Debt and Equity Essay

Long-term financing requires a meticulous understanding of the various features of debt and equity and their impact an organization. While evaluating debt and equity, an investment banker also has to consider the unique characteristics of the organization’s dealings while ensuring that the organization’s requirements are met. Debt CapitalDebt capital includes all long-term borrowing incurred by the firm. The cost of debt was found to be less than the cost of other forms of financing. The relative inexpensiveness of debt capital is because the lenders take the least risk of any long-term contributors of capital. Their risk is less than that of other because (1) they have a higher priority of claim against any earnings or assets available for payment (2) they have a far stronger legal pressure against the company to make payment than do preferred or common stockholders, and (3) the tax-deductibility of interest payments lowers the debt cost to the firm substantially. Equity CapitalEquity capital consists of the long-term funds provided by the firm’s owners, the stockholders. Unlike borrowed funds that must be repaid at a specified future date, equity capital is expected to remain in the firm for an indefinite period. The two basic sources of equity capital are (1) preferred stock and (2) common stock equity, which includes common stock and retained earnings. Common stock is typically the most expensive form of equity, followed by retained earnings and preferred stock, respectively (Pinegar, Wilbricht, 1989). A firm’s capital structure is determined by the mix of long-term debt and equity it uses in financing its operations. Debt and equity capital differ with respect to voice in management, claims on income and assets, maturity, and tax treatment. Capital structure can be externally assessed using the debt ratio and the debt-equity ratio to measure the firm’s degree of indebtedness or the times interest earned ratio and the fixed-payment coverage ratio to measure its ability to meet fixed financial payments. Research suggests is an optimal capital structure that balances the firms; benefits and cost of debt financing. The major benefit of debt financing is the tax-deductible interest, and the costs of debt financing include the  probability of bankruptcy, agency costs imposed by lenders in their loan agreements, and asymmetric information costs attributable to managers having more information about the firm’s prospects than do investors (Modigliani and Miller, 1958). Reference: Modigliani, Franco and Miller, Merton. (1958). The Cost of Capital, CorporationFinance, and the Theory of Investment. American Economic Review. Pinegar, J. Michael and Wilbricht, Liza. (1989). What Managers Think of CapitalStructure Theory.

Incident in Indian history Essay

There is a very famous incident in Indian history which serves as lesson for all rulers for all the times, some rulers take positive cues from it, mend their ways, treat themselves as servants of public and keep public interest above theirs while others who are drunk with power and arrogant in behavior, refuse to learn anything, become another example in long list of individuals whose name pops up when there is a talk about how common masses dislodged the ruling class from the throne. The incident is about a corrupt ruler’s abuse and insult of a honest, patriotic and intelligent Sanyasi. The Sanyasi takes a vow to uproot the mighty corrupt ruler and after few years gets success in his mission. The Sanyasi had honesty, integrity, patriotism & few good followers as his asset and we still know that period of Indian history as golden period. You might have got the idea till now, the mighty corrupt ruler was Dhananand and the Sanyasi was Shri Vishnugupt, whom we know as Chankya. Chankya’s worthy student Chandragupta, after he conquers Magadh, also frees the motherland from clutches of foreigners. This incident came to my mind when I saw how, one year ago, the corrupt members of a particular party heaped insult after insult on a patriotic Sanyasi, who was just demanding the return of our ill-gotten money from foreign land and end of corruption in India. The corrupts were sp afraid of saffron cloths of the Sanyasi that they had to arrest him in night at 2 am, that too after talking to him and giving him assurance that they will act on his demands. But the Sanyasi wanted a concrete action from the corrupt thugs and was hoping against the hope that they will issue an ordinance on declaring the black money as national asset and those who have stashed away that money would be declared as criminals and given very hard punishment. He wanted the corrupt thugs to issue the ordinance as he has seen how they have been fooling the Anna Hazare and his team on JanLokpal bill. It’s for all of you to see how the government hasn’t passed the bill toll today, even after promising the moon. If the corrupts wanted it, they could have done that but this would have given them so much trouble because many times its they and their close ones who have stashed the black money abroad and involved in all corruption scandals. You can’t expect a thief to pass a law for his own punishment. The corrupt ruling class had to act against their loved ones after such law is passed and Indian public too, which has become aware about all the wrong doings and its effect on them, would pressurize them to act. The Supreme Court which is now acting as very much independent agency, as envisioned in constitution of India, would have got the corrupt thugs in more trouble. All these 65 years the corrupt people of political class, specially the party which ruled us the most, have looted this nation systematically. It’s them and their close one who has billions of dollars stashed away in foreign banks. This is making them so nervous that they won’t allow this to happen otherwise their queen bee will be exposed too and public in this information age would be able to see how systematically this Gandhi Nehru clan and its cronies have looted our nation. That’s why the ruling class started bribing the whole nation through easy money making mass bribing schemes such a farmer loan waiver scheme or the bigger scandal in form of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guaranty Scheme. These mass bribery schemes have helped the corrupts to win elections but have given a big financial burden on tax payers like me and our economic progress is slowing down because of such nonproductive schemes. The ruling class knows that Indians suffer from short term memory loss. They know that Indians would just forget what these corrupt thugs have been doing now and as central elections are 2 years away, they can make fool of Indians again and through some mass bribery scheme, fanning communal violence and minority appeasement they can dream of coming to power again. These corrupt thugs don’t have long term wellbeing of India in mind and are just focused on short term gain of winning elections by hook or crook and punishing the patriots of this land to appease certain section of minorities, hiding the orruption and ego massaging of certain individuals. They tried it all in recent UP elections but it’s for the world to see how the Prince charming & whole extended Gandhi clan along with great sadist Digvijay Singh failed miserably to keep even the assembly constituencies of Raibareli & Amethi with grand old corrupt party. I just can’t believe that the Congress Party once had Sardar Patel and Subhash Chndra Bose as its members. Their souls must be suffering with pain and thinking that why at all they wanted freedom from British? If you don’t even have right to sit on peaceful protest and the administration can still beat up the hungry and thirsty sleeping children, women and elderly men, in middle of night than what kind of freedom and democracy is this? Don’t you think that the incident which happened with Baba Ramdev & his supporters a year ago brings sad memory of Jaliawala bagh back to your mind? The situation was same, all people were doing just peaceful protest and General Dyre, a foreigner, ordered his Indian policemen to fire and kill people. The Indian policemen in his command didn’t even hesitate to kill their own peaceful countrymen and this time you have Italian, a foreigner, ordering the same thing on sleeping innocent countrymen in middle of night. The cunning politician who calls Osama Bin Laden as Osama Ji, visits the home of terrorists and cast doubts on security forces of India has guts to call a patriotic Sanyasi as thug and we all just listen, smile and look away as if it’s not your or mine problem. What kind of people we have become? Just imagine if these corrupt thugs can do such lowly acts with such an extraordinary individual as Baba Ramdev, what they could do to us or what they have been doing with this nation all these years? I don’t have any hesitation in saying that Congress party is root of all evils of India as they ruled India the most. They had golden chance of shaping India’s destiny at independence but Nehru was too westernize to think for Indian way & solution. So we still have many laws which are prevalent from 1890s too, its hard to believe but its truth. If, in front of our eyes and in this information age they have been able to do scams of such a greater magnitude as Coalgte, 2G spectrum scam, Adarsh Society Scam, Food grain scam, insulting a honest & patriotic army chief and many more such things, than just think what they have been doing in past? Infact the corruption started in 1947 itself by doing Geep scandal. I feel sometimes that this party is just meant for looting and siphoning away India’s wealth like the way British did for 200 years. The Nehru Gandhi Clan and many congressmen, by being close to Britishers, knew and perfected the art of divide & rule and siphoning money and stashing away in foreign lands. Its because of people like these the tolerant Hindus are becoming violent in their thoughts and trying to avenge the humiliation of Bharat Mata and fellow Hindus. I think they are still thinking that young educated mass in India don’t matter as we don’t go for voting and are just arm chair or cyber activists. I know there is some truth in it and may be they may again get away with it. But I know one thing for sure that all these agitations by likes of Anna Hazare & Baba Ramdev are atleast making people aware of what kind of corrupt people are ruling us. In long run this awareness will help in making India a better democracy. I urge all nationalistic like-minded Indians to start speaking and telling truth whenever & wherever they get chance. We need to awaken the mass. I try to do it whenever I am in any public place such as trains, buses, local transports, in social gatherings, office talks with colleagues. I prefer travelling in sleeper class of train many times so that I get the chance to meet more and more people and make them understand the challenges in front of the nation. I make sure that everybody understands the point of view and urge them to vote in every election. I take their pledge that they will vote in all elections. It doesnt matter whom they vote for but they should vote as it’s the only way we can play part in building India. This is the war of Kurukshetra, you can’t remain neutral in this war, and you have to pick a side. By being neutral I mean that not voting and going on for picnic on voting day is not an option anymore. You will get the government that you deserve and I don’t think we deserve to be ruled by the current bunch of corrupts whose name is there in different big corruption scandals. If the educated middle class doesn’t rise to the occasion than again the next government will be decided by the people for whom the caste & religion and free food or money for one day is enough for making voting choices. In recent elections you might have seen how they seized liquor & money from candidates which was meant for distribution among voters. The poor illiterate village masses have been shackled so long in barriers of castes, religion, food & money that they many times miss the bigger picture. So until the educated middle class who are affected by everyday corruption doesn’t take pledge to do the voting seriously, I don’t see much chance of improving the situation in India. I know we all common Indians are not like sun which can remove the darkness in one go but we are like small diyas which when placed together, have the best chance of outshining the sun. I urge all like-minded Indians to step up their protests wherever they can. It may be through blogs, through open talks, at hotels where you go for lunch or dinner, at parks, students can do it in their campus, if electronic & print media isn’t doing its work and many times acting as B team of this corrupt rule than we have to play our part in saving this nation’s soul. If we don’t register our protest, the corrupt ruling class will feel that we don’t care about our nation and just busy with earning our money and living our life casually. its upto us now, we have to show them through our deeds that we are still awake and won’t tolerate the looting of common wealth anymore. They had played with pride of a Sanyasi who doesn’t want anything for himself. He has enough fame through his good deeds. He has enough resources to sustain himself for life long. He is not having any immediate family which is getting benefitted out of his fame. He is a patriotic Sanyasi like Chankya and the foreigner controlled ruling class should know what happened after a corrupt thug insulted and humiliated an honest and patriotic Sanyasi. Although I don’t agree with some of the points which Baba Ramdev is insisting on such a removal of big currency notes and having all education in Hindi & other regional languages or bringing Dalit Christians & Muslims under reservation. But his other issues are worthy causes for which we have to raise our collective voice. The ruling class is playing with a simple honest individual like Anna Hazare, who is asking nothing for himself and making a fool of him every day by one lie or another. They had played with pride of an honest army General and maligned his character by all possible means. On other hand the likes of Rajas, Chidambaram, Dayanidhi Maran, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Sharad Pawar are having time of their life and they are busy in inventing new ways of looting the public money. If we want this to be stopped than I urge you to play your part in making of this nation. It would be really late if we keep silence and allow the corrupt to play their dirty games. I think Baba Ramdev has chosen 3rd June for starting his protest as because its an historical date on which Nehru, Mountbatten & Jinnah agreed to divide India on religious lines. The time has come again to fight for the cause of India and keep it united by chants of Vande Mataram. I sincerely believe that we Indians deserve much better government so that our future generations can live with pride in developed India.

New York: A Carefree Expression of Freedom

NEW YORK Descriptive essay New York City is the place that I want to visit, revisit, and visit again. Out there on the streets, I feel free. When coming from New Jersey to New York City on the New Jersey Transit tTrain, which is grimy but comfortable, it is an experience unlike I have ever felt before. Crossing under the Hudson River and coming into the crammedjam-packed full station is reminiscent of having some kind of travel machine bringing you from earth to space in a flash. When I visited I felt like anything isn’t impossible .Living in the turks and caicos islands is a fantastic privilege; living in New York City is something further even better. As you stagger up those stairs to the city streets and you capture that first breath of city air, you declare to yourself, this is Freedom!!!!! The buildings are so astonishingly tall and eye-catching. I think to myself, there are so many buildings here I find it hard to believe that man is capable of putting them up, but on th e other hand also knocking them down. The buildings look like they had plunged from God's hands and landed in one spot, where else but in New York City.As I make my way down the city street, I feel overwhelmed by people walking and talking in scores of different languages. People with looks that I have never seen before. , Ppeople that look somewhat bizarre to me. Everyone is different in their ownere way of style. Let me tell you something, this big place called â€Å"New York† is the capital of all the new fashions and old fads. What styles I might find either peculiar or eccentric usually becomes what I start to copy in later years when it becomes starts being the local fashion of my town.What I am trying to say is that New York is the inventor of all invertors. I perceive New York City as a carefree expression of freedom. Most of today's new clothing styles are adopted from New York. People are so full of life and encouragement. No one judges the way you present yourself in this unrestricted environment. People in New York feel comfortable dressing and acting anyway that they care to. Everything there are so upscale and amazing but one thing that caught my attention is that all athough all these things were said theres no place like home

Annotate We Dare Not Postpone Action by CCT Annotated Bibliography

Annotate We Dare Not Postpone Action by CCT - Annotated Bibliography Example onal communions and seven national organizations, including Sojourners—realized that apparently no clergy had ever issued a response to Kings famous letter, even though it was specifically addressed to "fellow clergymen [sic]." In 2013, to mark the 50th anniversary of Kings letter, Christian Churches Together released its thoughtful response, which we excerpt below. —The Editor WE CONFESS. As leaders of churches claimed by more than 100 million Americans; as Catholics, evangelicals, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Historic Protestants, and members of Historic Black denominations; as people of many races and cultures: We call ourselves, our institutions, and our members to repentance. We make this confession before God and offer it to all who have endured racism and injustice both within the church and in society. responsibility to obey the law while neglecting our equal moral obligation to change laws that are unjust in their substance or application. All too often, the political involvement of Christians has been guided by the pursuit of personal or group advantage rather than a biblically grounded moral compass. We confess it is too easy for those of us who are privileged to counsel others simply to "wait"—or to pass judgment that they deserve no better than what they already have. We confess that we are slow to listen and give legitimacy to those whose experience of race relations and social privilege in America is different than our own. We keep the "other" at arms length to avoid hearing the call to sacrifice on their behalf. Our reluctance to embrace our "inescapable network of mutuality" underscores Dr. Kings observation that privileged groups seldom give up their advantages voluntarily. For example, it is difficult to persuade most suburban Christians to demand that they strive for the same quality of education in our cities that they take for granted in their own schools. To the extent that we do not listen in love, our influence in society is limited

Safavids and Ottoman empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Safavids and Ottoman empire - Essay Example Being born in a more peaceful religious background the ideologies the Safavid Empire were more religion centric and less militarist in nature than the Ottoman Empire that was initially a response to the crumbling Seljuk Sultanate trough the conquering of the Byzantine territories at the northwest of Anatolia. Therefore being positioned at the frontline of the Christianity vs. Islam conflict the Ottomans empire-builders had to restructure their political system as capable of defending the Empire from any outside invaders as well as sturdy enough to lead any quick and effective offense into the heart of Eastern Europe. Military power was the most important and common component of both of the Safavid and the Ottoman Empire. The policies as well as the ideologies of these had been greatly shaped by the militarism of those empire-builders. Indeed the militarisms of these empires were fervently supported by the ideologies and policies that they adopted. Indeed the moral strengths and the p opular support were achieved mainly by managing the commoners’ religiosity but in two different ways. ... Apart from the support of the mass population, the imams or religious leaders had a large group of followers known as Qizilbas who later serves as the muscle power. When the Ottomans used a regular army from the very beginning of the Empire, the Safavids initially were the disciples of the twelve Imams. Referring to the Shiite Imam’s use of religion to legitimatize their position in power, Robinson says, â€Å"During the 15th Century the order was transformed into a revolutionary movement†¦.acquired political importance as the Safavid Sheiks commanded their disciples to fight for these beliefs † (52). The Ottomans primarily focused on the capturing the European cities and thus annexing them to the Empire. They grew a culture in which people of all religions, Islam, Christianity, and Jews, could live peacefully. Capturing the cities that were formerly under the control of Christian rulers and leaving them under the existing Christian troops as vassals were a common practice in the Ottoman Empire. This strategy, indeed, helped the Ottoman rulers to save energy to pay their attention to conquer more cities and countries in the Eastern European. Also it inspired to the Christian troops as well as commoners either to be converted to Islam or to participate in the Ottoman army spontaneously. Indeed the Empire was benefited from the inclusion of the Christian troops into the army, because those Christian and the converted troops enhanced the army’s capability to fight in the unfamiliar east European Environment. But in the early16th century, when the Ottoman rulers focused their attention on brining entire state under the control of a unified army, the primary condition for one to participate in the army

Oes the molecular weight of polymers affect the performance of polymer Research Paper

Oes the molecular weight of polymers affect the performance of polymer (organic) solar cells - Research Paper Example (b) Key among these factors is the physical properties of bulk heterojunction, which plays a significant role (Kingsley et al. 22). Components of bulk heterojunction require a broad absorption response in the solar spectrum, which then ensure efficient harvesting of the photons. (c) In addition, the energy levels donor, which is usually a conjugated polymer, need to match with that of the electron acceptor, which typically is a derivative of fullerene (Intemann et al. 3190). This implies that the donor polymer needs to possess a deep highest occupied molecular orbital, which will ensure a large open circuit voltage (Xiao et al. 75). (a) The molecular weight of a conjugated polymer influences the effective conjugated chain (Liu et al. 12165). Therefore, molecular weight makes the electrical and optical properties of the polymers to vary, which improves the performance of polymer solar cells. (b) Prior to conducting and finalizing the research papers, the writers expect that correlations will be evident between the molecular weight and voltage, light absorbance, and current density of solar cells. These correlations will be further investigated and addressed in depth in the final report. Intemann, Jeremy J. et al. â€Å"Molecular Weight Effect on the Absorption, Charge Carrier Mobility, and Photovoltaic Performance of an Indacenodiselenophene-Based Ladder-Type Polymer.† Chemistry of Materials 25.15 (2013): 3188–3195. ACS Publications. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. Kingsley, James W. et al. â€Å"Molecular Weight Dependent Vertical Composition Profiles of PCDTBT: PC71BM Blends for Organic Photovoltaics.† Scientific Reports 4 (2014): n. pag. www.nature.com. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. Xiao, Zeyun et al. â€Å"Effect of Molecular Weight on the Properties and Organic Solar Cell Device Performance of a Donor–Acceptor Conjugated Polymer.† Polymer Chemistry (2015): n. pag. pubs.rsc.org. Web. 5 Mar.

Stem cell research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Stem cell - Research Paper Example Although no person can forecast the outcomes from fundamental research completed during the past generation, there is sufficient existing information to suggest that a great deal of this enthusiasm is warranted. This passion and interest is not shared by persons of the religious conservative faction who was instrumental in slowing stem cell research in the U.S. during the previous presidential administration. This group is against embryonic stem cell research which they allege is immoral and describe as devaluing human life, in much the same way as legal abortion do, drawing a connection between the two controversial subjects. This dialogue will provide a summary of stem cell research and its benefits to humanity, the debate involving the matter and the arguments for continued studies. Definition of Stem Cells Stem cells are essentially the building block cells of a living being and in humans are capable of becoming more than 200 different kinds of tissue. â€Å"Stem cells have trad itionally been defined as not fully differentiated yet to be any particular type of cell or tissue† (Irving, 1999). Adult stem cells are located in small numbers within most tissues, but the preponderance of stem cells can be acquired from the umbilical cord. A more accurate term is â€Å"somatic stem cells† (Sullivan, 2004). ... A good example (of adult stem cells) is blood, but this is true for muscle and other connective tissue as well, and may be true for at least some nervous system cells† (Chapman et al, 1999). Consensus of Studies Much research has been performed by scientists in an effort to establish whether adult tissue stem cells have comparable developmental possibilities as the embryonic stem cells. Scientists now agree that this research has conclusively demonstrated that adult stem cells are not as feasible as embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells possess a far superior potential and effectiveness because, contrasting adult stem cells, they have the capability to develop into virtually all cells present in the human body. Adult stem cells merely have the capacity to develop into a small number of cell types. Additionally, embryonic stem cells divide perpetually but adult stem cells do not which diminish their capability of developing into new kinds of cells.   Stem cells are of ext ensive interest for science and medicine, because they boast the potential, under appropriate conditions, to develop into nearly all of the cell types. Goals of research The three main goals for doing stem cell research are acquiring essential scientific information regarding embryonic development; treating incapacitating disorders such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and for testing new medications rather than having to use animals (Irving, 1999). Stem cell research is also likely to help victims of diabetes, bone diseases, spinal cord injuries and stroke. The scientific techniques for acquiring stem cells could be the forerunner to unparalleled advances and possibly cures for these and other maladies. It has been

Environmental Studies Lecture Notes Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Studies Lecture Notes - Case Study Example Next he went over the homework assignments and the reading assignments. As we finally got started with the class itself, he started a discussion what renewable sources of energy are. Essentially it's an energy source that renews itself without effort; they can be used over and over again. These kinds of sources can include solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen, geothermal energy, hydroelectric energy, and ocean energy. This class is focused more on production more than previous classes in the program because it's more cost-effective to conserve energy before you try to produce it. Each of these sources of energy have some positive and potentially negative elements that might come into play. Some of the first vocabulary he went over was solar constant, which is the amount of energy that goes by the earth. Insolation talks about how much solar radiation hits the ground and there are three different kinds - direct, diffuse, and reflected. One sun is another term that will come up often and ref ers to the amount of sun an area gets in a day. Azimuth and altitude angle. Altitude is the height of the sun in the sky. Azimuth angle is the angle from the south. This has an effect on where and what orientation we build solar panels to achieve maximum power source. The optimum is to go south, west is better than east, and consider areas of shade. The angle of the solar panels should be equal to the latitude, but can be adjusted in consideration of the uses of the project (summer, winter, other environmental conditions like fog). Although some utilities will pay you for excess power you produce, but they aren't obligated to do so by law. Basics of PV cells is that it is a semi-conductor electron pump that creates about .5 volts of DC power per cell, a number of cells are collected to create a module and a collection of modules is an array. Types of PVs are stand alones (sometimes with batteries) or Grid intertie (tied into the grid and the meter goes backwards), and they're made o f crystalline silicon (multicrystalline is the most popular right now), thin film, and concentrators or tracking devices to add greater efficiency. Building integrated PV means a low efficiency PV system that works with the building to provide additional comfort and collect power at the same time. After going over a normal set-up and some examples, we discussed the need for battery backup systems - 3-5 days of backup is typical and should provide power for the essential systems such as refrigerator, etc. There's a lot of estimating about installing a system - you have to estimate the load and the production, the available sunlight, and the reliability of the system. Have to know the difference between kW (unit of power) and kWh (energy). Factors that affect output include temperature, dirt, wiring losses, and AC to DC conversion. Then we discussed how to calculate energy. We ended the lecture with an introduction to solar thermal - heating hot water, space heating, or pool heating - and replaces the need for natural gas. Again, conservation takes precedence over efficiency. Systems are better than they used to be in the 70s. Types of thermal systems are batch heaters (collection and storage are together) and flat plate collectors (collection and

Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Bibliography - Essay Example At the age of 11, in 1607, he was sent to the boarding school, La Fleche, a Jesuit institution. He studied many subjects, including, mathematics, science, rhetoric, verbal arts, philosophy, and astronomy. However it was mathematics that most attracted the young Descartes. Although is believed to have received his degree from University of Poiters in civil and canon law between 1615 and 1616, there is a period on and off throughout 1614-1618, where Descartes fell out of the world, many believe that he may have some sort of emotional or mental break-down and was in seclusion n Paris, France (Skirry ). Descartes earliest accomplishments included contributions to the Scientific Revolution. It was he that established the â€Å"principle of inertia.† He presented the thinking that the universe, all of nature, and human beings are all a part of one great machine. He, also, established a philosophy called â€Å"the mind-body dichotomy† Descartes believed that a person’s mind is a separate entity from the physical body and enters in and out of the body through the pineal gland. This work took Descartes away from mathematics and hard science and into the world of philosophy. He would publish four books that are extremely significant. The first was titled â€Å"The Discourse on the Method, published in 1637. It was followed, in 1641, by â€Å"The Meditations on First Philosophy† and, â€Å"The Principles of Philosophy,† in 1644. The final major volume titled, â€Å"The Passions of the Soul,† was completed in 1649 (Weisstein). However, Descartes, most well-known and often referenced concept was, â€Å"I think therefore I am.† This statement always garners great philosophical debate. It is a phrase that can be perceived in many ways, depending on the user. However, it verifies the relevance of individuality and the power will. All of these works helped to form a unique perspective and perception of the world that would ultim ately earn Descartes’ the title of â€Å"The father of modern philosophy.† He changed many of the traditional perspectives on nature, the natural world, and humanity’s relationship to it. Unfortunately, not all of those living in Descartes time were inspired and pleased with Descartes philosophies, theories, and principles. The Catholic Church was not a supporter of Descartes. They felt that much of his work could be perceived as directly challenging church doctrines and practices. In fact, Descartes work would eventually find itself added to the lists of books not considered approved reading by the Church. Interestingly enough Descartes believed his works, in fact, proved the likely existence of God; all the same the Church would never be a supporter of his work (Correas ). Rene Descartes continued his work but would eventually retire in the Netherlands. He met a maid in the house of a friend with whom he had a relationship. However, he did not marry this woman and they shared one daughter. Sadly she died from a fever around the age of five. He had agree to join the Court of Queen Kristina of Sweden and remained in the Netherlands for the last 20 years of his life. However, the health problems of his childhood never really left him. Rene Descartes died in February of 1650, at the age of 54 from complications related to pneumonia; no doubt contributed to by the cold Scandinavian weather (Skirry). This was the

Alzheimers Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alzheimers Disease - Essay Example As the discussion highlights, stage 1 has symptoms like losing way, asking something repeatedly, taking longer to perform daily tasks, having trouble in decision-making, putting things in weird places, and withdrawing from social life. Stage 2 shows symptoms like requiring assistance in performing daily tasks, forgetting recent happenings, mixing up distant past with recent past, having language problems, depression, insomnia and eating troubles. Stage 3 has symptoms like being unable to feed one, control bowel and urinary movements, speak, or recognize members of the family. Memory vanishes away. Objective findings include: Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) which are unusual clumps or tangles of a protein, known as tau, and are present within neurons and result in the malfunctioning of neurons; and, Amyloid plaques which are anomalous collections of a protein, known as beta-amyloid, inside the neurons, and may form due to abnormal processing of this protein. When an inflammation occurs in the region of these plaques, it causes the death of the neurons. Tangles and plaques make neurons lose connections with one another. This causes their death. The affected brain areas and brain tissues begin to shrink. Alzheimer’s disease does not have a specific treatment; however, measures can be taken to help patients maintain their mental health and normal behavioral patterns to slow down the progress of the disease. The treatment is based upon the study of the causal process. Although there are drugs available which are helpful for Alzheimer’s patients but those can only slow down or delay the process and cannot stop or reverse it.

Research Paper english 101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Paper english 101 - Essay Example To form a union, employees must first discuss the issues that are affecting them privately and in the process lobby for support from the employees. During the private sessions the steps and plan of union creation are developing. The evaluation of the necessary requirements for the union is also addressed in the private meeting in order to sensitize the workers on the possibility of success as well as the challenges that may be met during the whole process. Such analysis will help motivate the employees to join the union being developed. During the private meeting research is conducted on the available unions and there area of operation or coverage. Legal implication and financial implication of the new union must be addressed in order to develop the understanding of the new situation. After research and evaluation of the legal implications of the union, worker can establish an appropriate bargaining unit (ABU). The ABU will facilitate indication of interest. A union can be formed onl y if at least 30% of those interested to submit official documents such as authorization card to show willingness to join the organization (Bradburn 67). The role of this step is to develop necessary support for the legislation process. After the establishment of the Appropriate Bargaining Unit, the committee must be able to obtain certification from the National Labor Relation Board. The certification can only be issued after meeting the necessary requirements for the union to be formed. The certification process ensures that the former union is legal and can protect and address issues of workers’ rights. After the approval from the national legislation, the union must conduct elections to fill the offices and help in defining the role of the leaders. The appointment of the chairman or union organizer will help when negotiations between management and the union is carried out. The chairman of the union organizer will be the representative of the union during the negotiation process thus facilitates the development of harmony between the union and company management. Research questions The following are the research question for the research Are unions important? Do the unions have a future in the changing human resource market? Literature review Unions have been able to help in the fight for workers right over the years with utmost success. The fight for workers’ rights has been remarkably successful because of the involvement of unions and trade unions that facilitate negotiations and give rise to the power of employees. The employee’s ability to succeed in the demands was made possible by the actions of the trade unions. Over the years, these unions have been able to champion for the rights of employees by lobbying for improvement of the work ethics or change in the working conditions of the people. The success of unions in protecting the will of employees Some countries still have powerful trade unions due to the inability of the gover nment to effect the employment and safety laws developed. However, some countries have a better legal system which in turn eliminates the work of unions. America has the best legal framework that covers all the needs of the workers while ensuring that the employer cannot exploit the worker through the creation of a structured legal system. The ability to handle whole issues in employment makes the Unions irrelevant. The current setup ensures that the workers’ rights are protected by the government because laws have been developed that cover all

Antimicrobial Effects of Cilantro Essay Example for Free

Antimicrobial Effects of Cilantro Essay A drop of cilantro juice and water in varying concentrations (1:10, 1:20, 1:40, 1:80) was added to a nutrient agar plate inoculated with S. epidermis and a nutrient agar plate inoculated with E. coli. The plates were incubated for 48 hours and then observed for a zone of clearing where the cilantro juice drop was placed. Cilantro was found to not display antimicrobial activity against either bacterium in the experiment in any of the different dilutions. These results could have to do with the possible contamination of cilantro or the specific bacteria we chose to target. Additional studies of cilantro should be conducted on different types of bacteria in order to gain a better understanding of how the herb works as an antimicrobial. Introduction Herbs and spices have been used for many years for their health benefits and antimicrobial properties (Lai amp; Roy, 2004). Cilantro, an herb found in many ethnic food dishes, has been shown to have an antibacterial effect on Salmonella choleraesuis due to the compound dodecanal found in the leaves. Dodecanal was found to be twice as potent as the antibiotic gentamicin that is commonly prescribed for Salmonella infections (Kubo, Fujita, Kubo, Nihei, amp; Ogura, 2004). The antimicrobial properties of cilantro have also been demonstrated against the bacteria’s Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli (Marsh amp; Arriola, 2009). We decided to conduct our own experiment to see if cilantro had any antimicrobial effect on the bacteria’s Staphylococcus epidermis and Escherichia coli. Experiments about the antimicrobial properties of herbs re interesting because their results can affect the way people choose to eat. For example, if a certain herb is found to delay food spoilage then perhaps people will choose to include it more often in their cuisines. Or, if a study finds that an herb has an antibacterial effect on an organism commonly found on produce, perhaps a fruit and vegetable wash could be produced that contains the herb in order to help prevent inf ection. We chose both a gram positive bacterium (S. epidermis) and a gram negative bacterium (E. oli) to see if a bacterial outer membrane would inhibit any antibacterial effect of cilantro. Gram negative bacteria have an outer membrane and gram positive bacteria do not (Tortura, Funke, amp; Case, 2010). We predicted that cilantro would have an antimicrobial effect on S. epidermis but not on E. coli. We inoculated two nutrient agar plates, covering each with one of the bacteria’s, and divided each plate into quarters. We then placed one drop of cilantro juice mixed with water in each of the four sections in different concentrations. This allowed us to see if a minimum concentration of cilantro was needed to produce an antimicrobial effect. We then incubated the plates at 37 degrees Celsius to allow the bacteria to grow and evaluated the plates after 48 hours. We expected to see a clearing of bacteria in at least one of the quadrants of the plate containing S. epidermis and did not expect to see any clearing of bacteria on the E. coli plate. Methods 1. Label one nutrient agar plate S. epidermis and one nutrient agar plate E. coli and divide each plate into quarters. Label each quarter with the different dilutions : 1:10, 1:20, 1:40, and 1:80. 2. Inoculate and label one water blank with S. epidermis and one water blank with E. coli. 3. Create a lawn plate of S. epidermis by dipping the inoculating loop into the water/S. epidermis tube and streaking the loop across the nutrient agar plate labeled S. epidermis. The entire surface of the plate should be inoculated with bacteria by zigzagging the loop across the plate after every quarter turn. After the initial zigzag, the plate should be turned three more times for streaking to be performed. Repeat this process by making a lawn plate of E. coli. 4. Put nine drops of sterile water into one of the depressions of the sterile spot plate using a sterile Pasteur pipette and a third unused sterile water blank. Put five drops of sterile water into three more depressions of the sterile spot plate. 5. Ground cilantro using a mixer or juicer and add the last sterile water blank to the cilantro in order to obtain a drop of cilantro juice. 6. Put the cilantro juice drop into the first depression of the sterile spot plate that already has the nine drops of water in it using a sterile eye dropper. This creates a dilution of cilantro of 1:10 (1 drop cilantro juice out of a total of 10 parts/drops). 7. With the same sterile Pasteur pipet used to add water to the sterile spot plate, mix the cilantro juice and water contained in the first depression of the sterile spot plate. Put one drop of the first depression mixture into the section of the S. epidermis nutrient agar plate labeled 1:10. Repeat this step for the E. coli nutrient agar plate. 8. Using the same first Pasteur pipet, put five drops of the first depression mixture into the second depression of the sterile spot plate. Take a new, second sterile pipet and mix the cilantro juice and water contained in the second depression of the sterile spot plate. Put one drop of the second depression mixture into the section of the S. epidermis nutrient agar plate labeled 1:20. Repeat this step for the E. coli nutrient agar plate. 9. Using the same second Pasteur pipet, put five drops of the second depression mixture into the third depression of the sterile spot plate. Take a new, third sterile pipet and mix the cilantro juice and water contained in the third depression of the sterile spot plate. Put one drop of the third depression mixture into the section of the S. epidermis nutrient agar plate labeled 1:40. Repeat this step for the E. coli nutrient agar plate. 10. Using the same third Pasteur pipet, put five drops of the third depression mixture into the fourth depression of the sterile spot plate. Take a new, fourth sterile pipet and mix the cilantro juice and water contained in the fourth depression of the sterile spot plate. Put one drop of the fourth depression mixture into the section of the S. epidermis nutrient agar plate labeled 1:80. Repeat this step for the E. coli nutrient agar plate. 11. Incubate both nutrient agar plates at thirty seven degrees Celsius for at least forty eight hours. Results Cilantro did not display antimicrobial activity against S. epidermis and E. coli in our experiment. A clear zone where the cilantro juice drop was placed would be indicative of cilantro acting as an antibiotic because bacteria would be cleared from the area. Both the S. epidermis and E. coli lawn plates showed no clearing in any of the four dilution sections (1:10, 1:20, 1:40, 1:80) where a drop of cilantro juice was placed. Interestingly, there was additional microbial growth where the cilantro juice drop was placed.

Evaluation Of Formal Strategic Planning Business Essay

Evaluation Of Formal Strategic Planning Business Essay What is strategic planning. As in daily life when people have choices or plans to make, down to the simplest things as in, what will we do this weekend?, businesses need to form plans or strategies to know their way forward with a goal for the business to reach in order to maintain the success of the business and to achieve objectives. All members within a group must know of the plans made in order to follow them with the desire to be successful within their environment for continued growth, success and also to move with the ever changing world in which we live. It is important for management to set out a game plan to continually strengthen the performance of their company. A strategic plan will state how a business should conduct themselves for a period of time in order to achieve these desired goals, this can be seen as a means to an end, looking forward to where changes need to be made and setting out a plan in order to reach that point using strategic methods. Jasparro R.J. (2006) states that strategic planning can help companies to think and act strategically, develop effective strategies, clarify future directions, establish priorities, improve organisational performance, build teamwork and expertise, and deal effectively with a rapidly changing environment. This has proven difficult in recent years and the following report will go into more depth as to the reasons why certain conditions may impact Strategic Planning. Nature of Formal Strategic Planning To form a plan, a business will have to look at both the external and internal environments surrounding their specialist area. It is at this point a company will decide on their competences and look at what the company is best at doing. They may then look at how they can expand on their strengths and look at what their competitors are doing within the same area. They need to know what makes them special and stand out from the crowd, what makes customers turn first and foremost to them, then look at the options they have at that moment in time to maintain the momentum and the returning business. It is at this point in the planning stage that they may look at perhaps not doing something which may be good for the company at a later date and maybe it is not the right time to make such changes yet. There should be a clear distinction between formulation and implementation. Formulation is in the planning process, implementation is carrying out the plans made using SWOT and PESTEL. Five Forces Analysis is a technique for identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in an industry and scenario planning is a technique that builds various plausible views of possible futures for a business. The five forces framework takes into account the potential entrants to the market (threat of entry), buyers (buying power), suppliers (bargaining power), substitutes (threat of substitutes) all leading toward Competitive Rivalry as outlined below: Porters Five Forces Template from thevirtualconsultancy.com PESTEL, an analytical tool which considers external factors and helps a business think about their impacts, allows us to look at Political, Environmental, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal factors which might affect companies. This is a broader plan than a SWOT analysis which concentrates more on the internal factors of a company, on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Both SWOT and PESTEL need to be taken into account when considering major changes for any company. Key Characteristics of Strategic Planning Upon consideration of PESTEL and SWOT, a company will be required to look closely at their present work ethics and see where changes are required to help the company improve. Companies also have to limit their weaknesses and see opportunities for the business to thrive for the future. External matters will need to be considered such as recession, the time of year, inclement in weather, looking at the global market, is there a need to outsource certain aspects of the business, will this be cheaper for the company, will it cause more threats? The characteristics of strategic planning are weighing up PESTEL and SWOT matters and forming a plan to overcome or take advantage of the market in which they are in at that specific moment in time. The strategy needs to be frequently reviewed against prevailing external and internal environments. An Intended Strategy is when a company will write down their plan for employees and management to follow, this plan may become a Realised Strategy when this will need to be reformed and another plan made to reach the next level. Sometimes however, these plans are not met and a company will need to sit down with their board of directors and look at an Emergent Strategy, this could be down to major changes within their market, inclement in weather for some companies or many other factors but companies are still required to find a way out of their Unrealised Strategy and to move on from that with another Intended Strategy. Planning is a huge factor in Formal Strategic Planning. Evaluations of Formal Strategic Planning In evaluating strategic planning, business intelligence interprets a need to constantly monitor how the strategy and the objectives are being implemented and to note whether or not the company have overcome problems using their plan or not. If they have not, then the way the strategic plan was set out will need to be restructured to combat the problems and redesigned to provide competitive advantage for the organisation. Drago, W., Clements, C. (1999) indicates that leadership qualities of management and staff should be taken into consideration when applying any strategic plan. This article outlines the necessity to draw on the strengths of your staff and their traits to incorporate this into your overall strategic plan helping you to attain the overall outcome required. Advantages/Strengths of Formal Strategic Planning Strategic planning models the future of the company and allows everyone to see that they are working toward the same mission statement or the same goal. It outlines a paradigm showing strengths and a focus on where the company sees its future. It can add stability to the workforce who can see the company making future plans. Failure to make plans could mean a company becoming stuck in the middle if they have not differentiated enough to gain market share. Through planning, it can be said that companies will learn their market better, know their competitors views and decide whether they need to change their product or become more diverse sticking to a related market or taking their products into another dimension. For example, Virgin began in the early eighties with Virgin music, moving onto Virgin Atlantic and now they have broadened to Virgin media and phones. They recognised that they needed to change their market at specific times in order to continue expansion through planning or foreseeing the future of the company thus increasing their market power. In the early days, Virgin music was used to balance cash flows in order to move into the Virgin Atlantic area and spread risks throughout different branches of the same company. Disadvantages/Weaknesses of Formal Strategic Planning It can be said that in todays economic environment that planning is not always effective, as the market is changing constantly, almost on a daily basis making it difficult to plan anything at all. It is difficult to control anything which is out of our own hands as per the external factors mentioned earlier within this report. A business model could be flawed and may not have had enough thought put into in the initial process which could lead to failure for a business. Personnel could change and a company may need to restructure a plan according to a new setup of staff. A number of external or internal factors or changes can make targets unobtainable. When plans change, and an emergent approach is required to combat weakness in the formal planning, it can reflect that management arent focused totally on the initial goal with a willingness to compromise which could prove time consuming and inefficient due to its flexibility. Mintzberg (1994) states that strategic planning often spoils strategic thinking, causing managers to confuse real vision with the manipulation of numbers, this reflects upon the fact that managers can lose sight of reality and instead remain focused on the strategic plan instead of their vision and may not have a desire to change. Uncertain Dynamic Environment It is indicated in a journal written by Pateli, A.G., Giaglis, G.M. (2005) that researchers are linking performances between business models and strategic planning to take into account strategy, industry and resource based effects outlining that companies are required to look at the broader spectrum and link outside influences with their internal influences. The strategy influence indicates considering such matters as where a company is within their market area, should they expand, should they outsource, are their staff equipped to deal with change, is training required, the need to focus on goals and realise if their potential could be realised or perhaps moving towards a different area entirely for the moment in order to survive as a business. The industry influence will concentrate more on the internal market, looking directly at competition and forward planning, find out if they are equipped to cope with such changes and if not, what steps are required to be taken in order to stay ahead of the game. Johnson G et al (2008) indicates that knowledge complexity of an industry or organisational complexity with larger companies (perhaps local governments with various sectors) makes it difficult to plan anything strategically within the global recession. Managers need to be aware of constant environmental scanning and know what is going on around them in order to know the future direction they face. Using emergent strategies may work best for companies. In this environment, companies will be aware of the constant forces of change outwith their control and realise ways in which to overcome these. Political issues are constantly changing too and at present we face the possible emergence of an Independent Scotland. Although it is said that Scottish people will have more say over ones government and more political freedom, they also face greater economic risks, less security and more differences with England and possible further insecurities with the Euro. Obviously for individual companie s, this could be a time of considerable change and a need to be equipped to face both outcomes. Businesses will need to look closely at both scenarios and have emergent strategies to deal with problems they may face. Challenges of Uncertain Dynamic Environment Within our Uncertain Dynamic Environment, despite the potential advantages of formal strategic planning approaches, it can be of limited benefit to organisations. In a highly volatile global economy, there is a need to act quickly and effectively to change and uncertainty. Contribution/Roles of Formal Strategic Planning in Uncertain Dynamic Environment The role of formal strategic planning comes under scrutiny in an uncertain dynamic environment as it can be shown to have some sort of effect if a company has proven effective in its ability to foresee external †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Scenarios are visions of the future, a look at what may happen. Conclusion Is planning worth it? Planning is not necessarily strategic thinking. Thinking is intuitive and entrepreneurial based on ideas and a foresight for something a person or a company might want in the future. This is based on questions of what if? and complex thinking. Planning is bureaucratic and can mean that management are overly complicated which can result in faulty decisions. A plan created by a bureaucracy could be overburdened by needless steps and obstructions that would hinder actually getting the task completed in a timely and efficient manner. Bureaucracy is often taken to mean inefficiency and absence of practical considerations. Orders made by people that do not have to follow those orders and really do not understand (or possibly even care) what their orders actually require. However, a certain amount of planning within any business or life decision has to be made to a certain degree with a view to being totally versatile in order to make major changes as and when required to move to the next level. Strategic planning is not easy and has challenges, but the hurdles could be worth overcoming.

Importance Of Diversity In Our Society Sociology Essay

Importance Of Diversity In Our Society Sociology Essay This essay will reflect the importance of diversity in the society. The definition of diversity will be given. Positive and negative aspects of diversity will be discussed. The issues of diversity like; gender, race, class, homogeneity and heterogeneity will also be discussed in this essay. Human beings have a basic difference which differentiates people into various classes in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, class and so on. These differences cause a lot of misunderstanding, discrimination and prejudice among people of different divisions. Diversity, on the other hand helps people to identify these differences, understand, respect and embrace this differences.Therefore, diversity can be defined as the ability to recognise individual differences and the ability to respect and accept these differences without discriminating it. Diversity consists of two dimensions. These are the primary and secondary dimensions. This is mostly represented with a wheel that contains the inner and outer wheel. The primary dimensions are six areas which are considered to be dimensions of diversity.These areas are; age, race, gender, ethnicity physical abilities and qualities, and sexual orientation. All these are represented by the inner wheel. These are perceived to be the most common and prevailing ways of different perception of individuals in looking at differences between people. The outer wheel contains areas that are placed under the secondary dimensions of diversity. These are things or elements that can be changed or acquired. As far as diversity is concerened,it is not only important to study diversity but it also has a major problem when dealing with the topic. According to Fry et al, one of the problem people encounter when dealing with the topic diversity, is stereotyping.(2004:156).Stereotyping is an element of p rejudice, which can be said to be placing people on the basis of one particular area of difference. We must look beyond the obvious elements of difference says stoner et al (2004:157) in other to understand each persons individuality. As they say, although the topic of diversity may be studied in discrete sections, people do not fit into easy, simplistic categories. They are quite complex (2004:157-8).Studying diversity is very important because it helps to understand various issues that causes discrimination. These issues are; race, gender, class, homogeneity and heterogeneity. These issues will be discussed individually. Firstly, the issue of homogeneity and heterogeneity. Homogeneity is when a group of people have and share similar values, similar ideas, and similar ways of living and so on. This is called a homogeneous society. All human beings are homogeneous in one way or the other. It does not matter where you come from or your skin colour. Individuals share some common behaviour no matter how culturally different people are. There are different types of homogeneous society some of which are ethnically that is the Japanese society, religiously the Arab, culturally the Indians. So many researchers concluded that the most prominent one is ethnically, where people have similar culture and complexion and facial features,(Andromida ,n.d).Homogeneity has its advantages such as, homogeneous societies do not have the problem of language barrier, which sometimes causes threats to the unity of the society. Diversity of religious and ethnic groups can take up a wrong path, thereby causing misunderstanding in the society which may result to conflict. For example, after the incident of the 911, so many Indians, Pakistanis and Arabs were maltreated in the US, reasons due to the fact that there is lack of religious homogeneity. In the case of politics, the homogeneous society has more advantage. This is because the government decision making can be more powerful because the majority people have the same point of view. (Andromida , n.d.). But then, it also has disadvantages.The main problem with homogeneous society is as history stated that the homogeneity of a country has been endangered and broken many times and it is not possible to maintain the homogeneousness of a society.For instance,during the period of 5300 and 1940 B.C,the Sumerian used to live in present day Iraq, although they were politically,socially and agriculturally more advanced,they suffered in the hands of the Akkadians because they lacked and did not even think of developing their military power. possibly, homogeneity encourages people to be unaware of the development of the rest of the world. The leaders in a homogeneous society do not like accepting changes which leads to the down fall of the whole society. Example is Japan, during the time of shogun who believed in the homogeneity of their society, (Andromida , n.d.) .Yet studying homogeneity in diversity is very important. This is because it reminds people about the basic qualities individuals share no mater your race or gender or religion.Perherps,if people are being reminded about homogeineity,the rate of discrimination may reduce and people would start embracing and accepting others differences. While heterogeneity is the exact opposite of Homogeneity. Heterogeneity is when people are dissimilar, that is, they have different backgrounds, different values, different needs and interest. When people with these features live in the same society, it is called a heterogeneous society. Todays world is becoming more of heterogeneous society. This is because people try to adopt other peoples culture and the movement of people from one place to another has increased. The advantages of a heterogeneous society is the society have the ability to move together with the rest of the world. Heterogeneous societies understand the differences in individuals more and faster. A heterogeneous society has the tendency to live longer because more countries and societies all over the world are becoming more and more heterogeneous. There are certain disadvantages that hinders heterogeneity, such as; language barrier which causes so many problems that can lead to the crashing of that society. People w ho have different languages and are of different religious background tend to see their own ethnic or religion or language as superior than the others, this may lead to conflict between the different groups. The most dominant group in a heterogeneous society may try to oppress other groups. Decision making will also be slow or even be a great problem because the leaders themselves are from different backgrounds so they may have different point of views which will make them disagree with each other there by resulting into a great misunderstanding. The issue of heterogeneity is important in diversity because people have to be aware of the differences between individuals in other to enable them accept others. So that people will know and understand that in spite of all the differences, there are also similarities that human beings share. The next issue is the issue of class. Carl Max defined class as an antagonistic relationship that is always relative to another group based on exploitation and control. Social class is a group of people that have comparable social and economic status. Classification of people based on what you have, that is economic capital the quantity of your wealth, who you know which is the social capital and what you know the cultural capital. Class does not only affect people economically but it also affects people emotionally. Class may be said to be culture.(Class Action , 2004).Class can be changed during a persons life time, that is some people are born and grew into a class but they live as adults in another, while some immigrants change their class from their original country to their new country. This shows that class operates along a range or hierarchy. The stratification of class is based on the upper class, these are the very wealthy and powerful people, The middle class who are the p rofessionals and other high earning workers then the lower class who are classified to be people who only have low income and other resources. Classism is a way of oppressing people according to their class, wages or income. There are different levels of oppression which are; macro which happens due to economic, social, political and cultural institutions.However, as bad as classifying people according to their economic status looks, it has its benefits. These benefits are; it gave rise for more fluid structures in the western society, classification of people in a society makes way for others in that society. Exploitation of people is also present. The negative effects of classifying people is that it has been misunderstood which brought about classism. This makes individuals to be oppressed in a society either directly or indirectly. This results to emotional and physical damage. It is considered important to address the issue of class in diversity. This is because when the issues are being addressed, people will be able to understand that social class does not mean classism. And individuals will be able to understand the reasons behind classifying people under social class are not to discriminate or practice classism. Furthermore, the issue of Race. Race is considered the group of people who share the same physical and biological factors. It can be skin colour facial features, religion, culture and ethnic group.Nturally; all human beings are genetically homogeneous. So many people do not view race to be a source of belonging rather, a cause to discriminate. This introduces racism which is the thought of one ethnic group or race to be superior to others, thereby making them to discriminate and oppress people who are not from their own race. It is also an institution that discriminate people against their physical and cultural groups. Race is important because it makes an individual to feel a sense of belonging to a particular group. It makes people know that they are not the only ones who look different or sound different to the rest of the world. It also has disadvantages which are; it creates a way for people to discriminate and oppress individuals who are from certain or different race from thei r own. It makes some people feel superior to others there by making those individuals fell inferior and less important in the society. The issue of racism should be addressed in diversity in other to make people understand that race does not mean any group is superior or inferior to others. It creates awareness to people that no matter the difference in individuals, humanbeings still share basic needs as nature requires them to. It will also make them understand that it is wrong to discriminate and feel threatened by other race. It may make individuals to accept people for who they are. Lastly, the issue of gender. These are the socially constructed roles, behaviour, activities and attributes that society considers male and female to attain. These roles are being fixed by the society while some by nature. This determines what role individuals should play. Gender in some society is determined physically. It is important for people to know their gender roles in other for them to know what the society requires of them to do. It is also important for people to know their gender in other to play the right role so as not confuse their children. This is because in so many cases of single mothers or and fathers, their children grow up to play the wrong role in the society. Gender also consists of disadvantages. This is because people misuse certain gender to oppress. They have the believe that a certain gender is inferior to the other. For instance, the male gender consider the female gender to be inferior to them there by oppressing them. India is a very good example to ci te gender discrimination. In India, the male gender make the female gender to the hard work that they are suppose to do. This is because they fell they are inferior to them. This issue gender is of great importance to be discussed in diversity, to let individuals know that people can choose their own gender roles. And gender does not mean one group is superior to the other. Diversity can be used to correct the how people view gender. Some societies that discriminates the female gander can be corrected through diversity. All the five issues that were discussed above in this essay revolve around diversity. They are issues that the society misunderstand their importance what they stand for thereby making them to discriminate, operess and prejudice people. These issues are important to be discussed in diversity in other to correct the ills in the society.Therefore, diversity is of great importance because it determines the future state of the society if it is ignored and not cared for. So many people suffer due to these issues but diversity can stop these sufferings. With diversity, people will learn to accept and understand individuals there by reducing the rate of misunderstanding, conflict.prejudice and discrimination. Conclusively, the definition of diversity was given in the essay; the issues of diversity were listed and explained. The positive and negative aspects or effects of these issues was given and explained. And how they are of importance to be addressed in the society. The importance of diversity in the society has also been pointed put and explained in this essay.

Scarface :: essays research papers

The topic of my presentation is why everyone should watch the movie scarface, and if you have already seen it to watch it again, This movie was directed by Brian De Palma,and written by Oliver Stone (produced-alexander, produced joy luck club) "Scareface"came out in 1983, and feature's Al Pacino as Tony Montana, Michelle Phifer as Elvira, and Steven Bauer as Manny Ray, The story is about a Cuban refugee who makes his way over to Miami,Florida Tony starts out as a dishwasher and hitman, who proceeds to enter into a life of cocaine dealing and organized crime. He then become one of the biggest drug dealers in Florida. The story has a rags to riches theme and is known for graphic violence. This is an action/drama with many indepth plot twists and an incredulous amount of profanity. The movie mostly portrays Scarface in thrid person view, which means the audience learns about the charactor Scarface through his actions and behaviors. The film is not only at great movie, but a cultural icon to some people. Scarface had a tremendous impact on the genre of rap music, and has inspired many rappers and producers to create songs. The premise of this film was actually adapted from the novel "scareface"by Armitage Trail. A Previse movie entitled, "Scareface, the Shame of the Nation" was made in 1932 ,directed by howard hawks and produced by Howard Hughes, which depicts gang-warfare, polictical coruption, and police un-involvment. The main charactor "Tony" was based loosely upon the real ganstar Al Capone, who actually loved the movie. I have seen both movie's and The 1983 "scarface" packs such a influencal punch of knowledge through the actions and life of Pacino as Tony Mantana. This film is known for having interesting quotes; Some notable quotes are= "Say hello to my little friend." "All I have in this world is my balls and my word and I don't break them for no one.

Writing Center Internship paper :: Teaching Authors Essays

Writing Center Internship paper Connective Thinking, Mimetic Thinking, and Minimalist Tutoring Pedagogy For the past two years, I have worked as a tutor at the Rutgers Writing Center as a â€Å"minimalist tutor.† Anthony Lioi, author of â€Å"Small Victories: The Practice and Process of Tutoring,† defines minimalist tutoring as â€Å"a method that requires students to solve their own problems under the supervision of a tutor who acts as a coach, a more experienced peer, rather than an editor† (Lioi, 1). At Rutgers, minimalist tutoring works in conjunction with The New Humanities Reader, which was put together by Kurt Spellmeyer and Richard E. Miller and has as its goal the promotion of â€Å"connective† as opposed to â€Å"mimetic† thinking. Lioi offers the clearest distinction between connective and mimetic thinking when he says, â€Å"’mimetic thinking,’ [is] designed to demonstrate mastery of a pre-established realm of knowledge, and ‘connective thinking,’†¦ links disparate realms of learning in new and unexpecte d patterns to solve problems unanticipated by traditional forms of knowledge† (Lioi 1). To this end, minimalist tutors are trained in a â€Å"hands off† method that emphasizes the importance of giving students exploratory writing exercises to do on their own during the tutoring session and discourages the practice of â€Å"correcting† students’ papers to â€Å"create a ‘perfect’ paper† (2). In my time at the Writing Center, I worked with many students and had much success with the minimalist tutoring methods. However, sometimes with some students, I did not seem to be very effective. I was never sure why the tutoring did not seem to be helping these students, and I couldn’t tell what, if anything, they had in common with each other that would make minimalist tutoring less effective. I was often tempted to break the â€Å"rules† of minimalist tutoring and to apply a more hands-on approach, but I was afraid I would be e ven less useful to them if I did. Finally, I was faced with a student who simply was not getting anywhere with the tutoring, even though I could tell he was working hard. I decided to break the rules and give him the help I thought he needed. In the process, I figured out that minimalist tutoring fails many students for the exact reason that it is effective with so many others. The emphasis of connective thinking over mimetic thinking in the Rutgers Writing Program, and the way that emphasis is translated into minimalist tutoring practices, ignores the specific needs of students who come to Rutgers without a strong background in expository writing.

Guerilla Warfare Essay -- essays research papers

Guerrilla Warfare The term guerrilla (Spanish, â€Å"little war†) originated in the early 19th century during the Peninsular war when, after the defeat of Spain’s regular forces, Spanish irregulars and civilians rose up against the French occupying forces. The practice of guerrilla warfare, however, dates from antiquity; for example, the Bible tells of the Israelite conquest of Canaan, led by Joshua, involving harassment and ambush of the enemy. Later Jewish resistance to foreign rule was expressed in the series of fierce guerrilla operations against the Romans in the 1st century AD; led by the Zealot sect, this revolt was climaxed by the seizure of Masada and the massacre of the Roman garrison there in AD66. Lacking the numerical strength and weapons to oppose a regular army in the field, guerrillas avoid pitched battles. Instead, they operate from bases established in remote and inaccessible terrain, such as forests, mountains, and jungles, and depend on the support of the local inhabitants for recruits, food, shelter, and information. The guerrillas may also receive assistance in forms of arms, medical supplies, and military advisers from their own or allied regular armies. The tactics of guerillas are those of harassment. Striking swiftly and unexpectedly, they raid enemy supply depots and installations, ambush patrols and supply convoys, and cut communication lines, hoping thereby to disrupt enemy activities and to capture equipment and supplies for their own use. Because ...

Like Water for Chocolate Essay

Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Squalevella Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub (Trd); ISBN: 0553472550 Copyright 1994 CHAPTER ONE. JANUARY. Chrutnuw Ro/ INGREDIENTS 1 can of arOin 1/2 choriw aaye oreyano 1 can of chitej rrano 10 haro ro PREPARATION: Take care to chop the onion fine. To keep from crying when you chop it (which is so annoying!), I suggest you place a little bit on your head. The trouble with crying over an onion is that once the chopping gets you started and the tears begin to well up, the next thing you know you just can’t stop. I don’t know whether that’s ever happened to you, but I have to confess it’s happened to me, many times. Mama used to say it was because I was especially sensitive to onions, like my great-aunt, Tita. Tita was so sensitive to onions, any time they were being chopped, they say she would just cry and cry, when she was still in my greatgrandmother’s belly her sobs were so loud that even Nancha, the cook, who was halfdeaf, could hear them easily. Once her wailing got so violent that it brought on an early labor. And before my greatgrandmother could let out a word or even a whimper, Tita made her entrance into this world, prematurely, right there on the kitchen table amid the smells of simmering noodle soup, thyme, bay leaves, and cilantro, steamed milk, garlic, and, of course, onion. Tita had no need for the usual slap on the bottom, because she was already crying as she emerged, maybe that was because she knew then that it would be her lot in life to be denied marriage. The way Nancha told it, Tita was literally washed into this world on a great tide of tears that spilled over the e dge of the table and flooded across the kitchen floor. That afternoon, when the uproar had subsided and the water had been dried up by the sun, Nancha swept up the residue the tears had left on the red stone floor. There was enough salt to fill a ten-pound sack-it was used for cooking and lasted a long time. Thanks to her unusual birth, Tita felt a deep love for the kitchen, where she spent most of her life from the day she was born. When she was only two days old, Tita’s father, my great-grandfather, died of a heart attack and Mama Elena’s milk dried up from the shock. Since there was no such thing as powdered milk in those days, and they couldn’t find a wet nurse anywhere, they were in a panic to satisfy the infant’s hunger. Nancha, who knew everything about cooking-and much more that doesn’t enter the picture until later offered to take chargeof feeding Tita. She felt she had the best chance of `educating the innocent child’s stomach,† even though she had never mauled or had children. Though she didn’t know how to read or write, when it came to cooking she knew everything there was to know. Mama Elena accepted her offer gratefully, she had enough to do between her mourning and the enormous responsibility of running the ranch and it was the ranch that would provide her children the food and education they deserved-without having to worry about feeding a newborn baby on top of everything else. From that day on, Tita’s domain was the kitchen, where she grew vigorous and healthy on a diet of teas and thin corn gruels. This explains the sixth sense Tita developed about everything concerning food. Her eating habits, for example, were attuned to the kitchen routine: in the morning, when she could smell that the beans were ready, at midday, when she sensed the water was ready for plucking the chickens, and in the afternoon, when the dinner bread was baking, Tita knew it was time for her to be fed. Sometimes she would cry for no reason at all, like when Nancha chopped onions, but since they both knew the cause of those tears, they didn’t pay them much mind. They made them a source of entertainment, so that during her childhood Tita didn’t distinguish between tears of laughter and tears of sorrow. For her laughing was a form of crying. Likewise for Tita the joy of living was wrapped up in the delights of food. It wasn’t easy for a person whose knowledge of life was based onthe kitchen to comprehend the outside world. That world was an endless expanse that began at the door between the kitchen and the rest of the house, whereas everything on the kitchen side of that door, on through the door leading to the patio and the kitchen and herb gardens was completely hers-it was Tita’s realm. Her sisters were just the opposite: to them, Tita’s world seemed full of unknown dangers, and they were terrified of it. They felt that playing in the kitchen was foolish and dangerous. But once, Tita managed to convince them to join her in watching the dazzling display made by dancing water drops dribbled on a red hot griddle. While Tita was singing and waving her wet hands in time, showering drops of water down on the griddle so they would â€Å"dance,† Rosaura was cowering in the corner stunned by the display. Gertrudis, on the other hand, found this game enticing, and she threw herself into it with the enthusiasm she always showed where rhythm, movement, or music were involved. Then Rosaura had tried to join them-but since she barely moistened her hands and then shook them gingerly, her efforts didn’t have the desired effect. So Tita tried to move her hands closer to the griddle. Rosaura resisted, and they struggled for control until Tita became annoyed and let go, so that momentum carried Rosaura’s hands onto it. Tita got a terrible spanking for that, and she was forbidden to play with her sisters in her own world. Nancha became her playmate then. Together they made up all sorts of games and activities having to do with cooking. Like the day they saw a man in the village plaza twisting long thin balloons into animal shapes, and they decided to do it with sausages. They didn’t just make real animals, they also made up some of their own, creatures with the neck of a swan, the legs of a dog, the tail of a horse, and on and on. Then there was trouble, however, when the animals had to be taken apart to fry the sausage. Tita refused to do it. The only time she was willing to take them apart was when the sausage was intended for the Christmas rolls she loved so much. Then she not only allowed her animals to be dismantled, she watched them fry with glee. The sausage for the rolls must be fried over very low heat, so that it cooks thoroughly without getting too brown. When done, remove from the heat and add the sardines, which have been deboned ahead of time. Any black spots on the skin should also have been scraped off with a k nife. Combine the onions, chopped chiles, and the ground oregano with the sardines. Let the mixture stand before filling the rolls. Tita enjoyed this step enormously, while the filling was resting, it was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to evoke the past, bringing back sounds and even other smells that have no match in the present. Tita liked to take a deep breath and let the characteristic smoke and smell transport her through the recesses of her memory. It was useless to try to recall the first time she had smelled one of those rolls-she couldn’t, possibly because it had been before she was born. It might have been the unusual combination of sardines and sausages that had called to her and made her decide to trade the peace of ethereal existence in Mama Elena’s belly for life as her daughter, in order to enter the De la Garza family and share their delicious meals and wonderful sausage. On Mama Elena’s ranch, sausage making was a real ritual. The day before, they started peeling garlic, cleaning chiles, and grinding spices. All the women in the family had to participate: Mama Elena, her daughters, Gertrudis, Rosaura, and Tita, Nancha, the cook. And Chencha, the maid. They gathered around the diningroom table in the afternoon, and between the talking and the joking the time flew by until it started to get dark. Then Mama Elena would say: â€Å"That’s it for today.† For a good listener, it is said, a single word will suffice, so when they heard that, they all sprang into action. First they had to clear the table, then they had to assign tasks: one collected the chickens, another drew water for breakfast from the well, a third was in charge of wood for the stove. There would be no ironing, no embroidery, no sewing that day. When it was all finished, they went to their bedrooms to read, say their prayers, and go to sleep. One afternoon, before Mama Elena told them they could leave the table, Tita, who was then fifteen, announced in a trembling voice that Pedro Muzquiz would like to come and speak with her. After an endless silence during which Tita’s soul shrank, Mama Elena asked: â€Å"And why should this gentleman want to come talk to me?† Tita’s answer could barely be heard: â€Å"I don’t know.† Mama Elena threw her a look that seemed to Tita to contain all the years of repression that had flowed over the family, and said: â€Å"If he intends to ask for your hand, tell him not to bother. He’ll be wasting his time and mine too. You know perfectly well that being the youngest daughter means you have to take care of me until the day I die.† With that Mama Elena got slowly to her feet, put her glasses in her apron, and said in a tone of final command: . II â€Å"That’s it for today.† Tita knew that discussion was not one of the forms of communication permitted in Mama Elena’s household, but even so, for the first time in her life, she intended to protest her mother’s ruling. â€Å"But in my opinion â€Å"You don’t have an opinion, and that’s all I want to hear about it. For generations, not a single person in my family has ever questioned this tradition, and no daughter of mine is going to be the one to start.† Tita lowered her head, and the realization of her fate struck her as forcibly as her tears struck the table. From then on they knew, she and the table, that they could never have even the slightest voice in the unknown forces that fated Tita to bow before her mother’s absurd decision, and the table to continue to receive the bitter tears that she had first shed on the day of her birth. Still Tita did not submit. anxieties sprang to her mind. Doubts and the next week she didn’t speak a single word to her. What passed for communication between them resumed when Mama Elena, who was inspecting the clothes each of the women had been sewing, discovered that Tita’s creation, which was the most perfect, had not been basted before it was sewed. â€Å"Congratulations,† she said, â€Å"your stitches are perfect -but you didn’t haste it, did you?† â€Å"No,† answered Tita, astonished that the sentence of silence had been revoked. `Then go and rip it out. Baste it and sew it again and then come and show it to me. And remember that the lazy man and the stingy man end up walking their road twice.† â€Å"But that’s if a person makes a mistake, and you yourself said a moment ago that my sewing was . â€Å"Are you starting up with your rebelliousness again? It’s enough that you have the audacity to break the rules in your sewing.† â€Å"I’m sorry, Mami. I won’t ever do it again.† With that Tita succeeded in calming Mama Elena’s anger. For once she had been very careful, she had called her â€Å"Mami† in the correct tone of voice. Mama Elena felt that the word Mama had a disrespectful sound to it, and so, from the time they were little, she had ordered her daughters to use the word Mami when speaking to her. The only one who resisted, the only one who said the word without the proper deference was Tita, which had earned her plenty of slaps. But how perfectly she had said it this time! Mama Elena took comfort in the hope For one thing, she wanted to know who started this family tradition. It would be nice if she could let that genius know about one little flaw in this perfect plan for taking care of women in their old age. If Tita couldn’t marry and have children, who would take care of her when she got old? Was there a solution in a case like that? Or are daughters who stay home and take care of their mothers not expected to survive too long after the parent’s death? And what about women who marry and can’t have children, who will take care of them? And besides, she’d like to know what kind of studies had established that the youngest daughter and not the eldest is best suited to care for their mother. Had the opinion of the daughter affected by the plan ever been taken into account? If she couldn’t marry, was she at least allowed to experience love? Or not even that? Tita knew perfectly well that all these questions would have to be buried forever in the archive of questions that have no answers. In the De la Garza family, one obeyedimmediately. Ignoring Tita completely, a very angry Mama Elena left the kitchen, and for that she had finally managed to subdue her youngest daughter. Unfortunately her hope was short-lived, for the very next day Pedro Muzquiz appeared at the house, his esteemed father at his side, to ask for Tita’s hand in marriage. His arrival caused a huge uproar, as his visit was completely unexpected. Several days earlier Tita had sent Pedro a message via Nancha’s brother asking him to abandon his suit. The brother swore he had delivered the message to Pedro, and yet, there they were, in the house. Mama Elena received them in the living room, she was extremely polite and explained why it was impossible for Tita to marry. â€Å"But if you really want Pedro to get married, allow me to suggest my daughter Rosaura, who’s just two years older than Tita. She is one hundred percent available, and ready for marriage At that Chencha almost dropped right onto Mama Elena the tray containing coffee and cookies, which she had carried into the living room to offer don Pascual and his son. Excusing herself, she rushed back to the kitchen, where Tita, Rosaura, and Gertrudis were waiting for her to fill them in on every detail about what was going on in the living room. She burst headlong into the room, and they all immediately stopped what they were doing, so as not to miss a word she said. They were together in the kitchen making Christmas Rolls. As the name implies, these rolls are usually prepared around Christmas, but today they were being prepared in honor of Tita’s birthday. She would soon be sixteen years old, and she wanted to celebrate with one of her favorite dishes. â€Å"Isn’t that something? Your ma talks about being ready for marriage like she was dishing up a plate of enchiladas! And the worse thing is, they’re completely different! You can’t just switch tacos and enchiladas like that!† Chencha kept up this kind of running commentary as she told the others-in her own way, of course-about the scene she had just witnessed. Tita knew Chencha sometimes exaggerated and distorted things, so she held her aching heart in check. She would not accept what she had just heard. Feigning calm, she continued cutting the rolls for her sisters and Nancha to fill. It is best to use homemade rolls. Hard rolls can easily be obtained from a bakery, but they should be small, the larger ones are unsuited for this recipe. After filling the rolls, bake for ten minutes and serve hot. For best results, leave the rolls out overnight, wrapped in a cloth, so that the grease from the sausage soaks into the bread. When Tita was finishing wrapping the next day’s rolls, Mama Elena came into the kitchen and informed them that she had agreed to Pedro’s marriage-to Rosaura. Hearing Chencha’s story confirmed, Tita felt her body fill with a wintry chill: in one sharp, quick blast she was so cold and dry her cheeks burned and turned red, red as the apples beside her. That overpowering chill a lasted a long time, and she could find no respite, not even when Nancha told her what she had overheard as she escorted don Pascual Muzquiz and his son to the ranch’s gate. Nancha followed them, walking as quietly as she could in order to hear the conversation between father and son. Don Pascual and Pedro were walking slowly, speaking in low, controlled, angry voices. †Why did you do that, Pedro? It will look ridiculous, your agreeing to marry Rosaura. What happened to the eternal love you swore to Tita? Aren’t you going to keep that vow?† â€Å"Of course I’ll keep it. When you’re told there’s no way you can marry the woman you love and your only hope of being near her is to marry her sister, wouldn’t you do the same?† Nancha didn’t manage to hear the answer, Pulque, the ranch dog, wentrunning by, barking at a rabbit he mistook for a cat. â€Å"So you intend to marry without love?† â€Å"No, Papa, I am going to marry with a great love for Tita that willnever die.† Their voices grew less and less audible, drowned out by the crackling of dried leaves beneath their feet. How strange that Nancha, who was quite hard of hearing by that time, should have claimed to have heard this conversation. Still, Tita thanked Nancha for telling her-but that did not alter the icy feelings she began to have for Pedro. It is said that the deaf can’t hear but can understand. Perhaps Nancha only heard what everyone else was afraid to say. Tita could not get to sleep that night, she could not find the words for what she was feeling. How unfortunate that black holes in space had not yet been discovered, for then she might have understood the black hole in the center of her chest, infinite coldness flowing through it. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw scenes from last Christmas, the first time Pedro and his family had been invited to dinner1 the scenesgrew more and more vivid, and the cold within her grew sharper. Despite the time that had passed since that evening, she remembered it perfectly: the sounds, the smells, the way her new dress had grazed the freshly waxed floor, the look Pedro gave her . . . That look! She had been walking to the table carrying a tray of egg-yolk candies when she first felt his hot gaze burning her skin. She turned her head, and her eyes met Pedro’s. It was then she understood how dough feels when it is plunged into boiling oil. The heat that invaded her body was so real she was afraid she would start to bubble-her face, her stomach, her heart, her breasts-like batter, and unable to endure his gaze she lowered her eyes and hastily crossed the room, to where Gertrudis was pedaling the player piano, playing a waltz called the Eyes of Youth.† She set her tray on a little table in the middle of the room, picked up a glass of Noyo liquor that was in front of her, hardly aware of what she was doing, and sat down next to Paquita Lobo, the De Ia Carzas’ neighbor. But even that distance between herself and Pedro was not enough1 she felt her blood pulsing, searing her veins. A deep flush suffused her face and no matter how she tried she could not find a place for her eyes to rest. Paquita saw that something was bothering her, and with a look of great concern, she asked: â€Å"That liquor is pretty strong, isn’t it?† â€Å"Pardon me?† â€Å"You look a little woozy, Tita. Are you feeling all right?† â€Å"Yes, thank you.† â€Å"You’re old enough to have a little drink on a special occasion, but tell me, you little devil, did your mama say it was okay? I can see you’re excited-you’re shaking and I’m sorry but I must say you’d better not have any more. Yo u wouldn’t want to make a fool of yourself.† That was the last straw! To have Paquita Lobo think she was drunk. She couldn’t allow the tiniest suspicion to remain in Paquita’s mind or she might tell her mother. Tita’s fear of her mother was enough to make her forget Pedro for a moment, and she applied herself to convincing Paquita, any way she could, that she was thinking clearly, that her mind was alert. She chatted with her, she gossiped, she made small talk. She even told her the recipe for this Noyo liquor which was supposed to have had such an effect on her. The liquor is made by soaking four ounces of peaches and a half pound of apricots in water for twenty-four hours to loosen the skin1 next, they are peeled, crushed, and steeped in hot water for fifteen days. Then the liquor is distilled. After two and a half pounds of sugar have been completely dissolved in the water, four ounces of orange-flower water are added, and the mixture is stirred and strained. And so there would be no lingering doubts about her mental and physical well-being, she reminded Paquita, as if it were just an aside, that the water containers held 2.016 liters, no more and no less. So when Mama Elena came over to ask Paquita if she was being properly entertained, she replied enthusiastically. â€Å"Oh yes, perfectly! You have such wonderful daughters. Such fascinating conversation!† Mama Elena sent Tita to the kitchen to get something for the guests. Pedro â€Å"happened† to be walking by at that moment and he offered his help. Tita rushed off to the kitchen without a word. His presence made her extremely uncomfortable. He followed her in, and she quickly sent him off with one of the trays of delicious snacks that had been waiting on the kitchen table. She would never forget the moment their hands accidentally touched as they both slowly bent down to pick up the same tray. That was when Pedro confessed his love. â€Å"Sen on to Tita, I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to be alone with you to tell you that I am deeply in love with you. I know this declaration is presumptuous, and that it’s quite sudden, but it’s so hard to get near you that I decided to tell you tonight. All I ask is that you tell me whether I can hope to win your love.† â€Å"I don’t know what to say . give me time to think.† â€Å"No, no, I can’t! I need an answer now: you don’t have to think about love, you either feel it or you don’t. I am a man of few words, but my word is my pledge. I swear that my love for you will last forever. What about you? Do you feel the same way about me?† â€Å"Yes!† Yes, a thousand times. From that night on she would love him forever. And now she had to give him up. It wasn’t decent to desire your sister’s future husband. She had to try to put him out of her mind somehow, so she could get to sleep. She started to eat the Christmas Roll Nancha had left out on her bureau, along with a glass of milk, this remedy had proven effective many times. Nancha, with all her experience, knew that for Tita there was no pain that wouldn’t disappear if she ate a delicious Christmas Roll. But this time it didn’t work. She felt no relief from the hollow sensation in her stomach. Just the opposite, a wave of nausea flowed over her. She realized that the hollow sensation was not hunger but an icy feeling of grief. She had to get rid of that terrible sensation of cold. First she put on a wool robe and a heavy cloak. The cold still gripped her. Then she put on felt slippers and another two shawls. No good. Finally she went to her sewing box and pulled out the bedspread she had started the day Pedro first spoke of marriage. A bedspread like that, a crocheted one, takes about a year to complete. Exactly the length of time Pedro and Tita had planned to wait before getting married. She decided to use the yarn, not to let it go to waste, and so she worked on the bedspread and wept furiously, weeping and working until dawn, and threw it over herself. It didn’t help at all. Not that night, nor many others, for as long as she lived, could she free herself from that cold. TO BE CONTINUED Next month’s recipe, Chabeta weooina Cake. CHAPTER TWO. FEBRUARY. Chabefa Wany Cake INGREDIENTS. 175 aranw refinco granetlate0 uyar 300 yram cake flour, fteo’ three tim& 17eay arateo peel of one lime PREPARATION: Place five egg yolks, four whole eggs, and the sugar in a large bowl. Beat until the mixture thickens and then add two more whole eggs repeat, adding the remaining eggs tw o at a time until all the eggs have been added. To make the cake for Pedro and Rosaura’s wedding, Tita and Nancha had to multiply this recipe by ten, since they were preparing a cake not for eighteen people but for 180. Therefore, they needed 170 eggs,which meant they had to arrange to have that number of good eggs on thesame day. To get that number of eggs together, they preserved all the eggs laid by the best hens for several weeks. This preserving technique had been employed on the ranch since time immemorial to ensure a supply of this nourishing and indispensable food throughout the winter. The best time to preserve eggs is August or September. The eggs must be very fresh. Nancha preferred to use only eggs laid the same day. The eggs are placed in a cask containing crumbled sheep fodder, allowed to cool, and then covered completely. This will keep the eggs fresh for months. If you want them to keep for more than a year, place the eggs in an earthenware crock and cover them with a ten-percent lime solution. Cover tightly to keep the air out and store in the wine cellar. Tita and Nancha had chosen to use the first method because they didn’t need to keep the eggs fresh for that many months. They had placed the cask containing the preserved eggs between them under the kitchen table and were taking the eggs out of it as they put the cake together. When she had beaten barely a hundred eggs, the phenomenal energy required for the task began to have a bad effect on Tita’s mood. To reach the goal of 170 seemed unimaginable. Tita beat the mixture while Nancha broke the eggs and added them to it. A fit of trembling shook Tita’s body and she broke out in goose bumps when each new egg was broken. The egg whites reminded her of the testicles of the chickens they had castrated the month before. Roosters that are castrated and then fattened up are called capons. The family had decided to serve capons at Pedro and Rosaura’s wedding because they would impress everyone with the quality of the dinner, as much for the amount of work required in their preparation as for the extraordinary flavor of the birds themselves. As soon as the date of the wedding was set for the twelfth of January, they ordered two hundred roosters to be bought for castrating and fattening up. This task fell to Tita and Nancha. Nancha because of her experience and Tita as punishment for feigning a headache to avoid her sister Rosaura’s engagement. â€Å"I won’t stand for disobedience,† Mama Elena told her, â€Å"nor am going to allow you to ruin your sister’s wedding, with your acting like a victim. You’re in charge of all the preparations starting now, and don’t ever let me catch you with a single tear or even a long face, do you hear?†