Latin america religious news Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Latin america religious news - Essay Example Cuba is also an interesting case, for the dominant Communist ideology embraced by the nation is antithetical to the doctrine of Christianity. Hence, when the key itinerary of the Pope unfolds over the coming days, it would lead to numerous talking points in news media and blogosphere. Scheduled to begin on Friday the 23th of this month, the visit could usher in a â€Å"forward-looking agenda with wiling and capable hemispheric partners.† (Farnsworth, 2012) The Huffington Post article titled The Latin American Spring, published 21st March 2012, goes on to say that â€Å"it is also an opportunity for countries in Latin America to show tangible leadership on a number of issues consistent with hemispheric expectations of representative democracy and open market economies.† (Farnsworth, 2012). This is an interesting observation, for it implies that the purported religious visit has ramifications in the realms of politics and democracy as well. It is also a measure of power w ielded by religious leaders in this region that something as sweeping as democratic and economic reforms are thought possible through directives from the Vatican. The same news item was discussed in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune of 22 March, 2012. Here, author Nicole Winfield presents some interesting insights into the role of religion in the region. ... The following passage shows the opportunities and challenges in the Cuban leg of the tour. It also indicates the potential of religion to bring about progressive change: â€Å"Cuba's single-party, Communist government never outlawed religion, but it expelled priests and closed religious schools upon Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba in 1959. Tensions eased in the early 1990s when the government removed references to atheism in the constitution and let believers of all faiths join the Communist Party... John Paul's 1998 visit further warmed relations. But after 14 years there's no doubt that the current visit of Pope Benedict XVI will help the process of development toward democracy and will open new spaces for the church's presence and activity† (Winfield, 2012) Coming to Mexico, religion is an important social denominator in the country, where an estimated 50,000 people were killed during last five years in connection with the war on drugs. The population of the country is over whelmingly Catholic (more than 80%) and members of the cartels that perpetrate violence and terror in the region are also claiming to be Catholics. In this situation, the pontiff will try to use his religious clout over the faithful and help tackle â€Å"what the Church sees as threats to family values, as well as the rise of rival religious movements.† (The Telegraph, 2012) Cuba, on the other hand poses an interesting juxtaposition, for the country’s political culture does not promote religion and only 10 % of the population are Catholics. Nevertheless, considering that part of social work in Cuba is carried out by Catholic institutions, the Pope’s address will highlight and encourage such cooperation between opposing ideological institutions. It will also draw upon historical Christian

Sterling Engines :: physics sterling engine

The Sterling heat engine was invented by Robert Stirling in 1816. He was a reverend in the Scotland who built heat engines in his home workshop. His Heat Economiser was patented in 1816. The engine incorporates ideas of reduced fuel consumption compared with the current steam engines. Further development to the engine happened when his younger brother suggested using pressurized gas as the working fluid. Additional patents in 1827 and 1840 were for improvement to the design. A closed cycle with external heating engine that has a power piston, a displacer to move the enclosed air between the hot and cold ends a regenerator in now called a Stirling Cycle Engine. Air in the engine is cyclically heated (by an alcohol burner) and expands to push the power piston (shown in blue) to the right. As the power piston moves to the right, the yellow linkage forces the loose-fitting, red "piston" (on the left half of the machine) to displace air to the cooler side of the engine. The air on the cool side loses heat to the outside world and contracts, pulling the blue piston to the left. The air is again displaced, sending it back to the hotter region of the engine, and the cycle repeats. Stirling Engines work on a temperature difference between the hot end and the cooling fins. Any source of heat could be used. Refrigerant on the cold end may be needed for long term use or if the barrier conducts too much heat. On a finely machined Stirling engine, the temperature difference can be as low a just a few degrees- the heat from your hand can be enough to power the flywheel. Stirling Engines are most commonly found in waste heat recovery systems. Power plants that generate hot water could be used to power several heat engines for no additional cost after setup. However, the power generated by these engines would be only a fraction of what the steam turbine is putting out. Set up costs are high enough that waste heat recovery systems are not too common. Interests in heat engines may increase because they minimize the cost per unit energy being produced. For large scale power production, Stirling Engines are too expense to make. Given current energy shortages and rising environmental concerns, heat engines may become more attractive. The most common application of Stirling Engines is water pumping. Even Robert Stirling modified his engine to pump water from a stone quarry.

Charles Chocolates Case Essay

In March of 2012 Steve Parkland was hired as the new president at Charles Chocolates. He was immediately faced with numerous decisions about the future of the company. The board of directors had tasked Parkland with doubling or tripling the size of the company over the next decade, but the board and the senior management team had different opinions about the strategy that would accomplish this goal. The main issues that Parkland faced were how to increase the company’s operations while maintaining the traditional culture and support of the board. The premium chocolate industry is a large market in the United States and continues to grow around 10% annually. It is also populated with very strong competitors both internationally, with companies like Godiva (Nestle), and local companies like Delice. Both competitors are priced higher than Charles and have higher sales. This is most likely because Godiva and Delice have modern trendy packaging for their products. The number and strength of competitors means that buyers have very high bargaining power, but it also means that the threat of new entrants is low because it is hard to gain a piece of a market saturated with such powerful players. The majority of the suppliers to the chocolate industry sell commodity products whose price is set by the market and their power and influence is low. There are numerous substitute products for affluent customers’, confections and pastries being the most significant, but chocolate will always be a stable product so it is a medium level threat. To compete in such a challenging industry Parkland needs to revitalize the company’s packaging and its marketing campaign. New packing is an ideal way to begin because it demonstrates the changes that will be taking place in following years without compromising the company’s heritage or corporate culture. Charles’ current marketing strategy strongly targets the local community which it already has a strong presence in. Charles needs to increase its marketing to the tourist community. The advertisements should follow industry trends for use of ethically responsible ingredients to produce the highest quality chocolates. In order to attract and keep the new, non-local, customer base Parkland needs to increase Charles online presences and sales channels. This is a low risk, low cost opportunity with the potential for large growth in new geographical areas. If Parkland wants to achieve the aggressive growth that the board desires his ability to improve the capabilities and the operations of the company will be one of his greatest barriers. Due to the affluent nature of the customers and the possible variety in the product Parkland should focus on improving the company’s organizational capabilities. A new plant will eventually be needed but that decision can be delayed if Charles can streamline its operations. Parkland needs to institute policies that will measure productivity and develop an accurate method of forecasting sales. This will result in lower inventory carrying costs, fewer out of stock issues, and fewer backorders that need to be filled. If Charles can reduce the number of back orders and out-of-stock products it can focus on a single product line at a time which will reduce the frequency of expensive switching costs. There are many other growth opportunities that Parkland may pursue in the future. He may wish to grow the Sandwich Heaven segment of the business, growing the corporate connections of the company, and expanding into other physical locations in the states. These are all viable options for the future but the ones listed above are the best for Charles’ current situation. By improving packaging, marketing, online sales, and internal organizational capabilities the company can grow significantly without large changes to the tradition of the company and without taking on too much additional risk.

current-traditional rhetoric - definition and examples