The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, And King s Letter From...

The Consequences of Conformity in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Miller’s The Crucible, and King’s â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail† Humans have a natural tendency to conform to each other; they strive to fit in with their community and to blend in with the crowd, undoubtedly because modern society seems to have put everyone on a leash. Its harsh judgment and constant pressure forces everyone to follow each other around like sheep — compliant — staying in line in fear of the repercussions. Likewise, in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King Jr., conformity is an ongoing theme that causes the entire community to isolate Hester in The Scarlet Letter, believe in witchcraft in The Crucible, and discriminate against African Americans in â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†. Hawthorne, Miller, and King all show the effects of the pressure and corruptions in the community, as well as the punishments the individuals receive as a result of conformity. In all three pieces of writing, the authors descri be the community as a powerful oppression that forces people to be obedient, simultaneously asserting that conformity ultimately leads to consequences in both the community and the individual. Pressures in the community compels everyone, even the most well-reasoned people, to be amenable and to conform to society’s standards. In The Scarlet Letter, everyone follows and complies strictly to Puritan

Studying Abroad Is Better Than Studying Local Universities

â€Å"Studying abroad is better than studying local universities†. What is your opinion? You should write at least 350 words. Illustrate your opinion with examples. Looking at the trend recently, most of the students feel that studying abroad is better than studying in local universities. As a saying goes, the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. However, the students have their own choices either studying in universities abroad or in local universities. They have own reason to stud locally or abroad. Both of universities, abroad or local have their own uniqueness. So, we cannot ignore the fact that studying abroad is better than studying in local universities but to study in local also has advantages. In†¦show more content†¦The price of food, transportation and accommodation is much higher abroad. So, these are the reasons why I think studying in local universities is better than studying abroad Furthermore, local universities are as good as universities abroad. Nowadays, students from outside countries also come here to study in local universities. That means that they trust our local universities which have a good quality system of education. This shows that studying locally is a right choice for our future. Besides that, our system of education is also acknowledged internationally, that is why students from other countries are studying in our local universities. We cannot deny that the quality of education in local universities is also as good as the universities abroad. Not only that, our local universities have complete facilities for students such as students’ hostel, libraries that are complete with a variety of books and materials for students to make reference and do research, Internet such as Wi-Fi and laptops or note books are prepared to make it easier for students to surf the Internet and to complete their assignment. Local universities also h ave a good quality of lecturers that have higher level of education and experience in teaching. If students are studying in local universities and they were from poor families and need more money to study they can get financial support. The Government gives financial support such as PTPTN for students to help themShow MoreRelatedLocal University Versus University Aboard1704 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween local universities or abroad universities is the best choice? There have been many opinions thrown toward this issue. So we hope that this essay will help the community to decide and then achieve a better answer upon this issue. As we know, universities are one of the facilities that have been provided by the government for several years ago. These facilities have helped a lot of students from all over the world to gain knowledge and a better experience of life. The universities educationRead MoreDisadvantages of Studying Abroad1348 Words   |  6 Pagesacademic study | 81% | 80% | 79% | 84% | 80% | Influenced subsequent educational experiences | 91% | 85% | 86% | 84% | 87% | Reinforced commitment to foreign language study | 88% | 83% | 85% | 90% | 86% | Intercultural Development | Helped me better understand my own cultural values and biases | 99% | 97% | 97% | 95% | 98% | Influenced me to seek out a greater diversity of friends | 94% | 88% | 89% | 86% | 90% | Continues to influence interactions with people from different cultures | 97%Read MoreThe Advantages of Studying Abroad Far Outweigh the Disadvantages1161 Words   |  5 PagesThe advantages of studying abroad far outweigh the disadvantages. Discuss In today’s world, a considerable number of students are not limited to study in their local countries. Instead, they choose to study abroad. This phenomenon becomes a trend especially in recent years. A variety of different attitudes have been come up with on both sides of the question. It is in this background that this essay begins by outlining the arguments for students choose to study abroad and point to the problems withRead MoreAdvantages to Studying Abroad789 Words   |  3 Pagesentered an era of information explosion which the necessity of studying abroad has turned into a developing pattern among youth. Most of the students feel that studying abroad is better than studying in local universities. As the saying goes, â€Å"the grass always looks greener on the other side of fence.† In this way, I believe that considering abroad have extraordinary points of benefits. First and foremost, from personal angle, study abroad enables students to achieve high level of maturity and independenceRead MoreInternational Students: A Vulnerable Group in Need of Self-Regulation and Community Accommodation1495 Words   |  6 PagesStudying abroad, which has become a common phenomenon, can be a fun and meaningful experience. Many university students are interested in studying abroad because it gives them an opportunity to explore different cultures and broaden their horizons. As Mark Sherry, Peter Thomas and Wing Hong Chui argue in â€Å"International Students: a Vulnerable Student Population,† the goals that students pursue international study are often to acquire different ways of learning and to improve cross-cultural understandingRead MoreCollege Students Should Study Abroad1687 Words   |  7 Pageslifetime, and that is to study abroad. Studying in a foreign country benefits the students in many ways including the opportunity to travel the world, ex perience different education styles, have numerous education and career opportunities, and experience personal development. College students should study abroad for one semester throughout their college experience. â€Å"Studying abroad may be one of the most beneficial experiences for a college student. By studying abroad, students have the opportunityRead MoreThe Benefits of Study Abroad3182 Words   |  13 PagesThe Benefits of Study Abroad New Study Confirms Significant Gains By Mary M. Dwyer, Ph.D. and Courtney K. Peters It will change your life. You’ll come back a new person.† For years, the benefits of study abroad have been described in these words. Everyone in the study abroad field believed it could greatly impact a student’s life, but the exact long-term benefits were unknown—until now. The first large-scale survey to explore the long-term impact of study abroad on a student’s personal, professionalRead MoreThe Importance Of A Foreign Country Has Changed My Life1057 Words   |  5 PagesStudying in a foreign country has been something I have desired to do since high school. My family’s financial situation has kept our adventures centralized to Ohio. I have never been presented with an opportunity to travel outside of the United States. I knew going abroad in college was my best chance to finally experience a new country and a new culture within my financial needs. Yet, I didn’t just want to go to abroad for a few weeks, I wanted to study abroad for an entire semester. I wanted toRead MoreEssay885 Words   |  4 Pagesa great program to be able to do both! In this program, the importance of following the practical guidelines is during this time the program is delegated to be responsible for an authority to develop and commensurate. The Iowa St ate campus Study Abroad Association stuff says in other words that they have time to examine and create a plan for everyone by making critical decisions. According to the Iowa State home page it states â€Å"Ames, Iowa, may seem like its a world away from South Africa. ButRead MoreDisadvantage and Advantage Studying Abroad and Locally1961 Words   |  8 PagesDisadvantages of studying abroad essay Introduction Education is very important in life. Pursuing studies abroad has been the most plausible trend nowadays for the purpose of gaining international exposures and experiential learnings. Such experience contributes in getting the best education so as to acquire the best knowledge and to obtain opportunities for employment. While also developing the individuals adaptability and independence, studying abroad expands the horizon of the students and

Gone with the Wind and Feminism Free Essays

Gone with the Wind and Feminism Posted by Miriam Bale on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 1:38 PM [pic] Molly Haskell, author ofFrankly, My Dear, will introduceGone with the Wind at Film Forum on Sunday afternoon. Gone with the Wind plays this weekend in Film Forum’s Victor Fleming festival, but is it really a Fleming film? Uber-producer David Selznick is the most consistent author, and Selznick doppelganger George Cukor directed a significant amount of scenes, giving this domestic war film some moments more delicate and subtle than anything else in Fleming’s oeuvre (and after macho Fleming was brought on replace the openly gay Cukor at Clark Gable’s urging, the â€Å"women’s director† went on to coach Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland on weekends, at their insistence, throughout the shoot); and Vivien Leigh gives a scarily mercurial performance in almost every scene, owning the film entirely. At the time of the film’s release, Frank Nugent in the New York Times wrote, â€Å"Is it the greatest motion picture ever made? Probably not, although it is the greatest motion mural we have ever seen. We will write a custom essay sample on Gone with the Wind and Feminism or any similar topic only for you Order Now † It’s a mural made by many hands, and the esteemed critic Molly Haskell’s latest book, Frankly My Dear: Gone with the Wind Revisited does a fabulous job of parsing out the contributions. She reveals nuggets like Howard Hawks’ supposed uncredited contribution in rewriting some of the dialogue in the last section, the battle of the sexes showdown between Rhett and Scarlett, which helps make sense why this particular section feels like an entirely different film from the historical romance of Part 1. Another uncredited writer was F. Scott Fitzgerald; Haskell’s digging suggests that what he eliminated from the film may be as important as what anyone else contributed. She also describes writer Ben Hecht maintaining as a point-of-pride that he had never nor never would read the mass-market epic romance on which the film was based—so Selznick and Fleming stayed up all night on a diet of speed and peanuts acting out the story for him (with Selznick as Scarlett and Fleming playing Melanie). Haskell’s book also focuses on the one-hit-wonder novelist Margaret Mitchell, telling the ascinating history of this flapper-turned-frumpy matron who rebelled against her serious, feminist southern belle of a mother by becoming a connoisseur and practitioner of frivolity as an art. As Mitchell’s background might suggest, Gone with the Wind is a complicated universe for a feminist to tackle. And yet this is exactly the sort of conflicted, non-PC and pre-Second Wave world of women that Haskell has consistently celebrated and examined through films, serving a unique and crucial role in American feminism. As Haskell describes this position in connection to a 1972 panel she took part in on women in film, in which Gloria Steinem deplored the scenes in Gone with the Wind of Scarlett O’Hara squeezed into a corset and Haskell then rose to defend that character as a courageous survivor: â€Å"Both of our reactions were in their own way, right. But this difference of perspective was also an early augur of the fault lines in feminism or perhaps a necessary split focus: between those predisposed to see and proclaim signs of the victimization of women in a benighted world now progressing toward enlightenment and equality and those inclined to be heartened by the contradictions—the women in the past (both real and fictional) who’d held their own in a chauvinist culture, who’d subverted the norms and gained victories not always apparent through a literal reading of the plot. Of course, just as Gone with the Wind is both tricky and rich personal territory for a southern-raised feminist like Haskell to examine, it is also difficult—even in coverage this brief—for a black feminist like myself to look at honestly. Gone with the Wind is unarguably, painfully racist, yet extraordinarily valuable for examining just how and why. The film displays insipid white stereotypes in some of the minor characters as much as it does obscenely destructive black ones, and yet the main characters Rhett and Scarlett seem to exist outside of this orbit, beyond expectations of both gender or race; identification with these two characters is widespread and complex, by all races. Just as Selznick’s Duel in the Sun inspired Laura Mulvey to overhaul her views on female identification, GWTW is ripe for looking at where racial identification splits and falls in this film, even after Haskell’s sharp, thorough and artfully written book has covered so uch intellectual and historic territory. Haskell will be on hand at 3pm screening at Film Forum on Sunday to introduce this problematic and fascinating piece of film history. She’ll also be signing copies of her book, a coup of single-work film criticism that is highly intelligent, personal and never relies on jargon or cliches. Besides her unique and crucial role i n American feminism, Haskell is also one of the best writers on film in America, and both as a critic and stylist she’s only getting better. Molly Haskell’s Feminist Take on Gone with the Wind y Melissa Silverstein on March 2, 2009 in Books Molly Haskell is the shit when it comes to writing about women’s films with a feminist perspective. There is no one better. Her book From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies is one of the best books about women in film and it was written in the 70s. (There is an a[pic]dditional chapter that covers the 70s and 80s in the paperback. ) That just goes to show you how few books have critically looked at this issue (from a non-academic perspective. Haskell has taken on one of the most beloved films Gone with the Wind in her new book Frankly My Dear which is out now. The book has gotten stellar reviews and including in the NY Times this weekend. Haskell’s argument is mounted on feminist principles that at first glance seem antithetical to a film widely regarded as prefeminist fluff. She contends that â€Å"themes centering on women† are â€Å"always an inferior subject matter to socially conscious critics of literature and film. † After 70 years of â€Å"GWTW† bashing, a creditable critic finally says, â€Å"Not so fast! Haskell gave up regular reviewing in the early ’90s, leaving criticism that seriously examined the big-screen image of women and the popular representation of female social roles to go underground — into academic studies where abstruse, tenure-seeking jargon is used to rebuff popular taste. That makes â€Å"Frankly, My Dear† all the more remarkable. It’s Haskell’s feminist perspective that provides insight into a movie most academics won’t touch and current critics dismiss. She disentangles the film’s qualities from the confounding issues of misogy ­ny, racism and intellectual snobbery. How to cite Gone with the Wind and Feminism, Papers

Edwin Powell Hubble Essay Example For Students

Edwin Powell Hubble: Essay Great Astronomer of the 19th CenturyTwinkle, twinkle little star,How I wonder what you are!Up above the world so high,Like a diamond in the sky (Gardner 98). Stars are a marvelous wonder to many people, that is why some people spend most of their lives wondering what is above the world so high (Gardner 98). These people study and map the little twinkling stars in order to get a better meaning of them; they are astronomers. Great astronomers like Edwin Hubble, Immanuel Kant, and William Huggins, never stopped valuing the beauty of the stars. While they developed great astronomical principals. One astronomer who fits this mold most is, Edwin Powell Hubble. Wondering about what was out in the universe led to the construction of the 200-in reflector telescope, the most high-powered of its day. Using this high-powered telescope he went on to prove that there were other galaxies beside the Milky Way and was able to formulate Hubbles law, which linked the distance of galaxies to their speed. Through his work, Edwin Hubble impacted the scientific world in the twentieth century because of devotion to research, curiosity about the universe, and exp ertise at mapping galaxies. Devotion is one characteristic in Hubble that allowed him to do his work so well. Whether it was devotion to his family or to his work. It started when he was just a youth; he was in a family of seven children and was expected to earn money for the family (Whitney 222). Hubbles devotion was mental and also physical. Hubble worked at Mount Wilson for most of his career. Here, he spent hundreds of bone-numbing hours in the observers cage at Mount Wilson telescope. Anyone who has spent time in the cage knows what an extraordinary effort of will it can demand: total concentration, and an ability to suppress shivers in the constant chill, lest you vibrate the telescope. (Smoot 42). Hubbles hard work and long hours were recognized by his fellow astronomers. The author of Wrinkles in Time, George Smoot, said, Night after night Hubble photographed the nebulae, devoting himself to his goal so completely that he was perceived as arrogant and elitist (44). Unable to complete his any tasks on his own, Hubble hired an assistant. He hired Sandage. Sandage would work with Hubble and learn techniques that Hubble used to hopefully do research of his own in the future. Hubble taught Sandage how to classify galaxies so he could continue Hubbles work. As Hubble age, he was unable to use the telescope any more. He didnt have the strength or energy to stay in the cage for long periods of time. So, he sent Sandage to carry out tasks for him. Everyday Sandage would be given coordinates or jobs by Hubble. When Sandage was done recording he data of his work, he would go back to Hubble and give him the results (Overbye 22). This shows how devoted he was to his research, even if he was unable to handle the job due to old age he compromised. All of Hubbles work and Sandage work was done on the 100-in telescope, yet Hubble was still able to find the Andromeda Nebulaes distance for the Milky Way and study red shifts. While the 200-in. telescope was being built, Hubble asked if he could use the telescope for half of its available time. This shows his devotion because he wanted to use the telescope in order to further enhance his research (17). Edwin Hubbles curiosity about the universe started at youth and has grown. Without this, he would have no desire to study the stars or galaxies. Hubbles interest in astronomy at the age of eight. On his eighth birthday party he spent the night with his grandfather star gazing (Freidman 16). When he was twelve years old he would ask his parents to seep outside and look at the stars at midnight with his friend Sam Shelton (18). His grandfather asked Hubble an astronomical question, and Hubble answered it so cleverly that his grandfather had is answer published in a newspaper (Whitney 222). This was the start of his great accomplishments to come. .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df , .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .postImageUrl , .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df , .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df:hover , .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df:visited , .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df:active { border:0!important; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df:active , .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u81c69eb034b3a6d7c3ece1fa665f81df:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Personal Environmental Ethics EssayWhen Hubble was thirty years old, he worked at Wilsons Observatory to use the newly built 100-in telescope (Christianson 110). He noticed that there were faint emissions from nebulae and that he might be able to use these emissions as a ruler; from star to the Milky Way. He studied these emissions and concluded that they were blue stars. With this knowledge, he was able to use these stars in aiding him to measure their distances (Whitney 225). He was fascinated by Henrietta Leavitts work on Cepheids and he had to do his own research on them. Although finding the Cepheids in the galaxies were easier said than done, Hubble had to find them in remote galaxies. What he could find would enable him to get the calculations correct for measuring distances of nebulae away from the Milky Way (Moore 104). In this way Hubbles curiosity had a great impact on his career as an astronomer. In addition, Hubble had a talent that other astronomers lacked. This ability was mapping galaxies. He was able to calculate distances by using certain stars as and then finding where the galaxies were based on their distance from the Milky Way. He broke galaxies up into classes and gave them names depending on their appearance. There was one thing that limited Hubbles research, which was the telescope. The 100-in. telescope was not powerful enough to satisfy Hubbles need to explore the universe. Hubble used groups of bright stars, candles in the sky, to calculate the distances of the galaxies. First he had to choose what stars to use. It was all based on statistics, he would look at a group of stars and choose the brightest ones from that group. This was because he was have a more exact calculation with a lot of stars instead of one and because the brighter it is the easier it is seen to measure the distance of distant galaxies (Dressler 27). With this knowledge he put together the H ubbles Law, which said velocity equals Hubbles constant times the distance. There were many types of galaxies that Hubble studied. He was able to put them all in separate classifications. Three general groups were spiral, elliptical, and lenticular. These galaxies were classified by their shape, size and the way that they morphed. The galaxies were also split into galactic or nongalactic. Hubble found that he could further classify galaxies by using the Franhoter lines, like finger printing to distinguish types of galaxies and the make up of the stars in the galaxies. He observed and mapped the galaxies in a systematical way. Hubble was an expert at using the telescope. This was the key to mapping galaxies. Other scientist said The Hooker was put to its finest use by Edwin P. Hubble during the 1970s. (Boslough). Hubble looked at one picture for thirty minutes before taking it in order for it to come out detailed. Being devoted to his research, curious about the universe, and having the expertise at mapping galaxies enabled Hubble to impact the scientific world of the twentieth century. He had constant effort that kept him on the right track. His go out and get it attitude allowed him to reach and finish his goals. In addition, his curious mind that was ready to be filled with knowledge and his skills at mapping galaxies and breaking them into categories. Hubble was able to impact the scientific world and also able to give the scientific world a big leap to exploring the universe. BibliographyAlter, Dinsmore, Clarence H. Cleminsha, and John G. Phillips. The Nebulae of Our Galaxy. Pictorial Astronomy. 4th rev. Ed. New York: Crowell, 1974. .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 , .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .postImageUrl , .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 , .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3:hover , .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3:visited , .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3:active { border:0!important; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3:active , .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3 .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1bbebc5ca7d9b2f01f96672797de21a3:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: German Review Of Benjamin Barber EssayBoslough, John. Stephen Hawkings Universe: An Introduction to the most remarkable Scientist of Our Time. New York: Morrow, 1984. Branley, Franklyn.The Milky Way: Galaxy Number One. New York: Crowell: 1969. Christian, Gale E. Edwin Hubble: Mariner of the Nebulae. New York: Farrows, 1995. Dressler, Alan. Voyage to the Great Attractor: Exploring Intergalactic Space. New York: KNOPF, 1995. Filkin, David. Stephen Hawkings Universe: The Cosmos Explained. New York: Basic, 1997. Gleiser, Marcalo. The Dancing Universe: From Creation Myths to the Big Bang. New York: Dutton, 1997. Goudwin, Simon. Hubbles Universe. New York: Penguin, 1997. Greenstein, George. The symbolic Universe: Life and Mind in the Cosmos. New York: Morrow, 1988. Hawkings, Stephen W.A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bangs to Black Holes. New York: Bantams, 1988. Smoot, George. Wrinkles in Time. New York: Morrow, 1993. Whitney, Charles A. The Discovery of Our Galaxy. Ames: Iowa State UP, 1988.

Environment of Kuwait

The expropriation procedure in Spain to establish telecommun essays

The expropriation procedure in Spain to establish telecommun essays The liberalization of telecommunications in Spain has resulted in new undertakings in the telecommunications market which need the authorization of the owner of the land to establish their network, for example, buried cables, antennas on the top of the buildings. When there is no agreement between them, the operator must request the Spanish administration to open an urgent expropriation procedure. The structure of this procedure can vary depending on circumstances, but, the general procedure is as follows: first, there is a declaration of public utility; second, a declaration of the occupations necessity; third, the establishment of the indemnification; and fourth, the lands occupation. The expropriation procedure begins when a technical project is submitted by the operator to the Spanish administration justifying the necessity of occupying the land to establish its telecommunications network. This project must meet the technical and legal requirements to obtain a declaration of public utility. Then, the project is examined by technical civil servants to determine in a report whether it suits the technical requirements. Once the report is given by technical officers, it is transferred to legal officers to determine if the project fulfills the legal requirements. Once the Administration finds that the project satisfied the technical and legal requirements, the land to be expropriated is declared of public utility or social interest. The owner of the land is then allowed to formulate objections within a limited period of time. As son as objections have been give, they are examined by the Spanish Administration which arrives at a Resolution declaring or not the necessity of occupation of the land for the specific purpose of establishing the telecommunication network. After the declaration of necessity of occupation, the owner and the operator are required by the Administration to reach an agreement about the pri ...

Any topic relating to Macroeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Any topic relating to Macroeconomics - Essay Example The exchange rates have a close impact on the exports and imports of the country because when people exchange goods across borders they want to be paid in their own currency and hence the need to exchange value and an exchange rate arises. There are certain benefits and certain disadvantages associated with each and every trade system and so does the free floating exchange rate, the free floating exchange rate is the basis of uncertainty in the economy because there are no blockades at any end for the free floating exchange rate to be limited, it fluctuates rapidly and hence the environment for trade and investment is not a very feasible one. Another added disadvantage of this type of this kind of an exchange rate is the element of speculation. The advantage of the exchange rate system is that it balances the balance of payments and the governments do not have to worry in this regard. b)Dirty Floating: dirty floating, as the name implies is managed exchange rate systems, these systems are managed by the central bank of the country and it basically determines boundaries within which to keep the exchange rate value, if the rate crosses the maximum value then the central bank supplies more into the market so that the rate falls down and when it rises exactly the opposite happens. The advantage of having such an exchange rate system is that it adds a lot of certainty to the trading and the investment procedures and cracks down on speculative measures. The disadvantage of this system is basically to the government because it has to take measures to control the whole system and also the added responsibility of the balance of payments falls squarely on to the shoulders of the present government. c) Fixed exchange rates: In this type of exchange rate systems the rate is fixed at one point and the government should be ready to buy and sell as soon as there are any

Primary Drawbacks of Net Present Value as Capital Budgeting Technique Assignment

Primary Drawbacks of Net Present Value as Capital Budgeting Technique - Assignment Example This entire process has multiple loopholes, for instance the uncertainty that is prevailing when it comes to estimating future cash flows of that investment opportunity is high enough to put this technique under scrutiny. Next loophole is regarding the discount rate that is used to reach the present value of a cash flow. Again the accuracy of discount rate used is of critical importance in determining the correct value of the cash flow’s present value. This makes NPV value dependent or sensitive to the value of discount rate and forecasted cash flows. Third loophole that is pretty much evident from the assessment of this tool is that this tool takes into account information that is present at the time of decision making, thus it does not take into account changes in the initial conditions of an investment opportunity. The fourth loophole that can be seen is that this tool is only applicable when projects being assessed are tangible and quantifiable. And in reality firms undert ake certain projects that are aimed at enhancing the brand equity, such projects are out of the scope of NPV (Kent & English, 2011). Question # 2: Comparison of Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return: This tool or technique is another capital budgeting technique. IRR is the discount rate that turns the net present value of forecasted cash flows from an investment opportunity equal to zero. ... A decision regarding a particular investment opportunity that is based on NPV technique will find itself under scrutiny when assessed using IRR technique. While this fact is not true for independent projects where both techniques will yield similar results, but when it comes to mutually exclusive projects (one project or the other) these tools do not yield a consistent result. The reason behind this conflict is that the set of investment opportunity that is being assessed consists of projects that vary in their size and timings of their future cash flows (Helfert, 2004). So it is clear that if a company is deciding between two investment opportunities, it will encounter a problem when it is using NPV and IRR to assess the value of these investment opportunities for the company. In this conflicting situation the company shall have to decide whether it will make its decision based on NPP or IRR (Helfert, 2004). Question # 3: Avenues to raise equity for a Profit Driven Firm: A profit dr iven firm, if assumed to be a corporation, has multiple options at its disposal to raise new equity capital. The first option that it has is to go to its existing shareholder for additional capital. The second option it has is to add more shareholders into the company by offering new share in the primary market. The third option available to a profit driven firm is that it can seek help from a venture capitalist firm; again this will be in exchange for some portion of the company’s equity. The fourth option available to the company is that it asks a bank for a loan in return for interest payments. These mentioned options are most suited to meet the company’s short-term capital requirement

National Response Framework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

National Response Framework - Assignment Example NRF provides guidelines on how a country should respond to any types of disasters and emergencies regardless of the intensities. It’s pegged on flexible, scalable and adaptable concepts identifiable by the national incident management system to align key roles and responsibilities across the nation. Terrorism is a global problem that requires advanced preparedness and management. Terrorism is characterized by mass destruction that include fatal injuries, death and destruction of properties. Terrorist are not afraid of death and they rejoice when they kill as many innocent civilians as possible. In this regard, the best strategy of combating terrorism is prevention strategies as opposed to reactionary strategies. This is why National Response Framework plays a vital role in combating terrorism. Well, terrorists do not operate in a vacuum society. In this regard, there is an extensive intelligence report that there will be a coordinated terrorism plan to use improvised explosives devices (IED) to detonate bombs at major USA city’s sports arena. According to the intelligence source, the attack will occur in Inglewood Sports Arena during the much awaited CA the Forum. The Forum usually attracts comprising at least 10, 000 spectators. The large number is mostly due to high profile people that attend the Forum and economic benefits attached to it. The Forum will occur for 3 days starting on 15th March 2015 and ending at 17th March 2015. The date of the attack is not specific but is believed that since the forum will be 15th and 17th, the attack is likely to occur on either dates. The threat is a well-coordinated activities. According to the intelligence, 3-5 suicide bombers will stage themselves in arena with an aim of detonating the bombs to cause mass panic and evacuat ion of the arena of the forum. The second attack will involve 1-2 large vehicle bombs (LVB) in a parking facility near entertainment complex. On the third attack will involve a series of

Gender Inequality In Educational Sector Of Pakistan Sociology Essay

Gender Inequality In Educational Sector Of Pakistan Sociology Essay Education is considered to be the most valuable possession for every human being today. Gender inequality is more pronounced in Pakistan. Women are disadvantaged with respect to the outcomes of schooling. My literature review incorporates all the questions regarding sex differences and I have mainly focus on the issues that are central to the questions of gender inequality in educational sector. Research remains focused on secondary information. Literature review consists of 10 articles as follow. The introduction to this article( the status of women in Pakistan,1988) written by HAQ, attempts to state that women constitute the majority about 52% of the worlds population, yet many societies discriminate them and Pakistan is one of those. The article mainly discuses that women in the rural areas are made to work as long as 14 to 16 hours without payments. Their status is mainly based on local custom rather than QURANIC verses. In a traditional society women occupy really low status. There is a history of female in the subcontinent that women are expected to function within their frame work before marriage they had to obey their fathers and brothers and after marriage their husbands. Most of the women live in the state of withdrawal deprived of their identity and this is because of the lack of education and Pakistani women are denied due to social prestige and economic activity. The variables that are extracted from this article are local custom and lack of awareness. The author define these variables in such a manner that he focuses on reducing gender disparity, should be the priority of the society and this gender disparity can be reduced by eliminating the traditional practices that are held in a society for example women should have equal participation in the decision making and increase women knowledge on family planning as the article states that average number of live birth is 5.8, maternal mortality is very high at an estimated 500 out of 100,000 births. The article discusses the status of women in Pakistan and due to gender discrimination how they are lacking in education. Educated and independent women are more enthusiastic towards life and are capable of understanding modernized changes rather than illiterate under nutritive dependant women .furthermore the article discuses that gender discrimination is mainly because of the traditional customs they are following especially in the villages. Hypothesis: the status of women in Pakistan should be enhanced or not This article gender inequality in education written by Nelly P.Stromquist in 1990 focuses on womens access to education, both in terms of the decrease in the rate of literacy and in years of schooling attained, the article says that there has been improvement over time. Compared to their mothers and grandmothers, women today have more education than ever before. The enrollment of women in primary and secondary school has improved in the last 30 years, and women have registered a slightly greater rate of growth, as women have increased their average years of schooling. Despite all these fact, women still continue to face lower levels of education than men. Women in the third world countries are considered to be feminine and weak in terms of reward and social prestige. The author states that there are still a sizable number of countries that do not collect statistics by sex, particularly at higher levels of education, indicating thereby that they do not consider the improvement of wome ns education a priority. The rate or level of women participation in educational sector reveals that it is the women from low-income groups and low status, ethnic affiliation who register the lowest levels of education. Above stated are the variables that were extracted from the article: low income group, low ethnic affiliation, rate of dropping out. The author defines the variables in a way he says that most of the gender disparity which is observed across the societies is a result of class difference that fully explains why the gender disparity exists and persists. Furthermore the article discuses that there have been few studies that specifically distinguish inequalities due to gender from those due to class or race. A study by Rosemberg (1985) showed that the discrimination by income was more pronounced than the discrimination by race. There is a difference in the education of different social classes. The particular article is relevant to the topic in such a way it states that the schooling of daughter is not deemed worthwhile in front of the schooling of a son. And another major reason of women lacking in education is of high dropout rates of girls in primary and secondary schools. And this is mainly because of early marriages. Insufficient places in secondary school, co education cost of education and low quality of education of girls. Many of the studies in this category do not ask why it is that womens education is considered less important than that of men or why it is that the education of women is so pervasively linked by social norms to their role as wives and mothers. The methodology that was used in the article was viewing different theories about social inequalities in education, are those that are derived from either the functionalist (or consensual) or the conflict (or neo-Marxist) approaches. Hypothesis: is women education considered less important than men The article class and gender in education-employment linkage written by Hanna Papanek focuses on the impact of global economic and political changes on low income nations. Poor families that depend entirely on returns to labor in order to survive are most likely to require participation in wage labor (or labor exchange arrangements) by all household members, including men, women, and children. Under these circumstances, educational participation becomes very difficult for both male and female, but because males generally have a wider range of earning opportunities, they are more likely preferred than females to be allowed to attend school. On the other hand at class and income levels where families are less dependent on female wage labor, womens education is preferred little bit. Family status has a direct bearing on access to economic and political resources that enhances education facility in women. Another factor that is discussed in this article is the family honor and these are the variables extracted from this article INCOME in terms of FAMILY STATUS. The author defines the variables in such a way that differences among classes are signaled by the extent of control over women which is family honor. In some cases girls may not be permitted to attend middle schools located outside the village because it would injure family honor and compromise marriage over it. In other cases, the attainment of secondary or tertiary education may confer so much prestige on the family that the possible status loss associated with daughters living away from home is offset. Marriage chances may also be enhanced when a daughter is sufficiently educated that she can just read and write her name and which can make her earn minimal amount of living. In Egypt as it is a highly stratified society, formal education for both men and women has long been associated with class and status. Higher education, in particular, has played an important role in the reproduction of the bourgeoisie , although not always in the predicted fashion. In Egypt, not all illiterate women can be presumed to be from poor families; at least some proportion of this group, especially among older women, comes from families that do not permit women contact with the outside world. The overwhelming majority of illiterate or barely literate women, however, are from poor families. The article is base from a comparative regional study in Asia that is now under way and from research in a nearby country (Egypt) that is similar in many respects to the countries included in the regional study. Many of the nations in the ongoing study have large Muslim populations (Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Malaysia) etc. concluding the article female educational participation, especially at higher levels, is a consequence of higher family status rather than a means to upward mobility. Hypothesis: do females have less access to both schooling and employment than males do. This article Muslims, markets, and the meaning of a good education in Pakistan was written by Mattew J. Nelson in (October, 2006) examines the nature of local educational demands in Pakistan and show that parents favor religious education usually for girls. Girls access to education in Pakistan has been restricted. Despite improvements in the last 20 years, underlying factors still make the state education system inefficient and the current male to female literacy ratio is still at 65:40. And this is mainly because people wrongly assume that our religion dont permit girls for normal education. Girls are usually preferred to go to maddrasas which most of the parents in rural areas think is a better and accessible option and more convenient option for them. Furthermore the article describes the market and the meaning of good education in Pakistan. Families of middle class who can afford primary education of girls still prefer sending their girls to religious schools which cost them ver y little and prefer their boys to enjoy all the privilege of higher education because they think that it is in our religion that girls are suppose to stay at home. The variable that was identified from this article is religion (Islam). The author defines the variable in such a way that he himself carried a survey and a Questionnaire in which two type of people were questioned one for whom the local madrasa (Islamic religious school) was most important Secondly parents were selected from a variety of economic circumstance. However the outcome was that out of 112 respondents 91 were in the favor of madras for girls. The article is relevant to the topic in a way that it discusses about the how the choice of religious education for girls is forming a disparity in educational sector of Pakistan. The article mainly discuses the, substantive features of local educational demand and religious demand Hypothesis: is demand in favor of religious education rather than local The article Girls Are Boys Are: Myths, Stereotypes Gender Differences written by Patricia B. Campbell, Ph.D.Jennifer N. Storo in 2006 mainly discuses, how much the gender counts in education the author of this article states that Sex is not a good predictor of academic skills, interests or even emotional characteristics. The author discusses about the different myths that are related to girls for example biologically girls cannot handle the stress of higher education. Due to these myths parents have lower expectations from girls and they become gender biased and the variable that was extracted from this article was MYTHS AND STEREOTYPES. Now author further more discuses why myths persist based on gender and race. The history of myths will explain how author has defined the variable it is a common belief that men are principal producers and bread earners of the family so they should enjoy all the privileges and this is a primary reason why their education was considered more importan t than girls. And it was considered that women are property of husband and her only job is to produce children. Furthermore many of the people use to believe and still many of them do is that women reproductive capacity will destroy if her intellect is going to improve. Which in other words mean that women with better education will not listen to men. For example it was concluded that women in their menstrual cycle if uses their brain lose their mammary functions. This particular article is relevant to the topic in such a way as many of these myths are still believed and practiced in Pakistan when it comes to education specifically. This was both quantitive and qualitative form of research in which graphs, charts and theories were used to measure different type of myths Hypothesis: Is there a biological bias for sex differences The article The Impact of Gender Inequality in Education on Rural Poverty in Pakistan written by Imran shareef chaudray and Saeed ur rahman in 2009. The main purpose of this article was to identify the gender inequality in education on rural poverty in Pakistan. The article basically discuses that gender inequality in education persists in almost all the poor countries and Pakistan is one of those. Strong gender disparities exist in the rural and urban areas of Pakistan. Pakistan is one of those societies in which women suffer all sort of discriminations. There are countless issues of education in Pakistan including low level of investment, cultural constraints, poverty, gender and regional inequalities in budgetary allocation to education, low enrollment rates due to poor condition of public schools, high population growth producing more illiterates and poor, lack of implementation of educational policies. Violence against women, class discrimination, poverty, lack of educational fa cilities, and various parallel education systems in government and private education are the major emerging issues which should be dealt with curriculum reforms and effective educational policies. Above mentioned are all the variables extracted from this article but the major variable that I highlighted is POVERTY. Logit regression analysis on primary data was used to reach the conclusion. However it was concluded that poverty has adverse effects on gender disparity in education. Hypothesis: effect of poverty on education This article DOCUMENT TO DEBATE AND FINALIZE THE NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY written by JAVED HASAN ALY in December 2006 is intended to stimulate discussion of major policy issues concerning Education Sector in Pakistan. The educational status of women in Pakistan is unacceptably low, in fact, amongst the lowest in the world. Development, only 19% of females have attained education upto Matric, 8% upto Intermediate, 5% Bachelors degree and 1.4% achieved a Masters degree. 60% of the female adult population is illiterate. Of the 3.3 million out of school children, 2.503 million are girls. 73.6% of primary age girls attend school, compared with 92.1% of boys. Although education has been seen to add value to a female worker but in Pakistan for female education is considered as a abuse. Different policies have been recommended to eliminate this gender gap in education but the fund allocation and human resources that were provided by the government to implement the policies. So the variables that were extracted from this article are Low level of financial allocation and inefficient utilization of resources. The author describes the variable in such a way that since 1947 the emphasis on girls education is laid down and many policies and reforms have been made to practice it but due to lack of financial resources Pakistan is still facing gender discrimination in education. The article on whole is relevant to the topic because it is discussing the policies and their effect on educational sector of Pakistan The particular article THE FUTURE OF GIRLS EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN written by Dr. Humala Shaheen Khalid Dr. Eshya Mujahid-Mukhtar: August 2002 discuses that although most children do get admitted to primary schools, but the major problem is their retention in primary classes. Given the poverty, high opportunity costs of children attending school (as sometimes they are required to contribute to the familys economic activities or towards daily household chores such as fetching water, fuel or sibling care), parents low perception about education, poor quality of education, teacher absenteeism and/or childs bad health, a very high proportion of students drops out from primary school. Reasons cited for leaving primary school varied between boys and girls. While most boys left school due to child not willing Most girls said they had to help at home. During the past decade, several policy initiatives were undertaken, each with a strong component for improving girls education in the country. Besides two educational policies, namely, the National Education Policy (1992) and the National Education Policy (1998-2010), the Government of Pakistan launched the Social Action Programmed (SAP) in 1993/94 which focused on improving the social indicators for girls and women. But none of these policies was followed properly so the variable that was extracted from this article was lack of of financial allocation and Lack of encouragement by government and lack of school facilities. The government of Pakistan is lacking way behind in providing educational facilities Great care needs to be exercised while portraying the future of girls education in Pakistan. Female education is subjected to the forces of both demand as well as supply barriers such as poverty, lower status of female in society and her security concerns, coupled with lack of school facilities, teaching materials and inadequacy or absence of female teachers. More importantly, there are strong linkages of the education se ctor with other sectors. The Study is based on secondary sources. National statistical sources have been extensively used which include the Population and Housing Census 1998; the Economic Surveys (various issues) and the reports published by the National (and provincial) Education Management and Information System (NEMIS). The Study also relies heavily on other data sources and relevant research reports issued by the Central Bureau of Education, Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM) and the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS). Hypothesis: future of girls education in Pakistan This article ROLE OF WOMEN IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF PAKISTAN written by Jehan Qamar in 2000 is about the importance of role of women in economic development. And it contains a lot of information about state of women in education and their employment. This article also lays emphasis on political and cultural instability that is affecting the status of women in Pakistan. And this political and cultural instability are also the variables extracted from the article. Furthermore the article discuses that the implication of cultural norms are affecting the education of women a lot different policies made by the Pakistans government were reviewed before writing this article and whether there implication is active or not and how it is affecting the economy. However it was concluded that the role of women in economic development can be enhanced if women provided with proper education Hypothesis: role of women in economic development of Pakistan The article DISTANCE EDUCATION AS A STRATEGY FOR ELIMINATING GENDER DISPARITY IN PAKISTAN written by à ¢Ã‹â€ -Dr. Irshad Hussain in 2008. The article discuses about the role of distance education in addressing the issue of gender disparity in Pakistan The study was descriptive in nature and the researchers adopted survey approach. The study was conducted in Punjab province. The study consisted on three populations: (i). B.A level female students, (ii). their parents and (iii). academicians of Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad. Researchers adopted stratified and convenient sampling technique for collecting data from students their parents and academicians respectively. The samples of the study comprised of 600 students, 60 parents and 60 academicians .The article starts with describing that gender discrimination is one of the major issue in Pakistan at present as we all know that the Pakistani society is male dominated and males enjoy all the privileges where as female population is a very small and neglected community of Pakistan. Unluc kily gender gap is wide and demands immediate attention to address the issue. However distance education is one of the solutions and incentives which provide girls an opportunity to study even in culturally restricted areas. It can cater educational needs of the society at the doorstep on equal basis and frees learners from time and place restrictions. Keeping in consideration the above characteristics Allama Iqbal University is offering different programs through distanced approach. As a result admission rate has increased specially in Allama Iqbal University. Hypothesis: Is distance education effective or not

Grandmother as Head of Household in Katherine Anne Porters The Old Order :: Free Essays

Grandmother as Head of Household in Katherine Anne Porter's The Old Order In her short story, "The Old Order", Katherine Anne Porter's creation of Miss Sophia Jane--The Grandmother-- illustrates the embodiment of patriarchal power within a matriarchal figure. What intrigues me is Porter's reversal of personality traits between the Grandmother and her husband. Porter's depiction of the Grandmother paints her as the undisputed head of house-- she "wears the pants" beneath the many layers of lacy petticoats and heavy skirts. The contrast between the Grandmother and her husband strike me as a reversal of typical gender-assigned personality traits. The Grandmother is "altogether just, humane, proud, and simple", in and of itself, I would attach these traits to a masculine man (not just any man!) (20). In contrast, the terms Porter uses to describe the Grandmother's husband, in and of themselves, are gendered, "hysterical" traits: "lack of aim, failure to act at crises, a philosophic detachment from practical affairs" (21). In the marriage of these antithetical personalities, Porter illuminates the problems faced by a headstrong women stifled by her gender-defined role in life. Atypically, the Grandmother was the head of the household, undeniably the dominant figure-- for virtually everything. Her husband "disliked and feared her deadly willfulness, her certainty that her feelings were not only right, but beyond criticism", and in doing so he loathed the traits that normally sit with a male head of house (21). In doling out her authority, the Grandmother may have been perceived as unwavering, but "her own doubts and hesitations she concealed . . . as a matter of duty" (11). There was no "female" emotionality behind the Grandmother's actions, what was rational was right; the Grandmother's husband took care of any illogical thinking and foolhardy ventures. The Grandmother was undeniably "before her time". While she embodied the persona of a patriarch, she was unable to fully assume her role-- and I'm not talking the male sexual role.

A Comparative Analysis of television channels FIVE and BBC Essay

Television is a powerful media source, bringing stories to billions across the globe. It has been called â€Å"the most awesome God-less force in the modern world† and it is now seen as a major part of everyday life. The average person spends 4 hours a day watching TV – becoming roughly 1/3 of a person’s typical waking hours. Television is a constructed view of reality, sometimes exaggerated extremely, solely to create entertainment. In the UK, there are five major terrestrial television channels, (four organisations) with some being vastly more successful than others. The BBC is the only organisation not to make money from advertising. Their money is generated from the TV Licence fee, and this type of broadcasting is known as Public Service Broadcasting. Channel 5 is perhaps seen as the least successful of the five TV channels, possibly due to the fact that it is the youngest. The channel began in 1995, but it was not able to broadcast nationally as many of the population’s televisions could not receive it. The company offered to retune every TV that couldn’t receive it, before the big launch in 1997. A long advertising campaign was launched, known as â€Å"Give Me Five† in an attempt to draw in viewers. On the 30th March, 1997, Channel 5 was launched at 6pm, attracting an audience of 2. 4 million people, a figure higher than the launch of Channel 4, fifteen years earlier. This new channel neither had the money or reputation to buy and broadcast potentially successful material. Perhaps getting off to a bad start, the main schedule consisted of home and cookery programmes, cheap US exports, and late night pornography. However, Channel 5 did receive praise for its news programming, and soon the ratings became consistently acceptable. The channel gained more money, and was soon able to buy better quality shows, such as Home & Away. In 2002, Channel 5 underwent a major image modification. The name changed from Channel 5 to simply, Five, and progressed itself as a serious rival to the other 4 channels. However, the channel has not been without its flaws. For example, Friends spin-off series, Joey, was bought by Five in 2005. Despite a high-profile launch and ad campaign, the program received poor ratings and was eventually cancelled. Similarly, other shows such as Robot Wars and CD:UK proved to be a flop for the channel. These unsuccessful shows have seemingly increased the channel’s poor reputation. In the channel’s first year of broadcasting, five receives its lowest audience shares of 2. 3%, but this can be expected from a debuting channel. Fifteen years earlier, Channel 4 received even lower audience shares on its opening night, although it could be argued that people watched less television in the 1980s. The audience shares increased, and peaked in 2004. The channel has the lowest audience share of the terrestrial channels, but, in its defence, Five is not received in all of the UK’s homes. Like all of the other terrestrial channels, Five now has â€Å"sister† channels, Five US and Five Life. These two channels are both somewhat successful, but other â€Å"sister† channels, such as ITV2, E4 and BBC Three are proving to be more viewed. Nowadays, Five is able to branch out and buy successful US shows such as Prison Break and House, as well as buying programmes from other channels – in 2008, Five bought Neighbours from the BBC. The BBC was established in the early 1920s, but it was not until 1936 that the channel began its regular television broadcasting as a public service TV channel. However, it was further suspended after WWII began, until 1946 when the permanent service was established. The BBC’s mission was to â€Å"inform, educate and entertain† and is still taken into account today. The BBC broadcasts a wide variety of programmes on both of its channels, BBC1 and BBC2. The BBC’s major programme is EastEnders, the popular primetime soap. On a weekly basis, the soap receives the highest rating of all terrestrial shows, with only the ITV1 soap, Coronation Street, (and occasionally reality shows such as The X Factor and Dancing On Ice) playing as its rival. Other BBC shows, such as Top Gear, Doctor Who and Little Britain have all been a success throughout the last decade, further improving the channels ratings and reputation. In an attempt to branch out and widen its audience, the BBC has recently made some unlikely purchases. In 2007, the channel brought the successful US show Heroes to BBC2. The show quickly became a phenomenon, and is different from what would usually be broadcast on BBC2. The BBC continues to dominate terrestrial TV, by finding ways to bring in more viewers. The programmes vary from food, to lifestyle, to documentary, to political. The BBC is now contending with ITV in the reality market, as it now features shows looking for new west-end stars, and the ever popular series, Strictly Come Dancing. BBC1 receives the highest audience share of the 5 channels, with an average of 26%. It is seen as the â€Å"main† channel, and regularly receives high ratings. This major organisation has the money to do whatever it pleases, and this has shown over the last decade. The BBC now has 8 channels – BBC1, BBC2, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News 24, BBC Parliament, CBBC and CBeebies. These 8 channels prove to cater for everyone. BBC Three is the most popular of the sister channels, frequently receiving new material such as Lily Allen and Friends and Gavin & Stacey. The channel is a â€Å"lighter† version of BBC1, with a more comedic element. The BBC now broadcasts internationally. A new channel, BBC America, was launched in 1998, and has carried programming from the BBC to the USA, such as Torchwood and The Graham Norton Show. BBC America is part of two international channels, the other being BBC World. A recent feature of the BBC, BBC iPlayer, has recently been introduced. It has become an on-demand online video player, with unlimited access to BBC shows. The iPlayer is proving extremely popular, with more than 3. 5 million programmes downloaded in its opening week. However, despite the BBC being a major empire, the company relies on the licence fee. It is the only channel not to rely on income through advertising. The core belief of public service television is that it is free from the pressures of commercial TV, and, as its income is guaranteed, public service TV is freer to explore. But this does not mean it can become complacent. High audience shares are still needed because, if they were to fall, the licence fee would be in serious jeopardy. For years, there has been a debate as to whether public service broadcasting should continue. Naturally, the BBC wishes for it to continue, whereas others disagree. The BBC has very little to do to secure its funding, whereas the commercial companies have to work to get their income. The opponents of public service television argue that it is simply another form of taxation. With the arrival and expansion of satellite and cable, some people have no interest in the public service channels. For the BBC, public service broadcasting means that certain pressures are put upon them, but their income is fixed. The BBC could be said to have better quality shows due to them receiving â€Å"easy† money, and it also means that their programmes can be longer, due to the fact that they don’t have to make time for advertising. However, for Channel 5, public service television means that there are no pressures. The channel can show what they want (within reason) but their income is variable. Unsurprisingly, the commercial channels are against the licence fee, as it seems unfair. It seems as if the media are in constant debate over whether the licence fee should continue, as many people pay considerable sums for services in which they have no interest in.

Filing a Follow to Join Application (Form I-824)

Filing a Follow to Join Application (Form I-824) The United States allows the spouses and children of U.S. green card holders also to get green cards and permanent residency in the United States, using a document known as Form I-824. It is more popularly known as the â€Å"Follow to Join† process, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says it is a more expedited way of coming to the country than processes that were in place years ago. Follow to Join allows families who may not be able to travel together to reunite in the United States. Since the early days of the republic, Americans have demonstrated a willingness to keep immigrant families together, as much as possible. Technically, Form I-824 is called an Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition. Form I-824 can be a powerful tool for promoting family reunification. Some important things to keep in mind: It is extremely important that you submit all required initial evidence with all the supporting documentation with your application at the time of filing. USCIS has strict requirements about what evidence you will need to provide.Follow to Join is only valid if the principal applicant has established permanent residency in the United States through employment, family-preference, the Green Card lottery or through a K or V visa.Follow to Join does not require a separate immigrant petition and does not require the applicant to wait for a visa to become available.You dont need to file Form I-130 to take advantage of the Follow to Join process.The principal applicant must not be a U.S. citizen. Thats a different process. If the principal applicant has become a naturalized citizen, then he or she can file a separate visa petition to bring family members here.The Follow to Join process is only available to children who are under the age of 21 and unmarried. Children over the age of 21 or ma rried children can immigrate to the United States if a parent becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen. There are provisions in U.S. immigration law for allowing stepchildren and adopted children to participate in Follow to Join. People who have gotten permanent residency through the Immediate Relative R category are not eligible for Follow to Join but can petition for visas for their spouses or children by filing Form I-130. Some Documents You Are Likely To Need Some examples of the evidence (documentation) that is typically required include certified copies of the childrens birth certificates, a copy of the marriage certificate and passport information. All documents have to be verifiable. Once the petition is approved by USCIS, the petitioners children or spouse must appear at a U.S. consulate for an interview. The filing fee for the Follow to Join application is $405. The check or money order must be drawn on a bank or financial institution located in the United States. According to USCIS, â€Å"Once Form I-824 has been accepted, it will be checked for completeness, including submission of the required initial evidence. If you do not completely fill out the form or file it without required initial evidence, you will not establish a basis for eligibility, and we may deny your Form I-824.† Further, USCIS says: â€Å"If you are in the United States and have not yet filed to adjust your status to permanent resident, you can file Form I-824 for your child overseas with your Form I-485. When concurrently filing Form I-824, it does not require any supporting documentation.† As you can see, this can get complicated. You may want to consult with a qualified immigration attorney to make sure your petition is approved without excessive delays. Government immigration officials warn immigrants to be careful of scammers and disreputable service providers. Beware of promises that seem too good to be true – because they almost always are. Applicants can check the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website for current contact information and hours.

Samsung Galaxy SIII Product Features

Samsung Galaxy SIII Product Features Over the last two decades, almost everyone in the world has acquired a mobile phone. One of the leading mobile phone manufacturers in the world is Samsung (Schwartz, 2012). The company came up with their galaxy series a few years back with the Samsung Galaxy SIII being launched a few months ago. The previous version, Samsung Galaxy SII, is still being held by many Samsung enthusiasts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Samsung Galaxy SIII Product Features specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The phone has one of the best hardware as well as software designs in as far as the smart phone market is concerned. The phone is quite light as it weighs only 116 grams, and this is complemented by the fact that it is quite slim at just 8.5mm. This, compared to its competitors such as the iPhone 4s and the Sony Ericson Experia arc, makes it the slimmest phone ever made. The phone has a 4.3 inch screen, which ensures that the user gets an impressive video and visibility experience especially when reading. The screen has an excellent touch capability that ensures quick response and defined navigation. The fact that it has a Super-AMOLED screen means that it has a better power saving capability than its previous predecessors even with its huge size (Gralla, 2011). The manufacturers of the phone sought to provide the user with a real life experience by providing a resolution of approximately 480 x 800 pixels. The phone’s battery has a standby time of approximately 710 hours, which is more than some of its competitors such as the iPhone 4s, which maxes out at 300 hours. The phone comes with a dual-core processor, which is complemented by 1 GB of RAM. This makes it quite powerful to a point where there may not be enough phone operations to utilize its speeds fully. The phone comes in two options of 32 GB internal memory and 16 GB. This is complemented by a memory slot that accommodates up to 32 GB of memory (Sch wartz, 2012). It also comes with an eight megapixel camera, which makes the user’s experience even more magical. This, coupled with its graphics capability, ensures that the user is able to enjoy high quality photos as well as personal videos. While its inbuilt sound may be wanting, the phone comes with impressive earphones that ensure quality sound especially when listening to music. The phone has a micro-USB slot and a data cable (Gralla, 2011). This makes it easier to transfer data to and from the phone. Even though the phone looks quite delicate, it is quite resistant to damage under the normal confines of phone usage.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The phone runs on an android operating system preferably Gingerbread 2.3.3 with options of upgrades. This supports hundreds of thousands of applications, which go farther to maximize the users experience wit h the phone (Roebuck, 2011). It also supports multi touch where one can use pinch zoom to view a number of screens at the same time. The phone is gravity sensitive, which applies when changing the viewing format as well as when receiving calls and listening to music. It also comes with voice recognition, which applies when searching through documents and contacts. It supports voice command as well as voice talk, which allows one to engage directly with the phone and increase his or her experience (Roebuck, 2011). The phone may not be identified as one of the cheap alternatives in the market, but its steep price is worth once one gets a feel of it. References Gralla, P. (2011). Galaxy S II: The Missing Manual. New York: OReilly Media, Inc. Roebuck, K. (2011). Android: High-Impact Strategies What You Need to Know: Definitions, Adoptions, Impact, Benefits, Maturity, Vendors. London: Emereo Pty Limited. Schwartz, S. (2012). My Samsung Galaxy S III. New York: Pearson Education.

Securitization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Securitization - Assignment Example Banks, intermediaries and other financial institutions are not in a position to cope with the situation. So there is a window of opportunity in mortgage funding (Comptroller, 1997, p 02). In order to attract investors, bankers initially develop the investment vehicle that isolated defined mortgage pools, segmented the credit risk, and structured the cash flows from the underlying loans. Although it took several years to develop an efficient mortgage structure. In the early 1980s, the current shape of securitization was introduced into capital markets in which payments were pooled and used as collateral for securities issues. U.S government played a very pivotal role by creating agencies whose work is to ensure the securities, payment and interest (Comptroller, 1997, p 02). In the late 1980s, companies such as Citibank, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, Marine Midland Bank, Chrysler Corporation, and Ford Motor Company entered into the securitization market and raise billions of d ollars through off-balance-sheet financing and in years to come, new issuance of consumer asset-backed securities averaged about $50 billion annually. Securitization works in manner that seller provides goods or services to its valued customer in manner that payment is to be received in later days so he/she creates an asset then this pool of asset is sold to SPV (issuer) in order to acquire the particular asset and issuing a debt instrument to investor. Now this debt instrument is traded in secondary market in order to attract different rating agencies (Comptroller, 1997, p 06). This approach is quite fruitful for the seller because highly-rated debt instruments attract the finest prices. In addition, the credit rating of the debt instrument is very much dependent on the quality of assets that are securitized with in the pool. Investment banker provides protection, if there

Movie Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Movie Analysis - Research Paper Example The second boss that is Dr. Julia Harris played by Jennifer Aniston lacks openness in the sense that she is often shown as resorting to a traditional top down approach towards leadership with her assistant Dale. Julia, like Dave is also an in-conscientious in the sense that she does not hesitate from blackmailing Dale to clinch sexual favors. The third boss that is Bobby is a cocaine addict and an immoral son of Kurt’s late boss Jack. Bobby turns out to be an incompetent leader who though being in charge simply has no idea as of what one is supposed to do. Bobby is shown to be pathetically, emotionally unstable. In his self inflicted delusionary approach towards reality, Bobby considers himself to be a gift to women, intellect, and humor and to the life in general. In reality he is a huge disappointment to his late father and vehemently envious of Jack’s relationship with Kurt. The movie is a moving depiction of as to how big five personality dimensions give way to personalities with varied behavior patterns. In that context, the article Attraction to Employment Advertisements: Advertisement Wording and Personality Characteristics by Stevens and Szmerekovsky does stress the tendency of the employees to gravitate to such jobs as are in consonance with their personality dimensions (2010). This study demonstrated that individuals with a conscientious personality were more attracted towards employment advertisements which stressed conscientiousness. Similarly, individuals with an open mindset were found to have a predilection for employment advertisements that laid stress on openness as an essential job requirement. In the context of the movie, the three employees, Nick, Dale and Kurt unluckily found themselves in a work environment that was starkly contrary to their set of personality dimensions, thereby pushing them to try to eliminate their bosses. One other article, Personality and

Barclays bank approach to system implementation ((business information Essay

Barclays bank approach to system implementation ((business information system)) - Essay Example This would mean spending more money to pay the extra manpower added to run the two systems together. With the case for Barclays, this cost was minimized when they decided to use the ‘big bang’ approach where by they only spent on the new system rather that both the new and the old as in parallel or pilot approaches of system implementation. During the process of migrating old data to the new IBM database DB2, erroneous data that were found in the old databases were removed and only complete and useful data was moved. This helped the bank on saving disk space and also in the cleaning of their data. When running only one system the concentration level of the staff using the system becomes high because they only need to focus on one system rather than two. This method of changeover reduces interruptions caused when the staffs have to work on two systems concurrently. Therefore, Barclay staff had minimum interruption considered to when the bank had decided to use a parallel method. Since the staffs using the new system don’t have a fallback system, they tend to learn how to use the new system faster than when the organization was running on a parallel system changeover approach. Regardless of preparing for the last 18 months for the launch of the new system, no one knows when things might go wrong. By adopting the ‘big bang’ approach, the bank had risked losing both the old system and the new one just in case it failed. The impact of such failure would also be more than when other methods were used. There is always the risk of meeting the deadline of launching the new system especially when a team is involved in the development process. For the case of Barclays, they never had problem in meeting their deadline and things went smooth. Merging data from various databases into one centrally located and accessible by all branches was a difficult task. This was so because, some of the data had to

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder Essay Example for Free

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder Essay Throughout the decades of time, society has been continuously determining the perception of what it is to be beautiful. The American standard of beauty is often reflected upon advertisements that convey an unrealistic expectation for most everyday women. Whereas, teenagers have grown to interpret advertisements as a model for how they should appear physically. Marilyn Monroe was perceived as the epitome of beauty in the 1950s. The well-known sex symbol was recognized because of her curvaceous build. But for instance, Twiggy, a popular model in the midst of the 1960s, later set a misconstrued standard to what was beautiful. With the rising of her stardom, the glamorization of being thin was beginning to take a turn on a more positive note. That is until the famous 90s heroin chic model, Kate Moss, hit the scene taking the modeling industry by storm in an unhealthy manner with her campaign Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. As time continues to inevitably move forward in American culture, as will the image and conception of what beauty truly is in the eyes of our society. The value of women has always been subjectified to that of their appearance; therefore, the desired standard to be beautiful continues to evolve in the wrong ways. Today, the media puts pressure on both girls and women to look a specific type of way and throughout the past several years it has begun surface more frequently due to the drastic lengths people are willing to go to achieve their idea of perfection. Molly Edmonds, a woman who wrote 10 Ways the Definition of Beauty Has Changed on a popular health website HowStuffWorks exclaims the problem is, what society considers beautiful has a tendency to change, which means our pursuit of beauty tends to be lifelong and subject to the whims of trendsetters. In American culture today, society is endlessly pushing the average woman be compelled to the thought of have a slimming but toned stomach, long but muscular legs, basically, a perfectly proportioned body in order to bear acceptance from those amongst them. If a young female in this day and age is, for example born with brown, curly hair she might feel as if she has to have blonde, straight hair in order to fit in. As if somewhere in the world there is a recipe for the perfect woman that requires specific ingredients and an  exquisite taste. Most females are not satisfied with their physical features because of the image of this ideal woman that has been corrupted in the minds of people through radio, television, magazines, and movies by advertising with these countless models, which are materialized by their unrealistic slender bodies and high cheek bones. Basically, telling us that we are not good enough on our own skin; that we need THEIR tips, THEIR products and THEIR services to transform into THEIR picture perfect, ideal women. To the naked eye, these various advertisements and ways of entertainment seem to be harmless but in the reality of the widespread problem, the media is relentlessly bombarding us with their desires, perma nently damaging the self-esteem of both women and even men. Although it isnt written about or explained through definitions, were able to recognize societys standard of beauty by the images of the men and women that are chosen to be projected. Beauty throughout the mid-century was evoked sensually through a natural look. Therefore, normal women were discovered for that certain type of look; women like Norma Jean, also known as Marilyn Monroe. Traveling back into the 50s, a time where beautifully built women were praised by all, both men and women, because of their physical appearance. Marilyn Monroe was emulated for her full-figured stature and ravishing natural beauty. Anne Peterson once wrote, Monroe was a presence impossible to ignore. Her image signified vitality and brazenness, sexuality and innocence. It reset the standard of what it meant to be sexy, and what it meant to be sexy in public. No star has troubled the status quo as significantly since. After becoming Playboy Magazines first cover model and centerfold, Monroe soon achieved in becoming one of the largest the sex symbols of the decade. The actions people displayed began to transcend from an uptight society to a point where people were free to express themselves. This added a boost to prod individuals into becoming more open with their sexuality instead of hiding their true selves to those who surrounded them. In addition to modeling Marilyns acting career blossomed. People all over America were buying televisions to put in their homes, which caused moving film to play a much larger role in society than in previous decades. (Boyd) This new up rise in the ways of entertainment developed a type of industry where physical beauty was essential for making  a career. Marilyn Monroes signature blue eyes and curly blonde hair contributed to her stand out look compared to the other popular models and actresses of the era. As the years continued to pass, so had a tremendous development and perception of beauty through the eyes of our society. Since the 1960s, models such as Twiggy and Kate Moss have replaced more voluptuous figures like Marilyn Monroe as the new ideal of beauty and the desired male look has likewise become more trim and hard-bodied with each passing decade. (Tolerence) From the original curvaceous figure of Marilyn Monroe, that had rose along with television sales in the 50s, to Twiggys emaciated figure that was popularized as the art of runway modeling began to become more common, and which later returned back to a more waifish or heroin chic look, increasing Kate Moss popularity in the fashion industry. Twiggys role in new fashion portrayal was probably the biggest change in ideals in the 20th century. This skinny look that was advertised more and more, pushing the image that full-figured models were beautiful too created an uprooting dilemma throughout the years. Taking a turn for the worst in this time period, girls and women then began to obsess over both their weight and self-image. It wasnt until then was when many of the different eating disorders that are known today were discovered. George Santayana once said, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. The quote is suitable to relevance of the fashion industry; in a way that history does repeat itself. Each year that passes uncovers a new kind of fashion statement. Along with these statements comes a new image; an image on how one needs to look to fit in. What society has had trouble grasping is that physical appear is not what beauty needs to be defined as. Beauty should be defined by the goodness of your heart and the knowledge you enlighten the world with. Works Cited THE IDEAL WOMAN THROUGH THE AGES. DISCOVERY NEWS. N.P. 12 DEC. 2012. WEB. 2 APRIL 2014. http://news.discovery.com/history/art-history/history-beauty-120412.htm PETERSON, ANNE. THE UNHERALDED MARILYN MONROE. THE HAIRPIN. N.P. 26 OCT. 2011. WEB. 2 APRIL 2014. http://thehairpin.com/2011/10/scandals-of-classic-hollywood-the-unheralded-marilyn-monroe Edmond, Molly. 10 Ways the Definition of Beauty Has Changed. HowStuffWorks. Web. 7 April 2014. http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/hygiene-tips/10-ways-the-definition-of-beauty-has-changed.htm/printable SIZE BIAS AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION. TOLERANCE. WEB. 7 APRIL 2014. http://www.tolerance.org/article/size-bias-social-construction Wood, Louise. Perceptions Of Female Beauty In The 20th Century. Web. 7 April 2014. http://barneygrant.tripod.com/p-erceptions.htm Playboy. Wikipedia. Web. 7 April 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playboy Etcoff, Nancy. Survival of the Prettiest. Web. April 7 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/e/etcoff-prettiest.html

Changes in Marriage Equality Laws

Changes in Marriage Equality Laws Compare and contrast how your views of a traditional nuclear family, cohabitation and sexuality might differ from those of your parents. The ever changing world as we know it has led to differences in lifestyles and contemporary views towards how families should be run in modern society but the core values of family life still remain the same. Families are still mediums whereby people can enjoy security, companionship and a refuge from an often harsh and uncaring world. Structures of families have changed along with society in general but the traditional nuclear family of mother, father and children still remains an ideal. Many variations of the traditional nuclear family have arisen in the years since world war 2 that have changed the current generations views to that of our parents and grandparents generations. In previous generations the mother was expected to look after the household and not partake in paid employment while the father was considered the bread winner and sole source of income for the family. This perception of the nuclear family has changed vastly due to major changes in social structure, education, the feminist movement etc. These forces have changed how we view the modern family along with the increase in cohabitation, decline in marriage, rise in divorce rates and the prolonged postponement of union formation. Single-sex marriages, single-parent families, cohabitation and single living have increased in regularity. Increases in the rate of divorce has lead to a growth in the popularity of cohabitation whereby more couples live with each other before marriage, somewhat as a testing period, and couples are marrying later in life. Marriage has become less relevant in our generation compared to the golden age of marriage during the 50s and 60s where marriage was an important institution in society. Changes in laws such as those concerning same-sex marriage have led to this attitude. In the last two decades there has been a dramatic increase in cohabitation in the US. Between 1970 and 1994, the number of unmarried couples living together rose from about 500,000 to almost 3.7 million. Between 1965-74 just 11% of marriages were preceded by cohabitation whereas between 1980-84 44% of all marriages involved at least one spouse who had cohabited (1). Cohabitation has been prevalent in previous generations where couples were unable to marry due to the fact that they werent able to afford marriage or were not lawfully able to marry. Couples also believe that it is easier to end a cohabiting relationship than it is to end a marriage. For one tenth of cohabiters, cohabitation is a long term relationship which does not lead to marriage (1). In the space of a couple of decades cohabitation has nearly replaced marriage as the regular choice of a first union. In France, a massive rise in cohabitation occurred between 1965 and 1995 when the proportion of couples starting their union by cohabitation increased from 10% to 90% (2). During the 1990s marriage was still the superior marker for first union entry in the south of Europe whereas in juxtaposition most western and northern European countries and the United States cohabitation had surpassed marriage as the preamble for first partnership. The mean age for which people enter marriage has increased for many reasons. The prolonging of many transitions to adult life(finishing education, leaving the parental household, starting a first job) along with the rise in young adults entering unions without marriage has added to the mean age. Nowadays marriage is no longer seen as the singularly appropriate avenue for childbearing. People who decide to have a child do not feel rushed into marriage and being pregnant is not seen as a determinant for marriage. This attitude can be compared to those of prior generations where pregnancy before marriage was frowned upon and unmarried cohabitation did not last very long due to social pressure. In our parents generations the normal route of marriage followed by childbearing has been steadily replaced by a number of different pathways: in some countries, the sequence of cohabitation followed by marriage and then childbearing has become the most common path, while in other societies, cohabitation first followed by first or second birth and then marriage has become the most popular pattern and an increasing number of couples with children opt to not marry at all (3). In the United States the number of children born to parents who cohabitate nearly doubled between 1984 and 1994, growing from 6% to 11% (4). In recent times marriage instability has increased, this along with less-stable living arrangements have led to an increase in the numbers of single parent families and a high frequency of single motherhood across Europe. In Europe a substantial percentage of children are exposed to living with a single parent before reaching the age of 15. The total exposure ranged from 11-18 percent in Southern Europe (Italy and Spain), Belgium, Poland, and Slovenia; to 39-41 percent in Austria, Germany, and Latvia; and, outside of Europe, to a very high level of 52 percent in the United States (these figures are period life table estimates based on the FFS data). In agreement with the evidence provided by the census data in Table 6 above, the authors argue that, while the pace of family change has varied across countries, the shift of childrearing from married parents to single mothers is universal in Western societies, and has been proceeding faster than the shift to cohabiting parents and stepfa milies (5). In our parents and grandparents generations there was a fundamental belief that marital union should be between a man and a woman. Same sex couples were shunned and granted none of the rights that were enjoyed my heterosexual couples. Throughout the world same sex couples and those in support of equal rights for same sex couples have campaigned for what they feel are basic human rights that should apply to everyone; the right to have their relationship recognised lawfully and the right to marry. Homosexuality has gradually become decriminalised since the 60s in most countries but is still criminal in some countries run by religious laws. Pressure from these groups seeking equality for same sex couples and recognition of their union along with the increase in cohabitation has led to law reforms that allow these couples to achieve a specific legal status when the register their partnerships. Although same sex couples are gaining momentum in their continuous battles to secure recognition there are still pockets of resistance and intolerance. The introduction of civil partnership to the United Kingdom has granted same sex couples more rights including employment, pension and inheritance related rights. This increase in rights is a stark contrast compared to the limited rights allocated to same sex couples in our parents and grandparents times. References Cohabitation: A Snapshot by Hilda Rodriguez, 1998 Cohabitation is here to stay by Touleman, 1997 Children born outside marriage in France and their parents: recognitions and legitimations since 1965 by Munoz-PÃÆ'Â ©rez, F., and F. Prioux, 2000 Larry Bumpass, 2002 Shifting childrearing to single mothers. Results from 17 Western countries by Heuveline, P., J. M. Timberlake, and F. F. Furstenberg, Jr., 2003

Does Creatine Supplementation Really Enhance Athletic Performance? Essa

Does Creatine Supplementation Really Enhance Athletic Performance? The Purpose of Creatine In our competitive society, being the best is of utmost importance. Athletic performance is no exception, and athletes are constantly striving to find new ways to train which will help them to become the best. Many supplements promising results have come and gone, but creatine may actually be able to deliver improved athletic performance. Many athletes are currently supplementing their diets with creatine to increase their strength, muscle mass, and weight by providing their bodies with more available energy, thus reaching new heights in athletic performance. What is Creatine and how does it work Improving Energy Production Creatine is a nutrient that is found naturally in the diet as well as the human body. The primary dietary sources of creatine are raw beef and fish, as heating tends to destroy creatine . However, moderate increases in meat consumption are unlikely to increase muscle creatine levels because one must consume approximately 12 pounds of meat per day to achieve the same creatine levels as supplementation. When dietary consumption is inadequate to meet the body's creati.ne needs, it is manufactured in the liver and kidneys from a combination of the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Creatine is present inside muscles, especially skeletal muscles. In the muscles, creatine. is used to form creatine phosphate (CP), a potent chemical which can indirectly supply the energy our muscles need to contract, especially for quick and explosive movements such as in sports. All work done in human cells (including contracting muscles) is fueled by the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine... ...ation on power output and fatigue during bicycle ergometry. Journal of Applied Physiology, 78(2), 670-673 Earnest, C.P., Snell, P.B., Rodriguez, ., Almada, A.L. Mitchell, T.L. (1995). The effect of creatine monohydrate ingestion on anaerobic power indices, muscular strength and body composition. Acta Physiologica Scandiavica 153, 207-209. Febbraio, M.A., Flanagan, T.R., Snow, R.J., Zhao, S. F., Carey, M.F. (1995). Effect of creatine supplementation on intramuscular Tcr metabolism and performance during intermittent, supramaximal exercise in humans. Acta Physiologica Scandiavica, 155, :387-395. Harris, R.C., Soderlund, K. & Hultman, E. (1992). Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clinical Science 83, 367-374. Sahelian, R. (1997). Creatine: Nature's muscle builder. Let's Live, 65(3), 104