Saturday, August 31, 2019

Behavioural Issues in Budgeting

To : The Chief Executive From : Management Accountant Date : 19th January, 2012 To : The Chief Executive From : Management Accountant Date : 19th January, 2012 | Behavioural issues which may limit the usefulness of budgeting:| | Management Accounting| | Behavioural issues which may limit the usefulness of budgeting:| | Management Accounting| The university of northampton By Matthew Matemba 10347139 The university of northampton By Matthew Matemba 10347139 Table of Contents 1Part A:2 1. 1Executive Summary:2 1. Background:2 1. 3Definition:2 2Purposes of Budget:2 3Budgetary Biasing Framework3 3. 1Budget Slack (Bias)4 3. 2Seat of Power:4 3. 3Budget Gaming:4 3. 4Gatekeepers:5 3. 5Beating the System:5 3. 6The Know-All:5 4Effects of Budgeting Slack (Bias):5 5Causes of Budget Slack:6 6Conclusion:6 7Part B:8 7. 1Cash Budget:8 7. 2Interpretaion of Cash Budget:9 8References:9 9Bibliography:11 10Appendices:12 Part A: Executive Summary: This report demonstrates behavioural issues which may limit the usefulness of budgeting in Langdale Ltd. Including in the report are origin, definition, purposes and types of budgeting. Prior to the above, the report shows different form of budgeting ‘padding’ causes of budgeting â€Å"slack† , researches and above all the control of aforementioned behaviours in organisations and three months cash budget for Duncan Distilleries plc. Background: According to Dugdale and Lyne, the emergence of ‘Scientific Management’ in the 1920s, standard costing and public sector budgeting was established by the development of business organisations (2010, P. xi). Quickly, this development became budgetary control with a budget designed to compare estimated planning with actual result of performance in aid to identify any variance either favourable or adverse. Keuning (1997) suggested that, budgeting is associated with higher managers assigning task to different departments. Definition: Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in the UK defines a budget as ‘A plan expressed in money. It is prepared and approved prior to the budget period and may show income, expenditure and capital to be employed. May be drawn up showing incremental effects on former budgeted or ctual figures or be compiled by Zero-based budgeting’ (Hannagan, 2008, p. 560). There are various types of budgets namely, Zero-Based, Incremental, Rolling and Activity Based budget. Purposes of Budget: The purposes of budget are planning of annual operations, co-ordinating the activities of various parts of the organisation, communicating plans to the various responsible centre managers, motivating managers to strive to achieve the organisation goals by meeting set targets. Finally, controlling activities and evaluating the performance of managers. Undoubtedly, budget plays major part in managing organisations because norms are set to compare budgeted and actual performances financially. However, research has showed that with new ‘realities’ of global competition, rapid change and modern technology the â€Å"Beyond Budgeting† movement has criticized the traditional budgeting that, it was not meeting the advance challenges in terms of technology. Therefore, Bunce and Fraser formed the â€Å"Beyond Budgeting Round Table† in the UK in 1998 and inspired by the Swedish bank, Svenska Handelsbanken (Michael, 2007). Contrary to main purpose of budgeting individual’s actions demonstrates some behavioural issue which may limit the usefulness of budgeting and this might not different from employees of Langdale Ltd. The diagram 1 below illustrates the relationship between objectives of budgeting contrary to behavioural issues of employees. Budgetary Biasing Framework Walker (2004) Budget Slack (Bias) As illustrated above, personal goals are a behaviour which may limit the usefulness of budgeting. It is a deliberate over-estimating of expenditure and/or under-estimate of revenues when setting budget in order to achieve easy targets. These actions from managers reduce the ability of management to control variances. Research has revealed that, the inclusion of budget Slack or ‘Padding’ is common in various companies. For example, Dugdale & Lyne (2010 cited in Onsi 1973 p. 26) found that 80% of managers interviewed were preparing to admit they bargained for Slack. Though, budget slack are seen as unfortunate and dysfunctional, there are some indications that some slack can be desirable providing some flexibility to operating managers Dugdale & Lyne (2010). This is known as manipulating of figures. However, reports show that due to complex inter-relationships between the various departments degree of manipulating of budgeting is difficult. Contemporary literature has reinforced the idea that slack can be desirable as well as dysfunctional. For example, â€Å"Nohria and Gulati (1996) noted that slack could act as a buffer that was necessary for organisation adaptation Tan, J. and Peng, M. W. (2003) See Appendix B. Dugdale & Lyne (2010 cited in Van der Stede 2002 p. 6) found that slack could facilitate strategy in business units pursuing differentiation† in such circumstance ends up with surplus assets such as plant, equipment and buildings. Seat of Power: Additionally, from diagram 1 shows a power factor which is another behavioural issue which is a limitation to budgeting. This affects budgeting process when individual managers have influence over the outcome of proposed capital expenditure. Consequently, this could divert the co mpany direction which is contrary to its corporate objectives. Performance measurement therefore, should establish to encourage the aim of the company and not individual or departmental goal. (Hannagan, 2008, p. 569) Budget Gaming: Moreover, another limitation of useful budgeting is budget gaming which is an attempt by managers to practice bias in advance. A study shows managers also tend to game the budget after it has been implemented by making accounting entries to portray their operation in a light that are driven by desire to report better result. Hopwood in his study showed that such behaviour is more likely if managers are evaluated Hopwood (1972) See Appendix C. For example, cost centre managers attempted to charge items of cost to other cost centres and tended to time the expenditure in light of their effects on the short-term variance but such manipulation was available to relatively few people. Gatekeepers: These are employees in high position who delay in passing on vital information’s to heads of departments. Such personnel have authority to regulate the flow of information also in a position to determine various levels of management decisions. Beating the System: Individuals or groups may be able to beat the system and they are even proud of behaving in such a manner. For example, a company set a budget of ? 15,000 for capital equipment. Above this limit additional authority is required before any extra costs are incurred. However, the managers beating the system simply acquire a machine at a cost of ? 18,000 by ordering the capital equipment separately for instance, ? 14,000 and ? 4,000 per machine respectively. Surprisingly this behaviour happens in the real world and efficient internal control system and audit controls are called for further investigation. The Know-All: There are certain managers who think they will take decisions without consulting their subordinates not realising that, the said capital equipment will only work with certain additional equipment. In one case, although the subordinates were not consulted, yet they knew the know-all manager was buying a fixed asset; they remained silent knowing this machine might need additional parts to operate. Eventually, there was a problem and the subordinates were very pleased when things went wrong. To conclude, this highlights the importance of participation and meeting to discuss on capital investment in non-current assets. Hannagan, 2008, p. 569). Effects of Budgeting Slack (Bias): Budgeting slack creates an environment where budgeting goals are not met or exceeded. Employees therefore fail to maximise sales and minimising costs and actually rather providing incentives to overspending as managers’ fear losing money in subsequent years and above all, budget slack encourage waste. Cause s of Budget Slack: The problem of budget slacks is inevitable when the previous year’s budgeting is used as a basis for preparing the current budget as shown on diagram 1. This approach is known as ‘Incremental Budgeting’ being used by Langdale Ltd. Though, provisions are made for inflation, increased activities and easily to use and understand by managers and above all less costly to operate, incremental budgets have some draw-backs such as not considering operation priorities, not objective orientated hence leading to manipulation of budget figures and encourages â€Å"Spend it or Lose† mentality. Consequently, BPP (2005, p. 303) has recommended that, to eliminate budget slack, the alternative budget to adopt is ‘Zero-Based’ budgeting. Nevertheless, zero-based budgeting is mostly use in services companies such as Governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations. Conclusion: Debatably, Langdale Ltd being a publishing company, an alternative budgeting to improve incremental budgeting is Activity-based budgeting (ABB). ABB is contemporary approach to financial planning. It establishes the relationship between cost and activities. Resources are allocated to each activity which provides in-depth details especially regarding overheads because; ABB permits the identification of adding a value to activities and the cost drivers of such operations. It minimising the utilisation of resources by focusing on how to increase productivity. Furthermore, ABB will provide the company opportunity of focusing on why you need to undertake certain activities, how often to perform them and their relative cost. Certainly, this approach of budgeting will enhance on processing information and products of wasteful activities that may reduce and re-deploy the company’s resources for potential alternatives. Finally, in manufacturing sector being the scope of Langdale Ltd; ABB can enable the company to quantify decisions as follows: * Reduction in Set-up and machine repairs. * Facilitates detailed analysis of cost consequently, lead to avoid certain cost. Part B: Cash Budget: | | | | | Duncan Distilleries Plc. Cash Budget for July to September 2011. | | | July| August| September| | | ? ’000| ? ’000| ? ’000| Sales (50% IN 30 Days)| Note 6| 180| 180| 375| (50% in 60 Days)| | 180| 345| 345| Bank Loan| Given| | 100| 100| Total inflows| | 360| 625| 820| | | | | | Outflows:| | | | | Fixed cost| Note 1. 1| 32| 32| 32| Material| | 194| 312| 349| Variable cost| Note 2. 1| 208| 233| 235| Fixed Selling and Distribution | Note 3. 3| 3| 3| 3| Variable Selling and distribution| Note 3. 1| 14| 15| 18| Administration| Given| 18| 18| 18| | | | | | Finance Costs:| | | | | Bank interest| Note 4| -| 1| 2| Financing Costs (repayment)| | 0| 0| 0| Total Outflows| | 469| 614| 657| | | | | | Net Cashflow| | -109| 11| 163| Opening Balance| | 25| -84| -73| Closing Balance| | -84| -73| 90| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Interpretaion of Cash Budget: The cash budget alerts Duncan’s management the company run into deficit in July and August. Although, the cash inflow in September will show surplus yet the financial position of the company is not strong since the first repayment of ? 50,000 loan will be due in 1st October. As a result, management has to negotiate with their bankers to extend the repayment to November. The company could also use different method of sales such as online in order to reduce variable selling and distribution cost. Finally, since the cost of material is quiet high, management could ask for more flexible terms of payment to their suppliers in percentage terms Scarlett (2009). References: BPP Learning Media, 2007. Advance Performance Management. 1st ed. London: BPP Learning Media Ltd. BPP, 2005. Management Accounting – Performance Evaluation. 2nd ed. London: BPP Professional Education. Dugdale,D. & Lyne, S. , 2010. Budgeting Practice and Organisation structure, Oxford: s. n. Hannagan, T. , 2008. Management Concept & Practices. In: 5, ed. Management Concept & Practices. Harlow. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, p. 560. Hopwood, A. , 1972. An Empirical Study of the Role of Accounting Data in Performance Evaluation. [Online], vol. 10, pp. 156-182. Available from: http:/www. jstor. org/stable/248970 [Accessed 10 December 2011]. Keuning, D. , 1997. Management A Contemporary Approach. London: Pitman Publishing. Michael, A. , 2007. Beyound Budgeting. [Online] . Available from: www. cimaglobal. com [Accessed 10 November 2011]. Tan, J. & Peng, M. , 2003. The Role of Organizational Slack: Theory and Evidence. [Online], vol. 24, pp. 1251-1252. Available from: http://www. utdallas. edu [Accessed 10 December 2011]. Walker, J. , 2004. Home. [Online] . Available from: http://maaw. info/ArticleSummaries/ArtSumWalkerJohnson99. htm [Accessed 27 November 2011]. Walther, L. , n. d. Home. [Online]. Available from: http://www. rinciplesofaccounting. com/chapter21/chapter21. html [Accessed 26 November 2011]. Bibliography: BPP Learning Media, 2007. Advance Performance Management. 1st ed. London: BPP Learning Media Ltd. BPP, 2005. Management Accounting – Performance Evaluation. 2nd ed. London: BPP Professional Education. Dugdale , D. & Lyne, S. , 2010. Budgeting Practice and Organisation structure, Oxford: s. n. Hannagan, T. , 2008. Managem ent Concept & Practices. In: 5, ed. Management Concept & Practices. Harlow. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, p. 560. Hopwood, A. , 1972. An Empirical Study of the Role of Accounting Data in Performance Evaluation. [Online] Available from: http:/www. jstor. org/stable/248970 [Accessed 10 December 2011]. Keuning, D. , 1997. Management A Contemporary Approach. London: Pitman Publishing. MAAW, 2004. Home. [Online] Available from: http://maaw. info/ArticleSummaries/ArtSumVanderStede2000. htm [Accessed 27 November 2011]. Michael, A. , 2007. Beyound Budgeting. [Online] Available from: www. cimaglobal. com [Accessed 10 November 2011]. Scarlett, R. , 2009. Performance Operations. Oxford: Cima Publishing. Tan, J. & Peng, M. , 2003. The Role of Organizational Slack: Theory and Evidence. [Online] Available from: http://www. utdallas. edu [Accessed 10 December 2011]. Walker, J. , 2004. Home. [Online] Available from: http://maaw. info/ArticleSummaries/ArtSumWalkerJohnson99. htm [Accessed 27 November 2011]. Walther, L. , n. d. Home. [Online] Available from: http://www. principlesofaccounting. com/chapter21/chapter21. html [Accessed 26 November 2011]. Appendices: A. Calculations – Cash Budget B. Journal – The Role of Organization Slack C. Journal – An Empirical Study of the Role of Accounting Data in Performance Evaluation

Friday, August 30, 2019

Theory of Evolution – Short Essay

How is the theory of evolution used to explain the tremendous diversity of life on Earth? Describe how variation within a population arises and how natural selection differs from artificial selection. Finally, describe how bacteria that become resistant to modern antibiotics Is a clear example of evolution In action. The theory of evolution Is used to explain the extensive diversity of life on Earth by looking at why creatures evolve. The main reason they are able to evolve is that they have a quality that helps them survive in their environment.If two identical animals re put in very different habitats the future generations will end up with very different characteristics. For example, if a bird of multilayered origin is put in the jungle it could be said that eventually they will evolve to be a species of green birds because they have the best camouflage against predators. Natural selection Is most easily described by how a species survives because of traits dictated by their surro undings. An example of this Is an animal of prey that can run faster than Its heard, will escape a predator and live to breed In the future.The offspring will have the genes of a fast parent and likely be fast themselves therefore able to outrun the predator as well. Artificial selection is when humans interfere and only allow certain characteristics to be passed onto the next generation. An example of this is a dog breeder only breeding the dogs with the shiniest coats. The next generation will be heavily influenced to have shiny coats, an example of what they deem a valued characteristic. A very interesting way to see evolution is how bacteria are evolving to become resistant to modern antibiotics.Once thought to be the cure to many dangerous actuarial Infections antibiotics started to be handed out to Ill patients. Unfortunately, some patients are not finishing their prescribed antibiotics leaving bacteria alive In their bodies that are resistant to the drug. These mutant bacteri a quickly reproduce making future generations that are immune to the antibiotics. I can utilize my knowledge of the dangers of antibiotics in my career as a nurse when I work with the elderly in a hospital. I observe that an older patient has abdominal cramping and diarrhea I will assess whether they have recently taken antibiotics because of the risk of C. Official. Being aware of this infection I can collect a stool test to diagnose it. Once diagnosed, I can instruct the patient to stop taking the antibiotic. Then I will counsel them about how C. Difficult Is related to antibiotics. To begin, when the patient takes the drug to treat an Illness It will kill off not only the bacteria making the person sick but the good bacteria found In our Intestines as well. When this Is mammals the dangerous C. Delicate can grow out of control producing toxins that attack the intestine. It is also possible that C. Difficult is becoming crucial it is to finish any prescribed medication.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Design of Sound Activated Remote Control Essay

ABSTRACT Nowadays, when delinquency has more and more expanded and burglary, even car theft has become a social phenomenon and due to the limitation of infrared remote control in terms of control distance from the electrical equipment which not exceed in 30 feet or 10 meters and require line of sight when communicating with each other that you cannot easily access the equipment when you’re not in home or away from your car. This project study able to provide a solution for security and electronic devices conveniences. Design of sound activated remote control and alarm system utilizing mobile phone has been developed for security purposes and safety conveniences of electrical and electronic equipments with no phone call charges. The proposed design consists of the designed interface board and two cellular phones: one as a controller and the other as a transceiver. Whenever the status of the alarm changes, an automatic dial triggering of transceiver mobile phone will activated to alert the controlling mobile phone. Alternatively, the controlling mobile phone can turn on and off the equipment that connected to system by calling the transceiver mobile phone from any place that have mobile phone signal coverage. Findings of the project study showed that the design and developed circuit of mobile phone that used available local parts in the market is working properly for safety conveniences. It was user friendly through cellular communication and it effectively turns on and off electrical equipments through missed call triggering where you can easily access your equipments even if you’re not in the house or in holiday vacation. It proves that the ring detection circuit of the proposed project avoids phone call charges to the caller resulting to low cost maintenance compared to other commercial system that capable of performing similar functions but with relatively high cost. Based on the data collected the researcher concluded that the project is proven feasible, cheaper maintenance and easy to use and integrate. This was very reliable and worthy as an equipment remote control and alarm monitor system during its operation. In comparison to similar devices the developed system had able to perform similar functions without even software or programming involved. It was very effective and advisable for controlling equipments that are beyond the reach of the user without phone charges to the caller This project study is highly recommended to used for the community to activates their electrical and electronic equipments from any location that within the coverage area. These add up to their security and handiness of the equipments. For the students and future researcher with the same field of study should made research also to complement the information provided in this study. For the improvement of the design automatic charging of the mobile phone unit should take in consideration and the design system must be properly encapsulated to eliminate any unwanted signals that might trigger the system.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Weight Loss Diets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Weight Loss Diets - Essay Example High protein and low carbohydrate diets are available in different names and brands such as, Paleo, South Beach, Dukan, Atkins etc., but all are based on the common principle, i.e., to lower the carbohydrate consumption and consume large amount of protein by adding protein-rich foods like, meat, eggs, fish, and dairy products in diet (Kennedy, n.d). Over the last few years, many books on high protein and low carbohydrate diets altogether sold thousands of copies in the US. Advocates of high protein and low carbohydrate diets argue that these diets encourage the metabolism process of adipose tissue, resulting rapid weight loss without any adverse effect in long-run (Bravata et al. 2003, p. 1838). However, various professional organizations, like the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association, have warned against the excessive use of such diets. There are concerns that these type of diets focus on changing one’s metabolism and achieve weight loss by eating protein-rich foods and avoiding sources of carbohydrates which may cause the increase in blood sugar levels in the body due to gluconeogesis process. Gluconeogenesis turns protein into glucose by means of cortisol hormones. High level of cortisol causes rapid glucose production from protein, which results in high blood sugar level.Also, there are concerns that these diets can cause impaired metabolic functioning that may lead to serious medical problems, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or dyslipidemia.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work - Case Study Example With the advent of HIV and Aids, social workers, particularly in developing countries have had to rearrange themselves to deal with the needs of an ever increasing population of people with Aids. Social workers have attended to needs of oppressed people, people with extreme mental retardations, and those living in abject poverty. Social workers uphold social change and social justice on behalf of individuals, groups, families, and communities. The practice of social work is sensitive to ethnic and cultural diversity as it seeks to strive to end society's vices such as oppression, discrimination, poverty and other forms of social injustices. Their intervention may be in the form of community organization, direct practice, consultation, supervision, advocacy, administration, social and political action, education, policy development and implementation, and research and evaluation (NASW code of ethics, 2008). In trying to enhance the people's capacity to address their own needs, social workers are faced with a variety of ethical dilemmas. Let's consider a situation where a couple has the down-syndrome disease but still want to have a sexual relationship that will lead to marriage. Such a scenario may be of particular interest to the practice of social work as it entails some multiplier effects which beg for serious ethical answers. The serious ethical dilemma ... ical dilemma that any social worker may experience in such a scenario is whether to let the couple go on with their plans to get married and have their own children. As I have already discussed, it is the duty of a social worker to facilitate the capability of people to address their own problems. But such a relationship will definitely lead to more problems for the couple as the children born out of the relationship will very likely have the Down-Syndrome disease as well as other complicated health problems which will negatively impact on their developmental abilities (Should retarded people marry, 2006). This therefore means that the chances of the children leading a normal and fruitful life will be seriously compromised. This explains the relevance of such a dilemma to social work. In social work, ethical decision making involves a process. In such an instance where a couple with Down-Syndrome disease wants to have children, simple answers may not be available to resolve the complex ethical issues that such a decision may entail. That is where the National Association of Social Workers code comes into play. The ethical dilemma here is if it is right to allow the couple to go ahead and reproduce children when in fact they know that these children will be severely handicapped and will be a burden to society. Importance of the ethical dilemma to a social worker. The ethical dilemma is of particular importance since it will directly affect the social worker's area of operation. In such a scenario, it is the role of the social worker to be an educator, mediator, negotiator, and facilitator for the couple to enlighten them and empower them with proper information so that they can make proper conclusions about their state and shelf any plans to bear children (Hick,

How do our checks and balances work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How do our checks and balances work - Essay Example The branches are considerably equal in power and their jurisdictions are mutually independent to eliminate probability of conflict of interest in implementing the checks and balances. The legislative arm of the government that consist of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes laws that govern operations of other government arms as well as citizens. Administrative law, as developed by the legislature, for example, determines organization of the executive in implementation of its governing roles. The legislature also has the sole role of developing bills that regulate government policies, such as tax policies, and this checks on the executive arm’s authority to develop and implement rules policies that relates to taxation. The legislature therefore regulates tax rates that may be imposed by the executive on citizens and corporate parties. The legislature also ensures checks on the executive through its powers to impeach an officer in the executive arm of the government for improper conduct. Such impeachment powers are also dispersed within the legislature to ensure balance and checks in their implementation. The House of Representative, for example, serves the role of impeaching officers in the executive arm of the government while the congress presides over impeachment cases. The same impeachment role applies over judicial officers and it ensures that the judiciary and the executive are run in accordance with the law and any other constitutionally established standard (Adamson and Morrison 31). Our checks and balances also work through the roles and powers of the judiciary over constitutionality of laws and actions. The power to determine constitutionality of laws offers checks over the legislature by ensuring that enacted laws or amendments are consistent with the constitution. In its roles and powers, the judiciary that is headed by the Supreme Court can declare legislation unconstitutional through its mandate of interpreting the constitution and such a pronouncement renders the subject legislation null and void. The role therefore checks on the legislatures powers to make laws and discourages legislations that are beyond the powers and scope of the houses under the doctrine of ultra vires. The judiciary also offers checks over the executive through its veto powers over decisions made by the executives and its officers. This is also based on its interpretative role that determines constitutionality of controversial decisions by the executive branch. This allows the courts to rescind a decision by a representative of the executive arm (Adamson and Morrison 32). Similarly, our checks and balances work through the powers of the executive arm of the government over both the judiciary and the legislature. The power of the precedent, the head of the executive arm, to approve of all laws that the legislature passes offers check by ensuring that the laws are valid. The powers also ensure that the legislatureâ€℠¢s interest is not passed into law by subjecting the passed laws to an independent party to the law making process. The Congress however has powers to reverse a decision by the executive not to approve legislation and this identifies the role of the three arms of government in ensuring valid laws. The legislature makes the law, the executive approves the laws, and the judiciary interprets them for implementation, besides validating controversial ones, by the

Monday, August 26, 2019

History of Informatics and Areas of Practice - Entity Ranking Term Paper - 1

History of Informatics and Areas of Practice - Entity Ranking - Term Paper Example nformatics Association (AMIA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA). I will proceed to describe each group and give required reasoning as to why each is important to me. First to me is the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). One of its missions is to provide information on the electronic health records, compliance and reimbursement. Rather recent in its development (1989) by the merger of three older groups, the organization concentrates on the holistic study of informatics, with specific concentration in five specific areas. Translational Bioinformatics is basically that which deals with analyzing and finding new ways of storing medical data. Clinical Research Informatics involves the management of trials and discoveries related to health maintenance and disease prevention. Clinical Informatics is concerned with the application of information technology in the treatment arena. Not solely for physicians, its disciplines could also apply to other healthcare professionals such as dentists and veterinarians. Consumer Health Informatics is the branch concerned with the public information and educations and also is responsible for EMR. Publi c Health Informatics is where the CDC would be involved, as it is mainly concerned with such things as infectious diseases and bioterrorism (AMIA). Therefore it can be seen that the AMIA is involved in all areas of informatics and as it states in its own bylaws â€Å"AMIA aims to lead the way in transforming health care through trusted science, education, and the practice of informatics†. The core of their beliefs is the science of informatics, which in a nutshell is enhancing the health of the patients, while providing the best in quality and safety of care through the use of information technology. As a nonprofit, most of its monies can therefore be dedicated to promoting informatics. The AMIA also has its own journal,

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The American Dream Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The American Dream - Annotated Bibliography Example While the other articles focusing on the provision of opportunities in the American land for immigrants and persons from other nations, this secondary source emphasizes the level of opportunities provided among the American population. With the country depicted as the promised land, (Maddox 271) observes that provision of special education for the visually challenged among the American community is one way of ensuring such an achievement. The education system in collaboration with various state laws and the federal laws has ensured the provision of specialized education for the visually challenged and other physically challenged students. That in return has ensured the provision of an equal playing field for all the students within the American nation without favor. The action serves as one of the many actions that the federal government is taking to ensure it lives to the dream of becoming a p=romised land. With the author a specialist in teaching the visually impaired, the article is essential for academic research while also presenting information on internal structures to assist the current U.S citizens.Pulver, Lisa K., and Susan E. Tett. "Drug Utilization Review Across Jurisdictions – a Reality or Still a Distant Dream?" European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2006): n. pag. Print.The federal government is working hard on improving the healthcare system to ensure achievement of a healthy nation that in return will ensure effective production ( Lisa and Tett 63).

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Lola Alvarez Bravo and the photography of an era Essay

Lola Alvarez Bravo and the photography of an era - Essay Example The photograph provides the landscape of the city in 1954. In the photograph, there is a tall skyscraper standing tall at the middle of the picture. To the left of the skyscraper is a structure that resembles a mosque, which sets against the dense foliage. At the middle of the picture and in front of the skyscraper is a structure that resembles a pyramid. To the middle left of the picture there is a distinct building structure that has a traditional outlook by its thatched roof. The photo image provides a variety of elements that make up the composition of the photo. My initial reaction to the photograph was that of awe. The photo captures an excellent view of man-made structures together with nature. The photo shows varied man-made structures and varied natural matter. The artist captures perfectly the advancements made by man and its effects to the environment. Through the picture, the artist presents the face of urbanization, tradition, culture, and the environment (Bravo). Throug h urbanization, the picture provides structures such as the skyscraper located at the middle of the picture. The skyscraper represents the modern face of the city in the picture. The pyramid at the front of the skyscraper provides a glimpse of the culture and religious traditions of the people of the city. The mosque that covers the right of the picture also provides a view of the religious traditions of the city’s people.... I chose the photograph as it provides a multi-faceted view of the city in the picture. The photo has varied subject matter to it. The picture presents varied elements that make up the subject matter of the photo. The photo combines different subject matter that all get unified into one to make up the piece of artwork (Bravo). The photo provides the interaction between the natural elements of the environment and man-made structures. The landmark man-made structures in the photograph are set at the backdrop of the mountains and vegetation which surround the photo. The photo also provides a multi-faceted view of the architecture of the city. The skyscraper at the middle of the picture shows the modern look of the city. The pyramid situated at the center of the photo in front of the skyscraper provides a traditional view of the city. The boundary created within the photo between the mountains, vegetation, and the man-made structures provide another angle to viewing the picture (Bravo). T he mosque situated to the left of the skyscraper also provides a look at the culture and religion of the city’s inhabitants. So too does the pyramid located towards the center of the photo tell about the culture of the city’s inhabitants. The multi-faceted view of subjects that the photo provides led me to choose the photo. Through the wide variety of subject in the photo, the picture ‘speaks’ volumes about the architecture and landscape of the city to the viewer. The elements in the photo form a wide array of subject matter to discuss about for the viewer. The variety in color and texture of the photo makes it eye catching and hence a choice for me. The photo captures the different colors of the environment and the man-made structures

Friday, August 23, 2019

Steve Jobs Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Steve Jobs - Term Paper Example This paper would unfold the secret of his business success on the grounds of leadership tactics, management strategies, and business outlook. Steven Paul (Steve Jobs) was born in February 24, 1955 in San Francisco. After his schooling he started working with his friend Steve Wozniak. It was in 1976 Jobs co-founded Apple which soon became the leading firm in the computer technology world. In addition to Apple, he also co-founded Pixar Animation Studios which was later in 2006 merged with Walt Disney Company. Jobs still continues to be a member of Disney’s Board of Directors. Although Jobs had resigned from Apple due to some managerial problems with the board of directors, later in 1997 he rejoined the Apple Computer Inc, as its CEO. His contribution to the business world brought him admiration and awards like National Technology Medal (1985), Jefferson Award for Public Service (1987), and Entrepreneur of the Decade by Inc.magazine (1989) (all about Steve Jobs). Jobs’ major achievements include the products like ‘Apple II’ and ‘Macintosh’-the personal computer models of high commercial value. Other innovations like iPod, iMac, iPhone and App Store also caught the attention of the business world (www.apple.com). Steve Jobs initiated computer revolution and introduced special effects in entertainment industries. For instance, the new product ‘icon’ was highly cherished for its special features like mavericks, oddballs, and iconoclasts. The iPhone combines video iPod, camera, e-mail and text messenger, Web browser, alarm clock, and daily organizer. The aesthetic appeal of the product was of his high concern because he believed that beauty is an important factor that motivates consumers to buy a particular product. What made him a successful business entrepreneur is his outstanding vision and tactical leadership. If critics are to relied, his aggressive and demanding nature was a barrier to employee relation. However, Jobs’ innovative and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Book Review Template Essay Example for Free

Book Review Template Essay Summary: This can come from the book jacket or a website, but it must be concise and it must be cited. You may also choose to write your own summary; in which case you should briefly tell the reader what the story is about. Where and when does it take place? Who are the main characters? What kinds of problems they run into? My Review: Begin by explaining why you chose this book in the first place. Next, comment on the connections you discovered between the characters/people in the book and your own personal experiences (text to self), other characters or people youve read about or encountered in film or television (text to text), or people youve heard about in real life (text to world). Follow this with your opinion of the book. What did you like about it? Give an example (quote a passage) and explain why you liked this. Comment on what you did not like about the book. Give an example (quote a passage) and explain why you did not like this. (In commenting on what you did or didnt like, consider writing about how well the author: brings characters or people to life, holds your interest in terms of telling the story, or utilizes language to paint a clear and interesting picture of the characters, the setting, and the action of the story.) Important note: Do NOT give away the storys ending. Conclude with your recommendation for other readers. Do you recommend this book? Why and for whom? (Consider age, reading level, genre, and subject.) Rating: How many stars do you give this book on a scale of 1-5? Credentials: Describe your credentials as a reader. (Start by identifying your status as a student: class name and period, and school name.) Then, describe what kind of reader you are. (How often do you read? How much do you read? What kind of books or text types do you typically read for your  own purposes?)

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Beers Law Lab Essay Example for Free

Beers Law Lab Essay Objective: The purpose of this lab is to demonstrate that there is a linear relationship between the number of molecules that can absorb light present in a solution and the amount of light absorbed by a solution. This lab should prove that Beer’s law and the equation A=a x b x c, is a linear relationship. Procedure: The only deviations in the lab procedure was that the stock solution was made before arrival to the lab with 0.570 g of KMnO4 in 0. 500 L. The diluted solutions and the Spec 20 were used as directed in the lab manual. The same cuvette was used each time to eliminate error. Cuvettes are all made differently and have a difference in how they measure. If a new cuvette was used each time, the data would be slightly off due to the possibility of each cuvette having different characteristics which affect the measurements in the Spec 20. Data Calculations: To find the molarity of the stock solution: *Note: Molarity is moles/ Liters so in the equation below the first half is finding the number of moles of KMnO4 and the second half is dividing the moles by the liters of the solution. Grams of KMnO4 x (1 mole / molar mass (158.04g)) / Liters of stock solution = molarity of Stock Solution 0.570g KMnO4 x (1 mole / 158.04g) / 0.500 Liters = 0.00721 M To find the molarity of solution #1: *Note: To find the molarity of the first solution, use the molarity found for the stock solution. Since 5.00 mL of the stock solution was used to make solution 1, multiply the molarity of the stock solution by 5.00 mL to get the moles of solution 1. Once the moles of solution 1 have been found, divide that by the liters of water that were added to solution 1. The 0.10000 L comes from the 100 mL volumetric flask the solution was made in. mL of stock solution x (moles of stock solution / liter) / total liters of solution 1 (volumetric flask) = M of solution 1 5.00 mL stock solution x (0.00721 moles / 1000mL ) / 0.10000 L = 0.000361 M To find the molarity of solution 2: *Note: To find the molarity of solution 2, follow the same steps for solution 1 except use 2.00 mL instead of 5.00 mL. The same steps are used due to solution 2 being diluted from the stock solution. mL of stock solution x (moles of stock solution / liter) / total Liters in solution 2(Volumetric flask) = M of solution 2 2.00 mL stock solution x (0.00721 moles / 1000 mL) / 0.10000L = 0.000144 M To find the molarity of solution 3: *Note: To find the molarity of the third solution the same procedure is followed as finding the molarity of the first solution, except you will be using the molarity of the first solution since solution three was made using the first solution. mL of solution 1 x ( moles of solution 1 / 1 L) /total liters in solution 3( volumetric flask) =M of solution 3 50.00mL solution 1 x (0.00721 moles / 1000 mL) / 0.10000 = 0.000181 M To find the molarity of solution 4: *Note: to find the molarity of the fourth solution follow the steps for finding the molarity of the third solution except use the molarity of solution 2 since solution 4 was made with 50.00 ml of solution 2. mL of solution 2 x ( moles of solution 2 / 1 L) /total liters in solution 4 (volumetric flask) = M of solution 4 50.00 mL solution 2 x (0.000144 moles / 1000 mL ) / 0.10000 L = 0.000072 M Table 1. The molar concentration, absorbance values, percent transmittance, average absorbance and transmittance values are shown in the table below. Solution # Molar Concentration Trial Absorbance % T Average Absorbance Average % T 1 0.00003605 M 1 0.821 15.1 0.814 15.3 2 0.811 15.4 3 0.811 15.5 2 0.0001442 M 1 0.324 47.4 0.325 47.3 2 0.326 47.2 3 0.324 47.4 3 0.0001805 M 1 0.388 40.9 0.402 39.6 2 0.406 39.2 3 0.413 38.7 4 0.000072 M 1 0.208 62 0.209 61.8 2 0.208 61.9 3 0.211 61.5 Figure 1. The figure below shows the absorbance vs. the molar concentration of KMnO4. To find the extinction coefficient: The extinction coefficient is found by A/bc = a. A/c is the slope of the line from figure 1. 3139.9/(mol/L) x 1.00 cm =a a= 3139.9 L * mol-1 * cm-1 Discussion and Conclusion: In this lab the equation of Beer’s law was proven to have a linear  relationship. The purpose was to show that molar concentration and absorbance are proportional to each other. This was proved through diluting solutions and using a spec 20 to determine the absorbance values. The solutions were diluted to give different molar concentrations and each concentration was placed in the spec 20. After creating a scatter plot it was obvious to see as the molar concentration increases the absorbance increases. This is because there are more particles present at higher molar concentrations and therefore more light will be absorbed by the particles present. There were many possible sources of error in this experiment. First, if one solution was diluted incorrectly all of the following solutions were diluted incorrectly since they came from the first incorrectly diluted solution. One of the solutions in the experiment could have been diluted wrong, causing all of the solutions to have incorrect dilutions and the calculated values, especially the extinction coefficient, to have incorrect values. Another source of error is that when diluting the solutions not all of the solution transfers were done exactly due to some of the solution being transferred was often left in the pipet. The drops left in the pipet after the transfer could make a difference in the actual molar concentration of each solution. The last source of error occurs from not placing the cuvette in the spec 20 at the same orientation. Although the same cuvette was used each trial, some carelessness may have resulted in the cuvette not being placed in the same orientation each time. Because the sides of the cuvette may be different the readings from the spec 20 may be off. The conclusion of the lab is that Beer’s Law equation is indeed linear, and the absorbance is proportional to the molar concentration. If this lab were preformed again the stock solution should be placed in the spec 20 machine and the absorbance should also be found. The measurements from the stock solution could have provided even more evidence to the conclusion. Overall though the lab was very successful in determining the relationship of the equation in Beer’s Law. Questions: 2. A larger cuvette diameter will produce a higher absorbance value. The diameter of the cuvette is the path length, or b, in the equation A = a x b x c. The larger the path length, the higher the absorbance will be because  you are multiplying a and c by a higher value. Also there is more particles present in a larger path length to absorb light. 3. To find the extinction coefficient the equation A/cb= a is used. A larger cuvette diameter, or path length, would result in a smaller extinction coefficient. The larger the number is on the bottom the smaller the value of the extinction coefficient. 4. Solution 4 probably has the greatest error because it was the last solution to be diluted. Any errors made in diluting a solution will carry through to the last solution diluted because the first solutions are used to dilute the latter solutions. For example if solution 1 is incorrectly diluted then solution 3 will be incorrectly diluted and then solution 4 will be incorrectly diluted.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Does Malaysia Need The Green Belt Concept Environmental Sciences Essay

Does Malaysia Need The Green Belt Concept Environmental Sciences Essay Malaysia is moving forward to be an industrialized economy. Malaysia moved from material production to manufacturing. The Malaysia manufacturing sector contributed 32% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007, exports of manufactured products account for 75% of Malaysias total export in 2007. The manufacturing industries have become the economys main source of growth in recent years. According to the Third Industrial Masterplan (IMP3) 2006 2020, twelve industries in the manufacturing sector have been targeted for further development and promotion (Table 1). These industries are strategically important in contributing to the greater growth of the manufacturing sector, in terms of higher value-added, technology, exports, knowledge content, multiplier and spin-off effects and potential to be integrated regionally and globally. But, on the other side, the future target might also encourage environmental degradation if there is no comprehensive plan toward sustainable industrial development is taken into consideration. Table 1: Exports and Investments Targets for the 12 Targeted Manufacturing Industries Source: Ministry of International Trade and Industry Environmental protection through pollution prevention and the meeting of environmental standards by waste treatment of the effluents in the various industries have not worked in many countries. The problem of industrial environmental pollution is particularly serious in developing countries where the enforcement of environmental regulations is not strictly enforced. Malaysia can experience high chances of negative environmental impacts due to its efforts to boost the rapid industrialisation of its economy. Many aspects of the residential environment and living conditions of houses located near industrial areas potentially affected. Evidence shows that plants can reduce the pollution level. In develop country they have come out with a Greenbelt Plan to buffer the urban and industrial area from spreading its pollutants. A greenbelt is an area of land that is preserved for a non-urban land use. The term of greenbelts tend to share two features, an open landscape (green) and a linear shape (belt). All this while, greenbelt was not being strongly addressed on developing country due to its target on economic growth. Develop country like United Kingdom and Canada have come out with their own Greenbelt Plan. Greenbelts in the UK have had a profound effect on the landscape around urban areas, for the most part achieving their purposes of keeping the countryside open and preventing new development except for agriculture, forestry and recreation. The London Green Belt was created in response to the unchecked and sprawling growth that took place in that city during the 1920s and 1930s. 1.2 Issues and Problems Statement Rapid industrialization can have a detrimental effect on the environment which is related to several including resource use, water and air pollution as well as waste generation. The severity of these environmental consequences may vary, depending on the technologies used in the industrial production process and its organization. Malaysias rapid economic and industrial growth is characterized as a mixed-use urban areas development that incorporates residential industrial areas. These residential areas support the industry by providing them human resources. This growth produces both positive and negative impacts on housing development. The lack of usable arable land for urban development further results in some housing estates being nestled within industrial establishments as consequences to urban sprawl. Current status of green efforts in Malaysia is focusing on commanding and controlling the wastes occurring during the manufacturing stage of a product. In Malaysia, only big businesses have committed to voluntary initiatives towards green industrial development and this approach is yet to be accepted by SMEs (small and medium enterprise). Landscaping the industrial areas by the development of greenbelts is an effective way of mitigating industrial pollution.The effectiveness of green belts differs depending on location and operation. They are often being eroded by urban rural fringe use and sometimes, development encroached over the green belt area, resulting in the creation of satellite towns which, although separated from the city by green belt, function more like suburbs than independent communities. 1.3 Objectives of Study i) To clarify the importance of industrial greenbelt for economic growth whilst minimizing environmental degradation. ii) To identify the significant aspect that should be considered for green industrial development. iii) To give a recommendation for effective strategies of Greenbelts Plan for industrials area towards achieving sustainable industrial development. 1.4 Significance of Study Greenbelts in urban areas particularly in industrial are important to the ecological health of any given region. The various plants and trees in greenbelts serve as organic sponges for various forms of pollution, and as carbon sequestration to help offset global warming. On the other hand, industrial activities in urban areas have caused cities to maintain higher temperatures than their surrounding countryside and these phenomena is known as an urban heat island. Parks and greenbelts will reduce temperatures while the Central Business District (CBD), commercial areas, and even suburban housing tracts are areas of warmer temperatures. Greenbelts are also important to help urban dwellers feel more connected to nature. All cities should earmark certain areas for the development of greenbelts to bring life and colour to the concrete jungle and serving a healthy environment to the urbanities. The future risk from rapid expanding of industrial development should be investigate and must be seriously taken into consideration. Therefore, through the establishment of planned greenbelts it can helps in limiting urban sprawl. 2.0 EVOLUTION OF GREENBELT CONCEPT 2.1 History of Greenbelt Concept The idea of greenbelt was inspired by Sir Ebenezer Howard, a British social reformer, at the beginning of the twentieth century. Howard proposed Garden City which would not only be free of pollution but would also be antidote of polluted cities. The garden cities would be surrounded by a green backcloth of agricultural land providing local employment opportunities as well as open space for recreation. It was British architect and planner Raymond Unwin, a town designer and contemporary of Howards, who coined the term greenbelt (Ruth and William, 1994). In 1898 the concept was developed to tackle the problems associated with the planning of new towns located outside the periphery of London, which was then sprawling far into the countryside. The Garden City Concept is one out of many attempts to reduce and solve social problems during the Industrialization Period. The problems occurred, as more and more farmers became workers in the factories. The living conditions became worse, due to the fact that many workers settlements were located next to the industrial areas or within the cities. Figure 1 illustrates diagram of The Three Magnets where Howard analysed why people move to city or to the country side. Howards proposal emphasized the integration of the town, the country. He found out that both have advantages and function as magnets. He started with discussions of the optimum size for towns whereby a central city of 58,000 people surrounded by smaller garden cities of 30,000 people each (Figure 2). Green space or greenbelt and agricultural land will be as major component in the garden city whereby the permanent green space would separate the city and towns and serving as a horizontal fence of farmland. The requirement of the greenbelt or agricultural land for the Garden City in Howards view was 5,000 acres of the total 6,000 acres. Therefore, his solution was to develop a city structure which contains the advantages of a city and those of the countryside. The main objective of the concept is to found a new city. Figure 2: Ebenezer Howard, Garden City. Figure 1: Garden Cities of To-morrow; The Three Magnets, Ebenezer Howard, 1902 In the United States, Franklin Roosevelt tried to adapt Howards new town concept as part of its resettlement program. In the American concept of greenbelt, relatively wide band of rural land or open space surrounded a town or city. The term greenbelt meant, generally, any swath of open space separating or interrupting urban development. The designated land is controlled through regulation or public or quasi-public ownership (such as the Nature Conservancy) to retain its natural character and provide a resemblance of rural ambience in urban areas (Ruth and William, 1994). 2.2 A Greenbelt as a Development Plan Component A greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an urban area instead of around it. In essence, a green belt is an invisible line encircling a certain area, preventing development of the area allowing wildlife to return and be established. The green belt policy was pioneered in the United Kingdom in the 1930s after pressure from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and various other organizations. There are fourteen green belt areas, in the UK covering 16,716 km ², or 13% of England, and 164 km ² of Scotland; In United Kingdom town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail. The fundamental aim of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open, and consequently the most important attribute of green belts is their openness. 2.2 Categories of Greenbelt A greenbelt principal purpose is to protect open space for natural, cultural, or scenic resources, to separate urban communities, to preserve and conserve natural resources and agriculture. Therefore, greenbelt can be categorized as below. Figure 3: Category of Greenbelt 2.2.1 Shelter Belts and Wind Breaks A shelterbelt is usually a barrier longer than a wind break and consists of a combination of shrubs and trees intended for the protection of field crops and the conservation of soil and water. A wind break is a barrier for protection from winds commonly associated with vegetable gardens and orchards. (Abbasi and Khan, 2000) The objectives of creating shelterbelts are: to protect agricultural land to shelter population in a city-from hot wind blast to arrest particulate matters as much as possible to shelter live-stock to control sand movement to provide healthy habitat 2.2.1 Forest Belts Forest belts is consists of protected natural forest. The objectives of preserving forest belts are: to protect watershed area to protect wildlife and its habitat to act as major carbon sequestration to preserve the exotic and indigenous species of forest vegetation to achieve environmental equilibrium with development 2.3 Greenbelt Encroachment by Urbanisation There is no doubt that human civilisation has had a negative impact on biodiversity and since the industrial revolution the negative impacts have only increased with processes such as over fishing and hunting, agriculture, the use of herbicides and pesticides and urban sprawl (Hunter, 2007). Rapid urban growth has led to the problems of urban sprawl, ribbon development, unregulated development, high cost for urban infrastructure, and pollution due to the inadequate disposal of urban and industrial waste. All such issues involve land. Land can be used for agriculture, forestry, grazing, industrial and urban uses, utility corridors, roads, waste disposal and recreation. With the increase of urban population, more and more green areas have to be converted into urban use. Large cities on the other hand need to have the land to spread out. Increase in population will put the pressure on land to serve a better accommodation and facilities for human needs. Industrial development will provide job for people, but in the same time it provides an opportunity to the developer to clear up the land for housing development. When there is housing development, other kind of development will follows, such as commercial retail areas and school. 3.0 THE GROWTH OF INDUSTRIAL ESTATE 3.1 Industrialization Evolution Ever since Industrial Revolution from late eighteen century, economic progress and development have been closely identified with industrialization. This thinking has continued to influence policy makers especially so in developing countries (Jomo, 1993). Since the early 1970s, it has been widely recognized that to ease the problems of poverty and mass unemployment encountered in developing countries, industrialization should play a key role in the economic growth of these nations. The types of industries deemed most suitable for promotion in developing countries are the small and medium-scale industries. These industries are generally less capital intensive than large-scale industries and hence are more spread out in terms of ownership. Establishment of small and medium-scale industries could thus lead to a more equitable distribution of income. Former studies on development of small-scale industries have concluded that an effective means of promoting the growth and dispersal of small and medium-scale industries is the provision of proper sites for the establishment of these enterprises. These sites should preferably be located in an industrial estate which is defined as a tract of land which is subdivided and developed according to a comprehensive plan for use of a community of industrial enterprises (Fong 1980). In other words, an industrial estate can also be known as an industrial park. An industrial park is defined as a large tract of land, sub-divided and developed for the use of several firms simultaneously, distinguished by its shareable infrastructure and close proximity of firms. Types and synonyms of industrial parks include industrial estates, industrial districts, export processing zones, industrial clusters, business parks, office parks, science and research parks, bio-technology parks and eco-industrial park (Peddle, 1993). 3.2 Industrial Estate Development in Malaysia Figure 4: Malaysias Industrial Development Phase (1867 1957) Export of agricultural products minerals (1957 1969) Import Substitution Industrialization Strategy (ISI) (1970 1980) Export Oriented Industrialization Strategy (EOI) (1981 1986) Import Substitution Industrialization Strategy (ISI) (1987 1996) Export Oriented Industrialization Strategy (EOI) (1997 2005) Recovery Period (EOI) Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6 (2006 beyond) EOI Phase 7 Malaysias industrial development can be classified into seven phases according to industrial strategies (Figure 4). The first phase was during the British colonial rule (1867-1957) which was largely limited to export of agricultural products and minerals mainly rubber and tin. The period immediately after independence (1957-1969) is the second phase largely dominated by the Import Substitution Industrialization strategy (ISI). Export Oriented Industrialization strategy (EOI) was introduced in 1970 until 1980, followed by the second round of ISI from 1981 up to 1986, an constitute the third and fourth phase respectively. The fifth phase marked the return to EOI in 1987 till 1996. The Asian crisis and the recovery period constitute another phase from 1997 up until 2005. The final phase was in 2006 and beyond where Malaysian economy hopes to move towards global competitiveness. In early 1970s it has been realized that rapid economic development in developing countries leads to an acute inequality in income distribution. To prevent massive dissatisfaction among their citizens, developing countries were urged to achieve economic growth (particularly industrial growth) with distribution of income as their development goal. Malaysia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and in many ways a Third World success story. From a country dependent on agriculture and primary commodities in the sixties, Malaysia has today become an export driven economy spurred on by high technology, knowledge based and capital intensive industries. The establishment of industrial estates in the locations where such activities are desired became a good way of promoting growth and dispersal of industrial activities which can accelerate the economy of the country. Industrial estates are specific areas zoned for industrial activity where infrastructure (such as roads, power and other utility services) is provided to facilitate the growth of industries and to minimize the impacts on the environment. Industrial estates may include effluent treatment; solid and toxic waste collection, treatment, and disposal; air pollution and effluent monitoring; technical services on pollution prevention; quality management (quality assurance and control); and laboratory services. In the context of economic strategy, State Economic Development Corporations (SEDCs) were established by the various Malaysian states to stimulate industrialization through the development of industrial estates in the respective states. The industrial estates to be established by these SEDCs are envisaged to be in the form of improved tracts of land, with access roads and utility services. Industrial land so developed are leased out (usually for 99 years) to interested entrepreneurs. The lower rates are for industrial land developed in the rural areas, while the higher rates are for such land developed in the urban areas. Currently, Malaysia has over 200 industrial estates or parks occupying a total of 16,000 hectares and 13 Free Industrial Zones (FIZs) developed by government agencies, namely, the State Economic Development Corporations (SEDCs), Regional Development Authorities (RDAs), port authorities and municipalities throughout the country. New sites, fully equipped with infrastructure facilities such as roads, electricity and water supplies, and telecommunications, are continuously being developed by state governments as well as private developers to meet demand. Specialised parks have been developed in Malaysia to cater to the needs of specific industries. Examples of these parks are the Technology Park Malaysia in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur and the Kulim Hi-Tech Park in the northern state of Kedah which cater to technology-intensive industries and RD activities. 3.3 Environmental Impacts from the Industrial Estates The effects on the environment connected with industrial activities are mainly related to the production of industrial wastes either from its emission or effluent discharges. Figure 5 illustrates on the possible environmental impacts of industrial estates. POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL ESTATES Spills Contaminated soil lost future land use Disposal of solid wastes Local nuisances such as noise, lighting transport Landscape disturbance Ozone depleting greenhouse gases Habitat degradation Air Pollution Freshwater Pollution Marine Pollution Risks from hazardous waste Exposure to toxic chemicals Figure 5: Possible environmental impacts of industrial estates Industrial development may always cause changes to the physical environment. Under natural condition, landuse changes can be absorbed by the physical environment through interactions of the various components to attain a dynamic equilibrium state. Rapid human disturbance will create imbalance to the environmental ecosystem as well as to human quality of life. There are a number of forms of industrial pollution. One of the most common is water pollution, caused by dumping of industrial waste into waterways, or improper containment of waste, which causes leakage into groundwater and waterways. Industries release pollutants which impact air quality that lead to photochemical smog, haze and acidification. Due to industrial discharges, and the indiscriminate disposal of raw materials, land pollution takes place. Both, air and water pollution will affected human beings, birds and aquatic life. Ozone depletion is another result of industrial pollution. Chemicals released by industries will affect the stratosphere, one of the atmospheric layers surrounding earth. The ozone layer in the stratosphere protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The emission from industries will removes some of the ozone, causing holes; to open up in this layer and allowing the radiation to reach the earth. Ultraviolet radiation is known to cause skin cancer and has damaging effects on plants and wildlife. Activities in industrial estates also can cause noise pollution. Industrial noise refers to noise that is created in the factories which is jarring and unbearable. Sound becomes noise only it becomes unwanted and when it becomes more than that it is referred to as noise pollution. Heavy industries like shipbuilding and iron and steel have long been associated with Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Continuous exposure to noise pollution leads to hearing impairment especially for people who are working in the industry and common people as well. It has been scientifically proved that noise more than 85 decibels can cause hearing impairment and does not meet the standards set for healthy working environment. 4.0 A RATIONALE FOR AN INDUSTRIAL GREENBELT 4.1 Current Status of Greenbelt Consideration in Industrial Estate As highlight in earlier chapter, current status of green efforts in Malaysia is focusing on commanding and controlling the wastes produce during the manufacturing stage of a product. Green efforts in Malaysia can be classified into four groups as follows: Broad Guiding Principles: Establishing common principles and statements of intent across subscribing organizations. Process Based Management Systems: ISO 14001 is a well known example of a process based environmental management system. Performance Based Systems: Public disclosure of industrial pollution programs is examples of voluntary programs with clear performance standards. Process-based Systems with Performance Elements: Establishing a hybrid system that combines a structured management system approach with specific performance requirements. Unfortunately, there is no specific guideline and regulation of creating and preserving greenbelt in developing industrial estates as many parties seen it as a secondly important factor. In Malaysia, Kulim Hi-Tech Park is the first in country that can be seen as well planned fully-integrated high technology park. Besides providing one of the best infrastructures, the Parks Masterplan also emphasizes on the quality of life within a self-contained township. Amenities incorporated in the plan include a shopping centre, a hospital, educational institutions and recreational facilities. But still, we are lacking in controlling the development over-exploitation the land resulting which can resulting environmental deterioration. 4.2 Pollution Status Caused by Industrial in Malaysia The two major environmental issues in Malaysia caused by industrial activities are atmospheric pollution and solid and hazardous wastes (Khidir and Suhaiza, 2009). 4.2.1 Atmospheric Pollution Atmospheric pollution has long been associated with the burning of fossil fuels, the resulting sulphur dioxide being a major atmospheric pollutant. Combustion of motor fuels causes an added influx of volatile organic compounds (VOC), coupled with carbon dioxide (CO2) and Nox, nitrous oxides. In Malaysia, local and transboundary emissions play very important roles in determining the status of the atmospheric environment (Hassan, Awang and Jaffar, 2006). The major pollutants observed are sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and total suspended particulate matter, in particular PM10 (Hassan, Awang and Jaffar, 2006). Industries including power stations, motor vehicles and open burning activities remain the major sources of air pollution in the country. In 2008 a total of 22.971 industrial sources were identified to be subjected to Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations, 1978. The breakdown of industrial sources by states is as shown in Figure 6. The highest number of stationary pollution sources was in Johor (8141:34%) followed by Selangor (4127:18%) and Perak (2956:12.9%). This is possibly due to the large industrial area in Johor and Selangor that contributed to the pollution. Besides that, both states have a rapid landuse development resulting to the environmental degradation. As to particulate matter, the highest contributor was industries (40%) followed by power stations (25%), motor vehicles (14%) and others (21%) (Figure 7). Source: *DOE, Environmental Quality Report 2008. Figure 6 : Industrial air pollution sources by state in Malaysia, 2008 Motor vehicles Power station Industrial Others 4,557 (14%) 7,784 (25%) 12,664 (40%) 6,667 (21%) Source: *DOE, Environmental Quality Report 2008. Figure 7: Particulate Matter (PM) emission load by sources (metric tonnes),2008 4.2.2 Solid and Hazardous Wastes Growing affluence and increasing concentration of population in urban areas have increased the generation and types of solid waste produced. Solid waste management is one of the most important issues of local authorities; where much money is spent in the collection and disposal of solid waste (Hassan et. al, 2000). Toxic and hazardous wastes are also one of the major issues in Malaysia. Currently, Malaysia produces about 10000 tonnes of waste every day, equal to 0.8 to 1.5 kg per capita (MGCC, 2006). According to Hassan, Awang and Jaffar, 2006, the amount of solid waste collected in Malaysia is 70 percent of waste generated The remaining 30 percent not collected ends up in illegal dumping sites, or is diverted at source or during collection for recycling purposes. The illegal dumping sites can cause leachate which possibly will contaminate the soil as well as the waterways. The recycling activities amount to only 5% of total waste generated. Manufacturing industry 6,830 (38.73%) Sewage treatment plants 9,524 (54.01%) Agro-based industry 491 (2.78%) Animal farm (Pig farm) 788 (4.48%)Solid, toxic and hazardous wastes become pollutants to the water. In 2008, 17,633 water pollution point sources were recorded. These comprise of sewage treatment plants (9,524:54.01%) inclusive 668 Network Pump Stations), manufacturing industries (6,830: 38.73%), animal farms (788:4.48%) and agro-based industries (491:2.78%) as shown in Figure 8 (Department of Environment). Source: DOE, Environmental Quality Report 2008. Figure 8 : Composition of water pollution sources by sector, 2008 Manufacturing industry was in the second place of water pollution sources. This is due to the expanding of industrial estates in the country. Compared to 2007, there are declining in water quality trend of river basins in 2008 (Figure 9). From 94 clean river basins were recorded, it reduce to 79 in 2008. Whereas, the number for both, slightly polluted and polluted river were increased. Figure 9 : Riber basins Water Quality Trend based on BOD subindex (1998-2008) Source of Pollution (Activity): Sewage, agrobased manufacturing industries. Pollution Indicator (Parameter): Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) Clean Slightly polluted Polluted Source: *DOE, Environmental Quality Report 2008. From all those charts and statistics, there are evidences to shows that industrial estates have become one of the major contributors to environmental pollution in the country. Therefore, there is need for an alternative plan on how to overcome this problem eventhough special requirements and regulation has been put into efforts but still there is declining in environmental quality. 4.3 Greenbelt as Environmental Pollution Abatement In the context of environmental pollution abatement, a greenbelt has been defined as a strip of trees of such species, and such a geometry, that when planted around a source, would significantly attenuate the air pollution by intercepting and assimilating the pollutants in a sustainable manner (Ruth and William, 1994). The concept of greenbelt as a source of pollution abatement was recognized initially by three nations: The U.S.A., Britain and Kenya (Ruth and William, 1994; Gareth et al., 1992; Andy, 1991; Parsons, 1990). In reality greenbelts almost always include other vegetation, especially shrubs, which also play some role in capturing pollutants. But trees are the mainstays of greenbelts, and often greenbelt plantation is simply referred as trees eventhough other types of vegetation is also established and nurtured. 4.3.1 Air Pollutants Removal by Vegetation Plants remove pollutants from the air in three ways: (i) Absorption by the leaves, (ii) Deposition of particulate and aerosols on leaf surface, and (iii) Fallout of particulate on the leeward (downwind) side of the vegetation because of the slowing of the air movement (Tewari, 1994; Rawat and Banerjee, 1996). Vegetation acts as CO2 sink and some species have the capacity to utilise air pollutants effectively. Several plants have the capacity to collect the dust suspended in the atmosphere and dilute the concentration of toxic and harmful gases. Trees have been reported to remove air pollutants like hydrogen fluoride, SO2, and some compounds of photochemical reactions and collect heavy metals like mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) from the air (Hill, 1971; Lin, 1976). After absorbing the air pollutants, trees change them to harmless metabolites through various physiological processes. Of course each and every plant cannot be an agent of air pollution control; only those which can tolerate pollutants can act as attenuators. All-in-all, increasing vegetation in the cities, towns, and industrial establishments holds great potential to combat air pollution. Substantial evidence is available to support the view that plants in general and trees in particular function as sinks for gaseous pollutants. 4.3.1 Soil and Water Pollutants Removal by Vegetation Surface water streams are also affected by industrial effluents and organics. Most of the treated industrial

Defend Your Computer From Hackers :: Essays Papers

Defend Your Computer From Hackers How to Shield Your Computer from Internet Crime When you connect to the Internet, you are allowing you computer to communicate with millions of people who are also on the Internet. Suddenly, your hard drive is fair game. Some people called by various names: hackers, whackers, crackers, and some other more colorful names if your data is being destroyed. These people make it their business to find and make use of exposed hard drives. Sometimes, they just take an innocent look around; sometimes they delete files or even deposit a virus of nature. However, hope is not lost, with the steps outline in this paper you will be able effectively shield your computer from those who wish to make mischief. When you connect to the Internet, especially through a broadband connection any open ports, or shared file files and services are like a beacon for hackers’ automatic scanners. You see, along with granting you extremely fast downloads and browsing capabilities broadband connection also leave you computer wide open to the world since it an always-on connection. The risk is greater for those people that have static IP address. Since this address never changes hackers can come back whenever they wish. One way to see how vulnerable your computer is would be to have it tested by one the various websites that specialize in security. One very good website is hosted by the Gibson Research Corporation and has several helpful feature like â€Å"Shields Up†, the address for this site is www.grc.com. Another popular site with many useful utilities would be www.dslreports.com. If these sites show you some holes in your security they will recommend several actions. One of the easiest and most effective would be to turn off file and print sharing for your computer. The second thing you could do would be to obtain a personal firewall. In this area you have two options, hardware or software. If you want an inexpensive route then you can download a software firewall. Firewall? Just what is that? Well, it either a software program of hardware device that effectively blocks outsiders from entering your computer. Software firewalls just need to be installed onto your computer and can be either automatically configured of manually. Hardware involves connecting your computer into another device. Two of the more popular software firewalls are Zone Alarm (www.zonelabs.com) and Norton Personal Firewall (www.symantec.com). Using Zone Alarm, the above sites could find no exposed ports or even that this computer even was on; Zone Alarm completely cloaks your computer.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Victorian Lifestyles :: Papers

Victorian Lifestyles Working clothes for poorer people were often passed down within the family or bought from second hand shops. They were usually made from coarsely woven wool or cotton cloth and they would be mended and patched to make them last a long time. Most people tried to have a better set of clothes for 'Sunday best'. Wealthier families could afford smart dressed and clothes made from better quality material. Ladies were interested in fashion and read magazines like The Young Ladies Journal to find out about the latest styles. Early Victorian ladies wore full skirts with as many as six petticoats. In the 1850s crinoline skirts were supported on wire cages and later padded cushions or bustles were tied around the waist under the skirts to make them stick out at the back. Ladies wore tightly laced corsets to give them the narrow waists that were thought to be attractive. Well off men wore knee length frock coats in silk or velvet, silk waistcoats and shirts with stiffly starched high collars. Underneath they wore vests and long underpants made from woollen cloth. They wore a top hat or perhaps a newly fashionable bowler hat and carried a cane or walking stick. Beards and side-whiskers were also fashionable. Children in wealthy families wore very formal clothes. Girls wore dresses which were as fancy as the grown ups but slightly shorter. Boys wore dresses until they were about five or six and then were dressed in sailor suits or velvet suits with lace collars and cuffs. Until Isaac Singer invented the sewing machine in 1851 all clothes were made by hand. Seamstresses worked long hours for low wages, stitching clothes for wealthy people. In the Victorian period work inside and outside the home took up much more time than it does today and working people had far less leisure time. There was little money to spare and no radio, television, CDs, cinemas or sports centres. People, however, found all sorts of ways of enjoying what free time they had.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Medicine During the Elizabethan Era Essay -- Alchemy History Historica

Medicine During the Elizabethan Era The medicinal practices and problems of the Elizabethan Era were very important to the people, although they are very different from those of today. There were many different beliefs and diseases, like the Plague. Medicine was not an exact science and was related to Alchemy (Chemistry). Here, some of the many practices and beliefs of the Elizabethan Era will be discussed. One of the most widely known and important of the beliefs was the humours. It was believed that every living creature was composed of four elements, the humours. They were blood, phlegm, choler (or yellow bile), and melancholy (or black bile). It was believed that the overall total combination of these four elements determined the person’s characteristics. For example, a person with more blood than other humours was hot and wet in their nature, a person with more phlegm was cold and wet, a person with more choler was hot and dry, and a person with melancholy being the dominant humour was cold and dry. It was also believed that too much of a certain humour caused disease. That meant the removing or avoiding the dominant humour could cure any disease. Removal could be done by eating corresponding foods. For example, if a person was phlegmatic in nature, that meant that he was cold and wet, he could be cured if he ate hot and dry foods. Medicines like pepper, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, watercress, and mustard would be useful to such a person. A fever, which was believed to have been caused by excess blood, could have been cured in two ways. One way was to eat cold and dry food, and the other was to have excess blood sucked out by leeches. Another of the many popular beliefs was that every living thing put on Earth by god was for human use. He gave humans control over his creatures. All of them had certain roles, as food, medicine, etc. For example, cows were put on Earth to supply people with meat and milk, and wheat was there to supply bread. Everything on Earth was useful to humans. Medicine in the Elizabethan Era was associated with many sciences. One of these includes Astrology. It was believed that all living creatures were associated with the stars. It was possible to read a persons past, present and future by the positions of the stars and planets. Therefore, if you were to go to a physician, one of the first things he would ask you wa... ...help. They could go to any of those and get help and people used all of these choices, but the amount of money they could spend limited their choices, as some practitioners charged for their help. But if a person didn’t have a lot of money, he still had many choices available. Almost every community had at least one of each type of practitioner. Medicine was very important to Elizabethan England and was used widely. It played a major part in the life expectancy of people and was widely studied. It was one of the most important sciences of that era and still is today. Bibliography Ramsey, Lia. â€Å"Medical Beliefs and Practices.† Elizabethan England. Springfield Public School District. . McLean, Adam. â€Å"Articles.† The Alchemy Website. 1995. . Chamberlin, E.R. Everyday Life in Renaissance Times. London: B.T. Batsford LTD, 1967. Andrews, John F. William Shakespeare: His World, His Work, His Influence. Canada: Collier MacMillian, 1985. â€Å"Alchemy.† The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001–04. . Trimble, Russell, "Alchemy," in The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal edited by Gordon Stein (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1996), pp. 1-8.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Write a detailed character study on Heathcliff, focusing on the theme of evil and the question of whether he might really be a demon

Heathcliff arrives in the summer of 1771, a small, withdrawn boy. The old Mr. Earnshaw found him in the streets of Liverpool, and feeling compassion for the dirty, ragged black-haired child, he took him back to Wuthering Heights. He becomes an adopted member of the Earnshaw family and as they know nothing about him background he is immediately labelled as a gypsy and destined to remain an outsider, in exile from society due to his actions and personality. Straight away, his actions begin to put him apart from other people. He is a â€Å"sullen, patient child; hardened perhaps, to ill treatment†. An example of this is when Hindley throws a rock at Heathcliff, and, instead of crying he receives the blow and gets up again. Hindley sees Heathcliff as a usurper of his father's affections, and he grows bitter because of this, referring to Heathlcliff as an â€Å"imp of Satan†. Heathcliff let each incident like this pass, and showed no outward emotion towards his abuser. Instead opting to ‘bottle it' and let his vengeance build up, e.g. â€Å"I'm trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back. I don't care how long I wait, if I can only do it, at last. I hope he will not die before I do†. For Heathcliff, the world becomes an increasing trying place to be in – either to be shrunk back from, or lashed out at. To cope with the torrent of abuse directed at him from almost everyone he meets, he takes on a ‘devilish' character. After adopting this role, he uses it to get revenge by making everyone else's life as difficult as possible. While Heathcliff is pondering on how to get back at Hindley and the others, he becomes oblivious to any insults or hardship he comes across; allowing it only to stoke the fire of revenge and letting him be secure in the fact that they shall get what is due in time. For example when asked why he should not leave retribution to God, Heathcliff replies â€Å"No, God won't have the satisfaction that I shall. I only wish I knew the best way! Let me alone and I'll plan it out: while I'm thinking of that, I don't feel pain. Although at this point, Heathcliff could be called evil for making people's lives around him miserable, even Nelly, with her simplistic view of the situation decided that Hindley, because of Frances' death, had become so malicious that it â€Å"was enough to make a fiend of a saint†. This is not enough to let Heathcliff completely off the hook though as Hindley's actions are partly justified and Heathcliff interprets them differently, as he is quite young (all he sees is the abuse, not the reason why the abuse is given). In this way, Heathcliff's actions later in the novel are partly down to his naivety/ignorance when confronted with certain situations. Heathcliff is not especially bright (at least consciously). This means that he sometimes does not take all of the factors of a situation into account when he makes up his mind to do something. Something I think Heathcliff has extreme difficulty in interpreting other people's actions through their perspectives. For instance when Hindley threw a rock at Heathcliff when he was younger, Heathcliff only saw Hindley as the person who hurt him, not Hindley as an insecure boy who saw his father being taken away from him. Even Catherine did not see or help Heathcliff understand this, she only served as a catalyst that made Heathcliff want to look strong and think of better times when they would be together. As life at Wuthering Heights was continually wearing him down, Heathcliff's assumed character began to assert itself even more. The next paragraph illustrates this; â€Å"He had, by that time, lost the benefit of his early education: continual hard work, begun soon and concluded late, had extinguished any curiosity he once possessed in pursuit of knowledge, and any love for books or learning.† And also; â€Å"Personal appearance sympathised with mental deterioration; he acquired a slouching gate, and ignoble look† They serve to make evident that the hard physical labour, combined with the mental anguish Heathcliff is constantly suffering is taking its toll. Heathcliff loses all interest in bettering himself and conforming to established rules of etiquette and society. Instead he becomes withdrawn and so subdued that it seems as though he wakes up only to get the day over with. â€Å"He took a grim pleasure, apparently, in exciting aversion rather than the esteem of his few acquaintance†. When Heathcliff returns after running away, his character is more refined, cleaner and less confused. He no longer has mixed emotion and acts as if he has a plan to apply to life and steadily works on each waypoint towards the final goal. â€Å"A half-civilised ferocity lurked yet in the depressed brows, and eyes full of black fire, but it was subdued; and his manner was even dignified, quite divested of roughness though too stern for grace†. It shows how Heathcliff still has the strong, passionate outward shell. But inwardly he has learned to control how he reacts. The alternate ‘evil' side has completely taken over, leaving Heathcliff emotionally cold, yet bent on revenge. Only now he is equipped to carry it out using his head rather that his hands. He knows how he is to accomplish it and will stop at nothing to finish what has been started. It is noticeable that he does not try and hide what he is doing. Instead giving ‘deep' speeches to anyone who will stand to listen. His craving for revenge is so intense that it seems to ‘leak' as an aura around his body and disrupt the lives of those who come into contact with him. Has but to speak to cause tempers to flare, emotions to rise, and situations to go to excess. The realisation that Heathcliff has not changed in his attitude since going away is to late for action to be taken to stop it and the ‘groomed' version of Heathcliff is described as he was when he first arrived. â€Å"An unreclaimed creature, without refinement – without cultivation; an arid wilderness of furze and whinstone.† He bends people towards his will with ease, and before they know it he has coolly, calmly, and collectedly used them for his own purpose and then dropped them with nothing. Edgar sums up Heathcliff to a poignant sentence; â€Å"Your presence is a moral poison that would contaminate the most virtuous.† And, as Isabella writes after she has eloped with Heathcliff; â€Å"Is Mr Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil?†. Isabella does not explain what Heathcliff has been doing, but to constitute the above questions, it cannot have been normal. Heathcliff's revenge plan begins to fall into place when he confronts Hindley in his house. Catherine again acts as a catalyst by confining the two to a room and Heathcliff manages to rile Hindley so much that he draws a gun and knife on him. Hindley realises that he has been duped out of his house, his money, and all his possessions and wants to kill Heathcliff for it. â€Å"Oh, damnation! I will have it back; and I'll have his gold too; and then his blood; and hell shall have his soul! It will be ten times blacker with that guest than it ever was before!†. Heathcliff must have been pleased to see that Hindley was now suffering in the same way that he had and also that he had mostly accomplished what he came for. Heathcliff's effect can also be illustrated by the change in appearance and character of Isabella. When she first eloped with Heathcliff, she was young, naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve, and very outgoing. When she came back however; â€Å"she already partook of the pervading spirit of neglect which encompassed her. Her pretty face was wan and listless; her hair uncurled; some locks hanging lankly down, and some carelessly twisted round her head. Probably she had not touched her dress since yester evening.† A double side to Heathcliff begins to emerge when Catherine begins to get ill. Edgar hides in his books and studies as anything he does will not help her to recover, while Heathcliff continues his vendetta when he could help Catherine. The only thing stopping him is Catherine's love for Edgar. â€Å"The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his heart out, and drank his blood! But, till then, I would have died by inches before I touched a single hair of his head!† This shows that although Heathcliff's ‘darker' side is plainly visible, he has a set of morals that he stands by. One of them being that any close friends of those who have no revenge due are out of the firing line as far as a vendetta goes. Heathcliff succeeds in gaining all the material possessions he wants but does not have ‘the icing on the cake'. Because of this, the intensity of his need for more revenge grows exponentially and he becomes even malevolent as he bottles even more anger. â€Å"I have no pity! I have no pity! The more the worms write, the more I yearn to crush out their entrails!† Catherine remains self-centred and, as a final example, drives Heathcliff insane by refusing him any pity. Heathcliff finally loses his drive for retribution and lets his true feelings be known. He loves Catherine, and she loves him, but settling both of their scores kept them sharing their final goal – being together. To conclude, I will decide that Heathcliff is indeed not the Devil, but has had all of the worst coincidences happen to him that lead to him being as unnatural as he is. An extremely bad childhood, combined with his lack of intelligence and empathy, finally amalgamated with the fact that he has very strong emotions anyway make Heathcliff's actions easy to understand, yet hard to forgive. A large number of headstrong characters, isolation, and two sets of conflicting values made distress highly unavoidable. Therefore Heathcliff is a product of circumstance and misfortune rather than the spawn of the Devil or a wild beast.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Hamlet: Act I Sc III Essay

In the Act I Sc III of Hamlet, the readers get three sets of conversational exchanges that illumine Shakespeare’s assured grasp over the many threads of his complicated plot. It is often argued by Feminist critics like Lee Edwards that: â€Å"We can imagine Hamlet’s story without Ophelia, but Ophelia literally has no story without Hamlet†. Except the Little digressive episode of the â€Å"few precepts† (202) of Polonius to his son, the scene throws light on the characterization and representation of Ophelia as purity and innocence personified, establishing femininity in a patriarchal discourse as passivity, subservience and lack. Laertes feels sincere anxiety for Ophelia because of Hamlet and â€Å"the trifling of his favour† (197). He warns Ophelia against the youthful Hamlet in brilliant rhetoric, who might love her for the time being, but â€Å"His greatness weigh’d, his will is, not his own†(199). The most intriguing aspect of his advices is the unmistakable anxiety for the loss of his sister’s â€Å"chaste treasure† (199) or virginity. Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain If with too credent ear you list his songs, Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open To his unmaster’d importunity. (199) This leads to stage productions of Hamlet since the 1950s where directors have hinted at an incestuous link between Ophelia and Laertes. Trevor Nunn’s production with Helen Mirren in 1970, for example, made Ophelia and Laertes flirtatious doubles. Also in the delightful text of Laurence Olivier, Confessions of an Actor (1982), he noted that in other productions of the same period, Marianne Faithful was a haggard Ophelia equally attracted to Hamlet and Laertes. In the classic study by Elaine Showalter, ‘Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism’, she notes that in one of the few performances â€Å"directed by a woman, Yvonne Nicholson sat on Laertes’ lap in the advice scene and played the part with rough sexual bravado†. The parental advices given by Polonius to Laertes were a tradition of the period. Those conventional advices establish Polonius as a man of practical prudence, experience and underline his role as the father. However, his advices for Ophelia open up deeper possibilities of thematic expansion. All his advices carry specific messages about femininity and sexuality. In a psychoanalytic seminar on Hamlet, held in Paris in 1959, Jacques Lacan argued: â€Å"As sort of a come-on, I announced that I would speak today about that piece of bait named Ophelia †¦Ã¢â‚¬  In his paper, he established Ophelia as the object of Hamlet’s male desire; in his words, â€Å"she is linked forever, for centuries, to the figure of Hamlet. † Such conceptions stem from the announcement of Polonius that Ophelia is nothing but a â€Å"green girl† (204) and advises to â€Å"Tender yourself more dearly† (204). The phallic bait game is assured when Ophelia finally utters: â€Å"I shall obey, may lord. † 9207). Critics like Theodor Lidz present the view that while Hamlet is neurotically attached to his mother, Ophelia has an unresolved Oedipal attachment to her father. In this scene, it is Ophelia’s unquestioned obedience to her father, which is in other words her subservience to the phallic order that infers her inevitable tragedy. Ophelia’s role as a sister and a daughter in a self-assertive male world obscure her sense of agency; as Polonius and Laertes not only make her doubt her own instinctive understanding of Hamlet, but also make her fear her own self by pointing out her inexperience in resisting temptation, she is â€Å"Unsifted in such perilous circumstance†(204). Confused, she takes the recluse of passive obedience. And it is the precise reason why A. C. Bradley speaking for the Victorian male tradition in Shakespearean Tragedy (1904) pointed out; â€Å"Large number of readers feels a kind of personal irritation against Ophelia; they seem unable to forgive her for not having been a heroine. † The most potential aspect of the scene is the brilliant contrast between the eloquence of the male characters and the silence of the female; that underlines Ophelia’s role of the powerless creature cornered in a fiery game of male power play who can only find meaning in madness in a patriarchal discourse. Hamlet: The Arden Shakespeare. U. K: Methuen, 2000.