Benihana Of Tokyo Essay

1. What is the Benihana concept? The Beninhana of Tokyo, basically a Japanese Steak House has a very unique concept in terms of the idea of watching the food being cooked live on the table in front of eyes. Benihana featured traditional Japanese cuisine experience in the urban U.S metropolis. It was the first introducer of Hibachi Cooking style in USA, celebrating the cooking of food so alive and entertaining. This experience comes with Teppanyaki tables which accommodated eight people and live cooking of food with service being provided by a chef and a waitress. The concept featured a chef dramatically preparing meals while engaging the eaters around him at the Teppanyaki Table which gave a totally new dining experience. The chefs were mostly trained for the showmanship and the Benihana form of cooking from Japan. This gave a feeling of exclusivity as each table had its own chef and waitress resulting in high engagement and participation from customers end. Benihana not only started with an adopted innovative cooking experience (something that did not exist in USA Before) but also featured Japanese historical authenticity in its design layouts and interior dà ©cor, the walls, ceilings, beams, artifacts and lightings were all from Japan to create a Japanese effect in the restaurant. 2. How does Benihana`s cost structure differ from that of a typical sit-down restaurant? The cost structure of Benihana differs a lot from that of a typical-sit down restaurant resulting in lesser costs and higher profit: Rocky borrowed the method of Hibachi Table to counter the problem of availability and cost of labor and by eliminating the need for a conventional Kitchen, the cost of labor was around 10%-12% of sales as compared to industry average of 30%-35%. By reducing the menu to simple three entrees the wastage was reduced and can cut food costs by 30%-35% compared to the industry average of 38%-48%. The cost of beverages as percent of sales was 20% for Benihana as compared to the industry average of 25-30% resulting in higher gross profit. Due to parental management relationships with the staff, the management salaries were around 4% of Benihana as compared to the industry average of around 6% were lower. Though the sites were chosen carefully but the rent was usually lower for benihana around 5% compared to industry average of 9%. Benihana on average advertised more than the industry and deliberately sent advertising messages to position it differently. Benihana spend 10% of its sales on advertising while the industry only spends 2%. Net Profit after income tax was relatively higher than the industry average for benihana.

Generations from the Internet Essay

the author wrote of the people as if they were comparable to animals. that was something noticeable. it could be that it was the author’s way of saying how some families lived when martial law still loomed over the entire nation. the members of the family in the story lived desolate lives. the father was a drunkard. the mother was physically abused. the grandfather was always left mumbling in some corner. and the kids had nothing to do but endure the dreadfulness of their lives. the girl, for example, was beautiful. she could have been an actress. but she was not able to properly utilize her God-given resources for her own sake. instead, she was obligated to help her family the best way she could. but what about herself? what about her own future? surely, the family was not normal. they were not like those families whose portraits hung proudly in a large room in a gargantuan house. luck was not on their side. as if their life was not terrible enough, the father found himself in trouble, and the girl was forced to have herself desecrated by men in whose hands the fate of her father lied. in the end, the father still died. what was weird was the way the family members took it all too lightly. the children’s taking a bath after the news was divulged was a sign that indeed, after the funeral, the laundry. they knew they couldn’t dwell on the sadness because there was life.. l ife they must fix if they wanted it to be so much better. their eating together including old selo was a sign of solidarity, and so was the children’s taking a bath. they went through things together, and that’s what’s important to them. and maybe the title says that the problems get passed from one generation to the other. the problems could get worse, have the same intensity, or better yet, be remedied in the future. but i think the children of this family will be encumbered for a long time. i guess times like those one couldn’t really afford to severe his ties with the last few bony shoulders to cry on. posted by faye gonzalez | 11:51 PM

Deconstructing OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find Research Paper Example

Deconstructing OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find Research Paper Example Deconstructing OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find Paper Deconstructing OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find Paper It is for centuries past that the theme of death and salvation was encapsulated majestically in western literature. Also, it is for centuries that modern writers have refrained from the intervention of such topic into their pieces of work, condemning its solemn repetition and its obsoleteness. However, in the 20th century American literature, Flannery OConnor has revived the thematic significance of Christian salvation in which death occasionally gets involved. A devout Christian she is, OConnor combines her profound religious knowledge with her Southern milieu, contemporary violence, and satiric sense of humour, which has emerged mostly in form of the short story, her most celebrated genre. Published and re-published since 1955 is OConnors first collection of short stories, A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories, throughout which her Christian beliefs have been meticulously patterned. Apart from other short stories that deal with the downfall of pride is A Good Man Is Hard to Find whose major concern has been directed toward death and salvation and has been embodied with other minor concerns, such as adults influences upon children and changing values in American society. This short story contains many jaunty features that help depict Flannery OConnors theme of death and salvation. OConnors unique choice of narration allows the reader to interpret the thematic messages at different dimensions, to display the evils of adults world as well as to capture more clearly the psychological complexity in the protagonists mind. Using the intrusive third-person limited omniscient narrative, OConnor introduces her heroine of the short stories along with her characteristics and her familial relationships. To begin with, A Good Man Is Hard to Find is viewed through the eyes of a talkative grandmother who, ignored by the rest of the family, relies on the texts to structure her reality. With no desire to go to Florida as well as the burning desire to visit east Tennessee, the grandmother in disguise of a good-hearted person refers to the newspaper article about the escaping Misfit and exclaims to her son Bailey, I wouldnt take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. It should also be noted that the article itself is a written text and, even though it refers to events outside and prior to the primary ri cit, it stands as an unrecognized prophecy of the later event. At this stage, indeed, the Misfit does not represent a real threat to the grandmother but is just a ploy to get her own way. The grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find is typified as talkative and manipulating. OConnors highlighted portrayal of the grandmother is, in some way, associated with the image of an old, deceitful witch with her hidden cat, Pitty Sing, and her big black valise that [looks] like the head of a hippopotamus. The head of a hippopotamus is an African sacrificial offering that is believed to placate the haunting spirits. The reader is also acknowledged at the beginning of the story that the heroine is about to take a journey that she is apparently unwilling to. The grandmother is on the way to Florida with her family. On the way to death and salvation, OConnor equips her stories with many picaresque elements in order to reflect the protagonists background as well as to illustrate the protagonists limited secular and religious knowledge. The grandmothers behaviors in A Good Man Is Hard to Find reemphasizes the fact that she is deceptive, a characteristic that will harm not only her family but also herself. She, prior to the trip, has managed to sneak the cat-that her son, Bailey, didnt like to arrive at a motel with-justifying her behavior by imagining [the cat] would miss her too much and, [fearfully,] he might brush himself against one of the gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself. Then, the grandmother reads fictions to the children, John Wesley and June Star, recounts them some ostensibly true stories, and provides a continual gloss on the physical world they are passing. Little niggers in the country dont have things like we do. If I could paint, Id paint that picture, or Look at the graveyard! ] That was the old family burying ground. That belonged to the plantation. Further on, the conversation between the grandmother and Red Sam, in which they discuss People are certainly not nice like they used to be, unveils the truth that the older people are delusory about their own bad characteristics and unaware of the inheritance of such behaviors to their innocent descendants. To be specific, the grandmother bequeaths her superficiality that is exposed through her obsession with the ladylike image to June Stars praise of materialism: her money-drive appearance, for instance. The concrete evidence for the inheritance of Grandmas characteristic is Baileys yellow shirt with bright blue parrot in it, which is passed from hand to hand, from dead Bailey to the Misfit. The blue parrot is somewhat a reminiscence of OConnors thoughtlessly talkative grandmother who is likewise in navy blue dress that day. An aggressive, bossy person like Red Sam is, at the same time, responsible for militant John Wesley, who always uses forces to get his own way: Well poke all the woodwork and find [the hidden silver]. Some readers may look at the kids in A Good Man Is Hard to Find as an exaggeration as well as externalization of adults bad characters, the caricatures of adults bad manners. Having prepared the ground for the protagonists cathartic moment, OConnor then creates a critical moment for the Grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, which functions as stimulus for the enlightenment of the central character. Having had an accident on the way to the house with a secret panel and now encountering the Misfit, the grandmother is in the most crucial position that life offers the Christian; she is facing death. She does not really prepare for it and struggles to have the event postponed. Thus, she initiates the conversation with the Misfit, which allows her to contemplate with her own but unrecognized bad deeds and to realize, even in her limited way, that she is responsible for the man before her. OConnor, before the moment of sudden awareness, lets her heroine digress through her false values. The Grandmas litany of convenient fictions involves class distinction: I know youre a good man. You dont look a bit like you have common blood, and her shallowness: You shouldnt call yourself the Misfit because I know youre a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell. The grandmother also asserts vaguely that redemption can be achieved through work: You could be honest if youd only try [ ] Think how wonderful it would be to settle down [ ] If you would pray [ ] Jesus will help you. A hypocritical old soul she is, the grandmas wits are no match to the Misfits. Her attempts are sterile; the killing of her family members continues in the woods [that] gaped like a dark open mouth. At this point, the reader as well as the grandma has learned about the Misfits life profile and opinions in general. He is a different breed of dog from his siblings, as his father says: its some that can live their whole life out without asking about it, and its others has to know why it is, and this boy is one of the latters. Hes going to be into everything. In fact, the Misfit seems to have been through everything-from a gospel singer to a murderer. Unlike the Misfit, the grandmother never questions the mechanics of the universe-to ask herself why things are. This default puts the Misfit several cuts above the grandmother, who is just afraid to miss something and would rather choose to settle down. Her eagerness to be in everything is simply an act of jotting down the mileage on the car at 55890 or an attempt to create a whole universe behind the visual phenomena wishing she were [telling the truth]. It is noteworthy that she is the one who has named the Misfit and thus forces him to become what he is recognized to be. The grandmother, who cannot be categorized into either type according to the Misfits father, and others who possess the same characteristic are somewhat responsible for coercing a defenseless-looking man to become a murderer. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner or later youre going to forget what it was you done and just be punished for it, says the Misfit. They could prove I had committed [crime] because they had the papers on me. [But,] I cant make all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment. This is his divine reason for calling himself the Misfit. However, the grandmother has not fai led to grasp a rare chance for enlightenment and has therefore achieved moral development, though in her limited way. At first, facing the Misfit and never thinking that God will help her, she affectedly advises him to pray for Gods help: If you would pray [ ] Jesus would help you. Then, still encouraging the Misfit, her genuine thought about Christ manifests itself physically: Jesus. Jesus, meaning, Jesus will help you, but the way she was saying it, it sounded as if she might be cursing, an action similar to the earlier moment that her uncontrollable embarrassment has released a hidden cat accidentally. The grandmother, at last, denies Gods grace: Maybe he didnt raise the dead, which the Misfit objects: I wasnt there so I cant say He didnt. The role of the two characters is now vice versa. The grandmother, who is supposed to display her faith in God, reveals her true atheistic self and is ironically successful in her contrition and redemption, while the Misfit is reluctant to oppose God, whose help he has earlier denied overtly. It may be true that a person like the grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find cannot be good unless it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life. But, it is true that she, cherishing the rare moment of salvation that has been offered, has become aware of her sins: the grandmothers head cleared for an instant, repents unintentionally at the critical moment of her being murdered: Why youre one of my babies. Youre one of my own children, and ultimately rests in peace: her [childlike] face smiling up at the cloudless sky. Ironically, the grandmas bad influences become evident upon her murderer. The Misfit, in other words, is bewitched by the old ladys hypocritical soul. He is now wearing Baileys shirt in which is the blue parrot, a reminiscence of the deceptive and talkative grandmother. Additionally, as the grandmother reaches out and touches him on the shoulder, the Misfit springs back as if a snake had bitten him. He also inherits the grandmas witch imagery by picking up the cat that was rubbing itself against his leg. The grandmothers bad influences have, at the end of the story, lowered the Misfits level of Grace to that of the grandmas at the beginning of A Good Man Is Hard to Find. A Good Man Is Hard to Find is not merely an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida. In it, Flannery OConnor has cunningly combined her religious beliefs with her contemporary and realistic environment, presented mainly through a female protagonist, an artful grandmother. Her heroine not only makes the reader laugh heartily but thoughtfully. She instills the universal belief of the Christian salvation through the tactful prevalence of humour and bloodshed. OConnor funny violence in the story is not meant to be the end in itself but a new beginning of an eternal life. The man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to take into eternity with him (OConnor, The Element of Suspense in A Good Man Is Hard to Find from The Longman Masters of Short Fiction by Dana Gioia and R. S. Gwynn). The story, thus, reminds the reader of the intrusion of Gods Providence and of the accessibility of salvation, which is regardless of time, place and the impurity of ones soul.

Claiming Social Security Disability and Veterans Disability

Claiming Social Security Disability and Veterans Disability Claiming SSDI VA Disability Some disabled veterans are eligible to receive both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) through the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Disability Benefits through the Veterans Administration (VA) at the same time. A detailed article on the process appears here.About VA SSDIThe VA provides disability benefits to military veterans who were disabled during active duty. They examine military service medical records, and base determinations only on illnesses and injuries which occurred during active duty. Benefits are based on a disability rating of 0-100%.The SSA provides SSDI to workers with medical issues who are unable to work. To receive SSDI, applicants must be totally disabled. While the SSA considers a range of conditions, applicants must prove they will be out of work for over one year, or that their condition is terminal.Claiming Both Veterans who receive VA benefits for disability can also apply for SSDI, provided they are unable to work at all, without interfere nce. The SSA considers all qualifying conditions, including those already addressed under the VA rating, when deciding.Expedited ClaimsVeterans meeting specific criteria, including a 100% permanent, total disability rating, qualify for expedited processing of SSDI claims. Through a service provided by the Wounded Warrior program, veterans who became disabled on active duty on or after October 1, 2001 can request expedited processing in writing on their application.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call Disability Attorneys of Michigan for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the Social Security Disability and Veterans Disability benefits they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental, or c ognitive impairment; call Disability Attorneys of Michigan now for a free consultation at 800-949- 2900.Let Michigan’s experienced disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence. Michigan Disability Attorney, Michigan Social Security Disability Lawyer, Michigan Veterans Disability Lawyer

Largest Cities in the World

Largest Cities in the World The 9th edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World, published in 2011, estimated the urban area population of the worlds largest cities, those with a population above 10 million people, which they termed megacities. The population estimates for the worlds largest cities below are based on population estimates from 2007. Population numbers for the worlds largest cities are rounded since they are incredibly difficult to determine precisely; millions within most megacities live in poverty in shantytowns or other areas where accurate census taking is near impossible. The following eighteen largest cities in the world are all those with a population of 11 million or more, based on the National Geographic atlas data. 1. Tokyo, Japan - 35.7 million 2. Mexico City, Mexico - 19 million (tie) 2. Mumbai, India - 19 million (tie) 2. New York City, United States - 19 million (tie) 5. Sao Paulo, Brazil - 18.8 million 6. Delhi, India - 15.9 million 7. Shanghai, China - 15 million 8. Kolkata, India - 14.8 million 9. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 13.5 million 10. Jakarta, Indonesia - 13.2 million 11. Los Angeles, United States - 12.5 million 12. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 12.3 million 13. Karachi, Pakistan - 12.1 million 14. Cairo, Egypt - 11.9 million 15. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 11.7 million 16. Osaka-Kobe, Japan - 11.3 million 17. Manila, Philippines - 11.1 million (tie) 17. Beijing, China - 11.1 million (tie) Additional lists of population estimates for the largest cities in the world can be found in my Largest Cities of the World collection of lists.

News Media Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

News Media Analysis - Essay Example The audience was also involved with their input made through a live chat on the anchor’s Twitter page (foxnews.com). From the onset, the presentation was all inclusive with the guest granted equal chances to express their opinions on the Democrat – Republican divide. The target audience were adult voting Americans with guests discussing issues related to the upcoming US presidential elections. Being a morning show, the stories were too political with very minimal informative material. My opinion of a morning show is that it should get comprehensively informative with highlights of major news at the start of the bulletin and later focus on core topic of discussion. This was not the case with politics being the sole top of discussion. With several other issues touching and of significance to the audience totally ignored. With regards to the political ‘target audience’, the newscast did half justice. Evaluation into what would woo the Latino and women voters w as well disused with the guests providing comprehensive insights into the task ahead for the presidential candidates if they were to win these two constituencies. Sue Kelly who was representing the voice of the Republican Party and women voters provided a comprehensive statistical breakdown of the performance of women in congress over the years in relation to the GOP and the Democratic Party which was of only of intersect to find out, but also left viewers more informed. Chuck on the other hand made contributions that provided viewers with a chance to take a journey through the mind of a Latino voter and as it turned out, immigration was a major determinant of the voting patterns of the Hispanics. The broad cast was particularly very long with the political discussion lasting over 30 minutes which is not proper for a morning show that should always provide very brief and informative insights into the day’s main events and leave the viewers with the urge for more. That was not the case in this broadcast. The provision of viewers input through a live chat was of particular significance as it provided the all inclusiveness required in a political debate. There were five commercials and these were very appropriate as they all targeted an adult audience. Commercials on fitness were particularly relevant given the time of broadcast. The commercials were on fitness equipments, breakfast food products, cars and travel with one advert on a transatlantic airline. These commercials served the intended purpose of reaching the target audience since viewers of the show are adults who make purchase decisions on what their families have for breakfast, their fitness issues, travel options and the brand of car to purchase. The commercials were however few given the duration of the broadcast. There should have been numerous ads during the political discussion to break the monotony of argument that went on. The informality of the set was equally unappealing; the anchor con versed quite informally with very inappropriate interruptions that were mostly personal as the debate went on at some point telling one of the guests, Mr. Chuck about where and how young she was in 19988 when the later made reference to the year to provide historical information on the past administrations’

Thins Fall Apart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thins Fall Apart - Essay Example The level of detachment achieved by the author in describing the life before colonialism is commendable. The theme of the book and the author’s attitude towards the theme both evoke curiosity. Without giving too much room for sentimentalism, he details the state of affairs in the country, and is not interested in creating a rosy picture out of love for his country. He states the facts, and describes the shortcomings of his people, mentions about fierce tribal wars, day to day violence and the resultant suffering. He also mentions that the uniting factor amongst the people is social coherence, deep-rooted faith in ritualism and extraordinary traditions, the importance of which is difficult to quantify but highly respected and followed by the people. What is the importance of the customs and traditions of Igbo society and how they are reflected in the day to day life and dispositions of the Nigerian tribal community? The importance of various segments of culture has a deep impac t on the Nigerian society and their inner world responds to its richness and beauty. Referring to the role of music Chinua Achebe(1994, p.4) writes, â€Å"The total effect was gay and brisk, but if one picked out the flute as it went up and down and then broke up into short snatches, one saw that there was sorrow and grief there.†Through this observation, the author states in his own style and reveal about the societal conditions and its impact on the common man, meaningfully. How the traditional families functioned—study Okonkwo’s life for example! He was a self-made man, but he was unhappy affected much by the poor image his father had in the Igbo society. He tried to overcome that inferiority complex with great efforts, achieved matchless prosperity, and enjoyed great reputation in the village. His physical assets added to his popularity and the awe and esteem in which the people held him. About his physical prowess the author( p.3) writes, â€Å"â€Å"It w as this man Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights.† His anger seized his personality and he lost control over his normal speech and donned a violent mood. The role of the superstitions in the life of people touched great heights. Whether the personal traits dominated the superstitions, or the superstitions contributed to the formation of the personal traits was a difficult question to answer. Both co-existed and exerted mutual influence. As for Okonkwo, it was rooted in his ancestry. The author observes that he suffered from a sort of inferiority complex, about resemblance to his father, which he thought was a sign of backwardness. Each section of the society, men women and children had some superstition or the other to hang on, and their origin was difficult to trace. The basis of their continuance was faith, with no convincing logical explanations. The author cites one such example, amongst the womenfolk. Worshipping the trees was common with them and they believed that the tree was the abode of good children waiting to be born and they sat under the shades of the trees. Colonialism impacted the cultural traditions of Igbo tribe in a big way and it was a well-planned