Thursday, October 31, 2019

Two public companies are to be analyzed and compared Essay

Two public companies are to be analyzed and compared - Essay Example The Company has also ventured into the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It focuses on collections of classic sportswear, sweaters, accessories and shoes,casual wear, dresses, coats, consisting almost of its own branded merchandise(Ross,P 723) in misses, petites, woman's and woman's petite sizes. Its kids section called Talbots Kids concentrates on the assortment of clothing and accessories for infants, toddlers, boys and girls. The adult division, Talbots Mens, caters to needs for men's sportswear and dress furnishings. Additionally, Talbots' customers can also make their purchases online at www.talbots.com. In terms of expansion, the Company acquired has purchased the J. Jill Group, Inc. in May 2006(Irwin, P. 52). As of the first month of 2006, the Company already has 1,083 stores in forty seven states, Canada, the District of Columbia, and the United Kingdom. ... ng three Talbots Woman stores in Canada), 12 Talbots Mens stores, two Talbots Collection stores, and 23 Talbots Outlet stores (including one Outlet store in Canada). The Company distributes 48 million catalogs in one year alone. Talbots Petites, Woman and Kids stores generally measure 2,600, 3,100 and 3,500 gross square feet, respectively. Talbots Accessories and Shoes stores generally measure 1,800 gross square feet. Talbots stores is devoted to selling space (including fitting rooms), with the balance allocated to stockroom and other non-selling space. In some market locations, the Company has created its superstores by placing 2 or more other Talbots' concepts near a Misses store(Meigs, P 376). As of first month of January 2006, there are 127 superstores functioning. Also, Talbots' flagship stores are Misses stores, which are operated to generate awareness of its merchandise in metropolitan locations, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, London and Toronto. Furthermore, the Company maximizes Talbots Outlet stores that are separate from its retail stores in order to provide for controlled and effective clearance of store and catalog merchandise remaining from each sale event. During 2005, the direct marketing segment represented approximately 15% of total Company sales, with the Internet channel comprising 42% of direct marketing sales. Stein Mart Inc. Stein Mart is engage in the business of chain retailing. The company is offering the fashion merchandise, service and presentation of a better department or specialty store(Bernstein, P 236). Its business is spread out from California to New York concentrating its focused assortment of merchandise featuring moderate to designer brand-name apparel for women and men, as well as

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

History of Pueblo Revolt Essay Example for Free

History of Pueblo Revolt Essay â€Å"Every piece of written history starts when somebody becomes curious and asks questions.†[1] In Weber’s compilation he gathers several of these curious peoples works and binds their writings together to form a sort of continued discussion. Arguing from different sources and coming from different backgrounds, they indubitably arrive at different conclusions. From Garner to Gutià ©rrez and from Chà ¡vez to Knaut, they all are part of a continued dialogue on what that caused the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. By addressing the readings as a sum instead of individual accounts, one can gain a more detailed view. While some poke holes in others theories, most of the time, the writers simply offer different perspectives. The vast range of the arguments speak to the difficulty of the topic. Examining an event (or series of events, as the case may be) 300 years ago is an arduous task, but trying to determine causation of such events is even more cumbersome. Typically numerous factors exist and to give these factors any sort of rankings requires a fair bit of perspiration on the part of the researcher. This essay will attempt to evaluate this eclectic mix of commentaries to sift out the strong arguments from the weak. In 1598, when Juan de Oà ±ate arrived in northern New Mexico with a small group of colonists to Pueblo country, Spain demanded payment of tribute and the friars demanded allegiance of religion. For over 80 years Spanish lived with Pueblo before the revolt multiple generations.[2] As Knaut points out, that as â€Å"colonists were isolated from the south in a land where indigenous inhabitants numbered in the tens of thousands†, meaning there was plenty of contact between the two groups.[3] Within that time families intermarried, and a large mestizo population arose, creating an intersection in the Venn diagram of early New Mexico. What Knaut argues in Acculturation and Miscegenation is not necessarily as hard as the others to prove who or what caused the revolt, but rather works in earnest to present what he sees as the creation of a mixed culture, with syncretism occurring on both sides. Perhaps in this essay more questions that answers are created why after 82 years of livin g together would the Pueblos revolt? Garner has a more direct answer to this question. He, unlike Knaut, does not spend as much time underlining the syncretism that occurs, but spends more time examining the relationship between Pueblo and Franciscan, and reigning in the perhaps unfair harshness of previous works in relation to the government. Garner believed that drought, famine and Apache raids caused the revolt, shedding the competing notions that religious incompatibility or having a suitable leader as primary causes.[4] The two arguments in the proceeding articles before Garner that religion was the primary cause fall flat from Garner’s lens. In one instance, he cites the friction between Father Isidro Ordonez and Governor Pedro de Peralta as a result of the governments unfair treatment of the Indian. Peralta eventually decides to have Ordonez arrested, but the colonists (or ecomenderos) proceed to abandon the governor.[5] Garner goes on that governors of early New Mexico are interpreted in a negative light primarily because â€Å"documents are strongly biased against them.†[6] He explains that the reason that these documents are so biased is because of the natural tension between the writers of these records, the Franciscans, and those whom they wrote about, the governors.[7] Garner continues to impress that the Franciscans were the friend to the Indian and foe to the governor. He cites Scholes who states, â€Å"the religious and economic motives of empire were antagonistic if not essentially incompatible.† Having earlier established a different relationship structure than what was typically seen, (a shift from the Hispanic-Pueblo dichotomy to a more complex relationship of priest-Indian-mestizo-colonist-governor) Garner then moves on to the crux of the issue the cause of the revolt. â€Å"The kind of peace that had been pervading New Mexico was contingent upon relative prosperity,† writes Garner. The Spanish had used their organizational skills to create surpluses in the Pueblo economy but the famine of 1670 was so implacable it essentially collapsed the system. The drought of the 1660s the precursor to the famine was so severe it caused â€Å"Indians and Spanish alike to eat hides and straps,† as written by Fray Francisco de Ayeta in an account to the King. In the face of such an oppressive environment, Indians naturally began to question why Spanish controlled their food source. This, coupled with a new emphasis on nativism, turned up the heat and brought the already tense situation to a simmer. This movement towards nativism perhaps may have been a reaction to Indian culture sprouting up in both mestizo and Spanish life. Garner continues on this thread noting that Governor Lopez de Mendizabal was forced to â€Å"crack down on Pueblo religious and cultural activity.† While syncretism among the Pueblos was tolerable, among the Spanish it was viewed as inexcusable. These two factors were the foci of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.[8] In contrast, the setting that Bowden and Gutià ©rrez attempt to construct in their essays is a religious clash, one that, while not noticeable immediately, was exacerbated by the droughts and famine. After introducing the essay, Bowden then discusses the similarities of the Pueblo religion, and then highlights some of the missteps the Franciscans took in their interactions and, most of all, the conversion process. First they insisted that the Pueblos should learn Spanish, and â€Å"almost without exception,† failed to make any attempt to learn native language. Also, they instituted mandatory mass attendance for all Indians but strangely not all Spaniards. On top of this, leaders who continued practicing the previous traditions were whipped or executed.[9] (27-28) Bowden raises a number of valid points the Franciscans do not appear to be the same persons that protested against the injustices to the Pueblos by the Governor Peralta. Rather, they seem to be creators of an oppressive environment that was quite insensitive to the Pueblo people. However, if you note Bowden’s sources, he cites textbooks for his long diatribe. Garner, in contrast, relies heavier on topic specific articles written by respected names such as France V. Scholes and Jack D. Forbes. While Bowden’s sources are legitimate, he seems to be using information that is more generalized, and not as focused on the relevant issues. Gutià ©rrez points to â€Å"loss of authority† among the Franciscans as the central reason for the revolt.[10] He notes that this gradual loss of power began in 1640s. Because of the uncertainty and unease that followed, the Friars pushed for more drastic measure to balance out this loss of power a crackdown on syncretism and an emphasis on martyrdom. But the connections that Gutià ©rrez makes are weak; he points to the loss of power in the 1640s, but does not cite any kind of example to support his point until 1655.[11] In addition, most of examples of this â€Å"loss of authority† do not come until the mid 1660s and the early 1670s in the midst of drought, quarreling among Spaniards and attacks by Athapascan raiders. And Gutià ©rrez’ examples of Franciscan brutality arise, interestingly enough, around the time that Garner points to heavy handed response by the Spanish to combat syncretism. Gutià ©rrez’ illustrations seem to support Garner’s idea of the Indians being â€Å"like children in a new world and entrapped in the struggle between the Franciscans and Hispanic community.†[12] Angà ©lico Chà ¡vez provides yet another take on the Pueblo Revolt. While Gutià ©rrez, Garner and Bowden all spend considerable time on relations, Chà ¡vez as his title Pohà ©-yemo’s Representative and the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 puts much more emphasis on establishing a new leader as a primary cause of the Pueblo revolt. Chà ¡vez seems to avoid tackling the revolt squarely (like Knaut) partly because he devotes most of his time supporting his argument for Domingo Naranjo as the leader (arguably 21 of the 24 pages). Despite Chà ¡vez lengthy narrative supporting Domingo Naranjo, the black leader with yellow eyes, many scholars reject this notion, because it seems to runs counter to what most sources suggest. Historian Stefanie Beninato agrees that Naranjo was a leader, but â€Å"one of several† as â€Å"the concept of a single leader is not viable in the theocratic social structure of the Pueblo world.†[13] Garner too, while recognizing Popà © as instrumental, rejects the idea that he was a â€Å"unique Indian leader,† but rather he arose out of necessity, as opposed to the creation of necessity.[14] While, many critique Chà ¡vez’ uncommon interpretation, it reminds one to reexamine the mestizo and mulatto population in New Mexico. Naranjo, real or not, represents the truth that the black/white Pueblo/Hispanic definition was increasingly blurred in the years leading up to the revolt, and an entirely different culture had emerged. Pohà ©-yemo had multiple windows in to this culture of multiplicity. Garner’s essay seems to be built around the most logic because his essay points to lack of basic necessities as the true cause of the revolt. When there is enough food and prosperity people get along. When there is a shortage, it pushes groups to exceptional measures. Rarely has a revolt occurred without certain factors mitigating access to peoples’ basic needs. Garner also spends ample time with the battle itself, and provides plenty of evidence of to why it was a success; particularly because of the cultural coexistence with the Spanish. Garner is not without flaw he fails to address certain issues, notably that of the presence of a larger mestizo culture. While he acknowledges it somewhat, he seems more preoccupied with the Franciscan-ecomedero versus government dynamic. This oversight, however excusable, provides good reason for holding onto multiple sources while dissecting historical events such as these. In the absence of primary documents, the importance of rigorous scholarship is especially crucial. To hold the works of these â€Å"curious† scholars together stresses the value for careful thought and due diligence.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Developing and Managing Professional and Ethical Behaviours

Developing and Managing Professional and Ethical Behaviours Rishi Kumar Executive Summary Ethics is the understanding, the difference between the right and wrong. For every situation, Ethics differs and varies from situation to situation. This report shows the ethical, organisational and behaviour expectations or requirements in the business. This report shows the ethical and unethical situations of employees for a business named Isha Cycle Industry in Ludhiana. This report shows the ethical and unethical behavioural expectations over the various situations. This report shows the ethical unethical situations for the employees. Unethical situations of staff are They do not work with concentration and Talk with other employees at the time of work. They attend their personal calls at the time of work They do not use safety gloves and instead they feel that health and safety conditions are unethical. The company does not cover any kind of insurance to cover up the risk from natural disaster. Need some more innovative ideas to increase sustainability. Ethical situations of staff Provides accuracy Knows all the manufacturing processes Think to work on fast pace and uses safety shoes Organization covers limited area risk by supplying products to other areas or targeting multi region but does not have any insurance to cover from natural disaster. Follows all the sustainability issues. In short staff of Isha Cycle Industry follows ethically and as well unethically according to the situations. The industry where I used to work is Isha Cycle Industry located in Industrial area B in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. This industry provides bicycle parts to other industries to complete the manufacturing of a bicycle and in order to further sell to the consumer. This industry was started by Mr. Tarsem in 1990. In this Industry 20 employees are working. This is a manufacturing industry and manufactures some parts of bicycle. Stakeholders for this industry are the Mr. Tarsem, 20 employees, other manufacturing industries such as Hero Cycle and many more, Suppliers of the Raw Material, government for taxes and development, public to buy the product. 2.1 Organisational Purpose and/or direction Organisation purpose refers to an explicit or implicit understanding of why this organisation exists. The understanding is agreed and shared by stakeholders and provides a framework for overall decision making. This purpose also reflects the core values, philosophy and believes of the organisation. Vision or mission Statement Vision statement of Isha cycle Industry is to provide the best and the innovative Bicycle parts and to be at the top in manufacturing Bicycle market. Organisational policies and processes Policies are the principles and guidelines formulated and implemented by the organisation to enable it to reach its vision and goals. Procedures or processes are the specific method employed to express policies in terms of day to day actions or decisions. Policies and processes are designed to influence and determine all major decisions and actions taken in organisation. Considering, policies and procedures, it ensure that the overall purpose and direction of the organisation is supported and translated into simple steps which are compatible with this purpose and directions. Policy 1:- Time Reduction Isha Cycle Industry Buys the raw material that is iron, from other industries or raw material suppliers and then required to mould the iron in order, to manufacture the bicycle parts. This policy is supporting the process and directions on the basis of small scale business, as it reduce the time of manufacture and to pace up the other manufacturing processes. Policy 2:- An employee which is newly hired should be trained in the whole working processes. So, that he could work as a leader and manufacture the products on faster and accurate pace. Compliance: Legislative/legal, Health and safety Legislative/legal requirements refers to requirements as per the law or legal regulations. Health and safety requirements are concerned with protecting safety, health and welfare of people engaged with the organisation, like staff or clients etc. Legal/Legislative policy 1:- Legal policy of government is to pay the minimum wage of Rs.5000 /- by law or legal regulations. And Isha Cycle Industry commits to that policy. Health and safety policy 1:- Health and Safety requirements of Isha Cycle Industry is to wear protective gloves and shoes before entering into manufacturing area as the product is prepared in hot oils, machines, acids and with some heavy iron holdings. Risk Management Risk management refers to the identification, assessment and prioritisation of risks, followed by co-ordinated and economical application of resources to minimise, monitor and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events. Policy 1:- In order to cover up the risk of selling Bicycle parts to a single state, Isha cycle Industry has wider the production and sells to a company in every state of India to cover up the risk. Sustainability -Sustainability refers to business practices of an organisation that involves any harmful impacts of its business on the environment and society. Sustainability is basically checked to rectify if there are any harmful impacts on environment because of business. Harmful Impact on the environment could directly link to the bad social responsibility and bad impact on the business reputation. Policy 1: Isha cycle Industry uses Recycle boxes in order to pack the Bicycle parts instead of plastic bags for the sustainability of environment. Policy 2: Isha Cycle Industry reuses the oil used from production of one part for further productions. 3.0 Behavioural Expectations Organisational requirements Behavioural Expectations (Existing and/or new) Organisation purpose direction As the organisations purpose is to provide accurate parts for bicycle for manufacturing in further processes. So, all the employees are required to work with accuracy and concentration. Every staff should be honest and have integrity and have innovative ideas. Policies and processes Policy in this organisation is that employees should be skilled. Employee should know all the works of the manufacturing processes. So, that he could work on accurate and faster pace and could be called when required if anybody makes sick call. Employee is not required to talk and attend personal calls while working. Policies and procedures should be fair and transparent, moreover should be communicated to the stakeholders. Compliance Health and Safety Use safety gloves and shoes in order to go in the manufacturing area for health and safety as there is heavy and hot work. Ensure that environment is healthy and safe. Legislative and legal Organisation Commits to the Employment contract and Minimum wage by law is Rs.5000/-. Risk Management In order to cover up the risk of wastage of a set of iron, Pour the oil over the iron which is old. So, that it may not catch rust. Ensure that all relevant insurance are taken out. E.g. ACC payments, Public liability insurance. Inform management of new risks as they arise. There should be no limited area risk. Sustainability Reuse the remaining oil in the container that is used in the earlier production process instead of throwing it. Ensure that sustainable waste management practices are followed e.g. Use Recycle material, save power, use soft copy information whenever possible. 4.0 Review of Behavioural Expectations Review of current behaviour against expectations Organisation Requirements Behavioural expectations Current behaviour of staff Extent to which expectations are being met (Rating 0 10) How will breaches be dealt with (course of action) Organisation purpose and/or direction As the organisations purpose is to provide accurate parts for bicycle for manufacturing in further processes. So, all the employees are required to work with accuracy and concentration. Every staff should be honest and have integrity and have innovative ideas. An employee does work with accuracy but not with concentration as they talk with each other instead of providing concentration to work and making the work slowdown. Employees are honest. According to the accuracy, concentration and fast production process the ratings provided is 7 out of 10 because of accuracy only as they do not work with concentration, talk with each other on work time and makes the work slowdown. A team building meeting should be held and all the employees should be told about the procedure and process and show the production speed and demand for the product and tell the targets. So that they could understand and try to cover up the demand. Organisation policies and processes Policy in this organisation is that employees should be skilled. Employee should know all the works of the manufacturing processes. So, that he could work on accurate and faster pace and could be called when required if anybody makes sick call. Employee is not required to talk and attend personal calls while working. Policies and procedures should be fair and transparent, moreover should be communicated to the stakeholders. An employee does not work on faster pace as they talk while working and making the work slow. The employee in the industry knows all the processes of manufacturing. Employees attend their personal calls even after stopping the work process and making the production slow. The rating provided to the employees is 6 out of 10 because they know all the works of manufacturing processes and the rating is deducted because of attending personal calls at the time of their work. A team meeting should be conducted and should be shown the slowdown of work and should be told that their work is slow because of their phones and they are required to make their phones on silent or switch off them and should use out of work or at the break time. Compliance Health and Safety Use safety gloves and shoes to go in the manufacturing area for health and safety as there is heavy and hot work. Ensure that environment is healthy and safe. Legislative and legal Organisation Commits to the Employment contract and Minimum wage by law is Rs.5000/-. Employees use the safety shoes but do not use safety gloves to make the work fast and they dont feel that gloves are useful even after some of the accidents. Employees are satisfied with the wage as they are provided above the minimum wage that is Rs7000/-. The ratings provided are 4 out of 10 because of their thinking to work on fast pace and using safety shoes and the rating is less because of not considering health and safety conditions by not using safety gloves instead of some of accidents. A face to face meeting should be conducted and should be shown the importance of Safety gloves and try to make them understand that it is for their safety as the work with hot and heavy materials and could be protected with these only if an accident occurs. Risk Management In order to cover up the risk of wastage of a set of iron, Pour the oil over the iron which is old. So, that it may not catch rust. Ensure that all relevant insurance are taken out. E.g. ACC payments, Public liability insurance. Inform management of new risks as they arise. There should be no limited area risk. Industry uses oil to make iron rust free, and to save the iron from making it waste. Limited area risk in this industry is covered but, not the disaster risk because of no insurance. The rating provided to it is 5 out of 10 Employees use recycle paper boxes to pack the cycle parts because of its potential to make iron rust free and covering the risk of limited area of sale. The rating is less because it does not have any insurance to cover up the risk from any natural disaster. A board of meeting should be conducted and should be made understand the importance of Insurance and insurance should be made to cover up the disaster risk. Moreover, as soon as a risk arises or is about to arise, employees should inform the management. Sustainability Reuse the remaining oil in the container that is used in the earlier production process instead of throwing it. Ensure that sustainable waste management practices are followed e.g. Use Recycle material, save power, use soft copy information whenever possible. The remaining oil in the container is reused for the further production processes instead of throwing it. Employees uses recycle paper boxes to pack the cycle parts. The ratings provided are 9 out of 10 because, to reuse every drop of oil and in further processes. Moreover to reuse the paper boxes to cover the Bicycle parts. 1 is deducted to make them to reuse innovative ideas. They are following all the rules and policies and helping the environment to sustain and should carry on with this process. They should be provided some kinds of reward to encourage them. Ethics is understanding, the difference between right/wrong. This report introduces organisational ethnicity and organisational requirements in a business and describes that ethics changes according to the situations. This report shows the organisational ethnicity and organisational requirements in a business named Isha Cycle Industry which is located in India. This report shows the organisational ethics according to the religion culture and law. Conclusion for this is that employee working in this industry follows some of the ethical ways in business and some unethical ways on various situations while working in the business. Conclusion for this business is that it follows all the laws and regulations but the staff is some unethical at some extent. Unethical situations of staff are They do not work with concentration and Talk with other employees at the time of work. They attend their personal calls at the time of work They do not use safety gloves and feel health and safety conditions are unethical. The company does not cover any kind of insurance to cover up the risk from natural disaster. Need some more innovative ideas to increase sustainability. Ethical situations of staff Provides accuracy Knows all the manufacturing processes Think to work on fast pace and uses safety shoes Organization covers limited area risk by supplying products to other areas but does not have any insurance to cover from natural disaster. Follows all the sustainability issues. In short staffs follow ethically and as well unethically according to the situations.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Child And Parent Behavior Observation Essay -- Sociology Child Psychol

Child And Parent Behavior Observation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am almost always surrounded by the interactions between children and their parents. I hear it at my work, I hear it in restaurants, but most of all I hear it at my house. My mother owns a daycare and every night I hear parents being hit by a barrage of questions. When children are being picked up they always have a couple of questions for their parents. Children are always asking about the meal for the night or whether they can go over to a friend?s house or have some body over. Every night I see 12 different children with twelve different parents and it seems that each parent acts differently then the next.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I thought of observing the children that attend my mothers daycare I decided that I should observe the interactions betwe...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Examine the role of women in Romeo and Juliet Essay

Shakespeare wrote the play Romeo and Juliet in the 16th century, a time in which the role of women was not to be a person in their own rights, but to be a wife to their husband and a mother to their children. Women had a specific place in society, and they were expected to conform to expectations of their positions. Women were owned by their husbands, and had little to no freedom from their spouses or parents. In the play, Shakespeare depicts this situation through the character Juliet and her relationships and role in society, a young girl growing into the expectations of women at that time. The theme of this essay is to examine the role of women in 16th century society i. e. Juliet, and contrast it to the role of women today. Juliet’s relationship with her parents is very different to what would be expected today. In the 16th century it was common for wealthy parents to employ a nurse to bring up their children, to be what a mother figure is like today. Juliet’s relationship is typical of the period in which the play was set: her affluent parents employed the Nurse (who had given birth at the same time as Lady Capulet) to care for their daughter when she was born, and â€Å"wean† her. A woman who had lost her own baby was an ideal source of milk for an upper-class infant whose mother preferred not to be troubled with doing her own nursing. This meant that Juliet had a stronger bond with her Nurse than with her biological mother, a customary situation in the Elizabethan era. However, this did not mean that the Nurse would have had any more say in Juliet’s upbringing than Capulet and Lady Capulet. Parents have a duty to make certain decisions for their children, as they did in the 16th century, however at that time a girl or women would barely ever make her own decisions, these would be made by her parents. In the play, Shakespeare places the character Juliet into a situation typical of the era: arranged marriage. At that time parents always chose a suitor for their daughter, regardless of her age or class. At this part in the play, Juliet’s mother enquires on her daughter’s â€Å"disposition to be married†. Here, Juliet behaves very uncharacteristically of the Elizabethan era, saying â€Å"It is an honour that I dream not of†, avoiding the proposal and demonstrating independent thinking. Lady Capulet has already made the decision for her daughter, and expects her to react dutifully as a daughter at that time would. Juliet says â€Å".. no more deep will I endart mine eye Than your consent to make it fly. † Now she appears to be a model daughter, however she still acts uncharacteristically because she has not given her mother a straight answer, again avoiding the subject. Arranged marriage still occurs today, but it is not as common as it was in the Elizabethan era, so although girls are still put into this position they are still expected to conform to tradition and obey their parents’ decision. Here Juliet seems to feel free to withhold her consent, which is definitely not customary of the 16th century. In the Elizabethan era, men had more power, opportunities and influence on society than women did. Women did not have equal rights and were seen as possessions not people. Just as a girl’s parents controlled her decisions and life, once the girl became and woman and was married, her husband controlled her. Husbands had expectations of their wife as much as parents had of their daughter; women were expected to behave accordingly, obeying their husbands. Their role as a wife would be to comply with their husband’s decisions and bear him a family. At this time, women knew no other way of life, and so generally women complied with the traditions, unlike today in which women are seen as equal citizens in society. In the play, Juliet was expected to marry Paris and become his possession, with no love involved. Juliet would have reacted normally to this idea, as many young women dreamed of the idea of love, and when proposed to, would create their own form of love for their husbands, usually respect. Many marriages were arranged by parents and were based on suitability, not love. Nowadays marriage is based on love alone, and parents have less influence over choosing a husband for their daughter. Lady Capulet’s role as a woman in the play is exactly what an upper class mother of that time would have been like. Lady Capulet was forced into marriage when still only young â€Å"And too soon marred are those so early made. † After giving birth to Juliet at a very young age, she chose to employ someone else to nurse her child, which was also usual of a woman of that status. In the Elizabethan era it was commonplace to have a Nurse bring up the child, as a mother would today. The character of the nurse would have been a recognizable type to Shakespeare’s audience. A woman who had lost her own baby was an ideal source of milk for an upper-class infant whose mother preferred not to be troubled with doing her own nursing. Babies were weaned by having a foul-tasting salve smeared on the nipple â€Å"laid wormwood to my dug†. The bodily intimacy between Juliet and the nurse creates a close motherly bond between them. The character of Juliet was not a typical 16th century girl, as although she was faced with the same situations as a girl of that time, she reacted differently and did not conform to the traditions and expectations made of her. Shakespeare chose not to make the character Juliet conform because his play was a dramatic tragedy, written to entertain audiences. Juliet would interest an Elizabethan audience to watch as she was uncharacteristic of that time, and she reacted differently to what was expected. Shakespeare chose to develop the female characters’ roles in the way he did so that the audience could relate and recognise these characters, making the play more interesting for them to watch. Bibliography   http://www. beyondbooks. com/sha91/5c. asp   http://www. wsu. edu:8080/~brians/love-in-the-arts/romeo. html   http://www. englishbiz. co. uk/mainguides/shakespeare. html   http://web. uvic. ca/shakespeare/Library/SLT/intro/introsubj. html.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Outline Howard Spodek

The creation of writing in Egypt was very close to the creation of writing in Mesopotamia – may have learned it from Egypt Developed their own script – Hieroglyphs (Sacred carvings) Wrote of stone tablets, limestone flakes, pottery, and papyrus Used of business and administration Unification and the Rule of Kings The king lists, records the noses of Upper Egypt Didn't care about race or ethnicity Color of their skin reflected gender Females – workers at home were painted a lighter color Males -? workers outside were painted a darker color Menses or Manners were known as the same person Menses† symbolized unification Kings became very powerful (Gods) With more kings this created more tombs and uneven distribution of wealth Early civilization included national religious ideology The Gods, the Unification of Egypt, and the Afterlife Souris represented order and virtue, but his brother Seth represented disorder and evil Seth put Souris in a box and sent him dow n the Nile Isis got the box and saved him Seth got Souris again and cut him into 14 pieces and sent them don't the river Isis got them all and put them back together and saved himSouris conceived a son, Hours Hours defeated Seth in a battle Hours was often depicted as a falcon on top of the kings Afterlife inspired mummification Afterlife was seen as a place for important people Cities of the Dead Things such as shrines, burial sites were most prominent in Egyptian culture Tombs in Abodes were called â€Å"Maestros† Kings Were buried with furniture, food, weapons, anything they needed for the afterlife Tombs near Square had copper objects and stone vessels Women of Elite families were buried in pyramids, such as Misshapenness 2 The Growth of Cities No existing city-states, had small self generated communities Economies are based off of cereal crops Selected cities were spaced strategically and eventually grew in to full-fledged cities Administration head quarters had given a big boost to the communities they were in 2 cemeteries served 1 city; 1 for common people and 1 for more wealth people Irrigation saved agriculture and helped in severe drought Shaded Irrigation is when buckets bring water from a river to man made irrigation chance Nell Fewer water problems then Mesopotamia Cities supposedly flourished from its temple communityIrrigation + Administration + Worship-? City The Nile Valley provided an adequate natural shield Thebes is the most monumental site The Nile Delta connected Egypt to the outside world Ports were drop off points for trade being sent on donkey of on a small little boat Monumental Architecture of the Old Kingdom: Pyramids and Fortresses Increasing power created more monumental architecture The administrative organization and economic productivity contain due to increase until the end of the Dynasty. Egypt artistic genius continued to develop the sculpture of its tombs. Architects realized the beauty of filling in the Steps Of the pyramids to create a triangular form. Tombs of the queens are situated within proximity of the kings.Tomb robbing were quite frequent. Architectural, spiritual, political and military accomplishments date to the millennium we now call Early Dynastic. The Disintegration of the Old Kingdom Monarchs collected and kept taxes for themselves. The Nile did not reach optimal flood heights and affected agriculture. The Rise and the Fall of the Middle Kingdom King Menthol of Thebes defeated his rivals in the north and reunited the mining. Trade was revived. Fine arts and literature flourished Started to have invasions of the Hooks Kathleen, Capital City of King Kathleen Modern excavations at Marin unearthed the ruins of an ancient Egyptian capital.King Annotate challenged the order of Egypt by adopting a new monotheistic religion. Senate made a city where he, his wife and their six daughters practiced the new religion. The eccentricity of the ruler was reflected in the cities sculptures, arc hitecture, and painting. His isolated position threatened the stability of Egypt empire. The Roots of the Indus Valley Civilization In 1 856 British rulers were supervising construction of a railway and as they were working on it they found thousands of old bricks. They also found stones with artistic designs on them. Many scholars assumed that the Indus valley people learned the art of City buildings from the Sumerians and other people in Mesopotamia.We can make educated guesses about the function and meaning Of remaining artifacts and physical structures. Arts and Crafts Included pottery, dying, metalworking, and beading. Small sculptures are in stone, or terra cotta. Cotton is the first known use for a fiber in weaving textiles. Carefully Planned Cities The two largest settlements are Harp and Enjoy-dark were very similar. Each city held about 40,000 people. The town plan was orderly and regular (even baskets were all uniform in size and shape. ) The regularity Of plans suggests a very organized government and bureaucratic capacity. Excavations at Dollars revealed immense gates at the principal entrances of the city.Legacies of the Harpoon Civilization Most records involve literary and artistic forms. New ecology is based on rice cultivation and the use of iron. The Aryan groups grew skilled and powerful as they move East. The Cities of the Nile and the Indus, What difference do they make? Along the Nile, they are part of a single state that is unified about 3,000 B. C. E. They formed the core of an Imperial state. We learn the significance of archeological and textual study is unearthing. Records can show alliances between rulers and priests. Without text we have no record of religious, philosophical, legal, or administrative systems in the Indus valley.

Eliots Waste Land

Eliots Waste Land Thomas Sterns Eliot, better known as T. S. Eliot, is considered to be one of the most ?realistic? American poets of this time. However, his life was not as jubilant as the rest of the country during this time. The pressures of uncongenial work, the strain of his home life and the need to hide his unhappiness brought on a nervous breakdown. In 1922, while recovering in a Swiss spa, Eliot began to write one of his longest and most moving poems, ?The Waste Land.The Waste Land? comes in five parts, starting with ?The Burial of the Dead,? a name taken from the Anglican funeral ceremony. The imagery of part one evokes a person, a civilization, numbed, distressed. Coherence and meaning have gone out of the world, as a prophetic voice with an Old Testament sound announces: ?Son of man . . .you know only / a heap of broken images, where the sun beats, / and the dead tree gives no shelter? (l.Drawing of T. S. Eliot by Simon Fieldhouse. Deutsc...20-23). To convey a vague menace, and recreate th e craze for spiritualism, Eliot introduces ?Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante,? with her ?wicked pack? of Tarot cards (l. 43-46).Eliot calls Part Two ?A Game of Chess,? a metaphor for sexual maneuvering. Eliot gives us a pampered woman, immersed in anything that could arouse the senses. This passage shifts suddenly into Eliot's forte, a dramatic dialogue giving us the real measure of the jaded woman:?My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.Speak to me. Why do you never speak? Speak.What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?I never know what you are thinking. Think.? (Eliot l. 111-114)This painful vision of humanity swept up in lust continues in Part Three, ?The Fire Sermon,? which takes its name from...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

5 Funny Figures of Speech

5 Funny Figures of Speech 5 Funny Figures of Speech 5 Funny Figures of Speech By Mark Nichol Wordplay is a fertile field for study in English. Although the following forms of humor should be used sparingly if at all, writers should be familiar with them and their possibilities. 1. Malapropism A malapropism, the substitution of a word with a similar-sounding but incongruous word, may be uttered accidentally or, for humorous effect, may be deliberate. The name derives from that of Mrs. Malaprop, a character in an eighteenth-century play who often uttered such misstatements; one of her comments, for example, is â€Å"she’s as headstrong as an allegory,† when she meant to say â€Å"alligator.† (The word ultimately derives from the French phrase mal propos, meaning â€Å"poorly placed.†) Numerous characters are assigned this amusing attribute; the Shakespearean character Dogberry’s name inspired an alternate label. 2. Spoonerism Spoonerisms are similar to malapropisms; the distinction is that a spoonerism is a case of metathesis, in which parts of two words are exchanged, rather than one word substituted for another. This figure of speech was named after a nineteenth-century Oxford academician who appears to have been credited with various misstatements he did not make; one of the many apocryphal examples is â€Å"a well-boiled icicle† (in lieu of â€Å"a well-oiled bicycle†). 3. Paraprosdokian The word for this type of wordplay, from Greek (meaning â€Å"against expectation†) but coined only a few decades ago, refers to a sentence with a humorously abrupt shift in intent, such as â€Å"I don’t belong to an organized political party I’m a Democrat,† from twentieth-century American humorist Will Rogers, or Winston’s Churchill’s summation of a colleague, â€Å"A modest man, who has much to be modest about.† 4. Tom Swifty This name for an adverb, used in an attribution for dialogue, that punningly applies to the words spoken (for example, â€Å"‘We just struck oil!’ Tom gushed†) was inspired by the writing style in a series of children’s novels featuring the character Tom Swift, written continuously since the early twentieth century. Although no such puns appear in these stories, such examples are suggestive of the overwrought adverbs that are a distinctive feature. (Originally, such a pun was called a Tom Swiftly.) 5. Wellerism A Wellerism, named after a Dickensian character, is a statement that includes a humorous contradiction or a quirky lapse in logic, such as â€Å"‘So I see,’ said the blind carpenter as he picked up his hammer and saw,† or a prosaic similar construction whose humor derives from a pun, as in â€Å"‘We’ll have to rehearse that,’ said the undertaker as the coffin fell out of the car† (which plays on the prefix re- in association with the noun hearse). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsWhen to Form a Plural with an ApostropheAdverbs and Hyphens

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Assessment item 3 Individual Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assessment item 3 Individual Report - Essay Example largely based on the technological aspect of the business as the more advance the industry and the components are, the more competitive the business can become. So far, the business has been dominated by very few of the companies and it will not be unjust to say that out of all the companies, one company has maintained the most of the share in the market and is considered as the greatest producer of software and other concerned products. That company is the company of Microsoft which has given this business a shape of a Monopoly by dominating the revenues and the products thus controlling the prices and quality of the goods and services produced by it. Since the commencement of the technological era and the advancement in the field of computers and software generation, there has been vast interpretations and scrutiny relating to the market arrangement, pricing and strategic performance of the software development companies. Every time an innovative advancement come up and grows into a vibrant growth approach the initial participants expand enormous benefits as they become the first to add to the practice, the invested resources and the public Therefore, when challengers approach the market, they have to pull alongside prior to the fact that they can struggle to gain the same status. Microsoft can be said to be a good illustration of this fact. Microsoft developed into a monopoly for the reason that it was able to generate and put into effect worldwide data communication benchmarks for personal computers and they did it by producing series of operating systems and by presenting the type of mechanism that may well run their Operating Systems so their merchandise was able to be in each market place that they wanted it to be, thus making it a monopoly in the software business. (Linzmayer 1994) The software business makes Microsoft as a monopoly because of its character of having the advancements in the technology and the economies of scale which do not render

Friday, October 18, 2019

Media and Child Welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media and Child Welfare - Essay Example (concerning digitization) and cultural shifts (towards a more individualistic consumer society) appear to have handed new media technologies a competitive advantage over their predecessors† (Freedman, 2006, 275). With more and more people utilizing the new forms of disseminating relevant issues and information for various purposes, critical issues on child welfare are increasingly being criticized. Children at very young ages are solely dependent on their parents for support – physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, and in other developmental aspects. Parents usually devote quality time and effort to assure that their kids experience a wide spectrum of developmental and socialization skills needed to prepare them for the future. Issues that affect children’s welfare are scrutinized for violations of ethical codes of conduct in terms of research and manner of dissemination to the public. Ethical issues in research involving children range from concerns affecting children directly and the areas involved in undertaking the research. Those critical ethical issues that emerge affecting children are giving informed consent, competencies of children, environmental and social context, and controversial issues such as child abuse, neglect and all forms of aggression, among others. Issues affecting child welfare take into consideration the sensitivity of the topic, the aims of the research, methodologies, sources of funds, and participants to the study, to name a few. According to the UNC – Chapel Hill School of Social Work (2005), â€Å"on the face of it the effectiveness of rural child welfare social workers and the media do not appear to be related, but they are. Indeed, any agency’s ability to ensure the safety and well-being of children is significantly influenced by the way that agency is perceived by families and the general public. And the media is a very powerful player when it comes to educating citizens and shaping public opinion† (par.

Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Operation Management - Essay Example 5. The experience of the visitors is very poor, especially about the entrance from one of the sides of the park. 6. The size of the park and the amount of the amenities of the park is not being exploited. This may be due to the lack of the availability of complete idea of the park. 7. The size of the park is a great reason for the tagging of a number of the private events in the area; include the display of the fireworks. This leads to a great degree of the pressure. 8. The decrease of the amount of the space also plays a part in the lack of the services. There is the lessening of the space of the park that can be considered of any artistic value. These are the various kinds of the issues that are being faced by the park. The decrease in a number of the green areas has an important impetus on the services of the park in a significant manner. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The park has been facing a period of the distress in a number of the areas. The study aims to provide with a comprehensive p lan to improve all the areas. The objectives have been developed in conjunction with the proposed outcomes. They are as follows: The stopping of the decline of the number of the visits of the park by the restoration of the value of the park. The increase of the number of the visitors in the park. The subsequent increase of the income of the park. The spreading of the natural value of the park by the use of the different kinds of the mechanisms. The proliferation of the audiences of the park into a number of new age groups. The increase of the number of the volunteers of the park. The improvement of the basic levels of the skills and learning of the different constituents of the park. This can involve the use of the different kinds of the... This essay stresses that the new kind of the facilities needs to be developed for the growth of the park. There is a need for the over haul of the amenities of the park. There is a need to look at all the basic kind of the facilities of the park. The development of the facilities shall play an important part in the reclaiming of the lost audience. There are a number of problems that are being faced by the club. The primary deliverables of the park involves strategy is the increase of the number of the audience that visits the park. There is also the need to increase the range of the audiences of the firm. The basal part of the strategy is to increase the reach of the park. This is the strategy that has been outlined for the firm. This paper declares that the park has been suffering due to the lack of the branding. All the parks in the area in the area have been at the forefront in the area have number of the facilities, which they provide. The level of the branding is very high. The concept of the park as a popular place to hang-out has to be re-enforced in the mind of the consumers. This can be done increasing the number of the promotional activities that surround the park. This shall help in the development of the ideas that need to be taken into the consideration. The large part of the population that comes in the park, generally comes for the activities in the park. This can be used as an opportunity for increasing the number of the visitors of the park. They can be used as a medium for increasing the amount of the sales of the entries of the park.

Qualitative Methods in Research Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Qualitative Methods in Research - Case Study Example Exeter City Council is unhappy on certain counts about the way in which the festival is being conducted. The Council is interested to find out which events of the festival is being liked by the visitors, and what improvements in the opinion of the visitors must be done to make the festival more effective from the cultural and economic point of view. The Council is un-desirous of using the questionnaire survey method. It is interested in engaging some social research method that can provide an in-depth analysis of the views and opinions of the visitors and on that basis want to devise new programmes for conducting the festival in the future. In general the qualitative research is being supported by different research methods such as ethnography, participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviewing, case studies, content analysis, and focus groups. The method of ethnography is used normally in research issues connected with the anthropological issues where the method entails an extended period of participant observation, it is considered unsuitable for this study. ... (2) To outline the programme of research for the method selected to do the research and also to detail the features of the research method that makes it suitable for the study (3) To present the final report to the City Council on the recommendations of the research method and the ways in which the qualitative data can be interpreted 4.0 Method In general the qualitative research is being supported by different research methods such as ethnography, participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviewing, case studies, content analysis, and focus groups. The method of ethnography is used normally in research issues connected with the anthropological issues where the method entails an extended period of participant observation, it is considered unsuitable for this study. Next came in to consideration is the research based on more or less exclusive interviews which is considered as a better alternative for the collection of qualitative data. However interviewing, the transcription of the interviews and the process of analysing the transcripts are all very time consuming. Hence the focus groups and group interviewing is considered as the best suitable method for conducting the research for gathering the qualitative data for advising the Exeter City Council on the possible issues in conducting the festival in the perspective of the visitors. 4.1 Focus Groups Academic literature has provided various definitions to the term 'focus group'. The following are some of the important elements which the focus group method has contributed to the field of social research: Organised discussion (Kitzinger, 1994) Collective

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The software process models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The software process models - Essay Example The requirements are based on system functionalities and roles and so would not undergo any change with time. b) The requirement capturing process for the user interface is an on-going process as a few of the requirements are subjected to change with availability of measures such as skill level of users, type of interface access methodologies, compliance with technological advancements, etc. The model is generally used in small, simple throwaway projects with output as short lived demos, proof-of-concept or prototypes. No separate planning, risk assessment, designing, building, testing phases are required. The administrative system in AILS requires thorough gathering of requirements, understanding the working of existing processes and workflows and data accessing details for integration with the interface which the model fails to provide. For the user interface however, the model can be used the requirement of gaining user satisfaction. Interface can be made and tested; missing or ambiguous portions can be identified and fixed in the next build till a workable interface is achieved. In the AILS administrative system, the requirements necessitate the need of completely capturing of fixed requirements and functionalities to produce a complete product as deliverable. Therefore, the model seems to be appropriate for the task. Spiral model employs risk management approach, an essential requirement in the large mission-critical projects, where reusable, high quality versions of software are delivered before the requirements change again. For the user interface, applying the model would produce a workable solution but with an overhead of unnecessary risk analysis. User interface is not a critical task and therefore does not require extensive risk analysis. For the user interface, the model can be applied owing to the varying scope and requirements. An initial role based interface, accessing data may be developed and tested.

Individual and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Individual and society - Essay Example This is concerned with where the idea o love originated, as well as its relationship to moral and morality systems (Carroll, 2009:557). The second of these aspects is individuals’ determination to achieve love. This is regardless of the personal and social costs. Mary Evans starts her arguments in the book by pointing out that unconditional love offers support and selfless care. In addition to this, she states that unconditional love may sometimes portray aspects of violent and abusive patterns. She in particular mentions that love can be separated from moral and morality expectations. This means that for the generations that have been given sexual freedom, there is every reason to suppose that love is fulfilled and immediate. For those people, living in the contemporary west, falling in love has however, never been easy. The author also looks at the current society in that it is richer as far as availability of goods is concerned than the previous societies. The rich live by reading newspapers and watching the television. Those individuals who have married and divorced many times still remarry. This world acknowledges that love can go and can still keep coming back. People do not acknowledge that sometimes life is better if lived with a ser ies of people instead of one lifelong partner. At the start of the twenty first century, people do not have to link marriage with love, or sex with marriage, or love with sex. The once close relationships of these ideas have been sabotaged by moral and social change. With the intention of improving the relationships between men and women, campaigners and reformers have fought for more broadminded agendas on contraception, divorce, and sexuality. It is however arguable that marriage should be build by sexual fulfillment, with no sexual inhibition. However, an argument that marriage should be happy commits people to expectations and assumptions that people

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Qualitative Methods in Research Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Qualitative Methods in Research - Case Study Example Exeter City Council is unhappy on certain counts about the way in which the festival is being conducted. The Council is interested to find out which events of the festival is being liked by the visitors, and what improvements in the opinion of the visitors must be done to make the festival more effective from the cultural and economic point of view. The Council is un-desirous of using the questionnaire survey method. It is interested in engaging some social research method that can provide an in-depth analysis of the views and opinions of the visitors and on that basis want to devise new programmes for conducting the festival in the future. In general the qualitative research is being supported by different research methods such as ethnography, participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviewing, case studies, content analysis, and focus groups. The method of ethnography is used normally in research issues connected with the anthropological issues where the method entails an extended period of participant observation, it is considered unsuitable for this study. ... (2) To outline the programme of research for the method selected to do the research and also to detail the features of the research method that makes it suitable for the study (3) To present the final report to the City Council on the recommendations of the research method and the ways in which the qualitative data can be interpreted 4.0 Method In general the qualitative research is being supported by different research methods such as ethnography, participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviewing, case studies, content analysis, and focus groups. The method of ethnography is used normally in research issues connected with the anthropological issues where the method entails an extended period of participant observation, it is considered unsuitable for this study. Next came in to consideration is the research based on more or less exclusive interviews which is considered as a better alternative for the collection of qualitative data. However interviewing, the transcription of the interviews and the process of analysing the transcripts are all very time consuming. Hence the focus groups and group interviewing is considered as the best suitable method for conducting the research for gathering the qualitative data for advising the Exeter City Council on the possible issues in conducting the festival in the perspective of the visitors. 4.1 Focus Groups Academic literature has provided various definitions to the term 'focus group'. The following are some of the important elements which the focus group method has contributed to the field of social research: Organised discussion (Kitzinger, 1994) Collective

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Individual and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Individual and society - Essay Example This is concerned with where the idea o love originated, as well as its relationship to moral and morality systems (Carroll, 2009:557). The second of these aspects is individuals’ determination to achieve love. This is regardless of the personal and social costs. Mary Evans starts her arguments in the book by pointing out that unconditional love offers support and selfless care. In addition to this, she states that unconditional love may sometimes portray aspects of violent and abusive patterns. She in particular mentions that love can be separated from moral and morality expectations. This means that for the generations that have been given sexual freedom, there is every reason to suppose that love is fulfilled and immediate. For those people, living in the contemporary west, falling in love has however, never been easy. The author also looks at the current society in that it is richer as far as availability of goods is concerned than the previous societies. The rich live by reading newspapers and watching the television. Those individuals who have married and divorced many times still remarry. This world acknowledges that love can go and can still keep coming back. People do not acknowledge that sometimes life is better if lived with a ser ies of people instead of one lifelong partner. At the start of the twenty first century, people do not have to link marriage with love, or sex with marriage, or love with sex. The once close relationships of these ideas have been sabotaged by moral and social change. With the intention of improving the relationships between men and women, campaigners and reformers have fought for more broadminded agendas on contraception, divorce, and sexuality. It is however arguable that marriage should be build by sexual fulfillment, with no sexual inhibition. However, an argument that marriage should be happy commits people to expectations and assumptions that people

Intangible Asset or Liability Essay Example for Free

Intangible Asset or Liability Essay CSR requires organizations to adopt a broader view of its responsibilities that includes not only stockholders, but many other constituencies as well, including employees, suppliers, customers, the local community, local, state, and federal governments, environmental groups, and other special interest groups. Although CSR is often spoken of as if it were a relatively new concept, it is in fact an idea with a long pedigree. In the 1950s, the chief executive officer of the American retailer Sears said that the â€Å"four parties to any business in the order of their importance† were â€Å"customers, employees, community and stockholders†. Current discussions about CSR evoke old questions about the place of corporations in society, the manner in which corporations are governed, and the ways in which corporate governance arrangements do not compel corporations to respond to claims from society, in addition to claims from shareholders. While CSR is an old idea, its emergence as a significant factor in relation to corporate decision-making is relatively new. The old idea – CSR – has been rising over the past 10 years or so to a prominent place on the corporate agenda. The world is witnessing what appears to be a transformation in popular views about the role of business in society that is on a par with major shifts in attitude, at other points in history, about large issues such as racial discrimination, the environment, and the role of women. By the end of that decade, popular opinion about the role of business in society had evolved to a point which suggested a widespread rejection of Friedman’s â€Å"the business of business is business† dictum. The reason for the shift can be attributed to various factors such as; globalization, loss of trust, society activism, and institutional investor interest in CSR. These trends suggest that there is both a growing perception that corporations must be more accountable to society for their actions, and a growing willingness and capacity within society to impose accountability on corporations. This has profound implications for corporate governance. CSR in India With the retreat of the state in economic activity in India, the imperative for business to take up wider social responsibilities is growing. The situation is complex and India is facing a compounded set of corporate responsibility challenges. At all levels, there is a felt need for companies to graduate to strategic interventions in CSR, which at present in many cases remain ad hoc. There are many companies that may spend for long-term development. A sense of strategic direction is a vital component in an effective approach to corporate responsibility. Yet, for all these signs of progress, CSR in India has yet to realize its full potential. Individual and collaborative initiatives continue to be dominated by self-assertion rather than accountability. There is certainly no lack of CSR programs and projects in India: what is absent, however, are clear metrics for evaluating their actual impact in improving social conditions. Many Indian business houses, private sector and public sector companies have undertaken major initiatives till date and have adopted several modes of practice related to CSR in India. Several innovative measures have also been adopted by companies towards the institutionalization of CSR that includes CSR initiatives by Lupin, Cipla, Ranbaxy, NIIT, TCS, BPCL, and Ion Exchange. To understand the current status of CSR in India, it is important first to map out the landscape and identify the main families of corporate responsibility. For long-established industrial dynasties, such as the Birlas and the Tatas, concepts of nation- building and trusteeship have been alive in their operations long before CSR become a popular cause.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Levodopa on Decrease of Plasma Taurine Level in Parkinsons

Levodopa on Decrease of Plasma Taurine Level in Parkinsons Title: Levodopa aggravates the decrease of plasma taurine level in Parkinson Disease Key words: Parkinson’s disease (PD); Oxidative stress; Levodopa; Toxicity; Taurine; Highlights: This is the first study to explore chronic use of levodopa on the change of plasma taurine level. Plasma taurine levels were significantly lower in both treated and untreated PD than in healthy controls. Much lower plasma taurine level was found in treated PD than the untreated. Plasma taurine level was negatively associated with cumulative dosage of levodopa in PD. Abbreviations: PD, Parkinson’s disease; MMSE, mini–mental state examination; DA, dopamine; ROS, reactive oxygen species; MAO, monoamine oxidase; CNS, central nervous system; H2O2, peroxide; SOD, superoxide dismutase; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; Abstract In recent years, it has gained more and more focus that oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease(PD) as well as the potential toxicity of levodopa to nigral cells. Also, an increasing body of evidence suggests that taurine plays an important role in anti-oxidant function. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between plasma taurine level and clinical variables and the cumulative dosage of levodopa in PD patients. 44 treated patients with PD (all receive levodopa), 68 untreated patients with PD and 96 age-and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. Clinical data such as age, gender, duration, Hoehn and Yahr stage and medication history were collected. Approximate cumulative dosage of levodopa was calculated to indicate the toxicity of chronic intake of levodopa. Plasma levels of taurine were measured by HPLC-RF. Plasma taurine levels were significantly lower in both treated and untreated PD than healthy controls. Much lower pl asma taurine level was found in treated PD than the untreated. Furthermore, plasma taurine level was negatively associated with cumulative levodopa dosage in PD. Our preliminary study indicates that taurine may play an important role in pathophysiology of PD and toxicity of chronic levodopa treatment. Introduction PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selectively loss of dopamine (DA)-containing neurons in the substantia nigra and a concomitant reduction of DA in the striatum. Levodopa, a natural precursor of DA, has been the‘gold standard’ therapy for PD patients for decades [1]. However, the  pathophysiology of PD is up to now still poorly understood. More and more focus comes to that oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of PD, manifested as protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, DNA oxidation and so on [2]. Moreover, there has been an increasing concern that levodopa may be toxic to dopaminergic neurons [3-5], mainly because of its potential to autoxidize from a catechol to a quinine and to generate other forms of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [6]. Taurine, an endogenous amino acid (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), is abundant in excitable tissues such as brain, retina, cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle [7]. Both in vitro and in vivo studies together demonstrate that the anti-oxidative activity of taurine is a vital avenue of cytoprotection [8-12]. Additionally, our previous study has reported that plasma taurine level was decreased in patients with PD [13]. Also, there are lines of evidence that taurine may exhibit cytoprotective effect by acting as a scavenger for harmful free radicals produced by DA or levodopa [14, 15]. However, the precise anti-oxidative mechanism of taurine involved in both PD pathophysiology and putative toxicity of levodopa still remains uncertain. Furthermore, few studies have been done to address the relationship between plasma taurine level and clinical variables as well as the toxic effects of chronic levodopa administration. Hence, in our study, we specifically explored the underlying impact on plasma taurine level because of long-term levodopa intake in PD patients. 2. Patients and methods 2.1 patients Patients with PD, diagnosed based on UK Parkinson’s disease Brain Bank criteria by two movement disorders specialists (Kezhong Zhang and Lian Zhang), were included in this study [16]. Clinical data were collected by the same medical worker and the Hoehn and Yahr stage was used to evaluate the severity of disease [17]. Since the anti-parkinsonian drugs may affect plasma taurine level, thorough medication histories were completely obtained through family and patient recall, personal medical chart, as well as computerized patient information system in our hospital. Exclusion criteria were atypical or secondary Parkinsonism, impaired cognitive status (assessed by the mini–mental state examination (MMSE) [18]), previous neurosurgical treatment for PD, significant laboratory, medical, or psychiatric abnormalities, or any condition that might affect plasma taurine level. Age -and gender-matched controls were also recruited, devoid of neurological disease, poor nutritional stat us, dementia or a family history of PD. The research project was approved by the ethics committee of the first affiliated hospital of Nanjing medical university and all the participants were given a full explanation and consented to the study in writing. 2.2 Calculation of the cumulative levodopa amount In order to assess the underlying toxicity of levodopa , an approximation of the cumulative levodopa amount was calculated based on the following equation (modified according to that ofNagatsuet al. [19]): cumulative levodopa amount [g] =daily amount of levodopa[mg] * duration of levodopa intake [month] *30 [d/month]*0.001[g/mg]. 2.3 Measurement of taurine levels from plasma Plasma taurine levels were measured as previously described [13]. 2.4 Statistical analysis All statistical analyses were performed in SPSSV.20.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). The normality of the distribution of all continuous variables was examined by Shapiro–Wilk statistic. Homogeneity of variance was assessed by Levene’s test. Group comparisons were made using chi-square test for categorical variables, and one-way ANOVA as well as the Kruskal-Wallis test which was followed by the Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (controls vs untreated patients, controls vstreated patients, untreated patients vs treated patients), as appropriate, for continuous variables. The correlation significance was evaluated by Spearman rank correlation coefficient.The statistical significance was set at P 3. Results 3.1. Demographic data, clinical variables and treatment status of PD Patients and Controls The demographic and clinical data of all subjects are summarized in Table 1. Gender and age did not differ among three groups, while the duration was longer (2.90 ±1.50vs. 1.45 ±1.14y, pHoehn and Yahr stage was higher (1.97 ±0.71vs. 1.67 ±0.72, pdetailed information on the treatment status see Table 2). 3.2. Plasma taurine level in PD patients and controls Notably, both treated PD (41.16 ±22.72 µmol/L) and untreated PD (57.38 ±31.05 µmol/L) were found to have significantly decreased plasma taurine levels compared to healthy controls (133.83 ±45.91 µmol/L, P for both comparisons for the two PD groups were considered as a whole, the mean taurine level was also significantly lower than that in the control group (P 3.3. Association between plasma taurine level and clinical variables and treatment status. Plasma taurine levels showed, however, no statistically significant association with age, duration, as well as Hoehn and Yahr stage in treated PD, untreated PD or all patients (Data not show). Interestingly, significant correlation was found between taurine level and cumulative levodopa dosage (shown in Fig.2, rs =-0.351, P Discussion According to our knowledge, this is the first study to explore chronic use of levodopa on the change of plasma taurine level. The major results of this study are summarized as follows: 1) Treated and untreated PD were found to have significantly decreased plasma taurine levels compared to healthy controls. 2) Plasma taurine level was lower in treated PD than the untreated, and inversely correlated with cumulative dosage of levodopa. Taurine, the most abundant amino acid in mammals, is widely distributed in central nervous system (CNS) [20] and its biosynthesis mainly takes place in the liver [21]. In the CNS, the concentration of taurine is dependent on food and a complex transport system at the blood brain barrier [20]. Hence, plasma taurine may partially reflect the pathological change in CNS of PD patients. Firstly, decreased plasma taurine level of patients with PD observed in this study is in line with our previous work [13]. Similarly, there have been some studies reporting CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) taurine level was significantly decreased in PD when compared to healthy controls [19, 22]. Previous studies provide evidence that taurine has a remarkable anti-oxidative function. Furthermore, in a study of PC12 cells, taurine exhibited a protective role against oxidative stress induced by peroxide (H2O2) through the alleviation of endoplasmic reticulum stress [12]. Also, Castro-Caldas et al. [10] reported that pretreatment of TUDCA (an analogue of taurine) abrogated the level of ROS in MPTP-mice, thus further highlighting the anti-oxidative role in vivo and suggesting that TUDCA may modulate the intracellular oxidative environment via interfering with the cellular redox threshold. Moreover, it has been observed that significant increases in glutathione content and superoxide dismutase ( SOD) activity were founded in the livers of the taurine-supplemented 6-OHDA–induced PD rats, which indicated that taurine may increase the defenses against oxidative insult [11]. Collectively, we assume that the decrease of plasma taurine level may result from chronic assumption of oxidants. Therefore, taurine may play an important neuroprotective role in the pathophysiology of PD via its potent anti-oxidative activity. By contrast, both normal [23] and increased [24-26] CSF taurine levels were found in several previous studies. Moreover, no significant decreased plasma taurine was observed in Molina et al.s study [22]. However, studies conductedby Lakke et al. [25, 26], Tohgi et al. [23] and Araki et al. [24] all had some limitations. For example, the controls were not well matched regarding gender and age. Additionally, different sample sizes and measurements may also partially explain the discrepancy of the results. Compared with those previous studies, we recruited relatively more patients in this study. Also, statistical analysis was well performed and measurement used in our study is more stable and sensitive. Nevertheless, we fail to observe correlation between plasma taurine level and age, duration and Hoehn and Yahr in treated PD, untreated PD or all PD. This may result from that only patients with relatively short duration (within 5 years) and low Hoehn and Yahr (within stage 3) were enrolled in our study, and the plasma taurine was probably not sensitive enough to examine the underlying correlation in early to medium stage PD patients. Therefore, further research including more stages of patients would bring more invaluable information on this point. Secondly, treated PD patients exhibited lower plasma taurine level than the untreated. Although the duration was longer and the Hoehn and Yahr stage was higher in treated PD than untreated PD, neither of the two clinical variables was correlated with plasma taurine level in each group. More importantly, plasma taurine level significantly negatively correlated with cumulative dosage of levodopa. These data suggest that chronic treatment of levodopa may affect plasma taurine concentration. Previous studies have shown that levodopa has the capacity to form ROS by autoxidation from catechols to quinines [4]. Interestingly, Biasetti et al. [27] found that taurine attenuated iron-catalyzed quinine formation from levodopa. Also, some studies suggest that taurine may bind these toxic quinones [27, 28]. Furthermore, there have been studies [29] showing that chronic systemic administration of levodopa to rodents depleted taurine pools, suggesting that taurine might play an important role in scavenging oxidants derived from levodopa metabolism in vivo. Therefore, we suppose that chronic consumption of taurine due to oxidants induced by levodopa may partially explain lower plasma taurine level in levodopa-treated PD than the untreated. However, there were different results observed in some other studies. Molina et al. [22] reported that no significant difference of CSF taurine level was found between levodopa-treated PD (n=21) and non-levedopa-treated PD (including untreated PD, n=8). The relatively small sample size may limit its interpretation. Moreover, Diederich et al. [30] found no significant decrease of plasma taurine after acute administration of levodopa. However, the acute levodopa administration may not fully refect the toxicity of cumulative levodopa intake. Nevertheless, our study has some limitations. Firstly, the population in this study is relatively small and the results must be interpreted cautiously. Secondly, as this is only a retrospective study, future longitudinal study combining with biomarkers of oxidative stress will provide more important information on the role of levodopa in affecting the plasma taurine level as a neurotixic agent and of taurine as a anti-oxidative agent. In conclusion, our results showed that decreased plasma taurine level was found in patients with PD in comparison to healthy controls. Moreover, plasma taurine level was found lowed in treated PD than the untreated, and inversely correlated with cumulative levodopa dosage. Combining with previous studies, these data suggest taurine may play an important protective role in pathophysiology of PD and chronic administration of levodopa may have potential neurotoxicity by depleting taurine. Also, our pilot study could, at least, provide new insights into therapeutic strategies.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

life cycle of stars Essay -- essays research papers

LIFE CYCLE OF A STAR Stars are formed in nebulae, interstellar clouds of dust and gas (mostly hydrogen). These stellar nurseries are abundant in the arms of spiral galaxies. In these stellar nurseries, dense parts of these clouds undergo gravitational collapse and compress to form a rotating gas globule. The globule is cooled by emitting radio waves and infrared radiation. It is compressed by gravitational forces and also by shock waves of pressure from supernova or the hot gas released from nearby bright stars. These forces cause the roughly-spherical globule to collapse and rotate. The process of collapse takes from between 10,000 to 1,000,000 years. A Central Core and a Protoplanetary Disk: As the collapse proceeds, the temperature and pressure within the globule increases, as the atoms are in closer proximity. Also, the globule rotates faster and faster. This spinning action causes an increase in centrifugal forces (a radial force on spinning objects) that causes the globule to have a central core and a surrounding flattened disk of dust (called a protoplanetary disk or accretion disk). The central core becomes the star; the protoplanetary disk may eventually coalesce into orbiting planets, asteroids, etc. Protostar: The contracting cloud heats up due to friction and forms a glowing protostar; this stage lasts for roughly 50 million years. If there is enough material in the protostar, the gravitational collapse and the heating continue. If there is not enough material in the protostar, one possible outcome is a brown dwarf (a large, not-very-luminous celestial body having a mass between 1028 kg and 84 x 1028 kg). A Newborn Star: When a temperature of about 27,000,000ÂÂ °F is reached, nuclear fusion begins. This is the nuclear reaction in which hydrogen atoms are converted to helium atoms plus energy. This energy (radiation) production prevents further contraction of the star. Young stars emit jets of intense radiation that heat the surrounding matter to the point at which it glows brightly. These narrowly-focused jets can be trillions of miles long and can travel at 500,000 miles per hour. These jets may be focused by the star's magnetic field. The protostar is now a stable main sequence star which will remain in this state for about 10 billion years. After that, the hydrogen fuel is depleted and the star begins to die. Life span: The... ...densities are shown as numbers on the the central line that defines the Main Sequence (M.S.) of stars. Most known stars lie along this line; they describe a stage in which a star reaches some fixed size and mass and commences burning of most of its hydrogen before changing to some other star type off the sequence. Star types, which are defined on the basis of stellar surface temperatures (page 20-7), are shown by the letters (O, B,...etc.) assigned to each group and evolutionary pathways for some are indicated. This particular plot also shows along the right ordinate the total time that Main Sequence stars of different masses spend on that sequence before evolving along the several principal pathways (see below); as far as we now know, stars do not completely vanish, but survive as dwarfs or Black Holes ( but the latter in principle can disappear by evaporation as Hawking radiation). Temperatures were obtained using Chandra X-ray data. BILBLIOGRAPHY www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/lifecycle/ imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/teachers/lifecycles/LC_main_p1.html hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/1999/20/ map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni/uni_101stars.htm

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Antigone and Romeo and Juliet Essays -- Compare Contrast Shakespeare A

Compare/Contrast Antigone and Romeo and Juliet There are many similarities and differences between Antigone by Sophocles and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The adults in both of the books have the difficult job of controlling the actions of the younger characters. Their decisions have a crucial effect on the outcome of the books, for the younger characters that they guide are the main figures in their stories. Antigone’s King Creon and Romeo and Juliet’s Prince Escalus and Lord Capulet share but also have unique strengths, weaknesses, leadership qualities, and crisis-managing techniques. A specific strength of Creon, the major adult character in Antigone, is his ability to make his opinions known to the entire kingdom. One example of this is the major decision that is the focus of the entire story. After Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, died in battle against his own kingdom, Creon told the citizens of the land that no one was to bury the traitor. The king felt that the strict edict was necessary because Polyneices â€Å"broke his exile to come back with fire and sword against his native city. (193)† Creon knew that a traitor to the kingdom should not be honored with the same ceremony given to one who fought for his own kingdom. The Prince in Romeo and Juliet was also very opinionated. He threatened death to both the Capulets and Montagues if there was any more fighting between the two families. He described the issue by saying that the fights had â€Å"disturbed the quiet of our streets (I,i,91).† He did not favor the fighting and declared â€Å"on pain of death all men depart (I,i,103)† to the two houses at his speech’s conclusion after the third brawl. The Prince remained assertive throughout the book, including the fourth fight... ...his child and her boyfriend more reasonably. He handled the crisis of his daughter’s death by making peace with his enemy. He decided with Montague to dedicate statues to their deceased children. This showed that he somewhat understood the cause of death and that it was somewhat his fault. He felt that he should be calm and remember the children for all that they did for stopping the feud between the two families. King Creon of Antigone and Lord Capulet and Prince Escalus of Romeo and Juliet are similar and different in strengths, weaknesses, qualities of leadership, and methods of handling crisis. They are the controlling individuals in the books, governing and leading the main characters. Their traits had a definite effect on the outcome of each book. The adult characters governed the events and influenced the actions of the other lead characters in the book.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Racism Against Native Americans and African Americans Essay

Racism against Native Americans and African Americans Sometimes I imagine that racial diversity would be a boon to human kind if there was no such thing called â€Å"racial hatred†. Now if you tell me that if there was only one kind of race then I will tell you that if all roses were red then what you would have given for a funeral? My point is that diversity is what makes this world keep going amusingly and these notions of race and ethnicities as big and small, upper class and lower class, superior and inferior are just mere perspectives. In my opinion there is only one kind of race and that is â€Å"Human Kind† and we all are doing these buzzes because we lack unity in diversity. There are no race-specific DNA traits which demonstrate my view that racism is social but not biological. From the Roman Empire to today’s ultra modern age, from Hitler to Osama Bin Laden, and from Thomas Jefferson to Rev. Jeremiah Wright; people never forget to show this acquired sense of racism. Why I called it acquired? Because a white man is not born to hate black or a black man is not born to hate white. But we are the mere appointee of this prejudiced perspective we have been taught by our family, neighborhood, and society for years and years. Society has never been able to get away from this prejudice but we pretend like we don’t care about it calling ourselves trans-racial society but I doubt the truthfulness of our intention. Why? Because the ghosts of our bitter experience of racism either towards Native Americans or towards African Americans keep on haunting us with the events like one in Rosebud and Pine Ridge counties in South Dakota or even worse event like â€Å"Jena 6† in Louisiana. It looks like this thing will go on and on unless the elimination of social prejudice to â€Å"judge people by color but not the content of character† they have as MLK used to say. But I have to be optimistic that we have been able to institutionalize this racial discrimination by creating Civil Rights Act which prohibits the discriminatory treatment in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. You have posed a very important question in the lecture that- How is that so much discrimination exists, when there are laws to protect it? The Jena 6† incident answers this query because a person who is obliged to protect the juveniles start treating them on the basis of their skin color clearly demonstrates that the laws are very weak and vague to protect one as a free citizen. I think that race is not a problem here but racism is the problem. When we use the terms race and color why it does directly applies to blacks and browns which makes me think that whites are the â€Å"status quo† of all races. As you have mentioned in the lecture that the history of the Native Americans often gets overlooked is true because the act of ethnic cleansing by the white European settlers was kind of victory to them but I actually consider it an inhumane act. And the act of Americanizing the Native Americans is an invasion of culture and norms which is the true color of a colonist. The racist images and stereotypes by the European Americans against the Native Americans as explained by the authors in chapter 6 clearly proves the â€Å"Dominant Rules† slogan. Recently, the whole world seemed obsessed talking about president Obama. Why? Because he gained astonishing success in his short political career or he is a very skilled orator or he is a very intelligent man who was also the president of prestigious Harvard Law Review. I think these are superficial reasons but the real reason is that he is the first black president in the history of United States. Anybody who runs for president should be a good orator, intelligent, and smart but Obama gained much more buzz than usual because he broke the â€Å"status-quo† as I have mentioned earlier. The black neighborhoods are generally considered poor and the white neighborhoods rich. These patters of thinking have the general consequence of institutionalizing racism in terms of poverty. The stereotype that young black men are criminals and drug abusers has further ghettoized the African- American community and has destroyed any possibility for normal family and community relations. As a result it has contributed in the disruption of the family, prevalence of more single parents, children raised without a father in the ghetto. Inability of these people to get jobs has further complicated the living standard of the people. If you are from the Boston area, it’s no surprise that there are more shootings and stabbings in Dorchester and Roxbury than Newton and Beacon Hill. So, it sends a wrong message that young black men are violent and hostile. The place where I was born and raised never had racial problem but immense ethnic and caste problem. The south Asian countries are in great turmoil of caste exploitation and ethnic exploitation which I think is new to most Americans. So, it’s very interesting for me to draw the comparisons in between racial and ethnic exploitation in terms of power. Usually, the higher castes dominate the lower castes and virtually enslave them for their benefits. The lower castes are regarded â€Å"Untouchables† which I think is an evil and the ugliest form of humanity. In case of race, I think discrimination and privilege portrays the power. At the individual level someone who is an advantaged member of a disadvantaged group could discriminate against someone less privileged than him/her or against someone with less power from a privileged group and at the institutional level that cannot happen because it is the groups in power who do the discrimination.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Fukushima Nuclear Plant

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was built in Okuma, Fukushima, to provide Japan with electricity. The plant consists of six nuclear reactors that were built during different times in the 1970s. The reactors were built close together primarily because finding a new location would make a new reactor very expensive, compared to the addition of a new reactor. The plant was constructed near the sea because nuclear plants consumes massive amount of waters just for its cooling needs and also for steam generation which then drives turbines that generate electricity. The various reactors serviced different companies and suppliers including General Electric, Toshiba, and Hitachi. On March 11th, 2011, an earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns and releases of radioactive materials. According to the International Business Times (Australia) â€Å"Fukushima is not the worst nuclear accident ever but it is the most complicated and the most dramatic disaster. † (IBT, 01) On April 2011 The Nuclear Institute rated the disaster a Level 7 â€Å"Major Accident† on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The International Nuclear Event Scale How the reactors were damaged An earthquake of magnitude 9. 0 on a Richter Scale initially damaged the reactors. According to the World Nuclear Association, reactor 4 had been de-fueled while reactors 5 and 6 were in cold shutdown for planned maintenance. Immediately after the earthquake, the remaining reactors 1-3 shut down automatically and emergency generators came online to power electronics and coolant systems. However, a tsunami rapidly followed the earthquake, flooding the low-lying rooms in which the emergency generators were housed. The flooded generators failed, cutting power to critical pumps, which must continuously circulate coolant water through a nuclear reactor for several days after being shut down in order to keep the plant from melting down. As the pumps stopped, the high radioactive decay produced in the first few days after the shutdown caused the reactors to overheat. The overheating led to the meltdown of the reactors. General Risks of Nuclear Plants Even without a natural disaster such as an earthquake followed by a tsunami, a Fukushima-like nuclear accident can occur at any nuclear power plant that relies on water for cooling. Nuclear power reactors today are fueled mostly with uranium, which undergoes a fission chain reaction, releasing heat and creating radioactive fission products, plutonium, and other transuranic elements. After a time, the concentration of chain-reacting isotopes drops to the point where the fuel is considered â€Å"spent† and has to be replaced with fresh fuel. The â€Å"spent† fuel has to be stored in pool basins allowing the heat and radiation level to decrease. After the fuel has cooled, it may be transferred to massive air-cooled dry casks for storage on-site or in a centralized facility. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power plants do not emit smoke, sodium dioxide, nitrogen oxide, or CO2 to the atmosphere. However, because of the use of Uranium, all nuclear power plants release radioactive waste, which stays radioactive from thousands of years and is therefore very dangerous. The typical method of storing nuclear waste is to house it in steel-lined concrete basins filled with water. The nuclear power industry’s leading innovators are currently considering alternatives such as moving the nuclear waste to off-site storage facilities, but this raises the problem of transporting the hazardous material. The escape of radioactive material from the nuclear reactor is very dangerous. Leakage can occur in the following situations: through small releases during routine plant operation, accidents in nuclear power plants, accidents in transporting radioactive materials, and escape of radioactive material from confinement systems. After the radioactive material escapes it could end up in our ecosystem via the atmosphere, the ground, or even the water. According to America on Radiation Alert: Japan Faces World's Worst Nuclear Accident since Chernobyl as Experts Warn Fallout May Reach U. S. Japan’s nuclear disaster in 2011 caused several countries to reconsider their use of nuclear energy. Precautions that could have prevented the Disaster The original site for the Fukushima plant was a bluff 35 meters above sea level, but high costs prevented construction at this altitude. The plant had to be built on a rock to assure stability of land, so Kajima, the plant’s constructor, decid ed to lower the level of the bluff by 25 meters to reduce the cost of extra pipes to reach ground rock. However, Kajima did not take into consideration the possibility that a Tsunami could be higher than 10 meters. Lowering the height of the cliff was considered one of the main facts associated with the damage according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The tsunami caused water to flow into the nuclear plant, flooding the lower emergency generators with seawater, and causing the power supply to fail. The plant was built in a geographical location that is vulnerable to earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. An earthquake, categorized as 9. 0 on a Richter scale, caused a tsunami of magnitude 8. 9 Richter Scale. At the time the plant was built, theories regarding plate tectonics were relatively new. Had geologists and other scientists been more familiar with the causes of earthquakes, especially in that region, the plant might have been built on another, safer site. However, relocating the nuclear plant is the cost effective, time consuming, most locations have similar features because Japan is found on fault lines. The plants current existing location is conductive in helping cool the nuclear plants (water is taken from seas/rivers and circulated†¦ that’s why it was on the shore). The damaged reactors cut power to the critical pumps, which failed to circulate coolant water through the nuclear reactors for several days, allowing it to melt down. The high radioactive heat decay produced in the last few days of the disaster had to be cooled. At that point, only the prompt flooding of the reactors with seawater could have cooled the reactors quickly enough to prevent meltdown, but the decision to allow flooding was delayed because it would ruin the costly reactors permanently. Only after a long delay, the Japanese government ordered the reactors to be flooded with seawater. A meltdown could have been prevented if they had acted sooner. Alternatively, the disaster could have been prevented if the emergency generators were located in the upper levels of the plant. This would have prevented the flooding and kept the emergency generators in operation. If the generators had not been flooded with seawater the nuclear reactor could have maintained cooling operations and a nuclear meltdown could have been avoided. Finally, certain safety precautions could have prevented this type of disaster at Fukushima. One, properly trained personnel are, in my opinion the main issue to be addressed. The American Nuclear Society approved that unlike the United States, â€Å"Japan rarely tests the limits of the system and training of personnel† All which lacked training† (ANS, 02). Two, many structural and managerial precautions could have been implemented to protect against natural disasters; â€Å"there were serious problems with accident management and with risk communication and crisis communication† (ANS, 04). Most nuclear power plants nowadays practice these basics and have regulation checking’s and visiting taking place. Conclusion on Fukushima. One could make the argument that the nuclear reactor accidents could have been attributed to at least some level of human error. However, the consensus seems to be that the disaster was caused for the most part by the natural occurrence of the earthquake and tsunami. On October 12th, 2012, a Japanese Nuclear Plant Operator admitted on CNN for the first time that â€Å"TEPCO has failed to take stronger measures to prevent disasters. † Tokyo Electric Power Co. said in a statement that paying closer attention to better-trained employees, international standards and recommendations could have prevented the disaster. TEPCO’s president said to TEPCO’s press release that â€Å"these implementations could have saved us from the accident if we turn the clock back. ’’ Newly designed reactors For the past few years, nuclear plants have been undergoing an extensive process of redesign. Newly built reactors are designed more safely, so that they do not need electrical power to shut down safely; they are relying less on pumps and valves, and more on natural heat. In addition, advanced digital operation will do away with the requirement of a human controller for 72 hours, and the main core will remain cool because of a containment cooling system. According to the World Nuclear Association, â€Å"Additional safety measures have been installed at nuclear power plants nationwide since the accident under the government’s instructions. † Such measures include enhanced seawalls, additional backup power and cooling water sources, the storage of radioactive waste on dry land, and the development of better crisis management training. Nuclear power plants/stations are statistically safe because disasters rarely happen. However, when nuclear disasters happen they cause massive destruction.