The Big Lebowski Essay Example For Students

The Big Lebowski Essay All of the relationships among the elements in the film the Big Lebowski may seem to be enigmatic with each other, but this style of film creates an integrated system of disunity. The Coen brothers demonstrate this style through various motifs through out the film, from the main characters name to what he drinks. The film is a perfect example of a film which has the theme of disunity. In the film the main character Jeffery Lebowski, refers to himself as the Dude. This element of the story becomes a motif. The Dude is referred to, and refers to himself as the Dude because it represents his personality, which is an easygoing cool character. The common Western society slang which is associated with the word dude, is male prostitute. In the scene where the Dude returns home after being arrested in Malibu, he find himself engaging in sexual intercourse at the request of Mod Lebowski. After they finish, Mod explains to the Dude that she was using him to concede a child. We will write a custom essay on The Big Lebowski specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Obviously he was not given money in exchange for sexual favours but, the Dude, much similar to real prostitutes was used for sex. The Dude is continuously used by his friends and business associates through out the whole film. Although presented as a laidback cool character, the Dudes title is representative of how he is seen by everyone around him. In the film, Bowling is seen as a mans activity, a place where go to compete and get away from the world. In the bowling alley there is never a female present in the shot within any scene. This motif is reinforced during the scene entitled Gutter Balls. In the Dudes trip-out it starts off as a bowling spoof pornographic film, which can also be considered a male thing. It has shots of floating bowling pins and balls rearranged in numerous sexual positions, where the pins represent the male genitalia. Further on in the dream, Mod, who is a strong independent character, is represented by Viking costume she is wearing. Contrary to this, she still required help from the Dude when bowling. In the Big Lebowski bowling is seen as a male dominated activity. During the scene where the Dude and Mod Lebowski engage in sexual intercourse, the Dude pores himself a White Russian. The Dude explains that the alcohol and marijuana helps him think. Im keeping on a very strict drug regiment to ahh, keep my ahh, mind limber. This is shown when almost immediately after he smokes his marijuana and pours his White Russian he figures out where big Lebowskis money is. In contrast to this, the drugs and alcohol can also be seen as an obstacle in the Dudes effort to solve the case. At one point the Dude crashes his car after spilling his drink and dropping a lit joint onto his lap. In another scene the Dude is arrested because his White Russian was drugged. Drugs and alcohol become a paradox of the Dudes success. With these motifs in mind we are able to see that the Coen brothers used different motifs show any number of different things about the film. They are able to mesh together themes of masculinity to societys views of the weak. With this, the Big Lebowski has a theme which can only be called eclectic.

12 Angry Men Essays

12 Angry Men Essays 12 Angry Men Paper 12 Angry Men Paper Essay Topic: 12 Angry Men Play This essay will be discussing the methods used to increase and decrease tension by the playwright Reginald Rose in the play 12 Angry Men. The play takes place on a blazing hot day in the middle of July, and begins as some Jurors enter the jury room to discuss a murder committed by a young man. The jurors begin light conversation as they enter the small, hot and cramped room and find their seats. They begin discussing the murder, and soon it is clear that the majority of the jurors believe the young man to be guilty and that they have no desire to sit and deliberate, they would rather talk about a baseball game, which starts at 7pm that evening. Although they seem keen to dismiss the case with a guilty verdict, Juror 8 stands up and declares that there is room for reasonable doubt. He would like to examine the evidence thoroughly. Eventually this Juror persuades the others that the accused is not guilty. Throughout the play, the playwright uses this conflict to inflame and reduce the tension. Reginald Rose uses a few methods to increase and decrease tension. We can firstly tell by the little things he uses. Some of these consist of the room being cramped and stuffy, the fan not working, and the weather. The different moods of the characters also make tension. Small things like these cut the tension in noticeable ways. The weather changes at one point into lightning, thunder and heavy rain and the fan starting to work. These examples break the tension that has been building in the room. Whilst this is happening the mood of the jurors change too. As we know, this scene is set on a very hot day; coincidentally, we see that there is going to be tension because Juror 7 says, This is the hottest day of the year. To make even more tension, we see that in this tiny room, a juror is sweating and tries to turn on the fan, which doesnt seem to work, making the already blazing hot room even hotter. The atmosphere is unstable because the heat makes the jurors insecure. The hot weather continues to make an impact on the mood. In Act 1, Juror 6 says, What a murderous day, which is commenting on the weather and is a pun on the case itself being about murder. In Act 2 the weather turns bad, the vote is still guilty, so they take another vote. The vote is even: 6-6. At the same time the weather gets cool again and the foreman says Wow! Look at that come down, will ya? Think itll cool things off? Juror 8 replies Yeah, I guess so. This signifies to the audience and the reader that the tension has broken. When the play ends the rain stops and the skies clear showing that the tension has been released and they have succeeded in breaking it. The jury room is set in a random way There is a bathroom which is used to release tension; there are also other objects about the room which are used to increase and decrease tension. For example, the fan only works after the tension is released as the weather becomes cooler and the vote becomes 6-6. This can all reflect the jurors calm. The knife that Juror 8 leaves jammed in the table is a reminder of the tension that has been. It is revealed that the jurors are all different types of people with totally different backgrounds. They are regular Americans, representing different strands of opinion in 1950s America. Tension increases in the play as each characters personality and nature are revealed. However, this brought out the truth everyone as they all displayed their true emotions throughout the play. In conclusion, I think that the author used successful methods to increase and decrease tension. In the first half of the play there is much tension and emotion as the jurors fight and contradict Juror 8. At the beginning of the play, the use of weather increases tension and this breaks when the group votes 6-6. You can see this reflected in the jurors: for example, Juror 3 is dark with rage after he shouts Ill Kill him, Ill Kill him! at the end of Act 1. The jury room also adds to the tension when the guard outside locks the door. A juror says, I never knew they locked the door. This creates a feeing of panic and claustrophobia. Objects in the room itself play their part, such as the water cooler, where jurors go to cool down after an argument. This decreases tension as well. Overall, the playwright is successful in his aim.

WAVE AND TIDAL POWER Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WAVE AND TIDAL POWER - Assignment Example tilizing wind energy through on-shore and off-shore wind farms has been one of the rapid growing kinds of renewable energy in the past decade (Avato at al. 56). In order to harness the wave and tidal energy, there is a need for a specific design and manufacture of efficient equipment to exploit natural energy flows. One challenge in the field is the up-front investment which is huge although the fuel may be free and the waste products low. The efficiency of designs put in place is determined by the distance they are placed from shore which could either be shoreline, offshore or near-shore. Planning and permitting are very essential in deploying tidal/wave energy technology because there are issues like environmental, health and safety issues and other sea user disputes. In terms of products, services chains and infrastructure need to be in place to enhance competition and avoid shortages (Elghali, Benbouzid and Charpentier 1407-1412). This implies that the percentage rate of change in carbon dioxide emissions is equal to the rate of change in carbon dioxide emissions per unit energy plus the rate of change in energy essentials per unit output plus the rate of change in output per capital plus the rate of change in the population. For most developing countries, emissions are higher unless energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions per unit energy change to offset growth in per capita output and population. The developing countries with fast growing populations, pressure for economic growth will make it inconvenient to direct capital on investments with maximum greenhouse gas emissions compared to those with lower greenhouse gas emissions (Bruce 27). Population is not considered in policy debates on climate changes, and studies in the past ten years have added significant to comprehending the complexity and mechanisms of population and climate interactions. Moreover, the development total population size, study indicate that changes in population make-up

Simon Piasecki's Performance of Fizz Bomb Essay

Simon Piasecki's Performance of Fizz Bomb - Essay Example Moreover, the "Fizz Bomb" performance represents a series of video arts named "Lessons in Language" which was first aired at Shunt, London in June 2008 (Piasecki, 2008). We can divide provisionally the performance into two parts. The first part finishes in the moment of the explosion. The second begins when the fizzy drink has been made. There are several concepts illustrated in the first part of "Fizz Bomb". Let me start with the language and its references. As "Fizz Bomb" is part of the overall idea of "Lessons in Language" it suggests that the performance seeks to convey the language barrier conception. We all have heard about the biblical city of Babel and its tower. The story narrates how people united by a common language decided to erect a tower with the intention that they will reach heaven and will be closer to God. God saw the construction of the power as a symbol of pride, as people got more skilled and shared their ideas. He said that people become distanced from their creator and in order to give them a lesson God confused their language, causing misunderstanding so that people were unable to finish the construction of the tower. Piasecki employed this biblical narration to show that the audience can not understand his Manchester Butcher's Slang and presumably, they may misunderstand his int... Verbal comprehension is vital for the social communication and all other varieties of conversations. The impossibility to reach out and grasp other people's thoughts leads to the destruction of human relations. This destruction is best depicted by the hidden facial expressions. Communication besides verbal can also be non-verbal. With hiding his face behind a knitted mask Piasecki indicates that the miscommunication with his audience is absolute. He puts a boundary between himself and the viewer. The other concept expressed in the first part of "Fizz Bomb" is the consequences of the misunderstanding. Piasecki does this through his garment. The clothes are combination of the kamikaze warrior bomb vest and the bullet-proven vest. Those two antipodes also symbolize the good and bad side of human nature. Once you might be the hunter and once you might be hunted. If you are misunderstood people can point you out as kamikaze. If you follow the rules, you are subject to attack by those who rebel, so you wear the bullet-proven vest. Simon Piasecki had a profound understanding about the current war conflicts and wanted to describe them in the minutest detail, in simple, clear way. My comprehension is that war conflicts are based on language barrier which creates hostility because people are unaware of the cultural, religious and verbal expression that other nations use. People hide behind stereotypes of kamikaze people and those who have to protect against them. The lack of zest to overcome this language boundary destroyed the basic human attitude and communication between different cultures. Once the bomb of Piasecki explodes there is only silence. The

Police Brutality Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Police Brutality - Term Paper Example The drug laws on both state and federal levels have contributed to the abuse of power and corruption among law enforcement officials across the U.S. A comparison can be made to similar circumstances that occurred during the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920’s. It is well-known that alcohol prohibition encouraged the proliferation of criminal gangs and the associated violent activities. It also made criminals out of policemen who took bribes to ‘look the other way’ while illegal booze was delivered to and consumed at ‘speak easies.’ The growth of police corruption instances involving drug sales is relatively easy to explain. The financial rewards offered by the sales of illegal drugs in relation to other forms of income both legal and illegal, is enormous. The temptation attracts law enforcement officials who are becoming increasingly more discouraged by the growing proliferation of drug traffickers. Though police agencies of all descriptions have fought the 30-plus year ‘drug war’ by spending billions of dollars and locking up millions of people, their efforts have not only not ended drug use or sales but drugs are now more available, cheaper and purer than ever before. Disheartened police officers involved in stopping drug crimes put their lives in jeopardy but are under-paid and under-appreciated by an indifferent public. Many officers joined the force to protect and serve but find themselves regulating an illegal drug market that they know they will never suppress. As long as the U.S. government continues its disastrous ‘war,’ formerly well-intentioned cops will continue to be lured by the money to be had by engaging in the drug trade they are expected to prevent. They risk their lives for a war which has no end and they know this fact better than anyone. Fighting a losing battle discourages even the most loyal and honest of law officials and some u se this to justify becoming involved in

Financial Analysis of Coles Ltd

Financial Analysis of Coles Ltd 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose In this report my purpose is to do a financial analysis of Coles Ltd which provides a basis, on which the valuation of company can be done. 1.2 Scope This report conducts a financial analysis for Coles by performing a trend analysis of financial ratios using the data given for past 5 years. It also includes a cash flow analysis which along with financial ratios helps compare coles with its industry counterparts, Woolworths and Metcash; and finally this analysis would help in price valuation to calculate a fair price for coles share. 1.3 Methodology This report is based on primary data available from Coles website as well as secondary data such as research paper, electronic database and other publications. 1.4 Limitation Although all efforts have been made to use as much available information as possible but there were some constricting factors such as lack of available data of past financial information which restricted this research. Reliability of data and time constraints were also hurdle in performing this analysis. The biggest shortcoming was that current data was based on AIFR and data for years before 2005 was based on AGAAP, which made comparative trend analysis very difficult. 2. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS In this we will be evaluating the firms financial ratios and cash flow measures of the operating, financing, and investing performance of a company in relation to key competitors historical performance. Given the firms strategy and goals, together these tools allow the analyst to investigate and examine a firms performance and its financial condition. Ratio analysis is the tool which involves assessing the firms income statement and balance sheet data. On the other side, the cash flow analysis relies on firms cash flow statement. 2.1 Ratio analysis The ratio analysis deals with evaluation of the performance of Coles in perspective of its mentioned strategies and goals. In order to achieve this objective a combination of cross sectional analysis and time series analysis is performed. Workings of Ratios for 2006 are mentioned in APPENDIX 4. 2.1.1 Profitability analysis If we look at the return on equity (ROE) of Coles, for a period of 5 years, it is being observed that ROE has increased in 2006 as compared to 2002. Although ROE has fallen in 2006 (15. 30%) as compared to 2005 (18.30 %) but it can be seen that on an average Coles ROE has been stable or increased over last 5 years. Return on asset (ROA) has also been stable around 10% during the last 3 years and increasing from 7.17% in 2002 to 9.54% in 2006.The main reason for stable ROE and ROA are better performance delivered by the management and as well as the mature characteristic of the industry, that produces stable return as well as stable growth seeing population demographics in the country. Table 1 Profitability Ratio of Coles Ltd Source: Coles financial statement after adjustment Gross profit has been quite stable and good for the last 5 years but the concerned part is the net profit margin. Net profit margin has been very low, it had been increasing from 2002 to 2005 but it again fell in 2002 to 1.57% from 2.08%. Coles need to reduce its operating and interest expenses so as to increase its net profit margin. Table 2 Profitability Ratio Comparison within the industry in 2006 On comparing the performance of Coles with its industry counterparts we can conclude that Coles Ltd is way behind its major competitor, Woolworths, in terms of ROE and ROA which might be attributable to lower net profit margin and lower financial leverage. Coles has higher financial leverage as compared to Woolworths and metcash, which means it, has greater financial risk. But despite of high leverage it has low ROE which confirms the fact that Coles has low net profit margin asset turnover ratio. 2.1.2 Activity Analysis A firms operating activities require investments in both short-term (inventory and accounts receivable) and long term assets. Activity ratios describe the relationship between the firms level of operations and assets needed to sustain operating activities. Asset turnover is important in determining firms ROA; it also formulates reasons of how it will affect firms ROE. Evaluating the effectiveness of asset management is the purpose of asset turnover analysis. 2.1.2.1 Short term activity ratios Working capital is our main concern while evaluating a company. It can clearly be observed that since Coles has high turnover ratios it uses cash basis in its sales. It can be clearly being seen that it took only 4.48 days on an average for Coles to convert its inventory investment back in to cash. From the figures last 5 years we can clearly interpret that Coles has drastically improved its cash conversion cycle from 23 days in 2002 to 4.48 days in 2006. Table 3 Short-term Activity Ratios for Coles Ltd Table 4 Short-term activity ratio comparison, 2006 Now, if we compare Coles with its competitors we can see that Woolworths has lower cash conversion cycle and metcash has higher cash conversion cycle. Woolworths has lower cash conversion cycle because it keeps inventory in stock for shorter duration and stock is converted in to good sold in less span of time. On the other hand Metcash keeps inventory in stock for lower no. of days but it provides more no. of days to its receivables for payment due to which it has higher cash conversion cycle. Seeing the industry it can be concluded that Coles has good cash conversion cycle but it can improve on it by reducing the Average number of days for which inventory is in stock. 2.1.2.2 Long term activity ratios In the analysis of long term activity ratios, long-term asset turnover and property, plant and equipment turnover have been utilized. Table 5 Long term activity ratios for Coles Ltd On the whole both ratios moved in the same pattern during these periods. Relatively, this pattern shows that asset utilization has improved uniformly for the period ranging from 2002 (310.12%) to 2006(372.70%). This helps to conclude that company is continuously improving its utilization of assets to increase its production. Table 6 Long term activity ratios comparison, 2006 While comparing to its competitors it can be seen that Coles total asset turnover ratio is approximately 30% higher than its competitors. It helps to analyze that Coles is more efficiently utilizing its resources to increase its production as compared to its competitors. Metcashs high PPE turnover ratio can be contributed to the fact that PPE forms a very small part of Metcashs total assets. If compare Coles with its major competitor Woolworth on PPE Turnover Ratio we can conclude that Coles has been utilizing its fixed asset better than Woolworths. 2.1.3 Liquidity Analysis Liquidity is referred to a firms ability to have sufficient funds when needed and convert its non-cash assets in to cash easily. Liquidity Ratios are employed to determine the firms ability to pay its short-term liabilities. Liquidity analysis enables us to determine Coles ability to cover its liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may arise due to shortfall or over liquidity within the firm and this in turn lead to firms disability of fulfilling its liquidity needs. In order to determine firm liquidity level, Current ratio, quick ratio and cash ratio are short- term liquidity ratios which have been employed. Table 7 Coles Short-term Liquidity Ratios On doing the trend analysis for last 5 years it can be observed that Coles current ratio has been consistently falling, which increases the possibility that Coles will not be able to meet up its short term liabilities. Current ratio has fallen from 1.37 in 2002 to 0.98 in 2006 which is of major concern, as a current ratio of less than 1 means that company has negative working capital and is probably facing a liquidity crisis. The more stringent measure of liquidity is quick ratio and cash ratio which have also been falling uniformly in last 5 years. It seems Coles is falling in to liquidity crunch and might need short term funds to meet its current liabilities. There has been lot of volatility in the cash ratio of the firm as they have been rising and again falling, so we can conclude that Coles is not able to maintain stable liquidity. Table 8 Short term liquidity ratios comparisons, 2006 As compared to its competitors Coles has better current ratio than Woolworths but has current ratio less than Metcash. Comparing Coles with its major competitor in retail sector, Woolworth, we can clearly see Coles has better current cash ratio but is behind on quick ratio. On comparing with metcash we see that Coles is behind on all the short term liquidity ratios by a very high margin. Metcash has twice the cash ratio as compared to Coles, which makes Coles ability to meet its short term liabilities questionable. 2.1.4 Long term Debt and solvency Analysis The analysis of a firms capital structure is essential to evaluate its long term risk and return prospects. The long term debt and solvency ratios which we are going to use here are debt to equity, debt to capital and interest coverage ratio. Table 9 Coles long term Debt and Solvency ratios As indicated by Coles debt and long term solvency ratios, it denotes that firm is not a solvent company and relies heavily on debt financing. The firms debt to equity and debt to capital ratios are consistently above 1.00 which shows that Coles employed more debt than equity as its source of financing. Debt to total capital has also been consistently been around 0.55-0.60 during the 5 year period. This shows that firm has been stable with its financing policy and has not done much change with its debt and equity mix. Since it relies so heavily on debt financing, issues can be raised regarding its ability to pay off the interest arising due to long term debt financing but we see that company has EBIT 7 times more than the interest charges it has to pay, so that should concern much. It can be observed interest coverage ratio has declined in 2006, as compared to 2005 2004, but it is still able to meet industry benchmarks. Table 10 Debt and Solvency ratios Comparison 2006 Compared to its competitors, long term solvency ratios of Coles seem to be performing optimally. Woolworths has got the highest debt to equity, debt to capital interest coverage ratio. Historically a debt to equity ratio of 2:1 is considered optimal so Coles can still rely on debt to finance its future undertaking rather then issuing new shares. It can be observed that Coles has interest coverage ratio greater than Metcash but less than Woolworths but that can be attributable to its low profit margin as compared to Woolworths. It seems Coles is at par with its competitors in terms of debt and solvency ratios. 2.2 Cash Flow Analysis Cash flow analysis is essential to understand that whether the firms cash flow have the ability to sustain the business, to meet unexpected obligations and to meet its short term liabilities. This also helps to understand whether firm will be requiring additional financing and firm can take advantage of new business opportunities as they arise. In cash flow analysis we will evaluate 3 ratios; Operating cash flow to current liabilities, Interest coverage (cash flow basis) operating cash flow to dividend payment. Methodology for calculation of cash flow ratios is shown in APPENDIX 5 Table 11 Cash flow ratios for Coles Ltd Based on the table above, we can say that Coles has the ability to service its debts which can be seen in firms interest coverage ratio from cash flow basis. Moreover, we observe that Op. cash flow to dividend payment has fallen over the time span from 2002 to 2006 which could be an area of concern. Operating cash flow to current liabilities has also fallen a bit, which means it can be a problem for the firm if certain unexpected obligation come up due to which it might require additional financing. Table 12 Cash flow ratios Comparison, 2006 If we compare Coles to its competitors in the industry which it operates we observe that Coles has got better interest coverage ratio (cash flow basis) as compared to Woolworths Metcash which means that Coles has better ability to service its debts than its counterparts. Coles also has a shortcoming in operating cash flow to dividend payment ratio, as it can be seen it has the lowest operating cash flow to dividend payment ratio. It can be attributable to the fact that it pays more dividends than it should pay. So it can be concluded that Coles needs to reduce dividend payment as it might lead Coles in to financial difficulties if some unexpected obligations turn up. In terms of operating cash flow to current liabilities we see that although it has fallen substantially for Coles in last 5 years but it is at par with its biggest competitor Woolworths greater than Metcash. 3. Prospective analysis Prospective analysis enables us to determine future performance of the firm based on historical performance of the company. Here will be determining the mean return for sales and earning before interest taxes (EBIT) . Using those mean returns we will be making a sales forecast and EBIT forecast. 3.1 Sales and EBIT forecast In determining the sales growth, I have considered the following assumptions- Past trend of sales is going to continue in the following years. Firm is not going to bring a major change in its pricing policy. The foundation for sales EBIT growth is historical sales EBIT growth and I have used mean reverting model to determine the future sales growth, in which future sales EBIT growth will be mean return of last 4 years sales growth. I have not taken the 5 year sales EBIT growth because EBIT growth rate is to high in 2002 (73%) which could adversely effect the mean return considering present situation of Coles. Table 13 Sales EBIT Growth Rate for Coles Ltd Using the mean reverting model we are able to find out a growth rate of sales for 7.64% EBIT growth rate of 11.87%. Using these growth rates we will be able to make a sales forecast EBIT forecast. This forecast will help in proper valuation of Coles on the basis of its predicted future performance. Figure 1 Line chart for sales EBIT growth Table 14 Sales EBIT Forecast for Coles LTD Using the growth rates we can forecast the sales and EBIT for Coles which helps an analyst in a fair valuation of the company. The main reason we use the sales growth as a base for forecasting, is that the majority of firm income is derived from its supermarket business. This forecast suffers from one serious shortcoming that EBIT growth has fallen from 34.31% in 2004 to 11.16% in 2005 and then to -17.07% in 2006 but we are still predicting a growth in EBIT of 11.87% in 2007 and thereafter. 4. Conclusion I have gone through the multi-step process of ratio analysis, cash flow analysis and prospective analysis to present a report on financial analysis of Coles ltd. During the process, I have identified that Coles is operating in a mature industry with small profit margins. I have performed ratio analysis, cash flow analysis prospective analysis which would help a great deal in valuation of Coles based on its current market situation. During the Ratio analysis I was able to conclude that Coles has got good activity liquidity ratios but the major area of concern is profitability ratios. Coles needs to improve its net profitability so as survive in this competitive environment. Cash flow analysis helped us to depict that Coles has cash flow ratios at par with its competitor, Woolworths, but Coles need to reduce its dividend payout as it is too high as compared to industry counterparts. By doing a prospective analysis I am able to forecast the future sales EBIT for Coles for next 4 years. Growth rate for forecast has been calculated using the mean return for past 4 years. This helps us to understand future growth of the company. I would like to conclude by saying that although Coles is competing in a low profit margin industry but it is the 2nd biggest company in the retail industry, therefore if it brings about certain petite changes in its financing and operating activities it can add a great deal to its shareholders value.

Biology and Chemical Warfare Essay -- science

Biology and Chemical Warfare Introduction Chemical and Biological Warfare, use of harmful or deadly chemical or biological agents as weapons of war. These agents can kill many people and are considered weapons of mass destruction. Chemical weapons are made up of poisonous chemical compounds, whereas biological weapons are living microorganisms. Toxin weapons contain poisonous chemical products of living organisms and are sometimes classified separately. Chemical and biological weapons can cause injury in several ways. Most cause injury or death when inhaled, and some cause injury through contact with skin or through ingestion of contaminated food. A chemical or biological attack usually involves dispersing agents into the air. This can be done in various ways, such as firing artillery shells that burst in mid-air, or using airplanes to spray the agents over an area. If released outdoors, these types of weapons can be affected by weather conditions. Rain would reduce the effectiveness of the agents, and wind might spread them in unexpected directions. Because chemical and biological agents are seen as random, dangerous, and particularly cruel weapons, they have rarely been used. In the 20th century, chemicals were used extensively as battlefield weapons only in World War I (1914-1918) and the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). The release of the nerve agent sarin in a Tokyo subway in 1995 was a rare terrorist chemical attack. The 1972 Biological Weapons Convention and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention are the most recent international agreements prohibiting these types of weapons, and both have been signed by many countries. Nevertheless, analysts contend that following the Iran-Iraq War, more countries began to secretly develop chemical and biological weapons, and the threat of their use has become greater. Iraq in particular has been accused of stockpiling such weapons, and Iraqi resistance to United Nations weapons inspections in the late 1990s raised international awareness of the need for stronger efforts to control biological and chemical weapons. II. Chemical WarfarePrint section Chemical warfare involves the use of chemical compounds to kill or seriously injure an enemy. Several countries began eliminating their chemical weapons stockpiles in the 1990s, but the threat of their use still exists. A. Chemical AgentsPrint section... ...s, an explosive release is not necessary. Members of Aum Shinrikyo attacked the Tokyo subway by packing sarin in plastic containers. To release the nerve agent, they pierced the containers with sharp umbrella tips. The leaking liquid and vapor affected thousands of passengers. Microorganisms are generally more fragile than chemicals, and some might not survive an explosion. But several, like anthrax spores, do remain potent after an explosive release. In any case, United States Army tests have shown that biological agents can be broadly dispersed in a variety of non-explosive ways. In the 1950s and 1960s the Army released bacteria and chemical particles in hundreds of tests in populated areas throughout the country. Agents were sprayed at San Francisco from a boat offshore, dispensed from slow-moving cars in Minneapolis and St. Louis, and released from light bulbs dropped in the New York subway. The bacteria and chemicals in the tests were not as dangerous as actual warfare agents, although they posed some risks to the exposed populations. They demonstrated that an enemy or terrorist could expose millions of people to disease-causing organisms by a variety of simple techniques.

Illegal Immigration in America

Hendry Miranda Professor Pauline Rodock English 1301 October 10, 2012 Illegal Immigration in America America has always been a country of immigrants. Ever since the birth of this nation, waves of immigrants have come here in search of a happier life. America is known all over the world as a place where people can be free in so many different ways, a place where prosperity is possible for those who work hard and want a better life for their offspring. The dilemma is though, many of those pursuing the â€Å"American Dream† come here illegally, and thus breaking the laws of the very same country they want to live in, right from the beginning.This research exposes some facts about the so heated debate of illegal immigration in America. In recent years America has experienced a record of illegal immigration without precedents. According to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) there are two classes of illegal immigrants. First class corresponds to â€Å"ove r-stayers†, and this refers to those people who at some point legally entered the United States under any kind of visa, and simply stayed once that document expired.Most of this â€Å"over-stayers† are foreigners who came to the United States with student visas, or who came here with tourist/business visas. Even though once they over stay they are considered illegal immigrants, the government has an idea of who those people are because these kind of immigrants need to go through extensive filters in the American embassies of their country in order to get an American visa. On the other hand, the USCIS also has the Illegal Alien classification. These are the people who enter the United States without any kind of legal registry or document.The vast majority of these illegal aliens enter the United States through the Mexican border. Also, most of these immigrants are of Hispanic origins, specifically Mexicans. â€Å"Between now and 2020, the Hispanic population will increa se by 77%, compared to a 69% for Asians, 32% for African Americans, 26% for Native Americans, and 1% for non-Hispanic whites, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education. As a result, by 2020 the nation’s adult population, ages 25 to 64, will be 63 percent white, 17 percent Hispanic, 13 percent African American, 6 percent Asian, and about 1% native American† highlighted in Hardy, page 5). This illegal immigration issue has am impact in every aspect of the American way of life. Many will say and prove that the illegal immigration problem is out of control. It is estimated that more than 20 million people live illegally in the United States. Those who are pro illegal immigration insist that is wrong to label these people as â€Å"criminals† since their only â€Å"crime† is to come to America in search of better opportunities, in search of what for any reason they cannot have in their homeland.They claim that they come here to work, â€Å"to do the job s most American will not do†. Many of these groups believe that amnesty should be granted to those who meet some basic requirements, such as living in the United States continuously for more than 7 years, not having a criminal record etc. Illegal immigration groups have deep roots in many places in America and they have supporter that will do anything in order to protect the â€Å"basic rights† of the individuals that find themselves in this dilemma.A very good example of this, are the so called Sanctuary Cities: â€Å"In the United States, a number of cities in the southwest have declared themselves cities of refugee or asylum for undocumented immigrants. In April 2006, for example, Oakland, California city officials declared that would no longer cooperate with federal officials in conducting raids to capture undocumented immigrants† (highlighted in Carlson, page 267). These cities actually facilitate the stay of illegal immigrants by providing free medical care , no checks for obtaining jobs, no checks for renting a home just to name a few.San Francisco is well known to be a major Sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. Many of the illegal immigrants also use the â€Å"Anchor Baby† phenomenon. Meaning they will have kids in American soil who have the right to citizenship, in the hopes that one day they will obtain citizenship too through their American-born kids. They take advantage of the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to any person born in American soil. This is an outdated law that, after the end of the American Civil War, granted citizenship to the newly freed African American slaves.Illegal immigrants do not pay income taxes but at the same time have access to all the benefits provided by the taxpayers. Also the school systems are overcrowded in many states, thanks to the increasing number of illegal immigrants. In many cases, being an illegal immigrant can actually benefit these people: â€Å"Texas was the first stat e to respond, passing legislation granting in-state tuition rates to illegal students in 2001. California followed later that year. Other states that have enacted such laws include Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Utah, and Washington† (highlighted in Gilroy, page 16).Many anti-amnesty groups explain that opposing the amnesty is not a racial issue, but a matter of doing what’s right. The United States of America is a country of law, and by entering illegally they’re already breaking the law, right from the beginning. It’s not being anti immigration, â€Å"legal† is the key word here. Granting citizenship to illegal alien would encourage more illegal immigration. Not only that, but it will be taken as an insult by all the legal immigrants who did the right thing and followed the rules of the game to be in the United States.Most legal immigrants spend a lot of time and effort in order to get here, in some cases having to pay thousands of dollars and having to wait years for that privilege. The dram act is another attempt by illegal-immigrant supporters to legalize their status. It basically would give a path to citizenship to illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children, brought by their parents and with no faults of their own. They would have to be under the age of 16, have finished High School, free of criminal records and willing to serve in the military for at least two years.While this might sound fair for the illegals, then again it is unfair for those who came here legally and many people see this as another invitation to come to this country illegally. It is true, there must be an immigration reform, and a solution must be found to deal with the millions of illegal immigrants currently in America. Until that happens, the government should do all in its power to stop this issue from becoming bigger. The borders need to be secured and the constitution amended so illegal aliens sto p taking advantage of the â€Å"anchor baby† tactic.America still is one if not the most multicultural country in the world, Works Cited Carlson, D. (2009). The Border Crossed Us: Education, Hospitality politics, and the Social Consturction of the â€Å"illegal immigrant†. Educational Theory, 59(3), 259-277. Gilroy, M. (2009). Battle Continues over In-State Tuition for Illegal immigrants. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed For Quick Review, 74(8), 16-20. Hardy, L. (2007). Coping with Illegal immigrants in School. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condesnsed For Quick Review, 72(9), 4-6.

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With the Letter S

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With the Letter S Chemistry abbreviations and acronyms are common in all fields of science. This collection offers common abbreviations and acronyms beginning with the letter S used in chemistry and chemical engineering. S - Entropys - secondsS - Sulfurs - solids - spin quantum numberSA - Salicylic AcidSA - Surface AreaSAC - S-Allyl CysteineSAC - Strong Acid Cationsal - salt (Latin)SAM - S-Adenosyl MethionineSAM - Spin Angular MomentumSAN - Styrene-AcryloNitrileSAP - Super Absorbant PolymerSAQ - Soluble AnthraQunoneSAS - Small Angle ScatteringSATP - Standard Ambient Temperature and PressureSb - AntimonySB - Solvent BasedSBA - Strong Base AnionSBC - Styrene Butadiene CopolymerSBR - Sequencing Batch ReactorSBS - Styrene Butadiene StyreneSc - ScandiumSC - Silicon CarbideSCBA - Specific Chemical and Biologic AgentsSCC - Stress Corrosion CrackingSci - ScienceSCO - Super Charged OxygenSCS - Single Crystal SiliconSCU - Scoville UnitsSCVF - Single Chamber Vacuum FurnaceSCW - Super Critical WaterSCX - Strong Cation eXchangerSDMS - Scientific Data Management SystemSDV - Shut Down ValveSDW - Spin Density WaveSE - Sample ErrorSe - SeleniumSec - SecondsSCN - ThiocyanateSEP - SeparateSEU - Slightly Enriched Uraniu mSF - Safety FactorSF - Significant FiguresSFC - Supercritical Fluid ChromatographySFPM - Suspended Fine Particulate MatterSg - SeaborgiumSG - Specific GravitySG - Spheroidal GraphiteSH - Thiol functional groupSHE - Standard Hydrogen ElectrodeSHF - Super High FrequencySHC - Synthetic HydroCarbonSi - SiliconSI units - Systà ¨me international dunità ©s (International System of Units)SL - Sea LevelSL - Short-LivedSLI - Solid-Liquid InterfaceSLP - Sea Level PressureSm - SamariumSM - Semi-MetalSM - Standard ModelSMILES - Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry SystemSN - Sodium NitrateSn - TinSNAP S-Nitroso-N-AcetylPenicillamineSNP - Single-Nucleotide Polymorphismsp - hybrid orbital between s and p orbitalsSP - Solubility ProductSp - SpecialSP - Starting PointSPDF - atomic electron orbital namesSQ - squaredSr - StrontiumSS - Solid SolutionSS - Stainless SteelSSP - Steady-State PlasmaSTEL - Short Term Exposure LimitSTP - Standard Temperature and PressureSTM - Scanning Tunneling Microscop eSUS - SUSpension

Prosess of making Russian Vodka essays

Prosess of making Russian Vodka essays Since ancient times Russians were known for their drinking habits, and often when I introduce myself as a Russian, the first respond I get is: Oh, so you are drinking a lot of vodka! Vodka always played a great role through the history of our country thus, deserving the status of a most popular Russian alcoholic drink. Slavic tribal people, powerful tsars and poor peasants knew it .It is now known to every Russian person regardless his status or position. There is no wedding, no funeral, no grief and no happiness if there is no a bottle of Vodka on the table and you dont feel this slightly burning and at the same time unbelievably smooth liquid running through your throat, gently filling every cell of your body with a pleasant warmth. Moreover, you can hardly find a disease that cant be cured by a mouthful of vodka. The quality and taste of vodka didnt really change through the history, however the process of its manufacturing was greatly modified. The invention of high-technological devises had a great impact on it. It made the process easier, cheaper and much faster. Nevertheless, most Russians, especially those who were born and raised in countryside, deliberately accept only traditional process of making this alcoholic drink. The process of manufacturing vodka at home is complicated and very precise. Russians say: If you want vodka to burn your heart and to cool your mind-you should give up not only a piece of your knowledge, but a piece of your soul as well. If you want to savor soft and slightly burning taste of pure Russian vodka and wake up next morning with a clear mind, cautiously follow the steps that this process requires. The process of making vodka starts with the water preparation process. To make vodka absolutely clear you should use mineral water in the process of manufacturing it. ...

See the prompt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

See the prompt - Essay Example ..† Machiavelli, p. 55. This quotation is from the book The Prince by Machiavelli 4. â€Å"Our love of what is beautiful does not lead to extravagance; our love of the things of the mind does not make us soft. We regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about.† Pericles, p. 147 5. â€Å"The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his natural superiors, and has left no other bond between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous cash payment† Marx, p. 738. This quote is from â€Å"Manifesto of the Communist Party, Chapter I â€Å"Bourgeois and Proletarians.† 1. When one lives the life away from the public eye, it is known as private life. Socrates reasons out his choice for living a private life that enabled him practice philosophy. He says that he has the divine umbr ella that protects and guides him for dos and don’ts in life. As for taking active part in life, he asserts that he has no divine directions. Socrates was too sincere, too honest as such he was unfit to be in public office and he would not be able to survive in the dishonesty prevailing over there. A public life is one that concerns and associates with the state. This area is engulfed with secular interests. According to the convictions of Socrates, if he were to take active interest in politics, in all probability it would not help him nor would it help the society. Personally his actions and responses are identical whether they concern the private or public life. One can control and discipline one’s private life, but as for public lifean individual is controlled by extraneous considerations and will have to make compromise with truth. 2. According to John Stuart Mill, self-will is one of the great misdemeanors of man. The barometer of goodness of humanity consists in obedience. A man has no choice but to act and perform. That which the human being does not consider as duty is a sin. Human nature is fundamentally corrupt as such redemption is only possible by killing human nature from within. With this perspective of life, demolishing any other human faculties, capabilities and vulnerabilities cannot be considered as evil. †¦ Man needs no capacity, but that of surrendering himself to the will of God, meaning the capacity to surrender itself is a great quality and liberty is kindergarten stuff as compared to the capacity to surrender. This is the Calvinistic theory. For man is the controller of all types of liberties. For an individual who knows the infinite power of surrender, individual liberty is of no consequence to him. Individual liberty is the demand by the imperfect individual. Total surrender is the domain of the perfect individual. 3. This book contains the guidelines for the dictators and tyrants to rule their subjects. Most of th e important rulers of Europe have benefited from the advice contained in the book and they helped to shape the governing policies. It has been hailed as the supreme guide of governance. The dictums prescribed by Machiavelli must have appealed to the baser instincts of such undemocratic rulers. He believed that the origin and substance of power was through wicked actions. He carefully distinguishes between getting and retaining power, which is done by wicked actions, but it is not possible to

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Law - Essay Example When dealing with a legal system the first thing to remember is the rule of law; classical perception and understanding of the British’s unwritten traditional constitution majorly relied on three pillars namely the rule of law, parliamentary sovereignty and the separation of powers (Busch 27). The House of Commons, the Crown and the House of Lords can enact limitless laws being that the UK parliament which is composed of the three groups, the House of Commons and the House of Lords (Marsden 10). Each arm of government is bestowed with specified responsibility independent of the other arms of government. However, the different arms of the British government are described as the executive, legislative and the judiciary. In addition, the direct functionalities of the arms of government include making laws, executing laws and maintenance of laws (Marsden 32). The advantage of the distributed responsibility as showcased above is that; it enables the government to stay healthy and o perate in a democratic manner due to the checks and balance performed by different arms of government (Kiikeri 41). Through power sharing strategy, there is a possibility of the different arms of the UK government to reconsider power balancing so that the executive is not given too much power. People perceive the rule of law to be an illusion that would be difficult to pin down; however, there are myriad classic interpretation of the contents of rule of law which is a hint to its essential nature that people can imagine of within the society (Busch 76). Why should I obey the law? The International Bar Association’s ‘Rule of Law Resolution’ (2005) states that: ‘The Rule of Law is the foundation of civilized society. It sets up a transparent process reachable and alike for all. It ascertains devotion to doctrines that both protects and liberates (Kiikeri 66).’ It is perceived that people do not always obey the law, however, maintaining life in the mode rn world, calls for the willingness from people and citizens to observe the law at all time regardless of the decision of their rivals, which often differs in perception (Smits 60). The rule of law is concerned with the relationship between individuals as well as the state. However, the rule of law also focuses on the processes of law enforcement and administration. In the UK, the principal theme derived from the concept of rule of law indicates that the law should not be administered ruthlessly or recklessly by the people in power; everybody should be equal before the law including those in power (Kiikeri 105). A system should be put in place to interpret and apply the law equally to all citizens. European Union Law The European Court of Justice (ECJ) The European law was founded in 1957 and is currently governing 25 states with two new member countries, Romania and Bulgaria, which joined on January, 2007. The US as a country joined the European Union in 1973, and since then they h ave incorporated the EU laws into their national laws. Having given more priorities to the EU laws, the UK parliament no longer has the jurisdiction to be the supreme law maker with limitations to sovereignty (Kiikeri 110). The law council is the main decision making body consisting of one member (minister) from every member country with authorization of committing their state to the legislative proposal (Smits 29). The European Commission The