Monday, December 30, 2019

Ethics on Pornography - 1526 Words

Tà ¼rkay SARIKAYA 20701889 Section 02 Research paper 1ST draft ETHICS OF PORNOGRAPHY Everybody knows something about porn. But what is porn really? Why it is exist? People get pleasure from porn. Porn is just for an entertainment and it is like other genres of movies. It is just like action, just like horror†¦ Porn is a genre and it has some sub-genres in it. In Turkish there is a word says; â€Å"nerede à §okluk orada bokluk† means if there are so many things there must be bad things in it, like sub-genres of porn. They are exist just for more entertainment, more pleasure but mankind is not always pure. There are some bad men, there are some disgusting ideas and there are some barbarous behaviors. With that genres directors†¦show more content†¦Lolicon pornography is hentai illustrations or animation featuring young female child-like characters. And shotacon is the gay version of lolicon. Sub-genres of body features are; Big Beautiful Women (BBW) pornography features overweight or obese women. Big-breast pornography, also called enormous tits, big-boob or big-bust pornography features women with large breasts. Some viewers prefer performers with breast implants; others prefer women who have naturally large breasts. Big cock porn featuring men with large penises. Big butt pornography features women with large buttocks. This genre eroticizes the buttocks and anus, and often overlaps with anal pornography. Hairy pornography involves conspicuous amounts of body and/or pubic hair. Hair fetishism, for example models with red, blond, or brunette hair. Additionally, hip-length hair, butt-length hair, thigh-length hair, knee-length hair or floor-length hair, may carry out hair jobs, toss their hair back and forth, perform with wet hair, etc. Leg and feet pornography has an extreme emphasis on womens legs and feet. Tiny tits pornography features women with very small breasts. These women are often portrayed as teenagers. Sub-genres of race are; Asian pornography features performers who are Asian / the Far East. Ebony or black porno graphy features performers who are black. European, pornography involving performers who are European. Indian, features performers who are Indian. Interracial pornography usuallyShow MoreRelatedSexual Ethics Essay1160 Words   |  5 PagesSex Ethics Essay Outline Thesis – Multiple outlooks have been taken on the ethics of pornography, and the means by which it may either negatively influence power in sexuality, or actually provide some sort of social value and worth. These different ethical perspectives display the flaws in the industry and what it represents; yet they also end up proving the fact that it can be modified with positive influence and that pornography is not something to be deemed utterly unethical. Intro – PowerRead MoreEthical and Legal Issues at the Workplace: A Case Study1053 Words   |  4 Pagessurfing pornography specifically is an ethical issue. Surfing in general is strictly an ethical issue, depending on what the companys specific policy is. Surfing pornography is also a legal issue, as such activity could constitute a hostile work environment (as in Gallagher v. C.H. Robinson Worldwide). There are two key ethical issues at work in this case. One is the misuse of company resources for personal activities, and the other specifically relates to the introduction of pornography into theRead Morepornography right or wronga Essay1128 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Ashford: Week 3 Assignment 2 Rebecca Ledbetter SOC: 120 Introduction to Ethics Social Responsibility Instructor Brian  Addis 10/06/2014 Pornography is one of the most controversy problems that humanity faces daily. It has materialized as a somber threat to the dignity of human sexuality and its deific purpose, perplexing the very nature of man and woman and signifying the falsification of mind in the existing age today. It has infestedRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1495 Words   |  6 Pagesargument is masculine biased dictation for western traditional ethics constrain opportunity for women. A feministic point of view would suggest, to grant equal educational, political, and social opportunity to women and to men alike. Consequently, no gender should be allowed greater opportunity. Equality is the best policy, as it will grant more individuals - men and women - the chance to progress as a civilization. Traditional western ethics suggest that women are incapable to reason out and solve socialRead More Perversion and the Internet Essay examples1078 Words   |  5 PagesPerversion and the Internet The Internet. An information super-highway to hate, violence, and child pornography. Sure it was ok when the nudie pictures came out, but teaching children racism and bigotry and exploiting innocent children in a sexual manner is taking things a little too far. Buckle your seatbelts and strap on those eyeglasses; we are about to take a ride on the â€Å"Informational Highway†. The First Amendment has been stretched, ripped, and torn into little pieces of propagandaRead MorePornography And Its Effects On Women861 Words   |  4 PagesWhile pornography is not only degrading to women, it is degrading to men as well because it is mostly deemed unethical, it is viewed based on Ethical Theories and moral reasoning, and it is not always intellectually stimulating. Pornography is printed or visual material containing explicit description of sexual body parts or activity, intended to stimulate erotic versus emotional feelings. Depending on the manner that the pornography is brought about it can be stimulating to some, but have no effectRead MoreAnalysis Of Oryx And Crake By Margaret Atwood1321 Words   |  6 PagesEthics is differentiating between good and evil, between the right and wrong human actions, and between righteous and unrighteous characteristics of individuals. Having said that, ethics plays a significant role in Margaret Atwood’s novel, Oryx a nd Crake. The world in which Oryx and Crake are presented differs from our own. The lifestyle throughout the novel demonstrates the value and importance of ethics in one’s life and how it can effortlessly lead to a tragedy. In the novel, Margaret Atwood focusesRead MorePornography And Its Effect On Society926 Words   |  4 Pagespeople who are driven by sexual desire, pornography is inevitable. Throughout history, erotic work has progressed alongside society, and has climaxed, it seems, in the information age with almost unlimited access to any manner of pornographical work on the internet. In most forms, Pornography is legal within the United States, and is widely used despite its taboo nature. While statistics differ, it is likely that a majority of Americans have used pornography, and the industry is undoubtedly enormousRead MoreDescription Of A Leader X773 Words   |  4 PagesIdentifying Information Leader X is a church leader with a wife and children. He is concerned with his use of pornography; he believes it is affecting his relationship with his family. Leader X is also concerned that his use or pornography will lead to more problem. Nature of Referral Leader X self-referred himself to counseling. He does not believe that his family or any of the members of the church know about his problem. Theoretical Formulation Leader X’s case is well suited for conceptualizationRead MoreEssay on week2assignment1564 Words   |  7 Pages 1. Ethics is the study of (Points : 1) propositional knowledge. right and wrong. beauty. truth. none of the above. Question 2. 2. A sound-thinking deontologist might use which statement to support a woman’s right to vote? (Points : 1) The happiness of 50% of the population being allowed to vote outweighs the pain that might come out of the other 50%. Humans are autonomous beings that inherently have the same capacities.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - 1121 Words

Awareness Of PTSD Do military veterans really get all the support they need upon returning during combat situations or does society kick their problems under the rug? First documented the 1600’s symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) have been identified overtime in wartime. PTSD has developed worse with soldiers over time. If it was unaware what PTSD, it’s an anxiety disorder that may develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which severe physical harm occurred or was threatened. Many of the events soldiers witness are horrifying and what comes after the trigger is unpredictable. Now PTSD can play a heavy factors in a veterans life such as impeding social interaction with strangers or even family members or having a hard time to complete task or even getting a job after the years of service.Society should care for these veterans because they risk their lives to keep us safe and have to do things that many member. To help these veterans the co mmunity has to realize that many of them aren’t comfortable with what has happened to them in active service so the community as a whole should show compassion and support to help them overcome this disorder. If we don’t helped them who will? PTSD can take an individual to make unreasonable decisions, they can be a threat to themselves or a threat to someone else. While most people don’t know what PTSD can do, in reality it’s a major problem for military veterans. What PTSD essentially is it’s a mentalShow MoreRelatedPost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) Essay1401 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to the Mayo-Clinic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD is defined as â€Å"Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event† (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Post Traumatic Stress disorder can prevent one from living a normal, healthy life. In 2014, Chris Kyle playedRead MoreThe Lucid Dreaming And How Can It Be A Method Of Psychotherapy For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Essay1124 Words   |  5 Pages Introduction Those who experience lucid dreaming in the stage of REM sleep are aware of their dreams and able to control their dreams. Lucid dreaming could be a possible treatment for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who suffer from nightmares. During lucid dreaming in a nightmare, the PTSD patients would be able to let go of their fear by recognizing the threats they have in their dreams are not real. PTSD patients can also transform their dreams into something moreRead MoreNo Comfort Zone By Marla Handy Essay1461 Words   |  6 Pagesto the surface something many people tend to avoid: post-traumatic stress disorder. Unlike for many members of society, for Handy, it is not and never will be something she can avoid. She works to, momentarily, at least, bridge this gap for her readers by describing some of the symptoms that she and many others with PTSD live with on a frequent basis. Handy is one of about 8% of people who have been diagnosed with PTSD, defined as â€Å"a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shockingRead MoreBefivfbowbofboip11296 Words   |  6 Pagesthis topic in further detail, specifically with her traumatic event with her own personal experience with her car accident as well as losing her father to a car accident. I could always assume that she has chose to cope with the traumatic event of being in the car accident by isolative behavior as well as disengagement from social events with her friends and family; however, this would need to be clarified with her to see if she has any awareness of this unhealthy coping mechanism. I would also needRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) Essay1453 Words   |  6 Pages84.8% of those diagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder still show moderate impairment of symptoms, even 30 plus years after the war (Glover 2014). As of today, the Unites States has 2.8 million vetera ns who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, of those it is estimated that 11 to 20% currently suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As of 2013, a total of 12,632 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are currently diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Glover 2014). Of course itRead MoreThe Aftermath Of Abduction And Human Trafficking1266 Words   |  6 Pageseverywhere. Stressors such as this can be detrimental to the cognitive functioning of a person; therefore, recognizing indications of a mental disorder in its early stages can help during the process of diagnosis and treatment. Commonly observed physiological and psychological effects of abduction and trafficking include Stockholm syndrome, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. By inducing this type of trauma, abductors and traffickers are permanently impairing victims’ abilities to functionRead MoreEssay about Escaping Isolation1069 Words   |  5 Pageslike an outcast is someo ne who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that includes â€Å"anxiety, nightmares, irritability, and feelings of isolation and withdrawal† (Mental Health Awareness PTSD 1). Those who struggle from post-traumatic stress disorder have experienced a traumatic life event and the repercussions of that are difficult to cope with. Through this, many post-traumatic stress disorder victims that are untreated â€Å"tragically†¦ endRead MoreThe Effects Of Food Bank Of New York City s Cookshop Program On Educating Nutritional Awareness1268 Words   |  6 PagesSchool Cafeteria by 6-8 Year Olds Translate into Consumption? Results of a cafeteria observation study Discussion: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of the Food Bank of New York City’s CookShop Program on educating nutritional awareness. By using photography, before and after pictures of meals were taken in order to measure the consumption and choosing of various food groups such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, and protein. The lunch trays of the sample were examinedRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )1444 Words   |  6 PagesOvsanna Balian (ID: 60294385) Dr. Yim – Human Stress 2 December 2014 PTSD in War Veterans Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that is fairly common with individuals that have experienced trauma, especially war veterans. One in five war veterans that have done service in the Iraq or Afghanistan war are diagnosed with PTSD. My group decided to focus on PTSD in war veterans because it is still a controversial part of stressful circumstances that needs further discussion. The lifetimeRead MoreThe Effects Of Extreme Abuse And Neglect Is The Development Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )1518 Words   |  7 Pagesneglect. It is also estimated that 50% of adolescents have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event (De Arellano and Danielson 2008). One particular consequence of extreme abuse and neglect is the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Symptoms of PTSD include persistent and recurrent invasive thoughts focused around the traumatic event, avoidance of symbolic representations related to the traumatic event, increased arousal incl uding difficulties sleeping, irritability, concentration

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Hotel Case Free Essays

The Royal Hotel Case Study describes a situation where a junior consultant has architected a hotel maintenance management and issue tracking solution for a boutique hotel client. Blake, the consultant, identified a hotel maintenance management package which included a Rapid Response issue logging module, Preventative Maintenance module and the Reporting Module. Blake left the engagement prior to the completion of the change and has been called back because the system has been month balled a few weeks after go live. We will write a custom essay sample on Hotel Case or any similar topic only for you Order Now The hotel GM and Blake’s boss are extremely unhappy. The Cast of characters Blake Cantera An MBA student with two weeks consulting training. The architect of the solution on his first engagement Royal Hotel GM A no nonsense, old school hotelier, running a boutique business hotel in New York. The GM wants to eliminate situations where guests discover maintenance issues. Director of Housekeeping Not a champion for the system and does not take ownership for the maintenance issues at the hotel Director of Maintenance Roll has a natural conflict with housekeeping – did housekeeping report the issues and maintenance lose it, or did housekeeping just not report it? Director IT Espresso Vendor Potentially oversold the solution as a panacea Jack Scarso A colleague of Blake’s with similar experience, who is held in low esteem. Jack was assigned to implement the solution when Blake was transferred off. Jack received virtually no handover. Fancy Consultants Boss The kind of boss who provides little support and mountains of expectation and appears to take little or no responsibility for the issues. Issues with the solution and approach The implementation of the Espresso system would classify as a second order change which impacts Technology, Process and People and requires careful planning on how to overcome the End Users resistance to change which could dramatically impact the adoption of the system. The GM is an â€Å"Old School† hotelier however the proposed solution is a very â€Å"New School† solution; relying on digital logging, reporting and electronic task tracking rather than relationships and hierarchy for effectiveness, this suggests some ultural challenges that would appear not to have been addressed. The staff who are required to interact with the system will undergo process and cultural changes The way that housekeeping report issues changes – instead of waiting until the end of the shift they now report issues using the phone as they come across them. Maintenance teams are now being tracked using the sidekick and bar code system, to ensure stations are visited. Additionally repor ting has been implemented to identify top performers and motivate staff. As such attention to managing the people dimension to ensure that the change is adopted is critical to the success of the initiative In-experienced change implementor acting without supervision or guidance. Change in key resources during the implementation with little effective transition or handover. Limited or no executive or general management oversight or support of the implementation from FC, the Royal Hotel or the Vendor. What should Blake do? Firstly, Blake needs to ensure that the Espresso System has the comitment of the full management team. After all, these are the people who let the system get mothballed so quickly. This means assembling the stakeholders and seeking their commitment to the success of this initiative – this is not just Blakes’ problem and Blake can’t fix it by himself – the system needs to be owned. Next Blake needs to understand what the current situation is which will involve clarifying the following Why did the employees stop using the system Why did the Directors of Maintenance and Housekeeping let their employees stop using the system? What needs of the employees did the old system better suit? How was the bar coding of maintenance points deployed? Did the management team receive the new reports and were their requirements catered for with the reporting tools? How were job changes managed and assigned – for example monitoring the Command Centre? Infrastructure – did the solution integrate with existing infrastructure – were the reports accessible? Were the sidekick units adopted? Through this process of analysis Blake can produce a post implementation review and and action plan for system design modifications, change management, training and re-release. How to cite Hotel Case, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

In the first crusade a man by the name of Godfrey Essay Example For Students

In the first crusade a man by the name of Godfrey Essay of Bouillon and other french lords led the way. They marched from Constantinople and they went through some lands that were claimed by the Seljuk Turks to get to Antioch. Battles with isolated turkic forces happened along the way until Godfrey of Bouillons brother set up the first crusade in Edessa. The Crusaders eventually captured Antioch their progress was slowed because of some inconvenience between themselves and on August 1908 was when they reached jerusalem. Godfrey dies and Baldwin leaves Edessa to become the first king of the Jerusalem, the Christian Kingdom. Most who survived the trip returned home. After the first crusade european lords tried to secure their rule over the states conquered by the first crusaders, but when muslim forces came back and attacked Edessa the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights, and the Knights Hospitaller rode under the banner of the second crusade. The two monarchs of Emperor Conrad III of Germany and King Louis VII of France, pledged to the cause and both of them led armies into the Holy Land. The crusader instead of focusing on Edessa, led an attack on Damascus and it turned out to be a failure. Many crusaders returned home, the ones who stayed were focused on defending the Kingdom of Jerusalem meanwhile the muslim forces were becoming more power and enclosed them in a circle. In the middle of the 12th century, the Turkic ruler Saladin volunteered to lead the Seljuks and managed to unite the broken apart muslim armies of North Africa and Southwest Asia. Saladin thought that the Christian armies were in the wrong and strongly agreed to have them evicted. At the moment Saladin conquered Jerusalem, a request for another crusade was called for all around europe. The request caused three kings to come forward, King Phillip II of France, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, and King Richard I of England. Those were the three who led this Third Crusade which accomplished very little. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa died on the way of the crusade, King Phillip returned back home after the capture of Acre the only one of the three who stayed was King Richard who became known as Richard the Lionheart. King Richard led many attacks to Jerusalem but was never able to take over city. 1198, Pope Innocent III calls for a new crusade but it was not because of events happening in the Holy Land but out of desire to elevate the papacy but it didnt achieve to rouse any monarchs. This crusade was led mostly by French knights, and they set out towards the Holy Land. The Venetian Lords did nothing but distract the French Knights on their journey to the Holy Land by convincing them to take over the wealth and splendor of Eastern Orthodox Constantinople instead. So now, the fourth crusade took over the capital of the Byzantine Empire which was a Christian city. Most of the crusades that came after the fourth crusade were poor, they were horribly organized and they had very little support. The fifth crusade, led by King Andrew II of Hungary, traveled first to the Holy Land and after he went to Egypt, but he failed. The sixth crusade led by Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire, was the most successful after the fourth crusade. Fredericks troops reclaimed Jerusalem in 1228. But unfortunately the kingdom was plagued by civil war which made them weak in their interior structure which allowed the Muslim armies to attack.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Descriptive essay Mom Essays

Descriptive essay Mom Essays Descriptive essay Mom Essay Descriptive essay Mom Essay Mom My mother and I walk through the faded downtown streets. She looks around for a small restaurant to host my fifth birthday dinner. She points across the street to a small Italian restaurant that looks faded from the years. Her soft green eyes look down at me as we stop at the light. Her lips part as if shes going to speak, but they spread to a gentle smile. She looks up and the light catches her earring and makes it shine and shimmer. After a few seconds pass, the light turns green and my mothers hind fingers wrap around my hand as we proceeded walking across the striped lines that run across the busy street. The warmth in her hand makes me feel comfort, and security. Her feet moved softly across the pavement, each step seeming careful and precise. I look up from her feet to see what caught over my hand. Her light gray sweater blows back catching on our Joint hands which reveal the blue shirt shes wearing underneath. We reach the opposite side of the street at a slow pace. We stop next to a street lamp thats bursting with light. My mother releases my hand to tend to her sweater. She buttons the two white buttons designed with a pink flower. The sweater is concealing all but the top of her blue shirt. She then brings her large hands up to her hair thats kept up by a small clip. She releases the clip and her hair falls below her shoulders in beautiful waves. She places the clip In the small purse she carries on her right shoulder. She reaches back down to grab my hand as we continue walking down the faded street to the small Italian restaurant. We reach the faded red door of the restaurant. My mother kneels In front of me releasing my hand. She strokes my cheek and tells me happy birthday. Before she starts to stand I wrap my small arms around her. She lets out a small laugh and picks me up slowly. She places me softly back on the ground before turning towards the faded door. My mothers right hand reaches for the square shaped handle. As she pulls the heavy door her knuckles turn white. She stares at the happiness on my face, and returns It with a grin. Her perfect teeth show between her lips, In her perfect smile. She unlocks our tightly bound hands and gently pushes me through the door. Descriptive essay Mom By calcimining falls below her shoulders in beautiful waves. She places the clip in the small purse faded red door of the restaurant. My mother kneels in front of me releasing my door her knuckles turn white. She stares at the happiness on my face, and returns it with a grin. Her perfect teeth show between her lips, in her perfect smile. She

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Why were the framers of the Constitution concerned about the central Essay

Why were the framers of the Constitution concerned about the central government having too much power How did they address that issue Include proper in-text citations in APA format to support your answer - Essay Example The government was divided into three arms: the legislative, judicial and executive. Each arm had its specific and separate powers bestowed on it. In order to monitor the powers of these divisions, each arm was granted capacity to monitor the other two arms of the government. This would check that no arms gains excessive power. To make sure that the powers of the national government did not override the powers of the state governments, some powers were delegated to the federal government while some was reserved for the state government. Other power was shared between the two governments. This was termed as federalism. This made kept the balance that the central government did not have extreme powers while the state government powers were not dwarfed (Hames & Ekern,

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Chocolate Cake and Diet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chocolate Cake and Diet - Essay Example On the first half I gave up, I could not stop myself I just wanted more so I took a deep breath and the bitter and sweet smell filled my senses with happiness. The deep shades of brown covering the entire area around my mouth was quiet funny I could not believe myself that I could be that vulnerable regarding my obsession with chocolates and chocolate cakes. The most hateful aspect about being on a strict diet and one that was very painful was, not allowed to have chocolates. Especially on birthdays, over the years what made my birthdays so special were not the parties, balloons or the people but the dessert! On my every birthday I would have my favorite chocolate flourless, double layered with the thickest layer of chocolate fudge frosting. But all the wonderful sweet birthdays I had and despite all the fun I had in those birthdays, this day was simply the best. I took all my pent up frustration from having to eat veggies or organic foods over this luscious piece of cake. Although a slice of this cake meant hours and hours of workout and a day full of soups and only fruits but it was worth the sacrifice.It was the best slice of cake I had in my life, which changed the entire picture in my mind; I did not know that something could taste that heavenly. The ecstasy I felt when I took my first bite ended on remorse when I took the last so I finishes eating and dabbed my chocolate covered lips taking in the last remaining wisps and crumbs of the cake. It felt like one amazing experience.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Quantitve and qualitative method of research, sociology Essay

Quantitve and qualitative method of research, sociology - Essay Example Research methodology is the procedural framework within which the research is conducted. The methodology would depend upon the topic to be researched and the specific research questions are the primary drivers. Positivism (quantitative with hypothesis testing) and interpretivism (qualitative with hypothesis generalizations) are the different types of research philosophies, each has its own purposes and advantages. Research philosophy highlights two different schools of thought on the how to conduct research. Arguments should be evaluated in different ways because primarily arguments have different roles and purposes and people assess according to the purpose in their mind. At times arguments provide useful information depending on one’s knowledge of how the world works. In a different setting, one can take an abstract approach and ask what follows from a given set of information and then decide on the outcome. Arguments can be evaluated in two qualitatively different ways – in terms of their deductive correctness or in terms of inductive strength (Rips, 2001). Quantitative methodology is a positivist approach in sociology research. Positivism is characterized by operational definitions, objectivity, replicability and causality (Bryman, 1984). Through questionnaire items the concepts can be operationalized; objectivity can be obtained by maintaining distance between the observer and the observed. By applying the same research instrument in another context replication can be maintained and causality is handled through path analysis and related regression techniques. Quantitative investigations look for â€Å"distinguishing characteristics, elemental properties and empirical boundaries’ and tend to measure â€Å"how much† or â€Å"how often† (Nau, 1995 cited by Amaratunga et al.,). Quantitative research designs determine the truth value of propositions and allow flexibility in the

Friday, November 15, 2019

Sequence Alignment and Dynamic Programming

Sequence Alignment and Dynamic Programming Introduction Sequence alignment Sequence alignment is a standard method to compare two or more sequences by looking for a series of individual characters or character patterns that are in the same order in the sequences [1]. Also, it is a way of arranging two or more sequences of characters to recognize regions of similarity [2]. Importance of sequence alignment Sequence alignment is significant because in bimolecular sequences (DNA, RNA, or protein), high sequence similarity usually implies important functional or structural similarity that is the first step of many biological analysis [3]. Besides, sequence alignment can address significant questions such as detecting gene sequences that cause disease or susceptibility to disease, identifying changes in gene sequences that cause evolution, finding the relationship between various gene sequences that can indicate the common ancestry [4], detecting functionally important sites, and demonstrating mutation events [5]. Analysis of the alignment can reveal important information. It is possible to identify the parts of the sequences that are likely to be important for the function, if the proteins are involved in similar processes .The random mutations can accumulate more easily in parts of the sequence of a protein which are not very essential for its function. In the parts of the sequence that are essential for the function hardly any mutations will be accepted because approximately all changes in such regions will destroy the function [6]. Moreover, Sequence alignment is important for assigning function to unknown proteins [7]. Protein alignment of two residues implies that those residues perform similar roles in the two different proteins [8]. Methods The main purpose of sequence alignments methods is finding maximum degree of similarities and minimum evolutionary distance. Generally, computational approaches to solve sequence alignment problems can be divided into two categories: global alignments and local alignments. Global alignments traverse the entire length of all query sequences, and match as many characters as possible from end to end. These alignment methods are most useful when the sequences have approximately the same size or they are similar. The alignment is performed from beginning of the sequence to end of the sequences to find out the best possible alignment. On the other hand, Local alignments find the local regions with high level of similarity. They are more useful for sequences that are suspected to contain regions of similarity within their larger sequence context. [9] Besides, pairwise sequence alignment is used to find the regions of similarity between two sequences. As the number of sequences increases, comparing each and every sequence to every other may be impossible. So, we need multiple sequence alignment, where all similar sequences can be compared in one single figure or table. The basic idea is that the sequences are aligned on top of each other, so that a coordinate system is set up, where each row is the sequence for one protein, and each column is the same position in each sequence. [10] There are many different approaches and implementations of the methods to perform sequence alignment. These include techniques such as dynamic programming , heuristic algorithms (BLAST and FASTA similarity searching), probabilistic methods, dot-matrix methods, progressive methods, ClustalW , MUSCLE , T-Coffee , and DIALIGN. Dynamic programming Dynamic programming (DP) is a problem solving method for a class of problems that can be solved by dividing them down into simpler sub-problems. It finds the alignment by giving some scores for matches and mismatches (Scoring matrices).This method is widely used in sequence alignments problems. [11] However, when the number of the sequences is more than two, multiple dimensional Dynamic programming in infeasible because of the large storage and computational complexities.[16] Dynamic programming algorithms use gap penalties to increase the biological meaning [9]. There are different gap penalties such as linear gap, constant gap, gap open and gap extension. The gap score is a penalty given to alignment when there is insertion or deletion. There may be a case where there are continuous gaps all along the sequence during the evolution, so the linear gap penalty would not be suitable for the alignment. Therefore, gap opening penalty and gap extension penalty has been introduced when there are continuous gaps. The gap opening penalty is applied at the start of the gap, and then the other gap following it is given with a gap extension penalty which will be less compared to the open penalty. Different gap penalty functions require different dynamic programming algorithms [12]. Also; there is a substitution matrix to score alignments. The mainly used predefined scoring matrices for sequence alignment are PAM (Point Accepted Mutation) and BLOSUM (Blocks Substitut ion Matrix). The two algorithms, Smith-Waterman for local alignment and Needleman-Wunsch for global alignment, are based on dynamic programming. Needleman-Wunsch algorithm requires alignment score for a pair of residues to be equal or more than zero. No gap penalty is required, and score cannot decrease between two cells of pathway. Smith-Waterman requires a gap penalty to work efficiently. Residue alignment score may be positive or negative .Score can increase, decrease, or stay level between two cells of pathway [13]. Sequence Alignment Problems For an n-character sequence s, and an m-character sequence t , we construct an (n+1)Ãâ€"(m+1)matrix . Global alignment: F ( i, j ) = score of the best alignment of s[1i ] with t[1j] Local alignment: F ( i, j ) = score of the best alignment of a suffix of s[1i ] and a suffix of t[1j] There are three steps in the sequence alignments algorithms: Initialization In the initialization phase, we assign values for the first row and column of the alignment matrix .The next step of the algorithm depends on this. Fill In the fill stage, the entire matrix is filled with scores from top to bottom, left to right with appropriate values that depend on the gap penalties and scoring matrix. Trace back For each F ( i, j ), save pointers to cell that resulted in best score . For global alignment, we trace pointers back from F (m, n) to F(0, 0) to recover sequence alignments . For local alignment, we are looking for the maximum value of the F (i, j) that can be anywhere in the matrix. We trace pointers back from F (i, j) and stop when we get to a cell with value 0. Local alignment with scoring matrix After creating and initializing the alignment matrix ( F ) and trace back matrix, the score of F (i, j) for every cell is calculated as follows: For i = 1 to n+1 For j = 1 to m+1 left_score= F[i][ j-1] gap, diagonal_score=F[i-1[ j-1] + PAM250(s[i], t[j]), up_score= F[i-1][ j] gap scores=max[ 0, left_score, diagonal_score, up_score] Also, we should keep the reference to each cell to perform backtracking. traceback_matrix[i][j]= scores.index(F[i][j]) After filling the F matrix, we find the optimal alignment score and the optimal end points by finding the highest scoring cell, maxi,jF(i , j) . best_score has a default value equals to -1 . if F [i][j] > best_score: best_score= F [i][j] i_maximum_score, j_maximum_score = i, j To recover the optimal alignment, we trace back from i_maximum_score, j_maximum_score position , terminating the trace back when we reach a cell with score 0 . The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn) which m is the length of sequence s , and n is the length of sequence t. Local alignment with affine gap penalty For this problem, there are gap opening penalty and gap extension penalty. The gap opening penalty is applied at the start of the gap, and then the other gap following it is given with a gap extension penalty. Initialization: There are Four different matrices: up_score , left_score ,m_score , trace_back Filling matrix: For i = 1 to n+1: up_score[i][0] = -gap_opening_penalty-(i-1)*gap_extension_penalty For j = 1 to m+1: left_score[0][j] = -gap_opening_penalty-(j-1)*gap_extension_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: For j = 1 to m+1: up_score [i][j] = max( [up_score [i][j-1] gap_extension_penalty, m_score[i][j-1] gap_opening_penalty] ) Left_score[i][j] = max( [left_score[i-1][j] gap_extension_penalty, m_score[i-1][j] gap_opening_penalty] ) m_score[i][j] = BLOSUM62 (s[i], t[j])) +max( m_score [i-1][j-1], left_score [i-1][j-1], up_score [i-1][j-1] ) scores = [left_score[i-1][j-1], m_score[i-1][j-1] ,up_score[i-1][j-1], 0] We find the highest scoring cell, the position of that cell,and the best alignment by following the same steps as we accomplished in the previous problem. The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn). Global alignment with constant gap penalty In this case every gap receives a fixed score, regardless of the gap length For i = 1 to m+1: alignment_matrix[i][0] = -gap_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: alignment_matrix[0][j] = -gap_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: For j = 1 to m+1: scores = [alignment_matrix[i][j-1] gap_penalty,alignment_matrix[i-1][j] gap_penalty, alignment_matrix[i-1][j-1] + BLOSUM62 (s[i], t[j]),) alignment_matrix[i][j] = max(scores) alignment_matrix[m][n] holds the optimal alignment score. The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn) which m is the length of sequence s , and n is the length of sequence t. Global alignment with scoring matrix In this problem there is a linear gap that each inserted or deleted symbol is charged g; as a result, if the length of the gap L; the total gap penalty would be the product of the two gL. For i = 1 to m+1: alignment_matrix[i][0] = -i*gap_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: alignment_matrix[0][j] = -j*gap_penalty scores = [alignment_matrix[i][j-1] gap_penalty,alignment_matrix[i-1][j] gap_penalty, alignment_matrix[i-1][j-1] + BLOSUM62 (s[i], t[j]),) alignment_matrix[i][j] = max(scores) alignment_matrix[m][n] holds the optimal alignment score. The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn) which m is the length of sequence s , and n is the length of sequence t. Global alignment with scoring matrix and affine gap penalty There are Four different matrices: up_score , left_score ,m_score , trace_back Filling matrix: For i = 1 to n+1: up_score[i][0] = -gap_opening_penalty-(i-1)*gap_extension_penalty For j = 1 to m+1: left_score[0][j] = -gap_opening_penalty-(j-1)*gap_extension_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: For j = 1 to m+1: up_score [i][j] = max( [up_score [i][j-1] gap_extension_penalty, m_score[i][j-1] gap_opening_penalty] ) Left_score[i][j] = max( [left_score[i-1][j] gap_extension_penalty, m_score[i-1][j] gap_opening_penalty] ) m_score[i][j] = BLOSUM62 (s[i], t[j])) +max( m_score [i-1][j-1], left_score [i-1][j-1], up_score [i-1][j-1] ) maximum_alignment_score = max(m_score[m][n], left_score[m][n], up_score[m][n]) The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn) which m is the length of sequence s , and n is the length of sequence t. The above algorithms require too much time for searching large databases so we cannot use these algorithms. There are several methods to overcome this problem. Heuristic Method It is an algorithm that gives only approximate solution to a problem. Sometimes we are not able to formally prove that this solution actually solves the problem, but since heuristic methods are much faster than exact algorithms, they are commonly used . FASTA is a heuristic method for sequence alignment .The main idea of this method is choosing regions of the two sequences that have some degree of similarity, and using dynamic programming to compute local alignment in these regions. The disadvantage of using these methods is losing significant amount of sensitivity. Parallelization is a possible solution for solving this problem.[14] Parallel Algorithm In this paper [ 15 ] a parallel method is introduced to reduce the complexity of the dynamic programming algorithm for pairwise sequence alignment. The time consumption of sequential algorithm mainly depends on the computation of the score matrix .For calculating the score of each cell, the computation of F(i,j) can be started only when F(i-1,j-1), F(i-1,j) and F(i,j-1) acquire their values. Consequently, it is possible to conduct the computation of score matrix sequentially in order of anti-diagonals .So, the values in the same anti-diagonal can be calculated simultaneously. ( Figure 1 ) Figure1 .Computing score matrix in parallel manner .The values of the cells marked by à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   can be computed simultaneously. There are two models for problem solving using parallel method that improve the performance of the pairwise alignment algorithm. Pipeline model: Each row of the score matrix is computed successively by a processor, which blocks itself until the required values in the above row are computed. Anti-diagonal model: From the left-top corner to the right-bottom corner of score matrix, all processors compute concurrently along an anti-diagonal of the matrix. Each idle processor selects a cell from the current anti-diagonal and computes its value. When all values in current anti-diagonal are computed, the computation moves on to next anti-diagonal. In the algorithm that is based on the pipeline model, the score matrix is partitioned into several blocks by column and several bands by row. All the bands distributed to multiple processors, and each processor computes the block in its own band simultaneously. By applying parallel algorithm, The time complexity is O(n) when n processor is used. [15] Progressive Method For solving multiple sequence alignment problems, the most common algorithm used is progressive method. This algorithm consists of three main stapes. First, comparing all the sequences with each other, and producing similarity scores ( distance matrix) . This stage is parallelized. The second stapes groups the most similar sequences together using the similarity scores and a clustering method such as Neighbor-Joining to create a guide tree. Finally, the third stage sequentially aligns the most similar sequences and groups of sequences until all the sequences are aligned. Before alignment with a pairwise dynamic programming algorithm, groups of aligned sequences are converted into profiles. A profile represents the character frequencies for each column in an alignment. In the final stage, for aligning groups of sequences, trace back information from full pairwise alignment is required.[ 17 ] ClustalW This algorithm that has become the most popular for multiple sequence alignment implements progressive method. The time complexity of this method is O (N 4 + L 2) and the space complexity is O (N2 + L 2). [18] Conclusion By comparing the different methods to implement pairwise sequence alignment and multiple sequence alignment , we can conclude that using parallel algorithms that implement pipeline model or anti-diagonal model are effective algorithm for performing pairwise sequence alignments. The algorithms that implement progressive method such as ClustalW are effective algorithm for solving multiple sequence alignments problems. References Robert F. Murphy, Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University www.cmu.edu/bio//LecturesPart03.ppt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequence_alignment Dan Gusfield, Algorithms on Strings, Trees and Sequences: Computer Science and Computational Biology (Cambridge University Press, 1997). http://cs.calvin.edu/activities/blasted/intro03.html http://www.embl.de/~seqanal/courses/commonCourseContent/commonMsaExercises.html Per Kraulis , Stockholm Bioinformatics Center, SBC ,http://www.avatar.se/molbioinfo2001/seqali-why.html http://iitb.vlab.co.in/?sub=41brch=118sim=656cnt=1 Andreas D. Baxevanis, B. F. Francis Ouellett ,Bioinformatics: A Practical Guide to the Analysis of Genes and Proteins http://amrita.vlab.co.in/?sub=3brch=274sim=1433cnt=1 David S.Moss, Sibila Jelaska, Sandor Pongor, Essays in Bioinformatics, ISB 1-58603-539-8 http://amrita.vlab.co.in/?sub=3brch=274sim=1431cnt=1 Burr Settles, Sequence Alignment, IBS Summer Research Program 2008, http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~bsettles/ibs08/lectures/02-alignment.pdf Aoife McLysaght, Biological Sequence Comparision/Database Homology Searching, The University of Dublin, http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~lily/pres2/sld001.htm Rapid alignment methods FASTA and BLAST http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/bioinformatiikka/mbi/courses/07-08/itb/slides/itb0708_slides_83-116.pdf Yang Chen, Songnian Yu, Ming Ling, Parallel Sequence Alignment Algorithm For Clustering System, School of Computer Enginnering and science, Shanghai University Heitor S. Lope, Carlos R ,Erig Lima , Guilherme L. Morit , A Parallel Algorithm for Large-Scale Multiple Sequence Alignment , Bioinformatics Laboratory/CPGE Federal University of Technology – Paran ÃÅ'  Scott Lloyd, Quinn O Snel , Accelerated large-scale multiple sequence alignment Kridsadakorn Chaichoompu, Surin Kittitornkun, and Sissades Tongsima ,MT-ClustalW: Multithreading Multiple Sequence Alignment

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

London After the Fire Essay -- British History, Annus Mirabilis

Depending on how you view life will influence how you feel about the city you live in. People who live an honest life and see the glass half full will be more hopeful about tragedies. People who do not live an honest life and see the glass half empty will be more disparaging during tragedies. An optimist will also look at tragedy as a time of rebuilding where a pessimist will look at the same tragedy as life as we know it over. In this essay I will describe the view of London from Dyden's Annus Mirabilis and Pepys' Diary, I will discuss what each excerpt have in common and what differs with regards to the representation of the Great Fire of 1666, I will display each author's attitude toward the city, the nation and its people and finally showcase which writer is more optimistic of the city's future. By the very first line in Annus Mirabilis you can see that the author viewed the city before the fire as a great city that has made a turn for the worst "Yet London, empress of the northern clime, By an high fate thou greatly didst expire" (2085, 1-2). Dryden felt the city had claimed too much fame and possibly too much sin. This poem is remnant of the story from the bible of Sodom and Gomorrah because those cities were destined to be destroyed by God for the people of the cities sinful nature. Dryden must have believed London needed to suffer the same fate, but instead of being completely destroyed and gone forever London is not entirely burned and is rebuilt better than it was before "Great as the world's, which at the death of time Must fall, and rise a nobler frame by fire" (2085, 3-4). Looking into how Pepys feels about London it is a bit more difficult to decipher because he is writing... ...d this will keep him from having the sky come crashing down if everything does not turn out as he believes it will. In this essay, I have described the view of London from Dyden's Annus Mirabilis and Pepys' Diary. I have also discussed what each excerpt has in common and what differs with regards to the representation of the Great Fire of 1666. I have depicted each author's attitude toward the city, the nation and its people and finally showcased Dryden as the more optimistic writer with regards to the city's future. Remembering to look at the positive side of things when there is a tragedy is sometimes what makes us resilient enough to rise out of the ashes and rebuild. Every place on earth experiences tragedy and it is not the tragedy that defines people, but it is the actions they take afterwards that stakes claim in who they really are. London After the Fire Essay -- British History, Annus Mirabilis Depending on how you view life will influence how you feel about the city you live in. People who live an honest life and see the glass half full will be more hopeful about tragedies. People who do not live an honest life and see the glass half empty will be more disparaging during tragedies. An optimist will also look at tragedy as a time of rebuilding where a pessimist will look at the same tragedy as life as we know it over. In this essay I will describe the view of London from Dyden's Annus Mirabilis and Pepys' Diary, I will discuss what each excerpt have in common and what differs with regards to the representation of the Great Fire of 1666, I will display each author's attitude toward the city, the nation and its people and finally showcase which writer is more optimistic of the city's future. By the very first line in Annus Mirabilis you can see that the author viewed the city before the fire as a great city that has made a turn for the worst "Yet London, empress of the northern clime, By an high fate thou greatly didst expire" (2085, 1-2). Dryden felt the city had claimed too much fame and possibly too much sin. This poem is remnant of the story from the bible of Sodom and Gomorrah because those cities were destined to be destroyed by God for the people of the cities sinful nature. Dryden must have believed London needed to suffer the same fate, but instead of being completely destroyed and gone forever London is not entirely burned and is rebuilt better than it was before "Great as the world's, which at the death of time Must fall, and rise a nobler frame by fire" (2085, 3-4). Looking into how Pepys feels about London it is a bit more difficult to decipher because he is writing... ...d this will keep him from having the sky come crashing down if everything does not turn out as he believes it will. In this essay, I have described the view of London from Dyden's Annus Mirabilis and Pepys' Diary. I have also discussed what each excerpt has in common and what differs with regards to the representation of the Great Fire of 1666. I have depicted each author's attitude toward the city, the nation and its people and finally showcased Dryden as the more optimistic writer with regards to the city's future. Remembering to look at the positive side of things when there is a tragedy is sometimes what makes us resilient enough to rise out of the ashes and rebuild. Every place on earth experiences tragedy and it is not the tragedy that defines people, but it is the actions they take afterwards that stakes claim in who they really are.

Monday, November 11, 2019

What is NATO for?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is some 1949 alliance involving 26 North America and Europe nations. It objectives are to protect the se4curity and freedom of member states though military and political means. NATO is the principal security association within Europe. The alliance helps shield allies have modernized their shared strategic theory, upheld NATO’s amalgamated military organization, and carry on conducting mutual military scheduling, exercises and training. The allies have generated fresh fora and policies for boosting dialogue with previously communist nations of eastern and central Europe. Most importantly, NATO has had a major contribution in the enforcement of UN Security Council deliberations within what was once called Yugoslavia (Kaplan, 2004, 22). NATO has some significant function in controlling and containing militarized disputes within eastern and central Europe. It even strives to evade such conflicts by vigorously encouraging stability in what was once the Soviet community. NATO aided in stabilizing Western Europe, the states of which were formerly usually bitter enemies. Through solving the dilemma regarding security as well as offering some institutional system for building of shared security strategies, the alliance has had a contribution in rendering utilization of forceful modes as regards the relationships of the nations within such a region almost inconceivable (Duffeld, 1995). NATO persists in the enhancement of member country security with regard to external hazards through a number of methods. Firstly, NATO upholds the tactical balance within Europe by counterbalancing the lingering danger emanating from the Russian military strength. Secondly, is assists to tackle emerging fresh dangers, encompassing the intricate dangers that could result from the disputes among and within the nations of eastern and central Europe. Thirdly, it obstructs such dangers from occurring by working towards nurturing stability within what was once the soviet community (Churchill, 2006). Western European countries strive to uphold some counterbalance to former Soviet Union’s residual armed forces power, particularly the nuclear ability of Russia. Another post-cold war function of NATO is shielding of member states from an assortment of freshly emerging dangers. More focus has been directed to potential perils emanating out of Middle East and North Africa, partly due to the proliferation of expertise for developing missiles as well as weapons of mass destruction within such areas. The most prominent among fresh external dangers are however, territorial, ethnic as well as national disputes among and within the eastern and central European nations. These disputes are able to produce many immigrants or as well overflow into neighboring nations’ territories, NATO member states included. In the most extreme of cases, outside nations could sense the compulsion to get involved, thus stoking broadening of enmity, as happened at the start of World War II. Despite the fact that NATO has not been able to terminate such conflicts so far, the alliance assists in tackling the issues emanating from the disputes through a number of modes. Firstly, NATO shield member nations from probable overflow of armed forces hostilities. Although none of NATO member nations has ever received serious threats in such a way, the alliance’s extensive experience in arranging member nation defenses ensures NATO is adequately ready to handle such emergencies (Sandler, Hartley, 1999, 16). NATO as well assists other nations to avoid being inducted into such conflicts. NATO’s existence assures member nations located near such a zone that they will receive assistance in tackling nearby conflicts in the event that such conflicts shoot up and overflow, thus minimizing the motivation to unilaterally get involved. Instead, the presence of NATO assists in ensuring that military participation of western nations in these disputes, if at all it happens, is consensual and collective. The likelihood of some quick, coordinated response from NATO could deter other nations from interfering (http://www. nato. int/docu/speech/2003/s031103a. htm). NATO in 1992 reached a consensus to avail NATO property in the support of peacekeeping actions sanctioned by the United Nations (UN) Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). At the beginning of 1994, NATO as well endorsed the construction of some mechanism named Combined Joint Task Forces (C JTF) which would allow member coalitions (coalitions of the willing) to utilize shared alliance possessions for particular actions outside the accord zone. Most spectacularly, NATO has acquired vital experience in what was once Yugoslavia. NATO personnel have imposed the Adriatic maritime barricade as well as a no-fly region over Bosnia. NATO as well offered defensive air authority for United Nations ground forces. They utilized the warning of air ambushes to secure seclusion regions for serious arms around the united nations-selected safe Gorazde zone and Sarajevo. Pursuant to the disintegration of socialism, numerous former soviet community nations have embarked on aggressive economic and political reforms. Europe has substantial stakes in such efforts because failure may result to mass migrations, Domestic strife, armed disputes and direct dangers to surrounding NATO member states as well. NATO encourages stability within the previous soviet community through 2 ways. Firstly, the alliance directly nurtures political restructuring success within the area. Starting in 1990, the alliance has initiated a broad spectrum of institutions and programs for consultation regarding security concerns, most conspicuously the Partnership for Peace (PfP) and the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). NATO may utilize such initiatives to aid the young regimes to restructure their security structures, planning procedures and policies (Greenwood, 1993). Such fresh arrangements may particularly strengthen democratic management of the military as well as reverence for civilian power through inducting eastern and central European heads to western civil-military associations’ models. Secondly, the alliance boosts eastern and central European security though reassuring such nations that they will be assisted in case they receive outside threats. This helps such states to abandon possibly destabilizing activities as well as to follow their aggressive domestic restructuring agendas with more confidence. Starting from 1990, NATO’S North Atlantic Council has constantly issued candid oral statements of awareness as happened during 1991’s soviet coup d'etat attempt. The NACC permits states in the former Soviet Union to state their issues as well as discuss varied issues regularly as they engage their counterparts in NATO as identical partners. The freshly approved PfP provides every member official dialogue with NATO, in the vent that such a member perceives some direct danger to their security, as well as solid military liaisons with NATO member states through contribution to several military operations and activities (http://www. ato. int/docu/speech/2003/s031103a. htm). Since its formative years, NATO has significantly worked towards normalizing relationships among member states. Extremely important among NATO’s intra-alliance roles is reassurance. NATO’s existence assures member states that they should not fear each other. The alliance minimizes the likel ihood of disputes among western European member states in 3 ways including: increasing stability; tying the US to Europe so as to guarantee the upholding of the equilibrium of authority within the area; and inhibiting re-nationalization of such nation’s security strategies. A significant likely cause of conflict between nations is misunderstanding and misperception among nations. Without reliable and detailed data, policy makers could overstate the offensive armed capacities of other nations or misconstrue foreign objectives, usually regarding them as being more antagonistic that they are in the actual sense. They as well are inclined to overlooking the safety issues their own activities could arouse abroad (Kaplan, 2004, 41). Therefore, international relationships are usually characterized by mistrust and suspicion. NATO assists in avoiding the mergence of such damaging dynamics; it instead encourages mutual self-assurance though facilitating elevated intra-alliance honesty. Contribution to NATO’s force strategizing procedure requires member states to share detailed data regarding their armed forces, defense financial statements as well as future strategies. Owing to this institutionalized transparency, member states only hide a few secret from their counterparts, and they possess minimal motivations to do likewise. NATO also nurtures reassurance for member states through undertaking integration of members’ security strategies. To different but normally significant extents, Nations formulate as well as implement their defense strategies jointly as members of NATO as opposed to on exclusively state basis. Such security strategy denationalization neutralizes the usual competition and enmity for military supremacy that could otherwise happen amongst the key European big shots, it also assists to prevent any usage of armed forces posturing to attain political clout in Europe (Churchill, 2006). In case re-nationalization happens, this could result to issues regarding internal inequities within Western Europe as well as arouse fresh competition, conflict and mistrust. NATO encourages security strategy denationalization in a number of ways. NATO’S consultative arms, force scheduling procedures as well as integrated armed systems assist to develop a shared identity amongst member states. Frequent and comprehensive dialogue results to an elevated level of common understanding. Cooperative force scheduling assists reshape member states armed forces posture in order to reflect NATO-wide, as opposed to, national concerns. Also, assignments to NATO’s military associations and civilian officialdoms socialize military personnel and state officials into some shared NATO customs. Additionally contribution to NATO’s combined military system fosters minimized military independence among member states, particularly within central Europe; because it permits members relinquish or at the minimum deemphasize several components vital for an autonomous military capacity. Numerous European nations, For instance, rely heavily upon the alliance’s multinational space early caution force as well as its combined air protection structures. Small as well as big nations have given up their capability to undertake particular missions, like the sweeping of mines and air surveillance, with the intention of husbanding security resources, after having known that counterpart allies could undertake such missions (Duffeld, 1995). International integration develops a measure of shared control through increasing the extent of joint contribution to operational and organization planning. Therefore, the persistent existence of the multinational military system imposes restraints upon the capability of numerous member states to utilize their armed personnel for purely state objectives, at any rate on the short-to-medium period, as well as assures members regarding the shared objective of their armed might. Without NATO, the likelihood of one nation’s forces raising alarm within another nation would be greater (http://www. direct. gov. uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/TheUKandtheworld/DG_073420). NATO member states regard maintenance of the alliance to be mutually advantageous to them, since it carries on the performance of a number of essential security roles, both internal and external, including incorporation of Canada and the United States into European defense matters. NATO has as well adapted impressively to the dynamic European defense environment, positive example being the experience in Bosnia. Whereas the joint defense of NATO territory is the core function of the NATO alliance, the fresh NATO, through widening its key role to incorporate peacekeeping and crisis handling as well as encouraging cooperation and partnership, including some strategic association with Moscow, has emerged to be the backbone of some European joint defense regime (Sandler, Hartley, 1999, 67).

Friday, November 8, 2019

Theres and There are

Theres and There are Theres and There are Theres and There are By Maeve Maddox An odd-looking contraction Ive noticed recently is therere for there are. Haiti Airport Baggage Handlers, Therere Just Too Many! Therere too many kids Therere Just A Few Days Left If Therere Seasons(song title) Contractions are supposed to be easy to say. For example, theyre for they are is easy to utter, but adding another re to there to create therere produces a word difficult to pronounce. I wonder if this nearly unpronounceable contraction may have something to do with the proliferation of theres to begin sentences in defiance of the rules of agreement between subject and verb: Theres ten members on the council. Perhaps the speaker knows better, but is in contraction mode and at the last minute decides that ungrammatical theres is a better choice than unpronounceable therere. Besides being difficult to pronounce, therere looks peculiar. In writing intended to be read by others, its probably best to avoid such ungainly contractions as therere and wherere. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 101Difference between "Pressing" and "Ironing"Honorary vs. Honourary

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Comparing

incredibly unique. â€Å"My daddy couldn’t be here, Because he lives so far away. But I know he wishes he could be, Since this is such a special day. And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know All about my daddy, And how much he loves me so. He loved to tell me stories He taught me how to ride my bike We used to share fudge sundaes, And ice cream in a cone. And though you cannot see him, I’m not standing here alone. â€Å"Cause my daddy’s... Free Essays on Comparing Free Essays on Comparing Her hair was up in a ponytail Her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was daddy’s day at school, And she couldn’t wait to go But her mommy tried to tell her , That she probably should stay home. Why the kids might not understand, If she went to school alone. But she knew just what to say. What to tell her classmates Of why he wasn’t there today. But still her mother worried, For her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, She tried to keep her daughter home. But the little girl went to school, Eager to tell them all. About a dad she never sees A dad who never calls. There were daddies along the wall in back, For everyone to meet. Children squirming impatiently, Anxious in their seats. One by one the teacher called, A student from the class. To introduce their daddy, As seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name, Every child turned to stare. Each of them was searching For a man who just wasn’t there. â€Å"where’s here daddy at?† She heard a boy call out. â€Å"she probably doesn’t have one† Another student dared to shout. And from somewhere near the back, She heard a daddy say, â€Å"Looks like another deadbeat dad, Too busy to waste his day.† The words did not offend her, As she smiled up at her mom. And looked back at her teacher, Who told her to go on. And with hands behind her back, Slowly she began to speak, And out from the mouth of the child, Came words incredibly unique. â€Å"My daddy couldn’t be here, Because he lives so far away. But I know he wishes he could be, Since this is such a special day. And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know All about my daddy, And how much he loves me so. He loved to tell me stories He taught me how to ride my bike We used to share fudge sundaes, And ice cream in a cone. And though you cannot see him, I’m not standing here alone. â€Å"Cause my daddy’s...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Two Major Competing Brands under the Same Parent Corporation Essay

Two Major Competing Brands under the Same Parent Corporation - Essay Example This essay declares that Dove and Axe are the two competing brands under the same parent corporation, Unilever. Dove is Unilever’s personal care brand that offers products for both women and men and has business interests in more than 35 countries across the globe. At the same time, Axe is a brand that deals with male grooming products under the parent company Unilever. This discussion explores that while dealing with more than one competing brands, an organization might face several challenges. In contrast, Unilever has succeeded in its promotional tactics for Dove and Axe in the international market. Although the success could be attributed to several competitive advantages, as per the reports, globalization greatly contributed to the faster growth of Dove and Axe in the international market. Globalization refers to a process by which national economies and cultures are integrated into an international economy so as to enhance international trade, direct foreign investment, migration, and technology sharing. Both Dove and Axe get the opportunity to attain benefits from foreign markets since the offshore countries provide better business conditions such as cheap raw materials and labor, liberal government laws, and large number of potential customers. The company highly encourages fair competition so that brands like Dove and Axe vehemently dominat e the market in which they operate. The designed purpose and principles of the company state that it always works with integrity, which is also applicable to Dove and Axe (Personal care brands). Both the Dove and Axe brands practice the concept of market segmentation. It is obvious that both these brands target people between the age 18 and 24; and hence they focus their business to areas where youngster highly indulge. Since the two brands deal with almost similar products, they are forced to compete with each other in the same market segments. Kapferer (2008, p.403) opine, under such market conditions, both brands must avoid all references to the parent company when they operate under the same corporation because this practice would help to maximize the perceived difference between the two. As per the Unilever code of conduct, both Dove and Axe managements continuously try to

Friday, November 1, 2019

Marketing Audit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Audit - Essay Example Market planning can be defined as â€Å"all rational, incremental and intuitive processes that guide a firm’s marketing to its future.† (RAO. 2007) When we talk about marketing planning it may seem as an easy process, however in reality it’s a complicated multifaceted process that involves every aspect of an organization. Marketing planning can be referred to activities that are undertaken by the managers to achieve marketing objectives. In other words it’s a process to identify range of options that are available to the manager in order to achieve marketing objectives and then evaluate those options and plan accordingly. The outcomes of marketing planning process are the marketing strategies to achieve marketing objectives. Marketing planning involves a systematic process of reviewing the situation, assumption formulation, setting objectives about whom to sell and how to, decisions regarding the achievement of objectives and scheduling and costing out act ivities required for implementation. (MCDONALD & WILSON. 2011) The market planning comprises of four basic components, these include marketing objectives, marketing audit, marketing strategies and resource allocation and monitoring. All these components are interlinked and are extremely important for marketing planning. I shall discuss these components in detail further. I’ve been emphasizing that the aim of the marketing planning is to achieve marketing objective, marketing objectives are something that the marketing function strives to achieve as a part of business strategic plan which usually includes increase in sales, awareness about products, creation of brand, increase in market share etc, then these goals are converted to objectives which are measurable, like increasing sales and market share by 15% within one year, this could be measured by analyzing annual sales data and industry data and other publications. (LEVENS. 2012) Marketing Objectives and Strategies In order to achieve these marketing objectives the company has to make marketing strategies. The marketing objectives identified must be in accordance with company’s overall objectives. Marketing objectives can be easily identified on the basis of marketing mix objectives which simplifies the objectives setting process which later on lays basis for marketing strategies to achieve those objectives. A marketing strategy is a series of action statements which are also known as tactics. Effective marketing strategy is critical to successful marketing plan; therefore these would be given extra importance when a marketing plan is being set up. (LANCASTER & MASSINGHAM. 2010) The Integration of Marketing Planning into Objectives and Strategies Planning itself includes goal setting and development of strategies to achieve those goals. The objective or goals and strategies to achieve these will be the outcome of marketing planning process. The marketing strategies tell what should be done and the strategic and operational plans guide how the strategies s hould

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Chapter 11 & 12 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chapter 11 & 12 - Coursework Example In my opinion, allowing the judges the discretion of setting bail, helps them in dealing with the conflicting reality associated with reason for setting bail; whether bail is used to ensure that a defendant appears in court for trial or for the purpose of protecting the society (Neubauer and Fradella 261). This is a dilemma that faces judges in their day-to-day administration of bail. This law may be seen to violate a defendant’s constitutional right to bail; however, it should be noted that, it considers the rights of the society at large. It would politically infeasible to free all violent crime offenders on bail knowing very well that they may commit violent crimes again; similarly, jailing all those accused of violent offenses might not be feasible since jails are not enough to accommodate them. This law, therefore, not only protects the society, ensures that defendants’ rights to bail is not infringed, identifies the dilemma judges face and thus equips them with th e power to balance these competing demands-protecting the society, and protecting defendants constitutional rights. It should be noted that, constitutional rights such as the right to bail, are only meaningful when they do not infringe on the rights of others. Additionally, according to the Eighth Amendment Right, there is no absolute provision for the right of bail to all citizens irrespective of crime and logistical nightmares, as such to protect the citizens’ right to bail, despite the judge’s discretion; it grants that bail must not be excessive. Q#2 FIU police receive an anonymous tip that a white male, wearing an orange Miami Hurricanes jersey and blue jeans is standing in the breezeway of the Green Library. The anonymous 911 caller states the subject is concealing a handgun in his waistband. The subject is observed acting in a casual manner and nothing about his appearance or actions indicate

Monday, October 28, 2019

Movie Review Essay Example for Free

Movie Review Essay The famous, well known writer and director Meera Syal has written a breathtaking movie Anita and Me. Meera Syal is a best selling novelist and has sold thousands of her fantastic stories one of which is called, Anita and Me all over the country. Syal puts a lot of herself in her work and also she is a British born woman; however she still has her Indian origin which revolves in her storys and movies. Her movies have been compared to the following Bend it Like Beckham and East is East. These movies all have an Indian culture behind them as well as a fun and laughter side. Its also has its own culture in the movie while being surrounded by the British society, and also one which a young girl wants very much to be a part of, although the dominant culture doesnt mean it is going to be all peachy, if that is what you are thinking, that is what made it the most amusing and most incredible movie of the year. The story of Anita and Me basically revolves round Meena when she was living in a little village called Tollington. Meena is a young Indian girl who was born in Britain. She wants to be like all the other British people in her neighbourhood, eating fish finger instead of chapattis, having colourful flowers in her garden instead of crop and also have a normal life were you could go out whenever you wanted to with your mates, but instead Meena has to spend more time with her family. To be honest Meena wants to be English! See Meena is Punjabi and she cannot speak a word of Punjabi, however her midlands ascent is stronger than most of the families which have been living there for generations. Her parents brought Meena to England to have a better quality of life for their daughter, but Meena is having a difficult time adjusting to her surroundings. However trouble rides up in town when a girl gang known as the wenches, who very much enjoy teasing young boys and thieve from their local sweets shop, unfortunately for Meena, the gang leader was her next door neighbour and soon became her future best friend. Meena and Anita eventually formed an unlikely bond, and become like blood sisters, vowing to be there for each other through thick and thin. However, Meena was facing her secondary school entrance exam and during that time she had suffered domestic abuse by Anitas mother and toured the two girls apart. Meena wants to be like Anita, a blond, light-headed British girl who is 14 years old. Meena admires Anita for her charm, good looks and her independence, and in so many different ways Meena wants to be like her. The story took place in year 1972. Political correctness has not yet been invented. The called dark skins in English villages are as rare as black footballers in the First Division. Life me be quite old fashioned, but its also racist. For example:  Meenas friend Anitas mum comes home one day with a cuddly black poodle pup.  Whats it called? Anitas little sister asks. Nigger, she is told. And no-one blinks an eye. In the movie some of the British characters refer to Meena and her family as wogs and darkies. A member of Meenas family was beaten up and was killed for being Indian. Meena then finds out that Anita and her boyfriend Sam went Paki bashing (go of to kill the Indians). This starts to ring a bells and Meena then realize that it was Sam who killed her uncle. The film finally ends with English music being played in the background. The whole family starts to dance to the music and then Meenas Dad begins to sing in Punjabi along with the music. This shows that the two cultures are eventually beginning to mix and become friends. From racism to the repairs to the local church this movie covers most of the areas of life. In the movie Meena becomes more independent and begins to make her own decision towards her life, whereas before her parents used to make them all. There has been some high and low points in Meenas family life and eventually they get what they want in the end and the neighbourhood becomes more peaceful. Meena passed in her entrance exam for the Grammar School and so the family can move to a better neighbourhood. Meena found out that she couldnt please the whole world even if that did mean her racist neighbourhood because she was meant to Indian. When Meena moved away to live closer to her new school, she had left behind a chapter of her life, and had matured enough to have realized that Anita was never a real friend. I personal think that this movie a perfect example of what Indians where put through back in the days in England. The English had discriminated the Indians and the Asians just because of their skin colour, however this doesnt only happen in England, it happens all over the world. This movie is also show a culture side of the story and a bit of history about Indian, such as the independents when India and Pakistan was split into to different countries. The movie Anita and Me was amusing and enjoyable to watch and was fast moving. Anita and Me is a unique vision of the British childhood in the early seventies, a childhood caught between two cultures, each on the edge of enormous change. For these points I would rate this movie 4 star.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Language of Eudora Weltys Losing Battles :: Eudora Welty Losing Battles

The Language of Eudora Welty's Losing Battles In his essay, "The Languages of Losing Battles", Mr. Bass contends that the form of language used by two major characters in Eudora Welty's Losing Battles, Julia Mortimer and Granny Vaughn, serves as a challenge to the "male-authored decrees" (Bass) found throughout the book. Julia's idioms are "teaching, writing, and books," (Bass)while Granny Vaughn, on the other hand, uses oral language to transmit family history. While Julia's province is one of ideas and abstraction in the written word, Granny Vaughn's stories are concrete, empirical, and rooted in actual events and real people. How these two methods of questioning male authority are used by the two characters is discussed at length by Mr. Bass, and this discussion comprises much of the bulk of this article. The "male-authored decrees" challenged by the two women throughout the book are numerous, and Mr. Bass makes use of only a few of these to make his point. In truth, although his thesis is strong and well composed, most this article consists of a rather opaque discussion of biblical symbolism, and how its various applications in the novel relate to Granny Vaughn's "spoken folk myth." In Losing Battles,Julia has "written her own apocrypha" (Bass) on leaves torn from her bible. This is used by Bass as a prototype of written challenge to male authority. In some way, Bass contends, the written word of Julia is a counterweight to Granny's dominance of the family, although Julia's words must be taken for what they are, since she is not alive to interpret them. While the written word "moves outward toward the abstract or conceptual and away from the concrete center," the spoken language of Granny Vaughn and others "draws in close to make the emblematic concrete, familial." (Bass) What exactly this balance does for the furthering of the women's influence in the book is a question that seems to have been left for the reader to answer. Included in the piece is an interesting discussion of "banners and battles," and the way that these images "mark the main conflict of the novel between local and absolute."Bass uses the emblem of "Jack's 'torn sleeve that flowed free from his shoulder like some old flag carried home from far-off battle.' " to represent a convergence of a "banner" with a "battle". Mr. Bass has taken a risk with his attempt to convince his readers that

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Garlic: A Taste for Health :: Botany

Garlic: A Taste for Health Culinary garlic is one of the most medically studied herbs today. it has been cultivated since the Neolithic period around 10,000 BC. This bulb has flavored the food of hunters and nomads after the discovery of its intensively robust flavor. The summarians (2600 BC-2100 BC) were actively practicing the healing powers of garlic, and some believe the summarians to have introduced garlic to China, from where it later spread to Japan and Korea. However, some taxonomists believe garlic to be endemic to China. Records have indicated that the medicinal respect for garlic was not fully appreciated in regions of India, China, as well as in southern Europe. The summarians had been using garlic for some time before others caught on to its medicinal success. Many cultures have remedied various ailments with this potent herb. The Egyptians, documented on a papyrus dating back to 1500 BC, prescribed garlic for 22 diseases (1). And according to the 5th century Greek historian Herodotus, the Egyptians had carved an inscription into the great pyramid of King Khufu (Cheops) detailing the amount of garlic, onions, and radishes eaten by the slaves during the twenty-year building period. Egyptians slaves caused the first ever-recorded strike when a ration of garlic did not turn up on time (1). The slaves ate garlic to increase their stamina and to maintain their over-all health. Cloves of garlic have been found in the tomb of Tutankamen who ruled Egypt until 1338 BC. And the Egyptians were not the only ones to worship garlic. According to Theophrastus, ancient Greeks offered garlic on piles of stones at crossroads as a supper for Hecate, god of the underworld. The Bible has even mentioned the Israelites, delivered out of bondage by Moses, complaining of their food and wishing for the same things they had been eating while they were slaves: "Oh, that we had some of the delicious fish we enjoyed so much in Egypt, and the wonderful cucumbers and melons, leeks, onions, and garlic!" (Numbers 11:5, The Living Bible; 2). This pungent herb is also mentioned in the literature of other great kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (2). Garlic can be found medically prescribed in ancient texts as far back as 1550 BC (1). Garlic was always an ingredient in potions thought to cure external and internal disease (1). The ancient Greeks and Romans used the herb from anything like repelling scorpions to curing bladder infections.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Grand Strategy of Popular Holding

Grand Strategy of Popular Holding POPULAR use growth strategy that involves expansion in sales revenues, number of customers, number of employees to accomplish the holding’s mission. POPULAR is making fast and extensive inroads into the Greater China market, especially in China and Taiwan. Their business activities cover many major cities and provinces in China such as Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Taipei. POPULAR also grow their business in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Canada. POPULAR has the network, content and the platform to grow their business and expand into new products, markets and businesses. The three main core businesses which are retail & distribution, publishing, and e-learning enable popular has become an established household name in book and stationary retailing. Publishing is a complementary business that acquired by POPULAR which is one of the growth strategies. POPULAR is gradually being recognized as an essential element in the book and publishing world in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In publishing, POPULAR publish text book, supplementary book or general book. In year 2006, POPULAR introduced HARRIS Bookstore which is a new brand that focus on English books. POPULAR are planning and introducing a new series of English children readers, titled ROBIN with i-pen readability and published by POPULAR UK Pte Limited. POPULAR also strive to transform themselves from a regional publisher to an international publishing group. Through POPULAR Canada, its Math Smart series has introduced into the United States. At the same time, they are looking closely at the UK market for potential business opportunities. In Hong Kong, most of the syllabuses for primary school are changed, except for the subject Putonghua. To consolidate leadership of position in the pre-primary textbook market, POPULAR adopt two sets of textbooks in September 2007 school year. Pan Llotds Publisher Limited specializing in supplementary books in Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong students have to prepare for two assessment tests, Pan Lloyds respond to this market need by launching two assessment series, namely HKAT Mock & Intensive Practices Series and TSA Mock & Assorted Practice Series. In Singapore, Educational Publishing House Pte Ltd is the top assessment publisher with emphasis on primary school titles. They are beginning to publish more secondary titles. In Malaysia, EPH Publishing (M) Sdn. Bhd. , is gearing up to double the supplementary titles to be published for year 2008. To strengthen the publishing and retail & distribution divisions, POPULAR plan to publish more visually attractive full-color books, such as picture dictionaries, for toddlers and pre-primary school market. In expanding publishing activities, POPULAR synergize it with e-leaning business and retail & distribution business. Armed with their vast content library and publishing resources, publishing support the retail & distribution, as well as the e-learning business by providing them with relevant, unique and excellent contents with highly scalable contents. POPULAR aim to be the most innovative publisher of bilingual books. In retail &distribution, POPULAR introduce POPULAR membership card and give a lot of promotion to attract more buyers so that the sales revenue and number of customers can be expanded. Members can enjoy 20%* discount on POPULAR Choice & POPULAR Recommendation titles; 10% discount on all regular-priced merchandise at all POPULAR bookstore in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore, and HARRIS Bookstores as well as CD-RAMA Department in Malaysia only; and 5% discount off of school and tertiary textbooks. Members can get discount at POPULAR connection as well. POPULAR connection is a reward program designed for members to enjoy discount and privileges at participating merchants’ stores such as Bossini (apparel), Icekimo (food), Norman (IT), Sunway Hotel (leisure), Optic Point (optical) and so forth. POP CLUB Magazine launched in year 2003. POPULAR will give POP CLUB magazine to for POPULAR Card Members and walk-in customers. With outlets peppered throughout Malaysia, vouchers can be redeem. POPULAR Gift Voucher is available in denomination of RM5, RM10 and RM50. To increase more sales revenue and number of customers, POPULAR also always organize many activities such as book fair, talk session, sharing session and so on. In june 2007, POPULAR opened [email  protected], the largest single floor bookstore in Hong Kong to propel the awareness of POPULAR in Hong Kong’s retail book scene. Besides that, Popular also co-operate with Sin Chew Media Corporation and MCA Life Long Learning Secretariat to organize [email  protected] [email  protected] is an annual mega event that has grown to be one of the region’s largest international book fairs, since its inception in 2006. The inaugural BookFest @ Malaysia which commenced in 2006 witnessed 320,000 visitors. It welcomed an overwhelming crowd which passed that benchmark and exceeded 400,000 visitors in the following year. In 2008, the annual event had proven to be yet another successful exposition with figures close to half a million. In Kuala Lumpur, POPULAR successfully staged [email  protected] 2007, in May 2007. In year 2008, there are more activities are carried out in the BookFest. Some of the special highlights for last year BookFest were: Olympics Exhibition, 11 overseas authors’ appearance, music performances by Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Readers’ Choice Award Presentation Ceremony, Book Recycling Campaign, Calligraphy Competition and many more. In Singapore, popular staged [email  protected] 2007 in December 2007. They are looking at opportunities to introduce popular’s version of BookFest to other cities in East Asia, particularly in Taiwan, which is second to mainland China in Chinese book publishing and sale. The e-learning business and prospect have gradually changed. Education is relying more and more on the use of IT for teaching and learning. Nowadays, users are more focused on how the evolving technology can improve their learning and education. POPULAR take this advantage to expand its operation. The Group’s e-learning business has grasped this opportunity to work closely with our retail & distribution and publishing, to provide direct value-add services to its products, like the i-pen function in our successful in-house brand, ROBIN Readers. The e-learning division continues to play an important strategic role in the Group by providing our publishing business with the advanced digital publishing technologies. POPULAR expand its business by establishing CD-RAMA and One-2-Buy. CD-RAMA retail various type of music, movie, drama in form of CD, VCD and DVD. One-2-Buy retail daily essentials ranging from personal care products, toiletries to light food stuff. POPULAR no longer a mere bookshop but a multi-purpose shop whereby customers can now shop for daily essentials and entertainment products. To expand the number of employees, POPULAR provide many benefits to the employees. Employees only have to work five days per week. Training and career advancement opportunities are given to the employees. Transport, laundry, attendance allowances and uniforms will be provided. Employees can enjoy 15% discount with any purchase in POPULAR. POPULAR is entering into a new business segment through a new subsidiary; POPULAR Land Pte Ltd. POPULAR Land Pte Ltd has purchased two residential properties which are 1 Robin Road and 18 Shelford Road for development of up-market residential units. They are also looking into commercial property business opportunities as well as for the potential future self-use. With using the strategies that mentioned above, POPULAR has ranked fifth in the Fastest Growing Singapore Brands’ category of The Singapore Brand Award 2006 organized by International Enterprise Singapore. POPULAR also has some 200 strategic alliance bookshops in the region. It is recognized and listed by the Malaysian Book of Records, as the largest bookstore chain in Malaysia. During the 9 months ended 31 January 2009, the Group turnover grew from $341. 8m for the same period of last year to $349. 4m representing an increase of 2. 3% whilst the Group profit before tax (â€Å"PBT†) decreased by 20. 0% from $24. 1m for the same period of last year to $19. 3m for the current financial period ended 31 January 2009. The Group has generated positive cash flow of $10. 8m from its operating activities and a net increase of $26. 2m, which includes gross proceeds of $19. m recently raised from the Rights Issue. POPULAR's turnover increased 9. 2% from S$398. 2 million to S$435. 0 million because of the opening of new retail outlets. Operating profits of the publishing and e-learning segments were the key contributors to an increase in Group profit – boosted largely by higher margins of the reprinted titles and the growth in supplementary book sales – the Group's profit after tax rose 18. 3% from S$11. 3 million to S$13. 4 million. Based on the latest Financial Year results, POPULAR's earnings per share increased from 2. 58 Singapore cents to 2. 99 Singapore cents.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Effects of Watching TV essays

The Effects of Watching TV essays Watching television is one of the most popular pastimes in the world. Almost all children do so; some even take the liberty of slipping out of bed unnoticed at night just to watch a show that they like. However, what most people do not realize is that television can ruin your eyesight, cause lack of concentration and can also inculcate many bad habits, especially in young ones. Most shows shown on the television nowadays involve bright color. According to the media, the brighter the picture, the better it is. But doctors feel the contrary. Almost all the latest movies and cartoons shown on television use a variety of special effects. Most of these involve explosions and gun fights (in the case of movies) and flashes of lightning and bursts of color at times of animated violence (in the case of cartoons). These sudden and intermittent flashes of light are capable of causing serious damage to the eye and can cause temporary blindness and migraine if a person watches television excessively. This was the case with the recent popular Japanese cartoon show, Pokemon, where certain animals with special powers emitted balls of lightning or fire when prompted; many children suffered from headaches as a result of watching the show and complaints are still being issued against the show for the same reason. Another very common problem noticed in people who watch too much of television is their lack of concentration. This is caused as a result of the combination of visual and auditory media which alert most of the senses of the viewer. These senses are heightened to a great extent as a result of which perception of sounds improves. However, this poses as a disadvantage as even the smallest of noises or disturbances can divert ones attention from the task at hand. This is especially seen in the case of people who normally study in the close vicinity of an operational television set. This can cause lots of other added problems; restlessness ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Oddyssey essays

The Oddyssey essays In Homers Odyssey, Odysseus leads his men on the difficult journey back to Ithaca. The journey tests Odysseuss leadership abilities. Odysseus is often distracted and fails to protect his men. On other occasions, Odysseuss men would die if it were not for him. In The Odyssey, Odysseus has strengths and weaknesses in his leadership ability. On some occasions, Odysseus uses his crafty mid to overcome obstacles. When Odysseus and his men encounter the Cyclops, the Cyclops eats Odysseus men. However, Odysseus is still able to outsmart the Cyclops and save his men. He tells the Cyclops his name is Nobody so the other Cyclopes wont come to help him, he gets the Cyclops drunk, pokes out his eye, and escapes with his men underneath the sheep. Another time Odysseus shows his cleverness is when he doesnt enter the Laestrygonians harbor with his ship. The other ships enter the harbor and get pelted with huge boulders. Although Odysseus is smart, sometimes he has too much confidence when dealing with anything he may encounter, and as a result he puts his men in unnecessary danger. One example is when Odysseus insists on going into the Cyclops cave and eating his food. Although he doesnt know about the Cyclops and his ways, he shouldnt have relied on the common law of hospitality that he and his men would be welcome there. Another example is when Odysseus wastes time putting on his armor when he sails past Scylla, although he was instructed not to. Odysseus sometimes tries hard to protect his men. On Hyperions island, Odysseus knowingly warns his men not to slaughter the Sun Gods cattle. He does his best to stop his men, but the gods make him fall asleep, and his men disobey Odysseus. However, other times Odysseus does not keep his men out of danger. This can be seen in the incident with the Laestrygonians. All of the ships enter the harbor, but at the last minute O...