The Attic

My task had been set and so with trepidation, I gingerly climbed the ladder that led to the attic. I balanced on the top rung of the ladder and flung open the trap door. The door crashed against the diirt blackened floorboards loudly. The musty smell hit me, as a flurry of the dust cascaded onto my head. I carefully levered myself up onto the floor above me. I looked around the peculiar room to see beckoning shadows on the walls, as daylight tried to filter through a worn curtain, which graced the solitary window in the room. I stumbled forwards in the half-light, my outstretched hands grabbing a low beam to steady myself. The wood felt gritty and cold beneath my fingers and I looked at my hands, which were now blanketed in grime. I walked carefully to the end of the large attic room, and drew back the faded red velvet curtain, which stretched across the tiny window. The light violated the darkness, and dispelled the gloom. The room was now really quite entrancing, the task of cleaning the room, which I had initially perceived to be a horrible chore, had now turned into a beautiful privilege. I gazed at the room that was cluttered with memorabilia of a bygone era. Under the window stood an oval, walnut coffee table. On its dusty and worn surface stood several ornaments. I bent down and carefully picked up a grey figurine. I blew on it and the dust flew away. It was a white porcelain statuette that I now held; it was a delicate figurine of a ballet dancer. The ballerina was with her slender raised arms stood on points and her beauty contrasted with her shabby surroundings. I gently and with reluctance placed her back on the table I looked over the walls. They were painted yellow once, but now they were a dull cream. I walked over to the wall and ran my hand over the rough surface a thick layer of dust lay on my hand. Disgusted, I wiped my hand against my thighs of as I had worn my old jeans. The wall now had a small track of where I had removed the dust, a light yellow contrasted against the tedious cream. I looked up to see the spiders crawl over the beams, they were now the current tenants of this once beautiful place. The webs spread across from one corner of the room to the other. I lowered my eyes and my gaze met a picture that hung askew on the shabby wall. It was a painting of a horse, with a glossy deep brown coat that stared back at me. I looked at the surroundings in the picture, with its familiar red bricks and rose bushes, and I recognised it, as my back garden. I approached the painting to get a better look and screwed into the wooden frame was a brass plaque engraved with ‘High Princess- 1843'. I smiled and diverted my attention the double pushchair that seemed so out of place, as antiques surrounded it. I recalled the days of when I was once sat in the double pushchair with William, my brother. Memories flew back to me, memories of sitting there with ice cream trickling down my chin, as Will and I happily watching the world go by. Now it stood there, the navy blue material paler and worn, the once polished metal now rusted but the memories are as vivid as yesterday. I stood to exit, and the floorboards creaked beneath my feet, footprints left from where I had been inspecting the ornaments that lay in the room. I headed towards the trapdoor to go and inform my parents on what I had found in our now amazing attic. But something caught my eye, a small jewelry box. I was drawn to it; I walked towards it and picked it up. It was an ornately carved rosewood box from India. I opened the box carefully to reveal a green velvet lined interior. Inside laid unusual pieces of jewelry. I held an emerald necklace, the heavy strange jewel amazed me by its rich deep colour. I placed it carefully back down on its velvet cushioning to pick up another piece of jewelry. A ring. A ruby lay in its centre; I love rubies, as they are my birthstone and had to remind myself to ask Dad if I could have it. Once again, I replaced it. I looked out of the small window that lay behind me and saw that the sun was beginning to get low. I had to leave this room, which had intrigued me for hours. I knew I would return and I knew that at my next visit there would be even more revelations awaiting me.

The Art of Ballet

The art of ballet started out as a fun dance for the wealthy and throughout history, has evolved into an elegant, world wide form of structured expression. From its beginnings in European cultures to its now widespread and diverse variations, ballet shows no signs of slowing down in popularity any time soon. Early ballet was influenced by the social dancing of its day, ballroom dancing. This art was born when the ancient Greek and Roman renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries took place, reviving an interest in all things human and the arts.The word â€Å"ballet† derives from the Italian word â€Å"balla,† meaning dance. In the Italian city-states of the fifteenth century, many â€Å"balli† meaning â€Å"dances† were held. The ballis involved specific steps that our generation would classify as ballroom steps. Ballet got much recognition when Louis XIV ascended to the throne of France. He came from an arts school where he studied the arts of f encing, music, and dance. His passion for dance was very serious. So serious in fact, that he established the Academic Royale de Danse in 1661, employing 13 ballet instructors.Another well –known founder of ballet is Jean-Georgeos Noverre, also known as the â€Å"Shakespeare of Dance†. He argued for a new, more expressive form of ballet. He created ballet d’action, meaning ballet with out instruments. The Romantic Period played a very important role in the development of women in ballet. This period began in the early eighteen-hundreds. The milestones accomplished within this time period included large female background dancers to accompany the prima ballerina, the lightening of female costumes, and women dancing en pointe.Dancing en pointe, turn out, and the basic five ballet positions exemplify ballet, and are now standard for all ballerinas. The next step on the road to modern ballet is the formation of classical ballet. While the first production of the ball et known as La Sylphide took place in Paris and most famous ballerinas of the day were still coming from Italy, the second half of the nineteenth century saw the axis of the ballet world shift from Western Europe to Russia. However, a Frenchman was responsible for this shift.Marius Petita created five of ballet’s greatest classics in the late nineteenth century: Don Quixote, La Bayadere, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker, as well as restaging Giselle and La Coppelia. All of these classics share common similarities marking them as the trademarks of what is now regarded as the classical repertoire. They generally begin with group dances and evolved into complex stories between two or three main characters. The grand pas de deux, meaning big step for two, commonly begins with an adagio (slow, lyrical dance) between a male and a female dancer.The dance includes high extensions of the woman’s legs, multiple pirouettes, and big leaps forming a long straight line with the female’s legs in the air. Following the adagio is the allegro. This portion is merely a solo showcase of the male dancer’s ability and strength across the stage. An allegro for a ballerina features softer, yet intricate footwork and pirouettes. Finally, we have the coda, or finale, which reunites the dancers in an exuberant flourish. During that time period, three schools of classical ballet emerged.The French school is the oldest of the three. Known for its grace and elegance rather than its technical virtuosity, the French school was nevertheless held in high regard. The Italian school was known for its dexterity, difficulty of its steps, high leaps, and multiple turns. Lastly there was the Russian school. The Russian school was basically a hybrid of the prior schools. This school was held in high esteem due to its combination of serene elegance, breathtaking choreography, and the most complete and well-developed technique in all of ballet.The Russian b allet school slowly led the movement of ballet throughout the world and is responsible for how far ballet has grown. While Petipa’s traditional romantic style still held sway over Europe and Russia, Isadora Duncan, a freethinking American brought a completely new aesthetic to the stage. She believed in a more â€Å"anit-ballet† view of dance. She believed ballet was elitist and superficial. Duncan started a form of dance that was quite the opposite of what ballet was known for. This style of dance would be natural, free, and unbounded by rules.Duncan took her dancing on the road, touring through Europe and Russia alone, barefoot, and dressed in long tunics. The traditional aspect of her performance was the music she danced to, which was mostly Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Chopin. She had many enemies, but with every enemy she gained, there were hundreds who thought her dramatic expression was lively and wquite enjoyable. Through the next few years, modern dancers began to fuse ballet with their own expressive movements. Also, ballet choreographers began incorporating modern techniques into their dances.As time moved forward, so did the swift evolution of ballet. Cultures took the basics and made it their own and by the late 1970’s , many classical ballet companies started incorporating modern steps into its repertoire and hiring modern choreographers to construct distinctive works on its own dancers. It is evident that as the world changes and its people continue to gain knowledge about their surroundings, the art of ballet will continue to spark interest and develop creativity in many people aspiring to gain the technique of the craft.

A Review Of The Enron Code Of Ethics

A Review Of The Enron Code Of Ethics Enron Introduction The Enron code of ethics was well detailed, and all the provisions of the code of ethics were in line with the policies of the company. According to Sims and Brinkmann (2003), Enron policies together with the code of ethics fostered the company reputation of being fair and honest. The company tried to safeguard the interests of its customers by ensuring that it provides the best more than their competitors. The code of ethics specified that all the company employees should not conduct themselves in any manner that would jeopardize the best interest of the company. Moreover, the employees were not supposed to engage in any business that would suggest competition with the Enron. Through the above policies, the company gave room for failure instead of bringing in a perceived success. The policies indirectly forced the top executives as well as the junior employees to engage in unethical behaviors that later made the company failed ethically and subsequently financially. Enron is Synonymous with Ethical Failure Given that Enron’s code of ethics was inclined towards the good ethical conduct of all its cooperate employees, it failed and was declared bankrupt in 2001 (Fusaro and Miller, 2002). The failure of the Enron can be attributed to the failure of the executive and the unethical behavior within the company. The working conditions were and condescension where competition and financial goals were over emphasized. The profit orientation of Enron compelled it to always emphasize on policies that would see the generation of the benefits by all means. The employees were subjected to a rating system whereby 20 percent of the employees were supposed to be rated below the minimum requirements and fired (Marianne, 2009). Enron applied the rating system with a hope of encouraging the employees to work extra harder and avoid low ratings, but the system harmed Enron contrary to the expectations of the management. The continuous evaluation of the employees for performance together with the culture of competition lead to deception. The strict evaluation process compelled the employees to engage in cheating on their work. They were always nervous and feared to lose their jobs due to underperformance. Thus, they resorted to unethical means of surviving for a longer period within the company, for instance, they cheated about their progress even if they knew that things were not all that good. None of the employees felt the shame of cheating since it was becoming a culture. Those who stood by what was right was regarded odd by the cheating employees. Besides cheating, the employees covered errors and could not report errors of their colleges since each of them was entangled in his or her line of duty and focused only their achievements in the places of work. According to Katzenbach (2015), employees in a company help each other by asking and answering questions. However, the competitive environment in the Enron compelled the employees to avoid asking questions since they considered it humiliating. Moreover, they did not like helping each to avoid competition and avoided mentioning their doubts and seeking for clarifications. Moreover, Enron ensured that all its employees did not engage with outside parties that could out-compete Enron in the market. Thus, the employees were not allowed to express any doubts about the financial status and the plans of the company. Olson, a company analyst, lost his job because Olson advised his client not to invest in the company due to the unpredictable status of the business (Marianne, 2009). Conclusion Conclusively, the evil culture in the Enron company that was created by selfish company executives led to the fall of Enron. Both the officials and the employees engaged in unethical practices and they ended up contributing to the downfall of the Company.

Recently History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Recently History - Essay Example the southern African Americans faced a great deal of problems in the 1915-16, They were denied the right to vote, lived under severe poverty, faced crop infestation which affected them greatly as most of them were occupational farmers and most importantly they lived under heavy debt. Lack of facilitation and opportunities in the south prompted them to migrate to the north where the urban areas had flourish in the wake of the war. Since Europe was in the midst of a sever war that had haltered its economic progress, the United States became the facilitators in this case for the war torn countries. As a result not only did it strengthen economically, it also hosted a number of quality and well-paying job, a feature absent in the south (Exhibitions.nypl.org). They war had opened many avenues for them in the economic world of production and services and hence, the southern blacks moved to the north in search of greener pastures. This migration is known as the great migration in history an d played a great role in revolutionizing the black community in the United States. The female black population of the United States was positively affected as well. They contributed to the war efforts and as a result were able to get equitable jobs in the country as well. They became politically active as well and provided significant support to the black soldiers as a result. Many war service organizations specifically for women were also established like the Red Cross, Womens Auxiliary of the New York 15th National Guard etc. and thus, they were accepted as a strong opinionated part of the American population. Many instances also depict the increased employee sense that these minorities developed and retaliated against their white employees for due employee rights they were denied. Where the black Americans saw progress and growth at the war time, another minority faced dire consequences. Majority of the American population consisted of foreigners. Even though the german-americans

Starting a Business Online Part 2 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Starting a Business Online Part 2 - Term Paper Example This is because our domain provides has given a very good reputation for our business despite being new in the domain. The domain has acted us a promotional avenue where it draws the potential clients and the well displayed contents encourages people to choose or buy service from the website. Determining whether to sell or not a domain name depends on the business value of the domain name (Kalakota & Robinson 2003).   A domain valuation is a key tool of determining the value of the website. The process is relatively complex for individuals who do not have experience. The URL brokers are very critical aspects in determining the domain value. I will turn down the offer to sell the domain name since it will have negative implication on the business. The business sell will drop down if we sell the domain name. Moreover, finding our business in the internet will be very cumbersome. The reputation and the hard work that has been invested in the business to make the business credible and relevant will be hugely jeopardized. Most companies which have excelled in terms of domain have supplied a lot of determination and hard work. The usability and the convenience of the software used in e-commerce is a very critical aspect when it comes attracting and maintaining. The however most software developers do not consider when they are developing their systems. Usability is how the easy the users can use the module of a system. If the module for example the catalogue module is simple and clear, then it can attract the attention of the user. How organized the module is assisting the users in accomplishing their task with a lot of simplicity. The availability of effective shopping cart abilities is critical in ensuring that the customer’s purchasing via internet is increased. Lack of an effective shopping card result less sells and waste of time. The module ensures automation of the complete shopping process. This makes the whole purchasing process simple and automated . Shopping card saves money, time and makes the happy. The criteria of creating a shopping are very critical since the usability and the effectiveness of a shopping process is very crucial. The processing of purchasing transaction process is equally important. The transaction process starts from ordering, processing, payment and delivering process. The procedure should b short and clearly so the records of all the procedures are recorded and processed in an effective manner. Moreover, the processing of the purchase involves the transfer of money. The security of the payment processing is critical since the security of money is very crucial. The web usability can be increased by ensuring that the all the usability features of the different section are effectively attended to. For instance, the ability of a customer to go through the ordering process within the shortest time possible assists in attracting more and maintaining those who have used the service. The most effective ways of improving the usability of a website is by increasing web traffic, SEO and market segmentation. Search engine optimization is the best way of improving the traffic. Search engine optimization is a method used to increase the traffic to a website using techniques which raises the ranking of you search engine in the website. The technique is related to Google. Some of the aspects which are considering in maximizing search engine include: Check out- the web manager should

12 months exercise program to gradually cure hypertension and maintain Essay

12 months exercise program to gradually cure hypertension and maintain healthy for a man over 72 years - Essay Example Blood pressure is controlled by life style changes which include diet, exercise and medication (Oh 2012). Physical activity is a key factor in helping reduce high blood pressure as well as reducing high cholesterol values in cases of obesity and this helps improve blood circulation in the tissues and this means proper supply of oxygenated blood in the tissues and hence improving the performance of the heart muscles. According to the case study of Mr. A, he is currently inactive since the kind of excise he used to do was to walk around with his dog that died and since then he has been inactive, and the only leisure he does is watching TV. The aim of this initial stage is to begin the exercise while taking it slow. This may include; This involves the lengthening of muscles. Stretching the muscles to lengthen the arms and leg muscles before exercise may help prepare the muscles for activity and help reduce muscular pains and injury (Becker 2001). Regular stretching will help improve the range of flexibility and also motion. For Mr. A, who has been inactive since his dog passed away, it is imperative for him to begin with stretching of muscles before he begins walking again of doing active exercises again. Climbing the stairs may require his leg muscle stretching to avoid pains and muscle pulls (Oh 2012). However, the initial exercise stage should not be vigorous. He should begin it slowly to condition the body. These exercises should last at least 10 to 15 minutes a day and at least five to six times per week. For the movement pattern, Mr. A, should warm up for 5-6 minutes involving single joint and stretching exercises. This will involve such exercises like cardiovascular or aerobic exercises which are steady exercises that will involve using large muscle groups. This exercise type is aimed towards strengthening the heart muscles and also the lungs and ultimately improving the general supply and usage of oxygen to the tissues (Becker 2001). Continued aerobic

Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Modern and Contemporary Asian Art - Article Example Marko Mori was born in 1967, in Tokyo Japan. Her father was an inventor and real estate manager. On the other hand, her mother was a historian of European art. Mori started working as a fashion model in 1980 while studying at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. She later on moved to London to study at the Chelsea College of art and design. She studied there until 1992 when she moved to New York and took part in the independent program at the Whitney Museum of American art. Mariko currently resides in New York and Tokyo. Marko Mori was born in 1967, in Tokyo Japan. Her father was an inventor and real estate manager. On the other hand, her mother was a historian of European art. Mori started working as a fashion model in 1980 while studying at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. She later on moved to London to study at the Chelsea College of art and design. She studied there until 1992 when she moved to New York and took part in the independent program at the Whitney Museum of American art. Ma riko currently resides in New York and Tokyo. In 1996, Marko Mori released a video titled, link of the moon. In the video, the five aspects of humanity get clearly illustrated (Bailey 2000, p.4). These are birth, death, love, sex and beauty. The video uses DVD on five screens to display the movements involve in martial arts. In the video, Marko Mori holds a crystal ball which symbolizes transformation and transportation. There are curious passers-by who seem less concerned with Marko Mori. They pass by her. The passers-by can be symbolized in the capsule as colorful distortions. Marko Mori started her large scale self portrait in the mid 1990’s. She used multimedia techniques to establish herself with performances and videos of the traditional Japanese rituals. Her themes illustrate everything in the modern Japan while showing the trends in fashion experienced in Japan. One can hardly point out on a style used by Mori. Hers is a collection of many styles blended together. Her belief, which is neither Buddhist nor Shiro, comes out clearly in her artworks (Smith et al 2008, p.6). Her belief seems to stem from technology. Technology in some aspects can be described to be Mori’s religion. Her use of technology in an artwork is quite well blended. She manages to integrate the two, technology and art, to bring out the ideas she wants to express. In Nirvana, which got released in 1997, Mori transforms into a flying divinity. This can be said to have been borrowed from the Buddhism religion. She, however, does not recreate a symbol with this art. She rather manages to express a divinity of the future. This is the extent to which Mori manages to use technology in her artistic work (Wu et al 2010, p.1).

Film Prompt(you can make any topic by your idea) Movie Review

Film Prompt(you can make any topic by your idea) - Movie Review Example It helps to commemorate this fact that a white man can be spared and all black men can be killed just because of different of color. Lee is saying through his film that because racism underpins all forms of entertainment even today, racist stereotypes are still alive. For me, the most poignant moment in the film came near the end. There is this horrible shootout between the police and the rap group who is there to perform. There is a mix of black and white performers in that rap group. But, all the black group members are killed by the police and one white member is spared. This makes the white man realize that no matter how hard he may try to mingle with another race, the society will still not let go of the idea of white supremacy. The modern day minstrel show created by Lee is different from a typical or traditional show. For example, when Glover is dancing and his partner jumps in to dance in rhythm, it is different because what he does is â€Å"an occupation traditionally held by African Americans†

IAS 36 and the Framework for the preperation and presentation of Essay

IAS 36 and the Framework for the preperation and presentation of financial statements - Essay Example The carrying amount can be defined as the amount at which an asset is recognized in the balance sheet less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. The recovery amount can be defined as the higher of an assets fair value less costs to sell (usually called net sales) and its value in use (homepage)2. The International Accounting Standards Board has prescribed the identification and conditions for assets to be impaired. Every reporting date at the end of an accounting period every organisation applying the rules of the IFRS should test if any asset is impaired. If any such asset shows that it is impaired then the organisation shall estimate the recovery amount of such asset. Other conditions attach to this test includes the test of for ``an intangible asset with an indefinite useful life or an intangible asset not yet available for use for impairment annually by comparing its carrying amount with its recoverable amount. This impairment test may be performed at any ti me during an annual period, provided it is performed at the same time every year. Different intangible assets may be tested for impairment at different times. However, if such an intangible asset was initially recognized during the current annual period, that intangible asset shall be tested for impairment before the end of the current annual period, test goodwill acquired in a business combination for impairment annually in accordance with paragraphs 80-99 ´Ã‚ ´3 (though the guidance on how to measure goodwill impairment should be included in Section 27, rather than referring to paragraphs 80-99 of IAS 36 Impairment of Assets)4. The IASB also add to the above rule that if an asset may be impaired by its recoverable amount should be estimated for the individual asset otherwise an organisation should determine the recoverable amount of the cash generating unit to the group where the asset belongs (the asset’s cash-generating unit)5. The measurement of the asset’s recovery amount

Electoral College Of U.S.A Essay Example for Free

Electoral College Of U.S.A Essay The President and Vice-President of U. S. A are being elected by a body of electors. The scripter’s of U. S Constitution formulated an indirect method for electing the President and Vice-President. This method is known as the ‘Electoral College â€Å"which scripter viewed that would end in informed, educated persons being selected to their nation’s top position. However, each political party in U. S. A picks up their own cadres to act as electors to elect the top leaders. Thus, presidential candidates have to secure majority votes in the Electoral College for winning the election. In the U. S Presidential election, voters do not vote for President or Vice-President directly but pick up electors who are pledged to support their presidential candidates. Each State in U. S. A has as many electors at is has U. S Senators which will be normally two and U. S Representatives, the number will be depending upon the state’s population. For instance, the District of Colombia is having three electoral votes. Those presidential candidates who have the most popular votes win all of the state’s electoral votes. This is recognized as the â€Å"winner-take-all† rule. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007). The electors in each state will assemble in their legislative assemblies and vote for presidential candidate during the election time. Thus, each state testimony its electoral votes and forwards the results to the U. S Congress which counts the ballots. The counting will be carried over by the Senate and the House of Representatives and it will review the â€Å"Electoral College† votes. The candidate who obtains the majority of 270 Electoral College votes out of total 538 wins despite of the outcome of the popular votes. In case, if there is a tie or if no candidate obtains a majority, then the House of Representatives picks up the President and the Senate picks up the Vice President. Due to the concept â€Å"winner-take-all† dictum, it is possible as it had happened in the year 2000 election (Bush v Al Gore), a candidate who win the popular vote and still lose the Electoral College. Dating from 1845, the federal law requires that electors must be chosen on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November and the counting of votes will be perused by the Congress on January 6. The Electoral College is vehemently attacked that it has to be reformed as it had given the country about 14 minority presidents. Thus, the following are the Presidents who had won the majority in the Electoral College even though they lacked behind in obtaining popular vote. It is to be observed that among the above mentioned Presidents, only Harrison, Hayes and George W. Bush failed to obtain a plurality of the popular vote. The main aim of the Electoral College system is to give more recognition to the less populace states on the basis of the number of a state’s electors on its senators and U. S representatives and to prevent the President to focus more attention to most populous states and on the problems significant to their voters. One of the main intentions of Electoral College is to make sure that most qualified candidate and not the most popular candidate would be chosen by electors on behalf of their states but by making an independent judgment. After the Twelfth Amendment, there were copious efforts to amend the Electoral College and to alter the system of presidential election, but none of them has succeeded. George W. Bush popular-vote loss and victory in Electoral College with a thin margin in the year 2000 again triggered the support for annulment of Electoral College system as it lacks natural justice in deciding the victory of the presidential election.

Knowledge Discovered Or Invented Philosophy Essay

Knowledge Discovered Or Invented Philosophy Essay Ben Franklin may have discovered electricity but it is the man who invented the meter who made the money (Earl Warren). Children in school are taught that Benjamin Franklin discovered lightning and Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Earl Warrens quote may be right, but what is meant by discovered and invented? I belief that discoveries are things independent of humans, like gravity, Pythagoras theorem, astronomy, electro-magnetic rotations etc, and inventions are man-made, like the bible, the electric motor, the internet, the airplane, and even the seedless watermelon. The areas of knowledge discussed in my essay are mathematics and ethics. I will claim that mathematics is discovered and ethics is invented, and discuss this further in my essay using examples of real-life situations. Mathematics deals with the logic of quantities, shapes, space, and structure. We could argue that maths is in invented and that we only discovered how to use it. The simple systems like simple addition e.g. 2+3=5 are used while inventing solutions to more complex problems. Since mathematicians invent these solutions, they also have the power to invent multiple solutions to get to an answer. When we for instance solve a simple quadratic equation: . We can solve it by factorizing, which gives us (x+3)(x+2), so x=-3 and x=-2, or use the quadratic formula, , and after putting the numbers into the formula (a=1, b=5, c=6), we get the answers x=-3 and x=-2, or we can even graph the function and see that it crosses the x axis at x=-3 and x=-2. We discovered that we can molt mathematics to fit our reality but we did not discover mathematics itself. The problem arises when we come across a number like à Ã¢â€š ¬, when we define the circumference of a circle we did not invent that when we have a circle with radius 1 that its circumference 3.14159265à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. . Relationships in math that were discovered by mathematicians would still be the way they were even if they were not discovered. Mathematicians did not decide that something would be the way it is. Take for example the relationship between the three sides of a right triangle, also known as Pythagoras theorem. It does not change, as humans did not make it, humans only recognized this pattern. Pythagoras theorem , first recognized in the year 530 BC by a Greek man named Pythagoras, states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the two adjacent sides. History tells us that Pythagoras, while waiting to see Polycrates, the ruler of the city Somos, was looking at the floors square tiling. He noticed, not invented, that the area of a square straight over the diagonal is double the area of the square straight on an adjacent side. This rewords to the square of the h ypotenuse equalling to the sum of the squares on the triangles two legs. Another simple everyday example, if I have twenty apples and I give you eight, then I am left with twelve apples. Simple subtraction is also math. I do not invent that I am left with twelve apples but discover that after I give eight away I no longer have twenty. The words we created to express numbers which are used to express amounts, differ in almost every country. The verbal language in which math is expressed can be seen as invented. The concept , however, stays the same. The relationship between numbers, triangles, and apples does not change no matter how it is expressed. In Spanish I would have veinte manzanas, and after I had given you ocho manzanas I would still be left with doce manzanas. I can change the language but the relation between the apples will stay the same. We could argue that maths is in invented and that we only discovered how to use it. We discovered that we can molt mathematics to fit our reality but we did not discover mathematics itself. Ethics is not definable, is not implementable, because it is not conscious; it involves not only our thinking, but also our feeling (Valdemar V. Setzer). Ethics is different for everyone and is invented in each individuals mind; it has no authority behind it. It is self-created and self-chosen and thereby influences the way we think, act, and perceive things. Ethics involves the discussion of the way we should live our own lives, our own personal morals. Some people invent their own personal system of morals but others follow a system of morals that have been laid out by a system of morals that combine into a religion. As a Roman Catholic I have been brought up with standard morals of the Catholic Church, Catholic perspectives on abortion, stem cell division, contraception, homosexuality etc. This system of morals, invented by one man, is called the bible. The bible is a book that helps a Christian live their life in a Christian way. The New Testament clearly condemns homosexuality a s a sin, if there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltness is upon them (Lev. 20:13). The belief that homosexuality is wrong is a man-made invented belief. It is also invented that the only way to repent a sin is if one asks for forgiveness and never do it again and they will according to the bible go to heaven. This could not be discovered since it is impossible for anyone that has committed a sin and asked for forgiveness to tell people at earth whether or not they actually came to heaven. And is there a heaven? Ethics is a creation that someone invents in their mind; it cannot be proven to be correct. Ethics cannot be discovered because it is a creation, which means it is new and so invented, in order for discoveries to be made they must pre-exist. Ethics deals with the good and the bad, and the right and the wrong. In our society the bad and the wrong are rar ely tolerated or accepted. The society I live in and the school I go to does not tolerate bad behavior and when I do show signs of bad behavior I discover that I get in trouble. Although it could be argued that reactions towards certain action may be invented there are certain actions, for instance: murder, which is generally not tolerated, anywhere in the world, if the whole entire world is against the murder of an innocent person is it really an invention or a discovery made that society cannot tolerate such behavior. So is it really the ethics that is invented? Or is it the society we live in that is invented and ethics are discoveries made by trial and error. With exception to some, most people would not tolerate child abuse of any form. Going back to the concepts of right and wrong, and good and bad, when we see such a thing happening we automatically judge the abuser as bad and his action as wrong. I do not think these feelings or thoughts are invented but they are discovered as our emotions get touched. Regarding the claim that some knowledge areas are invented and others are discovered, I think there is a specific reason as to why the title essay does not state which areas of knowledge are invented and which are discovered. I believe that the essay title states it very clearly, this subject matter is a topic of discussion. For each argument there is a valid counter argument. Some counter arguments might not be strong arguments but if for every argument another one is given many questions arise. Some claims can never be clarified and I believe that this is the case when discussing the areas of knowledge. I can argue as long as I want that maths is discovered but as my argument is not bulletproof there will always be an argument which will kill it.

Essay --

The events of Hara-kiri can be contextualized within a span of time that saw both the end of decades of war, and the unification of Japan. The unification of Japan ushered in a new line of Shoguns, Shoguns with the momentous task of designing a social and legal system that would prevent the usurpation of power by the many fringe yet powerful daimyo. Believing in the Machiavellian idea that â€Å"fear is simply a means to an end, and that end is security for the prince,† the Tokagawa Shoguns implemented a series of policies in which petty crimes were met with harsh punishments. To any astute observer, such a legal system is sure to breed hypocrisy. Indeed, it was during this time that the bushido code’s emphasis on honor dwindled. To most samurai during this time, the bushido code’s high standards of honor were unobtainable2, making disobedience common and sometimes unavoidable. But to acknowledge disobedience meant certain death, and was thus unheard of. It was i n this unjust milieu that the events of Hara-kiri unfolded. Both Motome and the retainers of the Iyi were honorable samurai motivated by an inextinguishable desire to protect the ones they love; however, the unjust policies of the Shogun made this desire incompatible with the high standards of the bushido code, driving both parties to reluctantly defy the code. The use of the armor in the first scene establishes that the Iyi are honorable samurai, and shows their desire for the public to perceive them as such. The scene begins with a close up of the helmet. The camera is held at eye level, allowing the viewer to look directly into the eyes. The camera then switches to a position below the midline, close to the feet and points upwards at the helmet, the view of a person on hi... ...triguing to consider Motome’s state of mind when as he commits seppuku. Did he die hating the Iyi for allowing him to commit seppuku? Or did he ultimately realize the foolishness of his actions and that the Iyi had no other alternative? The latter is most likely true. In the moments before his death, we see Motome with his head down. He is relaxed and calm, his irrationality gone. He realizes that the Iyi’s decision to allow him to go through with his seppuku was not born out of greed or hate, but out of love, a love for the members of the clan and a desire to protect them from the possible repercussions of dishonor. He then breaks the clam, takes his sword, but he does not fight like Tsugumo does. He thrusts the sword into his stomach, performing seppuku for the retainers of the Iyi and their wives and children, ensuring none of them will ever be in his situation.

The Holocaust Essay -- Jewsish Holocaust Hitler Dehumanization Essays

The Holocaust The Holocaust, what is the true depth of the word? As sad as it may seem, it affected the lives of millions because of the hate inside of one certain group of people, the Nazi’s. Dehumanization is to deprive human qualities such as individuality or compassion. Victims of the Holocaust went through dehumanization simply to make the killing of others psychologically easy for the Nazi’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many victims of the Holocaust suffered from various experiments which eventually led to the death. Some of the experiments were things such as: sun lamp, internal irrigation, hot bath, warming by body heat, freezing/hypothermia etc. The internal irrigation system is when, â€Å"the frozen victims would have water heated to a near blistering temperature forcefully irrigated into the stomach, bladder, and intestines.† (Medical Experiments of the Holocaust and Nazi Medicine) Why would anybody perform such horrible things on another human being? That is a question that many people still can’t answer. It is much more complex than it may seem. The Nazi’s wanted to make the victims do so many degrading things that they would appear to be subhuman. Killing somebody less than human was more justifiable to the Nazi’s. One experiment that was conducted on a pair of Russians describes the torture that many victims went through. The experiment of the twins is graphically described, â€Å"the next part of the examination consisted of tubes being forced through their n...

Rehabilitation of Criminals in America Essay examples -- social issues

Rehabilitation of Criminals in America Prison inmates, are some of the most  ³maladjusted ² people in society. Most of the inmates have had too little discipline or too much, come from broken homes, and have no self-esteem. They are very insecure and are  ³at war with themselves as well as with society ² (Szumski 20). Most inmates did not learn moral values or learn to follow everyday norms. Also, when most lawbreakers are labeled criminals they enter the phase of secondary deviance. They will admit they are criminals or believe it when they enter the phase of secondary deviance (Doob 171). Next, some believe that if we want to rehabilitate criminals we must do more than just send them to prison. For instance, we could give them a chance to acquire job skills; which will improve the chances that inmates will become productive citizens upon release. The programs must aim to change those who want to change. Those who are taught to produce useful goods and to be productive are  ³likely to develop the self-esteem essential to a normal, integrated personality ² (Szumski 21). This kind of program would provide skills and habits and  ³replace the sense of hopelessness ² that many inmates have (Szumski 21). Moreover, another technique used to rehabilitate criminals is counseling. There is two types of counseling in general, individual and group counseling. Individual counseling is much more costly than group counseling. The aim of group counseling is to develop positive peer pressure that will influence its members. One idea in many sociology text is that group problem-solving has definite advantages over individual problem-solving. The idea is that a wider variety of solutions can be derived by drawing from the experience of several people with different backgrounds. Also one individuals problem might have already been solved by another group member and can be suggested. Often if a peer proposes a solution it carries more weight than if the counselor were to suggest it (Bennett 20-24). Further, in sociology, one of the major theories of delinquency is differential association (Cressey 1955). This means some people learned their ways from  ³undesirable ² people who they were forced to be in association with and that this association  ³warps ² their thinking and social attitudes.  ³Group counseling, group interaction, and other kinds of group activities can... ... to the economy. Also the construction of new prisons brings millions of dollars into the economy each year and if there were no new prisons needed it would mean the loss of thousands of jobs (Szumski 24-26). Henry Abernathy and inmate in Texas said  ³just think what a catastrophe it would cause if all cons across the country decided never to commit another crime. ² Richard Cepulonis, an inmate in Massachusetts said just the title  ³Department of Corrections ² is a  ³misnomer ² he said  ³they don ¹t correct anything. ² In conclusion, things need to be done to improve rehabilitation in America. Improvements in job training, counseling, and halfway houses for rehabilitation must be brought to the forefront by citizens. If we do not get involved and try to make changes, our crime problem could worsen beyond control. Bibliography Szumski, Bonnie. America ¹s Prisons Opposing Viewpoints. Greenhaven Press, Inc.: 1985 Doob, Christopher. Sociology: An Introduction. Harcourt Brace & Company, United States: 1994 Bennett, Lawrence. Counseling in Correctional Environments. New York: New York, 1978 Fox, Vernon. Community-Based Corrections. Englewood Cliffs: New Jersey, 1977.

Greatest Strength Of China History Essay

I select inquiry B to analyse the greatest destabilizing component and its greatest strength of China. China has a long and old history which dates back to 1000s of old ages ago. Brilliant civilisation was created and passed down from coevals to coevals. For the record, China is the lone ancient civilisation that is in being today.the greatest destabilizing component and strength of ChinaThe greatest destabilizing component, in my position, would be the issue of husbandmans. As one large agricultural state, China needs the work and dedication of husbandmans to feed the turning population. Without the husbandmans, the cardinal authorities would non be able to raise an ground forces to spread out its district or to support against invasion of foreign race. ( Lewis, M. 2010 ) However, it has been a regular thing that in the beginning of a new dynasty, the new emperor took particular notice of the economic system and the importance that agribusiness was to the stableness of a new born dy nasty. Therefore, steps that promote agribusiness had been developed and good encouraged. And this proved instead fruitful for the wellness development of the authorities. For illustration, in the beginning of the Han dynasty, two of the early emperors, Liu Heng and Liu Qi, learned from the experiences of the Qin Dynasty and made up the policy to advance agribusiness. The two emperors lightened the revenue enhancements and fees on husbandmans, who are the chief production force of the state. There even had been policy to remit farm rent for 12 old ages in a row. The corvee was changed into one time every three old ages which was antecedently one time every twelvemonth. Emperor Liu Heng besides encouraged asceticism and against extravagancy. After Liu Heng, Liu Qi succeeded to the throne and the motto that agribusiness was the root of governing the state was put frontward. He believed that merely by increasing the grain output can the general mass get a better and stabilised life and the economic system can turn better. After the opinion of the two emperors during the early period of the Han dynasty, the root of the new state was stabilized and therefore laid the foundation of a booming coevals. However, the prosperity of a new dynasty ever followed by a dictatorship. For every alteration of dynasty, the function of husbandmans can by no agencies be neglected. At the terminal of a falling dynasty, the husbandmans were ever the first to endure. The chief ground for public violences and rebellions was that the opinion emperor knew nil and cared nil about economic development. To feed the swayer & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢s turning appetite, the husbandmans were frequently deprived of the production that they spend old ages in bring forthing and reaping. Meanwhile, husbandmans were frequently called to take on the occupation to construct temples and castles for the opinion or to support against foreign invasion. The subjugation and sloppiness made the lives of husb andmans suffering and the consequence would be public violences and the creative activity of a new dynasty. However, due to the fact that China had been an agribusiness state and the default of familial system made it impossible for a dynasty to last long for the same circle happened on a regular basis. The greatest strength that China had is the saving of its civilization and tradition. China developed 1000s of old ages and during the long history that it had, infinite dynasties and states were build on what is now its district. The grounds that China remained a incorporate state lie in many factors. ( Shahar, M. 2008 ) Among these factors, in my sentiment, is its civilization and tradition which lasts through alteration of clip and dynasties and binds all peoples in the state together. The opinion of emperors could disappear. The edifices that represent the authorization of opinion could be destroyed. However, what is left in the general mass merely passes through one coevals after another and merely prospers and develops alternatively of lost. The historical development of Chinese traditional civilization is no confined to the Han people. As could be seen through the historical events, China has gone through several times of national assimilation. Through the assimilation, differ ent civilizations were added and a different and new civilization was in formation. Some of the imposts and traditions were passed down while some civilizations were lost and good forgotten. Apart from the civilizations that were forced to come in into the Han civilization, the swayer besides need a incorporate belief that can assist him better regulation the state. Buddhism is the faith that enjoys the largest sum of trusters in China now. Buddhism was introduced from the ancient India. One of the most celebrated official missional activities was the Tang Xuanzong sent Xuanzang into the ancient India to present the Buddhism. Buddhism had its premier times in Chinese history. And it so functioned as the best manner to chasten people. By stating the people in obeying and listening to the fateikarma and after life, the swayer & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢s purpose was realized. Under the philosophy of Buddhism, the swayer established the establishment that put the tightest control on peo ple & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢s head: the Confucianism and the imperial scrutiny system. Confucianism mostly absorbed rules of Buddhism. Through its development, some of its rules and philosophies are advantageous to consolidate the opinion of the emperor and therefore the authorities began to advance instruction which taught Confucianism. ( Creel, H. 1971 ) The imperial scrutiny system is a mechanism for the swayer to happen endowments to assist him pull off the state. Through alterations of clip and dynasties, the system was passed down and played an unreplaceable function in head control. ( Wang, R. 2012 ) In add-on to Buddhism, one local faith that still exists today is the Daoism, besides had its portion in fosterage and consolidating the opinion.3.0 DecisionFrom the ancient history of China, it would be concluded that every bit long as the issue of husbandmans could be good settled and resolved, a stabilizing dynasty could be fund and go on its opinion. The greatest strength t hat China is able to continue as a incorporate state and conditions countless alterations of dynasties would be the civilization that bind all people together.

Ragging in India Essay

Ragging in India is a damaging form of interaction of the seniors in college or school with the juniors, newcomers or first years. It is similar to but not same as hazing in the United States, it is not an initiation. It involves insults (simple or suggestive sexual, sarcastic and even physical), running errands for seniors, and many other complex activities. Highly reputed Indian colleges have a wistful history of ragging especially Medical colleges. It has become increasingly unpopular due to several complaints of serious injury to the victims and strict laws regarding ragging. Ragging is now defined as an act that violates or is perceived to violate an individual student’s dignity. It often takes a malignant form wherein the newcomers may be subjected to psychological or physical torture. Prohibition Of Ragging As per Ordinance XV-C of the University of Delhi ragging in any form is strictly prohibited, within the premises of College/Department/Institution and any part of Delhi University system as well as on public transport and elsewhere Any individual or collective act or practice of ragging constitutes gross indiscipline and shall be dealt with under this Ordinance Ragging for the purposes of this Ordinance, ordinarily means any act, conduct or practice by which dominant power or status of senior student is brought to bear on students freshly enrolled or students who are in any way considered junior or inferior by other students and includes individual or collective acts or practices which involve physical assault or threat to use of physical force violate the status, dignity and honour of women student; violate the status, dignity and honour of students belonging to scheduled castes and tribes; expose students to ridicule and contempt and affect their self esteem entail verbal abuse and aggresssion, indecent gestures and obscene behaviour The incidents of ragging in educational institutions is becoming a National issue. I wish that all the senior students of SSITS will receive the suggestions expressed here positively and act as desired so that we can continue to maintain â€Å"RAGGING – FREE INSTITUTION† status for ever. Remember the fact: Awareness on ragging leads to eradication of ragging. The following may happen to the victim of ragging: 1. The ragging may leave permanent scar in the victim’s mind that may haunt him/her for years to come. 2. The ragging demoralizes the victim who enters the college life with many hopes and expectations. 3. It causes grave psychological stress and trauma to the victim. 4. Those who succumb to ragging may drop out, thereby hampering their career prospects. 5. In extreme cases, if the victim is too sensitive, he/she may resort to suicide, or culpable homicide. Ragging has become a menace, cause of fear and shock, not only for a fresher but to his/her parents too who are sending their loved ones for pursuing higher studies by investing a lot of hard earned money Ragging in any form inside or outside the college campus is banned/prohibited vide Prohibition of Ragging in Educational Institutions Act passed by the Parliament. Ragging means doing an act that causes or is likely to cause insult or annoyance or fear or apprehension, threat or intimidation or outrage of modesty or injury to a student. Those who indulge in this uncivilized activity are liable for severe disciplinary actions besides being liable for prosecution. Nature of Ragging Punishment Teasing, Embarrasing and Humilating Imprisonment upto 6 months or fine upto Rs.1000/- or both Wrongfully restraining or confining or causing hurt Imprisonment upto 2 years or fine upto Rs.5000/- or both Causing death or abating suicide Imprisonment upto 10 years or fine upto Rs.50,000/- or both Student convicted of any above offences, will be dismissed from the college.

Reward system Essay

1. 1Executive summary: Pizza hut is an American restaurant that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes pasta, Buffalo wings etc. it was founded in 1958 by the brothers Dan and Frank Carney in their hometown. And latter on they expand their business to all over the world. In Pakistan first branch of pizza hut was opened in 1993 in Clifton Karachi. It is the franchiser of MCR (MANZAR COORNAY RIAZ) (PVT) LTD that is now owned by Habib Oil. MANZAR RIAZ was the first person who franchises the pizza hut. Overall it has 25 branches in all over the country. During the past four decades Pizza Hut has built a reputation for excellence that has earned the respect of consumers in Pakistan. Building a leading pizza company has required relentless innovation, commitment to quality and dedication to customer service and value. We are going to study this organization in three phases (Analysis phase, Design phase and implementation phase). In Analysis phase, we are going to examine the organization culture, effect of IT and globalization, study of company reward systems. In design phase we are going to modify company reward system and policies regarding organization behavior towards its employees and customer dealing. In implementation phase we will introduce some changes in culture and behavioral policies 1. 2Company Profile: * History: Pizza hut is an American restaurant that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes pasta, Buffalo wings etc. it was founded in 1958 by the brothers Dan and Frank Carney in their hometown. And latter on they expand their business to all over the world. * Vision: The vision of the PIZZA HUT is that â€Å"reach on the top of the peak to provide best service and taste† & â€Å"customer satisfaction† * PIZZA HUT MISSSION STATEMENT: We take pride in making a perfect pizza and providing customer a helpful service on all the time. so that every customer says â€Å"I will be back†. 1. 3Organizational chart: To be filled 1. 4Employee behavioral management policy: The management system of PIZZA HUT is very strong. No person can deviate from his duties that cause problem. It is in the mission statement of PIZZA HUT that every boss has a boss. So a check prevails on all the employee and they don’t derivate from their duties that cause any disturbance. 1. 5Methodologies used/business process: * Customer satisfaction: We listen and response to the voice of the customer. Belief in people: We believe in people, trust in positive intentions, encourage ideas from everyone and actively develop a workforce that is diverse in style and background. Recognition: We find reasons to celebrate the achievements of others and have fun doing it. Accountability: I. We do what we say II. We are accountable III. We act like owners Excellence: We take pride in our work and have a passion for excellence. 1. 6 Scope of Work: To be filled ANALYSIS PHASE/ IDENTIFICATION PHASE 2. 2Study of effects of IT and globalization of the organization: Now a day’s technology is improving so as baking and heating ovens will be of new and efficient technology and will provide efficient service. Due to new technology there are new ways of marketing like internet, telemarketing. With the help of internet Pizza hut can advertise their organization better (i. e. providing all information about their products to the customers just at one click). A telemarketing is also useful for Pizza hut in enhancing their business. A part from that Pizza Hut is using MIS (Managing information system) which is a computer based system and used to manage the data of the customer. 2. 4Identification of culture type and effects of culture on organizational performance: If we analyze Pizza hut’s culture then we may say that Pizza Hut is an organization which presents the role culture. As everyone is assigned a role to do in the organization all the employees focus on their particular role as assigned to them by their job description and this should increase productivity for the company From top to bottom every one is participating in making Pizza Hut a successful organization. Either cure members or the manager is playing a role in the organization. 2. 5Analysis of organizational reward systems (monetary and non monetary) * Monetary rewards: Reward System The system of pay and benefits used by the firm to reward workers * Flexibly at work * Holiday’s work allowance CHAMPS Program Pizza Hut introduce a new program, that is CHAMPS for check on worker and on the bases of this program they give them bonuses. * C-clearness * H-hospitality * A-accuracy * M-maintenance * P-product quality * S-speed * Non- Monitory rewards: 2. 8Study of managerial communication processes: Managerial communication is the communication of the managers to their employees. And just like other organizations in Pizza Hut this communication is also a one way communication means only managers is allowed to give the order to his employees and it is compulsory to the employees as described in their job descriptions. On the other hand employee can give order to the managers he just have to listen and obey the order. This is the duty of the employee. 2. 9How many organizational benefits are provided by organizational management?

Classical to the Post-Modern Eras Essay

In this essay, I’m going to trace the development of Classical Music from the late 1750s to the Post-Modern era in the 2000s and provide a brief history of music, and how they link together to form what we have today. There are many preconceptions of what the history of music is. Some people think it is mainly a biography of composer’s lives, but they are wrong. The history of music is primarily the history of musical style. In order to appreciate this, it is essential to become acquainted with the different sounds and to hear them in their contexts. Fashions in history change with the generations, like fashions in musical tastes. Lets first start with the classical music, Classical is an era; it is from about 1730 to just after 1800. A few people who contributed to the music in the Classical era are: Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Classical period focused on the opposite types of sounds- music during that period was orderly, uncluttered, well planned and precise. Music was expected to be technically pleasing and grounded in certain traditions and styles that had been approved by the public, often quite formal. Composers were seen as workers who were hired to write music that would please their employer (Sagebiel). The classical period of music combined harmony, melody, rhythm, and orchestration more effectively than earlier periods of music. The classical period is best known for the symphony, a form of a large orchestral ensemble. The symphonic pieces generally had three movements, the sonata, the minuet and the finale. Building of the achievements of earlier composers, Haydn, and Mozart brought the symphony to its peak in the last twenty years of the 18th century. Haydn excelled in rhythmic drive and development of theme-based music (Bishop 325). Mozart also added to the symphony by contrasting memorable lyric themes in full sounding orchestral settings. There are many styles of music within classical music, including symphony, opera, choral works, chamber music, Gregorian chant, the madrigal, and the Mass. A Classical composition will fluctuate in mood. Not only there are contrasting themes within a movement, but there also may be striking contrasts even within (Vardy). In Classical music, there is a flexibility of rhythm. A classical composition has a wealth of rhythmic patterns. Classical music is basically homophonic. However, texture is treated as flexibly as rhythm. Classical melodies are among the most tuneful and easy to remember. The Classical composers’ interest in expressing shades of emotion led to the widespread use of gradual dynamic change – crescendo (gradually getting louder) and diminuendo ( gradually getting softer). By varying the finger pressure on the keys, a pianist can play more loudly or softly. Classical works show a great deal of musical sophistication and use development, key changes, variation, musical phrases of varying lengths, counterpoint, polyphony and advanced harmony development. It uses very specific instruments, most markedly those invented before mid-10th century and adopted in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as instruments like violin, cello, viola, woodwind instruments, brass instruments and other instruments in the orchestra and solo instruments such as piano, harpsichord, organ and guitar. The classical period had a musical style that was consistent, which means that if you were a composer in this time period; you knew what was expected of you. Haydn had a huge influence on the development if Classical music and so did Beethoven but he chose to focus on a more romantic style which had a simple chord structure. This brings us to the Romantic era; The Romantic music period began in 1825 and ran until 1900. Several historical themes were at work during this period, including the increasing role of science as a worldview, the rise of nationalism in Europe, and a growing appreciation for the arts. The style of the Romantic music period is generally characterized by a wider range of dynamics, a greater variety of instruments, more dramatic melodies, more extreme tempos, fuller harmonies, and expanded formal structures within the compositions. Some of the most famous composers of all time lived and worked during the Romantic music era. Schubert, Chopin, Wagner, Brahms, and Mahler are among the most recognizable names. The transition from nineteenth-century Romanticism to twentieth-century Modernism is perhaps one of the big points in music history. Because the speed of twentieth-century innovation in all areas has been so accelerated, music has also moved from one new idea to another with such speed that no previous era can be compared to. Technology and scientific discovery are probably the basic influences on musical creativity and production. Dissonance became very important and in fact most of the pieces are made up of dissonant chords (Palisca). During the Modern era, many new musical techniques emerged. They were seen in melody , harmony , rhythm, meter, texture, tonality, and sonority . It is important to note that during the twentieth century not all changes in music were a revolution or a return to old ideals. Contrapuntal textures in music dominate the Modern era. While, homophonic textures are present, it is to a lesser degree and with less importance. During the 20th century, tone color has become a more important element of music then it was ever before. It has a major role which is creating variety, continuity and mood. Consonance is no longer in use in the 20th century. 20th century music sound fantasy like, distant and mystifying. Chords are never as fundamental as it is in previous centuries. Poly chords are created by placing one traditional chord over another. The rhythmic vocabulary of the 20th century was expanded with increased emphasis on irregularity and unpredictability. The Melody was very elusive.

Trifles Dead Bird Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trifles Dead Bird - Essay Example Mrs. Peters points to a broken jar that the author refers to as preserves. From this, the sheriff wonders how a woman can worry about her preserves while she is facing murder charges. The sheriff, from this statement implies that there are certain things that only a woman needs to worry about. The preserves symbolize anything that women worry about more than men. At some point, the women also commented on the tidiness of the house. Well, men in the society from this play do not pay attention to such things and are always complaining of a messy house (Glaspell, 202). Mrs. Wright’s husband seemed to displease her. The mistakes her husband made, ‘trifles’ were considered among the reasons for her wanting to kill her husband. On another instance, the author expresses her belief that on marriage, a woman loses her identity, and becomes what her husband is. This is seen in the play when the County attorney says that a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. The sheriff’s wife is Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Wright is described as jovial and one who loves to wear colorful clothing. However, on marriage she becomes the opposite. The untidy state of her house is reflected to her husband. In the play, the ladies also share a belief with the men that they are of little importance. It is also observed from the play that women did not share trivial issues with the men. The men did not see value in whatever opinions they held. The women thought that if they shared their thoughts with the men they would be laughed at. They also considered their opinions as trifles. On the search for evidence, the women discussed minor issues that would collect up to substantial evidence. The men, however, were looking for a major piece of evidence since they considered the minor pieces as trifles. The women even had doubts that the trifles would solve the crime due to the little value put on them by the men. The fact that Mrs.

Operation Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operation Systems - Research Paper Example Basically, it functions like most OS’s—it processes, stores, and transfers data. Probably the reason why UNIX is no longer so popular these days is that it was developed a long time ago: 1969, years before the development of the Internet, the network system which made computers a virtual companion to daily life. It was developed that year when a group of Bell Labs programmers decided that they needed an OS that is fast, easy-to-use, and versatile (Wagner 8). UNIX is significant in the history of information technology because developers of the Internet used it in making their communications system (Williams and Sawyer 150). Williams and Sawyer note that several programs were developed from UNIX. Among them are Solaris (from Sun Microsystem) and BSD (developed by students from University of California, Berkeley) (150). DOS is often fondly called â€Å"the old-timer† (Williams and Sawyer 147). DOS, which stands for disk operating system, was initially developed by Microsoft in 1982. Although it is difficult to use, it became a popular operating system because of the popularity of Microsoft computers (Williams and Sawyer 147). DOS was the main operating system for Microsoft before Windows (â€Å"What is DOS?†). Its quick decline in popularity after the introduction of Windows can be attributed to its simplicity and incapability for multitasks. It is still, however, present in the current Windows operating systems and can be used to control both software and hardware. Before it became irrelevant to desktop computing, MS-DOS was a successful OS (though some argue that it is, technically, not an OS). It had 17 versions in all, the last released in 1997 as MS-DOS 7.1 (â€Å"MS-DOS History†). Users can perform a number of computer tasks by entering commands on the MS-DOS command prompt available in the Windows OS. Among these commands are comp, for comparing files; deltree

The importance of analysis and analitical skills to the manager making Essay

The importance of analysis and analitical skills to the manager making decisions in business - Essay Example Business opportunity of get fit quick Competition, coupled with increased changes in the business environment, has combined to execute powerful impact on the way managers and their different organizations conduct businesses. In this regard, organizations have been forced to develop and implement the most sophisticated decision-making techniques in order to ensure available resources are economically and optimally utilized. In order for business to get fit quickly and successfully, managers are required to explore the different available alternatives of decision-making. The alternatives should have the ability to outline, in the most efficient way, how the organization can make use of the available resources in a way that differs from competitors and give returns that enable the business to create competitive advantage (Casey and Capella University 2006). Available resources in an organization can be used in ways that provide opportunity for the organization to achieve maximum utility. However, this is possible through selecting the best alternatives of decision-making as it pertains to resource utilization, environmental scanning, and goals to be achieved. Approaches of decision-making process Management literature depicts that decision-making process can benefit greatly from the four main approaches that are generally used in making decisions. As a result, in order for decision-making process to be successful and productive, managers are either to select one or multiple approaches that include logical systems approach, contingency approach, quantitative approach, and the qualitative approach. Logical systems of decision-making are premised on the rationality essence that is needed to make decisions (Wysocki 2010). In this case, an individual (manager) is perceived to have rational set of stages that should be followed before arriving at the appropriate conclusion regarding decision (Wysocki, 2010). Contingency approach on the other hand categorizes or program alternatives that can be used to achieve decision goals (Sengupta and Bhattacharya, 2006). A problem is presented to have different ways of solving it and this lead to development and evaluation of different ways of finding solution. On the other hand, quantitative approaches dictate that, decision-making process succeed when concept such as project management are adopted (Anderson, 2011). In this way, figures are seen to possess great ability of providing management with chances of finding solut

Risk Management Assessment Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk Management Assessment Summary - Essay Example Tatum (2011) notes that â€Å"Risk management is a logical process or approach that seeks to eliminate or at least minimize the level of risk associated with a business operation.† In the health sector, there are a couple of risks that can be pointed out off hand. Miller (2011) quotes the Joint Commission in-charge of the certification of healthcare organizations in the United States. The commission identifies types of risks in the healthcare industry and also defines risk management in the health care industry as â€Å"clinical and administrative activities undertaken to identify, evaluate, and reduce the risk of injury to patients, staff, and visitors and the risk of loss to the organization itself." In relation to the target set by the hospital, undertaking risk management at Trinity Hospital would therefore mean taking steps to identify all possible risks, while putting in place structures to critically evaluate the risks and coming out with prompt solutions on how to red uce the effect of the risks. At Trinity Hospital, three common risks can be pointed to. These risks have been with the hospital for long and needs to be curtailed if the hospital is really keen with achieving its set target of improving healthcare delivery and increasing number of patients it attends to. The three risks are deaths during medical operation, employee turnover and financial meltdown. These three risks are transversal meaning they cut across all spheres of the hospital’s management. It is not one sided but then has to do with the activities and roles played by almost every employee and management member of the hospital. The risk of deaths during medical operations affects the organizations badly in the sense that it gives a very bad image of the hospital in the sight of the public, seeking for improved healthcare. In the hospital’s bid to reach out to more patients in the

Universities and how they are funded PowerPoint Presentation

Universities and how they are funded - PowerPoint Presentation Example The same applies to several Master’s programmes for EU-EEA, Swiss and Finnish students. Erasmus Mundus programmes attract fees for non-EU students, but eligible to Erasmus Mundus Scholarship by application. In general European Union students have the same rights in another EU State. Thus, European Union citizens are involuntarily entitled to education in other European Union’s member states: therefore should not be paying more tuition fees and they must always be able to access a residence permit. Despite European Union financial crisis, its government has managed to present multi annual financial framework for 2014 to 2020 to its Education system that proposes to increase education and training funds by 70%. This is equivalent to 17 billion Euros to support cooperation between institutions, transnational learning mobility, implementation of education policies in the Member States and modernization of education. Alzheimer Europe, 2009, August 21, â€Å"The four main approaches,† Retrieved July 5, 2012, from Alzheimer Europe: http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Research/Understanding-dementia-research/Types-of-research/The-four-main-approachesAtwater, M., Freeman, B., Butler, B. & Draper-Morris, J. (2010). A case study of science teacher candidates’ understandings and actions related to the culturally responsive teaching of ‘Other’ students. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education , 5 (3),

Power point presentation about Firewall Technologies Essay

Power point presentation about Firewall Technologies - Essay Example These threats lead to the creation of the firewall technology in order to protect a computer or network of computer which is connecting to the internet. A firewall is defined as a "computer, router, or other communication device that filters access to the protected network" (Abie 2000). Thus, it gives the implication about the main tasks of a firewall. Accordingly, a firewall inspects traffic network passing through it and is responsible for permitting or denying access. In addition, Cheswick and Bellovin specifies certain processes which characterizes a firewall which include: "all traffic from inside to outside, and vice-versa, must past through it; only authorized traffic, as defined by the local security policy, is allowed to pass through it; and the firewall itself is immune to penetration" (Abie 2000). In summary, a firewall serves as a filter allowing the access of a trusted network and rejecting "untrusted" ones. The emergence of firewall technology occurs during 1980s far before the internet has gained popularity in global users. Traditionally, a firewall is a term used to denote a "wall to confine a fire or potential fire within a building (Firewall 2008)." The use of firewall in internet has been triggered by the attack of Morris Worm making internet connection vulnerable to its adverse effects. Because of what happened, the whole community becomes aware of the realities of such attack which can threaten the computers accessing the internet (Firewall 2008). Thus, the online community sought for a protection in order to ward off the threat of viruses, worms, and other which can be very harmful and disruptive to the internet users. This is when firewall technology came into being (Firewall 2008). The beginnings of first generation firewall technology can be traced to the paper released by engineers of Digital Equipment Corporation in 1988 (Firewall 2008). This is referred to as packet filter firewalls which lays down the foundation of a technology that will further be improved and developed. Thus, after the work of these engineers, companies like AT&T Bell Labs and scientists Bill Cheswick and Steve Bellovin continued the long process of research and released a more efficient and complicated versions (Firewall 2008). Packet filtering is a firewall technology which acts by "inspecting the packets which represent the basic unit of data transfers between computers on the internet" (Firewall 2008). A packet filtering router typically filter packets based on four fields namely, source IP address, destination IP address, TCP/UDP source port, and TCP/UDO destination port (Chadwick 2004). These functions of packet filter are used to block connection from specific hosts or networks, to specific hosts or networks, from specific ports, and to specific ports. Because of their relative simplicity, this type of firewall perform only basic operations including "examining the packet header, verifying the IP address, the port or both, and granting and denying access without any changes" (Abie 2000). Packet filters are regarded for their speed and

The closing of the Muslim mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 6

The closing of the Muslim mind - Essay Example ‘The Closing of the Muslim Mind’ is thus a revelation that has actually opened a number of thoughts as to how Islam actually fought and battled through the years to survive with the sleight of reason. On the first page of the book, the author writes, â€Å"This is the story of how Islam grappled with the role of reason after its conquests exposed it to Hellenic thought, and how the side of reason ultimately lost in the ensuing, deadly struggle.† In history, there has been a certain time when this religion was better respected as compared to the amount of scrutiny it is made to serve today. In those days, Islamic scholars and philosophers had the higher hand on the normative thoughts that breached the world and opened up to a lot of debate regarding the closeness between Islam and Christianity. The author writes that this was the time when the great leaders of Islam never felt ‘intellectual inferiority’ from others. This book talks about how the people of Islam fear Allah and how their personal free will bows down before Him. The author has also delved into the Shari’a or Islamic law and writes about how reason is overcome by old tradition when it comes to a number of things. He writes about how a number of Islamic scholars preach how to live modern lives by giving people the freedom of their own living, and how the same contradicts when it comes to following the law, or listening to Allah. In Islam, it is written that whatever happens in a person’s life, depends on Allah, or happens because he willed it to and thus, because of the same blind thinking, the author states that a large amount of free thinking was lost due to such contemplation. Free thinking allows a man to live life as he pleases, and not be bound by societal norms that might end up crushing his potential; however, the Islamic law states a number of things that have today brought upon and inflicted a lot of pain on a number of

Models of Segregation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Models of Segregation - Essay Example That is, he observes the happenings in the human habitations and forms an idea about it, in his mind. And from the mind only, the idea flows out and transcribes into the written script. And, this paper will review one of the written scripts of Thomas C. Schelling called Model of Segregation. The main thesis of the paper as the title itself suggests is segregation, or if a simple word is used, separation. Both the words give wide range of meanings, which can be used on various occasions. But, segregation and separation will be normally used or set into motion, when a set of visible and invisible factors push an individual or a group to leave their current locations, where they were minority. That is, these factor, which pushes the individual from his/her place, is the same in most places, with little variation according to the situations. â€Å"There is segregation by sex, age, income, language, color, taste, comparative advantage and the accidents of historical location.† (Schelling 488). So, in the first page itself, the author sets the agenda of the paper by concentrating on one of the factors that is causing segregation. According to Schelling, the main issues which cause the movement of individual or groups from one set up to another, through the mode of segregation is the individual‘s personal behavior and choices. That is, each person will have a thought process which will be unique to him/her, and which might have got evolved in different settings. So, based mainly on that thought process, an individual will decide his/her racial leanings. But the problem will arise when that individual would form an opinion and, in some cases it could in a discriminatory form. Discriminatory in the sense some individuals would form an opinion and judge other individuals only on the basis of religion, status, education, race etc. This is a very undesirable thing to do and is fraught with danger. The transposition of individuals could not be stopped and the

The closing scene of Macbeth Essay Example for Free

The closing scene of Macbeth Essay In the closing scene of Macbeth, Malcolm refers to Lady Macbeth as a fiend-like queen. Do you agree with Malcolm, or do you think she is not as evil as he depicts? I cannot fully agree or disagree with Malcolms proposal that she is a fiend. A fiend is a very inhumane depraved person, I not agree that she is this wicked but there is clear evidence to suggest that she is evil, as Malcolm makes her out to be. But there is also evidence in a few key scenes to show that she is not as evil as Malcolm makes her out to be but she is still not a pleasant person, and in order to evaluate her character I will have to look at these the key scenes, in which she appears. The first scene she appears in is Act 1: scene 5. Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband and is obviously very excited by the news and immediately decides that Macbeth shall become king: Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promisd Her reaction suggests that she is extremely ambitious woman and she doesnt hesitate at what glory can come out of this for Macbeth and her. Lady Macbeth thinks Macbeth might not have the guts to fulfil this final prophecy which is to kill the king, thou wouldst be great; art not without ambition; but without the illness should attend it this quote suggests Lady Macbeth is about to take situation into her own hands. So in this scene it suggests Lady Macbeth is extremely ambitious. The next scene which is Act1: scene 7 it shows that Malcolms predictions seem accurate because she is at her most ruthless. She questions him repeatedly in a taunting manner. She lectures him, asking him if he was too afraid to fulfil his ambition: And lie a coward in thine own esteem she goes on to ask questions of his masculinity: when you durst do it, you were a man. Her most brutal declaration occurs when she claims she would rather kill her own baby feeding on her breast than abandon a promise: I would, while smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from its boneless gums and dashed the brains out.. In this scene Lady Macbeth is at her most ruthless and is a very depraved person. In Act 2: scene 2 we see a different side to Lady Macbeth, she is very anxious and concerned in case Macbeth gets caught and she is worried about the consequences. Her reaction would suggest that she has still a bit of humanity in her and this is reinforced when she says, Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done it However, regardless of these revelations, Lady Macbeth is still portrayed in this scene as scheming and very strong willed. She keeps him clam as Macbeth goes to pieces. She chastises him for feeling guilty and tells him not to dwell upon the deed: These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad so Malcolms conclusion that she is a fiend is not entirely true. In Act 2: scene 3 Lady Macbeth plays a minor role. Duncans body has been discovered, along with Macbeth, she pretends to be shocked, Woe, alas! What, in our house? Her fainting could have been pretence to divert her attention away from Macbeth, but this is the first time Lady Macbeth heard that Macbeth killed the guards so she could genuinely fainted. So there is no evidence in this scene to call her a fiend but the complete opposite because she is caring to Macbeth. The next scene which she appears in is Act 3: scene 4 Lady Macbeth plays a major role because it marks the point where Lady Macbeth looses touch with Macbeth. Lady Macbeth assumes that Macbeths strange behaviour is a result of a guilty conscience. She is nonetheless very resourceful in handling the situation. But Lady Macbeth covers up for him by saying he has had these fits from his youth, you shall offend him, and extend his passion: feed your regard him not then she tries a tactic that was successful before by question his masculinity: Are you man? So in this scene her concern is obvious. Her love for Macbeth is possibly the best point in her character. In Act 5: scene 1 there is a lot of evidence to contradict Malcolms prediction, that she is a fiend like queen. Since the first time we saw Lady Macbeth in Act 1: scene 5 she is a totally different person, she has lost control; her sanity has left her, she isnt very stable she totally broke down, this isnt a sign of a bad woman if she was she wouldnt have lost all her sanity and went on to kill herself. So this is putting a question mark over Malcolms prophecy and judgement. Lady Macbeths gentlewoman and the doctor make his audience aware of what has happened to her. Her ramblings and her performance suggest that she has suffered emotional disorder. She continually refers to the aftermath of Duncans murder. Yet who would have thought the old man to have much blood in him It is as if she is reliving the urgency of that night and this is intensified in the line, To bed, to bed, theres a knocking at the gate So in conclusion I cannot support Malcolms statement, though I can appreciate how a son whose father has been brutally murdered must have this personal opinion of her.

Regulation of Financial Services Post Credit Crunch

Regulation of Financial Services Post Credit Crunch INTRODUCTION The financial system is the system that allows the transfer of money between savers and borrowers, and comprises a set of complex and closely interconnected financial institutions, markets, banks, instruments, services, practices, and transactions (Steven M Sheffrin, 2003). All Financial institutions in any country follow certain regulations which are placed by the central monetary authority (e.g. financial service authority) in order to provide improved service to the public and work in the best interest of the nations. Regulationis controlling human or societal behaviour by rules or restrictions (Bert Jaap Koops 2006). The purpose for regulating the institutions is to reduce the risk of failure and to attain social goals. For example banks are regulated, as they by their very nature are prone failure, and the costs paid by the public for failure is extremely high compared to the financial costs to regulate the banking system. Regulations should be fair and limited so that they as sist banks to develop new services in accordance with the customers demand, make sure competitions in financial services is strong, maintain the quantity and quality of the service provided to public and better utilisation of resources. Over the last five years, the financial system in the world has gone through its greatest crisis. The financial problems have appeared at the same time in many different countries which makes it unique from the crisis in past. The overall economic impact is felt all through the world, which is resulted from the interconnectedness of the global economy. This does not mean that the economic recession which many countries in the world now face will be anything like as bad as that of 1929-33(turner 2009). The crisis in 1930s was made worse by the policy in response. But it is clear that effective the policy response cannot prevent the large economic cost of the financial crisis. If we are to prevent or minimise the scale of future crisis there is an increased need of policy framework that can bring different factors and the corresponding powers to act positively when risks are recognized. Currently Britains existing framework is confused and the powers and capabilities split awkwardly between competing institutions, which results in nobody identifying the fundamental problems when these institutions are building up and none of the institutions can act in response to crisis as they do not have the authority to do so. In order to avoid future crisis changes in regulation and supervisory approach is needed in order to create a more robust financial system for the future. Our focus in the research is on banking institutions, and not on other areas of the financial services industry. In 2007, Britain experienced its first bank run of any significance since the reign of Queen Victoria (Reid. m, 2003). The run was on a bank called Northern Rock. Britain was free of such event not by misfortune, but because in early third quarter of nineteenth century the Bank of England developed techniques to avoid them. These techniques were used, in Britain and had worked, and appeared to be trusted. The run of northern rock was triggered by the decision to provide support for troubled institution. That run was brought to a standstill, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Alistair Darling2) declared that he would use taxpayers funds to guarantee deposits at Northern Rock. Unlike runs in banking history, it was a run only on that one institution as funds withdrawn from it went only to a small amount into cash, and were mostly redeposit in other banks or in building societies. The research has three major objectives: Describes the role of financial regulations and reviews the literature on role played by the regulations in financial system. To describe and evaluate the banking crisis in United Kingdom in last 5 years and the reasons of the crisis which affected the banking system. To analysis and evaluate the role and benefits of living wills in context of changes in regulation. This leads to the research question: â€Å"Can living wills address the perceived failures in the regulation of financial services highlighted by the current credit crisis?† LITERATURE REVIEW A literature review is a summary of a subject field that supports the identification of specific research questions (Rowley J Slack F, 2004). Literature review explains the role of financial regulations, discuses the banking crisis in UK in last 5 years (2005-2010), and proposed new regulations which are to counter such failures in the future and at what cost these failures can be averted. The main focus of literatures review is the Banking Industry, proposed new regulations in order to minimise the effect of such crisis. The functions of financial services industry The existence of money is taken as for granted in all advanced societies today so much so that most people are unaware of the huge contribution that the concept of money, and the industry to manage it, have made to the development of our present way of life. Moneyis anything that is generally accepted aspaymentforgoods and servicesand repayment ofdebts (Mishkin Frederic S, 2007). In earlier civilisations the process of bartering was sufficient for the exchanging goods and services. Barteringis a medium in whichgoodsorservicesare directly exchanged for other goods or services without a common unit of exchange (without the use ofmoney) (OSullivan, Arthur Steven M. Sheffrin, 2003). In modern society, people still produce goods or provide services that they could, in theory, trade with others for exchanging for things they need. Due to complexity of life and the size of some transactions make it impossible for people today to match what they have to offer against what others can supply to them. What is needed is a commodity that individuals will accept in exchange for any product, which forms a common denominator against which the value of all products can be measured. Money carries out these two important functions. In order to be acceptable as a medium of exchange, money must have certain properties. In particular it must be * Sufficient in quantity * Generally acceptable to all the parties in all transactions * Divisible into small units * Portable Money also perform as a store of value, which means it can be saved because it can be used to divide transactions in time received today as payment for work done or for goods sold can be stored in the knowledge that it can be exchanged for goods or services later when required. In order to fulfil these functions, money has to retain its exchange value or purchasing power and the effect of inflations can, of course, affect this function. The financial services industry exists largely to facilitate and to deal with the management of money. It helps commerce and government by channelling money from those who have surplus, and wish to lend it to make profit, to those who wish to borrow it, and are willing to pay for the benefit they acquire of having it. The financial organisations want to make profit from providing such services and, by doing so, they provide the public with products and services that offer, convenience ( e.g. current accounts), means of achieving otherwise difficult objectives (e.g. mortgages) and protection from risk (e.g. insurance). Prior to the 1980s, there were clear and distinct boundaries between different kinds of financial institutions; some were retails banks, some wholesale banks, others were life assurance companies or general insurance companies, and some offered both types of insurance and were called composite insurers. Today many of the distinctions have become unclear, if they have not vanished altogether, increasing numbers of mergers and takeovers have taken place across the boundaries and now even the term banc assurance, which was coined to describe banks that owned insurance companies, is inadequate to describe the complex nature of modern financial management groups. For example one major UK bank offers following range of services * Retail banking services * Mortgage services through a subsidiary that is a building society * Credit cards services * Wealth management services * Financial asset management for institutional customers * Investment banking * Insurance services Regulations Bank failures around the world have been common, large and expensive in recent years. It is common to think of banking failure as something that happens in emerging economies and countries with advanced banking system, but there have been some shocking failures of banks and banking system within the developed economies in recent decades. The scale and frequency of the bank failures and banking crises have raised doubts about the efficiency of bank regulation and raised questions as to whether the regulation itself has created an iatrogenic reaction. Regulations for banks and other financial institutions hinge on the coase (1988) argument that unregulated private actions create outcomes whereby social marginal costs greater then private marginal cost. The social marginal costs occur because bank failures has a far greater effect then throughout the economy than, say, failure of a manufacturing concern because of the wide spread use of banks. Nevertheless it should be borne in mind that regulation involves real resource costs. These costs arise from two sources (a) direct regulatory cost, (b) compliance costs bear by the firms regulated. In IMF global financial stability report (2009), it estimates that the eventual cost to British taxpayers of support for the banking sector will be 9.1% of GDP, or more than  £130 billion, that is more than five times the equivalent of 1.8% of GDP in France and three times the estimated 3.1% of GDP in Germany. The main reason for regulating the banks is firstly consumers lack market power and are prone to exploitation from the monopolistic behavior of banks. Secondly depositors are uniformed and unable to monitor banks and, therefore, require protection. Finally, governments need regulations to estimate the safety and stability of the banking system. Basel accord Basel committee for banking supervision a committee for BIS (Bank for International Settlement) was first established in 1974. This committee operates at international level and the main focus of the committee is to strengthen the capital of banks. The principle reasons for the establishment of the committee were to safeguard the financial stability of the banking system worldwide and to create a level playing field. The first major achievement of the committee was in the form of Basel I. Basel I aimed at: 1. Promote the co-ordination in the regulatory and capital adequacy standards of the member countries. 2. Guard against risk in credit worthiness 3. Finally, it suggests for the minimum capital requirements for the international banking. Since 1988 when the Basel committee introduced the first capital accord Basel I the risk management practices, the banking business and the whole financial market has changed. The New York Fed President argued that â€Å"it also has not kept pace with innovations in the way that banks measure, manage and mitigate risk.†(EBSCO, 2002) Although the accord covered fairly relevant issues but it wasnt helpful enough to make a major impact in the industry. Therefore in 1999 the initial steps were taken which led to the amended of Basel I. There were several different reasons for the amendments. One of the misunderstandings about Basel I was that it was the only way to the financial stability of a country. The positive results of implementation of Basel I were seen in the G-10 countries, as these countries were previously operating their financial industry on mostly the same rules, but still there were many new product introduced and reforms took place which remained unexplained by the accord and resulted in the financial industry either fully collapsed or got taken over by other giants. For example Grupo Financiero Bancomer, a Mexican banking giant was reported as â€Å"US- based Citibank has agreed to acquire Mexican banking giant Grupo Financiero Bancomer-Accival (Banacci) for US$12.5 billion† (All Business.co m, 2001). The initial results blinded the G-10 in the aspects of emerging markets as they got pressurized by the larger financial institutions to follow the same accord. Another failed aspect of Basel I which led to the new accord was that the old accord only focused around the credit risk. Basel I did not focused on operational risk which also supported the downfall of many financial institutions. As explained by Mohan Bhatia â€Å"Weather it is a fee-based business, emerging practices or income-based business. A bank is exposed to operational risk.†(Bhatia, 2002). Even though Basel I was not written to be applicable for the emerging markets, its functions created distortions in the banking sectors of the industrialized economies. â€Å"In countries subject to high currency inflation and sovereign default risks, the Basel I accord actually made loan books riskier by encouraging the movement of both bank and sovereign debt holdings from OECD sources to higher-yielding domestic sources† (Balin, 2008). Another problem with the 1988 accord was that it focused more on the type of loan rather than the credit status of the borrower. As the bank and large financial institutes saved just 8% for the unseen risks they had more capital left. That was used in form of loan and subprime lending which was later proved to be a real disaster for the financial institutions. Basel I created a gap between the regulatory capital and the economic capital as bank would choose to hold. The commonly know regulatory capital is different to the economic capital. The economic capital aims to enhance the value of the investor and is based on the internal risk assessment of the organization. Whereas on the other hand the regulatory capital secures the banking stability and the regulator decides it for the protection of the depositor. Considering the drastic effects of the Basel I accord the committee published the reforms in 2003 namely Basel II. â€Å"Basel II is a response to the need for the regulatory system governing the global banking industry.†(Garside, Bech, 2003) Basel II brought many reforms to the old accord and was based on three pillars. The first pillar was minimum capital requirement which explained explicit treatment for operational risk in the financial industry. However the market risk remained with the same explanation as from Basel I. The Basel II brought some new methods of measuring the credit risk by introducing the public and internal ratings which provided good risk mitigation techniques. Furthermore the second pillar explained the supervisory review of capital adequacy. The basic purpose of this pillar was to keep a check on the financial institution that they hold excess of minimum level of capital required. The regulator can intervene at the initial stage if this requirement was not fulfilled. Finally the third pillar was brought into place to bring a much better market discipline. The market is considered to be the role played by the shareholders, government or employees whether proper capital is maintained or not. With this improvement Basel II was considered to help both the lender and the borrower. Basel II spots the weakness in Basel I and proposed effective risk measurement, mitigation techniques and elaborates valuables for market discipline for good banking system and good financial stability as explained â€Å"we at the Federal Reserve had even more reasons for the most finely tuned Basel II framework: Not only are we the umbrella supervisor over all financial stability companies but, as the nations central bank, we are responsible for maintaining nations financial stability.† (Poole, 2005) The fines of Basel II are basically explained by the three pillars of it as the very dexterously explain how and where the accord will be effective. The first pillar of minimum capital requirement was extremely advantageous in providing enhanced risk measurement by helping the large financial institutions and big banks to measure the risk involved in their functions and operations more sophisticatedly. Risk management proposals were useful for the capital they require to hold in case of unexpected losses. The new accord proposed different approaches for the measurement of credit risk. The standardised approached being the more or less the same as the old accord was more risk sensitive for the creditworthiness of the customers and improved the requirement which was previously based on type of loan instead of the credit status of the customer. This approach explained the birth of credit rating of individuals but the problem with this approach was that the culture of rating is not popular in every European country and other countries with strong and effective economies. Whereas the internal ratings-based approach was based on the internal key risk drivers and therefore the potential for more risk sensitive capital was substantial in a way to mitigate the risk. But the internal ratings-based approach is not enough to calculate the capital required for the risks. â€Å"The approaches for calculating the risk-weighted assets are intended to provide improved bank assessments of risk and thu s to make the resulting capital ratios more meaningful† (Pitschke Bone-Winkel, 2006). Operational risk which the Basel I failed to examine is a crucial element and was elucidated by Basel II in three operational risk alleviation approaches. The first method called the Basic indicator approach advice the banks to hold capital equal to 15% of average gross income earned by banks in the past three years. The second method named the standardized approach separates every business to hold capital to shield itself against the operational risk. Finally the third method of advance method approach allows the banks to calculate their own capital requirement to protect themselves against the operational risk. A disadvantage of the first pillar was that it allowed the banks to set their own risk assessment techniques. This gave over sanguine reports to reduce the capital required. Furthermore it even maximized the return on equity. For a much better market discipline regulators must approve the requirement. As explained by (Lind, 2006) â€Å"banks must have methods and systems fo r risk management which are subject to adequate corporate governance processes throughout the banks.† The pillar II of The Basel Accord is based on Supervisory Review. It certifies that the banks should have enough capital to sustain all the unexpected risk in an organization and also provides with much more better techniques to monitor and mitigate those risks. It advises the banks to calculate their risks internally. It requires the regulators to assess the banks risk management processes and capital position to maintain a target level of solvency. â€Å"Pillar II recognises that national supervisors may have different ways of entering into such discussions and provides flexibility to accommodate those differences† (Caruana, 2003). It was helpful in a way to evaluate funding strategies and also gave an insight to the risk mitigation policies to the banks. In total the second pillar had two positive proposals. Firstly, it gave more power to the regulators to keep a check of the minimum capital requirement by banks as calculated in pillar 1. And secondly it alarms the repetiti on of the financial crises such as in countries like Korea and China by taking early actions and offering rapid remedial actions. â€Å"Some of the data submitted by individual institutions was not complete; in some cases banks did not have estimates of loss in stress periodsor used estimates that we thought were not sophisticatewhich caused minimum regulatory capital to be underestimated† (Bies, 2006). At the same time while the corporate governance is in place the accord gave absolutely no information regarding the liquidity. Banks remained unaware of the true financial conditions of each other which forced them to stop lending and the State Bank of England was highlighted as the last resort to rescue. Pillar III based on the market discipline helped maintain discipline in the market place by greater disclosure of the banks risk profiles. The pillar III is connected to pillar I and pillar II as it complements the minimum capital requirement and the supervisory review process. â€Å"Market discipline can contribute to a safe and sound banking environment and supervisors require firms to operate in a safe and sound manner† (BIS, 2005). The disclosure is important for the benefit of the stakeholders. Therefore a disclosure of market risk, operational risk, interest rate risk and the disclosure of capital structure is required. The information should be disclosed timely. â€Å"It will fundamentally transform financial reporting for banks by demanding increased depth and breadth of disclosure† (Garside, Bech, 2003). One of the other disadvantages of Basel II is the complexity and potential cost of the framework. It is a defected draft of 450 pages and the cost of implementing it is too high for the banks. Banks were also afraid to lend because of the fear of Basel II as they would operate against the rules of Basel II on certain occasions. According to the Basel book the banks have to meet a certain level of capital reserves and in todays scenario of credit crunch it is difficult. As Peter Spencer explains â€Å"the Basel system of banking regulations, which determine how much capital banks must raise to keep their books in order, are the root cause of the crunch and were serving to worsen the Citys plight† (Conway, 2007). The Basel committee produced the old and new accords which to an extent were successful for the strengthening of the capital of banks and also took into account the risk throughout the procedures. But the new accord did not changed with new reforms in the system which made it just a box to be ticked in a form and had no connection with the reality or implementation. Most of the organizations ticked the boxes and yet carried on with the risky decision which seemed profitable but yet proved out to be wrong such as Northern Rock. These decisions were not even against any of the accords as the Basel committee never updated to the new market. Financial Services Authority (FSA) Regulations of the financial services industry in the UK is a 5 tier process: * First level: European legislation that impacts on the UK financial industry * Second level: the acts of the parliament that set out what can and cannot be done. * Third level: the regulatory bodies that monitor the regulations and issue rules about how the requirements of the legislation are to be met in practice. The main regulatory body is now the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which has taken over the regulatory responsibilities of the number of other bodies, including the bank of England. * Fourth level: the policies and practices of the financial institutions themselves and the internal departments that ensure they operate legally and competently. * Fifth level: the arbitration schemes to which consumers complaints can be referred. For most cases, this will now be the financial ombudsman service, which takeover the responsibilities of a number of earlier ombudsman bureaux and arbitration schemes Before the arrival of the financial services act 1986, the UK financial services industry was self regulating. Standards were maintained by a promise that those in the financial industry had a common set of values and were able, and willing, to exclude those who violated them. The 1986 act moved the UK to a system which became known as self regulation within a statutory framework. Once authorised, firms and individuals would be regulated by self regulating organisations (SROs), such as IMRO, SFA or PIA. The financial services act 1986 covered investment activities only. Retail banking, general insurance, Lloyds of London and mortgages were all covered by different acts and codes. When labour party came in power in 1997 it wanted to amend the regulation of financial services. The late 1990s saw more fundamental development of the financial services system with the fusion of most aspects of financial services regulation over a single statutory regulator, the financial services authorit y (FSA) process took place in two phases. First the bank of Englands responsibilities for banking supervision was shifted to the financial services authority (FSA) as part of the bank of England act 1998. The second phase of development consisted of a new act covering financial services which would revoke key provisions of the financial services act 1986 and little other legislation. All the earlier work on regulation would be swept away and the FSA would regulate investment business, insurance business, banking, building societies, friendly societies, mortgages and Lloyds. On 30 November 2001 the act, the financial services and market act 2000 (FSMA 2000) came to form a system of statutory regulation. The creation of the FSA as the UKs single statutory regulator for the industry brought together regulation of investment, insurance and banking. The FSA took over the responsibilities for prudential supervision of all firms, which involves monitoring the adequacy of their management, financial resources and internal systems and controls, and Conducting of business regulations of those firms doing investment business. This involves overseeing firms dealing with investors to ensure for example information provided is clear and not misleading. Adair Turner (2009) argued that FSAs regulatory and supervisory approach, before the 2007-2008 crises, was based on a sometimes implicit but at times quite obvious philosophy which believed that * Markets in general are self-correcting and disciplined which acts as effective tools than regulation or supervisory oversight to ensure firms strategies are sound and risks contained * Main responsibility for managing risks was of senior management and boards of the firms, who were thought to be at better place to evaluate business risk than bank regulators, and who are better off in making appropriate decisions about the balance between risk and return, provided proper systems, procedures and skilled people are in place. * Customers protection cannot ensured by product regulation or direct markets intervention, but by making sure that wholesale markets are tolerant and transparent as possible, and thats the way in which firms conducts business is appropriate. Turner argued that this philosophy in supervisory approach resulted in: A focus makes sure that systems and processes were defined well instead of challenging the business models and strategies. Risk Mitigation Programs set out after ARROW reviews therefore tended to focus more on organization structures, systems and reporting procedures, than on overall risks in business models. A focus within the FSAs failure to notice of approved persons on checking that there were no issues of honesty raised by past conduct, instead of evaluating technical skills, with the assumption that management and boards were in a superior position to assess the appropriateness of particular individuals for particular roles. A balance between business regulation and prudential regulation which, with the benefit of observation, appears biased towards the former. This was not the case in all sectors of the financial industry: the FSA for instance introduced in 2002-04 major and very important changes in the prudential supervision of insurance companies which have significantly improved the ability of those companies to face the challenges created by the current crisis. But it was to a degree the case in banking, where a long period of reduced economic volatility, which was attributed by many informed observers to the positive benefits of the securitized credit model, helped foster inadequate focus on system-wide prudential risks. Failure of Current Regulation Based on the â€Å"Geneva Report†, the â€Å"G30 Report†, and the â€Å"NYU-Stern Report† failure of current regulation Systemic risk:Reports established a point of view that the financial regulatory frameworks around the world pay little consideration to systemic risk. Carmichael and Pomerleano (2002) define systemic risk as systemic instability that â€Å"arises where failure of one institution to honour its promises leads to a general panic, as individuals fear that similar promises made by other institutions also may be dishonoured. Acharya, Pedersen, Philippon and Richardson (2009) argue that Current financial regulations seek to limit each institutions risk seen in isolation; they are not focused on systemic risk. As a result supervisions focus on individual institutions, instead of having it on the whole system, while individual risks are properly dealt with in normal times, the system itself remains, or is encouraged to be, weak and exposed to large macroeconomic shocks This focus was a common feature and a common failing, of bank regulation and supervisory systems in the world. As per the Ge neva Report regulations wholly assumes that it can make the system as a whole safe by simply making sure that individual banks are safe which is misleading. Pro-cyclical risk taking: Reports also agreed that financial regulations encourage pro-cyclical risking taking which increases the possibility of financial crises and their severity when they occur. Any economic quantity that is positivelycorrelatedwith the overall state of theeconomyis said to be pro-cyclical (Gordy MB and Howells B. 2004). Financial intermediation as a whole is inherently pro-cyclical. Financial activity such as new bond issues and total bank lending tend to increase more during economic booms than during downturns. Higher levels of economic growth lead to higher values of potential collateral, thereby loosening credit constraints and making access to debt financing easier. Another contributing factor to the financial systems pro-cyclicality is that financial market participants behave as if risk is counter-cyclical. For instance, bank loan standards tend to be most lax during economic booms (Lown et al 2000)) and banking supervisors have historically been most vig ilant during downturns (Syron (1991)). Regulations lead towards stability and reduce statistical measures of risk and encourage excessive risk taking. In bad times, the pendulum swings back producing excessive risk aversion. Large Complex Financial Institutions (LCFIs): All reports agree that current regulations do not deal effectively with LCFIs, defining LCFIs as â€Å"financial intermediaries engaged in some combination of commercial banking, investment banking, asset management and insurance, whose failure poses a systemic risk or `externality to the financial system as a whole.† (Saunders, Smith and Walter, 2009). The growing role of LCFIs poses various challenges.The complexity of these institutions has made it hard for financial analysis and effective supervisors oversight. The linkages among business areas within LCFIs are close which leads to increase of risk contamination from one business area to another as well as across jurisdiction. All reports also insist on the danger induce by implicit Too-Big-To-Fail guarantees. Too big to fail is an expression that refers to the idea that ineconomic regulation, the largest and most interconnected businesses are so big that a government cannot le t them to declare bankruptcy for the reason that said failure would have disastrous consequences on the overall economy. Mervyn King on June 17th, 2009, the governor of theBank of England, called for banks that are too big to fail to be cut down to size, as a solution to the problem of banks having taxpaye