Peeler, scotch tape and knife CHAPTER 4 Easy Steps of Soap Making Rule of thumb: There are various approaches in making soap. The easiest way is to buy pre-mixed or soap making packs that are readily available in the market. The other one is to buy individually the ingredients needed along with the useful tools required for your soap making operandi. The ingredients and tools you need for your homemade soap will depend of course on the method you choose, we have the melt and pour method, hot or cold process, Rebatching or Milled soap, and the liquid soap. Soap Making Methods Melt and Pour Soap Making Method This is the easiest and most common way to make your own homemade soap. If you are a novice on this undertaking you may choose this method, as the title melt and pour suggest all you have to do is melt a pre-made soap base into a liquid then probably add some extra ingredients and then pour it to your desired mold designà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. and Presto! You have your own new specially created homemade soap. Using translucent or opaque glycerin soap for melting is absolutely favorable to your skin because it consists only of vegetable oils. Cold Process Method This is more challenging, a mixture of science and personal touch of artistry is what makes this method uniquely your own style. This method is the most versatile, let you visualize and naturally brings out your creativity. In this way, you are obliged to make your own soap base from scratch through saponification which means soap making. What is saponification process? It is the process where oil or fat (tristearin) is treated with sodium hydroxide solution called lye to form soap and glycerine. When chemical reaction starts to occur, other ingredients may now be added of your choice excluding artificial ingredients whatever your preference would be. Hot Process Method The hot method process is similar to the cold process only heat is used to speed up the saponification process. You may use an oven, a crock pot or even a microwave for the heat application. This has been an age old usage in soap making. One disadvantage of this method though, is the difficulty of removing the finished product from its mold. But it has also its advantageous gain; cure time is greatly reduced thus skipping weeks of waiting and able to use your new soap right away. Rebatching or Milled Method This method involves shredding your own soap creation, melting and adding your specially selected choice of additional ingredients. This is most likely the same with melt and pours however, in this method you do not use a pre-made soap to shred. This method requires that you know the hot and cold method first. You can used this method particularly for your unsuccessful batches, save it and re-melt the soap for your next project. Proper Steps-by-step Process of Making Soap B-1 Preparation Stage I know you are already intensely excited to know how to start your soap making adventure. Let me not hinder your curiosity any longer, here is what you should do during the preparation stage. COLD PROCESS METHOD Step 1 Getting Ready. Before starting, make sure that you have everything you need. Plan ahead. It is better if you can spare extra time reading and learning everything you need to know before attempting to make your own homemade soaps. If you can do that I am pretty sure of your enormous success. Choosing your perfect location. An ideal area should be close to the oven, easy access to water, a large flat table where you can work and a part of the house that is free from distractions. Preferably your own private area, if possible if not then any place that has the least distraction. Taking care and protecting your workplace. Cover your area with vinyl table cloth (optional), on this way it is easier for you to wipe and clean your surface and avoid oil leaks running through your table. Vinyl cloths are reusable and affordable that is why I highly recommend you use the same. Setting up equipments and ingredients. Set up all your soap making supplies according to your working convenience and flow. A working place you feel comfortable and set up in a manner that works with you even with your eyes close. Preparing your soap molds. You may line up your molds in one place ready with its plastic wrap or butcher paper. Preparing your insulation area Lay down a blanket on a warm draft area where you will allow your process soap to cool down for 24 hours. And in that side, prepare an extra piece of butchers paper to use for covering the top of your soap. A Styrofoam or a plywood is also recommended. It will be put on top of the wax paper to regulate the heat during the cooling period and protects the soap from any possible accidents. Rapid heat loss may result to a chalky soap. Step 2 Preparing your Favorite Additives. If you are a novice to soap making, I advise you try on with a couple of additives at first. As you get the feel of soap making you can always add more additive techniques. How to pre-heat your oven. Oven must be warm and not hot. Meaning you are able to remove what you place inside with your bare hands no need for mitts! How to measure additives and essential oils Measuring your botanicals or colorants in advance and placing them on ramekins encourage a faster and convenient working scenario once you start making homemade soaps. You may do it also with your essential oils or rosemary extracts if you are using it and superfatting nutrients and keep them in a small sealed jar. An organized area benefits you with ease and peace of mind which is very helpful to keep your mind focus on what you are doing. Step 3 The Proper Way to Measure Base Ingredients. All steps in making soaps are considered important, but we need to pay extra attention on weighing ingredients with ultimate accuracy. Familiarize yourself with the weighing scale. Inaccurate measurement will just waste your time, money and effort. Lye and oil if measured wrongly will tend to get heavy in cold process soap which either you have to rework or throw away. How to prepare and measure lye Measure water and place in a jug. Get ready and wear your working clothes wear goggles, gloves, long sleeve clothing and safety equipment before putting your hand on sodium hydroxide. You may now measure your lye and slowly pour it into the water and stirring simultaneously until lye crystals are completely dissolved. Fumes will start to manifest as you mix the lye solution. What I do during this time is to hold my breath until lye is dissolve and leave the working area for a few minutes or until fumes disappear. IMPORTANT: Always add the sodium hydroxide to the water and not the other way around. If you mistakenly mix sodium to water an unpleasant and violent reaction could occur. How to measure base oils Measure each solid oils and place it into the stainless steel pot. Set the heat on a medium- low as you continue to measure the other ingredients, your solid oil is also gradually melting. And once the solid oils have melted remove the pot from your heating equipment before putting the other liquid oils and grapefruit seed extract into the pot. (extracts are optional) Step 4 The Proper Way of Mixing Oils and Lye Mixing oil varies from 5 to 10 minutes or even up to an hour depending on the ingredients you use. How to combine lye solution and oil mixture. Slowly pour the lye solution into the pot of oils using a whisk for stirring. Steadily and firmly continue stirring adequately fast enough to keep the mixture in constant motion but not too fast as to spill out some of the mixture. Your goal is to get the oil, lye, and water to combine well to make the soap. Thoroughly stir the mixture reaching all areas of the pot. The mixture will turn creamy and opaque and then begins to thicken. How to stir mixture that reaches its trace point. Continue stirring until reaching a thin trace. At this point we need to maintain a thin trace yet since we still have ingredients to add. How can you determine trace? What is trace? Trace means the lye-water and your heated oil are well blended and that the mixture will not separate back to its original oils and lye-water. To test your trace, deep a spatula or spoon into your mix then drip it back to the mix, if it takes a second or two to disappear back into the mix then youve got the trace right. Step 5 Adding Essential Additives of Your Choice and Pouring Soap to Your Mold. This is where your creativity comes in. Pour in all decorative and unique design soap making ideas at this point. How to incorporate additives B-2 How to Determine Temperature Step 1 How to check the temperature (COLD PROCESS) Lye solutions can be heated or cooled in a hot or cold water bath in the sink. Oils can be heated on heating elements or cooled in a cold water bath. Temperatures of oil mixture and lye solution should be at 90 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 35 degrees Celsius. It may be difficult to get temperatures almost the same but it gets easier as you develop on how to get the feel of the time frame or how long you can get lye to cool down.

Ethnographic Paper :: essays papers

Ethnographic Paper The Pleasure of Pain These days anything can be considered art. The structure of a building, the human body, music on the radio, love, Versaci’s new line of winter, and pretty transvestites walking down the street are just a few of hundreds of thousands of examples. That kind of art is overrated. Most of these only exist because of society. As people grow and change so does the values and traditions that they are accustomed to. True art hangs on the walls of museums all over the world. Paintings by Monet, Da Vinci, and Picasso represent all that can be made beautiful by a man’s touch. The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word tattau, which means ‘to tap,’ and can be traced back through a part of history. The art of tattoos has been evident since ancient Egypt and more than 1,500 years ago the Japanese marked criminals as a symbol of shame for their punishment (Britannica, 2000). In the nineteenth century tattoos were viewed as frightful and grotesque, but as the twentieth c entury rolled by technology gave way to the trend. The electric needle created a sense of precision and control. This is how the various designs developed and tattooing became more about expression, rather than branding. It is a guarantee that tattoo and piercing artists can be found by the thousands in a metropolitan city. Their form of art may be simpler to an extent, but it has been growing in popularity for years. By using the body as a gateway for expression, people can present themselves in a new light, and as a mean for recreating their image. The concept of transferring art on paper to the body for the mere purpose of self-pleasure is attracting all types of people. It is impossible to walk through a mall without spotting people of all ages with this type of branding. â€Å" Young adults have accepted this practice as a normal part of their culture. You can’t escape it.† Says Walter Hewitt, who recently completed a 19-school study on tattoos and piercing (Vogel, 2000). There are big ones, small ones, tasteful ones, tacky ones, and probably some temporary ones, and because tattooing is forever and also carries a mental heath risk known as regret, the decision to get one shouldn’t be taken lightly. The customer is very vulnerable when entering a tattoo and piercing parlor, because all their trust for a good product is put in the hands of the artist.

Bill of Lading

* Introduction of the Bill of Lading â€Å"Lading† is another word for cargo. Lading refers to the material goods that are transported by the carrier from one location to another on behalf of a sender and a receiver. Such transportation may be carried out by way of ground transport, by aircraft or by cargo ships. Carriers use the bill of lading associated with a given shipment to ensure that goods are delivered safely to the sender as the shipper had named. â€Å"Bill of lading† is a legal document which is using by the shipping companies and freight companies. The purpose of the bill of lading is to acknowledge that the carrier has received the goods. The bill of lading transfers the title, or legal ownership, of the goods to the carrier; therefore. If there anything happens to the goods in transit (at the en route), the carrier is responsible for paying for the damages. The bill of lading is a receipt given to the person who shipping the products. Delivery time and method of delivery are also outlined within the bill of lading. This is a standardized form which is provided by licensed carriers to be filled out by the party sending a shipment. The most prominent feature of the B/L is the list of all items contained in the shipment, with spaces for individual quantities and their condition at the time of shipment. And also the B/L must state the value of all items and include the names and signatures of both the consigner and the consignee. The ports of consigner and the port of the consignee are also very essential. There is a description about how shipping materials are packaged in the shipment. Also it was noted, total weight of items and the total cost charged by the carrier for the service. Legally, Bill of lading is representing goods of value and their ownership. It should be written as a negotiable document or non-negotiable document. In any case, the producer is shipping an order of goods to a paying recipient, so that a transaction will be completed at delivery, then the Bill of lading must be non-negotiable. But if the ownership and delivery of goods associated with a negotiable B/L may be transferred from one party to another. For this reason, negotiable B/Ls may be used in as collateral for securing a loan. The transport of goods from one destination to another bears the risk that the goods may be lost or sustain damage en route. Though professional carriers go to great lengths to ensure the safety and proper care of their cargo, loss and damage can occur. For the receiver, a shipment's B/L is a ynamic snapshot of the shipment prior to its voyage. If the receiver finds fault with the goods in terms of content, quantity or condition by virtue of any discrepancy between the shipment and the B/L's contents, she may pursue legal action against the carrier using the B/L as evidence for her case. * Functions of the Bill of Lading 2. 1. As a receipt of cargo Bills of lading often are prepared by shippers and carriers, if they prepare bills of lading, must rely principally on information suppl ied by shippers. Carriers often will have little opportunity, in the course of loading, independently to confirm all that is said by shippers as to the nature, condition and quantity of their cargoes, e. g. because cargo is concealed within packaging. Nonetheless, because the bill of lading is a receipt issued by the carrier, it is the carrier and not the shipper that will be liable to the receiver for any discrepancies between the quantity and apparent order and condition of the cargo on shipment, as acknowledged in the bill of lading, and of the cargo as delivered to the receiver. The bill of lading can be treated as conclusive evidence as between the carrier and a receiver and as at least prima facie evidence as between the carrier and the shipper, as to the number, weight or quantity and apparent order and condition of the cargo on loading. Two types of bill of ladings can be issue in within this scenario, * Clean Bill of lading – Carrier is declaring that the goods have been received in an appropriate condition, without the presence of defects. The product carrier will issue a clean bill after thoroughly inspecting the packages for any damage, missing quantities or deviations in quality. Clause Bill of Lading – This shows a shortfall or damage in the delivered goods to the consignee. Typically, if the shipped products deviate from the delivery specifications or expected quality, the receiver may declare a clause bill of lading. That means, if there any differences between the B/L and the physical shipment, it has checking by the carrier and en ter some clauses regarding that differences before he start the voyage. 2. 2. Evidence of a contract In practice, because bills of lading often are transferred, by endorsement and delivery or mere delivery, not only from shippers to consignees (i. . the persons to whom the cargo is consigned or sent and, thus, the intended receivers of the cargo) but also by shippers or consignees to banks or onward to subsequent purchasers, a bill of lading will be the only evidence of the terms of the contract for carriage of the cargo that it covers that is available to a consignee or other transferee of the bill of lading. Thus, bills of lading in the hands of consignees or other, intermediate or subsequent, transferees often have to be assumed to contain all of the terms of the contract of carriage. . 3. Document of Title to Cargo Cargo often is intended to be sold, or sold on, after it has been consigned to a carrier and the consignee thus either might not be identified when a bill of lading i s issued or might thereafter alter. The shipper or consignee of a cargo sold, or sold on, after consignment to the carrier but not immediately paid for will require some assurance that the cargo will not be delivered to the purchaser or end purchaser before the price has been paid. Conversely, if the cargo is sold or sold on and paid for immediately after consignment to the carrier, the purchaser or end purchaser will require some assurance that the cargo will be delivered to it, and not to the order of either the shipper or the original consignee. Similarly, a bank might have advanced funds for the purchase of the cargo either to the original shipper, or to the consignee, or to a subsequent purchaser and will require some assurance that the cargo cannot be disposed of before the bank is reimbursed. It is not feasible for intermediate or subsequent transferees, or transferees for limited purposes, of a cargo that is dealt with afloat each to take physical possession of that cargo for the duration of their interest. However, it is both feasible and desirable for each of those transferees to control disposition of the cargo for a period of time, or to an appropriate degree, through control of a document representing an entitlement to the cargo. Thus, by mercantile custom, both â€Å"received for shipment† and â€Å"shipped on board† bills of lading have come to be treated as documents of title to cargo. The Process of issuing the Bill of Lading The bill of lading might be prepared by the shipper and presented to the carrier for signature, in which case it must be presented to the carrier within a reasonable time after completion of loading of the material cargo and signed by the carrier within a reasonable time of its presentation. Otherwise, and increasingly often i n practice, the bill of lading will be prepared by the carrier, principally from information supplied by the shipper, in which event it should be prepared, signed and delivered to the shipper within a reasonable time after completion of loading of its cargo Types of Bill of Ladings with different Labels 4. 1. Straight B/L A bill of lading that is not transferable by either delivery or endorsement and delivery, e. g. because it is marked â€Å"not negotiable† or is not made out to â€Å"bearer†, to â€Å"order† or to â€Å"assigns†. Straight bills of lading are used, for example, for â€Å"in house† shipments between divisions of large multinationals or when it is known for certain, prior to shipment of the cargo that the intended consignee will not sell the cargo on. . 2. Switch B/L A replacement bill of lading issued at the request of a consignee seller to replace the original bill of lading issued to that seller’s supplier as shipper, so a s to show the consignee seller as shipper and its own sub-purchaser as consignee. Such bills of lading are intended to keep the identity of the supplier from the sub-purchaser and thus to prevent future direct dealings between the supplier and the sub-purchaser. 4. 3. Sea way bill It is a receipt for cargo that contains or evidences a contract for the carriage of goods by sea and which identifies the person to whom the carrier is to deliver that cargo. Sea waybill differs from a bill of lading in that it lacks transferability and in that the designated consignee thus is not required to produce the waybill in order to obtain delivery of the cargo. 4. 4. Clean bill A bill of lading that contains no positive notation of a defective condition or shortage either of the cargo covered or, where material, of its packaging. 4. 5. Claused bill A bill of lading that contains a positive notation of a defective condition or shortage either of the cargo covered or, where material, of its packaging. 4. 6. Combined Transport/Multimodal Transport/House to House bill A bill of lading that covers not only carriage of cargo on an ocean going vessel but all or other stages and/or forms of carriage, e. g. carriage of the cargo by rail, road or barge from the shipper’s premises to an ocean port of shipment, from that port to an ocean port of discharge and from that port of discharge by rail, road or barge to the consignee’s premises. What contains in the Bill of Lading A bill of lading will contain the following information as a minimum requirement (see the Business-in-a-Box sample on the left to see the real template): – Shipper's name and address – Receiver's name and address – Carrier Name – Description of the items that are being transported – Gross weight and dimensions of the shipm ent – Classification of the commodity being shipped – Nomination and identification of the party who is paying for the transportation.

Explore the Ways in Which John Steinbeck Presents He Character of Lennie in ‘of Mice and Men’

In this essay I am going to be writing about one of the main characters in John Steinbeck’s novella ‘Of Mice and Men’. The story portrays the travels and arising problems of two migrant workers who share an uncommon friendship for the time and environment in which the novella is set. Lennie Small is the character I will be exploring and I will start off by giving a detailed explanation of his physical appearance and behaviour. Second I will look at his and the other main character George’s relationship which will then be followed by Lennie’s relationships with other characters throughout the book. I will then go on to look at the foreshadowing in which Steinbeck displays in the story and finally I will conclude the story of its final climax. Steinbeck uses many different descriptions of Lennie Small in the novella. Often compared to animals, one of the first descriptions of him is him being compared to a bear. ‘He was dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws’, is a line which portrays an image of how physically large Lennie is while also suggesting the extent of his strength. Lennie is also described to be ‘shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes’ which compares easily to a small innocent child who doesn’t understand his surroundings. The imagery created in this scene begins to imply that Lennie, even though a grown man, does not have a mind of his own, almost childlike, while always having someone to direct him through life. Despite his age, Lennie acts and speaks with immaturity due a mental disability. ‘Slowly like a terrier, who doesn’t want to bring a ball back to his master’ is a line Steinbeck wrote to emphasise Lennie’s immature personality. By comparing him to a terrier he becomes viewed as irrational with a very instinctive side to him. Steinbeck uses the word ‘master’ which signifies how Lennie, unable to make sensible decisions, needs a master or more so a carer. It stresses his naivety and also his loyalty to George. Furthermore in this novella Lennie doesn’t intentionally mean to do harm but that does not mean he is completely harmless. This is shown when Steinbeck writes ‘I wasn’t doing nothing bad with it, George.. jus’ stroking it. in the scene where George is demanding the dead mouse from Lennie. By writing this Steinbeck has suggested that the innocent Lennie is and both a victim and villain throughout his life. No matter how harmless he is within his mind, his strength betrays his personality leaving his child like mind, and brute strength a threatening combination. Steinbeck’s first description of George and Lennie’s relationship demonstrates the fact tha t George is very much like a father figure to Lennie. He is constantly mimicking George and following obediently which is described when ‘they had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed one behind the other’. This quote emphasises the dominance in the relationship and how Lennie is always following behind George because he wants to show him respect. Also Lennie imitates George with the upmost precision, ‘Then (George) replaced his hat, pushed himself back from the river, drew up his knees and embraced them. Lennie who had been watching imitated George exactly’ highlights this as it shows just how much Lennie looks up to George as if he is also a hero as well as a father figure in which he wants to make proud. It produces the thought that maybe all Lennie wants is for George to be proud of him and is symbolic to the fact Lennie looks up to George as a role model. In the opening dialogue between George and Lennie the nature of their relationship is easily distinguishable when George says ‘Lennie! Lennie for Gods sake, don’t drink too much.. ou gonna be sick like you was last night’ because it conveys how much George actually cares for and worries for Lennie without making it sound too affectionate. He speaks down to Lennie in a patronizing manner which also symbolises the authority in the relationship. In this novella one of the key things about Lennie and George is the dream they both wish to achieve. Due to Lennie’s childlike mind set and George’ s fatherly role in Lennie’s life the dream becomes somewhat a bedtime story for Lennie. On several occasions ‘Lennie pleads â€Å"Come on George. Tell me. Please, George. Like you did before. † ‘ which further emphasises how much of a child he is due to the fact it makes him calm, happy and almost settled as if he were an infant going to bed. It could also portray the subconscious worries Lennie has so he feels the need to be reassured about their dream. Lennie’s relationships with other characters vary and progress throughout the novella. When Slim, the jerkline skinner, is first introduced to Lennie and George he is taken aback by the oddness of their relationship with each other. He immediately see’s Lennie’s lack of mentality and later on states to George ‘it seems kinda funny, a cuckoo like him and a smart guy like you travelling together’ which is the first opinion Slim reveals towards Lennie. At first he only sees the childlike Lennie but after the situation explained he understands and views Lennie in a completely different light. ‘He’s a nice fella, guy don’t need no sense to be a nice fella’ is a line which Steinbeck wrote to show clearly how Slim respects and likes Lennie as it emphasises that he doesn’t just see the absence of intelligence but the nice guy hidden underneath the childish exterior. Even though Slim doesn’t really get to know Lennie in this novella, his friendship with George allows him to understand Lennie and the position the two are in. Slim appreciates that Lennie is not a cruel person when he says ‘He ain’t mean, I can see Lennie ain’t a bit mean’ which further emphasises the intelligence Slim possess to see behind the original interpretation of Lennie as a man and shows how his feelings towards him have developed into somewhat respect. Another relationship that Lennie has is one with the stable buck, Crooks. Steinbeck enforces this unspoken friendship between the two because both are isolated from the rest of the ranch workers, Lennie because of his size and childish behaviour and Crooks because of him being black and being segregated from the rest of the workers. Although Lennie is portrayed as the weakest mentally, he doesn’t understand the unwritten code of racial segregation which brings out the intelligent side to him which is proven in the way he acts towards Crooks. When Crooks questions him about why he has entered the barn Lennie replies with ‘Nothing- I seen your light. I thought I could jus’ come an’ set’ which shows how innocent Lennie is and in a way how lonely he is as he goes to investigate the possibility that he could converse with someone. It could also show that Lennie sees crooks as an equal unlike the other men on the ranch who merely see his colour. In this novella Steinbeck uses foreshadowing a great deal throughout the whole story. It appears everywhere, hinting on what will happen to different characters and the way the story will develop. It is used to show that Lennie will be getting in trouble with Curley’s wife, her death and also his death and the exact way in which he dies. The moment Curley’s wife is introduced an ill feeling overcomes the atmosphere signifying that Lennie will in fact be getting into some sort of mess involving her. George says at the very beginning ‘I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait like her before. You leave her be’ is a quote from the novella which directly foreshadows Curley’s wifes death because by having George tell him to leave her alone, it’s obviously going to go the opposite way and something will end up bringing the pair together. Another thing that adds to the foreshadowing of her death is Lennie’s tendency to ‘get carried away’ with touching soft, silky and pretty things. Throughout the novella the victims of Lennie’s harmless ‘petting’ gradually get bigger, starting off with the girls dress in Weed, the mouse, progressing on to Curley’s hand and the puppy and finally ending with Curley’s herself. The skirt, mouse, puppy and Curley’s wife all link in with the need to touch ‘soft things’ and the same reaction even happen in each. Once they begin to panic or squirm Lennie reacts in a childlike way and doesn’t know what to do so he simply doesn’t let his hold of that object go. Excluding Curley’s hand which was purely down to animal and childish instinct, all the other incidents could connect to the idea that in Lennie’s naive mind, ‘soft and pretty’ things relate to the dream that he and George have and once the victims begin to struggle it instantly alerts Lennie that the dream is escaping him and he holds on in fear of letting go and loosing it. The foreshadowing of Lennie’s death occurs at different points throughout the novella. The shooting of candy’s dog being the main one. When Carlson is trying to persuade Candy into letting him shoot the dog he says ‘He ain’t no good to you, Candy. An’ he ain’t no good to himself. Wh’n’t you shoot him, Candy? ’ which is exactly how Lennie is viewed as a partner of George. Both the dog and Lennie are connected as they both in some way weigh down their ‘owner’ and aren’t really useful to them. Another thing which foreshadows his death is George’s constant reminders of how his life would be easier without him. ‘God you’re a lot of trouble, I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl’ is a line which Steinbeck wrote to foreshadow what might happen in the end of the story as it is how George feels inside which he frequently tells Lennie at different points in the story. Lennie’s death, placed right at the end of the story, is no big surprise when it actually occurs. Beforehand Lennie and George are merely talking. Lennie is confused as to why George isn’t shouting at him and this particular bit shows how much George secretly does care for Lennie and wishes that this didn’t happen. ‘No Lennie, I ain’t mad. I never been mad an’ I ain’t now. That’s the thing I want ya to know. ’ is a line from George which symbolises that no matter what bad things Lennie has ever done, George only wants the best for him, even if that means killing him. Steinbeck uses the phrase ‘never been mad’ to show that George is feeling guilty about his reactions towards Lennies mistakes in the past and trying to make it right. Despite the fact he has already made the decision to end Lennie’s life George still finds it difficult to do so which is portrayed when Steinbeck wrote that ‘George raised the gun and his hand shook, and he dropped his hand to the ground again’. This quote lays emphasis on how challenging it is for George to follow through with his task. No matter how much of a dead weight Lennie is to him, they have still been together for a long while which adds to the fact George finds it so hard to kill him. The thing that played the most part in the decision George made to kill Lennie was Candy’s words, ‘I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog. ’ because George understands that the death of Lennie is inevitable and is going to happen one way or another whether it be now or in the next town when he does something else wrong. Georges decision is reassured by Slim right at the end of the novella when he says ‘You hadda George, I swear you hadda’ because he understands the situation George is in and is trying to assure him that he made the right decision in killing Lennie. In conclusion, Lennie Small is a very complex character. The description of his character is very precise and so is his personality. Throughout this novella it is obvious that Lennie’s character is the one that undergoes the least amount of development. His childlike mentality and mind set prohibit any possible expansion of his character however Lennie's protection from George, devotion to him, and dreams of the farm make him the character that he is. His portrayal of innocence during the course of the novella is a key reason why readers feel so much sympathy for him, and is the main way in which he is represented all throughout Of Mice and Men.