Doctor Faustus’ Damnation Essay

Doctor Faustus chose to be damned, although the evil spirits may have influenced him, Faustus always wanted wealth and honor. Faustus was very intelligent but with all the knowledge he had pertaining to logic, medicine, and law, it was never enough for him. With his quest for all that he could know he would never be satisfied unless he was a magician of the black arts. The damnation of Faustus’s soul was his own doing; it is exactly what he wanted. Only by selling his soul too Lucifer could Faustus obtain all the he desired, having ultimate knowledge. The beginning of the play shows Doctor Faustus is already interested with the black arts and magicians. â€Å"These metaphysics of magicians/ and necromantic books are heavenly! / Lines, circles, schemes, letters, and characters! / Ay, these are those Faustus most desires.† (lines 49-52). Faustus has an undying need for knowledge that he can only get through the means of selling his soul. Obviously Faustus had no hesitation when he has summoned Mephastophilis for the first time and demands that he be his servant for twenty-four years. This shows that Faustus does not care what he must do to become an honored and wealthy person. However the good angel and the evil angel appear to him and try to influence his deal with Lucifer. Faustus is having indecisive thoughts on if he has done the right thing. â€Å"Ah Christ my Savior! seek to save/ Distressed Faustus’ soul!† (line 256). The good angel is trying to tell Faustus that he can still repent and his soul will be saved, but the evil angel is reminding him that if he stays with the deal that he made, he will be wealthy and honorable. Faustus only considers repenting for a moment and then disregards that. â€Å"O this feeds my soul!† (line 330). Through his own thoughts and free will, Doctor Faustus brought the damnation onto himself. He had the opportunity to repent more than once, but even then that wasn’t enough to make him see his fate. Faustus was not a sympathetic figure; he was simply out to do whatever necessary for his own personal gain. Although his dearest friend The German Valdes and Cornelius, they greatly help Faustus’ journey to damnation.

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart Essay

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart relates the story of one man’s obsession at the seemingly trifle and otherwise common place prospect of the gaze of another’s eyes. So consumed is this person of his obsession with the eyes belonging to his tenent or landlord that one night he decides to gouge it off, kill its owner, and bury the eyeball in question under the floorboard. Needless to say, Edgar Allan Poe succeeds in exacting yet another dose of terror, dread and trepidation from his readers. The stated sentiments exist partly because of the plot, but largely because of Poe’s use of visual imagery, characterized by words which harp on the senses as people perceive it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These perceptions, the heightened sensations that the narrator, who is in fact, also the murderer in the story, feels –   in the extent of the short story is given structure by the way which he proceeds to talk of his victim. He writes first of being alluded to the eye, not being particularly attached to it initially, but describing it with an endearment out of place, and with a distinction which one would not normally employ when referring to something as ordinary as one of the five senses, except perhaps if people were talking about their lovers (which the narrator is not). His interest shifts and evolves as the story progresses. Talk of the eye in question becomes irrational to the point of alarming, and readers know at this point that something ominous is about to ensue. The narrator begins to talk distinctly of the eye as it were a separate entity, separate from that of its owner, the landlord, who he admits of being nothing but kind, and not having mistreated him in any way. His loving and long winded descriptions regarding, and romancing the eye in question, and the person to whom it belongs to culminates in a course of action which brings him to the landlord’s bedroom in the middle of the night. While in the victim’s sleep, he decides to take the eye for himself, and he describes it with such loving and final triumph as though it were a destiny and an important task that had long been awaiting fruition, and the time has come for it to bear fruit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More than what has already been narrated and told in the plot, the story tells of one man’s obsessive longing, his ascension to insanity (or a closely related version of it) because of the pursuit of that longing, and the consummation of the same longing and madness by means of taking matters into his own hands, and literally plucking out from the face of the earth what had been bothering him for so long. Although not the most pleasant of activities, and certainly not the one people would resort to as a matter of routine or principle. But for the narrator, for the person who needed to put an end to this longing, this itch, this gap which need to be filled, it meant the world and more. It meant a sense of triumph. It indulged his senses and satisfied his itch for an irrational but complex need to fill up a gap in his inner being and sanctum. Despite the questionable ethical as well as moral tendency with which he proceeded in committing the crime, to him it was a necessary road to ease and fulfillment. A Poem As It Regards to the Tell Tale Heart True, people are kind and truer still, people are beautiful but beauty exists in fewer instances these days. In smaller and smaller and smaller packages. So come dearest, let us you and me — die

The Background(1000words) is a written explanation of the historical Essay

The Background(1000words) is a written explanation of the historical evolution of the particular human rights. (Slavery) - Essay Example With the passage of time, different legal and social anti-slavery movements emerged in different parts of the world. Although, the extent, forms and magnitude of human slavery has reduced as compared to our past, but it has not been completely abolished. The evolution of human freedom as a basic human right was observed between mainly the time period of 1815 and 1957, when 300 different international agreements were implemented against slavery (Weissbrodt, 2002). Nevertheless, slavery exists among us in various parts of the contemporary world, in spite of the anti-slavery legislations. Slavery is observed in a plethora of forms and shapes including, forced labour, human trafficking, bonded labour, child labour and descent-based slavery. To understand the contemporary forms of slavery and the current legislations against slavery it is essential to familiarize with the evolution of this human right over the past decades. Slavery was defined by an international agreement in the League o f Nations Slavery Convention as, â€Å"the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised† (Weissbrodt, 2002). ... These forms consisted of domestic or predial slavery, acquisition of girls by purchase disguised as payment of dowry, adoption of children with the purpose of their enslavement and systems of compulsory labour either public or private and paid or unpaid (Weissbrodt, 2002). Down the history lane, slavery was practiced commonly and quite prominently in Greece and Rome, colonial Latin America and the Caribbean and the Southern states of the USA. Slavery emerged after the development of three basic ideas: the concept of personal property, the realisation that humans can also be used to improve an individual’s industry and the development of nations which led to the prisoners of war (Smith, 2013). In Greek culture, different forms of slaves were kept such as war slaves, household slaves and the common slaves. Subsquent laws protected the Greeks from enslavement, however it was followed by enslavement of non-Greeks. Similar cases of debt bondage and enslavement associated to it was observed in the Roman culture (Darren, 2003). The experience of enslavement, in the United States, of the Africans was a harsh and cruel one. According to historians, it was strongly connected to racial prejudice and the slaves were brutally treated, even killed without any action taken. Harsh punishments for small mistakes or acts of ‘disrespect’were given. Strong rebellions against the harsh dominance was observed in United States and it forms an important part of evolution of the human rights. The contemporary forms of slavery and the existance of enslavement practices highlights the ineffectiveness of the laws in various parts of the world. The ‘new’slavery is different from the ‘old’ slavery in many ways. There is no legal

Gender Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Gender Identity - Essay Example This paper stresses that gender identity is the sense of identification whether you are a male or a female. This concept entails appearance, behaviors and several other aspects which are always influenced by society and culture. This report makes a conclusion that psychologists believe that human identities are the composition of separate components. The first involves the child’s orientation towards sex whether he is homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual. Second important aspect is child’s behavior whether a male is a sensitive boy or macho type guy or a female is tomboyish or homemaker type lady. The third aspect involves core gender identity that determines whether a child is according to his or her sex or opposite to it. Still scientists and researchers are quite uncertain to predict when these feelings arise and come forward. Some consider this phenomenon as physical while others believe that it is mental or psychological fact. There is also a great debate that gender identity is shaped by the maturity of hormones mainly estrogens and testosterones. Gender identity comes into view by age of two which is a combination of sociological as well as biological factors. Beside sex differences, mal es and females are quite different from childhood. As girls reach to maturity quicker and faster than boys. Girls are healthier and have abilities to develop written and oral skills quicker as compared to boys.

Abortion Survivor Stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Abortion Survivor Stories - Essay Example The most dominating risks include damage to mother’s fertility in future and increased chance for maternal mortality (Paxson 125). Usually women prefer medical abortion as more natural or safe process but statistics entail a considerable number of cases that face abortion failures and the most common after-effects of medical abortion include heavy bleeding, Thrombosis, infection and even death, similarly, surgical abortion may lead to anesthetic complications, hemorrhage in addition to infection and death. The most prominent complications that cause abortion failures include perforation of the uterus and cervical lacerations (Abortion Clinics). An abortion success may eradicate mother from unwanted pregnancy, may release her from the pain of labour and all painful period, but abortion failure; on the other hand, may lead to increased risks and damages to health and life of both, mother and the child (Abortion Clinics). 1. Melissa Ohden is an abortion survivor who was born under very bad circumstances back in 1977. Her mother decided to abort her child when she was seven months pregnant, as she was not content with this pregnancy. Melissa was thought to be aborted with the help of saline abortion where a saline solution surrounds the fetus eventually causing burning and thus killing of fetus. However, Melissa survived due to ineffectiveness of this saline abortion in immediate time. As saline abortion requires quite long periods of time to get complete and therefore, Melissa was lucky enough to live and grow. Finding, Melissa was still surviving in the womb, the mother decided to throw her out after her birth. So, Melissa was put in the garbage where a nurse found her crying and therefore saved her life. Melissa now holds a Master’s degree in social working. She gave birth to her own child in 2008, in the very same hospital where her mother has tried to abort her once. She is livng a happy a nd content life and raising

What difficulties might international non-native students have in Essay

What difficulties might international non-native students have in studying in an English Academic Culture at Undergraduate level How could these students best deal with such potential challenges - Essay Example As an example, Chinese students have a high respect for their teachers. They are not to question them or in other ways antagonize them because the teacher is the ultimate authority (Flowerdew and Miller 1996). This can be a problem for teachers in the West if they do not know this about Chinese people. This can also be a problem for the Chinese student in the Western classroom because when the teacher asks them to answer a question in class, it can be difficult and sometimes frustrating for the student and the teacher. Another challenge that non-native speakers can have is understanding their textbooks. In many situations, Western textbooks are used and often the lecturer does not use examples from the students culture. In this case, the student has no way to relate to the particular lesson. Flowerdew and Lindsay also point out that many non-native students have challenges understanding the material at a conceptual and linguistic level. They encourage lecturers to adapt their materia ls to their audience. They can do this by "adjusting their language and by simplifying and adapting what was in the set text" (126). It is important to also understand that non-English speaking students can have challenges that native English lecturers or professors may not understand at first. Robert Berman and Liying Cheng studied the perceived difficulties that graduate students had in moving towards their academic achievement. They found that both graduate and undergraduate students felt they had the most problems with understanding and speaking the language and that listening was easier than reading, writing or speaking in a different language (2000 28). They also found that the GPAs of these students suffered somewhat when they did not understand the language. In general, the non-native speakers who were in graduate school did better than those who were in undergrad. The difference between undergraduate and graduate could be that the

Role Played By Speculators and Hedgers in the Derivatives Market Assignment

Role Played By Speculators and Hedgers in the Derivatives Market - Assignment Example According to the research findings, the big disadvantages of speculation are that it increases volatility in the market and excessive speculation creates bubbles and artificial price rises. The regulatory activity is designed to check excessive speculation. Arbitrageurs are a third important group of participants in the derivatives market. Arbitrage involves locking in a riskless profit by simultaneously entering into transactions in two or more markets. As a sophisticated speculator, the researcher will take positions. He strongly believes that the FTSE 100 index will rise to 2800 in December. The futures contract with the exercise price of 2700 is currently available. The author has GBP 10 million available. He will take a long position in this futures contract with the exercise price of 2700. One futures contract is for 100 times the size of the index. If the mark-to-market settlement is ignored, the author can also invest GBP 10 million at a risk-free interest rate. The negative pay-off means that the speculative strategy will lead to a loss of GBP 2,294,000. The fund manager will not exercise the put options because the exercise of put options will lead to a negative payoff.The value of the original portfolio will remain unchanged because the FTSE 100 index is at its original level of 2600 and Beta of the portfolio is 1.

Contemporary Issues in Financial Services Essay - 3

Contemporary Issues in Financial Services - Essay Example Nonetheless, from this essay, one will understand that financial intermediaries are here to stay, considering their positive influence in the economy, which supersedes their negative influence in the economy. Financial markets exist in almost all countries in the world, as these play an important role in the economy of a country. A financial market can be defined as a type of market where there is the trade of money and other assets, which are in the form of finances. In this kind of market, financial assets are traded in different manners. For instance, this includes the exchange of previously traded financial assets, as well as the trade of new financial assets. Besley and Brigham (2011) note that, financial markets are different from asset markets, and that this is a conceptual term, since financial markets lack a specific location, as in the case of asset markets. In the financial markets, borrowers and lenders interact at different levels. Therefore, there is also borrowing and lending activities in financial markets. ... Financial markets are significant to an economy, because of the roles they play in a country. First, financial markets enable lending and borrowing to take place. This is through the granting of purchasing power to various agents, to transfer funds for different purposes, including investments and consumption (Burton, Nesiba & Brown 2009). Financial markets also play a significant role in determining prices for new financial assets and the existing ones. These also allow for the risk sharing between providers of funds and the investors. In addition, the stockholder in a financial market is given an opportunity to resell their financial assets, a process known as liquidity. Finally, financial markets help in the reduction of both the costs incurred in transaction and information, thus increasing the level of efficiency. Besley and Brigham emphasize the importance of financial markets, as enabling the flow of cash in the economy, since these avail different ways for lenders and borrowe rs to transact financially (2011). In the financial markets, there are different types of players, just as the case of any ordinary market dealing with goods and services. These various players in financial markets are what are referred to as ‘financial institutions.’ These mainly make their profits from the transactions between the borrowers and lenders in the financial markets. These financial institutions in the United States of America are classified into four major broad categories. These include brokers, financial intermediaries, dealers, and investment bankers. All these have their specific functions in financial markets, and therefore, are of high value. Sometimes, the financial markets

Risk and Compliance Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Risk and Compliance Evaluation - Essay Example In fact, there are specific provisions of the Data Protection Act of 1998 and the Financial Services Authority’s Business Principles that would be violated should the Brokerage Firm forces the issue of using such concept in its operation without any proper control or safeguards. The use of Software as a Service and Cloud computing would also expose the Brokerage Firm to be open to Breach of Confidence legal actions. To prevent such legal actions it is strongly advised that the Retail Investment Brokerage Firm adopt an Information Security Management System that will provide the controls that will protect the information of the clients. The implementation of an Information Security Management System would make the Brokerage Firm diligent in the protection of its client’s information. ... The operational possession of client information requires a huge amount of responsibility since any unauthorized release of information would cause undue harm or it can expose the client to dangers (Marshall, 2001). Even the European community in general has recognized the right to privacy of financial information as a right not to be trifled with. The Parliament of the United Kingdom has passed the Data Protection Act of 1998 to safe guard against such unauthorized intrusion to the lives of its subject. While the Financial Services Authority that is tasked to govern organizations that provides financial service to select clients have mandated several edict that aims to protect the clients of organization providing financial services. The financial services and the information technology industry also responded in kind by delivering a set of standards that can be used as framework with the sole purpose of protecting client data (Davidson, 2010). The advent of technology not only made it easier to bring enormous profit or revenue to the financial services organization’s clients it also made it easier to procure information that could adversely affect the life of its owner. The delicate balance between what is permissible exposure to threat in the face of enormous profit at the soonest possible time made it mandatory for financial services organization to manage the risks involved (Snedaker, 2007). The internet has spawned several innovations that would increase productivity in the same manner that it would raise the revenue for the client of the Retail Investment Brokerage firm. One such innovation is the Software as a Service concept or simply SaaS (Adler & Benoiff, 2009). Companies wishing to have the flexibility with the number of users that uses

Flags of Our Fathers Essay Example for Free

Flags of Our Fathers Essay Context: Flags of our Fathers was a bit of change for Eastwood. The movie is about the famous photograph of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima by soldiers. Eastwood wanted to show war at its most brutal and that is what he created. Audience: People who like war or action movies and who are interested in war. Mostly for young adults and above. Purpose: The purpose of this film is to entertain the audience. Brief synopsis of text: Flags of our Fathers is about 3 soldiers who raised the U. S. flag on Iwo Jima along with 3 other soldiers who recently died in battle. So the 3 soldiers were taken out of battle and sent back to the U.S. and were classed as heroes because of the most famous image of the raising of the U.S. flag in Iwo Jima and the government made them as heroes to the public to promote selling war bonds. But the 3 soldiers didnt believe they were heroes at all. Ideas relevant to Journeys: In Flags of our Fathers, the 3 men who were taken out of battle and were known as heroes by the public and the government used them to promote war bonds did not regard themselves as heroes. They didnt believe to be heroes but the public did. This shows from the publics imaginative journeys is that they are thinking of how these men, who are known as heroes to survive such a brutal battle and to be in the most famous photograph in U.S. history. The photograph that they show isnt them in the image, they were the soldiers who placed the replacement flag on top of the mountain. But no one knows that. In the first scene or at the beginning of the film, we see a soldier running through a battlefield that has been torn to pieces and keeps hearing a voice. He looks around everywhere to see where this voice is coming from. Then the camera zooms in on the soldiers face and suddenly it was just a dream. The effect of the close-up shot of his face creates a feeling of being involved and the man was afraid of something. We are then taken to a scene where a old age person has woken up to his dream and is sweating and shaking just like if you had a nightmare. This is related to imaginative journeys because the man is having a dream of the past where he was at war. He is remembering and reflecting on the time he was at war and gets woken up by it. In his dream he was afraid, when he woke up from his dream he was sweating and shaking. A dream is a journey through the mind. The lighting of this scene creates a wiry and dark feeling to the viewers who see a lone soldier looking through a torned battlefield hearing a voice in the distance. This is creating suspense through the use of colours and shadows and gets the viewer imagining what is going to happen next. Suddenly we hear a loud sound which was probably a gun been fired and then we are taken to a scene where an old man is woken up. We now notice it was a dream. The man still thinks about upon this day. So the viewers are now imagining what had happened on that day. Was the man wounded or did a person who we couldnt see got shot. We never know until we see what happens in the film. This creates suspense in the audience. Techniques used to present relevant ideas: 1. Use of suspense to keep the audience entertain throughout the film. From the first scene the viewers had no idea it was a dream until they see the old man waking up from that particular dream, sweating and shaking. The scene creates suspense to get the viewers thinking and imagining what is going to happen next which is based on imaginative journeys because the audience is thinking beyond what has happened to the man at that particular time of that dream we saw. 2. The use of lighting in the first scene was very dull and dark. It created a wiry looking scene of a torn battlefield with a lone soldier walking around. We hear voices in the distance which creates more suspense. Dark lighting from this scene can represent an old memory which should have been forgotten at the time the man had the dream. 3. Use of dramatic irony is also used in this film which is something that the audience knows but the characters dont know of. But in this film, its the other way round, the lone soldier in the beginning scene knows what is happening and is afraid but the audience doesnt know whats happening. All we know of is that it was a dream from his past memories. As I said, it creates suspense to keep the audience entertain throughout the film and this is based on imaginative journeys because we have witnessed a scene where is was a dream and a journey through the mind of past memories. Links to set text in terms of ideas and techniques: Flags of our Fathers can be linked with Othello by the use of some of the techniques used in the film such as dramatic irony. In Othello we know that Iago has planned to get Othello thinking that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. The audience knows already what is happening but Othello doesnt know that Iago is planning something. From the film, it is the other way round where the lone soldier in the scene knows what is having but the audience is kept in suspense and have to find out later what happens to him from that particular scene which was a journey through the mind or a dream. In Othello the audience is kept in suspense when Iago keeps his plan going well by telling Othello that Desdemona is with Cassio. The audience doesnt know what is going to happen next same as in the scene of the dream in Flags of our Fathers. In the film the audience is kept in suspense from the very first scene where the lone soldier is walking through a torned battlefield and we see he is afraid. Then we are taken to a scene where an old man has woken from this dream. We are then kept in suspense by this scene because the audience wants to know what happens next and they stay and watch the film to see what has happened after he had woken up from his memory of the war. Both Othello and Flags of our Fathers display both suspense and irony to keep their audience entertained and kept in suspense through the use of lighting, irony and imaginative journeys. The audience imagine in their minds what is going to happen next. In mostly all plays and films, everyone in the audience wants to know what will happen next and will stay to watch to see what happens. If there was no suspense or irony, it would be pointless to stay and watch because the audience would know what has happened. Without imagining, we dont know anything. So both of these texts display imaginative journeys.

Does spirited away’ reflect traditional japan?

Does spirited away’ reflect traditional japan? To what extent does the world of hayao miyazakis spirited away reflect traditional japan? Anime has been described by Napier (2001, p.8) as â€Å"a richly fascinating contemporary Japanese art form that both harks back to traditional Japanese culture and moves forward to the cutting edge of art and media†. Hayao Miyazakis films are no stranger to featuring portrayals and representations of traditional Japan within the mythical worlds he creates in his films as well as those set in Japan. His imagery is vastly different to the ultra futuristic portrayals featured in the equally popular cyberpunk anime of Mamoru Oshiis Ghost in the Shell(1995), Katsuhiro Otomos Akira (1988) and all of their contemporaries. Spirited Away (2001) is arguably Miyazakis most widely known and regarded film both domestically and abroad, having become the most financially successful film of all time in Japan while also receiving the Academy Award for best animation. While being set in a modern Japan where technology has become more important than history and tradition, in Spirited Away Miyaz aki concentrates on several aspects of Japans cultural history. The protagonist of the film, Chihiro, has lived a pampered life in the city and is naÃÆ' ¯ve and unprepared for adulthood. Her parents are portrayed as greedy and irresponsible in the symbol of the â€Å"credit card wielding father turning into an overindulgent hog.† (Broderick, 2003) The ‘spirit world that she unknowingly enters represents the Taisho period of Japanese history (around 1912 to 1926), a popular setting in Anime, but of particular personal significance to Miyazaki. (Yoshioka, 2008) Childhood memories have influenced his use of this time which does not simply create a feeling of nostalgia, but, as Yoshioka says, â€Å"merges personal experience into a larger sense of past.† (Yoshioka, 2008: p.257) The aspects of traditional Japan displayed in the film vary from the extravagant grandeur of the bathhouse to the simple, yet quaint wooden houses and shops in the spirit town. The bathhouse even includes sliding paper doors and massive ornate ‘Satsuma-ware vases all representative of a prosperous location in Japan during the 1920s. It serves to act as an opposition to the modern character of Chihiro upon who the traditional aspects of Japanese society are lost. (Denison, 2007) Denison writes that the bathhouse â€Å"holds valuable lessons for modern (Japanese) society,† including, not allowing such a healthy eclectic heritage disappear in a culture obsessed with the furthering of technology as well as keeping the Japanese youth educated about their roots and heritage. Some of the major characters in the film also incorporate aspects of traditional Japanese folklore. Spirits have been featured as characters in many ancient Japanese folk tales, generally influenced by the two major religions Shinto and Buddhism. The ancient ‘River Spirit which Chihiro helps to clean appears to have a face which resembles a Japanese ‘Noh theatre mask. Another theatrical mask is also featured on the character of No-Face. The film also alludes to the practicing of religion in Japan and the ignorance of the youth towards it. In a scene at the beginning of the film Chihiro does not recognise some Shinto shrines and her mother explains their role yet it is evident that she does not consider them important saying â€Å"some people think little spirits live there.† (Spirited Away, 2001) It is evident from Miyazakis films as a whole that the ‘spirituality is a common and often prominent theme, particularly, but not exclusively, among his films aimed at children. Certain themes recur in Miyazakis films. In Spirited Away many of these appear such as childhood, materialism and most notably environmentalism. The story of the spirit Haku links to the arguments mentioned so far about the portrayal of tradition. The disappearance of Hakus home the ‘Kohaku River due to materialism has led to his forgetting of the past and even his name alluding to the real possibility of people in Japan being so focused on the future they forget elements of their past, in this case an ancient river paved over to build apartments. (Osmond, 2008) Other Miyazaki films have also included the relationship between the ‘spirits or ‘gods and humans, mainly about the difficulty of the two living in harmony. Princess Mononoke(1997), Ponyo(2008) and My Neighbour Totoro(1988) are examples of this with each also carrying the theme of environmentalism. All of the points mentioned so far have reinforced that the world featured within Spirited Away shows a traditional, typically Japanese culture which aims to critique modern Japanese society as well as educate the films young target audience about the importance of tradition. Thanks to Disneys worldwide distribution deal with Miyazakis production company Studio Ghibli, the market for anime has been expanded so hugely that theres a now global awareness of not only modern and pseudo-futuristic Japan but also heightened understanding of Japanese tradition; â€Å"fans (are) engaged with the cultural origins of anime texts†. (Cubbison, 2005: p.45) This market has been so developed that anime now seems to cater specifically for the international market within its films. The complex identities of Miyazakis characters, such as Haku or Yubaba in Spirited Away are, according to Denison, created to appeal to a Hollywood-saturated world market. These characters employ a number of traits n ot inherently Japanese. Also, some aspects of the architecture and artwork featured in the film are not typically Japanese but contain elements of Western styles. An example of this can be found in the small thatched cottage owned by Zeniba, the kind twin sister of the unpleasant witch Yubaba, the owner of the aforementioned bathhouse. The Anime film industry has varying takes on the issue of tradition, but Miyazaki has taken on the issue whole heartedly in his films. Miyazakis idea of the identity of the Japanese person, along with his concept of the loss of traditional culture in the technological Mecca of contemporary Japanese society, has proved significant in the visual appeal of his films as well as their artistic value. Not only does he reference parts of culture such as art, architecture and religion, but also references traditional theatre and behaviour (such as the removal of shoes before entering a house). Despite the fact that Miyazakis uses some hybridity with other cultures in his portrayal of tradition, the fundamental â€Å"Japaneseness† of Spirited Away is clear and irrefutable.

An Analysis of Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

An Analysis of Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I can always remember being younger when I just wanted to runaway. I would lay in bed and say "this place sucks, I just want to leave" In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a young boy, Huck Finn, learns what life is like growing up in Missouri and his troublesome childhood leads him to runaway from home. Throughout the story Huck learns that in order to escape and run away from home, others need help running away too. Huck lies in order to keep Jim, Huck's companion, safe along the trip. In this novel, Twain uses the Mississippi river as a symbol of freedom for both Huck and Jim. Huck was raised in a different way, much different from his friends. Huck's father was a drunk and his mother passed away. For a while Huck had the life of doing whatever he wanted. Huck becomes very sheltered because he moves in with Miss Watson and Widow Douglas. These two ladies believe that Huck must attend school, learn religion, and how to be a gentleman. Huck gets tired of living this way and wants to be free. Once he escapes from Miss Watson's, his dad finds him, making Huck live all alone in a cabin. When Pap Finn comes home, he is drunk and beats Huck. Huck figures out a way to fake his death and escape once again. He floats down the Mississippi river and lives the "freedom life." Huck retreats to Jackson Island where he meets Jim, the slave on Miss Watson's ranch. Huck and Jim decide to team up and escape together. Huck learns that Jim has run away because he may be sold to another ranch, being and slave or possibly being killed. "I hear ole missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me to OrleansÉ" (p. 54). Floating down the river, Huck uses his lying skills to keep slave hunters away from Jim, " 'Well the five niggers run off tonight, is your man white or black?' ' He is white sir'". Huck lies are used as a survial tool for both Huck and Jim. When Huck and Jim are on the raft they live a peaceful life, except they are unable to escape the evils of society from the outside world. In their route to freedom, they come upon a couple of con men, the duke and the dauphin.

Capital Punishment Essay - Christians and the Death Penalty

Christians and the Death Penalty Almost all societies have dispensed with the principle of "an eye for an eye," and considered it a step toward more enlightened civilization. Christians who cite "an eye for an eye" in their defense of the death penalty are usually unaware of the strict criteria that God imposed before it could be used to take human life. The Old Testament also allowed the death penalty for crimes that today we consider less than misdemeanors -- clearly, the Old Testament law is archaic. Finally, Jesus himself argued against the principle of "an eye for an eye." Most societies dispensed with the "eye for an eye" principle of punishment centuries ago; indeed, it is considered one of the great advances of civilization and criminal justice. We do not punish rapists by raping them, or arsonists by burning their houses down, or sadists by torturing them. Instead they are imprisoned, isolated from society where they can no longer do harm. There are three main reasons for doing so: 1. Any criminal justice system is inherently imperfect, and the human beings within it are inevitably fallible. Courts have a rich history of mistaken convictions; the Stanford Law Review has uncovered 350 cases this century where clearly innocent people were sentenced to death, 75 of them since 1970. Only God or an omniscient being would truly know what another person "deserves." And that would apply not only to questions of guilt, but questions of justness of punishment. Imprisoning people allows us to reverse mistaken convictions with the minimum of damage. For those inmates not sentenced to life, it allows them to re-enter society without being bent on a terrible vengeance. ... ...Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17) What Jesus meant by this is the subject of vigorous debate. However, what is obvious is that many laws changed under the New Covenant; Christians were freed from many of the ancient Jewish laws on circumcision, Sabbath-observance and temple sacrifices. So it is not a question of whether the Talmudic laws were changed or dropped; the only question is how many were. If some Christians maintain that at least the civil and criminal laws of the Talmud are still valid in their entirety, then we should expect that they actually subscribe to all of them. This would include the commandment requiring two or three eye-witnesses for a capital conviction, and the initiation of the death penalty in all the above instances. Needless to say, no Christian would ever agree to such a legal code.

Depiction of Latinos in 20th Century Film Essay -- Latino Portrayal Fi

Depiction of Latinos in 20th Century Film Graphs Not Included Over the course of this past century, the depictions of assimilated Latino characters has improved a great deal. Early portrayals of Latino assimilation generally proved to be a montage of unrealistic caricatures which seemed to convey the filmmaker's creativity more so than true representations. This formed the manner in which the American people at large viewed not just Latino characters attempting to assimilate, but also those who were not. As Cine-Aztlan puts it, film "manipulates the human psychology, sociology, religion, and morality of the people, in a word the ideological super-structure of modern capitalist society" (pg.275, Chicanos and Film). As the years went by however, mainly because Latinos started gaining power in the film industry and depicting (as opposed to creating) Latino characters, the images of Latinos who were adapting (either by choice or by societal force) to the lifestyle and values of the United States, grew more and more representative of what was actually taking place outside of the film studios. Today, most portrayals of assimilated Latinos are fairly accurate. The forces to which their modification is portrayed are not so much representative of middle-class White America however, but rather that of Urban Hip-Hop culture. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Rex Ingram. 1921) provides us with an inaccurate portrayal of an assimilated Latino character. First and foremost, it is important to note that Julio Desnoyers (the Latino character in question) is played by Rudolph Valentino, a non-Latino. This in itself makes him seem "un-Latino" to the Hispanic audience. Also, Julio represented the prototypical Latin Lover during t... ...e growing power of Latinos in the film industry. Latino producers such as Joseph Vasquez have made many films (such as Hangin? with the Homeboys and Manhattan Merengue) which show Latinos in a truer light. Also, since some of today?s hottest movie stars are Latino, big time producers cannot ignore the influence which they bring to the studio. Leguizamo, Antoni Banderas, and Jeniffer Lopez are just three examples of the growing number of latin@s whose appeal and presence in the film industry can help the overall cause of Latino representation, whether it be assimilated depictions or wholly cultural ones. It is important to recognize that American society recognize that there are indeed differences between U.S. Latin@s and Latin@s in their respective countries. In order to do this; both must be portrayed in popular film. GRAPH

Rhetoric Is Used in the Play Julius Caesar

Ms. Waldo English 2 May 19, 2011 Rhetoric is used in the play Julius Caesar in many occasions. What is rhetoric? Rhetoric is being able to persuade someone for your own good. This is used when Cassius persuades Brutus to join the conspiracy, Brutus’s speech to the plebeians, and Antony’s speech to the plebeians. All these characters were masters of ethos, pathos, and logos, which are different ways of persuasion. Each person uses different ones in the play. The conspirators would no have stood a chance of killing Caesar without Brutus on there side. All thanks to Cassius Brutus joined.It wasn’t all that easy for Cassius to make Brutus join. In the first place Brutus did not like the idea of killing Caesar. Cassius had a hard job to do. One way Cassius approached this was by raising Brutus up, A quote from the play was â€Å" I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus, as I do know your outward favor† (Shakespeare 892) this was building up Brutus’s conf idence. This applies to ethos; Cassius is playing with Brutus’s emotion. The last way Cassius persuaded Brutus was writing letters to him. These letters were supposable written from other people saying that Brutus should join the conspiracy.Actually all the letters were written from Cassius. This also applies to ethos because Brutus ends up freaking out about the whole thing and ends up joining the conspiracy. Brutus’s speech to the plebeians is probably one of the most important parts of the play. Brutus and the conspirators had just killed Caesar. So everyone is freaking out and going crazy. The plebeians now think the conspirators are evil and mad. Brutus has to change their minds. A quote from the play that Brutus said was â€Å"Not that I love Caesar less, but I love Rome more.Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men? † (Shakespeare 948). Brutus was saying he killed Caesar for the good of Rome an d he loves Rome more than he loves Caesar. This starts changing the mind of the Plebeians. Another thing Brutus did was told how Caesar was too ambitious for Rome and he deserved to die. This was the frosting on the cake for Brutus. Brutus ended up changing the minds of the Plebeians that killing Caesar was the right thing to do. Ever since Caesar died, MarkAnthony looked for revenge. Since Brutus got the plebeians on his side; it made it difficult for Anthony to seek revenge by himself. It would take loads of persuasion to convince the plebeians yet again that Brutus and the conspirators were wrong to kill Caesar. To begin, Antony starts to bring down Brutus. He says, â€Å"Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When the poor man cried, Caesar hath wept; ambition should be made of sterner stuff. † (Shakespeare 950) This let the Plebeians thing for a little. Then Antony uses logos to show how Caesar was not ambitious.To top things off, Antony reads Caesars will, which is more lik e a bribe because Antony teases the crowd talking about the will and finely reads it when the crowd is most desperate. This speech from Antony changed the Plebeians mind yet again. The play Julius Caesar is full of persuasion. From Brutus’s speech to the plebeians to Cassius persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy, each having a different rule. Rhetoric can be seen in many different forms. You just have to see if it can change your mind. Sources: Shakespeare, William, Julius Caesar, Elements of literature 4th course

Skrzynecki Belonging Related Texts

Belonging is notorious for its complex nature. One person’s perception of belonging can vastly differ from another’s. This is displayed clearly in Peter Skrzynecki’s poetry, in this essay however Feliks Skrzynecki and 10 Mary Street will be discussed in detail. To support the points raised and provide further examples of belongings complexities the texts Dumb by Nirvana and the film Avatar directed by James Cameron. Firstly, in the poem Feliks Skrzynecki the persona describes the father figure as self sufficient in the lines â€Å"My gentle father/kept pace only with the Joneses of his own minds making†.This is backed up later in the poem when we learn that Feliks has made no attempt to even learn English. This is the kind of complacency that the persona aspires towards. The hyperbole used in the words â€Å"swept its paths ten times around the world† shows us as readers the sheer determination Feliks possesses in his path to maintain his roots in h is new country. This is juxtaposed in the lyrics to the song Dumb by Nirvana in which Kurt Cobain professes â€Å"I’m not like them but I can pretend†. These lyrics are talking about conforming to belong.The persona described in this song is different to those around him and feels that he needs to conform and be â€Å"like them† just to belong. This is the exact opposite to the father in Feliks Skrzynecki who refuses to be just like everyone else, he holds onto his culture whilst simultaneously absorbing the culture around him. Secondly, Belonging changes from person to person. For example in Avatar James Cameron uses biodiversity to convey his message about belonging. In the film, Jake Sully is a paraplegic and does not feel as though he belongs.This is why he travels to Pandora, a distant planet, to take over his deceased brother’s duties as a scientist. Jake belongs to the Na’vi people of Pandora because he has nothing to lose. James Cameron por trays Jake as, at first, incompetent. As the film progresses Jake’s relationship with his foreign counterparts falls apart. His love interest Neytiri screams at him â€Å"you will never be one of the people†. This line is perhaps the most powerful line in relation to belonging throughout the entire film.This line portrays that sometimes no matter how hard one tries to belong through changing to better suit their surroundings it doesn’t work. Of course, Jake ends up belonging but at this stage in the film he does not belong at all. The humans shun him and so do the Na’vi. This directly correlates to 10 Mary Street because both texts show the differing nature of belonging from person to person. In 10 Mary Street the parents have a garden which is symbolic of their roots in their new country.The garden in religiously maintained and gives the parents a sense of belonging in Australia. In stark contrast to this is the persona, he says â€Å"my parents’ watered plants – grew potatoes and rows of sweet corn: tended roses and camellias like adopted children. Home from school earlier I’d ravage the back garden like a hungry bird†. These lines tell the reader that the boy takes the garden for granted and does not particularly care about his parents roots, presumably through lack of understanding.Lastly, belonging has a complex and at times unidentifiable nature. This is shown in all of the chosen texts. Skrzynecki’s deep detail in 10 Mary Street in reference to his visitors and their habits in the lines â€Å"Visitors that ate Kielbasa, salt herrings and rye bread†¦ a dozen puffing Billies† tells us as readers that Skrzynecki scrupulously watched everything his visitors did. This portrays a sense of the caution of change and the fear Skrzynecki may have felt when these foreign visitors acted so strangely around him.Similarly, in Feliks Skrzynecki the persona has a deep admiration for his father b ut also a great deal of distance, he does not ever describe any physical contact or conversation with Feliks which displays to the reader that Skrzynecki preferred to simply watch Feliks go about life rather than question him. The poet conveys a visual image of watching from afar in the lines â€Å"My father sits out the evening With his dog, smoking, Watching stars and street lights come on, Happy as I have never been† in these lines an image of Skrzynecki admiring his father perhaps from a bedroom window is instantly implanted in the readers mind.In addition, Nirvana’s song Dumb portrays the complex nature of belonging in the lines â€Å"I think I’m dumb, maybe just happy†. These lines tell the listener that the persona described has conformed and although they know it is wrong and they feel â€Å"dumb† about it they still try to convince themselves that it is making them happy. This is belonging in its most complex form, belonging to one’ s self.Finally, in James Cameron’s film text Avatar the protagonist does not belong on his home planet yet sees potential to belong on another. He is drawn into another culture and finds that he belongs better in an alien race than he does in his own world. This is in stark contrast to 10 Mary Street, in the poem the persona saw the Polish visitors as alien and he did not belong whereas Jake Sully does.In conclusion, belonging is portrayed in many forms, be it through an individual’s sense of inner belonging (Dumb), belonging to culture (10 Mary Street), belonging to a new country (Feliks Skrzynecki) or even belonging top a new race entirely (James Cameron’s Avatar). An individual may shape their own sense of belonging or they may take another’s ideology of belonging and use it to mould their own. Belonging can apply to a group or, more importantly, an individual. All four of the above texts deal with the dynamics of an individual’s belonging.

Morton Handley Case Study

Morton & Handley Case Study a. What are the four most fundamental factors that affect the cost of money, or the general level of interest rates, in the economy? The four most fundamental factors that affect the cost of money are: production opportunities, time of consumption, risk and inflation. The interest rate given to savers is based on: the rate of return on invested capital, savers time preferences for current versus future consumption, the riskiness of the loan, the expected future rate of inflation. High inflation and high risk will result in high interest rates. b. What is the real risk-free rate of interest (r*) and the nominal risk-free rate (rRF)? How are these two rates measured? The real risk-free rate of interest is the rate that would exist on default-free securities when there is no inflation. The nominal risk-free rate is equal to the real risk-free rate plus an inflation premium. The inflation premium is equal to the average expected inflation rate over the life of the security into the rate they charge. These rates are measured in percentages. . Define the terms inflation premium (IP), default risk premium (DRP), liquidity premium (LP), and maturity risk premium (MRP). Which of these premiums is included when determining the interest rate on (1) short-term U. S. Treasury securities, (2) long-term U. S. Treasury securities, (3) short-term corporate securities, and (4) long-term corporate securities? Explain how the premiums would vary over time and among the different securities listed. Inflation premium is a premium added to the real risk-free rate of interest to compensate for potential inflation. The default risk premium is a premium based on the probability that the person who issues the loan will not follow through; this is measured with the difference between the U. S. interest rate on a Treasury bond and a corp. bond of equal maturity and marketability. A liquid asset can be sold at a predicted price in a short amount of time. A liquidity premium is added to the rate of interest on securities which are not liquid. The maturity risk premium reflects the interest rate risk. Long-term securities have more interest rate risk than short-term securities and the maturity risk premium is added to represent the risk. Short term long term treasury securities include an inflation premium. Long-term treasury securities also contains a maturity risk premium. Short-term rates on corporate securities are equal to the real-risk free rate plus premiums for inflation, liquidity and default risk. Premiums will alter based on the financial strength of the company and the degree of liquidity. Long term rates on corporate securities includes a premium for maturity risk. Corporate securities typically yield the greatest gains out of the four types of securities. . What is the term structure of interest rates? What is a yield curve? The term structure of interest rates is the relationship between interest rates, or yields, and maturities of securities. A yield curve shows the relationship between bond yields and maturities. e. Suppose most investors expect the inflation rate to be 5% next year, 6% the following year, and 8% thereafter. The real risk-free rate is 3%. The maturity risk premium is zero for bonds t hat mature in 1 year or less and 0. 1% for 2-year bonds; then the MRP increases by 0. % per year thereafter for 20 years, after which it is stable. What is the interest rate on 1-, 10-, and 20-year Treasury bonds? Draw a yield curve with these data. What factors can explain why this constructed yield curve is upward sloping? Average expected inflation rate over year 1 to year 20 Yr. 1: Interest Premium= 5% Yr. 10: IP= (5+6+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8)/10= 7. 5% Yr. 20: IP= (5+6+8+8+8+8=8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8)/20 =7. 75% Maturity risk premium in each year: Yr. 1: MRP= 0% Yr. 10: MRP= . 1% x 9 = 0. 9% Yr. 20: MRP= . 1% x 19 = 1. 9% Sum the IPs and MRPs, and add real risk-free rate: r*=3% Yr. 1: rRF= 3%+5%+0%= 8% Yr. 10: rRF= 3%+7. 5%+. 9%= 11. 4% Yr. 20: rRF= 3%+7. 75%+1. 9%= 12. 65% The shape of the curve depends on the expectations about future inflation and relative riskiness of securities with different maturities. In this situation the yield curve would be sloping upward which is because of the expected increase in inflation and maturity risk premium. f. At any given time, how would the yield curve facing a AAA-rated company compare with the yield curve for U. S. Treasury securities? At any given time, how would the yield curve facing a BB-rated company compare with the yield curve for U. S. Treasury securities? Draw a graph to illustrate your answer. The AAA rated curve, the BB rated curve and the U. S. treasury curve are all parallel to each other. The BB rated accumulates the most interest rate, then comes the AAA company and then the U. S. treasury. The yield normally slopes upward because short term interest rates are typically lower than long term interest rates. Corporate yield curves will always be above government yield curves. The riskier the corporation the higher the yield curve. The distance between the corporate yield curve and the treasury curve increases as the corporate bond’s rating decreases. g. What is the pure expectations theory? What does the pure expectations theory imply about the term structure of interest rates? The pure expectations theory is the theory that investors establish bond prices and interest rates on the sole basis of expectations for interest rates. The term structure of interest rates describes the relationship between long and short term rates. The investors are indifferent about maturity expectations of short-term and long-term bonds. The investors perceive long-term bonds to be riskier than short-term. h. Suppose you observe the following term structure for Treasury securities: MaturityYield 1 year6% 2 yrs. 6. 2% 3 yrs. 6. 4% 4 yrs. 6. 5% 5 yrs. 6. 5% r on 1 yr. securities one year from now: (1. 062)2= (1. 06)(1 + X) 1. 1278= (1. 06)(1 + X) 1. 1278/1. 06= 1 + X 6. 4%= X **Securities will yield 6. 4% r on 3 yr. securities two years from now: (1. 065)5= (1. 062)2(1 + X)3 (1. 065)5/(1. 062)2= (1 + X)3 1. 3701/1. 1278= (1 + X)3 (1. 2148)1/3 – 1= X 6. 7%= X. **Securities will yield 6. 7%

Product Proposal Template

Product Proposal Template †¢ [Bulleted lists and bracketed text are descriptive, and should not appear in final documents. ] †¢ Assume your proposal will be one of many reviewed by potential investors. It should be accurate, concise, and self-contained. Don't assume the reader is familiar with you or your product. †¢ The proposal should be well organized, clearly written, and flow smoothly from one item to the next. The style and information should be consistent, even if different people write different parts. †¢ Use graphics (charts, diagrams, etc) where they can be more effective than text (â€Å"a picture is worth a thousand words†).Do not use cutesy or unnecessary pictures. †¢ Include or attach tables or spreadsheets for lists and comparisons. Product Proposal for [Concept] Executive Summary †¢ Write the summary last, not first. †¢ Summarize all key ideas from the proposal in less than one page. †¢ Describe the product in the first p aragraph. †¢ Do not use graphics, tables, etc. Overview 1 Introduction †¢ Describe the product, its key features and functionality. 2 Abbreviations and Definitions †¢ List and define all abbreviations and non-standard terms used. 3 Background Describe any background required to understand the product or its importance, including market or technology trends.Market Analysis 1 Needs Analysis †¢ Describe who needs the product, and why. †¢ For each market of interest, describe key characteristics, including size. †¢ Summarize the customer’s total cost. Include hardware unless you are assuming that your customers already own the necessary hardware. 2 Competitive Analysis †¢ Describe competing products, and their relative strengths ; weaknesses. †¢ Include or attach a table to summarize key characteristics. †¢ Use text (or subsections) for details not easily captured in the table. Feature or Characteristic |[Proposed Product] |Competitor( s) | | | |[#1] |[#2] |[#3] |[#4] | | | | | | | | Requirements 1 Actors ; Use Cases †¢ Describe the general categories of people who will use the product. †¢ Describe any external systems that will interact with the product. For each actor, describe why and how they interact with the product. †¢ For each actor, describe any special characteristics or background.†¢ Include or attach a table to summarize which actors perform which use cases, especially if there is overlap. |Use Case |Actor(s) | | |[#1] |[#2] |[#3] |[#4] |[#5] | | | | | | | | Requirements †¢ Include or attach a table (or a full spreadsheet) to list and describe key requirements, such as: o hardware or software (platform dependencies) o performance o networking o concurrency o data storage o internationalization (multiple languages, currencies, time zones) o error handling ; security o testing ; documentation o installation Category |Requirement |Priorit|Phase |Cost | | | |y | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 Deliverables List and describe items that must be completed in order to complete this product, such as: o hardware components o software components o packaging ; documentation o licenses, user names, passwords Design 1 User Interfaces †¢ Describe the user interface(s). †¢ Include or attach sketches or mockups of GUI screens where applicable. 2 UML Design Diagrams†¢ Describe the key data objects and relationships (data diagrams). †¢ Describe any complex interactions among actors and product components (interaction diagrams). †¢ Describe the logical and physical architecture (deployment diagrams). Include or attach diagrams where applicable. 3 Other †¢ Describe any other design issues, such as: o novel algorithms or data structures o significant challenges or risks o 3rd party components you will use (commercial, open source, etc) o potential patents Project Plan 1 Team and Organization †¢ Describe each member of your team and their roles and responsibilities. †¢ Describe any missing skills you will need to make this product successful. †¢ Describe how your team is organized. 2 Estimates ; Schedule †¢ Describe the expected project schedule. Include or attach applicable tables or planning diagrams, such as: o work breakdown schedules (WBS) o PERT/CPM networks, Gantt charts, etc. (if applicable) |Date |Owner |Action or Deliverable | | | | | | | | |Resource ; Budget Requirements †¢ List and describe any needed resources (equipment, facilities, services, etc). †¢ List all costs required to build and deploy the product, including: o Supporting hardware and software that must be purchased o Effort by developers, testers, writers, etc o Sales and marketing †¢ List expected revenue sources and projected revenue. †¢ Describe your expected profit margin. †¢ Include or attach applicable tables or spreadsheets. Category |Item |Count |Unit Cost |Total Cost | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 Risks †¢ List and describe risks that could affect features, schedule, or cost. For each, estimate probability and impact, and describe possible responses. †¢ Include or attach applicable tables or spreadsheets. |Category |Risk |Prob |Impact |Response | | | | | | | | | | | | |References †¢ List citations for any published material (including books, articles, product documentation, and web pages) used when preparing the proposal, whether or not they are quoted or cited elsewhere in the proposal.

Human Biology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Biology - Assignment Example It has been analyzed that the onset of the disease begins by the fourth decade of the life in an individual and by the sixth decade of life, 80 percent of the people will present with this pathology in any single joint of their body (Robbins et al 2005; Sharma et al 2007). Many changes occur in the human body with the increase of age. The reduction in the working and efficiency of the muscles, reduction in the force of the muscles as well as reduced capacity of movement production are age related muscular changes. Changes in the ligaments also take place with age which includes decreased strength as well as elasticity of the ligaments. The ligaments and the muscles serve the purpose of providing steadiness to the movements of joints. These changes alter the mechanical nature of the joints and hence are associated with osteoarthritis as they result in decreased capacity of the joint to adapt to weight and stress and hence damage to the cartilage of the joint occurs with strain. Furthe rmore, muscles also tend to reduce the shock from affecting the joints and hence reduced muscle functioning also leads to damaging the joint. These damages may be associated with the accumulation of inflammatory cells within the joint cartilage (Conn 2006; Forceia et al 2000). The cartilage of the joints is made up of collagen type II, proteogylcans and glycosaminoglycans. The cartilaginous tissue also consists of water. This structure of the cartilage assists in the free movements of joints and serves to distribute the weight in a proper manner. But with age, the functional and structural capacity of this tissue reduces. This leads to damage to the tissue with stress and again predisposes to osteoarthritis. With aging, the water content of the cartilage also increases and the supportive structures which include collagen and proteoglycan also tend to reduce. The damage to the joints results in the presence of inflammatory cells within the joint (Robbins et al 2005; Forciea et al 200 0) Osteoarthritis is a condition which presents with tenderness in the joints and difficulty in the movement of joints in the morning. It is believed that the process of the disease early but it presents with symptoms at a later age. The joints which are mainly affected are the knee, hip and the joints of the finger. The disease usually does not affect all the joints of the body but is limited to a few joints (Robbins et al 2005). Osteoporosis is a pathological disease of the bones of the skeleton. It results due to a reduction in the mass of the bone which makes the patient susceptible to fractures of the bones of the body. Ageing is considered to be a very important and primary cause of this disease. The fractures that result due to the decreased bone mass are associated with 1 million cases of fractures in the United States annually (Robbins et al 2005). Changes in the structure of the bone tend to occur with age. The density of the bone becomes reduced and changes with change. O n an annual basis, every normal individual loses 2 percent of their bone density. Thus the minerals of the bones tend to reduce with age making the bones weaker and more susceptible to fracture. This accounts for an osteoporotic change of the bone (National Institutes of Health 2004). Cellular changes occur in the bones as well with age. The bone forming cells which are referred to as the

What should young people be taught about theatre and what principles Assignment - 1

What should young people be taught about theatre and what principles should guide the padagogy - Assignment Example The Department of Culture, Media and Sports Taking Part Survey found that only 36% from the previous 55% of primary schools students attend after school music lessons; and for theatre and drama classes, the number of students dropped from 49% to 33%. Finally, for dance lessons, the number of students decreased from 29% from 45% (Lyons, 2014, para.1). Giving less priority to cultural education can be saddening, and this is echoed by Harriet Harman, Shadow culture secretary who lamented that the future talents of Britain are being robbed. She explained: â€Å"Taking part in art and culture is a vital part of a child’s education and helps them develop their full potential. But we are seeing a serious fall in the amount of art and culture children are able to take part in.† (Lyons, 2014, para. 7). This just emphasises the value of informing people about the importance of including Cultural Education in the school curriculum. Henley (2012) advocates it because cultural education allows children to gain necessary knowledge through the learning of facts. Children develop an understanding of culture by developing their critical faculties and skills through their active involvement in various art forms and activities related to these. However, cultural education does not get as much priority as literacy and numeracy. The National Curriculum emphasizes the development of academic skills more than the arts so schools focus on Math and Reading so that students can perform well in standardized tests. It is my opinion that the arts should get the same attention in the curriculum since it addresses the strengths of some students who may not be as skilled in the academic subjects. According to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory (1983), all people have something to excel at, and being smart above the rest is not limited to those who do exceptionally well academically. It is comforting to think that

A thematic analysis of 4 interviews with lesbian prostitutes Essay

A thematic analysis of 4 interviews with lesbian prostitutes - Essay Example All of the women I spoke to were between the ages of 22 and 26; Margaret had been in the business the longest and was 26. Katie was 22, Lenore 23 and Irene was 24. I am not sure whether these were their real names or the names they go by when they go on a job. All for ladies were dressed well and no one would have noticed that they were prostitutes necessarily. They were very clean and well kept and they took their jobs seriously. All four had a clientele of men as well as women saying that it was better to have both "because you wont get paid enough just with women". Each woman had a different idea of this but essentially it was because of the money. My questions consisted of 20 questions that I asked each woman and then there were other questions for clarification (Ive listed questions at the end of this paper). As I went through the transcripts of these women I was struck by how casual and nonchalant they were about the business. I can see that because it is legal in the UK these women may not feel the constraints or the fears that some women would feel in other countries. None of them seemed to be upset with the questions I asked nor did they seem worried that someone would find out about them as we talked. I spent time getting to know each woman so she would feel comfortable talking with me. Each interview was unique and one of the women identified herself as bisexual, though she saw many more women clients than she saw men. Katie was 22 years old and started her career as a prostitute when she was eighteen. She started because she needed to pay for university and had to earn her rent. She was one of the most outspoken in the group. She saw her work as a normal job and she felt that people who understand this are better able to understand her. She had a great sense of humour about it all. Katie identifies her self as a lesbian and she is in a romantic relationship with a woman

Fallacies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fallacies - Assignment Example The language fallacy creates an impression on the readers of the article that the same issue occurs in the other communities located within the United States. People should not be misled by this fallacy. Language fallacy includes the use of language to create a false impression on the people (Engel, 1994). Further, to ensure the veracity of the statement, a research should be conducted. Evidence Fallacy. The article offers an assertion that is not supported by evidence. The violation creates an impression or statement that is not verified by evidence (Austin, 2008). Identifying the evidence fallacy, the statement â€Å"they will reduce public assistance rolls substantially and give our nation’s welfare reform effort a fighting chance to succeed.† indicates a false impression that reducing public assistance rolls substantially will automatically result to giving our nation’s welfare reform effort a fighting chance to succeed. There are strong probabilities that re ducing public assistance rolls substantially will not give our nation’s welfare reform a fighting chance to succeed. The news reporter should have verified his or her data, prior to the presentation to the public. The reporter will be surprised that thee is a possibility that the government continues to implement other programs that will alleviate the nation’s drug and alcohol abuse. Reasoning Fallacy. The author shows a reasoning fallacy. A reasoning fallacy crops up when the conclusions of the author are based on faulty gathering of supporting evidences. The author of the paper commits the unforgivable fallacy because of unskillful analysis of the facts (Sprague, 2008). Identifying the reasoning fallacy, the statement â€Å"State and local officials need not be tagged as tax-and-spend liberals if they devote more resources to addressing these problems among welfare recipients.† shows a generalization aspect of reasoning fallacy. The statement gives a false imp ression that all state and local officials are automatically tagged as tax-and-spend liberals if they devote more resources to addressing these problems among welfare recipients, giving an impression that the liberals are spendthrifts. Definitely, not all of the state and local officials should be tagged as tax-and-spend liberals because some state and local officials base their devoting more resources to the addressing these problems among welfare recipients on legal, evidential, and other legitimate grounds that exempt them from being tagged as tax-and-spend liberals. The author should have reported the facts, not to prematurely jump into conclusions. Using government funds to help the drug dependents and alcohol dependents should not be construed as unfavorable tax money allocation. Presence of fallacies. The fallacies diminish the quality of the author’s arguments. The readers can use common sense to detect if the author’s arguments are valid. By reading the articl e, the average reader will always say the statements, findings, or conclusions do not apply to all situations. There will always be exceptions to the author’s proposals. The author should add more data and researches to back up his proposed concepts. The purpose of the author’s fallacies is to increase acceptance of the author’

Database Structures, Languages, and Architectures Essay

Database Structures, Languages, and Architectures - Essay Example It is also a great tool for visual representation of data through graphs based on the table available. I learned a lot of things from the tutorial specifically about Access. I was oriented about the advantages Access through the tutorial as I am one of those people mentioned in the tutorial that is not very familiar with Access. The tutorial about Excel was already familiar to me because I am a regular user of Excel spreadsheet as I do many computations in the spreadsheet. I learned that users can work simultaneously with Access which is not possible with Excel. It is possible to work simultaneously with Access because Access locks a record only while a user changes it. Repetitive data records can also be handled easier with Access. For example, Excel may have difficulty handling several data about a single customer which Access can with ease such as in the example below; I also learned that it is possible to track actions or events in Access such as purchases made by a certain customer but I have to admit that I am still ambiguous on how to exactly do it because the tutorial did not show a â€Å"how to† do it. It only explained that it can be done. I also learned that if it is just about handling and management of data, Access is better than Excel. Excel however is excellent for analytical purposes and showing the data visually. I myself use Excel for analytical purpose such as tracking the change of computation by merely changing one of the variables in the formula. I got all of the four questions right. They were very easy and just basically asked about what the tutorial was all about. It is important to note however that I have a different reasoning for one question that I answered right. This was the first question that asked; My reasoning here is different. It says that each table is flat file that east related to each other. My reasoning however

Medical Ethics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Medical Ethics - Case Study Example of Kansas, the State of Kansas statute is in one way or the other referenced and is qualified to be in a persistent vegetative state are underlying values of the statue mentioned. As the statute entails protecting the fetus; hence, validating the attending physician’s decision to disqualify Janet’s declaration. As such, the advance health care directive in light is particularly tailored for a single party (the woman) and excluding any additional party which is the fetus, in this case. Allowing the physician to place the patient on life-sustaining procedures before the legal matter is discussed and clarified would be a fit decision because it co-exists with the statute referenced in a note found in the patient’s medical record. Janet’s fetus is obliged to a surrogate because the advance health directive about life prolongation excludes any other party if Janet’s vegetative state would have been persistent. Surrogacy to the fetus will allow Janet’s directives to be upheld as she wished without compromising medical ethics by not withdrawing life from the fetus as

Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Critique - Essay Example The strong dialogue delivery by the actors and their performances has played a key role in making this movie an exceptional one. It is impossible to make an exceptional movie with an utmost perfection without an excellent direction and a strong story. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen have perfectly represented the deteriorated situation of law and order of New Mexico. The film contains all the elements present in a western society with no law and greater violence filled with hatred and agony that is so visible from the way the directors have represented the perfect western violated society. The movie has the perfect cinematography, editing and shot composition that together have made this movie a flawless masterpiece. Every shot is captured beautifully. For example Moss is hunting when he spots a hunting dog. Here the scene â€Å"Cuts to† the far away scene of four to five pickup trucks; with opened doors and no people in it. Then it again cut to the scene of Moss standing in between the dead bodies and the dead dog. The balance and the sequence between the shots are clearly visible. Another example of a glorious sequence is when Moss starts heading along the tire tracks which is hardly visible in the tall grass, the scene cuts to the place where Moss spots the tree where he thought that the man with the money would have stopped, then its cuts again and Moss is seen on the dead body of that man. From there is gets into his car, within a second in his home and the other second he is shown talking to his wife. The entire sequence is flawless and captivating. The movie has shown so much blood-filled scenes that may be something that few of the audience may find it hard to watch. The directors have tried their best to go with the novel without any alteration; only where it was necessary for them to change. This has enhanced the strong screenplay of the movie. The

Hydraulic Fracking Essay Example for Free

Hydraulic Fracking Essay This paper explores the hydraulic fracturing process, exactly what it is, what the fracturing process does to the earth and the surrounding environment in addition, to the consequences. Hydraulic fracturing is fracturing of rock by pressurization. This process by which oil and natural gas can be forced from the earth. The hydraulic fracturing process takes millions of gallons of clean water, sand, chemicals and pumps them underground at high pressure to break apart rock to release gas and or oil. My research has led me to the discovery that there are as many proponents for fracking as that are those that oppose the process. One thing no-one can deny or easily hide is that once the damage is done and something has gone wrong, the evidence usually speaks volumes that this is not something we should be doing to our planet or its people. The diagram on page 3 outlines the process defined as fracking for an easier understanding of how invasive the process is to the environment. Hydraulic Fracking Research Paper and Why the process of Fracking is bad for our environment Hydraulic fracturing experimentation started in 1947 and it had its first commercially successful applications by 1949, so it has been around for a long time. In twenty-thirteen, it is estimated that well over sixty five percent of all new oil and gas wells worldwide are using the process of hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, has allowed the United States to tap into domestic sources of natural gas and oil that were previously not economical to extract from such as shale beds. This has created numerous economic benefits for communities and governments in a time of economic instability. Hydraulic fracturing Scientists are worried that the chemicals used in fracturing may pose a threat either underground or when waste fluids are handled they are sometimes spilled on the surface which can cause site contamination or find its way back to water clean water. The natural gas industry defends hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as safe and efficient. Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, a pro-industry non-profit organization, claims fracking has been â€Å"a widely deployed as safe extraction technique,† dating back to 1949. What Mr. Pyle fails to explain is that until recently energy companies had used low-pressure methods to extract natural gas from fields closer to the surface than the current high-pressure technology that extracts more gas, by digging to deeper levels and it also uses significantly more water, sand and chemicals. There have been serious environmental impacts associated with the process which has raised public concern. At this point, a causal relationship has not been established but increasing attention opens the possibility that further government action could be imminent regarding the practice. According to Baumgartner and Jones’s Punctuated Equilibrium theory, policy processes are generally characterized by stability and incrementalism in the subsystem level of government, but occasionally if enough attention can be garnered toward an issue, then large scale change can occur. Thus far, policy regarding hydraulic fracturing has been incremental and mainly consists of agency rules and state regulations. However, it can be argued that if a definite relationship can be established between fracking activities and public health risks, then the likelihood of a major punctuation occurrence would increase and allow for significant policy change on a national level regarding this issue. The issue is being brought to the forefront due to the changes in the fracking process, the original method forced fluid down a vertical shaft to create fissures in the bedrock to release more gas or oil but this method limited extraction to directly under the well. Now, the current method forces fluid under extreme pressure down a vertical shaft with horizontal or directional sections that allows for extraction from a wider area within the formation. The pressure and fluid create fracture systems that allow the natural gas or oil to move more freely from rock pores to production wells that bring it to the surface. The fluid used is mainly composed of water (ninety percent), propping agents (such as sand account for nine percent) and chemicals (point five percent). The specific make-up and combination of chemicals is often considered confidential or a â€Å"trade secret† by many companies. The Democratic Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce found that 750 different chemicals are used in fracking and range from harmless substances such as salt and citric acid to extremely toxic ones such as lead and benzene. Assertions have been made that the chemicals used may be contaminating water sources and causing air pollution however, confirming the pollution is a result of fracking has been difficult. The line is very light gray it has been difficult to prove the relationship which has contributed to allow the industry to operate with minimal regulations until recently. According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), fracking has produced 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 7 billion barrels of oil and is projected to account for 70% of future natural gas development. Natural gas is considered by some to be a â€Å"bridge† fuel that will allow for the transition from petroleum to alternative fuels. Over its full cycle of production, distribution, and use, natural gas emits just over half as many greenhouse gas emissions as coal for equivalent energy output,† wrote the Worldwatch Institute. The promise of a significant domestic energy supply is extremely attractive as the nation strives to find a way toward energy independence. Fracking has also been touted as a job creator and economy stimulator. American Petroliem Institute (API) estimates that the development of the Marcellus fairway (which covers Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia) could generate 300,000 new jobs, over $6 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue and nearly $25 billion in value added to the economy by 2020. In the northern part of South Texas Eagle Ford Shale, Exco Resources will acquire about 55,000 net acres in Zavala, Dimmit, La Salle and Frio counties. The properties contain 120 producing wells that had average net daily production of 6,100 barrels of oil equivalent during May. Chesapeake Energy Corp. plans to sell assets in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville shales to Dallas-based Exco Resources for $1 billion. According to the American Chemistry Council, fracking has decreased the price of natural gas which has resulted in more industrial companies choosing to keep their business in America. Investments from these companies could hit $16 billion and create 17,000 direct jobs and 400,000 indirect jobs. However, these economic benefits need to be balanced against potentially negative environmental impacts including water contamination and air pollution that could cause serious health concerns. Problems with Hydraulic Fracturing Fresh water is one of the most precious resources on earth and also a very scarce one. Fresh water makes up only 2. 5% of all the water on earth and of that, 1. 3% is surface water and 30. 1% is groundwater. The rest is in the form of ice and snow in either glaciers or ice caps, according to the United States Geological Survey. Water is necessary for life on earth, it is extremely critical that it be protected from harmful pollution. Allegations have been made that fracking has led to the contamination of both surface and groundwater sources. Groundwater consists of all water located below the surface. Fracking activities have been linked to ground water contamination in a variety of ways. Most fracking happens at about 8,000 feet below the surface depending on the geological makeup of the area, while most underground water aquifers are located about 1,000 feet below the surface. Fracking proponents argue that there is no way for the contaminants to migrate due to the significant space between the activity and the aquifer. However, the composition of the earth may be extremely porous, have natural fissures or fractures that would allow contaminants to migrate. Combine a porous formation with the extreme pressure used in the fracking process and the potential for migration increases. One particular worry is methane gas, which occurs naturally in the earth, and is released in concentrated amounts when the fracking process breaks apart the rock formations. According to a study done by the National Academy of Sciences, methane gas concentrations in drinking water wells increased with the proximity to the nearest gas well at levels that had the potential to be an explosion hazard, in comparison to dissolved methane samples in wells next to nonextraction sites. In Dimock, Pennsylania, the study found that some residents’ water wells that were in close proximity to where fracking activities were known to be happening had their wells explode or their water could be lit on fire due to concentrated levels of methane gas. In Texas, several cities and surrounding counties of Lubbuck, Weatherford, Beaumont and Ft Worth have complained of methane contamination in drinking water. Levels are confirmed up but the cause has not yet been determined. Another possible point of aquifer contamination is in the construction itself. Oftentimes, the shaft is drilled down through the aquifer on its way to the shale formations below. If the shaft is poorly constructed, there is potential for the fracking fluid to leak directly into the aquifer as it is going down or coming back up as flowback. Contamination to ground water can also come from the fracking wastewater that is brought back to the surface. Once it has been used, it can be disposed of in an injection well. Currently, this waste is considered â€Å"oil/gas waste† and not â€Å"hazardous waste† so it is not subject to the stricter disposal guidelines associated with the hazardous distinction which leaves the potential for hazardous chemicals to reach groundwater sources if the injection well is poorly constructed. Besides ground water contamination, fracking activities have been blamed for surface water pollution as well. Surface water consists of all fresh water on the surface of the earth usually in rivers, streams or lakes. Fracking creates millions of gallons of wastewater that is extracted back to the surface in the recovery of the oil and gas. Typically, the flowback is treated by waste water treatment plants and released back into surface waters but is only tested for tier 1 2 chemicals, not tier 3 which are volatile chemicals. If they cannot dispose of it in this manner, some companies will utilize large â€Å"containment ponds† which are lined and used to hold the wastewater while it evaporates. Recently in Texas fracking operations have been blamed on recent increase in air pollution, perhaps these containment ponds are the issue. The liners are typically plastic and sometimes crack or get damaged which allows the contaminated fluids to leach into ground or surface water. Another potential danger comes from plugged wells. During the fracking process, large amounts of pressure is used and if the cement plug used to close the well is not sealed properly, there is a risk of it exploding and spewing the fracking chemicals into nearby surface water. In some areas, naturally occurring radioactive elements, such as radium, have been found in concentrated levels in local waterways due to fracking activities. In addition to water contamination, there have been serious allegations of air pollution caused by fracking activities. Natural gas fracking extraction emits greenhouse gases, smog-inducing compounds and potential carcinogens causing health and environmental concerns. Increased levels of methanol, formaldehyde, carbon disulfide, and benzene have been found near fracking sites. These pollutants are known to cause asthma attacks, cancer, and even premature death. Some airborne pollutants from fracked gas wells, like volatile organic compounds, can react with sunlight to create smog. Loopholes The Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempted hydraulic fracturing from the restrictions and standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). It created the â€Å"Halliburton Loophole† which prohibited the EPA from regulating the injection of fracking fluids under the SDWA except in cases where diesel is used. Since the exact chemicals used in fracking are often considered proprietary by the industry so it is difficult to ascertain when or if diesel is used in a fracking operation. Some companies have chosen to disclose the chemicals they use on www. fracfocus. org. While this is an encouraging first step, it is entirely voluntary at this time on private land. The Department of the Interior has mandated that companies drilling on public and Indian lands will be required to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations. The new rules also set standards for proper construction of wells and wastewater disposal. These rules could serve as a model for state regulators. Some states such as Wyoming, Michigan, and Texas, have been proactive and required full public disclosure of fracking fluid chemical constituents. The other federal law that governs water is the Clean Water Act which authorizes the National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System to provide permits to companies who dispose flowback into surface waters. Currently, flowback that is released back into surface water is not tested for volatile organic compounds which can cause cancer or birth defects in humans. The Clean Air Act allows the EPA to regulate industry emissions into the air to protect its quality and the stratospheric ozone layer. According to an April article in USA Today, the EPA released first-ever air pollution rules for â€Å"fracking† wells, requiring that drillers burn or capture the gas and its smog-producing compounds that are released when wells are first tapped. The rules went into effect in June of 2012 but have a two year transition period. During that time, drillers may burn off the gas and chemicals but will need to move towards capturing them (called â€Å"green completions†). EPA estimates that this will cut 95% of the smog-related chemicals that are released by fracking wells. Given the lack of a definitive link between fracking activities and public health risks, fracking was allowed to develop with minimal regulations for decades because it was not on the public radar. It has only been in the last few years that the practice has come under scrutiny due to the increased usage of fracking and the undeniable potentially harmful impacts of the practice. Therefore, until it can be proven that the danger to human health posed by the environmental impacts of the practice can be shown beyond a doubt, fracking is going to continue. However, there needs to be more regulation of the industry and monitoring of the impacts of the practice to ensure that it is done in a safe manner. . If this happens, the likelihood for policy favoring more vigorous regulation of hydraulic fracturing is greatly increased. However, if there continues to be ambiguity and questions raised by proponents of fracking the changes will likely be small and incremental on the subsystem level. The response by the industry and its political allies to the scientific studies of the health and environmental effects of fracking â€Å"has approached the issue in a manner similar to the tobacco industry that for many years rejected the link between smoking and cancer,† say Drs. Bamberger and Oswald. Not only do they call for â€Å"full disclosure and testing of air, water, soil, animals, and humans,† but point out that with lax oversight, â€Å"the gas drilling boom . . . will remain an uncontrolled health experiment on an enormous scale. † References Bibliography of Works Cited: http://earthjustice. org/our_work/campaigns/fracking-gone-wrong-finding-a-better-way? gclid=CJ-tqOHWr7gCFWFp7Aod9GAAFw http://geology. com/articles/hydraulic-fracturing/ http://lubbockonline. com/filed-online/2012-10-19/methane-found-drinking-across -us-brings-concern-lubbock community#. UeMaf6Uo5Ms http://psehealthyenergy. net/data/Bamberger_Oswald_NS22_in_press. pdf www. coalitiontoprotectnewyork. org http://www. counterpunch. org/2012/03/19/the-perils-of-fracking/ http://www. marcellusoutreachbutler. org/ http://www. provostumphrey. com/blog/2013/01/texas-man-finds-benzene-and-methane-in-his-drinking-water. shtml http://www. scribd. com/doc/97449702/100-Fracking-Victims http://stateimpact. npr. org/texas/2012/08/07/frackings-link-to-smog-worries-some-texas-cities/ http://www. propublica. org/special/hydraulic-fracturing-national http://frack. mixplex. com/content/scientific-study-links-flammable-drinking-water-fracking http://www. hydraulicfracturing. com/Pages/information. aspx http://www. epa. gov/hydraulicfracture/ http://www. usatoday. com/money/industries/energy/environment/story/2012-04-18/fracking-pollution-

Horniman Horticulture Essay Example for Free

Horniman Horticulture Essay Executive Summary: Horniman Horticulture is a wholesale nursery located near Lynchburg, VA. Its owned by Bob and Maggie Brown. From 2002-2005, the nursery’s operations grew by more then 40%. Revenue growth has exceeded the industry benchmark. The nursery now consists of 52 greenhouses, 40 acres of land, and 12 full-time workers as well as 15 seasonal workers. Problem: While experiencing booming demand and improving margins, the Browns are confused by their plummeting cash balance. Analysis: Horniman’s current assets are growing over time, but in a less liquid fashion, less from cash and more from receivables and inventory. Horniman is not receiving money as quickly as they would hope, which is shown by the 9-day increase in receivable days since 2002 (exhibit 2 p.141). This figure is also well above its benchmark. The Inventory days increased every year as well and was well above the benchmark of 386.3. Payable days decreased much more than was expected, to 9.9 in 2005 when the benchmark was 27. What most likely happened is that as Horniman grew, it began selling inventories with higher margins and better financing options were being offered to its customers. Favorable terms are attractive to new clients but it can also increase risk of non-payment from customers. In terms of where the cash they have made is going, we must look at how they are distributing their cash flow. Most cash was invested back into the business itself to build capital. It seems as if every dollar of profit was put towards more net working capital. Recommendation: Increasing the payable days or lowering the day’s receivable outstanding would reduce the cash conversion cycle. Although it is important to invest cash back into the company for growth, a more conservative approach of holding on to more cash would benefit Horniman in the future.

KFCs Ethical Policies

KFCs Ethical Policies KFC Corporation, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken is a fast food chain based in Louisville, a subsidiary brand of its parents company Yum! Brands. Kentucky Fried Chicken was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, while the idea of KFCs fried chicken actually goes back to 1930. The company adopted the condensed form of its name in 1991. KFC has doing some ethical social responsibilities for years; like the KFC Colonels Scholars Program is about to give scholarship up to $20,000 offered to high school seniors planning to attend a public in-state college or university. Also in Social Diversity, their global culture is developing a workforce that is diverse in different segment actively, where everyone can make a difference. In this report will be discussing about business ethics of KFC, their main ethical dilemmas together with theories and relative importance and, the good practice and values behind that together with some recommendations and strategies. This Ethical Audit Report of KFC was divided into four main structures to cover all elements, first is main ethical dilemmas of KFC, continue with part two which is relative importance and ethical theory to the dilemmas of KFC. Follows with part three, good practices and values of KFC and the last part is recommendations and strategic options to KFC. 1. Main Ethical Dilemmas of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) The main KFCs ethical dilemmas which they are currently facing with, and how they affect various stakeholders. Business simply means a structure of an applied system that practice ethical principles and moral problems that occur in a business environment. Where as dilemmas can be defined as A situation that requires one to choose between two equally balanced and often equally unpleasant alternatively or, a predicament that seemingly defies a satisfactory solution (David Murray 1997: pg. 112)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In doing a business, especially international or in a global company, a person must be able to compromise all different cultural in different countries, it is not easy to make a business to success. From the aspects of ethics, cultural relativism is so much related into it. The ethic of cultural relativists views other cultures, not as wrong, but as different. This means that they define â€Å"good or right† as â€Å"communally approved† by the majority in a given culture in a country or a particular land, this may because everyone in a particular land does it, peoples beliefs and practices is already shaped by the environment. 1.1 Chicken Abuse, and the PETA Every year, KFC needs 700 million supplies of chickens for the entire worldwide restaurants. While KFCs claim that they â€Å"only deal with suppliers who promise to maintain our high standards and commitment to animal welfare†. But about the treatment of the chickens it buys, a proof of graphic evidence, a video was taken by an investigator of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had showing that the chickens was purposely abused by the workers. The video was taking in a slaughterhouse, at a Pilgrims Pride plant in Moorefield West Virginia, where the workers kicking live chickens like playing footballs, thumping them into walls, apparently those workers do it just for fun. This does not happens once, the investigation of PETA on KFC shows that there are so many suppliers of KFC had committed into this behaviour. Only in United States many suppliers have involved in, one of them is Tyson slaughterhouse. In the slaughterhouse showed that birds purposely were burnt to death, were blown apart by makeshift firecrackers, and broke their legs by the workers so that it can be fit into slaughter-line shackles. Tyson is KFCs number one supplier. (All related pictures please refer to Appendix 1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other country, the most popular issue on the abuse by the supplier of KFC is happens on India. Chickens was found overstuffed into awfully crowded warehouse plagued with chicken carcasses, cruel breeding practices, sick and injured chickens but never received any medical attention, and they suffering at the hands of cruel workers who neglected to examine even minimal ethics of animal welfare. (For details in this issue please refers to Appendix 2) Animal abusing can be defined as the most serious Ethical Dilemmas on KFC. 1.2 Health Problems, Fried fast food Fried is like almost everything in KFC, the main course from the menu in KFC is actually fried chickens. Unlike any other fast food brand, common one-McDonalds, which in their menu french fries is just a side dish. In the past few years, KFC has been sued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CPSI), charged with the food contains â€Å"staggering sum† of trans fat. In one three-piece chicken combo meal contains 15 grams of trans fat, which is over the limit that a person should have in one week. CPSI (2006) through press release said that â€Å"The class-action suit asks that the court prohibit KFC from using partially hydrogenated oil, or that at the very least, signs be posted in KFC outlets notifying customers that many KFC foods are high in trans fat.† The suit was filed in Superior Court of the District of Columbia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These trans fat is actually harming consumers health, KFC as the worlds most popular chicken fast food chain, over 14,000 outlets around the world, with more than 12 million customer eating their â€Å"fried† chickens every day. Just imaging, their unethical behavior has influenced widely against their customers. It is a serious ethical dilemmas which can be found in KFC. 2. Relative Importance and Ethical Theory to the Dilemmas of KFC 2.1 Relative Importance and Ethical Theory to the dilemmas on Chicken Abuse, and the PETA KFC and its parent, Yum Brands, states at their website on Animal Treatment that: â€Å"Yum! Brands and KFC believe treating animals humanely and with care is a key part of our quality assurance efforts. This means animals should be free from mistreatment at all possible times from how they are raised and cared for to how they are transported and processed. Our goal is to only deal with suppliers who provide an environment that is free from cruelty, abuse and neglect.† (http://www.kfc.com/about/animalwelfare_principles.asp)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yet, all the abuse behaviours still occurs in almost all KFC suppliers slaughterhouse. A spokeswoman for KFC responded for the video said: â€Å"the company wouldnt tolerate the type of behaviours in the video. KFC will require that the employee or employees responsible be terminated, and further violations will â€Å"result in termination of our relationship.† (Bonnie Warschauer 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  KFC has formed the KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council, which consists of greatly regarded experts in the field. The Council provides KFC with information and suggestion based on relevant data and scientific research. KFC has done something for the issue, but it seems like not really effective on defeating to the problems. But in fact, one of the advisors in the council had come out to say that â€Å"KFC never had any meetings. They never asked any advice, and then they touted to the press that they had this animal-welfare advisory committee. I felt like I was being used.† (Dr. Adele Douglass, former animal welfare advisor to KFC, Chicago Tribune 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the year 2003, as the works done by KFC does not improving the situation, PETA sued Kentucky Fried Chicken and called for a boycott to KFCs food, demanding that it require its suppliers to give chickens more room in factory barns, stop forcing growth so rapid that it cripples birds, and to gas birds before hanging them so they feel no pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ethical theory Theological or Consequentiality state that to judge whether an action is right or wrong is by looking at the consequences justify the means. It is corporate Social Responsibility to see that all rules and Code of Conduct is adhered to by KFC. 2.2 Relative Importance and Ethical Theory to the dilemmas on Health Problem, Fried Fast Food According to this trans fat issue, a spokesperson from KFC Laurie Schalow (2007) issued a statement saying that: â€Å"We take health and safety issues very seriously. We provide a variety of menu choices and provide nutrition information, including trans fat values, on our website and in our restaurants so consumers can make informed choices before they purchase our products. Our company is reviewing alternative oil options, but there are a number of factors to consider including maintaining KFCs unique taste and flavour of Colonel Sanders Original Recipe, supply availability and transportation, among others.† This has prove that KFC has initiative to take action on the issue, but yet, still have other profits relates concerns, such as in the statement stated, they afraid they might lost the unique taste thus losing customers at the same time, and it sure will decrease the annual profits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  KFC has taken a big step in their chains history by launching the Kentucky Grilled Chicken. In this combo meal, contains only 395 calories, even lower than a subway Italian B.M.T sandwich which contains 450 calories. And the main point is, guarantee no trans fat. KFC promote their new Grilled Chicken on the famous show Oprah Winfreys daytime talk show, by offering free meal using print out coupon on the related site. (For the coupon picture and details please refer to Appendix 3) The action taken was proved that KFC has strong initiative to promote both Fried and Grilled Chicken in their chains, as people now is really concern and sensitive on what they are eating especially on fast food meals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This big move has pop up more questions; based on the history of KFC, the main focus of the meal is Fried Chicken, when the focus added with Grilled Chicken meal, should they also change their name into Kentucky Grilled Chicken? The problem that the company facing is, how to promote their new meal and also keeping their regular customer who used to Fried Chicken while doing so. The greed to keep old customers that are loyal to only fried chicken especially the name, are immoral. The last but not least, why would this healthy Grilled Chicken meal only available in US but not worldwide while KFC is an international fast food chain?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Respect for persons- Kants ethics and duty explain that it is the age of enlightenment was marked by an emphasis on human reason. According to Kants first formulation and the Categorical imperative was- â€Å"I ought never to accept in such a way that I can also will that my Maxim should become universal law†. KFC should act in such a way in accordance to Kantian view- â€Å"that act always to treat humanity- never always as a means but always at the same time as an end.† I always believe that humans are rational animals because of their power and reason. (Essentials of Business Ethics, George Chryssides and John Kaler, pg 31-34)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ethic of Natural Law explains the fundamental moral rights that every company should have towards their customers and those associated the organization for instance stakeholders. 3. Ethical Good Practices and Values of KFC KFC as a worlds most famous chicken fast food chain has uncountable employees working for them. Basically, the employees are representative of KFC as they work immediately to the customers. Thus, as their employees produce goods (prepare foods), provide services (serve walk-in customer in KFC restaurant) to the customers everyday, a good practices of to train a professional staff, and how they treating their employees is a must to KFC in order to constitute the essential outputs of the company. 3.1 Protect Employees Health and Safety, as Working Condition Every year, there are more than 5000 workers are killed and over 3,000,000 are seriously injured as a results of work accident in the world. Workplace hazard always the main causes workers get hurts, include not only obvious categories like mechanical injury or burns but also extremely heat and cold, skin irritants or noisy machinery. In KFCs restaurants kitchen, their workers facing with deep fried machine, hot oven, cutting machine and bad air condition everyday. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (1994), is the most recent legislation in Malaysia, to safe guard safety and health of works. KFC should abide by the rules and this act, is ethical. When their employees feel save in their work place, firm will have good reputation though. 3.2 Provides Job Satisfaction, as Working Condition The work of Manuel G. Velasques (1996) emphasis that the rational parts of the organization put a high value on efficiency: All jobs and tasks are to be designed so as to achieve the organizations goals as efficiently as possible. When efficiency is achieved through specialization, the rational aspects of organizations tend to incorporate highly specialized jobs. As we known, working in a fast food restaurant is definitely bore with keep on repeating the same jobs everyday with no exception. This leads to job dissatisfaction to the workers, it will change their attitudes when they feel annoyed in doing their works, this is also why some customers complaint on they got rude services in the chain. Efficiency is achieved by understanding the workers motivational patterns. Professor Abrahim Maslow cited in his research the 5 need factors, for example security, social and esteem. This factors are ethical and enhances productivity at KFC both local and internationally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When employees happy, they will work happily and then treat their customer better, the golden rule is to recognize the differences is cultures and economic development of the countries. To better value KFC, the fair trade concept is to be utilized further to firms, community involvement, targeting should be the code of practices in KFC. 4. Strategic Options and the Recommendations to KFC To my understanding and learning the recommendations and strategic options to KFC to improve and to defend themselves against the critics. KFC should have the responsibilities to take care their employees health and safety in their workplace, what employer can and should do is offer higher wages to compensate the risk measure by different position. A better one to ensure their workers against unknown accident that might happen anytime, employer should provide them with suitable insurance programs. A little bit costly, but a good one is advise KFC to form a special team, to collect information, researching on the health and safety issue on the working environment which where their workers facing everyday. Then come out with the results together with solution and steps recommendations information available to all KFC employees around the world. â€Å"Excessive job specialization is undesirable for other reasons than that it places unjust burdens on workers. There is also considerable evidence that it does not contribute to efficiency. Research findings have demonstrated that there is a link-age between worker productivity and programs that improve the quality of work life for workers by giving workers greater involvement in and control over a variety work tasks. † (Manuel G. Velasques 1996: pg 462) Thus, KFC should make the operation efficiently like held parties involved customer and workers quarterly, or a outstanding idea such as choose the best worker in different country and offer them to have exchange colleague (similar with exchange student) to work in other countrys outlet with a duration one to three months with fully allowanced by company, this sure will motivated workers to do hard work on their working days. The stakeholders management should include the improvement in Communications, where there is possible setback the whistle blowing ethic should be applied as a strategic option where as the recommendations would be to set up a panel to do constant analysis on different options as the Marketing, and Operations issues, for instance the coordination activities in Service Management, Public Relation and Advertising techniques. The ethical theory of Technological or Consequentialist states the â€Å"end justify the means†. This further is depended by Kants ethics of duty. The consequentialism is that human welfare is best served by moral responsibilities. Equal rights refers to equal opportunities for all workers with out exploitation. Buddha in his teachings said â€Å"do not do what is evil, do what is good, keep your mind pure†.