Firewalls and DMZ Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Firewalls and DMZ - Assignment Example Benefits and Limitations of Firewalls There are several advantages of implementing firewalls at the personal level. A firewall based personal security system comprises hardware and/or software that stop an illegal attempts to use data, information, and storage media on a network (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005, p. 574). In addition, a personal firewall is a utility program that perceives and secures a personal computer and its information from illegal access. Personal firewalls continuously check all the inside and outside communications to the computer and notify of any effort of illegal access. Also, Microsoft's operating systems, for instance, Windows XP, incorporate a personal firewall (Shelly, Cashman, Vermaat, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2004, p. 574). Obviously, a firewall itself must be protected and attack proof, if not its capacity to protect links can be diminished. The implementation of firewalls provides several advantages to the organizations. In an organization, a firewall i s a computer or router that is located between the trusted and un-trusted computers (Silberschatz, Galvin, & Gagne, 2004, p. 692). It confines the network use between the two security domains, and checks and logs all links. Also, it can confine links based on starting place and target location, source or targeted port, or way of the link. For example, web servers utilize ‘http’ to carry out communication with web browsers. A firewall as a result may permit only http get ahead of, from all hosts external to the firewall simply to the web server inside the firewall (Silberschatz, Gagne, & Galvin, 2004, p. 672). Although, the use of firewalls provides help against security threats, but it is not helpful in all the situations. For instance, a firewall is not useful for the threats that are channeling based or go inside protocols or links that the firewall permits (Ioannidis, Keromytis, Bellovin, & Smith, 2000). Additionally, in case of the firewall installation on a persona l computer the speed of processing goes really down that makes the overall processing more problematic and performance slows down because the content of the data and information traffic is checked and confirmed by the firewall. Also, the longer response time in case of web based working and data retrieval. Sometime firewalls are not able to protect computer from internal sabotage inside a network or from permitting other users to right of entry to your PC. Moreover ,Firewalls sometimes present weak protection against viruses' consequently, antiviral software as well as an intrusion detection system or IDS that defends beside port scans and Trojans should as well complement our firewall in the layering protection (Wack, Cutler, & Pole, 2002; Thames, Abler, & Keeling, 2008). The utilization of firewalls in the organizations is not useful in all the situations. For instance, in an organization's business data buffer-overflow threat or attack to a web server cannot be dealt by the firew all for the reason that the http link is permitted; it is basically the contents of the http link that address the attack (Silberschatz, Galvin, & Gagne, 2004, p. 673). Also, denial of service attacks in an organizational structure are

The image of fish Essay Example for Free

The image of fish Essay Kevin Roberts uses the image of fish in both his poems – Skating Down Trout and A Fish Too Big – to explore existential anguish in the point of view of the water creatures. In both poems, the fishes were presented as living in some kind of prison – the trout in Skating Down was walled beneath ice, while the Arwanna at A Fish Too Big could barely move inside the enclosed aquarium. Although Roberts used fishes in both poems, he evoked different speculations about life drawing from the reactions of the fishes to their situations. In the first poem, the objective reality was that the trout were living beneath the ice, and were safe against hunters who wish to make them dinner. The trout do not know that the ice functions like a shield to protect them from danger. Down there, nothing can touch them as long as the ice stands between the shadows and danger (lines 13-18). But the trout are easily scared, and their fears get the better of them – driven by forms only the fish makes substance until in panic at the hiss and whir of the steel blades it runs defeats itself – they end up driving the nails to their own coffin, prized catch to the hunters. If only the trout had more faith in their own environment where they had managed to survive for so long, then perhaps they would still be alive. They created their own deaths by giving in to their fears. On the other hand, the Arwanna in A Fish Too Big is opposite. The Arwanna was depicted as too big for its aquarium that it has no room to move anymore, a prisoner behind glass. The Arwanna The Arwanna could easily leap out or break its aquarium if it wanted to because of its sheer size, but the Arwanna accepts it fate and stays calm. If it chooses to move about and free itself from its cage, then the Arwanna will undoubtedly die. And so the Arwanna chooses to stay still, as the Thais say in lines 31-32: †¦ what can you do / without fate chance luck. It seems that the Arwanna has indeed accepted its situation, and have given up. What it needed was fate, or chance, or luck, to be able to get out of the situation. It sends an indirect statement saying that there is very little we can do about what happens to us; that in the end, death is a looming inevitability, and what one can do is live the life given to it before death comes knocking at one’s door. The last three lines And what can the fish or I do / about our own shrinking / glass cage of flesh? sums up the existential anguish the speaker is experiencing. The speaker was watching the Arwanna the whole time but was subconsciously relating himself to the fish, finding himself trapped with nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait for impending death stuck in his situation. However, there is a sense of peace as compared to the first poem. For in the first poem, the trout faced no real danger but because of its restlessness and fear ended up dead. But its fear is not without reason: they were being hunted. In contrast, although there was no aggressive hunter about to kill the Arwanna, the fish faced a terrible situation – it was caged and could not move, but if it tried to it will face death outside its prison. The main difference between the two was that the Arwanna has accepted its life and lived a life of calm, whereas the trout lived a life of fear. Roberts used the image of fish in both his poems, but he to different effects. The trout lived in an environment where they were hunted, but could easily escape its hunters by staying deep in the water. The Arwanna had no choice but to breathe inside its cell, or choose death. Even so, the trout who had more freedom than the Arwanna dived in to its demise because of its recklessness, because it let fear consume it.

The Most Influential Woman of the Past Millenium: Elizabeth Cady Stanto

The Most Influential Woman of the Past Millenium: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Rosa Parks Elizabeth Cady Stanton If there had never been born an Elizabeth Cady Stanton, women may have never seen the rights and privileges granted to us in the Nineteenth Amendment. She was the leading fighter and driving force for women's rights; she dedicated her whole life to the struggle for equality. Elizabeth had learned from her father at an early age how to debate and win court cases, and she had also experienced the discriminations against women first hand. These two qualities lead to the most influential and motivating speeches against inequality when she was older. Elizabeth vowed to herself that she would "change how women were viewed in society" (Hildgard 2); and that, she did! Due to her strong belief in equality, she had the word "obey" removed from her wedding vow before she would marry Henry Brewster Stanton, an abolitionist, who "loved her haughty nature and strong will" (Raven 85). While partaking in their honeymoon, they attended the World's First Anti-slavery Convention in London, Stanton and Lucretia Mott were failed to be noticed as "legitimate delegates"(Read 417). The convention's sexual barrier humiliated and angered Stanton; she promised to start a women's convention to battle the issue of equality. A cause that she faught against for most of her lifetime. Eight years later, Stanton, along with four other women, held the first women's convention at Seneca Falls. Here hundreds of women met to discuss the fact that they had been denied their natural rights and religious freedom. The women used the Declaration of Independence to write the Declaration of Sentiments, which included the women's bil... ...king Press, 1972. "Hildgard." Distinguished Women, Fields of Activtity. Distinguished Women. 28 January 2000 . James, Edward T., et al ed. Notable Women. Volume I. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press. Martin, Linda, et al., eds. 1000 Makers of the Millenium. New York: DK Publishing, 1999. Raven, Susan, and Alison Weir. Women of Achievement. New York: Harmony Books, 1981. Read, Phyllis J., and Bernard L. Witlieb. The Book of Women's Firsts. New York: Random House, 1992. Saari, Peggy, ed. Prominent Women of the 20th Century. Volume 4. New York: International Thompson Publishing Company, 1996. Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. Eleanor of Acquitaine. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. "The National Women's Hall of Fame." Internet. 19 January 2000 .

Discuss the issues related to the widespread adoption of e-books

Since the modern information age arrived, businesses, educational institutions and governments have increasingly used the internet to disseminate information to their targeted groups. In the process, e-books have been increasingly adopted as an important medium for delivering educational information. The widespread adoption of e-books has however raised a number of issues, ranging from copyright issues to issues of acceptance.In this essay, the author aims to discuss the various issues that have risen as a result of adoption of e-books. First of all, e-books threaten the traditional book publishing industry (Carey, 2006). E-books are particularly cheap to reproduce and distribute since they do not involve any paper printing, cover printing, warehousing and shipment. All a user has to do is point at a URL and click on the title he or she wants, and the e-book can be downloaded either for free or for a comparatively small fee.Publishing companies like Macmillan and Wiley have had a lon g standing dispute with major e-book distributor Amazon over this issue since the sales of traditional hardcover books have plummeted after the introduction of e-books (Carey, 2006). Secondly, there has been an issue of copyright infringement (Kelly, 2006). The World Wide Web has many websites that have been built primarily for file sharing. An e-book can be purchased only once and subsequently posted in many sites where users from all over the world can download it free.The author or the publisher of the book therefore does not profit from the efforts put in towards delivering the work (Kelly, 2006). This trend has even been reported with books which have not been released in e-book format: a buyer will digitize it maybe by scanning the pages and then publish it to the internet where everyone can have free access to the full content. No matter how law enforcers try, this has been one tendency which is virtually impossible to stop.Copyright issues aside, the proliferation of e-books has raised issues surrounding the unavailability of efficient devices for reading or extracting the content (Rothman, 2006). Most readers access the content in e-books by using a laptop or a desktop computer, but there have been numerous complains that too much exposure to the radiation from computer monitors causes eye and brain fatigue. The smaller devices available like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephones are too small and a user cannot read the content comfortably from such.In addition to this, all devices used in reading e-books are technology-based, and users have to be conversant with these technologies so as to be able to exploit the benefits of the e-book revolution. Finally, there have been acceptance issues in the adoption of e-books in the contemporary reading culture (Nelson, 2008). Generations of readers have grown up reading paper books (printed books) and have gotten so used to this that making the transition to e-books is not a very comfortable venture.Many students have continued to prefer printed paper and only use e-books for referencing purposes. The reading society is not as biased towards modern technologies as everyone would like to assume. According to statistics, many college students and faculties have continued to exhibit preference for paper books (p-books) over e-books for research, textbooks and for leisure reading (Nelson, 2008). All in all, technology is continually becoming popular, and despite the issues related to widespread adoption of e-books, digital libraries are becoming a force to reckon with in the literary scene.

Limit on Sale of Second Homes

Today the South West is seen as a hotspot or retreat for all age groups. Its beautiful landscapes and popular coastline mean that many people are regularly visiting Cornwall, leading into them buying second homes. However these outsiders are pushing locals away and this is why I propose councils enforce a limit on the sale of second home properties in popular areas. With so many people interested in second homes the property market is booming and prices are continuing to increase, between 2001 and 2004 in the town of Padstow property prices rose by 144% (from Halifax survey). With this in mind locals are trying to invest in property before it becomes too expensive, yet so are outsiders who are willing and more able to pay more as they still have 10% discount on council tax. Second home owners used to only have to pay 50% of council tax yet this was then raised to 90% in order to help support local projects. This situation is having a terrible effect on local people. Higher prices and higher taxes have to be paid which some cannot afford, resulting in people having to move away from their local area in order to stay financially stable. This then leaves another home on the market that is more likely to become a second home. In the small fishing village of Port Isaac, now well known as the setting for television show Doc Martin, ITV, staggeringly 75% of the properties are second homes. This causes a number of seasonal problems. During the summer roads become busy and dangerous, beaches full, environment damaged†¦what can only be described as a mere hell for locals. â€Å"I had to pay à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4 to park in Polzeath† complained a local surfer. Also during the evenings tourist children have been a persistent problem in Polzeath. Students coming down for the summer to stay in their family or friends second homes are found congregated on the road and beach drinking, shouting and vandalising property, and this is on a nightly basis. To solve the problem nine police officers were stationed at Polzeath to patrol the evenings yet this was a waste of money and very annoying for local youths â€Å"When we wanted to hang out we would have to stand in a spotlighted area that the police had allocated, just because others were causing trouble† said a teenager from Polzeath. However when winter settles in they all return north leaving towns like Port Isaac and Polzeath to appear as ‘ghost towns' . This then leaves local businesses with no option but to close up for the winter which also leaves locals unemployed and it can be very hard to find a job for the winter. As soon as winter comes the local teens are left with the town to themselves and not much to do. Most travel to Wadebridge, which is about fifteen minutes away, to work and to meet up with friends in town. Recently â€Å"Tube Station† was built in Polzeath, a half pipe for skaters of Polzeath and the surrounding area to use and also for other teens to just hang out. This is why I think a limit on the sale of second homes in popular areas should be enforced. It would help by; firstly less second homes means more local homes at affordable prices, also larger population numbers would be maintained throughout the year and furthermore businesses would be able to have a longer season and provide jobs through the winter†¦ And with all this gained we still don't loose our biggest input from tourism that helps keep our economy going. I'm not saying we stop the sale of second homes as we then would have a major fall in our economy but if we limit the number of second homes available locals will have a better lifestyle which they are entitled to and outsiders will still have the option to move here. Limiting second homes in popular areas also gives the chance to then develop housing in small areas for permanent residents but also second home owners and overall improve the economy of the South West.

The Theme of Alienation in Mar essays

The Theme of Alienation in Mar essays Mary Shelleys Frankenstein develops the theme of alienation and isolation and its consequent increase of hostility through various characters throughout the novel. The theme may have originated from various elements, including Mary Shelleys father, William Godwin, who felt that the isolated individual would become vicious. This idea was shared by Shelley and manifested in the characters, Victor Frankenstein and his monster (What is, 7). These creatures were not born hostile, however, driven to their hostile actions to force the acknowledgement of their existence (Thematic Analysis, 1). There were various elements that attributed to the creation of the theme in Shelleys Frankenstein. Throughout the story, Shelley emphasizes the Faust legend that one must conquer the unknown at the cost of ones humanity. This legend was used in the society of English Romantic Poets, who believed that with alienation and solitude they could produce their greatest poetry (Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, 188). This is conveyed in Frankenstein with his self-imposed secret experiment and isolation, which produces his obsessive drive to devise the creature. (Literary Sources, 4). This isolation only leads to desperation (Frankenstein by Mary, 188). John Miltons ideas in Paradise Lost are also conveyed in the theme of Shelleys Frankenstein. In the book, Frankenstein refers to the monster in terms used in this novel; the fiend, the demon, the devil, and adversary. Both master and creature are torn by their internal conflicts from misapplied knowledge and their sense of isolation (Lite rary Sources, 5). The final thematic element is her life experiences. Through her fathers belief that isolation would make an individual vicious, her own idea for the theme of Frankenstein arose. Shelley, however, added to her fathers proposition that the viciousness is a product of parental neglect (What is, 2). Franke...

Major developmental themes in child development essays

Major developmental themes in child development essays Is development the result of genetics or the result of the love, guidance and the upbringing one receives? That is a very interesting and personal question. In reviewing Table 4.1 in the textbook regarding where the main developmental theories stand on the six themes in development, it appears that most of the theorists involved believe that both nature and nurture have an impact on the development of the child (Child Development: A Thematic Approach (3rd. ed.) (Bukato, Daehler, 1998, p.29). The Ethological theme reports that although behavior is biologically based the environment has an impact and influences behavior patterns. Most of the other themes such as the Learning Theory and the Socioculture Theory are based on nurture or environmental experiences with some biological experiences. An article on the Internet titled Quotations about Nature, Nurture, and Nature via Nurture (1998), reports that there are in fact three 'nature vs. nurture' issues rather than just one. They concern what is innate, what is inherited, and what is important? What is innate to the species, in this case, Homosapiens? Features of human behavior and experience arise from the genes that are shared and without most of which a human child is unlikely to be born with? What is inherited? We can look at genetically similar or even identical twins that grow up in different environments, thus allowing us to learn whether environmental differences, between families, contribute to final observable differences in behavior and personality. Not all physical factors appear to be genetically inherited. For example, the best-known example of this is the case of eye colors in Homosapiens; two brown-eyed parents can have a blue-eyed child if each of them carries the recessive gene for blue eyes as well as the dominant gene for brown eyes. Finally, what is important? With genetic cloning a fact, not a possibility, a society has to determine what is important to the...

5 Reasons the New SAT Changes Arent Revolutionary

5 Reasons the New SAT Changes Aren't Revolutionary SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Today the makers of the SAT test announced some changes coming up in the next few years to focus better on academic skills. The changes were supposed to come in 2015 originally, but due to some bugs, they were delayed until at least 2016. Even today, a precise launch date isn't set yet. The purported changes include reducing emphasis on vocabulary, making the essay optional, changing from a 2400 scale to 1600, and eliminating the guessing penalty, and more. What does this mean for you? Aside:Considering taking the new SAT? Check out our guides to deciding, whether you got ahigh scoreor a low one. The short answer is: less than you think. Here's why: 1. New Scoring System or Old Scoring System? One of the major changes is a shift from 2400 points to 1600 total. Seems like a drastic change? Well, the 1600 system used to be the old system until year 2005. This isn't so much a "new change" insomuch as it's a reversion to the old way of doing things. And eliminating a pure writing section to be reading and math again? We saw that before 2005 too! This isn't a surprise to SAT experts. Many colleges have been reluctant to accept the 2400 system. Most colleges downweight the writing section, and some colleges throw away the writing score altogether. The College Board has learned their lesson that cramming a writing score down the mouths of students and colleges isn't the way to go. A turn to the 1600 system isn't so much a major step forward as much a reversion to older times and older strategies. 2. No Guessing Penalty? That makes no difference! The SAT makers announced today that the guessing penalty will be eliminated from the SAT. It turns out that mathematically this makes no real difference on the way you take the test. This isn't mere speculation, but a proven Statistics 101 fact. The intuition behind the proof is that even now there is no real guessing penalty to begin with: even in the current SAT, there is no expected statistical loss if you make a completely random guess! We'll post more about the proof later, and what you can do to take advantage of the new system, but take our words on it there's no change at all to meaningful guessing tactic. 3. Less Vocabulary? This has been the trend already. Did you hear that the new SAT won't be chock full of rare words (esoteric, inscruable, recondite, etc)? While this gives academics a topic to argue about (how important are difficult words in assessing education), it doesn't mean that much for the student. This has been the way the SAT has been trending for years. In fact, most of the power of vocabulary for the SAT was neutralized when the SAT decided to get rid of analogies in 2005. Before 2005, analogies and vocabulary used to dominate the SAT and form the large majority of skill tested in the reading section. The reduction of vocab on the SAT is more symbolic than practical. Practically speaking, rare words have been on the decline for years. And don't pack up your index cards yet: the SAT will still target vocab to some extent, but more towards words that are used in college courses like "synthesis and "empirical". 4. Optional Essay? Optional if you don't want to impress colleges. Supposedly the new essays are going to be optional. Some people have even called this "dropping the essay from the SAT." This is far from true if the past is any indicator. In reality, the colleges that students apply to will decide what's optional and what's not. What's technically optional optional paper may not be optional in reality. For example, back in 2005, not only were essays optional, the entire writing section was optional! You know what happened? A large number of universities requested the writing section anyway. In the end, all students had to take the "optional" writing section in order to have a shot at these universities. Sure, so go ahead and make the essay optional. But until colleges stop requesting them, new students will still do well by studying for an essay. 5. Real Changes? Look at history. This isn't the first time the makers of the SAT said they were going revolutionize the SAT. Did you know major changes were announced in 2005, 1994, and regularly before that even? Of course, some of the smaller details and strategies will change, and the ecosystem, including us at PrepScholar will adapt to that. To hail this as fundamentally revolutional would be to take these announcements too far though. How do you prepare for this new test? We at PrepScholar Online SAT Prep are always keeping abrest of the latest changes, and in the next few months we'll be talking about some tactical and strategy changes that students will have to make for the SAT. If you're interested subscribe to our blog to the right to keep updated! Other Posts You May Like: Should you take the new SAT or old SAT? A Breakdown of the New SAT - the Complete Guide Want to Improve your SAT score?

Literature Review Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Literature Review - Thesis Example Applying the lean principles is an important part of the stages where the product development takes place. The key part of VSM is to understand and visually represent the processes involved. It is essentially therefore a modelling of all processes involved in the product development. When the product is developed or even during the design stage, it is also necessary to validate these processes. The various case studies mentioned in this paper show how lean principles have been applied and how VSM is carried out, for what purpose and the outcomes achieved. It is shown that at the heart of this is the extraction of as much value as possible. The important element that enables the above is data. Data collection and analysis is therefore the foundation for the entire endeavour. However, managing the data is not a straightforward task. There are issues of quality and procedures to consider for data management and movement, security and traceability, and appropriate data modelling. Data warehousing provides a total architecture for all data collection, storage and retrieval requirements, which is suitable for today’s needs. Moreover, data mining allows lean principles to be applied for extracting valuable data. Vibration testing is one particular area in which lean principles and VSM not only have significant potential but their use is critical. This is especially so for safety reasons besides improvements to structural design, increasing the longevity of the product and enhancing its overall quality. This review of the literature delves on the ideas and studies of others on the topic of value stream mapping. This could help to gather useful ideas, improve existing ones, and also put the researcher’s own study into context. Following a brief description of lean principles and methodologies, we describe Value Stream Mapping (VSM) in detail and discuss the significance of value as well as

The security properties of network applications Assignment

The security properties of network applications - Assignment Example That is; confidentiality, integrity and availability of data to the right person. Not only will this report cover the network applications security, but it will also look into the network applications architecture and how this architecture can be best implemented so as to ensure data confidentiality, data integrity and data availability. For this case study, BF is a social network application that aids individuals to have a social forum with other people. Through that, an interested individual will have to register with BF so that they can be in a position to communicate with other individuals through the use of text and sending of images and videos. 1.2 Application description What are network applications? These are programs that run on a network and they allow for more than one user to have access to the program. Network applications can either be run online or offline. Offline network applications can be related to programs such as Office. These programs can be installed and/ or networked from the main server so that they can allow more that one individual to have access to using the program. When it comes to online network applications, these are applications that need an online server and a client; both of which must communicate in real time else they will no longer be referred to as online network applications. In this case, there is a server which is located in the data centre. The server stores all the relevant data and information that may be queried by a client. The client on most occasions could be a web browser or another computer/ laptop/ or gadget. How does BF work? What is the user experience of BF? Based on the above application description, the same ideology can be applied to our case; that is the BF social network application program. It is important to note that BF also uses the same application description where there exists a server and a client. The servers (s) are always located in the data centre. This is to ensure that they are not acc essed by individuals who are not authorised to come into contact with them. In addition to that, the client in this instance will be the web browser that the user will use so as to key in the Universal Resource Locator (URL) of BF. Example: http: //www.BF.com Once the user hits the search button from their web browser, that will send a request for the search of the URL (http: //www.BF.com) and the corresponding BF server will respond to the request by providing that particular web page that the user searched for. After that, the user will register/ sign up with BF by providing their personal details such as: their email address, physical address and real names. Assumptions made about BF: Based on the BF social network application program, some of the assumptions that can be made include: Communication concurrency: Due to the fact that BF is an online social network application, information is prone to be exchanged between the server and the client. With that, communication concurren cy should be adhered to strictly. An assumption is that the lack of communication concurrency between the server and the client will lead to data loss. Stability: Stability is critical to a social network application program. Lack of stability can cause huge losses due to downtime of the program. This is majorly caused when the servers cannot handle user’s overwhelming requests. Data security: There is exchange of data between the server and the client. Therefore, data security should be critically analysed. An assumption is

E-Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

E-Business - Essay Example sales, which totaled at an estimated $19.8 billion for the quarter, account for 2.2 percent of total retail sales in the country, according to the report.† (Eschen, 2005) E-commerce is one of the fastest growing business segments in the world both in quantity and quality. It is easy to setup an E-business with minimum investment and labor if the entrepreneur is smart enough to identify the right opportunity provided by internet. Online business has much wider scopes than offline businesses because of the wider reach-ability of it. It is easy for a person to purchase a good from America staying in some other countries using a simple credit card. Moreover the consumer can compare the prices of the same product in various countries and thus he will able to purchase a product for the cheapest possible price. Amazon.com, Inc..., an American electronic commerce company is one of the leaders in the e-commerce business field with diversified business activities and successful marketing strategies. This paper briefly analyses E-commerce as a business strategy taking Amazon as a reference organization. Amazon.com Inc, one of the leaders in E-business, founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 has started with the online book selling and then expanded to diversified activities like the selling of CDs, videos, DVDs, electronics, toys, tools, home furnishings and house wares, apparel, and kitchen gadgets film production etc. â€Å"Currently it employs more than 7800 employees and as per the statistics of 2002, it has reported $ 3.9 billion sales† (Amazon.com, Inc, n.d) The company did not focus on profits for the initial five years and spend much of its revenues in expansions in the initial years. This business strategy brought immense dividends to the company as per the recent statistics. Amazon has realized the potential of e-business very well and they focused on expanding the business by the initial revenues they obtained. The success of e-business lies in how long a customer

Business Event Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Event Management - Assignment Example The legal obligations in organizing a career event mainly constitute of getting the permission from the Institute and officially inviting the companies to the event. Usually, a department from within a university, college or a school organizes such events. They need the permission from the school authorities. Second, the venue needs to be booked, which has its legal requirements. Similarly, the sponsors that the management readily seeks need to qualify the legal requirements for sponsoring such an event. The sponsors should not be promoting an illegal product or services. The Operations Team liaised closely with The Legal Department regarding licenses, insurances, and contracts required for the event. This department also worked closely with other departments to ensure they meet all regulations required by the LSBF. Also they provided information regarding minor legal issues encountered and ensured they provide the legal department with and correspondence and legal documentation that is crucial to this event. The operations department is the main body of the whole event. It is about making arrangements, the timing, resources, logistics, ambience, supervision, registration of attendees and on the spot coordination between the team members, so the whole event proceeds as planned and the participants gain as much from it as possible. This section of the business event is about promotion. The marketing is not only to attract the potential employees but also the companies and institutes that will communicate their market knowledge. Also, marketing ventures out into designing flyers, posters, websites and social media pages. Public relations is also a crucial element in marketing. People love to attend seminars and job fairs that have great public speakers sharing their knowledge. This part is the lifeline of the whole event. Funding the event requires

Ground Response and Seismic Slope Stability Coursework

Ground Response and Seismic Slope Stability - Coursework Example In this report, two parts are considered. In the first part, a ground response analysis for two sites is run while the second part proposes possible design accelerations on basis of the analysis in designing of an embankment structure that will support the proposed roadway. Both of the proposed sites are located in Jamaica. With regard to ground response analysis, edushake analysis program is made use and the results obtained are as displayed in the various tables displayed throughout this report. The input data used are as provided in the coursework materials while the thickness is obtained through calculation of the difference between the depths. A table from the web forms the basis of assumptions made with regard to respective soil’s unit weight. Each soil type has its respective stress (), pore pressure (u) as well as effective stress (’) associated with it (Bhandari and Sharma, 2001). Two equations, one for sand and the second one for clay are used in in calculatio n of maximum shear stress based on the literature from the book of Steven Kramer’s. ... Width of crest: 15m Height of embankment: 11m Traffic loading surcharge: 15kPa Design PHA (horizontal acceleration): 0.3500g from the ground response analysis 0.3500g from the ground response analysis 0 The embankment is designed using a 1.56 safety factor to facilitate long term and short term stability. With the help of STB2010, the embankment’s parameters were generated using the ordinary method of slices also referred to as Fellenius method for static and seismic stability analysis. The necessary soil characteristics are provided in the table below: Drained strength with strength parameters: c’=0kPa and Ã'„=25? Unit weight of water: ?w = 9.81kN/m2 Undrained strength: c’=85kPa Unit weight of placed material: ? = 20kN/m2 It should be noted that the water table is located at the toe of the embankment. All the assumptions and calculations for the design of the embankment are shown from the Figure 3.1 to the next page. The data as provided in the spreadsheet is as shown below: Basing the divisions on four slices, the ordinary method of slices for design of embankments for drained as well as undrained soil is used. The initial embankment was generated based on the six slices. Consequently, an angle (?) was established in the middle of each slice at the horizontal’s base after which sin (?) and cos (?) were obtained. The equation given below was used in evaluation of the length of each individual slice: The height was measured from the middle of each slice. Additionally, the height (hw) was measured from the middle base of each slice to the point of the water table after which the pore pressure at the base of the slice base was calculated based

Historical and Theretical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Historical and Theretical - Essay Example letter names, consonants and vowel sounds and later apply this knowledge to reading words, simple sentences, texts that are of their level of understanding and stories (Wilhem et al, 2001). Several concerns have been raised by this shift. For example, it has been argued that Shifting from a basal reading program that is inclusive of excerpted children’s literature to using authentic children’s literature in instruction may not necessarily reflect the underlying shift in a theoretical perspective. A teacher may use children’s literature in class but still use the former methods of teaching. It is correct to utter that a change in theoretical understandings needs to accompany this change in instructional resources. Thus, it is vital for teachers and the trainees to understand not only the reading instructional practices, but also the theories that educate on and support those practices. Lack of an extensive change in elementary teachers’ theoretical perspectives regarding the roles that context, text, and readers play during the process of reading there will be less or no alteration in the manner that children’s literature is used in th e curriculum. There is need to train teachers on the theoretical changes that are happening to avoid the simple switching of literature material and missing the whole point of the shift. It is vital for teachers to have expertise on literacy theory yet this is not a requirement for most teachers in the United States (Wilhem et al, 2001). Without an extensive understanding of literature and literary theory, teachers run a risk of reducing the role of children’s literature to that of a mere instructional device that is only used to help children learn how to decode more efficiently. In addition, literature is also used to understand the world and appreciate art. There is also the issue of Classroom teachers being exploited by politicians who have no real interest in reading matters. Therefore, there is a requirement for

Ground Response and Seismic Slope Stability Coursework

Ground Response and Seismic Slope Stability - Coursework Example In this report, two parts are considered. In the first part, a ground response analysis for two sites is run while the second part proposes possible design accelerations on basis of the analysis in designing of an embankment structure that will support the proposed roadway. Both of the proposed sites are located in Jamaica. With regard to ground response analysis, edushake analysis program is made use and the results obtained are as displayed in the various tables displayed throughout this report. The input data used are as provided in the coursework materials while the thickness is obtained through calculation of the difference between the depths. A table from the web forms the basis of assumptions made with regard to respective soil’s unit weight. Each soil type has its respective stress (), pore pressure (u) as well as effective stress (’) associated with it (Bhandari and Sharma, 2001). Two equations, one for sand and the second one for clay are used in in calculatio n of maximum shear stress based on the literature from the book of Steven Kramer’s. ... Width of crest: 15m Height of embankment: 11m Traffic loading surcharge: 15kPa Design PHA (horizontal acceleration): 0.3500g from the ground response analysis 0.3500g from the ground response analysis 0 The embankment is designed using a 1.56 safety factor to facilitate long term and short term stability. With the help of STB2010, the embankment’s parameters were generated using the ordinary method of slices also referred to as Fellenius method for static and seismic stability analysis. The necessary soil characteristics are provided in the table below: Drained strength with strength parameters: c’=0kPa and Ã'„=25? Unit weight of water: ?w = 9.81kN/m2 Undrained strength: c’=85kPa Unit weight of placed material: ? = 20kN/m2 It should be noted that the water table is located at the toe of the embankment. All the assumptions and calculations for the design of the embankment are shown from the Figure 3.1 to the next page. The data as provided in the spreadsheet is as shown below: Basing the divisions on four slices, the ordinary method of slices for design of embankments for drained as well as undrained soil is used. The initial embankment was generated based on the six slices. Consequently, an angle (?) was established in the middle of each slice at the horizontal’s base after which sin (?) and cos (?) were obtained. The equation given below was used in evaluation of the length of each individual slice: The height was measured from the middle of each slice. Additionally, the height (hw) was measured from the middle base of each slice to the point of the water table after which the pore pressure at the base of the slice base was calculated based

Lending & Securities Course Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Lending & Securities Course - Research Paper Example This study has been conducted based on secondary research mainly information from the official website of the company. It will deal with in depth research on wide areas of banking activities and its target customers. NBAD practices both commercial and investment banking activities and it offers flawless banking services to individual as well as institutional customers. As this study mainly focuses on commercial lending, therefore, need of long term and short term financing of the potential consumers needed to be analyzed. NBD has disclosed detailed information related to its short and long term lending like starting from the details of different lending schemes for individual as we institutions, investment banking services to business for raising finance and other strategic financial activity, eligibility criteria and requirements of security for lending, banks analysis of future value of securities deposited by the banks etc.According to the report findings  National Bank of Abu D habi is market leader in core business lines in this industry. The company follows franchisee based business activity. It is the largest banking franchise in UAE with more than 140 branches and 740 ATMs and cash deposit machines across the UAE. This banking group is also major player in the corporate banking or business arena. It provides portfolio management and wealth management services to HNI individuals.   The company is a leading player in emerging Islamic banking, investment banking and private banking services in UAE and other Middle East countries. The bank is recognized as a leader in its high competence areas like asset management and financial brokerage services. This company has been well positioned among its target customers for its high value added services and delivering corporate value to shareholders and employees. Apart from its active business operation in UAE, the company is also successfully penetrated in emerging foreign markets like Qatar, United Kingdom, S ingapore and Jersey. The overall business activity is maintained by more than 8000 employees from more than 50 nationalities which have made the most diversified cultured organization in UAE region. Corporate social responsibility is key part of its business activity. National Bank of Abu Dhabi is involved in many corporate social activities like charity, education, culture, art and sports. It always focuses on the national culture into its business culture and dedicated to preservation of it. Discussion There are two different types of customers of the bank. One is individual people and another is small and medium businesses that require loans from the bank. Individual customers requires loan for personal requirements like marriage, child’s education etc. they also need loan for buying persona car, buying a property and many other reasons. The bank also offer a complete package of short term and long term lending facility to its priority individual customers under personal b anking. It provides short term and lo

Marries Is Better Than Being Single Essay Example for Free

Marries Is Better Than Being Single Essay There are lots of discussion and arguments about to being single or getting married nowadays. The new generation might not willing to bound into marriage life and they wish to remain in single life so they can have more privacy, freedom and the commitment of   responsibilities. However, marriage is union ordained by God and it is also a wonderful union of two people in love. It is unique, opposite-sex union with legal, social, economic and spiritual dimensions. Getting married does bring a lot of advantages to a person either family. The biggest advantage for getting married is emotional stability. Married people treat their own family as shelter and they can feel secure and relax when staying together with their family. Family provides a peace and comfort zone for those married people to restore their energy. Marriage can helps the couple to become more tolerant, unselfish, caring and more responsible. Its provide a chances for the husband and wife to grow with and sharing their life’s challenges, rewards and sorrows with a person who actually knows and understand what you going through and feels the same frequency. There are a lots of difficulties have to learn by marriage people as that is not easiest to living with someone for the rest of their life. They have to overcome all the problems facing by them and to learn how to take care of others feeling, patience, emotion control, temper, time management and attitude towards their family. In a marriage life, there are always someone’s to hear your companions. It is good to have someone there to have a share, to bounce ideas or to have a witty exchange of remarks. Companionship among the married peoples also offers support and can be particularly important at times of trouble or stress. At such times, married people have distinct advantages over being single. The other advantage for marriage is that allows couples to pool their both incomes to share the cost of living and debts, save more money for retirement and doing investment. The married people can also sharing a house, car and food so they can enjoy save cost for basic living conditions compare with a single person. Therefore, people who are married become less poverty but more wealth and their money goes further. It is because, they tend to specialize, exchange, and share roles and functions in ways to generate higher earnings, encourage savings, helping each other’s to restrain from impulse spending, and generally leave the family financially better off. Marriage can also leads to better health and greater longevity for people. There are more likely to enjoy better physical health. The spouses are intimately aware of and impacted by their spouse’s choices. In a sense, couples have a significant vested interest in watching out for one another and encouraging healthy choices and behaviour. For example, the wife might not allow her husband drinking, smoking or other unnecessary risk-taking and also control his weights. Compared to single, divorced or widowed people, the married people experience less depression, anxiety, and other types of psychological distress. Besides, the married people will have active, satisfying and safety sex lives compared with single people. The married people tend to have more sex because it costs them less in time, money and psychic energy. They have find it more satisfying because their sex partner is more available, less distracted, more eager and more secure and able to please. The higher levels of satisfaction for married couples is related to the fact that marriage adds meaning to the sexual act because it symbolizes a union that is based on sexual fidelity, stronger commitment and emotional intimacy. It had increased their commitment and their sense of responsibility, and had generally strengthened their relationships. In addition, the married life can brings greater safety towards the married people and expand their social network. It’s because, the married people have companion to visit places together, visit friends or holiday together. For the single person, that is far more difficult as often modern social life is geared around couples and the single person can often feel left out or sometimes, simply not invited. At times, perhaps, having children might seem to impede their social life but it just brings a change in your social life and much of that social life involves being with your children. Lastly, married people will create a family with a new and challenging life instead of boring life compared with single people. Families are created and held together by the lifelong commitment of a man and a woman who live cooperatively and raise and nurture the children born to them. Families are the building block essential to the formation of a community, and strong social structure arises from the foundation many families provide. A thriving society and culture depend on stable marriages. For example, as marriage declines in a culture,  the state must spend more money and care for children who less of the financial stability with divorce family background. Strong marriages statuses are at the heart of thriving family and community. In conclusion, getting married is better than being single as there married leads to emotional stability, financial stability, train the couples become more independent and responsible, better health and greater longevity, have wonderful sexual life, easy to expand social networks and have a new challenging life instead of boring life compared to single people. Getting married is not an easy but it does bring a lot of meaningful to individuals, family and the community.

History of Genetic Engineering

History of Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering is a deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material. This chapter describes how work carried out between 1970s and 1980s produced technologies that researchers now use to manipulate the genetic material of organisms. Key concepts covered: Recombinant-DNA technology is a technology in which genetic material from one organism is introduced into another organism and then replicated and expressed by that other organism. Gene sequencing is the process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. Recombinant-DNA technology has been used to make insulin and other human proteins for medicine. Recombinant DNA The prospect of recombinant DNA emerged from two advances in biochemistry: (1) Discoveries of restriction enzymes that act as scissors to cut molecules of DNA at specific nucleotide sequences; and (2) Discoveries of DNA ligases enzymes that forge molecular bonds. Creation of First Recombinant DNA (1972) In 1972, Paul Berg (1926- ), a biochemistry professor at Stanford University, created the first recombinant DNA molecule. He first isolated the DNA molecules from two different organisms, the SV40 monkey virus and a bacterial virus known as Lamdba bacteriophage (or phage ÃŽÂ »).   Using a cut-and-splice method, he created sticky ends in the DNA of both viruses. Then he joined them together with DNA ligase. Invention of Recombinant DNA (rDNA) Technology (1973) Recombinant-DNA technology is a technology in which a rDNA plasamid is introduced into bacteria and then replicated and expressed by that bacteria. It was invented through the work of Herbert W. Boyer (1936- ), Stanley N. Cohen (1935- ), Paul Berg, and Janet Mertz (1949- ). After Berg created the first recombinant DNA molecules in 1972, Boyer and Cohen took Bergs work a step further by introducing the rDNA plasmid to E. coli bacterial cells. A plasmid is DNA, found in bacteria, that is separate from and can replicate independently of the bacteriums chromosomal DNA. The phenomenon of transformation permits the rDNA plasmid to be introduced into and expressed by E. coli cells. The bacteria containing the rDNA plasmid grow on petri dishes to form tiny colonies. But in a typical procedure, only 1 in about 10,000 bacteria cells takes up the rDNA plasmid. The rDNA plasmid must contain a selectable gene so that they can be efficiently picked up   from the culture. This can be done by using a drug-resistance gene to make the rDNA plasmid resistant to antibiotics such as tetracycline.   Adding tetracycline to the culture will ensure that only the bacteria with the rDNA plasmids survive. In 1974, at the urge of Standford Universitys patent office, Boyer and Cohen filed a patent for recombinant DNA technology. Asilomar Conferences Potential dangers of recombinant genetic engineering emerged even before Berg published his landmark 1972 paper. Although the SV40 virus was thought to be harmless for human, Borg was concerned about the prospect of an altered form of the virus spreading through a common bacteria. So he deferred part of his research program, and did not insert the recombinant virus into bacterial cells as he originally planned. In 1973, Berg organized a small conference at Asilomar, California to address the growing concerns about gene-manipulation technology. In 1974 Berg published a widely discussed letter on the potential dangers of recombinant DNA research. Subsequently, a moratorium on research in 1975 (Asilomar II) provided time for regulations to be devised and put into effect in 1976. Gene Sequencing, Gene Splicing, and Reverse Transcription Gene Sequencing Gene sequencing is the process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. It includes any method that is used to determine the order of the four bases A, G, C, and T in a strand of DNA. Frederick Sanger (1918-2013), a biochemist in England, is a pioneer of sequencing. He has received two Nobel prizes: one for the sequencing of proteins (in 1958), the other for the sequencing of DNA (in 1980). In the early 1950s, Sanger had solved the sequencing of a protein using a sequence of degradation reactions. A protein is made up of a sequence of amino acids strung into a chain. To identify the sequence of a protein, Sanger would snap off one amino acid from the end of the chain, dissolve it in solvents, and identify it chemically. He would repeat the degradation and identification process until he reached the end of the protein. In the mid-1960s, Sanger switched his focus from protein to DNA. But his methods that had worked so well for proteins didnt work for DNA. Proteins are chemically structured such that amino acids can be serially snapped off the chain but with DNA, no such tools existed. In 1971, Sanger devised a gene-sequencing technique using the copying reaction of DNA polymerase. At first, the method was inefficient and error-prone because the copying reaction was too fast. In 1975, He made an ingenious modification. He doctored the copying reaction with a series of chemicals variants of A, C, G, and T -that were still recognized by DNA polymerase, but slowed down its copying ability. On February 24, 1977, Sanger used this technique to reveal the full sequence of   phi X 174 (or ÃŽÂ ¦X174) bacteriophage. Gene Splicing In 1977, scientists discovered that most animal (and animal virus) proteins were not encoded in long, continuous stretches of DNA. They were split into modules, interrupted by regions called introns that do not hold protein-encoding information. By splitting the genes into modules, a cell could generate more combination of messages out of a single gene. When a DNA with introns is used to build RNA the introns have to be removed from the RNA message. This phrase for the process is called gene splicing or RNA splicing. Reverse Transcription In 1970, David Baltimore (1938- ) and Howard Temin (1934-94), two virologists, discovered an enzyme that could build DNA from an RNA template. They called the enzyme reverse transcriptase. Using this enzyme, every RNA in a cell could be used as a template to build its corresponding DNA. The production of proteins from recombinant DNA represented a crucial transition in the history of medical technology. To understand the impact of this transition from genes to medicine we need to understand the nature of drugs. Nearly every drug works by binding to its target and enabling or disabling it turning molecular switches on or off. To be useful, a drug must bind to its switches but to only a selected set of switches. Most molecules can barely achieve this level of specificity but proteins have been designed explicitly for this purpose. Proteins are the enabler and disablers, the regulators, the gatekeepers, the operators, of cellular reactions. They are the switches that most drugs seek to turn on or off. Proteins are thus poised to be some of the most potent and most discriminating medicines in the pharmacological world. But to make a protein, one needs its gene and here recombinant DNA technology provided the crucial link. The cloning of human gens allowed scientists to manufacture proteins and the synthesis of proteins opened the possibility of targeting the millions of biochemical reactions in the human body. Proteins made it possible for chemists to intervene on previously impenetrable aspects of our physiology. The use of recombinant DNA to produce proteins thus marked a transition not just between one gene and one medicine, but between genes and anovel universe of drugs. Founding of Genetech (1975) In 1975, Robert Swanson (1947-99), a venture capitalist, approached Herb Boyer with a proposal to starting a company that would use gene-cloning techniques to make medicines. Boyer was fascinated. His own son had been diagnosed with a potential growth disorder, and Boyer had been gripped by the possibility of producing human growth hormone, a protein to treat such growth defects. Three hours after they met, Swanson and Boyer had reached a tentative agreement to start such a company with seed moneys from venture firms. Boyer called this company Genentech a condensation of Genetic Engineering Technology. Synthesis of Insulin (1978) Purified animal-sourced insulin was the only type of insulin available to diabetics until genetic advances occurred later with medical research. The amino acid structure of insulin was characterized in 1953 by Frederick Sanger. The protein was made up of two chains (A and B) one larger and one smaller, cross-linked by chemical bonds. Boyers plan for the synthesis of insulin was simple. He did not have the gene for human insulin at hand no one did but he would build it from scratch using DNA chemistry, nucleotide by nucleotide, triplet upon triplet. He would make one gene for the A chain, and another gene for the B chain. He would insert both the genes in bacteria and trick them to synthesizing the human proteins.. He would purify the two protein chains and then stitch them chemically to obtain the U-shaped molecule. But Boyer was cautious. He wanted an easier test case before lunging straight for insulin.   He focused on another protein somatostatin also a hormone, but with little commercial potential. To synthesize the somatostatin gene from scratch, Boyer recruited Keiichi Itakura and Art Riggs from the City of Hope in Los Angeles. Swanson was opposed to the whole plan. He wanted Boyer to move to insulin directly. Genentech was living in borrowed space on borrowed money. Still Boyer convinced Swanson to give somatostatin a chance. In the meantime, two teams of of geneticist had also entered the race to make insulin. One at Harvard and the other one at UCSF. By the fall of 1977, they succeeded in synthesizing somatostatin, and started focusing on insulin. At this time, the competition was fierce. The Harvard team had apparently cloned the native human gene out of human cells and were ready to make the protein. The UCSF team has synthesized a few micrograms of protein and were planning to inject the human hormone into patients. It was Asilomar that came to their rescue. Like most University laboratories with federal funding, the UCSF team was bounded by the Asilomar restrictions on recombinant DNA. In contrast, Boyers team had decided to use a chemically synthesized version of the insulin gene. A synthetic gene DNA created as a naked chemical fell into the gray zone of Asilomars language and was relatively exempt. Genentech, as a privately funded company, was also relatively exempt from the federal guidelines. In the summer of 1978, Boyer learned that the Harvard team was about to announce successful isolation of the human hormone gene. To his relief, the gene that the Harvard team had cloned was not human but rate insulin. Cloning had made it easy to cross the barriers between species. By May 1978, Genentech had synthesized the two chains of insulin in bacteria. By July, the scientists had purified the proteins out of the bacteria debris. In early August, they snipped of the the attached bacterial proteins and isolated the two individual chains.   On August 21, 1978, they joined the protein chains together in a test tube to create the first molecules of recombinant insulin. In September 1979, Genentech applied for a patient for insulin. The Genetech patent would soon become one of the most lucrative petents in the history of technology. Synthesis of factor VIII (1983) Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood doesnt clot normally. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time than others after an injury. You also may bleed inside your body (internally), especially in your knees, ankles, and elbows. This bleeding can damage your organs and tissues and may be life threatening. Hemophilia is caused by a single mutation in the gene for a crucial clotting factor in blood, called factor VIII, and, until the mid-1980s, was treated with injections of concentrated factor VIII. During 1982 and early 1983, an emergence of mysterious immunological collapse among patients with multiple blood transfusions pinpointed the cause of the illness to blood-born factor that had contaminated the supply of factor VIII -a virus called AIDS. Nearly all the HIV-infacted hemophiliacs from the initial cohort had died of the complications of AIDS. In the spring of 1983, Dave Goeddel (1951- ) at Genentech began to focus on cloning the factor VIII gene. Meanwhile, a team of researchers from Harvard, lead by Tom Maniatis (1943- ) and Mark Ptashne (1940- ), formed a company called Genetics Institute (GI) also joined the race. As with insulin, the logic behind the cloning effort was evident: rather than purifying the missing clotting factor out of liters of human blood, why not create the protein artificially, using gene cloning? If factor VIII could be produced through gene-cloning methods, it would be virtually free of any human contaminants, i=thereby rendering it inherently safer than any blood-derived protein. Genetech knew that the factor VIII project would challenge the outer limits of gene-cloning technology. Somatostatin had 14 amino acids; insulin had 51. Factor VIII had 2,350. To succeed, the gene cloners would need to use new cloning technologies   Both the somatstatin and insulin genes had been created from scratch by stitching together bases of DNA. But factor VIII gene was far too large to be created using DNA chemistry. To isolate the factor VIII gene, Genetech would need to tpull the native gene out of human cells. Tom Maniatis of GI, found a solution: he had pioneered the technology to build genes out of RNA   templateds using reverse transcriptase, the enzyme that could build DNA from RNA. Reverse transcriptase made it possible to clone a gene after the intervening stuffer sequences had been snipped off by the cells splicing apparatus. In April, 1983, both Genentech and GI announced that they had purified recombinant factor VIII in test tubes a blood-clotting factor untainted by human blood. The production of factor VIII from its gene broke an important conceptual ground. The fears of Asilomar had been perfectly inverted. And gene cloning had emerged as potentially the safest way to produce a medical product for human use.  

Homophobia in Law Enforcement: Lethal Consequences :: Free Essays Online

Homophobia in Law Enforcement: Lethal Consequences The constitution guarantees life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all Americans, yet there is a group who endures a life without total liberty, restrictions on their choice of lifestyle and happiness, and unfair treatment which may even result in the untimely loss of their lives. This group of people currently facing discrimination and mistreatment is the gay and lesbian community of Washington D.C., and the perpetrators are the very people whose jobs are to ensure their safety. The law enforcement is not entirely protecting gays and lesbians in D.C., nor are they ensuring that they have basic human rights. The effects of discrimination or even just insensitivity in the police department can have catastrophic negative effects on the victims, the gay and lesbian community, and the city of D.C. as a whole. When people of certain minorities are not treated equally by the law, something must be done to improve this dangerous situation. In Washington DC on July 9th, 2001, an openly gay man, Alexander Gray, fell victim to two separate hate crimes. The first happened when several men made derogatory remarks about Gray’s sexual orientation, and then attacked and beat him with a shovel and a tire iron (Wilchins). Gray, both mentally and physically wounded, was then escorted home because he refused to go to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. The police drove him to his apartment, and friends say Gray was handcuffed in the backseat of the police car when he arrived (Fahrenthold â€Å"Gay Activists†). Alexander Gray was a victim of a brutal and traumatizing crime, yet the police treated him as if he were the criminal, by handcuffing him in the back of the car. The D.C. police officers responding to this hate crime were not able to treat the victim with gentleness and sensitivity he severely needed at such a time, but instead they treated him as a threat. Throughout its history, the Washington, D.C. police department has had troubles dealing with the gay and lesbian community. There has been much bigotry and discrimination in the way some officers handled matters concerning those who are homosexual. During the 1980’s many police officers held the stereotype that all people who were homosexual had AIDS, and some occasionally wore rubber gloves when they knew they would be dealing with gay individuals (Fahrenthold â€Å"Blue and Gay†).

Cultural Diversity and Patient Care

Knowledge of cultural diversity is key to all levels of the nursing practice. Knowledge and skills related to cultural diversity can strengthen and broaden health care delivery systems. â€Å"In 1986 the American Nursing Association (ANA) issued its first intention to strengthen cultural diversity programs in nursing† (Lowe & Archibald, 2009, p. 11). Despite good intentions made by nursing, progress in the area of cultural diversity has been slow and sporadic.The change in the ethnic composition of the U.S. has challenged nurses to incorporate the needs of their patient into their daily nursing practice. Society expects todays nurse to be culturally competent. Earlier a focus was on transcultural nursing was to bring an understanding of the contrasts between the nurse’s own culture and of the patient. An early strategy to educate nurses about culture was to incorporate cultural education into the nursing curriculum and to have cultural questions on nursing boards and ce rtification testing.â€Å"The necessity in preparing and assisting nurse researchers and clinicians to be able to meet the health needs of culturally diverse population takes on a sense of urgency† (Lowe & Archibald, 2009, p. 15). Concepts of illness, health, and wellness are part of the total cultural belief system. Nurses need to understand; how cultural groups understand life process, how they define health and illness, what they do to maintain wellness, what they believe is the cause of illness, how healers cure and care for their members, and how the cultural background of the nurse influences the care that they provide.We read in Ephesians 4:32, â€Å"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you† (Holy Bible, King James Version). As Christians we should show God’s love to each and every one of our patients. This article titled â€Å"Cultural Diversity: The Intention of Nursing† can be found at http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com/doi/10. 1111/j. 1744-6198. 2009. 00122. x/abstracte .

Psy/220- Week 1 Check Point- Positive Psychology Themes

Positive Psychology Themes I believe that positive psychology gives a better understanding that we are able to improve the quality of our own lives by making positive decisions and learning from experiences in the past. Positive psychology attempts to encourage interpersonal relationships, happiness, and positive social interactions. Personal growth and our ability to control our own destiny are also factors of positive psychology. In my opinion positive psychology teaches us that we have the freedom to make autonomous choices in life even though the negative influences still surround us. Through the incremental theory, positive psychology has stressed the amount of importance of human adjustment as a malleable cognitive characteristic that encourages change in our beliefs, behaviors, and environments; in order to acquire personal freedom through self-control and self-esteem Positive psychology acknowledges that we are creatures and creators of our personal and social worlds. I think that we become less creatures of our world and more creators as we assume the responsibility for the actions we take in life. Through our freedom of autonomy we develop a certain sense of morality and ethics. Positive psychology also evaluates the issue of control in relation to leading a fulfilling life. If a person has an internal locus of control they are more likely to push to achieve their full potential in the things they do. On the other hand those with an external locus of control feel powerless within their own lives and attempt to settle for less than what they deserve because they feel they have no control over their life. If we were to fully understand the themes of positive psychology we could become more qualified to improve our own lives.

Strawberry Dna Extraction and Quantitative Hypothesis Development

We wanted to extract, see and analyze DNA from a single strawberry( 12. 11 g). The long, thick fibers of DNA store the information for the functioning of the chemistry of life. DNA is present in every cell of plants and animals. The DNA found in strawberry cells can be extracted using common, everyday materials. To start the procedure we needed the following supplies; one strawberry, one plastic cup, 10 ml of Cell Lysis Buffer (10% detergent, 1% NaCl), one plastic zip-lock bag, one coffee filter, and 25 ml of ice cold Ethanol.The first step of the process was to obtain the weight of the plastic cup by itself, get a strawberry, remove the stem and leave, put it in the plastic cup and then record the weight of plastic cup with strawberry. The results of this first step was; weight of plastic cup: 9. 63 g, weight of plastic cup and strawberry: 21. 74 g. The following step was to place the strawberry in the zip-lock bag, close it and start smashing the strawberry until it was completely broken up, the strawberry had a smoothie-like look. 0 ml of Cell Lysis Buffer was added to the strawberry and gentle massaged it for about one minute. This buffer, which has detergent in it, is to dissolve the cell and nuclear membranes and salts to break the ionic bonds between the histones and DNA, it separates DNA from strawberry. During this step, my lab partner prepared the coffee filter to filter the solution as determine by our instructor. We pour the cell lysate on the coffee filter and allowed it to go through it, to help it, we used a spoon and gently pushed the substance to get the most liquid out of it without braking the coffee filter.Before the filtration the texture looked solid, but after it looked like strawberry juice. Our instructor added 25 ml of ice cold ethanol to the cup and obtain the DNA. We could observe a solid white, mucus like material forming out of the â€Å"juice†. The excess of liquid was removed from the cup, and the cup and DNA was weighted, resulting of 10. 81 g, which was subtracted from the cup weight, having 1. 18 g as the weight of DNA. After this, we calculated the % of the strawberry that was DNA. We concluded that the DNA from strawberry was 9. 74%

World Hunger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

World Hunger - Essay Example Those who victorious in this struggle became more and more powerful as the time progresses while the rest struggled even harder and harder. The declared aim of politicians or the administrators of every country is to reduce poverty or to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. In fact no country can claim that they are free from poverty. Poverty is a condition in which a person fails to maintain adequate living standards for him and for his family members. African continent is one of the major regions in which still thousands of people die daily out of hunger. Political instability, ethnic clashes, lack of natural resources, illiteracy etc are cited as the major reasons for poverty in Africa. Africa is not alone when we consider the global statistics of poverty. Even some of the highly developed countries and developing countries like America, India, China etc also facing poverty related problems. According to Usborne (2008), â€Å"28 million people in the US will be using gov ernment food stamps to buy essential groceries in the fiscal year 2008, the highest level since the food assistance program was introduced in the 1960s† (Usborne). ... At the same time the film shows that the same plant can make a diet product for obese Americans and Europeans. In other words, Hoodia is used by the Africans to suppress their hunger whereas it is used by the Americans to reduce their obesity (Silent Killer). The above film succeeded in portraying some irritating facts about world hunger. It educates us that the same food is used differently by different people in the world. We know that overeating is one major reason for causing obesity. In other words, Americans and Europeans who consumed more than enough food are currently trying to shed some of their weight whereas Africans who consumes lesser foods are trying to suppress their hunger. The two sides of the hunger problems are beautifully portrayed in this film. It indirectly explains that the world hunger problems are still not rectified because of the over eating habits of some people at the expense of others. Even in America which is supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world, poverty is still there. â€Å"Startling official statistics show that as a new economic recession stalks the United States, a record number of Americans will shortly be depending on food stamps just to feed themselves and their families† (Usborne). Many people have the false belief that all the Americans are living in better conditions. However, the recent recession unveiled some of the darker sides of America’s social life. The photograph given below clearly shows that even in America, some people are still struggling to get adequate food. Disadvantaged Americans queue for aid in New York (Usborne) America is spending trillions of dollars for war on terror. Iraq war and Afghan war succeeded only in increasing poverty in America. Even half of the

The Success of Napoleon's Strategy throughout His Conquest Essay

The Success of Napoleon's Strategy throughout His Conquest - Essay Example A study into Napoleon’s military influence on Europe should first describe a brief background on the his rise before focusing on the military strategy he deployed in battle, utilizing the various battles he won to demonstrate the success of the strategy. Napoleon grew up in pre-revolution France and attended a military academy before being selected to study the scientific and mathematical aspects of warfare.3 When the French revolution removed the autocratic leadership creating a room for other individuals to take up positions, a scenario a situation developed with Napoleon becoming the beneficiary. He rose up the ranks due to military adeptness in squashing the counter revolutions that characterized early post-revolution France, and was later appointed an operational planner for the army in Italy.4 His military brilliance in Italy saw him take senior leadership in the military and lead an army to Egypt before returning to his homeland and organizing a successful coup d`etat a nd transforming France into a form of a military dictatorship. He however made civil law standard through the Napoleon Code which ensured the revolution’s objectives were not lost especially in terms of freedom and religion. Napoleon’s Military Strategy Napoleon devised a highly effective approach to war that had no rival at that time hence leading to numerous victories against his enemies and driving his conquest. Of particular note is the fact that Napoleon was more of a practical General rather than an innovator, utilizing approaches by former Generals after adapting them to his cause. He adopted the aspects that worked and ignored the useless. His strategy was based on military agility, speed and surprise attacks hence he configured his army in a manner that could carry this out.5 The Napoleonic army was organized into basic units or corps;6 self-sustaining and semi-independent units that could be deployed effectively even against large armies and hold their ground until the other units reinforced them or attacked the enemy from a different side. Napoleon recognized the soldier as the most important function in the overall organization and hence undertook to boost morale across his forces.7 As a result, he had a close personal relationship with his subordinates and was a charismatic figure that created bravery and boosted fighting spirits amongst his men. This can be evidenced by the several proclamations he made to his army such as †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"You have won battles without cannon, crossed rivers without bridges, made forced marches without shoes and camped without brandy and often without bread. Soldiers of liberty, only republican phalanxes could have endured what you have endured. Soldiers, you have our thanks! The grateful Patrie will owe its prosperity to you. The two armies which but recently attacked you with audacity are fleeing before you in terror; the wicked men who laughed at your misery and rejoiced at the thought of the triumph s of your enemies are confounded and trembling...†8 With an army boasting of such high levels of morale, Napoleon could then implement his strategy that was developed after taking into consideration each specific battle

The Role of Communication in the Strategic and Program Planning Term Paper

The Role of Communication in the Strategic and Program Planning Processes in a Health Care Oganization - Term Paper Example Sometimes changes can be small tweaks and fine tuning of the existing strategy or a complete replacement of the old strategy with a new one. A development of a strategy or a program, majority of the times, is a case for change. The change can be for development of an existing service or introduction of an entirely new service and it can involve minor or major changes. But irrespective of what kind of change is being brought in organizational strategy, it will definitely make an impact on the quality of care (Rowe, 2008) Communication plays a very important role not just in the implementation process but also in the strategic and program planning process. Health care organizations have very less products and in all probability are completely based on the service offered which is wholly dependent on the human resources of the organization. It is the employees at the bottom level who have hands on experience of what the problems are at the most basic level than those at the top manageme nt of the company. Their inputs during the strategic and program planning process can be vital. Also it is the employees at the bottom level who are responsible for the actual implementation of the strategy and program designed by the top management. Communication need not be one sided but needs to be an interactive process where there are exchange of views and ideas. Active participation and effective communication among all stakeholders (internal to the organization) can be the difference between designing an effective strategy and a mediocre one. Also even more important is the role that effective communication can play in the process of identifying the areas that are problematic and need to be addressed. Hence, communication channels must be created between the employees at the basic level and those at the top for the formulation of an effective strategy. Now moving on to the implementation phase of the strategy and programs, communication plays an even more important role. As m entioned earlier, any organizational strategy is a case of change and change is always met with resistance from employees. Employees at all levels need to be communicated the purpose and need for the change. Also, what the change in strategy could mean to the employees and how it can improve their job performance. It is only when employees identify with and understand the intent and need for the change in strategy or a program that their full cooperation can be expected and this is vital for the overall success of the strategy. A health care organization has numerous functional units and the broader organization strategy will not be able to cater to the different needs of each of these units. A broader organizational strategy must be used a reference and a strategy must be prepared by the managers and the stakeholders of each functional area that would best suit the function. There are two main criteria that need to be considered here. One, the functional area strategy must be in ac cordance with and mesh with the wider organizational plan. Two, it must be in sync with the plans of the other functional areas (Moseley, 2009). The role of communication is vital in the process. Effective communication between stakeholders of the functional areas and that of wider organization is essential to meet the first criteria. More important one is the communication

To what extent do socia factors such as age, gender, social status or Essay

To what extent do socia factors such as age, gender, social status or ethnicity correlate with linguistic variable - Essay Example This means that social factors like age, gender, social status and ethnicity are closely associated with language variation. â€Å" Miscommunication can occur when a member of one social group addresses a member of another social group†. ( Cutting Joan, 2002 ). Socio-linguistics is the branch of linguistics that studies language in relation to society. Socio-linguistics is partly theoretical and partly empirical – partly a matter of going out and amassing a body of facts and partly of sitting back and thinking. Hence if we want to examine the correlation between language variation and social factors, we have to investigate language samples from various parts of the world and a couple of studies carried out by researchers in this regard. Let us first consider the age factor. We do not expect an adult to babble like a child. Adult speech is notably different. Young boys and girls also use a different kind of language from adults in the same community. Youths are always ke en to maintain the generation gap. This tendency is reflected in the way they create their own codes like whistling, and certain words whose meanings they share with peers. This can be called ‘teenage slang’, which ‘serves as a mark of membership and solidarity’. ... The vocabulary is as transient as the popularity. Teenage slang can include words, phrases, dialogues, characteristic tones, strange pronunciations and also syntactic patterns. Without doubt, it would sound out-of-place and shocking if a respectable adult uses teenage style of speech. This shows that the age factor is closely related to age factor. Gender is another important factor that affects speech. In most communities, men and women do not use identical language. Just as sounds like /s/, /f/ and /l/ have a typical onomatopoeic bearing, certain sounds are feminine in nature. At the lexical level, ‘adjectives like lovely, darling and cute may carry feminine associations, as do words that describe precise shades of color like mauve---‘. ( Finegan Edward, 1999 ) In some languages like Japanese, there is a dramatic difference between the speech of men and women. Here are two examples: 1. Oh dear, you’ve put the butter in the refrigerator again. 2. Damn, you have pu t the butter in the refrigerator again. Anyone can easily guess that utterance (1) above is uttered by a woman and (2) by a man. Women are also generally observed to be more talkative and speak in a higher pitch compared to men. The topics of discussion also differ among men and women. Some forms used by men in Koasati Indians of Louisiana are also used by middle-aged women in the community. This shows that linguistic variability can be accounted for by the role that people play in their community. Men play the authoritative role. The same authority is enjoyed by elderly women, hence, the similarity in language. In many Oriental languages, the second person plural is used by women even to address a single man, in

The Parable of the Good Samaritan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Parable of the Good Samaritan - Essay Example The man of law asks for an interpretation of the law. What is said by Jesus is told in the form of a story, which is known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable is not an explicit answer, but is an answer that provides the story in such a manner as to provoke thought and further conversation. This story is an essential form of teaching where the teacher poses the situation and the student draws from it the lesson. The story that Jesus tells is that of a man who is robbed and those who see his plight and their reactions. The first is a priest who walks to the other side of the road in order to avoid him. The second is a Levite who also walked to the opposite side of the road to stay uninvolved. The third is a Samaritan who provides the man with help. The Samaritan goes beyond simple help, giving him a ride to a village and asking an innkeeper to look after the robbed man until he is in health. During the process of providing health, the Samaritan bandaged his wounds, used oil and wine on him to help heal him, and let him ride on his donkey. He offers to pay the innkeeper for his service and any extra service that the robbed man may need. The question that Jesus, as the Great Teacher, poses to those hearing him is â€Å"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?† (Luke:36). The lesson is taught through an example, but without providing the answer to those he is teaching. He expects that through His example, they will find the answer of their own accord. The location of the parable is identified by Hughes and Laney (2001) as the Jordan Valley which is a bit north of the Dead Sea. This route which runs through Wadi Qilt is filled with rocks and rugged terrain where robbers could ambush travelers. There is no specific time given for this story, and it is just as likely that it is a story of example rather than a related story from history. The location makes it likely that the three traveler s who passed by the robbed man might be there, but allows for the significance of the Samaritan to shine through. The location is significant as it is a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, which indicates that he is traveling from morality into lands of less. Hultgren (2004) relates the belief of Augustine who suggested that this descent represented man’s descent from what was holy and immortal to that which was not and was decidedly mortal. The road is a literal descent as it starts at Jerusalem which is at 2700 feet above sea level but ends at Jericho which resides at 850 feet below sea level. Interpretation Chapter ten of Luke begins by describing a mission that is given to seventy-two of Jesus’ followers. He sends them out to gather more believers through their various acts in His name. He expects an exchange from those the followers encounter. If they are welcomed, then they give the gifts that He has given them the power to give, but if they are rejected the y are to make clear that they have rejected men of God who are on His mission. He says to them â€Å"Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me† (Luke 10:16). In this case, when he gets to relating the parable, it can be said that he is relating the robbed man to his followers and those who accept them as neighbors as they are then given remedies

Is Microsoft a monopoly Essay Example for Free

Is Microsoft a monopoly Essay In order to understand if Microsoft is a monopoly one must first know the definition of a monopoly. A monopoly is a firm that is the sole seller of a product that has little or no substitutes. This automatically should arouse many thoughts in the minds of â€Å"us† as consumers. For all these years have we been monopolized by a producer of a product just because there were limited sources in the same fields? Yes and no should be the floating answer. Microsoft for years has been the producer of almost every necessary component associated with our electrical devices. Microsoft is the developer of multiple operating systems or OS that first entered the market in 1981 but did not officially appear until 1984. In 1984, the Applesoft Basic for Apple Computers was introduced by Bill Gates. Due to the fact that the Apple system was first in this technologically advanced field it was set in the direction of being a monopoly. This is the evident sign that lack of other operating systems would set both Bill Gates and Microsoft in a monopolistic state. So if this monopolistic sign was so evident then why wasn’t it stopped by the government? This is a direct form of a government-created monopoly. Government-created monopolies exist because of patents and copyrights. The government has allowed Microsoft to exist because it was seen to be within the best interest of the public. The government does not actually predict whether a producer or firm will be a monopolist, it only allows a firm or producer to own the rights to the specific fields that they want to create. The communications field often has their own set of economical rules which is commonly set at the understanding that every must benefit from the product. Microsoft has often perfected this with their operating systems by staying consistently up to date with the consumer’s way of life. So what exactly allowed Microsoft to become a monopoly? Microsoft (Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Tim Patterson) would create and enforce universal data interaction standards for computer systems. The timing for this was perfect because businesses were in a technological era that the computer was in necessary and high demand. Microsoft became one of the largest monopolies because of their ability to be in almost every market that had use of a computer system. This was a great thing for Microsoft and for users but it was also a bad thing for users as well. Since the market was so unregulated it would allow Microsoft to not produce a quality product. This was allowed because of their monopoly. This monopoly would be out of the control of the government because breaking up the Microsoft Company into little companies would only cause damage to the consumer. In this I mean you the consumer would have to purchase multiple operating systems in order to maintain computer interacting standards. This would not be the best interest of either the government or the consumer. So unfortunately this monopoly would be allowed to carry on its position in the computer operating fields. Just think by chance that the government did break this monopolistic company up? This would allow so many small companies to produce the same product under the same outdated set of rules. So question, if the same set of bendable rules applied what would stop those small broken up companies from becoming a monopoly as well? Exactly nothing. So the government sees it better for consumers to have to deal with one monopoly compared to multiple. A company like Microsoft falls into a classification of a large monopoly. There are many smaller monopolies that go unnoticed. Some of these companies are Nike, Reebok, New Balance, etc. You may hear about some of these companies monopolistic traits, but choose not to pay much attention because they are not as large as a company as Microsoft. Let’s face it we tend to have a thought that they are just brands. Just a thought, when you walk into your local retail store are you looking for a pair of shoes or a certain style of shoe by name (i. e.Nike Jordan’s, Converse All-Stars or commonly known as â€Å"chuck taylors†, Reebok Zigtechs, New Balance 855’s)? These are the monopolies we do not pay much attention too because they are mainly companies that are in deep competition with one another. In order to compete in their respective fields the company must make a shoe or an article of clothing that is unique whether it carries a label or not. So what exactly makes Microsoft a monopoly instead of a competitive market? Since Microsoft is the only producer in the operating system market it has the ability to set and stay with its own price. Microsoft in recent years have gained a few other competitors that are making their way up the ladder with free trial periods or just general free use with things like email, search engines, and even software purchases through computer brands, printers, etc. A common name that we all use on practically a daily basis is Google. Google Inc. has won a growing number of customers for its Google Apps software, a collection of word processing, email, spreadsheet and other tools that are hosted and accessed online. The company is also reportedly preparing an expansion of its solutions marketplace, to sell software to businesses that can augment Apps. When confronted with questions of their products, an all too modest Google made no response. Unlike Microsoft, Google tends to not make broad promises of software updates until they have perfected the process. This is what commonly makes Google a most used search engine. Google also offers Gmail which carries its own form of complete virus software which sets it in a field of its own unlike Yahoo mail that only offers a low version of spyware with a premium account purchase. Other competitive companies that are climbing on the Microsoft ladder are Oracle Corp. and LotusLive iNotes. When Microsoft was confronted if any of these companies were the reason behind the downed sales of their â€Å"Microsoft Office† version they replied with it is unclear if they had a hand in the matter. This is another â€Å"big headed† response because Microsoft does not want to even think at this time that they could possibly have competition. When a monopolistic company is confronted with competition you will usually see a drop in product prices that may or may not go unnoticed. It is my opinion that this competitive edge brought to Microsoft will not go unnoticed. With the growing state of these other companies, I cannot wait until Microsoft has to become a competitive market instead of a monopoly. Another way to tell whether a company is a monopoly or not, is to follow its revenue. Since a company like Microsoft does not have their â€Å"books† out their like public records, we have to follow media theories and articles. When you see an increase in the company revenue this means that their output has went up. This means that they are producing more and making more because the demand has gotten higher. When revenue has dropped then the company has lost money and no longer producing because the demand has dropped. All too commonly you may see a drop in price because the company is wanting to sell their items rather than taking a complete loss on them. The will also set their prices above marginal cost. This will tend to be a seasonal thing because annually they try to place newer products on the market. Now noticing that other companies like Windows, Macintosh, and Linux are in competition with Microsoft is a huge deal to us as the consumer. To Microsoft this is no real big threat because of the huge market share that they own. This allows a monopolistic company to carry on their threat of being the â€Å"big man† on the block. In this I mean that they are allowed to place what seems to be ridiculous price because they do not see the competition as a true competitor. Consumers frequently take notice to this when they are in the market for the produced good of computer systems. Consumers commonly watch for the better deals while taking â€Å"name brand† and â€Å"off brand† into high consideration. Even though Sony may be the better brand, it is possible that Acer could sell more because of the consumers desire to pay less and receive more. This is just the way that things go in a time of economic struggle. The only time that things like this change is if the consumer has a specific desire for a certain brand over the lesser price. So as a monopoly could Microsoft force these other competitive companies out of their market? Yes they could and it has been accused that they have in the past. To include the list of companies that Microsoft has bought out in order to maintain at the top would be completely ridiculous but to name a few would be ok. Microsoft has purchased companies like Skype, Nokia, and of course we all heard of the Microsoft-Apple buy out in order to stop them from sinking. There is a lot of talk about what should be done to the Microsoft Company with the Department of Justice, Attorney General’s, and Microsoft. Many think that breaking the company up would be a mistake while a majority agree that it would also make them list a fairer price and focus on a better product. This in my opinion is not to the judgment of anyone. Is Microsoft wrong for being the best in their business? In my opinion, absolutely not. It is at the decision of the other competitive companies whether to stay in or back out. Many people think that the treatment they receive while purchasing items from the producer is unfair. I would like to disagree because if you need the item bad enough then whatever dollar amount the producer places is the dollar amount the consumer will pay. Take gas for instance, when gas was hitting its record highs two years ago. All I heard were complaints of how ridiculous it was, we should petition, protest, or even not purchase for days. Where were their complaints when they were driving to McDonalds to get a burger instead of cooking at home? People only complain about the abuse that they cannot control. This is the same with items like the personal computer. Everyone wants to complain about the price they paid for their computer but not the eBay items they are purchasing while they use that same computer. This reminds me of a conversation between the course instructor and myself. He asked one time if there was a sale on hamburger at the store but you really wanted steak which would you choose? I replied with I am going to choose steak because it is what I want. I chose this answer because regardless of the price of hamburger if I want steak, then ultimately steak is what I will get. This is my choice. I choose to not complain about the items that I cannot control because at the end of the day I still need it. So in conclusion, if you ask me if Microsoft is a monopoly or not, my answer will still remain yes and no. Yes, because they are the primary holders of operating systems and they are getting filthy rich. No, because they have made themselves the best. If the other companies want to be on top then they need to fight to be on top. But also in the mean time they shouldn’t complain about the actions that Microsoft takes in order to remain the best. References Mankiw, N. G. (2012, 2009). Principles of Microeconomics (Sixth ed. ). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Mankiw (2012, 2009) Fisher, G. A. (2000, May 30). Why is Microsoft a Monopoly? Retrieved May 21, 2012, from http://www. zaimoni. com/George/MicrosoftMonopoly. htmFisher (2000) South-Western College Publishing (2003). Is Microsoft a Monopoly? Retrieved May 21, 2012, from http://www.swcollege. com/bef/policy_debates/microsoft. htmlSouth-Western College Publishing (2003) ThisNation. com (2008). Is Microsoft a monopoly? If so, why does it matter? Retrieved May 21, 2012, from http://www. thisnation. com/questions/027. htmlThisNation. com (2008) Albro, E. N. (2007). Eight Years Later, Is Microsoft Still a Monopoly? Retrieved May 21, 2012, from http://www. pcworld. com/printable/article/id,139458/printable. htmlAlbro (2007) Jackson, E. Forbes (2012, March 1). Steve Jobs Used Patents to Get Bill Gates to Make 1997 Investment in Apple. Retrieved May 21, 2012, from.