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Modern society is dependent on oil. At present, the demand of oil is supplied by fossil fuels. Unfortunately, fossil fuels are non-renewable. Soon the supply will run out, as the demand for oil will surely exhaust all resources. In addition, the use of fossil fuels is accompanied by health and environmental risks. Therefore, there is a need for other fuel options, and this is where alternative fuels come in. This research paper aims to discuss biofuels, specifically biodiesel and E85, the pros and cons of using alternative fuels as well as the effects on the economy and the environment.The need for alternative sources has become more urgent. It is from this need that the creation of alternative fuels has become necessary. One of the alternative fuels is biofuel. Before biofuel can be discussed, it is important to discuss what biomass is. Biomass consists of organic matter derived from plants or animals (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). Biomass usually comes from remnants of agriculture a nd forestry, industrial and municipal wastes, as well as crops grown either on land or water that were planted to be utilized as a source of energy.It is advantageous to use biomass, since it is renewable and its resources are uniformly appropriated throughout the surface of the Earth. In addition, biomass can be utilized using technologies that are not harmful to the environment (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). Biofuels, in turn, are fuels that are extracted from biomass (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). Some of the agricultural commodities that are planted to produce biofuels are soybeans and corn. At present, there have been efforts to use other crops, such as woody crops and switchgrass, in the creation of biofuels (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†).One advantage of biofuels is that it does not contribute to increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (â€Å"Biofuels†). This is because biofuels are created from plants which eliminate carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and w hen it is burnt, it only releases the same amount. That is why biofuels are thought to be â€Å"CO2 neutral† (â€Å"Biofuels†). The use of biofuels is relatively easy, as it adapts to existing mechanisms that use traditional fuel. This characteristic makes biofuel usage appealing for both individuals and businesses (West).There is no need for special equipment, or another vehicle, or even a new heating device from home to use this fuel. One can simply fill the tanks with it (West). Biofuels can be used as sources of energy through the energy inherent in biomass, from which it was made. Biomass can be a source of energy through the process of converting feedstock material, like cellulose and starch, into a form that can be utilized (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). Biofuels that are used to power transportation are created through processes that are either thermochemical, or biochemical.The term â€Å"biofuel† is actually wide in scope. There are several kinds of bio fuels, some of which are methane, biocrude, methanol, ethanol and biodiesel (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). Among all the biofuels available, ethanol is the one which has widespread usage (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). Ethanol can be called with two other names: ethyl alcohol and grain alcohol. Ethanol can be used as an alternative fuel. It can also be an add-on to traditional fuel. Generally, adding ethanol to gasoline has many benefits. First, it decreases the gasoline's capacity for pollution, especially in the air.Now, ethanol is replacing methyl t-butyl ether or MTBE, as an â€Å"oxygenate additive† (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). This is because MTBE contributes to the poisoning of the soil and groundwater. Second, adding ethanol to gasoline increases the octane. Third, by blending ethanol with gasoline, the depletion of petroleum fuels is decreased (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). Ethanol is a fuel produced from plant starch and sugar (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). In the Unite d States, it is created from plant starch of grains which include wheat, corn and grain sorghum.All the starch will undergo fermentation and distillation process to turn starch into sugar, which will eventually be turned into alcohol. There are two methods employed for the production of ethanol from biomass. The first one is biochemical conversion. In this process, biomass is divided into cellulose and starch. When in water, these two is disintegrated into various sugars; in turn, these sugars will be fermented to create ethanol. As of now, corn is the primary material in the production of ethanol.However, there are current efforts to widen the range of plant options that would create ethanol. These options include poplar, willow, switchgrass, grain straw and even municipal wastes (â€Å"Biomass FAQs†). There are several benefits in using ethanol. First, it is renewable (â€Å"Ethanol Benefits†). Second, it is domestic. In the United States, petroleum is imported from other countries. The nation's dependency on foreign sources of oil makes it susceptible to problems in price, supply and trade. Ethanol, on the other hand, can be produced domestically, eliminating all those problems (â€Å"Ethanol Benefits†).

Clean. The importance of cleanliness Essay

Cleanliness is both the abstract state of being clean and free from dirt, and the process of achieving and maintaining that state. Cleanliness may be endowed with a moral quality, as indicated by the aphorism â€Å"cleanliness is next to godliness, and may be regarded as contributing to other ideals such as health and beauty. In emphasizing an ongoing procedure or set of habits for the purpose of maintenance and prevention, the concept of cleanliness differs from purity which is a physical, moral, or ritual state of freedom from pollutants. Whereas purity is usually a quality of an individual or substance, cleanliness has a social dimension, or implies a system of interactions.[2] â€Å"Cleanliness,† observedJacob Burckhardt, â€Å"is indispensable to our modern notion of social perfection.†[3] A household or workplace may be said to exhibit cleanliness, but not ordinarily purity; cleanliness also would be a characteristic of the people who maintain cleanness or preven t dirtying. On a practical level, cleanliness is thus related to hygiene and disease prevention. Washing is one way of achieving physical cleanliness, usually with water and often some kind of soap or detergent. Procedures of cleanliness are of utmost importance in many forms of manufacturing. As an assertion of moral superiority or respectability, cleanliness has played a role in establishing cultural values in relation to social class, humanitarianism, and cultural imperialism. It is important to maintain a standard of cleanliness in your room at all times. If you don’t keep your room up to standards then you are facing many possible problems. If you leave clothes that are to be worn the next day on the floor then you are getting them more dirty than they already were. This can cause you to get sick from the dead skin cells, dirt, grime, and other things that are on your floor. If the clothing worn is not often washed, and frequently aired, it becomes filthy with impurities which are thrown off from the body by sensible and insensible perspiration. And if the garments worn are not frequently cleansed from these impurities, the pores of the skin absorb again the waste matter thrown off. The impurities of the body, if not allowed to escape, are taken back into the blood, and forced upon the internal organs. This then can lead to fevers and then possibly into harmful  diseases. If you don’t follow the standards then you have many negative aspects that can cause more problems in the future. Besides your clothing you should also always wash your hands every time you use the bathroom, before and after meals, and anytime they are dirty. This will help keep some diseases from your health because your hands are the dirtiest part of your body and if you put them on food that you put into your mouth you could get very sick. Another reason why it’s important to keep your room clean is if you have a dust allergy. Within your room dust mounts up incredibly quickly and that can leave an allergy sufferer in a lot of distress. So you need to clean to get rid of the dust. Another example could be if you didn’t clean up your room and bits of food were left everywhere going moldy. It would attract pests into the room which could potentially give you health problems as pests usually are dirty and they can pass various things onto you. Seeing as germs and parasites like to hide in unclean places, cleanliness is very important.

T.C. Boyle Writes of Infidelity

Katherine Meyer English 1100 Sec. 131 November 4th, 2008 Indefinitely Infantile Infidelity As an apparent defiance of one of the Ten Commandments, Adultery, the act of voluntary sexual involvement between a married individual and someone whom is not his or her spouse is a widely frowned upon taboo that disregards social norms. Staying true to his style and content by pushing the envelope on controversial topics such as this in his writing, T. C. Boyle frequently addresses the theme of adultery throughout many of his short stories.Reoccurring in the selections â€Å"Caviar† and â€Å"All Shook Up† adultery takes on a disturbing component of the stories as the main characters similarly get caught up in the unacceptable. With differing motives, paralleling sexual interests and desires, as well as converse outcomes for the two men defying the sacred vows they once made under holy matrimony, Boyle weaves two complex stories of deceit and malice. Adultery outside the world of fiction is committed for an infinite number of reasons; attempted justifications that can roll on for miles.In these particular stories, aside from their irrepressible habitual instincts, the main characters Mr. Trimpie and Patrick in â€Å"Caviar† and â€Å"All Shook up† have differing objectives when they decide to officially sever the vows they once made to their wives. The differing motives for each man’s imprudent acts against the principles of marriage cover a broad spectrum of rationale. Leading to his downfall, In â€Å"Caviar† the central character Mr. Trimpie finds himself unable to reproduce with his sterile wife, Marie.Although he is not to blame for the fruitless attempts at an offspring as Boyle describes, â€Å"The bad news was that Marie’s ovaries were shot† (109) it is apparent that his own insecurities in addition to other factors brand him vulnerable and susceptible to bad judgment, such as infidelity. This vulnerability presents itself when he frequently references his lack of education and wealth throughout the story as seen here, â€Å"I was on the wrong end of the socioeconomic ladder, if you know what I mean† (106).As a surrogate mother is introduced into the picture and becomes pregnant with his natural child, Mr. Trimpie suddenly finds himself hot for the young carrier. The flustered young man expressed, â€Å"The thought of it, of my son floating around in his own little sea just behind the sweet bulge of her belly†¦ well, it inflamed me, got me mad with lust and passion and spiritual love too† (114). This reveals that the motivation behind Mr. Trimpie’s act of adultery was not purely the result of meaningless attraction or fragile insecurity though.The feeble father consequently ends up falling in love with the biological mother of his child and is unable to restrain himself. Intercourse with Wendy, the young stand-in mother becomes a frequent occurrence for the co vetous husband stigmatizing him a cheater once and for all. Mr. Trimpie’s counter character, Patrick, found in Boyle’s short story entitled â€Å"All Shook Up† has his own prerogative concerning his execution of adultery in his story. Patrick’s wife, Judy, disappeared with another man prior to a newlywed couple, Cindy and Joey conveniently moving next door.Initially compelled to Cindy because of her sultry, suggestive manner, Patrick recalls a late night after what started out as a neighborly dinner, â€Å"She was kneeling beside me on the couch; then she kicked her leg out as if mounting a horse and brought her knee softly between my legs until I could feel the pressure lighting up my groin† (126). Still exhibiting his wedding band on the left ring finger, Patrick engages in the act of infidelity with Cindy shortly after this night.Describing the event, Patrick stated, â€Å"She felt good, and a little strange: she wasn’t Judy† (130) . Based on his assessment of the night, Boyle alludes to the reader that Patrick is still yearning for his wife. Patrick bluntly conveys, â€Å"I felt evil and betrayed and wanted his wife because I had wounds to salve and because she was there† (127). The meaningless sex with Cindy was an attempt to fill a void and heal the pain from Judy’s abandonment.In addition to his emotionless mind-set concerning Cindy and their intercourse, his lack of concern towards the young woman becomes more evident as he confirms, â€Å"I should have held her, I guess, should have probed deep in my counselor’s lexicon for words of comfort and assurance, but I didn’t† (130). Patrick views Cindy as well as their dance, as nothing more than a physical encounter, ruling out any deeper vehicle of motivation for his actions. Although the two men have contrasting motivations driving their less than admissible behaviors, they do however share common ground concerning their se xual interests and desires.Mr. Trimpie and Patrick alike are attracted to barely pubescent young girls who entice them with their youthful sex appeal. From the story â€Å"Caviar,† the pedophilic character Mr. Trimpie responds to the news of Wendy’s growing belly as follows: â€Å"I grinned like an idiot, thrilled at the way the panties grabbed her thighs- white nylon dancing pink flowers- and how her little pointed breasts were beginning to strain at the brassiere. I wanted to put my tongue in her naval† (113).Asserting such a disturbing observation, it is obvious that this man finds Wendy’s juvenile body parts, as well as childish undergarments as much of a turn on as the fact that she is carrying his child. Staying true to the paralleling interest in adolescent females, in the short story â€Å"All Shook Up,† Cindy, the woman Patrick kanoodles with is also a young lady who exerts her youthful charm on the much older man. Describing Cindy, Pat st ates, â€Å"She was wearing a halter top and gym shorts, her hair was pinned up, and her perfect little toes looked freshly painted† (121).His innocent depiction of a young girl standing at his front door exudes sexual frustration. Evident in this passage, Boyle writes: â€Å"I wanted her like a forbidden fruit, wanted her like I’d wanted half of the knocked-up, washed-out, defiant little twits who paraded through my office each year† (127). Just as disturbing as Mr. Trimpie’s erotic observations of Wendy, this passage is Patrick’s confession that he too secretly craves the taste of a freshly ripened young woman. Further emphasizing the two men’s interest in similar types of women, Boyle disguises coincidental details with reference to the women in his text.Boyle illustrates Wendy in the short story â€Å"Caviar† by stating, â€Å"Her eyes were gray, and there was a violet clock in the right one† (121). Resembling Wendy’ s gray eyes, Cindy in â€Å"All Shook Up† is described in the same manner: â€Å"Her eyes were gray, the color of drift ice on the river† (111). Both men who commit the infidelity identify with one another in regards to their type of secondary woman. Both acts of adultery have serious impacts on the lives of Mr. Trimpie and Patrick. Although cheating on a spouse typically results in formidable outcomes, the aftermath for each of the two men in â€Å"Caviar† and â€Å"All Shook Up† are surprisingly converse.

Violence in Mass Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Violence in Mass Media - Essay Example Currently, the media has become a central element of the social environment. Through the television, radio, movies, video games and the internet, a significant number of the population, particularly children are exposed to high levels of violent content. Resultantly, the frequent consumption of violent content facilitates imitative learning thus leading to increase in aggressive and violent behavior in children. The prevalent in real-world aggression and violent acts creates a need to effectively mitigate the violent content by the media so as to ensure societal well-being. An ideal intervention strategy in mitigating media violence is parental/adult intervention. Parents can play a detrimental role in restricting children’s access to media violence. The violent media content can be substituted with non-violent media content so as to promote behavioral change thus reducing the violent culture (Humphrey & Palmer 45). Parents can also play a key role in promoting media literacy. Parents/adults can educate the youth regarding the effects of violence and the mechanisms used by the media to portray violence as acceptable, useful and detached from negative consequences (Humphrey & Palmer 44). Ideally, the parents can educate the youths on the impact of too much media violence and the difference between reality and fantasy. Considering the detrimental role played by parents in child development, parental intervention is an ideal way of mitigating the impacts of media violence in the society.

Social Thought and Social Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Thought and Social Change - Essay Example 6). For Enlightened thinkers, the desirable direction and final destination they aim for is a place where everyone lives in â€Å"a perfectly happy existence,† free from religious control, aristocratic discrimination and monarchical oppression (Bury 1920, p. 6). This idea is oftentimes criticised by modern thinkers as a naive belief in man’s capability for achieving perfection (Israel 2001, p. 3). However, Israel (2001, pp. 3-4) argues that â€Å"Enlightenment progress breathed a vivid awareness of the great difficulty of spreading toleration, curbing religious fanaticism, and otherwise ameliorating human organization, orderliness, and the general state of health.† Concurrently, even though famous Enlightened thinkers have opposing ideas about how to go about achieving progress, it cannot be denied that they share the same principles and morals. For instance, while Voltaire did not believe in the notion of equality and moved to educate and enlighten aristocrats i nto bettering the world, Rousseau detested them and lobbied for equality through revolution. However, both detested the Church and absolute monarchy and sought to change the status quo (Brians 2000). It is unquestionable, then, that the Enlightenment—though ripe with strife and conflicting ideas—moved towards the same destination; and that is, the achievement of progress through positive societal changes. The Enlightenment symbolizes civilisation’s actual forward movement towards a desirable direction. It is progress personified. Both supporters and critics of the Enlightenment and even opposing Enlightened thinkers show that its end-all and be-all is achieving progress through reason—progress that aims to create a better society at a time when religious tyranny and absolute monarchy and aristocracy ruled the world. II. Stages of History and Revolution Karl Marx views human history as a series of stages wherein man struggles to deal with and control the e conomic benefits of the resources of the world in order to achieve power and position (Weiner 2008, p. 42; Cohen 2004, p. 23). â€Å"The growth of human power is the central process of history. The need for that growth explains why there is history† (p. 23). Hence, Marx evaluates history as the process of man’s struggle for control over the developing system of production (Shaw 1978, p. 152). Marx (1904, p. 28) states the first stage of history as primitive communism where goods and property are shared and the means of production include hunting and gathering; the second stage is slave society where a class society based on private ownership is established (pp. 285-286); third is feudalism (p. 216); fourth is capitalism (p. 19); fifth is socialism (p. 10); and the final stage is pure communism exhibited through a classless society and the abolition of private ownership (Marx and Engels 1858 qtd. in Schumaker 2010, p. 46). This is a history of class struggle, as â€Å" new forms of society arise appropriate to the new forms of production when the new classes win power† (McCarthy 1995). It can be seen here how each historical stage moves on to the next only with the destruction of a socio-economic system through the uprising of the lower classes. For instance, feudalism evolved into capitalism after the landed aristocrats was challenged by craftsmen and merchants (Bowen 2011).

European Court of Justices Activism in European Integration Essay

European Court of Justices Activism in European Integration - Essay Example One of the major features of ECJ reflects in its weakness as compared to the courts on national levels, especially so far it relates to â€Å"compliance† with the judgments it passes (639). On the other hand, its power transcends that of other tribunals of an international level such as the International Court of Justice and, therefore, it always remains as the center of â€Å"scholarly attention† (640). Though from a political perspective, the court has come under a volley of criticism from various sources for its activism and â€Å"political role† its position as an international legal framework has been pivotal in the settlement of various issues (640). The former ECJ Judge Federico Mancini while admitting that judges are often â€Å"incompetent† when it comes to the question of lawmaking contends, referring to the stagnation in the process of European integration, that it has been the judicial activism of the ECJ that helped salvage this situation (640 ). In the melee of debates revolving around the functioning of ECJ and its relation with the member nations of European Union, it transpires that on the one hand legal fraternity focuses on the relationship between national law and European law, while on the other, political discussions often revolve around the notion that ECJ’s conduct rather serves the â€Å"interests of the most powerful† EU member nations (640). Judicial activism can be perceived as a process by which judges redefine or modify a law from its original position as envisaged in legal sources whereby they substitute their decisions for that of â€Å"elected, representative bodies† (Popovic 2009:363). This definition of Judicial Activism, proposed by Justice Paul Mahoney, condemns judicial actions which are intended or required to â€Å"achieve justice† in specific cases (363).  Ã‚  

International Trade and Financial Markets Assignment

International Trade and Financial Markets - Assignment Example For instance, assume UK can experience vast harvest of grapes as compared to Brazil. On the other hand, Brazil thrives in rubber production than any other country. The concept of comparative advantage, therefore, requires the UK to engage more resources in producing grapes. On the other hand, Brazil would better engage in the mass production of rubber. The two countries would, therefore, export their abundant products to the foreign markets. That is; rubber would be exported to the UK and grapes would be exported to Brazil. The mentioned exchange process is referred to as the international trade, which is regulated by trade policies (Suranovic 2012). Trade policies are rules that regulate the exchange of goods, services and other assets between two or more countries. Trade policies also encompass the tax rules, government incentives, and subsidies. The flow of goods, services, and other assets from one country to another is significant for the following reasons: first, it improves economic and social ties between countries. Second, international trade avails a wide variety of goods and services for the consumers. It therefore, enhances the consumer sovereignty, which is the free will of the customers to consume products and services of their interest. Third, international trade improves a country’s economic performance among other importance. The paper seeks to present a critical evaluation of the appropriateness of the trade policies in the United Kingdom (Trade Policy 2015). The link between the United Kingdom and the international communities, specially the developing countries, is based on the following: the export and import of goods and services between UK and the developing countries, the investments activities in the developing countries, relocation to and from development countries, and offering aid to developing countries. The goods exported to the UK from the developing countries in the year 2014

Contracting and Procurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contracting and Procurement - Essay Example The second type of contract is the cost-reimbursement contract wherein all incurred costs that lie with a pre-determined ceiling are agreed to be paid. 1. Hiring of technicians to install and configure the software for a particular environment is indeed a critical task. While hiring people for this purpose, it is very much necessary that, the individual is assessed on different parameters which would help determine if that particular person has the capability and knowledge of how to configure and install softwares. It would be an added advantage if the person has a prior experience in the particular task. The type of contract that can be pursued for such kind of purposes can be a cost reimbursement category contract. In the cost reimbursement contract type, specifically a cost type or cost-plus-incentive-fee contract can be opted for (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2008). In these types of contracts payments of all incurred costs which range within a predetermined total estimated cost are paid to the people who are hired. 2. Whenever a training entity is hired for the purpose of teaching Project Management students about the techniques of using the newly installed software, it would definitely be for a particular duration, for instance a stipulated number of days or months. Cost sharing contract is the appropriate choice for such tasks. In a cost sharing contract, both the parties involved in the contract share or agree to split the cost of performance. In this case, it can be said that the company would agree to provide the required infrastructure and the trainer who is being hired for the purpose of training would agree to supply the course curriculum and instruction manuals etc. 3. Buying a new server and software to run the tool and house the project database involves identifying and locating both hardware and software. Identifying both hardware and software service providers involves market research. If a market research is done, then obviously various quotes would be obtained from different vendors from which the company would select the best optimum vendor depending on the quote and place the order. These kinds of contracts can be executed by cost reimbursement contracts and in this specifically, cost-plus-fixed-fee. According to the Cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts, all incurred costs are paid apart from a fixed fee which is not supposed to change all through the contract. 4. Hiring tool usage experts to transfer knowledge to the student PMs about the use of the tool on the job for the first 60 days after going "live" clearly states that it is for a stipulated period i.e. for 60 days. Here, the hiring of an individual is done for a particular time period. Hence, in this case it would be appropriate that the person is hired on the basis of an hourly rate i.e. a particular amount for the number of hours worked. The type of contract that can be pursued in this case would be cost type contract in which payments of all incurred costs which range within a predetermined total estimated cost are paid to the people who are hired. 5. Plan for the removal and disposal of the no longer to be used scheduling tool software and hardware also falls into the same category as to where a person is hired for the installation of the software. The person who

Effect of Videogames on health and socially Essay

Effect of Videogames on health and socially - Essay Example In any case, it is impossible to isolate videogames completely from human life in this era of advanced science and technology. This paper analyses how videogames affect the human health and the society. According to Anderson (2003), videogames are an excellent tool for teachers to stimulate learning among the students. At the same time, violent video games have the potential to cause immense social problems. Videogames are a double edged sword. Teachers can teach difficult lessons with the help of videogames so that the students get more insights about difficult topics. For example, while teaching subjects such as physics and chemistry, teachers can make use of videogames. Imagine a case in which a teacher is teaching missile technology in a physics class. There are plenty of videogames available in the market in which fight using missiles or guns is the major theme. Such videogames can be used effectively by a teacher to teach the topics related to the operations of a missile. In short, videogames have the potential to cultivate positive effects in a society since it has the ability to stimulate or enhance the learning process. Kim et al (2010) pointed that â€Å"excessive playing of video games may result in impaired academic performance. Videogames have the ability to cultivate a kind of addiction among teenagers. Majority of the videogames are organized in such a way that each player should cross many difficult levels before reaching the target. When a teenager fails to overcome a particular difficulty level, he may spend more and more time in front of the computers or mobile phones for solving the puzzles created by the videogames. Thus he may not get enough time to spend for academic studies. Thus his studies can be negatively influenced by the addiction generated towards videogames. Teachers and parents are of the view that children who spent more time for playing videogames may spent little time for doing their home works, assignments or

Prison Gangs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Prison Gangs - Essay Example The violence might be the cause of this gender based bias. Men tend to be more violent in prison than women. The need to join a gang for protection becomes a necessity in a male prison due to the excessive violence. In the end, prison gangs are dictated by race, class, and gender. Gangs emerged on the street during the sixties and seventies. At first gangs were like formed like the Guardian Angels in New York City. Gangs developed out of the Civil Rights Movement ironically. Black Panthers and other minority groups formed gangs to patrol their neighborhoods against corrupt officers that would lynch and kill in the aftermath of the African American’s victory of the Civil Rights Movement. White bikers formed clubs (gangs) after returning from the Vietnam War, they wanted to get together drink and forget the war. When the drug trade was introduced in the late seventies and early eighties, gangs became the gun toting, drug dealing and violent criminals that are known today. Despite law enforcements gang unit and suppression measures, gangs are still a major problem across the United States. One problem of trying to suppress gangs is the availability of new recruits. One scholarly paper suggests: Another consequence of suppression efforts is that such efforts may promote substitution effects, whereby the removed gang member is simply replaced by another gang associate or recruit. Still yet, the use of suppression efforts may lead to an over-reliance on these measures and may mask other appropriate but less intensive alternatives to deal with gang members. (Trulson, Marquart, and Kawucha 2008) Gang units arrest gang members, normally resulting in long prison terms. The gang members taken off the street continue to live the gang lifestyle in prison. Thus law enforcement has to have strategies on the streets and behind prison walls. Race is the number one factor in male prison gangs. Gang membership is considered on a race basis. The Aryan

International trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International trade - Essay Example China and the south East Asian countries such as Singapore have been in focus for their export based economies (Rivera-Batiz & Oliva, 2003). External trade is usually heavily controlled by countries by applying duty against imports and subsidizing exports. Free trade means the government does not discriminate against national and foreign producers of goods. The price of goods is determined through the equilibrium of supply and demand. A country which allows free trade does not impose high import duties and neither does it subsidize its exports through schemes and promotions. Body 2)Advantages of International Trade The major advantages of international trade are – It enhances the competitiveness of local industries as they come into contact with international best practices and technological knowhow. It helps the country to overcome the shortage in natural resources. One example is the import of crude oil by many countries to overcome the natural deficiency. International trad e allows consumers to buy products at low cost. An example of this has been the proliferation of manufacturing industries to China. Manufacturing goods produced in China are low cost and thus leads to benefits to the end users. International trade can be a vehicle for poverty reduction. China has increased its GDP rapidly in the last 20 years by becoming an export hub for international companies. This has reduced poverty and created employment for a billion Chinese (Rivera-Batiz & Oliva, 2003). Disadvantages of International Trade Some of the main disadvantages are – International trade can lead to destruction of local industries if they are not able to compete with the cheap products imported from abroad. International trade can lead to jobless growth of the economy. This can cause social unrest among the population. India is a country whose exports largely consist of services such as Information technology. However IT is a capital intensive sector which creates very few job s leading to large scale unemployment in the country. International trade can also lead to depletion of natural resources such as coal, iron-ore etc. if they are exported to other countries (Rivera-Batiz & Oliva, 2003). International trade has also caused various environmental and human rights concern. It is alleged that the factories in China and Mexico do not follow the strict environmental guidelines followed in developed world. They are also accused of employing child labour to reduce the cost of products (Rivera-Batiz & Oliva, 2003). 3)Major Trading Partners of UAE The major trading partners of UAE are Japan, China, European Union and India. Japan is UAE’s biggest export partner (17.27% share) and China is the biggest import partner (15.03% share) (Oxford Business Group, 2010). 4)Most Important Exports OF UAE The most important exports from UAE are crude oil, natural gas, fish, dates and products which are re-exported after processing (Zaman, 2011). 5)Trade Policy of UAE UAE signed the General Agreement on Trade and Tariff (GATT) in 1994 and became a WTO member in

Business Law Essay Example for Free

Business Law Essay Introduction At the course of Business Law, we got the knowledge about the contract. In addition we have an assignment that provides a contract analysis. This evaluation of the contract will be reviewed in accordance with the following requirements: 1. What specifically makes this contract enforceable? 2. What are the responsibilities of both parties? 3. What are the possible damages and liabilities? 4. What impact does a potential breach of contract have on the business? 5. Summarize, by reflecting in general on the impact legal issues can have in both small and large businesses. So, a contract is any voluntary legally binding agreement between two or more people or businesses. In our case the two parties will be represented by The State of Oregon, and by Pro DX, who will provide services and goods to the first one. 1. What specifically makes this contract enforceable? Based on the English Statute of Frauds, not every contract has to be in writing to be valid and enforceable, but some contracts should be. This agreement between State of Oregon and Pro DX, should be in writing because this contract involving the providing of services (repairs, replacements, maintenances, and others) exceeding a big amount of money. To avoid misunderstandings and disagreements and to reduce the possibility of perjury by one party or the other, this contract should be in writing. Furthermore, because it can be performed in less than one year, this kind of contract can be in oral form, and it requires involving the third party (a witness) who in case of the trial will bring a reasonable and effective evidences, otherwise one of the party might deny that the contract ever existed or might disagree on the terms of the contract. Besides that this contract is a service contract, it is also a good contract because it requires implementation of goods components in modernizat ion of the software. (Article 2 of the UCC) This contract, like all contracts become enforceable if all the elements of the contract have been fulfilled without fail. First that prove that the contract is enforceable is the offer. * The offer is a proposal made by one person to another person for the sale and purchase of goods, to engage in a job, action participation, and provision of services. So this contract offers software system design and programming services, in the future is valued at $ 52,800.00 for the state of Oregon. * Another element mentioned in the contract is acceptance. In general acceptance of an offer is a manifestation of assent to the terms thereof made by the offeree in a manner invited or required by the offer. Acceptance in this case is described that contractor, herein Pro DX, agrees to perform the work in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract. * Another important element found in this agreement is the legal consideration; this means that each party must provide something of value. In our contract this means that one party (Pro DX) will provide a service (such as maintenance, programming services, software), or a product, in exchange for money (from the State of Oregon, therein represented by the DHS). * If talking about a Professional Data Exchange Company and State of Oregon, we automatically can say that another element of contract is automatically respected. This is capacity to create a contract such means that each party must have the legal capacity to enter a contract. In most jurisdictions that means that they must be at least a certain age and of sound mind. For this mentioned companies it may mean that the individual is given express authority to enter a contract in the company’s bylaws or other formal documents, such is State of Oregon that is acting by and trough its Department of Human Services, Office of Information Services, hereinafter referred to as DHS. * An element with the biggest importance is that this contract has a legal purpose. And it is, because this agreement refers just to providing of services and not illegal things. * The last element that should make enforceable this contract is that both parties should be mentally competent. In special this contract, has all this requirements but it is still unenforceable because it doesn’t have so little elements that also make a contract enforceable. These are: the commencement date of the contract, party’s rights written in and not only the responsibilities, and party’s signatures and stamps. 2. What are the responsibilities of both parties? The important responsibilities of the contractor (therein as Pro DX) are: * To provide system design and programming services, including COBOL II, Easytrieve Plus, CICS, CA Intertest and VSAM and DB2 file structures, and make corrections approved by DHS Project Manager. * To construct or modify and implement programs/ files that will control the processing of rates on the JD/CBC system, based on DHS supplied Project Design document and criteria. * To perform design changes, programming, acceptance testing or implementation to address unforeseen error(s), newly discovered bugs and/or interfacing issues. * To demonstrate successful implementation of the production system content with the requirements of Statement of Work to DHS Project Manager. * All these services should be provided in specific limit of time and cost. While the DHS Project Manager responsibilities are: * To provide the necessary methodologies and standards that conforms to documentation standards. * To promote the rules for completing each task within time frame and approval of every task. * To define and document what testing data is needed for the CBC/512 rate structure project. * To pay for services provided by contractor herein as Professional Data Exchange (ProDX). 3. What are the possible damages and liabilities? If Pro DX breaches the contract, the possible damages can be: * The DHS might sue the party for a remedies under the law; * The Pro DX will be enforced to pay the caused damages, that can be compensatory, liquidated, nominal, and/or punitive damages. * The Pro DX can be enforced to a specific performance. Basically a decree requiring the breaching party to perform their part of the bargain in the contract. * Pro DX might meet with the terms such -Cancellation and Restitution. A non-breaching party may cancel the contract and sue for restitution if the non-breaching party has given a benefit to the breaching party. The former contract which is the subject of dispute is â€Å"rescinded† (cancelled), and a new one may be formed to meet the parties’ needs. * Pro DX will have to pay the attorney’s fees and cost. (in case of litigation). If we will look from the DHS’s side, the possible damages that can appear are: * To waste time waiting for the performance; * To lose the work that should be provided after the implementation; * Damage also includes the costs of hiring another company to finish the job. The liabilities that can be provided by Pro DX are: * To provide the programs and software that will satisfy the State of Oregon; * To complete all maintenance work within time frame; * To not to exceed the cost and work hours. The liabilities that should be provided by DHS are: * To establish the criteria and methodologies necessaries to accept the new right implemented programs and software; * To make corrections (if needed) in the supplied services; * To pay money for successful implemented system. 4. What impact does a potential breach of contract have on the business? So in the case of non-fulfillment of a contract by one party (for example by Pro DX), as a result the other party (DHS) suffers losses. Breach of a contract has negative effects, and has wide ranging consequences both legal and practical to the parties to the contract: * Loss of money – (if, for example, Pro DX refuses to form his side of the bargain on the due date or performs incompletely, in result the second party, DHS, will lose their money for this implementation and also will lose their time spend on waiting for, and somehow will lose the profit that can be made further). * Loss of time (if, for example, Pro DX’s programs and software will not be accepted by the DHS’s side, the first will result that lost their time, and some files or programs, for doing this job). * Loss of a financial partner- it can be lose a potential investor or/and the business with who you are dealing. * Loss of trust- it is bad for any business, because no one will have pleasure to make business with an entity that lost trust in the market. * Loss of markets- insufficiently active or successful business means a loss of competitiveness and loss of market. * Injury to reputation It is not good for a business reputation if word gets out that they have not honored their part of the contract. Other companies will be reluctant to do business with an entity which has previously defaulted on other contracts. 5. Summarize, by reflecting in general on the impact legal issues can have in both small and large businesses. Although some recent studies have looked at the impact of regulations on the relationship between government and private business in general, the attention has been directed toward understanding precisely how government regulations have affected small businesses. There is good reason to believe that size matters. Precisely because of their smaller size, small businesses are likely to be less diversified and less able to leverage economies of scale or to access capital markets. As a result, small businesses might be more risk-averse and less able to react to unexpected events compared to larger businesses. Large firms with deep pockets might be more frequent targets of employee discrimination, wrongful discharge and other suits. Large firms might also have a stronger incentive to spend substantial resources aggressively defending any one suit so as to deter future suits. On the other hand, small firms may be more vulnerable to breach of a non-compete agreement or violation of trade secrets rules as the entire business may depend on that trade secret. As a result, they may be more likely to prosecute, in spite of the costs and the risks of bankruptcy. (http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/smallbus.html, Source: U.S. Census Bureau.) Also as an owner of a small business or a large business, the common danger of crippling litigation should also be at the top of your priorities. Disgruntled Employees, Discrimination/Harassment Cases, Immigration Audits – any business should make sure that all its company’s employees can legally work in the United States. Unsatisfied Customers Customers who are unsatisfied can file class action lawsuits against the company, in which they gather in large consumer groups and attack the company over faulty products, services or promises. With enough unsatisfied customers, class action lawsuits can do more damage than any individual or corporation and irreparably tarnish your brand’s image. Other Legal Issues These are only some of the most common legal issues facing small and large businesses today. Good communication in the workplace and a hands-on approach to management is the best deterrent to legal issues. Of course the big companies that are facing with these issues, the damage (financial risks, or company image) are higher and have a more sever reflection, than a small company could have. 6. What are the implications this project has for your chosen career? At the end of this evaluation of the contract, as a future accountant, I understood that the contract is the safer way to make an exchange of goods and/or services. I got the knowledge what is a valid contract, what it makes enforceable, what are the elements of the contract, what are the risks and liabilities. This big source of information will help me to be more capable and to feel free while signing a contract. Those skills will help me to manage my business or my job as accountant without breaking the law. Everyone in his life has deals with the contracts, even if this is unwritten or is written one. Even in the supermarket, or when we are buying clothes, we are doing the exchange of money and a product. So the rules of the contract is that one party is offering something, when another party is considering your offer and decides to have a relationship with you or not. Also, as an accountant or a business woman, an important thing is to know how, to behave in unexpected situation. In activity of businesses can appear the situations called Force Majeure- this is an emergency, do not depend on the participation of the parties. (For example: fire, earthquakes, hurricanes, and others.). In this case, none of the parties is legally responsible for its obligations. Further, to that contract, is made an additional agreement, which specifies other conditions. So knowing what is legal and what are the criteria that make a contract valid and enforceable will help me to succeed in my accountant ca reer. Conclusion Business law courses were often overlooked in high school, or college. It’s not an education required strictly for attorneys that represent and defend businesses, in fact it’s pretty much for almost anyone. Contracts are written or oral agreement between two or more parties. The parties can be individuals, companies, non-profits or government agencies. With a contract, two or more parties agree to exchange services or promises. Many parts of our daily lives involve contracts. When we buy an insurance policy for the home or the car, for example, we are entering into an agreement. Many people have employment contracts. Even when we go to a doctor these days we have to sign a contract agreeing to receive medical treatment. If speaking in special about this analysis of a contract, about knowing how and when we enter into a contract to be safer, more convenient and profitable. So business law through information and specific examples will help us to get more information sought. In analysis of such a contract, we are able to focus on the elements and requirements so, that we do not overlook anything. This practice will develop in the future to have a professional behavior in the process of concluding a contract.

The Very Concept Or Idea Of God Philosophy Essay

The Very Concept Or Idea Of God Philosophy Essay Ontological arguments attempt to show that the very concept or idea of God implies his reality; that is, that ones being able to clearly conceive of God somehow implies that God actually exists. The ontological argument is a priori. This means that the argument does not rely on the evidence of the sense, or the world around us, for either its premises or its conclusion, but rather it moves by stages of logical argument to a conclusion which is self-evidently true or logically necessary. The argument is both deductive and analytic. This means that the premises of the argument contain the conclusion it reaches and the argument is structured in such a way as to make the conclusion the only possible one that can be deduced from its premises. Because it is analytic it is true by definition alone. The ontological argument was first formulated by eleventh century Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Anselm. Anselms original version of the argument is developed in his Proslogion in the course of some reflections on the fool who hath said in his heart, There is no God. Anselm reasons that even to deny Gods existence, the fool must understand the idea of God, who must exist as an idea in the understanding of the fool. Anselm suggests that the idea of God is the greatest possible being, a being than which nothing greater can be conceived. Anselm claims that it is greater to exist in reality than merely to exist in the understanding. Since God is by definition the greatest possible being, it is impossible for God to only exist in the mind (the understanding). For if God only existed in the mind and not in reality, the God would not be the greatest possible being. Anselms argument is an essential idea of the ontological argument because he was the first scholar to formulate the ontological argument which other philosophers, including modern scholars, use as the basis of their developments to the ontological argument. Five hundred years after Anselm, the French philosopher Rene Descartes reformulated the ontological proof, in terms of the concept of necessary existence. Descartes realised that doubting all of his knowledge proved his existence: I think, therefore I am. Similar to Anselm, Descartes defined God as an infinitely perfect being superior to all beings in perfection. He argued that because we exist and in our minds, have the concept of a perfect being; and as an imperfect being, we could not have conjured up the concept of a perfect being. The concept of a perfect being must therefore have originated from the perfect being itself and a perfect being must exist in order to be perfect, therefore a perfect being exists. Descartes applied his argument for a perfect being to the existence of God. He argued that God is the idea of a supremely perfect being. A supremely perfect being has all perfections. Existence is a perfection. A supremely perfect being has the perfection of existence. It is impossible to think of God as not existing, therefore, God exists. Descartes maintained existence belonged analytically to God in the same way that three angles are analytically predicated of a triangle, or less convincingly, as a valley is a necessary predicate of a mountain. Norman Malcolm proposed another form of the ontological argument in support of necessary existence. Malcolm argued; if God exists, his existence is necessary; if God does not exist, his existence is impossible. Either God exists or he does not exist. Therefore Gods existence is either necessary or impossible. Gods existence is possible (not impossible), therefore Gods existence is necessary. Malcolms argument is an essential idea of the ontological argument because it is a development of both Anselms and Descartes arguments and logically proves the necessary existence of God. Alvin Plantinga formulated his own, contemporary version of the ontological argument. Plantainga suggested that since we are able to imagine any number of alternative worlds in which things may be quite different, for example a world in which John F Kennedy decided not to become a politician and been an estate agent instead. There must be any number of possible worlds, including our own. However, if Gods existence is necessary, he must exist in them all and have all the characteristics of God in them all. This is because, Plantinga argued, God is both maximally great and maximally excellent. He proposed that: there exists a world in which there is a being of maximal greatness, and a being of maximal excellence is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent in all worlds. Plantingas argument is an essential idea of the ontological argument because it succeeds in showing that God is possible in all possible worlds. b) Despite the ontological argument seeming to be a strong, convincing argument for proof for the existence of God, it comes under heavy scrutiny from its weaknesses. Anselms argument was refuted in his own lifetime by Gaunilo, who demonstrated that if the logic of the argument were applied to things other than God, it led to invalid conclusions. Gaunilo replaced the word God with the greatest island which led to his argument which had the same form as Anselms, with true premises, and yet, which leads to a false conclusion. Gaunilo argued: I can conceive of an island that than which no greater island can be thought. Such an island must possess all perfections. Existence is a perfection, therefore, the island exists. Gaunilos argument shows that just because we can think of the greatest possible thing or being in our mind it does not mean that it exists in reality. However this is a weak criticism of the ontological argument and the strengths are more convincing because Gaunilo is applying the argument to a contingent object, where as God is a necessary being according to Anselm. An island may or may not exist. Furthermore, there is no logical poin t at which we might reasonably say that we have reached intrinsic perfection in an island or other islands, or other contingent things, is surely subjective I cannot possibly guarantee that my perfect island is the same as yours. Therefore the strengths of the ontological argument are much more convincing than Gaunilos criticism because it shows that the argument works when applied to a necessary being, where as Gaunilo applied it to a contingent item, which is not the same thing. Fundamental to Anselms and Descartes form of the ontological argument is that existence is a predicate an attribute or quality that can be possessed or lacked, such as size, shape, colour, temperature, personality, intelligence or traits. These may or may not belong to a being or thing, and their presence or absence is part of our understanding and apprehension of it. However Kant observed that existence is not associated with the definition of something, since it does not add to our understanding of that thing. We must establish the existence of something before we can say what it is like. We cannot ascribe existence a priori to our definition of a perfect being. Kant argues it would be self contradictory to posit a triangle and yet reject its three angles, but there is no contradiction in rejecting the triangle together with its three angles. Kants criticism of the ontological argument is very strong and causes the ontological argument to be weak and not convincing because Anselm and Descartes used existence as a predicate in their arguments and consequently they were wrong to do so because existence is not a quality because the idea of God, existence is contained within the definition of God. Kant also added that existence adds nothing to the concept of a thing or being. For example, one hundred pounds in the imagination was not made greater in number or nature by existing in reality. However this argument fails to weaken the ontological argument because arguably one hundred pounds in reality is more useful than one hundred pounds in the mind. In the same way God who only exists in the mind can have no real effect on the lives of believers; where as God who exists in reality can intervene in peoples lives and make a real difference. Despite this, Kants argument is still a strong criticism and causes the ontological argument to not be a convincing argument because you can reject the idea of God and easily thin of a being that does not exist. David Hume also criticised the ontological argument. He believed that the ontological argument makes a false assumption about existence that necessary existence was a coherent concept. Hume argued that existence could only ever be contingent and that all statements about existence could be denied without contradiction. All things which could be said to exist could also be said not to exist. Hume said: However much our concept of an object may contain, we must go outside of it to determine whether or not it exists. We cannot define something into existence even if it has all the perfections we can imagine. Humes criticism is similar to Kants and makes the ontological argument a less convincing argument because it is not possible to move from the necessary of a proposition to the necessity of a God. In conclusion the ontological argument is a fairly convincing argument despite its various criticisms. The ontological argument cannot be disproved but it also cannot be proved, yet it remains a fairly strong and convincing argument for the existence of God. It is the strongest argument for the theist but it can be argued that it cannot be a strong argument or proof for the existence of God because there is no empirical evidence to prove its claims. However, I believe that it remains a fairly convincing argument because if God is the greatest being, by definition, God must be a necessary being, and in order to be the great being conceivable, God must exist in reality.

Country Profile And History Of Malta Tourism Essay

Country Profile And History Of Malta Tourism Essay Situated in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, only some 93 km away from the southernmost part of Sicily and 288 km east of Tunis, the Republic of Malta is one of the smallest, albeit most densely populated (1307 inhabitants/km ²), European countries. The population of 412 970  [1]  is spread over Malta and Gozo  [2]  , two main islands, which together with their corresponding archipelago comprise a surface area of 316 km2. The tale of the Maltese history is a very turbulent one and it has seen a succession of many different powers ruling its islands throughout the course of time. Maltese islands have been already colonised in prehistoric times when the first settlers came down from the nearby Sicily, establishing their Neolithic communities around 5000 BC (Trump 1972). The period around 4100 BC marked the beginning of the so-called Temple Period (Ã…Â »ebbuÄ ¡ phase) around the islands, characterized by the appearance of the rock-cut chamber tombs. The peak of the Temple period ensued in the Ä  gantija phase (3600 3200 BC), named after the eponymous site on the island of Gozo (Trump 2002). This was the first phase of the extensive building activity in the form of the megalithic structures, while the second phase took place around 3000 BC However, the prolific era of architectural prowess ceased towards 2500 BC, the buildings were abandoned and islands depopulated, until the advent of th e Bronze Age with new populations arriving and raising their settlements (2500 700 BC). In the period between 700 and 500 BC, Malta was colonised by the Phoenicians who saw the importance of islands strategic location and used their harbours for their trading business. After almost 300 years of Punic domination, which started around 500 BC, and their resulting defeat in the Punic wars, the power over the islands fell into the Roman hands in 218 BC, who incorporated them in the province of Sicily and thus the Empire. After the division of the Roman Empire, Malta was briefly occupied by Vandals and Ostrogoths in the 5th century, but in 535 AD, during the reign of Emperor Justinian I, it was assimilated by the Byzantine Empire where it remained until the Arabian conquest in 870 AD (Bonnano 2005). A chaotic medieval period followed where different rulers and ruling dynasties were replacing each other, for example, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, just to name a few. For a brief period of 50 years, Malta was a part of the Spanish Empire, until 1530 when it was consign ed to the Knights of the Order of Saint John who were expelled from the island of Rhodes by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Under the constant threat of the Turkish attack, Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette built the first fortifications on Malta (Birgu and Isla) and Fort St. Elmo to guard the entrance to the Grand Harbour. The inevitable Turkish invasion began in 1565 marking the event known in history as the Great Siege of Malta. The attack was successfully warded off and in 1566 the Knights started constructing their new city, which was to carry the name of their victorious Grand Master. For the next 232 years, Malta stayed under the command of the Knights until the French occupation in 1798 led by Napoleon. However, after only two years, the French will surrender the territory to the British and Malta will become a crown colony by the provisions of the Treaty of Paris (1814).  [3]   As an important strategic naval base to the Allied forces, Malta suffered great damage and loss of lives during WWII, while being bombed by the German and Italian forces. On 15th April 1942, King George VI awarded the country with George Cross for bravery, a symbol that is today embedded in the Maltese flag.  [4]   During the British rule, the government structure was constantly shifting. Malta was granted self-government in 1921 by the provisions of the Amery-Milner Constitution, which also allowed for the first Parliament to be established. The Constitution was suspended, restored and withdrawn in the period of three years (1930 1933) as the result of a political crisis (Zammit 2005). Nevertheless, self-government was restored to Malta between 1947 and 1964. Finally, on 21st September 1964, Malta gained independence from the colonial rule, gained sovereignty within the Commonwealth and joined the United Nations. In the following year, Malta also joined the Council of Europe. It was not until a decade later that Malta declared itself a republic, on 13th December 1974, with Sir Anthony Mamo as its first president. With the termination of the military base agreement, British troops and the Royal Navy withdrew from the islands in 1979.  [5]  In 1993, local government was reintroduced by an a ct of Parliament. Another milestone in Maltese history occurred in 2003 when the Treaty of Accession to the European Union was signed and on 1st May 2004, in the biggest enlargement of the EU history, Malta joined the Union with other nine states. Today, Malta is a parliamentary democracy whose government structure and public administration are modelled on the Westminster system. Its political scene is governed by two major political parties, which shifted in power since WWII, namely, the Nationalist Party (Partit Nazzjonalista; Christian Democratic Party) and the Labour Party (Partit Laburista; Social Democratic Party), with Nationalist party being currently in power. 2.2 Legislation on cultural heritage The earliest legislation on cultural heritage in Malta dates back to 1925 when the colonial government issued the Antiquities (Protection) Act which was the consolidated edition of a series of earlier ordinances issued from 1907. The Act was followed by the creation of the Antiquities list in 1932, which contained the records of sites and properties under protection. Heritage was next mentioned in 1991, in the context of Act Nr. V of the Environment Protection Act which proclaimed that ministers responsible for the environment have the power to declare any natural or cultural site as protected. In the succeeding Development Planning Act of 1992, cultural heritage is introduced through the scheduling of properties for conservation. The old Antiquities Act was superseded in 2002 by the Cultural Heritage Act which was to rectify the imbalances that had existed since the times of antiquated governance and institute structural changes which would reflect the current needs by making provisions for management, regulation and conservation of cultural heritage (Grima Theuma 2006). The Cultural Heritage Act (2002), the principal tool that protects the cultural heritage in Malta, defines cultural heritage as movable and immovable objects of artistic, architectural, historical, archaeological, ethnographic, paleontological and geological importance and includes information or data relative to cultural heritage pertaining to Malta or to any other country. The CHA established a number of different entities, such as Heritage Malta, Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, Committee of Guarantee, Malta Centre for Restoration (merged with Heritage Malta in 2005), National Forum and Cultural Heritage Fund (administered by the Committee of Guarantee). The functions and objectives of selected entities will be detailed later in this chapter (2.3). Guardianship Deed is an important tool introduced by the CHA (Article 48), with the SCH in charge of the administration process. It encourages involvement at grassroots level by allowing cultural heritage NGOs and local councils to enter into contract with the State which can transfer to them immovable cultural property in guardianship. This can only be done with properties such as archaeological sites, fortresses, towers and buildings which are public property. If the agreement in the notarial act is for some reason cancelled, the land returns to the government and the public ownership of the site is not lost. Government gives LCs or NGOs special rights on these properties, especially economic rights, because they can make money from the sites through fundraising and keep the money for restoration of buildings. This is an exception because usually, an NGO cannot perform fundraising activities on a public property. A GD is extremely helpful because it allows the state to transfer the neglected properties which would otherwise probably never be restored. Up until now, ten properties were entrusted to NGOs (nine to Din l-Art Helwa and one to Wirt Artna) and one to the Tarxien Local Council for a WWII shelter (SCH 2010). The number seems to indicate either a lack of interest or poor awareness of the opportunities offered by the GD (SCH 2010). The National strategy for cultural heritage was published in 2006 by the Ministry for Tourism and Culture as a further step in the implementation of the Cultural Heritage Act. The main objectives identified in this document are citizen participation, improved governance, development of cultural resources and sustainable use of heritage resources (MTC 2006a). The Local Councils Act was approved by the Maltese Parliament on 30 June 1993. It was based on the COEs European Charter of Local Self-Government which the Government ratified earlier that same year. The Act created a system of local government authorities and gave them considerable responsibilities and functions, all of which are described in Articles 33 through 48. In relation to cultural heritage, the LCA limited LCs involvement in cultural heritage projects, however, Article 48 of the CHA enabled them to assume the role of custodians by entering into the Guardianship deed with the government. This process has already been discussed earlier in this text. The Development Planning Act was created in 1992 and makes provisions for the planning and management of development and for the establishment of an authority with powers to that effect (DPA 1992, 1). The articles 46 through 47 are of interest here as they refer to cultural and natural heritage and authorize the agency in question (MEPA) to schedule property for conservation, to manage and review the list of scheduled property and to make emergency conservation orders. The Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands was published in 1990 by the Planning Services Division of the Ministry for Development of Infrastructure. It is different from the DPA, in that it designates various types of conservation areas and properties, Chapter 15 of the SPMI identifies complementary policies which apply to those areas and properties. It further ranks the properties according to their significance and degree of protection. Listed buildings in Urban Conservation Areas are graded as Grades 1 to 3; Areas and Sites of Archaeological Importance are classified from Class A to D, while Areas of Ecological Importance and Sites of Scientific Importance are rated from Level 1 to 4 (SPMI 1990). 2.3 Relevant authorities In the last twelve years, culture has shifted between several ministerial portfolios, presently constituting a part of Ministry for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (Attard 2010). Before the CHA of 2002, there was only the Museums Department, the state administrative unit, which was both the operator and the regulator, functions which are today performed by Heritage Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. Since the Museums Department was not covered by law, there was not much information to be found on the subject. They had no autonomy, but they had a budget with which they ran the museums, while the revenue from the ticket sales went back to the government (Cutajar 2010). The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (Sovrintendenza Tal-Patrimonju Kulturali) is a national agency responsible for the regulation of all matters pertaining to the cultural heritage of Malta. Their mission, as defined by Article 7, paragraph 1 of the CHA is to fulfil the duties of the State in ensuring the protection and accessibility of Maltas cultural heritage. Article 7, paragraph 5 details all the functions of the SCH, some of which are: development, managing and updating the National inventory of cultural property; promoting research in the field of cultural heritage; authorising and conducting excavations; keeping and managing documentation and archives in relation to cultural heritage; the monitoring of import and export of cultural goods; enforcement of the laws; advising the Minister and MEPA on heritage matters; administration of Guardianship deeds with NGOs and local councils. SCH is headed by the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage and currently consists of eleven st aff members (Attard 2010). Since 2007, they have administered the Cultural Heritage Inventory Management System (CHIMS) project, a national database for heritage data management, which attempts to improve access to information. The agency keeps a meticulous record of their publications namely, Annual Reports and State of heritage reports which can be accessed online on their official website. Heritage Malta is an operating agency, established to ensure that those elements of the cultural heritage entrusted to it are protected and made accessible to the public (CHA 2002, Art.8, para.1). HMs main task is management of State-owned museums and heritage sites, their related collections on the islands of Malta and Gozo, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites (HM 2008). The agency is governed by a Board of Directors. In 2005, the amendment to the CHA merged the former Malta Centre for Restoration with HM, and thus gave rise to the Institute of Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage which offers academic and vocational courses in conservation in collaboration with MCAST and the University of Malta.  [6]   Further functions of the Agency are elaborated upon in Article 8, paragraph 4 of the CHA, some of which are acquisition of properties, collections, sites and buildings; performing or commissioning conservation or restoration of owned or administered cultural properties; promoting education and appreciation of heritage to the general public; ensuring that all of the heritage sites entrusted to them are managed, conserved, studied and presented in the best way possible. HM has successfully managed to capitalize upon different EU funding schemes for their cultural heritage and conservation programmes. Following is a selection of some of the ongoing projects: SMARTmuseum (FP7) development of a platform for innovative IT services; Rehabilitation of Roman Baths and Christian Catacombs in Mgarr and Mosta (EAFRD); MINERVA Digitisation Project; Ä ¦aÄ ¡ar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park (ERDF) installation of protective shelters, conservation and presentation, Med.Archeo.Sites: Study and Valorisation of Archaeological Sites of the Mediterranean Area.  [7]  The latest and a rather significant project is a 9.2à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ million Archaeological Heritage Conservation Project (ERDF) launched in mid-2008. It will run until March 2013 and includes works on three sites, two of which are part of the Maltese Megalithic temples WHS (Ä  gantija and Tarxien temples), while the third is on UNESCOs Tentative List (St. Pauls Catacombs in Rab at). The project includes construction of elevated walkways for both WHSs, a museum and a visitors centre at Ä  gantija, and a temporary protective shelter, similar to the ones at Ä ¦aÄ ¡ar Qim and Mnajdra, over the Tarxien temples (HM 2008). Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) was established by the provisions of the Development Planning Act (1992) and its role further reinforced by the Environment Protection Act (2001). It is a national agency in charge of land use planning and environmental regulation in Malta.  [8]  MEPA is subdivided into the Development Planning Directorate, Environment Protection Directorate, Directorate for Corporate Service and the Chairmans Office, all of which are carrying out the agencys responsibilities. The Planning Directorate is further split into the Forward Planning Division and the Development Services Division. It is within FPD that the Heritage Planning Unit (HPU), which is responsible for all matters pertaining to cultural and natural heritage, is placed. A full list of HPUs obligations and duties can be found explained in detail in Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands (Chapter 15), EPA and DPA (Chapters 46 48). Some of the main tasks of HPU are providing general information on heritage, legal protection of immovable heritage and heritage related planning, scheduling properties and maintaining the Malta Scheduled Property Register, publishing guidelines for restoration,  [9]  internal  [10]  and public awareness projects.  [11]   Within the Public Awareness section of the HPUs website one can find links to X-Plain and One World. X-Plain is a four-page long newsletter on MEPAs monthly activities, whose first issue was published in May 2007. There were seven issues published in 2007 and only three in 2008 which clearly shows that the newsletter has been discontinued. One world, on the other hand, was a special column in Times of Malta newspaper where, in the period from May 2007 until June 2009, a series of articles on cultural heritage of Malta were published. There is also an informative section with answers to some frequently asked questions such as the definition of buffer zones, how to check if ones property has been scheduled or which works can be carried out within scheduled property without development consent. MEPA and HPU are encouraging citizen involvement so, for instance, every citizen can request a property to be scheduled and thus legally protected and enlisted in MSPR by filling the appropriate form available on the MEPA website. The Maltese National Commission for UNESCO was created when Malta gained independence in 1964. Although a national commission, it comprises of volunteer staff members whose energy, resources and time they can spend are infinitesimal compared to national commissions of other countries that employ full-time personnel. The Maltese National Commission for UNESCO organises local projects which are in line with the mission and objectives of the parent organisation located in Paris.  [12]  Some of the projects related to Maltas WHSs include a preparation of a reactive monitoring report for City of Valletta and publication of The Tarxien Temples: Teachers Resource Book Worksheets. The Commission runs the official website where one can gather information about their activities and members. The News section of the site brings updates on news related to global UNESCOs activities. Local councils, as already mentioned in the section on legislation, were created in 1993 as required by the LCA. There are altogether 68 local councils of which 54 are located in Malta and 14 in Gozo. LCs are, by legal definition, responsible for a number of things (Articles 33 48, LCA), and specifically excluded from a number of other things, most of which are dealing with cultural sites. They have the right to organise local festas or other folkloristic activities, and deduct funding for culture from their own resources. LCs spend a lot of money on restoration of local chapels and publications, but national monuments, such as the Megalithic temples WHS, are not their responsibility as those are funded from the government budgets and managed by the national agency (Heritage Malta). Tarxien, Qrendi, MÄ ¡arr and XagÄra are local councils of special interest here since the Megalithic temples WHS are situated in their administrative units. Following is a short analysis of inf ormation that these LCs provide on the temples to interested parties. The office of XagÄra Local Council does not contain any HM brochures on Ä  gantija. A member of the LC informed the author that they do not receive these brochures from Heritage Malta at all. However, they do have a catalogue which lists all the sites of historical interest in XagÄra, though it wasnt specified if this is something available for purchase or only for library use. The book was not available for viewing at the time of the authors visit. The official website of the LC was no more informative either. It contains a link  [13]  which shows an interactive map of XagÄra with clickable points of interest. Upon clicking the point for Ä  gantija, the visitor enters a new page with information on Ä  gantija temples and one photo of the site. The text does not mention that Ä  gantija is UNESCO WHS. Another link  [14]  provides some brief information on the history of Gozo, starting from prehistoric times, and includes one more photo of Ä  gantija. The website of MÄ ¡arr Local Council provides specific information on the Ta Ä ¦aÄ ¡rat and Skorba temples accompanied by one photo of each site.  [15]  Almost everything is in Maltese, with only some content translated into English. The English version of the site displays information on the history of the village featuring links to the HM website and their information on the temples.  [16]  The author did not have a chance to meet a representative of this LC despite several communication attempts. The office of the Qrendi Local Council, just like the XagÄra LC, does not contain any HM brochures. The secretary of the LC stated regrettably that there is no cooperation between them and Heritage Malta although they have expressed their interest on many occasions. On the other hand, the LC seems to cooperate and consult more freely with MEPA concerning cultural heritage issues. From time to time the council organises cultural and educational outings, however, none of these were done at Ä ¦aÄ ¡ar Qim or Mnajdra WHSs. They have also designed several heritage walks, itineraries through the village of Qrendi and its significant buildings, mainly local chapels and churches, a palace, a tower and a public garden.  [17]   In 2009, the council organized a cultural event From prehistory to the digital era during which one lecture on the temples of Ä ¦aÄ ¡ar Qim and Mnajdra was held. The official website of the LC is available in both Maltese and English. One of the links entitled ArkeoloÄ ¡ija contains three further sections on the archaeological sites around the village, two of which are Ä ¦aÄ ¡ar Qim and Mnajdra. The article on the temples is short but it does mention their WH designation.  [18]  Another link allows access to a number of press releases related to the landfill site controversy issued by the Council.  [19]   At the time of the authors visit, the Tarxien Local Council offices were closed and further efforts to establish contact with an LC representative have failed. The official website contains a couple of links which refer to the temples, although their contents are questionable. The link which describes the history of the village, including several (incorrect) references to the temples, quotes heavily from an outdated book, published in 1932.  [20]  Another link, although entitled Postijiet Interessanti (eng. interesting places), did not find the temples interesting enough to be included in the overview. Finally, the last link brings a short article on the Tarxien temples WHS with three images.  [21]  The website is available in Maltese with Italian translation. 2.4 Cultural Heritage NGOs The two major cultural heritage NGOs in Malta are Din L-art Helwa and Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna which are both interested in various aspects of cultural heritage. Several other NGOs, with varying degrees of involvement, are also included in this overview. Din L-art Helwa (National Trust of Malta) is a voluntary organisation established in 1965. Their mission is protection, conservation, management and maintenance of historic monuments and buildings, taking care of the environment and environmental issues, raising awareness and the promotion of heritage to the public. Din l-Art Helwa functions as a Trust, implying that it is restoring the sites on behalf of the State, the Church, and private owners (Vigilo 2010). Membership in the organisation is open to all. Since 2003, Din l-Art Helwa holds nine properties in trust which were transferred to it by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage via the first Guardianship deed.  [22]  Sites are manned by volunteers who keep them open for visitors. The Organizations website offers in-depth information about their sites, campaigns and projects. Moreover, it is often updated with information about current events and offers e-mail subscription to their newsletter. There are also many useful publications available for download, such as brochures with proposed walks through their sites and Vigilo, the organisations bulletin. Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna (The Malta Heritage Trust) is a voluntary organisation established in 1987. Their focus lies on restoration, presentation and management of mainly neglected rural and industrial sites, as well as British and medieval military heritage.  [23]   The foundation both owns properties and holds them in trust. Apart from one prehistoric temple in their ownership,  [24]  the rest of the properties are mostly late medieval and 20th century military structures such as ramparts, bastions, forts, towers, bridges and defence posts. There are several sites currently open to public  [25]  which are looked after by the volunteers and paid staff. Wirt Artna is running many different projects as diverse as conservation and restoration works on their properties, historical re-enactments as an interpretation tool (Living history), education and awareness raising about military heritage among schoolchildren (Hands-on Heritage). Membership in the organisation is open to all. The official website of the foundation does not offer a subscription to a newsletter, however, they do make good use of new internet media and opened a group Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna on Facebook, a social networking platform anyone with a Facebook account can join and automatically keep track of the groups updates. The foundations Facebook group also contains photo albums with images of various events they organised. The group currently has 813 members. Wirt GÄawdex is a non-governmental organisation created in 1981 whose activities and projects are primarily concerned with the historical, archaeological and natural heritage of the islands of Gozo and Comino. Wirt GÄawdex is involved in restoration projects on monuments such as late medieval watchtower, chapels, bastions and a gunpowder magazine.  [26]  They are also organizing tours to sites of cultural significance on the islands and holding public lectures. In relation to the Megalithic temples WHS, there has only been one lecture entitled Prehistoric Temples of Gozo, held in April 2010, since the organisation started with the lecture programme in 2006. Furthermore, in the period between 2006 and 2009, there were only a total of eight tours organized, and apart from the visit to Hypogeum and Tarxien Temples in April 2007, there were no other visits to WHS, surprisingly, not even to Ä  gantija which is situated on the island itself. The official website does not offer a newsletter subscription, but some of the issues can be downloaded in .pdf format directly from the site. Membership in this organisation is open to all. The Old Temples Study Foundation (OTSF) is a US non-profit organisation established in 1994 whose mission is to foster education and research related to prehistoric culture in Malta. The foundation has lately only been focused on organising educational travel trips for Americans who wish to visit Malta and holding lectures and exhibitions in the US on Maltese culture and heritage. In the past, the OTSF organised a number of different activities and projects, what follows is a selection of those that were addressed to the Maltese population. Student Prehistoric Heritage Awareness Project: in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and former Museums Department, OTSF published a teachers handbook on Maltese prehistoric heritage which was distributed in Maltese schools. The year the project was undertaken has not been published on their website and there is no possibility to see what the handbook looked like. Tell me about the Maltese temples is another book which evolved from the previous project. It is an illustrated bilingual (Maltese English) book for use in classrooms which was published in year 2000. In 2003, the Foundation organized an international conference entitled Exploring the Maltese Prehistoric Temple Culture (EMPTC) which gathered experts from around the world.  [27]   The OTSF hosts a FAQ section on their official website which provides information on the megalithic culture of Malta for children. The author attempted to arrange a meeting with a representative of the Foundation while in Valletta and left her contact details with the secretary, unfortunately, there was no feedback afterwards. Archaeological society Malta (ASM) is

Bordetella pertussis :: Essays Papers

Bordetella pertussis "Whooping Cough" Encounter and Colonization Bordetella pertussis is a highly communicable agent and is transmitted person-to-person via airborne droplets or direct contact with discharges from the respiratory mucous membranes of an infected person. This small, gram-negative coccobacillus is non-motile, aerobic and fastidious. B. pertussis colonizes the respiratory tract including the mouth, nose, throat and beginning of the lungs of young children worldwide. The bacteria bind to ciliated cells in the respiratory mucosa by producing adhesions. Filamentous hemagglutinin on the cell surface and pertussis toxin (Ptx) both help the bacteria in binding. Filamentous hemagglutinin binds to the galactose residues on the glycolipid of the ciliated cells. Ptx, in its cell-bound form, binds to the glycolipid lactosylceramide, which is also found on the ciliated cells. Ptx binds to the surface of phagocytes as well, causing phagocytosis of the bacteria. This mechanism may lead to enhanced survival as an intracellular parasite. Adding to it s many purposes, Ptx deregulates the host cell adenylate cyclase activity. The A subunit of this AB toxin, affects the G protein responsible for inhibiting adenylate cyclase. This leads to an increase in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) creating detrimental metabolic changes in the host cells. Additional Toxins Also contributing to the virulence of the bacteria are the exotoxins including invasive adenylate cyclase, tracheal cytotoxin, and lethal toxin. Invasive adenylate cyclase reduces local phagocytic activity as well as acting as a hemolysin. Tracheal toxin affects the ciliated respiratory epithelium by inhibiting the ciliary beating. This kills the cells and causes them to be eliminated from the mucosa. Tracheal toxin also stimulates the release of IL-1, which causes fever. Lastly, lethal toxin causes inflammation and local necrosis at infection sites. Because B. pertussis is a gram-negative bacteria, it possesses the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, its LPS is different from that of the other gram-negative bacteria, in that it is heterogeneous with an alternative form of the Lipid A, called Lipid X. Although not fully understood at the time, it seems that Lipid X has a greater capacity for virulence. Pathogenesis After an incubation period of five to ten days, or as long as 21 days, numerous symptoms can be observed. The symptoms come in two stages. The first stage consists of common cold symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, low-grade fever, and a mild cough. It is during this time that the disease is most contagious, and it lasts from one to two weeks.

Advantages of Telecommuting Essay -- Employment Work Papers

Advantages of Telecommuting Today much focus is being placed on the ability of organizations (private, and public) to increase their productivity, and quality of service. As a result it is necessary to improve the well being of employees, decrease unnecessary costs, and enhance the competitiveness of the organization. Given this, it is no accident that telecommuting, is one of the largest growing areas, in flexible alternative work schedules. The influence of globalization over all aspects, of many economies, also increases the effectiveness of telecommuting. Now, more than ever, many employees are taking advantage of completing their work in an alternative work environment. Advantages can be tangible, such as reduction in office space, or intangible, such as improved family life. Employee advantages include freedom, decreased clothing expenses, and increased moral. Employers also benefit from telecommuting. Reduced absenteeism, and reduced financial cost, are only two reasons why an employer should consider im plementing a telecommuting program. There are also environmental advantages to acknowledge, with regards to telecommuting, such as the reduction of traffic, and thereby the reduction of pollution. Spinning off, from the success of telecommuting, are companies, who offer help, with incorporating telecommuting, such as HOMEWORKS, and JALA International, Inc. Some companies list jobs for people interested in telecommuting positions. Still, there are also professional organizations established to enhance the performance of telecommuters, like the International Telework Association & Council (ITAC) . My personal experience with telecommuting has been so positive that I felt it was necessary to research it's advantages, an... ...rnational Inc., www.jala.com/ustcforecast.htm "Press Releases", JALA International Inc., www.jala.com/whatsnew.htm "JALA and Telework", JALA International Inc., www.jala.com/history.htm "HomeWorks for Telecommuting", www.coronado.ca.us/TMA/homeworks.html "Report on the Home Office Computing Survey of Telecommuting Practices", Amy Bellinger, Helen LeVan, Article, Home Office Computing Magazine, www.bluemarble.net/~amyloo/tele.html#profile "AT&T Releases Results of Telecommuting Day Survey", Released 9/20/94, www.att.com/press/0994/940920.chc.html ""Marketing Firms Wrestle with Telecommuting", 11/10/98, American Marketing Association 1998, http://www.shrm.org/hrnews/. " US Telecommuting Trend Surpasses 11 Million: Strong Economy, Internet Spur Growth", Article, International Telework Association & Council (ITAC) WebSite, www.telecommute.org

History evacuation course work Essay

The two sources are different, source B is a picture taken during the war in1939 the year in which the war had started in September. It seems to have been used as a government propaganda source. The photo is to encourage people to evacuate their children, also to get people to look at the people in the picture see the faces in the picture and look at their spirit and get them to follow the example. I have made this conclusion because the picture looks as if it has been taken from high up and at an angle looking down, also all the people are waving and they all look happy and the formation they’re walking in is pretty organized. The government wanted this because they wanted people two evacuate. Source C is a teacher being interviewed in 1988 remembering what happened the teacher tells us about the start of the journey at the train station about the mothers trying to shout to there children good bye because they wont see them for a long time. The teacher might not remember every thing because its 50 years after the event so his memory would be patchy or might only focus on just the bad points in instead of the good. This source was probably made for teaching aides or an archive because sources e and f are also dated 1988. I think that source C is the most valuable source as evidence as what happened because source b was probably set up by the government to get people to agree with them that children should be evacuated this was important to the government because they don’t want children among the casualty list also they want to keep that generation because in ww1 they lost a generation of men. Source C is someone who was their giving their opinion on the matter this is valuable because someone is recalling the truth as they saw it happening before them. The extract comes from a book called Carries war it was written in 1973 by Nina Bowden. The book is a children’s novel it has been written to entertain children. This would affect the book by changing facts and figures because she needs to make it more interesting. The context of this story is the evacuees Carrie and nick being taken back to there evacuation home by there carer Miss Evans before this scene they would have had been at the train station being issued to there cares. Miss Evans thinks that the evacuees Nick and Carrie are poor Carrie and Nick think that it’s funny and aren’t really bothered. The characters think this because the children saw evacuation as a big adventure but the adults saw the children as smelly little things. The conditions some of the children come from were terrible the houses were terraced close together and very poor quality. I think this source is not very reliable at all it is a story it is a story it is made to entertain little children problems would be that the facts may be different and could that the author doesn’t have a clue.

Deconstructing the Sphinx of Fashion Essay

Clad in drapes and rate of flow theoretical account, with enough chutzpah to sport a turban that had become her signature, Madame Gres had constantly been an icon of means and art. With a stellar numerate of clients and m occasions, from noble royals such as Princess aggrandize of Monaco, Princess Matilda of Greece, the Duchess of Windsor and the Duchess of Deterling, among others to film celebrities and then-socialites Marlene Dietrich, Jacque problem Kennedy-Onassis, Barbra Streisand, and Greta Garbo. Such was her presence and unreproducible elbow room that umpteen would conjecture, unwittingly, that she was more Garbo than Garbo herself (www. parfumsgres. com). luxuriant of lovingness and fashion, and shrouded with mystery. Even her sustain was mysterious. many documented sources indicate that she was born to a bourgeois family, a situation that was all established after many days. Her birth on November 30, 1903 gave her the key out Germaine Emilie Krebs, hardly cardinal suit able-bodied for a would-be know fashion designer. To keep historical accounts of her ad hominem vitalitytime consistently vague, not a great deal is know nigh her early yearsuntil she even uptually launched her fashion passage one- beat(prenominal) after the Wall Street knock down in 1930, an unfortunate period to do so as the market was no chronic viable for luxury products. several(prenominal) reports have it that she started as a sculptor, notwithstanding when was never quite in(predicate) at itmaking her decide to change career paths (Mendoza). It is a similar verbalise that she currently overt a couture rest home under the cognomen Alix, yet others have mentioned that she was only barely an employee of a small-time couturier scored Julie Barton. However, that time was adjudged to be the best for a char to be working in fashion, since the closely well-known progress tosLanvin, Vionnet and Chanelmade themselves known during the period (www. telegraph. co. uk).She later married the Russian painter Serge Czerefkov, and used the anagram of his name as hers, exactly the way he would sign his artwork. But the marriage laster only for a year or less, for Czerefkov kick the bucketled all the way from France to Polynesia, and never returned. Alix Gres, as Germaine Emilie Krebs then called herself, forged on and indulged herself in the one passion that would etch her name in historyfabrics and fashion. Taking transport from one of her design models, Madeleine Vionnet (Chang, 2005), the Grecian silhouette was what art and fashion historians would attach to the Gres name.Madame Gres go throughed the apparel she stimulated as works of art, and fashioned a manner of construction and style that is unequivocally hersdraping. This technique, as opposed to tailoring, entailed sculpting yards of fabric today onto the bodies of her models. producing her acclaimed signature, the catamenia jersey dress. Gres distinct style emulated the mere Hellenic dress, which called for what is known as wet-draperythe manner of fabric contortion by dint of animated folds, that ultimately reveals the shape and contour of the human body (Koda, 200-).Clearly, it is Gres background in sculpture that kneadd her choice of couture, that also brought her to use other like fabrics such as chiffon and crepe. Her lines were always simple and clean, yet altogether feminine and elegant. Drama was her goal, and unlike roughly designers in the 1940s and 50s, Madame Gres never relied on structure and stiff support to create her silhouettes, no matter how much complexity and angular shapes were in fashion at the time.She also used heavy fabric and paper taffeta to achieve her signature menstruum designs, which achieved more impact than expected, considering its basic construction. The dresses and gowns of Madame Gres were always lauded for their al intimately-opposing characteristics of cosmos timeless and modern at the same time, yet in truth, they were mod and evolved constantly. During the 1940s, in the aftermath of World fight II, many restrictions were put in placement and Madame Gres sheer Grecian fashions could no longer be produced as often and as much as she used to.Because of this, she focused on perfecting another technique called fluting, which is a detailed, highly-concentrated version of the regular pleating. thus, when fabric became widely available once more, Madame Gres easily unified this saucily standard of workmanship into her classic Greek-inspired creations. In 1958, Madame Gres went on a go to India, where she discovered another significant influence on her art. It was here that she took a pr absolvedsity for the coun gives native saris and caftans, which she right surmised would perfectly blend with her already-established smooth, flowing style. contrive journals all over the world showcased Gres vernal collections that included pajama pants, which she wisely combined with the trends at the timeeven with miniskirts and the ubiquitous calefactory pant (The Museum at Fit). It was also during this journey that Madame Gres took inspiration for a perfume line she named Cabochard, quite apt for the launch of her new company called Parfums Gres, The 1970s and 80s proved to be Madame Gres most memorable years, for at this time she was offered numerous titles and recognition.In 1974, she became President of La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, as well as recipient of the De dOr de la Haute Couture. Later, in 1980, Madame Gres was named The most elegant cleaning woman in the world, and, for her unmatched ploughshare to cut culture, she was addicted the honor of being a Chevalier de la horde dHonneur. Also, while she constantly refused to labor into pret-a-porter, it was during the same year that she launched Gres Boutiqueher prototypical collection. Her colleagues also agreed with all the accolades given her, particularly her sense of design and classic style.The popular designer Bill Blass was asked for his opinion, on the statement that fashion is an art. He said no, it is a craft, unless it is done by Balenciaga or Madame Gres. For further validation of the womans talents, 1988s course History of twentieth Century Fashion named her the greatest biography couturier (www. parfumsgres. com). But not everything in Madame Gres life was as pristine and flowing as the dresses she designed, or the celebrated couture house that was at par with the worlds best (Cocks, 1986). Like many successful celebrities, she had her own share of negative promotion and vicious tales.Stories have been told almost her composure to the past and the accomplishments she made, even as she would travel the world just t open numerous boutiques to her name. While the legendary Vogue editor in chief, Diana Vreeland, would comment that Madame Gres had the best address in Paris (Trow, 1980), Gres was also compared to Carmel Snow, longtime editor of Harpers Bazaar, on their both(prenominal) being self-centered and uninterested in nothing but themselves (Horyn, 2005). But what was most disturbing and mysterious nigh Madame Gres life is her decease in 1993.For over a year, her only daughter Ann kept the fact hidden from fashion journalists and her baffles colleagues. Ann would even respond to queries sent about Madame Gres, indicating her starts appreciation of the gestures, as evidenced by the time when Yves holy man Laurent gave due praise to the Gres prospective of the metropolitan Museum of invention. Ann sent back a stigmatize detailing how Madame Gres was greatly touched and appreciative, even including a personal account of her mothers humble beginnings, told in an uncomfortably personal tone.In truth, Madame Gres was already whiling out-of-door her remaining days at a nursing home in the randomness of France. She was believed to have been either 89 or 94 years old. The fashion fiat in Paris were all muzzy by this turn of events, which they were completely uninformed about. She continued to hold the position of unearned president of the Chambre Syndicale, because no one knew of her her demise. Apparently, balance wheel was sent regularly to Ann Gres, which she refused to answer. Ann Gres was adamant about keeping her mothers death a secret.She believed that was how Madame Gres would have wanted things to bemysterious and secretive. She disclosed, though, that their family was in dire deal of funds and other resources, that she had not been able to even afford a dainty tombstone befitting her legendary mother. Ann also lambasted her mothers so-called friends, whom she declared to have never even inquired about Madame Gres condition. Sadly, this was how things turned out for the once-prosperous fashion icon. Her business, with debts and failures mounting, was sell to Bernard Tapie, an American businessman.After two years, the French group Estorel took over the company, only to go ba nkrupt in 1987. Eventually, a Japanese investment group called Yagi bought the Madame Gres name for $2 million in 1988, but the contract did not include royal line payments for the designer. (Deeney, 1994). The same fate happened to her perfume company, which was acquired by Lamotte Taurelle, a distribution company, that later exchange it to a finance company subsdiary. The licenses were soon purchased by The Escada Group, which in turn change in 2001 to Silvio Denz (www. parfumsgres. com).To this day, much of Madame Gres influences live on, and her vivacious pieces are now proverbial treasures. Auctions of her creations moderate the highest prices, as they are true showcases of a womans lifelong passion for the art of fashion. Draping is a skill many of todays young designers try to emulate, an example of which is a noted finalist in Season Four of Project Runway, a hugely popular American honesty show documenting the challenges of over a xii young designers. Rami Kashou, who won second place, is known for his talent in drapingwhich may in all likelihood tell of his knowledge of Madame Gres legacy.It is just, however, completely mind-boggling how many accounts and stories lead to the conclusion that Madame Gres and her unlikely talent would be the source of resent of her only child. Though, as they say, Ann Gres despised her mother for that known fact, But it is correct to say that Madame Gres has carved her name and design philosophy into the annals of global fashion. And just like her ethereal creations that had been consistently singular and distinct, the life of Madame Alix Gres, or Germaine Emilie Krebs, will always be mysterious and legendary. creates CitedCocks, Jay. An Elegant bequest Comes Alive. Time Magazine, February 3, 1986. Trow, George W. S. The Talk of the Town. Work. The New Yorker, September 29, 1980. Horyn, Cathy. Before in that respect Was Vreeland. The New York Times, December 4, 2005. Deeney, Godfrey. The Strange, Secret rema inder of Madame Gres. Womens Wear Daily, December 14, 1994. Koda, Harold. Hellenic craft and Modern Dress. Timeline of Art History. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, 200-. The clothing Institute. Costume in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Timeline of Art History.New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, 200-. Alix Gres An Exceptional Couturier. http//www. telegraph. co. uk/fashion/main. jhtml? xml=/fashion/2008/02/17/st_ madamegres. xml Biography. http//www. parfumsgres. com/biography. html Chang, Lia. pass over and Construction The Foundations of Fashion, 2005. http//www. asianconnections. com/a/? article_id=594 Mendoza, Sandra. Alix Gres (1903-1993). http//www. vintagefashionguild. org/content/view/664/111/ The Museum at Fit. The Life and Career of Madame Gres. http//www3. fitnyc. edu/museum/gres/lifeandcareer. htm