Saturday, August 31, 2019

Night of the Living Dead Essay

American  independent  black-and-white  horror film  and  cult film  directed by  George A. Romero   Night of the Living Dead  was heavily criticized during its release because of its explicit content, but received critical acclaim and was selected by the  Library of Congress  for preservation in the  National Film Registry  as a film deemed â€Å"culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. reviewers cited the film as groundbreaking. Pauline Kael  called the film â€Å"one of the most gruesomely terrifying movies ever made — and when you leave the theatre you may wish you could forget the whole horrible experience. .  . . The film’s grainy, banal seriousness works for it — gives it a crude realism†. [62]  A  Film Daily  critic commented, â€Å"This is a pearl of a horror picture which exhibits all the earmarks of a  sleeper. Since the release, critics and film historians have seen  Night of the Living Dead  as a subversive film that critiques 1960s American society, international  Cold War  politics and domestic  racism. Elliot Stein of  The Village Voice  saw the film as an ardent critique of American involvement in  Vietnam, arguing that it â€Å"was not set in  Transylvania, but Pennsylvania — this was  Middle America  at war, and the zombie carnage seemed a grotesque echo of the conflict then raging inVietnam Pauline Kael,  5001 Nights at the Movies  (Henry Holt and Company, 1991 Elliot Stein, â€Å"The Dead Zones: ‘George A. Romero’ at the American Museum of the Moving Image†,  The Village Voice(New York), January 8–14, 2003 http://www. filmsite. org/posters/psyc2. jpghttp://www. filmsite. rg/reddot. gif  Alfred Hitchcock’s powerful, complex psychological thriller,  Psycho  (1960) is the â€Å"mother† of all modern horror suspense films – it single-handedly ushered in an era of inferior screen ‘slashers’ with blood-letting and graphic, shocking killings The master of suspense skillfully manipulates and g uides the audience into identifying with the main character, luckless victim Marion (a Phoenix real-estate secretary), and then with that character’s murderer – a crazy and timid taxidermist named Norman (a brilliant typecasting performance by Anthony Perkins). Hitchcock’s techniques voyeuristically implicate the audience with the universal, dark evil forces and secrets present in the film. Psycho  also broke all film conventions by displaying its leading female protagonist having a lunchtime affair in her sexy white undergarments in the first scene; also by photographing a toilet bowl – and flush – in a bathroom (a first in an American film), and killing off its major ‘star’ Janet Leigh a third of the way into the film . Film reviews, for instance, will sometimes take up political or sociological concerns in the course of issuing formal-aesthetic judgments. Night of the Living Deaddramatizes the bewildering and uncanny transformation of human beings into non-human forms. Indeed, like all metamorphosis narratives, the film carries uncomfortable messages about identity — about what it means to be a human being and about the terror of alienation. The film’s power to unsettle its audience also derives from its focus on the taboo subject of cannibalism (which it depicts far more graphically than previous zombie films). In the eighteenth century, the English ironist Jonathan Swift (1996) wroteA Modest Proposal,a darkly satirical attack on the privations suffered by the Irish people at the hands of the English in which the author ironically proposed that infants be killed and eaten in order to solve the problem of poverty in Ireland. Night of the Living Deadalso uses cannibalism as a metaphor for exploitative power relations. Thus, while it deals with a quite different set of social problems, Romero’s film can also be seen a sinister satire that exploits an outrageous premise in the interests of social and political critique. In his book  Understanding Popular Culture,  John Fiske writes: It is not violence per se that characterises popular culture, but only that violence whose structure makes it into a metaphor for the distribution of power in society. Fiske, 1989: 137) According to Fiske, then, violence is a metaphor for inequitable (and presumably unjust) power relations in society. It is important, however, to understand this point in historical context. Violence became more commonly depicted in films and on television in the late 1960s, during a socially turbulent period when social hierarchies were being challenged   Night of the Living Dead  draws on Alfred Hitchcock’s  Psycho  (1 960), especially in its film craft: the use of shadow and camera angles. Night of the Living Dead  (and, indeed, its worthy equels) reminds us of something that the recent outbreak of zombie films may have caused us to forget: the oppositional potential of popular culture. In this sense, the film is an undead classic that can still tell us something about who we are — and warn us about what we might turn into. Waller, Gregory A. (1986),  The Living and the Undead  (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press) Swift, Jonathan (1996),  A Modest Proposal and other Satirical Works  (New York: Dover) like most genre movies, reflect the values and ideology of the culture that produced them. Don Siegel’s  Invasion of the Body Snatchers  (1956), for example, about an invasion of alien seed-pods that replace people with emotional replicas, is typically discussed in relation to American contemporary culture in the 1950s. Unlike earlier horror films,  Invasion of the Body Snatchers  imagines infection on an apocalyptic rather than personal scale, as in the vampire myth, a clear reflection of Cold War fears of nuclear destruction. But even as Americans felt threatened by possible nuclear war and Communist infiltration, the film also expresses a fear of creeping conformism at home. Invasion  makes the commonplace seem creepy, and in the climax a mob of plain-looking townsfolk pursue Miles and Becky out of town in a horrific evocation of the kind of witch-hunting mentality witnessed in the United States just a few years before the film’s releaseRead more:  Critical debates – Horror Films – actor, children, cinema  http://www. filmreference. com/encyclopedia/Criticism-Ideology/Horror-Films-CRITICAL-DEBATES. html#ixzz1qab4D5B2

Friday, August 30, 2019

Of mice and men-Discuss the importance of the American dream Essay

Dictionary: the American dream An American ideal of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire: â€Å"In the deepening gloom of the Depression, the American Dream represented a reaffirmation of traditional American hopes†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Dictionary: dream a cherished desire The American Dream is a dream of success, fame and wealth achieved in the United States of America. It’s thought to be achievable by â€Å"hard work, courage, and determination†, or by â€Å"getting rich quick†. The concept often involves moving upward in the social classes, and may involve icons such as car, house, partner and pet. This definition of the American dream is universal, but it can have a different meaning for different classes of people. People have dreams The novel of mice and men, written by John Steinbeck, is set in 1930’s California during the Great Depression. The two main characters called George and Lennie are migrant workers travelling from ranch to ranch just to get by and make a little money so that one day they can live their own American dream. Throughout the book, Lennie always asks George to tell him and re-tell him their dream of someday owning their own land. ‘Someday we’re gonna get our jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs.’ The use of the word someday shows a sense of longing and uncertainty; he doesn’t know if it will happen soon or even at all. Because of the time the book is set or George and Lennie’s lifestyle, their dream is not the exact definition of the ‘American dream’. It is more to do with freedom and the amount of land owned which equals a higher status in society the more land you owned. George and Lennie’s dream is motivated by the fact that they have no stability in where they live or work. Being migrant workers, they have a very unsettled lifestyle because they don’t know how long they will be needed to work there. After they aren’t needed or if they get fired, it could take a long time to find another job. Their dream of owning a rural house on their own in the Salinas valley is a comforting thought of stability and not having to worry about nowhere to live. The Salinas valley is not a typical rural setting of America, but as George and Lennie have not traveled far, it is their idea of perfect. There are no comfortable houses, but vast orchards, vineyards, and ranched thoroughly tended. In the book, the Californian countryside is described in vast detail at the beginning and end of every chapter. Steinbeck uses description of the surroundings as he, like Lennie developed a close bond with nature. In my opinion, this is Steinnbeck’s dream Other characters living on the ranch also have similar dreams. The migrant worker candy for example is afraid of being alone and dreams of living out the rest of his life with company. When he hears about George and Lennie’s dream asks them if he can join them so he wont be lonely. ‘S’pose I went in with you guys. How’d that be? When they can me I wont have no place else to go an’ I can’t get no more jobs.’ He is desperate so he pleads with them even though he hasn’t known them very long. Another person on the ranch with a dream is Curley’s wife. Her dream is of fame and fortune †Nother time I met a guy-he was in the pitchers. He said he’d put me in the movies. Said I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it. I never got that letter. I always thought my ol’ lady stole it.’ She has this dream as an escape from her husband who is very sexist and discriminatory against women. At the time the book is set, women were treated poorly and only thought of as housewives for bringing up children and were used commonly for sex purposes. Curley treats ‘Curley’s wife’ poorly so she dreams about being rich and famous being a movie star. Ironically, this is the dream of many American people nowadays; to be rich and famous as they aspire to be the everyday celebrities we see today. Another dream of hers is also not to be lonely. She explains to Lennie ‘ I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.’ This shows that she is lonely because she confides in him about her problem and she doesn’t know him at all. Crooks is the Negro stable buck. He has a separate room away from the white people living and working on the ranch. This also shows the amount of racism at the time the story is set. It seems his dream is to not be treated differently because of his skin colour. He says ‘ I ain’t wanted ’cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink.’ It is obvious that he doesn’t agree with these comments by the way he speaks. He ‘speaks sharply’ showing he is angry about these comments. He talks about everyone else except for him playing cards implying that he would like to play cards too, along with everyone else. In conclusion, I think that the American dream is important to different characters in different ways and different interpretations.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Environmental Protection In India Environmental Sciences Essay

Over the old ages, together with a spreading of environmental consciousness, there has been a alteration in the traditionally-held perceptual experience that there is a tradeoff between environmental quality and economic growing as people have come to believe that the two are needfully complementary. The current focal point on environment is non new-environmental considerations have been an built-in portion of the Indian civilization. The demand for preservation and sustainable usage of natural resources has been expressed in Indian Bibles, more than three thousand old ages old and is reflected in the constitutional, legislative and policy model as besides in the international committednesss of the state. Section 1: Legislations for environmental protection in India, Section 2: Autochthonal Peopless, Section 3: Autochthonal Peopless and Scientific Legislations Legislations for environmental protection in India Even before India ‘s independency in 1947, several environmental statute law existed but the existent drift for conveying about a well-developed model came merely after the UN Conference on the Human Environment ( Stockholm, 1972 ) . Under the influence of this declaration, the National Council for Environmental Policy and Planning within the Department of Science and Technology was set up in 1972. This Council subsequently evolved into a fully fledged Ministry of Environment and Forests ( MoEF ) in 1985 which today is the apex administrative organic structure in the state for modulating and guaranting environmental protection. After the Stockholm Conference, in 1976, constitutional countenance was given to environmental concerns through the 42ndA Amendment, which incorporated them into the Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Rights and Duties. Since the 1970s an extended web of environmental statute law has grown in the state. The MoEF and the pollution control boards ( CPCB i.e. Cardinal Pollution Control Board and SPCBs i.e. State Pollution Control Boards ) together form the regulative and administrative nucleus of the sector. A policy model has besides been developed to complement the legislative commissariats. The Policy Statement for Abatement of Pollution and the National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development were brought out by the MoEF in 1992, to develop and advance enterprises for the protection and betterment of the environment. The EAP ( Environmental Action Programme ) was formulated in 1993 with the aim of bettering environmental services and incorporating environmental considerations in to development programmes. Other steps have besides been taken by the authorities to protect and continue the environment. Several sector-specific policies have evolved, which are discussed at length in the concerned chapters. This chapter attempts to foreground merely legislative enterprises towards the protection of the environment. Forests and wildlife The Wildlife ( Protection ) Act, 1972, Amendment 1991 The WPA ( Wildlife Protection Act ) , 1972, provides for protection to listed species of vegetations and zoologies and establishes a web of ecologically-important protected countries. The WPA empowers the cardinal and province authoritiess to declare any country a wildlife sanctuary, national park or closed country. There is a cover prohibition on transporting out any industrial activity inside these protected countries. It provides for governments to administrate and implement the Act ; modulate the hunting of wild animate beings ; protect specified workss, sanctuaries, national Parkss and closed countries ; curtail trade or commercialism in wild animate beings or carnal articles ; and assorted affairs. The Act prohibits hunting of animate beings except with permission of authorised officer when an animate being has become unsafe to human life or belongings or so handicapped or diseased as to be beyond recovery ( WWF-India, 1999 ) . The near-total prohibition on hunting was made mor e effectual by the Amendment Act of 1991.AThe Forest ( Conservation ) Act, 1980 This Act was adopted to protect and conserve woods. The Act restricts the powers of the province in regard of de-reservation of woods and usage of forestland for non-forest intents ( the term ‘non-forest intent ‘ includes uncluttering any forestland for cultivation of hard currency harvests, plantation harvests, gardening or any intent other than reforestation ) . A Environment ( Protection ) Act, 1986 ( EPA ) This Act is an umbrella statute law designed to supply a model for the co-ordination of cardinal and province governments established under the Water ( Prevention and Control ) Act, 1974 and Air ( Prevention and Control ) Act, 1981. Under this Act, the cardinal authorities is empowered to take steps necessary to protect and better the quality of the environment by puting criterions for emanations and discharges ; modulating the location of industries ; direction of risky wastes, and protection of public wellness and public assistance. From clip to clip the cardinal authorities issues presentments under the EPA for the protection of ecologically-sensitive countries or issues guidelines for affairs under the EPA. The Environment ( Protection ) Rules, 1986 These regulations lay down the processs for puting criterions of emanation or discharge of environmental pollutants. The Rules prescribe the parametric quantities for the Cardinal Government, under which it can publish orders of prohibition and limitations on the location and operation of industries in different countries. The Rules lay down the process for taking samples, functioning notice, subjecting samples for analysis and research lab studies. The maps of the research labs are besides described under the Rules along with the makings of the concerned analysts.AThe National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997 This Act provided for the constitution of a National Environment Appellate Authority to hear entreaties with regard to limitation of countries in which any industry operation or procedure or category of industries, operations or procedures could non transport out or would be allowed to transport out capable to certain precautions under the Environment ( Protection ) Act, 1986.AInternational understandings on environmental issuesIndia has signed several many-sided environment understandings ( MEA ) and conventions, such as: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild zoologies and vegetations ( CITES ) , 1973, to modulate and suppress international commercial trade of endangered species or derivative merchandises. Its purposes to counter the economic inducements of poaching endangered species and destructing their home ground by shuting off the international market. India became a party to the CITES in 1976. International trade in all wild vegetations and zoologies in general and species covered under CITES is regulated jointly through the commissariats of The Wildlife ( Protection ) Act 1972, the Import/Export policy of Government of India and the Customs Act 1962 ( Bajaj, 1996 ) . Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 is a lawfully adhering pact. It deals with preservation of biodiversity, sustainable usage of biological resources and just sharing of benefits originating from their sustainable usage. It addresses several concerns such as including habitat saving, rational belongings rights, and autochthonal peoples ‘ rights. India ‘s enterprises under the Convention include the announcement of the Wildlife ( Protection ) Act of 1972, amended in 1991 ; and engagement in several international conventions such as CITES.An appraisal of the legal and regulative model for environmental protection in IndiaThe extent of the environmental statute law web is apparent from the above treatment but the enforcement of the Torahs has been a affair of concern. One normally cited ground is the prevalent bid and control nature of the environmental government. Coupled with this is the prevalence of the all-or-none attack of the jurisprudence ; they do non see the extent of misdemeanor. Fines are levied on a level footing and in add-on, there are no inducements to take down the discharges below prescribed degrees. In 1995, the Ministry of Environment and Forest ( MoEF ) constituted a undertaking force which strongly advocated the usage of market-based instruments for the control of environmental pollution. Assorted economic inducements have been used to supplement the command-and-control policies. Depreciation allowances, freedoms from excise or imposts duty payment, and agreement of soft loans for the acceptance of clean engineerings are cases of such inducements. Another facet that is apparent is the displacement in the focal point from end-of-pipe intervention of pollution to intervention at beginning. The function of distant detection and geographical information systems in natural resource direction and environmental protection has besides gained importance over clip. An of import recent development is the rise of judicial activism in the enforcement of environmental statute law. This is reflected in the growing of environment-related public judicial proceeding instances that have led the tribunals to take major stairss such as telling the shut-down of fouling mills. Agenda 21 high spots the demand for integrating of environmental concerns at all phases of policy, be aftering and decision-making procedures including the usage of an effectual legal and regulative model, economic instruments and other inducements. These really rules were cardinal to steering environmental protection in the state good before Rio and will be reinforced, pulling on India ‘s ain experiences and those of other states.The Indigenous PeoplessIn India, the autochthonal peoples are preponderantly composed of the big and diverse tribal populations scattered across several provinces. Anthropological literature suggests that the tribal appellation arose as a colonial concept, in which all those populating on the borders of mainstream agricultural society but within the construction of the Hindu caste system were delineated as â€Å" crude † and â€Å" tribal † . In Indian linguistic communications, there is no exact equivalent for the word â€Å" tribal â €  , but near equivalent words are vanavasis ( forest inhabitants ) or adivasi ( original dwellers ) . The 1891 Census Report arranged different castes harmonizing to their traditional businesss, and forest folks were assigned a separate class from that of agricultural and pastoral castes. Therefore, both etymologically every bit good as spatially, the lives and supports of tribal communities in India are per se linked with woods. It has been argued that the definition of autochthonal peoples as â€Å" original colonists † is debatable in the Indian context. Sociologists like Dube ( 1977 ) and Beteille ( 1998 ) have pointed out that â€Å" tribal traditions themselves make reA ­peated reference of migration of their ascendants. There is considerable grounds to propose that several groups were pushed out of the countries that they were foremost settled and had to seek shelter elsewhere. † Today more than 50 million of tribal people live in and around woods. There is a clear convergence between the wood and the tribal maps of the state, every bit good as an convergence with poorness ( Poffenberger and McGean 1996 ) At present, approximately 95 % of the entire forest country belongs to the governA ­ment, and the tribal population of India has been divested of much of its legal communal rights. This is a major practical concern, because the rural economic system of India is mostly biomass-based. Peoples are straight depenA ­dent on woods and common lands for a assortment of non-commercial-timber wood merchandises for nutrient and fuel, little lumber for lodging, and herbs and medicative workss for run intoing their subsistence support demands. In the absence of alternate beginnings of supports or an ability to eke out nutriment from fringy landholdings, there is a continued high degree of dependance on woods for endurance. The widely used province right of â€Å" high sphere † allows the province to get private and common belongings for public intents. The eminent sphere right has remained supreme, overruling all other policies, Torahs, and ordinances. It is under the right of eminent sphere that the province acquires land to construct substructure, mines, dikes, and other undertakings. With an estimated $ 30 billion proposed as investing in mining-related undertakings in the following decennary, communal land will go on to be a site of intense struggle between tribal people and the province. The invasion of the province on woods and customary term of office rights of tribal forest-dwelling communities did non travel undisputed during the colonial and postcolonial periods. Undeterred by the commissariats of the Indian Forest Act of 1927, many tribal groups have mounted a sustained challenge to the continued denial of their communal rights over woods. The illustration of the new wave panchayets ( forest councils ) demonstrates this point. In response to agitaA ­tions, the colonial authorities bit by bit recognized the being of some local community rights over woods and their resources, and these were incorporated in the Indian Forest Act of 1927. The act provides for constiA ­tuting â€Å" small town woods † to run into local demands, and this led to the creative activity of forest councils in Uttar Pradesh through a new province jurisprudence passed in 1931. All the â€Å" de-reserved † fringy reserved woods were reclassified into Class 1 woods and placed under the legal power of the new wave panchayets, in which local tribal communities play a cardinal function in forest disposal. More than 4,000 van panchayets were created, although the country under their control did non transcend 8 % of the entire forest country of India. Nonetheless, they represent an illustration of a forest term of office system in which communal tenA ­ure is recognized by jurisprudence ( Sarin 2003 ) . ‘Indigenous people and their communities represent a important per centum of planetary population. They have developed over many coevalss, a holistic traditional scientific cognition of their lands, natural resources and environment aˆÂ ¦In position of the interA ­relationship between the natural environment and its sustainable development and the cultural, societal, economic and physical wellbeing of autochthonal people, national and international attempts to implement environmentally sound and sustainable development should recognize, suit, advance and beef up the function of autochthonal people and their communities ‘ . The above infusion from Agenda 21 ( UNCED, 1992 ) , competently captures the demand for increased acknowledgment of autochthonal people and their cognition of natural resource direction and its usage in sustainable development.Integration of autochthonal people and scientific wood directionAutochthonal forest direction activities may arise in specific countries in response to specific force per unit areas, but this does non forestall them from following and transforming appropriate constituents of scientific forest direction systems through interaction and shared experience. Indeed there is a demand to advance equity of forest direction systems between autochthonal communities and formal forestry scientists around the universe ( Agarwal, 1995 ) . This procedure of incorporating two forest direction systems is indispensable to accomplishing sustainable forest direction. There is no fixed method of turn toing the constrictions in integrating of autochthonal and scientific cognition, al ternatively the methods chosen will change harmonizing to what is appropriate and executable within the institutional, ecological, and societal environments in which they operate. The Indian Forest Policy of 1988 ( MoEF, 1988 ) and the subsequent Government declaration on participatory wood direction ( MoEF, 1990 ) emphasise the demand for people ‘s engagement in forest direction. The policy papers asserts that local people should be actively involved in protection, preservation and direction of woods. Hence the policy envisages a procedure of joint direction of woods by the province authorities ( professional Foresters ) and the local people. So far, out of 25 province authoritiess, 23 provinces have adopted Joint Forest Management ( JFM ) . As on the 1st January 2000, 10.24 million hour angle of forestlands were managed under the JFM programme through 36 075 wood protection commissions ( MoEF, 2000 ) . Evidence of long standing local forest direction patterns can be found in assorted parts of India peculiarly in eastern and north-eastern parts. Despite increasing force per unit areas with the increased population, ordinances sing resource usage and harvest aid in pull offing woods in a sustainable manner. As the JFM programme has evolved, there are clear indicants that the programme has had considerable impact on local ecology, economic sciences, and the people ( Yadav et al. , 1997 ) . Initially the relationship between the local people and forest section was strained and lacked trust. Regular interaction and participatory acquisition and planning activities has facilitated an unfastened duologue and removed common misgiving between functionaries of forest section and local people. Viewed in the visible radiation of the adaptative acquisition theoretical account, it was found that exchange and interaction of scientific and autochthonal facets of forest direction within the context of JFM have resulted in ecological betterment and increase in mean household income after four-five old ages of strong JFM activities. ETFRN Publication Series Local people every bit good as Foresters identify with the JFM programme. They take pride in being portion of the programme and are recognizing its benefits. Based on the successful experience of JFM, irrigation, wellness, and agribusiness sectors are besides now puting an accent on integrating of autochthonal and scientific cognition through people ‘s engagement in resource direction. However existent integrating of scientific and autochthonal direction systems is still seldom achieved, and in showing the theoretical account I aim to do more expressed the chances for making so, and highlight ways frontward for the uninterrupted procedure of adaptative acquisition.DecisionThere is a demand to beef up autochthonal community establishments to let them to work efficaciously and interact with outside histrions. Appropriate policy reforms are required to include these establishments in authorities plans and strategies, and supply support for capacity edifice to enable them to work in a democratic and crystalline mode, guaranting societal and gender equity. It is necessary to place common parametric quantities among different autochthonal community establishments and develop steering rules, procedures, and mechanisms that allow better interface between the establishments, local authorities, and proficient bureaus. To promote sustainably productive wood direction by communities, there is a demand to extinguish harvest home and conveyance license demands where possible and create free forest trade zones for community endeavors in highland countries of the Northeast. Community webs should be established or strengthened to self-monitor environmental impacts of small-scale forestry endeavors. As a consequence of transporting colonial luggage, the Indian Forest Act and the environmental jurisprudence in general still caters to the British policies with regard to Indian woods. This jurisprudence is ideal tool for fostering the cause of gross generation.Conservation and affecting the people in the direction of woods were non the British attack. Newer statute laws such as the Forest ( Conservation ) Act, Wildlife Protoection Act, The Biological Diversity Act, and most late the Scheduled Tribes Bill have made efforts to bridge this spread, with ample support from the Courts. It is clip though to take up all the Torahs and unite them to come up with a composite and comprehensive Environmental Law that reflects the alteration in attack towards the environment and the autochthonal people who live most incorporate with it.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Outline the customer decision-making process and the influences on Essay

Outline the customer decision-making process and the influences on customer behavior - Essay Example For example: the customer realizes that he/she is on a very unhealthy diet and the cafes they eat in offer very unhealthy food. The marketers need to realize that consumers need a cafà © where they can obtain affordable food and the food should be healthy. Once the need has been identified by the consumer, next the consumer starts looking for alternatives to satisfy that particular need (Longenecker, 2012, p.57). After identifying alternatives, the customer is involved in the practice of evaluating these alternatives in order to select the best option that satisfies his/her needs (Hoyer, 2001, p.193). While looking for options the customer first looks for options he already knows about and is available in the market. The customer is mostly aware of only those brands and options that have advertised their goods and services in an aggressive manner. For example: While locating a cafà © where an individual can eat healthy food at reasonable prices, the customer may look at various options available to him/her. Once the customer has evaluated all its options, they will make the purchase decision (Longenecker, 2012, p.425). The purchase decision is dependant on various factors including how well the brand have been advertised, customer will always go for those brands that have been advertised well enough (Berkowitz, 1996, p.125). The purchase decision is even dependant on the accessibility of the option. For example: if the customer wishes to eat healthy at a cafà ©, then he/she would select a cafà © that offers healthy food. The third element on which this decision is dependant on is whether the customer has made a planned decision or has made a decision spontaneously. For example: while locating cafes that offer healthy food, customer will look at the sales representatives of the cafà © and the over all environment of the cafà ©. These decisions can be taken into account by

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 6

Strategic Management - Essay Example The essay "Strategic Management" describes the strategy actions for satisfying the customers, responding to the constantly changing industry and varying market conditions, or managing each functional piece of business or making the business grow in terms of company size and sales revenues. The strategy of the business has to answer the following questions: where we are now, where we will be in the future, and how will get there. The five strategic management tasks are: develop strategic vision and mission; setting objectives; crafting the strategy; implementing and executing the strategy; evaluating and correcting. It is general knowledge that developing the vision and mission of the business is the first step in strategic management tasks. After coming up with the vision and mission, the next step is to set up the company objectives to be accomplished. The objectives could be to have a bigger market share in its specialty product line or service. Another major objective that the company can come up with is to generate bigger sales and lesser costs and expenses for the near and far away future. Another objective is to open up one hundred branches every year around the world. Another objective is to satisfy customer needs and get new customers. Again, another obvious objective is the enter the territorial waters of the competition and â€Å"beat† them in their own game of marketing by offering better products and prompt services. The third task of strategic management is crafting the strategy. This is the how of management.

Assignmentweek5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignmentweek5 - Assignment Example The employee training that is derived from the client’s needs is useful in addressing customers concerns. Being the boss, I believe that the buck stops with me. During the training, I will tell employees that the importance of feedback mechanism is to get an opportunity to learn from our challenges and weakness with the view of offering better services to the customers. It also informs us on how we can remain competitive and easily beat our competitors (Stacey, 1996). Focus groups involves gathering of between 6-8 persons from the target market guided with a moderator and have them share their ideas, feelings and attitudes about a subject. Some of the advantages includes; cost effective when gathering primary data, easily to build on others ideas and makes it easier in getting the idea of the target market. The disadvantage is that it can only gather opinions on ideas and concepts and not how people can best use the designs. They can be used when attempting to develop something new but not sure on how people might react and also when one has no or little knowledge about the target market. They could however go wrong when an idea of a vocal person overrides other participant’s ideas besides, it can go wrong when quantitative data is required (Stacey,

Monday, August 26, 2019

Risk Assessment and Return Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Risk Assessment and Return Memo - Essay Example To create a portfolio, I have selected four stocks of different companies belonging from different companies after analyzing different companies. The investment strategy previously adapted by Casta Bonita Ceramics has been to achieve the highest possible returns. But this strategy of achieving the maximizing returns has a drawback as the management does not consider risk as an important element while investing in different investment opportunities or assets. Therefore the strategy has been changed and Casta Bonita Ceramics would not only analyze the returns of the stock but the risk of the investment as well. I have also followed a similar strategy by identifying the risks as well as the return of the stocks and I have tried to make sure that the portfolio achieves the maximum returns with minimum risk. I have examined different companies and one of the companies that I have considered is the Infoway Computers for investment purpose. By analyzing the company, the return and the fluct uations of the returns are identified and it has been found that the company offers high returns to its shareholders however the risk of the company is also high. Infoway Computers belong to the Information Technology and Telecommunications Industry, however I would still suggest keeping the stocks of Infoway Computers in the portfolio as the company is a large organization and it has been operating for years. Moreover, the company has a wonderful history and has a reputable name in the industry therefore I would recommend to invest in Infoway Computers over other firms in the industry like Transconduit Inc, and One Voice Telecom. Furthermore, I have calculated the beta of the company and after examining the beta of the company and other companies in the industry, my decision has been furthermore justified. Results found from beta also proved and supported by decision to invest in Infoway Computers. Besides this, I also analyzed Grand Capital Insurance, Western Connect Airlines, Des ktop Inc, Leviathan Defense Systems and Goldstein and Delaney Bank for investment opportunities. Western Connect Airlines was offering the lowest return on its stock and the stock had a lower risk when compared with others, therefore I recommended that investing in Western Connect Airlines would be a good idea. Moreover, Leviathan Defense Systems is another company to be invested after analyzing the risk and returns. In my analysis, two companies from the financial and insurance sector were also analyzed; Goldstein and Delaney Bank and Grand Capital Insurance. The reason to include companies from this sector was to make sure that the portfolio is well diversified. However I found out that Goldstein and Delaney Bank should be included in the portfolio as investing in Goldstein and Delaney Bank would reduce the overall risk of the portfolio although the company offers low returns but the risk of the company is also low and therefore it would reduce the overall risk of the portfolio. O ne of the main reasons why I do not want to invest in both the companies of the financial and insurance industry is that I want to diversify by investing in different industry. Moreover, this would allow me to reduce the systematic risk of the industry, although the risk cannot be eliminated completely but it can be reduced and diversifying the industry would be one of the ways to do it. The shares of Desktop Inc offer the highest return to the shareholders at a higher level of risk and this is the reason why I would not recommend

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Critical Issues in Community Care and care management,In the Assignment

Critical Issues in Community Care and care management,In the perspective of Learning disability - Assignment Example Learning disability is defined as a condition or a label by different societies, showing the discrepancy and conflict in the term itself. In essentiality, it indicates a condition where the affected person has reduced capacity to learn new skills and inability to perform independently and live a life in such a way. Again, the term learning disability lends itself to much debate. Learning disability remains a very different set of conditions in social and medical literatures. The primary difference can be said to exist in the level or severity of learning disability present. Individual assessment needs to take place and each case may vary from another. Other factors that come into play include bodily factors, social, emotional and cultural factors respectively. There are two reasons why learning disabilities occur. These are either the result of syndrome acquired at birth, or due to some form of trauma to the brain during early developmental years. Social inclusion is a primary aspect in diagnosing the condition. The British Institute of Learning Disabilities claims that the term learning disability is a label, and should be avoided. The new emphasis is on creating equality for such persons and giving them an equal social standing in the society. This new emphasis is to reduce the discrimination still held by the UK public against people with learning disabilities. Current statistics state that there is 2% of the population in UK that have some form of learning disability. The statistics are expected to rise with time. More accurate assessments are needed regarding the correct number of persons with learning disabilities. Higher proportion has been found among the South Asian minority groups. Persons with learning disabilities demonstrate difficulty in understanding and comprehending complex information. There is direct relation between the severity of disability and reliance on social support. various social systems are available for this purpose, however, its liking and acceptance is based on many personal factors for the persons with learning disabilities. Most people still personally prefer to have independent accommodation. This is primarily based on the neglect and abuse that is meted out to them in such social accommodations. The health care challenges of such persons are both numerous and large. To highlight these challenges, various papers have been published, most noticeable of these including Valuing People and Treat Me Right respectively. These papers emphasize the role of nurses and how they should be trained to manage persons with disabilities. Inequalities in the delivery of care remain for persons with learning disabilities. This is an issue that must be placed in the policy plans. Laws and regulations have now emerged that provide protection to persons with learning disabilities. Alongside, proper plans and methods should be applied that allow for care of persons who take care of persons with learning disabilities. Social inclusion is another aspect that needs to attention. Persons with learning disabilities need to be given positive environment to ensure they become productive members of the society. the concept of dignity takes more meaning and deeper roots in case of persons with learning disabilities. While many papers and policies exist, there is very little that is practically carried out to respect the dignity of such

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Business Relocating to Third World Countries Pay Cheap Essay

Business Relocating to Third World Countries Pay Cheap - Essay Example (Vestring Till et al, 2005) Source: Bain & Company, 2005. Reasons There are several reasons attributing to this shift of both the service sector and the manufacturing factories to third world countries. Apart from cheap labour that is available, people in these countries have become a highly educated workforce in terms of manufacturing, R&D and engineering. Countries like India and China have succeeded in providing cheap labour while at the same time maintaining quality. Data shows that 77 global companies have set shop in India. (Vestring Till et al, 2005) Cost of manufacturing in countries like Taiwan and Singapore is one fourth of the cost of manufacturing the same component in countries like Germany. Other reasons why some of these third world countries attract off shoring of factories is that it enables these MNC’s to expand market base. Having a manufacturing hub in Asia or Latin America helps them to cut transportation costs and engage in expanding business operations i n these countries. Emerson for example has put up shop in Asia and Mexico with its engineering and manufacturing being done at China, India and Philippines. Source: Bain & Company, 2005 Another major factor is the wide disparity in wages paid in the West and those in third world countries. A job that would require 20-30 dollars/ hour to be paid in the West could be completed in about 1 dollar/hour in China. (Vestring Till et al, 2005) Human right laws and adherence to such practices are also questionable in these countries. Severe lack of job opportunities, inflation and rising poverty indexes make employees work under harsh conditions without questioning authority. These have prompted civil society to question whether this kind of manipulation and exploitation of... This report stresses that the ethics of companies off shoring factories to third world countries and managing their business by paying meagre salaries and violating several labour laws regarding minimum wages and working hours are being debated constantly. It is true that to an extent the developed countries do not promote the growth of indigenous industries as it would severely impact their business. Import duties in rich countries on a variety of goods are high which discourages third world countries in developing their own industry. This paper makes a conclusion that several multinational companies over the last decade have relocated their factories and businesses to third world countries. This to an extent has managed to open up the economy of these countries by generating employment and also creating foreign exchange. In the face of stiff competition from emerging economies like China the concern of the business houses to look for cheaper avenues of manufacturing is true and needs to be considered. There are several examples of factories in third world countries running as per the stated labour laws of the particular nation but the number of companies doing it otherwise far exceeds those doing it ethically. It is therefore imperative that a fine balance needs to be struck between these extremes since it ultimately boils down to the question of human dignity, basic rights of fair wages, ethical business practices and whether you as a company or a consumer would want to be associated with a product that has been manufactured at the cost of another’s misery.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Freshmen in the University (problem and solution) Essay

Freshmen in the University (problem and solution) - Essay Example This paper discusses some of the potential problems that freshmen experience in universities and offers amicable solutions to the students to help them work their way out of the commonly encountered problems. Problems: Many students have to live on-campus during the university life. Students come from far off places to renowned universities in order to gain high quality education, and have to reside in hostels. They may feel homesickness in the initial days. Some students feel so disturbed because of homesickness that they find it difficult to adjust in the hostel and lave the university. Others, that survive through it may be bullied and threatened by their hostel fellows. With increased freedom that a university has to offer, students normally tend to hangout too much with friends. Bunking is normal. Education becomes a secondary purpose of being in the university, and building the social relations for future needs becomes the primary purpose. The trend, if not controlled in the ve ry first days in university only grows with time until one’s grades start to suffer. Solutions: If a student can not help feeling homesick, and also can not live at home because of its distance from the university, he/she should go for renting a room in the vicinity of the university. Many flats are constructed around universities to serve the very purpose.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

New and Better Knowledge After a Trip to The Evans Group Essay Example for Free

New and Better Knowledge After a Trip to The Evans Group Essay A visit to â€Å"The Evans Group, a fashion development and production house catering to various designers have changed so much beliefs that I had before. As a Fashion Design student dreaming to have my own fashion production company someday, that trip that we had made me learn many things that as a sophomore student like I do not have enough knowledge of. I used to think that fashion designing is all these efforts I am putting into my studies but I was proven wrong with what I have observed when I have seen the reality at The Evans Group. All along I have thought that if one is a very good fashion designer, it is all what it takes and it is all what one aspiring designer needs. Again, I was wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Evans Group (the Company for brevity) offers services to clients such as design developments, first patterns, samples, duplicates, production patterns, gerber pdm tach packs, yields, grading, marking, hand finishing, small volume production (20-300 pcs/style), trimming, fabric sourcing and wolf dress form rentals.. The company was named newsmakers of 2007 and has a new production facility in Los Angeles and a development studio in San Francisco.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With the many things that we have seen and learned from the Company, I am writing here the top ten that I strongly believe need to be shared and worthy to be taken into consideration by designer students like me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, I have learned that a very good system and organization what makes such a business grow and stay in existence. When I have seen that the company takes care of the specific requests of each designer customer it made me realize that a very meticulous attention should be given to each request. A poorly followed instruction may mean a lost client and a lost income. In the factory, I learned that each company has different policies for their orders. Even it is as unnoticeable as the label and the hemline structure, they are as equally important.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Second, I used to think that patterns are such an old fashion style when experts are doing the cutting. But NO! Patterns are still very important and they serve a big role in the success of each cut fabric and design.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Third, Budgeting is very applicable and useful in the factory. A knowledge of fashion designing alone would not make one designer successful outright. A knowledge of little economics, little of budgeting and much of common sense are the very basic ingredients that go with the fashion designing talent. At The Evans Group, if they have a plaid fabric, the staffs match the quality with the budget allowance required. Greater budget allowed means better quality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fourth, technology nowadays are indeed inevitable. I have seen that Tukatech, the company’s computer arm plays a big role in the success of the business. It is a computerized designing arm capable of making the designs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fifth, like any other discipline, the world of fashion have their own set of â€Å"jargons†. In the factory, they used the terms such as unit to identify a piece of work. Moreover, I have seen and learned what a fusing machine is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sixth, a knitted fabric shrinks. Tthus, it needs block fusing. Unlike ordinary fabrics that simply needs piece fusing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Seventh, I and my group have observed about cross cutting. Cutters cover the roll of fabric with nylon then they place rolled fabric in a machine where a   ruler is attached and they can cut that in sizes like one inch or in any size they want. Eighth, .management is also important in fashion industry. In The Evans Group, they have various departments like cutting, sewing, printing among others. Only a properly managed company with good department leaders, managers or supervisors can stay long in the business. Ninth, marking the fabrics for cutting is very important. A marker must not go wrong with this job. He or she must consider the sizes that have been given by designer client: for instance, 2S, 2M, 2L,2XL when that client have specified an amount of fabric to use. Arithmetic and proper geometric talents are needed here. Lastly, I appreciate the visit to The Evans Group. It made me learn so much. Indeed, learning is not limited inside the four corners of a classroom. The best way to learn is to experience!

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Abusive child labor in China Essay Example for Free

Abusive child labor in China Essay News correspondent David Barbosa of the New York Times Magazine has published an article on May 1st 2008, entitled: ‘China Says Abusive Child Labor Ring Is Exposed’. In his news article, Barbosa uncovered more in-depth analysis surrounding the incident of child labor in China, in which according to him acknowledges child labor abuse at the heart of China’s export economy. This paper will discuss Barbosa’s finding on the plight of Chinese children amidst extensive economic production. Article Summary Who was involved? Based on Barbosa’s news article, child labor ranges from the age of 13 to 15 which have been deceived and possibly kidnapped by a child trafficking syndicate then sold to employment agencies. To cite, the series of crackdown by Chinese authorities has found rampant child labor employment from Western Sichuan Province of Liangshan that supplies the children to factories in Guangdong, wherein forced labor engages about 300 working hours monthly (Barbosa, 2008). Result of the crackdown The summary of result on crackdown of child labor rings has prompted the Chinese authorities to enacting more enforcement, which according to Barbosa has put China in significant scandal and embarrassment [aside from the political issue with Tibet who rejects China’s massive preparation to the forthcoming Olympic Games]. With the incoming Olympic event, Chinese authorities has doubled its efforts in enforcing the strictest possible campaign against child labor traffickers, wherein the April 30th 2008 crackdown to various legal and most specifically illegal employment agencies [or simply child traffickers] have been arrested and initially rescued about 100 children-laborers from Dongguan City where major electronic manufacturing firms are located. Behind child labor issue    According to Barbosa, child labor and abuses depicts China’s scarcity of laborers as a result of soaring inflationary rates and foreign currency devaluation that decreases profitability of both small and medium manufacturers that resorted to move quickly in the â€Å"edge† of competitive manufacturing and mass production; that involve cheap labor of children and adult laborers [of both men and women], wherein the Chinese labor law has even reduced the legal age requirement from the age of 16. Barbosa insinuated that may be the â€Å"political issue† involving Tibet’s [rejection and defiance to holding the Olympic Games in China] may have attributed to the seeming crackdown of human trafficking for cheap labor, in general. As cited, the earlier cases of child labor and human trafficking incidents could have been picking up â€Å"loose response† of enforcement, apparently becoming â€Å"stiff and tight† on the current dates. The critical issue behind the rampant child labor and human trafficking in China espouses the fact of looming poverty incidence in Southern and Western localities of China wherein continuing increase of   production and raw materials costs are insignificant to cost-cutting measures. To cite, even the renowned transnational Wal-Mart company have been charged with child labor, wherein similarly other foreign firms in China were illicitly engaging. In related child labor issue, Barbosa pointed out the observation of Professor Hu Xingdou from Beijing Institute of Technology who quoted that ‘China’s economy is developing at a fascinating speed, but often at the expense of laws, human rights and environmental protection’.   Further to cite, local government encourages incentives to grow their economy and thereby encouraging participation of cheap labor forces that includes children. Postscript in the report Journalists have jointly advocated pursuing the progress of Chinese authorities’ campaign against child labor and human trafficking.   According to Barbosa, the Southern Metropolis newspaper (in Beijing, China) conducts fact-finding mission in Liangshan Prefecture of Sichuan Province wherein indigenous families resides and being targeted by child labor recruiters. Barbosa stressed that journalist may access and could uncover the truth brought about by the scandal of child labor and abuse. As quoted by Barbosa; â€Å"journalists could discover the facts by secret interviews in a few days, since how could the labor departments show no interest in it and ignore it for such a long time?† Reference Barbosa, D. (2008). ‘China Says Abusive Child Labor Ring Is Exposed’. The New York Times (Asia Pacific) Electronic Magazine. Retrieved 08 May 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/world/asia/01china.html?pagewanted=1_r=1

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Disinfectants Used Within Microbiology Laboratory

Disinfectants Used Within Microbiology Laboratory The purpose for this literature review was to examine the literature currently available to the general public on the application of a range of disinfectants used within a microbiology laboratory in both the public e.g. hospital laboratories and the private sector e.g. university laboratories. This literature review was carried out on the effectiveness of disinfectants so that previous and current knowledge on the use of these disinfectants can be analysed. This will help give an insight into the subject area and help with the preparation and production of the final report based on the research being carried during the literature review and research project. The main purpose of the research project being conducted was to compare the effectiveness of a variety of disinfectants especially Trigene which has been endorsed for use in the microbiology laboratories of the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board and that of Virkon which is currently used by the microbiology laboratory at the University of the West of Scotland. The literature examined showed that the disinfectants used in clinical laboratories and any other area where microorganisms can cause a problem with cross-contamination, should be evaluated for their effectiveness against the range of organisms which might be encountered. It is an important requirement that the disinfectants being used are able to inhibit or kill the microorganisms quickly and by using the lowest concentration available. (Isenberg, 1985) A study conducted by Kasthjerg et al (2010) which looked at the effects of a range of disinfectants on the expression of virulence genes present in the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. This study showed that effects on the virulence gene in the bacterium could be linked to the chemicals found in the disinfectant with some causing an inhibition of the gene while others showed an induction of the gene Disinfectants A disinfectant is a chemical which is widely used to eradicate a variety of microorganisms that are currently found in the samples received into a laboratory or are currently used within an educational setting for the teaching of microbiology to students. Disinfectants can have any of the following chemicals as their main active ingredient: halogenated tertiary amines, chlorine containing compounds, phenols, quaternary ammonium compounds and peroxygens. (Tyski et al, 2009) Thus the disinfectants can be divided into groups relating to the chemical present as the active ingredient and these groups will be discussed later in the report. It is important that certain criteria are met when classifying a chemical as a disinfectant, these include:- That the chemical components of the disinfectant will not have an adverse effect on the health of the user and if any health issue is realised then appropriate action can be taken to remove this risk i.e. use PPE such as gloves or respiratory mask. (Severs Lamontagne, 2002) It. is also important that the disinfectant has the ability to render inactive or kill a wide range of microorganisms including viruses, bacteria and fungi. (Severs Lamontagne, 2002) It is also important that a disinfectant does not have an adverse effect when used on equipment. The research conducted by Kim, Ryu Beuchat, (2007) showed that the effectiveness of certain disinfectants can be diminished when they are in contact with biofilm surfaces. It is currently thought that there is very little resistance to the disinfectants used due to the presence of a variety of chemicals considered to have an antimicrobial effect in each disinfectant. (Kasthjerg et al, 2010) Efficiency testing of disinfectants has been around for roughly 50 60 years ago. (Werner, 2007) In more recent years a working group was set up which set Standards which govern the microbial activity testing of chemicals used as antiseptics and disinfectants. (Werner, 2007: Tyski, S., et al, 2009) The introduction of these standards has allowed the efficiency tests to become more quantitative and produce lower margin of error. (Werner, 2007) Peroxygen This group of disinfectants consists of chemical disinfectants which contain the chemical peroxygen and includes Virkon which is one of the disinfectants which will be evaluated during the research project being carried out. Virkon is available as a powder and is diluted for use by dissolving it in distilled water to give the required concentration. Virkons method of action is through the combination of the chemicals chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and paraoxymonosulphate. (Alegente, G., et al, n.d.) These chemicals act by oxidation of the plasma membranes of microbial organelles. The effects of peroxygen disinfectants was investigated by a study conducted by Quilez et al, (2005) to discover what concentration of the disinfectant and time required for the disinfectant to be most effective when dealing with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. The literature review conducted by Severs Lamontagne, (2002) indicated that there was only a moderate risk of irritation to the user when the Virkon is in powder form. The Virkon may induce coughing, chocking or wheezing if inhaled while preparing the diluted disinfectant. However, when the powder has been diluted into a liquid form it is thought to cause no harm to the users skin or eyes. (Severs Lamontagne, 2002) As the suggested research to be conducted is related to the efficiency of disinfectants then it was important to review current literature which gives an indication of the effectiveness on a range of microorganisms. From the literature it was shown that Virkon is effective when used as indicated against a wide range of microorganisms including Gram positive and gram negative bacteria, viruses, fungi and spore forming bacteria. The study conducted by (Severs Lamontagne 2002) showed that these organisms were inactivated using a 1% solution of Virkon. A study conducted by Gaparini et al, (1992) showed that Virkon was effective when used against spores which had been cultivated onto nutrient agar. This study also indicated that the effects of Virkon were quick acting; this could be attributed to the high concentration coefficient of the disinfectant. Group 2 Halogenated Tertiary Amine This type of disinfectant is considered broad spectrum and biodegradable and is generally found in combination with detergents. (Health and Safety Executive, 2005). The halogenated Tertiary Amine group of disinfectants includes Trigene on which part of the research project is based. Trigene is available as a concentrated liquid or as a manufacturer diluted liquid. (Trigene Company) Trigene is also available in sachets which have been approved for use on submarines used by the Armed forces in the UK. (Severs Lamontagne, 2002) The findings of the study by Severs Lamontagne, (2002) showed that as with Virkon the use of Trigene was effective at rendering inactive viruses, bacteria and fungi when used in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. Health and safety tests were carried out on Trigene and the results have shown that the disinfectant poses a low risk to the users if accidently inhaled or ingested and there are no known health hazards with the use of Trigene. (MediChem international) Quaternary ammonium compounds This group of disinfectants is considered to be effective against most bacteria strains; however they are ineffective against viruses, bacteria which form spores and Mycobacterium. It is likely that this would not be an efficient disinfectant to be used within a clinical or university microbiology laboratory due to the risk of receiving samples containing spore forming bacteria, Mycobacterium species. The disinfectant can become inactivated by a low PH or the presence of organic material. (Health and Safety Executive, 2005) The mode of action for members of this group of disinfectants is that they damage the cell membrane which will result in cell leakage. (Ioannou et al, 2007) This study also showed that an increase in temperature increased the time taken to eradicate the bacterium. The study done by, Kim, Ryu Beuchat, (2007) showed that the efficiency of the disinfectant could be linked to the chemical structure of the Benzylalkonmium chlorides hydrophobic alkyl chain. It also showed that the presence of organic material (infant formula) can decrease the efficiency of the disinfectant. Hypochlorite and other chlorine-releasing agents This is a disinfectant which contains chlorine as its active ingredient, and an example of this disinfectant is Milton which is currently used to sterilise baby utensils. It is considered a broad spectrum disinfectant as it can inactivate or kill a range of bacteria and viruses. However, it is considered less effective against bacterial spores. As with the quaternary ammonium compounds this group of disinfectants has been shown to be inactivated by organic material and has to be prepared daily, this is due to the instability of the chemicals caused by concentration and temperatures at which the disinfectant is stored. (Health and Safety Executive, 2005) The hypochlorite disinfectant is provided in the form of Sodium Hypochlorite and it is commonly used within a clinical laboratory especially for the cleaning of equipment when recommended by the manufacture. Phenolic This group includes the disinfectant Hibetine which is currently used at the University of Glasgow and the active chemical is phenol. It has been shown to be a broad spectrum disinfectant which is effective against certain bacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and some viruses, although shows no action against bacterial spores. The disinfectant is used with a combination of the phenolic chemical and a detergent. The advantages of using this type of disinfectant is that it is considered stable in undiluted form and organic material does not appear to have the same negative effect on the efficiency of the disinfectant as has been observed in other disinfectants.. Microorganisms an introduction The main purpose of conducting the research project was to observe the efficiency of disinfectants when used against a range of microorganisms. The microorganisms to be investigated include a Gram positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, a spore forming bacteria such as Bacillus cereus and a yeast e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The study conducted by Tyski, S., et al, (2009) used microorganisms which could easily be isolated from hospitals. The study carried out by Ioannou et al, (2007) suggests that a common feature of bacteria especially staphylococcus aureus can acquire a plasmid which contains genes which will allow the bacteria to become resistant to certain antimicrobials. The literature search carried out showed that the organisms which are commonly used in research to show the efficiency of disinfectants are commonly isolated from hospital patient samples. (Gasparini, et al, 1992) Gram negative bacteria Gram positive bacteria Yeast Sporing bacteria The use of disinfectants in combating the spread of infections from bacterial spores from organisms such as C. parvum, Bacillus anthraxis, Clostridium difficile and bacillus cereus is important as these are the most difficult of all microorganisms to eradicate. (Quilez et al, 2005) Discussion The literature reviewed has shown that disinfectants are an important part of the working environment of a laboratory as it is essential that the disinfectant has the ability to inactivate or destroy a wide range of microorganisms. The study by (Severs Lamontagne, 2002) showed that both Virkon and Trigene could be classed as efficient and broad spectrum disinfectants as they both killed a variety of microorganisms ranging from viruses (both enveloped and non-enveloped) to fungi and bacteria including spore forming species. The study by Kasthjerg et al, (2010) deduced that the disinfectants which contained the peroxygen and chloride compounds decreased the virulence gene expression; however, the disinfectants containing the quaternary ammonium compounds encouraged the expression of the virulence gene. Conclusion The study conducted by Severs and Lamontagne, (2002) suggested that Both Virkon and Trigene were effective at eliminating the bacteria which could poses a health risk to divers but they felt that as the Virkon product had managed to eradicate more bacterial and viral strains than Trigene and that these effects were produced quicker with Virkon so the conclusion was that this product (Virkon) should be considered a better disinfectant and be recommended for use by divers.

Hydrogen Fuel or Others Essay -- Hybrid Cars Automobiles Essays

Hydrogen Fuel or Others It is stated in the article â€Å"Benefits of a Hydrogen Economy† in Hydrogen Future that if we use hydrogen as an energy source in the U.S.A, it could help address concerns about energy security, global climate change, and air quality. Hydrogen fuel cells appear to be an one important enabling technology for increasing energy savings and reducing global climate change; however, I suggest that much more research is needed before the nation becomes absorbed in developing the hydrogen economy. In addition to the hydrogen fuel cells, the nation should continue to investigate other technologies such as new generation diesel, hybrids and solar cells. At present these technologies have come to maturity to some degree. I believe that now it is time to consider the fusion of these technologies. It is stated in the article â€Å"Benefits of a Hydrogen Economy† that, if we use hydrogen in very high efficiency fuel cells for our transportation and to generate power, we could significantly reduce the Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. But the article â€Å"Road to Hydrogen Cars May Not Be So Clean† claims that, even though hydrogen could be generated via electrolysis without producing GHG, the reality is that oil companies plan to generate hydrogen from methane. And the most famous GHG, carbon dioxide, could be generated as a byproduct of the methane treatment process. Furthermore, according to the article â€Å"Fueling the future –Hydrogen Fuel Cells-†, electricity can be used to split water into its hydrogen and oxygen constituents; however, it takes far more electricity to make the hydrogen than the amount of electricity which hydrogen can generate in a fuel cell. To make matters worse, it might take a lot of electricity ... ... cells. Indeed, now it is time to consider seriously the fusion of these technologies. Works Cited Davidson, Keay. †Road to Hydrogen Cars May Not be So Clean† SFGate.com. 20 December 2002 < http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi file=/c/a/2004/12/20/HCAR.TMP&type=printable > Patterson, Tim. †Climate Change.† EnviroTruth.org. 10 April 2002. < http://www.envirotruth.org/climete_change_debate.cfm > D.S. Department of Energy. †Benefits of a Hydrogen Economy† 1 July 2004 < http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/future/benefits.html> †Fueling the Future† ConsumerReport.com. October 2004 < http://search.epnet.com.prxy4.ursus.maine.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=14376885 > †Why the Future is Hybrid† Economist. 4 December 2004 < http://search.epnet.com.prxy4.ursus.maine.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=15263157 >

Monday, August 19, 2019

Sphere :: Sphere

Michael Crichton uses three common devices with ease in his novel, Sphere.   The devices being: rhetoric, semantics, and style.   Crichton uses these devices to incorporate a sense of unity in the writing.   It is not difficult to incorporate this unity into a novel when the devices are properly used.   When doing so, they flow together to create a more visual experience for the reader.   These devices of writing are what create the environment for an understandable, yet interesting storyline.   Rhetoric is the art of using language effectively and persuasively.   In doing so, the use of rhetoric fits in with how the writer of the story thinks and speaks.   Crichton is an intellectual, yet he does not write in a sense where the reader cannot understand.   He chooses to discuss many intellectual concepts, but in the process, Crichton makes them easy to understand by explaining them simply.   â€Å"The wasn’t geometric.   And it wasn’t amorphous or organic, either.   It was hard to say what it was.† (Crichton, 117)   In this excerpt, Crichton makes reference to a pattern.   He describes it enough to leave the feeling of not knowing what it is besides just a simple pattern.   Therefore, creating the feeling in which the characters feel.   Semantics refer to the study of language forms.   In Sphere, the language is not too different.   Every character in the novel is in fact an intellectual in one form or another.   They speak correct grammar, and communicate well with each other. The social environment, which is formed, makes for smooth transitions of communication.   The linguistics Crichton chose to use made the novel more appealing to the average reader.   Style can be defined as the way the author chooses to portray the characters and setting in his story.   Crichton picks a parallel in his novel.   The plot of Sphere deals with space exploration and alien existence.   Yet Crichton does not put the setting in outer space, but in the deep sea.   This parallelism is the basis for his entire novel.   Throughout the story, the unexpected occurs.   Even the main characters are unexpected.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Legal Education In The Us :: essays research papers

Legal Education In The US There is no undergraduate law degree in the United States; thus, students cannot expect to study law without first completing an undergraduate degree. Basic admissions requirements for American law schools are a Bachelor's degree in any field and the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). The American law degree is called the Juris Doctor (JD) and usually requires three years of study. The JD program involves courses in American common and statute law as well as international and business law. Overseas students who are considering an American JD should note that this program focuses on preparation for US legal practice. Undergraduate Preparation for Law School No particular subject or major field of study is required at the undergraduate level. Law schools are concerned that applicants have taken courses which develop communication and analytical skills, and that they have exposed themselves to a variety of disciplines. The Prelaw Handbook (Association of American Law Schools) suggests students study some or most of the following fields but stresses that "well-developed academic ability" is preferable to intense specialization in any one field: economics, social sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology, political science), computers, accounting, and the sciences. Most pre-law students earn their undergraduate degrees in one of the social sciences, rounding out their general preparation with courses from other disciplines. All these subjects may be studied at virtually any university. Law schools in the US do not require that students complete their Bachelor's degree in America, but because of fierce competition for places in law schools, few students are accepted from overseas universities. At the beginning of the final year of undergraduate study, JD applicants should take the LSAT. No knowledge of law is needed to do well on this exam; it is a standardized test of academic aptitude in the areas of reading comprehension and analytical and logical reasoning. Legal Education Students thinking of law study soon discover that the programs of most law schools have a great deal in common. The choice of one school over another is not easily made on the basis of catalog descriptions of the teaching methods, course offerings, and formal requirements. The similarity is natural, since most American law schools share the aim of educating lawyers for careers that may take many paths and that will frequently not be limited to any particular state or region. Although many lawyers eventually find themselves practicing within some special branch of the law, American legal education is still fundamentally an education for generalists. It emphasizes the acquisition of broad and basic knowledge of law, understanding of the functioning of the legal system, and

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Epidemics in Colonial America

John Duffy, a true historian, contributed immensely to the history of medicine by publishing his research in the form of his first book ‘Epidemics in Colonial America. ’ Duffy continued to write other books as well but this particular one stood as a landmark in his career, facilitating all those interested in the field of medicine. In writing this book, Duffy’s primary goal was to clarify epidemic diseases in order of importance and show their direct and indirect effects on colonial development.He showed how the health environment is important for economic outcomes and that there is a direct effect of health conditions on income and an indirect effect on institutions. There is clearly no ‘hidden’ goal or aim of the author and whatever he has intended to show is pretty apparent and understandable. His book is more on the lines of medical history/ economic impact and is more descriptive and explanatory than theoretical.‘Epidemics in Colonial Ameri ca’ provides, in detail, the history of disease epidemics in America and guides the reader through the years of epidemics to show how the outbreak of various diseases effected the development of colonial America. The book explains how epidemic diseases have been affected, and vice verse, have affected the isolation of rural societies, changing economic conditions, varied work conditions and the factors determining poverty and wealth. BodyThe seventeenth century is identified as the period when epidemics were fairly limited in their impact as the interaction between the people of different colonies was minimum and communities were more isolated than they would be in the future. As a result any disease would remain localized to the people of a particular community and not become an epidemic. However, the situation progressively changed by the end of the eighteenth century when there was more commercialized activity/economy. The increased mobility and urbanization led to a great er threat of epidemics spreading from the rural areas.The situation obviously worsened by the end of the nineteenth century as mobility was further improved and there was increased urbanization. The poor urban centers began experiencing high death rates from diseases like cholera, tuberculosis etc that were endemic in cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia and New Orleans. Yellow Fever, Smallpox, malaria, hookworm infection, beri-beri, Typhoid and Dysentry, and Idiocy are amongst the epidemic diseases in colonial America. The detail of each, along with its effects has been given in the book.The impact of the mosquito borne diseases, Yellow fever and malaria, was greater on the colonists of Jamestown as compared to that in New England. Yellow Fever came from Barbados and spread in Philadelphia and New York, and later on in Boston. Thousands of people fell victim to the disease and several left afflicted areas. As is the case with other epidemics, business activity came to a stand still, unemployment rose along with the death rate. People who chose to stay in the afflicted areas had to take severe precautionary measures, but to little effect.They would shut themselves in their homes and keep the sick isolated from the rest in mosquito nets. The period of the disease is almost one week, by the end of which the person either dies or recovers and becomes immune to it. However, the instances of recovery were little and as history tells us, several hours of work had to be put in just to bury the dead. The Yellow Fever epidemic in 1793 killed around 5,000 people in Philadelphia, which is approximately 10% of its population.Moving on, Small Pox was introduced in America by the European colonists and effected the native Americans the most as they had little immunity to the disease because of having very little or no exposure to it. The entire native American population was swept off by the disease and as Duffy quotes a letter by a South Carolina resident in his book which says that Small Pox swept away a whole neighboring [Indian] nation, all to 5 or 6 which ran away and left their dead unburied. In the book, Duffy also describes it by saying that the epidemic in 1738 killed one half of the Cherokee Indians near Charleston.The effect of such an epidemic was reduced resistance to western expansion in the U. S. In another reported incident, some U. S Army men distributed blankets that had been used by smallpox and measles victims, to Indian tribes that also immediately fell prey to the diseases. The small pox epidemic was this disastrous because of its highly contagious nature and the fact that it spreads through even minimum human contact. It can choke the nostrils and also cause blindness. Prevention efforts were made by colonists who tried using isolation and inoculation, a controversial procedure introduced in Boston in 1721.The patient was injected with a mild form of the disease for a short while to create immunity and antibodies to counter the virus. As a result, a person would get the disease for a shorter while as compared to if they had gotten the disease naturally. A more crude form of this procedure was practiced by the African Americans and was called ‘variolation. ’ The practice consisted of transferring the pus or the scabs from the wounds of the already-affected people and injecting them in the open wounds of unaffected people in order to create immunity.Malaria was also one of the epidemics in the U. S. It became one of the significant diseases of the colonial times as it spread from Maryland to Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Mexico. The mosquito parasite began spreading faster a s virgin soil was introduced in Carolina and the Blacks were available as victims for the mosquitoes. The parasite then gradually spread to the whites and eventually became an epidemic. The Hookworm infection was another one of the diseases, starting from Florida and Louisiana.The Hookworm parasite spread through the m oist soils from Virginia and just like Malaria, the Native American slaves were its carriers. The Beri-Beri disease, a simple deficiency of vitamin B, on the other hand was curable to a great extent. One of the most widely spread diseases, Tuberculosis, remained a highlight of the nineteenth century as it became very common amongst the people of rural areas and also the poor people of urban areas. Its airborne nature accounted for the high number of people who were affected by the disease and it took several decades for doctors to come up with a counter to this disease.Duffy’s book mentions other diseases and their effects on America as well but the ones mentioned above were the most significant ones. They hold great importance in maki9ng the present what it is today as they left a lot for the human race to learn from in terms of medical advances. Conclusion The outbreaks of epidemics not only affected the western expansion but also halted the functioning of many cities in Am erica. People were unwilling to work at the risk of their health and lives and therefore businesses and industries collapsed as unemployment rose.The economy fell and people preferred staying indoors to protect themselves. Education, industry, economy, agriculture and every other structure fell prey to the epidemics that hit the U. S. Local outbreaks became epidemics of a national nature as the transport systems developed and coastal trade began. The nineteenth century saw water and airborne diseases spreading throughout the U. S as poor sewage systems, dirty drinking water and poor food quality etc added to the spread. Eventually, the life expectancy of an average American greatly fell.On a more positive note, these epidemics had a great lesson to teach as far as the knowledge of medicine is concerned. It helped modern medicine develop into what it is today and facilitated doctors dealing with patients suffering from similar diseases to a great extent. Even though these disease wer e thought as a punishment for the sins that had been committed by the people, its positive aspect should not be ignored. ‘Epidemics in Colonial America’ is a significant addition to the literature of medicine and the efforts of John Duffy should be recognized for the immense help that they are.Duffy has remained successful in his attempts of creating awareness regarding the diseases that have struck colonial America in the past and has effectively shown their effects on the people, their incomes, the environment and the development of the United States. The details in the book help paint a fairly adequate picture of the colonial years and make it easy for one to imagine the magnitude of the diseases that occurred. Therefore, it is safe to say that Duffy succeeded in his efforts and should be remembered for them. Reference Duffy, John. Epidemics in Colonial America. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1953.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Wal-Mart Case Study

In 2005, it created jobs for more than 1. 5 million people worldwide. In the United States this number is 1. 3 million. Every year, Wall- Mart distributes 2% gross national product in US with estimated $300 billion annual sales. After nearly a half of a century, it still follows Sam Walton philosophy to provide low price for customers every day (Stank & Stank, 2009). In 2006, this organization has slipped to number two after a serious problem.This case study old show these unethical issues that Wall-Mart faced many years from 2001 to 2006, including off-the-clock work. Sexual discrimination, health benefits, union, and using illegal aliens and child labor. In 2000, the main unethical of Wall-Mart shows in this case is the â€Å"off-the-clock work† that the employees were enforced working overtime In the Wall-Mart stores. From 11 states In 2001 that was pending lawsuits against Wall-Mart the number of states had Increased even 28 after one year (Satanist & Satanist, 2009).The store managers had required the employee check UT their time card, while they were working at night and locked inside the stores. Many emergencies happened without any help because the managers were not around to open the door. These Wall-Mart activities show that this organization is breaking the law when enforced Its employees working more time without any payment while the managers went out earlier. Sexual discrimination Is another unethical Issue that Wall-Mart faced in 2001. In fact, the percentage of male employees who were promoted to management is less than female employees.According to Satanist and Stank (2009), there are sixty-five percent women employees of the hourly worker, but women who stand on management position Just only thirty-three percent at Wall-Mart. Some employee claimed that, Wall-Mart gave these Job opportunities to men because the men had to feed their family, whereas women Just want to make some extra money (Stank & Stank, 2009). There are clearly things that Wall-Mart were not fair with women who daily worked for this organization. This activity should be considered and adjusted to fit with the new situation.Wall-Mart was blamed that provided many policies reduce cost of health care. This corporation provided the health benefit programs for its employee, but somehow many employees cannot pay or payable but less benefit. Normally, all companies In the united States spend average $ 5,646 per user for health care than the average rate (Satanist & Satanist, 2009). This is considered unethical issue in Wall-Mart when this organization is largest retailer in the world. In addition, Wall- Mart has used states health benefits program to instead its own payment; it was not responsible action of a big corporation.Many employees and their family could not allow Wall-Mart's health care program, they return to Medicaid – a state's health care program. Marshland's law stated that the company had to pay at least 8 percent of payroll costs per user health insurance, nor the difference amount actual pair and percentage must be passed to Marshland's Medicaid fund (Satanist & Satanist, 2009). Wall-Mart had changed its health care policy and reported increasing the percentage up to 8 percent, however, only 47. 5% employees can approach Wall-Mart's health care insurance (Satanist & Satanist, 2009).Keep the labor cost as low as possible seem tick with its philosophy â€Å"everyday low prices† because if the labor cost increase that means this philosophy would no longer right. That also was the problem that Wall- Mart faced in globalization. That is why Wall-Mart disbanded the meat department and nearly 180 other stores when the employees became unionized (Satanist & Satanist, 2009). In fact, if employees become a member of a union, they would get a lot of support from this community to fight for their right benefits.However, Wall-Mart had to allow unions in protected of China government because if they not allow they old lose a lot of resources such as: material, merchandise, low labor cost, and series of suppliers, etc. Other issues at Wall-Mart stores are using illegal aliens working for the company. Although Wall-Mart knows exactly if it uses these employees they are against the law. However, Wall-Mart has continued to hire illegal aliens from the outside employment agency for cleaning. This company has agreed to charge for this issue $11 million, four times higher than normal charge by another corporation (Satanist & Satanist, 2009).Wall-Mart used child labors and violated child labor laws. The result of the audit showed that Wall-Mart used employees under eighteen years old for working at night, on school hour, and more than 8 hours per day (Satanist & Satanist, 2009). Not at all, this company also used child labor in the dangerous Job such as: chain saw and cardboard balers. Once again, Wall-Mart has broken the law in many states. In 2005, the International Labor Rights Fund filed a lawsu it against Wall-Mart with series of violating labor laws in five countries: Swaziland, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, and Nicaragua (Satanist & Satanist, 2009).The violations include irking overtime without payment, preventing any effort to have a union, and locked in working time. The major reason that making Wall-Mart supplier broken the laws is Wall-Mart was not enforcing the company's code of conduct with its suppliers (Satanist & Satanist, 2009). After a series of unethical issues during few years, Wall- Mart shows that it is still the big company where it provided the cooperation to repair and troubleshoot its problems quickly. Wall-Mart has acknowledged its issues and step-by-step solve them making ethical decisions, changing management methods, ND charging for all people who directly impacted.In conclusion, responsibilities of the big corporation should always do the right thing, and fixes every issue ethically to making the better reputation. The discuss questions that more clearly about this case study: 1 . Are the ethical issues Wall-Mart faces really any different from other large retailers? The largest retailer faces this these ethical issues that means many target for any concern and naturally the ethical issues become a sensitive problem. In additional, Wall-Mart cannot hire its problem, because of million employees who irking on thousands of stores.Wall-Mart might be a good case study for other corporations who are facing ethical issues. 2. Wall-Mart officials have stated that they don't feel women are interested in management positions at the company. Do you agree or disagree? I disagree with this point of Wall-Mart. Women are much more holding the key position in the company. It shows a fact that women also do the same things as much as men can do. I do not see any reason to reject the opportunity to offer the management positions of women at work. The world is changing, women as no longer Just take care their family, they also are great peopl e in the business. . Wall-Mart is continually criticized for its health-care policy. Is this really an ethical issue? Why or why not? This is considered unethical issue in Wall-Mart because the health cares that Wall-Mart provides to their employees are not fitted with a world- class company. In additional, Wall-Mart has used states health benefits program to instead its own payment; it was not responsible action off big corporation. Many employees and their family could not follow Wall-Mart's health care program, they turn to Medicaid – a state's health care program.Billion of revenue that the company could get is based on its employee's distribution. Pay more money for health care also kind of investment, and I guessed that the return of this is greater than the profit, including loyalty, employees' effort, and good company's image. 4. Should Wall-Mart be concerned about unionization of stores since allowing unionization of workers in China? The major reason the make Wall-M art allow unionizing in China not start from its expectation. However, this is a good signal for a ewe revolution in many Wall-Mart stores worldwide.In America, if any store starts to form a union the store could face many problems from Wall-Mart managers. This would change because of no former union are not fair for United States employees. The union would keep fighting the employee's right benefit. On the other hand, my opinion, United States government should protect the union like China government that also protects the American labors. Reference Satanist, P. A. , & Satanist, S. D. (2009). Understanding business ethics (1st deed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Greek vs Roman Theatre

Historic playwrights such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, and Seneca were described as prolific philosophers and geniuses of their times. These men actively participated in the politics surrounding them, and were respected and revered in their society. Each had their own individual style and portrayed their personalities through each of their noted works. Nevertheless, as with a majority of playwrights throughout history, most fodder for their plays have been adaptations of previous plays written by their predecessors or based off mythological events. Unfortunately, this had lead to many speculative accusations and criticisms, as is the case with Senecan tragedies versus their Greek counterparts. Senecan and Greek interpretations of the plays Oedipus, Agamemnon, and Medea bear similar themes, being the inescapability of fate and dike, and the lack of clarity between right and wrong. Nevertheless, they differ culturally, politically, and philosophically due to the differences in society as well as the eras in which the writing of these plays took place. Culturally, Greek and Roman theatre vary in a multitude of ways. Firstly, a major difference is the role of actor within their cultures. The introduction of the actor sparked the creation of tragedy, because of the ability to have back-and-forth discussions. Within Greek culture, to be an actor was a most honourable position as they were considered as icons because â€Å"the good actor, who rises to the challenge of providing a good and consistent performance, can be a model for how to live† (Easterling 382). In contrast, within Roman culture, the actors’ conditions were mean and contemptible (Theatrehistory). A secondary difference is the amount of actors used by Seneca and his Greek counterparts. Seneca stressed the importance of consistency of character stating, â€Å"It is a great thing to play the role of one man† (Easterling 382), suggesting that he seems to disapprove of those who play multiple parts. This is a reason as to why Seneca changed the number of speaking parts in plays to encompass four speaking roles. Agamemnon, for example, has four speaking parts during its final scene involving Aegisthus, Electra, Clytemnestra, and Cassandra (lines 981-1012). Oedipus similarly requires four actors at once for the second act involving Oedipus, Creon, Tiresias, and Manto (lines 201- 402) (Boyle 83). Another cultural difference is in regards to the importance of the masks worn by either the Greeks or Romans during the theatrical performances. The Greek mask was important because it allowed actors to play multiple roles and with the help of the onkos or high headdress, it portrayed the characters, as they ought to be or as better than they are (Wiles 68). The rule of the mask is never in question with Sophocles or Aeschylus as its function was to represent a neutral face. Hence, eliminating all the peculiarities that distinguish each character from another as author John Jones stated, â€Å"The audience could have had a few simple, conventional signs determining rank and age and sex† (Wiles 68). This neutral mask allowed the audience to judge Oedipus and Agamemnon by his actions and not solely on his appearance. It also forced the actor to externalize emotions by using his whole body (Wiles 69). Nevertheless, the conventions of tragic masks do come under pressure by the tragedies of Euripides. Classics professor Froma Zeitlin states that Euripides’ â€Å"repertory of tragedy and epic provides, as it were, a closet of masks for the actors to raid at will, characters in search of identity, a part to play,† which is a main theme in Euripides’ Medea (Wiles 69). In contrast, the cultural context of Roman mask was very different from the Greeks, who believed masked performances were a great source of pride. For a Roman, it was unthinkable that dancing in masks was a source of pride during public celebrations. The use of masks centered on the ideologies of the Roman culture and its concern with the after-life (Wiles 129). The Greek observer Polybius wrote that Roman religion, which was even bound up by death, was â€Å"theatricalised in order that the masses could be controlled by unseen terrors and suchlike tragoidia† (Wiles 129). Therefore, while the Greeks put on masks to create new forms of life, Romans put on masks to resurrect a dead being (Wiles 129). Professional actors received training in life to imitate these dead beings, a reason as to why Seneca disliked the premise of an actor playing multiple roles because actors specialized in one character (Wiles 130). These masks veered away from neutrality to more stock characteristics, much like commedia dell’ arte, and remained as such for recorded history, and because there is records of Seneca performing his work, there is no proof that he used different masks. A final cultural difference is the importance of the chorus and its use in the plays Agamemnon, Oedipus, and Medea. The chorus was not highly involved in the action of the plays. In general, the chorus’ main functions were to create a psychological and emotional background to the action through its odes. It introduces and questions new characters, as well as point out the importance of events as they occurred, to establish facts and avow the outlook of society. Finally, the chorus covers the passage of time, between events, and separates episodes (Calder 21). Within the play Agamemnon, by Aeschylus, the chorus represents the voice of wisdom of the city as well as its limitations (Novelguide). The chorus’ limitations are clear when they fail to appreciate Clytemnestra, (lines 258-63), and their wisdom is seen when they are able to see no end to the problem of dike (Novelguide). In Seneca’s Agamemnon, the chorus of men is replaced for a chorus of Mycenaean women, which is seen through lines 310, 350-51, (Calder 331). They represent enlightenment by rendering individual cases intelligible by juxtaposing the moral crisis (Seneca 113). Similar differences of the chorus can be found within the play Oedipus. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the chorus positions itself within the minds of the audience as the citizens of Thebes acting solely as petitioners with no great affect on the plot. Nevertheless, as the plot unfolds the importance of the chorus grows as they take active roles in the progression of the plot. This continues until the chorus outgrows Oedipus, weaning from his dependence, and becoming the backbone that Oedipus himself uses to confront his destiny, seen in lines 1550 on (Calder 113). This development contrasts with Seneca’s chorus, in his adaptation of Oedipus, as the chorus remains on the same level yet becoming more philosophical in their understanding of fate and justice (Seneca 6). This is seen in lines 980 to 996 as the chorus explains their understanding of fate, stating, â€Å"We are driven by fate, and must yield to fate. No anxious fretting can alter the treads from that commanding spindle [†¦ ] Many are hurt by fear itself, many have come upon their fate through fear of fate† (Seneca 107). This quote demonstrates that no matter what, one will always meet his fate. Finally, differences between Senecan and Greek choruses are also seen within the play Medea as both choruses play crucial but different roles in the development to Medea’s character. In Euripides’ Medea, the chorus enters as a very sympathetic group to Medea’s plight, which is seen when they enter and state, â€Å"I heard the voice, uplifted loud, of our poor Colchian lady† (Euripides 156-7). She is a poor, unfortunate woman whose world is in shambles and the chorus echoes this (Associatedcontent). Whereas, Seneca’s chorus represents the average citizen, not pulling punches when it comes to the scandal that they are witnessing. The chorus begins the play by celebrating the marriage of Jason and Creusa, and juxtaposed with Medea still on stage the chorus states that Creusa’s beauty â€Å"far surpasses all the brides of Athens† (Seneca Medea 75). This demonstrates that the chorus is by no means sympathetic and they do not patronize Medea like the Chorus of Euripides. Seneca's Medea does not need the chorus as a crutch, which is provided to Euripides' Medea (Associatedcontent). Therefore, through the differences in actors, costume, and use of chorus, the cultural aspects of Greek and Romans times play crucial roles in the adaptations of these myths. A second way that Greek and Roman theatre vary from each other is through the political differences of their times. The fist difference is seen through the significant event that occurred during the writing or adaptation of these plays. Although, the main difference is seen through the importance of mythological figures within each play, how they are portrayed, and what they represent. Firstly, each play was written during or after seriously significant events that occurred during Greek times. For example, Aeschylus’ Agamemnon was written and during the battle of Aegina and after the death of Pleistarchus king of Sparta in 480 B.  C. Sophocles’ Oedipus was written after a horrible plague washed over Athens killing one third of the Athenian population (Bispham, Harrison, Sparkes 9). Each of these events affected the audience by tying connections to the events that were occurring around them. In contrast, Seneca’s adaptations were never performed and they were not written during significant events that affected the audience. On the other hand, a major difference came from the depiction of main characters within each play. Within both Aeschylus’ and Seneca’s Agamemnon, Clytemnestra dominates the plot, as Agamemnon himself does not enter the play until line 810. Aeschylus’ Clytemnestra is portrayed as a dangerous temptress, who represents a challenge to patriarchy unparalleled in Greek tragedy as she demonstrates early feminism (RHUL). This is seen through her jealousy of Agamemnon’s status as a man when she tells Agamemnon that he should â€Å"yield† to her (Novelguide). In contrast, Seneca’s Clytemnestra is portrayed as an emotionally unstable and sympathetic woman, as well as representing the working of the passions. This is demonstrated through her desire for a chaste marital relationship with Agamemnon, in lines 239-43 (Seneca 120). Another difference in major characters is seen in the play Oedipus, through the depictions of Oedipus. Sophocles depicts Oedipus initially as a benign ruler amidst his people, self-confident and determined (Seneca 5). This is demonstrated through his opening lines to the audience, â€Å"Deeming it unfit to hear reason from a messenger, I, Oedipus, on whom men rely, have come myself to hear you out† (Sophocles 33). Oedipus represents two enduring themes of Greek myth and drama: the flawed nature of humanity and an individual's powerlessness against the course of destiny in a harsh universe (Seneca 5). In contrast, Seneca’s Oedipus, at the beginning, is isolated and obsessed with anxiety and guilt, as demonstrated in the quote, â€Å"What I fear is unspeakable: that I may kill my father with my own hand† (Seneca 19). Oedipus’ unease is due to his possession of power and in Senecan drama, kingship is typically a source of unease for the ruler (Seneca 7). Seneca’s depiction of Oedipus keeps in turn with his dramas and their concern with mental states. The final contrast of characters and their depictions are found in the play Medea. Euripides’ Medea is seen as lone and forlorn who is portrayed as a pawn of the gods and willing to be such (Associatedcontent). She commits her crime and awaits ramifications from the gods, demonstrated by the line, â€Å"But you'll never have me in your grasp, not in this chariot, a gift to me from my grandfather Helios, to protect me from all hostile hands† (Euripides). Seneca, on the other hand, characterizes Medea as not â€Å"just a woman†, but as a vibrant and vengeful spirit who is more god-like, being in control of her destiny (Associatedcontent). When dealing with her connection with the gods, Seneca’s characterization is the polar opposite of Euripides’ as she is not as respectful and reverent of the gods. She often condemns them for their actions or lack of actions seen in the lines, â€Å"Hecate, I call so many times for your arrows for just one reason, always the same† (Seneca Medea 95). With these political differences, mainly the depiction of historic and mythological figures, it is clear to see that these differences have significant effects on characters as well as plot. Finally, the philosophies of each playwright’s era highly affect the adaptations of the each play because of the differences in philosophical language, seen through the writer’s dialogue. Each playwright’s manner of utilizing dialogue is specifically unique to each individual. Seneca’s dialogues were not platonic exchanges between characters but were treatises (ancienthistory). Seneca’s elaborate rhetoric, argumentation, and complex verbal exchanges were quite unlike the dialogue of Greek tragedy. Furthermore, the ambience of gloom, disease, insanity, and physical horror that permeates his plays is adverse to the spirit of Greek drama (Bispham 296). Aeschylus pioneered drama tension through the addition of the second actor, increasing the possibilities for dramatic dialogue. His language in dialogue is discernible with force, majesty, and emotional intensity (Britannica). Aeschylus boldly uses compound epithets, metaphors, and figurative turns of speech, demonstrated in the quote, â€Å"Winged hounds, eagles of Zeus, slew a poor cowering creature, her unborn young slaughtered with her. She loathes the feast the eagles made. Sorrow sing, sorrow, but good shall prevail with power† (Aeschylus). This description the slaughtering of an animal demonstrates Aeschylus’ rich language binding together the dramatic actions, rather than used as simple decorations (Britannica). It was also common of Aeschylus to sustain a common image or group of images throughout a play, such as the snare in Agamemnon. Sophocles’ major innovation was his introduction of a third actor, which enabled the playwright to both increase the number of his characters and widen the variety of their interactions. The extent of the conflict was extended, plots could be more fluid, and situations could be more complex (Britannica). Sophocles’ language varies depending on the dramatic needs of the current moment within the play. It can be slow and weighty or swift moving, emotionally intense or easygoing, highly decorative or perfectly plain and simple (Britannica).. This can be demonstrated through the quote from Oedipus, â€Å"One man may surpass another in wisdom, yet until I see the prophet’s words proved true never will I agree when Oedipus is blamed; for once the winged maiden came against him and he showed himself wise be the test and good to the state† (Sophocles) . His mastery of form and diction was highly respected by his contemporaries (Britannica). Euripides’ style of dialogue and language is best described as chatter, alluding to both its comparatively light burden and to the talkativeness of his characters of all classes. In spite of this, Euripides’ dialogues have considerable charm and sweetness. This chatter is best described in the quote from Medea, during the scene when she is killing her sons, â€Å" Help me†¦ help†¦ Did you hear that? Did you hear the children cry? That wretched, evil woman! What do I do? How can I escape my mother's hands? I don't know, dear brother. It's over for us† (Euripides). Although this quote does not demonstrate Euripides’ charm and sweetness, in later works, his lyrics underwent a change, becoming more emotional and luxuriant, and this demonstrates the chatter (Britannica). With such contrasting styles and use of dialogue and language, the philosophical differences between Seneca and the Greek playwrights are evident. The differences found within the Greek and Senecan interpretations of the plays Oedipus, Agamemnon, and Medea demonstrate the significant shift of societies and era in which the plays were written and/or adapted. This demonstrates itself through many differences such as the cultural diversity dealing with the actors and their performance, the costumes in respect to the importance of masks, and the movement dealing with the changes in chorus. Political changes demonstrate the differences through the significant events during the staging of the production, whether or not it affected them in any way, and the depiction of historic figures in regards to their portrayal within the play. Finally, philosophical ideologies demonstrate the difference between Greek and Senecan tragedies through the expression of the playwrights through the characters, with the philosophical language of the unique dialogue in which each playwright perfected. Nevertheless, interpreters put their own personalities within the plays and this is what shined through, no matter the criticism. Bibliography http://www.theatrehistory.com/ancient/bellinger001.html http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/seneca/a/Seneca.htm http://www.novelguide.com/Agamemnon/essayquestions.html https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aeschylus-Greek-dramatist?anchor=ref393561