Real Vampires

Vampires Stories Started Thousands of Years Ago in Myths Today They Are Very Real and Among Us ? Abstract Vampires have been a part of human culture for thousands of years. There have been stories of vampire like creatures in Mesopotamia, Greece, China, and Europe. These stories have spanned the globe and time. The vampire has evolved overtime based on the current trends and beliefs and culture of the time. Today when the word vampire is said many visualize Dracula from the stories by Bram Stoker or handsome alluring creatures that are ready to drain you of your blood.For most vampires only live in stories, the truth is that vampires are very real. There is a subculture of real vampires emerging out of the darkness all over the world they are very real and among us. Vampires Stories Started Thousands of Years Ago in Myths Today They Are Very Real and Among Us When the word vampire is said it evokes Hollywood images of handsome men and beautiful women, seductive creatures with fangs t hat lure in their prey with their hypnotic stare along with their good looks, wit and charm.Once the prey is seduced the vampire goes straight for the throat, biting down and draining their blood and ultimately their life. More recently the images may be of the sexy Vampire who is trying to pass as human in some high school setting that is amazingly fast, and strong, yet trying to be sensitive. Some sparkle in the sun and others must avoid it altogether, while still others wear some enchanted ring or jewelry in order to walk in sunlight.Oh yes, and let’s not forget their ability to go on living forever because one of the most incredible qualities is a vampire’s immortality, unless they have a wood or silver stake driven through their heart, or end up decapitated and burned, which would swiftly end there immortal reign. Whichever version of vampire you envision will depend on the most recent book, movie, or television series you are intrigued by. These images are the gl orified Hollywood images that are spoon fed to us daily, but these are not the true definitions or characteristics of a real vampire.As much as most people believe that the image of the vampire was spawned from the story of Dracula written by Bram Stoker that is certainly not the case, the story of the vampire started thousands of years ago and span the globe, and continue to engross society today. Every culture has their own story and origination point and these stories have spawned a growing fascination with vampires. It is important to look back and see where it all began in order to uncover the truth of real vampires today.One of the first stories comes from Mesopotamia; it goes back at least 4,000 years. It starts with Lamastu, the daughter of the sky God Anu. She was a demon goddess who preyed on humans. At night she would creep into people’s homes and steel their baby’s or worse, she would kill them while they were in their crib or even while in their motherâ₠¬â„¢s womb. It is also said she would suck the blood from young men; this would bring sickness, disease, and sterility to the people. When you see images of Lamastu she is seen to have talons or claw like hands, as well as wings.This is very similar to another vampire like goddess from history, Lilith. (Harris, 2001: Lamastu, 2011) Lilith is a vampire like demon goddess as well, along with the wings and talons; she is sometimes shown to be in the form of an owl or a mix of woman owl type creature. There are a variety of stories that surround Lilith. The most prominent one seems to be the one coming from Jewish origins where it is said that Lilith was the first wife of Adam. In this story the trouble started when Lilith did not want to be in a submissive position to Adam during sexual intercourse.She believed since God fashioned them of the same dirt and was said to be an equal to Adam, she wished to be his partner and equal, not to be beneath him. She was banished from Adam and the Garden of Eden into darkness where she was then perceived as a Demon and in the darkness she began giving birth to her own children. These children were said to be demons like their Mother. God sent three Angels after her and they asked her to return to the garden but not as Adam’s equal. Lilith refused and for her punishment God killed a hundred of her children daily.In retaliation Lilith began to take her vengeance out on God’s children by killing human babies. Along with killing human children Lilith had seductive quality’s and would seduce men and come to them at night as a succubus. (Harris, 2001: Lilith, 2001) There are many other stories of similar creatures like Lamastu and Lilith all over the world, such as, the Empisai she came from Greek stories, she was the beautiful daughter of Hecate and would rise out of the ground at night and seduce the Sheppard’s in the fields and then devour them.In Chinese folk lore there were creatures that had glowin g red eyes, they were covered in fur and they would bite their prey with sharp fangs, these creatures were called Kuang-shi. (Harris, 2001) As time went on people traveled from place to place and with them the stories of the vampire like creatures were spread. The stories morphed and changed with the current beliefs and knowledge of the time. There is a plethora of stories out there that blanket cultures and over time have developed a variety of versions and interpretations and created are current knowledge base of what a vampire is.As much as most people believe that the image of the vampire was spawned from the story of Dracula written by Bram Stoker you can see this is not the case and the story of the vampire started thousands of years ago, many of the beliefs, traditions and rituals real vampires have today are based on these ancient stories. So what is a real vampire? At first glance it can be hard to define, but when you delve in you will start to see categories. The first, m ost broad category falls under the term, vampire community, and this term is the broadest wording used to describe the vampire culture.Vampires refer to the vampire community in a similar manner as gay people speak about the gay community and African American’s speak about the black community. (TheoFantastique, 2009) The vampire community is not an organized structure according to Joseph Laycock, Author of Vampires Today: The Truth about Modern Vampirism and graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, he refers to it as an identity group. (Laycock, 2009) Within that identity group you can find the terms life style vampire and real vampire. Real and lifestyle vampire are phrase’s used within the vampire culture to distinguish between the two groups.Life style vampires or lifestylers, as some would say, are the ones that are fans of vampire fiction such as Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, and Stephanie Meyer. They enjoy dressing up as the undead and participating in role playing gam es such as Vampire the Masquerade. Some have prosthetic fangs and sleep in coffins. They love everything vampire and embrace all the stereo types. Ms Saige who is a lifestyle vampire has this to say about it,† I live the lifestyle but I am not a real vampire, nobody can live forever. † She goes on to say there is about 1,000 lifestyle vampires in New York and thousands more worldwide. There’s a clan in Europe, one in California and a huge clan in Texas. We all know each other. †(Mittelbach & Crewdson, 2000) To be more definitive on the differences Joseph Laycock says the main difference between the two is lifestyle vampires choose their vampiric identity and real vampires see their vampire identity as unchangeable and something that is a part of them. (Laycock, 2009) Real vampires are, â€Å"individuals who feel a need to consume blood or feed on the subtle energy of other people in order to sustain their physical, mental, and spiritual health,† accor ding to Joseph Laycock. Laycock, 2010) This is not to say that the murderers you here of in the news that consume blood and are labeled as vampire are the real vampire’s that are being spoken of here. Those people have been labeled vampire by the media. Real vampire is an identity group and is taken on freely by people. The Atlanta Vampire Alliance expands on the definition of a real vampire and goes on to say that if vampires do not feed off the blood or energy of other humans they will become tired, sickly, depressed, and can go through physical suffering or discomfort.A vampire can also have a variety of psychic abilities and be very psychically aware; such as, sense people’s emotions, see people’s auras and be highly empathetic. The term real vampire can be broken down into three more groups from there, based on their feeding techniques. (AVA, 2005-2011) The first are the Sanguine or Sang for short, vampires who actually consume blood from humans or animals. The amount of blood and the frequency of consumption can vary from vampire to vampire. It can be as little as a drop and can be as frequently as daily and in frequently as monthly.Blood that is consumed from a human source is always consensual and there is a written or verbal agreement between the donor, the person giving blood, and the vampire. These Sanguine Vampires need to drink human or animal blood to maintain their health and well being. (AVA, 2005-2011)It is not simply done because it arouses them sexually or they like the way it makes them feel or the taste of it. There is a genuine need for it to maintain their health. Though the act of feeding can evoke sexual desires and be a very enjoyable experience that is just an out come on the purpose of drinking blood.The second type is the Psychic or Psi Vampire they feed on the life force energy of other humans. This life force has been described in other cultures as chi in china, prana in India, or the soul in western religion s. Vampires have the ability to draw the subtle energy or life force from other people by using a number of techniques. (AVA, 2005-2011) A vampire by the name of Linda Rabinowitz says, she is a psychic vampire and if you maintain eye contact with her for too long she may be tempted to start taking in your subtle energy.She goes on to say that she would never actually do that without a person’s permission, as good vampires operate under what is called The Black Veil. This is a code or ethic that states vampires must have the permission of their donors before they will feed off of them. (Monica, 2008 : Laycock, 2010) According to sanguinarius. org, a website dedicated to providing information and resources to real vampire’s, psi vampires can be broken down into further categories based on the type of energy they feed off of.Some of the examples are; empathic vampires who feed on the emotions of people, sexual vampires who feed on the energies generated during sexual inte rcourse, elemental vampires who feed off the energies of the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water. Astral feeding is another term and this refers to vampires that travel in the astral plane a feed off the life force of creatures living within the astral plane, dream scape vampires can enter into people’s dreams and feed of the life force within the dream, and last on the list is magical vampires they are able to feed on and manipulate magical energies.This list is not all inclusive or set in stone one thing that is apparent within the vampire culture is that views on feeding techniques and their validity are ever changing and all the techniques are not accepted as valid by all. The third type is a hybrid vampire which is the combination of a sanguine vampire and a psychic vampire. These hybrid vampires both drink blood as well as feed off the life force energy. They have the ability to choose which source to feed from as they wish. (AVA 2005-2011) Hybrids have the ability to choose their technique or combine a couple.For instance a vampire may drink the blood of their donor while in the midst of a sexual act thus creating a situation where they are simultaneously feeding off the sexual energy. You can see an example of this in the story given to Katherine Ramsland in her book Piercing the Darkness Undercover with Vampires in America Today. The vampire described an account with a young man that spanned a short period of time. They had an initial encounter and the vampire continued to stalk the individual eventually it led up to an evening of exchanging blood and sexual contact.The vampire describes his desire by saying, â€Å"The mingling of blood and semen represents my hunger at the core of my being. It’s about me, who I am as a male with a great need for another’s life force, blood cell to blood cell. The very sight of blood stirs my loins. (Ramsland, 1998, p. 16) Vampires also can be broken down into categories by their beliefs. Va mpirism in and of itself is not a religion but within the vampire community there is an array of belief systems. Just like with in main stream society you have Christians, Jews, Buddhist, and Atheist you too have this in the vampire community.There is also within the community groups of vampires that see their vampirism as a spiritual practice. There are different groups that have different beliefs just like any other religion. Father Sebastian, who is a fang smith, author, and founder of the clan Saber Tooth and the order of Strigoii said, during an interview in the documentary Vampyres, â€Å"his group follows the path of the Strigoii which means living vampire in Romanian. It is an older tradition that they have resurrected. It follows what he refers to as a left hand path, vampires are an emerging culture and that humanity is entering the fifth eon of man.Anton Lavey described it as the age of satin. He goes on to say that within the left hand path tradition people stand out as individuals because within the tradition the majority of people do not believe in such a thing as a god, there is no god except yourself, and that we are a projection of our higher self. † (Courau, 2007) The vampire community is vast and full of many verities of beliefs and ways of thinking. Though there is great difference in what they believe to be true of a real vampire there are some things they all agree that are not true.Along with the things that are true of real vampires there are many things that have been skewed and morphed from the current pop-culture trends, many of the Real Vampires of today would love to put an end to the many common beliefs about themselves, their activities, and culture. For starters real vampires do not need to sleep in coffins or the dirt from their hometown, they do not have aversions to the sun, although some claim a sensitivity to it but it borders more on an annoyance than the fire burning effects that the media shows just before they ar e turned to ash.They also know that they are on the world for a finite amount of time and do not live forever. They die just like you and me from anything that we as humans can die from. They do not go around stalking people and draining them of all their blood leaving them dead. Many of them love garlic and prefer to wear silver jewelry over gold. Holy water and crosses will not repel them, because many of them are Christian, or catholic or any of the many religions that are in the world. Last but not least they can come into your house uninvited but like most people they have manners and would not just invite themselves in.Vampires are living all over the world and are very much among us. Though it may be disappointing, the vampires of today are very much human and have no wild and fantastical ability’s to pass onto their victims through their bite or blood. Just because they are not the vampires we read about or seen on the big screen does not make them any less real. As w ith anything, Hollywood, and pop culture have become very good at taking the ordinary and making it bigger than it really is or more fantastical which can be with how witches, robots, and housewives are portrayed.Hopefully one day we will be able to separate the fantasy from the reality and see them for what they really are; people like you and me, going to work each day, living life a day at a time. They could be your doctor, friend, teacher or even your neighbor. People fear what they don’t understand, therefore if you look for the truth you will understand that the Real Vampires of today are not to be feared, they just have different energetic needs than the rest of us. References Atlanta Vampire Alliance [AVA] (2005-2011). Atlanta Vampire Alliance [AVA].Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www. atlantavampirealliance. com/educational. html Courau, L. (Director). (2007). Vampyres [Documentary]. Harris, T. HowStuffWorks â€Å"How Vampires Work†. HowStuffWorks â₠¬Å"Science†. Retrieved October 3, 2011, from http://science. howstuffworks. com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/vampire. htm Lamashtu (Mesopotamian demon) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/328457/Lamashtu Laycock, J. (2010).Real vampires as an identity group: analyzing causes and effects of an introspective survey by the vampire community. Nova religio, 14(1), 4-23. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Lilith. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Retrieved October 09, 2011 from Encyclopedia. com: http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1G2-3403802788. html Mittlebach, M. , & Crewdson, M. (2000, November 24). To Die For: Painting the Town Red, and the Capes and Nails Black – New York Times. NY Times Advertisement. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www. nytimes. com/2000/11/24/movies/to-die-for-painting-the-town-red-and-the-capes- and-nails-black. tml? scp=1&sq=ms. %20saige&st=cse Monica, H. (2008). A Vampire's Life? It's Really Draining. The Washington Post. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Ramsland, K. M. (1998). Piercing the darkness: undercover with vampires in America today. New York: Harperprism. TheoFantastique | A meeting place for myth, imagination, and mystery in pop culture. (2009, August 25). TheoFantastique | A meeting place for myth, imagination, and mystery in pop culture. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www. theofantastique. com/2009/08/25/joseph-laycock-vampires-today/

Paulo Coelho Life Essay

Through an extensive researching and reading most of his books, I am able to present Paulo Coekho: One of the writers more sold and known worldwide. As a huge fun of Paulo Coelho I have learned he is not only a famous writer; but he is also a complex character, an adventurer, and a seeker of new things which led him to try all the good and bad things that presented on his way. In order to understand his books is important to learn about the painful moments of his past For instance the journey through the deserts of drugs, black magic, jail, etcetera. Paulo Coelho was born August 24th, 1947 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [1] and attended a Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling his mother this, she responded with â€Å"My dear, your father is an engineer. He’s a logical, reasonable man with a very clear vision of the world. Do you actually know what it means to be a writer?†[1] After researching, Coelho concluded that a writer â€Å"always wears glasses and never combs his hair† and has a â€Å"duty and an obligation never to be understood by his own generation,† amongst other things.[1] At 16, Coelho’s introversion and opposition to following a traditional path led to his parents committing him to a mental institution from which he escaped three times before being released at the age of 20.[2][3] Coelho later remarked that â€Å"It wasn’t that they wanted to hurt me, but they didn’t know what to do†¦ They did not do that to destroy me, they did that to save me.†[4] At his parents’ wishes, Coelho enrolled in law school and abandoned his dream of becoming a writer. One year later, he dropped out and lived life as a hippie, traveling through South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe and started drugs in the 1960s.[5][6] Upon his return to Brazil, Coelho worked as a songwriter, composing lyrics for Elis Regina, Rita Lee, and Brazilian icon Raul Seixas. Composing with Raul led to Paulo being associated with magic and occultism, due to the content of some songs.[7] In 1974, Coelho was arrested for â€Å"subversive† activities by the ruling military government, who had taken power ten years earlier and viewed his lyrics as left-wing and dangerous.[4] Coelho also worked as an actor, journalist, and theatre director before pursuing his writing career.[7] In 1986, Coelho walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a turning point in his life.[5][8] On the path, Coelho had a spiritual awakening, which he described autobiographically in The Pilgrimage.[9] In an interview, Coelho stated â€Å"[In 1986], I was very happy in the things I was doing. I was doing something that gave me food and water – to use the metaphor in â€Å"The Alchemist†, I was working, I had a person whom I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer.†[10] Coelho would leave his lucrative career as a songwriter and pursue writing full-time. you cannot be all over Africa because there are some places they don’t even have bookstores. But, funny enough, they have the Internet! It is unbelievable. So I post all my books for free on the Internet, and people can download them. If they like it, they are going to pay. You have to trust people.

Differentiated Instruction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Differentiated Instruction - Research Paper Example Key words: Differentiated instruction, professional development. Differentiated Instruction According to Carol Ann Tomlinson (as cited by Ellis, Gable, Greg, & Rock, 2008, p.  32), Differentiated Instruction is the process of â€Å"ensuring that what a student learns, how he or she learns it, and how the student demonstrates what he or she has learned is a match for that student’s readiness level, interests, and preferred mode of learning.† In a classroom scenario, there are all sorts of differences among the students. These may be in the form of social economic status, culture, race, religion, gender, ability/ disability, motivation, personal interests and many more. Differentiation arises from the assumption that different students have a difference in how they learn, their preferences and learning capabilities and interests.(Anderson, 2007) Teachers have a variety of ways to differentiate; this can be through process, content, learning environment and product based on the individual learner. Due to the difference in learning needs, teachers develop differentiated learning instructions so that all students are able to learn effectively. Differentiation can therefore be defined as, an organized and flexible manner of varying and adjusting teaching methods so that the needs of every child as a learner are catered for to maximize their potential growth as learners. In the past, the teaching practice has been that of â€Å"One size fits all† but in order for maximum learning potential to be reached, a â€Å"One size does not fit all† needs to be used. Gregory, G. and Chapman, C, (2007) Living Our Beliefs The challenge in differentiating instruction lies in translating the Teacher’s beliefs that, differentiating instruction provides for a better learning process, into action. Teachers can be able to differentiate a number of aspects on the curriculum (Tomlinson, C.A, 2005). These aspects are: Content- This refers to the princip les, concepts and skills that students are required to learn. Every student should be able to access the same learning materials. Tomlinson believes that struggling students should be accorded with the same big ideas as their classmates and should not be given watered-down content. Tomlinson emphasizes by saying, "Teachers should address the same concepts with all students but adjust the degree of Complexity, in that the same concept can be explained in a way that is comprehensible to a very young child or in a way that challenges a Ph.D candidate." Content can also mean the means in which a teacher gives students access to information. A teacher can make give the advanced learners complex text from which they should derive information and on the other hand direct reading buddies, demonstrations and videos to the those students who are of modest capacities. Process- This refers to the activities that help students understand and fathom what they have learnt during the teaching proce ss. Teachers can modify this activities by providing the complex methods for sharp students and scaffolding methods for the modest learner depending on their readiness levels, student interest, and learning preferences. Scaffolding methods include, additional teaching models, step-by-step instructions, re-teaching etc. Products- This refers to t

Quantitative report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Quantitative report - Essay Example The research will also try to concentrate on where the motives of the tourists and non tourists are different. Also, the focus will be mapping the correlation that has been developed in connection to the satisfaction and the intentions of the attendees. Literature review While discussing the literature review, it needs to be highlighted that the factors of motivation as well as the central focus of the music festivals needs to be taken into consideration. While trying to identify the motivation factors, it is important to focus on the underlying reason for conducting a music festival. Generally, the main reason for conducting a music festival is to promote the entire tourism package for a region. The festivals that are conducted on the lines of music performances are highly unique since they have the ability to attract visitors from a highly diverse span of geographies (Mosley and et.al, 2011). While discussing the motivation factor for the tourists, it needs to be highlighted that t he extrinsic factors of motivation play a very important role. In elaborating about the most important extrinsic factor, the focus needs to be given on the conflict of the masses happening in the work and leisure life of the masses (Robinson and et.al, 2010, p. 138). Basically the long hours of work time is having a conflicting effect on the leisure life of the masses. ... that there are a group of workers who are stuck in a very routine and monotonous kind of a job and are trying to attach to the music events for having a high levels of excitement, thrill and challenge in their leisure times as well as in their life. Another extrinsic kind of a factor that needs to be associated with the issue of motivation is that some attendees attach leisure as an extension to work. A certain group of people who are attached to a highly demanding and exciting kind of a job looks forward to seeking the same levels of excitement and thrill during the leisure time. As a result, the musical concerts hold a high level of value and a source of excitement and thrill to them as well (Robinson and et.al, 2010, p. 138). In discussing about event motivation and tourists, it can be stated that the concept has a high linkage with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The event motivation and participation of tourists in various events are related to the social and psychological n eeds (Heinsohn, n.d.) It also has to be stated that the event motivation at times are largely dependent on the factors like fund raising, generating mass awareness. Also, in some cases, the main motivation of the event is largely associated with the factor of promoting a brand or a performer. Talking in regards to the non-tourists, it can be said that for them, the focus of attending a music event is mainly on relaxing as well as socializing. Research Questions In this case, it can be stated that there can be three research questions. The first research question is to find out what is the demographic profile of the attendees? The second research question is to find whether the motive of the tourists and non-tourist are same or different? The third research question is to concentrate on whether

The Kounin Model Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Kounin Model - Research Paper Example It supports my own personal philosophy of classroom management which can be summed up as subtle teacher control through early intervention. The main idea behind Kounin’s model is that classroom management should set up conditions which encourage the whole class to concentrate on their work, rather than deal with discipline problems in a reactive way. The teacher should be aware of what is happening at all times, and should anticipate any emerging situations before they escalate into actual behavioral problems. Once the teacher has allowed distractions to get the upper hand in a classroom, then the discipline issue becomes the â€Å"elephant in the room† (Ratcliffe et al., 2010, p. 306) and effective learning opportunities are lost while teacher and students alike deal with that discipline issue. The particular contribution that Kounin made, was to focus on prevention rather than cure, as a way of approaching classroom management, pointing out that both successful and le ss successful teachers were equally good at dealing with behavioral problems when they arise, but that the successful teachers were much better at preventing them from arising in the first place. (Baloglu, 2009, p. 70) This prevention angle, therefore, is the key to being the most successful type of teacher. A recent empirical study examined memories that 148 undergraduate pre-service teachers have on the excellent classroom management strategies they have experienced in the course of their own education (Balli, 2011). The purpose of this investigation was to find out what students’ own beliefs were, before they were exposed to theories on their education degree course, and see what kind knowledge they had gathered, and what was still to be acquired. One interesting conclusion of the paper was that students had a good grasp of, and great appreciation for, variations on Assertive Discipline Models, but they had less awareness of the Kounin concepts such as withitness, group ma nagement and smooth transitioning from one activity to the next. (Balli, 2011, p. 249) This shows that Kounin’s ideas are not at all obvious, and that they affect children in a subtle way that may not even be conscious. In my experience it is precisely the unspoken subtext of classroom interaction that determines how effective the teaching and learning becomes. Overt teacher disciplining, such as singling out one student and berating them for a particular action, expressing displeasure or even shouting at the class, are extremes which many teachers have to use in order to just convey instructions against a background of chaotic student behavior. It is much better to have a range of intervention options to use, such as the subtle technique which Kounin calls a desist. This need not be a verbal option. A teacher could, for example just approach a particular student’s desk or look at a particular student, while carrying on with the general lesson, and this is sufficient t o make the class aware that the teacher is alert and noticing what is going on. In cases of inattention or whispering in the back row, this may be enough to bring students back on track. If more distracting behavior occurs, then an escalation to verbal comments, or individual conversations can occur, but in my view the more subtle cues are better, because they do not

Business Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Developing Competitive Advantage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Developing Competitive Advantage - Essay Example In analyzing the information sharing, this paper will look at relevant examples so as to elaborate on the inherent need of information to both the customers and the firms. Discussion The supply chain becomes more efficient with the increased coordination of activities due to automation. Consequently, the need for inventories is reduced. Proctor and Gamble (P&G) is a company that has been operational in the world for a long time. The manufacturer has a relationship with the retailer Wal-Mart (Clark & Lee 2000, p. 126). The relationship between the two companies has to be analyzed from a transactional perspective as well as from an operational and strategic one. The two companies, apart from sharing information with each other have gone ahead to share the same information with their customers. This has stemmed from the need by the companies to involve their customers in the pricing of products as well as increasing the value of these products. The basis of the relationship between the companies and the customers is based on mutual trust. P&G and Wal-Mart are not only partners but also competitors. Therefore, the trend that they have set in the sharing of information can be analyzed from the benefits that the two derive from being in a relationship with each other as well as with their customers. The sharing of information has to be approached cautiously. Naturally, many companies are skeptical that the information that they share with the customers as well as competitors would be used in a negative manner which may hurt the company’s profitability. Doctors concede that the patient they treat today have a major difference from the patients that they treated in the years gone by. Once a patient seeks out a doctor, the patient is usually armed with information regarding the treatment procedures that are available for the conditions that they may have. The doctor will start by giving the patient the preliminary information regarding the condition from where th e patient will inquire more on the treatment procedure and the condition. The patients will want to know the different risk factors that are involved in treatment as well as the benefits that are to be gotten from the procedures. This sharing of information between doctors and patients explains why the business environment is changing. The consumers of certain products require that the producers share the information that they have on the products (Seidmann & Sundararajan 1998, p. 34). There are very many chat rooms on the internet that are aimed at sharing information on a hoard of topics. The members of these chat rooms will critique as well as praise some products. At the end of it all, the consumer is armed with the necessary information in order to make a certain purchase. When Michael Dell started IBM, the cost of a computer was $3,000. This suggested that the markup from selling the machines as well as the costs were too high. He saw it prudent to reduce the costs associated with the assembly of the machines so that they would retail at lesser prices. In attempting to do this, he had to use less expensive methods of sourcing for the raw materials as well as internal ways that would cost less. The box, speakers, memory, hard disks and drives were being

How Can University Programme Be Changed To Address The Needs Of The In Essay

How Can University Programme Be Changed To Address The Needs Of The International Graduate Students - Essay Example These include role plays; problem-solving using case studies; and group discussion sessions during which NS students act as student-facilitators and both the NNES and NS students work together in to discuss broad intercultural themes such as ‘‘Gestures and Non-Verbal Communication† or more specific themes such as ‘‘Interacting with your Supervisor and Fellow Classmates.† Prior to enrollment into graduate programs, students should be encouraged to attend cultural orientation sessions and workshops which are aimed at making International students at ease with the new culture and introducing them to the different aspects of the multicultural environment, which demands effective communication with NNES and NES students and professors from a variety of linguistic. Such sessions also have the added advantage of providing the new students with an opportunity to mix with other international and host students and the faculty. Thus, in conclusion, language s kills pose a significant barrier for international NNES students in not only improving their academic performance but also in their social interaction and effective communication in all spheres of life. Above discussed are some of the several ways in which the existing curriculum can be modified in order to facilitate the acquisition of proper language skills amongst international students, the incorporation if which into University programs can aid the International students greatly in becoming acculturated into the new society.

Canadian Chocolate Bar Market Essay Example for Free

Canadian Chocolate Bar Market Essay •Increase in cost for manufacturing such as packaging or ingredients. Chocolate bars are thought of as impulse buys, which means they require no thought. This is due to how inexpensive they are. However, if an ingredient such as sugar was to rise drastically, so will the cost of the chocolate bar therefore changing the buyers perspective on the product class. Social, Demographic Trends: •Although chocolate bars are thought to have been more enjoyed by a younger consumer, crispy crunch has always focused towards older demographics. This is shown through their mature packaging commercials. Healthier Living: •Consumers are now watching what they eat, and want to avoid products that contain ingredients that have become deemed as fattening. Technology: •Internet advertising is at an all time high, and consumers are attracted to products that they can get more information on over the Internet. Also, buzz promotion can be created efficiently via Internet. Political: •French/English Packaging •In Canada it is illegal not to have both English and French writing on the packaging. Ingredients: •All ingredients must be labeled on the packaging. Market Analysis Total Canadian Size and growth: •From 1996 to 2000, the chocolate market enjoyed a total growth rate of 19.1% with retail sales in 2000 producing a whopping $13.7 billion. Competitive Analysis Market Trends: •Hershey Canada is one the largest competitors in the chocolate bar market. Hershey brands have a strong market value and a long history dating back to 1903. Hershey Canada owned three of the top five chocolate bars sold in 2000 to 2001. Hersheys three principle brands held fifteen percent of the Canadian market share. Hersheys brands, Reese Brand, and Hershey Milk Chocolate gained 0.9 percent market share in 2000-2001. Hershey brand Oh Henry lost 0.3 percent market share but still holds the number four spot in market share value. Hershey Canada has strong brand recognition, and loyalty. •Nestle Canadas three principle brands, Kit Kat, Coffee Crisp, and Smarties represented 13.4 percent of the Canadian market in 2000-2001. Nestle has a considerable market share and strong brand insistence however only one brand gained market value. Kit Kat, Nestle principal brand gained four points surpassing Cadburys Caramilk. Kit Kat now represents the second largest piece of the market at 5.4 percent. Coffee Crisp was stalemate at 4.2 percent of market share. Nestle Smarties lost 0.3 percent of market value now ranked ninth out of the top ten chocolate bars in the Canadian market, leaving only Effems Mars behind it. •Effem Foods has two brands ranked in the top ten chocolate bars in the Canadian market, Mars and MMs. Effems two principle brands represents 8.2 percent market share. Effems Mars and MMs both lost an accumulated 0.9 percent of market share in 2000-2001. Market Analysis: •Hershey Canada, Reese Brand, represented 6.3 percent of the Canadian chocolate bar market share in 2001. Reese brand targeted young children the ads have a youthful orientation and show kids having fun eating the bar(Crunch, Crispy Case). Reese Brand was creating strong brand insistence by penetrating younger consumers. Reese used point-of-purchase materials to attract the impulse consumer. Reese also employed the leadership positioning strategy; Reese showed their product as a preferred choice among children. Hershey Milk Chocolate and Oh Henry both have a strong brand loyalty due to their insistent customer base that had been developed over years. •Nestle Canada, was a leader in the Canadian Chocolate bar market due to strong market penetration and position on the market. Nestle Smarties used the image positioning strategy. Nestle used image positioning to differentiate Smarties from Effems MMs. Nestle claimed to have a larger assortment of colours. Smarties used humour appeal to attract customers to save the red Smarties until last. Kit Kat was Nestles leader in market share representing 5.4 percent. Kit Kats target market was early twenties to late thirties. Kit Kat applied the lifestyle position strategy on the market. Give me a break of that Kit Kat Bar this slogan was used by Nestle to imply that a Kit Kat bar would be the best chocolate bar to enjoy while on a break. •Effen Foods brands Mars, and MMs both had a large market share and strong Brand loyalty in 2000-2001. MMs used Head-on positioning to penetrate and differentiate themselves from the market. They melt in your mouth, not in your hand that slogan was a direct blow to Smarties. Effen is implying that the quality of their product is better than the competitors. Target Market Analysis Demographic profile: •Age: 15-24 Gender: males, females Education: High school, College, University Occupation: Part-time, or new career opportunity Household: either living with parents, or living with a spouse Geographic profile: •Urban location of customers, allowing the customers to more easily access the product. •Packaged in English and French writing. Psychographic profile: •Activities: Going out with friends, girlfriends. Playing sports, videogames, watching movies. •Interests: Doing well in school, finding job/career opportunities for future, having fun enjoying time with friends/family. •Opinions: Would like a clean, safe environment. Consumer behavior profile: •Personality: Ideal Self Consumers as they see how they would like to be. It is what they aspire to. •Attitudes: More liberal minded consumers, show more of a selective exposure. Product Analysis Sales Volume Trends: •Between 1989 and 1990, it jumped seven places to become the number one brand in the nation. •More recently however, the Crispy Crunch Brand has fallen off the top ten chocolate bar brands to 12th place. Market Share Trends: •Old established brands continue to lead the pack in popularity; brands like Kit Kat, Oh Henry, Coffee Crisp and Smarties all date back to the 1950s and 1960s. •Reese Brand holds 6.3% of the market share, up from a year ago Current Channels of Distribution: •All the leading brands are available in the same locations: •Convenience stores •Drug stores •Grocery outlets •Vending machines •Discount stores •Marketing Communications (Historic) •The success from the early 90s was attributed to an advertising campaign •Targeted a slightly older audience of older teenagers and young adults in their early twenties rather then youth under the age of 16. •The strategy worked very well and there were several ads in the campaign. S.W.O.T Analysis Brand Strengths: (Internal) •Crispy Crunch contains a combination of chocolate and peanut brittle that offers a unique taste to consumers that other chocolate bars do not offer. Also with the image of being to good to share Crispy Crunch still has the potential to make its mark into top 10 Canadian brands by pushing the product into more advertising to make consumers more aware of its presence in the market. Weaknesses: (Internal) •Although Crispy Crunch has had a successful campaign for a period of time, other brands that Cadbury have released like Caramilk have been a little more dominant in the market. It is possible that maybe Cadbury did not pay enough attention toward the Crispy Crunch campaign, which may result in the reason for its fall behind in the overall market. Opportunities: (External). •Cadbury can use many forms of advertising their product these days as long as the presentation is executed properly. For instance, the Crispy Crunch brand has been known to add sexual situations in order to promote their product towards 15-25 year old people. If the campaign goes about with the same image or chooses to take a diverse approach to the market to recreate the image of the brand, window is still open for opportunity which either choice. Threats: (External). •Cadbury must be able to create or revise a marketing mix that would keep a strong stand in the market against the big competition from Nestle and Hershey who both have very successful campaigns for their chocolate products. Positioning Statement. • A Crispy Crunch Bar contains the grouping of chocolate and peanut brittle that offers distinctive and delectable flavor. Eat your Crisply crunch bar before somebody eats it for you! the only thing that tastes better than my Crispy Crunch, is someone elses Crispy Crunch. Target Market Definition. •Males and females 15-24 years old, who are currently working and make time for going out with friends and family. They are infrequent users because they are health conscious and may be into another brand.

The Woodspurge Essay Example for Free

The Woodspurge Essay Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s â€Å"The Woodspurge† is a sixteen-line poem divided into four-line stanzas of iambic tetrameter that describe an unidentified grief-stricken narrator in an outdoor setting, who experiences a vivid heightening of sense perception during a time of intense psychic stress. In his depressed state, the narrator undergoes an unforeseen and unbidden, but clear and intense, visual experience of the woodspurge, a species of weed that has a three-part blossom. The poem’s first stanza presents a countryside that is geographically unspecified—an area of trees and hills—and begins to suggest the narrator’s state of mind. The narrator is not walking toward a specific destination; he moves in the direction the wind is blowing, and, once the wind ceases, he stops and sits in the grass. The fact that his walking and stopping are guided merely by the wind indicates aimlessness, passivity, and apathy. The narrator’s posture in the second stanza indicates that he feels exceedingly depressed, although there is no explanation given for his emotional state. Sitting on the grass he is hunched over with his head between his knees. His depression is so severe that he cannot even groan aloud or speak a work of grief (â€Å"My lips†¦said not Alas!†). His head is cast down, as is his soul—so much so that his hair is touching the grass. His physical state reflects his psychic paralysis as he remains motionless in this position for an unspecified length of time, but long enough so that he â€Å"hear[s] the day pass.† Although he is not trying to look around and seems oblivious to the country setting as a whole, the narrator remarks in the third stanza that his eyes are â€Å"wide open,† and this important fact becomes the inadvertent cause for his ensuing visual experience. From his seated position, he says there are â€Å"ten weeds† that his eyes can â€Å"fix upon.† Out of that group, a flowering woodspurge captures his complete attention, and he is dramatically impressed by the detail that it flowers as â€Å"three cups in one.† The narrator attributes his depressed state to â€Å"perfect grief† in the final stanza, but there is still no elaboration as to its cause. He then comments, first, that grief may not function to bring wisdom or insight and may not even be remembered, and, second, implies that he himself learned nothing from his grief that day and can no longer remember its cause. However, â€Å"One thing then learnt remains†: He had been visually overwhelmed by the shape of the woodspurge, and, consequently, its image and the fact that â€Å"The woodspurge has a cup of three† have been vividly burned into his memory forever. Forms and Devices The short, simple lyric, focusing on sadness of some kind, was a popular genre for Victorian poets, as it had been earlier for the Romantic poets at the beginning of the nineteenth century. For Rossetti, it was a genre that suited his ideal of simplicity in poetry. Rossetti’s choice of imagery, diction, rhythm, and rhyme demonstrates a simplicity that mirrors—and therefore underscores—the narrator’s state of mind. The images are simple; the tree, hill, grass, weeds, and sun have no descriptors of any kind. There are no metaphors, similes, or other figures of speech; nature is presented in broad brushstrokes without ornamentation. It is only when the narrator accidentally fixes his gaze upon the woodspurge that any specific details come forth, and, even then, it is only the shape of the flower that is of any concern. Rossetti’s use of nature tends to the particular, not the universal; the experience of his narrator, thus, occurs through an interplay with a very narrow, concentrated, and specific part of nature. Rossetti’s unadorned presentation of nature mutes the setting, forcing it into the background, and causes the narrator’s mental and emotional state to emerge as the central focus. The bare minimum of description functions to signal to the reader that the narrator himself is oblivious to the details of his surroundings because his mind is focused elsewhere. The only record of his awareness of his environment, before his dramatic visual experience of the woodspurge, is that he walked when the wind was blowing and that he sat when that external impetus ceased. His reference in the first stanza to the wind having been â€Å"Shaken out dead from tree and hill† introduces the thought of death, establishing a negative tone that suggests that the narrator’s internal state is negative. Another poetic device that maintains simplicity in the poem—and yet functions to express sadness or sorrow—includes Rossetti’s use of monosyllabic words. All but one word in the first stanza are monosyllables, causing the movement to be slowed to a plodding pace to initially signal a rhythmic parallel for the narrator’s inner state. With each of the next three stanzas consisting primarily of monosyllabic words, the poem’s tempo continues to be retarded. This consistently slowed rhythm throughout the poem creates a dirge-like effect that mirrors the narrator’s mood. There is one common end rhyme in each stanza (aaaa, bbbb, cccc), suggesting a dullness, a lack of variety, or a paralysis in the rhyme that reflects the paralysis in the narrator resulting from his psychic state. The word â€Å"wind† is repeated four times in the first stanza, and the end rhyme for the first and fourth lines of this stanza repeats the same word, â€Å"still.† This deliberate repetition of words and of simple rhymes also functions to maintain the simplicity of the poem and is consistent with its simple imagery and vocabulary. Themes and Meanings In September, 1848, Rossetti, along with other fellow painters such as John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, founded the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, whose goal was a return to simplicity, to a direct presentation of nature, and to faithfulness and accuracy in detail. The name was derived from the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael, who was a symbol for them of a departure from the simplicity of presentation and the use of bright colors, which produced a direct emotional effect in pre-Renaissance paintings. The ideals of this group were applied to poetry as well as to painting: simplicity of syntax, imagery, and diction, with themes that concentrated on the experience of sense perception and created emotional resonance. Although â€Å"The Woodspurge† has a plant’s name as its title, the poem does not have nature, or even the woodspurge itself, as its subject. Nature does play an indirect role in the poem, but it is not the focus here or in other works by Rossett i. Both in his painting and in his poetry, the function of nature is to act as a background for the presentation of human action and emotion. The depiction of details from nature, although precise and accurate, is not meant to draw attention to nature itself but to mirror a psychic state or inner experience. â€Å"The Woodspurge† does not tell a story or embody an ethical or moral lesson; it does not deal with contemporary issues or events. It is removed from any cultural or historical context and—more concerned with emotion than ideology—aims to express a universal human experience, the paradox of intense sense perception during times of emotional numbness. The possibility that the three-in-one nature of the woodspurge—which could recall the Christian concept of the Trinity or the concept of unity in diversity—might symbolize a higher truth and thus be a consolation for the speaker’s grief is not given any space in the poem. The woodspurge’s shape is a botanical fact, of interest particularly to a painter’s eye, but it points to no significance beyond its sheer existence in the material realm. It functions as an example of a detail or image that can remain vivid after emotional stress has been left behind and forgotten. Rossetti’s tendency to focus on intense sensual experience rather than to illustrate truth or meaning is evident here. Although the cause of the narrator’s sorrow is never specified, the poem was written in the spring of 1856 when Rossetti was in an anguished state. He was experiencing intense strife with Elizabeth (â€Å"Lizzie†) Siddal, the chief model he had used for many of his paintings since 1850, over the issue of her desire for marriage. (He eventually married her in 1860.) Rossetti was also tormented at that time about relationships with other women and with what he perceived as lost artistic opportunities. However, nothing in the poem points to these specific issues. By leaving the cause of the narrator’s depression unspecified, Rossetti gives universal expression to the psychological phenomenon of acute mental awareness and heightened sensation simultaneous with mental and emotional distress. Although Rossetti’s later poetry is more ornate, complex, and difficult both in style and in content, â€Å"The Woodspurge† concentrates on sense perception, accuracy of detail (including botanical accuracy), and the use of nature as a framework for the expression of the mental and emotional state of the narrator. Its simplicity in theme and poetic devices makes it a superb demonstration of the tenets of Pre-Raphaelite poetry.

Financial Analysis And Report Of Dominos Pizza Finance Essay

Financial Analysis And Report Of Dominos Pizza Finance Essay This report is commissioned to analyse the current and previous Short-Term Liquidity, Capital Structure and Solvency, Operating Efficiency and Profitability of Dominos Pizza Group Limited. The method used in analysing includes, current ratios, liquidity ratios, profit margin, gross margin, return on capital employed, gearing ratio, interest cover, stock turnover, debtor days and creditor days. The results of the analysis depicts that Dominos Pizza Group limited is operating well with consistent growth in turnover, profit margin but with a very high gearing ratio. The major areas of concern are the stock turnover, debtor days and creditor days which need effective and efficient management. Therefore it is recommended that the collection period for debtors and the payment period for creditors and the stock turnover should be monitored and improved. The analysis also has its own limitations which includes the unavailability of comparative information from the mirror company, SHS pizza Limited. Analysis Short-Term Liquidity Current Ratio(x) Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 0.69 1.01 0.92 SHS Pizza Ltd 0.18 0.22 1.29 This provides the portion of the current liability of Dominos Pizza Group which can be settled with its current assets earnings. This shows the ability of Dominos to meet its short-term debt contracts with the available current liability as the fall due. From the above table, Dominos Pizza Group had a current ratio of 0.69 in 2009 as compared to the 1.01 and 0.92 in years 2008 and 2007 respectively. The 0.69 in year 2009 shows that Dominos is not liquid enough to meet its short term debt obligations as at 2009 despite it being better than the SHS Pizza Ltd at 0.18 times in the same year. With its brilliant performance in year 2008 at 1.01times, in 2007 it went slightly below its ability to cover the current liability with its current assets at 0.97 times unlike the SHS Pizza ltd which had a better performance in ratio of 1.29 times in 2007. (Tracy J,  2008 P287). Liquidity Ratio Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 0.64 0.97 0.85 SHS Pizza Ltd 0.12 0.16 1.17 The ability for Dominos Group to repay short-term creditors out of its available total cash is less than the general threshold of 1.00. In 2007, Dominos had a liquidity ratio of 0.85 and increased to 0.97 in 2008 but fell drastically in 2009. Comparatively, its mirror company, the SHS Pizza limited performed better being able to cover its short term liabilities fully by 1.17x in 2007. However, SHS Pizza ltd also had a drastic fall from 1.17x in 2007 to 0.16x and 0.12x in 2008 and 2009 respectively. (www.advfn.com) Capital Structure and Solvency Gearing (%) Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 413.87 321.59 435.34 SHS Pizza Ltd 988.47 665.44 175.68 From the balance sheet of Dominos plc, it can be seen that it had a long term debt of 18million in 2007 which reduced further to 9million in 2007 and was eventually cleared in 2009. On measuring the amount of capital that is borrowed, the gearing ratio for Dominos Pizza as at 2007 was 435.34% falling slightly to 321.59% and 413.87% in 2008 and 2009 respectively. With this high gearing, it indicates that the proportion of Dominos group borrowed capital is high. However its mirror company, the SHS Pizza ltd had a reasonably lower gearing ratio of 175.68% in 2007 increasing significantly to 988.47% in 2009. These figures show how prone both Dominos Group and SHS pizza ltd is to financial distress. Borrowing is a risk to Dominos because of the associated high interest payables and therefore Dominos will be in a dangerous position if the interest rate increases. (www.bized.co.uk). Interest Cover Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 62.00 30.25 41.72 SHS Pizza Ltd n/a n/a n/a Talking of interest, the interests cover for the Dominos group has improved significantly over the last three years. In 2007 it had 41.72x but dropped to 30.25x in 2008, it later got better in 2009 with a 62x cover. This is a good indicator that Dominos group is able to pay its interest with its available operating profit. This significant improvement could be as a result of effective control of Dominos expenses and the consistent increase in turnover of 92,018 in 2007 to 128,076 in 2009. (www.bized.co.uk). Operating Efficiency Stock Turnover Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 54.99 52.07 44.67 SHS Pizza Ltd n/a n/a n/a As at 2007, Dominos Pizza plc had a stock turnover of 44.67days. It began to increase to 52.07 days in 2008 and again increased further to 54.99 days in 2009. This means that it is holding stock for longer than the previous years and could consequently increase the cost for holding these stocks. It is therefore important that the Dominos Pizza Group improves on its stockholding period so as to reduce its associated costs. All other things being equal, as Dominos products is food and can easily spoil, it is necessary that the stockholding period be reduced to avoid bulk waste of products and as a result material costs. Debtor Collection (days) Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 7.34 11.11 14.71 SHS Pizza Ltd n/a n/a n/a Dominos Pizza was able to get cash from its debtors within 14.71 days in 2007, in 2008 it was able to retrieve 11.11days whereas in 2009 was 7.34 days. From the above table, Dominos Group has been able to maintain a healthy improvement in its debtors collection days from 14.71days in 2007 to 7days in 2009. It is therefore important that customers of Dominos Pizza pay earlier so that this can be used to pay-off it trade creditors on time as well. Creditors Payment (days) Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 23.84 21.54 21.40 SHS Pizza Ltd n/a n/a n/a Dominos Pizza Group has been able to maintain a longer period in paying of its creditors. In 2007, it took about 21.40 days for Dominos Group to pay of its creditors. This further increased to 23.84 days in year 2009. If Dominos is able to get more credit period, it will be able to use the available funds to maintain growth until the payment period is dew. Despite it being a good business practice for Dominos Group to get longer payment period in settling its debt, it is also ethical that it pays it debt on or before time. Profitability Turnover The Dominos Pizza has sustained turnover growth for the past three years rising from 92,018 in 2007 to 128,076 in 2009. The turnover is entirely the sale made from the United Kingdom with a zero sales from oversees for the whole three years. The increase in sales was basically due to a higher demand of Dominos Pizza in the UK whereas the Zero sales in the overseas is as a result of unawareness of the Dominos Pizza in the oversees. Profit Margin (%) Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 24.05 18.43 18.32 SHS Pizza Ltd n/a n/a n/a www.fame.bvdep.com From the table above, the Dominos Pizza has been able to maintain a profit margin of 18.32% in 2007 and growing further to 24.05% in 2009. This is as a result of the efficient control of the cost of sales and other expenses like the administration expenses for the past three years plus an outstanding increase in revenue from 92,018 in 2007 to 128,076 in 2009. (Kimmel PD, etal (2008) Accounting p243). Gross Margin (%) Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 41.05 39.74 39.94 SHS Pizza Ltd n/a n/a n/a Similarly, changes in the gross margin will be as a result of changes in the Dominos Pizza group turnover and cost of goods sold. From the above table and diagram, we can see that the year 2007 had a gross margin percentage of 39.94% slightly dropped to 39.74% in 2008 and later rose to 41.05% in 2009. The cost of sale comprised of 60.6% in sale as at 2007 and a 59% in 2009. In the same period there was no information disclosed for public use for its mirror company, the SHS Pizza. Return on Capital Employed (%) Company 2009 2008 2007 Dominos Pizza 112.58 149.71 418.60 SHS Pizza Ltd n/a n/a n/a In 2007, Dominos Group had a good return on capital employed of around 418.60%. Despite the slight reduction, it continued to maintain a higher than 100% ROCE in the years 2008 and 2009 with 149.71% and 112.58% respectively. However using the ratio pyramid, the product of net assets turnover and the profit margin will give us the Return on Capital Employed. This is depicted in the table below; Calculation of the Return on capital employed 2009 2008 2007 Net Assets Turnover 4.68 8.12 22.85 Profit Margin 24.05 18.43 18.32 Return on Capital Employed 112.55 149.65 418.61 Here, any change on the return on capital employed comes as a result of change in either the net assets turnover or the profit margin. From the above, it is the constant fall in the net assets turnover from the 22.85 in 2007 to 4.68 in 2009 which contributed to the fall in the ROCE from 418.6% in 2007 to 112.5% in 2009. On the other side, the profit margin continued to maintain improvement. The averagely high performance in ROCE indicates that, Dominos make good use of its assets well in profit creation. (Bedward and Strdwick 2004 p53)

Man and Nature in Norman Macleans book, Young Men and Fire Essay

Man and Nature in Norman Maclean's book, Young Men and Fire Norman Maclean's book, Young Men and Fire, recreates the tragedy of the Mann Gulch fire. His ambition to have this lamentable episode of history reach out and touch his readers triumphs in extolling the honor and respect deserved by the thirteen smoke jumpers who died. This book is a splendid tribute to the courageous efforts of such men, as well as a landmark, reminding mankind to heed the unpredictable behavior and raw power of nature. Deep in the midst of the Mann Gulch valley in Montana, above the densely wooded forest and below the towering precipices lies the fast-burning cheat grass, home to twelve of the thirteen dead smoke jumpers. The smoke jumpers were an elite group of the United States Forest Service's firefighters compiled in 1940, and their mission was to parachute from the open sky down unto the fires to extinguish them before they became too large. Triggered during a lightning storm the previous day, the Mann Gulch fire didn't pose a threat until the afternoon of August 5, 1949, when the thermostat reached its summertime peak and the various crosswinds from the three surrounding rivers began to whirl and swell up the fire. Before the big "blowup" occurred, the smoke jumper crew was dropped down unto the fire led by their foreman Wag Dodge to quench the fire's thirst. The recapitulation of events which Maclean embarks the reader on traces the perseverance, endurance, and fortitude of the crew as they raced for life against the ever-raging wall of fire roaring behind them. Maclean utilizes various fragments of factual interviews, personal observation, theoretical fire science, and his own distinct exploration to compose this "factual fabricati... ... its ashes, and as the biblical phrase goes, "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" Dodge literally was resurrected from a certain death. Maclean wanted to know so much, each detail, in order to reconstruct the tragedy. It is remarkable how his determination to "tell this story" sustained him over the fourteen years he devoted to this project. Maclean writes like a true master. His story creates its own rhythm, and the reader is captivated by his masterful storytelling. He retells the same strain of thoughts, with slight variations on his theme, much like the repetitiveness of a musical composer's refrain. Maclean's "Young Men and Fire" makes the reader vicariously experience the inexplicable pain and suffering of the crew and relatives. In this respect, Maclean has forever engraved this misfortune into my mind, and through this magnificent tale, the dead live on. Â  

Michelangelo Buonarroti Essay -- essays research papers fc

Michelangelo Buonarroti   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michelangelo Buonarroti was born in 1475. He was born in a small town called Caprese, in Tuscany, Italy. Michelangelo was one of the most famous artists of the Italian Renaissance. According to Charles de Tolnay Michelangelo's three greatest works of his later life, were the Tomb of Pope Julius II, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and the Medici Chapel(37).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michelangelo's specialty was painting the human body unclothed. In order to learn to paint the human body so well he would dissect human corpses. His artistic talents were noticed at a very early age. Michelangelo went to study with Domenico Ghirlandago, who taught him about painting. He then went on to work with Donatello to learn about sculpture. Between the years of 1490-1492 Michelangelo lived in the house of Lorenzo de' Medici and was influenced by Neoplatonic thought. Some of Michelangelo's early painting showed the influence of Giotto and Masaccio. Also many of his early sculptures show the influence of Donatello (Columbia University Press) .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michelangelo's artistic career can be divided into two periods. In the early period he focused on realism. During this early period Michelangelo's works included the â€Å"Pieta† and the â€Å"David.† At the age of 24 he completed a statue called the â€Å"Pieta,† showing the dead Jesus Christ in his mother's arms. In 1501 Michelangelo returned to Florence, Italy to sculpt the famous nude sculpture called the â€Å"David.† The â€Å"David† measures 18 feet tall, and is so massive that it took 40 men to move it from Michelangelo's workshop(World Book 5016)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second period of Michelangelo's career was based upon his imagination. In 1505 Michelangelo was summoned by Pope Julius II to fabricate his tomb. Michelangelo was so excited about making the tomb for the Pope that he spent many months looking for the perfect piece of marble to make the tomb. A short time after starting the tomb Pope Julius II selected Michelangelo to decorate the Sistine Chapel ceiling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Sistine Chapel is in the palace of The Vatican in Rome. The Sistine Chapel was built by Pope Sixtus IV in 1473. The Sistine Chapel ceiling took over four years to complete, 1508-1512. Michelangelo was able to accomplish this enormous job in such a short amou... ...ecause of Michelangelo's unhappiness with the Pope it caused him not to express his true feelings to the Pope. This made Michelangelo more upset and frustrated. Michelangelo's relationship with the Pope became a vicious cycle(Liebert 152).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michelangelo was one of the most recognized artists of the Italian Renaissance. He was a great sculptor, painter, writer, and poet. He was a true Renaissance man. One of his best works was the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Even though he was unhappy with the outcome of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the ceiling turned out to be magnificent List Of Works Cited De Tolnay, Charles. The Art and Thought of Michelangelo. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Random House, 1964 Janson, H.W. History of Art. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Liebert, Robert S MD. Michelangelo, A Psychoanalytic Study of His Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and Images. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983. â€Å"Michelangelo.† Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Online.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Columbia University Press, 1994. â€Å"Michelangelo.† The World Book Encyclopedia. 1959. Vol. XI.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  pages 5015-5016.

Reading Books Essay

Reading a book is one of the best forms of entertainment a person can have. Books can take you places to a time and lifestyle that you will never visit or experience. I remember the old show called â€Å"Reading Rainbow† and it lyrics were gave a very interesting take on books they went like this: â€Å"I can twice as high take a look, it’s in a book A Reading Rainbow, I can go anywhere, Friends to know and ways to grow, Reading Rainbow, I can be anything take a look it’s in a book.† Those lyrics are so true. Reading a book you can read about how life was in the 1700’s up until our generation today. I could be a detective who solves a famous mystery or I could be the killer trying to get away. I can learn to speak another language. There are so many things and topics in reading a book that can change your appearance, your political viewpoints, and change your attitude. Some say that books might become obsolete because movies are made from these books and you can watch the movies in two hours. Watching the movies a person feels that you can get the plot and conclusion of the book in two hours. This is true but for example if it is true life story the movie are going to change some parts of the books to make it more enjoyable, whereas the book is going to give you every detail the author wants you to have. Books gives people a conversation piece just like a movie but the only difference is books can join the world. Movies can’t be seen in some countries but a book can be read. So like the Reading Rainbow says â€Å"take a look it’s in a book†. So in conclusion reading a book is the best form of entertainment. Stephanie C. Williams November 20, 2010

Background of Benjamin Franklin Essay

â€Å"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin† was thought by himself to be â€Å"the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection†. It refers to when he was in his twenties, around 1726, he found himself jobless; penniless; in debt and suddenly a single father. He was very intelligent and he knew there was definitely something wrong in his life and he was eager to make a change. So he wrote this autobiography not only to tell his son about his life but also to improve his financial situation and to provide a model for self-improvement for anyone interested. In order to achieve his goal, Franklin developed and committed himself to a personal improvement program that consisted of thirteen virtues. Actually, Franklin found twelve virtues out of thirteen in the reading (124). And another one was from the suggestion of his friend (133). Franklin made a list of thirteen virtues as follow: silence; order; resolution; frugality; industry; sincerity ; justice; modera tion; cleanliness; tranquility; chastity and humility (125-126). The first eight virtues relate to people’s attitudes towards their daily activities and their challenges, which belongs to personal virtues . The last five virtues that Franklin stated concern one’s attitudes toward people with whom one has to be dealings, which fall into social virtues. Franklin set forth the thirteen virtues in a very practical and rational way. Simultaneously, he gave reasons for the order of these virtues (126). He put temperance at the top of the list, while humility came last. If a person can conquer temperance, such a primal urge for food or drink, he can keep a cool and clean mind to do something more important, thus making self-development in other virtues. Overall, his rational arrangement for the virtues makes each prior virtue help Franklin acquire each following virtue. In order to acquire these thirteen virtues, Franklin charted his daily progress, focusing his attention on one virtue each week, so after thirteen weeks he had completed all the virtues (127-128). Keeping track of his successes and failures in a small book, he kept it with him at all times for many years. Every night before going to bed, he would reflect and evaluate himself on what he had acquired and what he had failed. His goal was to minimize faults in his life, thus indicating he was moving toward living a more â€Å"virtuous† life free of mistakes. Although Franklin tried to follow the virtues himself, he sometimes strayed from his good intentions. The most troublesome virtue he met with was order (130-132). It was partly because Franklin’s good memory made order not as necessary. When he was young he remembered whenever he left anything. As he grew older, his memory became poorer and poorer, which caused him problems with order. Partly because he was a business man to be interrupted from the public frequently so that he could not focus on something as it was expected. Another troublesome virtue Franklin confronted with was humility (133). Virtually, Franklin was born to be proud, but he had to pretend to be humble in public so that he could establish a good social status. Though Franklin admitted in his autobiography that he often fell short, he believed the process helped make him a better man and contributed to his success and happiness (131-132). For example, temperance contributed to his long life and good health. As for persisting in Industry and Frugality, he accumulated a lot of wealth and gained a large scope of knowledge to do scientific research. All those virtues together had shaped Franklin’s very pleasant personality. Furthermore, the autobiography indicates Franklin was very intelligent. Initially, he could list out these virtues in the reading (124) and the method of virtues was very rational for people to follow(127). In all his life, Franklin had followed his plan of virtues and become a person full of virtuousness. He also set a good model for the descendants to follow and expressed his good will for them (132). As for the autobiography itself, I completely agree with his consents â€Å"the bold and arduous project.† It means that it was not easy for people to follow. But Franklin himself had proved to be very successful in many fields by following his plan of thirteen virtues. Franklin was also a very responsible person because he educated and raised his son on his own. He was passionate about science, that’s why he had made great contribution to our society, making a lot of inventions: lighting rod, Franklin’s stove and odometer, so on and so forth. The autobiography can be of great use to others. If only we descendants can follow his virtues, we can make great self-improvement in our own fields and in moral standards. I have been reckoning how Franklin made his own name? When he was twenty-two years old, he was strikingly impoverished and a single father. But by the age of forty-two, Franklin had achieved all his goals, which were not acquired by accident, but by his strong faith in his virtues. For more than twenty years, six days a week with dirty hands, Franklin had been doing the routine work in the printing house. Every night he constantly made self-criticism on what he had achieved and what he should have to acquire. If only I can follow some of Franklin’s thirteen virtues, I am definitely making great progress in my study overseas and in my future teaching career. Take the virtue order for example, it sounds so minor that we can easily neglect in our daily life, actually, searching for items for class every day is always time-consuming. If I can arrange everything in its place, I would study more efficiently and achieve much higher grades. Of course, the thirteen virtues are a good guide for me to follow. In fact, keeping track of how well I do in maintaining the virtues and having positive character traits, as Franklin did, is worth trying.

My Ideal Job as a Teacher

ECONOMIC Impact of business Closure in Claiborne County, Mississippi Abstract Historically Claiborne and other counties in the region depended on small-scale agriculture and was an attractive location for light manufacturing. Today, many of these advantages have been lost and firms that made up the bulk of the economic activities in the areas are disappearing in large numbers. Hence, per capita income falls and people migrate to more prosperous areas, leaving the region deeply depressed. Using descriptive as well as inferential methods to analyze data, results show interesting trends, especially with regard to business migration.Socioeconomic variable are largely responsible for business closure that have seriously devastated the economic well-being of the county. This means that every effort should be made to improve social conditions and improve the educational system. ECONOMIC Impact of Business Closure in Claiborne County, Mississippi Introduction: Traditionally, Mississippi is o ne of the poorest states in the United States with agriculture as the mainstay of the economy. It is the second in the nation in cotton production exceeded only by Texas.Mississippi is also the world’s largest producer of pond-raised catfish and the leading shrimp producing state in the U. S. A. The comparative underdevelopment of the state has been worsened in recent years by the closure of several manufacturing businesses both during the periods of economic boom and especially so during the economic downturn. Hypothesis: The general objective of this study is to establish predominant reasons for the closure of major jobs providing industries in Claiborne County. I believe the general cause of business closure is that per capita income dictates the purchasing power of the community which does impact business losure based on information obtained from former business owners. Materials: 1. Listing of former business (Port Gibson Main Street) 2. Former Business Owners 3. Data fr om local school district 4. Data from United States Census Bureau 5. Spread sheet Procedure: 1. Interviewed former business owners 2. Obtained data from my local school district 3. Obtained data from Mississippi Unemployment Commission 3. Obtained data from the United States Census Bureau 4. Complied data Results: Per capital income, unemployment rate, graduation and poverty rate all are significant for Claiborne County.However, while other factors may be instrumental in promoting business development and retention, socioeconomic variable play a crucial role and should not be underestimated in policy decisions geared at attracting and retaining businesses in Claiborne County, Mississippi. Conclusion: In my conclusion, concerns for improvement in quality of rural communities are forced on business development. Many rural communities are normally classed by weak economies due to their dependency on agro based and externally owned businesses. The survival of businesses, especially smal l scale business has positive impact on the rural economies.Therefore, business closure is a major constraint to economic growth and should be avoided at all cost. With a better understanding that the main contributing factors to business failure in Claiborne County are of social and economic nature, greater effort can be made to improve these conditions; to not only attract new businesses, but to retain them after they have been established. Map showing location of Claiborne County [pic] Conceptual Model Per Capita Income: Changes in Per Capita Income reflect economic development in a community. Unemployment Rate:Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest employers located in this county. Very few other business entities have come to the area. As with several surrounding cities and neighborhoods, the recent closing and downsizing of businesses have made the unemployment rates increase. Poverty Rate: The rate of poverty is an important social indicator of the well-being of America’s poor. It is also a useful tool to help shape Federal policies aimed at helping the needy. Poverty still remains a problem in many communities especially in rural areas. High School Graduation Rate:Human capital development in terms of formal education is a important tool for community development. It has become a strategy for community restructuring. Increasing changes in the structure of businesses require that some level of formal education be attained. The levels of education in rural communities are however dismal. ———————– Business Closure Business Failure in Claiborne County Lead To: Poverty Rate Unemployment Rate Per Capita Income High School Graduation Rate Poor Housing Infrastructure Low Economic Well-being of Residents Low Labor Force Migration Poor Schools and Other Infrastructure

Surviving the Spanish Conquest

Life before the arrival of the Spanish was very pleasant. My husband Maita and I, plus our two children, Tupac (our six year old son) and Urpi (our four year old daughter) all lived happily together in the city of Nazca. Maita was a high priest and I was an Acllyacona otherwise called a chosen woman. Together this made us very high in society. Being an acllyancona I served as a weaver. I prepared textiles of llama and alpaca cloth. This was an essential part of Inca life. As Incas, we used these textiles as payment for the warfare or as gifts to high classed people. Also I made the clothes/garments for the Sapa Inca and for ritual use. As an acllyancona, I had many advantages to society. I didn’t have to perform hard labour in the fields, which most Incas did and I always had enough food and clothing. But my pleasant life all changed when the Spanish arrived, it became very unpleasant. The Sapa Inca called Maita and many other high priests and priestesses to travel with him to Cuzco, to visit the Spanish intruders. Majority of Incas such as Maita and I, had not even seen the Spanish yet and did not know who they were. When Maita left to go to Cuzco that was the last time I ever saw him. The chasqui (messengers) told us that the Spanish killed nearly everyone there in the city of Cuzco and took Sapa Inca as hostage. I was so upset that Maita was dead. As the Sapa Inca was hostage, he offered a room full of gold for his release freely. He kept his word however the Spanish did not. They killed him, took the gold and fled. A little more then a year had passed and the Spanish apparently had not come back to our Incan Empire, until they appeared in my city. They appeared as strangers, protected by wearing full metal amour. They charged at us on huge animals, (which none of us had ever seen before) called horses. There was so many of them and each one of them was armed with gunpowder, guns and steel weapons. It was all very terrifying and I was so scared. The Spanish had absolutely no respect at all for our religion of worshiping the Sun. So they tried to change our religion to there religion of Christianity. Plus they let fire and destroyed buildings. Large numbers of people died, as 9 out of 10 Incas did. This was huge, because our Incan population suffered a dramatic and quick decline following contact. People died of different causes but all linked to the Spanish. Such as†¦ -The Spanish went on rampages through the city murdering chiefs, plus anyone they did not like. -Several people had no resistance to keep on living as we were treated very unfairly and died. -And the main cause of death was from disease, which the Spanish brought. I’m really angry at all these causes of deaths from the Spanish especially because unfortunately Urpi died from disease. I was petrified, of the Spanish but was not going to let Tupac and myself die because of them. I had a strong will to survive and to keep on living. Life after the conquest was very cruel and barbaric. The Spanish literally worked us to death. We were like slaves for them. All aspects of our culture were destroyed and the building materials were used to construct churches and cathedrals. There was destruction of everything which had given our life meaning and purpose. Now we were at the bottom of the Spanish empire, with a new language, religion, laws and way of life.

Were respectable Victorians any more concerned about sex than their great grandparents had been?

Before one can answer the question above, two key terms need to be explained: ‘respectable' and ‘sex'. The Victorian climate was such that the term respectable is usually applied only to those members of society with sufficient status to be marked out as noticeable in a rural/urban setting. To this extent, it is perhaps more correct to realise that the question is aiming towards those Victorians of middle to high status than those of the middle and upper classes. More to the point, respectable may mean either those people of status, or those men of high status. Sex' is a term that carries two main connotations, intercourse and gender. Gender itself is a pretty wide ranging issue, covering the role of women in both social life and in the home, as well as increasing political activity from females. In effect, the question is somewhat multi-faceted, and requires a three-sided response: how far were men more aware of women's need and rights in the nineteenth century than in the eighteenth; how did the role of the female change between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; and, how did general attitudes towards intercourse and women change in a broader sense? This final question invites a response on how sex was taught, or indeed practised, in the Victorian period. One can see a change in the nineteenth century towards a society that was more concerned with some aspects of sex, especially those carnal. As Michael Mason puts it, the sexual practices of the early nineteenth century experienced a ‘crisis of confidence'. Yet by mid-century, trends of concubinage and commitment meant that traditional (male) practices of prostitution were considerably displaced. As the attitudes of men changed towards a family environment, so did the role of women. Women became not only homemakers but also socially active people, rather than their traditional role of sitting in the background and looking pretty. Trends in literature towards such feminist authors as the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen, as well as strong feminist trends in some of Dickens' literature, were representative of a society considering the roles of women and bringing their rights to the fore. Trends also changed from the passive acceptance of wife beating towards an admittedly passive non-acceptance of such practices. In effect, there were many significant changes towards a society that accepted sex in all its forms far more than a century before, albeit in a more austere fashion. Firstly the question of the awareness of women needs to be addressed more fully. As trends of marriage changed towards a more family based atmosphere, so did the attitudes towards the Victorian woman. A female Queen, for whom the country held a significant respect, precipitated an almost passive acceptance of the female import in society. The Victorian man was, unlike his great grandparents, frowned upon for un- gentlemanly behaviour in the home. A change toward this acceptance of the female role was precursor to the increased role of the male in family life. As L Davidoff has claimed, men spent much more time at work but were also ‘in and out of the house place†¦ helping with the children†¦ taking part in the endless rounds of tea drinking and dropping in of relatives' By the 50s, men were leaving active business to spend more time with family and to allow younger family members to take over the day to day running of affairs, often women being allowed to do this. Men were effectively becoming absorbed into what was previously, and exclusively, the female way of life. Alongside this change was the acceptance of women into such societies as the Rainbow Circle, with some such as the Primrose League being set up for women alone. Thus women were not only allowed a political voice, but were actively taking one also. The ideas of station in the family may not have changed, but they were certainly evened out. As urbanisation increased, so did the acceptance of female by men. In eighteenth century rural England, the middle classes were small, and the sense of community amongst them sparse, with urbanisation came middle class community, which had the effect of introducing a social code by which everyone was socially obligated to abide. Certain trends towards females did not change however, domestics and governesses were still female, yet the number of affairs between the head of the household and his servants decreased rapidly, yet this may be representative more of the austere privacy of the Victorian household which would be reluctant to admit such activities than an actual fall in such indiscretions. In effect, the attitudes towards women changed. They changed in both the way women were treated, and in the assumption of traditional female roles in the household of men. Yet the Victorian woman was equally different from her eighteenth century counterpart. The Victorian woman was a changing force in society. Such occurrences as the Custody of Infants Act of 1839, and the later trend for educating girls at schools (both precipitated women) give evidence to the changing female character. The Custody of Infants Act in particular is representative of the power able to be exercised by Victorian women over their husbands. This Act, which crystallised after the legal battle fought by Caroline Norton to keep her children after separation from a violent husband. This not only shows that the female had a right to her children in equal capacity to her husband, but also that there was an ability for a woman to challenge a man in a court- a legal power not previously seen. It also is indicative of the new emphasis on motherhood, or more to the point, its importance over and above the importance of the male figure. F M L Thompson, maybe over enthusiastically, terms this change in early Victorian female culture a precursor to ‘female rebellion'. He doses have a point however, at the time many thinkers both on the left and right such as Peter Gaskell and Richard Oastler felt that the family and consequently the moral fabric of society was about to collapse due to an increased female role. Changing the emergence of the politically interested female of all classes and statuses complemented this emancipation. Organisations such as the Primrose League were representative of not only a new working/middle class political voice, but also of a female voice. In addition to the having a voice in the political world, and in society, as well as legal rights, the right to divorce was also important. The Divorce Act of 1857 allowed wives for the first time to divorce their violent husbands, which was an important factor in the beginning of women's rights, which became codified legally over the ensuing century. It also had the effect of reducing the number of ambiguous separations, which were against the fabric of the Victorian family life. In effect, the change in the role of women was not huge, but it was significant. Rights within the family increased, as did station in society. Changing attitudes towards intercourse are also important. Marriage is important in this sphere also, as well as family life. One of the most striking features of Victorian England was the relative decline in prostitution compared with the increase of towns and cities. This may be attributed to the transformation towards a family atmosphere, and the importance of sexual relations in the home. This may be attributed towards the Victorian culture of evangelicalism and nonconformity both of which preached ideas of temperance, and the consequent decline in alcohol consumption amongst respectable people. Alongside this came a new awareness of sexual diseases, with many people feeling sufficiently more comfortable with themselves to request treatment. Sex as an act was more considered in the medical sphere also. Books were written detailing every aspect of sexuality, from academic books on ‘the orgasmic theory of ovulation' to Dr Becklard's self-help book ‘Becklard's physiology'. It is true however, that by the end of the Victorian period, bipolar attitudes towards sex, meant that women were portrayed in nature as either frigid or insatiable, and men absolved from blame as servants to their katabolic needs. In effect, although women experienced a change in their roles and their perception, as sexual objects, their portrayal was quite regressive. To this extent sex in terms of the portrayal of men and women was both progressive in terms of thinking and theory (although most often mistaken) yet also regressive in its portrayals of each sex and its consequent categorisations of the sexes, which not until Freud were reversed. In addition to this, for the first time, sex education was taught on a very primitive level at school, and carnal sex was mentioned at a very understated level at home. In effect, trends of sex education were just breaking through, but nonetheless they were there. In conclusion, the Victorians were more aware of sex, both categorical and carnal. Trends towards traditional sexual roles were changed as men frequently took over roles at home, and women often took over their husbands businesses after death. Family trends revolutionised the position of the male at home, along with a willingness to consider women's rights by allowing the Custody and Divorce Acts to be passed through parliament. Moreover, the Victorian female was able to push for such reform as she found a new social and political voice not before experience. This is not to say that suddenly the female was the central character in society, far from it. Husband continued to beat wives, and the Divorce Act didn't precipitate a mass rush for every abused female to divorce their husbands. The female role was still very much subordinate to the male, but it was significantly improved on the position of the eighteenth century female. Trends towards intercourse complemented this as trends in marriage changed the way Victorian men sought sex. Prostitution declined and the social/medical considerations of sex changed in a way not seen in the eighteenth century. Although the austere male dominated society still excused the male from any blame of carnal desire, as compared with the female who was pushed to extremes of frigidity or insatiability. In effect, awareness of sex was increased, or at least more openly discussed.

The Use of Animals in the Experiments Research Paper

The Use of Animals in the Experiments - Research Paper Example The increase in experiments with the use of animals resulted in an increase in the vivisection of the animals. This resulted into increase in controversies due to the increased surgery and dissection of the part of organisms in the body of the animals. One of the proponents of Galenic physiology, Edmund O’Meara was one of the opponents of the use of animals in scientific and chemical experiments. He argued that the severe harm and physiological pain caused to the non-human animals as a result of the dissections conducted during the experiments cause a physiological imbalance to the animals which go unnoticed. The animals subject to experiments are kept awake for a continuous period which is unjustified and unlawful (Gluck, Pasquale and Orlando 140). The unbearable pain borne out by the animals during the process of experiments always stay behind the awareness of the scientists and the researchers. The agonizingly painful processes that are faced by the non-human animals have l ed the opponents of the view to suggest a ban on the use of animals in experimental procedures. The experiments on the response of brains to the electrical impulses and shocks put the animals under the treatment of electrode bars. The varying electrical impulses are passed on the body of the animals based on the inquisitiveness of the researchers. The animals are finally captivated to death in order to analyze the impact of the experimental procedures on the various parts of the body of the non-human animals (Monamy 74). Almost 300 million animals are forced to die in the scientific and chemical laboratories where the experiments are performed.