Biography of Ian Wilmut Essays

Biography of Ian Wilmut Essays Biography of Ian Wilmut Paper Biography of Ian Wilmut Paper | The Life and Accomplishments of Ian Wilmut| Dr. Ian Wilmut with the year-old Dolly in 1997. Dolly was the first animal to be cloned from DNA taken from an adult animal.  © Najlah Feanny/CORBIS SABA| James Ray| Shepherd University| 9/16/2011| | Ian Wilmut is an embryologist from England that is arguably the most controversial researcher in recent history. He is considered to be the pioneer of cloning. He and his colleagues successfully cloned a lamb they named Dolly. He received many awards for his controversial work while enduring great backlash for the ethical implications of his accomplishments. Ian Wilmut was born July 7, 1944 in Hampton Lucy, Warwickshire, England (American Academy of Achievement, 2005). His father was Leonard Wilmut, a mathematics teacher at the Boys’ High School in Scarborough were Ian would later attend. His father was also a long time diabetes sufferer that eventually lost his sight to the disease (Lovetoknow Corp, 2008). It is thought that this experience may have been the early foundation for Ian Wilmut’s interest in scientific research. As a child, Ian Wilmut was raised in the town of Coventry (American Academy of Achievement, 2005). Early in his life Wilmut was interested in agriculture and farming spending much of his time in the outdoors and working as a farm hand (Wilmut, Creating the Genetic Replica, 1998). Wilmut once dreamed of a naval career, but those dreams were short lived due to his color blindness (Wilmut, Creating the Genetic Replica, 1998). As a young adult Ian Wilmut attended the University of Nottingham to pursue a degree in Agriculture. He felt he did not have the business sense to be successful in commercial farming so Wilmut focused his attention on agricultural research. While completing his undergraduate work at the University of Nottingham, Wilmut was exposed to the field of embryology by his mentor G. Eric Lamming. Lamming was a renowned expert in reproduction and after introducing Wilmut to his field, Wilmut knew that genetic engineering of animals was his quest in life. After graduation from the University of Nottingham, Wilmut attended the Darwin College at the University of Cambridge. In 1966 Wilmut spent 8 weeks working with Christopher Polge in his laboratory (Wilmut, Creating the Genetic Replica, 1998). Polge is credited with developing the technique of cryopreservation in 1949 (Rall, 2007). Wilmut was fascinated by Polge’s work and joined his laboratory in pursuit of a research PhD. His doctoral dissertation dealt with the freezing of boar semen and embryos. Based on this research, Wilmut was able to successfully produce the first calf born from a frozen embryo, a Hereford-Friesian named Frostie (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). This scientific advance allowed cattle breeders to increase the quality of their herd by implanting the embryos of the cows that produced the best meat and milk into cows of inferior quality. Wilmut graduated with his PhD in 1973 and took a research job with the Animal Breeding Research Station in Scotland. The research station was both privately and government funded and soon became known as the Roslin Institute in Roslin, Scotland (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). It is widely believed that Wilmut began his research in embryology after over hearing a conversation about Dr. Steen Willadsen, an embryologist that had used a cell from an embryo already in development to clone a sheep. Wilmut began applying Dr. Willesden’s research findings to his own research at the Roslin Institute. In 1991, animal activists heard about Wilmut’s research and burned down his laboratory. However, Wilmut was undeterred and secured funding from Pharmaceutical Proteins, LTD Therapeutics to continue his research. The greatest and most controversial part of Wilmut’s career began in 1996. Wilmut and a team of researchers took the DNA of a 6 year old Finn Dorset ewe’s mammary gland, switched off the active genes, and fused it with an egg cell from a Scottish Blackface ewe from which he removed the genetic material (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). Wilmut used electricity to fuse that mammary cell with its own DNA to the empty egg while it was in the dormant state. He repeated the same process with 277 udder cells and eggs from sheep (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). 9 of those eggs began to grow and divide into embryos (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). Wilmut then transferred the 29 embryos into surrogate sheep resulting in 13 of the sheep becoming pregnant (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). Of those 13 sheep, only one delivered a healthy lamb (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). On July 5, 1996, Dolly was born at the Roslin Institute. Wilmut has said that he named the lamb after country music singer Dolly Parton (Wilmut, Creating the Genetic Replica, 1998). After insuring Dolly was developing in a healthy manner and securing a patent for his work, Wilmut introduced Dolly to the world in February 1997 as a product of somatic cell nuclear transfer. DNA testing revealed that Dolly was in fact the genetic replica of her mother (Dewar, 2004). Dolly delivered four healthy offspring during her lifetime. In 2003, Dolly succumbed to pulmonary adenomatosis (Wilmut Highfield, After Dolly, 2006). After cloning Dolly, Wilmut went on to produce Molly and Polly, who had commercial value. They were each cloned with a human gene that allowed their milk to contain a blood clotting protein factor IX, which could be extracted to treat human hemophilia (Wilmut Highfield, After Dolly, 2006). Eventually, herds of sheep with genetic proteins in their milk could be produced, turning them into living drug factories for other diseases as well. Wilmut hoped that technology could be used with pigs to create human-adaptable organs for transplants. He also envisioned that certain genes could be more easily isolated and modified. Wilmut did could not have predicted the controversy his accomplishments would create. Media played up society’s fears of cloning human beings. Religious organizations lobbied against the use of embryos in research and called it murder. In March 1997, Wilmut appeared before the U. S. Senate public health and safety subcommittee hearing to discuss the ethical implications of his work. He said†I know what is bothering people about all this. I understand why the world is suddenly at my door. But this is my work. It has always been my work, and it doesn’t have anything to do with creating copies of human beings. I am no haunted by what I do, if that’s what you want to know. I sleep very well at night. † In 1999, Wilmut lobbied for a change to Great Britain’s 1990 Human Fertilization and Embryology Act to allow for the use of surplus eggs from assisted fertilization treatments to be developed for their stem cells. He sits on a Church of Scotland committee that examines the ethical issues surrounding advancements in science and technology. Although he is not a religious person, his focus is to neutralize critics so that scientific and technological advances can continue. Ian Wilmut wrote two books with his colleagues including Keith Campbell. These works include The Second Creation: The Age of Biological Control by the Scientists Who Cloned Dolly and After Dolly. In 2005, Wilmut received a license in the U. K. to clone human embryos for the purpose of culturing human stem cells. His goal was to investigate treatments for Motor Neuron Disorder. At the same time, the United States passed legislation to prohibit the use of government funding for research involving human embryos. Wilmut abandoned his use of human embryos when Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan was able to program skin cells from adult mice to revert back to their original stem cell state. Ian Wilmut’s discoveries and advancements to the scientific community have garnered him several awards. His work with Dolly earned him Time Magazine’s 1997 Man of the Year Runner Up (Time Magazine, 1997). In 1998 he was inducted into the Museum of Living History in Washington, D. C. and was given the Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran Award. He was entered into the Order of the British Empire (OBE), the Fraternal Order of the Royal Society (FRE), the United Kingdom’s Academy of Sciences (FMedSci), and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE). In 2008, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of England (BBC, 2007). Ian Wilmut is a balding, unassuming man. He is married with three children, Helen, Naomi, and Dean. While currently out of the controversial limelight, Wilmut is the current Director of the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He lives in the Scottish countryside with his family. He enjoys gardening, the sport of curling and taking long walks (Wilmut, Creating the Genetic Replica, 1998). The impact of Ian Wilmut’s work is far reaching. It lays the basis for possibly treating or curing diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s through the use of stem cells (Wilmut Highfield, After Dolly, 2006). It could lead to better agricultural stock without the fear of deadly diseases such as mad cow disease (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). Furthermore, his works could possibly be used to prevent animals from becoming extinct. Although controversial, I believe Ian Wilmut’s advances in science are for the greater good. The only concern I have is now that the process is known, what is to prevent some self funded millionaire from cloning humans (Dewar, 2004). It is easier to control research that is dependent on public or governmental funds, but one cannot control those that already have the funds. I chose Ian Wilmut because I was interested in cloning and what useful purposes it has for society. I understood the implications for the treatment of diseases but I did not realize the other uses as well. For example, I did not think that a lamb could be genetically engineered, without harm, to produce milk that could treat hemophilia in humans (Wilmut, Campbell, Tudge, The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control, 2000). I did not consider that cloning could be used to prevent the extinction of endangered species. Time Magazine. (1997, March 10). Time. American Academy of Achievement. (2005, October 25). Retrieved September 15, 2011, from Museum of Living History: achievement. org/autodoc/page/wil0bio-1 BBC. (2007, December 29). Retrieved September 22, 2011, from BBC: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/uk/7163587. stm Lovetoknow Corp. (2008). Retrieved September 20, 2011, from biography. yourdictionary. com: http://biography. ourdictionary. com/ian-wilmut Dewar, E. (2004). The Second Tree. New York: Carrol Graf Publishers. Rall, W. (2007). Ernest John Christopher Polge. In W. Rall, Cryobiology (pp. 241-242). Wilmut, I. (1998, May 23). Creating the Genetic Replica. (T. A. Achievement, Interviewer) Wilmut, I. , Highfield, R. (2006). After Dolly. New York: W. W. Norton Company. Wilmut, I. , Campbell, K. , Tudge, C. (2000). The Second Creation: Dolly and the Age of Biological Control. New York: Farrar, Str aus and Giroux.

47 of the Best Training Resources to Hone Your Marketing Skills

47 of the Best Training Resources to Hone Your Marketing Skills Marketing teams are constantly busy. There’s barely enough time to get on top of your projects, much less take a couple hours out of the day to do some marketing training. But here’s a thought†¦ What if the training helped your team be more efficient at their jobs? Thus saving time in the long run. Not sure where to turn to find the right training opportunities for your marketing team? No stress. This post contains a comprehensive list of the best free and paid marketing courses to help your team hone their marketing skills. Check out this awesome list of the best free and paid marketing training resources.Help Your Team Develop Agile Marketing Skills Before we dive into all the marketing training opportunities, let’s talk about a much-needed marketing skill†¦ Project management. You know the feeling – The one where you’re drowning in work, chasing endless status updates and barely keeping a handle on all the things your team is working on. We’ve all been there. 😠¬ It doesn’t have to be this way. Check out how implementing an Agile approach to your marketing can change your (work) life. Table of Contents Content Marketing SEO Programming Analytics Social Media PPC Why Training is Important for Marketing Teams There is arguably no department at an organization that should prioritize training more than the marketing department. Hear me out on this one†¦ Can you think of anything within an organization that moves faster than marketing? Marketers are beholden to changing social media rules†¦ Search engine algorithm updates†¦ Email privacy regulations†¦ The list goes on. Marketers need consistant  training to stay in-the-know. Marketers are also often expected to wear multiple hats. How many times have you had to create a quick graphic for social media – even though you’re not a graphic designer? OR†¦ How many times have you had to jump into Google Analytics to check the health of your content marketing efforts, despite your limited analytics knowledge? Quite a few I bet. These are great examples of why marketers can (and should) take a course or two to brush up on skills outside of their expertise. Organizational Benefits of Training and Development Increasing employee motivation and decreasing turnover is something every company strives for. Turns out, a simple way to do this is to offer your employees a great training and development program. Here are all the statistics about the organizational benefits of training and development: Companies have a  218%  higher income per employee than those without formalized training. There’s a 24%  higher profit margin for companies that prioritize training than those who don’t. 40%  of employees who don’t receive training will leave their positions within the first year. 87%  of Millennials say that professional development is significant to them. 70%  of individuals say training and development opportunities influence their decision to stay at a company.

Undergraduate Degree in Economics at the University of Brunei Essay

Undergraduate Degree in Economics at the University of Brunei Darussalam - Essay Example Shortly after my PGCE course, I was posted to a Secondary school teaching fourth and fifth years "O" Level Economics and Mathematics.   Then last year, the Ministry of Education implemented a new educational system where various new subjects were introduced. Our Minister of Education further mentioned that teachers need to be more knowledgeable in the subjects they teach, sounding the challenge that "a good teacher is someone who can master the subject".   Along with this challenge, the Minister of Education unveiled a program to provide the scholarship for teachers to pursue further studies in the subjects aligned with their degrees in The United Kingdom. During the nine years, I have been in the school, teaching Economics and Mathematics for "O" Level students, I have held many administrative responsibilities that have taught me numerous lessons in school management. My most challenging was when I was appointed as Head of the Timetabling Section, looking after teachers and clas sroom timetables. Coordinating schedules and university resources was a challenge I truly relished as it gave me an opportunity to apply my skills in organizing events, logistics and leading people; as I have been, for the most part of my life, an outgoing person who loves being around and working with people in various positions.   My experience is with the school's Scouting Club, various Sports Clubs and the Parents-Teachers Association served me well in successfully executing my duties. This year, I have been appointed as the new Head of Examination Section. This entailed that I work independently, under considerable pressure, and yet work as well as I can in getting along with others

Quiz 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quiz 5 - Essay Example It makes no state gaining more power or strength against another. Imbalance in the powers results in joining of a weaker state to a stronger one from a significant external threat (Farrier 34) Interest group within the domestic policy plays major roles. Setting of government agenda and directing implementations become the main role. The groups also define opinions and effect decisions. The roles make the interest groups effective. The study by Burstein and Linton shows that the interest groups have impact on policy (Aggarwal 78) Utilization of task forces and study commissions enables president success. Complete investigation and research by the presidents enable utilization of their task force. The president also provide technical assistance to the peoples. Utilization is through ensuring that the presentations are balanced and informed. The presidents do not utilize the task force without focusing on economic growth, competiveness and job creation. Open mindedness in decision-making is one of the constituents of policy leadership. This is because it enables acceptance and evaluation of opinions from all the parties and work for the good of the whole. Another constituent is flexibility and adaptability. This component enables a leader to accept changes and situations and adjust to them (Kaiser 13). Additionally, good communication from a leader through listening, understanding the desires, problems and the needs of ones clients is important for any policy

Ice and Snow Removal Essay Example for Free

Ice and Snow Removal Essay Ice can affect an airplane’s engine two ways. First, it can form in the carburetor of the engine, blocking the travel of the fuel-air mixture through the carb and possibly resulting in engine failure. Second, ice can also form over the air inlets through which the stream of air must flow on its way to the intake system of the power plant (Eichenberg, 2001 p. 14). Deep inside of the carb, there is a little passageway through increase in its temperature because the compression physically forces the molecules of the gas closer to each other. When the compressive force is removed, as it is when the fuel-air mixture travels back into a wide opening of the venturi, the temperature of the gas drops. Cooling occurs because the compressive force has been removed and the molecules spread out; hence, molecular activity (heat) declines. A small flapper that controls how much fuel air mixture is allowed to go into the cylinders is placed in or very near the venturi tube. This flapper device is called a â€Å"throttle place. † When you push in or pull out the throttle control in the cockpit, the action is to move the throttle plate in the carburetor. In turn, the throttle plate is regulating the amount of the fuel-air mixture that is being fed to the intake system of the engine: more flow, more power; less flow, less power. It works the same way in a car engine (Andersland and Ladanyi, 2004 p. 242). When the air is colder than freezing, ice loves to form on the edges of hard objects that are placed in the stream of the air laden with water vapor. Moreover, the temperature drop in the carburetor can be as much as 90F and the freezing point of water is 32 °F, carburetor ice can be a possibility anytime (Lankford, 2000 p. 68); hence, the removal of ice and snow is necessary . Discussion Ice Formation and the Processes Involved In understanding the concepts of ice and snow removal, it is essential to understand the process behind the rationale of ice formation in these structures to further comprehend the rationale behind the mechanics of ice and snow removal. Icing on the airframe of an airplane is deadly, although severity cannot be overemphasized (Andersland and Ladanyi, 2004 p. 242). Any accumulation is a situation that must be dealt with immediate concern especially is it has been prior to plane functioning. The course of action the pilot takes depends upon many factors, including but certainly not limited to whether the airplane has any ice-protection equipment. Normally the water in the air is in a gaseous state, and we refer to it as water vapor. Water vapor will change to the liquid state at a certain temperature (determined by atmospheric conditions) and become visible, and such temperature is considered as the dew point (Eichenberg, 2001 p. 14). When the dew point is lower than the ambient temperature, the vapor remains a gas, and the water molecules may not be evident in the air. When much vapor is contained in the air that the air cannot hold any more, the humidity has reached or very nearly approached the 100% level (Ashford, Stanton, Moore, 1997 p. 312). When humidity hits 100 percent, dew point and temperature will be the same, and water vapor will start becoming visible. The formation may evidently become fog, clouds, rain, drizzle, or other forms (Eichenberg, 2001 p. 16). Airplanes can fly just fine through most visible moisture as long as the temperature at the flight level is warm enough that the water do not freeze. However, when the ambient temperatures are cold enough that the water in the air is already frozen, it generally will not adhere to the airframe: hence, structural icing is not generally a problem in those conditions. Water can exist in the liquid state at temperatures below 32F. It is called super cooled water (Ashford, Stanton, Moore, 1997 p. 313). The science behind this phenomenon is complex, and it is essential to understand that super cooled water can be present even though the temperature outside the airplane below freezing. When a droplet of super cooled water hits the airplane, the surface tension on the outside of the droplet breaks (Andersland and Ladanyi, 2004 p. 247). Since the airframe is cold and at or below freezing, if the ambient temperature is likewise, the droplet freezes to the airframe upon impact, and ice forms. Ignore the friction heating that occurs on the leading edges of the airframe, when though the space shuttle gets red hot from friction as it reenters the atmosphere, it will not gain any similar effect in a small airplane (Andersland and Ladanyi, 2004 p.246). At speeds faster than about 400 knots, ice seldom adheres to airframes, but does not go that fast either. When your light airplane goes through the applicable atmospheric conditions, ice will form on it (Lankford, 2000 p. 64). Airframe icing can also occur when the clouds or other visible moisture and the surface of the airplane are at a temperature slightly warmer than freezing and the water is not super cooled. As water droplets hit the airframe and splatter, they cool slightly (Eichenberg, 2001 p. 16). Expect airframe ice in temperatures as warm as about 34 °Ã¢â‚¬â€36 °F. Ice that forms on the structure of the airplane falls into three classifications: rime, clear, and mixed. Rime ice is cloudy in appearance due primarily to the fact that it contains air entrained within the ice (Ashford, Stanton, Moore, 1997 p. 312). Clear ice is smooth and much more transparent than is rime because it has little if any air trapped inside. On the other hand, mixed ice is a combination of rime and clear types. The Dangers of Ice and the Rationale for its Removal Ice and snow removal in air crafts post various risks that may affect the passengers and the crew present especially during flight. Our discussion about the effects of ice on the airframe and dealing with icing encounters assumes that flying an airplane that is not approved for flight into known icing conditions. Only a very few light, single engine airplanes are so approved, while the greatest majority of light planes cannot be flown into icing conditions, either legally or safely (Ashford, Stanton, Moore, 1997 p. 314). Accumulations of ice on the airframe do three things, none of which is positive: airfoils change shape, weight is added, and drag increases The worst part of airframe ice is the simple fact that all three negatives act together—you never get just one or two of them (Eichenberg, 2001 p. 16). When ice accumulates, the airplane needs to carry more weight, with a wing that has far less lifting power than it will when clean of ice, and the airplane’s increased drag must be overcome by a propeller that cannot produce its normal thrust, since it is contaminated with ice too (Andersland and Ladanyi, 2004 p. 248). This combination has effects that are exponential in the decreased performance of the airplane. Any amount of Ice on the wings, tail surfaces, and propeller changes the shape of the affected surface. This change of shape changes the airfoil and alters its characteristics. Ice never accumulates exactly the same way twice, so when flying an airplane, not approved for known icing conditions, and get into ice with it (Kazda and Caves, 2007 p. 112). When a factory seeks certification of an airplane for flight into known icing, any experiments and analyses are performed that do not done for a lightplane, which is not going to be certified for known icing (Ashford, Stanton, Moore, 1997 p. 313). The manufacturer will do, or contract to have done, what is known as an impingement analysis. This means that, through the use of computer models and scientific analysis, engineers will look at the airfoils and determine where water droplets of certain sizes will affect the leading edge. After the impingement analysis is completed, the airplane will be flown in natural icing conditions as a part of its certification trials (Vinson, Rooney, 2006 p. 72). Often, a model of the wing will be put into a wind tunnel that can spray water droplets onto it, and further test the results of the impingement analysis. Moreover, the airplane will be flown behind a tanker that sprays water onto it so the flight test people can see how the entire deicing system works in flight (Eichenberg, 2001 p. 18). None of these steps is taken when certifying an airplane that will not be approved for flight into known icing (Andersland and Ladanyi, 2004 p. 248). Such is the reason for precarious position when getting into ice in a typical light plane, which has never been tested or certified for known icing. Nobody knows what shape the airfoils will take as Ice builds on them. As the accumulation progresses, the shapes of the wing, tail surfaces, and prop are continually changing (Kazda and Caves, 2007 p. 114). No one knows the handling qualities, stall speeds, stall characteristics, reduction of prop thrust, or any of the other performance parameters of what is now a totally new and different airplane (Ashford, Stanton, Moore, 1997 p. 314). Ice adds mass to the entire airframe where it adheres. Mass equals weight; therefore, an airplane encountering ice gets heavier as the ice grows. Ice is also very heavy. Water weighs about 64 pounds per cubic foot, and recall that clear ice will be very close to the weight of water (Andersland and Ladanyi, 2004 p. 246). Rime and mixed ice will be a little lighter, but not by much. As the buildup occurs, the drag penalty increases, and again the effects grow at exponential rates. Even small parts of the airplane, like radio antennae, once coated with ice, become producers of large amounts of drag (Vinson, Rooney, 2006 p. 71). Snow and Ice Removal in Ground Areas Occasionally, some will find an airport that will use sand on a runway and other paved areas, but sand can wreak havoc when ingested into turbine engines, it can also be picked up by propellers and heavily abrade them With the increasing jet and turboprop fleets, sand is not used much anymore. Most airports do a very good job of plowing snow from the areas where airplanes operate (Eichenberg, 2001 p. 16). However, plowing alone cannot remove all of the snow, and is little help at clearing ice from the paved areas. Even though the modern chemicals do some good, a runway cannot be rid of ice like a road can where salt is used. Pilots have to expect and deal with ice on the ground.

Understanding Early Man : Scientific Discovery vs. Emotionally Driven Hypothesis :: Anthropology Essays Paleontology Papers

Understanding Early Man : Scientific Discovery vs. Emotionally Driven Hypothesis The ways in which we attempt to determine the history of early man say much more about who we are today, and who we will be tomorrow, and who we want to be today, and who we want to be tomorrow, than they do about who we were in the past. This statement comes from a person who knows little about science, and less about the specific scientific techniques used in archeological excavation and analysis. But it seems to me that much of the observations that are made in the study of early man are predicated as much on new theory as they are on old observation, and much of the old observation seems to be based on how humans act now, rather than in the past. For instance, an entire new field of study known as "Evolutionary Psychology" is based on the premise that we can understand who we are today based on how we have evolved, and what we have evolved from. Evolution, is more or less a proven fact, analogous to gravity, it is a theory that we have used to understand countless other phenomena in the world around us. But there is no theory about how early man behaved, how he evolved, or even, what he looked like, that comes even close to being as widely accepted. In other words, this new field of study is based on science that does not yet exist, and might not ever exist, and the thinking behind it is similar to thinking behind the study of early man. Evolutionary psychologists use things we don't know about who we were then to try and understand who we are now, and anthropologists use things we don't know about who we are now to try and understand who we were then. Our debates about these early human ancestors echo our debates about our present and our modern history to such a degree, that in some ways, this echo seems to cast doubts on the entire process of examination.A great debate in history departments around the world who study the Twentieth Century concerns what is known as the "Great Man Theory." This theory supposes that the major events, and major social changes, of the past century were due more to the actions of a handful of men and women (usually those in positions of great power, or those who made important scientific discoveries) rather than to the actions of the majority.

A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies Essay

A Thousand Splendid Suns the reader would think it’s a happy novel, however there’s nothing particularly â€Å"splendid† one would assume about the novel. From the very beginning of the novel the author, Khaled Hosseini inserts hints and foreshadowing to aware the reader that it will be an unhappy story. This is evident in the following illustration when Mariam breaks the sugar bowl , â€Å"It was the last peice that slipped from Mariam’s fingers, that fell to the wooden floorboards of thekolba and shattered† (Hosseini 2). Hosseini is generating depressing emotions in the novel by introducing words † fell† or â€Å"shattered† resembling failure or sin. The reader also gets introduced to the word â€Å"Harami† and other words, such as â€Å"kolba† and â€Å"Jinn† which are terms not identified by the author, so the reader must rely on the context to better understand what the word means. For example, when Mariam expresses the fear that the â€Å"jinn† has returned to her mother, the reader will assume that jinn is something bad. The use of these terms establishes the setting , but also signifies that some things cannot be translated remaining a mystery for the reader. In the novel , Hosseini makes the reader live, see and feel by portraying the experiences the characters are going through in the novel, and by writing from a third person point of view , he broadens the readers ability because the perspective of the characters is limited, sometimes Mariam, sometimes Laila, which works to great effect to attach the reader to both characters equally.

Discuss the Use of Mendacity in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Essay

Discuss Williams’ treatment of mendacity in Act I and Act II â€Å"Mendacity is the system in which men live† – Brick to Big Daddy Mendacity is a key theme in the play â€Å"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof† and the lies that the characters in the play keep from each other is a technique Williams uses to create suspense and scandal. The secrets that eventually surface are what Williams dubs the â€Å"inadmissible things† that are repressed at all costs. The two main subjects of repression are Bricks concealed homosexuality and Big Daddy’s imminent death, which the family are all aware of except Big Daddy himself, and Big Mama. Big Mama desperately invests all her future hopes in the dream of Brick becoming a family man after the men are forced to confront these secrets. She is under the false belief that the responsibility of fatherhood will put an end to his alcoholism, and that their estate could go to the rightful heir. Big Mama believes that the pre servation of the family line runs through Brick, and he will represent Daddy’s immortality. The idyllic fantasy of Brick and Maggie’s â€Å"family†, however, is yet another of the play’s lies. The relationship between Brick and Maggie in â€Å"Cat on a hot tin roof† represents repression of both the truth and sexual desires. Maggie continuously refers to herself as a â€Å"cat† which is a method used by Williams to represent how through how her husband’s neglect she has been forced into a constant state of anxiety and bitterness and is frantically desiring Bricks affection. Brick is cold towards Maggie from the beginning of the play which insinuates that perhaps an incident had happened previously in their marriage that caused Maggie to become frantic and Brick to resort to liquor in an attempt to â€Å"put up a screen himself and the real world† namely his relationship with his wife. Maggie possesses a constant burning desire to have a child with Brick, not only because she loves him, but as she believes it will help them ga in a larger share of Big Daddy’s fortune when he dies from cancer. As Maggie is fully aware of the fact that Big Daddy’s death is imminent she resorts to bringing up the subject of Brick’s late friend Skipper in an attempt to relate with the cold, emotionless Brick; something we learn Brick made her promise not to do on the grounds that they’ll stay together. The mendacity in Brick and Maggie’s marriage begins to surface at the end of Act I when Maggie suggest that the feelings that Skipper had for Brick weren’t â€Å"pure† and implies that Skipper had homosexual desires for Brick. Brick becomes angered by the fact that Maggie was  insinuating that Skipper was gay, he tells her she’s naming their friendship â€Å"dirty† to which she exclaims â€Å"I’m naming it so damn clean that it killed Skipper!†. Williams uses Skipper’s suicide to create a reason for Brick to turn to alcohol. In Act II Brick reveals to Big Daddy that mendacity is the reason that he drinks, and he drin ks to escape reality and so things, in his own head, become â€Å"peaceful†. Williams uses the unrequited love felt for Brick by many of the characters to create a sense of responsibility to which Brick is in no fit state to live up too. This is physically represented by the way Brick repeatedly tries to flee from having an important conversation with Big Daddy in Act II. Both the characters of Big Daddy and Brick display disgust with mendacity. Big Daddy represents this with his outbursts at his own family such as when he confronts Mae for eavesdropping and says â€Å"I can’t stand sneakin’ and spyin’ in makes me puke†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Big Daddy also reveals to Brick at how he can’t stand Big Mamma, and continuously refers to her as â€Å"fat an’ ugly† and confessing how he â€Å"never should have wasted so much time with her†. Big Daddy and Brick are both hypocritical in the sense that they openly share their hatred of the mendacity that surrounds them, when in fact it is the lies and secrets they keep to themse lves that they kept from each other that are the true causes for their unhappiness. Big Daddy confronts this issue when he suggests Brick take responsibility for Skippers death , he tells Brick; â€Å"You been passing the buck. This disgust with mendacity is disgust with yourself. You!—you dug the grave of your friend and kicked him in it!—before you’d face the truth with him!† Daddy delivers his ultimate diagnosis of Brick toward the end of Act II. Brick is disgusted with his own mendacity before the homosexual desire in his friendship with Skipper. He metaphorically dug his friend’s grave for him rather than face the truth that they possibly shared more than a close friendship. Thus Daddy calls his son to judgment: â€Å"You!† he cries accusingly. While Daddy’s diagnosis rings true, it is suspiciously familiar. Indeed, it repeats Daddy’s own remark to himself in Act II, in which he exclaims in disgust over the mendacity in his staying with Big Mama for forty years. Brick himself has echoed Daddy’s outburst on mendacity as a feint, as another way of â€Å"passing the buck†. Daddy has interpreted its hidden truth. It also seems, however, t hat he has perhaps projected his own disgust with mendacity onto Brick, highlighting the narcissistic nature of the relationship they share. Williams created the  relationship between Brick and Big Daddy to represent a degree of honesty in a play that is saturated in lies and secrets. Although they are not entirely open with each other, they share a mutual respect which means they are truthful and Williams uses them to bring to the surface Big Daddy’s true opinions on his family and their attitudes towards him, and the inheritance they so desperately desire. Another technique Williams uses to highlight mendacity in the family is through the way the characters of Mae and Gooper are portrayed. Supposedly the example of an ideal family with five â€Å"no-neck monsters† they call children, Mae, Gooper and their children appear grotesque and irritating to both the audience and Big Daddy. They personify the human nature of greed and are known to be manipulative by constantly â€Å"sneakin’ and spyin’† on Brick and Maggie and reporting to Big Mamma the many problems they have within their marriage, including how they don’t sleep together. Williams uses comparison between the ugly yet child-bearing Mae and Gooper and the beautiful childless couple Maggie and Brick to highlight how greed and the desire to inherit Big Daddy’s fortune is the only reason they spawned their â€Å"five same little monkeys†. At the end of Act II when Brick confesses to Big Daddy that he is in fact dying, he loses his temper branding his family bar Brick â€Å"LYING SONS OF – LYING BITCHES†. Williams uses Big Daddy’s description to Brick of the relief he felt on hearing he was supposedly all clear of cancer to build up tension in the scene. Brick, although almost completely void of emotion in other scenarios, feels guilt upon hearing Big Daddy’s plans when he though he had his life back. Williams continuously uses the word â€Å"rot† in Big Daddy’s dialogue; for example when he says â€Å"Why should I do that? – Subsidize worthless behaviour? Rot? Corruption?† By doing this he is subliminally making the character of Big Daddy make unknowing references to his cancer, which symbolises the way that the family knows about his illness, but Big Daddy himself is unaware. The whole time Williams is building up drama for the climax of the scene when Brick accidentally tells Big Daddy that he is, in fact, dying. In conclusion mendacity is a tool used by Williams to build up tension in the play. Williams uses the character of Big Daddy and his naivety towards his terminal illness to highlight the extent of the lies and secrets his own family were keeping from him. The way in which the scenes flow is also another method the playwright uses to create suspense and dramatic tension;  although the dialogue is fast paced the conversations between characters, particularly Brick and Big Daddy, are gradually built up to a climactic state until an interruption of some sort, which slows the pace of the dialogue back down. The time period in which the book is set, in Mississippi in the mid 1950’s, contributes to the use of mendacity in the play. Williams understood the gossiping nature of the communities on the deep south of America and uses what would have been the pressure to be well presented to your peers to explain why Brick and Maggie had stayed together when Maggie’s love is unrequited.

Euthanasia - Just the Facts essays

Euthanasia - Just the Facts essays One of the most public and controversial social issues today surrounds the issues of euthanasia. The outcome of that debate will profoundly affect family relationships, interaction between doctors and patients, and concepts of basic ethical behavior. With so much at stake, more is needed than a duel of one-liners, slogans and sound bites. Euthanasia is a rapidly growing social problem. The opinions on this topic are influenced by different groups and beliefs, such as religion, culture, governmental standards, and personal beliefs causing euthanasia to become a major social problem in the world today.. Euthanasia has been an intense issue all over the world causing a constant debate among differing opinions. Oregon and the Netherlands have legalized euthanasia giving permission to the physician for the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. Purely at an objective point of view, euthanasia is definitely considered a social problem. Euthanasia is defined by The American Heritage Dictionary as "the action of killing an individual for reasons considered to be merciful". Here, killing is described as the physical action where one individual actively kills another. Euthanasia is tolerated in the medical field under certain circumstances when a patient is suffering profoundly and death is inevitable. However, the word "euthanasia" is much more difficult to define. Each person may define euthanasia differently. Who is to decide whether a death is good or not? Is any form of death good? All of these questions can be answered differently by each person. It is generally taken today to mean that act which a health care professional carries out to help his/her patient achieve a good death. There should be no conflict between hospice and euthanasia, both are valid options in a caring society. Both are appropriate to different people with ...

Latin Names for Days of the Week

Latin Names for Days of the Week Romans named the days of the week after the seven  known planets–or rather, celestial bodies- which had been named after Roman gods: Sol, Luna, Mars, Mercury, Jove (Jupiter), Venus,  and Saturn. As used in the Roman calendar, the gods names were in the genitive singular case, which meant each day was a day of or assigned to a certain god. dies Solis,  day of the Sundies Lunae,  day of the Moondies Martis,  day of Mars (Roman god of war)dies Mercurii,  day of Mercury  (Roman messenger of the gods and god of commerce, travel, thievery, eloquence,  and science.)  dies Iovis,  day of Jupiter (Roman god who created thunder and lightning; patron of the  Ã‚  Roman state)  dies Veneris,  day of Venus  (Roman goddess of love and beauty)dies Saturni,  day of Saturn  (Roman god of agriculture) Latin and Modern Romance Languages All of the Romance languages–French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, and others- were derived from Latin. The development of those languages over the last 2,000 years has been traced using ancient documents, but even without looking at those documents, the modern-day names of the week have clear similarities to the Latin terms. Even the Latin word for days (dies) is derived from the Latin  from the gods (deus,  diis  ablative plural), and it too is reflected in the endings of the Romance language day terms (di or es). Latin Days of the Week and Romance Language Cognates (English) Latin French Spanish Italian MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday dies Lunaedies Martisdies Mercuriidies Iovisdies Venerisdies Saturnidies Solis LundiMardiMercrediJeudiVendrediSamediDimanche lunesmartesmià ©rcolesjuevesviernessbadodomingo lunedà ¬martedà ¬mercoledà ¬giovedà ¬venerdà ¬sabatodomenica Origins of the Seven-Planet Week Although the names of the week used by modern languages dont refer to gods that modern people worship, the Roman names definitely did name the days after the celestial bodies associated with particular gods- and so did other ancient calendars. The modern seven-day week with days named after gods associated with celestial bodies, is likely to have originated in Mesopotamia between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE. The lunar-based Babylonian month had four seven-day periods, with one or two extra days to account for the movements of the moon. The seven days were (probably) named for the seven known major celestial bodies, or rather for their most important deities associated with those bodies. That calendar was communicated to the Hebrews during the Judean exile in Babylon (586–537 BCE), who were forced to use the imperial calendar of Nebuchadnezzar and adopted it for their own use after they returned to Jerusalem. Theres no direct evidence for the use of celestial bodies as name days in Babylonia- but there is in the Judean calendar. The seventh day is called Shabbat in the Hebrew bible- the Aramaic term is shabta and in English Sabbath. All of those terms are derived from the Babylonian word shabbatu, originally associated with the full moon. All of the Indo-European languages use some form of the word to refer to Saturday or Sunday; the Babylonian sun god was named Shamash. Planetary Gods Planet Babylonian Latin Greek Sanskrit Sun Shamash Sol Helios Surya, Aditya, Ravi Moon Sin Luna Selene Chandra, Soma Mars Nergal Mars Ares Angaraka, Mangala Mercury Nabu Mercurius Hermes Budh Jupiter Marduk Iupiter Zeus Brishaspati, Cura Venus Ishtar Venus Aphrodite Shukra Saturn Ninurta Saturnus Kronos Shani Adoption of the Seven Day Planetary Week The Greeks adopted the calendar from the Babylonians, but the rest of the Mediterranean region and beyond did not adopt the seven day week until the first century CE. That spread into the hinterlands of the Roman empire is attributed to the Jewish diaspora, when the Jewish people left Israel for the far-flung elements of the Roman empire after the Second Temple destruction in 70 CE. The Romans didnt borrow directly from the Babylonians, they emulated the Greeks, who did. Graffiti in Pompeii, destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE, includes references to the days of the week named by a planetary god. But in general, the seven-day  week  was not widely used until the Roman Emperor  Constantine the Great (306–337 CE) introduced the seven-day week into the Julian calendar. The early Christian church leaders were appalled at the use of pagan gods for names and did their best to replace them with numbers, but with no long-lasting success.   -Edited by Carly Silver Sources and Further Reading Falk, Michael. Astronomical Names for the Days of the Week. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada 93:122–133Ker, James. Nundinae: The Culture of the Roman Week. Phoenix 64.3/4 (2010): 360–85. Print.MacMullen, Ramsay. Market-Days in the Roman Empire. Phoenix 24.4 (1970): 333–41. Print.Oppenheim, A. L. The Neo-Babylonian Week Again. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 97 (1945): 27–29. Print.Ross, Kelley. The Days of the Week. The Proceedings of the Friesian School, 2015.Stern, Sacha. The Babylonian Calendar at Elephantine. Zeitschrift fà ¼r Papyrologie und Epigraphik 130 (2000): 159–71. Print.

Can social media act as a platform for counter hegemony Research Paper

Can social media act as a platform for counter hegemony - Research Paper Example Social media channels did not cause uprising but played a significant role in sharing information. This paper seeks to discuss the primary role performed by social media during the 2011 Egyptian revolution (Attia, Assaf, El, Kaldas, Mo, & El-Shazly, 2011). It will explore the question whether the social media acted as a platform for counter hegemony. Finally, it will analyze theories discussing the linkage between social media and power, and how social media challenged the authority of Mubarak. Discussion Social media acts as the XXI century pamphlet, a way that individuals who are frustrated and unsatisfied with the status quo can plan and organize themselves and stage or coordinate protest. There are various theories that discuss the relationship between social media and power, for example, Antonio Gramsci and Marxism theory. Hegemony is a term that emanated from Karl Marx writing. It was intellectualized by a Marxist social philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, who lived in Italy. Gramsci subscribed to Marxist idea of the historical dialectic. This implies that based on the classic Marxist theories, communities or societies must change over time from oppressive systems of the economy to highly liberating ones till the society finally attains the Utopian communism state (Sowers & Toensing, 2012). Marx asserted that capitalism was a subordinate system of economy because of the unequal wealth and power distribution among the few powerful individuals. Moreover, he argued that ultimately, the capitalism would be overthrown by the masses and shift to the system that is less oppressive. Gramsci employs â€Å"hegemony† to theorize the fundamental condition for effective overthrow of both the powerful (bourgeoisie) by the proletariat (ruled) and its allies (for instance, the peasantry), and the bourgeois power structures in the Western European states during XIX and XX century. Gramsci’s â€Å"hegemony† is the process of intellectual and moral leadership in which subordinate or dominated classes of post 1870 Western European industrial nations consent to their own suppression by the powerful classes, rather than being coerced or forced into accepting inferior ranks. According to Gramsci, hegemony is a form of control practiced by a dominant or powerful group. In the Marxist idea of a group dominating production means; Gramsci uses â€Å"essential group† to represent the â€Å"ruling class† (Terryn, 2011). For him, the Western European nations dominant class represented the bourgeoisie, who according to the Communist Manifesto are â€Å"the class or group of modern Capitalists, wage labour employers and the owners social production means, whereas, the vital subordinate class represented the proletariat, â€Å"the group of modern wage-laborers, without means personal production means, and thus, must sell their labour power to survive. Gramsci’s hegemony use can only be realized in the light of some of the conce pts he established and those of the Civil Society and the state. Gramsci argues that media promotes powerful or dominant powers structures in his broadly used hegemony theory. In media studies, the term hegemony is defined as ways in which media motivates individuals to consent to the status quo structures of power. In the case of the Egyptian revolution, Gramsci and Marxism theory reveals that the authoritarian leadership did their best to block and cut Internet access by the mass. Unfortunately, despite their efforts,

Accounting assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting assessment - Essay Example Therefore, Direct Labor Hours Rate (DLHR) is preferred for use in calculation the full cost of production. Costs based on DLH solely depends on how human labor is handled hence to improve on such costs, the direct human labor must be accorded the welfare it deserves so that they are efficient in their operations. Costs based on machine hours on the other hand can be managed based on how efficient and effective the machines are allowed to operate hence reducing the costs or making them manageable. If these costs are not improved, they may inflate cutting into the returns of the operations. a. It is not possible to classify all costs in either an organization as fixed or variable costs. This is because depending on the context in which the resource is used, there are many costs, which display a multitude of cost behavior (Bhimani 2012). Hence, the categorization of a cost is dependent on the assumptions made by the analyst. b. Fixed costs are costs, which remain constant irrespective of the activity level while variable costs will often change depending on the level of activity (Bhimani 2012). The classification of any of the above costs wrongly will mean that the costs calculations by the organization will be based on wrong data. This may in turn lead to wrong decisions being made by the management, which is detrimental to the operations of the organization. c. Contribution and profits are majorly different most so when they are taken from the income statement due to two major reasons. One, cost of goods sold may include both fixed and variable costs while the calculation of contribution is only based on sales revenue minus variable costs. Secondly, the calculation of contribution should include both selling and administration expenses which in the case of the income statement they come after gross margin