Animals abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Animals abuse - Research Paper Example Different people have different perspectives regarding this issue. Therefore, perception and attitudes towards this issue has been reflected in this research paper. Lastly, some solutions have been provided to overcome this ongoing issue. Animal abuse is referred to the human infliction of harm or suffering upon non-human animals, for purposes that are other than survival or self-defense. Majority of the cases related to animal abuse signifies the purpose of specific gain or violent nature of humans against animals. Animal rearing and killing of animals for obtaining food and fur also fall under the category of animal abuse. Based on several research reports and statistical data on animal abuse, it has been clear that on average every 30 seconds crime against animal is reported. The most terrifying fact is that majority of animal abuse related crimes go unreported, which signifies the inhuman nature of people. This research paper supports the thesis statement. Recent animal abuse statistics express a depressing and grave scenario to the suffering of animals by humans on a broader perspective. In the rural as well as the urban areas animals are tortured greatly and they are considered as normal in the eyes of people. Most of the animal abuse crimes go unreported, which shows the negligence against animals’ torture that is made by people. There are mainly two types of animal abuses i.e. active cruelty and passive cruelty. Passive cruelty has been very common form of animal abuse and it is includes lack of action from preventing suffering and pain of animals (Flynn 87. On the other hand active cruelty is the kind of animal abuse wherein humans cause trouble to animals intentionally, for a specific cause or for fun and amusement. Animal abuse has developed on a large scale as the requirement of meat and animal fur has increased rapidly in the world. The most common victims of animal abuse are dogs and cats. Based on an animal abuse sur vey conducted

What Happened In The Tlatelolco Massacre History Essay

What Happened In The Tlatelolco Massacre History Essay The Plaza of the Three Cultures, known as the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Spanish, symbolizes Mexicos unique cultural heritage. La Plaza de las Tres Culturas was once the center of one of the most powerful Native American empires, the Aztecs, located in the ancient city of Tlatelolco. The square contains the remains of the Aztec temples and is flanked by the Colonial Cathedral of Santiago, and the Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (Department of Foreign of Affairs) building. Las Tres Culturas is in recognition of the three periods of Mexican history reflected by those buildings: pre-Columbian, Spanish colonial, and the independent mestizo nation. The plaza not only represents three cultures but is an important reminder of the Mexican spirit of determination. It is the site where the Aztecs made their final stand against the Spanish army in 1521 and the massacre of 1968. It has been called Mexicos Tiananmen Square, Mexicos Kent State. During the presidency of Gustavo Dà ­az Ordaz (1964-1970), there were several antecedents to the 1968 student confrontations with the Mexican government, but nothing comparable to the Tlatelolco Massacre that occurred on the night of October 2, 1968, in Mexico Citys Plaza de las Tres Culturas. Background The year1968 was a year of political turmoil around the world. The International Olympic Committeeheaded by Avery Brundage from the U.S.had chosen Mexico as the first Third World country ever to host the Olympic Games. This was aimed both to draw oppressed countries into imperialist-dominated world sport and to showcase Mexico as a model of U.S.-sponsored growth and relative stability. Mexico was supposed to provide a contrast to the national liberation struggles which were shaking most of Latin America, Asia, and Africa and sparking rebellions in the imperialist citadels from Detroit to Paris as well. To date, no other Latin America country has subsequently hosted the Olympic Games. The Mexican government invested a massive $150 million in preparations for the Olympics, an ostentatious amount considering the poverty that existed in Mexico. The Mexican president during the Olympics, Gustavo Dà ­az Ordaz ineptly strained tenuous conditions in Mexico in an attempt to preserve the peac e. During the Dà ­az Ordaz presidency, Mexicans endured the suppression of independent labor unions, peasant farmers, and the economy. From this general dissatisfaction with President Dà ­az Ordaz, the student movement was born. Initially their demands were limited to greater employment and respect for university autonomy; however, the struggles of the factory workers and rural peasants soon resonated with them. This movement of rebellious students was touched off on July 24 when a fight between gangs at two high schools connected with the longtime rivals, the Mexican National Autonomous University (UNAM) and National Politechnical Institute (IPN, or Poli), was viciously put down by antiriot police called granaderos. When outraged vocational students protested, granaderos attacked again, killing many. In response, students seized buses and put up barricades to defend their schools. Student strikes and takeovers hit high schools all over the capital. The high school students were supported by UNAM and IPN students. Students from 70 universities and preparatory schools in Mexico formed a grassroots National Strike Council (CNH) and put forward six strike demands: disband the granaderos; fire police chiefs; investigate and punish higher officials responsible for the repression; pay compensation for students killed and injured; repeal laws making social dissolutionbreaking down of societya crime (under these laws many independent unionists and communists had been jailed); and free political prisoners, including students arrested in the recent disturbances as well as those seized earlier for social dissolution. Within three days the government had to call in the army to take back several Mexico City prepas (preparatoriashigh schools connected to universities). There were clashes which led to many hundreds of arrests and injuries. Thirty-two students had been killed since the first confrontation, but this only fired up the youths resistance. The student strike spread to the UNAM, IPN, and universities throughout the country, supported by a majority of professors. By late August and September the students were calling marches of 300,000 to 600,000 people; important contingents of workers and peasants participated regularly. Over the coming months, the student movement gained support from students outside the capital and other segments of society that continued to build until that October, despite several instances of violence. CNH Tactics Student brigades strained their creativity and skills to foil police and get the word out. Engineering students designed balloons which would burst when they got to a certain height and rain leaflets on the heads of pedestrians. Acting students put on realistic street theater in which a student and a conservative woman in pearls and heels carried out loud debates in crowded markets. Hundreds of observers would be drawn in, the majority on the side of the youth, and the advanced would be quietly contacted by undercover students in the crowd. Some students found that they and the barrio or slum dwellers spoke what seemed to be two different languages. They had to throw out bookish talk and learn from the vivid calà ³ slang of the streets. After a full day of brigade work, they would spend the night in classrooms they had taken over, discussing the conditions and outrages the masses had exposed them to and figuring out how to use this new knowledge in their leaflets and agitation. The red and white buses of the IPN, always with some daring students and a loudspeaker perched on the roof, became famous for a kind of roving speak-in. Workers, market vendors, and even mariachi singers would climb up on the bus roof one after another to voice their support or disagreement with the students demands or tactics and to air their grievances. In some neighborhoods, just the appearance of an IPN bus was enough to immediately attract crowds of hundreds of people who would gather around. Students captured the spirit of the people in a way that the national government was never able to do. In fact, the national government was despised by its people. Mexican Government The turmoil of the 1960s in part reflected a widespread dissatisfaction among Mexicans with the rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The PRI was aptly described in 1968 as entrenched, stagnant, and primarily self-serving in the eyes of many Mexicans. The PRI controlled the nation with an iron fist for over 70 consecutive years. The party has been known to use violence, manipulation and corruption to win elections and hide information from the public, such as the details concerning the Tlatelolco massacre. President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz was known for an authoritarian manner of rule over his cabinet and country, despite Mexico being a democratic country. Luis Escheverria, Interior Secretary to Ordaz, was also known for a no nonsense attitude against student protesters. The Mexican governments planned response to the student rally on the evening of October 2 was called Operation Galeano. The most definitive account of this operation, culminating with the Tlatelolco Massacre, is found in a Mexican special prosecutors report released in November 2006. According to this report, early on October 2 elements of the militarys Estado Mayor Presidencial (the Presidential High Command) were placed in apartments on the upper floors of the Chihuahua apartment building and other apartment buildings surrounding Tlatelolcos Plaza de las Tres Culturas. Once the rally started, the Army, using from 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers (the accounts varying) and more than 300 tanks and other vehicles, would surround the plaza to prevent those attending the rally from fleeing, while armed military men in civilian clothes, members of a unit called the Batallà ³n Olimpia that had been organized to help protect the Olympic Games, would prevent anyone from entering or leaving the Chi huahua apartment building, in which the organizers of the rally were to be arrested. The planned response of the government ended in bloodshed by the order of Luis Escheverria. Tlatelolco Massacre: The Event On October 1, the CNH held two rallies at UNAM. Speakers urged the thousands of students present to attend an October 2 rally at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, in the Tlatelolco area of Mexico City, to be followed by a march to Casco de Santo Tomà ¡s to demand the withdrawal of authorities from the IPN campus. On October 2, 1968, approximately 10,000 people, most of them students carrying red carnations, arrived in the vast colonial plaza of Tlatelolco for a demonstration. At 6:04 p.m. green and red flares dropped from helicopters, soldiers burst into the square, tanks blocked the exits and an elite plainclothes battalion stormed the speakers platform on the third-floor balcony of an apartment building, where the National Strike Committee, the leadership body of the student movement, was stationed and opened fire. The gunfire lasted for sixty-two minutes, then started again and continued for hours. Late in the evening, when the shooting finally ceased, scores of demonstrators lay d ead and woundedchildren and the elderly among them. The official government explanation of the incident was that armed provocateurs among the demonstrators, stationed in buildings overlooking the crowd, had begun the firefight. Suddenly finding themselves sniper targets, the security forces had simply returned the shooting in self-defense. By the next morning, newspapers reported that 20 to 28 people had been killed, hundreds wounded, and hundreds more arrested. Most of the Mexican media reported that the students provoked the armys murderous response with sniper fire from the apartment buildings surrounding the plaza. El Dà ­as morning headline on October 3, 1968 read as followed: Criminal Provocation at the Tlatelolco Meeting Causes Terrible Bloodshed. The government-controlled media dutifully reported the Mexican governments side of the events that night, painting the students as trouble makers who needed to be brought to order by any and all means necessary. Olympic Games 1968 Controversy The death of hundreds did not even phase the International Olympic Committee. They did not consider to cancelling the games, due to their belief that the massacre was an isolated event involving a social minority. On October 16, 1968, an action by two African-American sprinters at the Mexico City Olympics shook the sporting world. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the gold and bronze medalists in the mens 200-meter race, took their places on the podium for the medal ceremony barefooted and wearing civil rights badges, lowered their heads and each defiantly raised a black-gloved fist as the Star Spangled Banner was played to show their support for the student protesters and the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Some people (particularly IOC president Avery Brundage) felt that a political statement had no place in the international forum of the Olympic Games. In an immediate response to their actions, Smith and Carlos were suspended from the U.S. team by Brundage and banned from the Olympi c Village. Those who opposed the protest said the actions disgraced all Americans. Supporters, on the other hand, praised the men for their bravery. Tlatelolco Massacre: Response and Investigation Some argue that an understanding of the domestic political context within Mexico explains why the government reacted in such a harsh manner. Mexico stayed relatively isolated from other foreign powers which provided them more freedom in their ability to deal with their domestic problems. The strongest censure from abroad that Mexico received for the massacre was a mild finger wagging from the representatives of a few foreign governments. The worlds failure to confront and condemn the actions of the Mexican government fueled the killing rampage throughout Mexico in the years to follow. In 1998, President Ernesto Zedillo, on the 30th anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre, authorized a congressional investigation into the events of October 2. However, the PRI government continued its recalcitrance (defiance of authority) and did not release official government documents pertaining to the incident. Eventually in 2001, President Vicente Fox, the historic president that ended the 70-year reign of the PRI, attempted to resolve the greatest of these unanswered questions: who had orchestrated the massacre? President Fox ordered the release of previously classified documents concerning the 1968 massacre. The documents revealed that the students did not open fire first and showed that the snipers were members of the Presidential Guard, who were instructed to fire on the military forces in order to provoke them. President Fox also appointed Ignacio Carrillo Prieto in 2002 to prosecute those responsible for ordering the massacre. In June 2006, an ailing, 84-year-old Luis Eche verrà ­a was charged with genocide in connection with the massacre. He was placed under house arrest pending trial. In early July of that year, he was cleared of genocide charges, as the judge found that Echeverrà ­a could not be put on trial because the statute of limitations had expired. However, in March 2009, after a convoluted appeal process, the genocide charges against Echeverria were completely dismissed. Despite the ruling, prosecutor Carrillo Prieto said he would continue his investigation and seek charges against Echeverria before the United Nations International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. In October 2003, the role of the U.S. government in the massacre was publicized when the National Security Archive at George Washington University published a series of records from theCIA, the Pentagon, the State Department, the FBI and the White House which were released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests. The LITEMPO documents detail: That in response to Mexican government concerns over the security of the Olympic Games the Pentagon sent military radios, weapons, ammunition and riot control training material to Mexico before and during the crisis. That the CIA station in Mexico City produced almost daily reports concerning developments within the university community and the Mexican government from July to October. Six days before the massacre at Tlatelolco, both Echeverrà ­a and head of Federal Security (DFS) Fernando Guiterrez Barrios told the CIA that the situation will be under complete control very shortly. That the Dà ­az Ordaz government arranged to have student leader Sà ³crates Campos Lemus accuse dissident PRI politicians such as Carlos Madrazo of funding and orchestrating the student movement. Still, some today believe the United States government was only concerned with security and safety during the Olympic Games 68 and was not involved in the Tlatelolco massacre in any form. Determining who is at fault however, will not change the events that occurred on October 2, 1968. The blood and tears shed that day are still fresh in the minds of those who witnessed the horrific event. Remembering Tlatelolco In 1993, a stele was erected to remember those who lost their lives. The former headquarters of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs is now a memorial museum called Memorial 68 to remember the Mexican student demonstrations and the Tlatelolco massacre victims and survivors. Each year the anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre is marked with a march to the same plaza and a protest for the release of government records. On October 2, 2008, the 40th anniversary, two marches were held in Mexico City to commemorate the event. One traveled from Escuela Normal Superior de Maestros (Teachers College) to the Zocalo. The other went from the Instituto Politecnico Nacional to the massacre site of the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. According to the Comità © del 68 (68 Committee), one of the organizers of the event, 40,000 marchers were in attendance. Unfortunately, still too many are unfamiliar with the events that occurred since the massacre fails to appear in most history textbooks. When asked how this could be, high school Headmaster Samuel Gonzalez Montano, replied, You cant teach anything that didnt officially happen. As of now, the newest generation of Mexicans only have a general knowledge of the events surrounding the 68 Olympic Games, which are unavoidably intertwined. Gregory P. Groggel, a graduate of the University of Puget Sound, recounts: During a visit to the plaza, I encountered a group of boys playing soccer. When I inquired from one of them if he knew what happened in October of 1968 here in the plaza, he shrugged and looked around. I told him some 300 people died. He seemed lost and turned slowly to read the memorial he was sitting in front of and had lived near his whole life. The end of it reads: Who? Whom? No one. The next day, no one. The plaza awoke swept; The newspapers said for news the state of the weather. And on the television, on the radio, in the theaters, there was not a single change in the program, not a single announcement. Nor a moment of silence at the banquet (or following the banquet). The deaths of so many youths and protesters must not be forgotten. They deserve more than a simple moment of silence. Remember Tlatelolco. Fore, those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.(George Santayana)

Cleopatra Essay example -- essays research papers

History is full of reputable individuals. The stories of their lives will forever live in our history books. Whether being remembered for their strength, courage, or honor, or even for their treachery, we remember those who came before us. If one character could stand out in Egyptian history, none other would be so worthy as Cleopatra would. Cleopatra was an intelligent, political, and ambitious woman who changed the history of Egypt. She was only seventeen years old when, by the will of her father, Ptolemy XI, she was forced to inherit and share the throne of Egypt with her twelve year old brother, Ptolemy XII. In accordance to Egyptian law, the two were also married. Disagreement between the two began early in their reign. Julius Caesar, seizing the opportunity to take over Ptolemy's forces during this moment of weakness, soon defeated the young king and befriended Cleopatra. She had wanted the throne to herself, believing that she was "the successor of the pharaohs and like them descended from the sun god Ra. (CAV 166)" Egypt and Cleopatra are terms so closely related they are almost synonymous. However, Cleopatra did not have any Egyptian blood in her; she was purely Greek. Cleopatra would become the last ruler of the Ptolemy dynasty, which was founded by Alexander the Great, a Macedonian general who strived to unite the East and West under one great empire. Cleopatra wish...

Single Parents Raise Successful Children

Webb 1 Debra Webb Composition II Brian Wilson 26 March, 2013 Annotated Bibliography Acock, Alan C, and David H. Demo. Family Diversity and Well Being. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, 1994. Print. These two authors of this book conduct interviews with different types of family diversities. It shares the proper development of children with two parents that cooperate with each other for their child’s fullest development. This book will be used to show childrearing patterns, problems and solutions for parents. Blackstone-Ford, Jann A, and Sharyl Jupe.Good Behavior after a Divorce or Separation. Chicago: Chicago Review Group, 2004. Print. Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe discuss divorced parents with joint custody, stepfamilies, and interpersonal conflicts. This information will be used to show that children’s emotional health depends on their parents’ relationships. Webb 2 Lamb, Micael E. Nontraditional Families. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlb aum Publishers and Associates, 1982. Print. Michael Lamb explains the conflicts between work and family roles that are unsatisfactory.It offers parents the means to maintain and improve the quality of their lives and their children’s. I will use it to prove that families must realize this is a responsibility that they share jointly. Nazario, Thomas, A. In Defense of Children. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons and Macmillan Publishing Company, 1988. Print. This book represents the efforts of a lawyer, a social worker, pediatrician, and a teacher in the attempt to provide parents and professionals with what’s needed for rearing children properly as a traditional family.It will show what protections children need and what responsibilities are expected of the parents. Pollock, Linda. â€Å"A Lasting Relationship. † Parents and Children over Three Centuries. Hanover, New England: University Press of New England, 1987. 174-182. Print. Linda Pollock speaks of ho w parents neglect their duties in bringing up their children. Parents often neglect their children by being alcoholics, drug addicts, or workaholics. This will be a good piece to prove the most likely outcome of children who are left alone daily without supervision.

Analysis of a Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes Essay

This poem by Langston Hughes is a very complicated. In it the speaker paints a picture of what might happen to someone’s dream if it is postponed too long. This idea is the overall theme of the poem and it is what unifies and connects each line to the poem as a whole. There are also indirect references that this is not only the dream of an individual, but an entire race’s struggle to achieve peace and liberation. This poem consists of a series of answers to the question, â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred?† All of the lines following this first question are presented as different similes. The first line of this poem is the most crucial because it develops and sets the direction for the poem itself. It makes the reader think about what happens to a dream when you put it aside for an uncertain amount of time. It is not referring to the dreams someone might have when they are asleep, but rather the goals they have set out for themselves and wish to accomplish. The poem does not choose or assign a dream to the individual or group, but leaves it up to the reader to decide what they feel is important to them. There are two levels of interpretation that can be seen at this point in time. There is the dream of the individual person and what they wish to achieve themselves. There is also the dream of an entire race and what they hope to achieve as a group. The word â€Å"deferred† was a wonderful way to articulate the idea of a postponed and possibly overdue dream. This line is followed by a series of rhetorical questions that indirectly answer themselves. The speaker firmly states the idea that delaying any dream could lead to damaging effects. Each line describes what these destructive effects and to what end it could lead. The second line asks if the dream dries up â€Å"Like a raisin in the sun.† This metaphor of a dream as a raisin forces the reader to think about the changes that might occur to a dream if it is left alone too long. Does it dry up and wither away? Even though a raisin is already dried, if it is left out in the sun for an extended period of time it would become hard and tough which would make it much harder to enjoy. Thus, if a  dream is left to wither or is unused it could shrivel away to something that is no longer useful or capable of being enjoyed. Someone’s aptitude would surely grow stiff and dry up if it was not allowed to be used. This line creates the allusion that if you don’t achieve your dreams they could dry out and leave you feeling unnourished. As the poem progresses the images and comparisons made evoke more emotion from the reader. The poem suggests that if the dream does not dry up it could â€Å"fester like a sore- / And then run.† This creates an image and reminds the reader about the pain that is felt when you are injured. This line means that the dream could become irritating like a fresh sore that you wish would dry up so it can heal, but instead lingers and runs. The uncompleted dreams effects could become frustrating and the external wound would be a constant reminder of the things you have not yet attained. The line â€Å"fester like a sore-† creates a tender image and illustrates the exasperating and slow healing process the body must undergo in order to recover properly. This question alludes that when you don’t accomplish your dreams it can be like a sore that never completely heals and always appears fresh. The damaging effects of not completing your dreams becomes more explicit as the poem progresses. The speaker asks if the dream deferred stinks â€Å"like rotten meat.† It reinforces the previous grotesque question and the idea that if you leave a dream out too long it will eventually begin to fester and rot like meat. The idea that a dream has the potential to become rotten is an interesting concept. The dream could begin to rot in the person’s mind or heart, which would cause them to become sick. This line could also be an indirect reference to the lynching that occurred during the speaker’s era. It could be referring to the rancid smell of the dangling lifeless bodies. This reinforces the idea that the speaker is talking about the struggle of an entire race and how important it is to rise up as a group to accomplish your dreams because if anything is left alone too long it will eventually begin to decay. At this point the poem begins to talk about the lighter, but still negative effects of not completing a dream. The speaker implies that if the dream does not begin to rot it could â€Å"crust and sugar over- / Like a syrupy sweet.† This line compares not accomplishing a dream or goal to a sugary substance. If either  of these is exposed for too long it would begin to form a rigid and stale crust along the surface. This hard crust would make the substance more difficult to use and could make the dream more difficult to achieve. A dream that is hard and separated is much harder to achieve, and this could lead to feelings of depression. These feelings would make the dream appear more complex and create a bigger struggle for the person to obtain their goals. The other image this line depicts is a scab crusting over. Everyone has or will have some sort of injury that will result in a scab sometime in their life. This is a powerful image that connects the reader to the image the speaker is trying to portray. Although a scab is not typically thought of as something sweet it eventually crusts over â€Å"like a syrupy sweet† and becomes solid. Even though these two images are not typically compared, it reinforces the crusty and hard image this line is trying to convey. This question insinuates that you should savor and protect your dreams so they do not become old, sour, and stiff. They should be preserved properly so that they remain obtainable. In the second stanza the speaker proposes the idea that if the dream does not crust over â€Å"Maybe it just sags- / Like a heavy load.† This suggests that not following through with your dreams could weigh you down, which would be another damaging effect. It implies that maybe your dream sags, like when a person is carrying something heavy, causing them to move at a sluggish pace. This unhurried pace could lead to clumsiness, which could cause the load to appear heavier than it really is. The word â€Å"Maybe† reinforces that this line is not a question, but rather a suggestion. This suggestion implies that the dream could become hard to bear due to the mental uncertainty that could lead people to ask â€Å"what if† questions. Asking these questions is often a form of self-sabotage because they can never be answered. The development from line to line becomes more intense and graphic as the poem progresses. The last line asks the reader if none of these previous affects have happened, would the dream just â€Å"explode.† This word creates an image of a bomb that could cause a great deal of destruction. This idea is the most devastating effect of not accomplishing your dream because not many things are salvageable after an explosion and it is usually used as a last resort. This suggests the idea that if a dream is postponed too long it would eventually turn into a bomb. This explosion could potentially cause more damage to the person than if  they had attempted to accomplish the dream and failed, due to the fact that it could never be pieced back together. After a dream has been shattered it is no longer achievable. This line is more powerful than the others because it has a deeper message behind it. I think it is a threat on the level of the whole race. If a dream is deferred too long, then it could explode into violence. If this occurred, it would do an unspeakable amount of damage to the righteous cause and make the whole race appear barbaric. It could also cause an individual or an entire race to lose hope and â€Å"explode† with grief causing them to fall apart and feel helpless. These feelings could make someone feel that suicide is the only escape or might lead them to become more aggressive towards others. These two ideas are by far the most damaging affects that could happen if you don’t strive to accomplish your goals and dreams. This poem is very intricately woven and pieced together. The speaker uses comparisons in every line to reinforce and emphasize the main theme of the poem. The indirect references added to the overall complexity of the poem. Each line highlights and unifies the poem because every line relates back to the detrimental effects of what could happen if a dream is deferred. What happens to a dream deferred?

Free Essays on Iraq Issues

Psychological Approach to the Reconstruction of Iraq Iraq is politically divided along ethnic, religious and ideological lines. The religious groups are vociferously opposed to the continued presence of American troops. The nationalist feel the Americans should not get involved and to let them settle their own affairs. Therefore other apparently small groups organized around particular events are injuring and killing Iraqis, while American troops engage in necessary activities and acts to keep themselves from harm. The apparent contradictions between American ideologies, local customs and cultural beliefs may create too a wide chasm for the current council in place to lay the basis for democratic voting, and a new Western-Islamic hybrid constitution. An imposed American ideology of one man, one vote, is antithetical to Iraqi thinking in which a clan, tribe, and the religious group that an individual belongs are one’s primary affiliations. However in a society organized around tribes and concepts of one man one vote leaves open the terrible possibility that once the majority gets into power it becomes their opportunity to â€Å"get even†. The great psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) studied the values, which motivate people and help determine their actions. He concluded that all of us fall somewhere on a multi-layered hierarchy of Needs (attitudes and behaviors). The population of people representing the lowest levels of socioeconomic development (poor), the uneducated, and those who are for the most part left out of the larger society- there is no sense of the future. They’d rather live work, and struggle, from day to day. As people move up in prosperity, if they are fortunate and hold fairly routine ordinary low-level jobs, their focus broadens somewhat and they begin to concentrate on the things that will keep them employed. They still have a narrow, ... Free Essays on Iraq Issues Free Essays on Iraq Issues Psychological Approach to the Reconstruction of Iraq Iraq is politically divided along ethnic, religious and ideological lines. The religious groups are vociferously opposed to the continued presence of American troops. The nationalist feel the Americans should not get involved and to let them settle their own affairs. Therefore other apparently small groups organized around particular events are injuring and killing Iraqis, while American troops engage in necessary activities and acts to keep themselves from harm. The apparent contradictions between American ideologies, local customs and cultural beliefs may create too a wide chasm for the current council in place to lay the basis for democratic voting, and a new Western-Islamic hybrid constitution. An imposed American ideology of one man, one vote, is antithetical to Iraqi thinking in which a clan, tribe, and the religious group that an individual belongs are one’s primary affiliations. However in a society organized around tribes and concepts of one man one vote leaves open the terrible possibility that once the majority gets into power it becomes their opportunity to â€Å"get even†. The great psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) studied the values, which motivate people and help determine their actions. He concluded that all of us fall somewhere on a multi-layered hierarchy of Needs (attitudes and behaviors). The population of people representing the lowest levels of socioeconomic development (poor), the uneducated, and those who are for the most part left out of the larger society- there is no sense of the future. They’d rather live work, and struggle, from day to day. As people move up in prosperity, if they are fortunate and hold fairly routine ordinary low-level jobs, their focus broadens somewhat and they begin to concentrate on the things that will keep them employed. They still have a narrow, ...

Scoville Scale Organoleptic Test

Scoville Scale Organoleptic Test The Scoville scale is a measure of how pungent or spicy hot chili peppers and other chemicals are. Here is how the scale is determined and what it means. Origin of the Scoville Scale The Scoville scale is named for American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, who devised the Scoville Organoleptic Test in 1912 as a measure of the amount of capsaicin in hot peppers. Capsaicin is the chemical responsible for most of the spicy heat of peppers and certain other foods. Scoville Organoleptic Test or Scoville Scale To perform the Scoville Organoleptic Test, an alcohol extract of capsaicin oil from a dried pepper is mixed with a solution of water and sugar to the point where a panel of taste-testers can barely detect the heat of the pepper. The pepper is assigned Scoville units based on how much the oil was diluted with water in order to reach this point. As an example, if a pepper has a Scoville rating of 50,000, that means capsaicin oil from that pepper was diluted 50,000 times before the testers could just barely detect the heat. The higher the Scoville rating, the hotter the pepper. Tasters on the panel taste one sample per session so that the results from one sample dont interfere with subsequent testing. Even so, the test is subjective because it relies on human taste, so it is inherently imprecise. Scoville ratings for peppers also change according to a type of peppers growing conditions (especially humidity and soil), maturity, seed lineage, and other factors. The Scoville rating for a t ype of pepper may vary naturally by a factor of 10 or more. Scoville Scale and Chemicals The hottest hot pepper on the Scoville scale is the Carolina Reaper, with a Scoville rating of 2.2 million Scoville units, followed by the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper, with a Scoville rating of around 1.6 million Scoville units (compared with 16 million Scoville units for pure capsaicin). Other extremely hot and pungent peppers include the Naga Jolokia or Bhut Jolokia and its cultivars, the Ghost chili and Dorset Naga. However, other plants produce spicy hot chemicals which can be measured using the Scoville scale, including piperine from black pepper and gingerol from ginger. The hottest chemical is resiniferatoxin, which comes from a species of resin spurge, a cactus-like plant found in Morocco. Resiniferatoxin has a Scoville rating a thousand times hotter than pure capsaicin from hot peppers, or over 16 billion  Scoville units! ASTA Pungency Units Because the Scoville test is subjective, the American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) uses high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to accurately measure the concentration of spice-producing chemicals. The value is expressed in ASTA Pungency Units, where different chemicals are mathematically weighted according to their capacity to produce a sensation of heat. The conversion for ASTA Pungency Units to Scoville heat units is that ASTA pungency units are multiplied by 15 to give equivalent Scoville units (1 ASTA pungency unit 15 Scoville units). Even though HPLC gives an accurate measurement of the chemical concentration, the conversion to Scoville units is a little off, since converting ASTA Pungency Units to Scoville Units yields a value from 20-50% lower than the value from the original Scoville Organoleptic Test. Scoville Scale for Peppers Scoville heat units Pepper Type 1,500,0002,000,000 Pepper spray, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 855,0001,463,700 Naga Viper pepper, Infinity chili, Bhut Jolokia chili pepper, Bedfordshire Super Naga, Trinidad Scorpion, Butch T pepper 350,000580,000 Red Savina habanero 100,000350,000 Habanero chili, Scotch bonnet pepper, Peruvian White Habanero, Datil pepper, Rocoto, Madame Jeanette, Jamaican hot pepper, Guyana Wiri Wiri 50,000100,000 Byadgi chili, Birds eye chili (Thai chili), Malagueta pepper, Chiltepin pepper, Piri piri, Pequin pepper 30,00050,000 Guntur chilli, Cayenne pepper, Aj pepper, Tabasco pepper, Cumari pepper, Katara 10,00023,000 Serrano pepper, Peter pepper, Aleppo pepper 3,5008,000 Tabasco sauce, Espelette pepper, Jalapeo pepper, Chipotle pepper, Guajillo pepper, some Anaheim peppers, Hungarian wax pepper 1,0002,500 Some Anaheim peppers, Poblano pepper, Rocotillo pepper, Peppadew 100900 Pimento, Peperoncini, Banana pepper No significant heat Bell pepper, Cubanelle, Aji dulce Tips to Make Hot Peppers Stop Burning Capsaicin isnt water soluble, so drinking cold water wont ease the burn of a hot pepper. Drinking alcohol is even worse because the capsaicin dissolves in it and gets spread around your mouth. The molecule binds to pain receptors, so the trick is to either neutralize alkaline capsaicin  with an acidic food or drink (e.g., soda, citrus) or surround it with a fatty food (e.g., sour cream, cheese).

Nathan Bedford Forrest in the Civil War

Nathan Bedford Forrest in the Civil War Nathan Bedford Forrest - Early Life: Born July 13, 1821 in Chapel Hill, TN, Nathan Bedford Forrest was the eldest child (of twelve) of William and Miriam Forrest. A blacksmith, William died of scarlet fever when his son was only seventeen.   The illness also claimed Forrests twin sister, Fanny. Needing to make money to support his mother and siblings, Forrest went into business with his uncle, Jonathan Forrest, in 1841. Operating in Hernando, MS, this enterprise proved short-lived as Jonathan was killed in a dispute four years later. Though somewhat lacking in formal education, Forrest proved a skilled businessman and by the 1850s had worked as a steamboat captain and slave trader before buying multiple cotton plantations in western Tennessee. Nathan Bedford Forrest - Joining the Military: Having amassed a large fortune, Forrest was elected an alderman in Memphis in 1858 and provided financial support for his mother as well as paid for his brothers college educations.   One of the richest men in the South when the Civil War began in April 1861, he enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army and he was assigned to Company E of the Tennessee Mounted Rifles in July 1861 along with his youngest brother. Shocked by the units lack of equipment, he volunteered to buy horses and gear for an entire regiment out of his personal funds. Responding to this offer, Governor Isham G. Harris, who was surprised that someone of Forrests means had enlisted as a private, directed him to raise a battalion of mounted troops and assume the rank of lieutenant colonel. Nathan Bedford Forrest - Rising Through the Ranks: Though lacking any formal military training, Forrest proved a gifted trainer and leader of men. This battalion soon grew into a regiment that fall. In February, Forrests command operated in support of Brigadier General John B. Floyds garrison at Fort Donelson, TN. Driven back to the fort by Union forces under Major General Ulysses S. Grant, Forrest and his men took part in the Battle of Fort Donelson. With the forts defenses near collapse, Forrest led the bulk of his command and other troops in a successful escape attempt which saw them wade through the Cumberland River to avoid the Union lines. Now a colonel, Forrest raced to Nashville where he aided in evacuating industrial equipment before the city fell to Union forces. Returning to action in April, Forrest operated with Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard during the Battle of Shiloh. In the wake of the Confederate defeat, Forrest provided a rear guard during the armys retreat and was wounded at Fallen Timbers on April 8. Recovering, he received command a newly-recruited cavalry brigade. Working to train his men, Forrest raided into central Tennessee in July and defeated a Union force Murfreesboro. On July 21, Forrest was promoted to brigadier general. Having fully trained his men, he was angered in December when the Army of Tennessees commander, General Braxton Bragg, reassigned him to another brigade of raw troops. Though his men were ill-equipped and green, Forrest was ordered to conduct a raid into Tennessee by Bragg. Though believing the mission to be ill-advised under the circumstances, Forrest conducted a brilliant campaign of maneuver which disrupted Union operations in the area, secured captured weapons for his men, and delayed Grants Vicksburg Campaign. Nathan Bedford Forrest - Nearly Unbeatable: After spending the early part of 1863 conducting smaller operations, Forrest was ordered into northern Alabama and Georgia to intercept a larger Union mounted force led by Colonel Abel Streight. Locating the enemy, Forrest attacked Streight at Days Gap, AL on April 30. Though held, Forrest pursued the Union troops for several days until forcing their surrender near Cedar Bluff on May 3. Rejoining Braggs Army of Tennessee, Forrest took part in the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chickamauga in September. In the hours after the victory, he unsuccessfully appealed for Bragg to follow up with a march on Chattanooga. Though he verbally assaulted Bragg after the commanders refusal to pursue Major General William Rosecrans beaten army, Forrest was ordered to assume an independent command in Mississippi and received a promotion to major general on December 4. Raiding north in the spring of 1864, Forrests command attacked Fort Pillow in Tennessee on April 12. Largely garrisoned by African-American troops, the assault degenerated into a massacre with Confederate forces cutting down the black soldiers despite efforts to surrender. Forrests role in the massacre and whether it was premeditated remains a source of controversy. Returning to action, Forrest won his greatest victory on June 10 when he defeated Brigadier General Samuel Sturgis at the Battle of Brices Crossroads. Despite being severely outnumbered, Forrest utilized a superb mix of maneuver, aggression, and terrain to maul Sturgis command and capture around 1,500 prisoners and a large quantity of arms in the process. The triumph threatened Union supply lines which were supporting Major General William T. Shermans advance against Atlanta. As a result, Sherman dispatched a force under Major General A.J. Smith to deal with Forrest. Pushing into Mississippi, Smith succeeded in defeating Forrest and Lieutenant General Stephen Lee at the Battle of Tupelo in mid-July. Despite the defeat, Forrest continued to mount devastating raids into Tennessee including attacks on Memphis in August and Johnsonville in October. Again ordered to join the Army of Tennessee, now led by General John Bell Hood, Forrests command provided cavalry forces for the advance against Nashville. On November 30, he violently clashed with Hood after being refused permission to cross the Harpeth River and cut off the Union line of retreat before the Battle of Franklin. Nathan Bedford Forrest - Final Actions: As Hood shattered his army in frontal assaults against the Union position, Forrest did push across the river in an attempt to turn the Union left, but was beaten by Union cavalry led by Major General James H. Wilson. As Hood advanced towards Nashville, Forrests men were detached to raid the Murfreesboro area. Rejoining, on December 18, Forrest ably covered the Confederate retreat after Hood was crushed at the Battle of Nashville. For his performance, he was promoted to lieutenant general on February 28, 1865. With Hoods defeat, Forrest was effectively left to defend northern Mississippi and Alabama. Though badly outnumbered, he opposed Wilsons raid into the region in March. In the course of the campaign, Forrest was badly beaten at Selma on April 2. With Union forces overrunning the area, Forrests department commander, Lieutenant General Richard Taylor, elected to surrender on May 8. Surrendering at Gainesville, AL, Forrest gave a farewell address to his men the following day. Nathan Bedford Forrest - Later Life: Returning to Memphis after the war, Forrest sought to rebuild his ruined fortune. Selling his plantations in 1867, he also became an early leader of the Ku Klux Clan. Believing the organization to be a patriotic group dedicated to repressing African-Americans and opposing Reconstruction, he aided in its activities. As KKKs activities became increasingly violent and uncontrolled, he ordered the group to disband and departed in 1869. In the postwar years, Forrest found employment with the Selma, Marion, and Memphis Railroad and ultimately became the companys president. Hurt by the Panic of 1873, Forrest spent his last years running a prison work farm on Presidents Island near Memphis. Forrest died on October 29, 1877, most likely from diabetes. Initially buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, his remains were moved in 1904 to a Memphis park named in his honor. Highly respected by opponents such as Grant and Sherman, Forrest was known for his use of maneuver warfare and is often erroneously quoted as stating his philosophy was to git thar fustest with the mostest. In the years after the war, key Confederate leaders such Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee both expressed regret that Forrests skills had not been used to greater advantage. Selected Sources NNDB: Nathan Bedford ForrestCivil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest Biography

Do you feel that speech is really free Why or why not Essay

Do you feel that speech is really free Why or why not - Essay Example But does this really exist in our society today? Some groups of citizen, especially the military, who are supposed to be protected by this freedom, continue to have limitation on how free they can express themselves through speech. The following paper seeks to show ways in which this freedom of speech has been diluted and can no longer be termed as freedom. The first amendment assures that one has the right to say what they want but with little exclusion. It however does not protect people from the consequences of their actions or words if it may offend others. There are large files and documents in the legal environment that pose rules and regulations on what one can say, when it can be said, in which surroundings it can be conveyed and to whom it is told. Is this freedom of speech? By definition, this clearly does not reflect any democracy. Even though different countries put different weights on discretion of what can be said, there lacks a single country whether in the west or east which fully allows its citizens to express themselves freely. In fact, all countries expect political correctness in one way or another. Americans may be comparatively free to air our views compared to some countries where this subject of writing will lead to incarceration, harassment or even punishable by death (Curtis). The United States of America and the United Kingdom are praised for upholding democracy and protecting a good number of basic human rights including the freedom of speech. However, this is mostly perceived by those living outside these countries and more so in the third world countries. However, individuals like bloggers and political activists feel over-controlled and violated in regards to what can and cannot be said. A good example is expression by two people where one expresses himself by waiving a flag and the other by burning it. The two are treated differently. The one waving the flag will be assumed to be exercising his freedom of

My Government Expectations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

My Government Expectations - Essay Example Chinese communist government’s functions that I seek to introspect on what I expect from my government on a day-to-day basis as well as in posterity. Essentially, one of the most basic services is health care and insurance, in China there is a government health insurance system that is similar to America’s Medicare . As a citizen, I expect to access government funded health insurance, in China there are two systems the labor insurance schemes (LIS) and government employee insurance scheme1. Depending on where I am working, I can be assured of cover and access to public medical facilities at a highly subsidized cost. However, I must concede that it is not as straightforward on the ground as it is on paper. There is a huge disparity between the level of care provided in public and private hospitals. In some cases, I am well aware that people shun government hospitals because the care is more efficient in the private clinics. Nevertheless, that is to be expected and is oft en the case in many countries but at the very least, I can be assured that I will have access to effective even if not the best medical care should I need it. As far as education is concerned, every Chinese child is guaranteed nine years of compulsory education that is sponsored by the government. In the 80’s, due to the high population pressure, the government abolished the tax-funded higher education2, today for anyone to get these scholarships they have to compete for them on the basis of merit.

Role of the a3b4 nicotinic receptor in drug addiction and in the Essay

Role of the a3b4 nicotinic receptor in drug addiction and in the antiaddictive action of novel ibogaine analogs - Essay Example The abnormalities that produce addiction, however, are wide-ranging, complex, and long-lasting. They may involve an interaction of environmental effects, for example, stress, the social context of initial substance use, and psychological conditioning. Many factors, both individual and environmental, influence whether a particular person who experiments with drugs will continue taking them long enough to become dependent or addicted. For individuals who do continue, the drug's ability to provide intense feelings of pleasure is a critical reason (Kalivas and Volkow, 2007). Historical and social factors are keys to the understanding of addictive disorders. These factors affect the rates of addictive disorders in the community, the types of substances abused, the characteristics of abusive users, the course of these disorders, and the efficacy of treatment. Addictive substances aid expression of several human functions that can enhance both individual and social existence. On the individual level, desirable ends include the following: relief of adverse mental and emotional states, relief of physical symptoms, stimulation to function despite fatigue or boredom, and â€Å"time-out† from day-to-day existence through altered states of consciousness. Substance use and dependence cause a significant burden to individuals and societies throughout the world. The World Health Report 2002 indicated that 8.9% of the total burden of disease comes from the use of psychoactive substances (World Health Organization, 2004). The report showed that tobacco accounte d for 4.1%, alcohol 4%, and illicit drugs 0.8% of the burden of disease in 2000. Much of the burden attributable to substance use and dependence is the result of a wide variety of health and social problems, including HIV/AIDS, which is driven in many countries by injecting drug use. Over the past decade, use of addictive substances has infiltrated its way into the mainstream culture in certain countries. Younger people in particular seem to possess a skewed sense of safety about these substances, believing rather erroneously that they are safe and benign. Meanwhile, addictive substances are posing a serious threat to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities, and countries. For many countries, the economic burden is relatively new, but

Teach to Teach project for hill tribes children in northern Thailand, Essay

Teach to Teach project for hill tribes children in northern Thailand, - Essay Example As part of the legend leading up to where the hill tribe people came from, it has been said that their migration into Thailand can be traced as far back as 2000 years ago from ancient China (Poovatanikul, 1993). Specifically, reference is commonly made to the interior of Southern China as being the origin of the hill tribe people. The fact that they did not move together or at the same time makes it difficult for anyone to be very certain about a specific origin. The gradual and slow migration was however necessitated for the need for new land to be acquired to make their farming needs sustained. 1.12 Location of these hill tribe villages? The need for the hill tribe people to settle in Thailand was provoked by the need for new farmlands because through a system of farming that involved the burning of farm lands, the people had exhausted their farms back in China (Pan & Chen, 2011). The mission for migration influenced where the people would settle or stay, and thus their present loc ation greatly. When they found their way to Thailand therefore, the place of settlement for these people became the remote highland areas of Thailand (International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, 2009). In Thailand, the hill tribe people are generally a minority ethnic group and so they did not need very vast piece of land. All these needed was a place to support their farming effectively. Their location therefore comprises occupancy from highland areas with good rainforest and generally moist to wet climate. Presently, there are calculated to be 3,527 hill tribe villages covering a total of 20 provinces in Thailand (Altbach, 1999). Out of the number, an estimated 751,886 persons exist in some 113,070 households. Of the total, 46.18% are known to be of the Karen tribe as this tribe forms the largest population. 1.13 Issues on national identity Issues of the nationality of the hill tribe people have been a major issue of contention in international and local politics. This is bec ause the hill tribe people have been generally regarded as sidelined and placed in a disadvantaged corner of national development due to a misplaced sense of identity for the hill tribe people. Specific cases of misplaced sense of national identity have been argued with reference to the widespread of lack of infrastructure and limited access to Thai citizenship (FAO, 2002). There is also the problem of delayed land settlement all attributed to the reasons of frequent migration and indigenous traditional practices. In some literature, the hill tribe people have been accused of being the cause of their own identity predicament because the people themselves lack a sense of national identity. It is not surprising that due to this firm sense of lack of national identity, the Thai government has always been reluctant in giving Thai identity to new immigrants from hill tribes. In all of this, what most commentators think is that the most disturbing situation with the Hill Tribe people is t hat they have not had time to be concerned about the need for their national interests and identity to be protected. This is because they have often been involved in acts such as illegal tracking and immigration abuses, which makes the Thai government distant itself from them and see them as aliens (Bell, 1999). 1.2 - Development background: 1.21 Economic development 1.22 Gender

Enivironmental archeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enivironmental archeology - Essay Example In his explanation Diamonds tries to explain a number of issues in relation to the environment and social calamities. He alludes and associates the occurrence of collapse of the society to the presence or the occurrence of a massive decline in population ,complexities in economics and the social failures of an area over a long time duration affecting the well being and the very tenets of survival of the society. However ,he poses the question of how to quantify whether the actions and occurrences of the society warrant being valued as having collapsed over the years and in relation to social developments. Many theories have been advanced on the collapse of societies; some have taken a non linear process portraying sudden and non practical paths of explanation. The processes try to explain the sources of societal collapse such as human calamities and the mundane nature of daily events which to some extent give relatively disturbing information on the viability of the subjects under investigation (Flannery). Diamond explains that collapse is related to the occurrence of the phenomenon whether it is over a time duration or whether the act occurs instantaneously as a drastic action but the area factor is quite important to be put into consideration when looking into the collapse. He further explains the collapse of France in 1940 and that of the Soviet Union in 1941 not as actual collapse but merely political collapse. The biological and cultural elimination of the Tasmanians which Diamond explains in Guns, Gems and Steel is equally not a representation of collapse since the people rapidly later increased the population and developed more complex social settings compared to the previous ones. Generally this collapse though they are affecting the political and social states of the society ,they do not quantify and qualify to be regarded as absolute collapse (Diamond). The raid by the Mongols in 1258 in

Apple Computer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Apple Computer - Essay Example Although Apple attempted to tap the market with Macintosh clones but the initiative was gone. In 1997, when Steve Jobs rejoined Apple as the CEO, the company took some bold steps. Apple joined hands with Microsoft and introduced Microsoft Office for Macintosh. This moved attracted customers as Office was the most used software at that time. Perhaps the big turning point in Apple's history was the introduction of iMac. Customers were intrigued with the aesthetics of the machine and about 1 million units were sold in a year. To enhance marketing efforts, Apple opened up company owned retail stores in various parts of United States in early 2001. The introduction of iPod and then iPhone has put Apple back in customer's minds. These products have revolutionized the industry. Apple emphasizes on relaxed culture with casual dress code but an intense work environment. Employees have to work long hours and on weekends but they do not have to worry about wearing formal dresses for office. The culture is fun filled yet there is no compromise on the quality of work and output.

Enivironmental archeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enivironmental archeology - Essay Example In his explanation Diamonds tries to explain a number of issues in relation to the environment and social calamities. He alludes and associates the occurrence of collapse of the society to the presence or the occurrence of a massive decline in population ,complexities in economics and the social failures of an area over a long time duration affecting the well being and the very tenets of survival of the society. However ,he poses the question of how to quantify whether the actions and occurrences of the society warrant being valued as having collapsed over the years and in relation to social developments. Many theories have been advanced on the collapse of societies; some have taken a non linear process portraying sudden and non practical paths of explanation. The processes try to explain the sources of societal collapse such as human calamities and the mundane nature of daily events which to some extent give relatively disturbing information on the viability of the subjects under investigation (Flannery). Diamond explains that collapse is related to the occurrence of the phenomenon whether it is over a time duration or whether the act occurs instantaneously as a drastic action but the area factor is quite important to be put into consideration when looking into the collapse. He further explains the collapse of France in 1940 and that of the Soviet Union in 1941 not as actual collapse but merely political collapse. The biological and cultural elimination of the Tasmanians which Diamond explains in Guns, Gems and Steel is equally not a representation of collapse since the people rapidly later increased the population and developed more complex social settings compared to the previous ones. Generally this collapse though they are affecting the political and social states of the society ,they do not quantify and qualify to be regarded as absolute collapse (Diamond). The raid by the Mongols in 1258 in

Nike store Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nike store - Research Paper Example Nike is involved in sponsoring famous athletes and high profile sports figures all over the world. These include baseball players such as Michael Jordan and Steve Nash, tennis players such as Jim Courier, James Blake, Serena Williams, world’s top golf players such as Tiger Woods among others. It has also sponsored world leading football clubs such as Brazil, France and Portugal and other minor events such as high school ball games. Nike has created a number of print and television advertisements in order to establish the credibility of its name. Advertisements may not only serve as a sales tool but may also serve a rhetorical purpose of credibility, persuasion and logic. The most famous advertisement campaign was the â€Å"Just do it† campaign. This advertisement consists of a logo of a swoosh sign and a slogan with a tag line titled â€Å"Just do it†. The slogan is strategically positioned next to the logo. The logo and the tag line are used to represent Nike’s goals and achievement of victory. They serve as icons that represent action and excellence, terms in which any human society can use to relate to.. According to the readings of Arnheim, Barthes and McCloud, the logo and slogan do not represent some kind of image, but rather, give a description of the functions fulfilled by the images. The swoosh logo and the tag line stand for a particular content without visually reflecting its features (Arnheim). The slogan â€Å"Just do it† sounds simple but definitely has a deeper meaning meant to evoke reaction in a human being. In a broader sense, it can be seen to mean don’t think, talk or ask about it just do it. The visual display of the swoosh logo next to it complements this motto (Barthes). These two iconic features can be used to encourage sports figures who may face pressure from their teams. It encourages them to

The Anatomy Of The Larynx And Its Role In Phonation

The Anatomy Of The Larynx And Its Role In Phonation Why are hoarseness and change to the pitch of the voice possible complications of thyroid surgery? Complications of thyroid surgery resulting in hoarseness and changes to the pitch of the voice are a result of injury to the laryngeal nerves. Laryngeal nerve damage can have an adverse effect on the muscles that move the vocal folds (cords), hence affecting the quality of voice. Although incidence of nerve injury during thyroid operations has decreased over the last two decades(*), appropriate precautions are routinely implemented during thyroid surgery, to minimise nerve damage. The thyroid vessels are closely associated with the laryngeal nerves. Therefore, an important consideration in achieving successful thyroid surgery is the detailed understanding of the anatomy and physiology (*) of the larynx and thyroid, coupled with the surgical approach itself. Anatomy of the larynx and its role in phonation The larynx is a highly intricate organ (Figure 1) which consists of a network of cartilage, intrinsic and extrinsic muscles, and connective tissue. It is situated in the anterior side of the neck in line with the third and sixth cervical vertebrae1. The cartilages found in the laryngeal wall are the single thyroid, epiglottis and cricoid cartilages, of which the thyroid is the largest cartilage; and the paired arytenoid, cuneiform and corniculate cartilages. The arytenoid cartilages have vocal process to provide the sites of attachment for the vocal ligament, thereby permitting opening and closing movement of the vocal folds in phonation. Thus the larynx plays an important role in phonation in speech. The vocal folds (true vocal cords) are the wedge-shaped structures that protrude from the lateral surfaces of the larynx, creating a narrow aperture across their air passage known as the rima glottidis. Sound is produced when the adductor muscles such as the cricoarytenoid muscle contract. The vocal folds are then brought closer together which closes the rima glottidis thereby providing high resistance to exhaled air from the lungs. Air is then forced through the bottom edge of the vocal cord followed by the upper edge. As air passes through the vocal folds the air pressure decreases producing a Bernouli Effect* which causes the lower edge to close followed by the upper edge and finally closing the vocal folds back together. Closure of the vocal folds produces smooth, regular vibrations that create sound. Sound is then converted to voice by vocal tract resonators which shape the sound to produce various resonances. Changes to the pitch of voice depend on the degree of tension and length of the vocal folds. Alterations to pitch are largely due to actions of intrinsic laryngeal muscles, namely the cricothyroid muscle. The cricothyroid muscle stretches the vocal ligaments by raising the arch of the cricoid cartilage and tilting the lamina backwards (*) and thereby increasing the tension and length of the vocal folds (*). Therefore, contraction of the cricothyroid muscle abducts the vocal folds so that when they vibrate, high pitched sound is produced. By contrast, production of lower pitch sounds require the vocal folds to adduct, narrowing the rima glottidis and thus decreasing vocal fold muscular tension. Nerve supply to the larynx relations to thyroid gland Below the larynx lies the thyroid gland which is one of the larger endocrine glands with an abundant vascular system. The thyroid gland descends to the anterior region of the neck located deep to the sternothyroid and sternohyoid muscles from the level of C5-T1 (*). It consists of two lateral lobes connected by the isthmus that lie on the left and right side of the trachea. There may also be a small pyramidal lobe which has its superior end ascending from the isthmus towards the oblique line. A thin fibrous capsule encompasses the thyroid gland which expands into deeper parenchyma (*) of the gland. The capsule combines with the cricoid cartilage by dense connective tissue forming the suspensory ligament of Berry. Once the ligament of Berry is formed, the RLN can gain access into the larynx (*). Innervation of the larynx is important in the transmission of nerve impulses to and from the brain. The vagus nerve innervates the larynx via the external and internal laryngeal nerves, which are collectively terminal branches of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN), and via the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). Most intrinsic laryngeal muscles are innervated by the RLN except for cricothyroid muscle which is supplied by the external LN. The external LN descends on the outer fascia of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle (*) in close association with the superior thyroid artery. The external LN can in rare occasions (*) run beneath the sternothyroid muscle, in its course, towards the oblique line of the thyroid cartilage to innervate the cricothyroid muscle. Interestingly, the connection of the artery and nerve is highly variable and new variations have been documented(*): for example, Type 1 anatomy shows the nerve crosses the superior thyroid vessels equal to, or greater than one centimetre superior to the thyroid pole. The internal LN provides sensory fibres to the larynx and the laryngopharynx after penetrating the thyrohyoid membrane. The internal LN further divides into the superior, middle and inferior branches before entering the larynx. The RLN has close contact posterior laterally (*) with the lateral lobes of the thyroid gland. It is termed recurrent because it retrogrades in the chest and continues superiorly back into the neck (*). A close association exists between the superior region of the RLN and the inferior thyroid artery. Like the SLN and the superior artery, this relationship is highly variable. The RLN can be found anterior, posterior, or through the branches of the inferior thyroid artery. The course of the left and right recurrent laryngeal nerves of the RLN reaches the larynx through slightly different routes. The right recurrent LN reaches the larynx after looping around the right subclavian artery and ascending at an oblique angle in the tracheosophageal groove (*). The nerve pierces the inferior constrictor muscle of the pharynx before entering the larynx. The left RLN route differs by looping posteriorly around the aortic arch, but like the right RLN, it ascends in the tracheosophageal groove (*) until reaches the larynx via the inferior constrictor muscle. The two main divisions of the RLN are the anterior and posterior branches. The anterior branch supplies motor fibres to all the intrinsic laryngeal muscles with the exception of cricothyroid( which is supplied by the external LN). The posterior branch is predominantly sensory and transports the sensory fibres from the larynx and laryngopharynx(*). Injury to laryngeal nerves during thyroid surgery The laryngeal nerves carry a high risk for injury during thyroid surgery which manifests voice problems such as changes in pitch and hoarseness. It is well documented that thyroidectomy is the most common cause of injury to the external LN (*). The close relationship that exists between the external LN and the superior thyroid artery predisposes the external LN to injury when the artery is clamped during thyroid surgery. Injury to the external LN results in paralysis of the cricothyroid muscle, coordinator of the vocal folds. Patients with external LN damage lose the ability to forcefully project their voice and additionally lose their upper voice register. This is due to loss of function of the cricothyroid muscle to alter the tension of the vocal folds. Occasionally, the voice becomes monotonous in character. The effects of injury to the external LN are generally subtle and unnoticeable in patients except for those whose careers largely depend on the use of their normal voice such as professional singers and orators(*). Voice function returns to normal after a few months after surgery unless injury to the external LN is permanent. Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is still of major concern in thyroid surgery, as it is the most frequent post-thyroidectomy complication (*). Injury to the RLN frequently results from common surgical techniques such as suturing, crushing and ligating the nerve and its neighbouring branches. The clamping of the RLN together with the inferior thyroid artery during surgery can severely damage the RLN due to the close proximity of the RLN to the inferior thyroid artery. Seeing as the main functions of the RLN is to innervate the laryngeal muscles and permit abduction and adduction of the vocal folds, injury of the nerve results in paralysis of the vocal fold. In unilateral RLN paralysis, where for example the RLN is completely transacted (*), the voice immediately becomes hoarse because the paralysed vocal fold assumes a paramedian position. The lack of nerve supply results in cord flaccidty in which the paralysed vocal fold gradually atrophies. In addition, the vocal fold is unable to adduct for phonation, and abduct for deep breathing causing inadequate closure of the rima glottidis. Therefore, air will escape during phonation thereby leading to dysphonia (hoarseness). Dysphonia may either stay permanent or decline over time (*).Bilateral lesion of the RLN, however, has more serious complications. The patient with bilateral paralysis have both vocal cords in a paramedian position (*) and cannot be abducted upon inspiration leading to airway obstruction. As a result the patient exhibits biphasic stridor (*) which causes a high-pitched voice and noisy breathing. In the rare occasions the vocal fold will remain permanently paralysed after thyroid surgery and patients may experience a complete loss of voice. Possible techniques to minimise nerve damage Preventing inadvertent injury to the SLN and RLN is crucial in achieving successful thyroid operations which maintains the patients quality of voice. Intraoperative neuromonitoring of the laryngeal nerves is a way of identifying and monitoring the course of the RLN and SLN and thus, preventing its iatrogenic injury during surgery. Patients with unilateral paralysis of the RLN can undergo ansa-RLN reinnervation. Reinnervation restores tone and bulk to the intrinsic laryngeal muscles and hence restores a relatively normal voice,without interfering with the vocal fold function or structure. Conclusion The laryngeal nerves are branches of the vagus nerve. With the exception of the cricothryoid muscle, the RLN innervates the laryngeal muscles which coordinate the vocal folds for phonation. Evidently, the relationship between the RLN and the SLN and the laryngeal muscles are of great importance because damage to the laryngeal nerves result in changes in voice quality. The close relationship between the thyroid vessels and the laryngeal nerves is a primary reason why meticulous techniques are essential in thyroid surgery, to minimise injury to the laryngeal nerves and prevent voice complications. Surgical management of the complications in thyroid surgery have recently experienced great improvements(*) which safely restore the patients normal voice improving their everday life. Fig.1 Anterior and posterior view of the larynx6 Fig2. (Left) anterior view of thyroid gland http://www.trifoundation.com/gfx/ Thyroid_Diagram.jpg REFERENCES Drake,R.L.,Vogl,W and Mitchell, A W M Grays Anatomy for medical students.Elsevier, Churchill, Livingstone 2005 Tortora, G.J., Derrickson,B, Prezbindowski,K.S. Learning guide: Principles of anatomy and physiology, eleventh edition , Wiley 2006 Bliss, R.D., Gauger, P.G and Delbridge, L.W. Surgeons approach to the thyroid gland: surgical anatomy and the importance of technique. World journal of Surgery 24 (8) 891-897, 2000 Chan,W.F.,Lang,B.H.H. and Lo,C.Y.The role of intraoperative neuromonitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy: a comparative study on 1000 nerves at risk. Surgery 140 (6) 866-873,2006 Lee,W.T., Milstein,C.,Hicks,D.,Akst, L.M. and Esclamado, R.M. Results of ansa to recurrent laryngeal nerve innervation. Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, 136(5) 450-454, 2007 Moore,K.L and Dalley, A.F. Clinically orientated anatomy.5th edition Lippincott Williams Wilkins 2006 Gosling, J.A, Harris P.F., Whitemore, I, Willan P.L.T. Human anatomy color atlas and text,fourth edition, Mosby 2002 Kumar P, Clark M, Clinical Medicine, sixth edition, Elsevier Saunders 2005 Tenta,L.T, Keyes G.R., The otolaryngologic clinics of north America. Volume 13/Number 1, February 1980 www.blackwell-synergy.com http://www.gbmc.org/voice/anatomyphysiologyofthelarynx.cfm Braverman L.E, Utiger R.D , Werner Ingbars the thyroid : a fundamental and clinical text, 8th ed. c2000

How Power Corrupted the Pigs in Animal Farm by George Orwell :: Free Essay Writer

The satire Animal Farm by George Orwell expresses the idea of self-government through the animals. The animals play the role of humans, in this way using most, if not all, of the human characteristics. Because the animals decide that they want to run the farm by themselves, they make up a way of living called Animalism. The basic principles of Animalism are two, all animals are to be treated as equals, and no animals shall acquire any human traits or characteristics whatsoever. The seven commandments under which they live are based on these major principles. As soon as they develop a whole new system, they throw out all of the humans that run the farm. Even though they are supposed to be equal, the pigs begin to take control. By the end of the novel, the pigs have manipulated the rest of the animals into doing everything they want. The pigs then become almost exactly like the humans. The most important pigs are Napoleon and Snowball, that is until Napoleon throws Snowball from the farm. It is throughout this satire that Orwell illustrates how power corrupts by showing the pigs actions. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely is a concept widely understood after having read Orwell’s satire. It is first shown when the pigs take the milk and apples, explaining to the rest of the animals that everyone is equal, but some are just more â€Å"equal† than others. They also argue that the pigs do more thinking, and therefore need more energy to do so. It is in the latter part of the book, that the concept of corruption gradually earns its meaning. When Napoleon forces Snowball to leave the farm, the power is all his. Napoleon fixes anything that goes wrong on the farm simply by blaming Snowball. He insists that Snowball had always planned everything in order to harm the farm. Napoleon does not have a limit. The pigs break all seven commandments, some without notice, simply because power is addictive, and they constantly want more of it. It is never enough. These commandments are to be followed by all the animals living on the farm at all times. Included in these commandments is the sixth one which states that no animal shall kill any other animal. Napoleon breaks this commandment when he kills the chickens he says are against him and the farm’s ideals.

Waste Land Essay: Journey Through The Waste Land -- T.S. Eliot Waste L

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   T. S. Eliot drafted The Waste Land during a trip to Lausanne, Switzerland to consult a psychologist for what he described as mild case of nerves. He sent the manuscript to Ezra Pound for editing assistance. Between them the draft was extensively edited and published in 1922. As a modernist poet, Eliot struggled to remove the voice of the author from his work but the work is still a reflection of the author’s interpretation. He paints the picture as he sees it for the readers to view and interpret from their own perspective. The Waste Land could be viewed as a chronicle Eliot’s difficult and not quite successful journey to confront his own unconscious or spiritual reality. â€Å"Viewed psychologically, Eliot’s juxtaposition of scenes of sterility, fecundity, and sacrifice represents the speaker’s conscious awareness of a sterile society, and his abortive attempt to experience the unconscious† (Jones 22). Eliot’s depict ion of a spiritually empty and lost society is a reflection of his inner search for a life-defining spiritual faith. Eliot’s message is that modern man leads a very hollow and disconnected existence because he has abandoned his spiritual values in pursuit of material wealth. Eliot begins The Waste Land by bemoaning the fact that spring exudes false hope through its evidence of new growth and destroys the numbness and warmth acquired during winter’s hibernation from life or feeling. The return of feeling brings renewed acknowledgment of the emptiness and barrenness of modern life. â€Å"What Eliot wants to highlight is the pain of coming back to life† (Torrens 24). He expresses the cause of the pain in the description of the stony and barren landscape in which there is no shelter and nothing can grow. Man’s spirit can... ...aracter of his poetry after his conversion. Bottum however would argue that although he possibly found a personal faith he was never quite able to present that faith in his later works. â€Å"What we encounter in his late poetry, however, is a profound confusion of faith with a brilliant and learned man’s rational understanding that he needs to have faith† (Bottum 23).    Works Cited Bottum, J. â€Å"What T. S. Eliot Almost Believed.† First Things. April 1996. 21-6 Eliot, T. S. â€Å"The Waste Land.† The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. 6th Ed. Vol 2. Ed. Maynard Mack. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  York: Norton, 1992. 1751-64. Jones, Joyce Meeks. Jungian Psychology in Literary Analysis: A Demonstration Using T. S. Eliot’s Poetry. Washington D.C.:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  University Press, 1979. Torrens, James S. â€Å"T. S. Eliot: 75 Years of ‘The Waste Land.’† America. 25 Oct 1997. 24-7.   

The 3 piglets

Three little pigs story and movie In the movie of the three little pigs there were very much similarities from the book to the movie. In the book the three little pigs they all had tried to build different types of houses and they also did in the movie. In the book and the movie neither of the piglets had friends. Also the book and the movie both had the wolf in it.The wolf was quite clever and persuading towards the piglets in both the movie and the story. The wolf also say his famous line in the movie that he says in the book â€Å"If you do not open this door I will huff and puff and blow your house down†. Between the movie and the book there were plenty of differences. The piglets had different names in the movie as well. The setting was even different. The setting of the movie took place in â€Å"Camp Peggy† and the setting off the book was in the woods.The first pig name was Emerald Sucker-pork she was very wealthy and she did not ave many friends because she had whatever every other piglet had but twice as much. It is safe to say that she was spoiled. The second piglet was named Barbecue. She was a model who had gotten too skinny because she taken more baths than the usual pig. The third pig name was breadcrumb. Breadcrumb was Vietnamese she had no family and she was homeless but something she did have was a good personality. She also knew tikwan pig dow.In the movie they also built their houses ifferent. The 1st pig built her house made of pearls and diamonds but in the book the 1st pig built her house out of hay. In the movie the 2nd pig built her house of cookies, cakes and candy. However in the book the 2nd piglet built her house out of sticks but the 3rd piglets both built there house out of bricks. I think that the third piglets was the smartest. My conclusion is that even though they had many differences the concept was the same it was Just told in a different way.

American Life in 1920s and 1930s Essay

The NAACP was focusing on legislative strategies produced to encounter the demanding civil and legal liberties issues of the era. They signaled for federal anti-execution laws and organized a series of protests to state-funded isolation in public educational institutions. NAACP leaders pursued, one, to ensure that all whites acknowledge the demand for racial impartiality by publicizing it and via their magazine catastrophe. On the other hand, the communist party was substantial in the struggle for racial impartiality in the south of United States of America. The communist party also fought for the civil and legal rights via public clamor. Discuss the racial implications of change during the 1930s in American popular culture -including music, movies, literature, etc. The cultural products that most captivated fashionable audiences during the era of the Great Depression that occurred around the 1930s. The audiences were those that switched their attention from the anguish of the time especially popular literature, radio, and movies. The accessibility to radio programs changed a lot of American families and surroundings especially the families from the black community, as they begun to form their lives around radio programming. People together with their families assembled together to listen to popular programs. Also, friends assembled on the foot porches, backyards, and along the streets to listen to the shows. But, some social and political programs were transmitted. The most fashionable broadcasts offered the racial implicated-era community with dramatic and commonly jovial stories of escape and adventure. Still, ther e were fashionable soap operas, music concerts, The Academy Awards, sporting events, and current events. Because a lot of the shows were transmitted in front of live viewers, individuals filled the studio to watch these amazing performances. Movies, by the mid-1930s, African American gathered around theaters to see many entertainment opportunities that offered an escape from the actual phenomenon of the Depression. A lot of Hollywood-produced movies avoided wrangles during this era. They produced musical, â€Å"screwball†, comics, novel adaptations, fictional movies. Popular Culture, while the wrangles were massively missing from movie and radio productions, the controversial political and social voices of the Depression were usually found in the fashionable culture that emerged from the 1930s. A few authors examined the hardships of poverty that affected the African American who worked on the farms and the Dust Bowl migrants; they also exposed the evils of poverty throughout the country, condemned the excessiveness of capitalism, and disclosed the many pathways for civil injustice. Two of the most fashionable novels of the time, but, were romantic stories fixed different historical events, Anthony Adverse and Gon e with the Wind. The American audiences were attracted by the most popular culture from the Great Depression era that was designed by the public’s motive to departure from the psychological, economic, and social hardships that were connected to racial differences during the 1930s. Questions 1 and 5 at the end of chapter 19 What accounts for the movement of many African American from king’s â€Å"beloved community† ideal to â€Å"black power† slogan popularized by Stokely Carmichael and H.Rap Brown? The movement of a lot of African American from king’s â€Å"beloved community† ideal to â€Å"black power† slogan popularized by Stokely Carmichael and H.Rap Brown was proposed by the way in which the African American were handled by their white counterparts. He states that everyone has to be appreciative of his race. He argues that â€Å"You have got to be noble of being black. You cannot go around referring yourself colored and call yourself Negroes. That is the word the honkies gave it you. You are black, brother, and you should feel proud of your complexion, and it is very beautiful.† It was proposed by the election of a new chairperson for student’s peaceful manager. He was an old-time leader and guided the challenge campaign that propelled massive promotion from the black community. He was known for being a promoter of armed self-defense. He proposed the theme of racial nobleness and militancy that was similar to his forbearer. It was the narrative of the movement. To what extent was Jesse Jackson’s emergence as a nationally prominent political figure a reflection of broader trends in African American politics? It demonstrated that African American are achieving political power and displays the success of black people in getting their civil and legal rights. Therefore, it is not only to participate in elections but also to be involved in the process of governance. Questions 2 and 3 at the end of chapter 20 How did the transition from the activism of the 1960s to the conservatism of the Reagan Bush era to African American politicians During the two terms of office of Reagan Bush, solidified, grasped, and decided to personify the American shift to the political right wing. His substantial legacy as a leader of was that swing in the American political spectrum. The move created a â€Å"liberal† a form of democracy. What had been conservative transformed to being moderate such as the participation of African Americans in active politics and what was moderate was later promoted for the left wing. The drift was as profound and pronounced that African American vehemently embraced Bill Clinton regardless of his support programs, welfare policies, and criminal justice, in particular, that might have been referred to as reactionary and racist under the rule of Reagan Bush. Compare and contrast tactics used in the Free South Africa movement with the African American Freedom struggle In both movements, the individuals faced racial inequality. Blacks were recognized as disadvantaged while the white was considered as the advantaged. During the legal and civil liberties movements, Blacks were had limited liberties such as drinking water fountains as whites or found around public places conversing with the whites. They could also not attend the same school. In Comparison to the Anti-Apartheid social movements in South Africa, intermarriages between the white and Africans were prohibited and they were special schools for the whites. In both occasions, both freedom fighters were brutally assaulted, imprisoned, and some died as a result of being tortured. The two social movements had the same ideology of pursuing equal rights and justice for all despite their racial differences. They also shared the same tactics. The two social institutions advocated peaceful demonstrations, utilizing similar methods such as boycotts, media campaigns, and protests. Such approaches were managed within and by similar organizations such as the labor unions, universities, and churches. The civil liberties and the anti-Apartheid Movements had the same leadership style which had logical motives along with experienced protest organizers and corporate competence.

Boeing Bond Analysis

Boeing Bond Analysis Presented to Dr. —– Prepared by Filipe Ferro October 9, 2012 Table of Contents Boeing Company3 Bond Issue3 Unsystematic Risk4 Principal Repayment4 Debt to Invested Capital4 Debt to Equity4 Current & Quick Ratios5 Interest Repayment5 Times Interest Earned5 Credit Position6 Competitor Analysis6 General Dynamics6 Northrop Grumman7 Systematic Risk7 Market Responsiveness7 Duration8 Modified Duration9 Accuracy of Rating9 Interest Rate Expectations9 Summary10 Appendix11 Descriptive Statistics11 Regression Analysis11 Duration & Modified Duration12References13 Boeing Company Boeing is a manufacturer of aircrafts and national defense equipment making it a member of the Aerospace & Defense industry. It was founded in Seattle, Washington on July 15, 1916. It is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Commercial aircraft include the 737, 747, 777, and very recently, the 787. Military products consist of high-dexterity and stealthy aircraft such as a the A-10 Th underbolt II and highly-efficient and powerful satellites such as the Boeing 601. 1 Its biggest competitors are Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Airbus.According to Morningstar, Boeing employed 171,700 people and revenue reached $69 billion in 2012. 2 Bond Issue The bond I have chosen to analyze is a debenture with a maturity date of August 15, 2021. Morningstar shows this bond issue consists of 400 million $1,000 par value bonds with 398 of them outstanding. The bond is a semi-annual fixed coupon bond with an annual rate of 8. 75%. The accrual start date was August 15, 1991. The original life of the bond was 30 years and the remaining life as of October 2012 is a little over 8 years and 10 months.This bond issue is non-callable, non-putable, non-convertible, and it is not subject to Rule 144A. These bonds are currently selling at 135. 20% of par value as of September 29, 2012, making their price $1,352. Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage rates this issue as an A. Its curr ent yield ratio is 6. 47. I have always been enthusiastic about airplanes. My first experiences in flight were in Boeing aircrafts. I also chose this bond issue because of Boeing’s large size, reputation, and financial security.Selecting a debenture is risky and requires strong financial security since the only security backing it is the issuing company’s credit rating. With a current yield of 6. 47 resulting from the relatively high coupon rate of 8. 75%, this is a great bond for a fixed income (coupon pays $87. 50 annually). Unsystematic Risk Principal Repayment Debt to Invested Capital In recent years, Boeing’s debt to capital ratios have been 42% for 2007, 112. 9% for 2008, 85. 2% for 2009, 80. 6% for 2010, and 74. 0% for the end of 2011. Boeing’s total debt to invested capital ratio is 65. 3% (as of June 2012)3. Standard & Poor’s calculates this as (total debt)/(total equity + total debt), 2,466,000+8,735,0005,892,000+11,201,000. This means th at debt makes up about 65% of all invested capital. Boeing still has 35% of capital that is not tied to debt. This is good compared to the last few years. This ratio is on a downward trend. Debt to Equity Boeing’s total debt to equity ratio is 1. 51 (as of June 2012) 3, meaning that for every $1 in equity there is $1. 51 of debt. This is calculated as 8,735,0005,804,000 on the balance sheet.According to Standard & Poor’s Industry Survey, Boeing’s debt to equity ratio at the end of 2011 was 2. 85. The Aerospace & Defense industry average from 1981 to 2011 was 0. 90. 4 The industry survey states that Boeing’s high debt to equity ratio is due to its â€Å"financial arms† since it has a large financing department. It is also probably due to its new model plane, the 787 Dreamliner, which requires a relatively expensive manufacturing processes – unibody parts made up of composite carbon fiber materials – and advanced electronics and sensors . These higher costs require raising more capital than the average model plane.While debt has priority over equity in being repaid, debentures are at the bottom of the list, which is why this high ratio may be a concern for holders of Boeing’s bond issues. If bankruptcy occurs, debentures will be the last of debt holders to get paid. Although it is not exactly good to have this somewhat high ratio, knowing that Boeing has a brand new and appealing aircraft reassures that positive future cash flows will cover this financial leverage. S&P’s NetAdvantage highlights the potential sales to emerging airlines from China and airlines with old worn out planes in the U. S. and Europe.S&P’s industry survey states â€Å"China, India, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, will drive growth in global air travel and demand for new aircraft. †4 The market for aircraft purchases looks like it will grow in the coming years, thus Boeing will have greater oppor tunities for sales. Current & Quick Ratios The current assets to current liabilities ratio was 1. 22 for the 4th quarter of 2011, which means every $1 in current liabilities is covered by $1. 22 in current assets. Boeing has enough current assets to pay off all its current liabilities if it needed to do so. The current ratio has been 0. for 2007, 0. 8 for 2008, 1. 1 for 2009, and 1. 1 for 2010. The current ratio has been on an upward trend since 2008 which would imply added financial security in forecasts. But the current ratio assumes that a company’s current assets are highly liquid. This might not be the case with Boeing, whose inventory is made up of large and expensive aircraft and is not as highly traded as smaller inventory such as food in a grocery store. The quick-ratio would be more accurate for Boeing, which is 0. 39. Boeing – using only its instantly liquid assets – would not be able to pay off all of its short-term liabilities if it was required to. Interest Repayment Times Interest Earned As of December 31, 2011, Boeing had a net income of $4 billion and an interest expense of $498 million. Its times interest earned for the year of 2011 was 4,011+498498=9. 05. From 2006 to 2010, times interest earned has been 4. 72, 21. 7, 6. 12, 4. 94, and 7. 42 respectively. From these figures, it seems that Boeing’s TIE ratio has been on an upward trend since the 2009 ratio of 4. 94. The most recent ratio of 9. 05 suggests that Boeing is capable of paying its interest expense since its profit is over 9 times greater than its interest expense. Credit PositionAccording to Mergent Online, Boeing has never had a bankruptcy proceeding of any type (chapter 11 restructuring, etc), which implies that it has never defaulted on any of its debts. Mergent also states Boeing â€Å"had $4,600,000,000 available under credit line agreements†5. Considering Boeing already has $12,371,000,000 in long-term debt, $4,600,000,000 is still considerab le amount. Boeing is still within reasonably comfortable limits within its credit line usage. In addition, Standard & Poor’s Bond Guides shows that it has rated this issue of Boeing’s bonds in the A range for the last 4 years.Overall, Boeing seems to have good character. Many of Boeing’s bond issues have been rated as A+ over the last 4 years. Competitor Analysis General Dynamics General Dynamics currently has 2 outstanding bond issues, both rated A by Standard & Poor’s. Its debt to invested capital ratio in the 4th quarter of 2011 was 22. 6% compared to 74% for Boeing6. General Dynamics’ assets are tied to a much lower amount of debt than Boeing. The current ratio for General Dynamics is 1. 4 as of 2011 while Boeing’s was 1. 2. In addition to its low debt to capital ratio, its debt to equity ratio is also low at 3,930,00013,232,000=0. 0. Boeing’s debt to equity ratio is a little higher at 1. 51. With a higher debt to equity ratio, Bo eing’s leverage is slightly larger. Boeing’s bond issue may have a little more risk of being subordinated by other bonds. A low debt to equity ratio reflects a financial healthy company because it means that it needs a relatively small amount of financial leverage. Times interest earned for the year of 2011 was 2,252+155155=15. 53. Again, this makes General Dynamics’ bonds less risky. In contrast, Boeing has more liquidity in its stock at an average trading volume of 4,344,230.General Dynamics’ average trading volume is only 1,642,0007 which means General Dynamics’ ratios are subject to more volatility. With a higher trading volume and a new, cutting edge plane, this may offset Boeing’s higher risk compared to General Dynamics. Northrop Grumman The current ratio as of the 4th quarter of 2011 for Northrop Grumman was 1. 4. Its debt to equity ratio was 3,948,00010,715,000=0. 37. Times interest earned was 2,086+221221=10. 44. 8 Like General Dyn amics, Northrop Grumman’s ratios also suggest lower unsystematic risk compared to Boeing.Although the bonds may also be more volatile because just like General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman has a much lower average trading volume (at 1,533,070) than Boeing does. Systematic Risk Market Responsiveness Date| YTM-Boeing| YTM-Avg. A Rated Market| Mar-08| 5. 28%| 6. 24%| Jun-08| 6. 09%| 6. 43%| Sep-08| 6. 01%| 6. 55%| Dec-08| 7. 16%| 6. 70%| Mar-09| 6. 50%| 6. 66%| Jun-09| 5. 92%| 6. 39%| Sep-09| 4. 96%| 5. 56%| Dec-09| 4. 69%| 5. 77%| Mar-10| 5. 13%| 5. 80%| Jun-10| 4. 69%| 5. 44%| Sep-10| 3. 67%| 5. 01%| Dec-10| 3. 89%| 5. 52%| Mar-11| 4. 56%| 5. 52%| Jun-11| 3. 93%| 5. 26%| Sep-11| 3. 66%| 4. 54%| Dec-11| 3. 0%| 4. 40%| Mar-12| 3. 32%| 4. 51%| Jun-12| 2. 63%| 4. 14%| Sep-12| 2. 56%| –. –| Below is a list of Boeing’s yields to maturity and the AA-rated bond market yields to maturity according to the S&P Bond Guide: Yield to maturity has been on a downward trend since December 2008 for both Boeing and the rest of the AA-rated bond market. It seems like the YTMs for Boeing and the rest of the market move together. The null hypothesis for this situation would be that the market movement has no correlation to Boeing’s movement in YTMs; therefore the slope would be 0 for a linear regression of the scatter plot below.The alternative hypothesis is that the market does have some influence. The null hypothesis can be tested with some calculations. The test statistic is calculated by taking the value of the beta 0. 96 and dividing it by the standard error of 0. 11132, we get 8. 62. Using the test statistic and a level of significance of 10%, the corresponding P-Value is 0. 0000000007. Anything to the left of the 10% level of significance is a rejection of the null hypothesis. The P-Value is well below the level of significance of 10% and therefore the null hypothesis should be rejected.This means that the population coefficient of determinati on is not equal to 0 according to our sample of 18 periods. The sample yields a coefficient of determination of 0. 91. Boeing’s movement in YTM can be explained by a movement in market YTM 91% of the time. Boeing’s YTMs have a strong positive correlation with the market’s YTMs and makes its bond issues just slightly less volatile to movements in the market. Duration This bond issue has a par value of $1,000 and a coupon payment of 8. 75% semi-annually. The coupon payment is $87. 50 and the latest rate for the AA bond class, according to the Wall Street Journal, is 1. 3%9 as of October 2, 2012. The present value of this bond is $1,569. 44. The weighted present value of this bond is $11,157. 82. The current duration for this bond issue is 7. 11 years. It will take a little over 7 years for this bond to cover the initial investment. Modified Duration The modified current duration is calculated as the current duration divided by 1 + (bond class interest rate). In th is case it is 7. 111+0. 0183=6. 98. This means that for every 1% increase in market interest rates, this bond issue will go down 6. 98% in value. Accuracy of RatingStandard & Poor’s definition for an A rating is defined as a â€Å"strong capacity to meet financial commitments, but somewhat susceptible to adverse economic conditions and changes in circumstances. With a beta of 0. 63 and a current duration of 6. 98%, it seems like the rating of A is accurate according to the â€Å"somewhat susceptible to adverse economic conditions† part of the definition. For the â€Å"strong capacity to meet financial commitments†, I also feel like this fits Boeing since it has a times interest earned ratio of 9. 05 and a current ratio of 1. 22. Interest Rate ExpectationsAccording to the Federal Reserve Board press release of September 13, 2012, the announced quantitative easing program will keep bond prices high and interest rates low, at least for the short-term (next year). Also, the economy has expanded somewhat in recent months, but still at a lower than expected rate10. This suggests that interest rates will remain mostly unchanged since there is not a lot of spending. The Washington Post’s front-page article on October 2, 2012, stated that Americans â€Å"do not want to take any risks with their money – even as the government is encouraging risk-taking†11.According to the Fisher Effect, when expected inflation rises, interest rates will rise12. With low inflation expectations, we can expect a continuation of low interest rates. Instead of trending they will be â€Å"ranging†. As of October 2, 2012, a 10-year Treasury bond had a yield of 1. 64% while AA-Rated bonds had a yield of 1. 83%. The spread is 0. 19. The present value of a single bond from this issue is $1,569. 44. With interest rates rising only 10 basis points by the end of this year and with a modified duration of 6. 98, the present value will drop by 0. 698%. $1,569. 44(1 – 0. 00698) = $1,558. 9. The estimated yield to maturity for Boeing one year from now with a 20 basis point increase is YTM-BA = -3. 2949 + 1. 4426(4. 34) + 0. 001 = 2. 97% for Boeing, up from 2. 63%. 4. 34% is 20 basis points above the last market YTM data point of 4. 14%. This small rise in interest rates means Boeing’s bond issue is going to drop slightly in price. Summary I would definitely buy this bond despite some of its shortcomings. Boeing may be heavily leveraged at the moment, but it still has other ratios that show its financial health, such as market capitalization, the debt to equity ratio of 1. 1 and the current ratio of 1. 22. Additionally, Boeing’s new model airplane, the 787 Dreamliner, is a positive prospect for future financial health. According to Mergent’s records, Boeing has never defaulted on its loans before and with 96 years of history I wouldn’t expect a default any time soon. Appendix Descriptive Statistics YTM-BA%|   | YTM-A%|   | |   |   |   | Mean| 4. 755| Mean| 5. 58| Standard Error| 0. 291509762| Standard Error| 0. 193077925| Median| 4. 69| Median| 5. 54| Mode| 4. 69| Mode| 5. 52| Standard Deviation| 1. 236771176| Standard Deviation| 0. 19160259| Sample Variance| 1. 529602941| Sample Variance| 0. 671023529| Kurtosis| -0. 700358347| Kurtosis| -1. 043305373| Skewness| 0. 246024371| Skewness| -0. 261513425| Range| 4. 53| Range| 2. 56| Minimum| 2. 63| Minimum| 4. 14| Maximum| 7. 16| Maximum| 6. 7| Sum| 85. 59| Sum| 100. 44| Count| 18| Count| 18| Regression Analysis Duration & Modified Duration References 1Boeing. (1995). A-10 Thunderbolt II. Retrieved 2012 05-October from http://www. boeing. com/defense-space/support/maintenance/a10/index. html 2Morningstar. (2012, September 28). Boeing Co BA. (N.Dihora, Editor) Retrieved September 29, 2012, from Morningstar: http://www. morningstar. com 3Standard&Poor's. (2012, October 02). Boeing. Retrieved October 02, 2012, from Standard ;Poor's NetAdvantage: http://www. netadvantage. standardandpoors. com 4Tortoriello, R. (2012 26-July). Industry Surveys: Aerospace & Defense. Retrieved 2012 05-October from Standard&Poor's: http://www. netadvantage. standardandpoors. com. proxymu. wrlc. org/NASApp/NetAdvantage/showIndustrySurveyPDF. do? loadIndSurFromMenu=pdf 5Mergent Online. (2011, December 31). Boeing Co. (The) (NYS:BA): Long Term Debt.Retrieved October 1, 2012, from Mergent Online : www. new. mergentonline. com. proxymu. wrlc. org/companydetail. php? pagetype=longtermdebt;compnumber=1048 6Standard;Poor's. (2011, 12 31). Genl Dynamics. Retrieved 10 02, 2012, from NetAdvantage: http://www. netadvantage. standardandpoors. com. proxymu. wrlc. org/NASApp/NetAdvantage/cp/companyFinancials. do 7Yahoo! (2012, October 03). General Dynamics (GD). Retrieved October 03, 2012, from Yahoo! Finance: http://www. finance. yahoo. com/q? s=GD 8Yahoo! (2012, October 03). Northrop Grumman Corportation (NOC). Retrieved October 03, 2 012, from