Sunday, October 13, 2019

Computer Storage: Are memory sticks and disks likely to be obsolete by

In the first quarter of 2012, a German business software firm (SAP) recorded a 10 per cent increase in profits from the previous year of  £478 million from cloud, a method of computer storage (SAP sounds upbeat note as profits continue to rise, 2012). It is clear that methods of storing data on computers have developed rapidly in the past 60 years, from the earliest type of data storage on cylinders to data storage in cloud. The purpose of this essay is to describe this development and show that individual physical memory such as memory sticks and disks are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. By way of background, before the invention of computers, various methods had been used to store and retrieve data. For example, 1725 saw the invention of the ‘punch card’ widely used in looms and in primitive calculating machines. Although this was a significant development in storage, these cards were not made â€Å"general purpose† until 1928. The need to store and retrieve data as one continuous stream and not individual cards brought about the invention of the punch tape in 1846. In 1877, Thomas Edison invented a device known as the ‘Phonograph’. This device recorded sound vibrations on a metal cylinder with a recording needle and played the recordings back when needed. These storage developments served as a background for the development of computer storage. Professor Federick C. Williams and colleague Tom Kilburn developed the first random access computer memory in 1948 known as the ‘Williams-Kilburn tube’. This device allowed for storage of 1024 bits but was later upgraded to 2048 bits. In 1951 the ‘Delay line memory’ was invented. This form of memory consisted of a column of mercury with piezo crystal to aid in the transfer of data. W... ...owstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-storage.htm on 8 May 2012. - Paul Lilly. (3 February 2009). Computer Data Storage Through the Ages – From Punch Cards to Blu-Ray. Retrieved from http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/computer_data_storage_through_ages on 8 May 2012. - Pingdom. (8 April 2008). Retrieved from http://royal.pingdom.com/2008/04/08/the-history-of-computer-data-storage-in-pictures/ on 8 May 2012. - Retrieved from http://cs-exhibitions.uni-klu.ac.at/index.php?id=187 on 8 May 2012. - Ryan Nichols (31 August 2010). Cloud computing by the numbers: What do all the statistics mean? Retrieved from http://blogs.computerworld.com/16863/cloud_computing_by_the_numbers_what_do_all_the_statistics_mean on 24 May 2012. - SAP sounds upbeat note as profits continue to rise. (25 April 2012). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17836653 on 8 May 2012. Computer Storage: Are memory sticks and disks likely to be obsolete by In the first quarter of 2012, a German business software firm (SAP) recorded a 10 per cent increase in profits from the previous year of  £478 million from cloud, a method of computer storage (SAP sounds upbeat note as profits continue to rise, 2012). It is clear that methods of storing data on computers have developed rapidly in the past 60 years, from the earliest type of data storage on cylinders to data storage in cloud. The purpose of this essay is to describe this development and show that individual physical memory such as memory sticks and disks are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. By way of background, before the invention of computers, various methods had been used to store and retrieve data. For example, 1725 saw the invention of the ‘punch card’ widely used in looms and in primitive calculating machines. Although this was a significant development in storage, these cards were not made â€Å"general purpose† until 1928. The need to store and retrieve data as one continuous stream and not individual cards brought about the invention of the punch tape in 1846. In 1877, Thomas Edison invented a device known as the ‘Phonograph’. This device recorded sound vibrations on a metal cylinder with a recording needle and played the recordings back when needed. These storage developments served as a background for the development of computer storage. Professor Federick C. Williams and colleague Tom Kilburn developed the first random access computer memory in 1948 known as the ‘Williams-Kilburn tube’. This device allowed for storage of 1024 bits but was later upgraded to 2048 bits. In 1951 the ‘Delay line memory’ was invented. This form of memory consisted of a column of mercury with piezo crystal to aid in the transfer of data. W... ...owstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-storage.htm on 8 May 2012. - Paul Lilly. (3 February 2009). Computer Data Storage Through the Ages – From Punch Cards to Blu-Ray. Retrieved from http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/computer_data_storage_through_ages on 8 May 2012. - Pingdom. (8 April 2008). Retrieved from http://royal.pingdom.com/2008/04/08/the-history-of-computer-data-storage-in-pictures/ on 8 May 2012. - Retrieved from http://cs-exhibitions.uni-klu.ac.at/index.php?id=187 on 8 May 2012. - Ryan Nichols (31 August 2010). Cloud computing by the numbers: What do all the statistics mean? Retrieved from http://blogs.computerworld.com/16863/cloud_computing_by_the_numbers_what_do_all_the_statistics_mean on 24 May 2012. - SAP sounds upbeat note as profits continue to rise. (25 April 2012). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17836653 on 8 May 2012.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Vancouver Essay -- British Columbia Canada

Location: Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia and the second largest in the Pacific Northwest region. It is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of south western British Columbia, Canada. Population: The population of the city of Vancouver is 578,041 and the population of Metro Vancouver is 2,116,581. Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents and 43% of Metro residents having a first language other than English. With a population of about 600,000 (BC Stats estimate), Vancouver lies in a region of more than 2 million people. Vancouver is the largest city in the province of British Columbia and the third largest in Canada. It covers an area of 114 sq km. History Archaeological evidence shows that coastal Indians had settled the Vancouver area by 500 B.C. British naval captain George Vancouver explored the area in 1792. Vancouver was founded as a sawmill settlement called Granville in the 1870s. The city was incorporated in 1886 and renamed after Captain Vancouver. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", Vancouver is also part of the slightly larger Lower Mainland metropolitan area which comprises a total population of 2,285,900. Vancouver was largest urban area. Western Canada was the third largest in the country. denoting somebody from (in Dutch: "van") Coevorden, an old city in The Netherlands. Vancouver was first settled in the 1860s as a result of immigration caused by the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, particularly from the United States, although many immigrants did not remain after the rush. The city developed rapidly from a small lumber mill ... ...Free Zone. Aviation Located in Richmond, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is the principal international airport in western Canada and is the second busiest in the nation. As the premier gateway to Asia, it hosts many airlines' regional offices and their flights daily to Asia, Europe, and the United States. Vancouver is the closest air-link to Asia, offering the fastest North American airport with daily flights to the Republic of Korea's Incheon International Airport. Vancouver is also served by the Abbotsford International Airport, fast becoming a reliever to YVR convenient for the eastern suburbs and transborder United States. Operating from Vancouver Harbour Water Aerodrome on the Downtown waterfront, several floatplane operators support both tourist scenic flights and practical transportation, with extensive operations during daylight hours. Vancouver Essay -- British Columbia Canada Location: Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia and the second largest in the Pacific Northwest region. It is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of south western British Columbia, Canada. Population: The population of the city of Vancouver is 578,041 and the population of Metro Vancouver is 2,116,581. Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents and 43% of Metro residents having a first language other than English. With a population of about 600,000 (BC Stats estimate), Vancouver lies in a region of more than 2 million people. Vancouver is the largest city in the province of British Columbia and the third largest in Canada. It covers an area of 114 sq km. History Archaeological evidence shows that coastal Indians had settled the Vancouver area by 500 B.C. British naval captain George Vancouver explored the area in 1792. Vancouver was founded as a sawmill settlement called Granville in the 1870s. The city was incorporated in 1886 and renamed after Captain Vancouver. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", Vancouver is also part of the slightly larger Lower Mainland metropolitan area which comprises a total population of 2,285,900. Vancouver was largest urban area. Western Canada was the third largest in the country. denoting somebody from (in Dutch: "van") Coevorden, an old city in The Netherlands. Vancouver was first settled in the 1860s as a result of immigration caused by the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, particularly from the United States, although many immigrants did not remain after the rush. The city developed rapidly from a small lumber mill ... ...Free Zone. Aviation Located in Richmond, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is the principal international airport in western Canada and is the second busiest in the nation. As the premier gateway to Asia, it hosts many airlines' regional offices and their flights daily to Asia, Europe, and the United States. Vancouver is the closest air-link to Asia, offering the fastest North American airport with daily flights to the Republic of Korea's Incheon International Airport. Vancouver is also served by the Abbotsford International Airport, fast becoming a reliever to YVR convenient for the eastern suburbs and transborder United States. Operating from Vancouver Harbour Water Aerodrome on the Downtown waterfront, several floatplane operators support both tourist scenic flights and practical transportation, with extensive operations during daylight hours.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Research Topic: Listeria Monocytogenes, Haemophilus Influenzae, and Mycobacterium Ulcerans

Research Topic: Listeria monocytogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, and Mycobacterium ulcerans Part 1: Listeria monocytogenes Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that is originated in food and can cause the serious illness of Listeriosis. Listeriosis is a serious disease for humans; the overt form of the disease has a mortality rate greater than 25 percent1. This is a Gram-positive bacterium, and is mobile by means of flagella. Listeria monocytogenes can be found in nature in soil, water and animal feces, meaning it can be also be tracked to animals.In addition to humans, at least 42 species of wild and domestic mammals and 17 types of birds can harbor listeria monocytogenes as well as crustaceans, fish, oysters, ticks, and flies. It is also reportedly carried in the intestinal tract of 5-10% of the human population without any apparent symptoms of disease1. Listeria monocytogenes is able to resist the deleterious effects of freezing, drying, and heat remarkably well for a bacterium th at does not form spores2. A human can consume this bacterium by eating a raw vegetable that grew in infected soil, or by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products3.Healthy people rarely become ill from listeria monocytogenes infection. Possible complications due to the bacteria are blood infections and inflammation of the membranes and fluid surrounding the brain (meningitis). Other side effects that may develop are typical cold or flu-like symptoms. The real risk of infection is in the elderly, new born children, and pregnant women. During pregnancy, a listeria monocytogenes infection is likely to cause only mild signs and symptoms in the mother. The consequences for the baby, however, may be devastating.The baby may die unexpectedly before birth or experience a life-threatening infection within the first few days after birth3. The dangerous factor about the listeria monocytogenes is that the bacterium is able to grow in fresh food. The organisms can gr ow at 4o C which means that organism replication continues in refrigerated foods4. Therefore it is impossible for someone to know if he/she is purchasing food that 100% does not contain this bacterium. The current method the FDA uses to analyze food for possible contamination is complex and time consuming. The method requires 24 and 48 hours of enrichment, followed by a variety of other tests.Total time to identification is from 5 to 7 days, but the announcement of specific non-radiolabeled DNA probes should soon allow a simpler and faster confirmation of suspect isolates. With new DNA technology may even permit 2-3 day positive analysis in the future. Currently, FDA is collaborating in adapting its methodology to quantitate very low numbers of the organisms in foods2. This should drastically help prevent diseases that are caused through food consumption. Cases of Listeriosis in humans were not reported till about 1960, as the infection was only previous seen in animals.In 1981, the re was an outbreak that involved over 100 people in Canada. Thirty-four of the infections occurred in pregnant women, among whom there were 9 stillbirths, 23 infants born infected, and only two live healthy births. Among 77 non-pregnant adults who developed overt disease, there was nearly 30% mortality. The source of the outbreak was coleslaw produced by a local manufacturer1. Even with increasing awareness of the bacteria and ways to prevent it from getting into food through processes developed by the FDA, there have still been recent outbreaks.As of October 26, 2012, there have been twenty people reportedly hospitalized due to the listeria monocytogenes bacterium in 13 different states and the District of Columbia. Nine of the illnesses were related to a pregnancy; three of these illnesses were diagnosed in newborns. The other 13 ill persons range in age from 30 years to 87 years, with a median age of 77 years. Four deaths have been reported, one each from Minnesota, New York, Neb raska, and California4. An investigation was conducted by officials in local, state, and federal public health agencies to see what may have caused this outbreak.They came to the conclusion that an imported brand of Frescolina ricotta salata cheese distributed by Forever Cheese, Inc. is the likely source of this outbreak of Listeriosis. In interviews, ill persons answered questions about foods consumed and other exposures in the month before becoming ill. Twelve of fourteen sick people interviewed reported consuming a soft cheese4. The investigation focused on identifying intact cheeses shipped to multiple retail locations where ill persons purchased cut and repackaged cheese. There is no report of a direct link to one specific retailer or location of where the cheese was produced.No one cheese was reported by the majority of ill persons, suggesting that cross-contamination of other cheeses through cutting boards and utensils may have played a role. The investigation focused on iden tifying intact cheeses shipped to multiple retail locations where ill persons purchased cut and repackaged cheese4. There is still a chance of more ill people being reported because it can take up to 2 months after eating contaminated food for Listeriosis to develop. Works Cited: 1. Todar K. 2012. Listeria monocytogenes. Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology. 1-3 2. [FDA] Federal Drug Administration. 012. Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook: Listeria monocytogenes. Bad Bug Book. 3. http://www. mayoclinic. com/print/listeria-infection/DS00963/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print 4. [CDC} Center of Disease Control. 2012. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Imported Frescolina Marte Brand Ricotta Salata Cheese. Listeria (Listeriosis). Part 2: Haemophilus influenzae Just by looking at the name of the bacterium Haemophilus influenza, one would guess this is the microbe that causes influenza. It was first found during the influenza pandemic of 1890.It wa s mistakenly thought to be the cause of the disease influenza, and it was named accordingly. Probably, H. influenzae was an important secondary invader to the influenza virus in the 1890 pandemic, as it has been during many subsequent influenza epidemics1. There are similarities between human influenza virus and H. influenzae, as was observed in infant rats. H. influenzae is a small Gram negative bacillus which can be grown on chocolate agar (heated blood)2. H. influenzae is highly adapted to its human host. It is present in approximately 75 percent of healthy children and adults.It is rarely encountered in the oral cavity, and it has not been detected in any other animal species1. A minority of healthy individuals have H. influenzae type b encapsulated in their upper respiratory tract. Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, is a bacterium estimated to be responsible for some three million serious illnesses and an estimated 386,000 deaths per year, mainly through meningitis and pneu monia3. Most victims are children under the age of five. Sickness due to these bacteria is most common in underdeveloped or third-world countries.This is where the vast majority of Hib deaths occur. Hib can cause infections such as pneumonia, sinusitis, tracheobronchitis, and meningitis. Pneumonia accounts for a larger number of deaths than meningitis. However, Hib meningitis is more of a serious problem in first world countries. It leaves 15 to 35% of survivors with permanent disabilities such as mental retardation or deafness3. If a H. influenzae infection goes untreated, it will almost certainly kill the individual. The body’s immune system is incapable of fighting off the effects of the bacteria.The good news is virtually all patients treated early in the course of H. influenzae meningitis are cured. The mortality rate of other Hib infections is less than 10 percent, but nearly 30 percent of the children who recover have residual neurologic effects1. Ampicillin is typical ly the drug used to fight Hib, but there have been strands of Hib found to be immune to it, so other drugs developed and used successfully in treatment. Before 1985, Hib was the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in children under 5 years of age (approximately 12,000 cases per year, most in children younger than 18 months).Approximately 5% of affected children died, and different neurological problems developed in 15% to 30% of the surviving children. An additional estimated 7,500 cases of other invasive Hib infections also occurred annually in young children. The cumulative risk for a Hib invasive disease before the age of 5 was one in 200 children. The first Hib vaccines were licensed for use in the United States in 1985. These vaccines contained purified polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP). PRP vaccines were ineffective in children less than 18 months of age because of the T-cell-independent nature of the immune response to PRP polysaccharide1.Research proved that this vacc ine was effective in the body being immune to Hib. In 1989, the first Hib conjugate vaccines were licensed for use among children 15 months of age or older. In 1990, two new vaccines were approved for use among infants1. The incidence of Hib invasive disease among children aged 4 years or younger has declined by 98% since the introduction of Hib conjugate vaccines. However there are still hundreds of thousands of children die each year from a disease related to Hib. There are two major obstacles when trying to prevent Hib, the shortage of both information and money.The information shortage is largely due to the difficulty of diagnosing Hib disease; it claims most of its victims without ever being recognized. In addition, Hib vaccine is more expensive to produce and thus more highly priced than classic childhood vaccines. It costs roughly seven times the total cost of vaccines against measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis4. The Hib vaccine should be distrib uted to all children during their first few years of life just like other types of vaccines. More than 90% of infants obtain long term immunity with 2-3 doses of the vaccine1.With a strong statistic like that most parents would not hesitate to have the vaccine given to their children. The issue is not all doctors are recommending the vaccine and they do not have it available to them in order to give to their patients. A few common misconceptions about the particular vaccine for Hib are that it can prevent ear infections and meningitis. It is not clear if the particular vaccine can reduce the likelihood of ear infections, but there is no evidence to say it prevents it. As for meningitis, there are different types of bacteria that can cause it and the vaccine only protects against the H. nfluenzae bacteria itself. Children must receive other vaccines to be fully immune to meningitis. Works Cited: 1. Todar K. 2012. Haemophilus influenzae and Hib Meningitis. Todar’s Online Textbo ok of Bacteriology. 1-4 2. Ghaffar A, 2010, Bacteriology Chapter 18: Bordetella, Haemophilus and Legionella. Microbiology and Immunology On-Line. 3. http://www. who. int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs294/en/index. html 4. Musher DM. Haemophilus Species. In: Baron S, editor. Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996. Chapter 30. Part 3: Mycobacterium ulceransWe commonly think of an ulcer as a small, yet painful sore that develops on lips, inside mouths, or other places of the body. These are common, and are generally not serious in nature as they heal on their own. However there are other types of ulcers that are more serious that are caused by bacterial infections. The Mycobacterium ulcerans, is a bacterium that causes large ulcers to form on the skin on different parts of the body. The infection due to the type of bacterium is called the Buruli ulcer. This may range from a painless nodule to large, ulcerative lesions that he al spontaneously but slowly.Along with scarring and deterioration of the skin, a severe enough case of it can lead to permanent bone damage. After tuberculosis and leprosy, the Buruli ulcer is the most common mycobacterial infection of humans1. The mode of transmission is not known, but recent evidence suggests that aquatic insects and fish, and even different types of animals such as koalas, possums, horses, cats and dogs may be able to carry the bacteria2. Open wounds on the skin seem to be the most logical way the organism enters the body. There is little proven evidence of bacteria being able to be spread through human to human touch2.About 70% of those affected are children under the age of 15 years2. Mortality due to the disease is low; however the likelihood of permanent scarring and amputation is high. The disease is mostly found in only is Western Africa and Australia. Prevalence rates have been estimated at 16% in some communities in the Ivory Coast and at 22% in a communi ty in Ghana2. A few cases have been reported in non-endemic areas in North America and Europe, most likely as a result of international travel. Lack of familiarity with the Buruli ulcer has frequently resulted in significant delays in the diagnosis and treatment of these cases.The current economic and social burden imposed by the Buruli ulcer is enormous. Skilled surgery, expert post-operative nursing care, and restorative physiotherapy are often required to achieve good outcomes3. In Ghana, the average cost of treatment per patient is estimated to be $ 7802. This may not seem like a lot to us for the severity of disease, but in countries like Ghana not many people can afford this, or the cost or accessibility to the proper drugs is beyond the ability of the doctors in their health care system.There are many graphic pictures that can easily be found on Google that show people who do not have the ability to get their infection treated. These are the types of people with the most seve re side effects. Untreated Buruli ulcer will eventually subside with the gradual development of host immunity in most cases. However, by this time, tissue damage may be very extensive and healing by scar can lead to permanent functional and cosmetic deformity3. Successful treatment will shorten the course of the disease and minimize deformity.In recent years, research has been conducted to see where the microbe may have originated, and what it genetically contains. Unlike Hib, which was discussed in part 2, there is currently no vaccine on the market to prevent people from getting the Buruli ulcer. Scientists have been working on three different vaccine candidates: mycolactone-directed vaccines, attenuated live vaccines, and subunit protein vaccines4. An M. ulcerans bacterium causes harm through its toxin mycolactone; therefore a vaccine directed against this toxin may provide protection. Several constructs are under development and confer some protection in mice4.These recent findi ngs have been a big step forward in the understanding of the mechanisms by which mycolactone mediates its biological effects in the skin. However, it is not at the stage to be tested on people yet. There have also been developments of vaccines in Switzerland of a different kind. This kind of vaccine uses ‘typical' parts of the mycobacterium as target for the immune systems, instead of complete mycobacteria4. There is a lot less chance of negative side effects, but it is not always as effective. In test results, it has shown to be effective in preventing the growth of the M. lcerans in the short term, but the effects wear off and the vaccine would have to be re-administered. Even with all the progress toward a new vaccine, the problem still exists of how it would be properly administered. The areas that are most affected, as stated earlier, would not be able to afford these vaccinations for their children. The only area with the epidemic of the Buruli ulcers that could extremel y benefit from the possible development of vaccinations would be southern Australia. For this reason I believe other projects will be prioritized higher because of more economic benefit to the developers and sellers.Works Cited: 1. van der Werf TS, van der Graaf WT, Tappero JW, Asiedu K. 1999 Sep 18. Mycobacterium ulcerans infection. PubMed. gov. 2. Poraels F, Johnson P, Meyers WM. 2001. Buruli Ulcer: Diagnosis of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease. WHO. 3-6 3. Johnson PDR, Stinear T, Small PLC, Pluschke G, Merritt RW, et al. (2005) Buruli Ulcer (M. ulcerans Infection): New Insights, New Hope for Disease Control. PLoS Med 2(4): e108. doi:10. 1371/journal. pmed. 0020108 4. http://www. news-medical. net/news/20120419/BuruliVac-project-getting-closer-to-a-vaccine. aspx

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Explore the Way Poets Portray Love in La Belle Dam Sans Merci with Reference to 5 Other Poems

Core Texts: La Belle Dame Sans Merci. A Ballard – John Keats Sonnet 116 – William Shakespeare My Last Duchess-Ferrara – Robert Browning Illumination Texts: Sonnet 18 – William Shakespeare Valentine – Carol Ann Duffy Porphyria’s Lover – Robert Browning In the above poems love is presented in 3 very different ways, twisted and false love, typically romantic forbidden love, and unchanging love. Twisted and controlling love is a theme that can be seen in some of Robert Browning’s poetry. My Last Duchess† is a dramatic monologue written in 1842 by Robert Browning. It is written in 28 rhyming couplets, with iambic pentameter, which dominates the poem. The conversational flow of the poem is created by making caesura and enjabment. The enjambed lines may indicate control that the speaker is exerting on the conversation and give the feeling that the speaker is rushing through parts of the poem, possibly smimming over the parts the show him in a unflattering light.When the Duke speaks of the death of his wife, for example, the lines running over suggest that he is nervous about the subject and is nervous of whether he is revealing too much about his envolvement and the caesuras also suggest to the reader that he is hiding something or that he is pausing to carefully think about his phrasing. However, perhaps on reflection, he then boast of his envolvement in line 45 – ‘i gave commands’ possibly showing his character as fake and mysterious, untrustworthy.We know that the Duchess died suspiciously and that the Duke is in the process of looking for a new wife, and suggesting he disposed of his old one. He is speaking to a messenger about a painting of his now deceased Duchess. The Duke, of course, is casting himself in a favorable light and is presenting his best side. He wants to make it look as if his wife was cheating on him and was unfaithful to him, showing he is not trust worthy. He is v ery controlling, and could not control her and her smiles or looks – line 24 – ‘too soon made glad, too easily impressed’.This smile was what the Duke likes the most about the painting of the Duchess–he feels that the painter accurately captured the smile and the ? ‘spot of joy’ in the Duchess. Now that the Duke owns this painting and has placed it behind a curtain, he can at last control who is graced with her smile. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When the Duchess was alive, the Duke could not control her smile and love for life and he considered her unfaithful. Other aspects of the Duke that remain unclear include his true character and his true feelings for the Duchess, whether he really ever loved her or not, remain unknown.As mentioned, he is presenting his best side, but through his speech the reader sees how he is very jealous and controlling, which leads one to believe that he may have many dishonorable qualities. With such a negative descri ption of the Duchess, suggesting she was unfaithful and lacking in refinement, it raises questions about the Duke’s true feelings for the Duchess. This is where the idea of twisted and false love. We question whether the Duke ever loved the Duchess or whether she was just another object for him to control and toy with for his own personal enjoyment and not becasue of true love for his wife.This twisted and somewhat controlling love can be seen in another of Browning’s poems. In both Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess, Browning describes a man who responds to the affection of a woman by controlling and ultimately killing her. Each monologue offers the speakers' reasons for his actions towards the desired woman from subject to his object. For example, we have already seen in My Last Duchess, the Duke may have murdered his wife out of jealousy, but decides to keeps a portrait of her behind a curtain so none can look upon her smile without his permission.Similarly in Po rphyria's Lover, the man wishes to preserve a single perfect moment between himself and Porphyria and so he kills his lover and sits all night embracing her carefully arranged body, as to enjoy the control he used to preserve the moment. In Porphyria’s Lover the man seems to become convinced that Porphyria wanted to be murdered, and claims â€Å"No pain felt she† while being strangled, adding, as if to reassure himself â€Å"I am quite sure she felt no pain. † Sonnet 116 portrays a stark contrast to the twisted and controlling love of My Last Duchess.The main theme of this poem is unchanging love, that love can weather any storm and overcome adversity. The sonnet comprises of 3 quatrains with a new thought at the start of it, with a couplet at the end. each idea in a quatrian is linked, with the help of the steady ABAB rhythm, however it is kept fresh and light with the inclusion of halft rhymes. Sonnet 116 is about love in its most ideal form. It is praising th e glories of lovers who have entered into a relationship based on trust and the understanding that trials and tribulations are a part of relationship.The first four lines reveal the poet's pleasure in love that is constant and strong, and will not â€Å"alter when it alteration finds. † It describes love as it ‘looks on tempest and is never shaken’ meaning that no matter what life presents, love can and does remain strong. it enstills a hope in love and relationships. The poet goes onto proclaim that true love is indeed an â€Å"ever-fix'd mark† which will survive any crisis. Through to line 10 we see the poet explain the physical changes that can occur suring relationships, but reassures that ageing, death and physical appearance will not phase death, descrbing love as a ‘bending sickle’.The remaining lines of the third quatrain (9-12), reaffirm the perfect nature of love that is unshakeable throughout time and will remain so â€Å"ev'n to t he edge of doom†, ie death. It also points out that those who find true love, don’t realise how much enrichment. The poet reminds us that love’s ‘worth [is] unknown’, meaning that love can give you strength you never had or knew existed. In the final couplet, the poet declares that, if he is mistaken about the constant, unmovable nature of true love, then he must take back all his writings on love.Moreover, he adds that, if he has in fact judged love inappropriately, no man has ever really loved, in the ideal sense that the poet professes and that his words are untruthful. This sonnet does not use as much romantic and poetic language as some of his othger sonnets, for example Sonnet 18. The reason for this, is to symbolise the reality of a relationship. sometimes it isnt always chocolates, roses and romantic poems. Often true love and real relationships has ups and downs, but one resounding idea is that features in this sonnet is that true love isnâ €™t easy, but ‘alters when alteration finds’ and ‘is ever fixed’.Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy, like Sonnet 116, is a poem that portrays love in its rawest form, without the extraneous poetic gestures of love, and instead focusing on a realistic view of love and its hinderances. In the poem Duffy suggests these normal, cliched gestures of love are meaningless and instead gives her lover an onion instead of a rose – ‘I give you an onion'. Duffy looks at the ways an onion is suitable for showing love. She tells her lover what an onion will do for him and uses the onion as symbol. The onion could represent patience, discovery and tears.The onion represents the tough side of love and the truth about love. The demure and almost humble description of the onions outer skin described as ‘ the moon wrapped in brown paper’ evokes the idea that love may seem boring when you first experience it, but if you take the time to look beneath the so calle dboring exterior, there is a inner beaty and radiance. This is realised with the word ‘light’, referrin to moon light. The imagery used in this poem is poetic, yet still holds true to the style of Sonnet 116, ie realism. The moon, may promise light – but doesn’t always deliver.Duffy appears to be warning of trusting too much in the promises of romantic partners. ‘The careful undressing of love’ may reveal a person’s true character and motives under the veneer of romantic vows, again critising the cliche romantic type. ?The poet goes on to cleverly create an image of tear-filled eyes – ‘It will blind you with tears like a lover. It will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief. ’ Here she refers to the stinging, burning properties of onions, using a technique which causes readers to try and visualise seeing through tear-filled eyes by the use of language such as ‘blind,’ ‘tears,â€⠄¢ ‘reflection’ and ‘wobbling. These words all evoke memories of trying to view images through tears. She likens stinging hurts caused by insensitive loves and the blurred vision and sore eyes caused by crying and emotional pain to those created by an onion. La Belle Dame Sans Merci. A Ballard is portyas perhaps the most classically romantic type of love. Often passionate, poetic and short lived, this type of love is well represented in this poem, although it does have many interpretations. The style and language of the poem is very romantic, while theme can be interpretted as forbidden love.In the poem a young knight meets a beautiful woman, who is so described as ‘ a faeries child’. This description immediately gives us the impression that this young woman is not of the mortal world. There are many stories surrounding relationships between mortals and immortals, and they are often thought to be forbidden. The barrier between these two worlds often l eads to unhappiness as the immortality of one partner creates problems in the relationship in many myths for example Persephone and Hades.The first glimpse we get that the relationship between the knight and the fairy may be forbidden is when the poet says ‘she wept and sighed full sore’ – line 30. It is possible that the fairy is weeping as she knows the realtionship is doomed from the start, that the couple cannot stay together, as the crossover between mortal and imortal world is precluded. She may be powerless to stop the fate of the knight, and is feeling guilty for what she imposed on the knight.As the fairy is unable to help him escape his fate, she tries to comfort him as best she can, – line 33- ‘and there she lulled me to sleep’. As he sleeps the knight is shown the fate of a man like him, one who has had this fate placed upon him. he is not quite sure if it is a dream, or if he has entered his fate, shown by the constant switching o f scenery, from lakeside to hillside -lines 40-44. This dream like state relays back to the romantic love and the idea of dreams, beautiful fairies and other worlds were all romantic ideas, common at the time.This romantic, poet desciption of the knights lover, scenery and dreams are not dissimilar to one of the most famous sonnets. In Sonnet 18 the poet begins by asking whether he should compare â€Å"thee† to a summer day. He says that his beloved is more lovely and more even-tempered. He carries on, saying that everything beautiful eventually fades by chance or by nature’s inevitable changes. Coming back to the beloved he writes about, though, he argues that his or her summer won’t fade nor will his or her beauty fade away.Moreover, death will never be able to take the beloved and concludes that as long as humans exist and can see, the poem will live on, allowing the beloved to keep living as well. This poem is has the classic romantic and poetic language, th e best instance being the comparison of the subjects beauty to the transient beauty of nature, as the lady in La Belle Dame Sans Merci, is described in realtion to nature. However the poet goes on to argue that the subjects beauty is the opposite to natures, as summer can be too hot and short etc – ‘summer’s lease hath all too short a date’.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Critiques of New Urbanism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critiques of New Urbanism - Research Paper Example This paper evaluates the New Urbanist critiques of contemporary urban development, as well as the critiques of New Urbanism principles. New Urbanism is a form if an urban design program which encourages the traditional concepts of neighborhood design and apply them into a range of urban and suburban settings. The movement started as a response to the conventional suburban planning in the United States since the 1940’s where the communities are decentralized and dependent mainly on cars as a form of transportation. New Urbanists claim that the orthodox setup causes congestion in arterial roads, limited opportunities for people without cars, loss of open space and detachment to civic life. To resolve this issue, they created a reform program with planning and design principles including walkable neighborhoods in a spectrum of a five-minute walk; major orientation around public transit systems; better assimilation of diverse types of land uses at the neighborhood level; affordabl e housing; strong citizen participation; and social and economic diversity (Fulton). The New Urbanist criticisms of contemporary urban development, specifically of the sprawl were discussed by Ellis (262-266) on a research on the New Urbanism movement. ... great automobile dependency in sprawl communities can be minimized dramatically by the installation of proper transit platforms through the New Urbanist principles. While transit investments are intergenerational and long-term, they can form the framework for more efficient, reasonable and sustainable urban regions. The land-use mixtures and street patterns that New Urbanist offers are also advantageous for pedestrians and cyclists. The designs that the street patterns suggest better traffic systems and quality of the travel experience. On the other hand, higher densities and mixed uses can yield considerably lower vehicle miles travelled. Although studies regarding the impact of street patterns to the reduction of automobile commuting are limited, neoclassical economists believe that the benefits of New Urbanist designs will be fully achieved when land-use and transportation planning are applied in the regional level (Ellis 265). Moreover, New Urbanism holds the potential for substa ntial environmental benefits. Ellis (265) stated that â€Å"more compact development patterns, combined with infill strategies, make it easier to conserve sensitive environmental areas.† Even if the New Urbanist designs will reap the environmental benefits or green engineering techniques only after several years, the idea is feasible and the results of studies are encouraging. The evidence of recent researches maintain that the New Urbanist designs â€Å"can play a role in reducing wasteful land consumption and the negative environmental impacts of auto-dependent sprawl† (Ellis 266).Hence, the proper use of growth management, land-use planning and urban design strategies in urban planning can capitalize on the potential of the New Urbanist concept. However, New Urbanism’s incorrect

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Ecnmic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ecnmic - Essay Example Again the prices fell during 2008, which reported a massive drop since the start of the year. These changes are due to the factors of recession that emerged during the last few years. The reasons for such change can be attributed to the demand and supply theory which states the relationship between demand and change in prices. The lower prices during 2008 are due to credit crunch that resulted in scarcity in availabilities of mortgages. The buyers could not purchase because they could not borrow money, thus, a fall in demand was seen in the housing sector. In order to boost the market, prices were lowered down to increase demand. According to certain forecasters, they will continue to remain slow because of rising inflation, unemployment and slow pace of growth. The interest rates during 2007 affected consumer spending. As in the theories of demand and supply, interest rates play a major part. Thus, the impact of interest rates on the house price will have to be established. As the interest rates rose, the number of mortgage approval also fell due to its effect on the consumer’s capacity to spend. When this ability decreases, the demand also decreases accordingly. It was also seen that with an increase in interest rates during 2007, a rise in sales of houses was recorded. Due to the rise in inflation, first time buyers of house felt the necessity of fund as they found themselves incapable to afford prices. Thus, with a thrust in the rate hike, the prices of house were also increased to maintain break-even as people were forced to take loan, despite the fact that interest rates were still high. Growth of real incomes: As there is a rise in an average standard of living, the demand for housing as well as for luxurious properties increased. As people in UK showed a trend to move to exclusive houses, the demand for housing increases with high prices which increased the growth of incomes

Monday, October 7, 2019

Module 5 SLP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Module 5 SLP - Assignment Example The beverages section has yuban coffees, kool-Aid, Maxwell House and the Tassimo hot beverage. The refrigerated meals include hot dogs, Claussen pickles, and bacon. These products are retailed in over 170 countries that have seen its revenue grow to over one billion dollars (Allen & Albala, 2007). The company seems to have adopted mergers and acquisitions in order to introduce new products in different markets and to increase the level of its operations. Kraft foods group has adopted a decentralized organizational structure that can be categorized into three broad categories. These include the corporate core, the business unit, and the shared services. The business core is the highest level of authority. It sets the overall strategy of the corporation, sets performance standards, decides on the business portfolio and manages talent. The business units, on the other hand, develop short-term business strategies, run the businesses and are responsible for the financial performance of the business (Henry, 2008). The company can be said to be using a functional organizational structure. Employees within these functions perform specific duties. These employees in functional divisions report to a single authority. The top management integrates the duties of different functional departments in order to achieve cohesion that is critical to the achievement of a common goal. Each functional division in the organization sets its budget that is usually useful for one year. The budget majorly shows the expected income and expenditure for a particular period. Kraft Foods Group controls its expenses by grouping costs into cost centres for analysis. The budgeting process begins with forecasting of sales based on past information. Costs of different departments such as sales, administration and marketing are then allocated followed by capital expenses that are likely to be incurred. The budgeting process ends with developing a projected balance sheet and a profit