Bud Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis Essay -- Bud Not Buddy Chris

Bud Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis Bud Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis, takes place in Flint, Michigan and Grand Rapids, Michigan. It took place in the 1920's (during the depression). It is about a boy named Bud Caldwell who is on a search to find his father. He uses lies throughout the whole book to get him where he wants to go. He is 10 years old and his mother died when he was 6. Bud tells everyone she died a fast and painless death. Buds mother never did directly tell Bud who his father was, but she did give him a lot of hints. She would always look at this blue flyer. Across the top of this flyer were the words "LIMITED ENGAGEMENT", then written below this in smaller letters it said, "Direct from an S.R.O. engagement in New York City". Under that in big letters again it said, "HERMAN E. CALLOWAY and the Dusky Devastators of the depression!!!!!!" Next it said, "Masters of the New Jazz". Then in the middle of the paper was a blurry picture of a man standing next to a giant fiddle. This man was thought to be Buds father, Herman E. Calloway. In order for Bud to find his father, he needs to get away from the orphanage and all the foster homes he's lived in. He needs to get to Grand Rapids, Michigan, because that is where Herman E. Calloway lives. This doesn't seem too hard for Bud. Once he's gotten away from the homes he's considered being on the lam. While Bud is on the lam he runs into his friend from the orphanage, Bugs. Bug's is also on the lam...

Market Analysis for the E-Guitar Market

Market Analysis and Low-Price-Segments The global market for music instruments covers about $16,8 billion. As there are no reliable sources on worldwide sales data for guitars, the U. S. market shall be examined exemplarily. Table 1 shows the development of units sold, retails, and the average prices over the last ten years. It can be observed that there is a growth of nearly 275% in units sold, and about 160% in retail, whereat the average price decreased by 57%. According to this there is a strong tendency for low price products. Year| Units Sold| Retail| Average Price| 2010| 2,991,260| $1,151,290,000| $372| 009| 3,302,670| $1,158,592,050| $350| 2008| 3,201,220| $1,022,861,000| $309| 2007| 2,341,551| $903,261,000| $386| 2006| 1,942,625| $921,057,000| $529| 2005| 1,742,498| $922,280,000| $529| 2004| 1,648,595| $923,522,000| $560| 2003| 1,337,347| $762,185,000| $569| 2002| 1,153,915| $694,883,000| $579| 2001| 1,090,329 | $710,769,000| $652| In table 2 this tendency appears very obvio usly. In the low price segment, that is prices below $500, are about two third of the whole market volume. Comparing acoustic and electric guitars it can be observed that there is a stronger request for high prize electrics than acoustics. Units  Sold| Units  Sold| Type  |   Acoustics| Electrics| Under $100  | 390,028  | 256,354| $101 to $200  | 410,030  | 561,537  | $201 to $350  | 110,008  | 195,317  | $351 to $500  | 40,003  | 97,659| $501 to $1,000  | 40,003  | 61,037  | $1,001 to $1,500  | 10,001  | 24,415  | Over $1,5o1| 20,001  | 36,621| Total| 1,490,260| 1,501,000| Also it turns out that high quality guitars as Gibson’s or Paul Reed Smith’s, which are presented in this paper, are prestige goods with an inverse price-demand relationship. That is higher prices are associated with higher quality.Gibson’s former attempt to join the low price segment in order to compete with rivals such as Yamaha and Ibanez, which are both producers of cheap guitars, did not turn out to be successful as it did not match with their â€Å"century-old tradition of creating investment-quality instruments that represent the highest standards of imaginative design and masterful craftsmanship† (Kotler et al. 2010, p. 327). The strategy of focusing on the high quality segment, at a time when most guitar manufacturers entered the low price segment, has proven very successful. Gibson’s chief executive noted: â€Å"We had an inverse [price-demand relationship].The more we charged, the more product we sold. † Kotler et al. 2010 (Principles of Marketing, Thirteenth Edition, Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong, Pearson Education Inc. , Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2010) In case of prestige goods, the demand curve sometimes slopes upward. Consumers think that higher prices mean more quality. For example, Gibson Guitar Corporation once toyed with the idea of lowering its prices to compete more effectively with rivals such as Yamaha and Ibanez that make cheaper guitars. To its surprise, Gibson found that its instruments didn’t sell as well at lower prices. We had an inverse [price-demand relationship],† noted Gibson’s chief executive. â€Å"The more we charged, the more product we sold. † At a time when other guitar manufacturers have chosen to build their instruments more quickly, cheaply, and in greater numbers, Gibson still promises guitars that â€Å"are made one-at-a-time, by hand. No shortcuts. No substitutes. † It turns out that low prices simply aren’t consistent with â€Å"Gibson’s century-old tradition of creating investment-quality instruments that represent the highest standards of imaginative design and masterful craftsmanship. Bild Body

Leonardo The Artist, By Maria Vittoria Brugnoli And The...

I have currently finished reading the book Leonardo The Artist. The book is made up by three of Da Vinci’s scholars. One part of the book entitled â€Å"The Painter† is by Anna Maria Brizio, the other part is â€Å"The Sculptor† which is interpreted by Maria Vittoria Brugnoli and the last section is â€Å"The Teacher† by Andrà © Chastel. The book is comprised of Da Vinci’s notebooks with sketches and comments on his work in progress; all of which was rediscovered in 1965. The general purpose for this book is to show Da Vinci’s ideology surrounding art and intellectual findings that contributed to his talent. Leonardo Da Vinci was more than just a painter. He was also considered a sculptor and a teacher. He found interest in mathematic, science and nature. This book reveals how boundless Da Vinci’s curiosity was. Da Vinci trained as a painter in the studio of Andrea Verrocchio. He devoted long hours to the study of nature even on holy days. Da Vinci explored every branch of science known at his time and proved to many that he was far ahead of his time. This is exemplified in his precise observations and the value he placed on empirical truth. Da Vinci states, â€Å"No human investigation can be called true science without going through mathematical tests†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 16) This basically refers to the scientific method. In sketch after sketch, his notebooks cite his preoccupation with architecture both as an artistic expression and as a technical problem. In his painting of the town plan of