The Health Care System in US Overview and Challenges

The Health Care System U.S. World Complex Name Institutional Affiliation Date: The Health Care System U.S. World Complex 1. From the video, assess how regulations in the U.S. impact the claims and facts presented in this video. Hypothesize where you think the biggest opportunity will be for pharmaceutical companies. After watching the video, I have realized that intellectual rights protection is based on the foundation of RD investment, which are also the building blocks of the pharmaceutical industry. There is adequate evidence to proof that intellectual rights in the form of trademarks and patents are very significant in the pharmaceutical industry as is compared to any other industry. This may be caused by the fact that copyrights on prescription drugs are a better effective measure for increasing the limitation costs than copyrights on other commodities. The value of copyright protection relies on the duration of exclusivity. Although the lifespan of copyrights is predetermined by international treaty at 20 years from the filing of the copyright application, the actual period between gaining market approval and patenting, the significance of the copyright is much less than 20 years. Evidently, both the EU and the U.S. enacted special provisions legislative, which extended the pharmaceuticals patents life. As is the case with America, the Waxman-Hatch Act increased the copyright protection based on name-brand drugs with up to five years, but still it also putsShow MoreRelatedOverview Of Palliative Care Services1588 Words   |  7 Pageshead: OVERVIEW OF PALLIATIVE CARE SERVICES IN CANADA 1 Overview of Palliative Care Services in Canada Jamie Organ Student Number: 0567596 Professor: Ms. J. 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In order to maximise the capability of telehealth system, researchers in various field s including computer science, medical science, and communication systems have collaborated cite{chakraborty2013review}. AlthoughRead MoreBismarck Model And Other Universal Health Care1259 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States as compared to Bismarck Model and other universal health care systems is lacking control and so fragmented especially to other nations. Bismarck Model or as stated in the text book â€Å"the insurance model† is known as the oldest health care model (Kovner Knickman, 2011). Although, every employer and employee (payroll deductions) contributes according to income (Kovner Knickman, 2011). Bismarck varies in the â€Å"basic coverage† from one country to another (Kovner Knickman, 2011)

Descriptive Essay - Original Writing Essay - 1318 Words

As soon as I said those words he grabbed me and passionatly kissed me so aggressive but sensual all at the same time. I could feel myself melting into him, as if he was sucking my soul right out of my body and into his. All that time exchanging e-mails created a huge build up that was finally released. He backed up and said hmmm your lips taste so sweet. I didn t even have a chance to reply when he pulled me back in for another soul sucking kiss. I start ripping off his clothes as we continued to kiss. Trying the best I could , I felt like I was panicing just grabing and pulling off whatever I could. He then spun me around, grabbed my hips very firmly and pushed himself into me and whispered in my ear, you feel that? hmmm? You want that?. Yes I softy said. He grabbed the back of my hair, gently tiping my head back and said I didn t hear you, say it again. YES! YES! YES!, I shouted. Good girl, he answered how bad do you want me to fuck you he said then ran his tounge do wn my neck , pulling my hips into his even more. Bad, really fucking bad, I said. He moaned a bit , with one hand holding on to me and the other running over my whole body like he was trying to memorize every inch of me and said Yeah? He then bent me right over the end of the bed and pushed himself inside of me. The amount of ecstay I was feeling at that very moment was astounding. I haven t felt like this so long, the excitement, the rush, the pleasure , the lust. AsShow MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1110 Words   |  5 PagesI don’t know how I got to where I am, but I’m here now, and I have to win if I want to live. I am in a game, and in order to live, I have to escape. That’s the thing, though: I don’t know how to escape. I was running for my life around this old house that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. 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You must have had fathomed that some degree of formality had seeped between us. Born of habit, formulaic greetings had become a routine. You presume that I’m a close friendRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1387 Words   |  6 PagesI was wearing a beautiful blue dress with sapphire gems all around the chest area as I entered the ball with Ciel and Sebastian. I took a good look around here, the hallway was lined with gold. There was a servant ready to escort us to the ball room. Hello, come this way. He said, walking forward. Wow, this place is so fancy! I exclaimed, looking around. It s fake gold. Ciel bluntly replied, bringing my hopes down. I sighed. Ciel sounded like he wasn t in a very good mood. Ciel, lightenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1287 Words   |  6 Pages In the morning, Caireann woke me up. She stood above my bed, shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes, looking at her. Then I looked across the room to her empty bed. Andy s empty bed sat in the corner. I swallowed, climbing out of bed. Sleep well? Caireann asked me, starting out the door. Yeah, I said, going over to our small dresser. I had the bottom two drawers. Andy had the middle two, and Caireann had the top. I pulled open the drawers, pulling on a colorful tank top and a grayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1345 Words   |  6 PagesLater that night, I was behind the wheel of my G-Wagon with Melissa in the passenger seat. She didn’t feel like driving since she was on the road all day and I understood so I didn’t mind when she asked me to. I had been tight-lipped. She kept eyeballing me as if she detected that something was bothering me but I just kept singing to my India Arie as if I was carefree. â€Å"So are you going to tell me what’s going on or no† Melissa said disrupting my own personal concert. 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Review of Real Life Security Incidents

Question: Discuss about the Review of Real Life Security Incidents. Answer: Introduction As mentioned in the previous section, a breach is an accidental exposure of data. There is no malicious intent. The working parties in a breach are insiders to an organisation. This report is limited to a publicly available information on breaches during September-December 2015. Suppose a person visits a sexual health clinic and opts for undergoing a clinical test. In the small community that the clinic serves, many people know each other by name. Now, suppose that the entire list of individuals that chose to take the test mentioned above is broadcast to each other. What would be the consequences? Would the people, most of whom may be acquaintances of each other, now see each other differently? This section explores one such incident. 56 Dean Street clinic, which specialises in family planning and sexual health, also administers HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) tests. HIV test is a way to ascertain if an individual has the till-now incurable and debilitating disease of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). AIDS itself has huge social implications that may make a person suffering from this disease at a significant disadvantage in her day-to-day life, with stigma and discrimination ("Stigma and Discrimination", n.d.), and possibly social isolation (Brown, 2016). The aim of the discussed hacking attack was money. Also, this attack was planted over two years and exploited for months. The attack was coordinated internationally, and novel methods for swindling the money were devised. The new techniques were used to avoid detection and also, the majority of the illegal transactions were of a relatively insignificant amount. All these details have made public by a private security company, which under the restrictions of Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), is prevented from naming the banks. Any bank affected itself has not come forward and publicly disclosed the attack. How could the secure banking systems be compromised? How could the planting of the malware go on for about two years without no one or no system detecting it Problem The problem was the fraudulent activities are done in the banking system, which led to the transfer of real money to unauthorised people (the criminals themselves). Additionally, the stealth used by the criminals fooled the individuals and the systems of the banks into letting these transactions pass off as routine. Also, the members of this particular attack impersonated as officers and staff of the banks to "oversee" operations. The failure to detect fake staff was also missed. Review of Two Real-life Security Incidents The most valuable asset of an organisation is intangible - data (Poole, 2007). Anything that is worth stealing will be stolen, and in today's information-based society, data provides a lucrative opportunity for easy ways to make money. In addition to big-name targets (Granville, 2015), smaller companies are also being targeted by attackers (Connolly, Gardiner, 2015). Also, not only are the skills and resources of the attackers increasing with time, the threat landscape itself is evolving (Security, n.d.). Thus the security of computers, networks, and data is a moving target. This report focuses on reviewing two real-life information security incidents. The first part discusses a breach, while the second talks about a successful hacking attack. To begin, let us differentiate between a breach and a hack (Landt, 2016). A breach is an accidental and non-malicious exposure of confidential information from inside the organisation. A hack is a willful and malicious attack from outside to c ompromise the organisation. Computer Security Breach Incident Problem At the 56 Dean Street clinic, as is the case with almost every organisation, newsletters are sent to people who have used their services. Whether or not the people have expressly consented to receive the newsletter when they provided their email address is not relevant to the current discussion. Individuals who opted for HIV test had their data bundled together in a group. This group was sent a regular email newsletter. What happened is that the employee in charge of sending out the email newsletter sent, in addition to the bulletin, details of name and email addresses of every person who had undergone HIV test in that clinic. How and Why the Breach Occurred The breach took place while the employee was compiling the list of HIV tested customers as a name and email pair. This was copied and then supposed to be pasted in blind carbon copy (BCC) field of the email compose screen. The employee pasted it into carbon copy (CC) field of the compose screen (Ford, 2015). Recipients in BCC field are unaware of other recipients, while in CC are aware of all those who have received a particular email message (Hoffman, 2012). This mistake resulted in all the people taking HIV test receiving the names and email addresses of all other such people (Burgess, 2016). The breach occurred because of laxity towards personal and confidential data. Such data is privileged information and not for the consumption of public. The lack of diligence is at multiple levels. At the management level, a stricter, possibly automated procedure, should have been used. At the individual employee level, he should have been alert and exercised care before hitting the send button. Possible Solutions As discussed in the previous section, the reasons for such a breach were not giving private data the respect it deserves, no formal rules, manually touching such data and carelessness of the employee handling the distribution of email newsletters. Keeping these reasons in mind, we propose the following solutions to prevent such a situation. It must be noted that once an email leaves the sending server, there is no way to cancel it. Email is instantaneous and even though the sender and receiver may be sitting on opposite sides of the Earth, still once and email hits even a single external server, it is beyond the point of no return (Hoffman, 2013). Confidential data is confidential for a reason and must be treated with respect, and this should show throughout the hierarchy of the organisation. To this end, comprehensive formal rules are suggested to make everyone clear as to what is at stake - not only the data but also the financial and legal implications, should it be breached. Next, every person touching this data must be logged, so that the actual person responsible for any action on the data can be traced, and handled accordingly. A better process can be to maintain automated lists (which only senior staff and database administrators can access) and then provide software with the newsletter content and the software will BCC the newsletter to every person in the list. No manual contamination of the process will be possible in such an arrangement. If there has to be a manual sending, then the employee in charge of each issue must be logged, and that person must be made aware that in the case of any data breaches occurring du e to her, she will be personally responsible for it. Computer Hacking Incident Hacking is an active process. Someone somewhere is motivated enough to use her skills and resources to attempt to attack, invade, and compromise a computer system. Malicious intent is the hallmark of a hacking attempt. The motivations may be amusement, financial, revenge, or patriotic. This report will select one publicly well-known hacking case between 2012 to 2016, and explore it. Financial and banking systems are tested thoroughly. Various laws and regulations exist which help in maintaining the security of these information systems. These institutions inspire trust in the customers as well as the employees. Still, banks are where the money is, and thus they are one of the evergreen targets. The case study chosen is about attackers infiltrating the banking systems using malware, observing the procedures and routine activities via the data sent by the malware on the computers of the banking systems (Sanger, Perlroth, 2015). Who Were Affected and How In this attacking operation, primarily the banking system was affected. Now, cash was extracted from ATM (Automated Teller Machine) machines remotely by hackers. This money belongs to the bank until some authorised person inserts his card and withdraws some amount. Money was illegally transferred from certain accounts to some fake accounts which were created for this purpose only. Most of the customers can be assumed to be alert of their balances. Now, what these hackers did was inflate (artificially of course) the balance in some account and then transfer the excess to their fake account. The original owner of the bank account which served as the launch pad still had the same balance in his account, thus not triggering any out-of-ordinary suspicion unless the detailed statement was analysed. In any case, the money was transferred. Whose money was it? It was the bank's money. Thus, it is concluded that the banks per se were affected and lost real money. The individual account holders were not affected in that their total balance remained the same. However, this incident showcases that the entire system has been compromised, and any determined and resourced attackers can bend the banking and financial system to their will. How Was the Attack Carried Out This attack too had a simple method - email links. The hackers sent emails to employees which convincingly looked as if they came from colleagues. The clicking of an innocent looking link enabled the hackers to download malware on the computers of the banks. The software then trawled the network to identify the central computers. When the administrator computers were located, a further software was downloaded from the hacker servers, which allowed key-logging, screenshots, screencasts, and then uploaded all these to the hackers. To be fair, the hackers expended a tremendous amount of effort to understand the workings of the banks. Critical to the success of the attackers' mission was mimicking the bona fide operations and staff completely. Once, the internal workings were understood, then the next phase of the attack was simpler. Show up at the right place in the right attire and leave with the cash. Remotely order some fraudulent transactions that real money to some temporary accoun ts. Other novel methods of transferring money were also devised. How Could the Attack Have Been Prevented As explained in the previous section, many chinks in the baking armour have been exposed. The faults begin with the emails that were able to bypass any automated checks and reach the employees' inboxes. Some software should have automatically scanned the emails and the links for malicious code or links. Next, the employee must always be on guard to the slightest suspicion. If necessary, the sender of the email may be personally contacted at his official email address confirming the suspected email message. The firewalls should be sensitive not only to the incoming traffic but also the outgoing traffic. Such an arrangement may have been able to intercept when the key logs, screenshots and videos were being sent back to the hackers. Finally, measures should already have been secure enough, but now need to be updated to prevent any impersonations. Additionally, expending more resources to more frequent cross-checking of accounts is recommended. Conclusion The idea from both the case studies seems to be that the human link of a security chain is often the weakest. Incidentally, both the case studies used emails as their attack medium, and critical to their success was fooling the humans into clicking target links. In addition to security alerts, perhaps logging of the links opened by the employees will serve as a motivation for the employees to exercise good diligence. Also, case-specific measures have been recommended. References Brown, A. (2016). Social Effects of HIV AIDS. LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://www.livestrong.com/article/19464-social-effect-hiv-aids/ Burgess, M. (2016). London HIV clinic fined 180,000 for 'serious' data breach. WIRED UK. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://www.wired.co.uk/article/56-dean-street-fine-data-protection-hiv Connolly, B., Gardiner, B. (2015). Case study: When a hacker destroys your business. CIO. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://www.cio.com.au/article/569410/case-study-when-hacker-destroys-your-business/ Ford, N. (2015). Londons 56 Dean Street clinic leaks HIV status of 780 patients. IT Governance Blog. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/blog/londons-56-dean-street-clinic-leaks-hiv-status-of-780-patients/ Granville, K. (2015). 9 Recent Cyberattacks Against Big Businesses. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/02/05/technology/recent-cyberattacks.html?_r=0 Hoffman, C. (2012). Whats the Difference Between CC and BCC When Sending an Email?. Howtogeek.com. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://www.howtogeek.com/128028/htg-explains-whats-the-difference-between-cc-and-bcc-when-sending-an-email/ Hoffman, C. (2013). Why You Cant Undo Sending an Email (and When You Can). Howtogeek.com. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://www.howtogeek.com/161762/why-you-cant-undo-sending-an-email-and-when-you-can/ Landt, K. (2016). Breach vs. HackThe Differences You Need to Know to Protect Your Company. Blog.eiqnetworks.com. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://blog.eiqnetworks.com/blog/breach-vs.-hack-the-differences-you-need-to-know-to-protect-your-company Poole, O. (2007). Network Security (1st ed., p. 140). Routledge. Sanger, D., Perlroth, N. (2015). Bank Hackers Steal Millions via Malware. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 31 March 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/world/bank-hackers-steal-millions-via-malware.html?_r=0 Security, E. ENISAs Cyber-Threat overview 2015 ENISA. Enisa.europa.eu. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://www.enisa.europa.eu/news/enisa-news/enisa2019s-cyber-threat-overview-2015 Stigma and Discrimination. Web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from https://web.stanford.edu/group/virus/retro/2005gongishmail/hivsocial.html

Neverland free essay sample

Peter Pan is a favorite book of mine. Everybody knows the story of the child who refused to grow up. That’s me. At least, it used to be. I spent my high school career in a daze, coddled away from harsh realities and future responsibilities, bolstered by praises and confirmations. â€Å"You’re gifted, Emily,† or â€Å"With your smarts, you’ll go far, Emily.† I just nodded and smiled, closing my eyes and letting their words sweep me away. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself alone in a dingy, white dorm room. Somehow, I had stumbled my way into college at sixteen. The reality hit me as soon as my parents closed the door behind them, tears springing to my eyes. Like our storybook fey, I suddenly found myself face to face with the prospect of â€Å"growing up,† and I, too, felt like flying away to Neverland. I treaded timidly at first, reluctantly testing the water with one toe, and then, for lack of fairy dust, dove into my future head first. We will write a custom essay sample on Neverland or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page And it was surprisingly easy. I adjusted almost seamlessly; living alone isn’t hard, classes are interesting, and my grades are satisfactory. It’s even fun. Next semester is looking even better. Not that there weren’t struggles, times I was sad, times it was hard, times I wanted to go home. But those instances grew fewer and fewer. Now I’m looking ahead. That’s what’s so amazing about growing up. It comes naturally, without warning. Adulthood sneaks up on you in the night, stifling childish fantasies and planting practical plans, realistic goals. It alters you little by little, almost imperceptibly, until one day a friend, a relative utters the words, â€Å"You look so grown up!† You can only stare at the mirror in disbelief. I do? They say hindsight is 20/20. Now I can see how in just one semester, I’ve grown so much. Living on campus has exposed me to so many different kinds of people. I’ve been able to explore new fields of study. I’ve learned to hold my own, how to cope, how to succeed, how to live. Away from the security of high school, of home It was painfully apparent how sheltered, how naive, I really was. I was a deer in the headlights back then. It’s funny now that I can look back on it with new perspective, new knowledge, and new maturity. Is it possible to pinpoint the transition from child to adult? Somehow this must be it; however, sometimes I still catch my mind wandering away from my textbook, back to that childish fancy. Of course, if Peter Pan were to offer me his hand tonight, I would have to close the window. Now, to me, there’s something that shines brighter than the second star to the right: the future. So, I won’t say I’m an adult just yet, but I’m certainly on my way.

The Face of American Cities essays

The Face of American Cities essays The face of American cities has changed dramatically over the course of the past several decades. The nation has become increasingly urban over that span, but the role of cities has changed. At one point, American cities were thriving centers of trade and industry. This was followed by the rise of suburbia, white flight and urban decay. Today, many cities have become renewed, and urban America is once again a vital driver of culture and industry. Not all cities, however, have joined in this renewal. Many still stand in decay, plagued by issues of crime, poverty, undereducation and neglect. It is vital that American cities not only survive but thrive. They are the economic and cultural engines of the nation. This paper will examine the changes in Americas cities in recent decades, the impact they have on the nation and ultimately sort out who is responsible for ensuring the health of our cities. Cities have changed dramatically over the past couple of decades. The post-war era was marked by significant white flight to the newly-developed suburbs. As wealthier families left the cities, they were replaced primarily by the poor, and by immigrants. This reduced the wealth of cities dramatically, resulting in increased poverty and decay. Many cities saw declines in population over this period Detroit and Buffalo for example have seen their urban populations cut in half since 1950. However, the white flight trend has begun to reverse in many cities. Urban renewal projects have cleaned up formerly impoverished areas, and many immigrant and minority families have followed the jobs into the suburbs. The trend towards white flight is beginning to reverse in cities as diverse as Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago (Dougherty, 2008). This latest demographic shift will once again change the role of cities in America. Cities have traditionally played a dominant role in the economics and culture of ...

How to Remember Dates for a Test - Memorization

How to Remember Dates for a Test - Memorization Dates are often difficult to remember because they seem so random and obscure unless we can relate them to something specific. For instance, the  American Civil War  started in 1861, but unless you have a strong interest in the specific timeline of the war, there is nothing special about the starting date that separates that date from any other. What makes 1861 stand apart from 1863 or 1851? Sometimes it can be as simple as leaving off the first two digits. If you are studying a particular time period, you already know what century in which the events take place. Even though it might not seem like it, breaking it down to just two numbers can make memorization much easier. You can associate those numbers with something like the number of a favorite athlete. If that doesn’t work, there are a few other tricks. When trying to memorize a date, students can really benefit from a  mnemonic system  (memory technique) to help them recall the right numbers in the right order. For memorizing dates it might be helpful to borrow a practice from the London Cockneys. A Cockney is an inhabitant of the East End of London, England. Cockneys have an old tradition of using  rhyming slang  as a secret language, of sorts. The tradition originated centuries ago, and it was used by Londons thieves, traders, entertainers, and other members from the lower strata of society. In Cockney slang, Can you believe it?  becomes  Can you Adam and Eve it? More examples: Whistle and flute suitWhite mice iceTom Hanks thanksTrouble and strife wife Remembering Dates We can use the same method to remember dates. Simply think of a term that rhymes with your date. Make sure your rhyme is a little silly and that it paints a strong picture in your head. You can leave off the century, so that 1861, the starting date for the Civil War, becomes 61. Example: 61 Sticky gun Imagine a Civil War soldier struggling with a gun that has been covered with honey. It may sound silly, but it works! More Examples: 1773 was the date of the Boston Tea Party. To remember this, you could think: 73 Heavenly tea You can just picture protesters sipping lovely cups of tea right before tossing them in the water. 1783 marks the end of the Revolutionary War. 83 Ladies bee For this image, think of several women sitting on a quilt and celebrating by stitching a red, white and blue quilt. The most important element of this method is to come up with a great, amusing image. The funnier it is, the more memorable it will be. If possible, come up with a little story to connect all your mental images. If you have trouble coming up with a rhyme or have a lot of connected information to remember, you could set the information to a song. If you are musically inclined, you could make up your own song. More often it is easier to replace the words to a song you already know well.

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 36

Leadership - Essay Example I can communicate very well with my team member. It is strength for me. My communications are very simple, clear and effective in nature. It would not crate any confusion in the mind of team member. Empathy with my team member is also strength of my character. I am very flexible in nature. I have to improve my level of conviction. This is an area where I have to work. I always give the credit of success to my team members. In this way my team members sense a feeling of responsibility and commitment. I always demonstrate my level of commitment in front of my team members; it would influence them to reach to the same level of commitment. My team member success is my success. I always take conflicts in a positive way. I always believe in together decision making. I need to improve my ability to solve any team member’s problem. This is the area where I need to concentrate more. I have clear goal for my team. I can communicate it properly in front of my group members. I believe my communication would help my group members to be recharged and energies and would feel motivated for their task. I would act as a transformational leader for my team member. I would be able to transform my group member’s life with my way of leadership. I would be able to inspire my group member and can bring a positive change among them. I am very passionate, enthusiastic and energetic in nature it would certainly influence my team members in a positive way and would help them to reach their career goal. I would focus on my task but at the same time I would very friendly and supportive with my team members. I would bring intellectual stimulation in my leadership style where I would give freedom to my team members to be more creative in their work. Every individual team members can give me their valuable ideas and advices to me. I will work in such a way that it would create an example in front of my team members and they would try

Starting A Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Starting A Business - Essay Example Another source I can take advantage of is to borrow money from friends or relatives, who have more than sufficient cash and willing to lend.1 Aside from these sources, I can also borrow from the bank and utilize available credit lines that specifically meet my needs as a start-up entrepreneur. In addition to banks, there are other lending facilities such as investment companies and private lenders from where I can borrow money.2 Should money from these sources fall short, I can also use my credit card as an alternative. However, it should be noted that resorting to these borrowing institutions or facilities for capital requirement entails the payment of interest. This means that on top of the principal amount, I will have to pay the interest or cost of borrowing. Failure to service arising obligations from my borrowings in these institutions may result to piling interest, which can surge meteorically, thus, doubling the debt amount to be repaid. Such would have adverse effects not only on the financial position of the company but also the reputation in the market. I can also present my business plan to venture capitalists, who would be willing to share the burden of the risk by providing capital for the proposed business. In considering this option, I would still have to think about the terms and conditions of the capital provision of the venture capitalist. This is because such may result in me, the business owner, having less control over the operations of the company. Some venture capitalists prefer to have direct participation in running the business.3 In addition, I can seek funding from organizations that extend grants to deserving entrepreneurs. For example, I can apply for funding assistance from American Express Small Business Assistance that supports small businesses. There are also other government agencies that can be excellent sources of grants and loans for starting a business.4 Government Agencies and Regulations to Deal with Before I can start manufacturing and selling the Chunky Corn products, I would have to apply for licenses in the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which provides voluntary pre-marketing consultations that would help examine if the biotechnology food, in this case the corn products, meet the regulatory standards for safety.5 In dealing with the FDA, I would have to ensure that the products I would be offering to the public conform to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Under this regulation, the manufacturer, Chunky Corn, Inc., is legally responsible to produce these safe products under sanitary conditions. Furthermore, since my products are made from genetically engineered corns, my application may have to undergo special review by the FDA to find out if levels of toxicants in my food products are substantially higher than present in other edible varieties of same corn species.6 In terms of labeling, the company should adhere to labeling standards such that labels accurately describe the corn products by its common name and reveal important facts associated with the claims made. The labels should also be truthful and not misleading.7 Aside from licenses on the products, I would also have to deal with other government agencies for other aspects of the business. For example, I would have to deal with the local office of the Secretary of State for

Adrenaline Essay Example for Free

Adrenaline Essay Most of us, at some point, have been excited or thrilled as a form of entertainment. Whether it is a roller coaster at an amusement park or a scary movie, some results from this form of exciting entertainment may include tense muscles, increase in heart rate, increase in blood pressure, or excessive perspiration. Such physical effects are caused by Adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone that is released from a person’s adrenal medulla during emergency situations but does not have psychoactive effects. It is released into the person’s body from the adrenal glands located above the kidney. It is commonly referred to as a â€Å"fight-or-flight† hormone, because of its effects in increasing the supply of glucose and oxygen directed at a person’s brain and involuntary muscles. This allows the person to have better physical abilities to utilise during an emergency. Adrenaline is also known as epinephrine. Adrenaline is derived from the Latin roots ad, meaning towards and renes, meaning kidneys. Epinephrine originated from the Greek roots epi, meaning on, and nephros, meaning kidneys. This is in reference to the physical location of the adrenal glands in a person’s body, atop the kidneys. Norepinephrine or noradrenaline is another hormone released from the adrenal glands. It is very closely, chemically related to adrenaline, as well as having similar effects on the human body. However, a significant difference between the two hormones is that adrenaline has no psychoactive effects, while noradrenaline does, affecting the person’s mental processes. The effects of adrenaline released with into the bloodstream include the stimulation of involuntary muscles, rising blood pressure, conversion of glycogen, a form of stored body fuel, inside the liver into glucose, heart rate increase, the dilation of the bronchioles, the fine, thin-walled, tubular extensions of the bronchus, in the lungs, increased breathing rate, increased metabolic rate, and decreased digestive and kidney activity. The release of adrenaline into a person’s blood stream can be seen as the changing of a gear in a manual car. The release of adrenaline allows a person’s body to be able to have better physical performance in the event of an emergency, while the changing of a gear in a manual car allows the car to have better performance and be able to reach higher speeds than at the lower gear. The diagram included shows the cross-sectioned view of adrenal gland. It identifies both the outer layer, known as the cortex, and the inner area, known as the medulla. The adrenaline is secreted from the inner area. Below it, the location of the adrenal gland is shown in relation to the kidney inside a human body. As indicated, it is located above the kidney. In terms of my art practice, my adrenaline is often released while I am working. For example, while completely three-dimensional projects in the workshops, the power tools and other machines make me very nervous while using them. As a result, my adrenal glands release adrenaline, making my heart rate increase exponentially. In other cases, inspiration for art may also cause the release of adrenaline in my both. Similarly, when I use great emotion into my paintings. I am also excited to the point of adrenaline release.

Justice in William Shakespeares King Lear Essay -- William Shakespear

Justice in William Shakespeare's King Lear The question of the origin of true, virtuous, and impartial justice has plagued mankind over the millennia and continues to do so today. In Shakespeare’s King Lear two potential forms of justice predominate: human examination through trial and divine supernatural recourse. Both systems emerge fundamentally flawed in practice, however, and by the end of the play a world of unjust chaos reigns supreme. Over the course of three â€Å"trials,† Lear’s daughters competing for his love, the blinding of Gloucester by Cornwall and Regan, and Lear’s imagined cross-examination of Goneril and Regan, Shakespeare strikingly illustrates the concept that human justice is essentially blind and the maintenance of faith in the divine intervention of the goods is hopeless naà ¯vetà ©. Man’s justice is profoundly corrupted by the imperfection of human nature and shrouded by the inherent vices of avarice and jealousy. The theme of flawed justice arising from defective character is demonstrated from the very outset of the play with King Lear’s demand that his three daughters compete for his love and estate. Certainly, any father that actively encourages sibling rivalry and so clearly plays favorites, as shown when he laments over Cordelia â€Å"I loved her most and thought to set my rest / on her kind nursery† (1.1.137-38), has something drastically wrong with his mindset. Thus, Shakespeare utilizes the establishment of Lear’s flawed character to reveal the detrimental effect imperfect human nature can have on the issuing of justice. Shakespeare does so in including the senseless decree that Lear rashly issues: the virtuous Cordelia and loyal Kent shall be banished, and Lear’s kingdom should be ... ...Lear states, â€Å"Through tattered clothes small vices do appear. / Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, / And the strong lance of justice heartless breaks† (4.6.180-83). Thus, only through madness is Lear able to see the rampant abundance of injustice present in the world caused by the abuse and negligence of the wealthy in power. The errant â€Å"trials† of King Lear all serve to illustrate the concept that human justice is inherently tainted by the natural human tendency to abuse power for selfish means. Furthermore, characters such as Gloucester who maintain a persistent faith in the divine justice of the gods are seen as fools in a world where the innocent are senselessly taken advantage of and ultimately killed. Thus, it seems that until the essential vices of human nature are eliminated, justice will remain shrouded, and evil will reign.

Medieval European Sports

Sports in the Middle Ages The sports of medieval Europe were less-well-organized than those of classical antiquity. Fairs and seasonal festivals were occasions for men to lift stones or sacks of grain and for women to run smock races (for a smock, not in one). The favourite sport of the peasantry was folk football, a wild no-holds-barred unbounded game that pitted married men against bachelors or one village against another.The violence of the game, which survived in Britain and in France until the late 19th century, prompted Renaissance humanists, such as Sir Thomas Elyot, to condemn it as more likely to maim than to benefit the participants. The nascent bourgeoisie of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance amused itself with archery matches, some of which were arranged months in advance and staged with considerable fanfare. When town met town in a challenge of skill, the companies of crossbowmen and longbowmen marched behind the symbols of St.George, St. Sebastian, and other patrons o f the sport. It was not unusual for contests in running, jumping, cudgeling, and wrestling to be offered for the lower classes who attended the match as spectators. Grand feasts were part of the program, and drunkenness commonly added to the revelry. In Germanic areas a Pritschenkoenig was supposed to simultaneously keep order and entertain the crowd with clever verses. The burghers of medieval towns were welcome to watch the aristocracy at play, but they were not allowed to participate in tournaments or even, in most parts of Europe, to compete in imitative tournaments of their own. Tournaments were the jealously guarded prerogative of the medieval knight and were, along with hunting and hawking, his favourite pastime. At the tilt, in which mounted knights with lances tried to unhorse one another, the knight was practicing the art of war, his raison d’etre.He displayed his prowess before lords, ladies, and commoners and profited not only from valuable prizes but also from ra nsoms exacted from the losers. Between the 12th and the 16th century, the dangerously wild free-for-all of the early tournament evolved into dramatic presentations of courtly life in which elaborate pageantry and allegorical display quite overshadowed the frequently inept jousting. Some danger remained even amid the display. At one of the last great tournaments, in 1559, Henry II of France was mortally wounded by a splintered lance.Peasant women participated freely in the ball games and footraces of medieval times, and aristocratic ladies hunted and kept falcons, but middle-class women contented themselves with spectatorship. Even so, they were more active than their contemporaries in Heian Japan during the 8th to 12th centuries. Encumbered by many-layered robes and sequestered in their homes, the Japanese ladies were unable to do more than peep from behind their screens at the courtiers’ mounted archery contests

McDonald’s Foods

McDonald's is the largest and best-known global foodservice retailer with more than 26,000 restaurants in 119 countries. Their outstanding brand recognition, experienced management, site development expertise, advanced operational systems and unique global infrastructure position them to capitalize on global opportunities. There are 1. 5 million people works at McDonald's in 119 countries around the world. Are they creating employment? Yes they are. They create employment, but still workers in the fast food industry are paid low wages. McDonald's do not pay overtime rates even when employees work very long hours. Pressure to keep profits high and wage costs low results in understaffing, so staff has to work harder and faster. As a consequence, accidents (particularly burns) are common. Since they are pressured to keep their profits high, McDonald†s tends to receive plenty of money or even profit, plenty enough to be the indicator of economic growth. In small countries, when a McDonald†s franchised store opens the economic growth in those countries tends to increase. McDonald's promote their food as ‘nutritious', but the reality is that it is junk food – high in fat, sugar and salt, and low in fibre and vitamins. A diet of this type is linked with a greater risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases. Their food also contains many chemical additives, some of which may cause ill health, and hyperactivity in children. Many products sold at McDonald's restaurants are high in fat and cholesterol, and low in fiber and certain vitamins. For example, according to Bowes and Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used (1989) by J. A. T. Pennington, 55% of the calories in a Big Mac come from fat, along with 83 mg of cholesterol. For a cheeseburger, fat content is 45%, with 41 mg of cholesterol. French fries are 47%, while a hamburger is 39% fat and holds 29 mg of cholesterol. Many other products sold by the restaurant chain are similarly high in fat and cholesterol. For comparison, beans are only 4% fat. Rice is 1-5% fat, depending on the variety. A potato is less than 1% fat. As a result of their high content of fat and cholesterol, McDonald's products contribute to heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and other diseases. The links between high-fat diets and certain diseases are established beyond any reasonable doubt. (Dr. Neal Barnard, US Physicians Cttee. – DIET & DISEASE) Even though McDonalds has some sort of negative impacts to their customer, but McDonalds has done great things to the community. For example the Calgary Ronald McDonald House. They have helped by accommodating more than 11,000 families from all over the world. Ronald McDonald House is a â€Å"home away from home† for out-of-town families with children, who have not reached their eighteenth birthday, who are receiving treatment at a Calgary medical facility. Space permitting, mothers who require medical treatment because of high-risk pregnancies may also use RMH accommodations. As the conclusion, McDonalds may have some negative impact on the community, but on the other hand McDonalds helps the community to become a better community.

Definition and Examples of Replacives in English

Definition and Examples of Replacives in English In  English grammar and morphology, a replacive is a word element that substitutes for another element within a stem. For example, the e in men (the plural form of man) is considered a replacive element. Replacives are  considered to be allomorphs, notes  Philip Orazio Tartaglia. More specifically, the replacive involved in going from goose to geese is an allomorph of the plural morpheme. Thus, we see that boys, cats, roses, oxen, sheep, and geese, all contain the plural morpheme though each contains a  different allomorph of the plural morpheme (Problems in the Construction of a Theory of Natural Language).   Examples and Observations The term [replacive] is particularly used in the label replacive morph or replacive morpheme to enable irregular forms such as men from man and sang or sung from sing to be described in morphemic terms, despite falling outside the straightforward rules for forming noun plurals or past verb forms by the addition of inflections.(Sylvia Chalker and Edmund Weiner, Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar. Oxford University Press, 1994)Tooth and Teeth: One Word or Two?-  [A] synthetic, tooth-colored material the consistency of dough is chemically fused onto stained, chipped, widely spaced, or misshapen teeth and molded into whatever new shape is desired.(Justine De Lacy, The New Skin of Your Teeth. New York, August 3, 1981)- Consider then the sentences This tooth needs attention and These teeth need attention. Are tooth and teeth instances of the same word or of different words? In one sense they are clearly different: they differ in pronunciation, spelling, meaning and in their grammatical behaviour. In another sense, however, they are manifestations of a single element, and indeed they are traditionally said to be forms of the same word. We thus have two distinct concepts here, the second more abstract than the first: I will use word in the less abstract sense and introduce the term lexeme for the more abstract one. Thus I will say that tooth and teeth are different words, but forms of the same lexeme. . . .More precisely, we will say that tooth and teeth are different inflectional forms of tooth, and will speak of singular and plural here as inflectional properties. Similarly with verbs: sang and sung, for example, are respectively the past tense and the past participle forms of the lexeme sing.(Rodney Huddleston, English Grammar: An Outline. Cambridge University Press, 1988) Verbs Derived From Nouns[W]e treat noun plurals in English such as men, feet, mice, teeth as occurring with replacives (i.e. replacements which are morphemic). . . . Replacive morphemes . . . may consist of segmental or suprasegmental phonemes . . .. A rather rarer type of replacement is represented by the English series bath : bathe, sheath : sheathe, wreath : wreathe, teeth : teethe, safe : save, strife : strive, thief : thieve, grief : grieve, half : halve, shelf : shelve, serf : serve, advice : advise, house /haws/ : house /hawz/, etc. In each pair, the noun has a voiceless continuant, the verb a voiced continuant. If we agree to derive the verbs from the nouns, we set up three replacive elements . . .; but since these three elements exhibit a phonetic-semantic resemblance to each other, and since their occurrence is phonologically conditioned, we combine them into a single replacive morpheme.(Eugene A. Nida, The Identification of Morphemes. Morphology: Critical Concepts in Lingu istics, ed. by Francis Katamba. Routledge, 2004)

Timeline of the Mexican-American War

Timeline of the Mexican-American War The Mexican-American War (1846–1848) was a brutal conflict between neighbors largely sparked by the US annexation of Texas and their desire to take western lands such as California away from Mexico. The war lasted about two years in total and resulted in a victory for the Americans, who benefited greatly from the generous terms of the peace treaty following the war. Here are some of the more important dates of this conflict. 1821 Mexico gains independence from Spain and difficult and chaotic years follow. 1835 Settlers in Texas revolt and fight for independence from Mexico. October 2: Hostilities between Texas and Mexico commence with the Battle of Gonzales. October 28: The Battle of Concepcion takes place in San Antonio. 1836 March 6: The Mexican army overruns the defenders at the Battle of the Alamo, which becomes a rallying cry for Texas independence. March 27: Texan prisoners are slaughtered at the Goliad Massacre. April 21: Texas gains independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto. 1844 On September 12, Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna  is deposed as President of Mexico. He goes into exile. 1845 March 1: President John Tyler signs the official proposal of statehood for Texas. Mexican leaders warn that annexing Texas could lead to war. July 4: Texas legislators agree to annexation. July 25: General Zachary Taylor and his army arrive in Corpus Christi, Texas. December 6: John Slidell is sent to Mexico to offer $30 million for California, but his efforts are rebuffed. 1846 January 2: Mariano Paredes becomes President of Mexico.March 28: General Taylor reaches the Rio Grande near Matamoros.April 12: John Riley deserts and joins the Mexican army. Because he did so before war was officially declared, he could not legally be executed later when he was captured.April 23: Mexico declares defensive war against the United States: it would defend its territories under attack but not take the offensive.April 25: Captain Seth Thorntons small reconnaissance force is ambushed near Brownsville: this small skirmish would be the spark that kicked off the war.May 3–9: Mexico lays siege to Fort Texas (later renamed Fort Brown).May 8: Battle of Palo Alto is the first major battle of the war.May 9: Battle of Resaca de la Palma takes place, which results in Mexican army being forced out of Texas.May 13: US Congress declares war on Mexico.May: The St. Patricks Battalion is organized in Mexico, led by John Riley. It consisted largely of Irish-born deserters from the U S army, but there are also men of other nationalities. It would become one of Mexicos best fighting forces in the war. June 16: Colonel Stephen Kearny and his army leave Fort Leavenworth. They will invade New Mexico and California.July 4: American settlers in California declare the  Bear Flag Republic in Sonoma. The independent republic of California only lasted a few weeks before American forces occupied the area.July 27: Mexican President Paredes leaves Mexico City to deal with a revolt in Guadalajara. He leaves Nicols Bravo in charge.August 4: Mexican President Paredes is deposed by General Mariano Salas as chief executive of Mexico; Salas re-institutes federalism.August 13: Commodore Robert F. Stockton occupies Los Angeles, California with naval forces.August 16: Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna returns to Mexico from exile. The Americans, hoping he would promote a peace accord, had let him back in. He quickly turned on the Americans, stepping up to lead the defense of Mexico from the invaders.August 18: Kearny occupies Santa Fe, New Mexico.September 20–24: The Siege of Monterrey: Taylor capt ures the Mexican city of Monterrey. November 19: US President James K. Polk names Winfield Scott as leader of an  invasion force. Major General Scott was  a highly decorated veteran of the War of 1812 and the highest-ranking US military officer.November 23: Scott leaves Washington for Texas.December 6: Mexican Congress names Santa Anna President.December 12: Kearny occupies San Diego.December 24: Mexican General/President Mariano Salas turns over power to Santa Annas Vice-president, Valentà ­n Gà ³mez Farà ­as. 1847 February 22–23: The Battle of Buena Vista is the last major battle in the northern theater. The Americans will hold the ground they gained until the end of the war, but not advance any farther.March 9: Scott and his army land unopposed near Veracruz.March 29: Veracruz falls to Scotts army. With Veracruz under control, Scott has access to resupply from the USA.February 26: Five Mexican National Guard units (the so-called polkos) refuse to mobilize, rebelling against President Santa Anna and Vice-President Gà ³mez Farà ­as. They demand repeal of a law forcing a loan from the Catholic Church to the government.February 28: Battle of Rio Sacramento near Chihuahua.March 2: Alexander Doniphan and his army occupy Chihuahua.March 21: Santa Anna returns to Mexico City, takes control of the government and reaches an agreement with the rebellious polkos soldiers.April 2: Santa Anna leaves to fight Scott. He leaves Pedro Marà ­a Anaya in the Presidency.April 18: Scott defeats Santa Anna at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. May 14: Nicholas Trist, charged with eventually creating a treaty, arrives at Jalapa.May 20: Santa Anna returns to Mexico City, assumes the presidency once more.May 28: Scott occupies Puebla.August 20: The Battle of Contreras and the Battle of Churubusco open the way for the Americans to attack Mexico City. Most of the St. Patricks Battalion is killed or captured.August 23: Court-martial of members of St. Patricks Battalion at Tacubaya.August 24: Armistice is declared between US and Mexico. It would only last about two weeks.August 26: Court-martial of members of St. Patricks Battalion at San Angel.September 6: Armistice breaks down. Scott accuses Mexicans of breaking the terms and using the time on defenses.September 8: Battle of Molino del Rey.September 10: Sixteen members of St. Patricks Battalion are hanged at San Angel.September 11: Four members of St. Patricks Battalion are hanged at Mixcoac.September 13: Battle of Chapultepec: Americans storm gates into Mexico City. Thirty mem bers of St. Patricks Battalion hanged within sight of the castle. September 14: Santa Anna moves his troops out of Mexico City. General Scott occupies the city.September 16: Santa Anna is relieved of command. The Mexican government attempts to re-group in Querà ©taro. Manuel de la Peà ±a y Peà ±a is named President.September 17: Polk sends recall order to Trist. He receives it on November 16 but decides to remain and finish the treaty. 1848 February 2: Trist and Mexican diplomats agree on the  Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.April: Santa Anna escapes from Mexico and goes into exile in Jamaica.March 10: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the USA.May 13: Mexican President Manuel de la Peà ±a y Peà ±a resigns. General Josà © Joaquà ­n de Herrera is named to replace him.May 30: The Mexican Congress ratifies the treaty.July 15: The last US troops depart Mexico from Veracruz. Sources and Further Reading Foos, Paul. A Short, Offhand, Killing Affair: Soldiers and Social Conflict During the Mexican-American War. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002.Guardino, Peter. The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2017.McCaffrey, James M. Army of Manifest Destiny: The American Soldier in the Mexican War, 1846-1848. New York: New York University Press, 1992.

Report to the Directors of USPS diagnosing the state of affairs and Essay - 1

Report to the Directors of USPS diagnosing the state of affairs and offering some prognosis on what might be a more sustainable business model - Essay Example However, reduction of certain required expenses will lead to a decline in the company’s service quality. For example, the Post Office decides to cut the services of the one of the mail sorting employees. The cut is based on the company’s decision to reduce its huge employee salary payments. The employee reduction will trigger a slow customer mail services. The current business model includes a ballooning debt figure. The debt included an unpaid $5.5 billion amount on its defaulted loan schedule. In fact, the current business model is characterized as not a profitable self-maintaining business entity. Likewise, the current business model is described as needing to sacrifice its services in order to reduce its operating expenses. For example, the lone postman is hired as a part time employee to deliver mails on a Wednesday and Friday. Consequently, mails that arrive on a Monday will be delivered two days later, Wednesday. Similarly, mails that arrive on a Thursday will be delivered on a Friday (Ross, 2012). The same article described the current business model is grounded on low stamp and parcel rates. The current rates of mailing the correspondences were not high enough to surpass the breakeven point. Consequently, an increase in the stamp and other post office rates will lead to the increase in the company’s overall revenue (Ross, 2012). The current business model fails to generate enough revenues needed to pay for the maturing debts (Epstein, 2011). A business is normally set up in order to generate revenues. This is the first step. The USPS accomplished this first business task. Next, the company must generated net profits. The net profit amounts are arrived at by subtracting operating expenses from the gross profit amount. Based on the company financial report, Table 1, the company failed to generate enough revenues needed to arrive at the bottom line. The bottom line is the passing grade of any company. The bottom line equates to a net

Determining causes and effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Determining causes and effects - Essay Example It is a fact without doubt that indeed most of the campus students spend a substantive time on campuses leading very stressful lives. Because students have to establish a balance between their studies, examinations, extra-curriculum activities, and some work, it is clearly an aspect of stress. Ideally, stress permeates from numerous aspects in the society, with stress among the teenagers, most especially in those in campus taking the greatest percentage. Despite the fact that stress has become part of human life, stress could be minimized through numerous ways. Indeed, stress in colleges and many teenagers is a significant problem considering the effects associated with it. Based on such a perspective, this paper discusses pressure of academic performance and finances as the causes of stress on college students, and a look into their effects. Stress among college students results from numerous causes, each of which has different effects depending on the circumstances involved. Of all the causes, the pressure of the academic problem is usually the greatest contributing factor to the numerous instances of stress among the campus students (Heidenreich, 2009). Whenever every student goes to campus, one of the primary requirements of the teenager is to perform excellently in the academics. Equally, parents usually encourage their children to have the best of performance in their studies. However, little is always told on how to achieve the academic excellence status.

A report in the context of the audit of public companies listed on the Essay

A report in the context of the audit of public companies listed on the London Stock Exchange regarding the two issues that the committee decided against implementing - Essay Example auditor’s bringing a fresh perspective and greater skeptism that would be lacking in the long-standing auditor-client relationship, the opponents maintain that because the auditor’s lack of familiarity with the industry and client, audit quality would suffer under such a regime (AICPA 1992). In late 2001, the Enron debacle followed by its high-profile collapse now focuses attention on the profession’s effectiveness in protecting the interests of the public. Thus, Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 mandated the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a research on the potential effects of mandatory audit rotation as required by law. The study concluded that mandatory audit rotation would not necessarily strengthen auditor independence (G.A.O. 2003). The arguments for and against mandatory audit firm rotation contend whether the auditing firm’s long-term client-customer relationship and the profitable desire to maintain the client adversely affects the public accounting firm’s independence during the auditing of a company’s financial statements. Furthermore, reservations about the likely effects of the audit firm rotation include the fear of losing company-specific information gathered by an audit firm over years of experience as an auditor, and whether the intended benefits are likely to outweigh the costs. Additionally, the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (as applied in the United States) has raised question as to its effectiveness of reforming the intended benefits of mandatory audit firm rotation. Furthermore, research studies and other publications specifically show that the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory audit firm rotation touch on auditor independence, audit quality, and increased costs. Interference with auditor independence or audit quality can result in failure and adversely affect the parties relying on the fair representation of the financial statements in conformity with established accounting standards. Proponents of audit

Slum and Squatters Resettlement in ASEAN Countries

Slum and Squatters Resettlement in ASEAN Countries Introduction The urban population in the world is expanding in generally with Asia being estimated to hold 60% of the increase in world’s urban population over the next three decades. Out of 23 cities with populations of more than 10 million people, nine cities are in Asia and the number is projected to increase in the future (Giok and Kai, 2007). Although urbanization is an indicator of economic development portrayed by population growth in urban areas, concurrently poverty is also urbanizing. Countries such as the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are seeing rapid urbanization also because of the push from the rural areas where the job opportunities are driving migrants to cities. The concentration of economic development in a few cities and particularly the largest implies a population explosion in very short periods of time that in turn severely tests the coping capacity of city governments. One of the most visible outcomes of the rapid urbanization has thus been the persistence and formation of slums housing. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT, 2006) defines a slum household as a group of individuals living under the same roof in an urban area who lack one or more of the following: Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions. Sufficient living space which means not more than three people sharing the same room. Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price. Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people. Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions. Issue at Stake One billion people or one third of the world’s population is estimated to be living in either slum or squatter settlements. The largest proportion of population living in slums in the world is in the Asian region, where urbanization speeds at fastest rate. In 2001, Asia had 554 million slum dwellers, where 28% of the slum and squatter settlement population existed in Southeast Asia (UN-HABITAT, 2001). Slum and squatter settlements have formed mainly because of the inability of city governments to plan and provide affordable housing for the low-income segments of the urban population. Therefore, squatter and slum housing is the housing solution for this low-income urban population. In the mega urban regions or metropolitan areas, part of the problem would lie in the coordination among different authorities that are in charge of economic development, urban planning, and land allocation. Such coordination issues also exist between the city and national governments (Giok and Kai, 2007). For the scale and speed of urbanization that has been taking place in developing countries of Asia, most municipal governments are unequipped physically, fiscally, politically, and administratively to tackle the problems of providing the basic infrastructure services to their people. In a situation of limited resource allocation, the urban poor are frequently badly placed to compete for essential services. In Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, neither the government nor the private developers are able to provide the housing needed for 50,000 migrants per year. An additional 20,000 young urban households are formed annually who enter the real estate market. The resulting growth in squatter and slum settlements now comprises 15% of housing in the city (Marr, 2005). The slum housing in the city has created various negative consequences, which need immediate and appropriate solutions that are beneficial to all parties. Slum and Squatters Resettlement in ASEAN Countries Thailand The Urban Community Development Office (UCDO) was set up by the government of Thailand in 1992 to address urban poverty. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Thailand’s economic success had positive impact to the poor communities. Most of these poor people lived in house where the housing conditions had deteriorated. In addition, as the land prices and demand for central city sites increased, their settlements were also at the risk of being evicted. There was also recognition of the need to develop more participatory models of support for low income groups, and of the possibilities of doing so through supporting community-based savings and credit groups. Various local and international NGOs working in Thailand had also shown the possibilities for improving housing by working with low-income communities and networks of communities. UCDO was provided with a US$ 50 million as capital base where they provided loans, small grants and technical support to organized communities so that they could carry out activities related to housing, land acquisition and generating income. UCDO managed to developed links with a wide range of community organizations, saving groups, NGOs and government organizations. In 2000, UCDO was integrated with the Rural Development Fund to the Community Organisations Development Institute (CODI). At the time 950 community saving groups had been established and supported in 53 Thailand’s provinces where they provided housing loans and technical support to 47 housing projects involving 6400 households, grants for small improvements in infrastructure and living conditions had been provided in 796 communities, benefiting 68 208 families and more than 100 community networks had been set up. The value of loans provided at that time was more than 1 billion baht (around US$ 25 million) where half of the loans had been fully repaid. It was also estimated that assets of some 2 billion baht had been generated by the projects. The special fund to help savings groups facing financial difficulties had helped many communities and community networks to manage their debts and continue their development activities. CODI continued to support the UCDO programmes until UCDO had been located within the National Housing Authority thus making CODI’s separate legal standing as an independent public organization. This provided it with greater possibilities (for instance, being able to apply to the annual government budget for funds), greater flexibility, wider linkages and new possibilities for supporting collaboration between urban and rural groups. The main objective on supporting community-managed savings and loan groups and community networks remains, but it now covers 30 000 rural community organizations as well as the urban community organizations, and many community networks that CODI supports include both rural and urban community organizations. Similar to UCDO, CODI also has a board that includes representatives from government and from community organizations. In 2003, Baan Mankong (Secure Housing) Program run by CODI was set up to support processes designed and managed by low income households and their community organizations and networks. These communities and networks work with local governments, professionals, universities and NGOs in their city to survey all poor communities in order to plan an upgrading programme. The program aims to improve conditions for all these within three to four years. After the plans have been finalized, CODI channels the infrastructure subsidies and housing loans directly to the communities. These upgrading programmes build on the community managed programmes that CODI and its predecessor UCDO have supported since 1992, and on people’s capacity to manage their own needs collectively. They also build on what slum communities have already developed, recognizing the large investments that communities have already made in their homes. The Baan Mankong Program supports upgrading existing settlements whenever possible. As an example, if relocation is necessary, a site is sought close by to minimize the economic and social costs to households. The Baan Mankong Program has set a target of improving housing, living and tenure security for 300 000 households in 2000 poor communities in 200 Thai cities within five years. This represents at least half the urban poor communities in Thailand. According to Boonyabancha (2005), the Baan Mankong Program differs from conventional approaches based on following: Urban poor community organizations and their networks are the key actors where they control the funding and the management. They also undertake most of the building which makes funding go much further and brings in their own contributions. It is demand driven by communities rather than supply driven as it supports communities who are ready to implement improvement projects and allows a great variety of responses, designed to each community’s needs, priorities and possibilities. The programme does not specify physical outputs but provides flexible finance to allow community organizations and local partnerships to plan, implement and manage directly. Government agencies are no longer the planners, implementers and construction managers delivering to beneficiaries. It promotes more than physical upgrading. As communities design and manage their own physical improvements, this helps stimulate deeper but less noticeable changes in social structures, managerial systems and confidence among poor communities. It also changes their relationships with local government and other key actors. It helps trigger acceptance of low income communities as legitimate parts of the city and as partners in the city’s larger development process. It works to develop urban poor communities as an integrated part of the city. People plan their upgrading within the city’s development framework, so their local housing development plan is integrated within city planning and city development strategies. Secure tenure is negotiated in each instance locally and this could be through a variety of means such as cooperative land purchase, long term lease contracts, land swaps or user rights. But in all cases, the emphasis is on communal, rather than individual tenure. Its focus is city wide development with a commitment to reach all low income communities within a three to four year period, drawing on local resources. Johor Bahru, Malaysia The State Government of Johore has taken some managerial methods in order to handle the slum settlements in Johor Bahru. It includes giving land tenure, Temporary Occupation Licenses (TOLs), moving to low cost housing named Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) and enforcement of Land Act. Generally the Malaysian government had implemented two programs in order to eradicate the existence of slum housing. The first program introduced was the Zero Squatter Policy which aims to clear the slum and squatter settlements. The following program is the Public Housing Program where public housing was built for the slum communities. Both of these programs were also being implemented by the Johor state government. Land tenure is the common method being used by the Johore state government in whereby in this method the state government relocates the slum communities back at the land that they settled in the first place. It caused decrease in the value of the land because the state government had to change the status of the land from no man’s land to man’s land. However this act it is much better because the state government is able to reduce the amount of expenditure government have to spend in paying compensation if these slum communities were to relocate somewhere else. This method has been applied by the Johore state government in few slum settlements namely Kampung Seri Serdang, Kampung Sri Jaya Baru, Kampung Sentosa Dua, Kampung Sri Aman and Kampung Melayu Gelang Patah. The next method is TOL, whereby in this method the state government provided the slum communities with TOLs to avoid them being illegal residents of that area. The licenses were provided to permits the residents living there but in the future if the government decides to regain the land back, the residents won’t receive any compensation from the government. This method also saves costs in terms of providing compensation to the slum communities. This method was applied to several slum housing in Kampung Tawakkal, Kampung Paya Kenangan, Kampung Bunga Ros, Kampung Ulu Pandan and Kampung Lembah Murni. The Johore state government also relocated the slum communities to a low cost housing area known as Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR). In this method, the total cost and expenditure of developing the new housing area will be bear by the party who wishes to develop that slum settlements. Therefore, this method is cost consuming and has been implemented in Kampung Laut, Batu 10 Skudai and Kampung Lembah Jaya, Tebrau. The enforcement of the Land Act was also introduced by the Johore state government in order to handle the slum settlements. Section 425 of the National Land Code 1965 claimed that action must be taken towards the slum communities residing at the area especially foreigners. Mostly foreigners involved are from Indonesian, Myanmar, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, etc. The act of encroaching reserve land by a person is considered as legally wrong especially when it comes to foreigners that are most likely to be illegal immigrants. Therefore the enforcement of land law must be taken seriously in order to overcome this issue. Slum settlements that have been recognized as settlements of foreigners are Kampung Pertanian Masai, Kampung Pasir Dalam, Kampung Sungai Tiram and Kampung Sc Batu 2. Now let’s take a look at the Zero Squatter Policy. This policy was introduced by Ministry of Housing and Local Government (Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, KPKT) in 2005 to eradicate slum settlements in city and other areas involved as well. This program was launched nationally including in Sabah and Sarawak. Census at the slum housing was conducted in order to determine the exact number of slum residents that exists. Eradication was done after taking into consideration various aspects including implementation cost and the welfare of the slum communities. Last but not least, is the Public Housing program. This program was framed by Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Negara (MTEN) with the collaboration of KPKT to provide new settlements for slum communities all over the country. Among approaches being introduced are Program Perumahan Rakyat Bersepadu and Program Perumahan Rakyat Dasar Baru where houses for rental and sell are provided. All of these programs mentioned above are in parallel with the objective of zero squatter implementation to overcome the problem arises from slum settlements.

Supernatural in Shakespeare’s The Tempest And Marlowe’s The Tragical Hi

The Supernatural in Shakespeare’s The Tempest And Marlowe’s The Tragical History of D. Faustus The supernatural forces are at once alike and distinct in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and in Marlowe’s The Tragical History of D. Faustus. The supernatural is kind to Prospero and his daughter Miranda in The Tempest, while the devils in Dr Faustus eagerly wait for the day that Faustus would join them in Hell. In both plays, the supernatural provides recurrent waves of sounds and feelings, lending special atmospheric qualities to The Tempest and Dr Faustus. The supernatural serves as a reminder of the hierarchies that exist in both plays, and it also illuminates the human heart, revealing the characters’ thoughts and wishes. Often appearing visible to all, the supernatural forces in The Tempest and Dr Faustus sustain the plays by providing a distinct atmospheric backbone, by reminding the characters of the existing hierarchies, and by revealing the characters’ inner hearts. Soaked in the supernatural, Shakespeare’s The Tempest possesses an impenetrable veil of eeriness. It opens with the tempestuous roaring of thunder and lightning, setting the stage for panic and confusion amongst the mariners. The mariners scatter and hide, while Ferdinand’s hair stands on end. This wild and surreal atmosphere prepares the characters and the audience for future encounters with supernatural beings. When the spirit Ariel wakes Gonzalo and the others, Gonzalo says, â€Å"’Tis best we stand upon our guard, or that we quit this place. Let’s draw our weapons† (II.i.317-318). The mortals are on guard against the supernatural, and this suspenseful atmosphere often returns when Ariel and the other spirits approach these unknowing men. When Prospero remembers ... ...ory of D. Faustus are about the relationship of the two worlds. By creating an eerie and sometimes humourous atmosphere, the supernatural gives the plays points of interest. The existing hierarchies between mortal and immortal are not to be destroyed, and the supernatural beings in these two plays reinforce the rules. By revealing the characters’ hearts and minds, the supernatural drive the plot as well as the actions of the individual characters, so that without these beings, these two plays would grind to a standstill. WORKS CITED Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragical History of D. Faustus. In Renaissance Drama: An Anthology of Plays and Entertainments. Edited by A.F. Kinney. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 2002. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Greenblatt, Stephen. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., 1997. 3055-3107.

Paris Peace Conference

The 1900’s were a very eventful era with many new innovations and inventions, some deadly and some beneficial. A crucial event during this time period was the Paris Peace conference in 1919. The need for this conference was caused by World War I and the big three (Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd-George and Georges Clemencueau). The Paris Peace Conference had many outcomes such as the Treaty of Versailles, the formation of the League of Nations, L’ Organisation de la Paix (1921-27) and the Dawes plan. World War I commenced after the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne, Franz Ferdinand in Serbia.The Black Hand Gang were Bosnian terrorists who were behind the assassination. Their motive was to protest again the seizure of their own country by Austria-Hungary. After Franz Ferdinand and his wife had been killed Austria-Hungary announced war. The alliance system at the time was intricate between all of the European Nations. Russia was allies with Serbia and France an d Britain were allies with Russia so they declared war on Austria-Hungary and Germany who were allies. The empires overseas colonies then joined in the war. The technology in World War I was highly advanced during this time period.Many inventions such as the Fokker, U boat, tanks, personal weapons, grenades, gas and trenches created horrific violence and death for both sides. Trenches destroyed French land. Germany created the Fokker, an aircraft that was priceless and The U boat, which was a submarine, a very clever and sneaky innovation. Tanks provided more force on the ground. The effects of ‘modern war’ were physically and emotionally damaging to the men fighting for their country and their families at home. Since personal weapons and gas had been created there was no need to fight face to face with the opposite side.Men were made to feel like hardware, and small mechanism on the big scale of war, as though they were disposable. This was also mentally damaging. Arti st Otto Dix shows this, portraying men as half robot half men as though war had changed them forever, physically and emotionally. People wanted peace and serenity in their lives. After Germany surrender in November on the 11th, 1918 the Paris Peace Conference materialized. During the war the German government was running on the emperor system however they changed their government structure to a democracy system.Germany thought that this would minimise their punishment after signing the peace treaty however, they were very wrong. Twenty-one countries attended the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919. Germany was not invited to attend. The big Three, USA (President Woodrow Wilson), Britain (Prime Minister David Lloyd-George) and France (Premier Georges â€Å"Tiger† Clemenceau) were all major influences. They all wanted to protect and look out for their own countries and all wanted different outcomes of the Paris Peace Conference.Woodrow Wilson was the President of the USA dur ing the time of the Treaty Versailles. He thought that the punishments being laid upon Germany were too harsh and opted for a softer punishment. He incorporated his 14 point plan into the treaty and believed there should be â€Å"peace without victors or vanquished†. He wanted the end of old empires and arranged for new countries to be formed such as Poland, Czechoslovakia and Finland. He thought that if the treaty was not so harsh Germany would not start another war again in order for revenge.David Lloyd George was the Prime Minister of Britain during this time. Britain was never invaded by Germany but many British soldiers fought and died on the front line. Many British people wanted revenge so David supported harsh penalties but not to the same extent as France. He wanted to â€Å"squeeze Germany until their pips squeak† but privately wanted to be soft; he didn’t think harsh measures were fair. He wanted to ensure that France did not become too powerful in Eu rope and wanted the German economy to remain strong to balance the power of Europe.He was worried about Wilson’s 14 point plan for â€Å"self determination†, offering colonies the right to their own say in their future, he wanted to preserve their Empire. Georges Clemenceau or â€Å"tiger† as he was otherwise known, had been defeated by Germany in both WW1 and the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71. He wanted to ensure security from another invasion and partly wanted revenge for being humiliated and defeated. Much of WW1 had been fought on French soil, which led to huge damage to historic and important buildings and resources. France shared a Border with Germany so Georges wanted punishment to be harsh and make Germany weak.He wanted Germany to pay for all the destruction they had caused. He demanded harsh penalties for Germany so France would be protected. The consequences of the Paris Peace Conference were extensive and vast. It created treaties, alliances, groups and rules that otherwise would not of been formed if the Paris Peace Conference had not existed. The Treaty of Versailles was the first outcome of the Conference. This treaty affected Germany mainly however they were not allowed to negotiate the treaty with the big three, they we arguably forced into it.If Germany did not sign then war would resume. The treaty aimed to weaken Germany by reducing their Territory, reducing their military, weakening their economy and shaming them through a war guilt clause (article 231). Their military was reduced to 100 000 soldiers in the army and the navy and air force were terminated. Germany caused a lot of damage to France during war and was set to pay reparations. This also weakened their economy so that they could not afford to start another war. Their territory was reduced by 13. % and they lost all their overseas colonies Germany was furious at this treaty but they had no choice but to sign. The next day the newspaper headlines read; â€Å" vengeance German Nation! † The next consequence of the Paris Peace Conference was the Dawes plan. Germany was struggling to pay France and Britain the war reparations and without the money France and Britain could not pay the USA their war debts. So Dawes and politician created the Dawes plan, which, was a money go round plan. The USA would lend money to Germany to pay France and Britain reparations and then France and Britain could pay the USA.This was called ‘artificial prosperity’, because the peace or the prosperity relied on the US economy and when the stock market crashed in 1929 it sent the countries relying on the USA into deep economic depression. After the Paris Peace Conference the League of Nations was formed. This was a part of Wilson’s 14-point plan for peace. It was the creation of an international body that looked after itself and international issues. The proposal was a ‘league of nations’ that would reject war as a means of so lving disputes, instead relying on diplomacy and negotiation. The U. S government did not support their president and refused to join the league even though it was his idea. They believed in ‘isolationism’ and wanted nothing to do with the European issues. This caused problems because the USA was superpower. Germany and Russia were also not invited to join and they were communist. L’ organisation de la Paix was the French security measure. The French were not prepared to rest on ideals for their defence. They refused to disarm (an idea for the league of nations for peace) and set about building up a set of military alliances to surround Germany.The French were worried that if Germany became strong again that they would attack. They also built a physical barrier between themselves and Germany called the Maginot line, in 1927. By 1926 Germany was invited to join the League of Nations. The conference created at decade of peace through Europe. However, after the stoc k market had crashed (which resulted in the world entering depression) the political party the Nazis overtook Germany and showed their hatred toward the treaty of Versailles and The League of Nations which resulted in world war II.

Lee’s Function in East of Eden Essay

1. Introduction As Shimomura(1982) points out, Steinbeck’s non-teleological thinking and the Taoism, which was put forward by the ancient Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu, share a great deal of similarity, in that both of them view human beings from a detached and holistic standpoint. It is not clearly known how Steinbeck, who is certainly a product of his time and his American milieu, came to be acquainted with and interested in Lao Tzu’s philosophy, but in Journal of A Novel, he appreciates Lao Tzu so highly that he places Lao Tzu beside Plato, Buddha, Christ, Paul, and the Great Hebrew prophets. It might safely be said that there must have been a seedbed in his indigenous thought where a seed of Lao Tzu was sown, germinated, and at last bloomed into a beautiful and fragrant flower so attractive for the Oriental reader. Thus, the purpose of this paper is first to focus on Lee in East of Eden, then to make clear the relationship between non-teleology and the philosophy of Lao Tzu, and finally to show how closely Lao Tzu’s philosophy is related to the idea of timshel. 2. Lee as a servant and philosopher As is well known to his reader, Steinbeck creates three Chinese characters throughout his novels from the first, Cup of Gold, to the last, The Winter of Our Discontent. To list them, they are Lee Chong, who is an owner of a grocery store, a flip-flopping old Chinaman who is not identified by name in Cannery Row, and Lee, who appears in East of Eden. Though these Chinese characters may respectively perform significant functions in their own rights in their stories, the one who particularly warrants considerable attention among these characters is Lee, who is more active and more influential in determining the fates of the major characters in the novel. Moreover, it is noteworthy that Oriental philosophy, which is a deciding factor in the outcome of this novel, is conveyed to the reader through the mouth of this Chinese character, who is actually thought to be a spokesman of Steinbeck himself. Though Lee makes his first appearance in chapter 15 of East of Eden as a faithful servant to the family of Adam Trask, it is when he first meets Samuel Hamilton by chance in the later scene that he turns out to be something more than a mere servant and also begins to carry his own significance in the novel. This scene should acquire great importance, in that Lee first clarifies his general view of life as a spokesman of the author. Even in the first conversation he has with Samuel, Lee is instinctively aware that Samuel is a person whom he can trust. Just after exchanging a few words with him, Lee quits speaking in pidgin English, as if he cast away his protective shell into which he has secretly retired until then. And in the course of the conversation, he spontaneously confides to Samuel his idea on what it is like to be a servant: I don’t know where being a servant came into disrepute. It is a refuge of a philosopher, the food of the lazy, and, properly carried out, it is a position of power, even of love. I can’t understand why more intelligent people don’t take it as a career – learn to do it well and reap its benefits†¦. But a good servant, and I am an excellent one, can completely control his master, tell him what to think, how to act,†¦ Finally, in my circumstances I am unprotected. 1 This philosophical view on servantship which is uttered through the mouth of a Chinese character apparently reflects the author’s basic view toward life, for it is easy to imagine that Steinbeck’s manner of describing the predominance of servantship over the mastership oozes from the idea of relativity which he attained as the outcome of his favorite non-teleological thinking. The idea tells the reader that any standard, as far as it is built around the artificially contrived system of values, loses its significant validity when seen in the light of non-teleological standpoint. According to this view, a person in a socially reputed position of power cannot avoid the possibility of losing his power when seen through another different â€Å"peep-hole. † And it is possible that in fact a low and unrespected person may gain predominating influence upon the people who are ranked far above in the so-called social status. Furthermore, another interesting point in this relation lies in the passiveness of such a low position. A person in a low position is unprotected by himself, but by becoming a servant to another person in a higher position he begins to play a role in his own right and at last controls his master. This master-servant relationship uttered by Lee reveals that once he has gotten employment by his master, even a helpless person who has little social function by himself not only begins to fulfill his own function but also gains predominance over his master. Consequently, this means that in this relationship a master is no longer a master and a servant is also no longer a servant. Eventually in this work this relationship results in the fact that Lee actually controls Adam in every situation. 3. Lee as a spokesman of Lao Tzu’s philosophy Similarly in the Lao Tzu, a collection of wise-sayings which were written by a person named Lao Tzu about in the fourth century BC(Fukunaga, Hachiya, Takahashi), the same topsy-turveydom in the sense of values can be found in one of the eighty fragmentary writings. In chapter 78 it says: In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it. This is because there is nothing that can take its place. That the weak overcomes the strong, And the submissive overcomes the hard, Everyone in the world knows yet no one can put this knowledge into practice. Therefore the sage says, One who takes on himself the humiliation of the state Is called a ruler worthy of offering sacrifices to the gods of earth and millets;†¦ Straightforward words Seems paradoxical. 2 In this passage quoted above, Lao Tzu explains the victory of the submissive and the weak over the hard and the strong, just in the same way that servantship finally achieves victory over mastership. Clearly enough, there is a great deal of similarity between Lee’s general attitude toward life and Lao Tzu’s precept of holding fast to the submissive. Needless to say, the common belief which underlies their paradoxical view stems from the idea that man-made values are nothing but relative, and this relativity is resulted from their attempt to rest their standpoint on a place which is as  free from human-centered arrangement as possible. There is no doubt about the idea that Steinbeck created Lee as a deciding factor of the outcome from this novel framed with a good and evil story, and it is not too much to say that Lee’s appearance reveals the author’s strong consciousness of the relativity between good and evil. This becomes clear when Lee encourages Adam by saying, â€Å"What your wife is doing is neither good nor bad†¦. There’s no springboard to philanthropy like a bad conscience. †3 Additionally, there is another similarity between them also in their manners of describing such relativity. Both Steinbeck and Lao Tzu clarify the interdependence between the weak and the strong by emphasizing the predominance of the former over the latter. This is because they think that the weak is more closely related to the natural processes of the universe than the strong is. That is to say, in the philosophy of Lao Tzu there is nothing like water that follows the way that the tao is and on the other hand, according to Steinbeck’s non-teleological thinking, Lee occupies an ideal position in life. Based on the assumption that the Lee’s view of life involves such relativity in itself as a main factor, it is quite convincing that the word â€Å"timshel,† which means â€Å"thou mayest† in English, is introduced through the mouth of Lee in the novel. Probably one of the most impressive scenes in the novel is where Lee, Samuel, and Adam meet together to decide on names for the twins. Located almost in the center of this long novel, this naming scene actually shows the reader a certain turning point from which East of Eden meanders between good and evil all the way to the final scene. In this scene Samuel reads a long passage from the Old Testament. This passage includes the Cain-Abel story, and they eagerly talk about the views of the original sin which Cain committed by killing Abel. Lee is so strongly struck by this story that he feels that â€Å"it is a chart of our souls. † Though he never refers to them on this scene, deep in his mind remains the Lord’s word to Cain after rejecting his sacrifice: â€Å"And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. † This naming scene, where Lee is exposed to the Cain-Abel story, effectively leads to the scene in chapter 24 where he puts a new interpretation on words of the above passage. 4. â€Å"Timshel† interpreted from the Oriental viewpoint Chapter 24 in East of Eden warrants the most careful attention: first because it develops the motif of the Cain-Abel story discussed in the previous scene, and also because it crucially affects the direction of this work. This chapter reveals that Lee has given his thought to the story for almost ten years since his serious discussion he had with Adam and Samuel. A certain part of the Lord’s words to Cain has bothered this Chinese for such a long period. It is â€Å"thou shalt over him. † In the course of these years he went to the head quarters of his family association and asked for Chinese scholars to take on the study of Hebrew, in order to find the more appropriate reading of the part. And finally in this scene he excitedly explains the importance of his finding in the presence of Samuel: Lee’s hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. â€Å"Don’t you see? † he cried. â€Å"The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou Shalt’, meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word the timshel – ‘Thou mayest’ – that gives a choice. It might be the most important word. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’, – it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not. ’ Don’t you see? †4. The above-quoted revelation made by Lee vividly reflects his idea of relativity between good and evil. To begin with, Lee, who has been bothered long by â€Å"Thou shalt,† reaches the conclusion that it never lightens the burden imposed on the shoulders of a man who suffers sense of sin. The chief reason why Lee turns his back to â€Å"Thou shalt† lies in the assumption that eventually it is not completely free from a human-centered viewpoint. When the Lord says, â€Å"Thou shalt† to Cain, the most fundamental idea that strongly supports the words on the back is that of love. But the love, though it is thought to be more universal and crucially different than human love in quality, is not entirely free from man’s viewpoint as far as the Lord in Christianity is a personified god. Basically such love, like one side of a coin, is inevitably sustained by hatred on the other side. Therefore, it follows that even when â€Å"thou shalt† is thrown to man through the mouth of Lord, his conduct has been already judged evil, more or less, by the artificially contrived standard of value which unavoidably lacks in the idea of relativity. When seen from another different angle, such conduct may appear to be good, because there might be good in it. After all, â€Å"thou shalt† works the salvation of man only in the teleological manner. On the other hand, Lee’s new interpretation shows an utter indifference of the Lord to human conduct. It does not definitely order man to overcome evil nor involve any promise in it. Actually such characteristic of his interpretation may perhaps plunge man into desperation because superficially it seems to lack love and intention to guide him to emancipation from the sin that he has committed. But Lee thinks that it is such an indifferent attitude that leads him to real salvation of his soul. â€Å"Timshel,† which is evidently a product of Lee’s assiduous study of the Cain-Abel story, is based on the idea of relativity just as are non-teleological thinking and Lao Tzu’s philosophy. This is clearly exemplified by the fact that â€Å"thou mayest† is always supported by the opposite prerequisite, â€Å"thou mayest not. † In other words it means that there is neither good nor evil in every human conduct, and at the same time, what is more important, it also means that there is both good and evil involved in it. â€Å"Thou mayest† only allows man to say, â€Å"This is relatively good and that is relatively evil. † In this way Lee, as a Steinbeck’s spokesman, ‘non-teleologically’ thinks that â€Å"timshel† unites good and evil into one body. Steinbeck’s notion of good and evil shown in East of Eden begins with the idea that both of them fundamentally derive from the same state, and, no doubt, it is a product of his favorite non-teleological thinking. He never believes in a logical theory such as laws of the excluded middle where good and evil are orderly and clearly distinguished from each other. He usually places his main viewpoint in a chaotic place where there is neither good nor evil, and applies such a viewpoint to human conducts, with the ultimate result that an evil person should be saved in the same way a good person is saved. Though the optimistic attitude of his indigenous thinking has been repeatedly attacked for its lack of serious consideration toward evil, Steinbeck thinks that good and evil are relative, and, as a result, evil is nothing but a negative state which is lacking in good; it is more appropriate to say that it is merely a paradoxical state which is devoid of a strong consciousness of good. When employed as the framework of East of Eden, his non-teleological idea of good and evil crystallizes into the new interpretation of the Cain-Abel story, and the word â€Å"timshel,† on one hand, thoroughly awakens Adam, an allegorical figure of Abel, from his vain dream to sober reality, and, on the other hand, it emancipates Caleb, an allegorical figure of Cain, from the thralldom of sin. This manner of treating good and evil, needless to say, has great similarity to the philosophy of Lao Tzu, who writes â€Å"the good man is the teacher that the bad learns from; And the bad man is the material the good works on. †5 As Steinbeck views the world from the detached standpoint of â€Å"the infinite whole,† so Lao Tzu has created the notion of the tao to eradicate a human-centered view of the world out of his philosophy. This attempt has brought about the same result as Steinbeck has achieved. That is to say, they have both reached the same conception of man’s true place in the universe, and his relation to the world about him, which enables both of them to place an emphasis on the relation of individuals to the whole and treat individuals for their own sake. Such treatment of individuals is summarized by saying that â€Å"everything is an index of everything else†6 and that â€Å"The heavy is the root of the light. †7 Finally, the quintessence of Steinbeck as a novelist undoubtedly lies in the employment of non-teleological thinking as the frameworks of his novels. The adoption of this method does not allow him to achieve invariable success in his literary works, but, at least, it can be said that it enables him to view human conduct from the broadest and highest standpoint possible, which Lao Tzu paradoxically describes by adopting negative terms such as â€Å"Nothing† and â€Å"The Nameless. † Notes 1. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 190. (Penguin Books, 1976), All citations from Steinbeck are from Penguin editions and will be noted by page numbers following the citations. 2. D. C. Lau, Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching, p. 140. (Penguin Books, 1963), All citations from Steinbeck are from Penguin editions and will be noted by page numbers following the citations. 3. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 434 4. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 349 5. D. C. Lau, Tao Te Ching, p. 84. 6. John Steinbeck, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, p. 259 7. D. C. Lau, Tao Te Ching, p. 83 . Works Cited Fukunaga, Mituji. Roshi (On Lao Tzu ), Tokyo: Asahishinbun-sha, 1968 Hachiya, Kunio. Ro-So wo yomu (A Study of Lao Tzu and Zhuang Tzu). Tokyo: Kodansha, 1987. John Steinbeck. The Log from the â€Å"Sea of Cortez†, Penguin Books. 1976 ————-. East of Eden, NewYork: Penguin Books. 1976 Lau, D. C. , trans. Lao Tzu :Tao Te Ching,New York: Penguin Books, 1963. Shimomura, Noboru. A Study of John Steinbeck: Mysticism in His Novel . Tokyo: The Hokuseido Press, 1982. Takahashi, Susumu. Roshi (On Lao Tzu ), Tokyo: Shimizu-shoin, 1970.