Key pieces of legislations promotion Essay

Places a duty for schools to produce a Disability Equality Scheme (DES) and an Access Plan. Schools must encourage participation in all aspects of school life and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 Ensure to develop the good relationship between organizations and people. Human Rights Act 1998 Set out the rights of the individuals and guide them how to take action against the authorities if these rights are effected Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 Makes it unlawful for educational providers to discriminate against pupils with a special educational need or a disability Children Act 1989 Sets out the duty of local authorities (including schools) to provide services according to the needs of children and to ensure their safety and welfare Education Act 1996 Sets out the school’s responsibilities towards children with special educational needs. The Act also requires schools to provide additional resources, equipment and / or additional support to meet their needs Children Act 2004 Sets out the duty to provide effective and accessible services for all children and underpins the Every Child Matters outcomes Equality Act 2010 Sets out the legal responsibilities of public bodies, including schools, to provide equality of opportunity for all citizens. This brings together nine equality laws Table B: Code of Practice about promotion of equality and valuing of diversity Code of Practice Purposes The special educational needs code of practice 2001 This code outlines the statutory guidance for policy and the procedures and responsibilities

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census Essay

The media is an industry where the competition is intense and it has been used by the government individuals, organizations, institutions, society, and family etc. for various purposes. However, due to the increasing competition in the industry, many at times the functions and duties which the media owes to the society are significantly overlooked. There are various functions of the media some will be discussed later on in this paper. The aim of the media has to a fearfully large extent shifted from fulfilling its roles to the society, rather their focus is often on how much entertainment they can offer to their audience and how much money they can make and how quickly they can make it. Entertainment and money making is definitely key in the existence, survival and growth of this industry, nevertheless, this should not be achieved by inappropriately portraying a group’s identity in any form. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS Construction – To make or create, by putting together ideas, components or arguments. Group Identity – This refers to a person’s sense of belonging to a group. Media- Are communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrow casting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax and internet (business dictionary, 2015). THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY BY TAJFEL & TURNER (1979) This theory was propounded in order to understand the psychological reasons and basis for inter- group discrimination. The components of this theory goes thus: Categorization- This is the process of putting ourselves and others into categories, our self-image is associated with the categories we belong to. Identification – This is the process by which we associate ourselves with certain groups of people. Nevertheless there are some groups we don’t want to be identified with (out groups) and there are some we would want to be identified with (in groups). Comparison- This is the process through which we compare our groups with other groups, thereby creating a positive bias towards the groups in which we are members of. This aspect of this work will focus on two salient functions of the media amidst the various ones there are. Social heritage function- The onus lies on the media to transmit positive racial and ethnic values about every existing race and ethnic group. The act of highlighting and spotlighting the various negativities of races and ethnic groups should be avoided. Surveillance function- This is the duty the media owes to the society in circulating news and information when necessary, the media is responsible for providing information about events. THE CONSTRUCTION OF GROUP IDENTITY BY HOLLYWOOD (A STUDY OF THE LATINO RACE) There are five acclaimed races in the world: 1) Mongoloid (Asian and American Indian) 2) Caucasoid (European) 3) Australoid (Australian and oceanic) 4) Negroid (East African black). 5) Capoid (South African black) The Latinos could be said to belong to the Mongoloid race and most of the 315 million people who live in the United States of America are either immigrants or have ancestry to another country. In actual fact, the only truly American people are the Native ones. This country is based on the idea of migration in pursuit of a better social and economic life. According to U. S. Census Bureau (2012), there are roughly 52 million Hispanics/Latinos living in the United States, representing approximately 16. 7% of the total population of United States of America, and making them the nation’s largest ethnic minority. Among Hispanic subgroups, Mexicans rated as the largest at 63%, followed by Puerto Ricans (9. 2%), Cubans (3. 5%), Salvadorans (3. 3%), Dominicans (2. 8%), and the remaining 18. 2% were Colombians, Guatemalans, Portuguese, Honduras, Ecuadorians, Peruvians, Brazilian. The main reason for their migration has been either that they are politically endangered or have financial problems. For instance the Cubans who ended up in America wanted to escape from the political conditions in their country. Escaping from the communist government practiced in Cuba, they were considered as ‘political refugees’ in America for three and a half decades until 1995. As a result of America’s opposition to the Cuban government, they were treated in America better than almost any other ethnic group. This has also been partly because of their high level of education and professionalism before migration (Martins, 2006 as seen in Mousavi & Sadeghi, 2013). Latinos, Mexicans in particular, mostly live in the Southwest; almost half in California and Texas. Puerto Ricans are mostly in the East and Cubans are in Florida. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, legal Hispanic household income is only 75 percent of White American income. There is also a high rate of poverty and unemployment among them, and their socio economic status is at a low level. The cause for this situation is partially their jobs being the lowest paid ones, their low education level, and employment discrimination (Camarillo and Bonilla, 2001). They are present in the news, advertisements, election campaigns, political debates, television and films. The common major feature that is present in all of these portrayals is the problems related to them that should be solved and not to be glorified, exaggerated or exploited by Hollywood. Before now African Americans were more likely to be portrayed as domestic workers in Hollywood. African Americans played major roles in television sitcoms such as â€Å"Beulah† in the 1950’s and â€Å"Gone with the wind† in 1939. In recent times Latinos have increasingly replaced African Americans as Hollywood domestics. Hollywood has presented an incorrect reality of the Latino people to the American people and to the world at large, it has exaggerated a poor image of this particular race. Although the Latinos who live in America get more roles to play in Hollywood, most of these roles are mentioned in the next paragraph. The Latino female is often presented as a temptress, vamp, lustful, promiscuous, unfaithful, manipulative, of loose morals or submissive at times in relation to a white male fantasy, low class, serving the whites. A list of Ten Latino Female artists who have played the role of a maid in Hollywood Movies/series. Jennifer Lopez – Maid in Manhattan, 2002 Aida Linares- Clueless, 1995 Lupe Ontiveros- As good as it gets, 1997 (She has played an estimate of 150 maid roles on television). Consuela-Family Guy, 2005-till present Nadine Valesquez-My name is Earl, 2005-2009 Paz Vega- Spanglish, 2004 Kate Del Castillo- La misma Luna, 2007 Adriana Barraza- Babel, 2006 Catalina Saavedra, The maid, 2009 Roselyn Sanchez, Devious Maids, 2013- till present Pania Ramirez – Devious Maids, 2013 till present THE MEDIA, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL CHANGE INITIATIVE (MDSCI)’S SIX YEAR STUDY REVEALS SOME STATISTICS. Among the racial and ethnic groups studied in the Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative’s report, released August 2014, Latinos made up only 4. 9% of movie characters across 100 of 2013’s top-grossing films. According to the U. S. Census Bureau’s estimates, there are roughly 52 million Latinos in the U. S. as of July 1, 2011, or just over 16% of the current U. S. population. That number is on track to reach 132. 8 million — or about 30% of the U. S. population — by July 1, 2050. LATINOS THAT ARE DEPICTED IN TOP-GROSSING MOVIES ARE MOSTLY NAKED. While the study does note that â€Å"Hispanic females (37. 3%) were more likely to be featured in popular films than were white females (29. 6%) or Asian females (32%),† Latinas are also more likely than females among any of the other groups studied (37. 5%, to be precise) to be shown partially dressed or nude on the big screen. LATINOS ARE ALSO HIGHLY LIKELY TO BE SEXUALIZED. The sexualization of Latinos does not stop with women. Latino men were the most likely among the studied groups (16. 5%) to be depicted wearing â€Å"tight, alluring or revealing clothing. † DANGERS OF THE NEGATIVE PORTRAYAL OF RACE & ETHNICITY BY THE MEDIA ?Since there is a tendency to believe what is represented or depicted by the media; as particular races or ethnic groups are often negatively portrayed, others who are not acquainted with such group of people are bound to believe they are actually the way the media has presented them. ? Another danger of negative portrayals of race/ethnic groups by the media is that the younger ones from such groups may not be able to see themselves better than the way the media has portrayed them. For example if a race is continually depicted as a maid or as vulgar murderer the younger generation of such groups may not see anything wrong with being that way and could actually end up as same. ? This particular race have existing challenges of employment, poor education; the continuous depictions as such does not help solve these problems, but only worsens them. ?It could be difficult for people who are negatively portrayed to keep relationships with or amongst other races who are depicted as superior to them. THE NOLLYWOOD CONSTRUCT OF ETHNICITY (A STUDY OF THE YORUBA, AND NORTHERN NIGERIANS) The founding fathers of Yoruba films in Nigeria i. e. Herbert Ogunde, Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala) Based their works on the constructive values of the Yoruba ethnic group without leaving their audience entertained. In recent times Nollywood has neglected the transfer of social heritage function in the production of Yoruba films. More often than necessary abusive statements, raining of curses and the invention of such and rascality has been synonymous with Yoruba films. The very rich Yoruba culture which the world could learn from is often being tarnished by our film industry. However there are various Yoruba producers who focus on spreading the positivity of the Yoruba culture i. e. Tunde Kelani, Tade Ogidan, Yinka Afolayan. Men from the Northern part of Nigeria are also often times portrayed as either a gateman or the security man of a well-established family. The character who could actually be Yoruba speaks like a man from the north to convince the audience that the gateman is a man from the Northern part of the Country. Little does Nollywood know that many of the gatemen in Lagos which I can speak for are not even Nigerians. I have observed that most of the gatemen/security men in reality are actually from Niger Republic many of them look like Nigerian Northerners, are able to speak Hausa language but they are not Nigerians. RECOMMENDATIONS ? Every race has some sort of value and norms that could be positive, the media should hereby seek out such and spread them. ?The media needs to respect the fact that every human person has dignity and should be portrayed as such. ?They never should never assume that a particular race or ethnicity is less than the other, regardless of the socio economic status of such groups. ?The media should seek to solve the challenges faced by some races and ethnic groups rather than exploit them. ?The media should be reminded that they are socially responsible to the society, thus they should be mindful of what they feed the society with.

Direct and Indirect Taxes in India

A Direct tax is a kind of charge, which is imposed directly on the taxpayer and paid directly to the government by the persons (juristic or natural) on whom it is imposed. A direct tax is one that cannot be shifted by the taxpayer to someone else. The some important direct taxes imposed in India are as under: Income Tax: Income Tax Act, 1961 imposes tax on the income of the individuals or Hindu undivided families or firms or co-operative societies (other tan companies) and trusts (identified as bodies of individuals associations of persons) or every artificial juridical person. The inclusion of a particular income in the total incomes of a person for income-tax in India is based on his residential status. There are three residential status, viz. , (i) Resident & Ordinarily Residents (Residents) (ii) Resident but not Ordinarily Residents and (iii) Non 72 Residents. There are several steps involved in determining the residential status of a person. All residents are taxable for all their income, including income outside India. Non residents are taxable only for the income received in India or Income accrued in India. Not ordinarily residents are taxable in relation to income received in India or income accrued in India and income from business or profession controlled from India. Corporation Tax: The companies and business organizations in India are taxed on the income from their worldwide transactions under the provision of Income Tax Act, 1961. A corporation is deemed to be resident in India if it is incorporated in India or if it’s control and management is situated entirely in India. In case of non resident corporations, tax is levied on the income which is earned from their business transactions in India or any other Indian sources depending on bilateral agreement of that country. Property Tax: Property tax or ‘house tax' is a local tax on buildings, along with appurtenant land, and imposed on owners. The tax power is vested in the states and it is delegated by law to the local bodies, specifying the valuation method, rate band, and collection procedures. The tax base is the annual ratable value (ARV) or area-based rating. Owner-occupied and other properties not producing rent are assessed on cost and then converted into ARV by applying a percentage of cost, usually six percent. Vacant land is generally exempted from the assessment. The properties lying under control of Central are exempted from the taxation. Instead a ‘service charge' is permissible under executive order. Properties of foreign missions also enjoy tax exemption without an insistence for reciprocity. Inheritance (Estate) Tax: An inheritance tax (also known as an estate tax or death duty) is a tax which arises on the death of an individual. It is a tax on the estate, or total value of the money and property, of a person who has died. India enforced estate duty from 1953 to 1985. Estate Duty Act, 1953 came into existence w. e. f. 15th October, 1953. Estate Duty on agricultural land was discontinued under the Estate Duty (Amendment) Act, 1984. The levy of Estate Duty in respect of property (other than agricultural land) passing on death occurring on or after 16th March, 1985, has also been abolished under the Estate Duty (Amendment) Act, 1985. Gift Tax: Gift tax in India is regulated by the Gift Tax Act which was constituted on 1st April, 1958. It came into effect in all parts of the country except Jammu and Kashmir. As per the Gift Act 1958, all gifts in excess of Rs. 25,000, in the form of cash, draft, check or others, received from one who doesn't have blood relations with the recipient, were taxable. However, with effect from 1st October, 1998, gift tax got demolished and all the gifts made on or after the date were free from tax. But in 2004, the act was again revived partially. A new provision was introduced in the Income Tax Act 1961 under section 56 (2). According to it, the gifts received by any individual or Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) in excess of Rs. 50,000 in a year would be taxable. Indirect Tax: An indirect tax is a tax collected by an intermediary (such as a retail store) from the person who bears the ultimate economic burden of the tax (such as the customer). An indirect tax is one that can be shifted by the taxpayer to someone else. An indirect tax may increase the price of a good so that consumers are actually paying the tax by paying more for the products. The some important indirect taxes imposed in India are as under: Customs Duty: The Customs Act was formulated in 1962 to prevent illegal imports and exports of goods. Besides, all imports are sought to be subject to a duty with a view to affording protection to indigenous industries as well as to keep the imports to the minimum in the interests of securing the exchange rate of Indian currency. Duties of customs are levied on goods imported or exported from India at the rate specified under the customs Tariff Act, 1975 as amended from time to time or any other law for the time being in force. Under the custom laws, the various types of duties are leviable. (1) Basic Duty: This duty is levied on imported goods under the Customs Act, 1962. (2) Additional Duty (Countervailing Duty) (CVD): This is levied under section 3 (1) of the Custom Tariff Act and is equal to excise duty levied on a like product manufactured or produced in India. If a like product is not manufactured or produced in India, the excise duty that would be leviable on that product had it been manufactured or produced in India is the duty payable. If the product is leviable at different rates, the highest rate among those rates is the rate applicable. Such duty is leviable on the value of goods plus basic custom duty payable. (3) Additional Duty to compensate duty on inputs used by Indian manufacturers: This is levied under section 3(3) of the Customs Act. (4) Anti-dumping Duty: Sometimes, foreign sellers abroad may export into India goods at prices below the amounts charged by them in their domestic markets in order to capture Indian markets to the detriment of Indian industry. This is known as dumping. In order to prevent dumping, the Central Government may levy additional duty equal to the margin of dumping on such articles. There are however certain restrictions on imposing dumping duties in case of countries which are signatories to the GATT or on countries given â€Å"Most Favoured Nation Status† under agreement. (5) Protective Duty: If the Tariff Commission set up by law recommends that in order to protect the interests of Indian industry, the Central Government may levy protective anti-dumping duties at the rate recommended on specified goods. 6) Duty on 73 Bounty Fed Articles: In case a foreign country subsidises its exporters for exporting goods to India, the Central Government may impose additional import duty equal to the amount of such subsidy or bounty. If the amount of subsidy or bounty cannot be clearly deter mined immediately, additional duty may be collected on a provisional basis and after final determination, difference may be collected or refunded, as the case may be. (7) Export Duty: Such duty is levied on export of goods. At present very few articles such as skins and leather are subject to export duty. The main purpose of this duty is to restrict exports of certain goods. (8) Cess on Export: Under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Cess Act, 1985 (3 of 1986), 0. 5% ad valorem as the rate of duty of customs be levied and collected as cess on export of all scheduled products. (9) National Calamity Contingent Duty: This duty was imposed under Section 134 of the Finance Act, 2003 on imported petroleum crude oil. This tax was also leviable on motor cars, imported multi-utility vehicles, two wheelers and mobile phones. (10) Education Cess: Education Cess is leviable @ 2% on the aggregate of duties of Customs (except safeguard duty under Section 8B and 8C, CVD under Section 9 and anti-dumping duty under Section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act, 1985). Items attracting Customs Duty at bound rates under international commitments are exempted from this Cess. (11) Secondary and Higher Education Cess: Leviable @1% on the aggregate of duties of Customs. 12) Road Cess: Additional Duty of Customs on Motor Spirit is leviable and Additional Duty of Customs on High Speed Diesel Oil is leviable by the Finance Act (No. 2), 1998. and the Finance Act, 1999 respectively. (13) Surcharge on Motor Spirit: Special Additional Duty of Customs (Surcharge) on Motor Spirit is leviable by the Finance Act, 2002. Central Excise Duty: The Central Government levies excise duty under the Central Excise Act, 1944 and the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985. Central excise duty is tax which is charged on such excisable goods that are manufactured in India and are meant for domestic consumption. The term â€Å"excisable goods† means the goods which are specified in the First Schedule and the Second Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act 1985. It is mandatory to pay Central Excise duty payable on the goods manufactured, unless exempted eg; duty is not payable on the goods exported out of India. Further various other exemptions are also notified by the Government from the payment of duty by the manufacturers. Various Central Excise are: (1) Basis Excise Duty: Excise Duty, imposed under section 3 of the ‘Central Excises and Salt Act’ of 1944 on all excisable goods other than salt produced or manufactured in India, at the rates set forth in the schedule to the Central Excise tariff Act, 1985, falls under the category of Basic Excise Duty In India. (2) Special Excise Duty: According to Section 37 of the Finance Act, 1978, Special Excise Duty is levied on all excisable goods that come under taxation, in line with the Basic Excise Duty under the Central Excises and Salt Act of 1944. Therefore, each year the Finance Act spells out that whether the Special Excise Duty shall or shall not be charged, and eventually collected during the relevant financial year. (2) Additional Duty of Excise: Section 3 of the ‘Additional Duties of Excise Act’ of 1957 permits the charge and collection of excise duty in respect of the goods as listed in the Schedule of this Act. (4) Road Cess: (a) Additional Duty of Excise on Motor Spirit: This is leviable by the Finance Act (No. 2), 1998. (b) Additional Duty of Excise on High Speed Diesel Oil: This is leviable by the Finance Act, 1999. 5) Surcharge: (a) Special Additional Duty of Excise on Motor Spirit: This is leviable by the Finance Act, 2002. (b) Surcharge on Pan Masala and Tobacco Products: This Additional Duty of Excise has been imposed on cigarettes, pan masala and certain specified tobacco products, at specified rates in the Budget 2005-06. Biris are not subjected to this levy. (6) National Calamity Contingent Duty (NCCD): NCCD was levied on pan masala and certain specified tobacco products vide the Finance Act, 2001. The Finance Act, 2003 extended this levy to polyester filament yarn, motor car, two wheeler and multi-utility vehicle and crude petroleum oil. (7) Education Cess: Education Cess is leviable @2% on the aggregate of duties of Excise and Secondary and Higher Education Cess is Leviable @1% on the aggregate of duties of Excise. (8) Cess – A cess has been imposed on certain products. Service Tax: The service providers in India except those in the state of Jammu and Kashmir are required to pay a Service Tax under the provisions of the Finance Act of 1994. The provisions related to Service Tax came into effect on 1st July, 1994. Under Section 67 of this Act, the Service Tax is levied on the gross or aggregate amount charged by the service provider on the receiver. However, in terms of Rule 6 of Service Tax Rules, 1994, the tax is permitted to be paid on the value received. The interesting thing about Service Tax in India is that the Government depends heavily on the voluntary compliance of the service providers for collecting Service Tax in India. Sales Tax: Sales Tax in India is a form of tax that is imposed by the Government on the sale or purchase of a particular commodity within the country. Sales Tax is imposed under both, Central Government (Central Sales Tax) and State Government (Sales Tax) Legislation. Generally, each State follows its own Sales Tax Act and levies tax at various rates. Apart from sales tax, certain States also imposes additional charges like works contracts tax, turnover tax and purchaser tax. Thus, Sales Tax Acts as a major revenue-generator for the various State Governments. From 10th April, 2005, most of the States in India have supplemented sales tax with a new Value Added Tax (VAT).

Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 10

Final paper - Essay Example Therefore, in this paper, I will be discussing institutional racism based on stereotypes and how it has come to affect Middle Easterners. I will attempt to make a comparison between past and present treatment of students of Middle Eastern origin in the United States as well as show different places where this type of discrimination might take place. Furthermore, I will discuss how stereotypes of these individuals often affect these individuals in both their public and personal lives based on my own experiences. In the United States, institutional racism has become a part of everyday life for many individuals especially from the Middle East or for those Americans who have origins in this region. In my experience as a student of Middle Eastern origin, institutional racism enforces stereotypes of people from this region without necessarily taking into account their individual differences. I have been faced with many problems during my stay in the United States and this has been based on beliefs by ordinary Americans that because of the way I look, I am a threat to them. There was an instance where after going into a restaurant to get something to eat, I was viewed suspiciously by not only its staff, but the customers as well. Many of these customers actually moved away from the table that I took and despite waiting for a long time, no one seemed to be willing to come to my service. This was within my first few days in the United States and my dreams of this country being a bastion of liberali sm were shattered as I came to realize that the stereotype of Arabs as terrorists had become firmly entrenched in American viewpoint (Oswald 1775). I later came to experience open discrimination at the University of Arizona when attending classes, and this became a trend because whenever I entered a classroom, and took a seat, the students who had been sitting all around me would move away from me and take other seats. Only those who did not seem to have a problem with me or my

Biography On Frank Sinatra Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biography On Frank Sinatra - Essay Example Sinatra made a demo recording of the song "Our Love" on 18th March 1939 with the band named Frank Mane. The original record was kept in a safe for nearly 60 years by the band leader. Frank Sinatra began his musical career with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey and thereafter became a successful solo artist in the mid-1940s. Together with the James band in July 1939, Frank Sinatra released his first public recorded song. It is popularly known as â€Å"From the Bottom of My Heart".His first album was released in 1946 named, â€Å"The voice of Frank Sinatra†. Frank’s music was dominating charts by the year 1947. Because of his intricate and melodious voice, he soon became an artist of popular music. As every artist has a career chart, so did Frank Sinatra had. The problems with Frank Sinatra lied in his personal affairs, like friendship with the mafia and his interest in women. His interest in women became the cause of his divorce. Together with Frank's failure to serve in the military compile his decline in his personal, as well as his professional life. Overall, Sinatra's first and the only major downfall in music was in 1951 and it lasted for at most three years.As already mentioned, Frank Sinatra’s professional career had gone down by the 1950s. His career revived again in the year 1954. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his outstanding performance in the film â€Å"From Here to Eternity†. He eventually signed a contract with Capitol Records and released many appraised albums.

Leaks and Hacks. When Is It Illegal To Get Hacked Essay

Leaks and Hacks. When Is It Illegal To Get Hacked - Essay Example The term is also used to describe variation of a program or mechanism to give the user entrance to computer features that otherwise would be inaccessible like the DIY circuit bending. Hacking has been considered a serious crime especially when one hacks in to a government. There are instances when some get involved in what is termed as "ethical hacking"; this is company's strategy to determine their security weaknesses or target for intruders. Even so, the ethical hacker may get in trouble with the law, it is therefore necessary that some one gets the Get out of jail Free Card (GOOJFC) which is a document that states that you have been authorized by someone in power to do so. Hacking is a federal crime and any cases of suspicion would be investigated by the federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ), the crime can never be expunged unlike the other state crimes, depending on the damage caused, one could also be sued for damages ion the civil court leading t o possible jail term or job termination. There are some critics who are proposing that any company hacked should be held responsible and make it a rule that it's illegal to be hacked. Taking Responsibility In the recent years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued claims and charged hefty fine to some companies that had leaked data to hackers. This of course brought about some critical questions about taking responsibility if the firm in question is hacked (Severson.1997, 36). Usually it's very difficult to stop a company's computer system from being hacked if not impossible; hence imposing liability to the affected company could result in unintentional consequences. The development of disclosure laws has played a great deal in revealing that some of the security breaches that have bee common over the pas t few years were actually due to negligence on the part of the corporate information technology (IT) team failing to lock down the data in any considerable mode. This revelation encouraged the pressure on companies that get hacked to take responsibility for the crime. The computer systems hold very critical information about consumers, company's corporate management, finances and other critical information that should not be accessed by just anybody; companies that leak such information should be help responsible (Hammond & Hammond 2003, 36). This is according to Slashdot post at info world. Imposing serious penalties on the involved companies especially on claims of negligence is also very risky undertaking on the company and consumers. This is because the regulations may be very strict and could result in unintended consequences bearing in mind that hacking is inevitable, companies may even totally stop accepting credit cards from customer since the liability could be very great (Severson.1997, 42). This means that people would have to forego the convenience of using credit cards to protect their safety. Most of the credit card users however would rather use their credit cards for convenience and risk their safety since benefits outweigh the chances of risk. Leaks and Hacks The difference between leaks and hacks is not very distinct as in leaking information facilitates hacking and it's likened to the difference between negligence and wickedness (Hammond & Hammond 2003, 39). This is the basis on which some penalty is imposed on companies with arguments that doing something stupid that hams others should be penalized. This is like the situation when a driver falls asleep at the wheel and because a fatal accident, it's quite justified to hold him accountable for being negligent with other people's life, in the same way a negligent

Structured System Analysis and Design Method Research Paper

Structured System Analysis and Design Method - Research Paper Example Additionally, this methodology is believed to be a public domain, as well as is officially represented in British Standard BS7738. Basically, software development methodologies are a most important element of the software development sector which aspires to offer a structure for action and to gather, store, process and distribute information in an attempt to support the economic growth of information systems and software development that are well for purpose. In this scenario, structured systems analysis and design methodology is a kind of linear sequential process model through which software systems are designed and developed. Additionally, this methodology is considered as a representation of a pinnacle of the thorough document-led mechanism to design a software system, and differ with modern RAD (Rapid Application Development) approaches for instance DSDM (Samyal, 2013; Rouse, 2008; Patel, 2005, p. 75). In addition, one of the most attractive features of this software development methodology is that it divides a software development project into several manageable components, steps, stages and activities, and offers a mechanism for defining projects in a way that is easy to manage and control. Some of the major objectives of SSADM methodology are outlined below (Rouse, 2008; Samyal, 2013; Schumacher, 2001): Provides management team with effective control over the software development process Allows software development firm to make more effective use of skilled and new development personnel Facilitates software development team to build high quality systems The loss of staff does not affect the progress of projects Encourage use of computer-based tools for instance computer-aided software engineering systems Establish and maintain a structure for effective communications and collaboration between stakeholders in a project Moreover, this software development technique effectively manages all the aspects of software development life-cycle varying from the pha se of a feasibility study for the actual software development. Additionally, many software development firms use this methodology in association with various other approaches, for instance PRINCE and PRINCE2, which is effective in dealing with various activities of project management. In addition, this software development methodology forms a flow or a waterfall vision of software development, which is based on carrying out a series of steps, and all these steps are interrelated. Some researchers contrast it with the RAD model as it pre-supposes a need to conduct steps autonomously. As discussed above, structured systems analysis and design method divides the software development process in various stages which are outlined below (Rouse, 2008; Samyal, 2013; Schumacher, 2001): In the first step a detailed feasibility study is done to determine the feasibility of a project. Analysis and study of the current environment In this step different business system options are identified At t his stage system requirements are defined This step involves identifying various system options At this stage logical design of the system is developed Last stage involves the development of a physical design Furthermore, for every phase, structured systems analysis and design method forms a set of procedures, techniques and rules for communicating and recording information

MSc computer system security 'Practical Windows Security' Essay

MSc computer system security 'Practical Windows Security' - Essay Example The main types of attacks include Denial of Service, Trojan Horse, viruses, worms and Logic Bombs. The first virus that operated on Windows 2000 was detected on 13th January 2000 (Wong 2000). It is known as the Win2000.Install or W2K.Installer virus. Although the virus could not do much damage to the new windows but it provided attackers with the concept to identify the vulnerabilities of the Windows and to invade into the systems with improved attacks in the future. A definition of security vulnerability can be regarded as the preliminary filter that is applicable to various issues. A security vulnerability can be considered as, â€Å"a flaw in a product that makes it infeasible – even when using the product properly —to prevent an attacker from usurping privileges on the user's system, regulating its operation, compromising data on it, or assuming ungranted trust† (Microsoft 2011). Microsoft publishes security bulletins when a specific security issue fulfills t he criteria for the standard security definition. However this does not follow that no action is taken by Microsoft. For instance if Microsoft finds a bug that does not raise any security vulnerability, the security team nevertheless gives it importance and tries to counter it. In this case the Microsoft team does not come up with a patch or publish security bulletin; rather the team would include the solution in the product that it is going to release in the future. On the other hand, if a certain issue does fall on the criteria for security vulnerability definition, the security team first tries to establish whether the issue has breached the security policy of the product. When a product is made there is an assortment of instructions that are devised to inform the costumer about how a particular product is to be used as well as the promises that it delivers regarding the security it provides. What is CVE? Common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) brings together a list of common security vulnerabilities and exposures which are publically accessible. Common identifiers of CVE play a role in the exchange of data between security products and put forth a base line index point for the purpose of analyzing coverage of various products such as tools and services (CVE 2011). When Microsoft comes out with a patch for a security problem, it aims to fix whatever security vulnerability the problem has exposed. The purpose of the new patches is to protect the costumer from security threats. For example MS03-026 was released on July 16, 2003 to correct a security vulnerability in a Windows Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) Remote Procedure Call (RPC) interface. After Microsoft had introduced this bulletin Microsoft was informed that there are yet more ports available that can be abused for the purpose of this vulnerability. Later on Microsoft added information regarding these extra ports in the security bulletin; particularly this has been integrated in the mit igating factors as well as the Workaround section in the bulletin. However later additions were made to it like the MS03-039 with an updated scanning tool which provided further advancements in the patches given in the older version as well as the original scanning tool. The use of remote procedure call The windows operating system makes use of a certain protocol which is referred as the Remote

Analysis of Art Objects from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome Essay

Analysis of Art Objects from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome - Essay Example Its construction began in 70 AD during the reign of Emperor Vespasian. It took ten years to construct and Emporer Titus, Emporer Vespasian's successor inaugurated it after its completion. The Coliseum underwent further modifications between 81 AD and 96 AD under the reign of Emperor Domitian (Connoly 31).Architectural DesignThe Colosseum, as opposed to Greek theatres constructed before it, was a free-standing structure; the previous theatres stand on the sides of hills. Its interior and exterior architecture resemble two Roman theatres. It is elliptical in shape, 156 meters wide and 189 meters long. The base area is 24,000 square meters and the outer walls are 48 meters high. The outer perimeter of the Colosseum measures 545 meters. The central arena is oval in shape and has a width of 55 meters and length of 87 meters. A wall, 5 meters high, surrounds it. The outer wall consists of travertine stone. Iron clamps rather than mortar held the travertine stone together. This outer wall s uffered damage and collapsed during the 1349 earthquake.The Colosseum had 80 entrances due to its huge capacity (50000-80000), 76 of which were for ordinary spectators. The Roman Emperor together with his aides used the northern main entrance to enter and exit the Colosseum. The elite of Rome used the other three axial entrances. These four axial entrances had rich decorations, mainly painted stucco reliefs. The spectators would seat in a tiered arrangement which reflected the different social classes in Rome at that time.

Governance for security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Governance for security - Essay Example Yet, the State inherently cannot exist outside of a belief system in the mind – it is a psychological or ideological concept. Thus, Weber provides the justification for behavior going beyond common morality and the State itself is the reason that justifies the transgression. Historically, Weber’s theory is positioned at a time when the modern State was first mobilizing its police force on military organization patterns in the defense of domestic security. Private armies related to landlords and capitalist groups were also common internationally previous to this. Understanding the difference between these three types of armies is important, for the distinctions still drive the system of conflict, civil war, and failed States worldwide today. The State security forces can be categorized as domestic and related to police forces or international and related to military forces. In addition to this, there can be seen private armies and â€Å"warlords† that operate on a local basis within the State on behalf of either minority ownership interests in capitalism or on an ideological basis. Also existing outside of the State monopoly are local insurrectionist groups and Marxist forces that seek to seize power or resources through violent means. The majority of conflicts in the 20th Century can be related to these three types of organized political violence. The State seeks to provide security to all equally, the private armies of capitalism seek to preserve minority concentrations of wealth, and popular liberation armies organize against capitalist interests. The Marxist-Capitalist duality in violence is shaken in some ways by violent ideologies like Islamic groups who organize around different fundamental philosophies. Similarly, there is a division of violence that is represented by crime that is different than these forms of political violence. Private security forces may inherently target crime as a motive for operation rather than to combat the threat of political violence. Part of the Marxist critique is based upon the collusion of State power with capitalist interests that produce a non-egalitarian social policy or inherently impoverish vast segments of the population so that wealth can be concentrated in luxury, status, power, etc. With the disappearance of an â€Å"armed† Marxism with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the transformation of China into a capitalist economy, the status quo is increasingly shattered by terrorism as it represents the â€Å"third force† of Islamic fundamentalism. This terrorism acts on a different ideology than Marxist insurrectionist violence, though both challenge the hegemony of capitalism as it aligns with the State in military power and international law. Private security by nature is an attempt to protect and perpetuate vast differences in wealth, status, and power, for by definition the masses cannot afford it. The modern democratic State is seen as being tasked with the protection of domestic freedom, yet in doing so often contradicts its vey purpose in violating individual civil rights and liberties. In this manner, post-Marxism the target of the State security apparatus is crime and terrorism primarily rather than the spread of State socialism or

Good afternoon friends Essay Example for Free

Good afternoon friends Essay The theme of Vicki L. Sears â€Å"Grace† can be seen in the relationship that develops between two of the characters, Billie Jim and Paul. Billie is an orphan who gets along with his sister and is adopted by Paul and his wife. Billie displays a desire to trust and accept their new parents while sister remains suspicious. Vickie Sears illustrate that although children suffer abuse and neglect, there is hope that they can learn to trust and build self-esteem. Billie Jim is a silent child who relies on his sister to protect him. Paul and his wife come to get them but Billie is hiding in a tree to escape from some of the bigger boys. His sister steps in and fights the older boys to get Billie down. She describes him as a â€Å"sissy†. Billie has to use the bathroom, but instead of asking their new parents he pinches his sister. Paul takes him to the restroom and his sisters concern gives us an understanding into prior abuse and possible reasons for Billie Jim’s reserved behavior. Although Paul would never hurt Billie Jim intentionally at the  end of the story he does. His death not only means an end to their relationship, but also an end to their secure home and protection. Billie loses the starring role along with the friend he has made, and is back into his uncertain life led by corrupt adults. â€Å"The Lesson† by Toni Cade Bambara is when Toni attended college and come of age as a writer. Bambara was at the head of radical politics, the feminist movement, and African American culture in Harlem when it was the 60’s. Her writing uncovers the differences forced on  African Americans of that time which America avoided and could not interfere. The story is a window for the reader into Bambara’s reality as much as it is a lesson for the immature woman Sylvia the main character. â€Å"The Lesson† is a first person narrative told by a young, poor, black girl growing up in Harlem in an undetermined time period known as â€Å"Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid or young and foolish, Sugar and I were the only ones just right†. Going by the prices some can accept it was sometime in the early seventies. The story is about a trip started by a local woman, who is the only educated person in the neighborhood and has taken it upon herself to uncover the unthankful children of the neighborhood to the world outside of their worried community. The last stop is FAO Schwartz in Manhattan, where the toys of white children cost more than all of the children’s household yearly incomes combined and the lesson is almost lost on the children. The story closes by making plans to spend the left over cab fare change they stole from Miss Moore. At the last second Sylvia turns on her friend and goes off alone to think of the events of the day. The story’s theme focuses on education and the need for education as the results of knowledge. It proves how learning can lead to grief but that the grief is necessary for helpful change. The author also studies different types of pride and purposes of leadership and the various ways people show respect or disrespect for each other. Underlying the entire story is the concept of economic difference between whites and blacks in the United States.

Tummy Tuck Essay Example for Free

Tummy Tuck Essay Whether you’re a male or a female Age, hormones, high protein diets and other factors can result in centralized fat in the abdomen. Abdominoplasty, also known as a â€Å"tummy tuck,† is a cosmetic procedure performed to eliminate excess skin, remove fat and fat cells from the abdomen, as well as tighten the underlying muscles in the stomach to create a firm abdomen. The removal of a large part of lower abdominal skin requires that the belly-button be surgically reconstructed as well. An unfit abdomen is due to a number of factors not only due to extra fat. Stretching of tissues and muscles in the stomach, having problems with elasticity in the skin and having excess skin can cause your abdomen to appear weak and out of shape. A Tummy Tuck can be done for a person of any age but ideal candidates are people who have lost elasticity to their skin with age and women whose pregnancies have stretched out the muscles in their abdominal wall. Women who plan on having a tummy tuck should be comfortable that they are done having children to avoid re-stretching of the muscles. Men as well can be candidates for abdominoplasty in cases of dramatic weight loss, creating loose skin. Men and Women that lack exercise or are non-responsive to exercise can build up the â€Å"spare tire† look in which they may benefit from a tummy tuck as well. When planning a tummy tuck, you must consider a few things. Like any other surgical procedure, there are risks and pre-cautions that must be taken into account. Good communication with your surgeon is key to preparing you for your surgery. Dieting, smoking, alcohol intake and other individual habits must be taken into consideration and discussed with your doctor. Time is important when considering a tummy tuck. Make sure you have planned enough time to recover and you have family or friends that may be available if you need them. All types of surgeries have risks to some measure. Some risks of having a tummy tuck include, infection, excessive bleeding, prolonged scarring (mainly due to smoking amp; 2nd hand smoke), skin loss and blood clots. (Discuss all the complications with your surgeon). A Tummy Tuck can be done for a person of any age but it is most frequently done on women who have had children and do not plan on having more. It is also regularly performed on people who have lost all of the weight they planned to lose. You must be a healthy individual with no severe medical conditions. (Set up a consultation with a surgeon to see if your health issues contradict with having this procedure). Pain, swelling (due to the removal of tissue) and bruising after your surgery can vary on the individual but those post-op effects are normal. A compression garment is given to the person to wear directly after the surgery for 4-7 weeks. A Tummy Tuck does not replace exercise and diet, those things essential to living a healthy lifestyle, but it certainly is a booster to those who want to start getting back into shape and is a quicker way to retrieve your previous figure or achieve the shape you’ve always wanted. Your goal is just an appointment away, call for a consultation to get started!

Levodopa on Decrease of Plasma Taurine Level in Parkinsons

Levodopa on Decrease of Plasma Taurine Level in Parkinsons Title: Levodopa aggravates the decrease of plasma taurine level in Parkinson Disease Key words: Parkinson’s disease (PD); Oxidative stress; Levodopa; Toxicity; Taurine; Highlights: This is the first study to explore chronic use of levodopa on the change of plasma taurine level. Plasma taurine levels were significantly lower in both treated and untreated PD than in healthy controls. Much lower plasma taurine level was found in treated PD than the untreated. Plasma taurine level was negatively associated with cumulative dosage of levodopa in PD. Abbreviations: PD, Parkinson’s disease; MMSE, mini–mental state examination; DA, dopamine; ROS, reactive oxygen species; MAO, monoamine oxidase; CNS, central nervous system; H2O2, peroxide; SOD, superoxide dismutase; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; Abstract In recent years, it has gained more and more focus that oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease(PD) as well as the potential toxicity of levodopa to nigral cells. Also, an increasing body of evidence suggests that taurine plays an important role in anti-oxidant function. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between plasma taurine level and clinical variables and the cumulative dosage of levodopa in PD patients. 44 treated patients with PD (all receive levodopa), 68 untreated patients with PD and 96 age-and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. Clinical data such as age, gender, duration, Hoehn and Yahr stage and medication history were collected. Approximate cumulative dosage of levodopa was calculated to indicate the toxicity of chronic intake of levodopa. Plasma levels of taurine were measured by HPLC-RF. Plasma taurine levels were significantly lower in both treated and untreated PD than healthy controls. Much lower pl asma taurine level was found in treated PD than the untreated. Furthermore, plasma taurine level was negatively associated with cumulative levodopa dosage in PD. Our preliminary study indicates that taurine may play an important role in pathophysiology of PD and toxicity of chronic levodopa treatment. Introduction PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selectively loss of dopamine (DA)-containing neurons in the substantia nigra and a concomitant reduction of DA in the striatum. Levodopa, a natural precursor of DA, has been the‘gold standard’ therapy for PD patients for decades [1]. However, the  pathophysiology of PD is up to now still poorly understood. More and more focus comes to that oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of PD, manifested as protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, DNA oxidation and so on [2]. Moreover, there has been an increasing concern that levodopa may be toxic to dopaminergic neurons [3-5], mainly because of its potential to autoxidize from a catechol to a quinine and to generate other forms of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [6]. Taurine, an endogenous amino acid (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), is abundant in excitable tissues such as brain, retina, cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle [7]. Both in vitro and in vivo studies together demonstrate that the anti-oxidative activity of taurine is a vital avenue of cytoprotection [8-12]. Additionally, our previous study has reported that plasma taurine level was decreased in patients with PD [13]. Also, there are lines of evidence that taurine may exhibit cytoprotective effect by acting as a scavenger for harmful free radicals produced by DA or levodopa [14, 15]. However, the precise anti-oxidative mechanism of taurine involved in both PD pathophysiology and putative toxicity of levodopa still remains uncertain. Furthermore, few studies have been done to address the relationship between plasma taurine level and clinical variables as well as the toxic effects of chronic levodopa administration. Hence, in our study, we specifically explored the underlying impact on plasma taurine level because of long-term levodopa intake in PD patients. 2. Patients and methods 2.1 patients Patients with PD, diagnosed based on UK Parkinson’s disease Brain Bank criteria by two movement disorders specialists (Kezhong Zhang and Lian Zhang), were included in this study [16]. Clinical data were collected by the same medical worker and the Hoehn and Yahr stage was used to evaluate the severity of disease [17]. Since the anti-parkinsonian drugs may affect plasma taurine level, thorough medication histories were completely obtained through family and patient recall, personal medical chart, as well as computerized patient information system in our hospital. Exclusion criteria were atypical or secondary Parkinsonism, impaired cognitive status (assessed by the mini–mental state examination (MMSE) [18]), previous neurosurgical treatment for PD, significant laboratory, medical, or psychiatric abnormalities, or any condition that might affect plasma taurine level. Age -and gender-matched controls were also recruited, devoid of neurological disease, poor nutritional stat us, dementia or a family history of PD. The research project was approved by the ethics committee of the first affiliated hospital of Nanjing medical university and all the participants were given a full explanation and consented to the study in writing. 2.2 Calculation of the cumulative levodopa amount In order to assess the underlying toxicity of levodopa , an approximation of the cumulative levodopa amount was calculated based on the following equation (modified according to that ofNagatsuet al. [19]): cumulative levodopa amount [g] =daily amount of levodopa[mg] * duration of levodopa intake [month] *30 [d/month]*0.001[g/mg]. 2.3 Measurement of taurine levels from plasma Plasma taurine levels were measured as previously described [13]. 2.4 Statistical analysis All statistical analyses were performed in SPSSV.20.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). The normality of the distribution of all continuous variables was examined by Shapiro–Wilk statistic. Homogeneity of variance was assessed by Levene’s test. Group comparisons were made using chi-square test for categorical variables, and one-way ANOVA as well as the Kruskal-Wallis test which was followed by the Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (controls vs untreated patients, controls vstreated patients, untreated patients vs treated patients), as appropriate, for continuous variables. The correlation significance was evaluated by Spearman rank correlation coefficient.The statistical significance was set at P 3. Results 3.1. Demographic data, clinical variables and treatment status of PD Patients and Controls The demographic and clinical data of all subjects are summarized in Table 1. Gender and age did not differ among three groups, while the duration was longer (2.90 ±1.50vs. 1.45 ±1.14y, pHoehn and Yahr stage was higher (1.97 ±0.71vs. 1.67 ±0.72, pdetailed information on the treatment status see Table 2). 3.2. Plasma taurine level in PD patients and controls Notably, both treated PD (41.16 ±22.72 µmol/L) and untreated PD (57.38 ±31.05 µmol/L) were found to have significantly decreased plasma taurine levels compared to healthy controls (133.83 ±45.91 µmol/L, P for both comparisons for the two PD groups were considered as a whole, the mean taurine level was also significantly lower than that in the control group (P 3.3. Association between plasma taurine level and clinical variables and treatment status. Plasma taurine levels showed, however, no statistically significant association with age, duration, as well as Hoehn and Yahr stage in treated PD, untreated PD or all patients (Data not show). Interestingly, significant correlation was found between taurine level and cumulative levodopa dosage (shown in Fig.2, rs =-0.351, P Discussion According to our knowledge, this is the first study to explore chronic use of levodopa on the change of plasma taurine level. The major results of this study are summarized as follows: 1) Treated and untreated PD were found to have significantly decreased plasma taurine levels compared to healthy controls. 2) Plasma taurine level was lower in treated PD than the untreated, and inversely correlated with cumulative dosage of levodopa. Taurine, the most abundant amino acid in mammals, is widely distributed in central nervous system (CNS) [20] and its biosynthesis mainly takes place in the liver [21]. In the CNS, the concentration of taurine is dependent on food and a complex transport system at the blood brain barrier [20]. Hence, plasma taurine may partially reflect the pathological change in CNS of PD patients. Firstly, decreased plasma taurine level of patients with PD observed in this study is in line with our previous work [13]. Similarly, there have been some studies reporting CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) taurine level was significantly decreased in PD when compared to healthy controls [19, 22]. Previous studies provide evidence that taurine has a remarkable anti-oxidative function. Furthermore, in a study of PC12 cells, taurine exhibited a protective role against oxidative stress induced by peroxide (H2O2) through the alleviation of endoplasmic reticulum stress [12]. Also, Castro-Caldas et al. [10] reported that pretreatment of TUDCA (an analogue of taurine) abrogated the level of ROS in MPTP-mice, thus further highlighting the anti-oxidative role in vivo and suggesting that TUDCA may modulate the intracellular oxidative environment via interfering with the cellular redox threshold. Moreover, it has been observed that significant increases in glutathione content and superoxide dismutase ( SOD) activity were founded in the livers of the taurine-supplemented 6-OHDA–induced PD rats, which indicated that taurine may increase the defenses against oxidative insult [11]. Collectively, we assume that the decrease of plasma taurine level may result from chronic assumption of oxidants. Therefore, taurine may play an important neuroprotective role in the pathophysiology of PD via its potent anti-oxidative activity. By contrast, both normal [23] and increased [24-26] CSF taurine levels were found in several previous studies. Moreover, no significant decreased plasma taurine was observed in Molina et al.s study [22]. However, studies conductedby Lakke et al. [25, 26], Tohgi et al. [23] and Araki et al. [24] all had some limitations. For example, the controls were not well matched regarding gender and age. Additionally, different sample sizes and measurements may also partially explain the discrepancy of the results. Compared with those previous studies, we recruited relatively more patients in this study. Also, statistical analysis was well performed and measurement used in our study is more stable and sensitive. Nevertheless, we fail to observe correlation between plasma taurine level and age, duration and Hoehn and Yahr in treated PD, untreated PD or all PD. This may result from that only patients with relatively short duration (within 5 years) and low Hoehn and Yahr (within stage 3) were enrolled in our study, and the plasma taurine was probably not sensitive enough to examine the underlying correlation in early to medium stage PD patients. Therefore, further research including more stages of patients would bring more invaluable information on this point. Secondly, treated PD patients exhibited lower plasma taurine level than the untreated. Although the duration was longer and the Hoehn and Yahr stage was higher in treated PD than untreated PD, neither of the two clinical variables was correlated with plasma taurine level in each group. More importantly, plasma taurine level significantly negatively correlated with cumulative dosage of levodopa. These data suggest that chronic treatment of levodopa may affect plasma taurine concentration. Previous studies have shown that levodopa has the capacity to form ROS by autoxidation from catechols to quinines [4]. Interestingly, Biasetti et al. [27] found that taurine attenuated iron-catalyzed quinine formation from levodopa. Also, some studies suggest that taurine may bind these toxic quinones [27, 28]. Furthermore, there have been studies [29] showing that chronic systemic administration of levodopa to rodents depleted taurine pools, suggesting that taurine might play an important role in scavenging oxidants derived from levodopa metabolism in vivo. Therefore, we suppose that chronic consumption of taurine due to oxidants induced by levodopa may partially explain lower plasma taurine level in levodopa-treated PD than the untreated. However, there were different results observed in some other studies. Molina et al. [22] reported that no significant difference of CSF taurine level was found between levodopa-treated PD (n=21) and non-levedopa-treated PD (including untreated PD, n=8). The relatively small sample size may limit its interpretation. Moreover, Diederich et al. [30] found no significant decrease of plasma taurine after acute administration of levodopa. However, the acute levodopa administration may not fully refect the toxicity of cumulative levodopa intake. Nevertheless, our study has some limitations. Firstly, the population in this study is relatively small and the results must be interpreted cautiously. Secondly, as this is only a retrospective study, future longitudinal study combining with biomarkers of oxidative stress will provide more important information on the role of levodopa in affecting the plasma taurine level as a neurotixic agent and of taurine as a anti-oxidative agent. In conclusion, our results showed that decreased plasma taurine level was found in patients with PD in comparison to healthy controls. Moreover, plasma taurine level was found lowed in treated PD than the untreated, and inversely correlated with cumulative levodopa dosage. Combining with previous studies, these data suggest taurine may play an important protective role in pathophysiology of PD and chronic administration of levodopa may have potential neurotoxicity by depleting taurine. Also, our pilot study could, at least, provide new insights into therapeutic strategies.

Forest Soils on Acid Essay -- Ecology Nature Environmental Papers

Forest Soils on Acid Forest ecosystems are important both ecologically and economically. It is arguable that the most fundamental dynamic of the forest ecosystem is the forest soil. The acidity of forest soils can alter the chemistry, biota, and hydraulics of the soil, and thus, alter the soil formation characteristics and the soil composition. It follows that the acidification of forest soils demands a great deal of research and attention. Forest soils are commonly found to have pH readings of 4-6, even in areas of moderate to low acid deposition (Binkley et al, p. 4). In fact, an abundance of forest vegetation thrives on and stabilizes most forest soils at relatively low pH levels. It seems as though forest ecosystems generally thrive upon strongly acid soils. Though forest soils naturally are acidic, problems can occur when the acidity levels are raised artificially through processes such as acid rain. This paper will investigate the effects of higher than normal acidity and acid deposition in forest soils to gain a greater understanding of current and potential problems to forest soils and ecosystems. It is important to remember when discussing the implications of high acid in forest soils that there are several general factors that will alter acidic effects on soil chemistry, hydrology, biota, and weathering. These factors include soil type, soil sensitivity, and the quantity of precipitation. Texture, structure, grain size, and consistence are all crucial to defining the soil type or series and also to the amount of time soil is exposed to acid deposition. In a particular study on humus degradation based on simulated "acid rains" conducted by Greszta et al. (1991) revealed the extent to which soil type influenced ... ...556-563. Mulder, J., J.J. M. van Grinsven, and N. van Breemen. 1987. Impacts of acid atmospheric deposition on woodland soils in the Netherlands: III. aluminum chemistry. Soil Science Society of America Journal 51: pp. 1640-1646. Rampazzo, N., and W.E.H. Blum. 1992. Changes in chemistry and minerology of forest soils by acid rain. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 61: pp. 209-220. Sharpe, W.E., B.R. Swistock, and D.R. Dewalle. 1992. A greenhouse study of northern red oak seedling growth on two forest soils at different stages of acidification. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 66: pp. 121-133. Singer, M.J., and D.N. Munns. 1996. Soils: An Introduction. Prentice-Hall, Inc. New Jersey. Tamm, C.O., and L. Hallbacken. 1986. Changes in soil pH over a 50-year period under different forest canopies in SW Sweden. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 31: pp. 337 341.

Coors :: essays research papers

The Coors company got started when Adolph Coors and was 15 years old when he tool a ship to New York form Germany in 1868. With his savings and with the help of a partner, he started developing a brewery. Which took place in 1882. Then he bought his partner out and Adolph Coors started running on his own. As Adolph’s progress was going, people started to fight the sins of drinking and along came prohibition. Because of prohibition Adolph turned his brewery into making porcelain and selling malted milk instead of making beer. Adolph during the WWI he had to work really hard to get drinking legal again because of prohibition. His son Adolph Jr. Coors had help his father keep the business and to keep it running in the 1920’s. Adolph Jr.’s father died in June of 1929, the age of 82, as he was on vacation with his wife. While his wife was trying to get over influenza. They were unsure of his of his death; it could have been suicide. But after his death he left his ch ildren 2 million dollars and the brewery. 1933 prohibition was repealed. One of few breweries that actually lasted. During 1933 Adolph Coors Jr. took over the business after his father died. During the great depression Adolph the 3rd got ready to join the brewery business and also Joe and Bill joined too. There was a one-week strike from labor force. Many people thought that Coors discriminated against blacks, women, and homosexuals. Joe and his family plus his business was not publicly scared because of Joe Coors expressing his views and onions open. In the 1977 Coors business workers went on strike against lie detector tests, personal trust, and like searches discrimination everyone protested against Coors beer. It was almost 10 years before the boycotts against Coors ended.

F. Scott Fitzgerald :: essays research papers

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Fitzgerald's life is an example of both sides of the American Dream, the joys of young love, wealth and success, and the tragedies associated with success and failure. Named for another famous American, a distant cousin who authored the Star Spangled Banner, Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul Minnesota on September 24, 1896. The son of a wicker furniture salesman (Edward Fitzgerald) and an Irish immigrant with a lot of money (Mary McQuillan), Fitzgerald grew up in a Catholic and upper middle class environment. Fitzgerald started writing at an early age. His high school newspaper published his detective stories, encouraging him to pursue writing more than academics. He dropped out of Princeton University to join the army and continued to pursue his obsession. At 21 years of age, he submitted his first novel for publication and Charles Scribner's Sons rejected it, but with words of encouragement. Beginning a pattern of constant revising that would characterize his writing style for the rest of his career. The U.S. army, stationed him near Montgomery, Alabama in 1918, where he met and fell in love with Zelda Sayre. Three years into marriage, after the birth of their first and only child, Scottie, Fitzgerald completed his best-known work: "The Great Gatsby." The extravagant living made possible by such success, however, took its toll. Constantly living at various times in several different cities in Italy, France, Switzerland, and eight of the United States, the Fitzgeralds tried hard to escape from or do something about Scott's alcoholism and Zelda's mental illness. Zelda suffered several breakdowns in both her physical and mental health, and sought treatment in and out of clinics from 1930 until her death. Things were looking up for Fitzgerald near the end of his life - he won a contract in 1937 to write for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Hollywood and fell in love with Sheilah Graham, a movie columnist.

Fun for Life Essay

Many topics for you to try. Some of these came from IELTS and other textbooks, others are from websites. You can also see TWE (Test of Written English) topics from the TOEFL exam here. Use CTRL+F to find keywords or topics from this page in your browser. The destruction of the world’s forests is inevitable as our need for land and food grows. Do you agree? Write this essay in the forum! See what other people think of your writing! Damage to the environment is an inevitable consequence of worldwide improvements in the standard of living. Discuss. Are famous people treated unfairly by the media? Should they be given more privacy, or is the price of their fame an invasion into their private lives? Are our zoos cruel to wild animals? Are women are better parents than men? Are zoos are necessary for education? Children learn best by observing the behavior of adults and copying it. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Children should never be educated at home by their parents. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Computers can translate all kinds of languages well. Do our children need to learn more languages in the future? Damage to the environment is an inevitable consequence of worldwide improvements in the standard of living. Discuss. Discuss some of the arguments for and against keeping animals in zoos. Discuss the advantage and disadvantage of giving international aid to poor countries. Do the benefits of study abroad justify the difficulties?

French English Relations in Canadian History Essay

Throughout the 20th Century in Canada there have been large amounts of tension and hostility between two of the largest ethnic groups, French and English Canadians. Both groups have attempted to gain the upper hand in battles over politics, language, religion, and culture. It is unfortunate that this bitter battle between Canadians is still taking place today. It is worth noting that the French make up 24% of Canada’s population, about 6. 5 million, 6. 2 million are living in Quebec. The three main historical events that have pushed relationships between French and English Canadians to the breaking point that ultimately led to violence and the threat of separation are the Manitoba School Question, Conscription in World War I, and the October Crisis. The Manitoba Schools Question began in 1890 with the abolishment of public funding to Catholic Schools, and ended with the Laurier-Greenway compromise in late 1896. â€Å"The 1870 Manitoba Act established a dual system of Protestant and Roman Catholic Schools† (Crunican, Paul E. Pg. 1). This meant that The Board of Education used public funding for both Protestant and Catholic Schools. In later years the French Roman Catholic population decreased rapidly as the English Protestant population increased, and became a large majority in Manitoba. Liberal Premier of Manitoba, Tomas Greenway abolished the Board of Education and public funding to Catholic schools in 1890 and erected a Department of Education under ministerial leadership. â€Å"Two Privy Council decisions, 1892 and early 1895, upheld the validity of the Manitoba law but affirmed the federal government’s power to restore the lost school privileges† (Crunican, Paul E.  Pg 1). The Federal election of 1896 was fought primarily on the issue of the Manitoba School Question and was won by Liberal leader Wilfred Laurier. He promised less abrasive and more effective â€Å"sunny ways† to approach the province. â€Å"The Laurier-Greenway Compromise of late 1896, promoting an amendment to the Schools Act in 1897, did not restore separate schools, but it did allow Catholic teachers to be employed in certain circumstances and it did give some religious-instruction privileges within public schools† (Crunican, Paul E.  Pg 1). This ended the Manitoba Schools Question and was a large cause of tension between both French and English Canadians. To this day it is seen as Canada’s most significant loss of French and Catholic rights outside of the province of Quebec. During World War I Canada contributed to the war effort by supplying ammunitions, war vehicles, and soldiers. Many French Canadians did not concern themselves with the war since Prime Minister Robert Borden had promised there would be no conscription. Three years into the war after the Battle of the Somme the number of casualties started to mount up and number of new recruits dwindled. â€Å"On May 18, 1917, Prime Minister Borden rescinded his earlier promise and introduced the Military Service Act, a conscription bill that would require all males between the ages of twenty and thirty-five be drafted† (Conscription Crisis of Canada 1917 pg 1). Citizens in Quebec were outraged as well as Henri Bourassa a well known French Canadian politician who actively opposed anything but voluntary service into the Canadian army. In an already fragile nation many believed this would tear the country in two and cause irreparable damage. The bill became law on August 29, 1917; it was met with two days of rioting and violence on the streets on Montreal. This left one citizen dead and dozens more wounded. â€Å"The worst incident occurred during Easter weekend in 1918† (Conscription Crisis of Canada 1917 pg 2). It broke out when a French Canadian young man failed to produce his conscription exemption papers to police. The riots were extremely violent and over 6,000 English speaking soldiers were deployed to Quebec, still the riots caused important destruction of property and resulted in over 150 civilian and military casualties† (Auger, Martin F. Pg 1). Despite conscription there was no significant increase in the number of troops in the Canadian army. The main reason for this was that many exemptions were being made on the grounds of religious and personal beliefs as well as men holding essential jobs. This further distanced Quebec from the rest of Canada and ushered in political efforts to try and separate the province and establish an independent state of Quebec. The October Crisis of 1970 again was the cause of major tensions and violence between French and English Canadians. Leading up to the October Crisis was the Quiet Revolution (1960) in Quebec. It had a profound effect on Quebec and helped to create Provincial funded education, healthcare, and a pension plan. There was also an emergence of minority movements such as gay rights, feminism, environmental awareness, public sector unions, and aboriginal rights. Some Quebec nationalists, however, eschewed the political movement and favoured a radical course of action† (Clement, Dominique pg1). The Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ) terrorist organization emerged. The FLQ attempted to gain Quebec independence from the rest of Canada through violent acts of terrorism. â€Å"The conflict between the police and the FLQ, and the radicalism of the 1960s, set the context for the October Crisis† (Clement, Dominique pg 3). The FLQ’s attacks reached its climax on October 5, 1970 when they kidnapped James Cross a member of the British consulate in Montreal. One of the largest manhunts in Canadian history was organized, police conducted raids, arrests, and questionings. When the government refused to comply with the FLQ’s demands Pierre Laporte the provincial minister of labour was kidnapped. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau reacted by enacting the War Measures Act which relieved all Canadian citizens of their civil rights. â€Å"The next day, Pierre Laporte was found in the trunk of his car, murdered by the FLQ† (Clement, Dominique pg 5). Many Quebeckers were outraged by the government’s choice and the number of federal troops called into Quebec, while many outside Quebec supported the government’s decision. Around 500 civilians were arrested without warrant that had connections with Quebec nationalism, and anger and bitterness remains with them as they were wrongfully persecuted and oppressed. The crisis lasted around two months. â€Å"Cross was released on 3 December and his kidnappers were flown to Cuba, while Laporte’s killers were captured on 27 December and sent to jail† (Clement, Dominique pg 9). The October Crisis was Canada’s most heinous acts of terrorism and was critical to the degrading relationships between French and English Canadians. The 20th century is filled with conflicts between both French and English Canadian’s. The three key events that drove them apart were the Manitoba School Question, World War I Conscription, and the October Crisis. The most defining moment in history being the October Crisis. The extent to which was taken by the FLQ as well as the government continues to be remembered by Canadians and remains a sensitive topic for many. Whether or not this event will be the catalyst for future violence and the separation of Quebec is not known. But Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier understood the sensitive dynamic between French and English Canadian and continued to hope for a better future which is expressed in this quote â€Å"Two races share today the soil of Canada†¦. These people had not always been friends. But I hasten to say it†¦. There is no longer any family here but the human family. It matters not the language people speak, or the altars at which they kneel† (Laurier, Wilfrid).

Game Theory Essay

Game theory emerged as a scholarly field of study in the first half of the 20th century. Since that time, it has significantly affected various academic disciplines, such as economics, political science and biology. Although the term â€Å"game theory† may suggest a certain frivolity, the concepts underlying it have many real-world applications and offer a structured and logical method of considering strategic situations. The parallels between competitive games and strategic business situations should be fairly obvious. Consider the game of chess. There are two players, each of whom makes moves in sequence. After observing the move made by the first player, the second player makes a counter move. Then the first player, having observed the first two moves, makes the third move and so on. Compare this to the business situation of gas stations competing for customers through strategic pricing. (The players in this case are station A and station B. ) Suppose, for instance, that station A starts by choosing a new pricing strategy. Given station A’s decision, station B decides how it will set its prices. Given station B’s response, station A can choose to revise its pricing strategy and so on. The objective of each gas station in this â€Å"game† is to maximise its own profit. For each to do so, it must be continually acting and reacting to its competitor in the market as well as anticipating competitive responses when making decisions. What does game theory have to offer? First, game theory provides a framework, or formal procedure, for analysing any competitive situation (or â€Å"game†). Specifically, it forces you to identify the players in a game (consumers, sellers, input providers, governments, foreign organisations, etc. , their possible actions and reactions to the actions of other players, and the payoffs or rewards implicit in the game. Game theory models reduce the world in which businesses operate from a highly complex one to one that is simpler but nevertheless retains some important characteristics of the original. By capturing and clarifying the most significant aspects of competition and interdependence, game theory models make it possible to break down a complex competitive situation into its key components and to analyse the complex dynamics between players. In order for game theory to be truly useful in analysing such complex situations, certain assumptions need to be made. The most significant assumption is that the players in a game are choosing their actions optimally; that is, they are choosing their actions in the hope of maximising their ultimate payoff and they assume that the other players are doing likewise. Without this assumption, game theory cannot successfully model real-world situations. Because game theory can realistically model business situations, it helps businesses to make optimal decisions and choose optimal actions. In other words, by â€Å"solving† a game, a business can identify its optimal actions (assuming, as always, that all the other players are also choosing their actions optimally). This is especially valuable because it helps companies choose the right business strategies when confronted with a complex strategic situation. In what types of business situations can game theory be applied? Click on the linkhere to find out. The nature of the solution(s) in game theory also motivates businesses to analyse how the structure of the game can be altered so that a different (and perhaps a more favourable) game can be played. Because of its systematic approach, game theory allows businesses to examine the consequences of actions that they may not have considered. It is worth noting here that many games involving business are different from games in other fields. For instance, in business, many players can win (and lose) simultaneously, which obviously is not the case with chess. Additionally, because of the interdependent nature of most business relationships, these games are not always ones of direct competition. Consider a game between manufacturer and supplier — both have incentives to do well, but each also has a vested interest in the success of the other. Furthermore, unlike some other games with fixed rules, the rules of business are continuously in flux. They may be formulated by law, by tradition or by accident. Often, however, players have an influence on how rules are decided. How does game theory differ from microeconomics? Because game theory can be used to model almost any economic situation, it might seem redundant to study both microeconomics and game theory. However, microeconomics tends to focus on cases in which there are many buyers and sellers or there is one seller (or buyer) and many buyers (or sellers). Yet here are many instances in which there are a few buyers or sellers. Markets in which more than one but still only a few firms compete are known as â€Å"oligopolies. † Oligopolists are acutely aware of their interdependence. Each firm’s decisions in the market depend on the specific assumptions it makes about how its rivals make pricing and output decisions. In addition, there are other situations in which there is one buyer and one seller. Microeconomics without game theory does not adequately address these matters. Consider a market in which the number of producers is small. In aircraft manufacturing, two firms, Boeing and Airbus, control 100 percent of the world market for commercial aircraft. Each firm recognises that its pricing and production decisions have important implications for its rival’s profitability. As a consequence, each firm attempts to guess which actions its rival will take. But each must also recognise that its rival will also be guessing as to what it will do. Clearly, such interactions are inadequately represented by classic microeconomic models, which assume that the firms are price takers. In some other markets, the number of buyers is small. For instance, the wholesale market for diamonds is dominated by a small group of global firms; therefore, diamond producers may find that implicit (or explicit) collusion between buyers makes it difficult for the diamond producers to exercise market power. Once again, classic microeconomic models may be missing a very important feature of actual markets. Click on each of the links below to read a few real-world examples in which game theory is applicable.

What is the crisis in the British family a crisis about? How is the crisis gendered?

The term ‘family' officially evokes the image of a heterosexual, nuclear institution where each member is related to the other by marriage/law or blood, and the state, religion, media and other important institutions in our society encourage this image. However, lived realities are often very different and in recent years this form of the family, which is assumed to be normal and the norm, has been displaced by various other family forms which are labeled as deviant and which are assumed to be the root of current social problems. Hence has risen a ‘crisis' in the British family. This crisis has been highlighted by the various social institutions mentioned above which encourage the heterosexual nuclear family form. Quoting Wright and Jagger, according to them ‘the turn of the century is marked by a growing crisis in the family, a crisis that may prove terminal unless decisive action is taken', and the crisis has been pointed out as the collapse of marriage and the ‘family'. This crisis however is not new and a similar was said to have risen at the end of the 19th century. Like now, the crisis then too had been a rise in social problems and women had been identified as the cause. Single mothers, working mothers, woman opposing the dominant ideology of ‘womanhood' were and are labeled as the cause of the ‘crisis'! As Gittins say, ‘Ideals of family relationships have become enshrined in our legal, social, religious and economic systems, which in turn reinforce the ideology and penalise or ostracise those who transgress it. ‘[Gittins 1992] The crisis in the family can thus be seen as nothing more than a gap between the ideological construction of the family and the diverse realities of family life. [Gittins,1993] The different alternate family forms that have come up and become increasingly common in the last few decades such as the single parent (specially single mother) family, extended families, communes, homosexual families are seen as social threats. This is because they resist the patriarchal ideology that is prevalent in the nuclear family form where the male is all-powerful. Resistance to this form of the family has seen the rise of the gendering of the family crisis with the blame falling on the women. This crisis as mentioned above is not something new and was seen before in the 1890's when the results of it were deemed to be the evils of those times – namely illegitimate children, women not having children, prostitution, homosexuality etc. The family – which by the way was the white, middle class, heterosexist family – was seen to be the buffer against these social evils. In these families the sexual divisions of labor played an important part in the claiming of moral superiority. The industrial Revolution which preceded this period can this be seen as the time when the seeds of change were sown, because even though at this time the ‘domestic ideology' of the middle class was established, working class women became increasingly involved in paid employment working away from home – and hence rose the first crisis. Indeed, the cause of the crisis at this time was seen to be the ‘bad' mother – invariably a working class woman in paid labor. With World War II however, women had to take up jobs and it allowed them more freedom. Gradually the 20th century saw changes in attitudes and legislation – though it did take a very long time. The most important legislative changes were perhaps the right of divorce for women and the decriminalization of gay relationships. These factors were important in the rise in the alternate family forms. The argument that the heterosexual family is the ‘norm' can however no longer be held valid. There is a vast discrepancy between the actual family forms and the ‘cereal-packet family' considered the ideal! In 1961 over half of all households consisted of a married couple with dependent children and in 1992 this proportion had dropped to 24%. In 2001 19% all households consisted of an adult couple and dependent children – the couple not necessarily married. Marriage certainly has become less popular in the last 2 decades. Cohabitation, teen pregnancies, the number of children outside marriage has seen a marked increase. Homosexuality also has become much more widely accepted in society and many homosexual couples live with their children – adopted or from previous relationships. Divorce rates have also shot up dramatically with 1 in every 3 marriages ending in a divorce. These changes have been constructed into a national crisis by the state and the media. The statistics have been used to create moral panic among the people. In Britain, the government whether the New Right or the New Left have supported the ‘traditional family'. In the debates and policies of the New Right or the New Left, there is seen to be a particular connection between deviant family forms and social ills and there can be seen a particular vision of the individual, family and state responsibility. Policy units, the think tanks like the Social Affairs and the Economic Affairs units and the newspapers rather than the academic press stress are the agencies that stress more on the importance of the ‘traditional family values'. [Jagger and Wright, 1999] The lobbyists on behalf of the ‘ normal' family say that government policies and feminist ideologies threaten it. Government policies however far from threatening the nuclear family form strongly support it. In fact the Conservatives called themselves the party of the ‘family' and deviant family forms such as homosexual relationships and cohabitation were actively discouraged. The 1988 Local Government Act stated that it was an offence for local government employees or institutions to promote the acceptability of homosexuality as a family relationship. The Conservatives also shifted away from state provision and the emphasis lay on the family as a source of provision and rhetoric as well as legislation supported this. The moral panic shifted from the unemployed male scrounger to the female lone parent on benefit. The benefits given to single parents were cut down and the Child Support Act was introduced. Refamilisation – by which fathers were tried to be reinserted into the family by being made responsible for his child after separation made life very difficult for those people who had been divorced. This rhetoric of traditional family values however helped the state to back out of much of its fiscal responsibilities! The Labour Governments emphasis has also been on the family. Legislation based on the ‘families role in society' has been passed. As Frazer says, there is ‘an insistent emphasis on ‘the family' as the relevant and significant institution' together with ‘the insistence that rights must be correlated with duties, obligations and responsibilities'. It does seem from the government's emphasis on the family that the terrain of family offers the illusion of a cheap and feasible political program. Other than this emphasizing on family also obscures the failure of the politicians in other spheres such as economics or likewise. The media also plays an important role in this invocation of ‘the family' – the ‘cereal-packet family' being a noteworthy propaganda and the stress on the current ‘crisis'! Religion is another important social institution that encourages the nuclear family maintaining it to be moral and healthier that the other family forms. It has been seen that in all these cases of addressing this crisis by the state, the media or any other institution the focus has been on women as the cause of the crisis and consequently social problems. The single mother is seen as the source of current social evils like poverty, children's indiscipline, crime and juvenile delinquency. Fatherless families are seen to be more of a problem with no one to impose authority and discipline! The discourse of lone/single motherhood as a social threat as it helps to resist close scrutiny of the content of hegemonic masculinity and fatherhood. [Lister, 1996] and conceals the fear that if men lose their relevance to the family life they also lose control over women and children. The traditional nuclear family, which is patriarchal, enforces this ideology through the strict gendered division of labor and other family forms without these gender divisions are not seen as desirable or normal. The traditional family is seen as one in which the male is the breadwinner and the woman is the homemaker – looking after the house and the children. This was in fact the Victorian middle class ideology. Though today women are no longer thought of as not going into paid work, it is still considered that her primary duty lies in looking after the home – thus she has a double burden of her job and housework. Men however have no such responsibilities and the symmetrical family that Young and Willmott talk about in which housework is shared equally between men and women instead of men thinking that they are doing a favour by helping, will take a long time to come if it ever does come at all! These family relationships – the inequality of women in their relationships with men ( in either marriage or cohabitation) is linked to wider social and economic factors and is infact sanctioned by the power of the state. Thus gendered division of labor is a part of the ‘normal' family ideals. The crisis in the family means that this gender division no longer works within a majority of the families anymore. This is the feminist explanation for the rise of a ‘crisis' in the family by the media and the state. The patriarchy that is based on the exploitation of women's unpaid labor at home constructs alternate family forms as a ‘crisis' and blames women as the cause of social problems, advocating the return to the ‘normal, heterosexual, nuclear family' for a better and healthier society!

The Story of an Hour & a Sorrowful Woman

â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† & â€Å"The Story of an Hour† The sadness and unhappiness displayed by both of the married women in â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† shows that marriage does not always bring the typical ending of most fairy tales. Thus being living happily ever after. It is evident that both of these women feel trapped in their marriages as many people feel today. Growing up with eight sisters I have also seen this feeling of entrapment in the world as well. In both of these stories the women display such a lack of love towards their spouses and in fact in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† it seems as though Mrs. Mallard never really loved her spouse and is the happiest for the hour that she thinks her husband is dead. The woman in â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† is never satisfied with her marriage and life and feels trapped as well. The bizarre thing is that both of these women end up dead and do not find a way to get help or to get out of the marriages. The authors of these two stories Kate Chopin and Gail Goodwin both tie the unhappiness of these women to the way in which society impacts ones marriage. First of all, through the settings of their stories, both of the authors suggested that social expectations be the real causes of their protagonists’ deaths. In â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman,† the nameless protagonist has what seems to be such a desirable life. She has a â€Å"durable, receptive, gentle† husband and a â€Å"tender golden three† son (189) â€Å"He was attuned to her; he understood such things† (189). This statement leads one to believe that her husband always understood her. It also seems that he is willing to sacrifice his time for her and their family. Mrs. Mallard in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is in a similar environment. Knowing that she has heart trouble, â€Å"great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death† (18). By setting up such nice environments where the two protagonists live, the authors keep readers away from the thought that their protagonists’ deaths are the result of bad treatment. It is the force of social expectations placed upon the women that locked them in the jail of marriage and that eventually lead them to death. It becomes evident while reading both of these stories that both of the female protagonists in the two stories live very unsatisfactory lives. Mrs. Mallard in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† seems to feel trapped in her own marriage. â€Å"She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even certain strength† (19) tells us that her marriage has taken everything away from the young woman emotionally. â€Å"It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long† (19), shows that she never felt freedom in her life and felt very unhappy in this marriage because life seemed to be so long because of it. Therefore, â€Å"She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same† (18) when she was told about her husband’s death. She just accepted it and went to her room because she realized that her husband’s death gave her freedom and now â€Å"spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days [that] would be her own. † (19) In the other story â€Å"A Sorrowful Womanâ€Å", the once again nameless protagonist, is imprisoned in her own mind. This is different from â€Å"The story of an hour. † In â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† the sight of her family makes her so disgusted and uneasy. She feels that to love and take care of her family is a burden. â€Å"She stood naked except for her bra, which hung by one strap down the side of her body; she had not the impetus to shrug it off† (189) indicates how tired and unmotivated she feels about her life. Both of these women in these two stories struggle to live happily and are constantly living in agony. Many readers, including myself, might wonder why they don’t free themselves by offering divorce to the husbands. Chopin and Godwin use a lot of irony to allow readers to know that it isn’t simple for their protagonists to break the social expectations that keep them in the boundary of marriage. Divorce is never an option for them. Divorce might have never been defined in their society, and it was most definitely not as common then as it is now. These poor women have no way to escape from their intense unhappiness. Not only did these women not have a way to get out of their crisis, but they were also prohibited from being themselves and from doing what they want. In â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman,† the main character is exhausted from being â€Å"a wife and mother one too many times† (189). When her son says, â€Å"She’s tired of doing all our things again† (193), this tells us what her life was like. She was constantly feeling the stress of trying to be a housewife against her will, although she did have the ability to write and wasn’t given much of a chance to write. Only once in her life does she have a chance to write â€Å"mad and fanciful stories nobody could ever make up again, and a table full of love sonnets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (192-193); that is before her death. This woman is in a tough predicament. While the person herself tells her to do whatever she wants to, the person that is affected by social expectations inside her tells her to do other things. She completely loses controls of herself. Even though she was unable to do things she wants, she still had to pretend as if she was the luckiest woman (189). In â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† on the other hand, Mrs. Mallard’s overwhelming joy when she received the news of her husband’s death indicated for how long and how much she wanted to be â€Å"Free, free, free! (19). Only alone in her room could Mrs. Mallard express her happiness. In front of people, she has to repress her feelings and pretend to be sad. The conflict inside and outside the woman tells us so much about what the society expected her to do. It also seems that Godwin was trying to show the conflict between Mrs. Mallards marriage and society by intensely describing her world inside and outside of her room. Chopin and Godwin have successfully directed readers to the only reasonable resolution of their stories, the deaths of their main characters. Death is the only way our two protagonists are able to escape from their agony and from the pressure of social expectations placed upon them. These two women’s societies don’t allow them to die comfortably even when they have chosen death as their fate. In â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman,† even though our nameless protagonist despises being a mother and wife she still does what society would expect of her, as a housewife, right before her death. She made â€Å"five loaves of warm bread, a roast stuffed turkey, a glazed ham, three pies of different fillings, †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (192). In â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Mrs. Mallard was said to have died of â€Å"joy that kills† (20) even though it seems as though she died because she was finally able to see freedom in her day’s ahead and could not fathom to live under her husband’s will again. Even until her death, her society still pushed her in the position of a pretender, of a person she never wants to be. Without a way out of these unhappy situations, both of the protagonists chose death for freedom. It is only through death that they are both able to escape from their unhappy lives. These stories provoke so much thought. Should society be more understanding of people? Maybe if our society could be more excepting and understanding there would be less tragedy like there has been in Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and Godwin’s â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman. † Works Cited Chopin, Kate. â€Å"The Story of an Hour. † Thinking and Writing About Literature. Michael Mayer. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 18-20. Goodwin, Gail. â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman. † Thinking and Writing About Literature. Michael Mayer. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 189-193.