Korean and japanese cinema

IntroductionThe emergence of the Japanese film industry could be dated back to the year 1898 through the emergence of the silent films whereas the Korean film’s that the Koreans produced started since the year 1919 (Paquet, 2007)†¦ This essay would then focus on Korean directors’ usage of women to elicit political and social implications. Firstly, these depictions could intensify the changing roles of the women in Korean society and secondly, it could elicit reactions from both the female and male audience. In the hopes of further deepening these implications, a view on Japanese women would also be used as a comparison.Korean view on women in society and the Director’s perspective on leading ladiesFrom the Confucian ideal of a woman is depicted through the main role of women is to be prepared in becoming a wife and a mother (Paik, 1998). Nowadays, Korean women are entering the working sphere of the country whereas before it was limited to the male species. T he directors then would like to highlight the women in a movie especially when the societal changes are much concerned with the women of the society. These depictions could bring forth the reactions from both the female and male viewers.An example on the changing view of women’s role in society is through the film, ‘YMCA Yagudan’ or ‘YMCA Baseball Team’ where the leading lady’s character is depicted to be modernized and she had a major influence on the leading man.Japanese view on women in society and the implication on societal changes resembling the Koreans’ changes and the director’s depiction for these changesLike the Korean women, Japanese women are confined to what is known to be the private sphere. The duties then lie on the men’s shoulders to provide for the family. The Japanese view on women then gradually changed by using what is known to be the private sphere or domain where women belongs to a more public domain and become a way to see that the private sphere in the form of the household is matriarchal in nature (Friedman, 1992).It could be seen in the Japanese film, Hotaro no haka’ or ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ that the male main character had the burden to provide for his sister, the female main character. Nonetheless, the changing role on women in Japan then could be seen through the changes that the two siblings had to undergo in order to survive and breaking free from the usual connotation of the family structure would be a leeway for the changes to be realized (Jubei, 1995). In a way, both the sibling depicts the changes in societal perspectives by escaping the society imposition of what they ought to do. The sister along with the brother’s pride became the motivations in running away.ConclusionWhat could be inferred from all these claims is that the leading lady’s role in a film could be a way to see the social changes and the political stands. In a K orean film, it could elicit reactions from both the women and men. Another reason is that highlighting the women predicament in a film could make the audience see the societal changes in women’s role.ReferencesFriedman, S. (1992). Women in Japanese Society: Their changing Roles.  Ã‚   Retrieved August 27, 2007, from http://www2.gol.com/users/friedman/writings/p1.htmlJubei, Y. S. (1995). Hotaro no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies).  Ã‚   Retrieved August 24, 2007, from http://www2.hawaii.edu/~dfukushi/Hotaru.htmlPaik, Y.-J. (1998). Women's Development and Information on Women in Korea.  Ã‚   Retrieved August 24, 2007, from http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla64/112-122e.htmPaquet, D. (2007). A Short History of Korean Film.  Ã‚   Retrieved August 27, 2007, from http://www.koreanfilm.org/history.html

Multi-state E.coli Outbreak

A person having diarrhea with loose stools greater than 3 bowel movements in a day with or without abdominal cramps, who is a resident of Michigan, having onset of symptoms between the 15th of June and 15th of July and the   stool cultures yielding E.coli 157:H7. (Lautenbach, E., 2008).   (Multistate Outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 Infection, 2008)It is an infection leading to severe abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea. Non bloody diarrhea can also occur, or it may also be that the patient will have no symptomatic complaints. The causative organism is E.coli O157:H7 which has an incubation period of 3 to 8 days with a median of 3-4 days. (Lautenbach, E. 2008).   . In people in extremes of age groups I.e. elderly and children under 5 years of age, the infection can also lead to complications like Hemolytic uremic syndrome.AdvantagesBy including a lab test as criteria for case confirmation, the specificity of the case definition increases hence the power of the test increases and so do the chances to detect the source.DisadvantagesInvestigation: by making lab investigations like stool cultures and PFGE a criterion, people who had the symptoms but were not able to visit the doctor were not counted as having the disease, hence the sensitivity of the definition decreased.By only taking residents of Michigan into consideration, people who were visitors and might have got infected were excluded from the count.Slight alterations could be made to the case definition.Proposed Case DefinitionA person having diarrhea with loose stools greater than 3 bowel movements in a day with or without abdominal cramps. The person may be a resident or may have visited Michigan a week prior to having onset of symptoms between the 15th of June and 15th of July. A person with clinically compatible picture who is epidemiologically linked with a confirmed case of E.coli infection. The stool cultures yielding E.coli 157:H7.The lab testing requirement still has to remains, to ensure specifi city and power of the definition.Comparison between age groups:In the Michigan outbreak, it was noted that more than twice as many females were infected as were males. People in age groups of 20-39 and 40-59 were reported most frequent cases in the Michigan outbreak. Food net on the other hand reported nation wide distribution of cases almost equally in males and females, i.e. 162 to 178 respectively. They also documented that largest segmented of population infected in 1997 was in the age group of 1-9 years.This pattern shows that in the Michigan outbreak, the source most probably started with some sort of interaction between source and the adult females of age between 20-59years.  Inquiry about diseaseE.coli infection is mainly an oral-fecal transmission pathway. Hence poorly chlorinated water, unpasteurized milk are common fluid sources. Uncooked or improperly cooked beef another forms of meat are another likely source of transmission. Vegetables directly from farms or stores, which are not properly washed, like lettuce, spinach alfalfa etc are another source of infection. (Escherichia coli O157:H7, 2005).   Exposure to farm animals, or contact with infected people are also risk factors. In the United States infected children in daycare centers also a major source of spread. So questions pertaining to contact and handling of the above stated risk factors should be asked.Source of the outbreak according to the currently present evidence is alfalfa sprouts. Contaminated alfalfa seeds initially caused the outbreak and then the infection easily spread through person to person transfer. The leading hypothesis is that contaminated alfalfa sprouts or seeds of alfalfa sprouts were the initial cause of the outbreak.People who consumed these foods in the area of Michigan got infected with E.coli O157:H7 and then the infection were further transferred to other people with whom they came into contact.REFFERENCES:Escherichia coli O157:H7 (2005). Division of Bacteria l and Mycotic Diseases, Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 6, 2008, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_t.htmLautenbach, E. (2008).   Outbreak Investigation: Discussion Group. Pennsylvania department of health. Retrieved March 6, 2008, from http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/Outbreak_Investigation.ppt.Multistate Outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 Infection, (2008). Foodsafety.net  Retrieved March 6, 2008, from http://www.foodsafetynet.info/NEHA/EpiSlides/Ecoli_122803.ppt.   

My Brother, My Executioner Essay

I – The Characters Estaquio â€Å"Istak† Salvador / Estaquio â€Å"Istak† Samson * Estaquio also known as Istak is a young man serves as an acolyte in the church in Cabugaw. He was raised by Padre Jose, a Spanish priest in Cabugaw and gave him good education about healing arts and other practical skills that made him fit to become a priest. Istak got sick during their stay in Cabugawan and that time, Capitan Gualberto Together with his Spanish official took An-no and killed him. Dalin * Dalin is a widow and became the wife of Estaquio â€Å"Istak† Salvador. She was brought by An-no together with her late husband who died in Po-on because of his illness. Dalin was the reason why Istak and An-no had some misunderstanding. During Istak’s journey together with their relatives in Po-on, Dalin was the one who led the way to Pangasinan because she was the one who is familiar to the place. Ba-ac * Ba-ac is the Father of Istak and the Wife of Mayang. He is very angry and at the same time, bitter to the Spanish Colony because of losing his one hand. Ba-ac was the one who killed the new priest in Cabugaw after he went and beg to the priest for Istak to be in the church again. He was also the one who led the journey to Pangasinan together with his family and relatives. He died during the journey because of the python who struck him. Mayang * Mayang is the Wife of Ba-ac and the mother of Istak, An-no and Bit-tik. She doesn’t want Dalin to be with Istak because Dalin was too young to be a widow. Mayang died in the journey to Pangasinan when Istak and Mayang was crossing the Agno river and the tree trunk hit the cart where in Mayang was inside that made the cart swallowed by the water raging down the river. Mariano â€Å"An-no† Salvador * An-no is the brother of Istak and Bit-tik and the Son of Mayang and Ba-ac. He was the one who brought Dalin to Po-on. An-no together with his family and relative went on a journey to Pangasinan. During their journey, He met Orang, Blas’ daughter and became his husband. An-no died because of Capitan Gualberto and other Spanish official who took him and killed him because of his father’s fault. Silvestre â€Å"Bit-tik† Salvador * Bit-tik is also the brother of Istak and An-no and the son of Mayang and Ba-ac. He also went to Pangasinan together with his family and relatives. During their stay in Rosales, Pangasinan. Bit-tik met Diego Silang during their stay in Rosales. He also has a girlfriend, Sabe, who leave Cabugawan, their new town and married a farmer from Carmay. But when An-no died, he took responsibility of the two children of his late brother and the farm. He became the husband of Orang, An-no’s wife. Orang * Orang is the daughter of Blas’ Ba-ac and Mayang’s relatives and the sister of Sabel who had an affair with Bit-tik, An-no’s brother. Orang became widowed when An-no got killed by the Spanish Officials but after the incident, she live with Bit-tik and became his wife. Padre Jose * Padre Jose is the Spanish priest who gave shelter and good education to Istak, an acolyte in the church in Cabugaw. Padre Jose helped Istak through Istak’s dream where he talked to his acolyte and gave him advice during their journey. Padre Jose served as an inspiration to Istak. He was also the one who taught many things to Istak that later on, helped Istak to overcome all the challenges and even sickness during their journey and during their stay in Cabugawan. Don Jacinto * Don Jacinto was a rich and educated man living in Rosales, Pangasinan. He was the one who helped Istak, his Family and Relatives in their daily needs in life. He was also the one who offered the land to the Family and Relatives of Istak. Don Jacinto was a good friend of Istak during the stay in Rosales, Pangasinan. He was also the one who lend Dr. Jose Rizal’s novels and even the newspaper to Istak in order for Istak understand more about the situation they’re going through that time. He is also a good friend of Apolinario Mabini who was staying with Don Jacinto. Apolinario Mabini * Apolinario is a good friend of Don Jacinto during that time. He is the cripple who asked for a favor to Istak. He was also the one who gave the job to Istak in delivering the letter to the President, Emilio Aguinaldo. Apolinario Mabini is well educated and has a passion in writing. He continued writing because he wants to encourage people to be united as one and fight against the nation’s freedom. General Pio Del Pilar * General Pio Del Pilar was a general that time who led the fight against the Americans. He was also the one whom Istak talked with regarding the letter that Apolinario Mabini sent to the President, Emilio Aguinaldo. Istak joined his army in defeating the Americans that time. II – Summary of the Novel Estaquio â€Å"Istak† Salvador is an acolyte in the church in Cabugaw. Istak served in the convent for almost ten years. His mentor, Padre Jose was the one who gave him shelter, food and even good education which made Istak fluent in Filipino, Latin and Spanish and even familiar with practical skills and medicine. With Istak’s knowledge, he was fit to be a priest and someday, Padre Jose told him that he could go to Vigan and be serve the church there as a priest. But when the time comes, when Padre Jose was replaced by a new younger Spanish priest in Cabugaw, Istak was sent home to Po-on because the priest told him that he doesn’t need him anymore and maybe because of what Istak saw during his stay in the Church where in the new Spanish priest, having an illicit sex to one of Capitan Berong’s daughter. The time comes when the new priest told them to evacuate the land that they don’t even own. Because of this, Istak’s father, Ba-ac who is angry and bitter to the Spanish colony because of what happened to his one hand, went to Cabugaw and beg to the priest to allow them to stay in the land for just one harvest since they don’t have anything to keep if they will leave the village. He also begged to the priest to allow his son, Istak to go back to the church and serve as an acolyte again but the priest doesn’t allow them. During that time, Ba-ac was surprised to find out that the priest he was talking was the one who ordered his official to looped Ba-ac’s hand until it became numb. Due to Ba-ac’s anger, he killed the young Spanish priest with the use of a silver crucifix. With this, he was forced to move out to Po-on immediately together with his family and relatives. He went to a journey to Pangasinan in order for him to escape the punishment of the Spanish government to him. During their preparation for the upcoming escape in po-on, An-no, brought Dalin together with her sick husband to the village and eventually died because of the illness. The Family and Relatives of Ba-ac immediately moved out the village except for Istak who refused to go with them. But when the Spanish officials reached Po-on, everyone left except for Istak that made his life in danger. He was closer to death that time but luckily, Dalin went to him and saved him. Their journey starts which led by Dalin and Istak who are familiar with the road. They also met Blas and his daughters during the journey to Pangasinan. During their voyage, they’ve been through a lot of challenges. One of Istak’s relatives got killed because of the encounter of the Bagos. Ba-ac also died during the journey to Pangasinan because of the Python who waited and attacked him. When they reach the Agno River, an unexpected situation happened when Istak together with Mayang, his mother was crossing the river then suddenly a huge tree trunk hit the cart where Mayang was staying that caused Istak’s mother’s death. They finally reached Rosales, Pangasinan through journeying for almost two weeks. When they reached Rosales, the people living their told them to go to Don Jacinto, a well known man in the place and ask for some help. Istak never wasted a chance, instead, he went to Don Jacinto’s house in Rosales, Pangasinan and asked for some help. Don Jacinto didn’t hesitate to help them. He gave a land to them where they can start their new life. Istak’s family and relatives called their new village, Cabugawan, since they are from Cabugaw. They lived in Cabugawan for almost ten years. During their stay, Istak and Dalin got married and had two sons namely, Antonio and Pedro. An-no and Orang also lived together but An-no died because of the Spanish officials and Capitan Gualberto who took him. Later on, Bit-tik and Orang lived together and Bit-tik took the responsibility of his brother’s children. Istak became close to Don Jacinto and soon enough, he also became close to Apolinario Mabini, Don Jacinto’s friend. That time, Mabini was sick and Istak gave him some medicines for him to drink. As time goes by, Istak earned the trust of Don Jacinto and Apolinario Mabini. He was asked by Mabini to send the letter to the President, Emilio Aguinaldo. During Istak’s trip, he experienced problems because of the Americans who were in the country that time. In Istak’s trip, he encountered American officials who shot his horse, Kimat. He also encountered problems where American burned the whole village and killed all the people there. He finally reached a village where General Del Pilar was. Istak lost the letter addressed to the president but instead, he told the General about the letter of Mabini, what he really wants for the country to be united as one. But Gen Del Pilar was not convinced and he sent Istak home. Istak never went home but instead, he stayed and joined General Pio Del Pilar’s army against the American soldiers. III – Analysis of the Novel A. Literary Analysis Characters Estaquio â€Å"Istak† Salvador/ Estaquio â€Å"Istak† Samson * Estaquio Salvador is the Major/Central Character in the Novel, Po-on by F. Sionil Jose. He was the one who resolves the conflict between Ba-ac and the Spanish Officials by leaving Po-on and gives information to his family and relatives of what he have learned during his stay in the convent and his journey with Padre Jose. Istak Salvador is also the Protagonist in the Novel since he was the one who faced the conflict during the time where the new priest wanted them to banished in Po-on and he was also the one who faced and experience situations where in he almost died. Istak is also a dynamic character since he changes his personality during the period. At first, he was contented in healing, teaching his fellow villagers but as time goes by, when he was asked to deliver the letter to the president and when he met Gen. Del Pilar, He leave what he used to do way back to Rosales and began to join the army to fight with the Americans. Ba-ac * Ba-ac, the father of Istak, Bit-tik and An-no, and the wife of Mayang is the Major/Central Character in the novel. He was the one who somehow resolves the conflict between him, Istak’s and the new Spanish priest in Cabugaw by begging the new priest to accept Istak in the convent. He was also the one who lead Po-on villagers to leave the village. Dalin * Dalin, a widow and the wife of Istak played as a Minor Character in the Novel, Po-on. In the novel, Dalin was the one who helped Istak and the Po-on villagers by leading the way to Pangasinan since she was familiar with the place. Mayang, An-no, Bit-tik, Orang * Mayang, the wife of Ba-ac, An-no and Bit-tik, the sons of Mayang and Ba-ac and Orang serve as Minor Characters in the novel. They were the one who helped Istak, Ba-ac and fellow Po-on villagers in journeying the land of Pangasinan. Padre Jose * Padre Jose, a Spanish priest in Cabugaw serves a Minor Character in the novel. He was the one who helped Istak by giving him enough education, teaching him about medicine and other practical skills and by teaching him different languages such as Spanish and Latin. He akso helped Istak during their journey when he appeared in Istak’s dream. The journey that Padre Jose and Istak had also helped Istak in journeying their way to pangasinan since Istak became familiar with the roads they are seeking that time. Don Jacinto and Apolinario Mabini * Don Jacinto, a well known man in Rosales, Pangasinan serves as a Minor Character in the novel. He helped Istak during their stay in Rosales, Pangasinan. He even gave lands to the Po-on Villagers. Don Jacinto also helped Istak to broaden his learning when it comes to the social situations in the country by lending him newspapers and other materials that Dr. Jose Rizal wrote. Apolinario Mabini, Don Jacinto’s close friend and became Istak’s friend also serves as a Minor Character in the Novel. Apolinario helped Istak during his stay in Rosales by giving writings that helped Istak in understanding the situations in the country. New Priest in Cabugaw and Capitan Gualberto * They serve as the antagonists in the novel, Po-on. The new priest was the one who ordered to loop Ba-ac’s hand and the one who want to banished the villagers in Po-on and other villages in Cabugaw. Capitan Gualberto serves as an antagonist in the novel because he was the one who seek for Ba-ac’s family in Rosales, Pangasinan and the one who killed An-no as a payment for Ba-ac’s mistake. Plot The event in the novel, Po-on by F. Sionil happened from 1880 to 1889. During this time, the Salvador Family together with their relatives who live in the village abandoned their beloved village, Po-on because of the sin that Ba-ac, the father of Istak, An-no and Bit-tik and the Husband of Mayang committed when he killed the new priest after realizing that he was the one who ordered to loop Ba-ac’s hand until it became numb. When Salvador Family and other Po-on villagers leave Po-on, Istak, the acolyte who served for more than 10 years in the convent in Cabuyaw intended to stay in the village, hoping that the Spanish officials will accept and understand what happened in the convent. Unfortunately, Istak got nearly killed by the Spanish Officials and the Village was burned and turned into ashes. Dalin waited for Istak and was the one who took care of him when he got almost killed by those Officials. The Po-on Villagers leave Cabugaw and took the journey to Pangasinan where they can start their lives again and for them to escape the cruelty of those Spanish officials who are looking for Ba-ac. During their journey to Pangasinan, they encountered many challenges that tested their patience, unity and strength. During their voyage, they encountered Capitan Gualberto who once checked the carts of the Po-on Villagers. When they reached the mountain, they encountered Bagos who killed a Po-on Villager uring the attack. Their journey to the mountain became difficult for the villagers. Ba-ac was killed during the journey to the mountain when a Python waited for the right moment to strike on its prey. Istak, who noticed that his father was no longer seated in the cart went back to check for his father but he found out that the Python was crushing the body of Ba-ac that caused his death. The Villagers now reached the Agno River but the current of the water is too fast that caused Mayang’s death when she and Istak finally crossing the river then suddenly, a tree trunk hit their cart. Salvador Brothers namely Istak, An-no and Bit-tik, together with their relatives now reached Rosales, Pangasinan. During their Arrival, the people in Rosales told the po-on villagers to ask Don Jacinto for help. Istak doesn’t hesitate to go and ask for Don Jacinto’s help and luckily, they were given a land to develop and claim it as their own, and named their land, Cabugawan. During their stay in Cabugawan, Istak are doing some healing to those who are sick. That time, a harmful disease was spreading in the nearby town that made Cabugawan Villagers threatened. As time goes by, the Spanish officials together with Capitan Gualberto reached the place where the Po-on villagers are staying. During that time, Istak got sick and he was too weak to function. When he finally recover from his Illness, Dalin, now his wife told him that these officials took An-no and killed him as the payment for what their father did way back in Cabugaw. During their stay in Rosales, Istak became closer to Don Jacinto and Apolinario Mabini, Don Jacinto’s good friend. Istak worked for Apolinario Mabini that time as the one who writes the draft made by Apolinario. As time goes by, the trust between Istak, Apolinario and Don Jacinto became stronger that made Apolinario trust Istak with the letter to be delivered to the President of the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo. When Istak journeyed to the location of the President of the Philippines, he encountered Americans who killed people in the village and Burned the whole village. The horse lend by Don Jacinto was shot during his encounter with the Americans that made Istak walked on the road and even in the mountains. He finally reached a village where he can buy a horse and that time, he met General Pio Del Pilar who lead the Filipino army against the Americans. Istak told the General about the letter for the president given by Apolinio Mabini that was lost. General Del Pilar asked Istak to leave the village immediately but Istak stayed and finally realized to join the army of General Pio Del Pilar. Setting The event in Po-on happened in Ilocos Region and the Cordillera Mountain Range. Po-on was in Cabugaw, Ilocos. When Istak’s family and relatives went to Pangasinan, they settled in Rosales. It all happened during the last few years of the Spanish Colonization and few months of American period. Point of View Estaquio, also known as Istak is the third person who is talking in the novel, Po-on. He was the one who narrates what happened when he and Padre Jose had their journey, and when they had a conversation in his dream. Estaquio also portrayed the first person in the novel because at some point, he was the one narrating what happened during his and Padre Jose’s journey. The author, F. Sionil Jose is the third person talking in the novel because he is the one who narrates the story by this personal point of view. Dalin, Istak’s wife portrayed the third person in the novel because there is time where she narrates what happened to her life during her voyage with her parents. Theme The theme of the novel, Po-on by F. Sionil Jose is the birth of the Philippine nation and the awakening of the Filipino citizens regarding the situations of the country during the Spanish and American Period. The theme of the novel is also the suffering of the people and the will of God. B. Sociological Analysis The political and social situations revolved in the novel, Po-on were the Spanish and Americans who claimed the Filipinos’ land, as their own land and how those people who called themselves superiors act in the society. The officials during that time only think about theirselves and how they will inherit all the lands in the country. Those officials who treated theirselves as superiors did everything that they can do to the citizens in the Philippines. They don’t have any respect to the people in the country especially to the women who were abused by those officials. C. Values The values that were present in the novel are the uniqueness of each person, empowerment, learning community and delight in the spiritual adventure with god. The uniqueness of each person portrayed in the novel serves as a big help for them to overcome all the challenges in life. This uniqueness includes the ability of each person to do everything that will make his/her life more meaningful, the strength and patience of each person experiencing challenges. The learning community is also present in the novel since the people in Po-on and now based in Cabugawan, Rosales, Pangasinan learned new techniques in handling their new life in Pangasinan. The people in Cabugawan learned to enhance their skills when it comes to field works. Lastly, the delight in the spiritual adventure with God is also present in the novel since Istak and other Po-on natives have a strong belief with God and offer their selves to the purpose of god for their lives. These values relate to the core values in Assumption College because just like the people portrayed in the novel, the core values of Assumption also portrayed the students and faculty when it comes to the morals of Assumption College. D. The Image of the Woman The images of the women portrayed in the novel are strong and very independent when it comes to field works. Dalin showed how strong she is when it comes to challenges. She had been through a lot of challenges in life that tested her patience and strength. Orang, Blas’ daughter also showed strength when she was took advantage by the Spanish officials. Despite of what happened to her, she remained strong. Mayang, Ba-ac’s wife also showed strength when Ba-ac died. She is also independent when it comes to her works in the village. These women were not respected by the Spanish officials that time. That time, they were inferior to the eyes of these officials. E. Relevance In the novel, Po-on, some of the situations happened that time were also present in the society today. It showed how people were abused, were not respected by those people who think they are superior. As a woman, the situation happened during Dalin and Orang’s time struck me because nowadays, it is still happening in the society. Women are abused by men, trying to get the dignity of these women. The social issues happened that time is also present in our society today. The Spanish officials present in the novel can be portrayed by the government officials who are present today. They have somehow the same traits; Acting as if they are superiors, as if they own the lives of the people in the society. The novel imparted the people nowadays how those people present during that time feel and experience. IV – Conclusion All in all, the novel, Po-on written by F. Sionil Jose portrayed the life of Istak and the Cabugawan Villagers in their newly hometown, Rosales in Pangasinan. After so many years of healing and teaching, Istak finally realized that he will just forget the things he used to do in Cabugawan and joined the army of General Pio Del Pilar who are against the Americans. Istak finally joined the army and leave his fate to God’s hand. Istak didn’t even bother going back to Cabugawan when General Pio Del Pilar asked him to. He finally forgets all the things he used to do in his hometown and do what is right for the country.

Description for the map Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Description for the map - Essay Example Inner Mongolia has only a small number of rivers such as the Yellow river and other seasonal rivers. The region is endowed with many lakes comprising Hulun, Nur and Dalai Nur among others. Mongolian terrain represents the Alps and continuing plateaus that have a very high amount of relief. Starting from the Gobi Desert located in the southern part of Mongolia, the region has a treeless plain that is covered with grass and has three mountain ranges. The desert is a home to rare animals such as the black tail antelope, brown bear and Havtgai, wild Bactrian camel. Tavan Bogd Uul represents the highest point in Inner Mongolia (4374 meters) and the lowest region (560 meters) lies to the eastern Mongolian plain. Since one can go through the map and find various features found within Inner Mongolia attests to the fact that the map helps in solving problems. People such as travellers and tourists can use it to locate different features that may be of interest to them. Consequently, such features, in my view, contribute greatly in shaping the Inner Mongolia story. As mentioned earlier, travellers and tourists are critical users of the Inner Mongolia Map. These people will, in particular, use the map in identifying the various physical features found in Inner Mongolia. The Inner Mongolia map will, for instance, be important in helping the tourists to locate the splendid pasture scenery in Mongolia, the Xiritala Grassland Scenic area, and the Hinggan Ling Mountains among others. Moreover, the map will also help historians in understanding the history of Inner Mongolia. They can use the map to locate features such as the tomb of Genghis and the monastery. The use of variations in colour in showing the different elevations in the Mongolian region is quite distinctive. Through the variations in colour, one gets the sense of the different physical features in the area. In addition, the use of delineation lines gives an idea of the land’s shape. This adds on or

The central concepts of finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The central concepts of finance - Essay Example In this case therefore, as argued by Bodie, et al, (2011), if the market is not able to predict its fluctuations, but does asses them as being likely or less likely, then the likelihood can be accessed through mathematical process using the relevant information in the market. Thus, factors such as price reflect all the relevant information that is available in terms of the total value of an asset. With the introduction and analysis of the financial efficiency, this paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the market efficiency types and the approaches to test this efficiency. After the emergence of stock market, there was a widespread concern and controversy that made most of the investors to be keen when participating in the market. The situation was caused by the fact that their approach of making their profits seemed inappropriate. Considering that the stock market is an important component of the capital market, many economists in the world developed serious concerns and intere sts in exploring the trend of stock price. In this case, even though the intentions were different, there has been a central focus on the trend of the capital market in the global financial market. As the efficient market hypothesis became known to many, it became also an important part of the school of rational expectations theory, and one of the theoretical foundations of modern economic principles. As argued by the America financial economist, Fama (1965), if the market price fully reflect the all of available information.

The Execution of John Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Execution of John Brown - Essay Example The Execution of John Brown On the other hand, the statement of David Hunter Strother on the account of Brown’s execution described in full detail the final moments of John Brown before he was executed. The intended audience are the same – both Southerners and Northerners. The two documents have many parallelisms regarding John Brown’s character and beliefs, but they have a few noteworthy differences. The â€Å"Last Statement† and Strother’s Statement actually had parallelisms. Brown’s â€Å"Last Statement† is the final statement of Brown spoken after he was sentenced to death by the South. Whether it was Brown himself who wrote the speech or someone who simply noted down what he spoke, the speech seems to say one thing: the South has been wrong in its stance for slavery and the North, including Brown himself, is vindicated in their cause. The speech was wholly a denial of the charges and a testament that explained the basis of the abolition. One of the main poin ts that Brown emphasized in his speech is a denial of the accusations previously hurled against him, and he did this with pride. He said, â€Å"I deny everything but what I have all along admitted of a design on my part to free slaves† (Author 148). For Brown, therefore, storming the armory at Harper’s Ferry was not at all a sign of rebellion but rather merely an act to free the slaves. Thus, for him, â€Å"It is unjust that I should suffer such a penalty† (149), and â€Å"I feel no consciousness of guilt†. ... It is actually Brown’s pride that is being shown here, although Strother’s account somehow suggests that Brown died with so much display of haughtiness – as using the words â€Å"grim and grisly smirk,† â€Å"bravado,† and â€Å"alacrity† (300). Strother must have been a sympathizer of the South for him to write the execution account like this, especially as he described Brown as â€Å"notorious† (299). However, towards the second half of Strother’s report, somehow he changes his sentiments to that in favor of Brown. He describes him as rather waiting for his death â€Å"quietly and civilly† and â€Å"without impatience† for such choice of words – â€Å"quietly† and â€Å"civilly† – somehow shows that indeed, for Strother, Brown died with dignity and honor (301). In fact, when someone seated beside Strother told him that Brown was already starting to break down –â€Å"He trembles , his knees are shaking† – Strother rather dismissed it as false (301). For Strother, it is the scaffold that shakes and not Brown’s knees, thus making the other person feel that he was wrong and that Brown here was not the cowardly guilty criminal that the man thought he was but rather a man who is ready to face death and brave enough in accepting his fate (301). What happened then to the original sentiments of Strother at the first half of the article? Perhaps, the hatred in Strother was replaced by admiration for the unflinching manner by which Brown faced his execution. The â€Å"Last Statement† actually contained more information about Brown than Strother’s account of the former’s execution. While Strother only described a man of dignity and honor standing at the scaffold, Brown’s â€Å"Last

Relationship between Neoclassicism and Romanticism; Realism and Essay

Relationship between Neoclassicism and Romanticism; Realism and Impressionism - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that Neoclassicism was a revival of the classic art that was prevalent during the time of the Ancient Greek and Rome. It developed as a response to the heavily decorative style of Rococo and thus favored simple lines and order. The curvy style of Rococo was replaced by simple clean lines. Neoclassicism, since it was also inspired by the Renaissance art, laid emphasis on rationality and logic. Romanticism, on the other hand, was an intellectual movement that sprang up during the late 18th century. It developed as a response to the Industrial Revolution and thus was against the scientific rationalization and in general contradicted with the Age of Enlightenment. Emotion, rather than logic, was stressed in this particular style with emphasis on emotions such as terror, awe and horror. Artists from the era of Romanticism were against the forms developed by the neoclassic artists. They were not inspired by the beauty of the perfect subjects that th e neoclassic artists painted. Rather they criticized the neoclassicism art for being unreal and without any real emotions. Since Neoclassicism was inspired by the Ancient Greeks and Roman whose main subjects were Gods, it was obvious that the subjects of neoclassic artists were God like human beings with little or no emotion in their eyes or body language. In their use of colors, the Romantic art was quite contrary with that of the neoclassic art. Romantic artists used vibrant colors, inspired from the Middle East artists while their earlier peers depended on muted colors. Romanticism can be defined as a dynamic art form with its vibrant use of colors and emotions. Neoclassicism, on the other hand, is a passive art form that uses muted colors and shows no emotion. Emotion and rationality are two ends of a spectrum and the relationship between Romanticism and Neoclassicism can be understood by the fact that Romanticism represented emotion while Neoclassicism relied on logic. If Neocl assicism was God centric, Romanticism was human centric. Relationship between Realism and Impressionism Realism is a French art movement that began in the 1850s in the aftermath of the 1848 revolution. Realism was an art form that was developed as a reaction towards the Romantic art form. Realism arts denied the use of excessive emotion in their art and aimed to develop objective reality in their art forms. Depicting the painting in its real and true form was the aim of realist artists. This was a time when photography was gaining popularity and photography provided support to realism with its natural and true depiction of the subject. Impressionism, on the other hand, was a 19th century movement that was developed by Paris artists who defied the norms by using free brush strokes to create realism. They explored different perspectives of the scene and inculcated movement in art. These artists were first not taken seriously but with time, they art style spread to other parts of the a rt world. It is believed that it was the great artist, Manet who created the transition between Realism and Impressionism. Manet went away with the use of painting layers in his painting so that he could create his painting in one sitting with the model present. This meant that he could not make any mistake with the use of the colors, thus the art form was a fast art form that did not receive a favorable reception in the beginning. Realism art was an art that tried to tune in to the norms of the art society. Impressionist art form, however, created a revolution in the art society as it redefined the term art. Impressionist artists demanded solo shows while French artists vehemently opposed them. However, with time people realized that Impressionism had brought a fresh perspective in art and they accepted the art form. One

Communication with Families Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Communication with Families - Essay Example Working parents, especially fathers, or those who live at distant locations are â€Å"less involved† in their children’s education â€Å"unless the school organizes opportunities†¦in various times and in various places† (Epstein, 2001, p. 407). C. The teacher said that the document contained some information that came â€Å"directly from our state education office†. This technical information was less likely to be understood by less educated parents. Secondly, the teacher said that the â€Å"web site will also allow us to communicate by e-mail†, but he did not consider the fact that many parents would not be having any computers at home or e-mail addresses through which they could communicate with school authorities. D. The information that came directly from the state education office would have affected less educated parents since they might not have understood such formal phrases. Secondly, those parents who did not know how to use internet or did not have computers at home got no help in getting to know how to use the website. Mendoza (2003) asserts that â€Å"when professionals use technical terms and jargon without sufficient explanation, parents may not understand key information about their children†. E. The teacher could have shown greater sensitivity to the parents by explaining the instructions of state education office in easier words so that every parent could have understood it. Mendoza (2003) states that the difficult reading level of the written materials makes them â€Å"potentially inaccessible to parents with lower literacy skills or to second-language English speakers†. Secondly, the teacher should have considered how those parents were going to communicate who did not have computers at their homes. F. A parent plays a vital role in his child’s education. He has to stay well informed about his timetable. He

Comparing two emperors, one Chinese and one Roman Essay

Comparing two emperors, one Chinese and one Roman - Essay Example The Roman Empire began around 1000BCE and its power began from ruling the ancient villages around the city of Rome. In its earlier years of formation the empire was a monarchy but after the overthrowing of Etruscans in 509 BCE the empire turned to a republic and the Romans started their tyrant rules and governance. This essay will cover only the rule of Julius Caesar since this was the backbone of the success of the empire. The Roman Empire headquarters were in Rome and when Julius Caesar was in power, it conquered parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. It became one of the largest empires in history .   The Han China Empire came to power after overthrowing the Qin whose reign was short lived. Qin had abolished feudalism and thus overthrown by Han who ruled from 140-87 BCE. The ruler of the Han was known as Wu Ti . Unlike the Roman Empire the Han Empire did not start as a monarchy since there were magistrate-rule who ensured who was to be the ruler. There are similarities between Han an d Roman Empires in the essence of size of the empire and the acquirement of land to enlarge their empires. Han Empire used his power in the formation of a unified China, then started taking over the neighboring locations. The difference of the growth and acquisition of more land was not as brutal as that used by the Romans. The growth of the Roman Empire was based on conquering any empire that was beginning to gain power and seemed as a threat to the Roman Empire. This is contrary in comparison of the Han Empire.

What happens in the Big Bang Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

What happens in the Big Bang - Research Paper Example A normal misconception about the theory is that it depicts the root of the universe. That is not exactly right. The big bang is an effort to illustrate how the universe was created from an exceptionally minor, thick state into what it is today. It does not try to illustrate what started the production of the universe, or what preceded the big bang or even what lies outside the universe. An alternate confusion is that the big bang was a sort of eruption. That is not correct either. The big bang depicts the development of the universe. While a few forms of the theory allude to a incredibly quick expansion (potentially faster than the speed of light), it’s still not a blast in the actual sense. (Gefter, 2012) Summing up the big bang theory is a test. It includes ideas that contradict the way we observe the world. The earliest phases of the big bang concentrate on a moment in which all the individual forces of the universe were a part of a united force. The laws of science start to crush down the further back we look. Inevitably, we are unable to make any deductive speculations about what is going on, since science itself doesnt apply in this situation. What is the big bang theory? Well. It is one of the most important theories in astronomy. The ideas of the theory are quite simple. All of the present and past matter in the universe came in to existence at the same time. At one particular point in time, around 13.7 billion years ago all matter was compacted into a very little ball with infinite thickness, and extremely hot called a singularity. All of a sudden, that singularity started to grow and expand and the universe came into existence. That is the essential thought of the big bang theory which will be continued further in order to make it easier for us to understand. (Chown, 2012) To start with, we might as well address the idea of what a singularity is. As per

Marketing Mix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Mix - Essay Example The paper will significantly concentrate on product, price, and place and promotional attributes of the selected product. It was Sony who manufactured a â€Å"LED-backlight LCD television† in the year 2004. However, Samsung was the first company to coin the term â€Å"LED TV† when they manufactured this product on their range of Edge-LED lit LCD televisions in the year 2009. There are even an enormous number of competitors in the marketplace of LED TVs such as LG, Vizio and Sharp. Focussing on the marketing mix strategy of Samsung LED TVs, the research paper will also try to recommend a few modifications in the existing strategy followed by the company. 2.0 Product The LED (Light Emitting Diodes) is a modern technology in the range of televisions. It has swapped the use of ‘standard florescent tubes’ in television. This technology is used by Samsung for producing high quality and fine images. This section of the research paper will focus on the product qual ities that are offered by the company along with the likely qualities sought by the customers. 2.1 Features that Customers Care the Most The features that are mostly sought by customers in the LED TVs are as follows: The images that are displayed by the LED TVs should be livelier The size of the LED TVs are expected to be drastically small, even hardly an inch The LED TVs should be energy savers and consume at least 40% of less power than that of other televisions The images produced by LED TVs are expected to be finer dark Last but not the least, the vibrant images’ quality should make the price paid worthy (Hall, 2011) 2.2 Features of Samsung LED TVs vs. Features of its Competitors The biggest competitors of Samsung LED TVs are Sony. It is better to compare the two with respect to a particular brand for making the differences distinct. Samsung C6500 vs. Sony EX700 The picture of Samsung C6500 has a stellar view with its input of High Definition signals. This feature makes t he picture look extremely bright. On the other hand, Sony EX700 has a major drawback of contrast degradation at the side angles that ranges to even more than 15 degrees off-centre. Thus, it is evident that the picture quality of Samsung LED TVs is better than that of Sony’s. The black level/contrast ratio of Samsung is better than that of Sony as in the dark scenes it maintains an inky black view. But the series of Sony EX700 maintains a view that is little ineffective than Samsung C6500. In case of appearance, Sony EX700 has a drawback of framing bezel which is wider. Moreover, it has a depth of 2.25 and a rotating table stand. On the other hand, Samsung C6500 has a depth of just 1.2 inches along with a bezel frame that has thickness of just 1 inch. The â€Å"swivelling chrome quadrapod stand† makes it look expensive and attractive (Wiley, 2010). 2.3 Consumers’ Criteria of Choices and Use of LED TVs The most important thing that the consumers look for while dec iding to buy an LED TV is the budget. It is important to decide on the amount that they can pay for buying the product as there are quite a few ranges of price in this category. Next, the customer should decide on whether they

The withered arm Essay Example for Free

The withered arm Essay The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy and The Schoolteachers Guest by Isabelle Allende although written a century apart both are similar: they involve a son dying, close communities and both span long periods of time. In contrast, Hardys 19th century short story is set in rural England whereas Allende sets her story in South America both of which strengthen the credibility of the stories. Although they start in different manner both set out to fascinate the reader, Hardy chooses to set the in great detail and brings it altogether at the end, Allende chooses to hit the reader with a shock and fills out the background using a series of flashbacks. During this piece of coursework I shall look closely at parts 1,39 of the Withered Arm and the whole of The Schoolteachers Guest and how they engage the readers interest and convince of their reality. To begin with Hardy describes the working atmosphere of an eighty-cow dairy in which we find one of the protagonists of the story. Immediately the reader is transported into the believable yet fictitious setting of Wessex, rural England. The language used backs up and adds to the verisimilitude of the story: He do bring home his bride tomorrow. The syntax here shows a time gone by as does some of the archaic language used throughout: tisty-tosty, supernumery and barton. As the story develops we see mentioned a woman separate from the rest. Hardy is slowly introducing this woman to the reader she mentioned as: a thin fading woman of thirty milked somewhat apart from the rest. The reader is immediately interested in this person the mention that she is thin and fading at thirty suggests that she may have had an arduous life. The woman being spoken of is named Rhoda Brook. In this chapter we are told of the farmers new wife. During conversation between other milkers about his new wife there is a hint in their speech that there may have been a relationship between the farmer and Rhoda: Tis hard for she Oh no he haant spoke to Rhoda Brook for years. Again an item that would interest the reader greatly as it can raise many questions, Was there any relationship? How long did the relationship last? and Why did the relationship end? Not long after this point arises we see the emergence of Rhodas son of twelve this immediately makes me think, Could this have been the result of the relationship between farmer lodge and Rhoda? This answered by Rhoda: Your father brings home his young wife tomorrow. Rhoda asks her son to go to the church the next day to get a detailed report on what this new wife looks like, the class she comes from, distinguishing features, she wants to know everything about her; perhaps still harbouring feelings for Farmer lodge and wants to know if she is better in any way to his new wife. At the end of chapter two Hardy prepares us for what is to happen when he shows us Rhodas growing obsession with the new wife of farmer lodge, she know, after all the descriptions given her by her son, has a mental picture clear as a photograph. This is emphasised when we enter chapter three and Rhoda is contemplating Gertrude so intently she doesnt stop thinking about her even whilst working or doing general jobs around her home. Chapter three A Vision begins with Rhoda thinking about Gertrude so much that she loses track of time and it becomes quite late. By the time she goes to bed still contemplating Gertrude she is visited by an incubus whose features are shockingly distorted, the incubus is Gertrude as Rhoda would like her to be which, as we find out, is in great contrast to what she really looks like. The incubus is thrusting her wedding ring in Rhodas face taunting her with what she has and Rhoda wants and creates a powerful image in the readers mind as to what might be happening in that room. To relieve herself she grabs the arm of the incubus and throws it to the floor. Rhoda, along with the reader, believes this to be nothing more than a dream that is until her son mentions hearing a loud thud on her bedroom floor, this shocks not only the Rhoda but also the reader that the events of the previous night are more believable than may have been first thought of; it also helps to keep the reader engaged. When asked by her son Rhoda gives a nervous response: Did you hear anything fall? At what time? She is worried about it and is still preying on his mind. Not long after Gertrude appears at the gate of Rhodas home the reader could of expected a point of anger from Rhoda as she has already decided she does not like Gertrude and says: I told you never go near that place. She wants nothing to do with her; as Gertrude approaches the door Rhoda is still imagining her as she was the previous night features shockingly distorted, Rhoda wants to hide, leave, be anywhere other than in her home: She wouldve escaped had escape been possible. Rhoda opens the door and discovers not the haggard being she had seen the previous night but someone sweet and innocent and Rhodas heart reproaches her for harbouring bad feelings toward Gertrude. From the first meet hey become good friends, during conversation Gertrude reveals her withered arm Rhoda is taken aback as is the reader. This raises the question, Is this real? Rhoda asks when it happened and when Gertrude mentions the exact time and date of Rhodas incubus. Hardys era would have been very superstitious and people like Rhoda would have believed themselves to possibly have supernatural powers that help the verisimilitude of the story. At the end of the chapter the reader is left wondering what will happen between Rhoda and Gertrude a point that will keep the interest of the reader. The final chapter has Hardy showing us how fate has a major part to play in how the story finishes. His attention to detail brings to the reader the reality of the current situation: One oclock on Saturday County jail 1793. Gertrude still has the withered arm and her final option given to her by a conjuror is to touch the neck of a man just hung, hence her visit to a county jail. Hardy begins to build slowly and dramatically to the climax by giving each detail of Gertrudes actions: she crossed the inner paved court beyond he gatehouse, her knees trembling so that she could scarcely walk. Gertrude is shown as being visibly nervous by the task at hand. Gertrude touches the young mans neck, neither she nor the reader at this point realise it is Rhoda Brooks son. Hardy shocks the reader once more when he reveals Rhodas arrival: Immediately behind her stood Rhoda Brook her face drawn and eyes red with weeping. However this is not Hardys only surprise for the reader and Gertrude: Behind Rhoda stood Gertrudes own husband. Hardys clever use of fate has brought together the protagonists for this intoxicating finale and explains the coincidences. In the end of the story we see Gertrude die from he stress of the recent events and that her blood has turned too far, the irony is evident as it was Rhoda who gave Gertrude her ailment and it was Rhodas sons neck which Gertrude tried to cure herself with. Farmer Lodge ends trying to make amends with Rhoda for what happened, he also died and left most of his money to a reformatory for boys and a small annuity to be paid to Rhoda possibly out of guilt. Rhoda ends the story as she began with very little and rejecting the annuity left for her by Farmer Lodge. As the reader we feel satisfied with the outcome whilst feeling melancholy about Gertrudes death; throughout, she did no wrong and remained the sweet innocent person described by the young boy, also pleased that the Farmer realised he had a responsibility to Rhoda no matter how late on it was. The unfortunate barriers of Victorian class are indeed the real barriers to a true relationship; neither Rhoda or Farmer Lodge can ever truly be together a fact all too well accepted by Hardys readers. In comparison, the contemporary writer Allendes short story The Schoolteachers Guest, begins with a shock: she announced to him that she had just cut off the head of a guest in her boarding house. Allende begins to immediately engage the reader with this announcement whereas Hardy decides to begin by setting the scene in great detail. At this point the reader has no clue for the reasons behind this brutal murder all we know is how she has killed him. The reader would have noticed the closeness of both Ines and Riad, proven by the fact Riad is the first she tells of this murder, Allende is showing indirectly the closeness of their friendship and Riad knows immediately Ines is being truthful as he clasps his handkerchief to his mouth; she would not of told him this if she did not fully trust him and this trust plays a key part throughout the story. Subsequently, Allende uses flashback to show the reader the depth of their relationship; and to show the length of it: The two had known each other so long an Arab immigrant with a false Turkish passport still-young woman with firm hips and proud shoulders. Similarly to Hardy, Allende chooses to open up the doors to the protagonists history slowly by using flashback, which engages the reader and helps them to become part of the fictitious Agua Santa. Agua Santa as a place helps the plausibility of the story, it is set as a quiet town somewhere foreign to Britain possibly South America as it mentions it being on the edge of the jungle. Ines does things made possible only by the setting she is in: Girls brought boyfriends for approval she was counsellor, arbiter and judge of all the towns problems. Ines is shown to have an aura about her a certain authority that makes people listen and her opinions matter to them: Her authority, in fact, was mightier than that of the priest, the doctor, or the police. The town respects Ines, as she is the only teacher in the area so she would have taught everyone there and that is why everyone respects her. Allendes Agua Santa makes things like these possible, these sorts of things would of not been possible in a modern British setting, as they would be seen to be totally unreal, however Agua Santa is a completely different culture thats what makes it more acceptable to the reader. Allende, likewise to Hardy, incorporates fate as a main reason for Ines killing the man: I had to do it, it was fate. In comparison to Hardy, Allende shows the idea of fate directly with Ines mentioning it, whereas Hardy does no mention it as such but the reader knows it is involved to explain some of the goings on. This is a point that fascinates the reader as it helps to explain a lot of occurrences especially the murder. The narrative ends with the death of the schoolteacher Ines that releases the people from their duty to keep the murder secret. Allende changes her style from second to first-person, as though she was around when all of this happened: the death of the schoolteacher freed us, and now I can tell the story. Allende keeps the story present tense, which helps to make the reader feel a part of Agua Santa as all is happening before their eyes. Finally both stories are convincing in use of technique. Hardy and Allende have settings, which convince the reader of their verisimilitude; Hardys characters actions are accepted because are set, though in Britain, a century ago and gives them licence to do things that would otherwise be cast aside as nonsense. Despite their contemporary nature, Allendes characters are acceptable as they are in a different land and culture; it is because of such strong credible settings the reader is able to accept the goings on. Despite an age difference of 100 years each author has the skill to captivate us.

The Evolution Of Database Management System

The Evolution Of Database Management System In the ancient times when there was no computer, the data began to be stored in voluminous data repositories, called books. And eventually with the improvement in technology and expansion in knowledge the whole communities of books transferred to the first real database libraries. The main objective of the database is to ensure that data can be stored and retrieved easily and effectively. It is a compilation of data (records) in a structured way. In a database, the information is stored in a tabular form where data may or may not be interlinked. Hence we can say that basically database is a compilation of database files and each database file is further a collection of records. Database models: Flat files (1960s 1980s): Flat file database is a database that stores information in a single file or table. In a text file, every line contains one record where fields either have fixed length or they are separated by commas, whitespaces, tabs or any other character. In a flat file database, there is no structural relationship among the records and they cannot contain multiple tables as well. Advantages: Flat file database is best for small databases. It is easy to understand and implement. Fewer skills are required to handle a flat file database. Less hardware and software skills are required to maintain a flat file database. Disadvantages: A flat file may contain fields which duplicate the data as there is no automation in flat files. If one record is to be deleted from the flat file database, then all the relevant information in different fields has to be deleted manually making the data manipulation inefficient. Flat file database waste the computer space by requiring it to keep the information on items that are logically cannot be available. Information retrieving is very time consuming in a large database. Implementation of a flat file database: Flat file database is implemented in: Berkeley DB SQLite Mimesis TheIntegrationEngineer etc. Hierarchical database (1970s 1990s): As the name indicates, hierarchical database contains data in a hierarchically-arranged data. More perceptively it can be visualized as a family tree where there is a parent and a child relationship. Each parent can have many children but one child can only have one parent i.e.; one-to-many relationship. Its hierarchical structure contains levels or segments which are equivalent to the file systems record type. All attributes of a specific record are listed under the entity type. In hierarchical database, the entity type is the main table, rows of a table represent the records and columns represent the attributes. In the above figure, CUSTOMER is the parent and it has two children (CHCKACCT SAVEACCT). Advantages: In a hierarchical database pace of accessing the information is speedy due to the predefined paths. This increases the performance of a database. The relationships among different entities are easy to understand. Disadvantages: Hierarchical database model lacks flexibility. If a new relationship is to be established between two entities then a new and possibly a redundant database structure has to be build. Maintenance and of data is inefficient in a hierarchical model. Any change in the relationships may require manual reorganization of the data. This model is also inefficient for non-hierarchical accesses. Network database (1970s 1990s): The inventor of network model is Charles Bachmann. Unlike hierarchical database model, network database allows multiple parent and child relationships i.e., it maintains many-to-many relationship. Network database is basically a graph structure. The network database model was created to achieve three main objectives: To represent complex data relationships more effectively. To improve the performance of the database. To implement a database standard. In a network database a relationship is referred to as a set. Each set comprises of two types of records, an owner record which is same as parent type in hierarchical and a member record which is similar to the child type record in hierarchical database model. Advantages: The network database model makes the data access quite easy and proficient as an application can access the owner record and all the member records within a set. This model is conceptually easy to design. This model ensures data integrity because no member can exist without an owner. So the user must make an owner entry and then the member records. The network model also ensures the data independence because the application works independently of the data. Disadvantages: The model lacks structural independence which means that to bring any change in the database structure; the application program must also be modified before accessing the data. A user friendly database management system cannot be established via network model. Implementation of network database: Network database is implemented in: Digital Equipment Corporation DBMS-10 Digital Equipment Corporation DBMS-20 RDM Embedded Turbo IMAGE Univac DMS-1100 etc. Relational database (1980s present): Relational database model was proposed by E.F. Codd. After the hierarchical and network model, the birth of this model was huge step ahead. It allows the entities to be related through a common attribute. So in order to relate two tables (entities), they simply need to have a common attribute. In the tables there are primary keys and alternative keys. Primary keys form a relation with the alternative keys. This property makes this model extremely flexible. Thus using relational database ample information can be stored using small tables. The accessing of data is also very efficient. The user only has to enter a query, and the application provides the user with the asked information. Relational databases are established using a computer language, Structured Query Language (SQL). This language forms the basis of all the database applications available today, from Access to Oracle. Advantages: Relational database supports mathematical set of operations like union, intersection, difference and Cartesian product. It also supports select, project, relational join and division operations. Relational database uses normalization structure which helps to achieve data independence more easily. Security control can also be implemented more effectively by imposing an authorization control on the sensitive attributes present in a table. Relational database uses a language which is easy and human readable. Disadvantages: The response to a query becomes time-consuming and inefficient if the number of tables between which the relationships are established increases. Implementation of Relational Database: Oracle Microsoft IBM My SQL PostgreSQL SQLite Object-oriented database (1990s present): Object oriented database management system is that database system in which the data or information is presented in the form of objects, much like in object-oriented programming language. Furthermore, object oriented DBMS also facilitate the user by offering transaction support, language for various queries, and indexing options. Also, these database systems have the ability to handle data efficiently over multiple servers. Unlike relational database, object-oriented database works in the framework of real programming languages like JAVA or C++. Advantages: If there are complex (many-to-many) relationships between the entities, the object-oriented database handles them much faster than any of the above discussed database models. Navigation through the data is much easier. Objects do not require assembly or disassembly hence saving the coding and execution time. Disadvantages: Lower efficiency level when data or relationships are simple. Data can be accessible via specific language using a particular API which is not the case in relational databases. Object-relational database (1990s present): Defined in simple terms, an object relational database management system displays a modified object-oriented user-display over the already implemented relational database management system. When various software interact with this modified-database management system, they will customarily operate in a manner such that the data is assumed to be saved as objects. The basic working of this database management system is that it translates the useful data into organized tables, distributed in rows and columns, and from then onwards, it manages data the same way as done in a relational database system. Similarly, when the data is to be accessed by the user, it is again translated from processed to complex form. Advantages: Data remains encapsulated in object-relational database. Concept of inheritance and polymorphism can also be implemented in this database. Disadvantages: Object relational database is complex. Proponents of relational approach believe simplicity and purity of relational model are lost. It is costly as well. Web enabled database (1990s present): Web enabled database simply put a database with a web-based interface. This implies that there can be a separation of concerns; namely, the web designer does not need to know the details about the DBs underlying design. Similarly, the DB designer needs to concern himself with the DBs web interface. A web enabled database uses three layers to function: a presentation layer, a middle layer and the database layer. Advantages: A web-enabled database allows users to get the information they need from a central repository on demand. The database is easy and simple to use. The data accessibility is easy via web-enabled database. Disadvantages: Main disadvantage is that it can be hacked easily. Web enabled databases support the full range of DB operations, but in order to make them easy to use, they must be dumped down.

Optically Active Pharmaceutical Compounds Biology Essay

Optically Active Pharmaceutical Compounds Biology Essay The molecules which are non super imposable mirror images of one another are termed as chiral. These are a pair of enantiomers and are diasymmetric as well as optically active. Since they promote optical rotation, these enantiomers are also known as optical isomers. These chiral molecules consist of a tetrahedral carbon atom which is attached to four different groups. The carbon atom is the stereogenic or the asymmetric centre of the molecule. The enantiomers are similar in their physical and chemical properties in an achiral environment. Enantiomers have different biological properties. This influences the efficacy and the toxicity of the compounds. Usually, one of the enantiomers is bioactive and the others may be inactive or toxic. Example, Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker used for the treatment for blood pressure, angina. The (S) isomer treats the increase in BP more effectively than the racemate form. The (R) isoform inhibits resistance of cancer cells to anti cancer drugs (Crosby, 1991). The enantiomerically pure compounds are very useful and vital in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. It has also been shown that the optically pure and chiral compounds should be used rather than mixture of enantiomers. The optically active pure compounds are used to produce antibodies, hormones, anti inflammatory, amino acids, vitamins, anti cancer drugs, cardiovascular drugs. Chiral chromatography or ligand exchange chromatography was an analytical technique used for separating enantiomers. High performance liquid chromatography whereby chiral stationary phase is used was efficient in separation of enantiomers. The optically active ligands like amino acids are bound covalently to a solid support, thereby forming a chiral stationary phase. Various amino acid derivatives like N -(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl) phenyl glycines are also used.(Pirkle and Pochapsky,1987). The major advantage of chromatography is that it results in high enantiomeric excess and is suitable on the analytical scale. However, its drawback is that the scale up is difficult. The production of enantiomers for optically active drugs may be produced by different methods. Pure compounds are recovered by various extraction techniques from chiral compounds (alkaloids, carbohydrates) exist as pure enantiomers naturally. Fermentation of cheap substrates which are available in abundance (like molasses and sucrose) was a widely used source of single chiral molecules lactic, tartaric and L- amino acids and also for complex substances which include vitamins, antibiotics and hormones.(Buchta,1983). Optically pure compounds may be prepared from inactive starting materials by asymmetric synthesis and resolution of racemates. In the process of asymmetric synthesis (Stinson,1993) an enantiomeric reagent or catalyst is used for carrying out a specific reaction on an achiral substrate (prochiral) to produce a single chiral product. Overall, it is a selective technique as it leads to product selectivity. Its disadvantages are that it may be expensive due to the numerous steps involved and also because of the use of costly enantiomeric reagents. It is cheaper to produce a racemic mixture and then separate the enantiomers by physical methods like kinetic resolution or diastereomeric crystallization. Covalent derivatives are formed using optically pure resolving agents in the diastereomic crystallization method. The drawback is that it is wasteful since the unwanted isomer may be discarded. On the other hand, kinetic resolution is based on the principle that two enantiomers react at vari able rates in the presence of a chiral catalyst like an enzyme. This method involves product selectivity. Biotransformation has also become a key technology used to produce chiral substances. It was used by many companies Eg. Celgene Corporation developed procedures to produce amines by using amino transferase (Celgene corporation,1990).The main advantage of this procedure is that it allows 100% theoretical conversion of the substrate into the final product. Membrane chirotechnology is also a widely used method for producing optically pure isomers. In this procedure, the membrane itself maybe intrinsically enantioselective. This means that the membrane represents a chiral system that separates the desired isomers on the basis of spatial conformation. On the other hand, a membrane separation process may be combined with kinetic resolution by making use of an enantiospecific biocatalyst.That is, the membrane helps in the separation of the product from the substrate on the basis of their chemical properties like solubility. Enantiospecific catalytic membrane reactors may also be used. These comprise of membrane processes which are advantageous as they have the ability to work in a continuous mode and enormous amounts of material could be processes at once. The competitive production of chiral substances requires a large scale, cheap process for the production and separation of the enantiomers. Eg. Pyridoxal phosphate dependant lyase and transferase were used as catalyst in the synthesis of L- amino acid via the carbon carbon bond formation. (Sheldon,1993) The widely used enantiospecific membrane reactors are ultrafiltration hollow fibre membrane reactor (Responsible for production of L phenylalanine by using dehydrogenase catalyst (Schimdt et al, 1987) ) immobilized enzyme membrane reactor, packed bed continuous bioreactor, biphasic membrane reactor etc. Ultra filtration, electrodialysis and membrane extraction are common separation processes that are combined with biotransformation. Matson and Quinn(1979) showed the optimization in production of amino acids enantiomers and studied the separation of L amino acids from the racemate solution by making use of an impregnated liquid membrane alone with an enzyme immobilised membrane. Production of L-phenylalanine from racemic mixture of D,L phenyl lactate was shown by 2 consecutive biotransformation in an enzyme membrane reactor whereby the enzyme and cofactor(NAD/H) had been compartmentalised behind an ultra filtration membrane.(Schmidt et al, 1987). Intrinsically enantioselective membranes are also widely used. Substances which are optically active can be separated on the basis of there physical stereo selectivity. Polymeric membranes having the enantioselective properties intrinsically may be prepared making use of chiral polymers or by chiral modifications of the achiral porous membrane in the presence of chiral recognition agent like cyclodextrins, cyclophane and oligopeptides. In order to prepare the enantioselective membranes, optically active polyacryl amides and cellulose derivatives may be used. Yoshikawa et al,1996, showed separation of tryptophan, phenylalanine and alanine by ultra filtration using the chiral selector which was molecularly imprinted polymeric membranes(DIDE derivatives). Enzymes have the ability to catalyse a broad spectrum of chemical reactions with great efficiency and selectivity under mild and environmentally friendly conditions. By exploiting the selectivity of enzymes for one form of the enantiomer of a racemic mixture, the enantiomerically enriched compound can be obtained by biocatalytic resolution.(Thomas et al,2002) Most commonly, the hydrolytic enzyme are used since they display a range of advantages like stability, specificity, no requirement of cofactors. Among hydrolases, lipase is most commonly used because of high enantioselectivity, commercial availability and good stability in various media.(Seung Hwan et al,2004) Recently a new technique was introduced to display the peptides and proteins on the surface of gram negative and gram positive bacteria, yeast or mammalian cells. This was done by fusing the peptides to surface anchoring motif; and the technique is known as cell surface display. The cell surface display lipase proved to be an excellent biocatalytic system for the kinetic chiral resolution of the racemic compound. Recent advances have shown the use of enzymes in the synthesis of optically pure drugs and biologically active compounds. Enzymes have the ability to distinguish between the enantiomers of racemic substrates. Various strategies have been developed to improve the stereoselectivity of resolutions catalysed by the enzyme. This includes modification of the substrate, recycling of the product and altering the reaction conditions. By making use of these strategies, enzymes with modest stereoselectivity can also be used but only one enantiomer is produced with high yield. Enzyme can catalyse transformations with high region selectivity and chemo selectivity under mild reactions. This is important in the modification of chiral drugs. Eg. Penicillin acylase causes the hydrolysis of benzyl penicillin without affecting the beta lactam ring and allows the industrial preparation of 6-aminopenicillanic acid which is a precursor for many semi synthetic penicillins. Enzymes (hydrolases) have success fully been used in the synthesis of chiral pharmaceuticals, however modern methods of protein engineering and industrial microbiology help in the production of enzymes which are more inexpensive, stable with broad substrate specificity and high stereoselectivity.(Alexey L.Margolin,1993) Catalytic asymmetric synthesis is the asymmetric synthesis that is catalysed by chiral (transition) metal complex. The reactions that are involved are Redox transformations or carbon carbon bond forming processes that complement enzymatic hydrolytic process. The three types of chemo catalysts that exist are heterogenous metal catalyst, homogenous complex and soluble chiral acid or bases. Emil Fishers work on asymmetric induction which was based on cyanohydrin synthesis was the first reaction subjected to asymmetric catalysis. Enantiomerically pure amino acids, amino alcohols, amines, alcohols and epoxides play an important role as intermediates in the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industry whereby high level of purity and a large quantity is required. The enantiomerically pure active compounds help in improving the economics of the process, thereby leading to reduced quantities applied and less amount of an environmental impact. Chemical process for the manufacturing of amino acids: Even though asymmetric syntheses of amino acids are known (Michael Breuer et al,2004), no economical process has been developed. Bucherer Bergs sub type which is Strecker synthesis was employed for the industrial manufacturing of the racemic amino acids. The alpha amino nitrile is produced from hydrocyanic acid, ammonia and an aldehyde and may be hydrolysed to the amino acid directly or in the presence of carbon dioxide it gets converted into hydantoin. The hydantoin is then subjected to hydrolysis in a basic media to give the racemic amino acid. Another route to the racemic amino acid is amido carbonylation in the presence of a transition metal. Although, there is no commercially viable chemical process for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure amino acid, the production of racemic amino acid is still of great importance because the racemates may be converted to enantiomerically pure compounds by various biocatalytic methods. The catalysts used in the biotransformation are metabolically inactive cells or isolated enzymes. It is the method of choice for the production of enantiomerically pure D- amino acids and various other non natural amino acids. Lyases may be used as biocatalysts in the production of L- Aspartic acid from fumaric acid (Beller et al,2000). Amino acid dehydrogenase (deaminating amino acid oxido reductase) allows enantioselective biotransformation on an industrial scale. These enzymes have low substrate specificity due to which non natural compounds may also be transformed. In addition, they also require co substrates which help in supplying the hydride ions for the reduction of Schiff base. There is also a chemo enzymatic method for amino acid synthesis. In this, L- amino acid gets oxidised by L- amino acid oxidase. Imine (intermediate) gets reduced by Pd-C in ammonium formate buffer. In the resulting racemic mixture, only L enantiomer is utilised by oxidase where as the D- enantiomer accumulates. Therefore, the enantiomeric form of the amino acid which is produced depends entirely on the specificity of the oxidase. The enantiomerically pure amino acid can also be prepared by the racemate resolution. Eg: L and D amino acid can be prepared with the Hydantoinase-carbamoylase system. Production of carboxylic acids: Carboxylic acid can be isolated from natural sources(chiral pool).Naturally occurring chiral compounds obtained from the chiral pool are an alternative to the synthesis of enantiomerically pure products. An examples of a chiral carboxylic acid that is isolated from the natural sources is L (+) tartaric acid (Mitsugi et al,1978). During the fermentation of grape, the isomeric form of tartaric acid separates out as tartarate (potassium hydrogen tartarate).On reacting with calcium chloride or calcium hydroxide and sulphuric acid, isomeric tartaric acid is released; gypsum and yeast residues occur as the by products. Natural carbohydrate building blocks were used for several decades for the preparation of sugar acids which were enantiomerically pure. Another method is the classical chemical synthesis which involves crystallization with enantiomerically pure amines. The enantiomers of the racemic carboxylic acids are known to separate by fractional crystal lization of the diastereomeric salts which are formed with the enantiomerically pure amines. Eg: Thiazolidine carboxylic acid (enantiomerically pure), an intermediate in the synthesis of CP-060- S is isolated by the resolution of racemate with N- benzyl-1-phenylethylamine. (Pompejus et al, 2001) Production of amines: The chemical process involved is the crystallization with chiral carboxylic acids. Isolation of enantiomerically pure amines can be carried out by the crystallization of diastereomeric salts of chiral carboxylic acids with chiral amines (Jacques et al,1980). Thus (R) or (S) 1- phenylethlyamine may be produced on an industrial scale by the crystallization with either (R)- mandelic acid or (S)- malic acid. Mandelic acid was shown to be an important resolving agent for numerous numbers of amines. Dutch resolution is a variant of the classical racemate resolution. In order to reduce the search for an appropriate resolving agent for an amine through combinatorial approach, a mixture of many optically active acids were used. The salt that was precipitated contained several acid anions. Production of optically active amino alcohols: (S)-2-Aminobutanol is an important amino alcohol intermediate which is used for the synthesis of ethambutol (tuberculostatic)and it must be administered in its enantiomerically pure form as it may lead to blindness. The enantiomerically pure form can be obtained from the racemate by carrying out the crystallization with L-Tartaric acid.(Sheldon et al,1993) Production of alcohols: The main process involved was the asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones. Noyori et al showed the development of asymmetric hydrogenation of keto esters and ketones. The catalysts used were ruthenium complexes of binap and derivatives like tol-binap (Akutagawa,1995)and segphos. The biotechnological process is mainly the enzyme catalysed resolution. For the resolution of racemate alcohols, enzymatic acylations were developed in early 1980s.The racemic alcohols are made to react with an acylating agent under enzyme catalysis whereby one enantiomer is unconverted whereas the other enantiomer is esterified. The biocatalysts used are bacterial and fungal lipases. Production of epoxides: This includes sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation. The route to the formation of chiral epoxides is based on the optically active diols which may be converted to their respective oxiranes. Another method is the Jacobsen asymmetric epoxidation which is based on (salen) manganese III precatalyst and the hypochlorite is used as the stoichiometric oxidizing agent. The chemical processes may be compared with the biotransformation with respect to the environmental impact and economic efficiency. The drawbacks of the chemical routes are solvent emission or toxicity of certain compounds. On the other hand, chiral technologies are developing rapidly. Highly versatile technologies and procedures are introduced. Most chiral intermediates are produced in minute quantities. Therefore, the criteria that should be considered for the methods introduced are that they should have a broad substrate spectrum, not require specialised equipment and have a cost effective access to a range of products. It is not possible to make general conclusions about the superiority of one type of technology in comparison with the others. The most economic technique will depend on their component which is why each case should be investigated individually. However, in the overall process, the chiral step should be introduced as early as possible but this may be hindered by other factors like racemisation of the unwanted isomer. Membrane chirotechnology is also an emerging technique having several advantages with respect to the purity of simple isomers, productivity and ease of scale up. These techniques have mainly been used at the laboratory scale. Application on a large scale needs more investment especially in developing the experimental set up rather than investigations which have been carried out on chirality that have been developed in the chromatographic field.

Inclusion :: essays research papers

Educational Psychology Inclusion What a society feels about it’s diverse membership, particularly about citizens who are different, is expressed in the institutions of that society. A close look at the major institutions of our society the schools, the legislatures, and the courts should tell us a lot about the place of exceptional children in our society. In the category of exceptional children one would find a list of any and every child that requires education in academic matters as well as life skills. These children must work at things that average society takes for granted. Out of this group of exceptional children has risen a disability that is drawing more and more attention known as Down Syndrome. The obvious reason for Down Syndrome children to come to the forefront is their parents. By this I mean that studies have shown that a couple with two or more college degrees among them are more likely to have a Downs baby then that of a couple of high school drop outs. This odd occurrence has lead to more affluent families to give birth to one or more Downs babies. The limitations facing a Downs child will affect the child’s whole life and it is the environmental circumstances around him that determine how he fares in life. Included in these circumstances are his family and their unity and maybe most importantly his level of education. In our society education plays a big part in all we do and this serves no difference for the Downs child. As we look back in time, we find that the notion of educating every child to achieve his or her greatest potential is a relatively new concept. The current use of the term exceptional is itself a reflection of the radical changes in societies views of people whom differ from the norm. The world has come along way from the Spartans’ practice of killing infants who did not meet their standards of normalcy, but the journey has been slow, moving from neglect and mistreatment, to pity and overprotection and finally to acceptance and integration to the fullest extent possible. The phrase "Acceptance and integration into society to the fullest extent possible† has been the topic of the most heated arguments in education today. The term integration has grown to include such devices as inclusion and mainstreaming. Although the U.S. has come a long way from the 1850’s when 60 percent of people living in poor houses would today have been classified as exceptional.

Women in the Military :: Women in Military Essays

Women now comprise 14 percent of the active-duty Armed Forces of the United States. That figure is up from 1.6 percent 25 years ago (Christian Science Monitor 1998:20). In 1948, President Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act which formalized the role of women in the military. Under the law, each branch of the service was allowed to appoint one woman Colonel (Byfield, 1998:02). Now, there are numerous women who serve as Generals and Admirals. They comprise all components of the forces including serving in combat units and aboard ships. It is hard to measure whether their integration into the services has been a success or a hindrance. Generally, when looking at the issue, one should consider the effect of the integration on defense readiness, unit cohesion and morale. The contributions of women to defense readiness are in a number of areas. Women occupy diverse positions in the armed forces. A large percentage of women work in the areas of health care, administration, personnel, and supply. In fact 44 % of all women in the military serve in the health care field (Rabkin, 1999). More and more women are entering nontraditional fields such as aviation, surface warfare, air traffic control and field artillery (Rabkin, 1999). From 1992 to 1998, for example, the number of marine flight officers and pilots increased from 0 to 62 (Rabkin, 1999). Similarly, the number of enlisted army women in field artillery increased from 32 to 122 during the period 1992 to 1998 (Rabkin1999). Basic training for women has been an ongoing issue for the military in terms of physical readiness. Military experts think that softening the training for women fails to transform them into physically fit, skilled soldiers who are supposed to be prepared for the demands of duty. They also think that accommodating women undermines the warrior spirit that draws young men to the military. The dropout rate for women is higher than for men. This can be attributed to the demands of physical readiness and coed training. Women fail to fulfill their commitments to serve in the military in all branches of the military. Leading the dropout rates are white women with an average rate of 43%, followed by black women at 33% and Hispanic women with 31% (Park, 1999:08). The possibility of women becoming prisoners of war is evident. One case in point is that of Melissa Rathbun-Nealy a military trained truck driver.

Shakespeare?s 10 things Essay -- essays research papers

1. Betrayal and revenge 2. Metaphors of death-King Lear, Merchant of Venice, Othello 3. Humor- A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It 4. Pastoral settings- Ling Lear, A midnight Summer's Dream 5. Madness and insanity- Othello, Midnight Summer?s Dream, King Lear 6. Reversal- the main character falls from a high place 7. Letters- King Lear, Merchant of Venice 8. Things are not as they appear- King Lear, Merchant of Venice, Midsummer Night?s Dream 9. The Father/Daughter Conflict-Midsummer, King Lear, Merchant of Venice 10. Justice- King Lear, Merchant of Venice The Father/Daughter Conflict- In Midnight Summers Dream, Egeus commands Hermia, his daughter, to wed Demetrius, whom she does not love. Against the advisement of the Duke Theseus, who recommends that, ''To you your father should be as a god", (Act I, Scene I, Line 48). Hermia wishes to marry Lysander. Egeus threatens his daughter with the penalty of death or exile. In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock?s daughter, Jessica, denies her faith and steals from her father in order to marry Lorenzo, a man of whom she is unequally yoked. In King Lear, the title character, ruler of Britain, attempts to divide his kingdom according to the profession of love by his three daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. Goneril and Regan profess undying love choosing the most melodic words, while Cordelia is speechless at the task, stating:..........Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave .....................My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty .....................According to my bond; nor more nor less. (Lines 93-95) King Lear becomes angry with Cordelia and banishes her. The other daughters begin to treat him viciously, Goneril slapping him at one point. Letters- Shakespeare uses letters as characters in the plays that serve to tie key factors together for cohesion and clarity. In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare uses a letter from Antonio to bring the culmination of events to a head at the end of the play, setting the stage for the courtroom scene. Antonio writes, "my ships have all miscarried"(314) He tells his friend of his troubles and beckons him to come see him one last time as he ultimately gives his life for his friend?s debt. If Bassanio does not go to the court proceedings, then his wife Portia has no cause to be in the court scene, which leads to A... ...ia?s life without her father would have been an unhappy one. She reflects in the first scene that it is this love and attachment that kept her celibate for so long. With the newly revived relationship and her father?s final recognition of Cordelia, she would not have been able to bear losing him again in the event of his demise. Although the image of Lear holding Cordelia seems horrific, it is actually quite pleasant to see that final image of him cradling Cordelia as a father would a beloved daughter. Shylock?s ill deeds do not go unpunished in The Merchant of Venice. The climactic courtroom scene where Portia tricks the Jew into submission give credence to Shakespeare?s theme of justice throughout each play. As the audience stomachs through each act, watching Shylock?s moods shift from rage to self pity and eventually to the brink of lunacy, they anticipate justice being served to the ill-famed character. The fact that Shakespeare uses a woman to mastermind and in effect hand over the sentence, cemented by the male judge, is another part of justice being served in that Jessica, Shylock?s daughter, was unable to stand up to her father and speak against his will.

British American Tobacco Implementation of SWOT Analysis

According to the economic theory (firm theory), a firm’s utmost objective is to maximize its profit. Hence during the initial stages of the enterprise growth, managers use financial metrics such as cash flows, revenue, and pre-tax profit to evaluate performance of their firm.However, these metrics only tell of past events and therefore can not be used for strategic management, with time the market conditions change. As a result, a firm will tend to invest more to develop capabilities and customer relationships on a long-term basis.Customer relationship is becoming critical for the firm and therefore as the firm embarks on the financial metrics; it must also add consumer satisfaction metrics for it to remain successful. Hence in this new environment over reliance on the financial metric is not enough in evaluating the path to be followed by companies to increase value through investing in employees, consumer, technology and innovation. In order to address the insufficiency of t hese metrics, business information consultants have put forward several strategic management tools and models.Some of these models and tools include the SWOT analysis, Balanced Scorecard (BSC) analysis etc. The BSC has four aspects namely, the customer perspective, internal business perspective, innovation and learning perspective and financial perspective.The SWOT analysis evaluates the weakness, strength, opportunities and threats involved in company's operations. Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the firm and evaluate the internal capability while Opportunities and threats are out-offing business control and refer to how the business is affected by the external environment.Strengths refer to areas where the business can excel in, for example business's competence and resource utilization. Weaknesses is what the company cannot do and managers should consider areas which need improvements, areas which the company do poorly and what should be avoided.Opportunities refer to th e market attractiveness and threats are the potential challenges which hinder business operation. British American Tobacco’s (BAT) goal is to build a long-term shareholder value through development of new brands and products.The company has used the SWOT analysis to implement strategic management and performance evaluation to achieve this goal. BAT is multinational company that manufactures tobacco products and it has many branches around the world.The implementation of business management tools is aimed at shifting management from quality performance to corporate performance. Strengths The company manufactures markets and sells cigarettes and other tobacco products. By the end of year 2007 the company had more than 300 brands and a work force of about 53,907 employees both in UK and internationally.Its revenue base for the period stood at $ 20,054 million. It offers adult consumers products of high quality and also assists them to make sure that they choose their product ove r those of competitors.Continued improvements in productivity have helped the company develop more brands hence increase earnings: for instance it has introduced smokeless cigarettes aimed at reducing smoke related diseases. To remain competitive in the market, the British American tobacco has embarked on cost reducing strategies and complexities in its supply chain.In 2004 the company made the commitment to reduce overheads cost and other indirect costs by $ 200 million annually by the end of 2007 through implementation of a single procurement processes within its area of operation.The company also offers from time to time training to its workers so as to make them adapt to the changing business environment. Threats The company's operations have been affected by the tobacco regulation policies across the world. One of them is the suggestion by the World Health Organization to have all products packaging be plain or unbranded.Removing colors and trademarks familiar to consumers is a critical challenge because consumers will not able to differentiate cigarettes from BAT and those of its competitors or the genuine products and fake ones.The company has strongly opposed the idea of plain packages claiming that there is no evidence that suggest that plain packs would have effect on smoking by children. In addition restriction of corporate trademarks by any government is a breach of intellectual property rights in international trade.The issues of counterfeit product harm the company's revenue and there have been cases of trade in illicit tobacco globally. In order to reduce the cases of cigarette smuggling, the company has supported various governments, world custom organizations and world trade organization in seeking ways to eliminate illicit tobacco trade. WeaknessesThe main internal challenge that has faced the company is the inability to produce less harmful products. However, for some years now the company has embarked in search for less harmful products.Hig h overhead costs have been another threat to the market competitiveness of the company's product. Before the implementation of single procurement system in 2003, the indirect costs had been too high which resulted to high cost of its tobacco products.Opportunities British American tobacco has more that 30 branches across the world and about 180 markets and has opening new factories in more countries. The demand for tobacco products has been rising as more and more youths have started smoking.The company has utilized this opportunity provided by the market through development of more products to satisfy the market demand. The company has decentralized its factories across the globe to increase it market share and position their product for the consumer who have decided to buy tobacco products.Bibliography BAT, consumer and trade, retrieved on 13 December 2008, from http://www. bat. com/group/sites/uk__3mnfen. nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO6ZXMRV opendocument&SKN=1BAT, plain packaging, retriev ed on 13 December, 2008, from http://www. bat. com/group/sites/uk3mnfen. nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO7J7DCZ?Opendocument&SKN=1 Capgemini, ‘5-year procurement target at British American Tobacco,' 2003, retrieved on 13 December 2008, from www. at. capgemini. com/m/at/cs/ss_British_American_Tobacco. pdf.Dickson Vicky, Balance Score Card as strategic management tool, 2005, retrieved on 13 December 2008 from http://www. betterlocalization. com/index. php? itemid=44.