Monday, September 30, 2019

Lord Alfred Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar Essay

Lord Alfred Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar is an allegory of death, imagined as a journey on an infinite sea. The speaker in the poem, who is the author himself, muses on the call that urges him to â€Å"cross the bar†. The whole work is therefore constructed on this principal metaphor, the crossing of the sand barrier and the plunge into the infinite journey on the sea. What is significant in the poem is the way in which Tennyson perceives death. While death is usually perceived as closure, in Crossing the Bar it is understood as a religious encounter. Death is not only the resolution of earthly life but also the beginning of the afterlife. The imagery of the poem is extremely suggestive for the death theme. Notably, the poet does not focus on the end of life and the pain of separation, but only on the experience that expects him after death. The fact that death is pictured as a threshold and afterlife as a vast sea indicates that the author embarks on this journey without regret. The journey is meant to begin at twilight, which again alludes to the end of life and the beginning of a new experience: â€Å"Twilight and evening bell, / And after that the dark! † (Tennyson 203). The poet also emphasizes that there should be no mourning to accompany him, as he crosses the bar. This idea enhances the poet’s optimistic view of death. The only sound to be heard, that of the dormant tide, is also symbolic. First of all, the drowsiness of the sea emphasizes the idea of death. Also, the retractile movement of the waves expresses the idea that the idea that the traveler will not return from his voyage this time. Death will only be the beginning of eternity and the poet will find the divinity on the other side: For tho from out our borne of Time and Place The flood may bare me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar. (Tennyson 203) The place after death cannot be mapped by earthly coordinates, such as time and place. Interestingly however, there remains one valid landmark which ensures that the poet will never get lost or suffer in solitude: the pilot. The pilot is obviously a symbol for the spiritual guidance offered by the divinity in both earthly existence and in the afterlife. Thus, Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar is a metaphorical representation of death, as a voyage into the infinite unknown. The sand bar represents death, while the unlimited sea is the symbol of everlasting life. The most striking figure of the poem is the pilot, an image of the divinity, who awaits the poet on the other side. The boundless sea lacks any earthly coordinates, while it retains only that of spiritual guidance. Through this poem, Tennyson represents death as a passage into a purely spiritual life, guided by God. ? Works Cited: Tennyson, Lord Alfred. Selected Poems (New Oxford English Series). New York: Oxford University Press, 1963.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

American and African Culture

The African American culture includes different cultural traditions of African-American communities. It is more famously named as the Black culture. According to McKinnon, The United States Census Bureau the African Americans as people who have origins in any of the Black race groups that came from Africa. Before the Civil War, the Africans were held as slaves in America.As slaves, their rights to exercise and practice their cultures and traditions were restricted. Nevertheless, there were some traditions that were kept alive up to the day of their liberation after the Civil War until it was recognized to build and identity as African American Culture. The way of survival of such traditions was to blend with some of the elements of the culture in America or the American Culture.This paper serves as a descriptive essay that shall include the following aspects of the African American Culture; Meanings of colors; Social Customs; Concept of Time; Clothing and Food; Religion; Marriage, Bi rth, Death (whether there are special rituals associated with any of these); Holiday; Ethical values; Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication. The African American Culture is also a mixture of other cultures because as salves, the Africans needed to blend with the American Culture in order that their culture may survive.It also has blended with the European culture due to the influence of European culture to American Culture. The survival of the African American Culture is a symbol in itself that speaks of the persistence of the Africans to liberate them from slavery and eventually establish an identity of their own through their cultures and traditions. Meanings of colors Use caution when teaching about color symbolism. Symbolism of colors vary from culture to culture.Color is considered one of the most useful and powerful design tools you have. People respond to different colors in different ways, and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level. In African American c ulture, black has long been associated with death, while white is believed to signify life and purity. In the African American culture, the black has also come to suggest sophistication and formality. Americans generally associate trust stability with the color blue. Social Customs and Ethical valuesThe Social customs in the African American culture includes a variety and form of slave based custom since they have been enslaved for a long time. The social customs involves the social and political issues where the African Americans continue to struggle. Before the Civil War, the African slaves were not given the right to vote, but when the Voting Right’s Act was passed, African Americans then were allowed to vote and elected in public office. Another aspect of the social custom of the African Americans is their concept of family.Due to the chattel slavery that was practiced before in America, it was rare for slave families to be sold apart from each other as separate sales. Ne vertheless, after the years of slavery, the families of African Americans became a recognized unit of the society, which serves as the backbone in organizing a community. The nature of the families and communities built by African Americans are patriarchal but women are also recognized to help in the raising of the family. Mutual aid is also practiced by extended families through childcare, emotional, and economic support.African Americans have close family ties thus; it is easy for the older generations to pass on their cultures and traditions to the new generations who in turn will pass such to the future generations to come. The younger members of the family also put a high regard for their elders that they themselves take care of their elders instead of opting for private care. This strong ties of the African American families keeps their family together thus creating a stronger society. Concept of TimeThe African American concept of time is still based on their being once a sla ve who are compelled to wake up early before sunrise to get to work and then sleep late at night after fixing all that is needed for tomorrow’s work. The African Americans have always been hardworking. For the African Americans who were raised from the doom of slavery, time is a very important concept to success. Clothing The clothing of the African Americans has been influenced by the modern fashion and West African traditional clothing to create a uniquely African American traditional style. The best-known African textile is the â€Å"Kente Cloth†.According to an article on African traditional clothing, â€Å"Kente cloth is woven in colorful and festive patterns that are present in many different varieties which were genuinely made by Ashanti and Ewe who came from Ghana and Togo that which according to history, it was fabric that are used to make the clothes for the royalties during the early times until it eventually became a common clothing for the African America ns that ranges from casual t-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbands, and also head ties for women. † Food Food for the African Americans is one way of bringing a family together.The traditional cook out is one of the most renowned heritage of the African American families. This is a once a week event where families gather and simply cook the best food for their family just at their backyard. After which they enjoy themselves with simple cocktails and listening to soulful music with soulful dances. According to the History of Soul food, â€Å"the gardening cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the United States, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton can be draw from African impact.Such African American foods manifest ingenious replies to racial and economic repression. Under slavery, African Americans were not permitted to eat better cuts of meat, and after liberation, many frequently were too underprivileged t o manage to pay for them. Soul food, a hearty cuisine generally related with African Americans in the South, makes ingenious use of low-priced products acquired through farming and substinence hunting and fishing. Pig intestines are boiled and sometimes pound and fried to make â€Å"chitterlings†.Ham hocks and neck bones offer seasoning to soups; bean and boiled greens. Other common foods, such as fried chicken, and fish, cornbread and hoppin john are simply prepared. † Religion â€Å"While African Americans practice a number of religions, Protestant Christianity is by far the most popular. † â€Å"Additionally, 14% of Muslims in the United States and Canada are African American. † A river baptism in New Bern, North Carolina near the turn of the 20th century. â€Å"The religious culture of African American Christians is known as the Black church.During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious p ractice. However, slaves managed to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the Black church. Black churches taught that all people were equal in God's eyes and viewed the doctrine of obedience to ones master taught in White churches as hypocritical.† â€Å"Instead the Black church focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. † â€Å"Before and after emancipation, racial segregation in America prompted the development of organized Black Denominations. The first of these was the AME Church founded by Richard Allen in 1787. † â€Å"A Black church is not necessarily a separate denomination. Several predominantly Black churches exist as members of predominantly White denominations. † â€Å"Black churches have served to provide Blacks with leadership positions and opportunit ies to organize that were denied in mainstream American society.Because of this Black pastors became the bridge between the Black and White communities and thus played a crucial role in the American Civil Rights Movement. † On the other hand, â€Å"generations before the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam was a thriving religion in West Africa. Slaves in the Americas were often forcibly converted to Christianity and while first-generation slaves were often able to retain their Muslim identity, their descendants were not. In the decades after slavery, some Black leaders sought to provide freed slaves with self-esteem and an opportunity to reconnect with their Islamic roots.The best known of these movements is the Black Nationalist and Black supremacist Nation of Islam founded by Wallace Fard in 1930 and lead by Elijah Muhammad from 1934. But much like Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in 1960, many African American Muslims now follow traditional Islam. † Mar riage, Birth, Death (are there special rituals associated with any of these? ) The bride in an African American wedding refers to the tradition of Yoruba. This very spiritual service reflects the depth of the African family by the sharing of gifts and love. The ceremony process may begin about a month before the wedding with a spiritual reading.Elements of the actual ceremony may include a Libation (a prayer with an offering, usually water or liquor offered by an elder). This ritual calls upon and asks God's blessing and the blessings of ancestral spirits. The groom verbally seeks permission from the bride's mother to marry her daughter. Gifts are presented to the brides’ family symbolizing the ability of the groom to take care of this woman. They are accepted by the bride's father. Other elements of the ceremony may include a tasting and explanation of spices, prayers, exchange of rings.A great celebration follows. Holiday The African Americans are festive in nature that the y like other ethnic groups celebrate holidays and commemorate events in honor of their heroes and patrons. One of the most famous African American Holiday is the Black History Month, which is a month long celebration where they commemorate their experiences of slavery until their emancipation from oppression. This includes the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, and Abraham Lincoln who were the considered African American heroes during the Civil War.Another holiday is the Martin Luther Day in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. he was also one African American Hero who they owe their liberation. Kwanzaa is a colorful festival invented by an activist named â€Å"Maulana† Ron Karenga in 1966 as intended to be an alternative for the celebration of Christmas. Moreover is the Emancipation Day where they celebrate their freedom from slavery in the United States. Finally is the Malcolm X Day, which is an event to commemorate the achievements of Malcolm X, another nationalist during the civil war. Verbal and Non-Verbal CommunicationGenerations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate. â€Å"Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Haiti, and Gullah, common to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia.† African American Vernacular English is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language spoken by some African Americans that shares some grammatical and orthographically features with Creole and West African languages. While AAVE is academically considered to be a legitimat e dialect, it is often viewed by teachers and other members of the middle-class, regardless of race or ethnicity, as either slang or the result of a poor understanding of the English language. † ReferencesBerlin, Ira. Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998. Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or, Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself. Edited by Shelley Eversley. New York: Modern Library, 2004. Morgan, Philip D. Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in the Eighteenth-Century Chesapeake and Lowcountry. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998. Wood, Peter H.Black Majority: Negroes in Colonial South Carolina from 1670 through the Stono Rebellion. New York: Knopf, 1974; New York: Norton, 1975. James A. McMillin Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity. National Museum of African Art. Retrieved on May 17, 2007. A History of Soul Food. 20th Century Fox. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. Jonsson, Patrik (February 06, 2006). Backstory: Southern discomfort food. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. The Study of African American Religion. Harvard University. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.American Muslims Population Statistics. Council on American-Islamic Relations. Retrieved on 2007-05-22. Maffly-Kipp, Laurie. African American Religion, Pt. I: To the Civil War. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved on May 15, 2007. Maffly-Kipp, Laurie F. (May 2001). The Church in the Southern Black Community. University of North Carolina. Retrieved on May 21, 2007. Maffly-Kipp, Laurie F. (May 2001). The Church in the Southern Black Community. University of North Carolina. Retrieved on May 21, 2007. Amazing grace: 50 years of the Black church.Ebony (April 1995). Abdul Alkalimat and Associates. Religion and the Black Church, 6th, Introduction to Afro-American Studies, Chicago: Twent y-first Century Books and Publications. Huda. African-American Muslims. About. com. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. Eisenberg, Carol (January 22, 2005). Black Muslims seek acceptance from fellow Americans, adherents. The Seattle Times. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. Dale, Maryclaire (August 9, 2003). African Religions Attracting Americans. African Traditional Religion. afgen. com. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Graffiti from Pompeii

Graffiti from Pompeii Graffiti is found in public places and consists of writings and drawings that can range anywhere from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings. Graffiti has existed since ancient times, including the time of ancient Rome in the town of Pompeii. The graffiti of Pompeii was preserved by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and was later found on the walls of the houses and buildings following excavation.The graffiti found in ancient Rome suggests what life was like for the people living in Pompeii and differs in many ways from the graffiti than can be found in modern day American cities Modern day graffiti has somewhat of a bad reputation and in most cases, is viewed by people in a negative way. When many of us think of graffiti, we usually think of the act of vandalism or destruction of property. However, the practice of modern day graffiti is considered to be a form of art as long as it is done legally.In Ancient Rome, graffiti was a respected form of writing wit h a more sophisticated meaning, not the kind of defacement that we often see on train cars or bathroom stalls. In Pompeii, graffiti was a common social practice and was widespread throughout their society. It was never thought of as a criminal act. The graffiti found on the walls of buildings in Pompeii reveals some similarities between the people of ancient Rome and the people of today. In Pompeii, graffiti was used for advertising and displaying information to the public. For example, writings were used to display the schedule and announcements of the market place.Politicians also used graffiti to advertise for elections. Today, we use bulletin boards, posters, flyers, newspaper articles, the internet etc. in a similar way to advertise and publicly display information. All of these advertisements suggest that the people of today’s society and the people of Pompeii are similar because both have an economy with supply and demand as well as some form of government with politic ians. Another similarity found in the graffiti from Pompeii is the list of stolen items with rewards to those who return the items and reveal the thief.This suggests that the people of Pompeii had some sort of legal system as do the people of today. The graffiti from Pompeii also suggests some differences between the people of ancient Rome and the people of today. For example, an advertisement with a list of gladiators scheduled to fight was found written on a wall in Pompeii. We do not have these types of gladiator fights in our society today. Some of the graffiti also describes the people of Pompeii owning slaves. Although slavery was something that was practiced in more recent years, it has since been abolished and is no longer a part of our society today.The graffiti found in Pompeii suggests many things about the people that lived there. Some used graffiti for writing messages to one another and to make certain announcements. Others used graffiti to express their emotions throu gh art and poetry. In most cases today, graffiti is considered to be a criminal act or an act of rebellion. It is only considered to be a form of art if it is practiced legally. If modern day graffiti was to be preserved and then found thousands of years from now, it would not give an account of what life was like for our society as the graffiti from Pompeii did for the society of ancient Rome.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Marketing - Essay Example b) Discuss NASCAR’s multi-avenue promotions used to deliver the NASCAR experience. NASCAR runs promotions through various channels and partners. For communication they use several social networking sites and for advertising NASCAR are associated with several brands through merchandise too. Certain brand associations include 3M -- Official Partner, Bank of America -- Official Bank, Camping World -- Official Outdoor and RV Retail Partner, Canadian Tire – Official, Automotive Retailer of NASCAR in Canada, Chevrolet -- An Official Passenger Car, Cintas -- The Preferred Uniform Supplier, Coca-Cola -- Official Non-Alcoholic Beverage, Official Soft Drink, Official Sport Drink, Official Energy Drink, Coors Light -- Official Beer, Craftsman Tools -- Official Tools, Diageo -- Proud Sponsor, Dodge -- An Official Passenger. â€Å"Because of its huge popularity, NASCAR sponsorship is attractive to advertising sponsors who are eager to gain exposure to a large number of race fans.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Legal implications and risks of the errors on the website Essay

Legal implications and risks of the errors on the website - Essay Example This essay discusses that before you consider this type of loan, you may want to look into whether you really need a second mortgage. If you decide to go for it, make sure that your house is appraised to know its market value. This is because the amount that will be offered in your loan will be dependent on the equity of the house. You should also search for the rates that are the best and that are available by seeking free quotes from several lenders. You will compare and have the capability to choose the best of the rates. Secondly, your monthly payments need to be worked out for both the first and the second loans. Finally, you need to check the terms of the loan, the penalties, and the costs. It is necessary that you understand what deal you are signing and whether you are required to pay for more processing fees or even closing costs. In some companies, there are pre-payment penalties which apply for a second mortgage. When you understand the terms of the loan, you should commit towards proceeding with it.In conclusion, Cosy Couches is obligated to take irreparable measures to alleviate any future anomalies in its website to ensure that no legal implications arise with its customers. Regarding the anomaly that arose, it should be tackled well as discussed above and ensure that the case is settled. On the case of acquiring the loan, the company is in the best line of expansion but it calls for Mr. Martin, the Managing Director, to come up with decisive measures to ensure that the personal guarantee is workable and effective. ... Nevertheless, the company has to offer to make it worthwhile and negotiate with the customer; since the said party has the right to sue for misinforming them.4 It is only right legally, to allow the customers purchase at the price that they placed their orders, despite the fact that this will lead to a loss. Making them change the order may lead to a number of lawsuits that will not only tarnish the name of the company, but that will also be costly.5 However, the customer may take advantage of these circumstances to try and reap from the company by mode of blackmailing, buying more at the same price or even tainting the image of the company. It is in the capacity of the director of the company to bar any more order regarding the old advertisement and still decline sale of the â€Å"sweet dreams† sofa-bed under the claim that the customer manipulated the website for their own gain. The manipulation could have been in the form of hacking into the website or by the use of an insi de man.6 This should only be applied if the customer has tried to divert from the purchasing of the â€Å"sweet dreams† sofa-beds at the price that they made the purchase at. In any case the customer agrees to purchase at the price that is normal, â€Å"?799†, it is important that a gesture of appreciation is shown to them and to also convince them to sign a letter of confidentiality concerning the said matter regardless of which price the said customer bought the â€Å"sweet dreams† sofa-beds at. In the case of intending to expand your business it is important to note that legally, that is only possible if Mr. Martin has a clean record of at least three years and that includes court cases.7 As long as no one sues you in regards to the errors on the website, the

Ethnic American- History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnic American- History - Essay Example But the debate on Immigration today involves more complex issues as varied as the issues of human rights to cultural apprehensions to corporate economics. Thus for the second or third generation immigrant the issue is much more complex than the first generation immigrant. The big corporate companies approach the issue of immigration as a source of cheap labor availability. There are ethnic lobbies who want to strengthen their bases of political power, using the immigrants. Even the opponents of immigration don’t have a common platform. Protecting the American culture from getting polluted by immigrants is the concern of the extreme rightists. Depressing wages and disappearing jobs are what are worrying the labor advocates. Thus the immigration debate today is beyond the perception of any single immigrant group like the Mexicans and is much more complex than what the first generation immigrants faced. The most important aspect of the debate about immigration today is the economic aspect of it. The corporate lobby in the United States wants not to stop immigration at all, because these immigrants constitute a source of cheap labor. One can employ an immigrant for meager wages with no other benefits of labor. This helps them to increase their profits enormously. More over these immigrants are ready to work in areas where American workers are reluctant to work. Thus these illegal migrants fill up the jobs which the Americans refuse to take up, because they are unpleasant and physically demanding with bad working conditions, especially in agriculture, construction and service industries. The Pew Hispanic Centre estimates that in 2001 workers with out legal documents comprised 58% of work force in agriculture, 23.8 % in private house hold services 16.6% in business services 9.1% in restaurants and 6.4 % in construction. Almost 90% of the immigrant workers are not educationally qualifi ed enough to be conscious of the price of the work they are

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Democrat and the Dictator Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

The Democrat and the Dictator - Movie Review Example nsively reveals childhood lives and their different paths they used to raise to power and how each was an excellent communicator, with unique and influential ideas. The film has a unique organizing principle of comparative treatment. Through this, it is easy for viewers to relate the motion pictures that show the Nazi regime and its influential propaganda to the Roosevelt’s communal style of leadership. Automatically, democracy grants full freedom to people but in dictatorial form of leadership, people are denied access to equal rights. While Roosevelt was concerned with developing and ensuring that the society benefits from the government incentives and plans, Hitler, though claimed to love children and animals, it never meant anything to him because he brutally murdered anything across his path, especially the Jews. Therefore, he was after destroying the society and not building it. Confidence plays a critical role in political success. Even though the world considers Hitler a serial killer, Germans admired his confidence and thus remained obedient and loyal to him. This indicates that he had followers till today. Through his confident smile, Roosevelt won the 1932 Presidential nomination because the smile was accompanied by an engaging behavior. However, in politics, leaders can do anything to remain in power. After losing, Hitler made sure all his competitors are eliminated so that he could remain the master of the nation. The film gives an impressive analysis of Roosevelt’s Hitler’s background origin, how their ideologies were shaped by circumstances and environment, and their missions as leaders. While some people are born leaders, others are made and shaped by the

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Islamic Banks and Commercial Banks Performance Essay

Islamic Banks and Commercial Banks Performance - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that conventional commercial banks have a better opportunity for increasing profitability and shareholders’ returns since they charge interest and fees on their customers. On the other hand, the Islamic banks have a lower opportunity cost for profit making and increasing the investors’ returns, because they operate on the principle of free-interest. Nevertheless, that is not to say that Islamic banks are not profitable. The low profitability and return on investment for the Islamic banks are largely accounted for by the fact that the Islamic banks operate on a more benevolent basis than the conventional banks. Additionally, the commercial banks have a better grip on the economy of countries than the Islamic bank, since they have a long history compared to the Islamic banking, which is a contemporary phenomenon. The concept of Islamic and commercial banking has attracted a lot scholarly of attention of late, with different fina ncial scholars trying to understand how the concept of Islamic banking works in relation to both Islamic banks profitability and Islamic banks customer behavior. The interest in studying this area has arisen out of the fact that the Islamic banks operate on the basis of the Islamic religious laws, which is a totally different concept from the conventional banking operations. Defining the profitability of the conventional banks is more straightforward because it is based on the banks charging interest rates and fees to their customers of different products and services that the banks offer to the customers.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Plant Form and Function, Plant Reproduction and Development Essay

Plant Form and Function, Plant Reproduction and Development - Essay Example The information contained in the article somehow applies to those in charge of domestic health, environment, and even interior decorating. The fact that certain species of plants have the ability to filter air pollutants is a promising new way of decorating the house and doing it the holistic way. Moreover, the idea of plants filtering the air of pollutants is also a clear message to horticulturists and environmental specialists that they should increase the production of such plants and that they should at least encourage people to do the same and to value these species. If these plants become so numerous, they might be able to bring about a positive effect in the environment.The anonymously written article appears in the Sciences News section of Science Daily and was about how a new species of monkey flower developed the natural way. According to the article, the new species of monkey flower, which is scientifically known as Mimulus peregrines, was produced from a series of matings among foreign plant species in Britain that lasted 150 years. Basically, these different species of plants actually cannot reproduce upon mating, but during the 150 years of evolution, infertility was overcome. The principle involved was polyploidization, which is the â€Å"duplication of the entire hybrid DNA [which] can balance the amount of DNA and restore fertility†. It is also mentioned in the article that even wheat, cotton, and tobacco may have originated in the same way. ... Moreover, the idea of plants filtering the air of pollutants is also a clear message to horticulturists and environmental specialists that they should increase the production of such plants and that they should at least encourage people to do the same and to value these species. If these plants become so numerous, they might be able to bring about a positive effect in the environment. Plant Reproduction: â€Å"Rare Glimpse Into the Origin of Species† The anonymously written article appears in the Sciences News section of Science Daily and was about how a new species of monkey flower developed the natural way. According to the article, the new species of monkey flower, which is scientifically known as Mimulus peregrinus, was produced from a series of matings among foreign plant species in Britain that lasted 150 years. Basically, these different species of plants actually cannot reproduce upon mating, but during the 150 years of evolution, infertility was overcome. The principl e involved was polyploidization, which is the â€Å"duplication of the entire hybrid DNA [which] can balance the amount of DNA and restore fertility† (â€Å"Rare Glimpse,† 2012). It is also mentioned in the article that even wheat, cotton and tobacco may have originated in the same way. This article is based on the journal article entitled â€Å"Mimulus peregrinus (Phrymaceae): A new British allopolyploid species,† which was written by Mario Vallejo-Marin and published by PhytoKeys. The Science Daily article therefore is heavily backed by scientific information and peer reviews, and is therefore very reliable. Moreover, it has its own DOI number. The Science Daily article was also written with great objectivity and

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Brain Drain Essay Example for Free

Brain Drain Essay The first think that click in yur mind about brain drain is movie newyork,the thing that happened to john abrahim ,he was basically a nice person but he was torchured so much in jail that his niceness was removed ,and he became a terrorist his brain was completely drained, but u all r wrong with the assumptions. Brain drain which is also known as human_capital_flight means refers to the emigration of intelligent, well-educated individuals to somewhere for better pay or conditions, causing the place they came from to lose those skilled people, or brains. Typically, emigrating brains have learned English and move to the United Kingdom, the US or some other English-speaking country. The developed nations concerned saves her pounds and dollars on professional education and training and in the process obtains the services of trained doctors/ engineers who/earn very much more than their native counter parts and have more comfortable styles of living. There have been several efforts to define the concept of brain drain, mainly by international organisations. For example, we can read the following in a 1969 UNESCO report .the brain drain could be defined as an abnormal form of scientific exchange between countries, characterized by a one- way flow in favour of the most highly developed countries. One of the most comprehensive report the main characteristics of brain drain as follows: a) There are numerous flows of skilled and trained persons from developing to developed countries; b) They are characterised by large flows from a comparatively small number of developed countries and by small flows from a larger number of developing countries; c) In these flows engineers, medical personnel and scientists usually tend to predominate; d) The above flows have grown with increasing rapidity in recent years f) The flows respond increasingly to the changed g) The migratory trends are stimulated both by the character of national educational systems by lack and inadequate planning for the training of students from developing countries, in developed states as well as the proper utilisation of their-skills in their home country; and h) Except possibly for south America, there are no signs that the migration of talents is decreasing and there are fairly definite signs that its increase will,  under present conditions, continue to accelerate. Types of brain drain Organizational: The flight of talented, creative, and highly trained employees from large corporations—e.g. Yahoo,HubSpot,[4]and Microsoft— that occurs when employees perceive the direction and leadership of the company to be unstable or stagnant, and thus, unable to keep up with their personal and professional ambitions. Geographical: The flight of highly trained individuals and college graduates from their area of residence, for instance, those migrating from the mid-western United States to the coastal states and large metropolises. Industrial: The movement of traditionally skilled workers from one sector of an industry to another. For example, jobs in the United States and other governments, also known as the public sector, have experienced significant generational brain drain as tenured boomer generation employees retire. Heightened competition for talent from the private sector and budgetary constraints have made it increasingly difficult to attract replacements f or these retirees.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Communication Strategy Employed By Pop Artist Rihanna Film Studies Essay

Communication Strategy Employed By Pop Artist Rihanna Film Studies Essay In this essay, I will be analyzing how Rihanna has used the media to communicate or portray her different messages through her music. On the other hand, however, there is the media that has its own version of those messages thus, constructing different realities for the perceiving audience. The Media provides information and updates on various happenings and issues on all aspects to the public thus providing them basic knowledge and information to enable them make their own judgments and perceptions such as, social perceptions (Sadaf, 2011). Sadaf (2011) explains social perception as the means in which we make sense of our social world through media representations as it plays an important role in making some issues important and some issues important. I will then discuss Rihannas communication strategy to her audience through her music as well as persona using the narrative theory through communication as a structure. In reality, there is no RIHANNA. Her real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Rihanna is a concept adopted by the music industry to sell music as Wall (2003;153) says, Stars are a form of capital in which a record company invests significant sums of money to gain publicity and reinforce an image they believe will in turn will generate greater sales of that stars records. The stars image however is not real. It is a representation of wider social values and a constructed set of individualness where the audience feels it knows the stars personality but in truth, this image is just a media text. How authentic a star may feel to its audience depends on success of the construction of the stars persona around the different facets of their personality (Wall, 2003; 153). Robyn Rihanna Fenty dropped two of her names and only took on Rihanna because it not only sounds exotic but also there was no Rihanna in the music business. That accorded her authenticity as an artist because when her name was mentioned, people would immediately know which Rihanna it was. Rihanna has thus been able to communicate messages of authenticness through the way she sings dresses and acts while in the public. This is a way for her to tell the public about herself and how her music is supposed to be understood.( Machin,2010;32) This she does through her choice of album names and sleeves from which the audience can make a guess at what she will sound like. Machin (2010; 34) also says that the images used on the album sleeves help communicate certain discourses, values, identities and so on. The chosen typefaces used for the artists name on the sleeve also communicate ideas and attitudes. In my observation, Rihannas public persona and her album sleeves contribute towards her authenticness as a musician but at the same communicating varying messages. Dyer (1987 cited in Tolson 2001) defined authenticity or the act of being yourself as a concept derived from the ideology of individualism where individuals are said to possess an inner irreducible essence. A true self behind whatever public face, or mask they may project. Rihannas authenticness can best be seen in an interview with Oprah on the Oprah Winfrey Show where the viewing audience was teased with a Rihnaana as youve never seen her before opening line. In this interview, Rihanna talks about her life and her relationship with Chris brown. Oprah succeeds in making her cry which is the epitome of the show as through Rihannas tears, the audience is able to feel her emotion. Tim Wall (2003;153) says the audience is made to feel like it knows the stars as individuals but that this experience is mediated through interviews, records, photos but the knowledge obtained about the stars is a product of carefully executed campaign plans all so to encourage the audience buy the stars records and an array of assorted merchandise. However, in the real world, there is no actual audience as they are mere constructions. An audience exists when a certain role has been played out that identifies with certain people who in turn become the audience. (Mafalda 2012) In the interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna played the role of the victim by both the relationship with Chris Brown and in the media. However, the interesting part about the interview was how she turned the story around depicting Chris as troubled and in need of help. While the media had showed her as the victim, she called Chris the victim constructing a different reality for the audience from the one made by the media. Rihanna was able to expand her audience after her publicized domestic violence case with then boyfriend, Chris Brown. The issue was extensively covered by the media in which she was depicted as a vulnerable woman while Chris Brown as a beast. In turn, she used this to earn her more sympathizers and therefore generating a larger audience as she was now looked as a beacon of hope for domestically violated women while Chris Brown lost a few of his own audience as he was now labeled a woman beater. Celebity and scandal are closely linked where scandal is supposed to increase the celebrity quotient of the star. The scandal isnt just about the celebritys life alone but of events that accord them iconicity and notoriety (Nayar, ;113). Rihannas biggest scandal is her involvement with ex boyfriend Chris brown even though he beat her up early in the relationship and not even the fact that he has a girlfriend. Rihanna stirs controversy in her communication through her openness about sex. Wall (2003) suggests that Sexuality and the representation of gender and sexual preference play significant roles in the music and image of individual artists. Rihanna has featured numerous times in mens adult magazines such as GQ and Esquire, also singing a lot about sexual tendencies in songs such as Te Amo in which she plays out a l esbian scene and SM. SM refers to Sadism (S) and Masochism (M) defined by Weinberg (1987) as the frame with which people distinguish their pretend play from actual violence or domination; this frame hinges on the BDSM credo, safe, sane, and consensual. Another commonality is the recurring elements that are played with, including power (exchanging it, taking it, and/or giving it up), the mind (psychology), and sensations (using or depriving use of the senses and working with the chemicals released by the body when pain and/or intense sensation are experienced) (Pawlowski,  2009) In the song SM, Rihanna plays with the media in a way that depicts her first as an object for study. However, she is able to conquer the power from the journalists through BDSM. Edwards (1993) takes the concept of a beauty ideal one step further and contends that the black women featured in music videos exemplify physical characteristics of the tragic mulatto. Many of the black women featured in music videos depict a Westernized beauty ideal of lighter skin, long hair, and blue or green eyes. Previous research findings show that color tone could have some influence in the way a celebrity is perceived and is able to appeal to their audience. People attribute higher status and grant more power and wealth to people of one complexion, typically light skin, within the groups designated as non-white (Hunter 2011) Charles (2009a) suggests that hegemonic representations of white skin are thoroughly rooted in multiple social institutions including education, religion, mass media, and popular culture where images of white beauty do not simply rely on white women with blonde hair and light eyes to sell products. Rihanna uses her body to sell her image, through displaying her femininity recognizable through, for example, edgy clothing that combines frilly, pretty femininity with a masculine style and garments that suggest a more porn-inspired raunch (Levy, 2005). celebrity culture, through the pop musicians (Baker, 2004), provides a rich source of meanings around sexuality. These meanings appear to be heavily saturated by raunchy (see Levy, 2005) representations in music videos where body revealing clothing is accompanied by acts of sexual simulation, self-touching, sexual poses and so on (Jackson, Vares Gill, 2012). She has been able to promote her own personal brand through social networking skills using platforms like twitter, instagram, as well as her uniqueness in her hairstyles, fashion sense, lyrics and attitude. While a good brand elicits thoughts, a great brand elicits feelings. She has been able to create emotional friendships with her fans whom she calls the Rihanna Navy through her social network sites publicizing personal events such as the death of her grandmother whom she called grand gran Dolly. Rihanna has also been able to establish with time an archetype for her brand personality and story. This is in her on camera character as a defiant hardcore girl. This image can be seen in latest albums such as Good girl gone bad, Rated R and Unapologetic. Rihanna has been able to set herself as a brand using her fashion sense, being endorsed by brands such as Armani, Nivea, Oprah, Nike and Clinique increasing her social capital. Her diversity in the brands she promotes suggests her success as a star. However, When celebrities endorse a particular product, the public is more likely to believe in its effectiveness and purchase the product, and when a celebrity particularly endorses a skin-lightening product, they are also endorsing the act of skin-lightening itself, suggesting that their own beauty is attainable and that skin-lightening is a mainstream, culturally acceptable act (Hunter,2011). McCracken (1989 cited in Grace Phang ;4) states that a consumer sees a celebrity endorsing a product and they recognize the essential similarity between the message, product, and celebrity and transfers the meanings of that celebrity to the product simply because Celebrities play roles where their image carries the meanings of those roles. All above factors mentioned have helped her build an identity as a celebrity. However, her Caribbean beats and looks had been around for a while and to succeed as a star she had to undergo a massive change. The duet with Justin Timberlake saw her morph from the girl dancing to Pon De Replay to the woman that invoked desire. This metamorphism in character and identity expanded her fan base. Her identity did not just change with her choice of songs but also her wardrobe. She cut her hair short and dyed it black which also grew a series of metamorphism where it went from cheek length to just one side long the other remaining short, to being boyishly short and finally red. This cutting of her hair was not just fashion sense speaking but she was communicating to an audience. Rihanna has been able to express herself in a variety of ways especially through her dress code, most notably her hairstyles. However, this is a mere strategy to sell her image, as it is a constructed image that the audience associates with her. As observed, all music or movie stars are a mere construction, they are a source of capital for record companies that own them. (Wall,2003;153). A lot of money is invested in Rihanna as the brand, therefore, developing and publicizing her star image is not just to sell individual records as people always need something new to keep them interested but as a brand or commodity (Wall,2003; 154). This practice involves ongoing maintenance of a fan base, performed intimacy, authenticity and access, and construction of a consumable persona. popularity is maintained through ongoing fan management; and self-presentation is carefully constructed to be consumed by others.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Research Into The External Environment Of Barclays Bank Finance Essay

Research Into The External Environment Of Barclays Bank Finance Essay Barclays is a global financial services provider deals with retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services all over the world. Barclays offers personal banking services to its customers all over the world and provides a variety of other products like loans, debit card, saving account, insurance, online banking etc. 1.1 AIMS/PURPOSES The purpose of this report is to review recent research into the external environment of Barclays Bank and provide strategic recommendations for senior managers of the organisation. 1.2 CONTEXT Barclays started its business from london 300 years back, and now Barclays has established enterprises across Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region and gives employment to approximately 145,000 people. Barclays has almost 49 million customers and clients worldwide. Barclays has so many achievements in his name. In 1958 Barclays appointed the UKs first female branch manager. In 1961 Barclays opened the UKs first computer center for banking. In 1966 Barclays launches Barclays card, Uks first credit card. In 1967 Barclays opened worlds first ATM. In 1986 Barclays was the first British bank to have shares listed on New York Stock Exchange. In 1987 Barclays launched Barclays connect, the UKs first debit card. In 1995 Barclays was the first financial institution to launch its website. In 1999 Barclays was the first UK bank to offer customers a mortgage in euros to buy a british home. In 2008 Barclays was the first bank in UK to announce a mass roll-out of contactless-enabled debit card. (Barclays, 2010) 1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT The first part of this report would examine and analyse the external environment of Barclays Bank, while the second part would give recommendations to mitigate its impact on the internal environment looking at what management structure and strategy that could be used. The final pact of the report would give a conclusion on the findings and limitations of the reports findings. 2.0 EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT Macro (External) Factors are seemingly uncontrolled by companies. They include factors like Political Factors, Economic and Competition Factors, Social Factors, Technological Factors and Legal Factors. Since Barclays Bank comes in Macro Factors, its strategic planning must include an analysis for Macro Factors. This purpose of report both includes SWOT and PEST analysis of tools. 2.1 POLITICAL FACTORS The Political Factors of a Bank includes measures of government stability and political risk in that country. Banking Sectors are affected by political factors and government rules and regulations, and as Barclays Bank one of the historical bank and has branches all over the world, expected to bond with government rules and feel the heat of politics in business and at time political factors doesnt allow banks to grow its business. For example the tax for Barclays to do its business in India will not be same as it is in UK. And also different-different country has different- different rules for its banking industry. According to Treanor report Senior bankers are complaining that political interference is the biggest risk facing their industry despite the billions of pounds of taxpayer money being used to prop up the banking system. One of the bankign leader at Pwc said With political interference as the top risk and too much regulation at number three, the concern is that the financial crisis has taken the banking industrys future out of its own hands.(Treanor,2010) Barclays president Bob Diamond also opposed political interference in banking sector. (Treanor, 2010) The UK Prime Minister said for a more responsible banking, in which he said banks are the servants of economy and society and never its master. He said banks should have help UK business by giving them loans. (BBC, 2009) 2.2 ECONOMIC AND COMPETITION FACTORS Due to the large number of banks in market, Barclays Bank is facing a huge competition in market. Barclays was rapidly losing market share to Bank of Scotland and mainland European banks according to survey by the Manchester Business School.(Trapp,1992) Bank of Scotland was regarded as the toughest bank, but it is felt to offer a better service. Smaller banks, such as the Co-op, Abbey National, Bank of Wales and Yorkshire, were considered less aggressive than the main hight street clearers in terms of fees and pricing. (Trapp, 1992) The Independent (2009) report says Barclays Bank faced a new challenge as credit ratings Moodys cut its rating by two full notches, leading to a one-tenth fall in its share price. (Robbins,2009) The existing recession also played a major role in affecting the business of banks. In 2008, Barclays profit fell by 14% while variable remuneration fell by 48%. At all level Barclays employees lost in  £2bn of personal wealth in 2007 and 2008. (BBC NEWS,2009) 2.3 SOCIAL FACTORS Social factor plays a major role in banks development and banks enterprise. Bank should win the heart of its customers to maintain its reputation. It should make a strong bond with customers. According to BBC News report, in April 2000 Barclays closed its 171 branches, many of them were in rural areas. Because of that Barclays had suffered from a spate of bad publicity. (BBC NEWS, 2000) On February, 2010 increasing overdraft charges on two million of its account holders created a bit concern for Barclays bank customers. However Barclays said eight million customers with standard current accounts would not be a hit by higher changes, and banks has not changed the rates paid by its credit card customers in UK. However customers reacted angrily against Barclays bank. (Moore,2010) 2.4 TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS The modern Technology which making customers life easy in banks, creating big problem regarding the security and privacy of their account details. Customers face problem in loging on and doing online banking. Many customers in country side areas dont have much knowledge about online banking, bill payments and online transfer funds. Some Customers feel unsecured doing online banking. In January 2010 many account holders were not able to check balances and transfer money via online banking. Many customers complained on Barclays forum for unable to access account. (Anker, 2010) Customers who logged into their account in July, 2000 they were able to read the details of other customers accounts. Barclays admitted the problem was associated with a software upgrade which went live overnight. (BBC NEWS, 2000) Barclays bank has signed a deal with F-Secure for 1.6 million licences of the anti-virus program. The basic F-Secure anti-virus will protect customers account and will alert users if any malicious programs installed. 2.5 LEGAL AND CREADIBILITY FACTORS Banks are regulated by different different agencies and different kind of laws in different countries. In 1990s, European countries have implemented Single Banking License which allowed banks from European Union (EU) countries to branch freely into other EU countries. European Countries implemented numerous regulations for banking industry, to achieve the level of harmonization required for the establishment of a single, competitive market for financial services. However, after that European banks have also experienced a negative effect on competition. (Angelini, 2003) UK government expected to put pressure on Barclays and other lenders that have turned down government help to join the British Treasurys latest effort to revive the economy. (Werdigier, 2009). In March, 2009 Barclays bank obtained a court order banning the Guardian from publishing documents which showed how the bank set up companies to avoid hundreds of millions of pounds in tax. The information was leaked by a person who was working with bank. (Guardian, 2009) In January, 2006 Barclays and other 22 international companies got a legal action brought by a South African activist group. That legal action was for allegedely benefited companies from doing business in South Africa in the apartheid era. Barclays was forecd to pull out of South Africa in 1986 after protests against its involvement in South Africa during the apartheid regime. (Kollewe, 2006) 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS Bank should make a strong bond with customers, to make its business and reputation profitable. Bank should should give customers requirement first priority in its business. T 3.1 As mentiond in the first part of the report, how political factor is playing a major role in banks business and growth. Different- different countris political stability plays a major role in banks deveopment. Banks should keep a track in advance on the political stability of that country, to know how its political change will affect its business. And bank should make a strong bond with governemnt regarding its policies and regulations so that government will help the banks at the time of economy downturn by giving banks special packages to rescue from economy downturn. Banks should make a strong bond with government regarding tax paying. 3.2 Economic and competition factor also plays a major role in affecting banks growth. As mentioned in 2.2 how competition in market plays a major role in companys share and profit and how that nation economy plays a major role in the growth and development of bank. Banks should involve Fiscal Policy in their policy. Fiscal Policy helps to reduce the rate of inflation and stimulate economic growth in a period of economy downturn. Fiscal Policy aims to stablise economic growth, avoiding boom and bust economic cycle.(Economics help) For competition factor playing a major role in banks growth. Banks should keep a strong policy on its interest rates which should not affect customers requirement and banks benefit both. 3.3 As mentioned in 2.3 Social Factor plays a major role in banks relations with customers which directly affects banks development and reputation. Banks responsibility towards customers plays a major role in banks reputation in market, which affects its business. Banks should give a written letter in advance to customers before taking any major step. Banks should make its customer care department more friendly for customers, so they will not hesitate asking any question to banks.Before increasing its any fee, banks should inform customers in advance. The significance of good customer service costs five times to win a new customers and retaining old customers. And banks should give assurance to customers regarding their funds and account profile and personal details, so that they will more secure regarding their accounts. To inhance its reputatin banks should participate in social causes and should participate in developing poor countries and rural areas. They should make branches an d ATMs more convinent for customers in countryside areas as well. 3.4 Technological factor which causing a big concern in winning the trust of customers. The modern technology which is making a customers life easy in doing online bill payments or accessing accounts online at time creat big problems for customers. As mentioned in 2.4 how at time online banking is creating problems for customers and creating problems in relationship with banks. Banks should make its online banking more secured and also give assurance to customers regarding their account details so that customers will not worry about their account profile. Banks should educate people regarding its online banking and telephonic banking. Bank will have to make international banking or internatioanl funds transfer safe for customers and for this they will have educate customers. As mentioned in 2.4, Barclays bank has signed a deal with F-Secure for licence of an anti-virus program which will protect customers account and will alert users if something go wrong with their account.(BBC News ,2006). Its banks responsibility to make technology secured regarding customers account, and if something happens wrong bank must insure customers that their money is safe. 3.5 For a good business banks should start using social media to build trust, loyalty and improve relationships with customers. Political Factor is palying a major role in Banks international market and bank Barclays protects money for nearly 14 million customers and clients in Africa during the time of economy and climate risk. Barclays operated in Africa for over a century and optimisitc for next 100 years future. http://group.barclays.com/Editorial/1231783315133.html CONCLUSION STRENGHTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Widespread global presence Generated controvecies Well-established historically Associated with innovation http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/business-resources/swot-analysis-database/barclays-bank-swot-analysis/

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Essay -- Crib Death SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or "crib death" is an abrupt and inexplicable death of an apparently healthy infant. Most of the cases involve infants from ages 1-12 months, and the event occurs during the night. Various theories have been postulated from research results but without consistency of the etiology. Since the death is sudden, prior diagnostic criteria or patterns are not available for correlation, although some near-miss infants have been followed. A number of possibilities have been documented in current literature, to include beta-endorphin changes, abnormal temperature regulation, pineal abnormalities, carotid body irregularities, lead poisoning, elevated fetal hemoglobin, brainstem immaturity, and cerebral hypoperfusion. The following is an overview of these pathologies in their relation to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. As with most physiological processes, several intermediate steps can lead to a certain event, thus making the mechanism more controlled. However, as more steps that are required, there arises a greater number of possible problems. SIDS is no exception. Most literature supports the view that victims of SIDS suffer a failure of the automatic control of respiration, producing periodic apnea and eventually death. Neural control of respiration involves three anatomical structures (Armstrong et al., 1982~. The first is the motor system, which contains the neurons which initiate and maintain respiration. These include the dorsal motor nucleus of the vague, the nucleus tractus solitarius, the nucleus ambiguous, the nucleus retro-ambiguous, the reticulo-spinal tracts in the anterior and lateral columns and the anterior horn cells of the cervical and thora... ...16:1122-1126, 1978. Koceard-Varo, G. The physiological role of the pineal gland as the masterswitch of life, turning on at birth breathing and geared to it the function of the autonomic nervous system. The cause of SIDS examined in this context. Medical Hypothesis, 34:122-126, 1991. Myer, E., Morris, D., et. al. Increased cerebrospinal fluid beta-endorphin immunoreactivity in infants with apnea and in siblings of victims of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. J. Pedia., 111:660-666, 1987. Quattrochi, J., McBride, P., and Yates, A. Brainstem immaturity in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A quantitative rapid Golgi study of dendritic spines in 95 infants. Brain Research, 325:39-48, 1985. Takashima, S., Armstrong, D., Becker, L., et. al. Cerebral hypoperfusion in the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? Brainstem gliosis and vasculature. Ann. Neurol., 4:257-262, 1978.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Impacts of Agricutlure on the Environemnt Essay -- Papers

Impacts of Agricutlure on the Environemnt The negative environmental effects of agriculture – water and air pollution, loss of habitats and biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient losses – have received major attention and continue to persist. Environmental concerns arise from many agricultural activities and sources including concentrated livestock production, pesticide and chemical use, deforestation, drainage of wetlands, soil erosion from cropland, and the use of fragile lands. Damage to Soil Soil erosion from farmland threatens the productivity of agricultural fields and causes a number of problems elsewhere in the environment. An average of 10 times as much soil erodes from American agricultural fields as is replaced by natural soil formation processes. Because it takes up to 300 years for 1 inch of agricultural topsoil to form, soil that is lost is essentially irreplaceable. The consequences for long-term crop yields have not been adequately quantified. The amount of erosion varies considerably from one field to another, depending on soil type, slope of the field, drainage patterns, and crop management practices; and the effects of the erosion vary also. Areas with deep organic loams are better able to sustain erosion without loss of productivity than are areas where topsoils are shallower. Erosion affects productivity because it removes the surface soils, containing most of the organic matter, plant nutrients, and fine soil particles, which help to retain water and nutrients in the root zone where they are available to plants. The subsoils that remain tend to be less fertile, less absorbent, and less able to retain pesticides, fertilizers, and other plant nutrients. Why then is erosion allowed to ... ... of the many potential problems caused by the heavy use of chemicals in modern agriculture. This, combined with the rapid rise in the cost of fertilizers and pesticides, has led many farmers to seek ways of reducing their reliance on chemical- intensive methods of farming. A small but growing percentage of farmers are farming with no synthetic chemicals, and many others are reducing their overall chemical use. Agriculture research has begun to focus on ways of maintaining environmental quality while producing acceptable crop yields. One example is integrated pest management, aimed at controlling pests through a combination of methods that minimize undesirable ecological effects. Continuing research and education need to be conducted on farming practices that produce profitable yields while maintaining environmental quality and the long-term productivity of the land.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

A persuasive essay on Illegal Immigrants

Are illegal aliens a problem of immigration? A purported view is immigration is not the problem, but rather the control and enforcement of immigration. In any country, the unchecked and illicit inflow of people can pose a challenge to that country's sovereignty.Rich countries have three major concerns when it comes to immigration. First, there is the belief that it causes wage inequality by a reduction in wages for domestic worker due to competition from immigrants. Next, there is the pressure it puts on facilities like schools and services like healthcare and welfare payments. This pressure is borne by taxpayers. Finally, especially post-911, there is the concern that there could be incidences of enemies hosted in immigrant communities.Another increasing concern is the amount of money crossing borders by way of remittances to extended family. Worker remittances from the US to Mexico came up to $16.6 billion last year. This amount is second only to petroleum in the US export revenues .The financial burden that illegal immigrants put on a country cannot be underestimated. The Federation for American Immigration Reform estimated a $7.7 billion spend a year in California to educate illegal immigrants and their children. The State of California also spends yearly $1.4 billion on health care and on illegal immigrants in prison.The major reason for illegal immigration is that the supply does not meet the demand. In the US, there is provision for 675,000 visas a year for permanent residence. 480,000 of these are available for the family reunification, 140,000 are based on employment. Humanitarian visas awarded to refugees were at a maximum of 70,000 in 2004. The diversity lottery gives out another 50,000 visas to citizens of countries that have sent fewer than 50,000 migrants in the previous five years.Different countries like Spain, France and the US have varying experiences of illegal aliens.Spain has its own share of trying to control the entry of illegal aliens ont o its shores. Sub-Saharan Africa sees the neighboring country as the closest refuge. 5,000 clandestine immigrants, trying to escape the consequences of a population that far outstrips it economic capability, have crossed the border with about 1,000 drowning as the board fragile fishing boats to make their way to the Canary Islands.Since France does not have the US advantage of a flexible labor market and stingy welfare state, it has ended up with a resentful immigrant underclass with time on its hands. France today has a low proportion of skilled immigrants.The French interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, is working on reversing this trend. He is proposing a managed, high-skilled, demand-led immigration policy by introducing a selective immigration policy with quotas for workers, students and families and allowing entry to those who have the means to support a family.This policy would involve opening up the borders to more skilled workers while clamping down illegal aliens through a c loser watch on bogus marriages, increased deportation and scrapping the automatic right to stay after 10 years of being in France illegally.There are some 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., most of them employed. In the US, most illegal immigrants are day laborers, 50% of whom are employed by homeowners. A lot of these day workers see themselves as victims of unemployment and of a failed immigration system. It is being said that tight legal controls have driven Latinos to illegality and across the U.S., 117,000 undocumented immigrants, the majority from Mexico, gather daily, looking for work.My personal experience is that illegal immigrants go after the jobs that citizens are not likely to be interested in like agriculture, landscaping, and housekeeping and most people are not averse to hiring them.

Monday, September 16, 2019

International Business in Japan

Abstract Capitalist and mostly single family centered, Zaibatsu led to a static system with weak competitive forces resulting in what is known as ‘cordial oligopoly’. (Niciejewska, 2007, pg 17) Keiretsu networks on the other hand, with its cross stockholdings is more dynamic and provided a more competitive business economy that continued to drive the Japanese economy during the post war period. The high cohesion that existed between the participating firms in the vertical keiretsu resulted in production and operational efficiency that gave Japanese manufacturers significant advantages in international markets. The impact of information technology and the internet in particular enabled the western countries implement modular production strategies and improved value chain management with setting up of contracted production centers across the globe. The japans keiretsu firms struggled to fight the American companies that specialized in single core functions leading to what is known as the mega competition. Keiretsu networks are unsuitable under modern, globally competitive, and technologically advanced market conditions. There is definitely a shift towards a more western centric business organization. Introduction Japanese corporate governance has undergone a lot of change since the Meiji restoration in 1868. It was during this time that the industrial revolution flourished across the world. The Zaibatsu originated when the Meiji government sold out certain government undertakings to a select few private and influential families namely Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Yasuda and Sumitomo. These government controlled firms slowly developed into different industries that helped Japan grow economically strong. During this period Japan practiced a closed economic system and foreign technology was totally shunned except in areas concerning domestic development (Thorson & Whitney, 2003). The Zaibatsu which could be loosely translated as monopolies emerged as the corporate structure that underlined the Japanese economy from this time till the end of the Second World War. In particular, the Zaibatsu or the industrial and financial conglomeration of the Japanese empire controlled a large percentage of the national economy during the first few decades of the twentieth century. In the aftermath of the World war 11 and the occupation of Japan by American forces, the Zaibatsu system was broken down and this gave rise to what is what is known as the Keiretsu system which is nothing but a group of companies with cross shareholdings and preferential business practices. Though the American government was bent on totally destroying the protectionary policies that the Zaibatsu system represented and proceeded with the dissolution of many Zaibatsu such as Asano, Furukawa, Nakajima, etc they stopped short of complete dissolution owing to fear of the intrusion of China’s communist practices into Japan. The formation of Keiretsu was an attempt to democratize the Japanese economy and to eliminate the restrictive policies (Thorson & Whitney, 2003). A brief overview of the firm structures in the Keiretsu and flourishing of Japanese economy between 1950-90, and its implications to the current Japanese economy would be discussed in this paper. Zaibatsu (Upto 1945) As briefly mentioned above, the Zaibatsu promoted a strong monopoly with holding companies at the top of the pyramid controlling all the operations between the various enterprises within the pyramid. Holding companies typically enjoyed the majority of the stocks of these businesses and more than 50% of the overall stocks of all the small companies that constitute the Zaibatsu were owned by its members (Thorson & Whitney, 2003). Stock options were never sold out to any third parties not connected with the zaibatsu making it a totally closed economic structure. The Zaibatsu was in short, a government led economic drive with strategies as well as resources provided for by the government. Japan’s industrial growth witnessed a rapid upswing under the Zaibatsu system. Buoyed by it success at home, the Japanese government forced the Zaibatsu system in Korea when it colonized the country (Shim & Lee, 2008, pg 49). The Zaibatsu enjoyed complete domination with Mitsui, Sumitomo and Mitsubishi, enjoying as much as 28% of the assets in Japanese companies by 1929. Just when the World War II was about to finish the Zaibatsu had 22.9% of the Japanese company stocks. Thus a handful of Japanese families had control over a vast majority of the Japanese enterprises under the Zaibatsu system. The structure of the Zaibatsu changed very quickly and soon there was intense diversification. For instance the single Mitsubishi Corporation rapidly diversified its business in to mining, shipping, insurance, trading, etc in a very short period of time and soon transformed into a holding company that was at the top of the Pyramid controlling a range of individual yet affiliated businesses. The Iwasaki family owned and controlled the entire business network of Mitsubishi (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Keiretsu Keiretsu represents a cluster of enterprises that are linked to each other by way of cross shareholdings and preferential trading practices creating mutual interests in the business progress. Keiretsu are basically divided into two main types’ namely Vertical keiretsu and horizontal keiretsu. However there are also other keiretsu such as the distribution keiretsu that relate to the distribution networks of big manufacturers. For instance the distribution networks of Matsushita, Fuji Photo Film, etc come under the distribution Keiretsu (Shimotani, 1995). Keiretsu emerged as a protective response to the dissolution and distribution of the largely family owned stocks of the Zaibatsu. When hostile companies were taking over the zaibatsu firms the three main Zaibatsu leaders convened and arranged a solution of cross shareholding and preferential trading policies that enabled them to retain the overall control of the enterprises among themselves. For instance the Mitsui, Sumitomo an d Mitsubishi zaibatsu formed this strategic pact of cross shareholdings to maintain their stronghold in the business. This is how the Keiretsu emerged from the Zaibatsu. Soon by the 1960’s a few big financial institutions in Japan such as Dai-Ichi Kangyo, Fuji and Sanwa joined with the Mitsubishi, Sumitomo and Mitsui to constitute what was popularly known as the six horizontal Keiretsu (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Periodic meetings between the president’s council (shacho-kai) members and executive exchanges and cross share holdings formed the glue between these six Keiretsu. The horizontal Keiretsu is centered around a large bank. On the other hand, the vertical Keiretsu are the large manufacturing companies and supply chain companies, the distributors etc. Unlike the Horizontal Keiretsu there is no president’s council in the vertical Keiretsu but the groups of suppliers of a manufacturing firm represent that role (Miwa and Ramsayer, 2006). Similar to the horizontal Keiretsu, the firms in the vertical keiretsu are also linked together by share holdings across firms and preferential business policies. In vertical Keiretsu there is improved knowledge sharing by way of business transfers including exchange of experts and technical staff members across the vertical network. Overall, vertical Keiretsu promotes improved cohesion among the network firms. In fact, the increased dependence of main firms on the supplier firms in the vertical Keiretsu even lead to large scale investments by these ancillary Japanese firms in US following the footsteps of the Japanese automobile manufacturing firms setting up their FDI in that Country (Banerji & Sambharya ,1996). In technology intensive industries of Japan vertical Keiretsu has greatly improved their international competitiveness by facilitating rapid knowledge sharing across the partnership firms. Empirical studies that measured the effects of such knowledge sharing across the firms in the vertical Keiretsu clearly suggest positive productive gains (Branstetter, 2000). One of the important advantages of the vertical keiretsu is the improved coordination between the suppliers and the assemblers. In the keiretsu automotive industries the suppliers receive plenty of support in products manufacturing , processing and people management. This is distinctly different from the US approach where the suppliers and the assembly line operate entirely independently. This model of operation facilitates both the parties as it helps to reduce the overall risk for either party. (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009) Thus the Keiretsu improved knowledge transfer among t he networked firms, improved productivity, reduced risk for the firms and gave the Japanese companies clear advantage in the international market. Furthermore, Gerlach (2004), also notes that the Keiretsus were particularly important due to their one-set principle and networking. For instance, synergies were achieved in input and output, especially in the case of manufacturing. Centralized systems and departments were used in conducting basic support operations, which helped all subsidiaries in cost savings (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Also, profit-trapping mechanisms were used in place, by distributing them effectively through subsidiaries (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Cross shareholdings were also particularly important as it helped avoid takeovers, encouraged risk taking amongst companies, and had a long term outlook on strategy (Sturgeon, 2006). One of the important examples of the vertical Keiretsu is the Toyota group. In fact, Toyota has a unique distinction of being both a horizontal keiretsu as well as a vertical keiretsu. They key difference is that the massive size of the Toyota organization makes it possible to exist without being controlled by a central bank as is the case with horizontal keiretsu. Toyota with more than $72 billion in annual revenue has the financial might to stand for itself without the dependence of any major funding source. However, it is associated with the Mitsui group horizontally. Toyota is also widely diversified like a horizontal keiretsu company with its firms representing industries as varied as real estate, computer development, aircraft development, nonlife insurance, etc. The disintegration of the Keiretsu (Why keiretsu failed?) The keiretsu system started to decline slowly by the early nineties and one study by Gerlach (2004) that analyzed the cluster networking pattern of 257 Japanese organizations between 1978 and 1998 found clear evidence indicating this shift away from the Keiretsu. Analysis of cross shareholdings further confirmed the decline of the keiretsu structure (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). By the late nineties many major banks that were previously the core of the Horizontal keiretsu had already sold off major portions of their shares to international financial institutions (Ahmadjian and Robinson, 2001). Several Bank mergers further shook the keiretsu structure. Starting with the Mitsui and Taiyo-Kobe Bank merger in 1990 to the 1998 merger of Industrial Bank of Japan, Fuji and Dai-ichi Kangyo bank the largescale mergers of Japanese financial institutions led to consolidation of the related keiretsu firms (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Globalization and technological changes further led to the withering of the Keiretsu. The numbers of board of directors were reduced and many foreign personals took up the position. International investors further demanded the selling off of the stocks in supplier firms and other affiliate firms. Furthermore, the global shift towards modular production system and the production efficiency that it gave rise to, along with a degree of independence between the firms that are involved, kind of eroded the production line advantages that Japanese firms specialized in mass production under the keiretsu system had enjoyed for a long period. The growth of information technology and the adaptation of computer simulation technologies in production testing and experimentation and swift data exchange between the firms reduced the need for physical communication (which was key in Keiretsu) and drastically improved value chain management.(Sturgeon, 2006) Modular production is propelled by ease of systems integration facilitated by information technology. By the 1990’s modular production system was already in place in the US electronic industry with its contract manufacturers spread across the globe. While the American firms capitalized on the internet enabled modular production systems and dominated the electronics industry and related computer hardware industry, Japanese electronics industry was still sticking to the ‘components plus products’ strategy. Cisco systems for instance enjoyed total domination in the network routers market enjoying as much as 80% of the market share while simply outsourcing its device production to contracted producers such as Solectron and Flextronics. Often the production centers are located in low cost regions such as China giving a distinct advantage for the modular production strategy. This contrast between the modular production strategies of the American firms and the in house à ¢â‚¬Ëœintegrated production system’ of the Japanese keiretsu firms gave a clear advantage to the American firms. In other words, the Japanese keiretsu firms could not handle the ‘mega competition’ from the American firms which specialize in single core functions or narrow core competencies. The following figure 1 illustrates the loss suffered by the Japanese keiretsu electronic industries in the early years of the new millennium. (Sturgeon, 2006) Another factor that accompanied global trade is the fluctuation of the exchange rates and its influence on the profit margin. Furthermore, the expansion into international markets and the associated transportation costs motivated many of Japan’s manufacturing firms to move their production facilities abroad as a cost effective solution. Though some suppliers too moved and invested in these new countries, in most cases the central firms such as Toyota started building trust and relationships with the local suppliers. Furthermore, changes in Japanese economic reforms including the Tax policies did not tolerate risk sharing measures as they used to before which clearly undermined one of the key Keiretsu principles. Conclusion The Large capitalist and mostly single family based zaibatsu companies flourished during the early twentieth century creating industrial monopolies that were closely controlled by the government. Zaibatsu led to what is known as a static system as most of the stocks are retained by the family that controls the business. Furthermore Zaibatsu promoted weak competition leading to what is known as ‘cordial oligopoly’.) Keiretsu on the other hand with its cross stockholdings is more dynamic and provided a more competitive business economy that continued to drive the Japanese economy during the post war period. The high cohesion that existed between the participating firms in the vertical keiretsu resulted in production and operational efficiency that gave Japanese manufacturers significant advantages in international markets. However, the Keiretsu principles of ‘preferential business’ affected foreign companies from entering the Japanese markets. Globalization and increasing pressures from international organizations to sell off stocks in affiliated firms affected the cohesion that previously existed between the participating firms in the keiretsu network. Furthermore, the successful integration and mass production strategies of the keiretsu networks that helped Japanese manufacturing firms flourish were soon affected by the shift in global production strategies. Particularly, the concept of modular production where product design could be isolated from its manufacture and the shift towards outsourcing in the western world created a dent in the Japanese manufacturing sector which was still stuck with the ‘in house production’ policies. The impact of information technology and the internet in particular enabled the western countries implement modular production strategies and improved value chain management with setting up of contracted production centers across the globe. The japans keiretsu firms struggled to fi ght the American companies that specialized in single core functions leading to what is known as the mega competition. These fundamental shifts in organizational structure and strategies in the West have made the Keiretsu networks unsuitable under modern globally competitive and technologically advanced market conditions. There is definitely a shift towards a more western centric business organization. Bibliography Ahmadjian, Christina L and Patricia Robinson. (2001). Safety in Numbers: Downsizing and the New Political Economy of Structural Adjustment and Globalization, New York: M.E. Sharpe. Jae Seung Shim & Moosung lee, (2008), The Korean Economic System, Ashgate Publishing Ltd. England. James R Lincoln & Mashiro Shimotani, (2009), Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper series, [online] University of California, viewed Mar 9th 2012, Katharina Niciejewska, (2007) The Influence of Social networks in Japanese business. Keiretsu as a Japanese Network. Auflage , Germany. Kunal Banerji PhD & Rakesh B Sambharya, (1996), Vertical Keiretsu and international market entry: The case of the Japanese automobile ancillary industry, Journal of international business studies. Vol 27, No 1. Lee Branstetter (2000), Vertical Keiretsu and Knowledge Spillovers in Japanese Manufacturing: An Empirical assessment, Journal of Japanese and International Economies , Vol 14, Issue 2, pg 73-104 Miwa, Yoshiro and J. Mark Ramsayer. 2006. The Fable of the Keiretsu: Urban Legends of the Japanese Economy. University of Chicago Press, 2006. Thayer Watkins, The Toyoto Group: The One and Only Horizontal and Vertical Keiretsu, [Online] San Jose State University, viewed Mar 9th 2012, Timothy J Sturgeon, (2006), Modular Productions Impact on Japan’s Electronic industry, MIT, IPC Working papers series. Viewed Mar 10th 2012,

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution Essay

In the 1850s, Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution. His theory proposed that species evolved gradually through subtle changes from one generation to the next by means of natural selection. By natural selection, the most desirable hereditary traits become more common from one generation to the next while the less desirable, weaker traits die out. This gives rise to an organism that is more capable—fitted to—of surviving in the surrounding environment. At the time Darwin formulated his idea beginning with his trip on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, some scientists resorted to the idea that God had preordained life by natural laws rather than by miraculous feats. While logical and correct, the idea still refers to a divine power, indicating a religious bent, so perhaps it was obvious that the ideas addressed could lead to religious controversy. As is common in science, Darwin’s concept arose from ideas garnered from a number of scientists of his time. Some researchers of the time believed that natural laws were responsible for life. While Darwin’s ideas did not account for the processes believed to account for life at the time, there was a theory at the time thought to account for life. Most thought that species were transmuted from one species into another. The problem with transmutation, an idea that is similar to evolution in some respects, is that a species may change through transmutation, but it will still be the same species. A dog may change into a different type of dog, but it will still be a dog; likewise, for a cat or any other species. Evolution dictates that the entire animal kingdom can grow through stages from one species into another over time. Birds came from reptiles, mammals came from birds and humans came from non-humans. (Lewontin, 1981) The data is unequivocal. During his voyage on HMS Beagle, Darwin found fossil remains of gigantic mammals that were recently extinct with no indication that their extinction had been caused by climate changes or catastrophic events. Although he believed that the remains he found were related to species in Africa or Europe, examination of the remains Darwin found showed that they were only related to other species found only in the Americas. Creationists insist that life came about from God in six days. While most evolutionists attack creationism on the grounds of scientific facts, there is another line of evidence virtually unnoticed by those who support evolution theory. Historians and archeologists have learned that the biblical story of creation came from the myths of another culture. Stories presented in the Bible evolved slowly over time, long before religions existed, and incorporated tales from many cultures. The story of the Garden of Eden, the serpent and the Tree of Life, for example, are said to have been depicted on an Akkadian Cylinder Seal nearly 2500 years before Christ. The serpent itself was viewed as a deity. Notice: â€Å"No one familiar with the mythologies of the primitive, ancient, and Oriental worlds can turn to the Bible without recognizing counterparts on every page, transformed, however, to render an argument contrary to the older faiths. In Eve’s scene at the tree, for example, nothing is said to indicate that the serpent who appeared and spoke to her was a deity in his own right, who had been revered in the Levant for at least seven thousand years before the composition of the Book of Genesis. There is in the Louvre a carved green steatite vase, inscribed c. 025 BC by King Gudaea of Lagash, dedicated to a late Sumerian manifestation of this consort of the goddess, under his title Ningizzida, ‘Lord of the Tree of Truth. ‘† p. 9. â€Å"The Serpent’s Bride. † Joseph Campbell. Occidental Mythology, The Masks of God. Arkana. New York. Viking Penguin Books. 1964, 1991 reprint The information in the Old T estament dates from about 1450 BC until 200 BC. This means that, contrary to the strongly held beliefs of most Christians, the creation story of Genesis is actually derived from the myths of ancient Sumerians. Therefore, the story is a myth. This means that those who against Darwin’s ideas on religious grounds based on their beliefs in the accuracy of the story in Genesis have unknowingly chosen to accept myth over facts. While they believe the myth to be factual, archeological evidence demonstrates otherwise. The scientific evidence leans heavily in support of Darwin’s ideas. While we may not fully understand some aspects behind the mechanism of evolution, we are continuously learning more about those mechanisms. (Dobzhansky, 1973) Dobzhansky states: Let me try to make crystal clear what is established beyond reasonable doubt, and what needs further study, about evolution. Evolution as a process that has always gone on in the history of the earth can be doubted only by those who are ignorant of the evidence or are resistant to evidence, owing to emotional blocks or to plain bigotry. By contrast, the mechanisms that bring evolution about certainly need study and clarification. There are no alternatives to evolution as history that can withstand critical examination. Yet we are constantly learning new and important facts about evolutionary mechanisms. Theodosius Dobzhansky, â€Å"Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in Light of Evolution†, American Biology Teacher vol. 35 (March 1973) reprinted in Evolution versus Creationism, J. Peter Zetterberg ed. , ORYX Press, Phoenix AZ 1983. Darwin (1859) believed that whales evolved from bears based on a scenario where selective pressures might cause this evolution, but he was criticized for this idea and removed the suggestion. Gould, 1995) Today, there is much more fossil evidence for the evolution of many species thus supporting the idea of evolution as a general biological principle, including the evolution of whales from lower animals. Evidence in support of evolution exists at many levels. There is paleontological evidence based on fossils, morphological evidence that relate the body morphology of higher animals to lower animals, evidence from molecular biology and from embryology. Added to this, the chronological picture that results is consistent with other lines of evidence. For example, the evidence for the evolution of whales from lower animals is convincing. Whales have been closely studied with respect to evolution. If evolution is valid, transitional stages from one level of evolution to another should exist. Although the fossil remains of whales spotty for a long time, recent fossil discoveries have more than adequately lent support to the concept of evolution for whales. Researchers state that independent lines of evidence from different disciplines confirm the pattern of evolution in whales. John Ray recognized that whales were mammals rather than fish in 1693 based on their similarity to terrestrial mammals. (Barnes, 1984) In 1883, Flower (see Barnes, 1984) found that whales had vestigial characteristics in common with terrestrial mammals just as humans have vestigial tails, the coccyx. Findings similar to these led to the concept of ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. ’ This concept is briefly explained in further detail below. Flower (1883) recognized that the whales have persistent rudimentary and vestigial features characteristic of terrestrial mammals, thus confirming that the direction of descent was from terrestrial to marine species. On the basis of morphology, Flower also linked whales with the ungulates; he seems to have been the first person to do so. Today, we know that whales have vestigial features in common with lower animals. For example, they have vestigial olfactory nerve, protruding hind limbs, pelvic fins and diaphragms. Like humans, during embryological development, whales develop features similar to lower animals and abandon them as development progresses. During their development, there is also evidence that whales have terrestrial ancestors. Some whales even develop hair while in the womb although they do not retain it. In 1985, Goodman et al. demonstrated that whales are more closely related to ungulates than to other animals. (Goodman, 1985; Miyamoto and Goodman, 1986) Some studies have identified genes, enzymes and other proteins that connect whales to extinct animals. (Irwin et al. 991; Irwin and Arnason, 1994; Milinkovitch, 1992; Graur and Higgins, 1994; Gatesy et al, 1996; Shimamura et al. , 1997) We have already noted above that the creation story in the Bible was taken from the text of an ancient culture that predates the Hebrew account. Rather than to openly acknowledge that the Bible’s story of creation is a mythical legend that explains evolution and the appearance of life on ea rth, some religious groups resort to far-fetched, fictitious, generally ridiculous concepts such as ‘creationism’, ‘creation science’ and ‘intelligent design’ to dismiss or explain away the science and replace it with fantasy. Embryology and developmental biology have a concept, ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’, that simplifies and briefly but succinctly expresses the concepts presented in the first chapter of Genesis. This is like explaining a complicated scientific concept, take conception and birth for example, to a little child by using a fairy tale rather than detailed research information. The fairy tale is not accurate, but the general information it communicates is true. With this single phrase, the first chapter of Genesis is summarized and explained. The phrase means that the embryological processes of development, ontogeny, depict and encapsulate the evolutionary history of the species, phylogeny. For example, during development of the human embryo, the fetus briefly has gills and a tail like its phylogenetic ancestors. In other words, during development, the developing embryo goes through some of the same stages that humans went through as the species developed from lower animals to humans. The concept makes perfect sense and explains many aspects of human development. Obviously, we cannot provide a comprehensive review of the evidence support evolution in a few pages, and we certainly cannot provide realistic evidence against it in light of all that exists to support it. While the evidence in support of the evolution of whales is plentiful, much evidence exists for evolution in general, including in humans. As has been reported here, the evidence is not just from scientific research, but also from archeology and history. That evidence shows, among other things, that the biblical story of creation in Genesis predates the Bible by hundreds of years. Despite all the evidence in support of evolution and against the idea of the biblical creation as being anything more than a myth, we can be certain that the argument in support of the biblical creation as being the real story and representing the real facts will not go away. Humans being what we are, we will always be faced with living with the Genesis myth as if it were fact, and coping with those who insist that the earth all the universe was created in six literal days. That concept certainly will never go away no matter what facts exist to disprove it.