Chariots of Fire

In marriages, family units and even friendships, falling-out is a common circumstance. It is apparent that there are oppressive forces that manipulate us. While some filmmakers offer the public entertainment as remedies to this dissatisfaction, others reinforce the sense that individual worth is being assaulted from several areas. Chariots of Fire is a film that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Two very different approaches to religion and sport are at the heart of this movie. The film is based on the true story of two British sprinters in the 1924 Paris Olympics; one Christian and one Jewish. Neither runner is out for personal or national glory. These two men are competing for the same reason; a matter of a higher calling but in very different ways. For Harold Abrahams, a proud English Jew from a well-to-do family, running is a weapon against anti-Semitism; a way of validating his worth, and by extension his Jewishness, to his Anglo society and to himself. There is something to be said for this approach: After shattering a long-standing speed barrier at Cambridge’s Trinity College, the master says â€Å"Perhaps they’re the chosen people after all. † In a way, he is right. As an athlete, Abrahams is driven by rebellious anger and shame endangered by the legacy of anti-Semitic prejudice that has gone hand in hand with the Jew’s divine determination. For Eric Liddell, a devout Scot with missionary aspirations, running is something he can do to give glory to God, the same way the grass glorifies him by growing and the sun by shining. In one part of the movie, Liddell tries explaining the value of running to his sister, who doesn’t see the value of it at all by saying â€Å"I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure. † The difference between their motivations is highlighted in a number of ways. Each runner’s commitment goes well beyond whatever obligation either feels to the expectations of their society. Where Abrahams’ commitment leads him to dispense himself from unwritten rules about amateur athletes not receiving professional coaching, Liddell brings his own additional unwritten rules to participation. For Abrahams, the chief crisis he faces is whether he can win after losing a race to Liddell and for Liddell; the crisis is whether he can even qualify when en route to the Olympics discovers the qualifying heat for his event is on the â€Å"Sabbath. While Abrahams must swallow his pride and find the courage to run in the Olympics, Liddell must swallow his hopes and find the courage not to run. Chariots of Fire is an aesthetically well realized work of art. The authentic drama deals directly with issues such as athletic competition, the nature of winning and losing and the central place of beliefs in sports. It touches sensitively and strongly on the longi ng for perfection, the search for meaning and the struggle for acceptance.

Managing Business Activities to Achieve Results Essay - 2

Managing Business Activities to Achieve Results - Essay Example Two crucial functions in the McLaren’s business operations strategy are R&D and Operations. Whereas the operations function is concerned with the transformation of resources into products, the R&D function concerns itself with the innovation and development of new technologies/product lines. The two functions work hand in hand in delivering quality products that are relevant to the fast changing market demand. This is consistent with McLaren’s strategic plan of constantly introducing new models or derivatives every year. Q1.2 With the main objective of the operations function being creation and delivery of goods & services with customers’ needs in mind, it is important for McLaren to analyze whether it is consistently achieving the same. An Inputs-Outputs transformation model is a systematic approach to operations management. This system is important operations managers at McLaren considering that the organization aims at attaining competitive advantage through early introduction of new models or derivatives in the marketplace. Operations have three components i.e. inputs, transformation process and outputs. The transformation process refers to all activities involved in the conversion of inputs through value addition into outputs that satisfy customer needs. There are three resource types that may be transformed in the process of operations. Materials include the rubber and other physical inputs, information may include the innovations availed through R&D and customers include but not limited to companies involved in formula one racing. Proper utilization of materials, information and understanding of customer needs, therefore, enables organizations effectively achieve their operational goals. McLaren has invested heavily in R&D and this makes it compete favorably among peers in the marketplace. Q1.3 One manufacturing strategy used to  determine and manage interactions between different organizational systems is the process approach to quality.  

Environment Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environment - Lab Report Example Nonetheless, the soil experiment in this essay aimed at analyzing or testing two different types of soils based on the characteristics including texture, color, and levels of pH or the acidity, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen as well as Potassium. Two different soil samples were to be obtained from different sites including soil sample collected from flat land covered by grass (Sample ID: NAltarki-2) and soil sample collect away from any environmental barrier (Sample ID: NAltarki-1). The collected data are to be subjected to the same soil testing with the sample parameters including texture, color, and levels of pH, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Potassium. Difference in quantities of these parameters will be a clear indication that soil samples obtained from different environmental setting usually have different physical and chemical properties. Two different soil samples from different environmental settings were collected for the experiment. From the data provided in tables above (1 and 2), there are clear indication that these two soil samples have different physical and chemical properties. For the physical properties, these samples have different textures; thus, they are identified as different soil types. For perfect comparisons, the two data tables can be merged into one. From the table 3 below, sample one test to be Silky Clay loam while sample two was sandy loam in texture. For the color sample one showed 4 and 2 while sample two indicated 3 and 2 on the soil color value and soil color Chroma respectively. From the soil color sheet, both sample indicated they were within the same year range of 10 years. The chemical properties of these samples are related to the amounts of pH, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and potassium. Notably, with the same chemical properties, both samples had the same pH, Nitrogen, and Potassium values that were at 7, L, and H respectively. However, these samples had different phosphorus contents with sample one recording L levels while