Investment Banking Essay

1. Why were proponents of deregulation so successful in the late 1990s? How much can we blame deregulation for the meltdown in the investment banking industry, and how could the government have foreseen and/or stopped the domino effect before the crisis of 2008?s The gov could have decided to not back up what they were not regulating. They are partly to blame for the crisis because who knows if the banks would have issued the loans they issued and taken on huge amounts of risk if they didn’t have the guarantee of the banks behind them. 2. Could any one of the investment banks have remained competitive without following the industry trend of taking on increasing amounts of leverage to boost returns on investment? If so, how? It is not likely that an investment bank could have made the huge profits other banks were making with that leverage to boost returns. They could have possibly taken on less risk and been more profitable in the long run, but not likely that they could have kept up short term. 3. Why was Lehman Brothers allowed to collapse while Bear Stearns was not? The investment bank of Lehman Brothers played a different part in the market than Bear Stearns. The government didn’t want this bankruptcy spreading and so they were able to convince JP Morgan to buy out Bear Stearns while they let Lehman Brothers collapse and pick up the pieces. 4. Did the compensation structure of the investment banking industry encourage banking executives and employees to take on excessive risk to boost short-term profits? Why or why not? Banks were encouraged to take on huge amounts of risk because of the very high return. For a while, there were no consequences for defaults because risk was being transferred but they got to keep the money made off the loans and bonds issued. 5. How much of the industry-wide crisis stemmed from the investment banks’ financials and the current economic climate as opposed to investor panic and speculation? The investment banks are mostly to blame because their conditions caused investor panic and speculation. Banks should have anticipated their uninformed investors rash behavior because that is very hard to control. 6. Both Bear and Lehman bailed out their proprietary hedge funds. Did they have any other option? What would have happened had they not done so? Investors and employers had a lot of skin in the game in the hedge fund market so they had a lot of pressure to bail out these funds. If they had  chosen not to bail them out then their reputations would have gone downhill eventually leading to their investors distrust of the firm. 7. Could Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have survived without becoming bank holding companies? What were the benefits and disadvantages of becoming bank holding companies? What does designation as bank holding companies mean for the way Morgan and Goldman operate going forward? By becoming bank holding companies the power was put into very few hands. Becoming a bank holding company increases diversity so that you do not only play in one market. This lessons risk but perhaps also decreases high returns that can be made if you focus on the investment banking business. Perhaps they could have survived if they had been able to come up with a balance of risk to take. Morgan and Goldman needed to expand from solely investment banking and perform commercial banking operations as well.

Desire and Disappointment in “A & P” and “A Woman on a Roof” Essay

It may be natural instinct for men to be attracted to a good-looking woman or one who displays more than the usual amount of skin in public. The level and type of attraction varies from one male to another. However, more often than not, the primary expectation or fantasy of the male admirer regarding the female being admired, is not met because these expectations and fantasies are based on his personal conceptions and stereotypes about what women should be and not what the particular woman he chances upon is in reality. The male protagonists in John Updike’s â€Å"A & P† and Doris Lessing’s â€Å"A Woman on a Roof† exhibit different expectations on the female characters they meet but in the end, all of them would be disappointed and disillusioned with both the female character and, in turn, their own selves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Updike’s hero is 19 year-old Sammy who works in the checkout counter of a convenience store. One day, three young women walk into the store in their swimsuits. Sammy’s reaction, along with another young but married co-worker, is typical of men their age: they gawk at the woman with sexual desire. Written in the first person point of view of the main character, the reader notes that what Sammy notices about the women are the usual things that men desire in women like â€Å"long white prima-donna legs†¦(and) clean bare plane of the top of her chest down from the shoulder bones†¦(Updike).† Her admiration becomes more than a physical attraction, however, when the store manager reproaches the girls for their out-of-place outfits. In a burst of impulse, Sammy resigns from his job, his reason being that he could not take the embarrassment that the store manager inflicts upon the girls. He imagines his resignation to be a heroic act which he expects the girls to notic. To his disappointment, however, they do not even look back at him. Outside the store, Sammy thinks about â€Å"how hard the world was going to be (Updike)† afterwards. He realizes that the heroism is simply his own conception about what he does and nobody else, especially not the girls, get it. He loses his job in the process and he has too much pride to take it back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The three male protagonists in Doris Lessing’s story, meanwhile, react upon the sight of a barely-clad woman sunbathing on a rooftop. Like Sammy, the men lust at the sight of the woman in â€Å"red scarf tied around her breasts and brief red bikini pants (Lessing).† The initial reaction evolves differently among the three men, however, as the sunbathing woman becomes a daily distraction to their work. Harry, past middle-age, reminds the other two to think of their own wives as they look at the woman. To him, the woman is a possession that should be reined and controlled and the particular woman on the roof must have had a husband that is not doing his job. The newly-married Stanley is confident that women are willing and submissive when they are coaxed. He gets along with Mrs. Pritchett because she responds to him. Tom, the youngest, has an ideal, fairy-tale image of himself. He imagines himself â€Å"at work on a crane, adjusting the arm to swing over and pick her up and swing her back across the sky to drop her near him (Lessing).† He is a hero protecting her from Stanley. All the time while the men watches, yells and whistles at her, the woman remains indifferent. Days later, Harry eventually gives up. Stanley becomes more enraged as the day becomes hotter. Tony remains hopeful but suffers the most as in the end when he decides to finally go and talk to the woman he is rejected and driven away.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Men have been used to classifying women according to types based on superficial images generated by media or during talks amongst themselves. When a man encounters someone that does not fit any of the molds, she disappoints him greatly, more than even she realizes. The characters in the two stories illustrate how hope could turn into disillusionment when a man entertains grand ideas about a woman even before understanding her. Works Cited Lessing, Doris. A Woman On A Roof. Updike, John. A & P.

Cash Flow Statement of JB HI-FI Limited

In this report an adamantine study has been prepared on the cash flow statement of JB HI-FI limited. It is Australian company engaged in providing goods and services specialized in video games and other home appliance. Richard Murry is the CEO of the company who makes all the strategic decision. It is evaluated that annual report of company has been showing computation of cash inflow and outflow from all its activities by using direct method. A complete analysis has been made on operating, investment and financial activities of JB Hi-FI limited to evaluate liquidity position of company in effective manner. Evaluation of cash flow statement of JB HI-FI Ltd Cash flow statement of JB HI-FI provides liquidity position of company and determines how much cash inflows and outflow of company for a particular time period (Roth, 2017). Analysis of cash flow from operating activities It is evaluated that JB HI-FI since last five years has reduced its cash inflow from its operating activities.   In 2012, JB HI- FI was having 215.01 cash inflow from its operating activities which decreased to 185.14. This has shown company has reduced its cash flow from is operating activities. However, more deep analysis could be made by computing operating cash flow ratio (Google Finance, 2017). It is evaluated that in 2012, JB HI- FI was having .48 operating cash flow which has been reduced to .41 in 2016. It reflects that company has been inefficient to draw good amount of cash inflow from its current liabilities engaged in its value chain activities (Brigham, and Ehrhardt, 2016). This ratio measures the capital available for internal reinvestment and for payment on its existing debts. However, by evaluating this ratio it could be inferred that JB HI-FI do not have adequate cash flow CAPEX requirement. Nonetheless, cash inflow from capital expenditure would be found lower in growing company. Therefore, JB HI- FI could justify its lowers amount of cash inflow to its stakeholders (Nizam & Hoshino, 2016). Computation of cash flow statement from indirect method (ASX, 2016) Adjustment to Cash flow Statement of JB HI FI for fives years Fiscal year is July- June and all values in AUD Million Depreciation, Depletion, and amortization Deferred Taxes & Investment Tax Credit It is observed that company has positive cash inflow from its operating activities. In addition to this, financial and investing activities have been providing negative cash outflow. JB HI- FI need to increase its liquidity position otherwise it will result into jeopardize situation for the business functioning of company. Moreover, since 2012 to 2016 company has reduced its cash inflow from its operating activities from 215.01 to 185.14.   Nonetheless, cash outflow from its operating activities has increased by 16% in 2016 as compare to its 2012 cash outflow from its investing activities. Now in the end it would be inferred that company need to main its cash flow more than 1 for the smooth running of business (Thomson Reuters, 2016). Brigham, E.F. and Ehrhardt, M.C. 2016. Account Finance. Cengage Learning, PP 1-549. Google Finance, (2017).  ALL ORDINARIES: INDEXASX:XAO historical prices - Google Finance. [online] Google.com. Available at: https://www.google.com/finance/historical?cid=10584617&startdate=Jun%201%2C%202015&enddate=Jun%2030%2C%202016&num=30&ei=sTWoV9jrGNaAsgGMsouQDg&start=0 [Accessed 22 March 2017]. Nizam, N. Z., & Hoshino, Y. 2016. Corporate Characteristics of Retail Industry among 11 Asian and American Countries.  Journal of Management Research,  8(1), 224-247. Roth, M., 2017.  Top Stocks 2017: A Sharebuyer's Guide to Leading Australian Companies. John Wiley & Sons. ASX, (2016). ASX, [Online], Accessed on: 23 march 2017, Available at:  https://search.asx.com.au/s/search.html?query=jb+hi+fi+ltd&collection=asx-meta&profile=web Thomson Reuters, (2016).  JB HI FI Limited,JBHIFI:ASX historical prices - FT.com. [online]  Markets.ft.com. Available

Riddley Walker and Enders Game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Riddley Walker and Enders Game - Essay Example Locke. A name that was so credential to the population of the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 1600's. Locke was a great man who did many things for his country. "Locke is remembered today largely as a politic philosopher. He preached the doctrine that man naturally possesses certain large rights, the chief being life, liberty, and property." (pg.278, History at an Estranged Glance, by McCracken Phil & Dover, Ben, Your Momma Books LTD., Kandahar, Afghanistan, 2001) Locke influenced not only the people of his time, but many political thinkers in the years to come. "The American Declaration of Independence, clearly reflects Locke's teachings." (pg.278, McCracken & Dover) As well as a political thinker, Locke was also a teacher, preacher, scientist, physician, and confidential secretary to many important people of that time-frame. All in all, a very important individual in history who presented many valid points. Peter Wiggins may only be a young boy, but inside his mind is a vastly complex series of thoughts and ideas, limited to few people on the earth. "There are maybe two or three thousand people in the world as smart as us, little sister. Most of them are making a living somewhere. Teaching, the poor bastards, or doing research. Precious few of them are actually in positions of power." (pg.129, Ender's Game, by Card, Orson S., Tom Doherty and Associates Inc., New York, N.Y., 1991) Peter is an extremely persuasive person, and this is a substantial characteristic of his, which comes to play when some of his valid points are discussed and debated over in the international forum. "Peter was a master of flattery, and all of his teachers bought it." (pg.124, Card) Another characteristic which helps Peter along the way is his outstanding self control. Peter doesn't let his emotions get involved in his forum writings, therefore, making it more credible to others on the net, that he is an adult, not a child. "Peter was not insane, not in the sense that he wasn't in control of himself. He was in better control of himself than anyone she (Valentine) knew. Peter could delay any desire as long as he needed to; he could conceal any emotion" (pg.125, Card) Peter is, in fact, a child genius. Demosthenes, was a Greek orator who was born in Athens in 384 BC. He was an extremely accomplished public speaker in his time, probably one of the best ever in his country of Greece. "Demosthenes was the greatest Athenian orator." (pg.701, McCracken & Dover) Demosthenes' brilliant and controversial speeches did many things good and bad. His declamations often consisted of harsh words towards Philip II of Macedon, and the Macedon people, who were at the time, invading Greece's gold mines, and blocking off their grain routes. Often in his addresses, he would try to persuade the people of Athens to make a stand against the Macedons. " Throughout the 340's, Demosthenes continued his efforts to persuade the Athenians to take a strong stand against the Macedons. He continued to stir up opposition to what he regarded as Macedonian infringement of Greek liberty" (pg.701, McCracken & Dover) Many of Demosthenes' clever speeches, such as the Philippics, have been preserved, and are still debate d over today by scholars, and modern day philosophers. Valentine Wiggins, although a young girl, has

Occupational Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Occupational Stress - Essay Example In economically advanced societies, work and occupation take on a central position in adult life. Occupation defines the most important criterion for social stratification in advanced societies. Occupational settings produce the most pervasive continuous demands during one's lifetime, and they absorb the largest amount of time in adult life (Albrecht et al 2003). Contemporary definitions of stress favour a transactional perspective; this emphasises that stress is located neither in the person, nor in the environment, but in the relationship between the two (Cooper et al, quoted in Clarke & Cooper 2004:5) Selye(1981, quoted in Grant et al 1995) said that work is an essential need for everyone. The question is not whether we should or should no work, but what kind of work suits us best. Consequently, external and internal sources of stress and their subsequent strain has a cause and effect relationship, and are experienced and suffered by employees and workers in their societies. "Occupational stress is a growing problem that results in substantial stress to individual employees and work organizations around the globe. The changing nature of work has placed unprecedented demands on employees and fuelled concerns about the effect this change is having on the well being and the health of their employees and their work organizations" (Anderson et al 2001:93). As social inequalities in health continue to be a key public health problem, scientific theories that explain these inequalities are needed (Siegrist and Marmot 2003). Thus, there are many approaches to occupational stress. They inv olve types of causal and affected variables, and also different labels are used (Cooper 1998). The two most significant models of occupational stress put forth are the (i) Demand-Control-Support Model by Robert A. Karasek, and further developed by T. Theorell as well as by Johnson and Hall and the (ii) Effort Reward Imbalance model introduced by Johannes Siegrist. Comparison and Contrast: The Demand-Control-Support (DCS) Model : Salient Features The demand-control-support model was developed by Karasek and his colleagues during the 1980s. According to this model, psychological demands (both qualitative and quantitative) have more averse consequences if they occur jointly with lack of possibility to influence decisions regarding the job, ie, low decision latitude. Low decision latitude has two components- (i) authority over decisions (the immediate possibility that the individual has to influence decisions regarding what to do and how to do it at work and (ii) intellectual discretion, which is the opportunity that the organization gives the individual to use and develop skills at work so that s/he can develop the possibility of control in the work situation (Moon and Sauter 1996). According to Karasek, who introduced this model, psychological distress is influenced by high demand/low control combinations. Conversely, an increase in control increases job satisfaction. According to

Static Equilibrium Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Static Equilibrium - Coursework Example An object with zero acceleration does not imply that, it is at rest. Objects in equilibrium state are at rest and staying at rest or in momentum and continue to be in momentum with the same speed and direction. This concept also emanates from Newton’s first law of motion (Herbert 135) When an object is at a condition of rest and the forces acting upon its particles are balanced (Equilibrium) then such as situation is referred as static equilibrium. The term static implies a stationary state or a condition of rest. The sum total amount of forces acting upon an object in equilibrium also known as the vector sum is equivalent to 0 Newton (Cathrine 1) An object has to be in a stationary state, the must also not be in a state of transitional acceleration as well as rotational acceleration. In addition, the vector total of all the external forces acting upon it must be zero: ∑ F = 0 Since this object is at equilibrium, the magnitude of the forces represented as Force A, Force B, Force C and Force D acting upon it are balanced. This also implies that the horizontal and the vertical forces sum up to 0 Newton. One method that can be used to measure and establish whether an object is in equilibrium or not is an instance where an object is tied and hanged on two strings attached to weighing scales simultaneously. The diagram is indicated below; The magnitude of the forces acting upon the object is shown by the measurement indicated on scale 1 and scale 2 as well as the magnitude of force A (Cathrine 3) An example of an object at a static equilibrium can also be demonstrated by a box that rests on the floor. The box is impacted on by two external forces at different directions that is, the gravitational force that pulls the box to the centre of the earth. An equivalent force is also impacted by the floor on the box (pushes the box

Luke and Jesus in Biblical Text Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Luke and Jesus in Biblical Text - Essay Example Among his first tasks was to call some twelve men who were henceforth his disciples. These were twelve in number. In spite of his being a son of a carpenter, the Bible further teaches that Jesus grew into one of the greatest teaches history has had to offer, and arguably the greatest teacher of his time. Over and above his great teachings, Jesus is reputed as a great healer and performer of miracles. These, together with his great teachings, earned him great fame trough out the land. In the course of time, the Bible records that Jesus fell out with the Jewish religious leaders and teachers (including the High Priest of the time) and was hence closely watched and tracked as his rivals looked for the opportune time to kill him. It was hard for the conspirator to succeed in their mission for some time. They at times feared that the people would riot since Jesus was loved and followed by many people. When they ultimately managed to get him, they effectively accused him falsely and mobilized mobs that ensured that even if acquitted, he would still get killed. They were successful in getting him killed, and this happened on a cross in the hands of the Romans. All these events and occurrences had been foretold in the Old Testament by many prophets who spoke, taught and prophesied in Israel and Judah. It is remarkable that a lot of details about a king in the future had been foretold, and of all figures in history, only Jesus satisfied all that had been spoken. That included being born of a virgin and in the lineage of King David. Given his story, all the prophecies about him as well as the detailed accounts of his life, it is only reasonable to conclude that Jesus was on earth with a clearly defined mission. Whether the biblical text in Luke 4: 14-30 adequately defines his agenda on earth is thus the big question to consider.

Ethic Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethic Dilemma - Essay Example In addition, the workers develop a sense in understanding that they are the key component for success both at the individual and at the organizational level. On the other hand, the system aids in the determination of human behavior in the workplace (Selgelid, 2009). It determines the real personalities of the workers in relation to how their work is efficient. To explain further, the system aids in understanding human psychology of the workers through monitoring how they manage their free time at work. The design of the system is important because it highlights both the positive and the negative aspects of the employees. The supervision is key to the establishment of an ethical environment. This is because the organization could formulate ethical policies through the positive and negative feedback from the employees. The dual use research aids in the identification of specific issues about the employees. This is because there is an analysis of the issues identified and ethical solutions are provided by the organization, to attempt the resolution of ethical

Why white-collar crimes are committed (criminology theory) Essay

Why white-collar crimes are committed (criminology theory) - Essay Example Edwin H. Sutherland coined the term "white-collar crime" in 1940 and his theory states that white-collar crime occurs because of exposure to other white-collar criminals, called the Differential Association Theory. This holds true today, although theories of criminology have been broadened and made more complex due to the advent of new technologies that enable new kinds of white-collar crime. Still, Sutherland's theory seems to make the most sense in terms of why white-collar crime has become so prevalent. The simple pain vs. pleasure theory also applies, to a point. White-collar crime is often committed through a systematic deployment of certain transactions, either personal or electronic, that shifts assets from one place to another (the white-collar criminal's hands). If we look at the more common views of white collar crime that have come to public attention in recent years, we can start with Ford Motors in the 1970's; three young women were killed in an accident involving a Ford Pinto; it was found that the gas tank feeder tube in the trunk was in a vulnerable position and prone to explode upon impact in a rear-end collision. Ford saw that re-fitting the tubes would increase the production cost of each car by about eleven dollars, so the company refrained from making any changes for seven years; finally, Ford was forced to recall the cars (W. Sue Feinstein, 1996). This would be one profile of white-collar crime: negligence with the motivation to retain profits. In this case, the victims were the 500 or so people who died as a result of the defective gas feed tubes. In addition to the Differential Association theory is the Self Control Theory Of Delinquency, also applied to white-collar criminals. Defined as "acts of force or fraud undertaken in pursuit of self interest" (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990, p. 15), one can see where the Ford crime fit within this theory, the corporation being the "self" in self-interest. A look at the famed S&L scandal in the 1980's is an example of how white-collar crime affects the economy. The basic chronology of events began when deregulation enabled S&L corporations to lend money to themselves. In 1980, the FDIC insurance was raised from $40,000 to $100,000. While there were several factors that doomed the S&L industry, such as fixed interest rates on home loans and sudden inflation. The most notorious white-collar criminal involved in the S&L failures was Charles Keating of Lincoln Savings in Irvine, California. He allegedly duped customers into buying "junk bonds" and extracted $1 million from Lincoln Savings in anticipation of the company's collapse, which happened weeks later (Wikipedia). All convictions were later overturned through plea-bargaining and other legal maneuvers, and Keating maintained that the blame for the downfall of Lincoln Savings was with the government regulators and not his actions. This act of white-collar crime fits the bill for both theories named above; Keating was acting in self-interest without regard for the well being of Lincoln or its customers. Of course, we cannot overlook Enron. The story is complex and frightening with the implications for the

Sexual Harassment in the Hospitality Industry Research Paper

Sexual Harassment in the Hospitality Industry - Research Paper Example cated that sexual harassment occurred when there is opportunistic exposure of genitals; inappropriate touching whenever the object is in a close contact; excessive talks on sexual matters for erotic gratification; and that troublesome spontaneous erections happen. Schneider et al. (2007) pointed that these are at times difficult to interpret specially if ambiguously illustrated as a behavior intimating sexual advances within the context of contrapower harassment. Oxford Economics (2010) defined hospitality industry from the perspective of macro-micro economy as the provision of â€Å"accommodation, meals and drinks in venues where the consumption happened outside homes and as such, as business, offered services that are contributory to national or world economy. Most of the services here hotel accommodation and related services; food and catering; event management (Oxford Economics, 2010). The Commission of the European Union states pointed sexual harassment destroy the working envi ronment and impose deteriorating effect on health, confidence, morale and performance of those affected by it (Advocates for Human Rights, 2007). It hinders the right integration of women at the market (AHR, 2007). It can cause anxiety and trauma which is often affecting victim’s behavior and work efficiency until it could seek work elsewhere (AHR, 2007). The effects are maybe prolonged or not depending on the severity of emotional, psychological, and physical damages incurred (AHR, 2007). Thus, it can have adverse impact on the profitability of the company as it would diminish the reputation of the company (AHR, 2007). Studies further showed that those who have undergone sexual harassment has severe impact to their very private lives by having psychosomatic symptoms and diminished...Such is evident in leisure-based business such as in cruise lines, airlines, hotels, restaurants, bars, resorts, and the like (Ispas, 2010). As an industry designed to cope with desired level of competitiveness, human resources ought to rediscover genuine concept of competitiveness as capitalized by managers of hospitality industry for improved and strategic hospitality services (Þuclea & Pà £durean, 2008; Ispas, 2010). Experts posit that managers should also focus on performance and policy control to maintain quality service as decisive factors in protecting the employees from harassing customers (Þuclea & Pà £durean, 2008). Strategic orientation and raising competitiveness must be undertaken to protect employees from all types of sexual exploitation and harassments that could be employed by any customer to the workers (Þuclea & Pà £durean, 2008; Emilian, Tuclea, Tala & Brà ®ndusoiu, 2009). It’s sad to note that this industry which is contributory for national development is riddled with sad experiences that are detrimental to victim-workers and to the image of the company (Oxford Economics, 2010). If all of these industries are saddled with cases, it would certainly have some severe impact to the economy as well. In UK economy for instance, there is about an estimate of  £90 billion in 2010 for hospitality industry and the same has offered  £46 billion to the UK economy in GVA (Oxford Economics, 2010).

The water cycle Essay Example for Free

The water cycle Essay Directly relative to the hydrologic cycle is the effect of urbanization in the impervious cover (IC). As mentioned earlier in this paper, the lower the rate of impervious area, the higher will be the rate of water infiltration which means that water run-off is relatively low. Obviously, urbanization requires the construction of more sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and more houses which make the soil impervious. The next chapter of this paper discusses in detail the specific effects of urbanization to the hydrologic cycle. Powered by solar energy and gravity, the movement of water in our environment is a continuous cycle. The water cycle also referred to as the hydrological cycle is just one of the vital natural cycles that typically involves the changing of the states of water from liquid, vapor and ice as it moves on, above and below the surface of the earth (Gore, Pamela 2005). 1Water also transforms through the processes of vaporization or evaporation (liquid to gas), condensation (gas to liquid), melting or fusion (solid to liquid), and sublimation (gas to solid, or the reverse). The cycle involves the soil, the plants, and the bodies of water, the air and the sun. Playing an important role in the climactic patterns, changes in the hydrologic cycle are revealed in the changes in the world’s climate and the seal level. As what researchers and scientists have been claiming decades ago, human intervention of which urbanization is the most evident, has played a great role in the significant changes in the cycle. In order to clearly present the validity of such claim, it is helpful for us to look back at the normal cycle of water. Figure 3. 1 shows the normal hydrologic cycle as presented by the U. S. Geological Survey. At first look, it seems that humans are not directly involved in the cycle but if we are to examine each phase of the cycle, we will be able to extract information that will link human activities to each phase of the cycle. Scientists consider the earth as a â€Å"closed-system† which means that almost its entire elements contained therein just move in different cycles and that the earth neither lose nor gain significant amount of matter (Global Hydrology and Climate Center). In terms of the hydrologic cycle, water is distributed globally and recycled continuously, which is the same cycle way back millions of years ago. Figure 3. 1 The Water Cycle. Source: U. S. Geological Survey The cycle of water involves six major processes: (1) evaporation, (2) transpiration, (3) horizontal transport of water, (5) precipitation and (6) water flowing as run-off. In the process of evaporation, the liquid state of water from the surface of the bodies of water and from the soils transforms into gas or vapor. Water also transforms into gas state through the process of transpiration where a certain amount of water from the plants are released in the air through the leaves of plants. In another phase of the cycle, water also travels in the cycle as atmospheric water in a horizontal direction in forms of water droplets, ice crystals or vapor. The process of precipitation takes place in the air wherein the atmospheric vapor undergoes condensation and sublimation that will then fall to the earth as hail, snow, sleet and rain. In any of these states, 3precipitation that reaches the earth flows through one of four major routes. As suggested by the arrows in figure 1. 1, precipitation may fall down the earth and runs off to the bodies of water like ponds, wetlands and lakes. Precipitation may also follow the route of river and creeks after running off over the land. Water that runs over the land may run through as surface water while some amount will serve as groundwater. Because this amount of water was not able to infiltrate into the ground, the same will return to the atmosphere either through the process of transpiration or evaporation. Scientists define surface water as water that stands or flows on the surface of the earth and also referred to as run-off (White, Iain 2007). Current practice on considers run-off as dangerous to human health and these are usually driven out of the land surface as quickly as possible into sewers or man-made drainage systems. This practice however alters the normal hydrologic cycle as infiltration is lessened which directly affects the processes of transpiration and evaporation. Through the process of infiltration, water sips or absorbed by the ground surface of the earth and so these volume of water is called surface water. On the other hand, groundwater is that volume of run off that sips in the ground and flows through the cracks in the soil, sand and through the spaces between beds of rocks. Depending on the sizes of spaces between rocks and soil, groundwater will be stored in such spaces called aquifers. Aquifers are water-bearing rocks because of their characteristics of high porosity and permeability of which sandstones and gravels are excellent examples (Gore, Pamela 1995). In contrast, rocks, which are not porous like shale, are called aquicludes and so they cannot store water. However, highly jointed aquicludes may also become aquifers because water can also be contained in rock joints. The water that was not absorbed by the plants, or stored in aquifers will eventually into the bodies of water such as the ocean or creeks. The cycle then continues as such water then goes back to the atmosphere through evaporation or transpiration which scientists safely referred to as Evapotranspiration (ET). The amount of water is not well distributed globally as there are areas there are arid lands like Phoenix and Saudi Arabia compared to more permeable areas like some countries of Asia. This is primarily because the types and number of water reservoir of countries varies. Figure 4. 1 will give us the idea that since much of the world’s water is stored in the ocean reservoir, it follows that countries which do have much of such bodies of water have the highest volume of water distribution. If we are to express figures in percentage, we will come up with 97% accounting for water in the ocean and the three percent is distributed among the reservoirs in the soils and the cryosphere in forms of ice caps and glaciers particularly in the areas of Antarctica and Greenland. It is important to note that the total amount of water in the different reservoirs remains nearly constant with the natural landscape and impervious groundcover held in its close original state (NEMO California Partnership, 1997). In the research made by NEMO National Network (California Partnership) in cooperation with the California local government units and the local Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), shallow and deep infiltration of water is 50% while 40% of the water is processed during evapotranspiration. Illustration of the relationship of water run-off and infiltration (NEMO) In this scenario, only 10% of water turns out to be run-off. As the rate of imperviousness increases due to alteration or removal of the natural groundcover, the rate of infiltration consequently decreases. This then results to a higher percentage of run-off water and a lower percentage of water processed during evapotranspiration. The question therefore is: in what ways does infiltration rate increases or decreases and how are human activities relate to this process?

The Lord of the Rings Essay Example for Free

The Lord of the Rings Essay The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings follows the story of Frodo as he and a group of friends set off on a quest to destroy the One Ring before its evil creator, the Dark Lord Savron, can get it and use it to obliterate Middle Earth. This film has a huge following of fans, which is probably something to do with how well such a wide variation of themes and genres are included in the storyline of the film. Although it is obviously a fantasy film this is clear from the opening sequence in which the different races of Middle Earth are each given a set of rings it has elements of other genres featured as well. The huge battle scene towards the beginning of the film hints towards an action/adventure aspect whilst the friendship between Frodo and Gandolf shows that the importance of trust and companionship will play a key part in how the plot evolves. The film begins with a womans voice telling the story of how the rings began life and goes onto explain who got the rings. Whilst she is talking, we see the action on screen mirroring her words as well as an ancient map, which points out where in Middle Earth the different races of life live. We are then taken to a panning shot of a huge battle scene in which the keeper of the last remaining ring is defeated. From then on filming follows this one ring as its new owner is ambushed in the forest and the ring drops to the riverbed, then as a creature known as Gollum finds it. This sequence of filming ends when Bilbo Baggins finds the ring. The next shot is in the Shire, sixty years later, and here we watch as Frodo meets up with Gandolf and the two friends take a trip through the village Frodo lives in. The locals are preparing for a party and for a while we are oblivious to who or why they are celebrating. This is until banner reading Happy Birthday Bilbo Baggins is raised between the trees. It is exceptionally important in this film that the setting is explained to the audience. This is because the entire world that the story is played out in is completely fictional. To gain such needed explanation of setting, extreme long shots and panning shots were used during the battle scene, which meant the audience could understand the enormous scale of the battle. During the opening voice over section, a map was shown on screen pointing out where each of the races live, this gave the film more authenticity and almost made the audience feel this was a real place, and these creatures were real creatures, which was essential if the film wanted to capture the audiences imagination.

Project management techniques

Project management techniques Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations from a project. In other word it is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources related to a project to successfully complete the specific goals and objective of the project. A project is a temporary thing which has a predefind goal and a defined begining. The temporary nature of project stands in contrast to business as usual, which are repetative, parmanent or semi permanent functional work to produce product or service.   Project Management Knowledge Areas Project management knowledge areas describe project management knowledge and practice in term of its component process. These proceses have been organized into nine knowledge areas as described below-   Project Integration Management Various types of processes are required to coordinate the various element of the project. Project integration management integrate all those processes to fullfill the project goal.there are three major areas for project integration management: Project plan development Project plan execution Overall change control These processes are interact with other and with the process in the other knowledge areas as well. Moreover, integration must also occur in anumber of other areas inorder to be successfully completion of the project. Project Plan Development Project plan development uses the outputs of the other planning processes to create a consistent, coherent document that can be used to guide both project execution and project control1. It is used to guide project execution, document project planning assumptions, document project planning decisions regarding alternatives chosen, facilitate communication among stakeholders, define key management reviews as to content, extent and timing. It also provide a baseline for progress measurement and project control.   Project Plan Execution Project plan execution is the primary process for carryign out the project plan. The project manager and the project management team will corordinate with each other uses the various technical and organizational interfaces that exists in the project. Project application areas directly affect the project processin which the product of the project are actually created. Inputs of project plan execution are project plan,supporting details, organization policies, creative action. General management skills, product skills and knowledge, work authorization, system, status review meetings, project management information system, organizational process are techniques used in project plan execution. Overall Change Control Overall chnage control is concerned with influencing the factors which create change to ensure that changes are benificial, the changes that has occured need to be determined, and managing the actual changes when and as they occur. Inputs of overall change control are project plan, performace reports, change requests etc. The techniques that are used on overall change control are change control system, configuration management, performance measurement, additional planning and project management information system. Project Scope Management The project scope management plan refers to the mechanism that consists of formalized document that is used for the purposes of detailing exactly how the pproject scope will be defined, what decision will be undertaken to develop the project scope, how the project scope will ultimately be varified and how all the components will be created and defined under work break down structure. Five major areas of the project scope management process are. 1. Initiation, 2. Scope planning, 3. Scope definition, 4. Scope verification, and 5. Scope change control. The project scope management plan also will provide information and assistance in determining exactly how the actual scope of the project will ultimately be controlled in the management process by the project management team and or the project management team leader. The actual project scope management plan, as with most project management components, can be a very formally written document, or it can also be a much more informally written document. The detail level can vary wildly as well, depending on exactly what the needs of the project dictate2. Project Time Management Project time management includes the processed required too ensure timely completion of the project. The major areas of time management are described inbrief in the following sections-   Activity Definition Activity definition involves identifying and documenting the specific activities that must be performed in order to produce the deliverables from the project. Activity definition uses WBS, scope statement, historical information, diferent constraint, assumptions as the inputs. Decomposition tools and tamplates are used as techniques. Activity list, supoprting details, and the updates of WBS are the outcomes from this area. Activity Sequencing Activity sequencing involves the identifying and documenting the activity dependencies within the project. The activity must be sequenced inoder to support the later development of a real world and achivable schedule. Activity list, product description, dependencies, assuptions etc are used as input in this area. Precedence daigramming method (PDM), arrow diagramming method , network templates are used to process the inputs. Activity Duration Estimating Aactivity duration estimating involves assuring the number of work periods likely to be needed to complete each identified activity. Overall project duration is also estimating in this period. The inputs of this period are activity list, constraints, assumptions, resource requirements, resources capabilities etc. Activity duration estimation, basis of estimates, and activity list updates are the outputs that we can get from this period.   Schedule Development Schedule development involves in determining the start and finish dates for project activities. If the time schedule of a project are not realistic, the project is unlikely to be finished as scheduled. Project network diagram, activity duration estimates, resource requirements, resource pool description, assumptions etc are inputs of this area. The outputs we got from this area are project schedule, supporting detail, schedule management plan, resource requirement updates. Schedule Control Schedule control is concerned with the factors which influence to create schdule changes to ensure that changes are benifical for the project, detemining that the schedule has changed and managing the actual changes when and as they occur. Schedule control is integrated with the overall control process which is a phase of project integration management. Project schedule, performance reports, change requests, schedule management plan are the inputs to this area. Project Cost Management Project cost management includes the processes which are required to ensure that the project is completed within the approved budget. It involves the following major areas- Resources Planning Resource planning involves determining what physical resources like- people, equipment, materials etc. and what quantities of each should be used to perform project activities. It is closely coordinated with cost estimating. WBS, historical information, scope statement, resource pool description and organization policies are the inputs of this area. Experts will judgment with all alternatives that are identified and give a complete resource requirement. Cost Estimating Cost estimating involves to developing a possible estimation of costs of resources that are needed to complete a project activities. WBS, resource requirements, resource rates, activity duration estimates and chart of account are the inputs of cost estimation. There are different tools that are used in this process. They are- analogous estimating, parametric modeling, bottom-up estimating, computerized tools etc. cost estimates, supporting details,, and cost management plan are the output of this area.   Cost Budgeting Cost budgeting involves allocating the overall cost estimates to individual work items in order to establish a cost baseline for measuring project performance. Cost estimation, WBS, and project schedule are the inputs of cost budgeting. Cost baseline is the outputs of this stage. Cost Control Cost control is concerned with the factors which create changes to the cost baseline to ensure that changes are beneficial, whether the cost baseline has changed or not, managing the actual change. Cost baseline, performance reports, change requests and cost management plan are the inputs of this area. Project Quality Management Project quality management includes the processes required to ensure that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken. It includes all activities of the overall management function that determine the quality policy, objectives and responsibilities. The following areas are the major part of project quality management process. Quality Planning Quality planning identifies the quality standards which are relevant to the project and to determining how to satisfy them. Quality planning, scope statement, product description, standards and regulations and other process outputs are the inputs of quality planning. Flowcharting, benchmarking, designing of experiments are the techniques used to process the inputs. The result out from this phase includes quality management plan, operational definitions, checklists etc. Quality Assurance Quality assurance evaluates the overall project performance on a regular basis to provide confidence that the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards. Quality management plan, result of quality control measurements, operational definitions are inputs of this process and quality improvement is the outcome from this process. Quality Control Quality control monitors the specific project results to determine if they comply with relevant quality standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance. Work result, quality management plan, operational definitions and checklist are input of this area. This inputs are processed by control charts, praetor diagram flowcharting. Quality improvement, acceptance decisions, rework, completed checklists, process adjustments etc are the outputs from this process. Project Human Resource Management Project human resource management involves the process of using the people who can make the effective effort to complete the project. All the sponsor, customers, individual contributors are included in human resource management. The major areas are describing below- Organizational Planning Organizational planning involves identifying, documenting, and assigning project roles, responsibilities and reporting relationships. The inputs are project interfaces, staffing requirements and constraints. Templates, human resources practices and stakeholder analysis are the tools for processing the inputs. The role, responsibility assignment of persons who are working on the project and also the supporting details are the result we have from this phase. Staff Acquisition The human resources needed to be assigned and are working on the project are involves in staff acquisition. The staff acquisitions also take care about best resources which may be missing in most work environment. Staffing management plan, staffing pool description, recruitment practices are the inputs of this area. Negotiations with workers, pre- assignment and procurement are tools that used in staff acquisition. And as a result the project will get the staff assigned to it, and has a team directory. Team Development Team development includes enhancing the ability of stakeholders as well as the team which are working on the project. Project staff, project plan, staffing management plan, performance reports and external feed is the inputs of the team development. Project Management Techniques There are a number of approaches to managing project activities. We only describe the Program evaluation and Review technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM). Pert A series of activities are needed for complex project, some of them has to be performed sequentially and others can performed parallel with other ptoject. This randomness in activitiy completion times are allowed in the Program evalution and Review technique (PERT) which is like a network model. The Network Diagram Project actvities are the task that needs to be performed and the marking the completion of some important activities are called events also referred as milestones. All of the predecessor activities must be completed before an activity begins. Activities and milestones are respresenated by arcs and nodes respectively in project network model. The activites are represented on the lines and milestones on the nodes, as PERT originally was an activity on arc network. The PERT char may have multiple pages with many sub-tasks. In the following fig we have shown a simple PERT diagram. The ending nodes has the higher number than the beginning node of an activity. Incrementing the numbers by 10 allows for new ones can be inserted without modifying the entire diagram. The activites in the fig are labeled with letters along with the expected time that is needed to comple the activity. Steps in the PERT Planning Process PERT planning involves the following steps: 1. Specific activities and milestones identifying. 2. The sequence of the activities properly determined. 3. Construct a network diagram. 4. Estimate the time required for each activity. 5. Determine the critical path. 6. Update the PERT chart as the project progresses. Advantages PERT is useful because it provides the following information: The project will complete in expected time. There will be a Probability of completion of the project before the specified date. The completion time of a project are directly affected by critical path activities. The activities that have slack time and that can lend resources to critical path activities. Activity starts and end dates are also provided by PERT. Disadvantages The following are some of PERTs weaknesses: The activity time estimates are somewhat subjective and depend on judgment. In cases where there is little experience in performing an activity, the numbers may be only a guess. In other cases, if the person or group performing the activity estimates the time there may be bias in the estimate. Even if the activity times are well-estimated, PERT assumes a beta distribution for these time estimates, but the actual distribution may be different. Even if the beta distribution assumption holds, PERT assumes that the probability distribution of the project completion time is the same as that of the critical path. Because other paths can become the critical path if their associated activities are delayed, PERT consistently underestimates the expected project completion time. The underestimation of the project completion time due to alternate paths becoming critical is perhaps the most serious of these issues. To overcome this limitation, Monte Carlo simulations can be performed on the network to eliminate this optimistic bias in the expected project completion time. 1. http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/pert/ 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pert   CPM The activities and events of a project can be modeled as a network using CPM method. In the following diagram we have shown the activities as nodes on the network and events are depicted as lines or arcs between the nodes. Steps in CPM Project Planning. 1. individual activities should be specified 2. Sequence of the activities should be determined 3. Draw a network diagram. 4. For each activity the completion time should be estimated. 5. Critical path identification (longest path through the network) 6. Update the CPM diagram as the project progresses. 1. Individual Activities should be specified A listing of activities can be made from the work break down structure of a project. 2. Sequence of the Activities should be determined Some activities are dependent on each other depending on the completion of others. To constructing a useful CPM network diagram, a listing of the predecessors of each activity is needed. 3. Draw the Network Diagram The CPM diagram can be drawn after defining the activities and their sequencing. CPM originally was developed as an activity on node (AON) network, but some project planners prefer to specify the activities on the arcs. 4. For each activity Completion Time the completion should be estimated The time required to complete each activity can be estimated using past experience or the estimates of knowledgeable persons. CPM is a deterministic model that does not take into account variation in the completion time, so only one number is used for an activitys time estimate. 5. Critical Path identification The critical path is the longest-duration path through the network. The significance of the critical path is that the activities that lie on it cannot be delayed without delaying the project. Because of its impact on the entire project, critical path analysis is an important aspect of project planning [2]. 6. Update CPM diagram The network diagram should be updated as the project progresses, all of the task information that has completed needed to be including in the diagram. While project requirement changes the structure of the network diagram also change. Advantage: Graphical view of the project can be found. The required time needed to complete the project can be predicted. A list of activities which are critical to maintain and schedule can be found. Disadvantage CPM was developed for complex but fairly routine projects with minimal uncertainty in the project completion times. For less routine projects there is more uncertainty in the completion times, and this uncertainty limits the usefulness of the deterministic CPM model. 1. http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/cpm/ 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_path_method 3. http://hspm.sph.sc.edu/COURSES/J716/CPM/CPM.html

Human Cloning Essay -- Clones, Cloning Essays

Cloning humans has recently become a possibility. It is achieved by the production of a group of identical cells or organisms that all derive from a single individual (Grolier 220). It is not known when cloning humans really became a possibility, but it is known that there are two possible ways that we can clone humans. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a human involves taking cells from an already existing human being and cloning them, in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. With these two methods almost at our fingertips, we must ask ourselves two very important questions: Can we do this, and should we? There is no doubt that many problems involving the technological and ethical sides of this issue will arise and will be virtually impossible to avoid, but the overall idea of cloning humans is one that we should accept as a possible r eality for the future. Cloning humans is an idea that has always been thought of as something that could be found in science fiction novels, but never as a concept that society could actually experience. "It is much in the news. The public has been bombarded with newspaper articles, magazine stories, books, television shows, and movies as well as cartoons ¡Ã‚ ¨, writes Robert McKinnell, the author of Cloning: A Biologist Reports (24). Much of this information in these sources leads the public in the wrong direction and makes them wonder how easy it would be for everyone around them to be cloned. Bizarre ideas about cloning lie in many science fiction books and scare the public with their unbelievable possibilities. David Rorvik wrote a highly controversial book entitled In His Image. In it he describes the story of a wealthy man who decides to clone himself. He is successful in doing this and causes quite an uprise in his community. This book was written in the late seventies and even then, societies reaction to the issues of human cloning was generally a negative one. We face a problem today even greater than the one in this book and it involves the duplication of human beings in a society that has always been known for its diversity. The main issue as to whether or not human cloning is possible through the splitting of embryos began in 1993 when experimentation was done at George W... ...nkind, ¡Ã‚ ¨ Time (June 21-27): 63-76. Grolier, Thomas. Can We Still Talk. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. Hamilton, Bernard. Cloning of embryos. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1991. Habgood, John.  ¡Ã‚ §Manipulating mankind. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Nature, Vol. 365 September 23, 1993: 3 04. Kolberg, Rebecca.  ¡Ã‚ §Human Embryo Cloning Reported. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Science, October 29, 1993, Vol.262: 652-653. McCormick, Richard A.  ¡Ã‚ §Should we clone humans? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Christian Century, November 17- 24, 1993: 1148-1149. P. J.  ¡Ã‚ §The pros and cons of freedom of access to human genome data ¡Ã‚ ¨, Nature, Vol. 333 June 23, 1988: 692. McKinnell, Robert. Cloning: A Biologist Reports. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. Radford, Tim.  ¡Ã‚ §Designing the Next Generation. ¡Ã‚ ¨ World Press Review, March 1994: 22-23. Rorvik, David. In His Image. New York: Harper & Row Publisher, 1992. Shah, Dilip M.  ¡Ã‚ §Engineering Herbicide Tolerance in Transgenic Plants. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Science, July 25, 1986: 478. Watson, Traci.  ¡Ã‚ §Seeking the wonder in a mote of dust. ¡Ã‚ ¨ U.S. News & World Report, October 3, 1994: 66. Voelker, Roger B.  ¡Ã‚ §Who ¡Ã‚ ¦s Afraid of the Human Genome? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Hastings Center Report, July/August 1989: 19-21. Human Cloning Essay -- Clones, Cloning Essays Cloning humans has recently become a possibility. It is achieved by the production of a group of identical cells or organisms that all derive from a single individual (Grolier 220). It is not known when cloning humans really became a possibility, but it is known that there are two possible ways that we can clone humans. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a human involves taking cells from an already existing human being and cloning them, in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. With these two methods almost at our fingertips, we must ask ourselves two very important questions: Can we do this, and should we? There is no doubt that many problems involving the technological and ethical sides of this issue will arise and will be virtually impossible to avoid, but the overall idea of cloning humans is one that we should accept as a possible r eality for the future. Cloning humans is an idea that has always been thought of as something that could be found in science fiction novels, but never as a concept that society could actually experience. "It is much in the news. The public has been bombarded with newspaper articles, magazine stories, books, television shows, and movies as well as cartoons ¡Ã‚ ¨, writes Robert McKinnell, the author of Cloning: A Biologist Reports (24). Much of this information in these sources leads the public in the wrong direction and makes them wonder how easy it would be for everyone around them to be cloned. Bizarre ideas about cloning lie in many science fiction books and scare the public with their unbelievable possibilities. David Rorvik wrote a highly controversial book entitled In His Image. In it he describes the story of a wealthy man who decides to clone himself. He is successful in doing this and causes quite an uprise in his community. This book was written in the late seventies and even then, societies reaction to the issues of human cloning was generally a negative one. We face a problem today even greater than the one in this book and it involves the duplication of human beings in a society that has always been known for its diversity. The main issue as to whether or not human cloning is possible through the splitting of embryos began in 1993 when experimentation was done at George W... ...nkind, ¡Ã‚ ¨ Time (June 21-27): 63-76. Grolier, Thomas. Can We Still Talk. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. Hamilton, Bernard. Cloning of embryos. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1991. Habgood, John.  ¡Ã‚ §Manipulating mankind. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Nature, Vol. 365 September 23, 1993: 3 04. Kolberg, Rebecca.  ¡Ã‚ §Human Embryo Cloning Reported. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Science, October 29, 1993, Vol.262: 652-653. McCormick, Richard A.  ¡Ã‚ §Should we clone humans? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Christian Century, November 17- 24, 1993: 1148-1149. P. J.  ¡Ã‚ §The pros and cons of freedom of access to human genome data ¡Ã‚ ¨, Nature, Vol. 333 June 23, 1988: 692. McKinnell, Robert. Cloning: A Biologist Reports. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. Radford, Tim.  ¡Ã‚ §Designing the Next Generation. ¡Ã‚ ¨ World Press Review, March 1994: 22-23. Rorvik, David. In His Image. New York: Harper & Row Publisher, 1992. Shah, Dilip M.  ¡Ã‚ §Engineering Herbicide Tolerance in Transgenic Plants. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Science, July 25, 1986: 478. Watson, Traci.  ¡Ã‚ §Seeking the wonder in a mote of dust. ¡Ã‚ ¨ U.S. News & World Report, October 3, 1994: 66. Voelker, Roger B.  ¡Ã‚ §Who ¡Ã‚ ¦s Afraid of the Human Genome? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Hastings Center Report, July/August 1989: 19-21.

Camera Phones and Invasion of Privacy Essay -- Exploratory Essays Rese

Camera Phones and Invasion of Privacy    â€Å"New technology has†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.placed all of us in an electronic fishbowl in which our habits, tastes and activities are watched and recorded.† as told by Simson Garfinkel (Ojeda). In the 21st century it is easy to awe people with new technology. Take two popular gadgets, merge them into a single point-and-click device, and then watch the world go nuts over it. This is a fact that will never change. Technology in this world is growing every day and there are products being discovered every moment to satisfy the needs of the consumer or make their living more luxurious. Camera mobile phones are only a recent invention but they sure have the world going gaga over them already. Technology threatens privacy, but who doesn’t like technology? The teenagers of this generation are crazy behind new technologies of any kind such as a good music system for their rooms or good mobile phones with many features. Any such products within their reach will be in their hands in no time. All of these things are good, but in a way they are dangerous and threaten privacy. For instance if we do have a music system with a lot of wattage pumping out of it, the neighbor will surely come running after you because it threatens his or her privacy. In the same way, the mobile phones also have so many features; that some or the other feature might not be safe to use for the privacy of the public like a phone with an integrated digital camera. Although concept of introducing a digital camera in a mobile phone is a recent discovery, people today enjoy the luxury of this concept day in and day out all over the world. It may seem that a camera phone would be no different than having a cell phone and a camera, but in truth, ... ... crackdown on camera phones.† BBC News. 20 July 2004. 16 November 2004 . * Batista, Elisa.   â€Å"New Privacy Menace: Cell Phones?† Wired News. 17 February 2003.   16 November 2004 .   * Belson, Ken. â€Å"When Etiquette Isn't Enough, a Cell phone Cone of Silence.† New York Times. 7 November 2004:page 2. Week In Review Desk.   * Hamilton, Anita. â€Å"CAMERA PHONES.† Time. 2003. 16 November 2004 .   * Harvey, Fiona. â€Å"Camera Phones, Privacy Concerns Not Clicking.† Los Angeles Times. 3 November 2003:A19. Business. * Napolitano, Jo. â€Å" Hold It Right There, And Drop That Camera.† New York Times. 11 December 2003:Circuits.   * Ojeda, Auriana. Civil Liberties Text. Green heaven Press, 2004.

Symbolism in Fuentes Aura Essay -- Carlos Fuentes, Aura Essays

On the surface, Fuentes' Aura is a very strange and eerie book. It draws you in and keeps you there, forcing you to read the book to its very end. Just below the surface, a world of symbolism, words and parallels lead to a greater understanding of what is happening throughout this captivating tale. Skimming the surface of the story, an abundance of symbols can be signaled out, but a recurrence of symbols is very important. One of the most prevalent symbols found in this story is the darkness of Senora Consuelo's old colonial mansion. The house is so dark the characters must learn to maneuver by sound and touch. The darkness sets the tone for the whole story. Senora Consuelo's room is not bathed in light but filled with "perpetual shadows". Of course darkness and shadows are a staple of the Gothic, but darkness could also be suggestive of the unknown or not being able to think clearly. Shadows could be interpreted as that which is clouded, hard to grasp, or just beyond clear vision. Did the darkness and shadows contribute to Felipe?s state of mind and make him more susceptible to Senora Consuelo's will? The rooms where the action of a story takes place are also very important. Some the rooms used in the book are bedrooms, the dining room, the parlor, and the enclosed garden patio. The first room we see inside of this old house is the garden patio. This room is interesting because the smell from the patio is always associated with the title character. Felipe looks for her in this garden; he smells the patio plants in her hair. Symbolically, the garden can be associated with the mind, with the unconscious, or it may give you clues to your own inner state. The plants, flowers, and fruit found in the garden may also enhance t... ...book. These symbols and recurrences are not coincidental or superficial, but upon investigation, give deeper insight into how deeply the mindset of our main character was affected. We now know that Felipe had almost no choice and was lulled into this household. Then there is a plausible explanation about the true relationship between Aura and Senora Consuelo. This book turns out to be a very strange life/death cycle that still leaves questions that need to be answered. Work Cited Fuentes, Carlos. Aura. Trans. Lysander Kemp. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1981. Fuentes, Carlos. "Worlds Apart." Modernism/Postmodernism. Ed. Peter Brooker. London: Longman, 1992. 244-46. Gillespie, Kathleen " A literary Legend Speaks ? Carlos Fuentes at the Askwith Education Forum" 1 de Diciembre de 2003 http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/featrures/fuentes12012000.html

Taking a Stand

Jessica Pratt Taking a Stand Dear ladies and gentlemen of the court, today I stand before you to debate whether or not Atticus should have defended Tom Robinson. I assure you that you can place all of your trust in me because I am completely unbiased since I am not racist and I am in no way related to Atticus. While it is true that Atticus Finch caused dissension by defending a black man, he had no choice but to defend Tom Robinson, a man created in the image of God and therefore equal to his fellow white and black brothers. Today, the prosecutors will point out some facts about Atticus that even I, his defender, cannot deny.I cannot in good conscience begin to defend Atticus until I acknowledge his weaknesses. To begin with, the truth remains that Atticus put his family and himself in emotional and physical danger. Because Atticus chooses to defend Tom Robinson, Scouts classmates pick on her at school. For instance, Cecil Jacobs says, â€Å"My folks said your daddy was a disgrace a n’ that n***** oughta hang from the water-tank. † (Lee 102). He also called Scout a coward when she refuses to fight him. In addition, Atticus places himself in physical danger by defending Tom Robinson when a mob threatens him because he camped out at Tom’s jail cell (202).If Jem and Scout would not have stepped in, injuries and maybe death could have occurred. No doubt, Atticus put his family and himself in emotional and physical danger. Furthermore, the prosecutors will argue that Atticus should not have defended Tom Robinson since he knew he would lose. Atticus tells Scout that he will not win this case since Tom Robinson is a black man accused by a white family (101). A black man is considered dishonest and the chance of the jury to believe a black man’s word versus a white family was extremely unlikely.As I stated earlier, no one can deny these facts or the logic behind the reasons. Not even I can. However, in spite of these facts, I ask that you con sider the reasons why Atticus puts his family and himself in physical and emotional danger. When you hear these, I believe you will see his actions as justifiable and acquit him of any guilt. Although Atticus loves his family and would never want harm to come to them, if he did not defend Tom Robinson he could be considered a hypocrite. Instead, Atticus continues with his job and defends Tom Robinson the best he can (218).For instance, most of the town is upset with Atticus since he is defending Tom Robinson. One townsman said, â€Å"But Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what I don’t like about it. † (218) Most importantly, Atticus should have defended Tom Robinson because he knew it was the right thing to do. He knew deep down in his heart that Tom was innocent. Therefore, he deserved to be defended as if he were white. On the contrary, if Atticus did not defend Tom Robinson, he would be portraying himself as a racist. Just like all of the others in Maycomb wh o are just as bad as a supposed Negro is.Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Atticus defended Tom Robinson for his kids. He needed to set a good example for Jem and Scout so that they would not become racist like most of the residents of Maycomb County. Atticus feels that he couldn’t hold up his head in town, and he couldn’t represent Maycomb County in the legislature if he did not defend Tom Robinson (100). Atticus believed he would be viewed as another racist if he didn’t take this case. When Atticus is explaining this to Scout he says, â€Å"I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again. (100) Therefore, if Atticus did not defend Tom Robinson, he would not be a good example for his kids and they could turn into another prejudice resident in Maycomb County. Dear Ladies and gentleman of the court, today I stand before you pleading with you that you realize that the only thing Atticus Finch is guilty of is defending an innocent man. He ha d no choice but to defend Tom Robinson, a man created in the image of God and therefore equal to his fellow white brothers and black brothers. If Atticus didn’t defend this man, who would?Would anybody else have the courage, integrity, and moral character to come forward and defend him? Most likely no other man would defend Tom Robinson in the way he deserved to be defended. If Atticus did not defend Tom Robinson, than an innocent man would be hauled away to jail for a crime he did not commit. Furthermore, if Atticus would not have defended Tom Robinson, then Tom would not have a chance to go back to the normal life he once had. Tom has to provide for his family, he can’t accomplish this if he is stuck in prison. He still has a loving wife, joyful children, and caring friends who need Tom in Their lives.Not only will Tom Robinson be crushed, but the many hearts of others will be crushed also. In addition, Atticus is a lawyer because he wants to represent his country by defending the defenseless. Atticus is proud of his country and in America, all men are created equal despite their race. Since we are all created equal, every man deserves the right to a fair trial. By defending Tom Robinson, Atticus is portraying the love that he feels for his country. Therefore, Atticus did the right thing and followed his heart. Works Cited Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Grand Central Publishing, New York; 1960.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 6

Elena was using all her considerable talents at negotiation to calm Matt down, encouraging him to order a second and third Belgian waffle; smiling at him across the table. But it wasn't much good. Matt was moving as if he were driven to rush, while at the same time he couldn't take his eyes off her. He's still imagining Damon swooping down and terrorizing some young girl, Elena thought helplessly. Damon wasn't there when they stepped out of the coffee shop. Elena saw the frown between Matt's eyebrows begin and had a brainstorm. â€Å"Why don't we take the Jag to a used-car dealership? If we're going to give up the Jaguar, I want your advice on what we get in return.† â€Å"Yeah, my advice on beat-up, falling-apart heaps has got to be the best,† Matt said, with a wry smile that said he knew Elena was managing him, but he didn't mind. The single car dealership in the town didn't look very promising. But even it was not as depressed-looking as the owner of the lot. Elena and Matt found him asleep inside a small office building with dirty windows. Matt tapped gently on the smudged window and eventually the man started, jerked up in his chair, and angrily waved them away. But Matt tapped again on the window when the man began to put his head down once more, and this time the man sat up very slowly, gave them a look of bitter despair, and came to the door. â€Å"What do you want?† he demanded. â€Å"A trade-in,† Matt said loudly before Elena could say it softly. â€Å"You teenagers have a car to trade,† the little man said darkly. â€Å"In all my twenty years owning this place – â€Å" â€Å"Look.† Matt stepped back to reveal the brilliant red Jag shining in the morning sun like a giant rose on wheels. â€Å"A brand-new Jaguar XZR. Zero to sixty in 3.7 seconds! A 550-horsepower supercharged AJ-V8 GEN III R engine with 6-speed ZF automatic transmission! Adaptive Dynamics and Active Differential for exceptional traction and handling! There is no car like the XZR!† Matt finished nose to nose with the little man, whose mouth had slowly come open as his eyes flickered between the car and the boy. â€Å"You want to trade that in for something on this lot?† he said, shocked into frank disbelief. â€Å"As if I'd have the cash to – waitaminute!† he interrupted himself. His eyes stopped flickering and became the eyes of a poker player. His shoulders came up, but his head didn't, giving him the appearance of a vulture. â€Å"Don't want it,† he said flatly and made as if to go back into the office. â€Å"What do you mean you don't want it? You were drooling over it a minute ago!† Matt shouted, but the man had stopped wincing. His expression didn't change. I should have done the talking, Elena thought. I wouldn't have gotten into a war from word one – but it's too late now. She tried to shut out the male voices and looked at the dilapidated cars on the lot, each with its own dusty little sign tucked into the windshield: 10 PERCENT OFF FOR XMAS! EASY CREDIT! CLEAN! GRANNY-OWNED SPECIAL! NO DOWN-PAYMENT! CHECK IT OUT! She was afraid she was going to burst into tears at any second. â€Å"No call for a car like that around here,† the owner was saying expressionlessly. â€Å"Who'd buy it?† â€Å"You're crazy! This car will bring customers flocking in. It's – it's advertising! Better than that purple hippo over there.† â€Å"Not a hippo. S'an elephant.† â€Å"Who can tell, with it half deflated like that?† With dignity, the owner stalked over to look at the Jag. â€Å"Not brand-new. S'got too many miles on it.† â€Å"It was bought only two weeks ago.† â€Å"So? In a few more weeks, Jaguar will be advertising next year's cars.† The owner waved a hand at Elena's giant rose of a vehicle. â€Å"Obsolete.† â€Å"Obsolete!† â€Å"Yeah. Big car like this, gas guzzler – â€Å" â€Å"It's more energy efficient than a hybrid – !† â€Å"You think people know that? They see it – â€Å" â€Å"Look, I could take this car anywhere else – â€Å" â€Å"Then take it. On my lot, here and now, that car is barely worth one car in exchange!† â€Å"Two cars.† The new voice came from directly behind Matt and Elena, but the car dealer's eyes widened as if he had just seen a ghost. Elena turned and met Damon's unfathomable black gaze. He had his Ray-Bans hooked over his T-shirt and was standing with his hands behind his back. He was looking hard at the car dealer. A few moments passed, and then†¦ â€Å"The†¦silver Prius in the back right corner. Under†¦under the awning,† the car dealer said slowly, and with a dazed expression – in answer to no question that had been asked aloud. â€Å"I'll†¦take you there,† he added in a voice to match his expression. â€Å"Take the keys with you. Let the boy test-drive it,† Damon ordered, and the owner fumbled to show a key ring at his belt, and then walked slowly away, staring at nothing. Elena turned to Damon. â€Å"One guess. You asked him which was the best car on his lot.† â€Å"Substitute ‘least disgusting' and you'd be closer,† Damon said. He flashed a brilliant smile at her for a tenth of a second, and then turned it off. â€Å"But, Damon, why two cars? I know it's more fair and all, but what are we going to do with the second car?† â€Å"Caravan,† Damon said. â€Å"Oh, no.† But even Elena could see the benefits of this – at least after they held a summit to decide on a rotation schedule between the cars for Elena. She sighed. â€Å"Well – if Matt agrees†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Mutt will agree,† Damon said, looking very briefly – very briefly – as innocent as an angel. â€Å"What have you got behind your back?† Elena said, deciding not to pursue the question of what Damon intended to do to Matt. Damon smiled again, but this time it was an odd smile, just a quirk of one side of his mouth. His eyes said it was nothing much. But his right hand came out and it was holding the most beautiful rose Elena had ever seen in her life. It was the deepest red rose she had ever seen, yet there wasn't a hint of purple to it – it was just velvety burgundy, and open at exactly the moment of full bloom. It looked as if it would be plush to the touch, and its vivid green stem, with just a few delicate leaves here and there, was at least eighteen inches long and straight as a ruler. Elena resolutely put her own hands behind her back. Damon wasn't the sentimental type – even when he got on his â€Å"Princess of the Night† soapbox. The rose probably had something to do with their journey. â€Å"Don't you like it?† Damon said. Elena might be imagining it, but it almost sounded as if he were disappointed. â€Å"Of course I like it. What's it for?† Damon settled back. â€Å"It's for you, Princess,† he said, looking hurt. â€Å"Don't worry; I didn't steal it.† No – he wouldn't have stolen it. Elena knew exactly how he would have gotten the rose†¦but it was so pretty†¦. As she still made no move to take the rose, Damon lifted it and allowed the cool, silky-feeling petals to caress her cheek. It made her shiver. â€Å"Stop it, Damon,† she murmured, but she didn't seem to be able to step backward. He didn't stop. He used the cool, softly rustling petals to outline the other side of her face. Elena took a deep breath automatically, but what she smelled was not flowerlike at all. It was the smell of some dark, dark wine, something ancient and fragrant that had once made her drunk immediately. Drunk on Black Magic and on her own heady excitement†¦just to be with Damon. But that wasn't the real me, a small voice in her head protested. I love Stefan. Damon†¦I want†¦I want to†¦ â€Å"Do you want to know why I got this particular rose?† Damon was saying softly, his voice blending in with her memories. â€Å"I got it because of its name. It's a Black Magic rose.† â€Å"Yes,† Elena said simply. She'd known that before he said it. It was the only name that fit. Now Damon was giving her a rose kiss by swirling the blossom in a circle on her cheek and then applying pressure. The firmer petals in the middle pressed into her skin, while the outer petals just brushed it. Elena was feeling distinctly light-headed. The day was warm and humid already; how could the rose feel so cool? Now the outermost petals had moved to trace her lips, and she wanted to say no, but somehow the word wouldn't come. It was as if she had been transported back in time, back to the days when Damon had first appeared to her, had first claimed her for his own. When she had almost let him kiss her before she knew his name†¦. He hadn't changed his ideas since then. Vaguely, Elena remembered thinking something like that before. Damon changed other people while remaining unchanged himself. But I've changed, Elena thought, and suddenly there was quicksand under her feet. I've changed so much since then. Enough to see things in Damon I'd never imagined could be there. Not just the wild and angry dark parts, but the gentle parts. The honor and decency that were trapped like veins of gold inside that stone boulder in his mind. I have to help him, Elena thought. Somehow, I have to help him – and the little boy chained outside the boulder. These thoughts had trickled slowly through her mind while it seemed separated from her body. She was so involved with them, in fact, that she somehow lost track of her body, and only now did she realize how much closer Damon had gotten. Her back was against one of the sad, sagging cars. And Damon was speaking lightly, but with an undertone of seriousness. â€Å"A rose for a kiss, then?† he asked. â€Å"It is called Black Magic, and I did come by it honestly. Her name was†¦it was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon stopped, and for a moment a look of intense bewilderment flashed across his face. Then he smiled, but it was the warrior's smile, the brilliant one he turned on and off almost before you were sure you had seen it. Elena sensed trouble. Sure, Damon still didn't remember Matt's name correctly, but she had never known him to forget a girl's name when he was really trying to remember. Especially within minutes of when he must have fed from that girl. Shinichi again? Elena wondered. Was he still taking Damon's memories – only the highlights, of course? The thrills, good or bad? Elena knew that Damon himself was thinking the same thing. His black eyes were smoldering. Damon was furious – but there was a certain vulnerability about his fury. Without thinking, Elena put her hands on Damon's forearms. She ignored the rose, even as he traced the curve of her cheekbone with it. She tried to speak steadily. â€Å"Damon, what are we going to do?† That was the scene that Matt walked in on. Ran in on, actually. He came weaving through a maze of cars, and dashed around a white SUV with one flat tire, shouting, â€Å"Hey, you guys, that Prius is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then he stopped dead. Elena knew what he was seeing: Damon caressing her with the rose, while she was practically embracing him. She let go of Damon's arms, but she couldn't back away from him because of the car behind her. â€Å"Matt – † Elena began, and then her voice trailed off. She had been about to say â€Å"This isn't what it looks like. We're not in the middle of a cuddle. I'm not really touching him.† But this was what it looked like. She cared about Damon; she had been trying to get through to him†¦. With a small shock, that thought repeated itself with the force of a shaft of sunlight shooting through an unprotected vampire's body. She cared about Damon. She really did. It was usually difficult being with him because they were alike in so many ways. Headstrong, each wanting their own way, passionate, impatient†¦ She and Damon were alike. Small shocks were going though Elena, and her entire body felt weak. She found herself glad to lean against the car behind her, even though it must be getting dust all over her clothes. I love Stefan, she thought almost hysterically. He's the only one I love. But I need Damon to get to him. And Damon may be falling to pieces in front of me. She was looking at Matt all the while, her eyes full of tears that would not fall. She blinked, but they stubbornly stayed on her lashes. â€Å"Matt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. He said nothing. He didn't need to. It was all in his expression: astonishment turning to something Elena had never seen before, not when he was looking at her. It was a sort of alienation that shut her out completely, that severed any bonds between them. â€Å"Matt, no†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But it came out in a whisper. And then, to her astonishment, Damon spoke. â€Å"You do know it's all me, don't you? You can hardly blame a girl for trying to defend herself.† Elena looked at her hands, which were shaking now. Damon was going on, â€Å"You know it's all my fault. Elena would never – â€Å" That was when Elena realized. Damon was Influencing Matt. â€Å"No!† She took Damon off guard, grabbing him again, shaking him. â€Å"Don't do it! Not to Matt!† The black eyes that were turned on hers were definitely not those of a suitor. Damon had been interrupted in the use of his Power. If it had been anyone else, they would have ended as a small spot of grease on the ground. â€Å"I'm saving you,† Damon said coldly. â€Å"Are you refusing me?† Elena found herself wavering. Maybe, if it was only once, and only for Matt's benefit†¦ Something surged up inside her. It was all she could do not to let her aura escape completely. â€Å"Never try that on me again,† Elena said. Her voice was quiet but icy. â€Å"Don't you dare ever try to Influence me! And leave Matt alone!† Something like approval flickered in the endless darkness of Damon's gaze. It was gone before she could be sure she'd seen it. But when he spoke, he seemed less distant. â€Å"All right,† he said to Matt. â€Å"What's the game plan now? You name it.† Matt answered slowly, not looking at either of them. He was flushed but deadly calm. â€Å"I was going to say, that Prius isn't bad at all. And the dealer guy has another one. It's in okay condition. We could have two cars just alike.† â€Å"And then we could caravan and split up if someone was following us! They won't know which to follow.† Normally Elena would have thrown her arms around Matt at this point. But Matt was looking at his shoes, which was probably just as well really, since Damon had his eyes shut and was shaking his head slightly as if he couldn't believe something idiotic. That's right, Elena thought. It's my aura – or Damon's – that they're homing in on. We can't confuse them with identical cars unless we have identical auras, too. Which really meant that she should drive with Matt the whole way. But Damon would never accept that. And she needed Damon to get to her beloved, her one and only, her true mate: Stefan. â€Å"I'll take the ratty one,† Matt was saying, arranging it with Damon and ignoring her. â€Å"I'm used to ratty cars. I already arranged a deal with the guy. We should get going.† Still speaking only to Damon, he said, â€Å"You'll have to tell me where we're really going. We might get separated.† Damon was silent for a long moment. Then, brusquely, he said, â€Å"Sedona, Arizona, for a start.† Matt looked disgusted. â€Å"That place full of New Age lunatics? You're kidding.† â€Å"I said we'll start out from Sedona. It's complete wilderness – nothing but rock – all around it. You could get lost†¦very easily.† Damon flashed the brilliant smile and instantly turned it off. â€Å"We'll be at the Juniper Resort, off North Highway 89A,† he added smoothly. â€Å"I've got it,† Matt said. Elena could see no emotion in either his face or his expression, but his aura was seething red. â€Å"Now, Matt,† Elena began, â€Å"we should really meet every night, so if you just follow us – † She broke off with a sharply inhaled breath. Matt had already turned around. He didn't turn back when she spoke. He just kept going, without another word. Without a backward glance.

Romance In The Ufa Cinema Center Architecture Essay

Bernard Tschumi is regarded as one of the universe s open uping designers, rejecting the diehard outlook and one of the few bow smugglers of deconstructivism. His essay, The Pleasure of Architecture which was written in 1978 manifests his theoretical thoughts of the pleasances in architecture, in which he stresses on the inutility of architecture and the inclusion of perversion and the irrational. It talks about sensualness and sexual analogies such as erotism, surplus, bondage, seduction and bounds of architecture which he represents in 11 fragments. One of Tschumi s most celebrated undertakings, the Parc de la Villette is the prototype of his deconstructivist thought. It breaks off from functionalist theories of the past and is designed as a twenty-first century urban park, where plans and superimposition of systems comes into drama and the construct of signifier follows map becomes a polar antonym. The UFA Cinema Center by Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, the brace who chall enges traditional anthropocentric architecture and is categorized as deconstructivists, besides incorporates the thought of deconstructivism, with its urban construct, dynamic geometries and injection of public infinites. It became one of their noteworthy plants in deconstructivist thought. The first portion of this paper discusses on Tschumi s fragments in The Pleasure of Architecture, the significances that they carry and his impression of pleasance derived from those fragments which are closely related to one another. In relation to that, how his theory on deconstructivism is incorporated into the Parc de la Vilette and the pleasances that manifest from it. Separate two discusses on Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold s UFA Cinema Centre, how it relates back to Tschumi s fragments and how it s deconstructivist design transforms it into an architecture of pleasance. How does Bernard Tschumi s impression of pleasance and deconstructivism manifest in the Parc de la Vilette? Harmonizing to Tschumi, pleasance can be achieved from two types of resistances, the intercession of the norm in which society expects of what architecture should be, usefulness which leads to its inutility ( Tschumi, 1977 ) , and the un-intendancy to make a infinite for map that was either with purposes or inadvertent which forms a disjuncture ( Tschumi, 1981 ) . Tschumi distinguishes pleasance from cloud nine or rapture, in which this apprehension was influenced by Roland Barthes book The Pleasure of the Text ( Hill, 2003 ) . In The Pleasure of Architecture, fragments of gender separate Tschumi s thoughts of pleasance and some of which can be seen in the Parc de la ViIlette. Bernard Tschumi s Parc de la Vilette emerged as a victor in a park design competition held by the Gallic Government in 1982. The purpose was to mean the beginning of a new epoch in an of import portion of Paris, to guarantee its future good development. ( Damiani, 2003 ) . It is a coaction of Tschumi, Peter Eis enman and Jacques Derrida, the three being deconstructivist designers and Derrida, the precursor of deconstruction ( Kipnis, 1991 ) . Double Pleasure. Neither the pleasance of infinite nor the pleasance of geometry is ( on its ain ) the pleasance of architecture. It is both. ( Tschumi,1977 ) . Tschumi s first fragment explains that the pleasance in architecture is neither the enjoyable experience of infinite nor the creative activity of signifier and geometry entirely but the hit of both. This manifests in the Parc de la Vilette, where the superimposition of three different systems: Points, lines and surfaces is seen ( Damiani, 2003 ) . Figure 1: Lines, Points and Surfaces. ( Masschelein & A ; Straeten, n.d. ) The points are represented by the distinguishable ruddy mental disorders which appear as three floor regular hexahedrons in which no map was intended to it, hence go forthing it as an unfastened infinite. He used the thought of repeat to distinguish each mental disorders, with geometries lodging to it as the lone noteworthy difference. ( Masschelein & A ; Straeten, n.d. ) . This creates the pleasance of geometry. Figure 2: Images of some of the follies. ( Park De La Villette, Paris, France: Bernard Tschumi Architects ) The signifier of the mental disorder was designed before it was given a map, following the rules of deconstructivism. ( Turner, 1994 ) . The 2nd system, the lines, structures the circulation of walkers and a additive infinite is created, taking one towards interesting positions and musca volitanss. ( Masschelein & A ; Straeten, n.d. ) . This creates the pleasance of infinite. The 3rd system which is the surface signifiers big horizontal infinites for the usage of assorted activities and once more the pleasance of geometry comes to light. ( Masschelein & A ; Straeten, n.d. ) . The superimpositions of these systems collide and therefore it is a pleasance of architecture and the separation of the systems three signifiers deconstruction. The pleasance of infinite: This can non be put into words, it is mute. It is the signifier of experience ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . In order to experience pleasance in a infinite, one must see the existent thing and that it can non be described with words entirely. This can be represented in the superimpositions of the park, where its complexness, described in text is inexplicable compared to one sing the existent thing. Pleasure and Necessity Tschumi touches on the inutility of architecture and how designers are confronting societal constrains, where unreason of architecture is regarded as incorrect. ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . The necessity of architecture may good be its non-necessity ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . He argues that architecture should be useless, and serves no intent, contrary to what society expects it to be. ( Hill, 2003 ) The abuse of and denial of the norm, uselessness becomes utile, that is enjoyable. ( Hill, 2003 ) . Tschumi provinces that a park is like pyrotechnics, used for production and ingestion, it is useless but at the same clip it made to provides pleasance. ( Hill, 2003 ) . Parc de la Villette is designed without a set map in head, its model and organisation allows an interchange of people, events and infinites which contributes to more freedom and looks in the park. Partss and constructions can be easy replaced and shifted while still keeping its individuality with the thoughts of deconstructivism, this rej ects the traditional regulations of urban Parkss therefore its freedom is regarded as useless and a non-necessity, this abuse becomes a pleasance in architecture. ( Pugh, 2004 ) Metaphor of Order- Bondage This fragment focuses on the restraints of architecture, in the signifier of regulations, theories, Torahs and past functionalist tenet. Like the game of bondage, it is sadistic, miring architectural design like adhering ropes. Pleasure derives when the restraint is greater, and the idea of get the better ofing that sophisticated bind. ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . Figure 3: Ropes and regulations. ( Damiani, 2003 ) The Parc de la Villette was portion of a competition in which Tschumi had won. There were protests from landscape interior decorators on the engagement of designers and at the same clip, political alterations were made, and economic crisis was at a high. ( Damiani, 2003 ) . These were the restraints that Tschumi had to face at the clip along with the historical background of the site, being a abattoir antecedently and one of the last leftover big sites in Paris. ( Damiani, 2003 ) . Rationality In this fragment, it states that architecture should travel against traditional rules which are regarded as out-of-date and that its continuity on reason becomes irrational. Like the principals of deconstructivism, in which its upset and unconventional methods are regarded as irrational and interrupting free from traditional discourses. ( Tschumi, 1977 ) This is seen in the ruddy mental disorders which spreads along the park, each different signifier one another, and how they were non assigned a map in contrast to past rules. Eroticism The fragment of Eroticism says that pleasance is non about the contentment of the senses nor is it the sensualness of infinite. Eroticism is non the surplus of pleasance, but the pleasance of surplus. ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . Is it in fact a junction between infinite and constructs, ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . Figure 4: Eroticism. ( Damiani, 2003 ) In the instance of the Parc de la Villette, its disjuncture of infinites and events was made to be knowing or inadvertent, with complex programmes scattered from one another making a contrast of maps. ( Hill, 2003 ) . Figure 5: Plan View of Parc de la Villette. ( Pugh, 2004 ) Metaphor of Seduction- The Mask This fragment provinces that architecture is a seducer, have oning masks, concealing behind frontages and architectural elements. Yet behind those provocative masks lies the pleasance of architecture. ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . Figure 6: Masks. ( Damiani, 2003 ) With its big country compromising assorted and different maps and programmes of amusement installations, its architectural elements becomes the mask of the Parc de la Villette, non cognizing what to anticipate from each component as there is no set map or hierarchy. Yet unveiling what map lies behind it leads to pleasure. Excess The fragment Excess negotiations about interrupting free and transcending outlooks. It states that architecture should non copy the past nor should architecture obey it. It should make semblances ; interrupt free from formalities, orders, systems and case in points. It should be different and be something formal society does non anticipate it to be. That is the ultimate pleasance, when regulations and bounds are considered incorrect and architecture becomes better than it should be. ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . The thoughts of deconstructivism and pleasance one time once more manifests in the park s system of points represented by the grid of mental disorders. Figure 7: Grid of Mental disorders. ( Pugh, 2004 ) It replaces the traditional inactive park memorials by holding alone infinites and hosting assorted programmes. It becomes mention points for the park every bit good, holding room for extensions since it is non imposed with hierarchy. ( Pugh, 2004 ) . This abnormality deconstructs the traditional outlook and functionalist discourses. ( Masschelein & A ; Straeten, n.d. ) . Architecture of Pleasure This fragment besides talks about construct and infinite colliding, deconstruction of past principals and where regulations are transgressed and is considered perverse. ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . Figure 8: Transgression. ( Damiani, 2003 ) The parks superimposition of three systems is irregular, additive and undulating, in contrast to the controlling and stoic 1s found in traditional Parkss. They do non take you to specific topographic points or a series of musca volitanss, they are random, merely moving as tracts in which you walk on. They are useless but this is the pleasance of architecture when it becomes something that society does non anticipate it to be. Desire/Fragments The last of the fragments high spots that architecture consists of fragments which exists in text and in dreams. It is the receiver of 1s thoughts and wants. Its elements seduce and wish to be brought to world. ( Tschumi, 1977 ) . The Parc de la Villette is the consequence of Tschumi s, Derrida s and Eisenman s coaction in making the ultimate urban park of the twenty-first century. It was derived from the designers theories of deconstructivism and was brought into world after winning a competition. The consequence of Tschumi s winning strategy with the aid of the other two is one of the universe most celebrated Parkss. The Parc de la Villette is an architecture of pleasance. Its early strategies, superimposition of three systems and mental disorders demonstrated its mention to Tschumi s fragments of The Pleasure of Architecture every bit good as the thoughts of deconstructivism. The denudation of these fragments will be used to associate to the UFA Cinema Center, how pleasure manifests from it in relation to Tschumi s impression of deconstructivism and pleasance. How does Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold incorporate their construct of deconstructivism into 1s indulgence of pleasance in the UFA Cinema Center? Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold came to be from the celebrated coupling of Wolf D. Prix. and Helmut Swiczinsky in 1968. The squad follows theoretical thoughts of antihumanism and facets of the organic structure, which is perceived as a atomization and decomposition, carried unto the design of their edifices under the subject of deconstructivism. ( Masschelein & A ; Straeten, n.d. ) . Like other deconstructivist designers Tschumi, Eisenman and Derrida, Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold challenges the constrains of the past such as Torahs, orders and formalities of given manners that is embedded into architecture and seeks for freedom and alteration in its subjects. ( Coop Himmelblau, n.d. ) . Their extremist thought brings 4th the UFA Cinema Center, their iconic work based on the theory of deconstructivism. Double Pleasure The film centre was completed in 1998, located in the historical site of Dresden, Germany. The edifice can be summarized as Eight films are placed in braces on four narratives in an unmoved concrete box, which due to its pick of heavy stuffs screens both the cinemagoer every bit good as the glass anteroom from the traffic noise of the next ring route. ( Skude, n.d. ) . The film centre was made to work out the job of public infinites in Dresden that is being sacrificed for the interest of development. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . Therefore a monofuctional edifice was proposed that adds urban infinites and maps inside, making a new experience of public infinites. ( Coop Himmelblau, n.d. ) . Tschumi s first fragment provinces that pleasance can be derived from the hit of spacial experience and geometry. The film can be divided into two linking units, the film block and the crystal. The film block non merely maps as a topographic point for films but serves as a perme able infinite which links with the environing streets, making a connexion between Pragerstra vitamin E and St. Petersburger Stra e. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . The crystal serves as both entry hall for the film every bit good as urban passageway, with Bridgess, inclines and stepss linking multiple degrees, enabling positions in different angles. This experience is like that of a movie construction. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . Therefore a dual pleasance in architecture is created form the occasions between the edifices geometrical drama that creates public infinites on the interior and the assorted maps that is injected into it. Figure 9: UFA Cinema Center, aerial position. ( pmoore66, 2009 ) Pleasure and Necessity Dresden is considered as a metropolis with historical values and an edgy society, constructing a film centre at the site was thought to be unusual. ( Skude, n.d. ) . The cinemas milieus consist of post-modern manner edifices with nil particular nor out of the ordinary. Public infinites were a job therefore the film is injected with a host of assorted maps to make public insides. To suit these infinites an extreme formed edifice in the form of a knife and stone was created with contents that functions out of the norm, hanging skybars, inclines and stepss placed irregularly and occasions of stuffs. These characteristics oppose the traditional thoughts of orders and formality ; it is uncomprehended by societies believing and hence rendered as useless. But it is this uselessness that becomes utile in making a edifice that maps good. The abuse of this edifice hence brings out pleasance. Figure 10: Section of UFA Cinema Center. ( Oasis China, 2005 ) Metaphor of Order- Bondage The film Centre is located on a triangular like site clouded with past memories of World War 2, confronting the busy steets of St Petersburgstrasse. Owned by developers with thoughts of capitalising fiscal returns. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . Society there was rejuvenated after post-war and is considered to be conservative. ( Skude, n.d. ) . Constructing a modern film composite which incorporates the designers thoughts of deconstructivism would be unusual if non perverse. They were bound by the heritage values of the site, the proprietors, and society s outlooks. Nevertheless a one of a sort edifice of that epoch arose from the ashes, disputing the old post-war designs and conservative outlooks. It was a edifice that was bounded by tight Torahs and restraints doing it even more enjoyable when it breaks free. Figure 11: Coop Himmelblau- UFA Cinema, 1993-98. ( roryrory, 2003 ) Rationality Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold emphasizes the signifier of this edifice for the interest of look ( Skude, n.d. ) , doing manner for a extremist and curiously shaped edifice, withstanding traditional Torahs and comprising of complicated inside informations and multiple kinds of infinites jumbled up in two different blocks. The crystal, looking as though it could structurally neglect at any clip comprises of an lift tower that bends back and Forth as it moves, albeit traveling vertically like a normal lift. ( Skude, n.d. ) . The unreason of this edifice hence creates pleasance. Figure 12: The lift tower. ( UFA- Kino â€Å" Kristallpalast † , n.d. ) Eroticism The thought of the UFA Cinema centre was to make a monofucntional edifice with inclusions of new urban infinites and media events inside to undertake the job of public infinites, and at the same clip integrating Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold s construct of deconstructivism. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . From there a unambiguously characterized edifice in the signifier of two irregular forms was created. The glass crystal which acts as a five narrative anteroom, is angled to contrast with the more closed film block ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) , and the thoughts of deconstructivism is more to a great extent applied. It connects to the exterior infinite utilizing its openness, and enables extremist prevarication of inclines, stepss and overcrossings which are reminiscent of Piranesi s plants. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . In the centre of the anteroom, are heavenly bars which are hung from the ceiling making a sense of drifting in infinite. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . With this a junction of infinite and construct is created, doing it titillating. Figure 13: Heavenly bars. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) Metaphor of Seduction- The Mask Public infinites are being eradicated for development as is acquiring lesser as we know it ; this is what Dresden is confronting. Public infinites are going unseeable as they are taken off. The film centre proves that urban public infinites can be created with development and can be physically seen without going unseeable. ( Wells, n.d. ) . The crystal anteroom is able to host assorted events and maps such as a coffeehouse, it acts as a public square at the same time. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . This is done by making a suited signifier to back up the programmes. The inclines and stepss that forms a circulation within the crystal allows positions to the outside from different degrees and at the same clip positions to the interior of the edifice through opaque beds. ( Wells, n.d. ) . The film block hosts eight films every bit good as being permeable to the streets. The edifice itself is a public infinite, masked behind playful geometries and hit of stuffs, when y ou discover what lies within, it becomes enjoyable. Figure 14: kakteen ecke. ( thost, 2007 ) Excess The UFA Cinema Center was unexpected, its modern like design is like an foreigner on the background of the old site. Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold ne'er intended to associate the edifice to its milieus. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . It started with the triangular form of the site, from there a triangular signifier is faced pointed to a corner of the film floor program while the fa ade steeply slopes outwards, making a signifier of that a knife or ship. The crystal, appears like the signifier of a propensity stone, resting against the film block and made of opaque glass, structured with steel rods around it, a contrast of the unsmooth film bunch. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . The edifice uses a robust of stuffs, glass, concrete, slabs of galvanized gratings, subdivision, stepss and supports made of unstained steeI, and aluminium window mullions. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . It is deconstructed, clearly free from trad itional orders and logics. The edifice exceeded the outlooks of society and it is different, it creates semblances and did non obey the yesteryear, it became better than it should be. Figure 15: Axonometric drawing. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) Figure 16: The playful edifice. ( Oasis China, 2005 ) Architecture of Pleasure The film centre proudly stands tall on the site of Dresden, as though cognizing the lower status of its encompassing architecture. As quoted from Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, We do non work against the old construction in order to destruct it. We work to make new infinites, where and when possible. If an old construction prevents us from making unfastened infinite, we destroy it. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . The film centre does non take into consideration its environing context nor will it give up to it. It is different, it does non follow typologies, logical building, formal orders or civilization. The disconnected signifier of the atilt crystal and the film block complete with interplays of stuffs making an internal urban public infinite transgresses traditional regulations. It is an architecture of pleasance because it is obsessed with itself. Figure 17: Ufa palast. ( lipar, 2008 ) Desire/Fragments The UFA Cinema Center was a consequence of the demand to make a monofunctional edifice to work out the job of public infinites in Dresden. It is made with purposes of maximal capital returns. ( Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold, 2001 ) . The thought of making a edifice which incorporates public infinites and media events into it, making an urban infinite. Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold brought it to life by chalk outing a psychogram with the undertakings maps and thoughts which are mock created in an artistic manner. The whole procedure including the edifice are fragments. Each unconscious desire and purpose is reflected in the creative activity of the edifice taking to a creative activity which exceeds bounds and defies outlooks. The deconstructivist thoughts of Coop Himmelb ( cubic decimeter ) gold can be seen in the manifestation of the UFA Cinema Centre in line with the manifestations in Tschumi s Parc de la Villette. The deconstruction of its architectural elements and the dynamism of its signifier is represented with the film block and the propensity crystal which creates public infinites indoors. The hit of these two facets creates pleasance, and it is titillating. The interplay of stuffs, injection of infinites and connexion between its inside and outside, forms its mask. The film centre, restrained by the site and its society like a game of bondage overcomes it with an architecture which surpasses bounds and outlooks. This one of a sort edifice of its epoch came to be from the designers desires of deconstruction and is an architecture of pleasance.