Monday, September 30, 2019

Future MBA Cartoon Essay

Ambiguity: Friend or Foe Often times during our earlier years, we stumble upon ‘loopholes’ within our language. We then take these ‘loopholes’ and mend them to our advantage. These ‘loopholes’ that I am referring to are words that have many different meanings, however actions can also be grouped into this. Much like the cartoon, â€Å"Future MBA† illustrated by Mike Shapiro. In this cartoon you see two students sitting at their desks, both with paper and pencil on the desk. The teacher is standing in front of them and one can only be brought to the assumption that these children were either taking a test or doing an assignment that was meant to be finished solo. However, this cartoon depicts that these students did not follow those instructions by giving us the text, â€Å"We weren’t cheating. We were consulting.† With this text we are given that the children are looking for a way out of punishment by re-characterizing their obvious but ambiguous actions by altering what the teachers perception of it was with that of something that is not detestable, although rather questionable. Cheating is the sharing of answers or ideas that one person may have and is given to another. With the idea that there was no cheating or answer exchanging going on but rather discussing possible outcomes, or consulting in this case, these children are trying to po se the idea that they have done no wrong. This happens more often than you would think. Unfortunately, when these do occur it is not always in a less harmful situation such as a classroom setting over a test or assignment. This often happens in large business and even our government. Through the use of euphemisms you take a word that is particularly disliked and exchange it with a word that has more appeal. On the news for example when there are times of war and there are casualties. The word casualties take the place of saying â€Å"four women, seven children, and six men were killed’. It can be used in this scenario where emotions could get the better of the situation and cause an uproar. However, is this right? Has our language helped us or betrayed us by making it so easy to  cleverly deceive our minds from what is really going on? Then again, in situations it can help ease the pain of loosing a loved one, and explaining it to a child. For instance, instead of telling a child that their father was decapitated i n a car crash and is dead, we can tell the child that their father has passed away. In this case it is our ally. It is hard to determine whether something of this magnitude is beneficial or ultimately malicious. I can see both sides of this, but you cannot get rid of one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin. The only thing I can leave with you is that you cannot have the use of one without the other. However, I can tell you that you have to choose how to use this. Personally, I choose to use this for the greater good not to deceive others or try to confuse them about what is really going on. Works Cited Shapiro, Mike. â€Å"Future MBA† Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Pearson Education, Inc, 2008.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Elie Wiesel: a survivor of the Holocaust Essay

As a survivor of the inhumane, annihilating Holocaust, Elie Wiesel once said, â€Å"Having survived by chance, I was duty–bound to give meaning to my survival.†(â€Å"Having Survived†1). Elie Wiesel did not know at the time that he had a reason for surviving this tragedy, but soon realized that he survived to offer a story and message about the horrors of that time to a world that often seemed to block it out completely and forget (â€Å"Having Survived†1).To spread his message to the world, which is one of peace, redemption, and human nobleness, Wiesel speaks all over the world as a public orator. (â€Å"Elie Wiesel† 3). Elie Wiesel, an influential speaker and writer of the 1940s to present times, helped to render a further understanding of the abomination of The Holocaust through eloquence and deep thought, elaborate actions, and most of all, his strong traditional values. Elie Wiesel, a strong, courageous man, was subject to onerous acts in his childhood, yet in his present day, he discusses topics, such as hatred, all around the world with teenagers and adults(â€Å"Having Survived† 1). Born in Sighet, Transylvania on September 30, 1928, Wiesel lived an unexampled childhood(Berenbaum 2). In a lecture, he once said, â€Å"When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy.. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion or political views, that place must–at the moment– become the center of the universe†(â€Å"Having Survived† 4). This quote symbolizes Wiesel’s view of the treacherous Holocaust, an event that changed mankind(â€Å"Having Survived† 4). As conditions of living began to change around Europe, 15 year old Wiesel’s life took a 360 degree turn for the worse when he and his family were taken to one of the many concentration camps set up by the NAZI leaders, at Birkenau and Auschwitz(Berenbaum 2). Wiesel was kept at this camp until January 1945, when at that point, he was sent with thousands of other Jewish prisoners to Buchenwald in a forced death march which was designed to kill the remaining prisoners, but ended up getting saved by the Allies(Berenbaum 2). When the war finally ended, Wiesel decided to go to secondary school in France and broaden his skills, where he studied journalism and began working for an Israeli newspaper, which helped him develop the expressiveness he has today(Berenbaum 2). Determined to get his message to the world, Wiesel began to write books about his experiences, such as his most famous work, Night, which is known today as one of the most  influential books of Holocaust literature(â €Å"Elie Wiesel†2). In this novel, Wiesel used his own experiences and memories while imprisoned to bring to life another character(â€Å"Elie Wiesel† 2). This character was a vehicle for Wiesel to express his feelings of sadness and despair because he survived, when others did not(â€Å"Elie Wiesel† 2). After the fame of his novel, Wiesel became a professor of humanities at Boston University in 1976, and began to speak to students about the struggles our world overcame(â€Å"Having Survived† 3). In a class, he once wisely said, â€Å"Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future† (â€Å"Without memory† 1). Wiesel wanted to stress the idea that without memory of what happened before, the future is doomed to make the same mistakes; accordingly, Wiesel was educated in sacred Jewish texts as a child, which he spoke about often(Berenbaum 2). When Wiesel began to travel and speak to keep the memories of his experi ences relevant, he became recognized worldwide and in 1986, became a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work and speech on behalf of victims, families and people everywhere(â€Å"Having Survived† 4). Wiesel used the money from the Nobel Prize to found the Elie Wiesel Foundations for Humanity in the late 80s and early 90s(â€Å"Having Survived† 4). His foundation sponsors essay contests for college and high school students and gathers well-known people together from all over the world as one to discuss and debate many different kinds of topics such as prejudice and bias(â€Å"Having Survived 4†). Even today, Wiesel continues to travel in his old age and speak out against brutality and injustice, he has written over three dozen books(and has been the subject of at least two dozen), but even after he leaves this world his legacy will live on as being truly strong and brave(â€Å"Having Survived† 4). Wiesel originally represented just one of the victims of the problem our world faced in the 1930’s to 40’s(Koestler-Grack timeline). During this time, the people of Sighet, Transylvania happened to be improvident to what was occurring in the world. In a lecture, Elie Wiesel stated, â€Å"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest,† which is ultimately what the people of this time were going to be forced to do(â€Å"There may† 1). This problem served as a major political issue, though the results were social. When Hitler rose to power in 1933, nobody knew or even thought that his dictatorship would lead to the deaths of over  fifty million people(â€Å"When Adolf† 1). In 1939, Germany sparked World War II with the invasion of Poland, and Hitler developed his desire for power(Koestler-Grack timeline). His â€Å"ethnic cleansings,† also known as genocide, led to what we know as â€Å"The Holocaust,† which occurred between 1933-1945(â€Å"Having Survived† 2). With the help of Hitler’s Nazi association, Germany systematically and slowly murdered millions of innocent people, like Jews and Gypsies(â€Å"Having Survived† 2). The Nazis’ overall plan was to take control of the majority of Europe and wipe out all of the European Jews in existence so he could bring out his new race of all blonde-haired, blue eyed citizens(â€Å"Having Survived†1). In the spring of 1944, the people of Sighet had their lives changed forever with the arrival of Adolf Eichmann to their town(â€Å"Having Survived† 2). Eichmann, the man who made all of the killing happen with his German policy, wrote that Jews in conquered countries could be taken without consent to concentration camps where people who held the title â€Å"enemies of the state† remained hostage and often ended up killed(â€Å"Having Survived† 2). Eichmann had orders from Hitler to extinguish an estimated 600,000 Romanian Jews in six weeks or less(â€Å" Having Survived† 2). By the end of those six weeks, the entire population of 15,000 Jews in Sighet were taken to camps, and Elie Wiesel contributed to that population(â€Å"Having Survived† 2). After surviving the war and the devastation, Elie knew that he had to make his voice heard about the horrors and his experiences; consequently, nobody in the world seemed to want to accept the fact that it had happened.(â€Å"Having Survived† 3). As he travels around the world today, he constantly says, â€Å"No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.†(â€Å"No Human† 1). Elie uses his skills as a speaker and orator to make the tragedy and truth known, for he brings out empathy for injustice during the process. As a social activist, through his writing and his speech, Wiesel used his work to solicit for Jews and for all of humanity(â€Å"Berenbaum 3). Wiesel survived, and uses his experiences to make the facts known so we never face a problem like this one again; moreover, his works speak of the need for people to feel compassion and gratitude for other human beings(â€Å"Having Survive d†3). When Wiesel speaks, he constantly says the same thing again and again: There is no compensation for what happened {in The Holocaust}. But at least a certain balance can be established that opposing fear there is hope, hope that when we remember the fear..  our memory becomes a shield for the future  (â€Å"Elie Wiesel† 3). Wiesel firmly believes that the efforts he has made and the efforts that others have made to keep the education of The Holocaust alive will prevent a devastation of that kind from happening again(â€Å"Elie Wiesel† 3). His silence originally broke in the mid 1950s in an interview with Francois Mauriac, who was a novelist(â€Å"Having Survived† 2).While listening to his story, Mauriac felt moved and ultimately urged Wiesel to speak out and tell the world what he had seen and heard(â€Å"Having Survived† 2). Elie Wiesel serves as a major public orator and influential writer(Berenbaum 3). In addition to his writings and speeches regarding the persecution of the Jews, both in the past and in the present, Wiesel has made an effort to speak out on behalf of all races, genders, religions and national origins that have been persecuted(â€Å"Elie Wiesel† 4). As a result and for times yet to come, Wiesel has been quoted saying, â€Å"There I am an optimist. I think it cannot happen again. I think the Holocaust was a unique event, therefore it will remain unique.†(â€Å"Elie Wiesel† 4). In 1978, Wiesel was asked by U.S President Jimmy Carter to be the head of his group that became known as the U.S Holocaust Memorial Council, which met with European officials to find information about other victims, visited concentration camps, and was responsible for the creation of the U.S Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C(â€Å"Having Survived† 4). Elie Wiesel’s words and novels act as a palliative to those who were subject to this historical event, and his words will continue to live on as a reminder in history. Through inspiration and eloquent speech and writing, Elie Wiesel continues to discern the disloyalty and cruelty of The Holocaust. Proudly, Wiesel travels the world giving life lectures, which have impacted and influenced the lives of many. His experiences help America, as an international unit, to prevent events like The Holocaust from repeating. As the years pass, Wiesel ages, yet his legacy will continue throughout the future generations.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Literary analysis paper from a historical perspective Essay

Literary analysis paper from a historical perspective - Essay Example Words used in the literary pieces also give away the race and perhaps the gender of the author as will be seen in this paper on the analysis of two of Langston Hughes’ poems. As a Harlem Renaissance writer, Hughes had his own taste of the bitter pill of racial discrimination in the field he had chosen where black poets were given few if not no chance at all for their works to be published (Hutchinson, 1995). As his people were fighting for equal rights as their white counterparts, Hughes definitely experienced the difficulties of such a situation; not to mention the troubles he met in his personal life. Hughes’ parents separated after his birth and he lived in several cities as a result of his mother transferring from one city to another to find a job. After high school, he went to live with his father who became a successful cattle rancher in Mexico, escaping the racism in the north where the young writer went back home after one year (. His works are reminiscent of su ch facts, picturing his life and background. Dream Deferred depicts the hopelessness brought about by weariness when a dream is postponed. Being recognized among the great poets in his time, Hughes most probably did not just speak for his own dreams but the ideals of his people as well.

Friday, September 27, 2019

International Operational And Logistical Strategies Essay

International Operational And Logistical Strategies - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that total quality management encompasses combined management effort to improve and advance the quality of the company’s products at all levels. It has to do with meeting the customers’ quality expectation. Total quality management aids at improving effectiveness, flexibility, and effectiveness of an organization to meet the needs and expectation of all involved stakeholders. It facilitates planning and organizing to understand the contribution of all involved stakeholders. The frequently wasted energy and effort is eliminated through concrete and effective planning and organization. In total quality management, the leaders’ works on productive strategies of ensuring quality service management and total elimination of the detected problems and shortcomings. The ideology of total quality management accesses the management capability of managing people and business processes to meet customers’ quality expectation. Businesses provide the best outcome in satisfying the customers need through a well working combination of the total quality management and effective organization leadership. The guiding principle behind total quality management is suppliers-customer interface. The interface should be functional in internal level and in external level. Total commitment to quality is very essential in achieving the desired customer quality. To achieve the expectation of the total quality management ideology, frequent transmission of the quality messages together with the need and desire to change the culture of an organization for quality advancement are very fetal and necessary. The three main elements in total quality management are people, process, and systems available in the organization (Jarrett 2006, p. 57) In total quality management, the term quality refers to meeting fully the needs and expectations of the organizations’ customers. The component of quality in total quality management includes; reliability, maintenance, availability appearance, performance, delivery, cost effectiveness, and delivery. The understanding of the organization on all this needs necessitate total quality management (Joseph 2008, p. 50). After comprehensive understanding of the customer’s needs, the organization must strategize on the best means of achieving them for the sake of the customers (Slack, Chambers, Johnston, 2010, p. 19). The initial stage in achieving the quality expectation of the customer is conducting market research. Research helps in understanding the actual and real needs of the customers. The collected finding should be communicated to all relevant organization departments. For an organization to effectively meet the expectation of its customers, the involved stakeholders, department, activities must be integrated. The organization changes should also be based on customers’ satisfaction. Proper integration of all interfaces is very necessary in achievin g total quality organization (Zimmerman, 2006, p. 23). To meet the reality of total quality management, the process of transformation must start from the top. Senior managers must have the will and desire to achieve quality in the organization service delivery. They must demonstrate their total commitment and will of offering quality services to their customers. The operational managers must follow the suit of their seniors (Harrison and van Hoek, 2008, p. 87). Communication on the need and commitment to quality service delivery is also very relevant and demanding. The principles, ideologies, and benefits of total quality management must be communicated and understood by all playing partners. Frequent interaction and consultation in the organization is the real way of developing the required quality attitude and perception among the organization workers. The other core requirement in the total quality man

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Managing and Leading Strategic Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing and Leading Strategic Change - Essay Example to the company (and later taking on the post of COO and President whereas Bethune would remain the CEO and Chairman), introduced a â€Å"Go Forward Plan† which had four parts, aimed at putting the company back on track in 1995. The four pats were the market plan: â€Å"Fly to Win, The Financial Plan: Fund the Future, The Product Plan: Make Reliability a Reality, The People Plan: Working Together.† The plan was to implement all these changes simultaneously, since they would create a multiplier effect (Hartley, pp. 78-84, 2010). Implementation and Leading this Strategic Change (Go Forward Plan) Bethune knew that despite this plan was approved by board of directors with all the trust, confidence and enthusiasm, employees would view this plan with all possible suspicion and mistrust. Therefore, the first thing, which Bethune did, was to open the doors of the executive lounge of Continental, which had been protected from any visitors since many years like some castle. Employ ees now need only to show their IDs and gain entrance into Bethune’s office. After opening the doors for employees, Bethune initiated a new ritual of arranging open houses at the end of each month at the Houston headquarters. Just to ensure that employees feel comfortable around executive, the concept of causal Fridays came into being, except for the employees who had direct dealings with customers (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, pp. 284-285, 2008). One of the previous managements of Continental had tried to repaint all the planes but failed to complete the same due to limited financing and immense pressure for cost cutting. As of late 1994, the planes were in the same condition, not painted uniformly. Bethune felt that repainting the planes would send a message of revival, newness, and better operations to the... Managing and Leading Strategic Change Since 1983, nine different CEOs who came in with the slogan of change, tried their luck and as the figures show, they were not very successful. Not only the company was in trouble from the financial side but as it has been mentioned above, that the company was surrounded by trouble from all directions. High turnover, infighting between employees and departments, employee absences, use of sick time, customer complaints, and highest number of mishandled baggage reports, ranking last in terms of on time arrival and others would just be a glance at the terrible conditions in which â€Å"Continental Airlines† was still somehow surviving. It was in February 1994, when Gordon Bethune took the charge of the company as the Chief Operating Officer and President and later in that year as the CEO as well, he knew that the company needed a hardcore strategic change and strong implementation of that change as well. Quite understandably, it was his responsibility to do the same. Important here to note is that the whole change process that Bethune implemented at Continental was in line with eight steps of change presented by John Kotter, professor of leadership at Harvard Business Review in Boston. This is one those strategic change implementation models, which has been praised and acclaimed by many different authors in their writings and analysis. Let us a have a brief analysis of the same. Kotter’s first step is about creating urgency for change.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Positron Emission Tomography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Positron Emission Tomography - Essay Example The nucleus of an atom has nucleons and the protons collectively known as nucleon. The mass number is the total number of nucleons present in a nucleus. A nuclide has the following composition, Atomic number denoted by Z, the neutron number denoted by N and the mass number denoted by A. isotopes are atomic species having identical properties in chemical composition (Z) but different mass numbers (A). The atom’s outermost orbital electrons are involved in the chemical reactions and the chemical behavior will not change when the compound is labeled with radioactive isotope. In addition, the nuclear radioactive characteristics are not affected by the chemical composition of the atom. When a small volume of a system comprises of numerous particles that are confined together, then the system becomes unstable. An unstable nucleus then becomes stable by transforming itself through emission of particles and photons. This process is what is termed as radioactive decay, and when the nuc lides undergo through a similar process, it is called radionuclide. The radioactivity studies form the basis to understand the atomic nucleus. Initial unstable nucleus in the decay of radioactive nuclides is known as the parent and daughter is the final nucleus that is more

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

General Taxes Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

General Taxes - Coursework Example The holiday excludes all taxpayers regardless of their wealth. The budget of these households (the wealthiest) is more flexible and they can effortlessly time their purchases in order to take advantage of the limited-time offering (Sirot, 2011). North Carolina state administration has failed to collect enough revenues to support its collective commitment to educating the children, protecting the neighborhoods and supporting the elders. The big challenge is that the revenue collected by the state is from those who have the least capability to pay (Sirot, 2011). The sales tax produces nearly a third of the North Carolina’s revenues. However, the sales tax holiday leads in a loss of close to $12 million per year; this is the money that can fund early childhood education or enhance the educational attainment level of North Carolina young workforce. The sales tax holiday undermines the capability of the revenue system to offer support to the shared investments (Sirot,

Monday, September 23, 2019

Analyzing Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing Popular Culture - Essay Example Although this trend was not suitable for occasions in the past, it has been taken up by stylish people and stars all over the world and has become trendy and â€Å"chic† in the year 2014 ("Farewell to Faux Fashion." 23). Unlike the thoughts of many, the thesis of this paper is that ripped jeans can look good in many different forms and different styles of dressing. The ripped jeans can be dressed up or down, in different styles as either short or long, or even oversize or skinny, but still maintain its goodness in the different styles. A great challenge comes in trying to maintain the comfort while at the same time aiming at portraying an effortlessly pulled together distressed jeans ("Fashion Trends; Ripped Jeans." n.d.). Ripped jeans are a style of denim jeans that features tears and ripped parts which may include the knees, thigh, elbow and many others. Some think of ripped jeans as a sign of overuse. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, glam metal artists and rock and roll punk artists had begun to appear on stage wearing ripped jeans, in an attempt to create a casual punk statement. A good example is the American Poison band for glam metal music back in the 1980s were known for their ripped jeans fashion. After that, the popularity of the ripped jeans began to increase until it attracted designers and teenage fans. In the past couple of years, we began to find ripped jeans in almost all the designer brands and stores. Those who wear ripped jeans were no longer considered shabby. They are instead considered chic and stylish. Even celebrities such as, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Kendall Jenner who are popular musicians seem to love them, and wear them on a regular basis especially during stage performance s. Various controversies have existed about this kind of fashion. Some people have usually had a thought that ripped jeans has no place in the fashion. The

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Public health international perceptives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Public health international perceptives - Essay Example The foundation of public health as advanced by the Canadian government and societies agitate for a healthy society and its people; under the Ottawa charter for health promotion, health promotion is defined as the continuous effort to achieve health for the society. This effort supersedes the basic desires of making health information available to the public, and involves the empowerment of citizens to control their health and to work towards improving their health. In the promotion of public health, the Canadian government has ensured continuous focus on the entire population and sub-populations that may share health problem or concerns. This is based under the ‘population of interest’ and the ‘population at risk’ policy (Taske et al, 2005). In the implementation of the public health promotion program, the Canadian government has established bodies that conduct annual and regular assessments of the health status of the entire population. This is carried out through a community health assessment process facilitated by community health organizations and workers. Public health also has major determinants that must consider in any program that seeks to promote and raise the standards of public health. The public health agency of Canada has a broad classification of health determinants that provides guidance to any process that seeks to uplift the health of the population. The health contributing factors include the income and social status of the population and the presence of social support networks; in addition, education and literacy level of the population are parameters of public health. The social environment, employment status, physical environment and personal health practices are also important health determinants that shape any public health promotion program in the country (Hills, 2004). Primary prevention of new infections is an important public health variable that must also be considered before initiating any health promotion programs. This is well defined and coordinated in Canada under the public health promotion acts. In primary prevention, the source of the infection is dealt with well before any threat of infection is reported. This prevents any infection from occurring and helps in the reduction of health and social inequalities in the society. The development of public health across the world was a continual process that was facilitated majorly by the high level of new diseases that were affecting the entire population. Diseases such as tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and a number of other highly contagious diseases necessitated the intervention of different governments. The development of public health in Canada occurred in a well coordinated and progressive manner necessitated again by the high emergence of new infections and endemics. The country today has legal bodies that are mandated to ensure the promotion health and the prevention of diseases (ACPHHS, 2005). The co untry has a number of measures that it has adopted over the years to ensure public health promotion and development in the country. To achieve the mandates set forward for these institutions, the public health sectors of Canada have also initiated a number of partnership programs aimed towards ensuring the high cost of maintaining a healthy society and country is shared. The major players

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Plot Summary Catch Me If You Can Essay Example for Free

Plot Summary Catch Me If You Can Essay In 1963, teen-aged Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) lives New Rochelle, New York with his father Frank Abagnale, Sr. (Christopher Walken), and French mother Paula (Nathalie Baye). When Frank Sr. is denied a business loan at Chase Manhattan Bank due to unspecified difficulties with the IRS, the family is forced to move from their large home to a small apartment. Paula carries on an affair with Jack (James Brolin), a friend of her husband. Meanwhile, Frank poses as a substitute teacher in his French class. Franks parents file for divorce, and Frank runs away. When he runs out of money, he begins to rely on confidence scams to get by. Soon, Franks cons grow bolder and he even impersonates an airline pilot. He forges Pan Am payroll checks and succeeds in stealing over $2. 8 million. Meanwhile, Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), an FBI bank fraud agent, begins to track down Frank. Carl and Frank meet in a hotel, where Frank convinces Carl his name is Barry Allen of the Secret Service. Frank leaves, Carl angrily realizing his mistake just as it is too late. Later, at Christmas, Carl is still working when Frank calls him, attempting to apologize for duping Carl. Carl rejects his apology and tells him he will soon be caught, but laughs when he realizes Frank actually called him because he has no one else to talk to. Frank hangs up, and Carl continues to investigate, suddenly realizing (thanks to a waiter) that the name Barry Allen is from the Flash comic books and that Frank is just a teenager. Frank, meanwhile, has not only changed to becoming a doctor and a lawyer, but has fallen in love with Brenda (Amy Adams), to whom he eventually admits the truth about himself and asks her to run away with him. Carl tracks him to his engagement party where Frank has left Brenda, asking her to meet him two days later so they can elope. Frank sees her waiting for him two days later, but also sees agents in disguise. He realizes he has been set up and escapes on a flight to Europe. Seven months later, Carl shows his boss that Frank has been forging checks all over western Europe and asks permission to go to Europe to look for him. When his boss says no, Carl brings Franks checks to printing professionals who deem that the checks were printed in France. Carl remembers from an interview with Franks mother that she was born in Montrichard, France. He goes there and finds Frank, and tells him that the French police will kill him if he does not go with Carl quietly. Frank assumes he is lying at first, but Carl promises Frank he would never lie to him, and Carl takes him outside, where the French police escort him to prison. The scene then flashes forward to a plane returning Frank home from prison, where Carl informs him that his father has died. Consumed with grief, Frank escapes from the plane and goes back to his old house, where he finds his mother with the man she left his father for, as well as a girl who Frank realizes is his half-sister. Frank gives himself up and is sentenced to 12 years in prison, getting visits from time to time from Carl. When Frank points out how one of the checks Carl is carrying as evidence is fake, Carl convinces the FBI to offer Frank a deal by which he can live out the remainder of his sentence working for the bank fraud department of the FBI, which Frank accepts. While working at the FBI, Frank misses the thrill of the chase and even attempts to fly as an airline pilot again. He is cornered by Carl, who insists that Frank will return to the FBI job since no one is chasing him. On the following Monday, Carl is nervous that Frank has not yet appeared at work. However, Frank does show up and they discuss their next case. The ending credits reveal that Frank has been happily married for 26 years, has three sons, lives in the Midwest, is still good friends with Carl, has caught some of the worlds most elusive money forgers, and earns millions of dollars each year because of his work creating unforgeable checks.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Examining Guillain Barre Syndrome

Examining Guillain Barre Syndrome Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare immune mediated polyneuropathy that occurs in previously healthy individuals. The purpose of this paper is to provide readers with an understanding of Guillain Barre and conflictions GBS has with other medical resources and diseases. Included in this research paper are topics on origin, symptoms, treatments, medications and conflictions of medical resources with Guillain Barre. Guillain-Barre Syndrome is an acute autoimmune disease that changes the peripheral nervous system and less commonly the motor or cranial nerves. GBS is random producing no warning and is an inflammatory condition that can lead to progressive muscle weakness and paralysis. It is a very rare sight in emergency departments and differentiating its early stages from common viral illnesses is also extremely difficult. Inflammation of the peripheral nerves affect the arms and legs resulting in impaired function, weakness, loss of feeling and limb paralysis with or without pain. Guillain-BarreÂÂ ´ syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated polyneuropathy with a worldwide incidence of 1-4 patients per 100 000 inhabitants (European Journal of Neurology 2008, p. 1332). Disease Name and Synonyms The syndrome was named after the French physicians Guillain, Barre and Strohl, who were the first to describe it in 1916. It is sometimes called Landrys paralysis, after the French physician who first described a variant of it in 1859. (All about Guillain Barre Syndrome. (01-2009) symptoms. Retrieved from http://www.jsmarcussen.com/gbs/uk/symptoms.htm) GBS is not just one disease the syndrome has several variations differentiated by their symptoms, the infections preceding it, the extent of the inflammatory phase, severity, and disorder site. Common variations of the disorder are as follows: Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (AIDP) which is the most frequent form of GBS in the Western part of the World. Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy (AMAN), Acute Motor and Sensory Axonal Neuropathy (AMSAN) and the cranial nerve variant of GBS called Miller Fisher Syndrome (MFS) are all forms of GBS but are not as common as AIDP. Symptoms Symptoms usually begin in the patients feet, face or hands it spread to the arms or legs, it increase in potency as symptoms travel towards the midpoint of the body. The symptoms commonly play a part on both left and right sides of the body. GBS is so irregular that motor symptoms or interferences in the autonomous system may not be detected. It has been reported in rarer cases that GBS has affected an arm or leg without spreading to the rest of the individuals body. (All about Guillain Barre Syndrome. (01-2009) symptoms. Retrieved from http://www.jsmarcussen.com/gbs/uk/symptoms.htm) In some patients, the skin acquires hyperalgesia, or sensitivity to touch intensifies by bed sheets, socks and close-fitting shoes; in severe circumstances pain may limit walking. Patients with symptoms constrained to the feet and ankles may notice related symptoms in the fingertips; as the symptoms expand to the knees they possibly will extend to the wrists. Seldom do these symptoms spread out beyond the knees into other parts of the body. Elevation of leucocytes and protein in the cerebrospinal fluid strongly indicates a diagnosis of GBS. The patient loses the capacity to tell the difference amongst hot and cold, and may feel cold or may possibly start to sweat for no apparent reason. The patients may even receive injures without noticing; their sense of taste can be affected; motor nerve fibers may be damaged as well. The patient encounters a communication interruption between what he wants to perform and his ability to perform the desired act; because the motor nerves regulate movement, the damage inflicted to them triggers partial or complete blockage of the motor signals. The body surface affected by the damaged nerves drops its ability to function normally, causing reduced movement or coordination. The patients muscles dwindle and waste; tendon reflexes are diminished or lost. An example of this is when slightly striking on the front of the patients knee and that act not inducing a kick reaction. Advanced weakening or paralysis could occur, on average arising in the feet, hands or face. The paralysis characteristically consists of more than one extremity, most frequently the legs. The paralysis is persistent and usually rising; expanding to the rest of the limb, and from there may extend to other extremities such as the legs, arms and the remainder of the body. Legs feel heavy; it becomes problematic to stand or climb flight of steps, or even to walk. The patient may struggle holding and manipulating objects, such as pins and buttons. Arms may seem weak and the patient will no longer be able to lift heavy objects. The weakness may possibly be complemented by pain and involuntary muscle contractions. Constipation is more often a predicament, due to the condensed movement of the intestines, modification of diets, declining stomach muscles that contest the physical exertion by the individual to force out the intestinal contents. Around 28% of patients with the syndrome endure and are able to walk unaided. In certain cases, the face could be affected when injury occurs to the cranial nerves. These nerves attach the brain en route to the muscles of the face, tongue and jaw, and also regulate the muscles that move the patients head, neck and shoulders. While the paralysis evolves, all these regions may be paralyzed. The eyelids or one side of the face possibly will hang down resembling Bells palsy; the face loses its ability to express emotions. The individuals voice may change given that the vocal chords are impaired. Speech may be incomprehensible, because the number of muscles required to form speech are declining. Deafness is rare but then again has been reported. The progressive weakness has affected patients with varying intensities, and may be life threatening. The autonomic nerve system may be disrupted with the combination of pain, weakness, and sensory disruptions that are generally so frightening that the more inconspicuous alterations in the patients autonomous nerve system might be unnoticed. The autonomous nervous system controls the inner organs, the organs functions are carried out automatically, examples of this is when the body secrets hormones, creates vision, urination, breathing, heartbeat, etc. It is these functions that may be disrupted, which will result in arrhythmia, unstable blood pressure, blurred or double vision, vertigo, fainting spells, inability to regulate the body temperature, trouble breathing, reduced ability to control the function of the stomach, digestive system and bladder, loss of weight, vomiting after meals, reduced function of various glands, incontinence, impotency, and the bladder may feel as it is not being emptied no matter how many times it is expelled. It is also very well noted that most patients have had a common infection three weeks prior to GBS and it seems that the infection triggers the onset of GBS. Treatment Treatment options for GBS focus on lessening the severity of the symptoms and accelerating recovery. Three main therapies are used to achieve this: intravenous immunoglobulin, plasma exchange and CSF filtration. Intravenous immunoglobulin is understood to block the receptors on microphages preventing an attack on the Schwann cells and myelin. Plasma exchange works by circulating blood through a machine which removes antibodies, and replacing fluid loss with albumin. Cerebrospinal fluid filtration, which removes cells, including inflammatory mediators, is less commonly used. Research suggests that intravenous immunoglobulin and plasma exchange are the most common and effective treatment for GBS, when started within the first 2 weeks of syndromes onset. Quick intervention using either one of these treatments appears to be successful and may possibly reduce recovery time. Both treatments are very good and neither is superior to the other, and there is no advantage to merging these treat ments. The main treatment for GBS is preventing and dealing with the complications (such as breathing complications or infections) and providing supportive care until symptoms begin to improve. This may include; reducing your breathing difficulties, sometimes with the help of a breathing machine, monitoring your blood pressure and heart rate is also good preventative care. Providing adequate nutrition if you have problems chewing and swallowing is also a key to overcoming this syndrome. The patent should attend physical therapy to help maintain muscle strength and flexibility. Preventing and treating complications such as pneumonia, blood clots in the legs, or urinary tract infections. Other treatment of (GBS) depends on how severe your symptoms are. Careful monitoring is very important during the early stages of GBS because life threatening complications can occur within twenty four hours after symptoms first start. Conflictions of Medical Resources with Guillain Barre In 1976, vaccination against a new swine influenza A (H1N1) virus was linked to a substantial increased risk for GBS in the forty two days after vaccination (approximately 10 excess cases per 1 million vaccinations) considerations of ending the immunization program where taken into account despite the circumstantial severity of the influenza viruss transmission around the world. There are certain circumstances in which immunizing individuals, particularly those with a prior history of GBS, may call for caution. However, the benefit of inoculations in averting disease and decreasing morbidity and mortality, particularly for influenza, needs to be weighed against the potential risk of GBS. Destruction of the axonal or myelin membranes could presumably be mediated directly by vaccine virus or vaccine-associated products, or infection or damage of surrounding supporting cells by virus could lead to insertion of virus specified polypeptides into host cell membranes, resulting in a humeral or cell-mediated autoimmune response to the infected cell. Finally, axons or myelin cells could potentially be damaged by the introduction of sequestered myelin antigens into the circulation, inciting autoimmunity. Moreover, it is likely that host factors and genetic polymorphisms may result in a predisposition to GBS in some individuals. Several studies have suggested that various polymorphisms, including genes of the T-cell glycolipid. Recovery Making a prediction about recovery is impossible. Recovery begins as abruptly and mysteriously as when GBS symptoms first started to appear. The symptoms fade gradually, but could take weeks, months or even years to finally get rid of. The development of the disease fluctuates for each patient. Recovery takes 3 to 6 months for most people, and only about two thirds of them ever recover completely. As tingling, numbness and pain dissipates, strength comes back to the affected parts of the body, mostly in the reverse order of sequence as when the signs first appeared. This indicates that in most cases, the arms and fingers will regain their strength prior to the legs, however right handed patients may experience there muscle strength returning to their left hand before their right hand. Axonal damage begins to be repaired; the axon grows little by little and is increasingly wrapped by myelin. The myelin sheath can grow outward in as little as a couple of days, while it could take longer for the body to repair a damaged axon. Example of this is a motor nerve that is regenerated at a rate of 1 mm/day, so it can take weeks if not months to restore a damaged nerve. Demyelination is then repaired by the regeneration of the myelin sheath. The rate of regenerating myelination depends on the amount of damage. The sheath consists of multiple layers that grow back gradually; the myelin has to have a particular thickness prior to the nerve cells recapturing its ability to transmit impulses. The myelin sheath may never regain its normal thickness. These facets decrease the nerve signal transmission speed forever, after the patient has recovered from GBS. Research on the use of treatments that speed up the growth of motor nerves is under way but no one will know when they will arrive or if they will ever arrive. There is no feasible way in predicting which nerves will regenerate. Research states that damaged axons are not restored, and that the surrounding axons send branches out that take over the roles of the impaired nerves, in the affected part of the body. The area could function again, and it may seem as if the muscle has regained full strength, but the muscle and nerves have to work harder to carry out the same job and they end up tiring faster than was the case prior to GBS.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

World Rulers :: essays papers

World Rulers Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Genghis Khan This paper will explore the lives of three of the most well known rulers in human history, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Genghis Khan. This will first consist of an examination of the personalities and gifts of each of these rulers. Details of the course and extent of the conquests and achievements of each individual will follow this. The lasting contributions made by these three men will then be noted. The first ruler under consideration is Alexander the Great. He was the son of Philip II , King of Macedonia, and his wife Olympia, in the year 356 B.C. (^Alexander^). He was a student of Aristotle, and gained interests in the areas of philosophy, medicine, and scientific investigation (^Alexander^). Aristotle took great care in providing Alexander with a very structured and disciplined education (Williams 7-9). However, Alexander^s father, Philip II, would not allow Alexander to form the habits of a recluse. Philip initiated Alexander early with the duties of his high station. It was in this role that Alexander showed his ability to lead men, and be a great administrator. At age sixteen, Alexander was appointed Regent of Macedonia, while Phillip was detained at the siege of Byzantium (Williams 10). It has been noted that Alexander, by this point, had already astonished some Persian deputies by the pertinency of his questions, and the acuteness of his intellect (Williams 10). By the time he was eighteen, Alexander had commanded the left wing of the army at the battle of Chaeroneia, and defeated the Thebans (Williams 10-11). The following is an account of the words of Arrian, an acquaintance of Alexander. He spoke these words Alexander^s death on June 13, 323 B.C.: Let him who would vilify Alexander, not select a few blameworthy acts, but sum up all his great deeds and qualities, and then consider who and what he himself is who would thus abuse the man who attained the pinnacle of human felicity^who was the undisputed monarch of both continents^and whose name has pervaded the whole of the earth^ My own opinion, therefore, I will profess, that not without especial purpose of the deity such a man was given to the world, to whom none has ever yet been equal (Williams 409). The date of Julius Caesar^s birth is in dispute. The probable date was July 12 or 13, 100 B.C. (David 12). His father was Gaius Caesar, who died when Julius was only sixteen.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Hamlet As An Aristotelian Tragedy Essay -- essays research papers

According to the Aristotelian view of tragedy, a tragic hero must fall through his or her own error. This is typically called the "tragic flaw", and can be applied to any characteristic that causes the downfall the hero. Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark can be seen as an Aristotelian tragedy and Hamlet as it's tragic hero. Hamlet's flaw, which in accordance with Aristotle's principles of tragedy causes his demise, is his inability to act. This defect of Hamlet's character is displayed throughout the play. In the opening scenes of the play, the Ghost of old Hamlet reveals the truth about his death to his son, and tells Hamlet to avenge the murder. Hamlet's first response is one that sounds of speedy action, saying "Haste me to know't that I with winds as swift†¦ May sweep to my revenge." (p. 34 lines 29-31) Unfortunately, Hamlet's inability to act on his father's extortion has him reluctant to kill King Claudius by the end of that very scene, when he says, "This time is out of joint, O cursed spite, that I was ever born to set it right." (p. 41 lines 190-191) As the play goes on, Hamlet still has yet to act on his murderous task. In act II, scene 2, Hamlet decides that, before he can avenge his father's death, he must make sure that the Ghost was telling the truth. This simply gives Hamlet more excuse to procrastinate-he gets to put off killing Claudius until after the "play within a play", Mousetrap, is preformed. Not surprisin...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Adilf Hitler :: essays research papers fc

Nazi belief, and murder of the Jews a key policy. 2 German laws made by Hitler soon required everyone who had one or more Jewish grandparent to register. Those with one grandparent may have escaped but if you had two grandparents you were sent to a concentration camp and classifed as a Jew. One night symbolizing the begining of mass persecution was Kristallnacht, November 10th, 1938, "the night of broken glass". Jewish stores and houses were attacked, synagogues burned, and many Jews were sent to concentration camps. During this time, there were a few countries that would accept Jews. Hitler launched World War 2 by marching into Poland in 1939. Most of Western Europe then fell into the FÃ ¼hrer (Hitler), who had personal command of the troops. Germany invaded the soviet Union in 1941, but Hitler, Crazed with power, had lost his military judgement. His failure to Capture Stalingrad, 1942 - 1943, was the turning point; unable to cope with defeat, he refused to recognize it o r negotiate for peace. As the tide of war turned against him, his mass annhiliation of Jews, socialists, gypsies, and others was excelerated. After the Second World War had began in 1939, the Nazi's dropped all restrictions they had previously made towards the systematic murder of all Jews. In countries such as Europe, steps were made for Jews to follow in order to be seperated from the rest of the population. First Jews were required to register, then they were known to the Gestapo. Some families sent their children to live with christian families and live under an assumed identity. Hitler sent The Jews of Poland to live in poverty stricken ghettos where they were exposed to disease and malnutrition. With the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the Nazi policy of murder began to operate with no restrictions. The armies in Russia were followed by an "extermination squad" who shot hundreds of thousands of people, the majority being Jewish. The Nazis had already setup thou sands of concentration camps to imprison anyone who imposed them. These now began to operate as factories of death. Auschwitz was the biggest of these death camps, a city of barricks where hundreds of thousands of people starved to death amid indescribable brutality. At it's center stood gas chambers and creamatoria design to take train loads of human beings, gas them and burn them.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Analysis of Alice in Wonderland

Adulthood in Wonderland A journey begins with a single step. It may be an African safari, a rocket to the moon, or even a voyage around the world. Whatever the adventure, it must start somewhere. It could begin with a leap of faith, a glint of hope, or just a flicker of curiosity. In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, curiosity is what brings Alice, a young British girl, to the start of her incredible, yet puzzling expedition. Her journey through Wonderland is strange, but through her experiences, Alice grows up along the way.Through his use of symbolism, Lewis Carroll displays that it is a struggle for a child to make the transition into adult life. The character of the White Rabbit is the first symbol used to present the difficulty of becoming an adult. The rabbit is very official and is a symbol of an adult itself. For example, he is exceptionally busy and always running late, just like an average adult. He gives the King of Hearts, the ruler of Wonderland, advice although he is beneath him, which demonstrates that he is also wise like an adult.When Alice first sees the rabbit she is filled with curiosity as she â€Å"had never before seen a rabbit with a waistcoat- pocket, or a watch to take out of it† (2). Without thinking, Alice follows the rabbit into the rabbit- hole and falls â€Å"down, down, down† into Wonderland (4). Since the White Rabbit symbolizes an adult, it is as if Alice is following him into adulthood. The rabbit travels throughout Wonderland, and wherever he goes, so does Alice. For example, the White Rabbit travels to the Queen of Hearts’s garden, and eventually Alice arrives also.The White Rabbit acts as a guide for Alice as she goes on her journey. As the White Rabbit symbolizes adulthood, he leads Alice through the process of maturing. Even though Alice does not confront any struggle with the White Rabbit, her following of him brings her to the challenges she endures later on. The White Rabbi t’s symbolism carries Alice through the puzzling task of growing up. Another use of symbolism that represents maturing occurs when Alice encounters the Caterpillar. Alice discovers the Caterpillar when she stumbles upon his mushroom.The Caterpillar addresses her and asks, â€Å"Who are you? † (45). Alice cannot answer the Caterpillar as she is unable to explain herself and does not know who she is at the moment. She tells the Caterpillar, â€Å"I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then† (45). Alice’s words display that her identity has been altered and that she is having a difficult time trying to keep up with these changes. A child going through puberty encounters similar changes also. Children lose a sense of their innocence and discover themselves as they mature.As demonstrated by the scene with the Caterpillar, Alice’s loss of identity is a symbol of a child’s loss of onese lf when growing up. Alice’s episode with the Caterpillar also symbolizes another point of becoming older. The Caterpillar demands Alice to recite the poem â€Å"You are old, Father William. † Alice does as she’s told, but as she is reciting the poem, she becomes confused and mixes up the words. Because Alice struggles with this, it symbolizes a child having a hard time adjusting to the demands of adulthood.The Caterpillar’s request represents a demand that adults must face; while Alice’s mixing up of the poem’s words signify a child failing at meeting the requirements of that demand. The symbolism found in Alice’s encounter with the Caterpillar demonstrates the effort of transitioning into adulthood. Finally, Alice’s changes in size illustrate the difficulty of maturing. Throughout the book, Alice becomes a variety of different heights. One minute, she is three inches tall and the next, she is â€Å"opening out like the larges t telescope there ever was! (11). Alice’s size changes are sudden and random. For example, Alice drinks a liquid from a small bottle and rapidly shrinks to ten inches high. Alice does not expect this and finds it â€Å"a curious feeling! † (8). Since Alice’s changes are unexpected and uncontrollable, they symbolize what a child experiences through puberty. Children are unaccustomed to the changes in their bodies and struggle to adjust to their new selves. Alice’s growing and shrinking proves to be a challenge when her identity is mistaken for another.In one episode where Alice grows to enormous heights, she comes in contact with a pigeon. The pigeon mistakes her for a serpent, because of her long neck. Alice tries to convince the bird that she is just a young girl, but the pigeon does not believe her. Alice is frustrated by this and does not understand why the bird won’t take her word, even though she is telling the truth. This encounter, caused by Alice’s ridiculous size, again represents a child adjusting to their changed body while going through puberty.However, this example also illustrates that as children mature, adults immediately believe they have new identities. Adults view children differently, even when those children haven’t adjusted to their selves yet. The height changes that Alice endures create an image of the struggles of puberty. Through his work, Lewis Carroll demonstrates the difficulty of growing up by the use of symbolism. Maturity is a challenging journey, but one that must be taken. No matter when this adventure occurs, it begins with an individual step and remains the rest of a lifetime.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

How does Owen show that even Nature has turned against the soldiers Essay

Wilfred Owen was an officer who fought throughout the war and achieved admirable accomplishments. He was not a man who was unpatriotic and he believed in the war as a whole as he thought that this was necessary to overcome the pure evil demonstrated by the opposition and achieve a greater good for the rest of mankind and future generations. He was seen as a man that did not agree with the events and suffering that occurred within the war, and believes that some of this was not necessary, although it did ultimately achieve a better world in his viewpoint. He was a strong believer in God, as is evident by his early background; the fact that he starting reading the Bible at a very young age and was raised in a typical Christian family; however during the war Owen questioned his views on religion, the war and its effects in every aspect. Although his beliefs were strong at the start, they weaken throughout the war and as he familiarises himself with the terror of war, he learns the extent in which himself and the soldiers are driven to. I am going to analyse the poem ‘Exposure’, which clearly displays all of Owens’s thoughts, doubts and fears. I will particularly focus on the fact that Owen emphasises nature as an enemy to the soldiers as well as the opposition. The poem does not only use nature in one context, it varies throughout and I will how he creates this effect and why it is so effective to express his views. Firstly, the title ‘Exposure’ can be drawn to a number of metaphorical conclusions by the reader as it is a deliberately ambiguous title. For example, it could be the physical exposure to which they are revealed, the conditions that are expressed, the uncovering of the soldiers fears and doubts, all exposed within war situations. However, another conclusion that could be drawn from this title could be the fact that they are exposed to extreme weather conditions, which in those conditions, can be more of a threat than the actual scene of the fight and waiting for the next vicious attack. By the title alone, Owen reveals that the soldiers are exposed not only physically by the weather, but also mentally as it slowly crumbles them. These views become more blatant as the poem progresses. The first line immediately captivates the readers’ attention, drawing the reader into the theme of the nature against them from the beginning. Owen relates to the weather harshly and within that line, the reader has learnt the mood of the poem. ‘the merciless winds that knife us’ refer to the wind as being very icy blowing from the east; this is then also personified as an opposition who would knife them as it draws nearer as it is in close contact with them. The gust is displayed as being ‘merciless’, which means that the weather is enjoying their suffering and does not care about the consequences the soldiers are left with and this also emphasises the brutality of the attack and the way the surroundings made their world crumble. The weather does not alter because it strives on the fact that the soldiers are hurting and the fact the defences weaken as a result. The weather is personified constantly to develop its own human-like characteristics and demonstrate its sole purpose: to attack. It ‘attacks once more’; this develops the weather as another army; another enemy, who is attacking repeatedly and obviously does not need, nor is willing to, discontinue the violence, even for a while. This is significant because as the opposition begin the attack at dawn, it is suggested that the weather takes a turn for the worse then also to add to the terror that occurs daily at that particular time. The snow is demonstrated as being ‘flowing’, which means that it is happy and is fulfilling its purpose and Owen is suggesting this purpose is to bring fear to the soldiers. In contrast to what snow is normally related with; all things that bring happiness to people, typically for example, Christmas, the scene of children running around playing and snow mans, this seems a very different image for the reader to come to terms with. The line ‘flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces’ is particularly significant of this observation and the snow is given a nasty human-like characteristic and this also projects a definite strong image to the reader by the alliteration that attract the reader to this phrase. Owen then says that the flakes ‘flock, pause and renew’, suggesting that it does indeed feed off the soldier’s deep sadness. They are also described as ‘wandering up and down the wind’s nonchalance’, which again displays the image of the snow and the wind working as the opposition, uniting with one another to deepen the blanket of sadness masked over the soldier’s eyes. The mad gusts of wind are also described as men ‘among its brambles.’ This demonstrates the delusion and hallucinations by each of the soldiers’ intensified by natures’ input in the battle. However, this phrase could also be seen as portraying another of the weathers’ characteristics; the fact that it mocks them. It does this by teasing the soldiers and reminding them of the terrible events that occurred here before in Owens opinion. He also describes the wind as nonchalant, meaning that this again has a selfish and evil characteristic. Another technique that Owen uses is changing a stereotypically good thing into something that would be seen as the complete opposite. One of the examples of this is the context in which he uses dawn as a ‘poignant misery’ that begins to ‘grow’. Dawn is traditionally seen as a particularly holy time of the day, along with being seen as good and happy. However, in ‘Exposure’, it is seen as an awful time of day, this is because it reminded the soldiers of the cycle of vicious attacks they lived through and experienced day in and day out. It was a constant reminder of the way of life and a reminder that they could never go home it seemed, and they are again captured by the blanket of sadness. Owen uses this effect once more in the poem in relation to the snow. As stated earlier in the essay, snow is supposed to be a happy type of weather that brings joy to most people. However, Owen says in this poem that the air ‘shudders’ black with snow’. Although on the surface, it is established that the wind is viciously cold and this is emphasised by the fact Owen uses the word ‘shudders’, it is also noticed that the air is ‘black’. The blatant meaning of this phrase is that the war has turned the snow black because of the riots there, however, looking at the phrase from a metaphorical point a view, another perception that could be perceived is that war even drains a completely pure concept; this is highlighted by the fact that the snow is white. It is noticeable that within the poem, Wilfred Owen also allows the weather to change along with the soldiers’ thoughts, feeling and deepest hope and dreams. They tend to slip in and out of reality and the weather ultimately changes to represent these thoughts in their own wandering minds. There is a particularly noticeable and interesting phrase at the point where the soldiers are slipping in and out of reality between one line and the next. It says that Owen and his men ‘stare, snow-dazed’, which represents that their minds are at their time in with the battle surrounding them. However, on the next line, it says that the men ‘drowse, sun-dozed’. These are two key lines in the poem because not only does the sibilance draw the reader’s attention to it, the consonance allows these words to be looked further into, which then creates a much harsher effect than the traditional standard rhyme pattern. This is a very remarkable way of exploring the soldier’s thoughts because firstly, they are in contrast to one another and they instantly change, which shows the men finally crumbling. Secondly, the fact that Owen uses the weather to contradict itself is because he wants to establish the fine line between what is real to them and what is scenery is waiting in their mind. It also highlights the differences between their time and another entirely, one that doesn’t exist to their conscious mind. Another example of Wilfred Owen’s contrast in weather that exists in their thoughts is when he says that they are deep into ‘grassier ditches’, with ‘blossoms trickling’. This is a beautiful image and a deliberate contrast to how the weather was related to beforehand, but now the group are imagining themselves in warmer times, and nature is a good way of explaining this. The reader will notice that nature has a very strong impact on the soldiers’ thoughts and feelings. The men’s way of how they think and feel is a reflection of the weather and the after-effects of nature are displayed clearly throughout the whole poem. The first time the soldiers crumble because of nature is when Owen states that they only know ‘war lasts, rain soaks and clouds sag stormy.’ This shows that the war and nature have shrunken their reality down to what is their life at the moment and it seems that they have forgotten what their life was like before nature turned against them and before war affected their lifestyle. Another way in which they are affected is the fact that they obviously think that nature is much more of a threat to them than the actual war. Owen thinks this because he believes that a bullet can quickly end the pain, however nature threatens to torture you to death, which is to the extreme of unbearable for him. This is evident by the way he states that bullets are being fired, but are ‘less deathly than the air’. This also allows the reader to feel involved in the poem and creates a certain atmosphere so that they feel extremely overcome with the blanket that Owen feels saddens him. He then goes on to state how nature has affected his feelings toward religion and that they should never see a clear field with trees of fruit again; this intensifies the extremes of the weather and how it could almost drive them insane. It also shows that because since the early times God has been traditionally in unity with the weather, he is certain that God somehow does not love him and if He does, how is it possible if He has no mercy either? The last significant image that Owen displays in the poem is toward the end when he states that, referring to the men that have died, ‘all their eyes are ice’. This means that not only has death occurred, it partially means metaphorically that nature was part of the death and has taken over the body in the death process and that overall; nature is but a sign of death for the soldiers and all that is the circle of life now involves nature hunting them down, and when it finally does it will still be with their body and captivate them even when they die. It also provides a strong image of the circumstances in which they die in, and the reader learns that this is truly awful, furthermore, it is known that in religious mythology, one of the circles of Hell punishes sinners by trapping them under ice and they are open and staring, which also has an effect on the men and makes them fear death more than the situation they are in at the moment. Throughout the poem, there is a repetition of ‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. This could be the length of time that the soldiers are waiting for the next event to occur, but it could also be when they are waiting for nature to attack once more. As already partly mentioned, some words and phrases are highlighted through the consonance, for example, ‘army’ and ‘stormy’, this is meant to grasp the attention of the reader and portray the key concepts and words. Alliteration and some sibilance techniques also add to discovering the key phrases, e.g. ‘streak the silence’, ‘field, or fruit’. In conclusion to this exploration of Wilfred Owens’s poem ‘Exposure’, I have looked at various aspects of the poem relating to the theme of nature, and also how and why this link is connected. In my opinion, Owen clearly states his point of view and the other soldiers’ throughout the natures input and use this as another aspect of the war to think about that wouldn’t at first come to mind when readers hear about the war initially. He also tries to show other sides of the war that wouldn’t have been revealed before, and discusses how everyone had similar thoughts and feelings to him as he relates to them almost as a unity. He always describes the events as ‘we’. I believe that altogether this poem reflects, in more than one way, how the war was harsh and the effects that this had on the groups of soldiers’ there. I think that the poem does this effectively, as described beforehand and would overall say that the war was an awful place to be, which obviously deludes the soldiers so much so that there is a fine line between the sane and the insane.

Starch Lab

Krupa Desai Cell Biology April 3, 2013 Lab: Biosynthesis of Starch Introduction: In this lab we learned the concept and procedure of synthesizing starch. We also learned the effects of pH and temperature on the reaction rates of amylase.. In the process of the synthesis lab we learned phosphorylation using a potato, which was what we synthesized. The phosphorylation took place after the addition of primer. There are two different types of starches used are amylose and amylopectin.To test for the presence of starch, the Starch Test is used. This is a simple test in which iodine is added to a given solution. If a polysaccharide such as starch is present then the iodine ion will lodge itself in the polysaccharide chain and give it a black-blue color. If iodine added to a solution turns black-blue than starch is present. If the solution remains the color of iodine, reddish-orange, there is no starch present, a negative test.In our experiment we scale the color we see in comparison to the neutrals to test for the amount of starch. Methods/Materials: See print out Data Table:Below Time in minutes| Tube 1| Tube 2| Tube 3| Tube 4| Tube 5| Tube 6| Tube 7| 0 mins(TO)| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| ++| +++| 3 mins| 0| +| 0| 0| +| +| +| 6 mins| +| ++| +| +| +++| +++| +++| 9 mins| 0| +++| +| 0| +++| +++| ++++| 12 mins| 0| +++| +| 0| +++| +++| ++++| 15 mins| 0| +++| +| 0| ++++| ++++| ++++| 18 mins| 0| +++| ++| 0| ++++| +++| ++++| 1 mins| 0| +++| ++| 0| ++++| +++| +++| 24 mins| 0| +++| ++| 0| +++| +++| ++++| 27 mins| 0| ++++| ++| 0| +++| +++| ++++| 30 mins| 0| ++++| ++| 0| ++++| ++| ++++| Discussion: This lab gives a better understanding of biosynthesis of starch. As you can see with our data we had some discrepancies in tubes where glucose was present no starch should have been found however we have â€Å"+† in a few of the time slots this could be do to the interpretation of color or some spill over.Since we were trying to get exact times the drops could have splattered over into a nother part of the dish and contaminated some of the other tubes overall our data is fairly accurate however tube 7 had the most phosphorylation because it turned from blue to black over time. Some of the other tubes although had the presence of starch did not alter much over time in fact most stayed the same. Additionally it is concluded the pH and temperature greatly effect the reaction rate of enzymes.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Benefits of Data Mining

Data mining is defined as â€Å"a process that uses statistical, mathematical, artificial intelligence, and machine-learning techniques to extract and identify useful information and subsequent knowledge from large databases, including data warehouses† (Turban & Volonino, 2011). The information identified using data mining includes patterns indicating trends, correlations, rules, similarities, and used as predictive analytics. By employing predictive analytics, companies are actually able to understand the behavior of customers. Predictive analytics examines and sorts data to find patterns that highlight customer behavior. The important behavioral patterns are those that indicate what customers have responded to and will respond to in the future. Also, patterns can indicate a customer base that is in jeopardy with the company, customers that are not company-loyal and are easily lost. Predictive analytics of customer behavior can be of great benefit to the business (Turban & Volonino, 2011). Companies are able to build specific marking campaigns and models such as direct mail, online marking, or media marking based on customer preference and are better able to sell their products to a more targeted customer base. Knowing what the customer wants, what they will respond to, and which customer base to focus on takes the guesswork out of marking and product development. Taking the information retrieved and using it correctly will only increase profits (Advantages, 2012). Association discovery using data mining provides a huge benefit to companies. Association discovery is finding correlations or relationships between variables in a large database. For example, in terms of a supermarket, it is finding out that customers who buy onions and potatoes together are also highly likely to buy hamburger meat. These correlations where one set of products predict the buying of another is referred to as associations. Data mining can employ association discovery allowing business to predict buying patterns and allow for more effective operations management and can better pinpoint marketing strategy of coupons and incentives (Association Rule 2012). Web mining is another aspect of data mining. Web mining uses the data collected on the Internet to analyze customer data and gather information beneficial to the company. Any time someone visits a website, uses a search engine, clicks on a link, or makes an electronic transaction data is generated subject to analytics. Companies use web mining to gain customer preference and insight. The information gathered is used to improve websites and create a better user experience for the customers. Web mining can also be used alongside of predictive analytics. For example, on e-commerce sites every transaction is analyzed. When a customer clicks on a product, web mining tools can present a list of products he/she may also be interested in because of other customers with the similar buying interests/habits. This tool can be extremely effective in gaining business intelligence of the buying habits and preferences of customers (Turban & Volonino, 2011). Data mining also employs clustering to find related customer information and to provide valuable information to the company. Clustering gathers information and designates clusters of similar products and objects. In data mining, clustering is usually the first step. It identifies similar information and groups them to be further examined. Customer information and demographics are an example of these clusters. The group characteristics are analyzed against desired outcomes to understand the buying habits of customers and what marketing campaigns will enhance customer response (Ali, Ghani, & Saeed). Reliability of Data Mining The benefits of data have been examined, but it is important to look possible implications as well. Data mining uses algorithms to predict patterns and customer behaviors. Constant measures are needed to make sure the algorithms are working correctly, but the issue of reliability stems a little deeper. Algorithms and data analysis can only be as reliable as the actual data analyzed. Data gathered from different sources can potentially be t or even conflicting. This greatly affects the validity and result of algorithm, especially predictive analysis. It could alter the customer’s historical purchases or demographic information rendering the information useless and even costly. Data mining is a useful tool and should be trusted up to a point. It should not be the only solution. Companies should not only use data mining for marking and operations decisions. The costs of mistaking customer preference and predicting behavior could be catastrophic (Data Mining). Privacy Concerns of Data Mining. One of the major disadvantages of data mining is the privacy concerns associated with the technique. Three major privacy concerns raised by consumers are identity theft, misuse of personal information, and the â€Å"big brother is watching you† feeling (Orwell, 1954). The first concern is identity theft. With the increasing trend of e-commerce and electronic funds, identity theft has been a huge issue. The sheer amount and speed of information processing through data mining has led to a rise in identity theft making this valid concern. The information could easily fall into the hands of anyone (Exforsys Inc, 2006). The second concern is the misuse of personal information. Companies gather information as specific to customer purchases, names, phone numbers, addresses, and other information then store it in a database. Once obtained, copies can be made with little effort. Companies can easily sell this information to other companies. This is the exact concern of consumers. Consumer information can certainly be misused, exploited, or for discrimination making this a valid concern (Advantages, 2012). The last concern addressed in this paper is the total loss of privacy, feeling controlled or watched. The government uses data mining to track patterns of criminal activity have considered using the technique to track the movement of people. Some people feel this goes too far, and not giving the consumer the choice of having his/her information in the database takes away personal freedom. This concern is tied into the misuse of information because what stops companies to selling information to governmental or private agencies with the sole purpose being to control or watch an individual. With the volatile nature of crime, and the increasing use of technology by government agencies, this concern is also valid (Advantages 2012). Measures have been taken to alleviate these concerns. Companies that utilize data mining are required to take certain actions that protect their customer’s privacy. One of these actions is to remove and identity related attributes from each customer record before the data is transferred to analysts. Also banks allow for identity theft protection services to alleviate the concern of financial security. All of these concerns are still important and steps will have to be continuously made and adjusted to protect the security and privacy of personal and financial information (Li & Sarkar, 2006). Real World Examples of Predictive Analytics Predictive analysis and how it is beneficial to companies has been discussed above in theory. To completely understand how predictive analysis is used is to look at real world examples. The first example is how a fast food restaurant used HyperActive Technologies to predict what customers might order. HyperActive Technologies developed a system that allowed cameras to track vehicles pulling into the parking lot and track customers through the entire ordering process. Using predictive analysis of the data gathers from the cameras, the restaurant was able to conclude that at lunchtime; approximately twenty percent of cars entering the parking lot would order at least one cheeseburger. With this information, the cooks were able to get a head start in food production cutting down on wait time for customers and increasing overall productivity (Turban & Volonino, 2011). Another example of a company that uses predictive analysis is that of INRX, the leading provider of traffic information. INRX uses data mining by evaluating real time traffic measuring traffic problems and congestion. This data is collected from road censors, toll tags, traffic incident data, and commercial vehicles equipped with a GPS that continuously report their speed and location. Using predictive analytics, the data is studied to determine traffic patterns at certain locations and times. Drivers now have access to real time traffic information. This information has proven to be extremely effective and useful to drivers allowing them to make better decisions and avoid unnecessary delays (Turban & Volonino, 2011). The flower company, 1-800-FLOWERS. om, has also used data mining techniques, specifically predictive analytics. The company collects and analyses data at all contact points. Data collected includes historical purchases to discover trends, anticipate customer behavior, and meet customer needs and preferences. This technique has proven to be an effective way of increasing the response rate to customers, identifying profitable customers, and establishing customer loyalty. Customer reten tion increased by over fifteen percent after the implementation of predictive analytics solidifying its effectiveness (Turban & Volonino, 2011). As shown through academic research and real world examples, data mining is a real and effective way of predicting customer behavior and buying patterns. Measures need to be taken not only to overcome the stigma that data mining is unsecure and takes away personal freedom, but to make sure individual information is, in fact protected. If these measures are taken, data mining is a win-win for both businesses and consumers. Consumers will feel heard, understood, and taken care of. Businesses can actually focus resources on building that business-to-customer relationship and will be able to give the people what they need. References Advantages and disadvantages of data mining (2012). Retrieved December 9, 2012 from http://www.dataminingtechniques.net/data-mining-tutorial/advantages-and-disadvantages-ofdatamining/ Ali, R., Ghani, U., & Saeed, A. (n.d.) Data clustering and its applications. Retrieved December 5, 2012 from http://members.tripod.com/asim_saeed/paper.htm Data mining: issues. (n.d.) Retrieved December 7, 2012, from http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty/jason.frand/teacher/technologies/palace/ issues.htm Exforsys Inc. (2006). Data mining privacy concerns. Retrieved December 5, 2012 from http://www.exforsys.com/tutorials/data-mining/data-mining-privacy-concerns.html Li, X. & Sarkar, S. (2006) Privacy protection in data mining. Retrieved December 6, 2012 from http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1245621 Turban, E., & Volonino, L. (2011). Information technology for management improving strategic and operational performance (8th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Friday, September 13, 2019

How can we make globalization something that brings prosperity to Essay - 1

How can we make globalization something that brings prosperity to everyone - Essay Example Wal-Mart had a net income of 12,731,000,000 on total revenue of $378,799,000,000 in accordance with documents filed by SEC in 2008. By opening trade with other countries, the ability to dictate what is being produced and how, and giving consumers more power, globalization thus helps to flood the market. In a situation where consumers collectively buys only environmentally friendly products, then companies would be forced to a transition to meet our demands thus making a world a cleaner place. Thus, globalization contributes to a sustainable property for all. This helps the people get above the poverty line by increasing competition that in turn helps to bring down the prices of commodities or, services. The competition for goods and services is affected by globalization e.g. the price of goods and services is brought down by increasing their supply. Thus, globalization will help benefit the world. According to the video, De Soto thinks globalization is limited in its current form. Ma jority have been left out in terms of the legal structures that give rise to it. Globalization must actually include the majority of the people on earth to be truly worth its name. it links elites from the post-soviet world and the developing world to the world economy. The legal revolution that has been taking place especially in the west is because of the market economic system. De Soto argues that if these market institutions are brought down, it could take another few centuries to develop. Hernando De Soto is one person that believes in the power of trade. His hard work helped to get the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement passed. He also always speaks out in favor of giving the poor access to wider markets. Elites can only be globalizing with the current existing globalization. Elites can only gain access in developing countries, because the costs of entry are high. Increased trade and open markets are key to eliminating poverty. Once the poor enter the legal system and have access th ey need, they will definitely prosper as per the evidence gathered by the institute of liberty and democracy (ILD). There are many overall benefits of trade. According to law of comparative advantage, the less productive countries will benefit from trade with countries that are more productive. This is because producers who are stronger can trade in order to free up resources thus enabling them to specialize. The lower prices that an economy of scale and specialization engenders are some of the things that the customers will benefit from. The video clearly illustrates that globalization process had already taken place in the late 19th century. The foreign investment and trade were fairly globalised before world war1. Labor markets were more globalised at the beginning of the twentieth century than at its end simply because of low political obstacles to international migration. The great depression and two world wars halted the process of global market integration for almost half a c entury. The process later regains speed and force. Due to faster, reliable and inexpensive transport and communication, some service providers and producers of goods in low-wage countries have been able to challenge high-cost producers in rich countries on

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Strategic Business Information Systems - Cirque du Soleil's Essay

Strategic Business Information Systems - Cirque du Soleil's Information Technology Initiatives - Essay Example Both the strategies can be approached narrowly or broadly and in either case there is the third viable competitive strategy that is ‘focus’. (12manage.com) Ward and Peppard (2002) have identified that IS/IT strategy formulation and planning will help an organization to gain competitive advantage in the existing market by enabling the organization to develop a flexible and cost effective technology infrastructure which in turn will lead to the deployment of resources and competencies that are needed to accomplish the organizational goals effectively and efficiently. By using latest technology Cirque du Soleil could develop a new intellectual and dramatic entertainment project that made the company stand out unique. The use of technology has helped the company to reduce its cost structure and the organization could increase the ticket prices beyond the amount charged by the traditional circuses. This also made the organization compete with the Broadway theatre prices. (Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, 2005) The success of Cirque du Soleil lies in their ability to create a new and compelling product rather than creating a new market. It cannot be said the business of Cirque is an alternative to traditional circus business (Blue Ocean Strategy) but through a product differentiation as advocated by Porter (1980) Cirque competes in the existing market with a brand new product having different characteristics. This makes the product of Cirque unique. The strengths and weaknesses of Cirque du Soleil can be analyzed using a SWOT analysis. Cirque du Soleil is able to have distinct competitive advantageous position due to three fundamental reasons. They are: (i) Product differentiation advantage – by employing innovative production techniques the organization is able to make shows that evoke awe, wonder, inspiration and reflection among the customers, (ii) Niche competitive advantage – the production of Cirque

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Reply to Sor Filotea de la Cruz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reply to Sor Filotea de la Cruz - Essay Example The letter highlights the efforts this lady has taken to gain knowledge in order to alleviate ignorance. It campaigns for equality in opportunities to both men and women by women rising to their feet and grabbing chances of obtaining erudition. Women lack competence because of deficient of education. In the most important parts of the letter, the nun talks about stereotyping. How she fought odds and wished to be treated like a man with respect and being given equal opportunities like them. She however was respectful to orders and instructions so that her religious values cannot be eroded. It was also mandatory for a woman to be reverential and submissive to men and any one of older age. She yearned for education and dreamt of even going to the university as boys did. She abstained from certain foods for fear of being dumb as they claim they made one. She wanted an equal place as the other gender but it clearly was not possible at that time. She had a thirst for knowledge and did what she could in her capacity to learn of the most important things she felt she wanted to know about. In this letter she has claimed that the people in her relation criticized her inclination to knowledge citing that it would make her lose her religious strength and make her weak (Stephanie 45)Â  . Th is was the most difficult time for her because obviously support in any person’s Endeavour is always helpful. She loved their companionship and sometimes thought it deprived her of the chance to study. Jealousy, she learned was bound to happen towards an intelligent person especially if the person is a woman. Women are despised and their place regarded as the home only and it would be struggle if they ventured in territories where they are supposedly not to be. One particular example she has used is that of Peter who gained knowledge and was executed. The crown of thorns she has cited, after it witnessed Christ’s persecution declare that aptitude is scorned.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Current Issues in Parent-Child Relationships Research Paper

Current Issues in Parent-Child Relationships - Research Paper Example Children may not recognize the love and affection of the parents which may result in developing negative attitudes towards the parents. Parents on the other hand may think that they are working hard in order to make the future of their children safe; but in return they are getting only negligence and embarrassments. Both, the parents and the child travel in extremely opposite directions which may be resulted in strained parent-child relationship. Neither of them will be satisfied with their living conditions even though money may not be a problem for them. Psychological problems may affect both the parent and the child which may ultimately resulted in unhealthy incidents in the family. Latch –key-kids are more in Canada and it became a social problem now. In fact social service agencies are trying to find out a solution for it in various manners. The Latchkey Kids calling program is a system developed by Database Systems Corp. (DSC) in order to help such kids. â€Å"This program is an integral part of the CARE (Call Reassurance) phone system that checks on the well being of home alone children as well as senior citizens who need regular contact† (Care). I want to learn about the emotional problems of latch-key-kids. This is because of the fact that a psychologically disordered child can create lot of family and social

Monday, September 9, 2019

Textbooks should be replaced by electronic books Essay

Textbooks should be replaced by electronic books - Essay Example It will provide empirical evidence in support of this line of thinking. With the advent of technology, Americans consumers particularly the students can find relevant academic material at their fingertips. Electronic books allow people to access any book at any time and place. In addition, it is cheap to produce electronic compared to paper books. The reason is that it allows publishers to produce and distribute these books at a fractional cost compared to the latter. Many Americans would not have believed that gramophones would be replaced with tapes and payphones by portable cell phones to name a few. Today, most magazine publishers have moved away from print media and currently produce their magazine entirely as materials viewable in e-readers (Conway, 2010). Below is an analysis on the benefits of electronic books over textbooks. First, electronic books are cheaper relative to paper books. In the US, the average price of a textbook is about $8. However, one can still get that same material for $3 on a kindle. In additional, production of paper books involves the cutting down of trees and hence resulting to environmental degradation. Adoption of electronic books would ensure the conservation of the environment and reading will become easier. Secondly, electronic books are so accessible and as a result, they have become very popular in the recent years. Instead of waiting for the delivery of a book shopped online, one can purchase and download an e-book within no time (Polatron, 2009). Additionally, they are less cheap since the publishers do not have to add any production cost. For this reason, electronic books are a great alternative to textbooks. Thirdly, Proponent of electronic books argues that both students and teachers support them since they are lighter and hence convenient to use. Electronic books can hold the material of close to hundred or more

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Modern Furniture Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Modern Furniture Evaluation - Essay Example Preferred stock is a class of ownership in a corporation that has a higher claim on the assets and earnings than the common stock. Preferred stock generally has a dividend that must be paid out before the dividends to common stockholders and the shares usually do not have voting rights. Each company can work out the details pertaining to the issue of preferred stocks. However preferred stock can be considered as a financial instrument that possesses the characteristics of both debt (with fixed dividend) and equity (potential appreciation). (Investopedia) A convertible debt or security is a bond or a share of preferred stock that can be converted at the option of the holder into common stock of the same corporation. The investor is provided with a fixed return from a bond or with a specified dividend from the preferred stock. In addition the investor has an option to covert it to common stock. As a result the company is able to sell a convertible security at a lower yield than it would have to pay on a straight bond or preferred stock issue. This is an advantage for issuing convertible securities. (James C.Van Horne) A Warrant is an option to purchase a specified number of shares of common stock at a stated price. When the holder of a warrant exercises his option he surrenders the warrants. Warrants are often employed as 'sweeteners' to a public issue of bonds or debt that is privately placed. As a result the company should be able to obtain a lower rate of interest than it would otherwise. For companies that are marginal credit risks the use of warrants may make the difference between being able and not being able to raise funds through a debt issue. Occasionally warrants are directly sold to investors directly against cash. On other occasions they are used in founding of the company issued as compensation to underwriters and venture capitalists. Mostly warrants are issued in connection with a debt issue often a private placement. (James C.Van Horne) A primary financial instrument evidences a direct claim against some other party. These instruments often are traded in the spot market with prices set by the usual forces of demand and supply. In contrast a derivative security derives its value from an underlying primary security. One of the examples for the underlying security for derivatives is the stock option. Movements in the price of the underlying asset, the stock in this case drive the value of the derivative instrument, the option. Derivatives may take the form of simple put and call options on stocks. These options were traded in relatively illiquid over the counter markets. However with the tremendous financial innovations occurred in the last two decades the role of derivative securities in the financial markets have increased manifold touching new heights. (James C. Van Horne) Modern Furniture Company Total Number of shares outstanding: 3,000,000 Cash Dividend Proposed: $ 1.60 per share Total Earnings of the firm $ 12,000,000 Earnings per share $ 4.00 Market Value of the Share $ 88.00 P/E Ratio P/E Ratio is given Market Value per Share Earnings per Share 88.00 4.00 = 22 Dividend Yield and Dividend Payout Ratio Dividend Yield is given by Annual Dividends per