If I Knew Then, What I Know Now

I am a thirty three year old teen mother. Sixteen years ago, at the age of 17, I became pregnant with a child that would eventually dictate, run, and be the deciding factor of who I would become. Well, let’s be honest, still defining who I will be. Today, I feel the effects of how a teenage pregnancy, now glorified by reality TV, has truly impacted my life now as an adult. How did this happen?At seventeen I entered my junior year of high school with a plan, I would graduate early, midyear at seventeen and head off to Kent State University, where only a select few, yes I was one of them, would be omitted into the architectural program. My father had always wanted to be an architect, but a civil war and its effects took a toll on my grandparent’s lives leaving my father responsible to help contribute to the family of six at an early age, so off into the work force he went, but he never let me forget that was his dream.So as a young girl I had a talent for drafting, drawin g, and really enjoyed architecture as a focus in high school. My father couldn’t have been prouder. So as a Sophomore I made the decision to move on from high school as fast as I could and get into a really mature grown up life by graduating early, as a junior, and being accepted into a prestigious program with Kent State. My father was proud! I remember the day I had to tell my parents I was pregnant and at seventeen, I would still graduate early and possibly still go onto Kent for my program, but they knew different.I saw the disappointment in their eyes and their tone. My father although disappointed was there to help me how ever I saw fit. So at seventeen I graduated with honors in January, gave birth in March and instead of entering Kent State University in August, I got married to the father of my daughter. What a mistake. Five months later, devastated by deceit and lack of involvement I left my husband and moved back into my parent’s home. I decided I had to get back on track and I tried hard.The years that followed where lead by hard emotional court battles, disappointing relationships with boys that had no interest in being with a girl who was a mother of a then two or three year old, so I decided to ask my father for a job, if I couldn’t live out his dream as an architect then I maybe I could follow in his life time achievement with an auto company that had helped him develop a name and reputation for himself, in our time. He was thrilled I wanted to work for him and hired me immediately. One year into my employment with my father, I met my husband of 11 years, He did not seem to care of my past or how I got to where I was.He seemed only interested in how we could grow as a blended family into a whole family without judgment. So we Married shortly after meeting and have been married for eleven years. However that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a price to pay. I’d like to say that it all works out in the end. I’d like to tell all those sixteen and seventeen year olds that it will all work out, but I would be a lie. After sixteen years of struggle and hardships I find myself alone again with my daughter trying to make it work.The action I took as a seventeen year old have an impact on my thirty four year old life. I am continue to struggle to define who I and more importantly who â€Å"we† are, my daughter and I. If I could look back and tell that sixteen year old one thing it would ne not to be in such a rush to grow up and to truly listen to what my parents have to say. But I realize I do that that opportunity now to tell her that, and so I do every opportunity I get. I tell my daughter to plan a life for her and love, family and children will come, without remorse.

Ibsen’s Nora: A Character Analysis

Nora in   A Doll’s House (1888) represents the oppressed woman of all ages. She begins as a conventional housewife dominated by her husband Torvald Helmer. From the role of a docile housewife she gradually emerges as a rebel with a cause. In the last decade of nineteenth century she got worldwide   attention as a   rebellious protagonist who fought against patriarchy. However, she begins as a conventional housewife of nineteenth century and it is the force of circumstances that brings about a sudden awakening in her. She stormed the complacent society, and the play became the subject of debates and discussions. She challenges the male domination   by slamming the door on her puritan husband and leaving his three small children. She refuses to live with a â€Å"stranger† who treats her as a doll wife, imposes all his restrictions on her, but does not support her at the greatest crisis of her life. In   Pillars of   Society Ibsen also created a liberated woman named Lona Hessel, the protagonist who surpassed the male characters and thereby introduced a new dimension to drama. The most striking thing about Nora’s character is her mental growth. In the first and second Acts Nora dutifully plays the roles of a devoted mother preparing for Christmas and a wife who dares to forge her father’s signature to defray the expenses of a trip to Italy for the restoration of her husband’s health. As a member of patriarchal society she accepts the affectionate pet names given by her condescending husband such as   Ã¢â‚¬Å"little squirrel† , â€Å"little skylark† â€Å"little featherbrain† and â€Å"little â€Å"scatterbrain†.(Ibsen.148). Her delight at her husband’s promotion as bank manager with promise of   Ã¢â‚¬Å"heaps and heaps of money†(p.155) is eclipsed by the emergence of a Machiavellian blackmailer named Krogstad. Nora makes a desperate attempt to live happily and peacefully by reinstating Krogstad, who is also implicated in forgery,   but gets involved in more lying. But Helmer   refuses to be seen influenced by his   wife. Helmer’s vanity is hurt by Christian name calling by his classmate which Nora thinks as petty. Throughout the play her innocence is interpreted by Helmer and Mrs.Linde as immaturity. She tells   Nora : â€Å"You are only baby, Nora†(p.158) To   Helmer she at times appears to be   Ã¢â‚¬Å"extremely obstinate† and â€Å"irresponsible†(p.187).Without this trait, her desertion of her husband and children for going on a solo journey of self-education and self-discovery would not be dramatically convincing. At the climax she waits for the miracle to save her from the blackmailer; but it never   Ã‚  happens. A letter from Krogstad shatters their eight-year-old conjugal life. She charges her husband: â€Å"You and Papa have committed a grievous sin against me: It’s your fault that I’ve made nothing of my life.(p.226) But Helmer was too much of a prig to regard her anything more than a spendthrift wife. Her responsible act of borrowing money on her own is so much frowned upon by him that he calls her â€Å"a liar, a hypocrite – even worse a criminal!† (p.221) He considers her unfit to bring up the children, and later   laments that he is â€Å"brought so pitifully low all because of a shiftless woman.† (p.221) Yet after the critical situation is saved   by Mrs.Linde, Nora emphatically rejects the proposal of perpetuating the faà §ade of marital life â€Å"only in the eyes of the world of course.†(p.221) Nora is not simply the protagonist of A Doll’s House, she has become the symbol of women’s protest against the dead laws, conventions and the religions of all society. Her awakening is every woman’s awakening. Her assertion for individual freedom has a universal appeal: â€Å"I must stand on my own feet if I’m to get to know myself and the world outside.† (p.227) Work Cited: Watts, Peter (Trnsl.). Ibsen: Plays. Harmondsworth. Penguin. 1965 All quotations are from this edition. November 19, 2007 â€Å"You’ll see I’m man enough to take it all on myself.†p.190 Nora is affected vy Helmer’s belief that an atmosphere of lie and hypocrisy of a mother vitiates the atmosphere of a home   Nora is pale with fear and says in distress: â€Å"Corrupt my little children – poison my home? That’s not true! It could never, never be true.† P.181 ..Nora is awefully fightened to hide the truth   

On The Morning of Christ’s Nativity: An Application of The Bible to the Work of John Milton

Milton's Nativity Ode contains a â€Å"theory of all things† in respect to his vision. This theory deals greatly with the idea that the human body is merely a tomb for the soul. While in the Bible we have been taking the body of the King to represent the whole land. The death of the King is in comparison the death of the land. Like the Kings of Christ's time, Milton writes to bring attention to the three types of liberty he hoped to achieve in England: Liberty from the Church [tyranny of the bishops], liberty of the individual [divorce and education], and liberty from the state [King]. The poem can be broken down into four parts: the first eight verses deal with the coming of Christ, the next ten with the mystery of music, verse nineteen and forward focus on the silencing of the oracles and concludes with verse twenty-seven and the birth of Christ. In â€Å"On the Morning of Christ's Nativity† Milton sees both Christmas and Easter as the same thing since it is impossible to have one without the other. The baby in the cradle is the man on the cross. John Milton's â€Å"On The Morning of Christ's Nativity† uses the idea of the Jesus of history and the Christ of fact to relay his ideas of the creation of the world and the synonymous events. Comparison can be drawn between John Gospel and â€Å"On the Morning of Christ's Nativity† for it is an intensely symbolic book. John's version of Christ is a Christ of Faith, which has a plays a large part in the Ode. In the fifth verse of the â€Å"Nativity Ode† Milton declares that the saviour would come and sacrifice himself for mankind and work with his father to create â€Å"perpetual peace† (7]. In the glorification of Jesus in John's Gospel, the spirit makes him known as the Son of God. In the first hymn of the poem Christ is compared to nature and the natural world. For Milton, harmony can only be found in nature; nature has a deeper meaning then is initially revealed to the reader. Snow is able to cover the earth and blanket all of its sins. Nature takes the form of trees and rivers in the Old Testament; the Trees of Knowledge and Life as well as the Rivers of Eden [Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates]. As in comparison, in relation to the serpent, Milton uses the dragon to signify everything that is evil in the world. In classical mythology the dragon signifies the same as the serpent that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden: The old dragon underground In straiter limits bound, Not half so far casts his usurped sway, And wroth to see his kingdom fail. [168-171] The Classics give you a limited and partial image of the truth. Milton uses classical mythology to prove that even in a pagan religion snakes are equated with evil doings. The slaying of the dragon is connected to every dragon slaying known to Milton from both the Biblical and Classical worlds. Milton recounts the story of how as an infant Hercules strangled two snakes: Not Typhon huge ending in snaky twine: Our babe to show his Godhead true, Can in his swaddling bands control the damned crew. [226-228]. Classical mythology, or the belief in it cannot save your soul but it can give you a nudge in the right direction. While in the poem Christ is replacing the classical culture he is also part of classical antiquity. At the closing of the poem we return to the musical serenade of the angels and the angel harmony as the angels sin in order serviceably. St. Paul like Milton believed that the body was merely a tomb for the soul: a container that while it was fallen could through acts of salvation help the soul return to a state of grace after death. Death as we see it is not really death then by the standards of Milton; death only wounds the physical body and allows the soul/spirit to return to the heavens. With death comes liberty, from the church, self and state. To St. Paul the body of mankind was an ever perishing home to an eternal soul. This is a recurrent theme in the narrative of the Bible, a story of loss and recuperation. Milton's â€Å"On the Morning of Christ's Nativity† calls on many images and ideas that are expressed in the Old and New Testament's of the King James Bible from the idea that the King is the land, the body is a vessel for the soul and that the snake/serpent and dragon are all representative of evil whether examining Biblical or Classical literature. Milton uses Biblical allusion and references to give his argument weight with his reader who would have surely at that time been familiar enough with the middles to draw the comparisons quickly and effectively. Top of Form Bottom of Form

Product Development Process Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Product Development Process - Assignment Example The new vision of product development is that of an extremely disaggregated process with people and organisations spread throughout the world (Holmes 1999). At the same time, products are becoming increasingly intricate and multifaceted with typical electro-mechanical products requiring close to a million engineering decisions to bring them to market (Eppinger 1998). Even software products like Microsoft Word or Netscape require disaggregated, but coordinated processes involving hundreds of developers (Cusumano and Yoffie 1998). Competitive pressures mean that time to market has been projected as essential to new product success as has marketing's direction towards customer needs and customer satisfaction (Smith and Reinertsen 1998). Because products are marketed throughout the world, firms face the tradeoff between standardisation for cost reduction and variety for satisfying an extensive set of customers. This has stretched the need for marketing to look beyond the single product t o focus on the product platform (Moore, Louviere and Verma 1999). The Product Products are often referred to as anything -- object or service -- that can be offered to a market in order to satisfy a customer's want or need (Kotler et al. 1996; ENDREA 2001) and product development is made up of a wide-ranging and distinctive continuum of activities, which need to be cohesive and interrelated so as to achieve an adequate and an acceptable process. Ulrich & Eppinger (2003) stated it as the set of activities beginning with the perception of a market opportunity and ending in the production, sale, and delivery of a product. Aside from the activities, there are several components, such as design engineers or other practitioners, management and goal system, working means, tools and equipment, information system and environment, identified by Hubka & Eder (1992), which influence the product development process. However, product development work is even more complex, since there also are external aspects, facets that are not intrinsic in the organisation, to consider, like the market), legislation and society that affect the product development process (Blessing 2002). To support coordination and planning of all these activities and components, guarantee quality, identify possible problem areas or improvements, a suitable, well-defined product development process is needed (Ulrich & Eppinger 2003). Andreasen & Hein (1986) have inferred an ideal model for product development activities (Illustration 1). The Integrated Product Development model is based on the three elements -- market, design and production, and the results of their activities need to be unified. The market should be investigated and defined, and a product, which is intended to satisfy the market, should be designed and eventually manufactured by the second and third elements. Illustration 1 -- Model of Integrated Product Development (Andreasen & Hein, 1987) Ulrich & Eppinger (2003) likewise offered a model of integrated product development - a generic development process, which depicted the progression of activities or steps that marketing, design and

Australian personal financial planning case studny questions, urgent Essay

Australian personal financial planning case studny questions, urgent - Essay Example The business needs of the company are different from that of its directors and running a company costs a lot. Neither Leo nor Spiro can claim the company as part of their estate, since none of them is the sole owner of the company (Small Business Development Corporation, 2010). (ii) Partnership: If Leo and Spiro would agree to go into partnership, this is simple and inexpensive to set up. However, both of them will be required to pay income taxes, and the assets of a partnership business may not be fully protected as that of a company. There may problems of secession plan because each partner has equal right to the business assets, and sharing this may bring some disagreements. The business needs of the partnership business are the same as that of the partners. Neither of the partners can count the business as part of his business estate, because they jointly own the business (Small Business Development Corporation, 2010). (iii) Self-Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF): Both Leo and Spiro will act as individual trustees of the Fund; which means that they cannot receive salaries or wages for their duties. The assets of the Fund are different from the personal assets Leo and Spiro. SMSF is not expensive to run. Neither of the trustees can lay claim to the Fund as part of his estate. The trustees may decide to allow the Fund to cease operating if there are problems from running it. (iv) Discretionary Trust: Either Leo and Spiro may decide to set up a discretionary trust, otherwise known as Family Trust. The business needs of the trustee are the same as that of the trust. The trustee will be required to pay taxes on the activities of the Trust, for example, investing the trust fund in a business; taxes will be paid on the income from the business. The asset of the trust belongs to all the family members. There may be problems in secession planning, but it does not cost much to run a trust. And none of the members can claim it as an his or her Estate (Small

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

No topic - Essay Example In the first place, the sender of the message was their third grade teacher, perceived as an authoritative figure – someone who effectively provides them with accurate information, knowledge and instructions. As an authority figure, the sender is perceived by the receivers of the message as credible, believable, truthful, and a role model. Since the student have known Jane Elliot as a competent teacher in their school, whatever message she relays are deemed acceptable to the students. In analyzing the receivers of the message, as the grade three students, one would deduce that they could be easily swayed to believe that blue-eyed people are the better people than brown-eyed people, especially when it was brought to their attention on the first day. With their young minds and ability to understand the issue at hand, these grade three students could easily accept as factual whatever information and instructions were fed to their minds by their teacher, who had been known to them as an authoritative figure when it comes to providing instructional information. Finally, the message was introduced appropriately by providing a background scenario where Jane Elliot first brought the subject of brotherhood. She effectively asked a question that solicited the needed response from the students. She asked: â€Å"is there anyone in this United States that we do not treat as our brothers?† (Frontline: The Daring Lesson); of which, a student replied: â€Å"Black people† (Frontline: The Daring Lesson).By introducing that the color of a person’s skin causes them to be treated differently, Jane Elliot effectively convinced the students that â€Å"it might be interesting to judge people today by the color of their eyes† (Frontline: The Daring Lesson). As such, the message that blue-eyed people are the better people than brown-eyed people (and vise versa) was easy to be relayed to the children and they responded quickly and completely because: (1)

Why is the term recruitment often used incorrectly What is the correct Assignment - 1

Why is the term recruitment often used incorrectly What is the correct term and expand on the whole process for filling a job vacancy - Assignment Example This is not true as there is a clear distinction between them. So, instead of using the term recruitment alone it would be more appropriate to use the terms recruitment and selection together. Recruitment is the first stage, selection comes after that. These are two interrelated terms. While hiring the best personnel for an organization, the process of job analysis has to be done very carefully. This is important as this process determines the kind of activities that would be included in the job profile and helps to select the people having the qualities that would satisfy the job requirements. The first stage in this process is attracting the candidates for the job (Armstrong, 2006, p. 414). Attracting basically means to identify, evaluate and reach out to the available talent pool. Here a brief idea about the job is given stating the duties and requirements for the job (Armstrong, 2006, p. 418). The advertisement should also include the essential personal characteristics in the form of drive, determination and belief (Armstrong, 2006, p. 418). The advertisement should end with information on how to apply for the job post. Candidates should be specified about the various means like telephone or e mails that can be used for applying for the job. These advertisements for a job vacancy can be published in leading newspaper classifieds, television, internet etc (Armstrong, 2006, p. 418). After the publication of the application, there would be a number of applications for the job. Here the process of sifting or sieving the application forms starts to choose the best applications for the job. This is done by listing the applications on a control sheet using parameters like the name, the date of submission of the application letter etc. After this, proper letters are dispatched to the candidate asking them to submit proper documents like a resume which

Blue Ocean Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Blue Ocean Report - Essay Example This shall be done by decimating the trade-off between the parameters of differentiation and low cost. This shall be done to help in the alignment of values of the product, as well as the proposition for profits. This book is a creation of a study, which is decade old. It is based on the analysis of a repository of moves that is based over thirty industries: and spread over a large period of over one hundred and twenty years (the period ranges from 1880 to 2000). There is a mixture of respective case studies, with the book offering a huge range of approaches which are theoretical in nature: and also a host of practical tools for capitalizing on all the growth opportunities. This shall play a very important role in the capture of market spaces which are uncontested and also present avenues for viable profit. The authors argue that the companies in coming years cannot survive in the market space by engaging in competition with each other, but by developing â€Å"blue oceans†. Th e book has been a best seller, having sold more than a million copies in the first year of its publication. It is also in the process of being published in the almost thirty nine languages. ANALYSIS    There   is a way of defining the concepts that form a part of the book. The red and the blue words that are used, represent the position of the market. The red oceans are representative of all the markets that are in existence today. The boundary of these organizations and the functioning is specified. The competition is also defined in these markets for all the companies. The companies are in a constant struggle to perform better than their competitors. This means that the initial services that define the nature of the market and competition become blurred. This leads to a heightened sense of competition among all the players. This has an impact on the products or services, rendering them niche. So, as a result, the firms fight fiercely with each other; eating away into the bound aries and profits of one another (Cohen and Eimicke, 1995). This bloodies the â€Å"ocean†, a metaphor for the marketplace; leading eventually to the term as the â€Å"red ocean†. The â€Å"blue ocean† is indicative of the industries that are not existence at the current point of time. These are the market spaces which are not touched by any kind of competition from the markets. There is a creation of newer demand, rather than a fight over the market space. There is a lot of opportunity for a growth vector in the market. In the oceans that are â€Å"blue†, the rules present as a part of the game have to be set and defined. The â€Å"blue† serves as an analogy for describing the potential of the market spaces that have not been explored by any of the players in existence. The main point that governs the Blue Ocean strategy is the innovation in value among the companies. There is the creation of value innovation, when any company achieves additional value for the buyer as well as the company. The rise in the value of innovation should have a positive impact on the market and raise the value of the market players. On the contrary, the values that are not deemed as being important for the market: would be reduced as a result of the new creation of value. The authors are critical of the idea that the successful players either operate on low cost; or are players that play in niche markets. There is a proposition to find value which is independent of the conventional types of market segmentation. It should also offer a

Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Engineering - Essay Example The first smartphone in the United States was the Kyocera 6035, which was launched by Palm, Inc. in the year 2001 (Cross & Szostak, 2004). Since then, the smartphone technology has swiftly grown to encompass iPhones and Samsung galaxies among others. In the context of my grandparent’s lifetime, a significant technological innovation is the development of laptops. The emergence of the computer marked a cultural, social, economic, and political change. Every aspect of society began to experience computerization, with businesses becoming more effective and efficient. Computer use at a personal level was not overlooked. Desktops were complemented by laptops, allowing mobile use of computers. Computer development further took business needs into consideration, linking individual and organizational use of computers. The occurrence of laptops into the picture paved way for continued technological progress. Commercialized use of laptops was realized back in the 1970s when IBM launched its IBM 5100 (Cross & Szostak, 2004). The impact of this technological development is applied in almost every available aspect of the society. Laptops made it easier for people to keep records, store information, and even communicate. The laptop era led to the emergence of diverse use of internet all over the world. The laptop era became the source of many other technological breakthroughs. The transport sector has undergone substantial growth and development right from the 19th century. The period prior to 1900 realized a technological innovation relative to automobile development. Germany became the source of automobile technology back in the 1870s when the first four-stroke internal combustion engine was created by Nicolaus Otto (Cross & Szostak, 2004). What followed were progressive improvements to this engine and automobiles in general. The process finally ushered in the electric

Mid Term Exam, Ethics 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mid Term Exam, Ethics 1 - Essay Example This is the main feature of the ethical theories of Immanuel Kant. The most famous ethical theory of Kant is Categorical Imperative. This theory calls for evaluation of one’s action according to certain rules and guidelines or maxims. The main elements of the theory include universality which calls for acting in a manner which will not hurt or displease the acting person if the same act is made a universal law. Any action, under Kant’s ethical theory, should be judged not on the basis of consequences it brings but on the basis of the nature of the action. For example, Kant would not allow a person to lie even if this action results in collective good of the society because lying is not an ethical behavior itself. This is the main feature of Kant’s ethical theory. Focus on principles and guidelines are also important part of Kant’s ethical theory. An action is principally good or bad and consequences or other elements have nothing to do with the rightness and wrongness of any action. The principle on which the action is carried out is the main focus of evaluation in Kant’s ethical theory. Kant’s ethical theory differs from other important ethical theories because it focuses on actions and treats an action as an end in itself. The act is important for Kant and not its consequences. This is the main difference between the ethical approach of Kant and other ethical theories. The ethical theories of Kant can be applied to modern policing practices. There are many ways in which modern police can improve its practices based on Kant’s ethical theories. Kant stressed on treating actions as an end in itself and not just as means. Police can also apply this theory to its practice by following due process. Sometimes police can be tempted to break the law and focus on the consequences of their actions. This is how modern policing practices can learn from Kant’s ethical theories. Police should also act in a way according to the guidelines which if

Arthur Miller wrote the play Essay Example for Free

Arthur Miller wrote the play Essay What Miller does do to excellent effect is keep the pace of the plot speeding along and twisting in different directions all the time, at one time the focal point is on Danforth and his control of the court, then at another it is Abigail and the girls feigning that Mary Warrens spirit has possessed them. Throughout this extract he keeps the dramatic effect by having many different plot lines run into each other at this point; Proctors attempt to save Elizabeth, Mary Warrens declaration that the girls are putting on a show and Abigail Williams and the girls dramatic role-play claiming Mary Warren is sending her spirit out on them. All of these plot lines are intertwined in the court room scene and are exposed in John Proctors announcement that he is guilty of lechery. Some of the central themes and concerns in The Crucible are evident in this extract intolerance, being a society run strictly by a theocracy means that Salem is run by strict laws and religion. Any wavering outside these rules or religious thoughts is unacceptable. Danforth is intolerant when listening to Proctor and Giles Coreys attempted reasoning and proposals. Salem at this time was intolerant of any un-natural endeavours, just as America in the 1950s was intolerant of any un-American activities or communists. Acts of search and arrest became known as McCarthyism, led by Senator John McCarthy. Hanging those who were accused was seen as restoring purity to the theocracy in Salem. Another recurring theme in The Crucible is that of personal reputation. In this extract Proctor seeks to keep his name from being tarnished by giving testament against Abigail claiming that she is delivering her accusations through jealousy of his wife Elizabeth, and by announcing that he has committed adultery through his affair with Abigail. Reverend Parris acts only on what he thinks is best for his reputation throughout the whole play, particularly in this extract when he lies about seeing the girls naked dancing in the woods, I do not deny they danced, but I never saw any of them naked. Parris lies in order to keep his reputation, for if it were released that he had found his daughter and many other girls dancing naked in the woods and compacting with the devil then he would be driven from his office as the reverend of Salem. Judges Danforth and Hathorne are both unwilling to accept that Proctor is innocent and do not want to admit to being deceived by a bunch of girls claiming witchcraft and are therefore forced to charge John Proctor to keep their own reputations, making the interrogation partial towards the young girls and unfair on Proctor. The other central theme of the play is the role that hysteria can play in societies. The lies by Abigail all the way through the play and particularly in this extract easily manipulate the judges and the residents of Salem to turn against the accused which ultimately leads to their executions. Miller has linked this hysterical theme to the McCarthyism period in which he lived in the 1950s, the hysteria led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and his hunt for communists and communist sympathisers in post WWII America and during the Cold War. Miller seems to have based his character Judge Danforth on the individual Senator Joseph McCarthy: both are over-seeing the hysteria of the communities and are leading the search for the accused and presiding over their trials.

North and South Differences Essay Example for Free

North and South Differences Essay When the pioneers from Great Britain came to â€Å"The new world†, now known as America, they located themselves all over this new land that they had discovered. They divided themselves up into colonies. They had colonies in the north and colonies in the south, both being different from each other do to the climate and geography. In the northern colonies the main economic goals were centered on the industrial business side of things. They produced tons of goods, which allowed them to be able to trade a lot of what they produced. Also they did a lot of fishing, which was a major business in the northern colonies. The southern colonies, unlike the northern colonies, had an economic system based on agriculture and plantations. They also kept their economy growing by having imported or forced labor with the slave trade going on. The south had a lot of hard work that needed to be done and they needed people to do it for them, so they saw slavery as a solution to that problem. The north on the other hand, like I said, was industrial based so they didn’t have a ton of hands on working jobs like the south. The Labor wasn’t near as hard for the north so they didn’t really get into slavery that much. Religion in the northern and southern colonies was also a little bit different. In the north there were more religious settlements, which means that they had more of freedom when it came to religion and things like that. In the south religious activities aligned with Angicans. Which means they did things like the people in Great Britain did. They had the same views on religion as the Britain’s and didn’t have very much freedom in their religion views. The social views from the northern colonies believed that above all that their time should be spent in productive labor. They had large families and enjoyed drinking. They sang, dance, and made music but did all of these things at the appropriate time, and didn’t get excessive with how much they did it. They did not see sex as evil, but believed that people should be married if they did do it. In the south, due to all the economy being based on plantations, society was based on class and race, which made it difficult for everyone to come together into agreement on things. The government was set up in towns and didn’t have much communication with all the towns as one. The northern colonies were more bonded and had mayors, fire departments, police stations, and other things set up like a real government should. The southern colonies combined with the northern colonies produced a pretty good economical system, the south  having the agriculture side and the north having t he industrial side. This made our relationship with England strong because we had things that they would want to trade with us. We affected England’s economy positively, which made our relationship strong. The northern colonies strayed away from England’s strict religious views so this sort of hurt the relationship between the north and England, but it didn’t hurt the relationship that bad. It wasn’t till after the French and Indian war, where the relationship between the colonies and England started to go down hill. After the French and Indian war when England started to tax the colonies, the south had a lot of â€Å"Tories† these were people who did not want to rebel against England. The northern colonies most everyone was in favor of rebelling. So the South had a better relationship with England if you put all the factors together. Even though both of the colonies had their differences, they also had their similarities. Both relied on trade to an extent, both struggled with their economies at first, both had dreams of creating a new society. They both came from the same place, Great Britain, and wanted to start something new and be the beginning of something new. Even with the diversity of the north and south, eventually we came together, and made America what it is today, one of the greatest countries on Earth. Our diversity defines us, and I believe it makes us stronger as a whole.

Tissue engineering for skin

Tissue engineering for skin TISSUE ENGINEERING OF THE SKIN (MECH 5510M) LITERATURE REVIEW SID: 200507638 ABSTRACT: This essay is a literature review on the tissue engineering for skin replacement, with regard to the clinical need, approaches various commercially-available products. Skin is undoubtedly crucial in the maintenance of the bodys internal balance also protecting externally. It gets severely compromised in burns, non-healing ulcers, reconstructive surgeries etc. bringing down the patients quality of life drastically. Tissue engineering is a more efficient approach than traditional skin grafting. It is a research area that is forever evolving, where researchers are always working towards one united goal, i.e. to develop in bulk quantities, a skin substitute that can be handled with less care, integrates faster with the bodys natural matrix and costs reasonable. INTRODUCTION: A lot of research has been undertaken in the past to realize that it is possible to generate skin by applying engineering techniques. This is done by growing skin at a faster rate than normal and in an artificial manner4. Skin is the largest most widely spread organ in the human body. Its role is to protect the bodys internal environment from harshness of the external conditions and restrict entry of microbes, by acting as a barrier4. Several situations diseases arise, due to which the skin gets irreparably damaged, thus requiring interventional help in restoring it back to health. Tissue engineering is the application of engineering techniques to develop biological substitutes1. Burns (acute) ulcers (chronic) are the most common conditions which require the replacement of skin. In developing countries (Fig 1)2,3, due to lack of knowledge on safety, a very high number of burns accidents occur every year, and mostly of fatal nature. The fatality is mainly due to pain, infection, loss of body fluids incapability of the body to self-regenerate large amounts of lost skin5. Thus, experimentation in this field was triggered. Many skin diseases, which lead to necrosis, pigmentation problems, also require engineered skin4. CLINICAL NEED FOR SKIN TISSUE ENGINEERING: In most incidents, both the epidermal and dermal layers require replacement. Conventionally, the treatment method involved skin grafting i.e. autologous (self) split-thickness and full-thickness grafting, where healthy skin was taken from other areas of the body and replaced at the injury site. Split-thickness (comprising of the epidermis a part of the dermis) grafting is not a logical method to use, when a large area of the body (>50%) is affected less healthy skin is available. But, it is todays gold standard approach6. Further trauma, due to grafting, can be painful to a patient who is already in a critical state. Also, scar formation post-operatively is another reason for its reduced usage. Full-thickness grafts are suitable to use when the burned area is less than 2% of the total area. These problems could be avoided if skin (of full or partial thickness) were grown artificially and substituted in the place of real skin6. LITERATURE REVIEW: The skin can be broadly divided into two layers i.e. the epidermis dermis. The epidermis is made up of several layers and may/may not consist of extra-cellular matrix (ECM). The layers from surface to deep are: cornified, granular, spinosal and basalar layers. The most commonly found cells here are the keratinocytes melanocytes. The dermis is constituted by GAGs proteins. Within the dermis, fibroblasts are most commonly found8. Several skin substitutes exist for wound coverage in tissue engineering4. It can be broadly divided into temporary and permanent skin substitutes. The table below (Table 1) is a list of all the material options available for skin replacement: Table 1: Temporary and Permanent Skin Substitutes8 Permanent tissue engineering of the skin can be broadly divided into three categories6, 8: Epidermal replacements Generally, using autologous keratinocyte sheets. Replaces only the epidermis, but â€Å"take rates† are very poor, suitable for superficial burn treatment only. Dermal replacements Replaces only the dermal layer. In most cases, it is applied along with an epidermal graft to improve â€Å"take rates†. Dermo-epidermal (bilayer skin) replacements Replaces both the epidermis and dermis. Suitable for full-thickness burns. Skin replacements have two main components i.e. cells and the scaffold. In wound coverage, three types of cells can be used autologous, allogenic or stem cells. Autologous (self) cell usage is the most preferred as it is easily accepted by the patients body does not need incite and anti-immune responses. Allogenic (donor) cells, if used directly can lead to the eventual rejection of the transplant. However, it is used in an acellular fashion, where the donor keratinocytes are removed prior to culturing9. Stem cells have trans-germal pluripotential properties are currently being researched for their poteintial application in skin engineering. Less information is obtained on keratinocyte stem cells. The suggested reason for their longevity is that KSC cycles very slowly and is resistant to mutations8. The type of biodegradable scaffold, either natural or synthetic permits cells to attach onto them and facilitate handling during transplantation6, 9. Rheinwald Green Experiment8: The experiment carried out in 1975 by Rheinwald and Green where human (autologous) keratinocytes were produced in-vitro, proved to be a breakthrough in this field and modified versions of this method are used nowadays. Extracted keratinocytes were allowed to form colonies on a plastic substrate. These colonies expanded to form a sheet. Stratifications arose as the daughter cells, usually at the centre, started multiplying vertically and a 12-cell layer was achieved. To increase the multiplicative capacity of keratinocytes, a feeder layer (comprising murine Swiss 3T3 lethally irradiated fibroblasts) mitogens were introduced to the culture. Epidermal Replacements: A small skin biopsy of the patient is harvested, which is cultured to produce a patch. The full-thickness biopsy of the patients skin is cut finely and enzymes are added to cause disaggregation of the skin into cells. A feeder layer, as mentioned previously, is used to culture these cells in culture flasks. To promote proliferation, epidermal growth factors, enzymes such as insulin, hydrocortisone, cholera-toxin and bovine serum are used. After colonies have been formed, trypsin is added. The KCs are cultured to confluence and later, the sheets are removed from the flasks (using dispase) for use8. The result of this method compared to the split-thickness gold standard is quite poor, as the dermal layer is missing and it depends upon the health of the dermis existing. Also, it is prone to scarring, takes too long, expensive, extremely fragile and has varying â€Å"take† rates6. Dermal Replacements: It was claimed, in 1952, that using only pure epidermal sheets, success would be lesser than compared to those with a dermis10. To accentuate the success of the epidermal transplantation, dermal replacements were constructed. A dermal replacement that covered the affected area with cryoprserved allogenic skin was used minus the epidermal layer was used11, 12. Also, an observation that allogenic keratinocytes elicited more anti-immune response than allogenic fibroblasts, was reported. To reconstruct the dermis, the two-stage Integra application is most widely used now13. This dermis functions as a scaffold for the attachment of keratinocytes and improves vascularization9. Burke et al (1981) developed a dermal replacement, where a collagen sponge was covered with a silastic layer (synthetic). The sponge behaves as a scaffold for the fibroblast cells. This technique was commercialized into a product (Integra Dermal Regeneration Template) 9, 14. A modification to this employed GAGs along with collagen, in the scaffold. Here, a precipitated mixture of bovine collagen fibres and a chondrotin-6-sulfate (GAG from shark cartilage) was freeze dried. This generated a collagen-GAG sponge scaffold, which had a mean pore size. Cross-linkage to strengthen the matrix was done using gluteraldehyde. Finally, the silastic layer was applied. This is available as a product; Integra Artificial Skin (Chamberlain and Yannas, 1999)9, 15. According to Heimbach et al (1988), this is most suitable for burns patients. The concept of using absorbable polymer scaffolds (synthetic) such as polyglactin 910 or polyglycolic acid was the next improvement in dermal replacements. Here, allogenic fibroblasts are enzymatically cultured and this culture is mounted on the polymer scaffold for integration). Due to this, an ECM consisting of collagen, growth factors, GAGs etc. is formed, which stays active even after it is frozen17. This was commercialized as Dermagraft 8, 16. Two-stage dermis application has shown proven results, and now clinical trials are being conducted to examine the applicability of one-stage dermis, such as Matriderm 6. The dermal replacements essentially require an epidermal covering. Dermo-Epidermal Replacements: These are available both as autologous or off-the-shelf products. In autologous DED replacements, both keratinocytes and fibroblasts are harvested from the patient and are added to the collagen-GAG scaffold. Cultivation of this in culture medium is for around four weeks. This is a more permanent solution 6, 18, 19. The first model of todays Apligraf was done by Bell et al (1979)20. DEDs use human keratinocytes fibroblast cells (allogenic) within a scaffold. Morphological studies after using Apligraf reported the presence of a well-defined epidermis, with all four layers, as in the natural skin, and seeded allogenic fibroblasts aligned in a normal manner within the collagen matrix 8, 21. COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PRODUCTS: CONCLUSION FUTURE AIMS: Tissue engineering of the skin was the first to be approved by the FDA has evolved a great deal, from the first application of only cultured keratinocytes to the use of biological skin substitutes. Research is still in-progress to develop skin in bulk quantities, mainly for burns patients, and to mimic all the mechanical and properties and functions of the natural skin. The state of the art results can be achieved now by using cultured keratinocyte cells with the dermal replacement, Integra, in full-thickness, small and clean wounds. This has shown optimal results in cosmesis and wound closure8. However, this branch of tissue engineering is still very much in a developing level. Studies to analyse how to reduce various risks in patients, who receive donor cells should be done. Also, a main difficulty is in getting the cells to attach to the dermis, post-transplantation. Burns patients are highly susceptible to various problems, thus there is a need for materials that present lower risk than animal/human materials. Mainly, it is ideal if the graft starts to behave like natural skin soon after grafting, which is possible only with rapid vascularization and cell implantation. Also, low expense of these products is extremely desirable. REFERENCES: Nerem R M. 1992. Tissue engineering in the USA. Medical Biological Engineering Computing, Vol 30, pp. CE8-CE 12. Burn Incidence and Treatment in the United States: 1999 Fact Sheet (The Burn Foundation, Philadelphia, 1999). Rose, J. K. Herndon, D. N. Advances in the treatment of burn patients. Burns 23 (suppl. 1), S19-S26 (1997). McNeil S. 2007. Progress and opportunities for tissue-engineered skin. Nature. Vol 445 (22), pp. 874-880. Pomahac B, T. Svensjà ¶, F. Yao, H. Brown and E. Eriksson. 1998. Critical Reviews in Oral Bioogy and Medicine. Vol9; pp. 333-344. Bottcher-Haberzeth S, T Bedermann, E Reichmann. 2009. Tissue engineering of skin. Burns, doi:10.1016/j.burns.2009.08.016 Burn Injury Occurrence is higher in Developing Countries. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn Price R, E Anthony, S Myers and H Navsaria. Chapter 17: Tissue engineering for Skin Transplantation. In: Clemens van Blitterswijk, Peter Thomsen, Anders Lindahl, Jeffrey Hubbell, David F. Williams, Ranieri Cancedda, Joost D. de Bruijn and Jà ©rà ´me Sohier eds., Tissue Engineering. Elsevier Inc, Pp. 507-532. Morgan J R, R L Sheridian, R G Tompkins, M L Yarmush and J F Burke. 2004. Chapter 7: Applications of Materials in Medicine, Biology and Artificial Organs (7.12). In: B D Ratner, A S Hoffman, F J Schoen and J E Lemons eds., Biomaterials Science. Elsevier Academic Press, pp. 602-614. Billingham, R.E. and Reynolds, J. 1952. Transplantation studies on sheets of pure epidermal epithelium and on epidermal cell suspensions. British Journal of Plastic Surgery, Vol 5, pp. 25 36. Cuono , C.B. , Langdon , R. , e t al. 1987. Composite autologous-allogeneic skin replacement: development and clinical application. Plastic Reconstruction Surgery, Vol 80, pp 626 637. Heck , E.L. , Bergstresser , P.R. , e t al. 1985. Composite skin graft: frozen dermal allografts support the engraftment and expansion of autologous epidermis . Journal of Trauma, Vol 25, pp. 106 112. Heimbach, D .M., W arden, G .D., e t al. ( 2003 ). Multicenter postapproval clinical trial of Integra dermal regeneration template for burn treatment. Journal of Burn Care Rehabilitation, Vol 24, pp. 42 48 . Burke, J.F. , Yannas , I.V. , e t al. ( 1981 b ). Successful use of a physiologically acceptable artificial skin in the treatment of extensive burn injury. Annals of Surgery, Vol 194, pp. 413 428. Chamberlain L J, Yannas I V. 1999. Preparation of collagen-glycosaminoglycan copolymers for tissue regeneration. In Methods in Tissue Engineering, J R Morgan and M L Yarmush eds. Humana Press, pp. 3-17. Hansbrough, J.F. , Cooper , M.L., et al. 1992a. Evaluation of a biodegradable matrix containing cultured human fibroblasts as a dermal replacement beneath meshed skin grafts on athymic mice. Surgery, Vol. 111, pp. 438 446. Cooper , M.L. , Hansbrough , J.F. , e t al. 1991. In vivo optimization of a living dermal substitute employing cultured human fibroblasts on a biodegradable polyglycolic acid or polyglactin mesh. Biomaterials, Vol. 12, pp. 243 248. Pham C, Greenwood J, Cleland H, Woodruff P, Maddern G. 2007. Bioengineered skin substitutes for the management of burns: a systematic review. Burns; Vol. 33, pp. 946-57. Boyce ST. 2001 Design principles for composition and performance of cultured skin substitutes. Burns; Vol. 27, pp. 523-33. Bell , E. , Ivarsson , B. , e t al. 1979. Production of a tissue like structure by contraction of collagen lattices by human fibroblasts of different proliferative potential in vitro. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Vol. 76, pp. 1274 1278. Parenteau , N.L. , Bilbo , P. , et al. 1992. The organotypic culture of human skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts to achieve form and function. Cytotechnology, Vol. 9, pp. 163 171. Apligraf Structure vs. Skin Structure. Available from: http://www.organogenesis.com/images/apligraf_main3.jpg Fig. 3, Collagen GAG scaffolds for Tissue Engineering. Pek et al, 2004, Biomaterials. Available from: http://web.mit.edu/dmse/csg/Tissue_Regeneration.html Fig. 3, Collagen GAG scaffolds for Tissue Engineering. OBrien et al, 2004, Biomaterials. Available from:http://web.mit.edu/dmse/csg/Tissue_Regeneration.html

Ethnic Identity and the Maintenance of Heritage Languages Essays

Ethnic Identity and the Maintenance of Heritage Languages ‘Neither ethnicity nor mother tongue nor even identities can be treated as things, commodities, that one can choose and discard like an old coat at will’ ~Tove Skutnabb-Kangas (qtd in Fishman 55) Broadly speaking, â€Å"language policy† in the United States is thought of as a covert policy. Schiffman (2000) writes of the challenges of researching this field, given that issues of language are usually addressed subordinately to other issues. In Schiffman’s view, it is a fallacy to assume that the U.S. government is neutral in regard to issues of language simply because the U.S. does not have an official language; in actuality, the strength of this â€Å"covert† policy lies in how the government deals with issues of language in conjunction with, for example, education and immigration policies (Schiffman 211). Despite America’s history of immigration and linguistic diversity, the only overt piece of legislation passed whose purpose was to protect a specific language’s use was the Native American Languages Act of 1990 (Schiffman 263), which stated that protecting Native American languages was the â€Å"policy† of the United States g overnment. From the 19th century onward, English, then, has served as a â€Å"de facto† language of the United States, although no laws in addition to the previously mentioned act have been enacted to protect the rights of speakers of languages other than English. Many researchers have pointed out how the federal government did not intervene in issues of language, because the right to speak a language was considered a natural extension of living in a democratic society, and therefore did not have to be protected under the law (as cited in Bey... ...;!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> â€Å"Steve.† Personal Interview. 28 April, 2003. Works Consulted â€Å"Gold Mountain Dreams,† and â€Å"Between Two Worlds.† Becoming American: The Chinese Experience. Narr. Bill Moyers. Producer Thomas Lennon. PBS. 25-26 March 2003. Jen, Gish. Mona in the Promised Land. New York: Vintage, 1997. Piller, Ingrid. â€Å"Passing for a Native Speaker: Identity and Success in Second Language Learning.† Journal of Sociolinguistics 6.2 (2002): 179-206. Spolsky, Bernard. Sociolinguistics. Oxford University Press, 1997. Tong, Yuk Yue, et al. â€Å"Language Use as a Carrier of Social Identity.† International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 23.2 (1999): 281-296.

Tragic Triumph :: essays research papers

It hardly takes a discerning eye to realize that life does not consist of fairy tale endings. That fact is all too apparent in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a work which has been labeled a tragedy by many critics. Robert Heilman defines a tragedy as a work of literature in which a character divided within the self makes choices, bears the consequences of those choices, gains a new awareness, and suffers victory in defeat. As you will see, John Proctor is a perfect protagonist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main choice which Proctor must make is simple enough to recognize: lie about his participation in witchcraft or proclaim his innocence and be hanged; however, the actual process of making this decision is not as easy. Proctor vacillates between dishonesty and the upholding of society's and his own morals. In Act IV, anxiety permeates the air as Proctor puts his name on the confession; but somewhere between the quill and the quintessence of the tragedy, Proctor has a change of heart. I believe that the precise point at which he realizes the exigency of the situation is when he emits the soul-wrenching cry, 'You will not use me!'; (142). And so, with these words, the first provision of a tragedy is furnished.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Miller spares us the full repercussions of Proctor's decision by ending the play before the hangings. Still, it is evident what the consequence of Proctor's insistent grip on integrity will be: death. I find it much more fitting that Miller excludes the most disparaging part of the play and instead instills in our minds the positive side. Elizabeth plants the seed of this thought when she proclaims of John, 'He have his goodness now'; (143). This statement creates perfect balance in the conclusion of the play, allowing the reader to experience the full psychological weight of the Salem Witch Trials while permitting the presentation of the optimist's viewpoint.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before his untimely death, Proctor gains an awareness of life possible only to those who hold it in insufficient hands and observe it sifting through their fingers like the Sands of Time. His epiphany occurs just after the destruction of the confession, when all havoc breaks loose. In many prior instances throughout the play Proctor's integrity had been alluded to, although the taint of lechery prevented any confirmation of our suspicions. Proctor finally admits it both to us and to himself in saying, 'I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor'; (144). Although it is uncertain whether characters such as Hale ever reached this same point of Tragic Triumph :: essays research papers It hardly takes a discerning eye to realize that life does not consist of fairy tale endings. That fact is all too apparent in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a work which has been labeled a tragedy by many critics. Robert Heilman defines a tragedy as a work of literature in which a character divided within the self makes choices, bears the consequences of those choices, gains a new awareness, and suffers victory in defeat. As you will see, John Proctor is a perfect protagonist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main choice which Proctor must make is simple enough to recognize: lie about his participation in witchcraft or proclaim his innocence and be hanged; however, the actual process of making this decision is not as easy. Proctor vacillates between dishonesty and the upholding of society's and his own morals. In Act IV, anxiety permeates the air as Proctor puts his name on the confession; but somewhere between the quill and the quintessence of the tragedy, Proctor has a change of heart. I believe that the precise point at which he realizes the exigency of the situation is when he emits the soul-wrenching cry, 'You will not use me!'; (142). And so, with these words, the first provision of a tragedy is furnished.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Miller spares us the full repercussions of Proctor's decision by ending the play before the hangings. Still, it is evident what the consequence of Proctor's insistent grip on integrity will be: death. I find it much more fitting that Miller excludes the most disparaging part of the play and instead instills in our minds the positive side. Elizabeth plants the seed of this thought when she proclaims of John, 'He have his goodness now'; (143). This statement creates perfect balance in the conclusion of the play, allowing the reader to experience the full psychological weight of the Salem Witch Trials while permitting the presentation of the optimist's viewpoint.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before his untimely death, Proctor gains an awareness of life possible only to those who hold it in insufficient hands and observe it sifting through their fingers like the Sands of Time. His epiphany occurs just after the destruction of the confession, when all havoc breaks loose. In many prior instances throughout the play Proctor's integrity had been alluded to, although the taint of lechery prevented any confirmation of our suspicions. Proctor finally admits it both to us and to himself in saying, 'I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor'; (144). Although it is uncertain whether characters such as Hale ever reached this same point of

Best Man :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ayanna Ganges   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Critical Thinking Honors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ms.McCue The Best Man One of the leading characters, Lance Sullivan, is portrayed very differently from the average black males in movies up until the end. Number one he is rich and he is a professional athlete. His income doesn't come from drug dealing or anything of that nature. Lance being an athlete in another perspective is also a common stereotype. Black males are commonly portrayed as drug dealers or killers unless they are rich, then they are professional athletes. This makes it seem as though black males don't have intellectual thinking capabilities. He doesn't get killed and he doesn't kill anyone during the course of the movie, although thoughts of it do cross his mind. By the end of the movie Lance ends up in a neutral position. Meaning his decisions reflect the outcome of his situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The only thing that was a shame about any of the black characters is that when Lance finds out that his best friend, Harper, had slept with his now fiancà ©e, Mia, he beat the crap out of him, but never even mentioned it to her. This is so typical not only in movies, but in life in general with people of all races, people take their anger out too often on the wrong party. It was his girlfriend that did the dirty deed as well. Not to mention it was a long time ago. He had every right to be upset, but I think the fighting was a bit extreme even if it did make the movie more enjoyable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The male/female interaction was put together well because Jordan was a best friend with the other four male characters.

End of Year Speech Essay

Good evening everyone. I hope everyone is having a good time, and has eaten their fill. Please eat all the food, we’ve spent a lot of money on that to be put to waste, and you’ll make the caterers job a lot easier (if the food is catered) Ladies please, help yourselves. Come on, it’s the end of the year, you’ll have a whole year ahead of you to start your diet†¦anyway Vegas buffet rules apply ladies and gentlemen, NO TAKEOUTS! So please keep your Ziplocs where they are. (of course parts like these are jokes and should be said well, as a joke). But seriously, good evening everyone and welcome to our year end dinner. It has been another successful year for us. Thanks mainly to the summer blockbuster heroes, in a sense, they did save our lives, well, at least made our company earn more money, thanks also to the mom and dads that keep bringing their kids in our store, may they be blessed with more kids, and of course, kudos to all of you for helping make another year a successful one. It has been another heroic year for us, both for the toys that we have sold and our efforts to make our company better. First we were introduced to a wealthy scientist turned super hero, who would have thought that the cousin of the tin-man would be a successful toy. Yes, Iron Man is one of our most successful toys this year, if not all of all time. The fact that Iron Man is a robot,( well, technically a bionic suit, but that’s how Iron Man is perceived) makes him subject for a lot of modifications, and thus a lot of action figure variants. Seven year old kids were just half of the market of Iron Man, toy collectors of all ages had a field day hoarding Iron Man toys from our store. Action figures sales have never been higher since the come back of comic book adaptations into the silver screen. Thank you Stan Lee! You made a lot of toy companies such ourselves very happy, we hope for more new movies and sequels to your comic books. I hope I can say the same to your reality show. Batman’s appeal has not dropped, Batman Toy’s have virtually not stopped production since the franchise came to being way back. I think only X-men and Spider Man toys have achieved a similar feat, which makes Batman the most successful comic book hero without having any super powers. Spider Man was bitten by a radio active bug, and the X-Men are mutants. Batman is just a plain dude with a fancy belt, well, a dude that can kick all our butts in one passing. If I was a kid, I would definitely be a good boy (at least for a while) to get the latest Batman action figure. I bet if we just sold action figures of Batman or an equally popular comic book superhero, we wouldn’t go out of business and still keep the store. That’s how big these toys have become, and how big they’ve been to our company’s progress. What would be a hero without an arch enemy? Not only do the heroes need a bad guy to beat up, toy companies also need villains as a source of income. Chances are, when kids buy their action figures, they want something to tests its weapons on something, might as well be the actual enemy of the hero. The Joker has been the most popular action hero as of late, thanks to the films success and all these talks about the death on Heath Ledger, the actor that played Joker in the Dark Knight. This toy has suddenly become a limited edition because it is one of the last characters the actor has played before he died, for some reason, I don’t think Mattel would buy the idea of making an action figure out of Brokeback Mountain, but that’s just me, I’ve seen stranger toys made it into production. Spider – Man toys have been around almost as long as Batman toys, especially after the new Spider Man films came out. They did not leave our shelves even if the franchise has been on a hiatus from the silver screen for a while. Actually there have not been a major Spider – Man film until the recent films and yet Spider Man toys are one of our popular toys of all time After I thank the toys, sorry guys, they do come first you know, these toys pay our bills. I would like to thank the staff of our company for doing a job well done throughout the year. Our company would be nothing if not for your efforts. Thank you for maintaining a harmonious working environment and for keeping our customers happy, your service is much appreciated. Thank you also for an outstanding team performance in all departments. It is always good for any company to work together as a team. More than working as a team, we’ve worked together, and treated each other as family. I’m not saying exactly who the mom and dads are, let’s just say we are all the children of the company okay? Special thanks to the marketing people for actively promoting our products to the buying public. They managed to sell our toys to kids who, for some reason did not go to the toy store with a particular toy in mind. Their persuasive skills have managed to squeeze some extra cash out of mommy and daddy to spend on their kids toys. Now, if they can only sell our (name unpopular toy) we would give them a big fat raise! On a serious note, thank you guys for a job well done and keep up the good work, we’ll talk about that raise deal later okay? (of course with still a sense of candidness) This party would not have been possible if had not worked hard last year. So if you guys still want the free food, we have to do just as well next year or even better. Either way, we would still have a party for sure, but our party would definitely much better if we raise our bar even just a little. So I encourage everyone to work just as hard or even harder this coming year and I promise you, our hard work would be rewarded if we have good sales next year. Incentives and other privileges would be available for us if we exceed what is expected of us, so let’s keep it up guys! The boss expects nothing less than what has already been established this year. I know we have done a good job this year but why aim for good when we can do better? The boss expects for exciting and new ideas from our staff, especially from the marketing department. Don’t be afraid to pitch in ideas even if you are not from the marketing department or if you think your ideas are too crazy. We all love new ideas. Again, thank you everyone for being part of this end of the year party and for a job well done this year. More fruitful years to come for our company! Cheers, and enjoy the rest of the evening. Let’s give a hand to ourselves! Thank you.

Development Methods

Agile software development refers to the processes and methodologies of software development which are based upon the implementation of iterative development with the help of a joint venture through which solutions are devised by making use of cross-functional teams. Coined in the year 2001 with the promulgation of the Agile Manifesto, this special program of computer program development mainly focuses on the philosophy of leadership and accountability with the intention to fulfill the needs of customers and achieving company goals. Moreover it does not only emphasize on best teamwork practices but also promotes best industry practices.Hence agile methodology of software development is extremely beneficial for industries and software companies as it provides a greatest number of myriad benefits at their disposal (Reifer, 2006). On the flip side we have the traditional method of computer program and software development which includes a number of different methodologies which can be u sed in various ways for the fulfillment of objectives through traditional methods. Traditional methods are commonly classified or labeled as all those methods of software development that cannot be categorized or accommodated in agile development method.Therefore when talking about traditional methods we have at our disposal some of the ways that are known as iterative development procedures, waterfall methods and even cowboy tailoring, hence in a nutshell it encompasses all those characteristics or most of them that are not the salient feature of the agile method of software and computer programming, hence with increasing innovation and advancement taking place in the technological sector the efficacy and credibility of traditional methods of software development is slowly and steadily decreasing (Lewis, 2008).Salient features of each methodology As stated earlier that some of the major characteristics that are among the prime features of agile method of software development due to which it is considered highly preferable for computer companies in contemporary times. All the methods that are described and accommodated by the agile method promote teamwork, collaboration and adaptability to the changing environment and scenario of the technological mainstream.Since agile method accentuates upon the feature of adaptability potentials with the passage of time most of the computer programs that are made by using agile methodology do not focus on long term planning. Each iteration that is designed by using the principle designing features of the program consist of short time frames or time boxes as they are professionally referred to as. These time boxes last for minimum two to a maximum four weeks.However it is worth mentioning here that every fragment of information that is designed using this method of software technology uses and adheres to the principles and features of proper analysis, observation, market strategy prevalent at that specific period of time and involves proper and well-coordinated collaboration of all team members that contribute their opinion and perspectives after which the decision of software developing is finalized and presented to the major stake holders of the company (Highsmith, 2002).With all such features incorporated well in the entire project that is looked forward towards designing the probability of risks and hazards that can affect the entire project in adverse ways minimizes substantially and at the same time makes the entire computer program highly susceptible and non-immune for the adaptability of changes that can easily be made in the rudimentary mechanism of the entire computer program to make it suitable and usable in the long run.As far as the features of the traditional methods of computer program development is concerned since there are many methods that can be classified under the banner of traditional method, each method has its own dos and don’ts. For example some of the salient features of the Waterfall Method which is known as one of the structured organized of all traditional methods follows a strict procedure of stepping through requirements, analysis, design and coding in an at all once sort of a way which basically halts the sustainability and longevity of the computer program being designed.In contrast to this we have the cowboy method which does not follow or adhere to any specific rules and regulations of software program development and n which the team that is developing and designing the program have complete liberty as a result of which the outcome is not as effective and long-lasting as made by following other program and methods of software development (Kram and Tsui, 2009). Pros and Cons of each methodologyEvery program of software development is accompanied with its own pros and cons and similar is the case of agile and traditional methods of computer program development. We will have a look at some of the advantages of the agile method and procedur e first. The biggest advantage that web and software developers when using agile methodology is that the program outcome of this software is highly adaptable and possess the ability of undergoing changes and alterations that makes it adaptable to the dynamically changing environment of the technological and web arena.A further benefit that is an extension of the former one is that the developing and technical team does not have to invest further time, effort and resources to cater to the needs of the client that has altered, if such a condition does take place which is frequent enough slight or even substantial changes can be made without exerting oneself too much or without wasting too much time and further resources to ultimately gratify the client.Another very positive point of using agile method for computer programming is attributed to the presence of constant face to face communication between the developing team and that with the customer leaves no space for speculation in th e work and the kind of task that has been undertaken by the company itself.Furthermore the documentation made through agile methodology is short, concise, and crisp and is targeted specifically to the point that is required by the client without any redundant and irrelevant information. With the collective and flawless consolidation of all these factors the software prepared by using this methodology is as demanded and as per the requirement of the customer. Once done with this lets have a look at some of the cons and don’ts that are related to agile method.It has normally been viewed that the software development prepared using the agile method is limited in benefits to short scale projects, if large scale projects are prepared using this method their effectivity and credibility may not last long mainly because of the fact that in large scale projects it become difficult to evaluate the effort and scope of resources that needs to be invested in the preparation of the project during in its initial stages of software development cycle in particular.Secondly, another shortcoming of agile method also lies in the fact that it does not completely emphasize on the preparation of mandatory documentation and designing which are some of the elements that are extremely important and dire for any software program and for the maintenance of its efficacy.Agile methods are always accompanied with the threat that the customer or the client may easily withdraw or rollback the entire project if he is not able to understand the objectives that the project needs to fulfill and the benefits that the project can extract for him as a result of which the entire project and the resources and effort invested in it will go in vain.Moreover it is also worth mentioning here that agile method of program development is carefully and manageably handled by professional, highly qualified, experienced and learned computer professionals so that they possess all the necessary skills in co mmunication as well as adequate technical expertise to satisfy all the myriad and diverse requirements that the client needs in the computer program he is looking forward to design. Once done with the advantages and disadvantages of agile methodologies of technical software development we now move on to the pros and cons of traditional methods (Sanja, 2010).Since traditional method accommodates a wide array of different methods and procedures some are effective and advantageous whereas others do not share the same level of credibility and usage. Some of the traditional methods that are used such as the Waterfall method is highly accredited as some of the most organized and well-managed ways of software development due to the high level of convenience and simplicity it offer at the disposal of the client. Waterfall Method which is among the most prominent method of traditional development offers the effective departmentalization of resources and expertise as well as of managerial con trol.It also follows some of the key principles that are vital for the success of any project; these include analysis of an issue through all ways and magnitudes through proper consultation and recommendations from all major experts involved in the process, but despite of this a major drawback that is offered by the usage and adherence to the principles of traditional methods of software development are that the software program constructed by making use of traditional methods do not have the potential of turning back or reverting the process that has been established once, as a result of this if a client demands an alteration in the basic mechanism of the program that ahs initially been designed for him, the company employees and the technical staff involved in the making of the program will have to start from the scratch in order to incorporate the change demanded by the customer. This will also require greater investment of time, resources and efforts from the entire team in orde r to conform to clients needs.When such processes take place time for other projects that are pending have less time for their completion as a result of which a chain reaction of chaos, anomie and mismanagement initiates that disturbs the entire process of effective management (Keith, 2007). The affectivity of each software development method depends on the kind of the client and the requirement of the client that it is dealing with. In contemporary technological mainstream we see that the entire business of Information technology has been shifted overseas and are being handled primarily by countries that can provide ample and low cost labor force such as China and India.In such cases these countries work for many of the software companies located in United States and other major economies of the world and their companies like Microsoft, Dell and Hewlett Packard, therefore the choice of the software that they demand has to be satisfied under all conditions and the requirements and n ature of the software in turn determines the kind of the software that needs to be used for the making of the software. In some cases the company might show interest in developing software though agile while in other ways traditional methods have to be applied. Hence in a nutshell the affectivity of each methodology of software making depends on the requirements of the client and the nature of the software that needs to be developed by the concerned organization.Requirements and demands may also vary at a local level for example a local Indian software company known as Satyam mostly shows interest in developing software through agile methods as alterations in it can readily be achieved to cater to the needs and requirements of their target audience. In some circumstances it is also a possibility that the software model and the specializations and expertise of the company involved in providing technological services come into consideration when choosing the methodology being applied. Some companies despite of client reliance and coercion apply tactics in order to convince the client the best way through which his services can reach his specified target audience in order to make sure that the capital investment being made by the client provides him maximum benefit in the form of the services being provided by the software company itself (Hass, 2007).

Research Ethics

A research study is defined as an activity involving collection of data with an aim of solving a specific selected problem. The above is followed by recording of the data then subsequently its analysis so as to arrive at meanings. Finally the results are generalized so as to make the findings applicable to whole populations and therefore deductions as well as suggestions also known as recommendations. Finally the researcher makes conclusions which are an opinion which expresses the researchers stand concerning the research problem. A researcher should ensure that the suitable data collection instruments and methods are used. The suitable data analysis techniques should be employed so as to enable the researcher draw the relevant conclusions of a study. A research study involves costs, which are incurred in various ways including data collection, carrying out interviews as well as costs associated with data analysis. In any given research study there is usually an involvement of usually three or more groups of participants. The participants include the researcher, the respondent and the sponsor. For a marketing research, the sponsor is usually the supplier. Research studies require that some ethical norms be considered to ensure that the research being carried out is meets ethical standards as well as regulations guiding various professions. These ethical norms are usually observed with reference to the rights and obligations of each participant in a research. In any given study, the researcher is supposed to adhere to ethical norms something aimed at ensuring that, the research does not interfe with peoples fundamentals rights no harm the research subjects in any way. All particiapants in a research are required to adhere to the given regulations in their interactions amongst themselves as well as in their interactions to the public in whose midst the research is conducted. When handling the respondent a researcher should apply certain ethical norms in order to observe and guarantee the respect of respondent’s rights. Such respondent’s rights in an interview can include amongst others: (i) Informed consent – it’s the right of the respondent to be informed about a certain research to be carried out and that the respondent is supposed to be a participant. The researcher is obliged to respect the respondent and give details of the research study. With an informed consent, the relationship between the researcher and that of the respondent is enhanced something which results into a good working rapport hence contributing to the success of the research study. Incases of lack of consent before a research begins co-operation lacks in the data collection process and therefore chances that the data gathered may be unreliable become high. (ii) Confidentiality – Ethical norms dictate that the respondent should be treated with a sense of confidentiality in handling the respondents’ information. The respondents’ information should not be exposed to third parties or used for purposes other than those for which consent was sought for. The information obtained from the respondent should be given to the right person. Incase of a marketing research the supplier should get the information. The researcher should make sure that he/she remains truthful and ensure that he /she does not expose the respondents’ information (Dooley, 2002, P160-170). (iii) Anonymity – It is the right of the respondent to maintain his or her anonymity. Anonymity refers to the concealing of the respondent’s identity. It is the right of the respondent to decide about his identity hence the researcher should respect that decision. The researcher should not disclose the identity of the respondent when the instructions demand so. The researcher should posses the value of promise keeping so as to succeed (Emerson 1990, P89-103) The researcher should be able to be responsible when handling the respondents’ identity. He/she should not be able to misplace any documents containing the respondents details this would contravene the respondents right to immunity. The researcher should be honest to the extent of involvement of respondent in the research study. The researcher should inform the respondent whether there is any risk of harm involved. This will help the respondent in preparing himself or herself. This honesty should not be compromised. This point to the obligation of the researcher in taking into consideration the respondent’s safety. The researcher has the obligation towards the research staff. Ethical issues will enable him or her handle the research team as per the ethical norms (Gray 2003 p 67-83) The researcher should be honest towards the research staff in terms of their remuneration. The researcher should also consider the safety of the research team. He or she should ensure that no acts of negligence or carelessness should occur which might cause safety risk of the research team. The researcher should also ensure that he or she practices patience while handling the respondent, the research team and also the sponsor (incase of a market research study; the supplier) Patience will be required in negotiations and discussions since a research study mostly involves teamwork. Each participant in a research study usually has a set of obligations to be taken care of. The researcher usually has an obligation towards the supplier who is the sponsor of a research study. The researcher is supposed to achieve these obligations through the guidance of ethical norms. The obligations of the researcher to the sponsor executable through application of ethical norms include: (i) Obligation to submit a conclusive research study worthy of the cost paid. The sponsor usually takes more of the research cost; therefore the researcher has to submit research work, which is worthy the amount paid for. To succeed in these obligations the researcher should remain honest. The researcher should be ready to account for the research project to the satisfaction of the sponsor; In the case of a marketing research the supplier ***** (ii) The researcher has the obligation of submitting the researcher has the obligation of submitting the research work within the specified time frame. This obligation requires that the researcher posses the quality of commitment. The researcher should be truthful in giving the expected time for completion of the research work. (iii) The researcher has the obligation of submitting research work of the right quality. The supplier or sponsor will expect the researcher to carry out a research study, which serves the purpose. This will include use of the suitable data collection methods, proper analysis and reasonable conclusions drawn. The supplier (sponsor) will expect the researcher to provide him or her with the suitable data evaluation techniques so that he may be able to understand well the research work (flick 1983 p 10-26) We must be aware of the fact that the sponsor who is usually the supplier in a market research study has an obligation towards the researcher. The sponsor has to be honest towards the researcher in terms of the scope of the research work required. He should not exaggerate on details required in a research study, which might be out of scope. Failure to be honest the researcher will definitely submit irrelevant information upon research (Johnson 1985 p 17-36) The supplier (sponsor) should remain truthful about the research costs. The sponsor should clear the costs of research and also remunerate the researcher. The supplier should not create complications after the research work has been completed. This would contravene the researcher’s right of remuneration. CONCLUSION Research studies are aimed at alleviating certain problem or learning more about a specific problem. For any research study to be successful the participants should be able to co-operate well towards attainment of the research objective. This co-operation will be brought about by each participant playing his or her role under the guidance of the ethical issues required in a research study. The ethical issues shouldn’t be largely dependent on the specific participants’ rights and obligations.

Bitter Strawberries Essay

In life we must savor the sweet and endure the bitter challenges, when it comes to accommodating to a perilous situation. An ongoing war on terror is exacting a heavy emotional toll on families and other individuals that are in danger due to being surrounded by an atrocious environment that involves war. The life of apprehensive individuals has never been an easy one to live, with frequent upheavals of the individual’s and very little sense of control over their lives. Perpetually living around brutality, destruction, and violence links individual’s into obtaining bundles of emotions to a certain extent.From a psychoanalytic point-of-view, war affects society in a way that is painful; the war engenders a deep effect on other individual’s lives as well as their perceptions and obtained views from the devastating experience of the surrounded environment fulfilled with hatred, mischievousness, and depravity. As war increases in brutality to a certain extent, society ’s aspects are intensely affected;this issue can result in the destroying of land, culture, and other tangible aspects.A poem, â€Å"Bitter Strawberries†, written by Sylvia Plath, is a sardonic way of describing a war that have occurred in Russia. While this piece offers little insight into human nature, it portrays some solid images, even though disconnected and often jarring. â€Å"All morning in the strawberry field†: the speaker sets the scene by distinguishing herself and one or more companions from the women who are talking â€Å"about the Russians. †; one particular word that stood out the most within the first two lines was â€Å"the Russians. This specific clue can enhance an individual’s interpretation and observation of the hidden message within the poem. In history Russia was known for its dangerous, malicious war and obtaining the characteristic of being destructive of society, so this particular clue could be conveyed within the mess age as of being the poem’s topic of an atrocious war occurring that is gradually destroying the environment as well as many inhabitants sweet side of life, which turns into complete bitterness. Horseflies buzzed, paused and stung and the taste of strawberries turned thick and sour. † Why did the taste of strawberries â€Å"turned thick and sour? † Had they tasted thin and sweet before the horseflies stung or perhaps before the subject of the Soviet-American Cold War relations had been broached? The disconnect between the horseflies and the taste of berries is jarring and obstructs any real meaning of and purpose for this three-line versagraph. Certain literary devices were used to convey the meaning of the poem, by catching the reader’s interest.One of the devices that were used in this particular poem was â€Å"Symbolism. †The literary poem contains symbolism because the bitter strawberries displays the overall mood of the Russian society as a whol e. Strawberries are sweet but can lead to bitterness which portrays the atmosphere of the war. The world of Russia was tranquilent and quiet, but when the war occurred it led to bitterness and despair. Imagery was contained in the poem when it states that â€Å"the horseflies buzzed, paused, and stung. Stung is a feeling that was obtained from other’s in society as if they were actually stung by an insect ,but it was a feeling of pain obtained by the negative atmosphere of war; Sylvia uses horseflies sting as a way of comparing the inflicting pain of an insect to an actual emotion that were felt by others in the poem. â€Å"She stood up a thin commanding figure, in faded dungarees. Businesslike she asked us, ‘How many quarts? ’ She recorded the total in her notebook, and we all turned back to picking. † By this point the reader is wondering when the point of it all will be made and how the speaker will tie all the loose ends together.The last stanza: â₠¬Å"Kneeling over the rows, we reached among the leaves with quick practiced hands, cupping the berry protectively before snapping off the stem between thumb and forefinger. † The reader will experience a profound disappointment expecting the final stanza to save this piece. Instead of offering anything near a resolution, the speaker simply describes the act of picking strawberries. The emotion behind the country’s bitterness of fighting another country automatically affects society’s sweetness and joy being drained into a pool of woe, sorrow, and despair.Since a war is occurring between two opposing forces, the countries may not like each other due to a different religious beliefs, race,etc. From a Feminist point-of-view the bitter strawberries represents the sweet females that have been tortured and dominated by the men of their Russian society as a way of practicing their religious belief; the women may feel beaten down and helpless to a certain extent, which l eads them to feeling unwanted, worthless, and the abuse turns them into a bitter human being, because no man have appreciated their sweet characteristic.From a Psychoanalytic point-of-view, the individual within the poem signifies the bitter strawberries as a way of comparing his/her attempted mistakes, cruel life, and harsh treatments from others. Experiencing something that is imposed as being dangerous to society can carry the process of gained perceptions or views of the experience. Emotions are portrayed among this topic because in order to sense the world and observe every negative/positive aspect, some feeling has to occur to make these assumptions upon a life experience.To a certain extent war does affect a person’s views and perceptions obtained from a point-of-view to a life situation because if the effect is characterized as being bad, then the individual will build some form of hatred against every common piece of life that involves other countries;therefore the m orals and ethics behind the perceptions are transformed into a new state of mind.The little girl with blue eyes was fulfilled with a terror emotion because of the nefarious environment that she was surrounded by; this prime example represents the title above, the sweet girl that is filled with sweetness concludes at the end of the poem with a bitterness feeling because of fear. Until one have experienced this anguished situation, he/she does not know how it feels to automatically lose the sweetness of life to the cold, crucial life of bitterness.

Camel Rating Of Brac Bank

Camels rating system is a common phenomenon for all banking system all over the world. It is used in all over the country in the world. It is mainly used to measure a ranking position of a bank on the basis of few criteria. Camels rating system is an international bank-rating system where bank supervisory authorities rate institutions according to six factors. The six factors are represented by the acronym CAMELS. The six factors examined are as follows: C Capital adequacy A Asset quality M Management quality E Earnings L Liquidity S Sensitivity to Market Risk Bank supervisory authorities assign a score on a scale of one (best) to five (worst) for each factor to each bank. If a bank has an average score less than two it is considered to be a highquality institution, while banks with scores greater than three are considered to be less-thansatisfactory establishments. The system helps the supervisory authority identify banks that are in need of attention. Origin of Camels Rating System: There were many banks rating system available in the world. However, Camels rating system is the most successful bank rating system in the world. The ‘Uniform Financial Institutions Rating System (UFIRS)’ was created in 1979 by the bank regulatory agencies. Under the original UFIRS a bank was assigned ratings based on performance in five areas: the adequacy of Capital, the quality of Assets, the capability of Management, the quality and level of Earnings and the adequacy of Liquidity. Bank supervisors assigned a 1 through 5 rating for each of these components and a composite rating for the bank. This 1 through 5 composite rating was known primarily by the short form CAMEL. A bank received the CAMEL rate 1 or 2 for their sound or good performance in every respect of criteria. The bank which exhibited unsafe and unsound practices or conditions, critically deficient performance received the CAMEL rate 5 and that bank was of the greatest supervisory concern. While the CAMEL rating normally bore close relation to the five component ratings, it was not the result of averaging those five grades. Supervisors consider each institution’s specific 3 situation when weighing component ratings and review all relevant factors when assigning ratings to a certain extent. The process and component and composite system exist similar for all banking companies. In 1996, the UFIRS was revised and CAMEL became CAMELS with the addition of a component grade for the Sensitivity of the bank to market risk. Sensitivity is the degree to which changes in market prices such as interest rates adversely affect a financial institution. The communication policy for bank ratings was also changed at end of 1996. Starting in 1997, the supervisors were to report the component rating to the bank. Prior to that, supervisors only reported the numeric composite rating to the bank. Six Factors of Camels Ratings System: Capital Adequacy Capital adequacy focuses on the total position of bank capital. It assures the depositors that they are protected from the potential shocks of losses that a bank incurs. Financial managers maintain company’s adequate level of capitalization by following it. It is the key parameter of maintaining adequate levels of capitalization. Asset quality determines the robustness of financial institutions against loss of value in the assets. All commercial banks show the concentration of loans and advances in total assets. The high concentration of loans and advances indicates vulnerability of assets to credit risk, especially since the portion of non-performing assets is significant. Management quality of any financial institution is evaluated in terms of Capital Adequacy, Asset Quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity and Sensitivity to market risk. Moreover, it is also depended on compliance with set norm, planning ability; react to changing situation, technical competence, leadership and administrative quality. A Sound management is the most important pre-requisite for the strength and growth of any financial institution. Earning and profitability is the prime sources of increasing capital of any financial institution. Strong earnings and profitability profile of a bank reflect its ability to support present and future operations. Increased earning ensure adequate capital and adequate capital can absorb all loses and give shareholder adequate dividends. An adequate liquidity position refers to a situation, where an institution can obtain sufficient funds, either by increasing liabilities or by converting its assets quickly at a reasonable cost. 4 It access in terms of asset and liability management. Liquidity indicators measured as percentage of demand and time liabilities (excluding interbank items) of the banks. It means that the percentage of demand and time liabilities gets a bank as per its liquid assets. The sensitivity to market risk is evaluated from changes in market prices, notably interest rates; exchange rates, commodity prices, and equity prices adversely affect a bank’s earnings and capital. Process of Camels Reporting: The reporting process of CAMELS rating is given below: Figure : Reporting Process of CAMELS rating Process: 1. Data collection of reschedule status of overdue loans from CRM, Retail, SME and Ops. 2. Data collection of lending rates and deposit rates from Treasury. Data collection of average borrowed amount and rate of interest expenses from Treasury. 4. Data collection of maturity wise investments from Treasury. 5. Collect information of training programs arranged by the Bank’s training institute from Human Resources Division. 6. Collection of other required reports and statements from other divisions. 7. Preparation of CAMELS report as per guideline of BB Core Risk Management Guidelines. 8. Meeting arranged with MANCOM. 5 Camels Rating System of Bangladesh: All over the world, CAMELS rating is a common figure to all banking industry. Like all other countries, it is also used in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the five components of CAMEL have been used for evaluating the five crucial dimensions of a bank’s operations that reflect in a complete institution’s financial condition, compliance with banking regulations and statutes and overall operating soundness since the early nineties. In 2006, Bangladesh Bank has upgraded the CAMEL into CAMELS. ‘Sensitivity to market risk’ or ‘S’ is the new rating component which is included in CAMEL and make it into CAMELS. The new rating component makes the system more effective and efficient. The new system needs bank’s regular condition and performance according to predetermined stress testing on asset and liability and foreign exchange exposures, procedures, rules and criteria and on the basis of the results obtained through risk-based audits under core risk management guidelines. A bank’s single CAMELS rating has come from off-site monitoring, which uses monthly financial statement information, and an on-site examination, from which bank supervisors gather further â€Å"private information† not reflected in the financial reports. The development of credit points examination result is ranging from 0 to 100. The six key performance dimensions – capital adequacy, asset quality, management, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market risk – are to be evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5 in ascending order. Following is a description of the graduations of rating: Rating 1 indicates strong performance: BEST rating. Rating 2 reflects satisfactory performance. Rating 3 represents performance that is flawed to some degree. Rating 4 refers to marginal performance and is significantly below average and Rating 5 is considered unsatisfactory: WORST rating. Table : Composite CAMELS and their Interpretation Rating Composite range Description Rating Analysis interpretation 1 1 to 1. 4 Strong Sound in every respect, no supervisory responses required. 2 1. 5 to 2. 4 Satisfactory Fundamentally sound with modest correctable weakness, supervisory response limited. Combination of weaknesses if not redirected will become severe. 3 2. 5 to 3. 4 Fair Watch category. Requires more than normal supervision. Immoderate weakness unless properly addressed could impair future 4 3. 5 to 4. 4 Marginal viability of the bank. Needs close supervision. High risk of failure in the near term. Under constant supervision/cease 5 4. 5 to 5 Unsatisfactory and desist order. Capital adequacy: Capital adequacy focuses on the total position of bank capital. It focuses on the risk weighted assets which proposed to protect from the potential shocks of losses that a bank might incur. It is assessed according to: the volume of risk assets, the volume of marginal and inferior assets, bank growth experience, plans, and prospects; and the strength of management in relation to all the above factors. The major financial risk like credit risk, interest rate risk and risk involved in off-balance sheet operations are absorbed by it. The CAMELS components are also required for Basel Committee of Bangladesh Bank. As regards the capital adequacy, they grouped the factors like a) size of the bank, b) volume of inferior quality assets, c) bank’s growth experience, plans and prospects, d) quality of capital, e) retained earnings, f) access to capital markets, and g) non-ledger assets and sound values not shown on books (real property at nominal values, charge-offs with firm recovery values, tax adjustments). Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets ratio (CRWA) is the most widely used indicator for capital adequacy ratio. According to Bangladesh Bank, a bank has to maintain a minimum capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of not less than 10 percent of their risk weighted assets (RWA, with at least 5 percent in core capital) or Taka 2 billion, whichever is higher. Basel II Basel II is a capital adequacy management framework for banks. Basel II is the second of the Basel Accords, which are recommendations on banking laws and regulations issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision; adopted by Bangladesh Bank. The main objectives of Basel II are as follows: Promote safety and soundness in the financial systems Constitute a more comprehensive and more sensitive approach to addressing risks Better alignment of regulatory capital to underlying risk Encourages banks to improve risk management These guidelines are structured on following three aspects: a) Minimum capital requirements to be maintained by a bank against credit, market, and operational risks. b) Process for assessing the overall capital adequacy aligned with risk profile of a bank as well as capital growth plan. c) Framework of public disclosure on the position of a banks risk profiles, capital adequacy, and risk management system.