Monologue from the play Cinema Limbo by Wade Bradford

This comedic female monologue can be used for auditions and classroom performances. The setting is the  current day in an unspecified geographic location, allowing the performer to make her own choices of accent. The character is entering college, so she can be assumed to be about age eighteen, youthful and not yet worldly. Its appropriate for high school and college drama classes. Context of the Monologue This scene is taken from the short play, Cinema Limbo by Wade Bradford. College-bound Vicky is an assistant manager of a movie theater. Every geeky, dorky employee is attracted to her. Although she is amused by their attraction, she has yet to fall in love. The full play is a two-person play of only ten minutes in length. It may be used to help build the character for a performer who plans to use the monologue. Monologue VICKY:I’m the kind of girl who takes pity on poor pathetic geeks who have never kissed a girl. Let’s just say that I like someone who is easily trainable—someone who will truly appreciate me. It’s sad, I know. But hey, I’ll take an ego boost wherever I can get it. Unfortunately, these adorably nerdy boyfriends get boring after a while. I mean, I can only listen to their computer games and mathematic equations for so long. Of course, Stuart’s different in a lot of ways. He’s terrible at math, for one. And he’s pretty clueless about technology. But he’s a comic book sort of geek. And a hopeless romantic. He’s preoccupied with holding my hand. Everywhere we go, he wants to hold hands. Even when we’re driving. And he’s got this new pastime. He keeps saying â€Å"I love you.† It was so sweet and wonderful the first time he said it. I almost cried, and I’m not the kind of girl who cries easily. But by the end of the week, he must have said â€Å"I love you† about five hundred times. And then he starts adding pet names. â€Å"I love you, honeybunch.† â€Å"I love you, sweetheart.† â€Å"I love you my little smoochy-woochy-coochi-koo.† I don’t even know what that last one means. It’s like he’s speaking in some brand-new, love-infected language. Who would have thought romance could be so boring? Notes on the Monologue In the original context, Vicky was discussing her job at the theater with a fellow employee, Joshua. She is attracted to him and they banter about the job and her relationship with Stuart, who was a grade school classmate of Joshua. The monologue can also be delivered as an introspective piece rather than as part of a conversation, imagining that Vicky is voicing her thoughts to the audience rather than to Joshua. The monologue gives the performer a chance to show a blend of innocence, naivete, callousness, and even a touch of cruelty. How much of each is displayed will be a choice of the performer. Its a piece that allows the performer to explore the themes of coming of age, exploring relationships, sensitivity to the emotions of others, and the responsibilities of adulthood.

Common Goals And Potential Synergy Between An Organisation...

Common goals and potential synergy between an organisation and a stakeholder is identified by understanding the needs and interests of an organisation and the stakeholder and establishing goals that can be long or short term that will be able to meet the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. You can establish these goals by communicating and negotiating with the stakeholders. By communicating you will also be able to understand what the capabilities of the stakeholder are with resources and finances. At Havering, the common shared value between the Local Authority and the Schools allows us to plan long term and short term goals that benefits students and staff. By communicating with the schools we can understand what their needs are and how collaborating can mutually benefit both parties and can live up to or exceed their expectations. It is important to engage stakeholders in marketing activities because as it helps build relations with the stakeholder which can allow you cooperate to find ways to improve the image and reputation of the organisation. It also shows the stakeholder that you are committed to including them in achieving organisational goals and decision making. Stakeholder communication plans are developed by monitoring and reviewing the current communication processes within the organisation and then identifying what communication methods are the most suitable and effective with each stakeholder and then to compare and analyse these methods to makeShow MoreRelatedEnsure Team Effectiveness2092 Words   |  9 Pagesreal team as everyone identifies their purpose within the group known and each individual becomes accountable for their contribution to the productivity of the team. Team members usually have complementary skills that the team leverage, creating synergy by maximising an individual’s strengths and minimising the impact of weakness. The way a team performs is a direct result of the approach to being a team that is taken and how effectively the approach is implemented. Katzenback amp; Smith (1993)Read MoreCase Study : Nokia s Strategic Partnership Essay2214 Words   |  9 Pagesand Microsoft established strategic alliance and work towards a common goal. 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Korean confucianism Free Essays

Confucianism is defined as â€Å"an intellectual, political, and religious tradition, or school of though, that developed a distinct identity in the 5th Century BC from the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius† (â€Å"Confucianism,† 2005). It began in China and is now widely accepted in different parts of Asia such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam (â€Å"Confucianism,† 2005). There are five moral disciplines which are given to govern the five human relationships. We will write a custom essay sample on Korean confucianism or any similar topic only for you Order Now They are as follows: (a) Justice and righteousness should mark the relations between sovereign and subject; (b) There should be proper rapport between father and son; (c) Separation of function between husband and wife; (d) The younger should give precedence to the elder; and (e) Faith and trust should reign over relationships between friends (â€Å"Korean Confucianism,† n.d.). Confucianism has pervaded Korea and the country has been labeled as one of the most dedicated followers despite the fact that it started in China (â€Å"Korean Confucianism,† n.d.). In line with the foregoing statement, it is not surprising that I adhere and respect the teachings of Korean Confucianism. However, it is to be noted that modernity has also swept over the country of Korea and has changed some aspects of the people’s adherence to Confucianism. I carry with me the value and respect for the government as the authority that has the power over the country. That is the reason why I abide by the rule of law and the policies and decisions made by the government. Moreover, I respect the relationship between the younger and the elder together with the responsibilities that comes with it. For the elders, I give them due respect and for the younger, I carry authority and responsibility over them. I see to it that generations before me and my ancestors are given respect both living and dead. In addition to this, the closeness of the family and the respect for the relationships of one another is always borne in my mind and in my heart. References â€Å"Confucianism.† Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.    How to cite Korean confucianism, Essay examples

Team Sports vs. Individual Sports free essay sample

Sports are an important part of just about every society lives. In one way or another everyone is involved in sports or some sort of activity whether they’re playing or watching or just knows someone who does. There are many types of sports like: team and individual sports. For example, golf is considered to be an individual sport. The purpose of golf is so that golfers play on the same course and competing against one another only with their scores. For some sports like tennis in which one player must beat the other to finish a match. Golf features each player against every other player with the one who takes the fewest strokes to sink the ball into 18 holes is declared the winner. Then there are sports like: baseball, basketball, and soccer which are team sports. These sports consist of teams of five, seven, and nine plays against each other with team members helping each other to win as a team. We will write a custom essay sample on Team Sports vs. Individual Sports or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sports are played for fun or for money or sometimes both. Just about every sport has both professionals (those who compete for money) and amateurs (those who do not compete for money). It is important that we experience both individual and team sports because these two kinds of sports teach us very different values and rules that are fundamentals not only in the sport world but as well as in life. Although, learning how to play a team sport has a lot of advantages. The first things we can think of are related to the interaction among the members of the team. It might seem fun and easy to play in teams, but it is not so simple. In fact, it takes time and training to develop those skills that we need to join in a team. Practicing team sports can effectively teach you a very important lesson so you know how to work together to reach the same goal. This means that to be in a team you need to know how to rely and trust one another, how to accept their mistakes, praise their efforts, and how to keep a healthy relationship with them no matter what. Practicing a sport team will surely help you acquire these skills that are going to help you throughout life. Furthermore, team sports have another great advantage. They can be played for fun among friends just to spend some time together. It is very common to see a group of friends playing soccer or volleyball on the beach when they are spending a nice time together. I believe that team sports can be played for fun because the pressure and competition are not concentrated on one single person but spread into all the members of the team. This means that in case of a win everybody is happy and cheers together but in case of loss they can instead console each other. Even though most people lean towards team sports they do not seem to see the beneficial values that individual sports have. Individual sports teach kids to have confidence and self-reliance in themselves. As a performer such as gymnastics you’ve got no one to rely on but yourself. Each day they train themselves for a specific event so that they are able to succeed yet over achieve for that one particular event. In these types of sports you may have several friends and training partners helping you but in the end you know it’s up to you to do your best each day. Whereas in group sports most athletes have the knowledge that success and failure both are a team effort and no matter how well or how poorly one performs its up to the team as a whole to work together and win.

Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau Essay Example

Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau Essay Author Albert Raboteau’s book will find a place in any American religious history canon. Raboteau, being an African American himself, was able to bring out the compassion and earnestness in his cause – which is to bring to light the plight and travails of enslaved Black Americans from a religious perspective. The book is written in such a tone that it opens more profound levels of understanding and appreciation for the reader. In this way, the book is a piece of art as well as a document of history. The book succeeds in taking the reader to the original setting and milieu that forms its background. More importantly, the book adopts simple prose style that appeals to readers from all walks of life. The rest of the essay will be a summary of the central points in the book. The book takes the form of Raboteau’s responses to some of the reactions he had experienced over the years. In line with his literary mentor Sydney Ahlstrom’s anticipation, the revival of African-American history as a field of inquiry in its own right also helped rejuvenate the allied subject of religion and history with respect to America. This is also made necessary by the fact that any attempt to trace African-American history is inevitably linked to the associated religious traditions, and likewise, â€Å"the religious history of America cannot be told adequately without incorporation of the African-American experience†. Raboteau’s narrative gives vent to the suppressed voices of African Americans of the past, quite reminiscent of some of the narrative techniques employed by African American novelists of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. This also serves as the â€Å"central theme in other liberation theologies†, and applies in significant ways to secular as well as religious history, leading up to contemporary practices. Alongside the expression of black American sentiments, the book also notes the parallel historical events in the American continent. The fact that most of the African American immigration to America has been un-volitional is recognized through out the text. We will write a custom essay sample on Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In an attempt to explicate the true implications of â€Å"slave culture†, the author is compelled to touch upon the political aspects of religion and argues in favor of their necessity. In other words, this â€Å"creative means of continuation† of African cultural influences, frequently intertwined with European and Judeo-Christian origins, provides a sense of belonging and identity to the community, while leaving aside other aspects of slavery. The book essentially provides the necessary foundation for the oppressed masses to rebel against authority and to free themselves from the repressive mental shackles of slavery. The author claims that the basic motivation for writing this book â€Å"was the passing-on of unwritten traditions, oral traditions no longer heard†. Also, he intends to invoke interest in the subject through conventional methodology to educate the reader. This, Raboteau believes, is the spiritual effort of contemplating about â€Å"a tradition that stands a continuing challenge to the complacency exhibited by most of Christianity†. In respect of the task of documenting long-standing traditions, the book is quite good. The author includes hymns and songs, and anecdotes and verses, historical narratives as well as scholarly interpretations of various sources for the documentation of this little studied aspect of American religious history. Raboteau incorporates in the text extracts from native African languages in addition to adaptations by black Americans already living in the Americas. The author also depicts in depth several practices and customs, including the â€Å"ring shout and belief structures†. For instance, the preservation of aspects of African deities and gods was usually more pronounced in the South American continent when compared to the predominantly Protestant North America. Raboteau also gives different rationales for it, which takes into consideration â€Å"the greater possibility of syncretism and cross-identification of practices†. Raboteau notes that, after a while, most of the American slaves were â€Å"native-born†, while elsewhere in the world (Caribbean and Latin American regions), there was a steady and gradual influx of immigrants from the African continent. Raboteau also delves into some of the contradictions inherent in American Christianity which uses religious conversion as a justification to enslave other people. In recent times such practices are very rare, but the primary reason for allowing the enslavement of certain communities was to make them subordinate to the faith of convenience (which in the case of African Americans was Christianity). Furthermore, there was this conception that â€Å"there were not only spiritual benefits to the slaves, but also the contact of the slaves with Western civilization was by itself a better state than that in which the people had lived as free persons†. There were hindrances for a short while in allowing slaves to convert to Christianity, for it would allow them to expect just, fair and equal treatment. The author’s depiction of the governing institutions and the way the â€Å"invisible institution† is run is quite interesting. The public churches of the day were always surrounded by controversies as a result of their exclusive nature. The ‘invisible institution’, as the author refers to it, â€Å"existed often as a forbidden aspect†. African American slaves were allowed to participate in both black churches (the congregations of which also contained members of other racial and ethnic minorities). According to Raboteau, these congregations usually see more number of slaves, many of whom risk punishment when they join other worshippers in secluded locations. Close to the end of the Civil War, the culture of slavery prevailing in America was to a great extent associated with Christianity, especially in the southern states. The author asserts that â€Å"the secular/sacred clash often present in the modern-day culture was present even in the slave cabins, where secular music that provided antecedents to rhythm and blues would sometimes compete with the more religious-oriented calls to worship†. The only criticism that could be attributed to Raboteau is it emphasis on Christianity alone, while not taking into consideration other religions. Also, the author can also be criticized for not representing the viewpoints of women, especially given their significance in â€Å"the preservation of slave culture and religion†. Although these criticism in them don’t take away the many merits of the book, more revisionist history is required in this field before a complete picture of this controversial aspect of the country’s past is understood properly. In the final analysis, the book is a landmark in the quest for the true history of American minorities in general and African American Christians in particular. In this sense, it is one of the most important pieces of literature, pertaining to the political, religious and sociological evolution of America.

Kennedy Sims Reflective Essay Essays (496 words) - Discrimination

Kennedy Sims Reflective Essay Essays (496 words) - Discrimination Kennedy Sims December 2 nd , 2018 @02839811 Freshmen Seminar Reflective Essay During the duration of this project, the research as well as the interviews that I have conducted have surprisingly opened my eyes to the experiences of many in the Middle East. Even though the racism experienced by some in this region may be prevalent, for others it may not seem this way. After conducting an interview with freshmen at Georgia Southern University Mustafa Najjar, I learned that some of the things individuals from the Middle East go through on the daily is very similar to what African Americans experience daily in the United States of America. The ignorance to the real environment, structure, and culture of the Middle East is one that I feel should be addressed. As Mustafa stated in his interview, many view the Middle East in a completely different era. This related to him even more because he is originally from Egypt and most people from America have never had the opportunity to visit the country. Therefore, as expected, our idea of the area is warped. This research allowed me to interact with an individual from a group of people that I normally would not on a daily basis. It also allowed me to see things through his eyes and to actually learn about some of the things they experience. When conducting this research, the most challenging part was finding articles or testimonials that actually explained how individuals from the Middle East felt they had to assimilate in America and how these individual experiences shaped their view of home in the states. Another challenging part was coming up with questions that related to the project and getting my interviewee to understand these. One thing that surpised me during this project was to hear that Mustafa never personally experienced racism and when asked it was hard to think of anyone around him who had. This was surprising but also, I felt kind of bad assuming that he had experienced racism. This is a subject that should not be as normalized as it is today. Another challenging aspect of this project was actually being a part of the group. Throughout the process I had to have great time management skills in order to make it to meetings actually having research about the topics discussed. I also had to communicate effectively with the group leader making sure she had all of the research and recordings she needed from me so that our project and everything else would be submitted on time. Overall, I believe participating in this project and conducting research allowed me to not be so ignorant on certain subjects as well as peaked my interest in researching other cultures and traditions outside of my own. I believe this project was definitely one that was needed, and it helped me to expand my thought process and be more sensitive to those that aren't like me.

Discuss the media representation of 'Somalian piracy'. Is 'piracy' an Essay

Discuss the media representation of 'Somalian piracy'. Is 'piracy' an accurate term for what is taking place off the coa - Essay Example Furthermore, the unique dynamics of Islamization, poverty, and the effects that 20 years of incessant civil war on the only truly failed state in the world has had on the way in which Somalia and the issue of â€Å"piracy† has developed will be discussed within the lens of media representation of the issue (Samatar 2010, p. 1380). Merriam Webster’s dictionary broadly defines piracy as â€Å"an act of violence or robbery at sea†. Such a broad definition leaves little room for prevarication concerning whether or not the actions taken by groups of Somalis over the past decade or so can be understood as piracy or not. However, a more important test of determination is of course the question of how tactics, objectives, and operational mechanisms differ when one compares current Somali piracy with that of the earlier more traditional understandings of the word. What is unique with regards to Somali piracy is the fact that the actual material goods that the ships which are arrested by them are often of secondary or tertiary importance. Of primal importance is the money which can be extracted from shipping companies, governments, or interested loved-ones of the crew members of the ships which have been captured. This serves as a fundamental deviation from traditional piracy in that this is the ultimate goal which the Somali pirates pursue as opposed to a secondary or tertiary goal that traditional piracy was engaged with (Murphy 2011, p. 19). For the traditional definition of piracy on the high seas, the requisition of the goods was of primary importance with the lives and health of the crew being much lower on the list of interests that the pirates dealt with. Ultimately, in the traditional understanding of piracy, the lives of those which were captured were worth little unless it was believed that an added amount of money could be extracted by ransoming them off to interested governments, families, or trade representatives. This shift in the dyna mic that piracy has taken within the modern world is a unique hallmark of the Somali understanding of the term. Instead of seeking to acquire and sell tens of millions of dollars worth of ships and goods, the Somali pirates are almost exclusively disinterested in such an operation; instead concerned with seeking to ransom the ship, its contents, and the crew itself to interested parties the world over (Pham 2010, p. 330). The media’s interpretation of piracy in Somalia has been one that has traditionally missed the point. Although the actual day to day occurrences of piracy and associated deaths are recounted within world media, little to no attention is paid to the preceding determinants with regards to the underlying reason why piracy is currently taking place to such a high degree within Somalia (Hanson 2012, p. 524). There are a number of reasons for this media misrepresentation; however, it is the belief of this author that a large degree for the hesitancy with which Wes tern media has sought to discuss and analyze the underlying reasons for Somali piracy is the level of culpability that the West continues to feel with regards to t

Personal Statement for the UCAS application (UK Universities)

For the UCAS application (UK Universities) - Personal Statement Example industry is a major driver of the world’s major economies with new innovations, new discoveries particularly in electronic devices, new technologies in food and clothing industries and flow of new medicines to different healthcare facilities of the world. I want to be part of this industry for I have always wanted to work where I can positively impact the lives of people. I wish to study in the UK since most of my friends have pursued their international studies in the UK based Universities and have highly recommended me to join these international institutions where all are welcome and where world-class teaching takes place. I have also been doing my own research on the best place to undertake my course and I have discovered that UK is that best place for UK education is one of the few recognized by governments, universities and employers in all corner of the world. Also, universities ranked as best in the world are based here in the UK. I am sponsored by SABIC Company which is one of the major manufacturing companies in Saudi Arabia and the largest public company listed in Middle East specializing in industrial polymers, chemicals and intermediates, metals and even fertilizers. Basically, I am a part of this company hence this career does not only match my strengths but also my future interests. I therefore feel that pursuing chemical engineering perfectly suits my job and will allow me to utilize my talents in the best way as I acquire the needed skills and knowledge to lead SABIC Company to even becoming a better chemical manufacturer and maintaining its ground as a world major chemical manufacturing company. I am practically a very social person and I love meeting and making new friends. Therefore, apart from having reading as my leisure interests, I love visiting museums and national archives. A visit to the museum and national archives makes me feel satisfied. I also love outdoor activities and sporting activities. Eating out, walking in the parks,

Analysis of US to cut 'lost pleasure' analysis from public health Essay

Analysis of US to cut 'lost pleasure' analysis from public health approach - Essay Example In particular, the article seeks to weigh the effects of the proposed regulations on tobacco and the lives of the consumers. The article makes various remarks on the benefits associated with the government’s intentions on tobacco consumption. The regulations will have indirect health benefits in terms of dollars. For example, reduced tobacco consumption will bring down the chronic illnesses associated with smoking. The United States’ government incurs billions of dollars in treating cancer-related diseases associated with smoking. It therefore, shows that the government’s move that will bring a â€Å"lost consumer surplus† is vital to the public. Government officials claim that the economy can grow bigger even without the revenues from tobacco trade. They claim that smoking brings an expenditure burden of curing the smoking-related illnesses. Doing away with the expenditures is far more important that earning the revenues from tobacco trade. Health care economists argue that the government seeks to benefit from its move as well as secure the public from harm (Begley & Toni, 201 5). The article points out that economic growth can only be realized by a healthy and stable public. Cracking down on tobacco consumption goes far in building a stable nation focused on economic growth. The Congress mentions that tobacco-related issues cost the government more that the revenues earned from the tobacco business. Health related issues have been a major issue that affects the government’s pace of economic growth (Zeller, 2009). The overall demand will face a downward trend once the government’s regulations are put in place. The authorities claim that shifting the consumers’ utility towards a healthier diet is beneficial to the nation. The government will face fewer challenges in the health sector. Consumer pleasure also faces uncertain future with the proposed regulations on tobacco consumption. Additionally, the

Effect of Prefabrication Methods on Housing in the UK

Effect of Prefabrication Methods on Housing in the UK Would the Increasing Use of Prefabrication Methods in the Construction Industry Significantly Reduce the Housing Shortage Within the UK? Chapter 1 Problem Specification There is a widespread belief that a housing shortage exists in the UK. Although all regions are expected to see growth in household numbers, the greatest pressure will continue to be felt in Southern England (i.e. London, the South East, South West, and Eastern regions.) For example, the population of the South East region alone is expected to increase by 50,000 a year – about 1 million extra homes in the next twenty years or so. While 70% of population growth is in London and the south of England only about 50% of house building takes place there. The housing industry has in recent years been under severe pressure to meet the increasing population. For this reason the UK is presently suffering from a high housing shortage, which is likely to rise over the next 15 years, due to the high volumes of migrant workers from the EU and the increase in population. The total number of people living in the UK grows whenever there are more inward migrants than people leaving the country. International inward migration is a significant contributor to population growth. Recently the Government Actuary’s Department increased its figures for net inward migration to the United Kingdom from 95,000 to 135,000 people per year for the period to 2021. It is therefore necessary for the construction industry to dramatically increase production in house building in order to reduce the effect this shortage will have on the UK such as consequent impacts on house prices, conditions, overcrowding and homelessness. Despite the strong economy, housing production by both private developers and social housing providers has been falling. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the number of homes built during each of the past five years has remained static at 154,000. It is for this reason that house prices continue to soar. It is clear that the construction industry must build faster and more efficiently to meet the increasing needs of the UK housing market. The UK construction industry has been known for its lengths and costs in completing construction projects therefore leading to slower completion of developments. This is a wide spread problem that needs to be addressed for the housing demands to be met. Household projections, based on 1998 figures from the Government Actuary’s Department and past trends in household formation, suggest that between 1996 and 2021, England will need to accommodate an extra 4.3 million households. Estimates suggest that the backlog in 1996 was approximately 650,000 households. It seems likely that the figure has increased over the last five years because supply has not matched demand. There are difficulties within the UK construction industry to which attention has been drawn by the Latham and Egan reports. Structural, technical and cultural change in the years ahead may lead to a sector better able to respond to the demands upon it. With the use of better management techniques and the implementation of new technologies in new housing markets, projects lengths (i.e. Construction time) and costs could be significantly reduced. There are many ways of rapidly reducing completion time of construction. In this day and age these approaches are known as Modern Methods of Construction, such as prefabrication. A radical approach for cutting project time by using different techniques, such as off-site construction and factory conditions. Pre-fabricated homes – One area highlighted to improve the current situation by the Government and others within the industry, is that of off-site construction. Prefabrication was used to provide quick and cheap homes after the Second World War where nearly 160,000 homes were prefabricated, and is being proposed again as a solution for providing affordable homes. Off-site construction has made huge advances since the Second World War and even more over the last couple of decades, offering methods which have been proved to be quicker and cheaper than traditional house building methods. One of the major issues associated with prefabricated homes is the stigma attached to them, with many people seeing them as a poor alternative to traditional construction. A MORI poll in 2002 indicated that 90% of people would prefer to live in a traditional home rather than a prefabricated home, showing that the UK population along with the construction industry is still slightly reluctant to pl ace their faith in prefabricated homes. The benefits of prefabrication are well known, with off-site construction offering a controlled environment where building elements can be produced quicker than traditional methods, and at a supposedly lower cost. At its best, prefabrication can see some 40-week building programmes being reduced to 16 weeks, which if used on a wide scale could see rapid growth in the UK’s housing stock. There is also an advantage held within the factory environment, offering greater safety for workers than on-site and also the controlled environment makes it possible for a consistent, high quality finish to be achieved. With skills shortages on-site, the opportunity to produce standardised building elements in factories could also further improve standards and quality. Built in clean, efficient, factory conditions not in the often chaotic circumstances of construction sites, in unpredictable and inclement British weather – may make for higher standards, faster construction as well as a safer industry. Better procurement methods may mean less friction between clients, professionals and builders. Shortages of sufficiently skilled labour may also be remedied, to some extent, by factory. Therefore this method of construction could be seen as a potential solution to the housing shortage in the UK. Currently prefabrication is not a common approach for most contractors to use. The main reason for this is because off-site manufacture (OSM) of house building components currently has the capacity to produce around 40,000 homes a year, far short of the figure needed to meet official housing projections. As such, the Government is promoting pre-fabrication and off-site manufacturing techniques, looking to methods such as steel and timber frame to help solve the housing shortfall, particularly in relation to quality and site skills shortages. Even with prefabricated homes having been produced for the past 100 years, they are still relatively untested in the UK on a large scale, and therefore the verdict is still out on whether they are suited to the UK and its construction industry. There are already companies in the UK trying to build affordable housing by using off-site construction methods, such as BoKlok, Ikeas biggest idea yet. Having seized the market for affordable home furnish ings in the past decade, the Swedish retail giant is now planning to provide the homes themselves. Planning permission was approved for the first British BoKlok development: 36 flats in St James Village, Gateshead, due for completion within a year. More will follow many more, probably, since BoKlok is quick to build, energy efficient and aimed at households earning between  £15,000 and  £30,000 a year. Currently they tend to use more traditional methods, and therefore this issue has to be tackled to bring prefabricated construction further into the lime light of construction. The affordable housing sector represents a prime area of growth for the prefabricated buildings market. The benefits of rapid build times and the cost efficiencies resulting from the volume production of cellular units incorporated in the overall structure tend to result in affordable rents and value for money for the public housing sectors. A wide range of house builders such as Bellway, Westbury, Bovis, Lovell, Willmott Dixon etc, are using prefabricated buildings in affordable housing projects and their use has increased substantially during 2003-05. If every household is to have the opportunity of a decent home, some fundamental changes will be needed not just to the mechanisms we use to deliver new homes – with reforms to the effectiveness of our planning system and our house-building industry. In conclusion, the issue of housing shortage within the UK may become one of the most significant social and economical problems being faced over the next twenty years. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to explore whether the implementation and use of Prefabricated Construction on a wide spread scale could have a significant positive impact on the housing Shortage currently being seen in the UK. There is a concern that in a number of critical areas, the emerging policy framework is based on unrealistic assumptions. It is questionable whether it will in practice deliver the necessary supply of houses to meet the UK’s economic and social requirements over the next twenty years. Literature Review â€Å"Britain is heading for a property shortage of more than a million homes by 2022 unless the current rate of house building is dramatically increased, according to reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).† The UK has been known for its shortage on housing over the past 10-15 years, and therefore there are many sources of literature relevant to the study. Such sources are Government Policies, reports, articles, books, surveys and case studies that outline the scale of the problem and give statistics, such as the number of homes that need to be built in order to relinquish this status in the UK. The shortage of housing is making house prices soar from year to year, making it much harder not only for general house buyers but especially for first time buyers. This issue does not seem to be focused on in any literature as there doesn’t seem to be any long term solutions for it, making this topic an ever growing problem. Government Report The Barker Report (2003) Review sets out a series of policy recommendations to address the lack of supply and responsiveness of housing in the UK. The report further goes on to outline a number of key factors which are to blame for the housing shortage, including the lack of houses being built as well as the extra provision of land by local authorities to make it viable for developers to achieve the build targets to decrease the housing shortage. The report argues that a UK housing Shortage is having widespread economic and social consequences. The government estimates that by 2016 there will be 3 million new UK households. It recently published the Sustainable Communities plan outlining a major new house building program to help meet the growth. The government is said to be encouraging Modern Methods of Construction, which it says can achieve â€Å"a step change in the construction industry to produce the quantity and quality of housing we need.† Housing completions are expected to steadily increase in the longer term in line with proposals and initiatives to address the general housing shortage, particularly the provision of more ‘affordable’ housing in key urban areas. However, a significant increase in completions is largely dependent on the overall economic environment, consumer confidence levels etc, in addition to land availability and the planning approvals process, which remains a key barrier to growth at present. While this was focused on in the Barker Review in 2004, house builders are reporting few improvements to date in the planning process and the availability of land for development is a key long term issue. On her follow up to the 2003 report, Barker 2004 states that planning authorities and processing of applications need to be improved, whilst also the availability of land is becoming increasingly harder. She pinpoints reforms to the planning system; incentives for local authorities to support development, and a higher turn around from the construction industry, including completing site developments as quick as possible. These issues need to be focused on as they are key elements that could be contributing to the current shortage in the housing market. Barker (2004) encouraged the government to change its planning policies to allow more houses to be built on Greenfield’s, as she claims at present there is not enough land available for the housing demand to be met. Barker also called for a substantial increase in productivity from the construction industry. She states in her review that to reduce the current rate of housing inflation from 2.4% to the EU average of 1.1%, an extr a 120,000 houses will need to be built per annum on top of the current output. The overall message from both Barker reports (2003/2004) is the clear need for more houses to be built in the UK, especially the large problem areas such as the South-East and London in order to become any closer to achieving larger number of homes available in the UK. However there are no recommendations on how it might be possible to reduce programme lengths and costs. This is a key area that needs to be identified within the dissertation. Mathiason (2003), already claimed that as long as inflation continues to rise, house builders will be under no obligation to build as they will be profiting from the land that they already own, as the price is ever increasing due to shortage. Perhaps the use of MMC and faster construction times would drive the developers to building on these lands, but they will never be fully implemented unless planning policies are also reviewed. Prior to the Barker review the Government drew up a Sustainable Communities Plan (OPDM, 2003) to tackle several issues, including the urgent requirement for affordable homes. The plan aims to set out a long term programme of action for delivering sustainable communities to both urban and rural areas. One of the vehicles highlighted for delivering these sustainable communities is off-site construction, with modern methods of construction earmarked for additional investment. It also suggests heavy investment in public transport and rail links in particular, to help with the decentralisation of London, which will combat the lack of available land and high demand for housing in the South east. The Sustainable Communities Plan (OPDM, 2003) also provides the Housing Corporation with an extra  £100m for its  £200m Challenge Fund for encouraging modern methods of construction. The Challenge Fund, run by the Housing Corporation offers incentives to developers using innovative methods for building communities. It is however, one of the only initiatives running to encourage the use of modern methods of construction. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2002a) predicted that Britain was heading for a housing shortage of more than a million homes by the year 2022. As well as launching Land for Housing, the report from a JRF Inquiry, the conference is debating Britain’s housing in 2022, the first in a series of working papers examining the long-term measures needed to tackle social disadvantage. Both warn that the impending housing crisis will hit hardest in London and the South. Although these regions contribute 70 per cent of the rising demand for new homes, only 50 per cent of new homes are currently being built there. By contrast, in the Midlands and the North, there are growing problems of low demand in some areas, and of empty and abandoned property. Lord Best, Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and author of the working paper, said: â€Å"We estimate that the difference between housing demand and supply will have widened into a yawning gap of 1.1 million homes in England alone by 2022: most of it in London and the South East. This genuinely shocking statistic shows why the time has come for policy makers to recognise that a plentiful supply of new and affordable homes is of the greatest importance the nation’s future health and prosperity.† AMA Research has published the Fifth Edition of the â€Å"House building Market UK 2006†. Recent changes in the overall housing market and corporate activity amongst house builders have renewed interest in the house building market. The fifth edition of this report focuses on the recent developments in this specific sector along with the characteristics and corporate activity of the leading suppliers to the sector. The report provides information on national and regional suppliers within the house building market and provides a comprehensive review of the major aspects of the new house building sector. Off-site construction has a reputation of producing drab, uncharacteristic boxes for homes within the UK population. However, the face of prefabricated homes has changed for the better with Dyckhoff (2003) commenting that they have been transformed into the speedy, affordable loft-style saviour of Britain’s housing market. What the literature above demonstrates is that there is a clearly growing problem with the housing market. Shortage of housing is increasing and still nothing has been pinpointed as the route cause, this seems to be an ever growing problem and a clear solution has not been found. Certain claims made by authors in previous articles and reports will need to be looked into for there validity, so that a clearer understanding can be brought across as to the route cause. In conclusion to the above, this dissertation will therefore be focusing on the following Research question: Methodology It is necessary to begin the dissertation by looking into the theoretical ideas behind the emergence of the shortage in the housing market. It is important to ensure that key information and research is collected using different methods of gathering data. Collecting relevant data will continue to develop my understanding of the housing Shortage in the UK and will overall develop the strength and success of the dissertation. The data collected will also suggest whether any previous attempts have been made to tackle this problem, and if so, are there any solutions that have already been put forward. The opening chapter will focus on the time where non-traditional constructions methods were called for. Special attention is given to how the Government and Local Authorities acted at the time. This will help in developing an understanding of when Modern Methods where first used and the reasons why they came about, which will follow on into the next chapter. Acknowledging the reasons for there use, and developing a detailed background on the housing sector, Chapter 3 analyses the state of the current housing market and the scale of shortage being experienced. Taking into account the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and its perceptions for the next twenty years, I will look into how many new homes are required to be built over the next coming years so as to rectify the current issue. This section will be implemented with the use of surveys, and data collected over the years that show the current yearly house building rate, and the prospective increase needed. I will also be taking into account the population increase due to migrant influx, higher number of divorce rate, higher life expectancy, and the birth rate. This information can be compared with the projected number of houses being built so that I can get an idea of possible key issues that are contributing to housing shortage. In conclusion this dissertation will focus on comparing the findings between traditional and modern methods of construction, which in whole will then be applied to the housing Shortage and possible methods of rectifying the problem. As well as comparing these methods of construction, it is also necessary to ascertain whether or not house builders today are building at their optimum rate. Once this is identified, the potential advantages of the scheme can then be applied to the rate at which they could be working. This will identify the possible gains from using MMC, and whether or not a significant reduction in house shortage can be adapted from this approach to construction. Chapter 2 Background Research Two features dominate the history of housing in Britain in the 20th century: state intervention in the mass production of housing for the working class, and the prolific suburban expansion of towns and cities. To some extent, the two overlap, but both emerged from a situation at the beginning of the century, when housing provision and quality of life had failed to keep up with the frantic pace of Victorian industrial development. Before the 1890s, the dire state of working-class housing had been improved by trusts and societies, who produced grim but safe and sanitary tenements, and there was little direct state intervention. The 1890 Housing Act empowered local authorities to purchase and demolish slum dwellings, and re-house their inhabitants. At the end of the First World War, there was an acute housing shortage. Beginning with Lloyd Georges Homes Fit for Heroes policy, four million new homes were built during the interwar period, 1.5 million of them directly by local councils or with the aid of state subsidy. During the war construction projects came to a halt, progressively worsening the housing shortage that had already existed before the war. The government already set plans to reconstruct and renovate sub-standard housing that where out dated, this and many other projects where all affected. 1919 brought in the â€Å"Town and Country Planning Act† which imposed obligation on local authorities to plan housing provision for their local towns. During the same period, given the situation of materials and skilled labour shortage, the local government board appointed a standardisation and new methods of construction committees to consider the question of standardisation in regard to materials, structural fitting and methods of construction (BRE, 1987). Bye-laws were also modified to allow the wider use of non traditional methods and materials (Ley, 2000). As well as this many other institutes, including British Research Satiation which has now become British Research Establishments, were also founded under the governments initiative to look for and trial new alternative materials and methods (Davenport, 1990). Between the First World War and Second World War various types of housing systems (prefab) were approved by the committees. At first, pressure applied to local authorities to provide houses in such a short space of time, with no direct incentive to economies, would encourage the use of those new methods regardless of their costs. However, detailed arrangements of subsidies changed several times after 1921 (Cornish and Clark, 1989) and local authorities could no longer disregard cost factor when considering new developments. In addition, the materials and skilled labour for the traditional construction methods came back on stream sooner than the government initially expected. As a result, construction of houses using new methods had virtually ceased by 1928 (Yates, 2001). The main contribution of the attempt was, therefore, providing a small number of additional houses, probably less than 250,000, compared to the total 4,500,000 buildings erected between 1919 and 1938 (Ross, 2002). The economic depression of the 1930s slowed the pace of house building, but the Second World War caused much greater damage: by 1945 nearly half a million homes had been destroyed, a quarter of a million were seriously damaged, and another three million suffered lesser damage. The immediate crisis was partly met by the rapid construction of 125,000 cheap pre-fabricated homes, but it was followed by a housing boom that equalled and exceeded that of the 1920s. As previously discussed in Chapter 1, after the world wars had ended in the UK and between the early 1950’s and late 60’s the construction industry experienced an extreme shortage within the housing sector which led to a great need of re-building. Due to the extremities the war created, traditional build was not an efficient enough method, leading to the introduction and use of Mass Production Methods. Following the Second World War there was an even greater demand for the rapid construction of dwellings. In 1942, well before the war had ceased, the government had appointed the Burt Committee which brought together people from different parts of the building industry, government departments and building research station (Bullock, 2001). The aim of the committee was to seek alternative materials and methods of construction suitable for the building of houses and flats, having regard to efficiency, economy and build ability, to be able to make recommendations for the post -war program. Post-War, the government planned new construction projects for the redevelopment of the housing sector, one of which was the development of 500,000 new dwellings with a completion time of 2 years (Davenport 1990). In the twelve years after the war, two and a half million new dwellings were constructed, three-quarters of them by local authorities. However, the construction of new housing was outpaced by the decay of existing housing stock. By 1963, 3 million people were still living in substandard housing, and official housing policy moved once again towards slum clearance and redevelopment. Prefabricated housing has been used in the UK during periods of high demand, such as after the World Wars and during the slum clearances of the 1960s. In total about 1 million prefabricated homes were built during the 20th century, many of which were designed to be temporary. However, problems arose over the quality of building materials and poor workmanship, leading to negative public attitudes towards prefabrication. Nevertheless it has continued to be used in the UK for hospitals, hotels and schools, as well as for housing in other countries. Although this is the case, prefabrication must be used in greater quantities widely, merely to see if it can make a difference to the housing shortage currently being experienced within the UK. MMC is a new term intended to reflect technical improvements in prefabrication, encompassing a range of on and off-site construction methods. The 20th century saw an enormous improvement in everyday housing conditions. Even in the early 21st century, local authorities are demolishing remaining high-rise blocks to make way for low-rise, high-density housing. During the early 60’s the Government set up the national building agency in order to urge local authorities to take up industrial system building (Rovetz, 2001). Local Governments and the Ministry of Housing also held a series of conferences to encourage and support industrial prefabricated system building in the mid 60’s (Jones, 2000). Additionally under the Housing Subsidy Act 1956, the arrangement of subsidies was changed in order that local authorities could receive more subsidies per flat if they built higher blocks of flats. The arrangement of this progressive height subsidy was abolished in the 1969 Housing Act. By the end of the 60’s, both high-rise and industrialised system building lost ground in the construction industry. Chapter 3 The Housing Shortage at Present â€Å"Britain is heading for a property shortage of more than a million homes by 2022 unless the current rate of house building is dramatically increased† according to reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). There are a series of short and long-term factors playing their part. The government wants to steady the UKs runaway housing market, and end its boom and break housing cycles. House prices in the UK have almost doubled since 1995 and many people are now unable to get a footing onto the housing ladder. There is also a lack of affordable or social housing. This problem of high house prices is compounded by the shortage of houses being built. In 2001 house building fell to its lowest level since 1924 excluding the war years and its immediate aftermath. New housing accounts for less than 10% of residential property transactions in England and Wales compared to 40% in 1965. The circumstances are likely to get worse before they get better. According to estimates, there are between 220,000 and 230,000 new households being formed annually (OPDM). Yet, only 165,000 homes were built in the year of 2002. If this was the case 5-6 years ago, then how is the housing shortage coping now? The population is increasing, while the average size of households is declining. This is caused by a range of demographic factors, such as increasing life expectancy, and more divorces. All in all, it adds more pressure to housing supply. The report lays much of the blame at door of the UKs planning authorities. Many who have tried and failed to obtain planning permission in recent years may echo the reports findings that the system is complex and takes an unacceptably long time. All in all, the report calculated that refusals for planning permissions in major housing developments increased from just 15% in 1996-1999 to 25% in 2002. The report also points out that if house building was to take-off in the UK skills shortages are likely to come into play. At present more than eight out of ten construction firms report skill shortages even modest growth would require 70,000 new workers the report concludes. As a result thousands of badly needed homes are not being built. However, at this stage the report makes no recommendations as to how the planning process can be quickened up. Housing shortages are set to become one of the most significant social issues of the next 20 years. Unless we act now, shortages will lead to overcrowding and homelessness. But they will also have knock-on effects for the whole of society, driving up house prices in areas of high demand, inhibiting economic growth and making it harder for good quality public services to be delivered. Property insiders, politicians and young people looking for homes in Britains thriving cities are united on one point: the country is in the grip of a serious housing shortage. But opinions are widely divided when it comes to placing the blame for a situation where, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the number of homes built during each of the past five years has remained static at 154,000, with the number of low-cost â€Å"social† houses being built falling from 16,999 in 2000-2001 to 13,601 in 2002-2003. As the buck is passed between housing professionals, planners, builders and the government, first-time buyers are left desperately trying get on the property ladder. â€Å"Slow planning is stifling. The government says councils should decide on most planning applications for 10 or more new houses within a maximum of eight weeks. But only 16% of decisions come in that time,† (House Builders Federation, HBF), which accuses councils in the north of England of deliberately preventing new homes from being built. The councils say that they already have enough new homes under construction, but the HBF disagrees. The Barker Review of Housing Supply was commissioned by the chancellor, Gordon Brown, to discover why Britain, the world’s fourth wealthiest economy, has a housing shortage with property prices beyond the reach of many. House building is at its lowest level since 1924; the gap between supply and demand widens by 60,000 annually — an average of 219,000 new households is created each year through longer lifespan, more solo-living from choice and an increasing divorce rate — and will exceed 1.1m in England by 2020; and the number of low-cost homes being built for housing association tenants is lower than at any time since 1995. Meanwhile, the government targets for about 225,000 new homes each year until 2016. The HBF says there is excessive public consultation and claims councils want ever-higher cash payments to improve the infrastructure in return for planning permission. It also says planners want so much social housing that it threatens the economi

Neural Networks Essay -- Artificial Intelligence Technology

Neural Networks Abstract This paper will provide an introductory level discussion of neural networks within the field of artificial intelligence. This discussion will briefly cover the history of the neural network as well as recent advances within this field. In addition, several real world applications of neural networks will be discussed. Introduction The primary goal in the field of artificial intelligence is to construct a machine with an intellect comparable to that of a human. This pursuit of an artificial intelligence has had a long history. Several different approaches have been attempted as a result of this goal. In particular, the study of neural networks has evolved from this pursuit for an intelligent machine. The field of neural networks involves a new approach to computing that uses mathematical structures with the ability to learn (Zsolutions). These methods were inspired by investigations into modeling nervous system learning (Zsolutions). For example, neurons in the human brain are used to transmit data back and forth to each other. Artificial neural networks use this same technique to process various kinds of information (Fu, p 4). There are a wide variety of applications in which neural networks can be utilized. Primarily, they should be used in areas where standard techniques fail to give satisfactory results (Zsolutions). Neural networks are applied best in situations where information needs to be determined faster and with more efficiency. In addition, neural networks outperform other artificial intelligence approaches in areas where more detail can be learned from inputted data (Zsolutions). Discussion The technology of neural networks has been in existence for approximately forty years ... ...dapt as more data is input into the network. The recent advances within the field of neural networks are just beginning of what may potentially become the solution to creating a truly intelligent machine. The success that neural networks have had in the few areas that have implemented it should be enough to make others realize the strength of a neural network. As neural networks grow in popularity, so too will the advancements in the field. In my opinion, neural networks will eventually be the driving force behind all artificial intelligence attempts. Bibliography 1. Fu, Limin. Neural Networks In Computer Intelligence. McGraw-Hill Inc. 1994. 2. http://www.cio.com/archive/cio_011596_neural_feature.html 3. http://www.inc.com/beyondthemag/between_the_pages/neural.html 4. http://www.merlin.com.au/brain_proj/neur_net.htm 5. http://www.zsolutions.com/