Genetically- Modified Foods and Ingredients Essay

Visiting a supermarket has become a usual experience of each one of us. We have to read all the labels that warn us against genetically-modified ingredients and its expiry date. I, try myself to calm down that epidemic services take control over dangerous products. Yet, I have my doubts in eating my favorite snack, French fries that is done in a fast food. The cumulative effect of genetically-modified foods is particularly dangerous for sensitive populations, including kids, elderly people and people who have indigestion people and even us, whose normal healthy living people. I have studies literature on genetically-modified ingredients, trying to be objective in my judgment. Genetically-modified ingredients advance the modern biology achievements. These products and ingredients strengthen the resistance to herbicides and improve nutritional food contents. Genetically-modified (GM) foods production lessens time-consuming than conventional breeding. Molecular Biologists have not discovered yet how harmful GM products and ingredients are but they claim that GM foods may be environmentally hazardous. Only allergy was recognized as negative effect of GM foods. We, cannot break out from the GM products, since two-thirds of genetically modified crops are corn, cotton, soybeans, potatoes even the fruits we eat. This is just a sign that we should be well inform on what is going in our world especially in our foods that can affect our living. We cannot escape from this advancement in our modern world but we, people, can prevent this to have real healthy living life style.

Medieval Period Essay

What is it all about? – it is all about the period, age or era after the fall of Roman Empire and the beginning of â€Å"rebirth† or the Rennaisance period. – it is the bridge with these two very important eras in literature. What is the meaning of medieval and period? – the term medieval comes from the latin word â€Å"medium aevum† which means â€Å"middle age†. Medieval was 1st used in the 19th century and the original spelling of it is â€Å"mediavel†. -period means a length of time that is very important in the history of the world or nation. What do you mean by A.D. and C.E. means? – A.D. means â€Å"anno domini† which is the latin for â€Å"in the year of our God† the year after his birth. – C.E. means â€Å"common era† Many writers prefer to use CE than AD .. so, AD and CE are just the same like BC which means Before Christ and BCE which means Before Common/Christian Era. Why it is called the Dark Age? But why it is also known as The Age of Faith? -at first, Medieval Period was called DA because of 4 reasons 1. Ignorance and brutality 2. No scientific accomplishments had been made 3. No great art produced 4. No great leaders born But when the scholars began to appreciate the medieval period’s architecture, philosophy, and literature, they labeled this as â€Å"The Age of Faith† because most of the works are centered on religous teachings in the reason that religion is the most powerful institutuion during the time. Describe Medieval Period. – pervasive christianity – poverty – ignorance – economic chaos – bad government – plague – cultural and artistic achievement – technological development Social Classes in Middle Ages 1. Royalty – highest social class (kings, queens, princes and princesses) 2. Nobility – (hereditary and non-hereditary nobility) 3. Hereditary Nobility – (dukes and dutchess, barons) 4. Non-Hereditary Nobility – (knights, popes, bishops, priests, monks,clergy) 5. Common People – (Serfs, freemen, slaves, peasants) Development of Medieval Period – there are three major divisions on the development of Medieval Period : Early, High and Late Middle Ages. How stuff works on the Early M.P.? 1. In this part is where the Dark Age is associated wherein literacy, ignorance and brutality are prevailing. 2. Christianity became the standard bearer of Western Civilization wherein the papacy gained authority 3. Feudalism is the manorial system 4. Monasteries were founded as campaign for Christian empowerment 5. North Africa and Middle East came under the rule of Caliphate, an Islamic Group How stuff works in the High M.P.? -it began after 1000AD 1. Technological and agricultural innovations flourished together with the population. 2. Climate changed to warm which allowed crop yield to increase. 3. Still feudalism is the manorial system. 4. Crusade – in 1905 – military attempt to regain control of the Middle Easter Holy Land from Caliphate 5. Kings became the heads of nation states, which lead to reduce of crime and violence 6. In this time, the first universities were founded and intellectual life began How stuff works in Late M.P.? 1. It is marked by difficulties and calamities including famine, plague and war. 2. Black Death – between 1347 amd 1350, a mysterious disease known as the Black Death (the bubonic plague). It killed some 20 million people in Europe. 3. Economic expansion, political centralization, and secularization foreshadowed due to transition from medieval to modern. Despite of difficulties and calamities, it is where medieval empowerment stimulated. 4. Age of exploration 5. The church was weakened by conflicts and quarrels between church and state 6. Peasants’ revolt. What are the causes of end of M.P? -1453 the capture of Constantipole by the Turk -1453 the end of the hundred years war between the English and Fench because of invasion -1492 the Muslims being rejected from Spain -1492 the discovery of America by Columbus -1512 the Protestant Reformation starting with the beginning of Rennaisance Period. Heritage of Medieval Period During the medieval period there were many advancements. Justice and Law Codes: Justinian’s Code,Great Council (Parliament), Magna Carta Trade and Business: Marketplace & Trade Fairs, Banks  Architecture: Cathedrals, Castles,Romanesque, Medieval, Gothic Architecture Formal Learning: Guilds, Universities Public Conduct: Code of Chivalry, Heraldry,Holy Relics Art: Stained Glass Windows, Tapestries,Gregorian Chants, Medieval Music, Epic Poetry,Troubadours, Illuminated Manuscripts, Mystery Plays, Miracle Plays, Morality Plays,Architecture Farming: Horse-drawn plow, Horse Collar, Horseshoes Seven new sites that dated from the medieval period added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Bolgar Historical and Archeological Complex (Russia) Namhansanseong (Republic of Korea) The Grand Canal (China) Silk Roads : The Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan) Rani-ki-Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat (India) Pyu Ancient Cities (Myanmar) Bursa and Cumalikizik: The Birth of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) Some of the significant Medieval Heritage Aachen Cathedral Abbey and Altenmà ¼nster of Lorsch Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe Amiens Cathedral Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments Bauhaus and its sites in Weimar and Dessau Beemster Polder Belfries of Belgium and France Benedictine Convent of St John at Mà ¼stair Bergpark Wilhelmshà ¶he Berlin Modernism Housing Estates Blenheim Palace Bordeaux, Port of the Moon Bourges Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brà ¼hl Cathedral of Notre-Dame,Former Abbey of Saint-Rà ©mi andPalace of Tau, Reims The Causses and the Cà ©vennesMedieval Literature Medieval Literature England is the birth place of Medieval Literature Latin was the common language for medieval writings Clergy are the people who write religious works The early literature of this period consists of sermons, prayers, lives of saints and homilies. -some of the noted works are 1. Green Knight 2. Sir Gawain 3. The Pearl 4. The Book of the Duchess 5. The Parliament of Fowls 6. The  House of Fame 7. Troilus and Criseyde 8. The Canterbury Tales 9. The Legend of Women 10. The Complaint of Chauser to his Empty Purse Types of Writings Religious – dominant form of literature Composed of hymns, liturgy, hagiographies,religious poems Some works of this type: Golden Legend of Ja Cobous de Voragine; Dies , Stabat Mater Outstanding Jewish writers : Maimonides – Spain; Rashi – France Secular – it is more on romance, heroism and it is not in religious works Composed of epic, courtly love, political poetry, songs Prominent Jewish authors: Solomon ibn Gabirol and Yehuda Haleui Outstanding writer: Geoffrey Chauser Women’s Literature – in this type women of Medieval period are the writers and it is not about the works pertained to women of M.P. Composed of works that have been written by women, mostly nuns Noted authors : Clare of Asisi, Bridget of Sweden, Catherine of Seine – They are canonaized as saints and their works are reflections, revelations and prayers Marie de France and Christine de Viza – their works focused on courtly love Revelations of Divine Love – 1st published book in English language that was written by a woman Allegory – medieval lit. makes use of many literary devices and allegory is very prominent in the period. Much works relied on allegory to convey the morals that the author had in mind while writing are representation of abstract qualities, events and institutions. Most influential allegory – Psychomachia (Battle of Souls) by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius Some works on this type: Romance of the Rose, Everyman, Piers Plowman, Roman de Fauvel and The Divine Comedy. Characteristics of Medieval Literature Figures of speech are numerous Highly religious Frequently intended to teach morals Descriptions are ornate and pretty Techniques of the dream vision used frequently Pleasant aspects of nature predominate New forms of rhythm and rhyme Women take a place in literature Elegance of speech and manners Works were handwritten Love is considered as a pure love Conveying the classic culture of Greece and Rome Works are more on re-telling than new invent stories Next to religious, heroism is Dominant Names of the individual authors are much less important Why most of the works in Medieval Period are anonymous? Medieval lit. was copied by hand and many volumes were lost over the following centuries. Names of the authors did not mean much to medieval citizen, only if they were very famous. Thus, unimportant names would sometimes be left out of a book during the process of copying. If the original volume was lost, there wouldn’t be any written proof of authorship. And one more reason is that some books were controversial or anti, and any author connected with these books would be condemned to death. And to avoid any problems, even if there are no controversial contents of their work, they are not writing their names. â€Å"Listen, Understand and Appreciate – these will make your students respect and love you as their second parent† – anonymous

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

Laukemia - Term Paper Example This factor does not help the normal blood cells to carry out their work. Leukemia begins in the bone marrow and later spreads throughout the body. Mostly, a bone marrow test is carried out to identify leukemia. Both adults and children can develop this disease. â€Å"Although leukemia often is thought to be a childhood disease, in fact, the disease strikes 10 times as many adults as children.† (Leukemia Facts & Figures, n.d.) Though exact reason for a person to develop leukemia is not known, many significant clinical trials have been done on the development of Leukemia. Every year, around 250,000 people are being identified to have developed leukemia and over 200,000 of them die (Vogt, 2010). The treatment methods for this disease are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy. Though there are many tests to diagnose leukemia, the diagnosis itself may be delayed due to delayed symptoms or symptoms which resemble other conditions. The diagnosis of leukemia may vary acco rding to the kind of leukemia that has developed in a person. Statistics say that â€Å"in the United States about 2,000 children and 27,000 adults are diagnosed each year with leukemia† (Leukemia Information, 2011). Survival rates have increased considerably in the years before due to improvements in treatment. Symptoms of this disease may not be noticeable many times, particularly in chronic leukemia, but people may get symptoms like tiredness, inexplicable weight loss, and fever at times. Other symptoms of leukemia like headaches, joint pain, and pain in the belly due to enlarged spleen may also be noticed. Types of Leukemia Leukemia has been divided into various groups. Leukemia is a term covering four forms of diseases of the blood and bone marrow. These include â€Å"acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myelogenous leukemia†. These two types of leukemia progress rapidly while the other two types, â€Å"the chronic lymphocytic leukemia and chronic myelogenous leu kemia, progress slowly† (Leukemia, n.d.). Acute leukemia exemplifies swift increase of immature blood cells. Instant and necessary treatment is required in acute leukemia due to this fast development and growth of the abnormal cells. The acute form of leukemia is most common in children. Chronic leukemia is found in those that progress relatively slow when compared to acute forms. The chronic leukemia cells are abnormal white blood cells that take many months or years to progress. The cells are produced much more in number than normal cells. Chronic leukemia is monitored for a certain amount of time before initializing treatment so as to make sure the maximum usefulness of therapy. This form of leukemia is more often found in elderly people but occurs in any age. Leukemia is further divided into various types (What is Leukemia? What causes Leukemia, 2009): 1. Acute lymphocytic leukemia: This form of leukemia is more common in young children. This disease is also found in older people who are 65 years and above. The standard treatment for this type would be chemotherapy and radiation. The rate of survival is 85% in children and 50% in adults. 2. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: This is most frequently found in adults over 55 years of age. This type is seldom found in children. The rate of survival is five years and is found in adults. It is not curable. 3. Acute myelogenous leukemia: This form is more easily found in adults than children and in men than women.

The Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Global Economy - Essay Example According to McTaggart aggregate supply is defined as the total supply of goods and services by a national economy in a certain figure of the time. On the other hand, aggregate demand is the total demand of national economy for a certain period of time. Basic Economics suggests that the increase in price will directly affect supply and adversely affect demand. Thus, in the AD and AS diagram, AD follows a negative scope and AS illustrates a positive slope. All economic activities affect both AS and AD. This reality is important to understand before appraising the effects of all economic circumstances in other aspects. For the government, having low unemployment rate is a primary goal. Definitely, it is important for all individuals to have quality employment and for those not in the labor force to have ample opportunities to be employed. As the unemployment decreases, it is expected that most households have income. This results to higher demands and will eventually increase AD. The increase in AD generally improves the Gross Domestic Product since household consumption will also increase. Also, the income of the government is boosted because taxes in income will increase in the same manner as the taxes imposed on goods and services. In contrast, it has been noted that the decrease in the unemployment rate will have an effect on inflation. Inflation is defined as the increase in general prices as measured with the baseline of purchasing power. Usually, inflation is caused by the supply of money and the demand power of consumers.

Personal Journey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Journey - Essay Example The time we are kids, we have our own choices and preferences about anything we come across without containment parts imposed by elders in the family or the peer group we live in. As Erikson says, at each stage, there must develop an ego capability for the further development of personality (Slee 2002, p.53). I remember the days which I was always free from entrustments of heavy burdens or ethical values to be added to my life unlike now. I had my schooling done in a comparatively small town with not many things to speak great bout those days. I can never say that I was at compromise with anything I longed for. I used to have good and fashionable clothes and lots of fun with very good friends. I must say, they should be the real gift of God. We had resourceful teachers to guide us through the high school education where the school was rated one of the top ten schools in the state. Since my physique was quite athletic, I was directed to join various training campaigns to get trained for competitive events at different levels. At times I was successful, but never did I have the feel that I would ever become a sports man. It may be the case because; I was much concerned about the humane elements of life. As an innate nature, I always liked to be of some help to people around me. Even today, I feel puzzled when I try to consolidate my present life with what I expected myself to be. It is for sure, my being a doctor was not an overnight affair. It took me several years of study and researches to become at lest what I am now. A clear – cut study of evolutions happened in me may get you the idea about how people change themselves through different ages. I would never like to accept that I have done something to change myself; therefore, I can say that life changes on its way with condition pertaining to stages of life. According to Erikson, â€Å"the adulthood stage focuses

Do Entrepreneurs have Taits or Cognitive Biases that make them Essay

Do Entrepreneurs have Taits or Cognitive Biases that make them different from other Individuals - Essay Example It is hard to specify a personality pattern for the entrepreneurs. Probably, the varieties of personality among the entrepreneurs are just as many as the number of entrepreneurs. However, there are certain characteristics that are common in most of the entrepreneurs. â€Å"[E]ntrepreneurs are business creators that are characterized by the following cognitive aspects: they have a creative and knowing cognitive style, use intuition to make decisions, develop expert scripts, are self-ef?cient in the perception and development of opportunities, create an innovative environment, cope with unexpected challenges, develop investor relations, de?ne business goals, develop human resources, and are prone to innovation and risk taking† (Sanchez, Carballo, and Gutierrez, 2011, p. 436). Research conducted by David McClelland revealed a distinct cluster of personality traits typical of the founders of companies that exhibited rapid growth. McClelland found a high need for achievement among these entrepreneurs. The growth-oriented entrepreneurs have a strong need to succeed and accomplish tough tasks. These entrepreneurs derive the desire for independence from the very desire for achievement. Their need for achievement makes the growth-oriented entrepreneurs to keeping moving from one firm to another. They need constant recognition. Growth-oriented entrepreneurs are very articulate in their manner. They have a low need to conform. This means that although they listen to others, yet they are able to do as they wish. They may go out of the way to do a thing if they consider it right. These entrepreneurs normally work for anywhere between a sixty to eighty hours per week in order to achieve their goals irrespective of the amount of stamina it requires. Growth-oriented entrepreneurs accept risks. The risk involved in the work is too little as compared to the courage and confidence, and the need for achievement of these entrepreneurs. These five personality traits i.e. high need for achievement, low need to comply, persistence, high level of energy and immense tendency to take risk can be condensed into four basic attitudes that are typical of the successful entrepreneurs. These four basic attitudes are optimism, commitment, focus, and drive. Entrepreneurs are generally very optimistic in their approach of thinking and are opportunists (Keh, Foo, and Lim, 2002). The very optimism helps them deal with failures in the rational way. They are confident about the rightness of their cause. Entrepreneurs generally have an external locus of control. â€Å"The concept of locus of control refers to a generalized belief that a person can or cannot control his or her own destiny and individuals are classified along a continuum from very internal to very external† (Oben et al., 2011. p. 112). Pessimists consider failure a consequence of their personal mistakes and think that it would last long whereas optimistic entrepreneurs consider that failure occurs fr om a cause that is beyond their control and that it is short-lived. One of the most fundamental personality traits that entrepreneurs require to succeed is commitment. A business is not made successful overnight. It might take years for a business to reach a level wherein the entrepreneur can become successful. In the time that is spent in between, the entrepreneur

Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligence Research Paper

Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligence - Research Paper Example Before discussing the theory of Multiple Intelligences in detail, let us get a brief introduction of the theorist, Howard Gardner. Howard Gardner was born in the United States in 1943. He got his major education from Harvard University where he studied history, social relations, psychology, and human behaviors. His ideological beliefs and perceptions are influenced by some key figures related to the fields of psychology and sociology. Some of those prominent figures include Nelson Goodman, Jean piaget, Erik Erikson, and Jerome Bruner. Currently, Garner is serving as a professor in Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard University.Seven Intelligences of the Theory Multiple intelligence theory suggests that humans usually have a variety of intelligences that are independent of each other (Marchetti, n.d.). This theory is more humane and veridical as compared to alternative views of intelligence (Gardner, 2006, p. 6). The seven intelligences included in the Howard Gardner†™s Multiple Intelligences model are linguistic intelligence, logical/mathematical intelligence, musical intelligence, bodily/kinesthetic intelligence, visual/spatial intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence (Bogin, 2012). Let us discuss all of them in detail in order to develop an understanding of key intelligences.This intelligence refers to the use of language to accomplish certain goals. A person can use language to write something, learn something, and to express his/her feelings to others.  Ã‚  

Nuclear weapons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuclear weapons - Essay Example This is addition to looking at the consequences of having such weapons on the world in terms of economic and social implications. Morality, Prudence, and Nuclear Weapons states clearly that nuclear weapons are used for their traditional role in the pursuit of national security, where even their deployment is for the same purpose (Lee 1996, p.2). This brings out the question of moral authority over why they own them, as without these weapons there can still be peace and security in any given country including those that possess these weapons. As such, the justification for the possession of the weapons does not lie with the efficiency of military power or even national security, in which case the implications are that provided those in military leadership find the possession and use acceptable, then they should be kept. It is as a result of this that countries own these weapons of mass destruction to achieve their own ends, and these ends are not necessarily the ends of every citizen whom they lead because the weapons are the disposal of the military, at the command of the president and even military leaders (Paret 1986, p.762). In addition to this, there is the potential that these weapons are owned by some nations for the sole purpose of intimidation so as to protect overseas interests and assists as said by Caldicott (2004, p.73). In this case, he argues that there is no way that any country or military power would use nuclear weapons against its own citizens, and then he goes on to state that some countries have enormous oversees interests. As a result, the legitimacy for having these nuclear weapons is to protect the country from any external acts of aggression by other nations, just as the tradition of war goes. Besides this, the argument of having a peaceful world that is free of threats to national insecurity is a new justification to the possession of nuclear weapons owing to the presentation of new information in makers of new strategy. In this case, i t is said that all wars since the inception of the nuclear weapons have been irrational and impossible due to the possibility of destroying the enemy finally (Lee 1996, p.12). From this perspective, justification is that nuclear weapons make the world a safe place by use of the theory of nuclear deterrence, where no nation dares wage war due to the possibility of obviation in the event of nuclear warfare. Therefore, war becomes outdated considering the nuclear arsenal available to the world in modern times and the countries that hold this arsenal are the ones that control the eventuality of war and ensure that the world is protected from itself and international feuds likely to explode into full-blown wars. In addition, there is the question of power, which can be brought up in reply to why some nations own nuclear weapons, which can directly point towards abuse. With this, nuclear power amongst the countries in possession of these arms is indicative of how they keep the world in ch eck concerning the improved tactics of warfare across the world that are not restricted to guerrilla warfare, but go as far as air strikes with enhanced accuracy. This is especially so in modern times and based on recent events and history that goes as far back as the 1950s to show what possession of nuclear weapons has saved the world from destroying itself. Looking again at the abuse of power, the cold war can be used to show the consequences of having nuclear arms, and this does not paint a good picture at all for the world as a whole. In spite of claiming that nuclear weapons ring stability to the world, they also focus power on a few nations that then get into conflict as shown in the cold war of the 1980s. Consequently, the justification of nuclear wea

Facial Recognition Biometrics Essay Example for Free

Facial Recognition Biometrics Essay Traditional personal identification and authentication methods always have the danger of being stolen, duplicated or forgotten. Hence, biometrics was introduced as an identification and authentication technology, where physical features would be used for recognizing a person. This technology uses many features for unique identification like fingerprints, face, irises and voice. Fingerprints are by far the most popular techniques used for i8dentification, because of their traditional use in forensics. However, face recognition is considered to be the more direct, friendly and convenient method for identification as compared to fingerprint identification. This has made face recognition system as the second most widely used biometric technology after fingerprinting with a projected revenue of $429 million in 2007, according to Raicu Strandburg (2005). This growth in the use of this technology is attributed to the sharp rise in the number of digital cameras and camcorders and inconsequence surveillance cameras. The purpose of this paper is to analyze this technology, explain its basic principle, look into the limitations of the technology and the research work being done in this field. Face Recognition Face recognition consists of two steps: face detection and location; features extraction and face recognition. Figure below shows a flowchart of the face recognition system: Fig -1 Flow chart of a basic face recognition system (Zhang, 2000) Face Detection and Location – This step checks if the given image or image sequence includes faces. It yes, then it locates the position of the faces and segments each face from the background Features extraction and face recognition – This step checks the various features that distinguish different individuals. It figures whether the people in the image are the given person or if he / she are in the database. Needless to say, the face recognition system depends upon the input of the system. The importance of the input and picture background is explained by Zhang (2000) by giving the following example. The picture taken during log in on a system and passing custom are controlled. That is to say the background is uniform for the images or image sequences. The pose, orientation etc is also known and well controlled. This makes the process of face recognition is accurate and faster. However, in case of an input environment which is universal for all situations, there might be number of faces and also a complex background. The location of the face and its size is not known, the illumination on the different faces in a picture is different and their expressions might be different too. In such cases, the face detection and location is difficult. Face recognition can be made difficult due to different expressions, orientations and age, making the process of feature extraction and face recognition all the more difficult (Zhang, 2000) One important parameter in the evaluation of a face-processing system is the performance evaluation. The basic measurement parameters are the same as that for pattern recognition system FA i. e. false acceptance or false positive and FR i. e. false rejection or false negative. As in case of a pattern recognition system, an ideal face-recognition system should have very low scores of FA and FR, but a practical system usually makes trade-offs between these two factors. History of Face Processing Systems Development According to Zhao Chellappa (2006), the earliest work on face recognition can be traced to the early 1950s in psychology and 1960s in engineering literature. However, the research on automatic machine recognition of faces started in 1970s after the work of Kanade and Kelly. For over 30 years extensive research has been conducted on various aspects of face recognition by humans and machines. During early and mid 1970s typical pattern-classification techniques using measured attribute of features for instance the distances between important points in faces or profiles were used. In 1980s, the work in this field remained largely dormant. The interest in this field was renewed in 1990s due to an increase in commercial opportunities, availability of real-time hardware and emergence of surveillance related applications. During this time the research was focused on how to make the face-recognition systems fully automatic by tackling various underlying problems like localization of a face in a given image or a video clip and extraction of features such as eyes, mouth etc (Zhao Chellappa, 2006) Applications of Face processing The applications of face processing vary, leading to different features extraction and face recognition. For instance, one application is the face verification, which means that the person is who he claims to be. This is used in places like banks for identity confirmation. Another application is to check if the person exists in the database and if yes than which one. This is known as face recognition and used in surveillance systems in offices. A variation of this is when we wish to have a list of candidates with a specific set of specified features. This is used in the police department (Zhang, 2000) The table below gives some applications of face processing including detection and tracking, recognition of identity and expressions, and also personalized realistic rendering (Zhao Chellappa, 2006).

Chinas Managed Float Essay Example for Free

Chinas Managed Float Essay The  RMB  is  unlikely  to  be  floated  freely  in  the  near  term  as  the  countrys  economyfaces  internal  difficulties  during  its  reform  drive  and  external  uncertainties  of  the  globaleconomy,  the  report  quoted  Xia  Bin,  a  member  of  the  monetary  policy  committee  of  thePeoples  Bank  of  China  (PBOC),  or  the  central  bank,  as  saying. To  create  a  relatively  stable  exchange  rate  formation  environment,  the  governmenthas  to  gradually  open  its  capital  market,  so  the  RMB  can  not  go  global  too  soon,China  moved  to  shift  from  a  conventional  dollar  peg  system  to  a  managed  floatingexchange  rate  system  in  2005,  which  means  the  central  bank  now  does  not  link  theyuan  only  to  the  U. S. dollar. Chinas  RMB  go  global  drive  requires  totally  free  exchange  of  the  yuan,  which  meansthe  regulation  of  capital  accounts  should  be  fully  opened,  and  that  exchange  rates  willbe  largely  determined  by  the  demand  and  supply  in  both  domestic  and  global  markets. But  the  country  can  not  handle  this  at  its  current  stage  of  economic  development,  Xiasaid. Xia  suggested  that  the  government  should  well  coordinate  policies  concerning  theexchange  rate,  capital  management  and  reform  while  matching  the  reform  of  itsexchange  rate  policy  with  that  of  capital  management  during  the  RMBs  regionalizationprocess.

The Difference Between Men And Women

The Difference Between Men And Women Understanding The Difference Between Men And Women For centuries, the differences between men and women were socially defined and distorted through a lens of sexism in which men assumed superiority over women and maintained it through domination. As the goal of equality between men and women now grows closer we are also losing our awareness of important differences. In some circles of society, politically correct thinking is obliterating important discussion as well as our awareness of the similarities and differences between men and women. The vision of equality between the sexes has narrowed the possibilities for discovery of what truly exists within a man and within a woman. The world is less interesting when everything is same. It is my position that men and women are equal but different. When I say equal, I mean that men and women have a right to equal opportunity and protection under the law. The fact that people in this country are assured these rights does not negate my observation that men and women are at least as different psychologically as they are physically. None of us would argue the fact that men and women are physically different. The physical differences are rather obvious and most of these can be seen and easily measured. Weight, shape, size and anatomy are not political opinions but rather tangible and easily measured. The physical differences between men and women provide functional advantages and have survival value. Men usually have greater upper body strength, build muscle easily, have thicker skin, bruise less easily and have a lower threshold of awareness of injuries to their extremities. Men are essentially built for physical confrontation and the use of force. Their joints are well suited for throwing objects. A man’s skull is almost always thicker and stronger than a women’s. The stereotype that men are more thick-headed than women is not far fetched. A man’s thick headedness, and other anatomical differences have been associated with a uniquely male attraction to high speed activities and reckless beh avior that usually involve collisions with other males or automobiles. Men invented the game chicken, not women. Men, and a number of other male species of animal seem to charge and crash into each other a great deal in their spare time. Women on the other hand have four times as many brain cells (neurons) connecting the right and left side of their brain. This latter finding provides physical evidence that supports the observation that men rely easily and more heavily on their left brain to solve one problem one step at a time. Women have more efficient access to both sides of their brain and therefore greater use of their right brain. Women can focus on more than one problem at one time and frequently prefer to solve problems through multiple activities at a time. Nearly every parent has observed how young girls find the conversations of young boys boring. Young boys express confusion and would rather play sports than participate actively in a conversation between 5 girls who are discussing as many as three subjects at once! The psychological differences between man and women are less obvious. They can be difficult to describe. Yet these differences can profoundly influence how we form and maintain relationships that can range from work and friendships to marriage and parenting. Recognizing, understanding, discussing as well as acting skillfully in light of the differences between men and women can be difficult. Our failure to recognize and appreciate these differences can become a life long source of disappointment, frustration, tension and eventually our downfall in a relationship. Not only can these differences destroy a promising relationship, but most people will grudgingly accept or learn to live with the consequences. Eventually they find some compromise or way to cope. Few people ever work past these difficulties. People tend to accept what they don’t understand when they feel powerless to change it. Relationships between men and women are not impossible or necessarily difficult. Problems simply arise when we expect or assume the opposite sex should think, feel or act the way we do. It’s not that men and women live in completely different realities. Rather, our lack of knowledge and mutual experience gives rise to our difficulties. Despite great strides in this country toward equality, modern society hasn’t made relationships between men and women any easier. Today’s society has taught us and has imposed on us the expectation that men and women should live together continuously, in communion, and in harmony. These expectations are not only unrealistic but ultimately they leave people feeling unloved, inadequate, cynical, apathetic or ashamed. The challenge facing men and women is to become aware of their identities, to accept their differences, and to live their lives fully and as skillfully as possible. To do this we must first understand in what ways we are different. We must avoid trying to change others to suit our needs. The following illustrates some important differences between men and women. These differences are not absolute. They describe how men and women are in most situations most of the time. Problems Men and women approach problems with similar goals but with different considerations. While men and women can solve problems equally well, their approach and their process are often quit different. For most women, sharing and discussing a problem presents an opportunity to explore, deepen or strengthen the relationship with the person they are talking with. Woman are usually more concerned about how problems are solved than merely solving the problem itself. For women, solving a problem can profoundly impact whether they feel closer and less alone or whether they feel distant and less connected. The process of solving a problem can strengthen or weaken a relationship. Most men are less concerned and do not feel the same as women when solving a problem. Men approach problems in a very different manner than women. For most men, solving a problem presents an opportunity to demonstrate their competence, their strength of resolve, and their commitment to a relationship. How the problem is solved is not nearly as important as solving it effectively and in the best possible manner. Men have a tendency to dominate and to assume authority in a problem solving process. They set aside their feelings provided the dominance hierarchy was agreed upon in advance and respected. They are often distracted and do not attend well to the quality of the relationship while solving problems. Some of the more important differences can be illustrated by observing groups of young teenage boys and groups of young teenage girls when they attempt to find their way out of a maze. A group of boys generally establish a hierarchy or chain of command with a leader who emerges on his own or through demonstrations of ability and power. Boys explore the maze using scouts while remaining in distant proximity to each other. Groups of girls tend to explore the maze together as a group without establishing a clear or dominant leader. Relationships tends to be co-equal. Girls tend to elicit discussion a nd employ collective intelligence to the task of discovering a way out. Girls tend to work their way through the maze as a group. Boys tend to search and explore using structured links and a chain of command. Thinking While men and women can reach similar conclusions and make similar decisions, the process they use can be quit different and in some cases can lead to entirely different outcomes. In general, men and women consider and process information differently. Women tend to be intuitive global thinkers. They consider multiple sources of information within a process that can be described as simultaneous, global in perspective and will view elements in the task in terms of their interconnectedness. Women come to understand and consider problems all at once. They take a broad or collective perspective, and they view elements in a task as interconnected and interdependent. Women are prone to become overwhelmed with complexities that exist, or may exist, and may have difficulty separating their personal experience from problems. Men tend to focus on one problem at a time or a limited number of problems at a time. They have an enhanced ability to separate themselves from problems and minimize the c omplexity that may exist. Men come to understand and consider problems one piece at a time. They take a linear or sequential perspective, and view elements in a task as less interconnected and more independent. Men are prone to minimize and fail to appreciate subtleties that can be crucial to successful solutions. A male may work through a problem repeatedly, talking about the same thing over and over, rather than trying to address the the problem all at once. While there are differences in the ways that men and women think, it must be emphasized that they can and do solve problems in a similar manner. There are no absolutes, only tendencies. Memory Women have an enhanced ability to recall memories that have strong emotional components. They can also recall events or experiences that have similar emotions in common. Women are very adept at recalling information, events or experiences in which there is a common emotional theme. Men tend to recall events using strategies that rely on reconstructing the experience in terms of elements, tasks or activities that took place. Profound experiences that are associated with competition or physical activities are more easily recalled. There appears to be a structural and chemical basis for observed memory differences. For instance, the hippocampus, the area in the brain primarily responsible for memory, reacts differently to testosterone in men and it reacts differently to changing levels of estrogen and progesterone in women. Women tend to remember or be reminded of different emotional memories and content to some extent as part of their menstrual cycle. Sensitivity There is evidence to suggest that a great deal of the sensitivity that exists within men and women has a physiological basis. It has been observed that is many cases, women have an enhanced physical alarm response to danger or threat. Their autonomic and sympathetic systems have a lower threshold of arousal and greater reactivity than men. In both men and women, higher levels of testosterone directly affect the aggressive response and behavior centers of the brain. Increasing estrogen and progesterone in men has a feminizing effect. Sexually aggressive males become less focused on sexual aggressive behavior and content when they are given female hormones. On the other hand, changing estrogen and progesterone levels in women during menstrual cycles can produce a flood of memories as well as strong emotions. Increasing or high levels of testosterone can produce an emotional insensitivity, empathic block and increased indifference to the distress others. At the heart of sensitivity is o ur capacity to form, appreciate and maintain relationships that are rewarding. Even here there are important differences. For men, what demonstrates a solid relationship is quite different from that of most women. Men feel closer and validated through shared activities. Such activities include sports, competition, outdoor activities or sexual activities that are decidedly active and physical. While both men and women can appreciate and engage in these activities they often have preferential differences. Women, on the other hand, feel closer and validated through communication, dialogue and intimate sharing of experience, emotional content and personal perspectives. Many men tend to find such sharing and involvement uncomfortable, if not, overwhelming. The Task Of Relationship Facing Men and Women The task that faces men and women is to learn to accept their differences, avoid taking their differences as personal attempts to frustrate each other, and to compromise whenever possible. The idea that one gender can think and feel like the other if they truly loved each is rather absurd. Sure, a man or women could act in consideration of the other’s needs, but this would not necessarily be rewarding and honest. Holding the benefit of another above our own is rewarding. But from time to time, and more often for most of us, it is important to be our self and to be accepted, and not to be the source of distress and disappointment in the lives of people we love. The Role Of Counseling and Therapy Counseling and therapy can help a couple understand and appreciate each other, and even benefit from their differences. Understanding these differences intellectually is not enough. A counselor or therapist can help point out these differences, as they surface, and guide a couple to a greater level of relationship. Understanding that differences are not intentional and that misunderstandings are merely the result of expectations that are not realistic can make a huge difference in a relationship. The differences that can be sensed between a man and women can deepen their relationship. More importantly, when men seek to understand and appreciate that which is feminine, they come to a deeper understanding of their self. And when a women seeks to understand that which is masculine in men, they come to appreciate and understand more about their own masculinity. THE SOCIAL ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN In all societies the obvious biological difference between men and women is used as a justification for forcing them into different social roles which limit and shape their attitudes and behavior. That is to say, no society is content with the natural difference of sex, but each insists on adding to it a cultural difference of gender. The simple physical facts therefore always become associated with complex psychological qualities. It is not enough for a man to be male; he also has to appear masculine. A woman, in addition to being female, must also be feminine. However, once the contrast between men and women has been increased and accentuated in this fashion, it is usually taken as a further manifestation of biological differences which confirm the need for different social roles. Or, to put it another way, sex differences are used to create gender differences which are then explained as sex differences which, in turn, require gender differences, and so on. This may be no more than circular reasoning, but it is socially very effective. For example, in our own patriarchal society males enjoy a socially dominant position. Thus, from an early age, boys are helped to acquire a masculinity that allows them to assume and maintain that position. By the same token, girls are taught to cultivate a submissive femininity. The resulting difference in the male and female character is then described as inborn and used to defend the existing power arrangement. Only those who accept it are normal, and only they can expect to succeed. The male social role is designed to reward masculine men, while the female social role offers its relative advantages only to feminine women. (The aggressive man will run the bigger business; the pretty, agreeable woman will find the richer husband.) In other words, masculinity and femininity are gender qualities which are developed in response to social discrimination. However, once they have been developed, they justify and cement it. The masculine and feminine gender roles mutually reinforce each other and thereby perpetuate the inequality on which they are based. Obviously, this psychological mechanism can operate only as long as the behavior of men and women does not transgress the generally accepted limits. Every society tries therefore to prevent such transgressions by calling the socially defined gender roles natural, eternal, and unchangeable. Any person who refuses to accept them is persecuted as a deviant and punished as an offender not only against society, but against nature itself. An hist orical example of such deviance is the case of Joan of Arc who, as a young girl, not only led the French army to victory over the English, but also wore male clothing. In her later trial she was promptly accused of having thus violated the laws of nature. Over the centuries, many people have, of course, wondered why allegedly natural roles should need such rigorous social enforcement. After all, if they were truly natural, they would come naturally to both men and women. However, it is noteworthy that the advocates of the so-called natural inequality of the sexes resent nothing more than letting nature take its course. Yet, if their arguments were true, there would be no need to deny women equal opportunities, since they would be unable to compete with men. If women were naturally inferior, men would have nothing to fear. Therefore, the fact that many men do fear such competition raises sufficient doubt as to the validity of their claim. The truth is that human desires and capacities have a tendency to go beyond the narrow limits of our traditional gender roles. Indeed, it takes a constant combined effort by all social authorities to keep this tendency under control. Such social control appears not only externally, in the form of parental guidance, peer-group pressure, and law enforcement, but also internally in the form of concepts and values which determine the self-image of every individual, and it is in the individual mind where the confusion of sex and gender can create the most serious problems. For instance, men and women who feel that they do not fit the masculine and feminine stereotypes, or who resent them as too restrictive, may also develop ambiguous feelings about their biological sex. They may begin to wish for different bodies which would allow them to play a role more to their liking. Or, to take another example, since men have been told that women are socially and sexually passive, they are usually gravely disturbed by encountering a woman who is socially aggressive and who takes the initiative in sexual intercourse. Confronted with this lack of femininity in a woman, a man may feel tempted to dispute her womanhood. If this contention does not hold up in face of the evidence, he may instead begin to doubt his own masculinity and become sexually dysfunctional. Conversely, a handsome, gentle, and passive male may invite ridicule and may be denounced as a pervert or queer. Real women may regard him as less than a real man and therefore reject him as a sexual partner. However, the confusion goes still further. The notion that in every sexual encounter there has to be one active (masculine) and one passive (feminine) partner is so persistent that it not only ruins many heterosexual relationships, but also influences the behavior of certain homosexuals who feel compelled to model themselves after these stereotypes. By doing so, they give support to the curious belief that even in sexual relationships between members of the same sex, there always has to be one to play the man, while the other must assume the role of the woman. There is, in fact a general impression that every homosexual couple (whether male or female) consists of one active, masculine and one passive, feminine partner. People who hold this belief are, of course, at a total loss to explain phenomena like the famous homosexual elite troops of ancient Greece, which consisted entirely of male lovers. All of these views are based on a wrong conclusion drawn from a false assumption. The false assumption states that women are naturally passive, while men are naturally active. The wrong conclusion asserts that every passive person is playing a feminine role and that every active person is playing a masculine role. However, in actual fact neither sex nor gender need be characterized in this fashion. After all, in some human societies the role assignment for men and women is the reverse of our own. In short, there is nothing natural or definite about our sexual stereotypes. By the same token, full human equality will not be achieved until it becomes conceivable to both sexes that active and passive attitudes can be appropriate for either of them, and that even two active or two passive partners can have a rewarding relationship. This does not mean that, in an ideal future, all human differences will disappear. Indeed, once the old stereotypes have been discarded, the differences between individuals within each sex are likely to increase. Furthermore, under conditions of social equality, these individuals may also happily continue to play different gender roles. There should be no need to point out that there is nothing wrong with gender differences as such. They can greatly enrich our lives, as long as we understand that, in human beings, different does not have to mean superior or inferior. In other words, those who demand equal rights for men and women are not asking for drab uniformity, but for a social climate in which variety can flourish without being exploited. The following pages first elaborate further on the basic concepts of sex and gender and then offer a brief discussion of the different moral standards for men and women. Male Logic and Womens Intuition The split in our thinking between masculine and feminine is probably as old as language itself. Human beings seem to have a natural tendency to divide things into pairs: good/bad, light/dark, subject/object and so on. It is not surprising, then, that the male/female or masculine/feminine dichotomy is used to classify things other than men and women. Many languages actually classify all nouns as masculine or feminine (although not very consistently: for example, the Spanish masculine noun pollo means hen, while the feminine polla is slang for penis). This is perfectly natural; it is part of the way categorisation works in language. This does not, however, mean that it is right. It is probably unimportant whether a table or a chair is thought of as masculine or feminine. It may not even be very important these days whether we think of the sun as male and the moon as female (like the ancient Greeks) or vice versa (like most of the German tribes). However, when we start associating abstr act concepts like Reason or Nature with men and women, we run into serious difficulties. The association of Reason with men and Nature with women is well-known, and has been widely criticised. Aristotle defined Man as a rational animal, and by that he really meant men, not human beings. Unlike Plato, he saw women as less able to reason, hence less human and more animal. In Europe, well into the twentieth century, women were generally seen as somehow intellectually deficient. An English woman recently became Oxfords oldest graduate because although she had completed her degree course in the 1920s, at that time the university did not award degrees to female students. Presumably it would have decreased the status of the university to award degrees to an intellectually inferior sex! Nearly all societies, from hunting and gathering tribes to post-industrial nations, offer some kind of compensation to those who lose out in the status game. For example, among the practically matriarchal Zuni Indians of New Mexico, the economically powerless men were credited with the ability to make rain. Black slaves in the American South were thought to be naturally stronger (which they generally were), better at music and dancing (which they may have been) and more cheerful (highly unlikely for slaves, but a good justification for treating them badly). In the same way, women are compensated for their supposed inability to think rationally by a mysterious womens intuition. Attempts were made to justify this in biological terms; women were seen as naturally more emotional and/or in touch with Nature because of their strange biology (menstruation, hormones, vapours or whatever). This was about as scientific as the Zuni Indians theory that men could make rain. Men and women are, of course, biologically different. There are even significant differences in male and female brains; women, for example, have a thicker corpus callosum (the thing that connects the two halves of the brain). However, it is a giant leap from observing that there are neurological differences between the sexes to assuming that these differences correspond to the classic Reason/Nature or logic/emotion dichotomies. In fact, some of these differences may even indicate the opposite. The left hemisphere of the brain generally deals with linear processing, as found in language and some types of mathematics, and this hemisphere develops faster in girls than in boys. The old 11 plus test of verbal reasoning used in British schools was actually adjusted to bring boys scores up to the level of girls! Whatever the case, it is a mistake to look at peoples brains and then decide that they must think in a certain way; it would be far better to try and find out how people actually th ink, and then to see if this corresponds to brain structure. When we talk about the way men and women think, we are actually dealing with not one, but at least three separate things: how men and women usually think, how men and women can think, and how we think men and women think. Usually when we think we are looking at the first or second subjects, we are actually only describing the third. Since our main guide to how people think is their language, the fact that in most cultures men and women talk in different ways, and about different things, may lead us to false conclusions about the way they think in general. Womens conversation tends to emphasise feelings more, which may also mean that they think about feelings more. It does not, however, mean that woman are more emotional. It is perfectly possible that men are just as emotional, but for social reasons they talk (and think) about their feelings less. Similarly, the fact that in most cultures men argue more about abstract things does not mean that men are naturally more logical, it just means that the things men prefer to talk about require logical argument more than they require expression of feelings. Obviously the more you argue, the better you get at it, hence the prejudice that men are somehow biologically more logical. This would be like assuming that I am biologically better at speaking English (my first language) than Turkish (my second). Problems also arise with the actual words we use: logic, reason, intuition and emotion. Logic is simply a set of principles for getting from something we already knew, to something we didnt. If we know that all cows eat grass, and we know that Daisy is a cow, we can use very simple logic to say that Daisy eats grass, even if we have never seen her eat anything. The more complex logic that we use in constructing philosophical arguments or designing computers is really only doing the same kind of thing. The word rational is a little more problematic, since it involves an assessment of aims and actions. If our aims are consistent with each other and our actions achieve our aims, then we can fairly say that we are behaving rationally. If we act in a way that prevents us from realising our aims, then we are behaving irrationally, or in other words, stupidly. For example, if I know that I will have a better relationship with my wife if I dont shout at her, but I still shout at her because I am in a bad mood, my problem is not that I am being emotional, it is that I am being stupid. The opposite of rational is not, then, emotional but irrational. If we set up a pair of opposites, rational/emotional, we are likely to make the assumption that women are more emotional and therefore irrational, which is a polite way of saying that women are stupid. While having strong emotions can sometimes interfere with your thought processes, this is not automatically the case. For example, I often get quite excited when I am working on a new theory or project, but this usually makes my thinking better, not worse. Strong negative emotions such as rage, jealousy or depression are usually the result of irrational thinking as much as a cause of it, and men are just as vulnerable to this type of stupidity as women. Intuition is an even trickier concept. We usually say that we arrive at an idea or solution to a problem intuitively when we know something without knowing how we came to know it. A scientist may arrive at a new theory because the idea just pops into his or her head, or even turns up in a dream. You may get an intuitive feeling that a person is dishonest without actually having heard them say something you know to be untrue. In both these cases, what seems to be happening is that the mind stores and sorts information unconsciously, providing us only with the end result of this process. There is no guarantee, of course, that this conclusion will be true; a scientist would still have to perform experiments to prove their intuitive theory, and you would probably want some hard evidence to prove that the person you feel is dishonest really does tell lies. There is therefore nothing particularly strange or mystical about intuition; it is something we do all the time. Why, then, do we talk about womens intuition, as though men never arrive at a conclusion without consciously following all the stages that were necessary to reach it? Again, the answer is probably linguistic. As we have seen, traditionally womens conversation is less formal, less argumentative, and more concerned with feelings than mens conversation. Intuitive conclusions are therefore more acceptable in an all-female group. Men, on the other hand, are expected to argue more, and to argue more logically, presenting evidence in a systematic way to back up their conclusions. It is less socially acceptable in an all-male conversation (or a conversation where the men are doing most of the talking) to say Well guys, I dont know why, but I just get this kind of feeling that e=mc2. We can see, then, that these pairs of opposites, logic/intuition and rational/emotional, are not only false, but also damaging, particularly to women. It therefore surprising that some feminists actually support a version of this patriarchal nonsense. Particularly at the more spiritual end of the Radical Feminist community, there is a tendency to glorify womens intuition and closeness to Nature, and to avoid logic as somehow male, as though it were a psychological problem resulting from too much testosterone. The fact that men often use logic, or at least logical-sounding arguments, to put women in their place is not a fault of logic, it is the fault of those mens sexism and lack of social skills. More innocently, men are often accused of being too cold and logical, not because there is anything wrong with their ideas, but because they do not understand the unspoken rules of female conversation, in the same way that women are often accused of being illogical or emotional because they do not argue using the same language as men. If women reject logic and rely solely on feelings, they are left in the weak position of having to argue with feelings. Feeling that something is true does not make it true, and it will not convince anyone else that it is true either. You can say, I feel X, but the person you are arguing with can just as well reply, Well I dont. The result is that the argument usually goes nowhere. This is particularly damaging in arguments between men and women, since both sides are likely to go away with their prejudices strengthened; the men think women are subjective, emotional and illogical, and the women think men are impersonal, cold and over-intellectual. To justify their feelings of hurt at being beaten in an argument, the women concerned may go further and dismiss the whole thing as male logic, as though there were two types of logic, on for men and anoth

Jeanne La Pucelle (joan The Maid) :: essays research papers

1412, it is in the last half-century of the Hundred Years' War in which the French attempted to attain freedom from English rule by fighting to eradicate English strongholds. An unusually strong, healthy, and possibly clairvoyant girl is born to Isabelle Romà ©e and Jacques d'Arc in the small village of Domremy, France. Her mother is from the town of Vouthon, which is west of Domremy. Her surname concurs that either she or a family member has visited Rome. Her father was born in a village called Ceffonds in the province of Champagne. His last name indicates a connection with Arc-en-Barrois, a small town fifty kilometers north of Ceffonds. She had a somewhat wealthy family as you can tell from their home with a stone construction. You can still visit her home today. It has since been used as a wine cellar, a wine press, and a stable. She was one of five children: Jacques, Catherine, Jean, Joan, and Pierre. Their wealth came from their farming of wheat, flax, beet hemp, and colza. They also bred livestock, spun wool and tow, and kneaded their own bread. She was baptized by Jean Minet in the Church of St. Remy. She is admired by patriots, women's rights activists, paranormal investigators, and playwrights. The woman I am talking about is commonly known as Joan of Arc. When Joan was 13 she began to see visions and hear voices who she later determined to be Saints Catherine, Margaret, and Michael. They convinced her that she was chosen by God to help the dauphin, Charles VII free France and take his seat in the throne. At age 17 in 1429 she gained access to the King through the military commander in Vaucoulaurs. Charles was desperate because the English had captured almost half of France including Paris. When Joan told him of her visions of the Saints he was doubtful so he set up two tests for her. In the first he disguised himself as a courtier, but she pointed him out immediately. For the second test he asked her what he prayed to God for the night before she arrived; she told him exactly. Some of the clergy believed her to be Satanic, but Joan was approved. Charles fitted her with armor and gave her command of the military. Soon after she set out to free Orleans from a brutal siege. The other French commanders hesitantly followed orders, but soon they obeyed her whole-heartedly. Under Joan's command the siege was broken after only ten days and the English fled. She was given the everlasting title "The

Data Normalization :: Essays Papers

Data Normalization Data normalization is an important step in any database development process. Through this tedious process a developer can eliminate duplication and develop standards by which all data can be measured. This paper addresses the history and function of data normalization as it applies to the course at hand. In 1970, Dr. E.F. Codd's seminal paper "A Relational Model for Large Shared Databanks" was published in Communications of the ACM. This paper introduced the topic of data normalization, so-named because, at the time, President Nixon was normalizing relations with China. Data normalization is a technique used during logical data modeling to ensure that there is only one way to know a fact, by removing all structures that provide more than one way to know the same fact as represented in a database relation (table). The goal of normalization is to control and eliminate redundancy, and mitigate the effects of modification anomalies -- which are generally insertion and deletion anomalies. (Insertion anomalies occur when the storage of information about one attribute requires additional information about a second attribute. Deletion anomalies occur when the deletion of one fact results in the loss of a second fact). Normalization There are six generally recognized normal forms of a relation: first normal form, second normal form, third normal form, Boyce/Codd normal form, fourth normal form, and fifth normal form, also called projection/join normal form. Other normal forms (e.g., Domain/Key) exist but will not be discussed here. The normal forms are hierarchical, i.e., each normal form builds upon its predecessor. Although many people consider a relation to be normalized only when it is in third normal form, technically speaking, a relation in only first normal form can be considered normalized. The Normal Forms First normal form (1NF) - All attributes must be atomic. That is, there can exist no repeating groups in an attribute. For example, in a relation that describes a student, the student's classes should not be stored in one field, separated by commas. Rather, the classes should be moved to their own relation, which should include a link back to the student relation (called a foreign key). Second normal form (2NF) - A relation is in second normal form if it is in first normal form and each attribute is fully functionally dependent on the entire primary key. That is, no subset of the key can determine an attribute's value. Third normal form (3NF) - A relation is in third normal form if it is in second normal form and each non-key attribute is fully functionally dependent on the entire primary key, and not on any other non-key attribute.

Role of Human Resource Department

The human resource department plays a major role in helping plan the system and in developing job description, job specification and performance standards. Specialists in that department may be assigned to conduct job analysis and write job descriptions in cooperation with managers, supervisors and employees. The human resource department is not involved in the actual writing of performance standards but play a diagnostic, training and monitoring role. JOB DESIGN Job design is a process of determining the specific tasks and responsibilities to be carried out by each member of the organization.In simple words, the logical sequence to job analysis is job design. Job analysis provides job-related data as well as the skills and knowledge expected of the incumbent to discharge the job. Job analysis, then, involves conscious efforts to organize tasks, duties and responsibilities into a unit of work to achieve certain objectives. Fig: Factors Affecting Job Design Factors Affecting Job Desig n Job design is affected by organizational, environmental, behavioural factors. A properly designed job will make it productive and satisfying.If a job fails on this count, the fault lies with the job designers who, based on the feedback, must redesign the job. (See Fig) Techniques of Job Design Fig: Techniques of Job Design ?Work Simplification: In this technique, the job simplified or specialized. A given job is broken down into small sub-parts and each part is assigned to one individual. ?Job Rotation: Job rotation implies movement of employees from job to job. Jobs remain unchanged, but incumbents shift. With job rotation, a given employee performs different jobs, but more or less, jobs of the same nature. Job Enlargement: Job enlargement involves expanding the number of tasks or duties assigned to a given job. Job enlargement is naturally opposite to work simplification. Adding more tasks or duties to a job does not mean that new skills and abilities are needed to perform it. ? Job Enrichment: Job enrichment seeks to improve both task efficiency and human satisfaction by building into people’s jobs, quite specifically, greater scope for personal achievement and recognition, more challenging and responsible work, and more opportunity for individual advancement and growth. Autonomous or Self-directed Teams: A self-directed work team is an intact group of employees who are responsible for a whole work process or segment that delivers a products or service o an internal or external customer. ?High-Performance Work Design: It is a means of improving performance in an environment where positive and demanding goals are set. Role of Human Resource Department The human resources department’s role in job design is usually indirect, although job design influences almost every aspect of human resources management.The department diagnoses organizational problems that suggest job redesign, incorporate information on job design in training and management de velopment programs, and help plan job redesign programs to ensure that sound human resources policies and practices are developed. Further, the department is needed to prepare to modify job descriptions and job specifications and to modify recruitment, selection, training, compensation and other practices to be consistent with any job redesign program.

God and Godlike Humans in the Bible and Iliad

The Position of Gods and God The characterization of individuals through specific and repeated character descriptions are consistent with social norms and create binding values associated each character. In the Iliad, which can be considered the primary religious text of antiquity, godly epithets are used to accompany characters with dominant abilities. The Bible also features consistent divine descriptions throughout the various writings.By regularly featuring characters with â€Å"godlike† descriptions, Homer’s language defines the humanity and position of the Greek gods, creating a sharp distinction from the descriptive writing in the Bible that defines the unreachable position of the monotheistic God. Although the gods of the Iliad and the God of Genesis are similar in their interaction with mortals, the usage and nature of divine language in character descriptions, along with the ability for a mortal to attain â€Å"godlike† status, are remarkably different. Throughout the Iliad, Homer pays respect to soldiers by mentioning their name with various adjacent positive qualities. In the first book of the Iliad, â€Å"godlike Polyphemous† is introduced among a list of noteworthy soldiers (Iliad 1:264). Although Polyphemous is an unfamiliar character that is not central to the action, Homer wholly compares him to a god. The pairing of this godly term with such an insignificant character represents how divine status is obtainable for mortals, especially because Homer does not provide an explanation as to how Polyphemous achieved this status.Within this same listing of soldiers, Theseus is also mentioned as being â€Å"in the likeness of the immortals† (Iliad 1:265). While this phrase exemplifies noteworthy status in the gods’ perspective, it is distinctively different than being compared to the gods. Homer, therefore, employs specific language to carefully present a difference in how characters can either be in the likenes s of the gods or completely similar to them. Homer frequents divine descriptions when mentioning soldiers, noting how numerous men have ascended into a role similar to a god simply by heroic accomplishments or physical attributes.For example, Homer describes Idomeneus â€Å"like a god standing† and â€Å"Akamas, beauteous as god† (Iliad 2:230, 11:60). This divine language not only portrays the importance of both soldiers and physical prowess in society, but also represents how mortals can bridge the gap between the divine and the earthly by possessing superior ability or physical features. In book 5 of the Iliad as Diomedes is preparing for battle, Homer provides an anecdote of Eurypylos, who was â€Å"honored about the countryside as a god is† due to his victory in battle (Iliad, 5:78).By mentioning this story and specific language before a battle scene, Homer demonstrates to the reader that Diomedes, or any character, can achieve godlike standing by winning a significant battle. Warfare, which is an integral aspect of society in the Iliad, also plays an important role in the Old Testament. In the book of Genesis, the writers mention Nimrod as the â€Å"first on earth to become a mighty man† (Genesis 10:8).Similar to the large amount of soldiers mentioned in the Iliad, Nimrod achieves recognition for his violent skills and physicality. However, Nimrod is purposely introduced as a â€Å"hunter before the lord† (Genesis 10:10). Rather than comparing Nimrod to God because of his skill, the writers of Genesis portray his skill as being devoted to the lord. Although Homer would have confidently considered Nimrod godlike, this language displays how the writers of Genesis believed that superiority in skill does not create a godlike mortal.Rather, excellent ability is practiced in honor of the lord and fulfilled in accordance with God’s desires. Odysseus, the skilled speaker and warrior, is consistently featured in the Iliad with godlike qualities. For example, he is titled â€Å"godlike† while motivating the Greek soldiers before battle (Iliad 2:335). This specific account not only displays how possessing a superior talent is considered a godlike quality, but also how reputation and fame grant worthy comparison to the gods.Odysseus became well known during the Trojan War because of his profound ability to speak, giving him the opportunity to encourage thousands of soldiers who â€Å"cried out† and offered â€Å"applause† in honor and respect (Iliad 2:335). Homer’s language in this scene displays that famous and recognizable mortals are comparable to the gods, who are the most identifiable characters in antiquity. Because citizens of Greece admire Odysseus’ skill and knew his name just as if it were a god’s, Homer considers him to be godlike.Hector, another distinguished soldier known throughout Greece, is the most notable example of immortal characterization. P resented as â€Å"equal of Zeus in counsel,† Homer portrays Hector as being wholly comparable to Zeus, the most significant of the gods (Iliad 7:47). This language blatantly proclaims that Hector, one of the most idolized mortals, is equally advisable as Zeus, the most idolized god. Because Helen is the speaker, the reader gains an understanding into the analogous value of both Hector and Zeus from a mortal’s perspective.Abraham, one of the most prominent mortals in the book of Genesis, is the patriarch of the Israelites, serving as the liaison between God and his people. Abraham achieved his fame and status through defeating challenges and personal displays of righteousness, but the writers of Genesis do not consider him to be godlike. Rather, Abraham is considered â€Å"blessed by God most high† (Genesis 14:19). The highest achievement for mortals in Genesis is not to be considered godlike, but only to be fortunate under the direction of God’s desires.T his language proves that God not only provides success and preeminence, but also deserves honor from those he has provided for. Although similar to Odysseus and Hector in status, Abraham’s significance does not make him godlike. The writers of Genesis viewed his prestige and position as a gift from the unreachable God. Although mortals never deliberately strive to mimic the gods in the Iliad, Homer employs divine language to present how superiority in skill, physicality, and fame give mortals godly status.In the Old Testament, mortals such as Abraham, who live according to God’s commands and therefore impersonate his heavenly characteristics, are never able to elevate to godlike status. Although both the Olympian gods and God present humanlike qualities and interact with mortal characters, the position of God’s status remains unreachable. The usage and nature of divine language in character descriptions may help explain why the Iliad is now historically consider ed mythology and the Bible stills remains a religious text.

Information Technology Careers

These days, information resources have developed tremendously especially with the latest technology available. One way to manage them is by having a system that used to be called Management Information Systems (MIS). Nowadays, the terminology of Information Technology (IT) is widely used. IT has developed into a popular and a well paying job entering the 21st century. To become an IT professional, one must obtain a good educational background. Early preparation is important in high school. During that time, four years of math is required although more than four years would be better. The types of math classes are both Algebras, Geometry, and Trigonometry. Another important class to have is four years of English. Doing well in this subject is very important because this subject helps build good communication skills. Natural Science classes such as Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are also needed to prepare for an IT career. Another class including foreign language is a subject to consider. The most important foreign language to know is computer language such as COBOL, C++, PASCAL, and BASIC. In addition, high grades are required in those classes. If you have a poor record in high school, attending junior or community college can make up for the bad ones. Those schools also serve as excellent preparatory schools for universities (Bailey 55). Many big colleges offer Management Information Systems as a major. If one chooses that major,MIS can lead into a successful profession as an IT. The type of school does not really matter, as long as they offer an MIS major with a well-planned curriculum. In IT or MIS, the job can be separated into many different classifications. MIS generally falls into four categories: programming, sales, data-base administrator, and Information Center Management (Bailey 155). The more detailed classifications includes Financial MIS, Manufacturing MIS, Marketing MIS, and Human resource MIS. A financial MIS provides financial information to all financial managers within and organization (Reynolds 401). â€Å"A marketing MIS supports managerial activities in the areas of product development, distribution, pricing decisions, promotional effectiveness, and sales forecasting†(Reynolds 413). A human resource MIS, also called the personnel MIS, is concerned with activities related to employees of the organization† (Reynolds 418). The annual salary for an IT professional after he or she receives his or her bachelor†s degree ranges from $35,000 to $45,000 depending on the company and his or her experience. Most IT professionals work in an industrial company rather than a government supervised company. According to Khawaja, â€Å"Government owned companies are less challenging. † Some IT professionals work in companies or organization such as IBM, Compaq, Intel, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems. All of these companies have a good reputation in the IT market. If being an IT professional does not satisfy someone as a career such as being a network administrator, he or she can change the field of his or her profession. They can change their profession into a programmer, a system analyst, a data-base administrator or other fields that IT provides. Furthermore, he or she can work in the same environment even though they can change their profession into something else. That is Renadi 3 one of the advantages working as an IT expert. In conclusion, the development of information technology has transformed itself into a popular and a well paying job entering the new millennium. Possessing knowledge about computers and technology can be a big benefit. The advantage of that is because in the future, every stored or removed information involves the use of technology. As a matter of fact, the need of IT specialists is very essential to manage information properly â€Å"so that everyone who needs information has fast, accurate access to it at the time it is needed and in the form in which it is most useful† (Green 59).

Ethics of hunting Essay

Is hunting ethical? As a hunter myself, growing up in a family of hunters, I never answered the question correctly. When asked the question â€Å"is hunting ethical? † I would rattle off information and statistics about wildlife population control and the environmental information gathered by hunters, but I seemed to be missing the point completely. As it was recently pointed out, it was like I was being asked what time it was, and answering the date. I wasn’t incorrect; rather, I was just answering the wrong question. Instead, I needed to look at what the actual question was; is the act of hunting ethical, and if not, what are we doing to prevent the mistreatment of animals? From a moral standpoint, anti-hunters deem hunting as barbaric. It is a reversion to one of the most primal tasks that humans had to perform. Today, however, anti-hunters believe that the act of hunting is an unnecessary evil that can be tackled much more humanely. This entire argument, however, is based off of everyone persons’ definition of the word â€Å"hunting. † To my family, and myself, the idea of hunting means that food is going to be on the dinner table. It  means that we are going to kill an animal, butcher it ourselves, and eventually eat the meat of our harvest. It is an appreciation of the wild animals; the ones placed on this Earth to roam the hills and graze the grass, rather than the ones grown in barns and factories. It means utilizing every part of that animal to our best ability, and wasting nothing. We even go as far as to donate the brain and heart of the deer to the local high school for use of dissection in science laboratories. We appreciate the animal in every way we can. It has given us everything (literally) that it has, and we will respect  this animal for a time far longer after it’s depart from Earth. My family doesn’t tree stand hunt. This is the act of climbing high into a tree with a â€Å"tree stand† and sitting up there as we wait for an animal to pass below us. This is an extremely unfair advantage in hunting, for it gives the hunter almost complete stealth. Deer are not biologically programmed to look for danger in the trees; there are no known threats to deer around buffalo that live in the trees. We think that it provides an unfair advantage to the hunters that use then. We believe that if we’re going  to take an animal’s life, we’re going to give it the ability to see us before we do, so that it has a fairer chance to run. I even prefer bow hunting to gun hunting. It’s more of a challenge, not that hunting should be a game, but rather it makes it easier for the animal to spot us and escape. If the animal gets close enough to allow me to take the shot, I justify it as a case of â€Å"survival of the fittest. † We do not antler hunt; the act of going out hunting with the intent of killing the deer with the largest antlers, only for the antlers. We eat the meat, not the antlers. I cannot speak for other hunters, but my family and myself do not find a purpose in hunting based on the points on the deer’s head. We have no preference of buck or doe; the meat is all the same to us. We enjoy eating the meat, and that is why we hunt. It is healthier for people, steroid free, and it comes from animals that have been able to live their life in the wild thus far. Hunting, to myself, is everything I just listed. The Merriam-Webster Definition is â€Å"to chase and kill (wild animals) for food or pleasure,† but I remove those last two words. Personally, I find no  enjoyment in the taking of a life. The first animal I ever hunted, a bird, I killed, and cried. I cried and I cried and I cried at what I had done. It was such a powerful feeling knowing that one moment that bird was living, and the next moment it was not, and I was the reason for that. It was such a waste for me to have done what I had; I wasn’t going to eat the bird, I had no use for it. Hunting should be for usefulness: food, clothing, necessity, but it should not be a game that toys with the lives of animals. This doesn’t mean I’m against hunting however. Obviously with everything I have listed prior I would appear to have contradicted myself. I believe that hunting is acceptable in the form of 1 / 3 usefulness. These are all ethical thoughts that anti-hunters propose to hunters. Some post pictures of Bambi the deer, hoping to lure in those who are indecisive or on the fence about the position they take on hunting. Anti-hunters will play on the ethos of those who believe that hunters kill baby animals, setting hunters up to look like immoral people. Often times I hear people ask me how I could kill ababy deer, and take it away from its mother who â€Å"loves it. † With those questions, I find myself frustrated at people’s ignorance. A hunter cannot hunt a fawn; it’s illegal to kill an animal with spots (specifically speaking, baby deer). Additionally, people are unaware of the nature that is animals. A mother deer will fight to the death for her fawns if they are faced with the dangers of a hungry coyote. However, a mother deer will eat all of the leaves off of the only bush in the forest, leaving her fawn to starve, without blinking an eye. Animals think differently; only in rare cases do wild  animals actually have human attachments to each other. Anti-hunters sometimes try to display hunters as horrible people for killing animals, but this only can bring me to the conclusion that all anti-hunters are vegetarians. If it’s truly barbaric for us to go out and hunt what we eat, then the only solution to this animal cruelty is to not eat the animals at all. It is not ethical to justify eating processed meat from animals who never see the light of day, are routinely injected with steroids, living shoulder to shoulder in crowded slaughter houses, with their  only purpose in life being to die for our meals, and say that hunting is immoral. The wild animals at least have a fighting chance; they have an ability to run, to reproduce at their will, to eat the fresh grass and drink fresh stream water. They are not cooped up in a cage or stall, living in deplorable conditions with their only purpose in life to die at our will. Although it is unfortunate that some wild animals face death earlier than others, the alternative of a slaughterhouse cannot be deemed as ethically more just. Questions that are posed towards hunters about how they are being unethical can also be turned  around to ask what anti-hunters are doing to protect these animals they feel are being morally and ethically wronged. Are they vegan? Animals and the products they produce do not come easily. Milk cows and egg chickens spend their whole lives in a barn. Unless they buy their milk and eggs from the local free-range grass fed cows and chickens down the road, they are contributing to the large mistreatment of animals of the food industry of America. Do they own nothing leather? Again, these animals are grown and harvested for the sole purpose of leather production. A lot of leather  products sold in the USA are shipped from China, where horribly graphic YouTube videos can be found showing Chinese leather workers skinning animals alive. One cannot go as far as to say that they â€Å"don’t own Uggs† so they don’t own leather. Leather is found in things like sneakers, cars, and accents on clothing, purses, and shoes. Were their houses recently built on land once inhabited by these creatures? The destruction of animal habitats leads to more animal deaths each year than hunting does. If an anti-hunter were to hit a deer with their car, destroying the front end, I’m estimating that a fair  amount of them would initially be furious with the circumstance, NOT because they killed the deer, but rather because they totaled their car. This deer, roaming throughout what used to be its natural habitat of forest and trees, is now forced to walk across streets and areas of traffic. It is inconvenient, however, when the deer walks across the street at the same time a car is driving by, and a collision occurs. I’ve gotten away from the actual topic at hand. The original question was â€Å"Is hunting ethical? †. I suppose if one feels that taking the life from something is immoral and unethical, than no, hunting is  not ethical to that person. However, I would like those who believe hunting isn’t ethical and anti- hunters alike to consider what I have just proposed to them. I would like them to take five5 minutes of their time to do some self-reflection, and question whether what they do in their everyday life is really ethical for the animals. It only seems fair that if someone is to be calling me out on being barbaric and cruel towards animals, that they themselves are doing everything in their power to ensure that the animals around them are being treated as fairly as possible. It would be a common  2 / 3 case of the pot calling the kettle black if one were to discover otherwise. In summation, the question â€Å"is hunting ethical? † will never be a black or white answer. There are many shades of grey that come with many degrees of opinions. The point that I am trying to get across to those who disagree with hunting however, is to take some time to self reflect before we are so quick to judge others. Take time to think about what each of us is personally doing for the well being and fair treatment of animals, before we quickly judge hunters as immoral people. POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Blockbuster History Films

The film also accurately depicts the reason why the American Revolution began in the beginning of the movie; this is a rebellion against British taxation without any American representatives. Fundamentally, the American Revolution appeared in 1763, as the British community on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean matures to their interests and goals different from the dominant ruling class. But this movie depicts Various inaccurate features such as African-American freedom who engaged in war for three years in several countries. This common fear of black people is deeply rooted in our history, Du says. Partial reason the birth of the country is a very harmful fact that it is actually the country's first heavyweight movie. Given this history, Hollywood certainly has special ability and responsibility to eradicate inequality and obstacle pockets. And fly to the forefront of a new story and change. She is also studying black horror aesthetics in literature.The first meeting set up a tone for collective viewing on the go , she is called the student The Comet I asked you to read the unknown Web Du Bois SF short story. This story, written several years after the announcement of the birth of the country in 1920, is about two survivors - black men and white women - that look like an apocalypse. Dubois represented this biggest taboo as a dramatic effect and expressed it alternately from the perspective of the two people. Now thought to be an important turning point in the history of Hollywood's big hits, the movie was announced globally on July 3, 1996, but due to the height of the film viewers July 2 I started broadcasting. I am looking forward to it. The box office revenue of this movie world exceeded 817.7 million dollars, becoming the best movie in 1996. In other words, since 1993, it was the world's second largest entertainment income. It is currently ranked 72nd in the most selling movie list, and it leads the revival of large-scale disaster movies and science fiction movies from the mid-1990s to the latter half. The movie won Oscar for best visual effect and was nominated for Oscar for the best mix. The sequel's Independence Day: Renaissance is released on June 24, 2016 in 20 years and constitutes the first part of the planned three movies. It is regarded as one of the best movies ever, the white shark is a typical summer big hit, its release is seen as a moment in the watershed in the history of the movie, received a number of awards for its music and editing It is. Until 1977 Star Wars was released, it became the most viewed movie ever. Both movies are the key to building a modern Hollywood business model that evolves around high-box office action returns and adventure photos, and a simple concept venue is screened at thousands of theaters during the summer and advertised It will be. Next is three sequels, not all Spielberg and Belgium, there are many imitation thrillers. In 2001, the Congressional Library elected to keep it in the National F ilm Register, which was considered culturally, historically, or aesthetically.

Holidays Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Holidays - Personal Statement Example There will be lot of music, dance and typically dressed couples participating in events cheerfully. A special luncheon or dinner with Halloween dishes is line up enticing everyone to have their pie. Winner in various event get goodies and gift coupons. The hour or two we spend down for that celebration will be refreshing al-together. Back to my personal life I have only taken my sons trick-or-treating in the neighborhood twice in his 8 years and both times he was too young to catch up with the enjoyment and enthusiasm. Now-a-days we head to a carnival hosted by a mall or the city instead. It wouldn't matter much in our neighborhood these days, though. I've noticed that with each passing year more and more porch lights are turned off on that night and if we're home, we may only get a handful of trick-or-treaters. I think it makes me a little sad that my kids won't have that same experience that I did... of going to see all my neighbors and seeing their reaction to a costume that my mom and I worked. My Kids won't have the excitement knowing that this certain neighbor always makes cupcakes and this certain neighbor always gives out afull-sized candy bar. The happiest thing about "Thanksgiving day" is that it brings us a couple of holidays to come out and refresh, mingle with friends and family members.