Globalization within my Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization within my Community - Essay Example The term â€Å"globalization† is of rather recent vintage (traceable to academic commentators in the 1970s), and has come to convey a variety of political, economic and cultural connotations (Scheuerman, 2006). Contemporary notions of â€Å"globalization† have transcended the purely economic approach of Karl Marx, or the spatial concept of the annihilation of distance by John Dewey. Instead today, it implies the attributes of deterritorialization, which refers to a delinking of activity from its site, of social activities taking place irrespective of geographical location of the participants, or across vast distances between them, such as is made possible by electronic means of communication. Secondly, globalization also implies the growth of social interconnectedness across geographical and political boundaries, which are not haphazard but predictable and regular. This entails the effect of events and activities in distant places that exert a force and impact on local and regional endeavors far removed from the origin of the activity (Tomlinson, 1999 in Scheuerman, 2006), an example of which is the networks of financial institutions and markets that make possible international business activity . Thirdly, globalization also refers to the speed or velocity of social activity, which refers to the time element while deterritorialization and interconnectedness which were concerned with the spatial element. Fourthly, globalization is a long-term process, yielding persistent and relatively permanent effects in the social context. Finally globalization is a multi-pronged process that affect economic, political and cultural arenas of social life, as previously mentioned. Somewhat removed from the metropolitan areas of New York City and downstate New York, my community is commonly referred to as rural, evoking visions of pastoral settings, picturesque small towns and quaint family

Coping Tactics in Translation Essay Example for Free

Coping Tactics in Translation Essay One cannot deny the astounding success of the â€Å"Twilight† series of books and films. Seemingly overnight, almost everyone has been sideswept by the popularity of the four-book series namely, â€Å"Twilight†, â€Å"New Moon†, â€Å"Eclipse†, and â€Å"Breaking Dawn†, all by debuting author Stephenie Meyer. The book’s characters have also become household names, the most popular ones being Edward Cullen, Bella Swan, and Jacob Black. Not surprisingly, the actors who portrayed them in the films have also been catapulted to stardom: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, playing the mentioned characters respectively. Definitely amazing, considering the simplicity of the story, a love triangle involving three teenagers. What probably makes the difference is that two of them are not human. Twilight Mystique 4 Demystifying the â€Å"Twilight† Mystique Most of us dream of making it big. Maybe to discover or invent something that will change the world, or put together an award-winning record album that will go platinum, or possibly, write a book that will sell millions of copies worldwide. The Author Herself Stephenie Meyer had a dream, literally. â€Å"A vivid dream took her to a forest meadow where she saw an average-looking girl and a stunningly handsome vampire having an intense conversation†, it says in her website, stepheniemeyer. com (cited in Vaz, 2008). She then began to flesh out a story, and after three months, she finished the first book, â€Å"Twilight†. She submitted her manuscript to several literary agencies and eventually ended up in the hands of the publishing company, Little, Brown where the road to success got a jumpstart, to say the least (stepheniemeyer.com, 2010). The rest of the saga has then followed the path to fame and fortune. Crossing age barriers the world over, the â€Å"Twilight† series has proven that if you take seemingly ordinary characters in a seemingly ordinary setting and spice it all up with something extraordinary, create situations and experiences that are almost believable, then you have got a winning formula. The Twilight Series The back cover of the first book, â€Å"Twilight†, teases us with the words, â€Å"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him – and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be – that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him† (Meyer, 2005, back cover). Twilight Mystique 5 Almost immediately, two things jump out at the reader, the fact that there is a vampire involved, and so is that crazy, adrenaline-pumping emotion called love. The lore and legend of vampires goes way back into the olden days, with practically every culture having its own imaginative version of the creatures, often tortured souls who drink the blood of their victims (Vaz, 2008, p. 13). In fact, â€Å"Twilight† director Catherine Hardwicke says, â€Å"One reason the Twilight series has such resonance may be that the vampire myth is deeply rooted in the human psyche† (Vaz, 2008, p. 15). Joel Schumacher, director of â€Å"The Lost Boys†, a film about vampires haunting a resort town on the California coast, remarked in his commentary on the said film’s DVD, â€Å"I think one of the reasons vampires have an enduring quality is they’re the only monsters that are really sexy† (cited in Vaz, 2008). True enough, vampires are often portrayed as very attractive human beings, the only obvious giveaway is when they bare their fangs, to satisfy their thirst for blood. The universal theme of love has been used countless times in books, movies, poetry, music, and all other possible vehicles of expression. Thus, the obvious love angle in the â€Å"Twilight† series may be nothing new, but it still definitely sells. As an article by S. A. Dalton declared, â€Å"Every girl dreams of falling in love one day. She dreams of that perfect soulmate who was put on this earth to love no one but her†¦It’s a love that voids all pain and validates the very reason that either of them were born†¦Because of this love, the Twilight series was a huge success! † (cited in helium. com, 2002-2010) The character of Bella herself, as the narrator, often articulates the extent of their feelings. In the second book, â€Å"New Moon†, she narrates, â€Å"My head was already spinning by the time he leaned closer and pressed his icy lips against mine†¦I forgot all about my worries, and concentrated on remembering how to inhale and exhale (Meyer, 2006, p. 16) Twilight Mystique 6 Hardwicke even accurately observed that â€Å"for all the inherent darkness that came with vampires, it was the love story that touched people† (Vaz, 2008, p.134). The reader can also easily identify with Bella’s character, for she was portrayed as an ordinary, not particularly popular, oftentimes clumsy teenage girl. In the third book, â€Å"Eclipse†, she said, â€Å"We were almost to the clearing when I fell. I could see the wide opening ahead, and that’s probably why I got too eager and forgot to watch my feet. I caught myself before my head bashed into the nearest tree, but a small branch snapped off under my left hand and gouged into my palm† (Meyer, 2007, p. 470). Incidentally, the movie version of this third installment, to be shown June 30, 2010, is being eagerly awaited by the fans, as attested to by the â€Å"official online destination for all Twilight fans,† thetwilightsaga. com (thetwilightsaga. com, 2010). Stephenie Meyer makes it all so believable. After all, Bella remains unchanged, as unassuming as ever, even for instance in the fourth book, â€Å"Breaking Dawn†, wherein she was driving a new Mercedes Guardian and two strangers asked to have their pictures taken beside it. â€Å"It took me a second to process that. ‘Really? You want to take a picture with the car? ’, says Bella. † And as the two guys proceed to take pictures by the hood and even the back end, Bella whimpers to herself, â€Å"I miss my truck† (Meyer, 2008, pp. 6-7). This fourth installment meanwhile, will be shown as two films, and back-to-back shooting is expected to begin in October 2010, as stated in an article by Erik Davis (cited in cinematical. com, 2003-2010). Twilight Mystique 7 Anyhow, as Peter Facinelli, the actor who portrays Edward Cullen’s dad, said in his interview with Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, â€Å"Anything that gets kids to read is a fantastic thing too† (cited in cbsnews. com, 2008). And so the â€Å"Twilight† phenomenon goes on. It will forever inspire us to follow and live our dreams, be it literally or figuratively speaking. So when a sudden inspiration strikes, take it as a hint to possibly start something big. Twilight Mystique 8 References Cbsnews. com. (2008). Facinelli on â€Å"Twilight† Phenomenon. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2008/11/21/earlyshow/leisure/boxoffice/main 4625399. shtml. Dalton, S. A. (2002-2010). Why the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer became so successful. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from http://www. helium. com/items/1430290-stephenie- meyers-twilight-was-a-success. Davis, E. (2010). It’s Official: â€Å"Breaking Dawn† will be Two Movies. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from http://www. cinematical. com/2010/02/11/its-official-breaking-dawn- will-be-two-movies. Meyer, S. M. (2005). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Company. Meyer, S. M. (2006). New Moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company. Meyer, S. M. (2007). Eclipse. New York: Little, Brown and Company. Meyer, S. M. (2008). Breaking Dawn. New York: Little, Brown and Company. Stepheniemeyer. com. (2010). Bio. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from http://www. stepheniemeyer. com. Thetwilightsaga. com. (2010). Eclipse Movie Tie ¬-in Books. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from http://www. thetwilightsaga. com. Twilight Mystique 9 Vaz, M. C. (2008). The complete illustrated movie companion:twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Essay --

Depression is defined as being in a state of sadness or unhappiness. Doctors do not know the exact causes of depression, but they believe it’s chemical changes in the brain. All ages, races, and ethnic groups can experience depression. Most people who do experience it need treatment to get better. Many famous women have also battled with depression. Actress Ashley Judd, model Paulina Porizkova, Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, singer and actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and singer and actress Demi Lovato. Demi Lovato had an eating disorder at the age of eight and started cutting at the age of eleven. She was bullied for being ‘fat’ so she used to overeat to cope, which turned into a lifelong struggle with food. In 2010 she had an altercation with one of her background dancers and decided to leave the Jonas Brothers Tour. After that, she decided to check into a mental facility. Today, she still battles with depression, her eating disorder, and alcohol abuse but is learning to get better. Depression is not overrated and should be taken seriously as a mental illness. Depression is most common in women. The rates are twice as high as they are in men. According to the National Mental Health Association, about one in every eight women will develop depression at some point during her lifetime. Women’s symptoms are similar to major depression. Some of them include being in a depressed mood, loss of interest in activities you used to like, feelings of guilt and hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts or recurrent thought of death. Women tend to blame themselves, feel anxious and scared, and avoid conflicts at all costs. They also use food, friends, and love to self-medicate. Some causes of depression in women are premenstrual problems, pregnancy and inf... ...ock therapy. Treatment for depression includes medicine, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. If someone is thinking about suicide or is very depressed and cannot function, they need to be admitted into a hospital. Antidepressants are medicines used to treat depression. They help bring the chemicals in the brain to the normal level and relieve syndromes. If the patient feels as though the medication isn’t working, their doctor should be called. However, if you feel so, you shouldn’t change them on your own without the permission of the doctor. Psychotherapy is to help you understand why you’re feeling the way you are. Depression is a real mental illness and you can tell by all the things these people go through during it. A lot of people have to experience this in their lives. Depression is not overrated and should be taken seriously as a mental illness. â€Æ'

Evolution Of American Society Essay

Following the War of1812, Americans started to feel the spirit of nationalism. Proud of what they achieved, Americans started to expand westward. This dramatic rise in expansion helped mold the American society as it separated from the Old World. This migration produced â€Å"profound effect on the nation’s economy. Likewise, the westward movement also played out in the Civil War. It brought people of diverse backgrounds to convene and associate with each other, some with favorable outcomes, others were deemed â€Å"disastrous†. The expansion fever is indeed a major step unification of the United States. Several reasons were cited for this westward expansion: population and economic burdens, vast lands in the West, and the weakened Indian resistance making them migrate to the West. The growth of population in the East grew dramatically that people started to notice how dense the areas had become. By 1820, the population had reached 9. 6 million. The increasing population was caused either naturally or through immigration. European immigration rapidly grew in the country, most of whom were Germans and Irish. The influx of Germans and Irish in the country was mainly due to liberal revolution that plagued Germany and potato famine that ravaged Ireland. Such migration to the country affected the population that some people started to pack up and look for a new home. Furthermore, the growing population also affected the economy of the region. The lands in the east were all occupied, with some becoming depleted already. This caused the settlers to find new agricultural lands. Their search led them to the west. Settling in the west, they started to cultivate the lands, raise families, created communities and institutions such as schools, churches, and stores. It served as the foundation for the formation of American society. Additionally, trading started to look up for the white settlers. Mexico, which controlled Texas and California at that time, proved to be a perfect opportunity for white settlers to move eastward. Mexico opened its trade and the white settlers grabbed it. They sold their trades at a low price and eventually were able to depose of the Mexicans and Indian traders in the area. They would also settle in the region, with some of the settlers marrying Indian and Mexican women. After the War of 1812, the federal government sought a policy that would move Indian tribes to the west. The government also created a â€Å"factor system† which provided the tribes with goods at a certain cost. This did not only help the Native Americans but also the government in transacting with them. In 1830, the Indian Removal Law was passed, which enabled the President to do land exchanges. Five tribes exchanged their lands in the east of Mississippi for lands in the west. The years that follow saw the rise of the Industrial revolution. The outburst in transportation, communication, and technology further helped the country’s expansion. The creation of the Erie Canal paved the way for the Canal Age. The construction proved to be valuable to the nation’s economy. It facilitated faster transfer of goods for merchants. Another breakthrough was the railroad system. By 1840, railroads replaced canals and were used not just for merchandise for but migration as well. This also contributed to the enlargement of the population of the country in the west. The settlement in the west opened up a lot of roads in the country- creation of new states, better economic opportunities, and enlarging the population of the country, which paved the way for the evolution of the American society. BIBLIOGRAPHY Brinkley, Alan. American History A Survey 11th ed. USA: McGraw-Hill, 2003. May, Ernest and Winthrop Jordan. The American People A History to 1877. Illinois: McDougal, Littell and Company, 1989.

English 101 Grit Essay

If â€Å"Grit†, as defined as a measure of perseverance and the way to achieve a long term goal to succeed in college, then who needs family support and resources? Angela Duckworth’s theory of ‘Grit’ is based on an area of psychology research that determines how to be successful in college. Duckworth’s theory argues that having ‘Grit’ or perseverance is the main force that will pull students through to complete college. While I believe Duckworth’s theory to be useful and that having â€Å"Grit† can be key to one’s success in college completion, I do believe that it is the backbone to many other traits and outside influences important to succeed in college. In the case of Donna Beegle’s Story, I think that Duckworth’s theory would be only somewhat useful to understand her success. In the article, â€Å"An Insider’s Perspective: The Donna Beegle Story,† Beegle tells her experience of overcoming extreme poverty and beating all odds and achieving a doctorate. During her road to success, Beegle had many outside influences that were the key to those achievements. She reached out to a Community Action Agency that really opened the doors for her and started a rippling effect towards key resources and influential people. First and foremost, the biggest stepping stone for her was when the agency connected her to the WIT (Women in Transition) program. Beegle states, â€Å"With an enormous amount of support from the WIT program staff and my family, I entered the community college to work on a two-year degree. (246) In addition to the WIT program, Beegle states, â€Å"The one thing that kept me from giving up was the â€Å"Section 8† public housing certificate from the Portland Housing Authority given to me by the WIT program. † (246) Beegle’s statement proves one of my points, that if it was not for that resource, she would have not have been â€Å"gritty† enough to continue her education. For people like Beegle, a GED was just not in the realm of capabilities for her, without those resources, she would not have been able to persevere to that point and beyond with her education. Secondly, let’s consider her family. Her family played a huge role to her success as well. Beegle’s parents watched her children while she attended college, and gave her the motivation and praise she needed to keep going. In addition Beegle’s brother Wayne provided an unusual and unexpected amount of support that led her to complete her two-year degree. Wayne was incarcerated for twelve years; during those years he had an endless amount of time to read and become something Beegle describes as â€Å"middle- class literate. †(248) It was her brother, who through letters back and forth between the two, helped her understand her assignments. Therefore, it’s her family’s support and help from her brother that allowed her to persevere. In addition to all of the resources and family support, Beegle was lucky to have crossed paths with a language specialist by the name of Dr. Bob Fulford. Fulford was the mentor in Beegle’s life that made a huge impact on her educational success. He went beyond his job as a professor of the university she attended, and really took the time to work with her and guide her through academic achievement and personal affairs. He also taught her how to write and corrected her speech. On top of that support from him, he also â€Å"linked her to a network of professionals in the community who continues to widen my range of possibilities. † (249) I believe Fulford’s guidance and encouragement were the key element to Beegle’s success. If it was not for him and other mentors like him believing in her and recognizing she was not â€Å"stupid†, she would not have the chance to better her education. For some people, Duckworth’s theory of ‘Grit’ and perseverance is just not enough to get a college student through to college completion. According to Beegle, â€Å"[m]entors, [m]iddle-[c]lass [l]anguage† (247) and people seeing her for where she was â€Å"[w]ere [k]eys to [m]y [e]ducational [s]uccess†. For me personally, if I did not have my family, financial aid and the Women’s Program at Highline Community College, I really don’t think I would be able to manage. Even if I had ‘Grit’, there are road blocks like child care and having affordable housing that make it possible for me to stay in college. In my experience, ‘grit’ has helped tremendously when combined with the other elements in my life. For example, I recently helped my mother move from her apartment she has been in for over 24 years, to her home she now owns. Between my brother and I and just a few friends, we spent weeks of packing, updating the new house and unpacking. It was ‘grit’ that helped me through doing this huge move while still making it to class every day, turning in all my homework, and acing two quizzes. I was determined to make school a priority over all the other important events that were going on around me. However, some might argue how ‘grit’ played a major role in Beegle’s and my own story, especially when faced with a big disadvantage such as poverty and severe lack of proper education and in my case, a single parent. They may say that the only way to overcome those obstacles is to persevere through it. It’s true that wanting an education and a better life is what will make someone become â€Å"gritty†. It is my ‘Grit’ that has helped me in my classes; there have been assignments that have made my eyes go cross and makes me feel like I just want to give up. But my inner grit comes out and I think of the long term and what I want for my daughter and I. It is those moments when I can say Duckworth’s theory is useful to my situation but not in the grand scheme of things. With grit alongside with these other elements, one can be successful. So in conclusion, I do think having ‘Grit’ plays a big part in one’s success to college completion or at least it is a great supporting factor. Do I think â€Å"All I need is Grit and I can get a degree? † No.  What I think is, grit can help through the hard times, when you feel like giving up, persevere through those obstacle and find another way to get to where you want to go. It is that inner quality of grittiness that will assist someone on their journey. Like Beegle states, â€Å"With subsidized housing, food stamps, mentoring from numerous people, and the support and encouragement of family and agencies, I was able to move forward and become educated. † (248) for me and others alike, ‘Grit’ is only one piece of the 500 piece puzzle.

The Aboriginal Experience †Struggles For Rights And Freedom

The Aboriginal Experience – Struggles For Rights And Freedom The Aboriginal Experience - Struggles For Rights And Freedom The Aboriginal Experience - Struggles For Rights And Freedom"Throughout the second half of the twentieth century many Aboriginal people have experienced struggles for rights and freedoms." The struggle for Aboriginal and Islander Land Rights is the longest-running political conflict in Australia's history. The issue of Aboriginal land rights in Australia has existed for over 200 years, and the process still has some way to go. Why is land so important to Aboriginal people's history and beliefs? They have maintained their fight for land justice against the odds, and despite a history of continued dispossession and alienation from land. Some significant areas of land and social rights have now been achieved. It wasn't until the passing of the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 and the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 that Indigenous people were not included as citizens of Australia, and could therefore not vote. When white Australia celebrated 150 years of settlement on January 26 1938, Aboriginal people in Sydney marked it as a Day of Mourning. Aboriginal Embassy and Mount Ainslie 29-10-06 They stated that there was little for Aboriginal people to celebrate, and mocked the claims of white Australians to be a "civilised, progressive, kindly and humane nation". During 1900-1950's, hardships for Aboriginals continued and their push for equal rights and freedom were meaningless to the government. This was shown with the government policy to take Aboriginal children from their families and place them in missions. Once there they would be given new identities and live in a harsh environment where they would be made to live in a 'White mans way' and forget their past culture. This would later be known as the Stolen Generation. The 1960s saw a lot of change; but most Aboriginal people in the early twenty-first century might argue that the changes have not achieved enough nor come...

Words linked to Alzheimers - Emphasis

Words linked to Alzheimers Words linked to Alzheimers Your words could say more about you than you realise. New research suggests that changes in vocabulary could be an early sign of Alzheimers disease. The study by scientists at Southampton university focuses on the speeches of former UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson. It supports the theory that he was suffering from the condition but never diagnosed. Writing in the Journal of Neurolinguistics, the universitys Dr Peter Garrard says hes detected a marked change in the words Wilson used in the months leading up to his unexpected resignation. It seems that Wilson stopped using his trademark broad vocabulary shortly before he resigned, relying instead on much simpler words. Dr Garrard has detected similar changes in the work of the author Iris Murdoch, who died of the disease in 1999. Short words more powerful The use of short words, of course, is not in itself an indicator of Alzheimers. Another famous prime minister and orator, Winston Churchill, favoured short words over long ones, as he felt they were more powerful. Our work with hundreds of the UKs top organisations over the last ten years suggests that overuse of long words may actually be a sign of under-confidence. Click here for details of our course on Writing high-impact speeches and presentations.

7 Examples of Valid Passive Construction

7 Examples of Valid Passive Construction 7 Examples of Valid Passive Construction 7 Examples of Valid Passive Construction By Mark Nichol One of the easiest principles of grammar to remember is to avoid the passive voice, or passive construction, but it’s just as essential to recall that this rule is not absolute. Passive construction has its place. Appropriate uses are described below. Passive constructions are those in which the acted-on noun, rather than the word(s) denoting the actor, is the subject of the sentence, as in the last sentence of the lead paragraph of this post. The well-founded prejudices against the passive include that such constructions are usually less concise than those organized in the active voice, that they obscure the identity of the actor, and that they upend traditional English syntax. But the passive voice is relevant in the following cases: 1. When the emphasis is on the acted-on, not the actor: â€Å"The message was conveyed by the courier.† 2. When the actor is not pertinent or is implied: â€Å"The defendant was found not guilty.† 3. When the actor cannot be identified: â€Å"The dog was poisoned.† 4. When the actor should not (or does not wish to) be identified: â€Å"Mistakes were made.† 5. When an extensive description of the actor follows the mention of the actor: â€Å"The alternative was suggested by John Smith, the consultant hired to analyze the problem and recommend solutions.† (The active construction, â€Å"John Smith, the consultant hired to analyze the problem and recommend solutions, suggested the alternative† changes the emphasis.) 6. When revealing the actor’s identity should be delayed: â€Å"The candelabra was moved by the only guest who had the opportunity during that time the professor!† 7. When the passive voice improves the rhetorical impact: â€Å"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"The Writing ProcessWords Often Misspelled Because of Double Letters

The Pros and Cons of Organ Donation the Giving and Receiving Research Paper

The Pros and Cons of Organ Donation the Giving and Receiving - Research Paper Example Adoption of unhealthy lifestyle practices has led to failure of organs in various individuals and the list of those who are on the receiving end out way the number of people who are on the donating end. In this paper, the emphasis will be on the benefits and cons of donating organs and receiving organs as donation. Body Benefits Various individuals have experienced failure of organ either due to their own ill practices or due to natural health deteriorating conditions. If these people are able to successfully obtain a transplant of their failed organs, they can obtain a second chance to live and continue to be operating in a productive manner by eradicating and solving their past mistakes. There are several organs that can be transplanted and research is being conducted to increase the number of tissues and organs that can be transplanted. Becoming a donor whether living or dead can be a satisfying experience as by donating one would not only be saving one life, he/she might even be bringing smiles to several faces associated with the person requiring a donation (Bramstedt, 2011, p.153). Donating organs after end of life can leave a satisfactory remark on a deceased individual’s family while they are in the grieving process. ... The people who should be considered as most deserving are those who have been waiting for several years. While making the decision from an ethical standpoint, one should decide whom to donate while taking into consideration the utilitarian rule of ethics. The utilitarian rule of ethics suggests that actions that result in the highest amount of benefits to the society should be considered over those actions that result in lower amount of benefits and higher amount of costs (Kanniyakonil, 2007, p.67). While keeping this view in mind, the organ should be donated to those who have high number of people dependant on them and the organ should be given to those who have more years available to live. Organs are even useful after life, they can be useful for those who are still alive. Keeping this in mind one can even opt to donate his/her organs after he/she dies. Costs Organ transplantation can have several benefits; similarly, there are several risks and costs associated with this procedur e. One of the major risks associated with organ transplantation is the procedure through which the organ is transplanted. Organ transplantation requires a major surgery for both the donor and the person who is on the receiving end. Any complications can arise during the procedure and these complications can result in lifelong impairments. Even if the surgery is completed successfully and without any complications, still the donor may face loss of productivity and absence from work, huge amount of pain during the operation and even during the recovery session and cost of medications that are required to assist in recovery. Although an individual has abundant amount of tissues and cells and he/she can share them to perform a good deed, but

Ancient Roman Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ancient Roman Architecture - Essay Example The Etruscans inspired the pedestal or podium below the early Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus in 509 B.C. The true arch may or may nit have come to Rome from Etruria, but both peoples often used the corbel arch and both liked decorative terra cotta. The Punic wars I and II, during the third century B.C., brought Rome into contact with Greek culture of southern Italy and Sicily; and with the conquest of Corinth, in 146 B.C., Rome subjugated Greece itself. From the Hellenistic and later Greeks, the Romans adopted the orders of architecture but modified them. They added a base to the Doric column and lightened its proportions to eight lower diameters in height. They joined the volutes of the Ionic capital with straight lines instead of the delicate Greek curves. The Corinthians was their favorite order. To the three Greek orders they added the Tuscan, a simplified version of the Structurally, the most important innovation of the Roman was the arch, which they used widely although they had not invented it. Next to the post and lintel, arch construction is historically of greatest importance. An arch is made of wedge-shaped stones that are arranged with the small side of the wedge turned down toward the opening. When the stones have been put in place by means of scaffolding or centering, their shape keeps them from falling, just like in the aqueduct of Segovia. Each stone of the arch, by its weight, exerts constant pressure on the stones an each side of it and the arch is held in position only by an exact balancing of these pressures. If that balance is upset, the arch collapses. As an old Arabic proverb has it â€Å"An arch never sleeps (The World Book Encyclopedia, p.640).†

Educational Biography Statement Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Educational Biography - Personal Statement Example The first lesson I learned in school was about authority. I learned that you did not question it. My parents were the type of parents that were always on the side of the school. They had a sort of conflicted relationship with public schools because they both had a difficult time in school. On the one hand, they recognized that the people in school were professionals and were there to teach me. They had a lot of trust in my individual teachers and always believed what they said. If I went home and said, â€Å"Mrs. Kershaw smacked my had with a ruler today!† they would ask me, â€Å"Well, what did you do?† They never questioned a teacher’s authority to discipline or teach me, so this taught me to listen and obey my teachers. On the other hand, my parents were almost paranoid about the institution of education. They were suspicious of the people at the very top. The superintendents, principals and specialists that ran the school and were responsible for the big pict ure were viewed as lazy and wasteful. Nothing they did was every OK with my parents. They railed against tax increases, curriculum changes and decisions about school safety. It took me a long time to realize that my parents were taking a stance against what they perceived as management (Cook, 1978). Both were laborers and they viewed my teachers as peers, but everyone else was management. I was in high school before I figured out why my parents were so supportive of the education system on the one hand, and so against it on the other. This was the beginning of my own conflicted feelings about schooling and education. By high school, I could see that my parents wanted me to get a college education so that I would be a part of a class of people that they mistrusted. I know that this sounds conflicted, but that’s my parents. They wanted me to be more secure than they were themselves, but their view was that the only way this could happen was to be something other than I was. Not quite fitting into a defined social position is not something new for me. From elementary, through middle and high school, I always felt that all of the students were strongly encouraged to fill a slot in a specified, existing group. Some students are academically inclined, others are athletes. Some students are compliant while others are rowdy troublemakers. There seemed to be a lot of either/or decisions that were expected of me in school that caused me to question what I was and what I really wanted out of life. Two of these incidences that were very powerful occurred when I was in elementary and high school. They both involved a conflict in scheduling that could have been resolved had the school not been trying to force me into a specified social construct. In elementary school, there were many activities that were commonly called pullouts by the teachers. Looking back, I realize that some of these pullouts were for students that struggled to learn, but others were and effort t o differentiate instruction for small groups of students (Tomlinson, 2005). I was identified as Gifted students, so one of my pullouts was a required class called Reach. I met with other Gifted students at this

Memorandum explaining the discussion of merits of Congress adopting a Term Paper

Memorandum explaining the discussion of merits of Congress adopting a federal Value Added Tax - Term Paper Example The SBT was developed in as early as 1975. The framework of SBT can be scrutinized to understand the practical implementation of the VAT scheme in American context. In the year 2008, SBT was repealed and replaced by another taxation framework called the Michigan Business Tax, which can be regarded as a form of continued VAT implementation. (Roberts, W. D. & Gell, M. B., 2010) At the federal level, the US Congress is trying to institute the VAT scheme since 1982. â€Å"Overall, the options have stressed that a broad-based consumption tax, such as a VAT, could raise large sums less easily than incremental increases in income tax rates, but with less loss of economic efficiency; that excise taxes on selected products could be raised to minor good effect; and that broadening the tax base could raise significant sums and improve economic efficiency.† (Reischauer, R. D., 1994) Current Proposals in Congress for Adoption of a Federal Value-Added Tax The US taxation system is based on a strong historical milieu, and the US Congress is aware of that. The historic Boston Tea Party, which took place prior to the War of American Independence, was related to the unfair tax schemes imposed by the then British rulers. However, the framework of the federal governance of the country remained under scrutiny and criticisms throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Income tax regulations have been a primary federal concern. The framework of the federal taxation system of America has not been without its problems (Adams, T. S., 1921). Too much dependence on income tax revenues may lead to serious economic problems. The Congress thus proposes to impose a value-added or national sales tax. The Congressional Budgetary Office (CBO) has been pointing at the revenue raising potential of a...The policy pros of the VAT scheme entail the reduction of the American economy’s too much dependence on the income tax revenues. In the United States, people with higher income have to pay a heavier income tax, which is regarded as unfair by many conservatives (Edwards, C., 2009). A strong revenue network through federal VAT can compensate the inequalities in the current income tax rates. More and more Democrats and other policy makers are focusing on the policy process in regard of VAT. According to them, VAT will provide the federal government with a reliable instrumentation to handle deficit and pay off the debts. John Podesta (who led President Obama’s transition team) thinks that the only way to stabilize and grip the troublesome debt situation is to reduce the hike in health care expenditures, reduce federal spending, and add new means to increase revenue input. The progressive value-added tax scheme appears to be a boon in this context. The policy cons of VAT scheme are rather numerous and thought provoking. The European experience of implementing the VAT is important. VAT is supposed to lower the taxes on profit and income.

Airline Deregulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Airline Deregulation - Essay Example Although the different airlines were competing on different levels the major airlines Delta, American and United airlines adopted the hub- and spoke system that entailed a shift in the route structure, so as to increase their bargaining power as a supplier. The intensity of competitive rivalry Competition between airlines are increased as more and more airlines joined the market ever since.The impact of the five components consists, Entry of new airlines This made the customers enjoy low pricing from the different carriers, making customers have a variety of airlines to choose from increasing the quality of services from the airlines. The major airlines had to do product differentiation so as to keep their clientele base by opting for a method called the hub. The government had to do a distribution in the routing of the airlines so as not to affect the original Airbus so much making adjustments in who the carriers should operate to what destinations. Due to the competition that the d eregulation enforced on the airlines, the major carriers opted for this FFP’s loyalty strategy. This was a way to win the trust and loyalty of their customers and to maintain their clientele base, they were rewarding their customer's free flights, if there could frequently be flying in their bus, this strategy brought about loyalty that was necessary to keep the hub operation going. Such products were able to put the big air companies on the market, increased their customer base and ensured sustainability of their business.

Memorandum explaining the discussion of merits of Congress adopting a Term Paper

Memorandum explaining the discussion of merits of Congress adopting a federal Value Added Tax - Term Paper Example The SBT was developed in as early as 1975. The framework of SBT can be scrutinized to understand the practical implementation of the VAT scheme in American context. In the year 2008, SBT was repealed and replaced by another taxation framework called the Michigan Business Tax, which can be regarded as a form of continued VAT implementation. (Roberts, W. D. & Gell, M. B., 2010) At the federal level, the US Congress is trying to institute the VAT scheme since 1982. â€Å"Overall, the options have stressed that a broad-based consumption tax, such as a VAT, could raise large sums less easily than incremental increases in income tax rates, but with less loss of economic efficiency; that excise taxes on selected products could be raised to minor good effect; and that broadening the tax base could raise significant sums and improve economic efficiency.† (Reischauer, R. D., 1994) Current Proposals in Congress for Adoption of a Federal Value-Added Tax The US taxation system is based on a strong historical milieu, and the US Congress is aware of that. The historic Boston Tea Party, which took place prior to the War of American Independence, was related to the unfair tax schemes imposed by the then British rulers. However, the framework of the federal governance of the country remained under scrutiny and criticisms throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Income tax regulations have been a primary federal concern. The framework of the federal taxation system of America has not been without its problems (Adams, T. S., 1921). Too much dependence on income tax revenues may lead to serious economic problems. The Congress thus proposes to impose a value-added or national sales tax. The Congressional Budgetary Office (CBO) has been pointing at the revenue raising potential of a...The policy pros of the VAT scheme entail the reduction of the American economy’s too much dependence on the income tax revenues. In the United States, people with higher income have to pay a heavier income tax, which is regarded as unfair by many conservatives (Edwards, C., 2009). A strong revenue network through federal VAT can compensate the inequalities in the current income tax rates. More and more Democrats and other policy makers are focusing on the policy process in regard of VAT. According to them, VAT will provide the federal government with a reliable instrumentation to handle deficit and pay off the debts. John Podesta (who led President Obama’s transition team) thinks that the only way to stabilize and grip the troublesome debt situation is to reduce the hike in health care expenditures, reduce federal spending, and add new means to increase revenue input. The progressive value-added tax scheme appears to be a boon in this context. The policy cons of VAT scheme are rather numerous and thought provoking. The European experience of implementing the VAT is important. VAT is supposed to lower the taxes on profit and income.

African Americans and the New South Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

African Americans and the New South - Essay Example America,as it was preparing to enter the 20th Century, was experiencing rapid change.The Civil War was over,reconstruction was complete and the nation had seen unequaled leaps of technology and industrial advancement in the last several decades of the 19th century.Wells took a radical stance is his position.He blamed the African American as much as the White population for perpetuating the inequality still remaining in the south.The violence and its increasing frequency and spread both west and north were in his mind precursors of what was to follow if African Americans sat quietly by and let it occur.Although he stopped short of an outright revolution,in his mind words alone would not bring about a change.The only people African Americans could rely on were themselves. Through meeting the violence and hatred head on was the only solution available. Although not standing by and letting the rest of the nation dictate what was best for African American people, Wells view was, in my opi nion, much to extreme and would alienate the supporters for Black equality among the general population. The extremist views, although not negating the horrors of lynching, would do more harm than good in drawing attention away from the brutality and focusing it on perceived hatred for Whites.Booker T. Washington's views stated that the newly won freedom from slavery brought with it desires to achieve immediate positions of power and importance. However, as natural as the tendency was to desire this, Washington stated that the initial joy of new found freedom was over and the work was truly to begin. This work was not found in African Americans seeking to make a new life elsewhere, nor was it in southern industry looking to the hordes of immigrants entering the United States. Instead Washington tells us to "cast down your bucket where you are." (38) His view expresses that white and black southern America are intertwined in their history, both knowing the other's strengths and weakn esses and working together was a business that lead to prosperity for both. The biggest mistakes African Americans could make, in his view, is expecting too much, too soon. He stresses that the important issues to improve the state of Black America is education and working hard at doing the best job possible, no matter your position in life. The attainment of higher things is found in the ability to start from where you are and work towards improvement through education, learning and reliance on one another. The last area that Washington stresses is the separation of Blacks and Whites socially. He uses, quite well, the metaphor of the hand and the fingers - connected yet separate. "In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress". (39) He proposes a business proposition that through mutual hard work and cooperation each race will grow and prosper as a united front. His position is logical and pragmatic not based on emotion but on a mutually beneficial business partnership. However, he warns us that if both continue on the path of exclusion and complaint the result will be ruinous for both races an almost implied threat. Turner offers a position totally opposed to Washington, whom he refers to, if not by name by his stance, when he states "that any black who claimed that African Americans did not want social equality immediately "is either an ignoramus, or is an advocate of the perpetual servility and degradation of his race" (42). Turner opens with what appears to be disdain for Black Americans when he opposes the notion that

Communication and crisis Essay Example for Free

Communication and crisis Essay The paper focuses on essential communication in the community crisis situation described in the provided scenario. The paper includes the following: The individuals or groups that will be communicating inside and outside the organization during this crisis situation Potential advantages and challenges associated with communicating within the organization and with the public and private sectors during this crisis situation Differences in communication processes used in crisis situations, including what you learned from the situations in the scenario and how you might incorporate that knowledge to improve health care communication strategies Appropriate technology, such as social media, affecting communication during the crisis situation and how these technologies may be used to enhance communication How technology might be used differently now than it was during the crisis situations described in the scenario Media opportunities during this management crisis The paper cites a minimum of three sources, one from the University Library and another from the course textbooks or Electronic Reserve Readings, to support the paper’s position. Additional Comments: The paper—including the title page, reference page, tables, and any appendices—is consistent with APA guidelines as directed by the facilitator. The paper is laid out with effective use of headings, font styles, and white space. Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed; spelling is correct.

Consolidation of City and County Government

Consolidation of City and County Government Most people have very busy lives, we own businesses, have families, and jobs. Running for a political office takes a lot of time and money and typically only the â€Å"rich† or â€Å"well off† have the disposable income, and time to run for a political office. Citizens do like to be involved in government to a certain extent, but typically only when issues strikes home with them such as smoking in public places, sexual predators in the neighborhoods, drug free school zones, etc. The fundamental difference between a mayor and a city manager is that mayors are elected officials and managers are not.A City manager is typically appointed by mayors and city councils on the basis of the manager’s background, education and past experience. Elected officials often expect that a manager’s decisions and actions will be guided by professionalism, ethical principles, and the will of the city council. A mayor is the â€Å"front man† on all local issues, they are expected to be aware of the issues facing them (city/county issues), and to be able to deal directly with these issues. For example, James Knowles is the Mayor of Ferguson, MO, Since the shooting death of Michael Brown the city of Ferguson has been subject to mass protests, hacking and looting. Knowles has pleaded with the looters to stop, has canceled protests, and told the media â€Å"We want people to have faith in the process.† Earlier he had defended the officers’ policing of the looting, saying â€Å"The officers did their best. They’re only human.† (heavy.com, 2014). A city manager has a somewhat varying role in government today. Some city managers envision themselves as policy managers; others see themselves as administrative managers, a prudent city manager should not wish to appear as a policymaker even if they are so inclined to be. A city manager oftentimes must roll with many of the city councils ideas as they depend on them to keep them in their position. Just a few years ago in my town, Jim Bourey, a city manager resigned due to may disagreements with the Greenville city council, Bourey said his resignations was forced. In this case, theres a comfort level that the manager needs to have and council needs to have with the manager, and that wasnt where they wanted to be. (foxcarolina.com, 2010). Mayors are free to engage in political activities, as it is required of them to represent their political affiliations; Mayors are elected because of their politics, even if/when they hold nonpartisan positions. Mayors are, in short, living examples of the local democracy at work. City managers are not free to be Republican or Democratic managers; City managers are required to represent the bureaucracy, and the decisions made by the elected mayor of their jurisdiction and city council. A City Manager that strays into the political arena lack the legitimacy endowed by an election, not to mention good survival instincts (weshare.cityofalbany.net, 2009) References: Politics in states and communities (Rev: 14): Pearson Education (10/15/2012) Dye, T. R., MacManus, S. A. heavy.com, www.heavy.com/news/2014/08/ferguson-mayor-james-knowles-michael-brown- shooting/, Accessed 26 December 2014 foxcarolina.com, www.foxcarolina.com/story/14756034/greenville-city-manager-jim-bourey-resigns-4-19-20 10#ixzz3MzB9QJmX, accessed 26 December 2014 weshare.cityofalbany.net, www.weshare.cityofalbany.net/2009/10/09/the-difference-between-mayors-and-city-managers/, Accessed December 26, 2014 After the end of the Second World War the United States experienced unprecedented population growth that to this day has shaped the social and political landscape of the country, and changed how and where many Americans live. Known as the baby boom, this population expansion took place between the years 1946 and 1964, with the peak occurring in 1957. The elevated birthrate, unparalleled in American history, added more than 50 million babies by the end of the 1950s. (countrystudies.us, 1998). And with this tremendous growth Americans developed their love affair with the automobile. Up until the Second World War many people had lived in cities with dense populations, after the war many wanted to have a piece of the â€Å"American Dream† and started moving in droves to what was once known as the countryside into what was becoming known as the suburb. Suburbs have grown incrementally since the end of the war, but the most significant works have been since the 1970’s. The suburbanization of American was primarily driven by two things, one that I previously mentioned being the motorcar and the second being the development of interstate highways and expressways. On June 29, 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The bill created a 41,000-mile â€Å"National System of Interstate and Defense Highways† that would, according to Eisenhower, eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, traffic jams and all of the other things that got in the way of â€Å"speedy, safe transcontinental travel.† At the same time, highway advocates argued, â€Å"in case of atomic attack on our key cities, the road net [would] permit quick evacuation of target areas.† For all of these reasons, the 1956 law declared that the construction of an elaborate expressway system was â€Å"essential to the national interest.†Ã‚  (history.com, 2014) Some of the governing issues that arose from the urbanization of the countryside were very basic in nature, such as how to police such a large area, typically there is the town police force that dealt with issues in town and did not stray too far from their assigned areas, this developed two new police force expansions one within the local sheriff’s department, by giving them a broader scope within the county they served as well as the growth of the state police department which had far superior jurisdiction statewide. Other issues of the suburban sprawl had to do with the provision of services such as electricity, water and sewage, as well as garbage collection and fire and rescue department’s expansion. (McManus, 2012, p421) In my humble opinion it seems that the best way to govern metropolitan areas is through a consolidation of the management system and services offered to the citizens of the city/county, as many of the services offered are fragmented at best, for example, in my hometown of Greenville, SC the city has a paid fire department and ambulance service that has 24/7 shifts and recently on the news they stated that the typical wait time for a 911 call response for either of those services was about 9 minutes, the flip side of this is that I live in the same county, but in the suburbs, there was an occurrence with one of my neighbors that required me to call for an ambulance, now we are a ways out of the city so we have a volunteer fire/rescue department, the response time for that call was over 20 minutes, granted it was a non-life threatening issue, but still required transport to the hospital. Would a centralized service have narrowed that time down, I don’t know, but I am sure that i f the service were centralized then the time could possibly have been shortened. Other examples of services offered by the city but not by the county are water sewer services, the city has a water service, the county does not, so my water comes from a well, is the water better from a well, maybe, but I still have to pay for the well to be dug, the water softener chemicals and if it were to go dry I would be out another $2000 to have a well dug. In this case it would cost the city to extend the water services 10 miles out of town and to provide the infrastructure to support it (pumping stations, etc.) that cost would obviously be supported by an increase in taxation, or the cost amortized over X amount of months in billing cycles, but I would not have the overriding concerns of a well running dry. I would support a consolidation of city and county services as I feel that in the long run it would be beneficial to all of the residents of the county and city regardless of what the actual service provided is. References: Politics in states and communities (Rev: 14): Pearson Education (10/15/2012) Dye, T. R., MacManus, S. A. countrystudies.us, www.countrystudies.us/united-states/history-114.htm, accessed 26 December 2014 history.com, www.history.com/topics/interstate-highway-system, accessed 26 December 2014

Scandals :: essays research papers

Contemporary society is always portrayed as a civilized society, in which the sense of democracy has come to woven throughout the fabric of our lives. Thanks to the mass media, the public has become more informed about what is happening in the world, from the political field such as the state and national government to the business area such as the international stock market. At the same time, people are paying more attention to the leaders. Some insist that since the major mission of the leaders is to lead the whole group to succeed in the intense competition, a leader should try every means to achieve his goal rather than care much about the ethic and morality. Those from the other camp hold a strong belief that to be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards. As far as I am concerned, I prefer the latter point of view. In the following discussion, I would like to present several evidences to support my standpoint. First and foremost, a public official with high ethical and moral standards will set a good example for the society as a whole which does good to the improvement of the morality of the public. From ancient times to the present world, the public leaders always serve as a focus of the ordinary that treat the words and actions of the leaders as a sign of right. So what and how the leaders say and do would produce a far-reaching effect on the public. A case in point is Gandhi, the greatest leader in Indian history. He led a simple and hard way of living all his life and never wasted even one coin, , and this encouraged all citizens of India to spare no effort to work hard for a better further of their country and no one pursued a luxury material life. This illustrates that a leader with high ethical and moral standards promote a good ethos in the society. Meanwhile, high ethical and moral standards embodied in the words and actions of a public official would help him or her to gain the trust and support of the public especially of his or her subordinates which make his or her policy to be implemented more effectively and efficiently. Take Mao Zedong, the founder of our new China for example: in the period of hardship, he advocated that all Chinese should tie up their belts and try every effort to go through this difficult time.

“Lord of the Flies” †novel by William Golding (1954) Essay

In this essay I will be comparing the three approaches to the incident of Piggy’s death. This is a very significant moment in the ‘Lord of the Flies’ and symbolises how outcasts are treated in a broken down society. I will be comparing the novel by William Golding, with the film by Peter Brook and the film by Harry Hook. The original book was written directly after World War 2, which had a great influence on how Golding decided to plan and write his book. The original book is the true ‘Lord of the Flies’, and the films are adaptations of the original novel. The film that was made in 1961 by Peter Brook was a very close interpretation of the original novel. The characters are the same, the setting is same, and the whole story loosely follows the same pattern as the book. Brook used thirty boys, aged eight to fourteen with non-acting backgrounds, as they all came from a randomly picked London school. He took them to an island off Puerto Rico for 3 months, in which time he filmed this masterpiece, which was ground breaking at the time and closely followed the book. It was original and daring, and was filmed in black and white with restricted amount of equipment. In contrast, the second film produced by Harry Hook in 1994, which was based on the same idea, but was set in different situations. The audience he was attracting needed much more action and adventure, which the old version doesn’t show and would probably be laughed at by Hook’s audience. The film needed to be original, which it was to his audience, but he cleverly used the book and the other film as a basis on which to build his ideas. The film, ‘Lord of the Flies’ by Harry Hook was filmed in colour, with American actors playing as army cadets with ‘mod cons’ such as army knives and watches. Changes such as including adults in the story and use of strong language add a twist to the original novel, and which isn’t portrayed in the 1961 version. It moves completely away from Golding’s original narrative, and his initial intentions. The opening shot is similar in the three versions of ‘Lord of the Flies’, but also has differences. The differences between the two films become evident at the opening of the scene. As the thundering waves are hurled against the sharp, jagged rocks with the darkness and savagery within them, the scene becomes clear. Brook turns to the boys walking along, you just know that something is going to happen. In the Peter Brook film, the coastline is the main feature, with the boys looking small, walking along. The faces of the boys are not so easy to depict until they get close enough. Ralph, Piggy and SamnEric, are looked down on by the camera, with the commanding rocks and the roaring sea all around. However, the boys don’t seem to be put off by this and look positive and intentional in their visit. In comparison, the Hook film shows the shot to be not so dark and suspicious, but more religious and sacrificial. The background noise of the crashing waves is substituted with choral singing. This time, we only see Ralph and Piggy approaching the rocks. Piggy is wearing full cadet uniform and appears not to be having problems with his sight. The boys are at the same level, and the darkness and savagery seems to be lost from this film. Both films have followed the idea of the book, Hook’s version more loosely than Brook’s film. Neither mentioned how much Ralph was injured or his ragged appearance as in the novel, â€Å"Ralph went first, limping a little, a spear carried over one shoulder.† The films left this out because it may well have not appealed to their audiences, as the hero doesn’t look perfect, especially with the later film. Hook also left out SamnEric in the advancing bunch. Golding, who wrote the original ‘Lord of the Flies’, starts this scene by retelling some of the plot. He reminds the reader how such a beautiful island has been effected by society, and how individuals can ruin things for everyone. â€Å"The sky and the mountain were at an immense distance, shimmering in the heat; and the reef was lifted by mirage, floating in a kind of silver pool half-way up the sky.† This little interlude reflects on the past, and will maybe add more impact to the incidents to come. Golding also mentions fire, which reminds the reader of how Jack stole the glasses off helpless Piggy, to use for their own comfort and as a aid for a cooking fire. The first sign of conflict between Jack and Ralph is when they meet. They start to argue and quarrel, and tension is built up within this period. This is the same with all three texts. Ralph intentions are clear as he approaches, but Jack wants none of it. In the novel, Golding has built up the tension with words he uses, â€Å"Ralph’s temper blazed out†. The sentences are short, and not very descriptive. The main feature of the scene, the fight, is portrayed similarly in all three texts. They attack each other vigorously, and the real conflict and anger between the two groups is apparent. In the film, by Brook, the camera can be used to aid the build up of tension as well as the dialogue. The short camera angles used reflect Goldings’ staccato language. The camera looks up to Jack, and down to Ralph. He appears in a definite commanding position. The camera follows Jacks face, which appears dark against the rock, and is hidden whenever Ralph speaks to hide his thoughts. He wears a mask to hide his face, which is savage and evil. Prior to the fight, the camera sways to Jacks barbarous face, with him holding his spear, with only the point showing. This shows the wildness and spite within Jack. This is shown similarly in the Hook film, but Jack doesn’t wear a mask, so we see more of his face. However, Hook has decided to use stronger language to convey the anger between the two boys. Hook chose similar camera movements and patterns to Brooks’ film, as they seemed to show the positions of the characters well and would appeal to his modern audience. Ralph and his gang are portrayed as the lower, weaker force, and Jacks rabble are shown as being in control. The main feature, the fight, is depicted equally in the three texts. Both sides seem angered, and in Hook’s film, the loss of society is also shown. Ralph, usually the well-balanced, even-tempered individual, is lowered to such means as fighting. On the other hand, that is Jacks usual way of settling things. Roger has a strong influence on Piggy’s death and plays a significant role, in all three interpretations of the ‘Lord of the Flies’. Roger is first introduced into the scene in the novel, when he starts to toss rocks at Ralph. His physical appearance is kept a secret and is only released when he pushes the lever, â€Å"Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.† Roger is introduced earlier on in Brook’s film. What we see of Roger is a godly figure, with his face outlined to the sky. Hook shows us a close up of Rogers’ face from below. He is painted with black paint around the eyes and mouth, which looks like deep hollows in which evil is to be found. He is a symbol of evil and power and as a slight grimace creeps along his face, the audience is shocked by this terrifying image. His intentions become clearer as the scene advances. A longer period of time is spent on him, so does the amount we see of him. When the camera shows us his hand going towards the lever, the anticipation is built up, with the climax of him releasing it with great force, pounding down onto Piggy’s head. Roger is not so well shown in Hooks film. Most of the time he is hidden by the cliff edge and the other savages, but once the stone is released, Rogers’ face is no longer mysterious, but is clear. This makes the audience feel suspicion and fear towards Roger. Piggy is the main character in the scene, and is based on the character first developed in Golding’s novel in both the book and the films. Piggy has similarities and differences in the films, but the main ‘feeling’ of Piggy’s character is conveyed quite well. In Peter Brooks film, Piggy is uneasy about the situation, poised on the steep rocks which seem to fall into hell. He is wearing full uniform, showing his intentions to keep rules. The camera is overhead, and makes us feel pity for Piggy who is helpless. In the build up to the death, the camera focuses on short close-up shots of Piggy’s face to show his hopelessness and anxiety. Piggys’ voice is blurred by the natural sounds of the roaring of the sea crashing against the rocks. Ralph forgets what he came for, and Piggy knows this. This has an effect on the audience to feel empathy for Piggy. Harry Hook has changed Piggy’s character, to fit his wants and his audiences wants. He doesn’t make Piggy as disabled as Brook does in his film. He allows Piggy to be able to see fairly well and able him to stand on the same level platform as Ralph. Piggy isn’t left out or forgotten during the fight, and can be seen in the shots of the fight, standing in the background. In the book, Piggy seems extremely scared and worried of what was about to happen as he clings onto the steep sided rock face. â€Å"‘Am I safe?’ quavered Piggy. ‘I feel awful-‘†. Brooks’ film is better on picking up on the idea that Piggy is supposed to be very disadvantaged. Piggy’s emotions are shown well in all three texts, as a close up in the film, or as strong description in the novel. The murder is the main feature in the scene we are studying. It has a strong impact on the audience in all of the texts and is transmitted differently in each. In the novel, Piggys death is compared to a pig after his death, which is rather ironic, â€Å"Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig’s after it has been killed.† The language used here is very severe and looks as thought Golding doesn’t really care about what has just happened to Piggy. After this there is a silence all around, until it is disturbed by a little speech between Jack and Ralph, followed by Jack throwing his spear at Ralph, which then leads him to run away, with spears coming at him from all directions. This isn’t shown in either of the films, and in Brooks’ film, nothing is said, and Ralph just flees. Brook has a lengthy build up to his death scene in his film. Hints are dropped all the time, with the camera continually looking at the rough sea and jagged rocks, then at Piggy’s confused face. Brook supports Golding’s language, with only a few minor changes. In the build up to the climax, the camera continually switches between Piggy and Roger, with longer shots to Roger as we get ever closer to the climax. Also, the noise of the jeering boys gets louder, and sounds more and more like air raid sirens, which adds to the effect of anticipation. This is obviously significant because it indicates the society the boys have just left, and shows the links to situations of which Golding has just witnessed before he wrote his novel, and of the tragedy of war. However, this is something that Brooks audience may not clearly remember so wouldn’t be so obvious in his film. The final shot of Roger is of him pushing down on the lever as with Golding’s novel. The face looks emotionless until the rock is released, when a wide, evil smirk smears across his face. The camera stays still to make Roger look as though he is pushing harder, as he moves out of the shot. We see the rock rolling down, and then we see Piggy’s viewpoint of the rock above, coming straight, bang down onto his head. Immediately as the rock hits Piggy, the jeering comes to a halt, and all is left is the roaring sounds of nature. All, including Jack seem shocked, but Roger is not. The camera switches between the characters showing their disbelief of that which Roger had just done. To end the lengthy scene, Brook has a shot of Ralph looking in commiseration down to Piggy. The camera is then just left still as Ralph scurries over the rocks. Harry Hook has changed the death scene in his film to suit his modern audience. Brook has kept close to the language with Piggy’s speech, and has only changed a few parts to suit more to his audience. In the shot where Roger releases the rock, the director shows the shot from Ralph’s point of view. As the rock falls, Ralph shouts â€Å"NO!† in a slow motion speech. Piggy is oblivious to the situation due to his eyesight. He says nothing, and just falls flat onto the rock and lies there in a pool of blood. This loosely follows the original text by Golding. Golding described how Piggy was knocked into the water and got washed away, whereas there was no sight of this in Hook’s film. â€Å"You’re not gonna get away with this† says Ralph after the death. Jack thinks logically and says that Ralph was on his own, which he most definitely was. The speaking is then terminated by the boys throwing stones at Ralph as he speeds away along the beach. All three versions of the ‘Lord of the Flies’ are interpreted differently, but use the same original story line written by William Golding. All are effective, but some are more so than the others. Personally, I think that Peter Brook directed the best film. This is because it was more appealing to the audience at that time, it was more successful and it follows the book much closer than the other film, which was directed by Harry Hook. However, I do like the book for the detail and originality within it. To me the text vividly describes the sights of horror and the dramatic feelings of loss and grief felt by the societies at this particular time of World War 2. At the time the book was written, which was just after the war, total communities had witnessed such devastation as was described in the book. They could relate directly to the savagery and the way the murder was committed in cold blood. I feel the book also cleverly puts the characters into stereotypes of the tim e, showing how certain communities and their structures can be so easily destroyed.

To The Hills of Kodaikanal

By Pranav R Kalathungal Last March, I, along with my whole family went for a trip to Kodaikanal. Though we travelled in a comfortable airbus, the journey felt very boring. After two hours, we started playing some games and suddenly things started to get interesting. The games and jokes along with some snacks elevated all our travel sick spirits. We had stared our journey the previous night at nine. After some hours of playful pranks and laughter, slowly everyone started getting drowsy and one by one people started nodding off to sleep. As the noise quietened down and the lights dimmed on the request of elderly people, and I too gradually settled down to sleep. What I saw the next morning when I opened my eyes, took my breath away. We were travelling on a road built into the side of a hill and were flanked by scenic mountains overflowing with luscious beauty on the other side. The scene was heavenly. I can still see the scene in my mind when I close my eyes. Through this heavenly path we reached a homely, beautiful, comfy cottage from where we had our breakfast. After a lovely and stomach filling breakfast, we started a tour of the place. We visited a garden so enriched with natural beauty, that it was paradise itself. The notoriously famous suicide point seemed to me, as if it was inviting people with its deadly beauty, into its treacherous depths. Hours seemed to pass away in minutes in this glorious land and suddenly it was time to go back. And so, thus ended a wonderful journey which will forever remain engraved in the canvass of my mind. I urge you, each and every one of my friends, to undertake a similar journey if you get a chance.

Daniel X: Demons and Druids

Daniel X: Demons and Druids Over two hundred thirty million copies of the Daniel X series have been sold worldwide. The author James Patterson wrote Daniel X: Demons and Druids in collaboration with Adam Sadler. The publishing date is July 2010. In the book, Daniel X is an alien hunter who is looking for number three on his alien list of outlaws, Phosphorius Beta. â€Å"Think of a million or so angry wolves-on fire, that’s a pretty good approximation of number three†, well that’s how Patterson puts it. The epic battle between alien hunter and fire has begun.I enjoyed Daniel X because of the author’s action and how he weaves myths and fiction into the story, but I disliked Patterson’s writing style and several other points of the book. James Patterson’s novels are known for full on action, and adrenalin. An example of action and adrenalin is when Daniel X is caught by alien number forty-three on the alien list of outlaws; he turns back time an d explodes number forty-three with a bomb. This is pure action because Daniel puts his life on the line to fulfill his mission to kill aliens.Another example of action and adrenalin is when Daniel X and his friends are get caught by vampirus sapiens. In the example of action and adrenalin, the action takes place when he transforms, but the adrenalin kicks in when the vampirus sapien loosened his grip on Daniel X’s hands. James Patterson excels at making abnormal events seem normal or regular. I liked how James Patterson placed Merlin the sorcerer and Arthur Pendragon in the story, and how he made Stonehenge, merely a monument a big part in his story. It is ironic that Patterson weaved Stonehenge, merlin, and druids together.When I think of druids I think of aliens or demons. Stories, Myths, and books say that druids built Stonehenge, but there isn’t any evidence that proves that they did. Druids are actually high priests of the Celts. The only reason why people believe that they built it is because they were alive during that time. Yet legend has it that merlin built Stonehenge. Merlin brought the stones to Salisbury Plain from Ireland. Sometime later there was a massacre of three hundred noble men and a memorial was needed. Merlin then moved Stonehenge to Britain to bury them.However in the book Merlin and his mentor help a group of people build Stonehenge. Even though James Patterson is a genius when it comes to Science fiction he still needs to work on writing his books. Even through James Patterson is a great author, I don’t always enjoy his books. Two things I didn’t like about the book, was that Patterson didn’t introduce well in the beginning and that he made the chapters too small. I expected him to explain Daniel X‘s history in the prologue so that the readers could understand things about his background and understand what he’s been through.Since, Patterson made the chapters in his book so small it real ly takes time to make or figure out what’s going to happen. If Patterson had made the chapters longer he would have had wasted less time trying to make a point, but the only difference would be that the book would be smaller. Patterson introduces Daniel X’s history in chapter nine; all the chapters in the book are small and even the epilogue has a small chapter. I loved the book because of all the action and adrenalin that James Patterson put in it, and the abnormal or irregular events that occurs , but I disliked the introduction and Patterson’s idea of short chapters.I enjoyed Daniel X because of the author’s action and how he weaves myths and fiction into the story, but I disliked Patterson’s writing style and several other points of the book. I’d recommend this book to preteens, I would give this book a three out of five, but if you are not satisfied, there are several other series that James Patterson has made. For example Maximum Ride, Witch and Wizard, Alex Cross and the Women’s murder club, and the rest of the Daniel X series.

The Rise of the European State and the Modern State Essay

The Rise of the European State and the Modern State - Essay Example According to Garner, Ferdinand and Lawson (2009), strong democracies have full fledged institutions that function to dispense the will of the people, effectively. Normally, strong democracies do not only boast of institutions that are fully functioning, but also institutions that discharge the will of the masses. These institutions may include public, nongovernmental and even private institutions, albeit emphasis is placed on public institutions. For this cause, institutions that make up the judiciary, the legislature and the executive are highly considered if they meet the threshold or not. For instance, an event that clearly epitomizes the democratic nature of strong judicial and legislative institutions in the US. Herein, although these institutions effectively and consistently discharge their duties as outlined in the US Constitutions, yet they did not arrogate themselves the authority to make marriage amendments without the involvement of the US citizens. Resultantly, to decide the fate of homosexual marriages in North Carolina, North Carolinians were extended the ultimate decision through voting, on May 8th, 2012. Thus, one can see that the strength of democratic institutions is not only hinged upon consistent and effective discharging of mandate, but also upon proximity of such initiatives to the will of the public. The will of the public is important herein since the legitimacy of these institutions and the government’s authority emanates from their closeness to public will.  ... Mostly, this weakness emanates from the absence of checks and balance and separation of powers. This absence denudates the effectiveness of these institutions by breeding external interference. In most cases, it is the head of the executive who does the interference. In weak states, important institutions such as electoral commissions and courts of law are unable to operate with autonomy, leading to spates of post-election violence and acts akin to crimes against humanity. Again, these states may be weak enough to be infiltrated by sectarian interests, instead of serving the interests of the majority or the people (Rotberg, 2003). States in the International Community That May Be Considered Just Too Weak To Continue Demanding Recognition One of the countries that aptly fit the class of weak states is Somalia. The weakness of Somalia is evidenced by its inability to provide public or social goods such as security, despite the fact that it has all the instruments of coercion (the priso n system, the police and the army). It is against this backdrop that large swathes of Somali land such as Jilib are still under the control of the Islamist organization, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahedeen (commonly known as al-Shabaab). The ineffectiveness of the country is also underscored by the facts that: the presence and operation of al-Shabaab form a parallel government to that of Transitional Somali Government; and that foreign terrorist cells such as al- Qaeda are sponsoring al-Shabaab’s presence and operations in Somalia. The latter is the case since terrorists are bent on destabilizing Somalia as a strategic point to expand to Africa. The same also exposes the vulnerability of the Somali government since it

Unit 4 a Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 4 a - Coursework Example The intensity of an ethical issue rests on the effect of a decision to the most number of people—or most number of stakeholders. The more stakeholders are concerned, the greater the scope which is to include the whole society, the more people to incorporate the decision which will determine its acceptability, thus determine its intensity as an ethical issue. In starting up with using an ethical decision-making framework, the stakeholders are first identified. The intensity of the ethical issue rests on the effect to most number of people, which is why it is one of the inputs to be considered. The system in which will determine the output or a decision will be determined by the interaction of the organizational factors and individual factors. For one, the individual factors will determine the values, interests and other personal factors that will influence his or her decision. Apart from these values, the context the organizational factors provide will guide as to what individual values will be acceptable in coming up with a decision. The pressure in order to conform to a higher set of values which is determined by the organizational factors will set the gears of the decision-making process. According to these larger set of values, which of an individual values is seen as more important to be emphasized and taken in consideration when coming up with a decision? The interaction of these will establish a system. The upcoming opportunity to an organization is seen to provide benefits to the organization. The opportunity is considered an input because of the benefits it can provide for the organization. With these benefits, the interests of different stakeholders will be determined, and up to what point an interest will be served by the benefit. As for the equality of the distribution of benefits to different stakeholders, this will be the result of interaction of the

Role of Theory in Human Resource Management Strategy Analysis Essay

Role of Theory in Human Resource Management Strategy Analysis - Essay Example The researcher states that the dynamic world is changing quickly. Thus, human resource management (as a part of organisation) needs to be prepared to deal with the impacts of the dynamic world. To formulate HR strategy, there is need to understand the consequence of globalisation, employee diversity, changing talent necessities, corporate rationalizing, total quality management, reengineering, the dependent personnel, regionalized work places, and employee participation. Developing and applying a comprehensive strategy is needed to remain competitive in this dynamic environment. A human resource strategy can help to strengthen the employee base of any organisation. Theory is a methodical combination of interdependent thoughts and philosophies which provides an outline about an important base of knowledge. Only scattered data is not helpful for analysing the human resource strategy, the observer must have knowledge regarding theory that can explain the relationship between variables. In the deepest form, theory can be regarded as a set of rules, a particle cabinet in which truths with respect to human resource strategy can be gathered. Management theory had evolved through the World War II and had been studied comprehensively later on. The industrial revolution had generated high demand of mass production, product specialisation and thus organisations started to look towards the employees as critical resources. There is need for strategic planning for managing the human resources for high productivity. ... There is need for strategic planning for managing the human resources for high productivity (Olum, 2004). The role of theory is vital for analysing the human resources. Theories are essential facts, and it elucidates the correlation among variables, usually independent and dependent variables. Theory has the capability to anticipate future difficulties which may occur in the organisation. In contrast to theory, techniques are the method of performing jobs. The techniques replicate the theories and these are the means of assisting managers to commence activities most efficiently. In the area of human resource management strategy, the role of theory is to deliver an understanding of organising significant and relevant management knowledge. For example, in devising strategy for effective culture in organisation, there are several theories which are interconnected and have an analytical worth for managers. The importance of theory in analysis of human resource management strategy can be gauged from the following: Theory can provide criteria about what is appropriate for employees in any organisation In human resource strategy, theory can enable to communicate effectively and therefore change into more difficult association Theory can help to learn about the fundamental concept of developing strategy and thus make easy to analyze them (Olum, 2004) Theories assist in understanding the dynamic nature of contemporary organizational environments. The HR strategy is made on the basis of theories. Human resource strategy is all about how an organisation can manage their human capital. This provides a basis for formulating strategy and developing packages for analysis. The human resource strategy is the

The 1920's And the American Dream Speech or Presentation

The 1920's And the American Dream - Speech or Presentation Example In the 1920s, the viewpoint of the American Dream focuses on personal success in life regardless of their origin and social status. According to this perspective, the most important thing is for an individual to work hard in attaining their goals. Reference to this can be drawn from the book â€Å"Advertising the American Dream: Making way for Modernity† by Marchand Roland. In this work, the author gives a description of a character in which case he feels this figure represents the quintessential 1920s person who is living the American Dream. The writer says that this man not only succeeds in the fast-paced, contemporary urban milieu of tall storied structures, taxicabs, and luxury driven people, but also perceives himself well-experienced in the latest moves in fashion, modern lingo as well as popular activities. The book’s relationship to the American Dream is seen in the number of times it talks about the Great Gatsby. On the contrary, any reader of the work cannot d eny the link between the writers definition of the man living the American Dream and the Portrayal of Jay Gatsby, who works his way from a humble background to become a millionaire (Marchand, 99). In the Great Gatsby, the protagonist epitomizes the issue of personal success. We see an individual who is financially successful as well as in the social status, ultimately creating a novel individual out of himself regardless of his underprivileged past life. It is however evident that all the wealth that Gatsby acquires associated with the American Dream eventually lead to its demise. Consumerism and Excess material Wealth The 1920s and the American Dream is marked by consumerism and acquisition of excess material wealth. This identifies the culture of wealthy Americans as seen in Gatsby. At any moment Gatsby finds the opportunity, she displays seen through the lurid style of outfit. She has a huge mansion in which case she organizes frequent parties to show off to the rest of the Ameri can populace how hard working she has become. The American Dream in the 1920s can as well be referred to in terms of Veblen’s work, â€Å"The Theory of the Leisure Class.† He points out that a person gaining and sustaining the admiration of men is not sufficient through controlled wealth and power (Fitzgerald, 140). According to Veblen, the wealth and power should be put into substantiation. Veblen who advocates for the idea of conspicuous consumption that precisely describes the events in the Great Gatsby is attempting to establish that individuals that emanate from humble backgrounds and attain wealth through their hard-work, try to destroy reverence and admiration by showing off through purchases. Houses shown in the Great Gatsby are conceivably the most evident indicators of the inexorable completion to proclaim personal status. This is because a majority of the rich try to outshine each other in the size and amenities of their homes. It can therefore

Market Research Report on printing industry Essay

Market Research Report on printing industry - Essay Example Print is used in business to create logo and advertisements to stand out in the market place. Companies often prefer their stationeries, be it business letters, pamphlets or catalogues to be customized and according to their requirements. This strategy of brand building is applied by all the companies. This is where the print industry enters the world of business related print products. In general market where print products are sold as leisure products, print industry has a strong hold. Products like Cards, customized stationeries, and craft products have given print industry a very distinct market to focus on. The print industry is also accredited for the production of lot of educational material. The print industry market is divided basically into three distinct market segments – Corporate sector, Gifts and Entertainment sector and educational sector. The print industry has witnessed gradual and steady growth, the demand for print products have increased considerably in the market. A lot of speculation had surrounded the print industry during the electronic media revolution. ... Identification of a Small and Medium Sized Enterprise The European market alone has 132,000 functioning business houses involved in printing industry. This comprises of 85% of SMEs. These SMEs have less than twenty employees each yet they are able to rake 105 billion EUR as annual turnover. The global printing market is dominated by the European printing companies. Most of the printing companies depending on their size are involved in export. Globally the printing market is very much static and not very dynamic in its growth. Most of these companies operating in printing industry are Small and Medium enterprises run by Entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs have creative bent and open a medium size businesses. However they do lack the expertise in operating the business aspect of the industry. Most of these companies have issues like resource sharing, creative differences and networking as major barriers towards growth. The SMEs also have to face fierce competition from players who are b etter established and are conglomerate in their operations. Finance becomes a huge criterion for these SMEs as expanding in new market especially in other countries requires a substantial capital. Internet and electronic media although has not been able to completely take over the print sector but does have some influence on the print industry. Thus, economy of scale and the fad of new media have made an impact on the growth of SMEs in print industry (Batgraphs, 2011, p.6) One of the most important aspects for the small and medium enterprises in the printing industry is the incorporation of recent technology in their operations. The introduction of advanced and improved tools in the area of printing has been very rapid.

Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods Essay Example for Free

Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods Essay Our ancestors first cultivated plants some ten thousand years ago. They domesticated animals later and then selectively bred both plants and animals to meet various requirements for human food. Humans discovered natural biological processes such as fermentation of fruits and grains to make wine and beer, and yeast for baking bread. Manipulation of foods is not a new story, therefore. The latest agricultural discovery uses genetic engineering technology to modify foods. Farmers and plant breeders have been changing crop plants to improve characteristics such as size, resistance to disease and taste. Plants which grow well, have a higher yield or taste better are selected and bred from. This is still the most widely used technique for developing new varieties of a crop, and is limited by natural barriers which stop different species of organisms from breeding with each other. Genetic modification is very different to these traditional plant breeding techniques. Genetic modification is the insertion of DNA from one organism to another, usually by molecular technologies. Genetically Modified Foods (GMF) are animals or plants that have had genetic modification. This changes the characteristics of the organism, or the way it grows and develops. Jim Maryanski from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, had the following to say in an interview published on the FDAs website. ?There are hundreds of new plant varieties introduced every year in the United States, and all have been genetically modified through traditional plant breeding techniquessuch as cross-fertilization of selected plantsto produce desired traits.? (Robin)Current and future GM products include:a)Food that can deliver vaccines bananas that produce hepatitis B vaccineb)More nutritious foods rice with increased iron and vitaminsc)Faster growing fish, fruit and nut treesd)Plants producing new plasticsIn so many respects, genetic modification is perfect for todays society. It would help agriculturalists overcome all headaches associated with growing large crops, and basically tailor the food growth industry to mass consumption by the general population. The famous frost-resistant tomato example is perfect in illustrating this point. With a tomato that resists frost, the season for growing them would be longer and therefore a farmer would be able to produce more tomatoes in one year than they were able to do in the past. Gene technology not only gives us the potential to select the exact characteristics we want in an organism, but it also enables us to cross species barriers. For example, we can take an insecticide-producing gene from a bacterium and insert it into a plant, making the plant resistant to insect attack. This new-found ability to cross species barriers is what makes gene technology such a powerful tool. Producing enough food for the worlds population without using up all the available land is an enormous challenge. One solution is to develop crops that yield more with fewer inputs; that are more resistant to diseases; that spoil less during storage and transport; that contain more useful nutrients; and that can grow in agricultural land that has been degraded. Gene technology gives us the potential to do this. Genetically modified foods have been available since the 1990s. The principal ingredients of GM foods currently available are derived from genetically modified soybean, maize and canola. The first commercially grown genetically modified food crop was a tomato created by Calgene called the FlavrSavr. Calgene submitted it to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for assessment in 1992; following the FDAs determination that the FlavrSavr was, in fact, a tomato, did not constitute a health hazard, and did not need to be labeled to indicate it was genetically modified, Calgene released it into the market in 1994, where it met with little public comment. Considered to have a poor flavor, it never sold well and was off the market by 1997. However, it had improved solids contents which made it an attractive new variety for canned tomatoes. Transgenic crops are grown commercially or in field trials in over 40 countries and on 6 continents. In 2000, about 109. 2 million acres (442,000 km? ) were planted with transgenic crops, the principal ones being herbicide- and insecticide-resistant soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola. Other crops grown commercially or field-tested are a sweet potato resistant to a US strain of a virus that affects one out of the more than 89 different varieties of sweet potato grown in Africa, rice with increased iron and vitamins such as golden rice, and a variety of plants able to survive extreme weather. Between 1996 and 2001, the total surface area of land cultivated with GMOs had increased by a factor of 30, from 17,000 km? (4. 2 million acres) to 520,000 km? (128 million acres). The value for 2002 was 145 million acres (587,000 km? ) and for 2003 was 167 million acres (676,000 km? ). Soybean crop represented 63% of total surface in 2001, maize 19%, cotton 13% and canola 5%. In 2004, the value was about 200 million acres (809,000 km? ) of which 2/3 were in the United States. In particular, Bt corn is widely grown, as are soybeans genetically designed to tolerate glyphosate herbicides. Future applications of GMOs include bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B, fish that mature more quickly, fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier, and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties. The next decade will see exponential progress in GM product development as researchers gain increasing and unprecedented access to genomic resources that are applicable to organisms beyond the scope of individual projects. Biologist Stephen Nottingham explains the risks of GMF:? Experimental trials with transgenic organisms are usually conducted strict regulations to minimize the potential spread of genetic material? Even given these regulations, however, no field trial can be said to be 100% secure. This was illustrated when flooding struck the American Midwest in July 1993 and an entire field of experimental insect-resistant maize was swept away in Iowa. ?once released accidentally into the environment, plant material may prove difficult to recover. (Bragi)Unique ecological risks have been associated with virus-resistant transgenic crop plants?leaving crops more vulnerable to virus attack and risking the spread of virus susceptibility to other plants. Genetically modified foods are unlikely to present direct risks to human health. There are two main areas of concern:a)The possibility of allergic reactions to genetically modified foods, andb) The possibility that bacteria living in the human gut may acquire resistance to antibiotics from marker genes present in transgenic plants. Proponents claim that a genetically-modified potato is as safe as one modified the old-fashioned way, through generations of selective breeding; biotechnology just gets the job done more quickly. Critics are concerned that mixing together genetic material from different species might produce unexpected allergic reactions in the person who eats or drinks it. For instance, if an individual consumer who is allergic to broccoli eats a banana that just happens to have a little broccoli DNA under the peel, that person might get sick. Some studies on animals indicate that consuming genetically-modified foods may cause allergic responses, compromise immune systems and inhibit organ growth, although no proven cases of widespread reactions have been definitively documented. Opponents of biotech foods want other questions answered, as well. Will re-engineering a plant or animal to serve a specific end, such as improving taste, decrease its nutritional value? Will consuming genetically-modified food products make a person more resistant to antibiotics, which are widely used to treat bacterial infections? Does consuming milk or meat from livestock that has been injected with growth hormones (a form of biotechnology that is different from genetic modification) subject consumers to early puberty, cancer, and other ailments? Since neither side has been able to provide definitive answers, the jury is still out on food safety; after all, genetic technology itself is barely decades old. So one can condense the issue into a single question: should we move forward with new technologies that might help provide higher crop yields, new and interesting types of food products, and more profits for the companies that own the technology; or play it safe and wait until we better understand the health and environmental consequences of manipulating life forms that took generations to develop? Multinational Corporations benefit because GMF can be very profitable. GMF have taken hold quickly because multinational corporations with the resources to make large financial investments in research and development can profit directly. Multinational companies can spread out the benefit and profit to many branches of their businesses. Many such corporations combine the following: an agrochemical company, a seed company, a pharmaceutical company, a food processing company and sometimes businesses involved with veterinary products. Developments in one part of the corporation can be used to sell products in another branch. Farmers benefit in the short term because they can grow and sell more crops with fewer problems due to weeds, pests, fungi or frost. The genetically modified seed is designed to resist these traditional enemies. Food processing companies benefit from a ready supply of raw food ingredients designed for specific processing needs. Genetically modified tomatoes and potatoes, for instance, have higher solid contents and yield more sauces and French fries. These foods take longer to ripen and rot. Thus less food is spoiled and more gets processed. Supermarkets benefit for the same reasons. The fresh produce lasts longer on the shelves and is more profitable. Consumers, to date, havent benefited. GMF have been developed for the convenience of the producer and processor. Yet they cost more to produce and the costs get passed along to the consumer. Eventually there will be some kind of designer novelty foods for shoppers to try. Nottingham adds that there are many other concerns including ethical questions involving animal welfare, whether DNA is actual life, and intellectual property rights and genetic resources from the Third World. (Bragi)The worlds poorest nations account for around 95. 7% of the worlds genetic resources. Traditional farming practices involve farmers retaining seeds, from the harvest of one years crop, for planting in the following year. This practice saves money on buying seed and in itself represents a continuous selection for yield and resistance to pests and diseases. However, with genetically modified seed, royalties are payable to the companies holding the patent for the seed. Under world trade agreement rulings, farmers have to make substantial royalty payments to multinational companies if they keep seed for replanting, even if the crop happens to be native to their particular country. Genetic engineering is a valuable new technology that can develop more plentiful and nutritious foods, with great potential benefits for humanity and the environment, and this new scientific discovery needs to be implemented as quickly as possible for humanitarian reasons. As with every new scientific technology, harmful side effects of genetic engineering are inevitable and great care should be taken in its implementation, including carefully controlled long-term tests on human health and environmental impacts. All genetically engineered foods have been thoroughly tested and demonstrated to be safe before they are released into the marketplace. However, this testing is typically conducted only on rats and other animals, by the companies involved. Very little of this research has been reviewed by independent scientists and then published in scientific journals. Genetically engineered foods are usually substantially equivalent to other foods, with no increased risk to human health, and no need for the lengthy and expensive human testing demanded of, for example, new food additives. However, the unpredictable disruptions in normal DNA functioning caused by genetic engineering can produce unanticipated and unknown side effects for human health, including unknown and unpredictable toxins and allergens, and these possibilities can only be definitively assessed through human testing. Genetic engineering is a scientific and technological process, and its evaluation and governmental regulation should be based on purely scientific and objective criteria. To have a purely scientific evaluation of genetically engineered foods, we need more science, especially human studies and environmental studies. Moreover, purely scientific assessment of genetic engineering ignores the fact that, for many people, food has cultural, ethical and religious dimensions that must also be considered. Alan McHughen, author of Pandoras Picnic Basket: The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods, in the introduction he states:Make no mistake: I am in favor of an orderly and appropriately regulated introduction of some GMOs into the environment and marketplace, and I adamantly oppose others. There are good reasons to ban certain products of genetic technology, and good reasons to allow, with management, certain others; some may require no extraordinary regulation at all. If your opinion differs from mine after reading this book, I hope you will be able to justify, if only to yourself, why we disagree. My philosophy is to be skeptical, be critical, even cynical of claims by business interests, government agencies, and activist groups. But also keep an open mind and then decide for yourself. (Internet 7)There? s no doubt that the GM food supply should be closely monitored and regulated, but that doesn? t mean it should all be banned. I believe that genetic engineering of plants, animals, and humans has much to offer as long as we are aware of potential benefits and side effects. And that? s true even for more traditional methods of farming, animal husbandry, and medicine. Work Sited:1. Cummings, Michael R. , and Williams S. Klug. Concepts of Genetics. New Delhi: Pearson Education, 2004. 2. Dubey, R. C. A Textbook of Biotechnology. New Delhi: S. Chand, 20063. Kumar, H. D. Modern Concepts of Biotechnology. New Delhi: Vikash Publishing House, 20034. Purohit, S. Agricultural Biotechnology. India: Agrobios, 20055. Purohit, S. Biotechnology: Fundamental and Applications. India: Agrobios, 2004Internet. Reference:1. Bragi, David. ?Food Savior Or Frankenfood? The Debate Over Genetically Modified Foods?. http://www. sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article. cgi? f=/gate/archive/2001/06/25/healthwatch. DTL2. Robbin, Adria. ?What Are We Eating http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/biology/b103/f00/web1/robbin. html3. Schultz, Norman. http://www. beyondintractability. org/essay/fact_finding_limits/. 4. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. http://www. wikipedia. org/wiki/genetic_engineering5. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. http://www. wikipedia. org/wiki/genetically_modified_food6.? Genetic Engineering: The Controversy?. http://www. genetic-id. com/prosncons/index. htm7. http://www. foodmuseum. com/issues. html.