Catholic Social Teaching Essay

* is a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on matters of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization and the role of the state. Its foundations are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical letter Rerum Novarum, which advocated economic Distributism and condemned both Capitalism and Socialism, although its roots can be traced to the writings of Catholic thinkers such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine of Hippo, and is also derived from concepts present in the Bible. * The Catholic Social Teaching has two basic characteristics, namely, being permanent and developing. * Permanent -Since the teachings are based on the Gospel, they offer a permanent complex idea to be pursued in the ever changing historical conditions and ways. These teachings can never go out of date in their fundamentals. Examples of these permanent teachings are exemplified in the following principles: 1. Human dignity and Solidarity 2. Social justice and Christian love 3. Active non-violence and peace 4. Preferential option for the poor 5. Value of human work 6. Universal destinations of all goods of the earth 7. Stewardship and the integrity of creation 8. People empowerment 9. Authentic and holistic (integral) human development * Developing -The fundamentals of Church Social Teaching make up the steadily growing collection of the Church’s social principles that must be creatively applied to and renewed in ever changing concrete situations of various events, cultures, and human needs in the historical process. Deeper insights into permanent values develop as the Church reads the signs of the times. * Methods and Sources 1. Scripture. The authoritative books which record the Jewish and Christian   experiences of God’s self-disclosure. Scripture reveals who God is and who we are called to be in response to God. Interpretation of Scripture requires attention to historical context and is best done in community. 2. Tradition: the ways of thinking and living that are â€Å"handed over† (traditio) from one generation to the next; an ongoing conversation across the ages about our most important questions. Also the body of theological reflection and the ways of putting this reflection into practice that are â€Å"handed over† (traditio) from one generation to the next. Magisterium: official teaching office of church and authoritative voice of tradition. While theologians, activists, and ordinary Catholics make contribute to this body of theological reflection in important ways, a privileged source of Catholic tradition is the magisterium or the official, authoritative teaching office of the church. This official teaching office is exercised by Catholic Bishops, and in particular the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), as well as groups appointed by the Pope. This teaching is expressed in the form of a) papal encyclicals; b) encyclicals of Church Councils (such as Vatican II) or Synods of Bishops, c) statements by Vatican offices, congregations, and commissions; & d) Episcopal conferences (regional meetings of Bishops, such as the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States). 3. Reason. The natural human capacity to know truth. The way we interpret and understand Scripture, Tradition, and experience. * Reason as Natural Law The preeminent form of reasoning for much of Catholic tradition has been natural law reasoning. To understand Catholic natural law reasoning, one must get inside a whole worldview, culture, and language within Catholic tradition. Natural law holds that God’s intentions are expressed in the order that God â€Å"built into creation.† This order takes the form of â€Å"natures† or intelligible patterns of being. Humans are capable of knowing this order by reflecting upon creation. As humans we must first recognize our nature and act according to it so as to fulfill our created nature. For example, humans by nature (or by creation) have a â€Å"built in† instinct for self-preservation. Aquinas argues that to use appropriately limited violence in self-defense is good because it is to act according to our God-given nature. (God’s creation is good). * Four Levels of Law St. Thomas Aquinas defines law is â€Å"an ordering of reason† (ordinatio rationis) or the most important way that reason rules or measures actions. He describes four levels of law: a. Eternal Law: the mind (ratio) of God which orders and governs creation b. Divine Law: the explicit revelation of the mind of God in Scripture c. Natural Law: the expression of the mind of God in the order that God has built into creation. This order takes the form of natures or patterns of being that humans can know by using their reason to reflect on creation. For example, because humans by nature (or creation) have a built in instinct for self-preservation, limited self-defense is in accord with our God-given nature. See Romans 2:14-15 d. Human Law: human attempts to formulate laws that reflect the natural law. * Two Interpretations of Human Nature There have been two major strains of interpretation of human nature: a) â€Å"nature as physical†Ã¢â‚¬â€humans must respect their biological â€Å"givenness† or the physical order (ex. artificial contraception interferes with the natural order of sexual intercourse whereas the rhythm method respects this order.) b) â€Å"nature as rational†Ã¢â‚¬â€humans must act in accord with reason; they must seek to discover and fulfill their fullest purpose. Biology does not trump other cues in discovering â€Å"nature.† Instead, we must look to all sources of human wisdom in order to discover how things are meant to be. The pope reasons that the purpose of property is for the good of all creation but a limited right to private property is consistent with human dignity and human wisdom about how well people take care of common property. 4. Experience. Our encounter with the world both past and present. Christian tradition privileges the experience of those at the margins of society—the poor and the oppressed. In Catholic social thought experience is enriched and expanded by a four step process of interpretation and reflection which I will call â€Å"the interpretive circle†. a. experience: insert yourself into a situation, see what is going on, and gather necessary information b. social analysis: â€Å"What are the structural or â€Å"root† causes of injustices?† â€Å"What are the patterns of action that reinforce these injustices?† c. theological reflection: â€Å"What light does faith, especially as expressed in Scripture and Catholic social teaching, shed upon our experience and social analysis?† â€Å"Where is God in this situation and how might we respond to God’s call to us?† d. practical planning: â€Å"What are the most faithful, creative, and effective ways of acting upon the first three steps?† * How does Catholic tradition use these four sources? 1. They serve as checks and balances to each other. Each should inform and complement the other in critical dialogue. 2. â€Å"Reason informed by faith.† Reason and faith penetrate each other and form a unified way of approaching problems. Scripture and Christian Tradition provide the overall story, worldview, and values that serve as the framework for moral reasoning.

Economics Oligopoly

Main economic features of an Oligopoly and key economic theories of price fixing. This part of the coursework aims to identify and explain the main economic features of an Oligopoly and also the key economic theories which influence the price of a product or service. This part deals with the theoretical aspects of Oligopoly and the later part emphasizes on the practical applications of the theories and oligopoly features.According to Pass et al (2000), â€Å"Oligopoly, a type of market structure is characterised by a few firms and many buyers, where the bulk of market supply is in the control of relatively few large firms who in turn sell to many small buyers†. To describe the degree of oligopoly, concentration ratio is often utilized. Concentration ratio is the measure of the market share of the largest four firms in the industry expressed as a percentage. A low concentration ratio suggests a high level of competition and vice versa for.As there are few players dominating the industry, each player or an oligopolist is said or likely to be aware of others course of actions. The decision taken by one player seems to affect the decision taken by others and strategic planning by the firms needs to take into account the likely response of other participants (Wikipedia, 2010). For example, a proper game of chess depends on how well you read your opponent’s moves, similarly in oligopoly; strategies are devised based on the moves of competing market firms.The reason for existence oligopoly as stated by Maunder et al (1991) is for the achievement of economies of scale. Firms tend to reduce their average cost of production by increasing their scale of operation and since the small firms have higher average costs, they tend to go out of business or be absorbed by the larger ones. The features of oligopoly are:- a. Number of Firms:-The very important feature of an oligopoly is the number of firms. Even though there are a large number of firms operating in a particular industry, only a handful of firms hold the major share between them. . Interdependence: – A very distinctive feature of an oligopoly is interdependence. When a very few large firms operate in a particular industry, their activities or strategy cannot be independent of each other. Unlike monopoly, where the monopolist need not worry about the reaction of its rivals as there are none, an oligopolist takes into consideration the possible reactions of all rival firms. For example, a company considering a price reduction of its products may wish to estimate the chances of price reduction by the rival company and hence starting a price war. . Profit Maximization Condition: – The firms in an oligopoly generally agree to co-operate and act as one monopolist as it generates high profits (Begg and Ward 2007). This kind of formal collusive agreement is called a cartel. An oligopoly maximises profits where the marginal revenue equals the marginal cost. This is also know n as profit maximization condition. Price ELASTIC UNIT ELASTIC P MC, AC PROFIT MAXIMIZING OUTPUT O MR Quantity (Source: Begg and Ward 2007) d.Perfect Knowledge: – Oligopolists are said to have a perfect knowledge about their cost and demand functions but a lesser information about other firms (Wikipedia, 2010). e. Entry Barrier: – One of the main important features of oligopoly also is the entry barrier. There are high entry barriers that restrain a new firm from entering a market. For example, the barriers can be the economies of scale, access to expensive and complex technology, lower costs for an established firm, brand loyalty, patented production process and strategic action by incumbent firms etc.The table below gives the market concentration in different industries. As discussed earlier, the large few firms form a cartel and set a price. Once the members of the cartel agree on the price, they compete against each other using non price competition in order to gai n the maximum revenue. There are other various ways in which the firms fix the price. One of them being tacit collusion, where the firms agree on a price set by an established leader. This is also known as dominant firm price leadership as the price setting firm is the dominant firm in the industry.The other way is the barometric firm price leadership, where the price leader is the one whose prices reflect the market conditions in the most stable form (Sloman et al, 2010). To fix prices, the producers must be able to control the market supply. The other forms of price fixing in tacit collusion is average cost pricing, where producers add a certain percentage of profit on top of average costs and price benchmarking, where firms raise the price only up to a benchmark already set.Price fixing is achieved by the competing firms coming together on a platform where they can agree on a common pricing and production strategy thus acting in a manner in which a monopoly operates. This kind of collusion is known as cartelisation. Cartels although banned in many countries, is difficult for the enforcement agencies to gather evidence and penalise the participants. The quantity for the cartel and the individual firm will not be the same as one firm individually will have the scope for further increase in productivity to achieve a situation where the marginal cost equals the marginal revenue.In such cases firms may decide to go ahead with excess supply which can lead to a price war and inconsistent revenues to the industry. Even without overt collusion firms in an oligopoly are able to reach a point of profit maximisation when they behave in a manner reflected in â€Å"Nash Equilibrium† (Begg and Ward 2007). 2B) Direct to Home (DTH) television industry in India acting as an oligopoly. India has a total television population of about 135 million of which about 108 million have an access to cable and satellite television (Plugged in, 2010).The total DTH sub base at the end of first quarter in the year 2010 was 23 million (Dish TV India Ltd, 2010) which was about just 1 million in the year 2006. Indian DTH industry has seen a flurry of activities in the recent years after a monopolistic reign by Dish TV for a couple of years. It is currently in a state of Oligopoly with the top four operators controlling nearly 80% of the total market. The major players in the market are Dish TV by Zee group, TataSky- a joint venture by Tata and Star TV, Big TV by Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Digital TV by Bharati Telemedia and SUN Direct from Sun TV.Since there are only 3 major players in the DTH market, Indian DTH industry is an oligopoly. (Indiadth, 2010) The product offering by the rival firms are more or less similar in nature with little or no product differentiation. Amongst all the players, Sun Direct has essentially remained a regional operator who made a late debut in the national scene. The content or the channels are same with all the operators barring few omissions and additions. The DTH industry market share is as follows. BRAND| MARKET SHARE| Dish TV| 30%|TataSky| 22%| Sun Direct| 25%| Big Tv| 13%| Airtel| 8%| D2H| 2%| (Source: http://www. pluggd. in/dth-industry-in-india-analysis-297/) From the data above we can see that Dish TV, TataSky and Sun Direct together hold the maximum market share with over 75%. (Source: http://www. slideshare. net/) To confirm the oligopoly, we can use the Herfindahl-Hirschman index or the HHI. It measures the size of the firms in relation to the industry and also indicates the amount of competition between them. Mathematically, (Adapted from Pass et al, 2000)Here Si = market share of firm i in the market and N is the number of firms. Hence H = 302 + 222 + 252 + 132 + 82 + 22 H = 2246. With this value of H we can conclude that this industry is an oligopoly. Although there is no indication of an overt collusion in the industry, a closer look at their price plan (fig 1. 1) can lead us to a strategic o r tacit understanding between the players. The market is abuzz with marketing drives to garner market share and the customer is currently loaded with freebies like free installation, free channels and the like.Going by the level of investment and infrastructure the operators need to garner as much subscriber base as possible to be in a profitable proposition. They are however aware of the competition and are refraining from a price war. Such behaviour of the operators is characteristic of a non-price competition in Oligopoly. This is due to the interdependency of firms in the oligopoly and the strategic behaviour can also be referred to the â€Å"Nash Equilibrium† (Begg and Ward 2007). (Source: Slideshare. net/researchonIndia) Brand Name| PricePlan(inINR)/month| Dish TV| 135. 0| TataSky| 150. 00| Sun Direct| 115. 00| Videocon| 136. 00| Fig: 1. 1 (Source: Company websites, 2010) Now as in any oligopoly, it has to be supported by entry barriers, both endogenous and exogenous. T he natural barrier of entry in this particular industry is primarily associated with government licensing and also the intensity of capital investment required. Given that all the DTH operators are already established players in related sectors such as telecom, media it gives them a strategic advantage in terms of distribution and content.For any new entrant it could pose as a strategic entry barrier. Indian DTH market has constantly been attracting different players over the years given the increasing number of television subscribers. Although there have been entry barriers, companies like Videocon along with its cutting edge technology entered into the market in the presence of established players. The cutting edge technology proved to be a barrier breaker. Videocon managed to build television sets with set top boxes which helped it develop its own customer base.References Begg, D. , and Ward, D. (2007). Economics for Business, 2nd edition. Berkshire: McGraw Hill Publication. Chri stopher Pass, Bryan Lowes and Leslie Davies (2000). Economics, 3rd edition. HarperCollins Publishers. DTH, (2010). http://www. pluggd. in/dth-industry-in-india-analysis-297/ [Accessed 21/11/2010] Dish TV, (2010). http://www. dishtv. in/packages. aspx [Accessed 21/11/2010] Indiadth, (2010). http://www. indiadth. in/ [Accessed 22/11/2010] Maunder, P. , Myers, D. , Wall, N. , and Miller, R. L. 1991) Economics Explained, 2nd edition. Collins Educational. Sloman, J. , and Hinde, K. (2007). Economics for business, 4th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Sun Direct, (2010). http://www. sundirect. com/packages. php [Accessed 22/11/2010] Tata Sky, (2010). http://www. tatasky. com/channel-packages. html [Accessed 22/11/2010] Videocon, (2010). http://www. videocond2h. com/wsc/packages. html [Accessed 22/11/2010] Wikipedia, (2010). Oligopoly. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Oligopoly [Accessed 21/11/2010)]

China Pestel

Analysis 1. Political Factors Peace and development are the main topics of world; China keeps stable and harmonious relationships with all of countries. Government Encourages Entrepreneurship The government encourages the citizen to create the enterprise and cooperate with foreign-funded enterprises; it is a good opportunity for all of people and develops a new business. Such as preferential policies for setting up business, decrease the sales tax and income tax, offer free training course for high school graduate or unemployment, no individual guarantee for the enterprise loan below 70000 Yuan and etc.Decreasing in Import Tax One good thing for our business are the import tax of cream material goes down from 19% to 6%, moreover we have more choices to select the ice cream machines, and it will reduce our cost and make the produce process easier. Impact on Open Economic Policy Albeit the competition will be strong as the foreign brands swarm into Chinese market this few years, we dis cover that there is still a gap for our business to fit in and it is also a chance to develop the Chinese brands and enhance the existing ice cream industry to compete with foreign brands.On the other hand, it lays a foundation for Chinese ice cream brands enter into the international market in the future. QS Standards Certificate Ice cream industry QS (Quality safety) standards certificate is a passport for running ice cream factory. It requires every factory to prepare a freezer which can keep the ice cream under the degree 30; the freezer will cost 5 million Yuan. But this rule doesn’t apply to the foreign ice cream brands and some of home-made ice cream shops. Tax Policy It depends on the place and general industry sales amount, the tax department stimates the sales amount of the store, and then we need to pay for 5. 45% tax every month. There is no relationship with the invoice. Employment Policy For employments, they must have health certificates. The enterprise must si gn the contracts with them and pay the four insurances which the government asked for. Include the old-age insurance, medicare insurance, unemployment insurance, and child-bearing insurance. Allowance for Farmer Who Plant Organic Products Organic materials are now more expensive than the average products in the market.Hence, the government supports and encourages the farmer to plant the green and organic agricultural products. We believe that the price will go down, and people will enjoy the green and organic products more than before. 2. Economic Factors 2. 1Macro economic factors Growth in Population In shanghai, the area covers 6340km? , separate 18 districts. the population is about19 million and 6million families. The best business area is Xuhui (1060,000 population), Huangpu (570,000population) and Pudon district (2400,000 population). The high density of population will have a positive impact to our business. GNP Trends and National incomeAccording to the first quarter report s of this year, national economy maintain a growing trend, achieved 657. 45 billion Yuan which rise 6. 1% compare to last year. The per-capita disposable income of urban residents is 15781 Yuan and the per-capita net income of rural people is 4761 Yuan, rise 8. 4% and 8% in real terms. It is estimated that the growth target for this whole year can be reached 8%. 2. 2 Micro economic factors Based on the first quarter report of this year in Shanghai, The disposable income per-capita of urban residents is 26690 Yuan and the per-capita net income of rural people is 11400 Yuan, rise 6% and 6. % in real terms. According to the report of The People's Bank of China in May 2009, the saving breakthrough 4 trillion, growth rate meets 23% and the amount rise 48. 3billion Yuan. House rent income and other property income rise 2%. Employment pressure keeps increasing trend, the university graduate is 158000, rise 6%. The government pushes many of policies to solve the problems. People’s in come, bank saving and employment status are affecting our business directly, all of the data shows the increasing trend in each factor; therefore, we believe that our business prospects is optimistic. 3. Social FactorsCross-Culture Shanghai is a modern and international city. Due to the globalization, young people’s thinking and lifestyles are getting closer to western culture. They are like a sponge which can easily accept the new and strange things. Ice cream is part of their life in Western country, which has a significantly impact to the ice cream industry today in China. Ice cream is not only for kids’ enjoyment nowadays but also become an indulgence of young generation and a satisfaction for old generation. The new consumption format leads ice cream business to a bright future. More Aware of Having a Healthy LifestyleSince eating ice cream has become part of people enjoyment, they are seeking for high-nutrition ice cream which can keep them healthy and slim while they are having their enjoyment. Doctor Qikeming from Beijing Children hospital said the obesity issue happened in 7-18 years old children,meet 5%boys and 3% girls in 100 people, the trend is growing very fast, the main reasons are they eat too much fast food, carbonated drinks, dessert, ice cream. Thus, parents are more aware of their children’s health and also purchase organic foods for them. High Expectation Due to the intense competition nowadays, people are expecting more than the past.They care not only about the products but include its packaging, color, taste, price and even the advertising words and image. 4. Technological factors Produce Ice Cream by Using Latest Technology Along with the improvement of the consumption level, people’s requirements on food are unceasingly enhance. Meanwhile it is a trend which develops new products and fit the consumer’s needs. Experts advance â€Å"three lower and one higher plan† for the ice cream manufactorie s, low salt, low fat, low sugar, and high protein. More and more scientists are dedicated in studying and developing organic products.Thus, develop health and function ice cream against the traditional ice cream recipe by using the technology today will be a success in business. 5. Legal factors Food Safety Law This law is used to protect, monitor and limit the industry of developing and lead the right way for business. It has conducted since June, 2009. The new law shows the food exempted from inspection canceled and the food additives which are not in the list of catalogs cannot be used in any food. Once the consumers’ rights meet loss, they can ask for 10 times compensation money compare to price of goods.All of goods must have a clear components list on the packing and mark unsuitable people, function explanation. How to Register a Company? First, we need to prepare several names of our company, then we will go to The Administrative Bureau of Industry and Commerce to pick up one name which is not similar to other company in order to avoid confusing. Next, prepare at least 2 people which are the company stockholder, one must be the legal representative. There are several choices to decide the company format: Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability Company, Company Limited by Shares. Each of them has different law responsibilities.For our business, we will register as a sole proprietorship company. Following by the detail of our business and open a bank account. The bank capital is at least 100000 Yuan for a small-scale business. To register a General taxpayer, the cash in bank must be at least 500000 Yuan. After that, The Administrative Bureau of Industry and Commerce will check through all the details. It takes around 15 days to get the operating license. We can start the tax process after getting the operating license. We need to apply for an enterprise code to department of technical supervision which is a Tax ID Code of the business.It will take 3 0 days for the tax department to process before we can get the Tax Registration Certificate. The tax department will then confirm the business tax rate, items of taxation, levy time and method. 6. Environmental factors Government Policies Protecting environment is a hot topic in current society. The government establishes many policies for one-off packing in food industry. For our business, the main packing materials are cups, scoops, straws. We will choose disposable paper products and degradable plastic to reduce the environment damage. Increasing Awareness of Environmental ProtectionSince people nowadays are more aware of the importance of the environment and becoming â€Å"green consumers†, they prefer goods and services that are â€Å"environmental friendly† and which have less impact on the environment. We will strive to be carbon neutral, green, clean and pristine. In addition to producing inconceivably delicious organic ice cream, we will try to operate in a su stainable manner. We use fully organic ingredients, offset our emissions, use compostable serving dishes and also compost our waste. This gives our business a clear advantage over our competitors who are not doing well in this field. References Website:

Microsoft and Apple Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Microsoft and Apple - Case Study Example Microsoft's intelligent and rather unfair business strategies have helped in making it the biggest name in the business by dominating every new comer on the market but Apple is the only company to have fought back. This is because of its large quantity of unusually fond customers who will not shift to any other operating software no matter how hard they try, and Microsoft has tried, and is still trying. Being such huge companies one would assume that they would have strict rules of what to wear and strict Sop's (standard operating procedures) but no. Both companies are innovation based. The directors of both companies know that if you want an employee to be very creative and innovative then you have to let them feel relaxed while working and they follow in this path themselves. The culture of both companies is one where every software developer would dream of working. Microsoft in particular takes out a lot of time and effort to hand pick new software developers out of good universities and trains them to extreme levels while spending a lot of money in making them satisfied with their jobs so they can in turn give something as good back to the company. Apple is no different. It is full of highly innovative professionals who know their work so well that they have moved the company from only being a computer and software related company to a full electronics and accompanied Software Company. Microsoft's basic ideology is to provide every customer the taste of Microsoft's innovation and excellence by making them use their software. The company's main goal is to have the whole world running their operating software in all types of electronic machines. At Microsoft, honesty, integrity and constructive self improvement is highly praised. Apple's base ideological principles are a little different, though mostly the same. they do not plan world domination, but instead believe on slow and steady progress in first making a piece of cutting edge and incredible stylish hardware, then designing a flawless operating software for it which is so pleasing for the user and is so graphic intensive that customers will never want to switch to any alternate. Branching out into the whole electronic goods market and inventing good solid consumer electronic goods across a range of markets is what Apple does best. Business Change The flagship Microsoft products are the Microsoft windows and the Microsoft office productivity suites. The current edition of Microsoft windows is Windows Vista and office suite is the Microsoft Office 2007. Released in early 2007, windows vista has come under a lot of criticism simply because of one reason, it is not perceived as being better compared to its predecessor, Windows XP, which was launched in 2001. Microsoft is adamant that Vista's new kernel and code written from scratch is the very thing which makes it unique and better but the bottom line for most users is that it takes up too much space on the hard disk, is not more productive than XP and even though it is much better in security, an issue which was extremely lacking in XP, the price for it is too high and as Vista is designed for the latest machines with at least a 2.8GHZ Intel compatible processor, a good high end graphics card and at least 2GB of RAM, the cost of hardware alone for most organizations is too much before they even think of buying the top spec version dubbed windows Vista

Land Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Land Law - Essay Example Lenders are required to send a reminder notice or letter of demand if payments are defaulted1. If the payment default is not corrected as expected in the demand letter, the lender should send a default notice, making it clear how he will remedy the default to allow the borrower a maximum period of 30 days as per the date of the note to do so. When a mortgager of residential property fails to repay his mortgage, he will find it difficult, though not impossible to prevent the mortgage from recovering the property and selling it. Mortgage in English law is resulted from two different influences. Its form and origin belong to the common law; the constraints by which it is made to act as security only, belong to the courts equity. The English law states that, if the mortgagor did not pay on the contractual date, he at one time can forfeit the mortgagee and can be sued in contract to for money repayment. Accordingly, the legal right to redeem is very limited. The mortgagee’s right t o possess the residential property is exactly what is expected. By virtue of how legal mortgages are created, the lender is considered as having an estate in the residential land, thus he is given an immediate right to possession instantly the ink dries on the mortgage. Notably, the mortgagee may posses the property at any moment even when the mortgage is not in default, basing only to the provision contrary in statute or in the mortgage itself. In the usual course of events, this right will not be exercised by the mortgagee and will be content to permit the mortgagor to continue possessing the property so long as the terms of mortgage are adhered to and payments are done as agreed. Indeed, the mortgagee could have promised in the contract not to seek possession except if the mortgagor breaches any other obligation or defaults repaying. If this happens, possession may be granted in virtue of the mortgagee’s right, not in virtue of a solution to be requested from the court2. I n this context therefore, mortgaged property can only be taken and sold basing on the procedure of mortgage creation, the rights of the lender, and the rights of the mortgagor. How a mortgage is created Before property is taken and sold, the mortgagee and the mortgagor should both consider the way this mortgage was created. The first step is to involve a mortgage advisor to offer an agreement in principle or approval. This illustrates what the provider will likely be willing to lend, basing on specific terms and conditions. Such a step can be helpful when a mortgagor has chosen his mortgage and the property is to be offered. A mortgagor should never be tempted to overstate his income since he can end up with a mortgage he can not afford to repay. To legalize a mortgage, a licensed conveyance or a conveyance solicitor must be included in this creation so that he can draw up contract, make local searches, and carry out other legal paperwork. Some lenders may refer a mortgage to a spec ified solicitor but a personal recommendation may be a choice. After this, it is important that the property is valuated3. The lender will often have the prosperity valued to ensure that it is worth the agreed upon price. If it’s not, then it will affect the amount to be lent. It is therefore advisable for a mortgagor to get his own survey done as well or to upgrade the valuation of the lender’s survey into a more detailed one. After mortgage offer, the mortgagor’s solicitor can set a date for contract exchange with the seller’s solicitor. A percentage of the buying price is paid by the mortgagor at this time, as a non-refundable deposit and entrust to paying the rest upon the agreed completion time, that is, when he owns the property. A mortgage can be created over a

Course Project Task 4-5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Course Project Task 4-5 - Essay Example The corporate level strategy has a good chance of succeeding because Nissan’s management is not new to Thailand. Nissan already enjoys an established presence in Thailand. In order to turn its weaknesses into strengths, Nissan must steer its expansion program carefully so that justification for the eco-car is clear, and the investment pays off. Further, since Nissan is already in the process of corporate restructuring under the Recovery Plan, it can use this to its advantage by molding the new structure so that it specifically supports the expansion program in Thailand. Also, as Thailand has cheaper labor than Japan, the expansion program in Thailand will further help Nissan in slashing labor costs. This would make it a leaner company that can focus on the eco-car and lead the future more profitably. There is thus a greater chance for profitability in Thailand than in Japan with the strong yen. As Nissan already has a presence in Thailand, it has established access to suppliers and dealers. This enables Nissan to use its existing business relationships as a springboard for carrying out the expansion programs. Development of the eco-car specifically is also of special interest to Thailand’s government and to environmental groups. Therefore, gains can definitely be made from synergy and the environment of Thailand is supportive. Nissan’s corporate strategy could identify the new eco-car more closely with Thailand to consolidate the relationship and open up new opportunities for moving beyond Japan and its alliance with Renault. The change would make business sense for Nissan to further its Recovery Plan on one hand and set the stage for the future with its new eco-car on the other. Change is necessary if Nissan wants to thwart its troubles of the past and invent a new eco image for itself in promotion of its Green Program. As for turning threats

Managing integrated global supply chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing integrated global supply chain - Essay Example Rolland's organization is bed-ridden with chaos as evinced by the unending stack of problems engulfing it.It is quite natural a reaction if a global retailing giant like Wal-Mart revises its opinion on including them in their preferred list of suppliersIt is a leading company after all, being consistently awarded Best Practices recognition comes from a rigorous adherence to the highest standards in the industry, and all suppliers must conform to their minimum expectations, if they wish to thrive in business. Just selling a final good product isn't enough; professional customers tend to visualize their deals as a permanent establishment of sustainable partnerships, and viable networks which, if not fulfilled, can cause tremendous loss in value and image acquired from years of consistent value delivery to 100% satisfied customers.A look into Wal-Mart's existing supplier chain can help clarify the fundamentals of their clear-cut expectations from the supplier base; from the lowest margi n of error to the highest significance attached to quality,it relentlessly pursues a zero-tolerance policy towards non-compliance, and swiftly punishes unaccountable suppliers with heavy fines, indemnities or even termination of contract.It brooks no controversies related to violation of its basic ethical policies, as specified in its supplier standard code which specifies norms on issues like child labour, medical hazards in the workplace, discrimination on any grounds, and lack of concern for the environment. Rolland's will have to walk the talk when it comes to developing as it ambitiously likes to call itself, a "world-class manufacturer." Clearly, the entire house has to be set in order for justifying the use of such a behemoth expression to qualify its present shortcomings. The key themes that must grab the management's attention are discussed here under: Lean manufacturing Lean manufacturing is an established philosophy developed originally in Japan, that seeks to eliminate the production of 7 wastes: overproduction, waiting time, transportation time, processing time, inventory, motion and scrap (wikipedia). This invariably leads to improvement in quality and reduction of manufacturing cost. How is this approach going to benefit Rolland's The case study mentions several instances which clearly project that chaos reigns supreme in the day-to-day operations over there. Huge amounts of Work-in-progress (W.I.P.) and unsold inventory forever keep the employees on their toes, always being chased as last-minute orders; the turnout of events spiraling into a big mess on the shop floor ultimately, all this leads to an undesirable rate of rejection, even at the cost of employee overtime. Rolland's can adopt the methodology of lean production in a phased-manner. It might want to do away with existing orders first before taking up fresh work. But, this time in between the intervals, it must undergo a process overhaul through extensive discussions and brainstorming sessions between the factory manager, the line and supervisory staff, and the workers. Defect areas must be clearly identified and holes be plugged in proper through innovative solutions. For example, there's a reference in case study regarding the manner in which material is handled; the finished goods' section also doubles as incoming-materials department. Clearly, such malpractices must not be allowed to continue at any cost.

Socrates Fortlow, History, and Anna Deavere Smith Essay

Socrates Fortlow, History, and Anna Deavere Smith - Essay Example In Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, Walter Mosley responds to the feasibilities for a person who has been incarcerated for a long time to readjust and to play a role in the society. The main character, who is Socrates Fortlow, has been contending with the life after and outside of prison after his release. By means of a series of unified and interrelated events focused on Socrates and his outlook, the reader will stumble across a system of problems, interlocked and tessellated the forms the backbone of the story. Socrates lives in the streets of Los Angeles; and from this haven reflect are the upshots of urban dilemmas such as poverty, crime, discrimination, violence, and white racism. Although Mosley leaves out the limits of mystery in writing this book, he has manifested his knowledge and observation of what really happens in real life; things that are answered by the most common questions: What is my future? Where to go? What to eat? What about racial discrimination? How do I measure up against the White gangster on the streets? These are typical questions that provide answers to what make up human history. In the book, Socrates has to deal with the many complications of human existence, especially among the Blacks in urban Los Angeles. One particular contention that is being subtly reverberated is how the truth about the severity of street violence, discrimination, and white racism towards the Blacks are reduced by the transition of these real events into texts or videos or whatever medium used to record a historical event. History does not necessarily tell the real events that have occurred in the past. There could be a lot of things that will be lost in translation or be left out deliberately. Nevertheless, the perspective or context in which historical texts are written provide clue to the network of issues or problems that blighted the past, and which can still be in existence up to this moment. Socrates stresses the importance of studying history and literature because it is in the texts that careful thinking is carried out in order to ensure that the voice of the past will still be the voice of the present. The way we understand history is based upon the ideas that we read on historical books; and without the m, there is no reason for us to critically imagine about the past. While there are many media that could keep details of history such as videos and pictures among others, oftentimes, these media are misrepresented. This is the point that Anna Deavere Smith would likewise want to stress out: â€Å"the video of Rodney King Keating, which seemed to "tell all", apparently did not tell enough, and the prosecution lost, as their lead attorney told me, "the slam dunk case of the century. The city of Los Angeles lost much more† (Smith xxi). Smith believes in the power of literature to be able to reiterate perspectives of the past to the present. However, in the case of Keating, who was a victim of beating, the jury favors to convict him even though the video clearly evokes how he was beaten mercilessly. Smith argues that â€Å"what most influences my decisions about what to include is how an interview text works as a physical, audible, performable vehicle. Words are not an end in th emselves. They are means to evoking the character of the person who spoke them.† The most ideal thing of using literature as a first medium to record

Biological Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biological Science - Essay Example sult the transfer of heat from a cooler body to a hotter one.† (Jones) This law states that there cannot be energy gain in a system with out doing any work. In the universe there can’t be change inside any system with out doing any work. The third law states â€Å"It is impossible to reduce any system to absolute zero in a finite series of operations.† (Jones) It says there can’t be any system in this universe such that energy transfer does no take place. So the conclusion can be drawn is, the universe as such will not undergo the absolute zero and it will exist forever. Law of Conservation of Matter states that â€Å"During an ordinary chemical change, there is no detectable increase or decrease in the quantity of matter.†( Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy) This content the fact universe will remain constant that is, the matter in universe will be constant and there will not be any change in the amount of matter present. There could be changes taking place. The science has brought drastic change in human history and itself created a big history. There are constructive as well as destructive effects of science on society. The human beings are considered to be a sophisticated aspect in the world. And to live as group it requires lot of sense about what happening in the world. Starting from the old age, the hidden principal of life is being brought into action in a systematic manner and that’s what called as the effect of science on society. The culture and tradition follows the aspect of science. So as the inventions grow up, the human beings started practicing all sort of things in the world and created further enhancement on the existing concepts. Starting from the morning toothpaste to the mosquito coil in the night science is involved in every moment of life of an average person. Due to discovery by Newton that earth is round there were opposition for his invention which resulted in death of Newton. After serious of transformation Newton’s

Louis Armstrong and the development of early jazz Essay

Louis Armstrong and the development of early jazz - Essay Example ific manner of performance - singing "scat", that is, the kind of jazz singing, when the melody is improvised with adding of meaningless set of words which serves as a kind of an additional tool. The novelty of the performance surprises hearing of listeners and wins their hearts. Louis Armstrong becomes not only the example of following by other jazzmen but also the favorite of the public. All this has its positive aftereffects even nowadays, after more than fifty years, as his compositions are listened by a great number of his fans, his albums and compilations of hits still face unprecedented demand. So what is the role of Armstrong for the development of early jazz and what his particular impact on it? Let’s see the characteristic features of his individual style by researching its expression in his full of talent songs. Probably the peculiarities of every person’s life, whether he or she is a representative of the scientific or creative environment, find their reflection to some extent in his or her works, and Louis Armstrong is not an exception in this respect. From early childhood and till the youth the future jazz player has an experience of street singing, participation in the camp brass orchestra, performance in clubs and restaurants, becoming a member of different bands. All this helps Armstrong to emerge as an extraordinal performer whose distinctive feature is his playing style of cleanliness and beauty of sound. The other thing which highlights Armstrong on the background of other jazz performers is his grandstanding aimed to be appreciated by everyone from the audience; and it must be said he manages to become the favorite among the black as well as the white public. This means that the ease with which he wins the white public can be explained by the fact that from Louis’s childhood he grows up and serves to white people, and that helps him to learn how to find the right approach in dealing with them so as not to be hungry, at minimum, and to

The Transforming of Women in Medieval Literature Essay Example for Free

The Transforming of Women in Medieval Literature Essay Over the countless years of history man and woman have realized that they must come together in order to survive. Whether it was solely for the continuation of our race through procreation, or by uniting one with another in matrimony; the two genders have found it impediment to spend their lives in each other’s midst. Over the span of several millennia we not only see the evolution of these relationships, but we can also witness the transformation of the roles each gender plays in everyday life. One such period where we see many of these roles evolving occur is chronicled in Medieval Literature. Writings such including Chaucer’s â€Å"The Canterbury Tales† and many Arthurian Legends present women and their treatment by their male counterparts in a ways uncommon to earlier writings. One of the best representations of such thinking is found in â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. † The text includes women of varying types and gives an excellent paradigm to the changing culture of the Medieval Era. At the genesis of the tale we are presented with the ideal medieval lady. The narrator describes Queen Guenevere’s immense beauty and states that â€Å"fair queen, without a flaw†¦ A seemlier that once he saw, / In truth no man could say† (81-84). Guenevere serves as an example of the prior period’s typical woman. She is quiet, obedient to her husband, and the attractive object of the male gaze. Previously this was the norm for woman, to be confined to a set of restrictions that kept her inferior to all other men. Compared to Chaucer’s Wife of Bath who is loud, assertive, and extremely sexually open, Guenevere knows her roles and offers little complaint of her place in the castle. The lack of her contention exemplifies the base portrayal of a woman’s traditional position. The next female we come across in the journey of Gawain is Bertilak’s wife. At the first moment of meeting the lovely lady, we are presented with the fact that she is of a different breed than Guenevere. As she enters the room, Gawain’s mind wanders, â€Å"her body and her bearing were beyond praise, / And excelled the queen herself† (944-945). Here a knight admits the greatness of a lady beyond his own queen. This reveals the higher complexity found in the lady of the castle. Where we see the deepening contrasts is in the lady’s actual description. Whereas Guenevere was praised for solely her beauty and carriage, we see depth beyond this in the description of Bertilak’s wife. In lines 1204-1207, we read, â€Å"sweetly she does speak / And kindling glances dart, / Blent white and red on cheek / And laughing lips apart,† a noticeably more sexualized description than the one offered for our former lady. Delving even deeper into the story we read her actions as exceedingly daring for the wife. She wanders into the room of the night herself to seduce him for a kiss. In this time period women made no attempt at such provocation of a man’s lustful desires. Now one may point out that the lady was under orders from Bertilak. What I see is the man counting his wife as equal and including her in his plan to trick Gawain. Either case we see a woman who enjoys the confines of being a lady yet at the same time the freedoms of equality. In this we see more of a modern woman. She is developed more complexly in that she is neither completely virtuous yet neither is she corrupt. Finally we have one last woman; one whom tears down all the conceptions of the conventional feminine roles of the time. Gawain’s Aunt Morgan la Faye is the magical temptress who devises the plan to test her worthy nephew. La Faye is the ultimate foil of our first character and an extreme version of the second. She has no husband and nor any other male too hold her to the constraints of society. She is able to use her powerful skills to do as she pleases and cause any amount of mayhem she sees fit. For example we find out at the end of the tale the old lady accompanying Bertialk’s wife is indeed Morgan la Faye in disguise. Morgan though she is extremely beautiful and young in her true form, stands for the free unconfined woman. Women across time have continually had to deal with confining gender roles. Yet in ever period there have been women who redefined the roles and pushed to break the trends stressed upon them. This condition is reflected by the writers of the time. From their efforts we are able to see the transformation and how the human condition has been affected. The poet who penned †Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† was able to cleverly weave this into the tale. From the examples of Guenevere’s demure attitude, to Lady Bertilak’s seductive ways, and finally ending with Morgan la Faye’s free and chaotic spirit; this paradigm is clearer in the middle ages than many others. Woman made great strides in the era of chivalry and began to break free of the bonds that contained them.

Pregnancy and Juno Essay Example for Free

Pregnancy and Juno Essay The protagonist of the film is 16-year-old, Juno MacGuff. Juno has to face the dilemmas of an unexpected pregnancy. She finds what seems to be the perfect adoption couple, but when her adoption plans take a turn for disaster, Juno must dig herself out of her sticky situation and do what’s best for her baby. At the start of the film, Juno decides to have unprotected sex with her close friend, Paulie Bleeker. Her choice to have un-protected sex is a choice she hasn’t taken into a whole lot of consideration, consequently leading Juno to becoming pregnant. The mise-en-scene at the start of the film shows us how Juno now feels about her pregnancy. Juno stands across from the armchair Bleeker and she had sex on, while a voice over says, ‘It started with a chair. ’ The armchair seems much larger than Juno even though they are about the same size. The chair represents Juno’s sudden pregnancy, something dominant, something overwhelming her. Juno looks small in comparison to the chair, showing us that she feels small, insignificant and weak. New Zealand has a shocking teen pregnancy rate, with 3,800 babies born to teens throughout the country every year. Teenagers who have sex without using protection may not expect to end up with a pregnancy, because they naively believe that the chances of a pregnancy are too slim for it to happen to them. When a teen becomes pregnant they can be left in a position of helplessness because they were never prepared to deal with a baby. This is the consequence of not being careful enough and not protecting yourself when aving sex, something that Juno has to deal with. Juno plans to quickly get rid of the baby by arranging an abortion. Juno goes to the clinic where she meets a Soo-Chin, fellow classmate, who is holding an anti abortion sign in the clinic car park. Soo-Chin tells Juno that her baby is well alive inside of her, and has even grown fingernails. Juno finds this interesting, but continues into the clinic. She waits for her appointment inside, but as she is waiting, the reality t hat her baby is in-fact alive inside her scares Juno into canceling her abortion. This is shown by the added foley sound effect of people’s fingernails inside the clinic. As Juno waits she hears the sounds of people’s fingernails drumming, filing and scratching reminding her that her own baby already has fingernails. The sound of the fingernails starts to resemble a pulse, making Juno feel uncomfortable and nervous, causing her to run out of the clinic. Juno later arranges a closed adoption instead of an abortion. Many pregnant teens who choose not to abort do so because they do not want to cause pain to the baby living inside of them. This choice means that they have to carry on with the pregnancy at their tender age. They later keep the baby or adopt out likewise to Juno. Juno chooses a couple, Mark and Vanessa, who seem like the perfect parents for Juno’s child, and so Juno arranges a closed adoption. But nearing the end of Juno’s pregnancy, she discovers that Mark plans on leaving Vanessa, throwing all of Juno’s adoption plans away. Juno becomes distraught; but even without Mark in the picture, Juno realizes that Vanessa is dedicated enough to love and care for the baby. This is shown to us by the technique of the bird’s-eye view, when Juno and her friend are at the mall, and spot Vanessa. Juno looks down at her from above, almost as if she was assessing her, and sees that Vanessa naturally has a way with children. Juno writes a note to Vanessa saying that she is still up for the adoption if Vanessa is too. We see that the carefully thought out choice that Juno makes turns out positively, as Vanessa gets the child that she’s always wanted, and Juno’s life settles again. The use of set shows us that the dilemma has concluded, as we see a rocking chair, with a voiceover that says ‘It ended with a chair. ’ Vanessa’s room is cluttered and her clothing is very casual, showing that she has finally let go of her proper, uptight self. The mise-en-scene of the very final scene also shows us that Juno’s choice resulted well, as Juno and Bleeker are seated opposite each other. They are in complete symmetry and are of equal size, showing us that they are both in harmony and all is well. Adoption is a process growing in popularity in today’s society. It can be very convenient for both sides of the adoption. People who desperately want their own children and cannot have any can adopt someone else’s child, giving the child a nurturing home that the child probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. The biological parent of the adopted child is probably unable to provide a nurturing home for the child, or not at an age where parenting is an option. So the choice of adoption becomes convenient for them, knowing that their child will go to someone else who will love them and will be able to take very good care of them. Many techniques help build up the important idea that all of our actions will have consequences. We see that sometimes, spontaneous choices can lead to unexpected, negative results, such as Juno’s pregnancy. We see that sometimes, our gut feeling or instinct can change our choices, like when Juno decides not to abort her baby. Juno also shows us that choices that are thought out will usually turn out for the better, an example we see from the ending of the film. Because the teen pregnancy rate in New Zealand is one of the highest in the world, Juno is an easily relatable film for teenagers in our country, who may even learn a thing or two from watching Juno’s situation play out before us. This is why the film Juno is such a successful and charming watch. Great – apart from a couple of inaccuracies and a suggestion or two that I have made in-text, this is definitely working towards Excellence level.

Domestication of Maize in Mesoamerica

Domestication of Maize in Mesoamerica One of the most basic needs of a human being is that of food. We most eat and drink to survive. Subsistence is a natural thought which consumes every modern humans day. What will I eat for breakfast? What will I take for lunch or will I eat out? Should I take something out for dinner or pick something up on the way home? All of these questions seem at times quite complicated, however are without a doubt, much simpler than what may have crossed the minds of prehistoric humans. Just as it is today subsistence was the center of each cultures world. Whether you were nomadic or sedentary each group of hunter-gatherers had to eat. It is the survival of these societies which allows us as archaeologists a peak into the past. The process of gathering enough food in which to obtain a sufficient amount of calories was first and foremost in everyday life. The process of domestication of certain plants eventually led to more nucleated settlements. Let us keep in mind Morgans theory of culture, if this is correct, that cultural progression is lineal; than it is safe to assume that the only natural progression for prehistoric humans was to transition from the hunter gather stage of obtaining subsistence to a more agricultural life style. One cultigen in particular was maize, now referred to as corn. In this paper an attempt will made to properly explain what maize is, how maize became a major staple in prehistoric peoples diet, and lastly how has maize been detected in Mesoamerica through evidence in the archaeological record. What is maize? It is a large species of American grass of the genus Zea (Z. Mays) widely cultivated as a forage and food plant; known as Indian corn (http://archaeology.about.com). Maize is a cultigen; this is a crop that cannot propagate in the wild without human intervention. Plant domestication can be defined as the human creation of a new form of plant, dependent on human intervention, harvesting and planting for survival. Maize has a distinct planting season, growing season, and harvesting season. There is a worldwide importance placed on corn. In the Western Hemisphere it is by far the most important human food crop (Beadle, 615). It is still the most important crop in all of Latin America. On a worldwide basis it is the third most important human food crop, with an annual production of some two hundred metric tons (Beadle, 615). When Columbus arrived from the Old World and stumbled upon this strange crop on the island of Cuba, essentially all major races of maize-some two to three hundred- were already in cultivation and had been disseminated from its place of origin, probably southern Mexico (which will be explained further in the paper), to mid-Chile in the south and to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in the north. The passage below from a science magazine will further help explain the definition of maize. Corn, also known as maize (from the Spanish maiz) was first domesticated nearly 10,000 years ago from teosinte, a wild grass that looked quite different from our modern crop. Teosinte grew in Mexico and Central America as a bushy plant with many spikes, the precursor to our familiar ear of corn. The small teosinte spikes had only two rows of nearly inedible kernels, or seeds, each enclosed by a hard covering. These seeds separated individually at maturity and were dispersed widely. In probably less than a thousand years, the tiny spikes of ancestral teosinte transformed into larger ears with edible kernels that remained on the cob for easy harvest. How these dramatic changes occurred has been a puzzle for over a century. Geneticists are now convinced that humans living in the Balsas River region of Mexico were foraging teosinte seeds when they noticed rare aberrations-likely caused by random mutations-that increased spike size dramatically. Seeds were propagated from these bigger spi kes, and thus the remarkable events of domestication began. By studying the maize genome, researchers have now confirmed that mutations in single genes, such as Teosinte glume architectural (Tgal). Alter kernel and plant structure and that changes in many genes influence complex developmental traits, such as the time to flowering. As human populations migrated throughout the Americas, new varieties of maize were selected to grow in local environments. Some varieties were maintained as so-called landraces, each growing in ecological niches in Mexico and South America. Now, these varieties and landraces hold a wealth of genetic diversity, which is being tapped for both basic research and as traits for crop breeding(http://www.sciencemag.org/products/posters/maize_poster) How did maize become a major staple in prehistoric peoples diet? Where there other uses or maize other than subsistence? New research shows that there is unequivocally four major independent centers of plant domestication; the Near East, China, Eastern North America and Mesoamerica. (Smith 1989: 1566) The Americas is believed to provide the clearest record there is of agriculture origins anywhere in the world, providing new understanding of the process involved in this key transformation in human history. However, the process is believed to have started in Mesoamerica. Maize has many uses; food, feed for live stock and energy for industries. As a food, the whole grain, either mature or immature, may be used; or the maize may be processed by dry milling techniques to give a relatively large number of intermediary products, such as maize grits of different particle size, maize meal, maize flour and flaking grits. (http://fao.org) These materials have a significant number of applications in a large variety of foods. Maize grown in subsistence agriculture continues to be used as a basic food crop. In developed countries more than 60 percent of the production is used in compounded feeds for poultry, pigs and ruminant animals. In recent years, even in developing countries in which maize is a staple food, more of it has been used as an animal feed ingredient. High moisture maize has been paid much attention recently as an animal feed because of its lower cost and its capacity to improve efficiency in feed conversion. The by-products of dry milling include the germ and the seed-coat. The former is used as a source of edible oil of high quality. The seed-coat or pericarp is used mainly as a feed, although in recent years interest has developed in it as a source of dietary fiber (Earl et al., 1988; Burge and Duensing, 1989). Wet milling is a process applicable mainly in the industrial use of maize, although the alkaline cooking process used in manufacturing tortillas (the thin, flat bread of Mexico and other Central American countries) is also a wet milling operation that removes only the pericarp (Bressani, 1972). Wet milling yields maize starch and by-products such as maize gluten, used as a feed ingredient. It is this flat bread or tortilla that is speculated to have been used in pre-historic times. This is not the tortilla that we think of today, however, the basic concept is rudimentary and could have been used even 10,000 years ago. George W. Beadles research shows that the probability of maize being similarly used as what we refer to as popcorn is high. This high probability points to the use of teosinte, which has been argued among scholars as an un-usable product, therefore not an ancestor of maize. Beadles research has proven that even the triangular kernel of teosinte could have been heated on heated sand, hot rock or fire and would have popped. There is speculation that in prehistoric time, maize had a religious and ceremonial purpose. It is written that in the height of the Incan empire maize was used in ritual and ceremonial gatherings in the form of beer. (Fernandez-Arnesto; 243) There isnt anything to indicate any different anywhere else that maize has turned up within the archaeological record. With a better understanding of maize and its possible functions, lets address where maize originated. Blake, Clark, Chisholm, and Mudar consider the transition to agriculture in the Formative period of coastal Mesoamerica (from approximately 1500 B.C. to the birth of Christ), specifically along the Pacific coast of Chiapas, Mexico. These scholars review the evidence from this area in terms of two competing hypotheses: the competitive feasting model of Hayden (1990) and the interaction of plants and humans as described by Rindos (1984) and Flannery (1986). MacNeishs work in the Tehuacan Valley has shown that the origins of maize and its integration into a system of agricultural production that included a variety of plants began as early as 7000 B.C. The earliest people to use and domesticate these plants were not sedentary, instead, they were nomadic foragers who incorporated these domesticates into a complex seasonal pattern of hunting and collecting (MacNeish 1967, 1972; Flannery 1968; Flannery 1986). It has been believed that from Formative times forward that maize is typically seen as the main staple crop in Mesoamerican prehistory. Agricultural advancement has long been thought of as the cornerstone of early sedentary village life and one of necessary conditions for the development of complex society (MacNeish 1972). Maize yields a high amount of caloric intake which is necessary in the process of sustaining the level of activity that prehistoric people in Mesoamerica needed to survive. A recent re-analysis by Farnsworth et al (1985) of archaeological data from the Tehuacan Valley, including a stable carbon and nitrogen analysis of the human skeletal remains, suggests that a heavy dependence on grains, including maize began as early as the Coxcatlan phase (ca. 5000-3000 B.C.). In Oaxaca, excavated macrobotanical remains show that domesticates, including maize, beans, squash, and avocados, were in use and consumed both before and after the appearance of the first sedentary villages (Flannery 1976, 1986). Kirkbys (1973) study of agricultural production suggests that the main staple, maize, was cultivated and relied upon from the Early Formative Tierras Largas phase (1400-1150 B.C.) onwards. She suggests, however, that maize did not reach a threshold of productivity, until about 100B.C. when larger varieties allowed greater yields per cultivated hectares of land. The assumption is that as maize cob size grew, and the plant became more productive, then early villagers c ame increasingly to rely on it as a subsistence staple. Both the Tehuacan and the Oaxaca data suggest that after agricultural products, particularly maize, became important in the subsistence system by the Late Archaic period, the trend towards increasing reliance on these plants continued through time. The movement of a relatively small amount of maize from established agro-ecology over long distances into a new environment is equivalent to an evolutionary bottleneck or a founder event (King, 1987; Mayr, 1963). Because only a small portion of the population is represented after one of these events, sampling error will result in, among other things, changed gene frequencies, breakdown of co-adapted gene complexes, and sometimes increased additive genetic variability (Cheverud and Routman, 1996). The above mentioned on page 2 and 3 of this paper attempted to explain the process of genetics when involved in the process of advancement of a plant. We can refer to this as agricultural evolution. Farming in modern day seems to be, from an outsider looking in; hard work, dirty work, and monotonous work. If with modern equipment farming is difficult what would it have been like in prehistoric Mesoamerica? Why farm at all? We look at hunting game now in present day society as romantic and sportsman like. There is a challenge to the game. There is fancy equipment purchased and well kept. Hunters tell stories that are passed on from generation to generation, hunting stories in prehistory had to be just as exciting and the stuff of which myths were made. So, again why farm at all? Many scholars have argued that without agriculture societies would not have existed. Only agriculture, with its pattern of population growth, urbanization, and economic surpluses has produced civilizations (Reed, 5). Thus helping to explain why agriculture led to complex societies. Varying conditions such as altitude, rainfall, soil, and seasonal temperature rand and latitudinal differences in the length of day during growing seasons led to the eventual diffusion of maize northward into North America, however for the sake of this paper the focus will remain on Mesoamerica. The research indicates that the evidence in the archaeological record states that the coastal areas show maize before any other area. Coe and Flannery until the 1980s were the only two researchers to report domesticates at Early Formative cities along the Pacific Coast of either Chiapas or Guatemala. Other than these few incidences relatively few sites have produced macrobotanical evidence of cultigens among their subsistence remains. Richard Scotty MacNeish conducts what he called the great corn hunt in 1958. MacNeish believed by tracking pre-ceramic caves in the southern part of Mesoamerica, namely, in the caves of Copan and the Comeagua Valley of Honduras he would have a better chance of tracking the corn (MacNeish 1962). His search extended to Zacapa Valley of Guatemala in 1959, as well having brief visits in Oaxaca and the Rio Balsas Valley of Guerrero. In 1961 MacNeish and his team started the Tehuacan project which yielded to be a great unbelievable success. Among many question with this project MacNeish and his colleagues were able to solve the problem of the origins of corn and were able to attack the how and the why of many other domesticated plants in highland Mesoamerica. According to MacNeish the amount of artifacts (50,000 lithics, more than 100,000 plant remains, over 10,000 bones and some 250 human feces) found in the 454 sites gave the team a time span that roughly stretched from 20,000 to 2000 B. C. Since MacNieshs research and excavations there have been over 1000 sites found and more archaeological evidence to support his original findings. In conclusion, the topic of maize is one that has intrigued and puzzled archaeologists for many years. The domestication and evolution of maize in and of itself causes much debate. It is because of great archaeologists like MacNeish and his unwavering curiosity of the great corn hunt as to why we have the information that we have today. The mere evidence of 454 sites becoming 1000 in a matter of years speaks for itself. The fact remains that there are 4 major independent centers of plant domestication, the Near East, China, North America, and Mesoamerica. It is the intent of this paper to have clearly introduced even the novice of persons to what exactly is the definition of maize, how maize became a major staple in prehistoric peoples diet, and how maize has been detected in Mesoamerica through evidence in the archaeological record.

The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

The novel opens with a description of artillery-laden troops marching slowly through the rains of late summer and autumn. One of these men is the American Frederic Henry, an ambulance driver. Henry is currently in the Italian army, at the Italian front during World War I. The main action of these first few chapters begins when Henry returns from winter leave in early spring. His roommate, Rinaldi, is enamored of a British nurse, Catherine Barkley, at a nearby British hospital. Rinaldi convinces Henry to visit the hospital with him and Henry finds himself attracted to Catherine. A few days later, Henry comes back to see Catherine and the two kiss The relationship between Henry and Catharine becomes more defined as Henry begins to pay her regular visits. However, the relationship is one devoid of love-to Henry, it is as if they are playing a game. Catherine recognizes this as well, and finally declares that it is a "rotten game we play," putting an end to the false lovemaking. Meanwhile, the offensive is about to resume, and Fredrick Henry is dispatched to the front to drive the wounded back to hospitals. At the front, Henry and his fellow ambulance drivers sit in a dugout, eating pasta and waiting for the offensive to begin. One of the drivers, Passini, speaks out against the war, saying that "War is not won by victory. . . . One side must stop fighting. Why don't we stop fighting?" As they talk, shells shatter over their heads until finally a trench mortar shell blasts open the dugout. Passini's leg is blown off and he dies; both of Henry's legs are severely wounded. At a field hospital, Henry is visited first by Rinaldi, then by the priest. Rinaldi tells Henry that he will get a medal of bravery from the Italians, and jokes about developments. The priest, on the other hand, has more serious matters to talk about. He tries to explain to Henry how "There are people who would make war . . . [and] there are other people who would not make war," and how the latter are at the mercy of the former. The priest also tells Henry that love is a willingness to serve someone else, and that true happiness can be achieved through love. After a few days at the field hospital, Henry is moved away from the front to an American hospital in Milan.

The Beast In the Cave Essay -- Literary Analysis, H.P. Lovecraft

â€Å"You’ve just crossed over into The Twilight Zone† says Rod Serling before every episode of The Twilight Zone. A show that leaves it’s viewers in a macabre state. Instead of drawing a conclusion like most shows, the show usually ends mysteriously. It utilizes similar elements as other short half-hour shows, but goes about it in a different way. This outlandish style is seen in literature, more specifically short stories, as well. Even though other short stories employ the same literary devices, â€Å"The Beast In The Cave† by H.P. Lovecraft is uniquely mysterious because of the story’s suspenseful plot, compelling diction, and, most important, overshadowing theme. In â€Å"The Beast In The Cave†, H.P. Lovecraft develops a suspenseful plot in order to build tension throughout the story that inevitably leaves the reader feeling disturbed and the story hanging. The plot itself is seems simple, but is complicated at the same time. Victoria Nelson talks about how Lovecraft’s stories tease the reader â€Å"with the tantalizing prospect of utter loss of control, of possession or engulfment, while remaining at the same time safely contained within the girdle of a formalized, almost ritualized narrative†. With â€Å"The Beast In The Cave†, the protagonist faces only one conflict throughout the story making it a simple plot line; however, the predicament he is in provides the complexity and tension that Lovecraft creates in other stories as well. The complexity of the plot starts when the reader is introduced to a man lost in a cave and his source of light goes out and continues when the man realizes that â€Å"starving would prove [his] ultimate fate† (1). Readers get a sense of hopelessness the man is feeling, and this is where the tensions begins to build. Alt... ...s. Design215 Inc., 2005-2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. . Fahy, Thomas Richard. The Philosophy of Horror. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, 2010. Print. King, Stephen. â€Å"Gramma.† Skeleton Crew. New York: Signet, 1986. 464-494. Lovecraft, H.P.. â€Å"The Beast in the Cave.† The Transition of H.P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness. New York: Ballantine Books, 1996. 1-6. Nelson, Victoria. The Secret Life of Puppets. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2001. WNC Database. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. Tibbetts, John C. The Gothic Imagination: Conversations on Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction in the Media. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Print. "The Use of Force--William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)." Classic Short Stories. B&L Associates, Bangor, Maine, U.S.A., 1995-2007. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .

My Personal Philosophy of Education Essay -- teaching, educational phi

Abstract The main goal of education is to prepare individuals to be contributing citizens of our society and to help them reach their true potential. Education provides the foundation that enables students to be successful lifelong learners that thrive in society. While schools are the catalyst for the dissemination of education, it is a successful partnership between schools, government family and community that ensures the ultimate success of education. A clear focus on educating all students despite their diverse needs and differentiated instruction are essential. Teachers serve as facilitators who guide students in the learning process. Students are active participants in their education, who expand their horizons through hands-on learning experiences. â€Æ' The most essential purpose of education is to prepare individuals to become productive, contributing members of society. Education needs to prepare individuals for the demands of the work force and lay the foundation for them to become engaged, lifelong learners who continuously update their skills to remain competitive in a changing society. The goal of education is to open the world to individuals by providing them with the skills and the motivation to reach their true potential. Education should spark interests, goals and ambitions. Schools are the catalysts for the dissemination of education. It is the role of schools to prepare children to successfully function within society. Schools need to provide opportunities for students to explore their interests and also teach essential skills in all academic content areas. Providing a safe, nurturing learning environment for all learners that encourages creativity and innovation is also fundamental. It is crucial that schoo... ...ressed. The main goal of education is for students to acquire the necessary foundational skills and develop into critical thinkers and analytical problem solvers that make active contributions to our society. Education provides the foundation that enables students to be successful lifelong learners that thrive in society. â€Æ' References Cohen, L. M. (1999). Philosophical Perspectives in Education. Oregon State University. Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. (2004). Thirteen. Retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/explor_sub5.html Mason, R., Rennie, F. (2008). The e-Learning Handbook: Designing Distributed Learning. New York: Routledge. Shaffer, D. R. (2008). Social and Personality Development (5 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.

Does Malvolio deserve his fate?

Malvolio's character and the misfortunes he encounters though out Twelfth Night provide a lot of the play's comedy scenes. His haughty and pretentious demeanour makes him easy to dislike, yet the treatment he receives is at times a little undeserved and leads to the issue of whether or not Malvolio deserves his fate. In Act 1 of Twelfth Night the audience is immediately presented with Malvolio as a pompous and arrogant man who is ‘sick of self-love.' He is shown as selfish and disillusioned with self-importance when unwilling to carry out menial tasks like delivering a ring; ‘you might have saved me pains' even though it is part of his job. Blindly, he simultaneously criticises Feste's lack of funniness and Olivia for laughing at it; ‘your ladyship takes delight in such a barren rascal,' he arrogantly lectures his superiors showing that he thinks he is above them. This negative representation of Malvolio is continued into Act 2 where the audience gets a glimpse of Malvolio as a puritanical killjoy. Before Malvolio even enters to bring an end to Sir Toby's fun, Maria comments on her surprise that Olivia hasn't already ‘called up her steward Malvolio' to do so. This shows how other characters also think Malvolio is a curmudgeon. Our contempt for Malvolio increases further when he enters and begins to tell the knights off, even though they are his social superiors. He accuses them of being ‘mad' of acting like ‘tinkers' who have ‘no wit, manners, nor honesty'. His remarks indicate that he believes they are acting like commoners and that he would never stoop to such a level, he believes he is above them. He is rude to them and also to Maria, who is his social equal, although he clearly doesn't think so; ‘if you prized my lady's favour†¦you would not give means for this uncivil rule.' Malvolio's relationships with the other characters in the play are on the whole not very good. He does not respect them and they dislike and ridicule him. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Feste and Maria do not share Malvolio's patronising, high opinion of himself and they mimic him by singing at him and reminding him that he is no more ‘than a steward.' The audience's dislike for Malvolio is deepened when he leaves threatening to tell Olivia of their behaviour ‘by his hand,' because of course, nobody likes a telltale. Later, Maria directly calls Malvolio a ‘puritan' this word is used to describe him as a religious killjoy who wishes to inflict his strong, opinionated views on everybody else. Maria also calls Malvolio an ‘affectioned ass' showing that he is so deluded with such a high opinion of himself he believes everybody else should share it. This directly relates to Malvolio being vain about his committed Christian values and portrays him as an outsider among more f un loving people. The language and imagery used to present Malvolio in the early stages of the play enforce a negative image of a rude, pompous and irritating man but he never actually does anything harmful or nasty. He genuinely respects his ‘ladyship' Olivia and is a loyal servant shown by his dismay at Sir Toby's behaviour, ‘Is there no respect for place, persons, nor time in you?' His loyalty shows he understands the value of trust. He is clearly learned and articulate in speech, ‘mitigation in voice' and he is an efficient steward who, after all, is only doing his job. Prior to Malvolio receiving the false letter declaring Olivia's love for him, he makes matters worse for himself by arrogantly imagining his marriage to Olivia, ‘to be Count Malvolio.' This antagonising behaviour shows that Malvolio is very shallow and simply imagines the trappings of wealth; ‘sitting in my state,' ‘my officers around me' and ‘my branched velvet gown,' his ideas are far above his station, he his developing his enjoyment of appearing important. When he picks the letter up and reads it, Malvolio almost instantly relates Olivia's love to himself, ‘M – why, that begins my name.' This shows that his vanity lets him believe, with out question, he is the sort of man Olivia would fall in love with. He falls so easily into such a palpable trap that it is difficult not to believe that he deserves what is coming to him. He convinces himself, on the basis of very thin evidence, that this is confirmation of Olivia's love for him, ‘I will be point-device the very man.' Unfortunately this means that Malvolio's pomposity gets virtually out of control, ‘I will wash off gross acquaintance' and he becomes completely carried away with his dreams. Malvolio falls for the trick so entirely that he induces a little sympathy from the audience because he is so gullible and easily deceived. He is a naturally ambitious person, a social climber who only wishes to fulfil his personal potential. Perhaps his imagination is a little over active but he isn't harming anybody with thoughts. Despite Malvolio's self-delusion the actions of the conspirators begin to appear a little spiteful and excessive, especially as they are already sowing the seeds for further misunderstandings within the play by forewarning Olivia of Malvolio's ‘madness.' Ironically Olivia calls for Malvolio because his seriousness suits her mood but his transformation to her ‘requests' surprises her, ‘Smil'st thou?' Naively, Malvolio has meticulously ‘executed' the ridiculous requests including the ‘trick of singularity' and ‘yellow stockings.' He clearly believes that by doing this he will ‘achieve greatness' and nothing can come between him and the ‘full prospects' of his hopes. His soaring high opinion of himself allows him to believe what he wants to, because of this he misunderstands everything Olivia says. When she instructs him to ‘go to bed' to sleep off his madness he believes she means to go to bed with her, ‘I'll come to thee.' Olivia shows concern for her loyal servant and asks for ‘special care' of her ‘fellow.' He also takes these words the wrong way and launches into a great speech about how she recognises him as her social equal and ‘fellow.' The scheme has succee ded to make Malvolio look completely foolish but the tricksters then begin to take things a little too far when they accuse him of being ‘possessed.' When Olivia departs the trick is rendered a success as Malvolio ‘hath taken the infection of the device' and fallen for it. The audience is reminded of Malvolio's snobbishness, ‘go off, I discard you.' This only encourages the kinsmen and servants pretend they believe he is a lunatic, possessed by the devil, ‘bewitched' and attempt to convince Malvolio himself that he is mad, ‘defy the devil.' They wind him up and pretend to be concerned by calling him childishly affectionate names like ‘chuck' and ‘biddy.' Malvolio senses that they are ridiculing him, and getting annoyed he almost stoops to their ‘element' by telling them to ‘go, hang yourselves all.' The jest now goes one step further out of proportion when the conspirators decide they will imprison Malvolio. This, added to his evident confusion causes the audience to now feel sympathetic towards Malvolio. Maria and the others are still treating the joke as a bit of fun but the audience is able to see how it is getting out of control by the change in Malvolio's personality. They have begun to mess with his mind; ‘make him believe' and they trick him into thinking he is talking to a priest but it is really Feste. This is probably in revenge to Malvolio's remarks regarding Feste's ‘barren' humour. Yet this deception increases sympathy for Malvolio because he doesn't deserve such mistreatment. Feste ridicules Malvolio with his disguise and mocks the steward's earlier behaviour by adopting a pompous voice; ‘that that is, is.' Malvolio's desperation is highlighted by words like ‘never was man thus wronged' but Feste continues to try and make Malvolio believe he is a ‘lunatic' and a ‘hyperbolical fiend' who is speaking the words of ‘Satan.' The teasing and accusations are the key to the audience's pity for Malvolio. The treatment of their prisoner even becomes a little sinister when the conspirators try to manipulate Malvolio into thinking he is insane, ‘windows transparent as barricadoes.' Malvolio ceaselessly denies madness, ‘I am not mad,' and his language becomes simple, direct and honest showing that he is in control of what he is saying and steadfastly refuses all of Feste's accusations, ‘I am no more mad then you are.' This is a complete change from his earlier pompous, lecturing tone of speech. He remains faithful to his Christian beliefs, an admirable quality, even when contradicting them would free him, ‘no way approve his opinion.' Even when Malvolio's dignity is taken away, he insists on his sanity ‘well is my wits as any man' but is not willing to sell his soul, however, Feste's suggestion of this would increase sympathy for Malvolio, who is clearly not remotely mad. His change in personality is evident when he speaks to the real Feste as an equal, ‘live to be thankful.' Malvolio's honesty and devotion to his faith highlights the other characters worse flaws than merely being pompous. Maria's actions and words show her to be shallow and malicious, ‘make him believe thou art Sir Topas.' Feste's teasing and deception is unwarranted and cruel, ‘madman, thou errest.' Sir Toby just wants to put an end to the ‘sport' for selfish reasons of not wanting to agitate Olivia further, not for the humanity of Malvolio. These characters do not understand the importance of trust or friendship, at least Malvolio respects the value of loyalty. In the final scene of the play, Malvolio's letter to Olivia reveals how he has suffered, ‘put me into darkness.' He leaves his ‘duty' to Olivia in order to speak honestly of his ‘injury.' It is clear how much his dignity and feelings have been hurt without just reason and the treatment he has received has been appalling. Olivia sympathises with him, ‘this practice has most shrewdly passed upon thee' and considers his fate to be excessive. It is difficult not to feel pity for Malvolio when he discovers he is the last to find out about the wicked trick that has been played upon him, ‘poor fool†¦they baffled thee.' Malvolio's last words lack his usual dignity; ‘I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you,' these words show his anger and resentment towards people he believed he knew, his motive for revenge being the immense humiliation he has suffered. Malvolio is a loyal servant to Olivia and does far more to help her than the likes of Sir Toby or Feste. His personality flaws are not nearly as destructive as some other characters yet he is excessively punished for them. The joke would have been acceptable if it had only gone as far as to make him look a little foolish and remind him of his position but unfortunately it was taken too far. Throughout Twelfth Night the audience is reminded of Malvolio's pompous and occasionally arrogant attitude, but despite his faults he still does not deserve his unkind fate.

The Battle of Shiloh

The American Civil War began on April 9, 1861, with the Battle of Fort Sumter, between the Northern United States of America and the Southern Confederate States of America. It was never too clear until the Battle of Shiloh, won by the Union, as to who had the upper hand, in the war between the states. The Battle of Shiloh could easily be termed the turning point for the Union. It was at Shiloh – the place of peace, that history witnessed one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil war.It was also one of the most controversial battles, with General Ulysses Grant taking the hit for inadequate planning, which resulted in a carnage, that killed over 10,000 soldiers on either side. The Battle of Shiloh, otherwise called the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, took place on April 6th and 7th, 1862, at Hardin County, Tennessee. Commander Ulysses S Grant and Don Carlos Buell led the Union, while Albert Sidney Johnston and P G T Beauregard led the Confederates.The death of Johnston, i n the course of the battle, is said to be a major factor behind the Union victory. The Union had the Army of West Tennessee and Ohio with nearly 65,000 soldiers, while the Confederates were backed by the Army of the Mississippi with around 45,000 soldiers. After the bloody and brutal battle, the Union realized that the war was not going to be easy. The essay will walk down the historical lane and trace the events which shaped the Battle of Shiloh. The commandersAbraham Lincon once said, â€Å"I cannot spare the man. He fights. † That about sums up Commander Ulysses S Grants character. He was the son of a hard-working frontier family. Grant fought his first battle, an indecisive action against the Confederates at Belmont, Missouri, in November 1861. Three months later, he captured Fort Donelson and Fort Henry. Grant was made a national figure almost overnight, and he was nicknamed â€Å"Unconditional Surrender† Grant. He brought the same enthusiasm to the Battle of Shil oh, but did not fare so well there.The high number of casualties was deemed unnecessary and Grant’s decision-making powers were questioned. However he managed to defend himself and went on to become the 18th president of the USA (MSN Encarta, 2006). Everybody thought Albert Johnston the best soldier in the country; that was before the war. He had a gaudy career in the army after West Point (1826). After some peacetime soldiering he quit to care for his dying wife, then moved to Texas to start over.When Texas decided on independence he enlisted as a soldier and in a year he was commanding the whole Texan forces. He was the second most senior officer in the Confederate forces. His immediate appointment was to secure and organize the western theater. He took the initiative against the Union forces that had stopped to reorganize and resupply. Johnston led from the front but was shot in the process. It was his concern for the other wounded soldiers and a disregard for his own woun ds, which caused him to bleed to death (ehistory, 2007).The weapons and methods Neither side fought the Battle of Shiloh with its soldiers armed with the most modern weapons available. In one of the few times during the American Civil War, the Union did not enjoy an advantage of superior infantry weapons. There was no formal artillery command and control function for either side. The infantry commanders controlled their own artillery or left its employment up to the battery officers. This made massing artillery fires difficult.Massed fires of more than 25 cannon only occurred three times during the battle. Two of the massed artillery firings proved decisive: Ruggles’ bombardment at the Hornet’s Nest and Grant’s last line at Pittsburg Landing. The artillery officers for each side were inexperienced and attempted to use antiquated Napoleonic tactics. The commmaders were aware that half their soldiers were ‘green,’ that their weapons were obsolete and that there was hardly any planning involved.The battle hinged on the element of surprise. Both the commanders felt they had a good chance of winning and if Grant’s army was not fortified overnight, the results of the battle could have been different (Gudmens, 1960). The doctrine used by this particular battle and that of the marine corps today is similar. Both use speed, surprise, and concentrated force to achieve maximum impact with minimal expenditure of resources. (Santamaria, 2003) The battle reportThe foundation for the Battle of Shiloh was laid in February 1862, when a Union army-navy offensive succeeded in capturing Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, located respectively on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, near the Tennessee-Kentucky border. The fall of the two forts initiated a series of Union triumphs that left the Confederacy struggling for life. The Confederate defensive line across southern Kentucky immediately collapsed, and the southern forces retreated from nort hern Tennessee to Alabama and Mississippi.The capture of Fort Henry opened the Tennessee River to Federal penetration to the Alabama and Mississippi state lines. Forces under Major General Ulysses S Grant advanced south to Pittsburg Landing, located on the west bank of the Tennessee River, about twenty miles north of Corinth, Mississippi. That put Union forces dangerously close to the Confederacy's most important east-west railroad, the Memphis and Charleston line, which made a junction at Corinth with the north-south Mobile and Ohio.If the Union army, designated the Army of the Tennessee, captured Corinth, not only would the Federals control the railroad, but Memphis would likely fall and open several hundred miles of the Mississippi River to Union forces. By late March, Major General Henry W Halleck ordered Buell and his Army of the Ohio to join Grant for an offensive against Corinth. Meanwhile, the Confederates concentrated their forces at Corinth in order to stop the Union advan ce before Buell could reinforce Grant.Their effort culminated in the battle of Shiloh, named for the Shiloh Methodist Church, located near the Union encampment (McDonough, 2002). After the fall of Forts – Henry and Donelson, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston, was forced to fall back, giving up Kentucky and much of West and Middle Tennessee. He chose Corinth, Mississippi, a major transportation center, as the staging area for an offensive against Major General Ulysses S Grant and his Army of the Tennessee, before the Army of the Ohio, under Major General Don Carlos Buell, could join it.The Confederate retrenchment was a surprise, although a pleasant one, to the Union forces, and it took Grant, with about 40,000 men, some time to mount a southern offensive, along the Tennessee River, toward Pittsburg Landing. Grant received orders to await Buell’s Army of the Ohio at Pittsburg Landing. Grant did not choose to fortify his position; rather, he set about drilling h is men many of whom were raw recruits. Johnston originally planned to attack Grant on April 4, but delays postponed it until the 6th.Johnston had been mortally wounded earlier and his second-in-command, General P G T Beauregard, took over (Battle of Shiloh, 2006). The Confederates, after being forced back from their first line, established a second along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, where they concentrated their armies. It was their intention to attack Grant before he was joined by Buell. The Confederates, after making a very brilliant attack, were compelled to retreat.The Memphis and Charleston Railroad was severed by Sherman and by Mitchell, the campaign closing successfully on the national part by the capture of Corinth (Draper, 1868, p 281). On the 8th, Grant sent Brigadier General William T Sherman, with two brigades, and Brigadier General Thomas J Wood, with his division, in pursuit of Beauregard. They ran into the Rebel rearguard, commanded by Colonel Nathan Bedford F orrest, at Fallen Timbers. Forrest’s aggressive tactics, although eventually contained, influenced the Union troops to return to Pittsburg Landing.Grant’s mastery of the Confederate forces continued; he had beaten them once again. (Battle of Shiloh, 2006). Conclusion Measured in physical devastation and human lives, the American Civil War was the costliest war for the Americans. When the war ended, 620,000 men (in a nation of 35 million people) had been killed and at least that many more had been wounded. The North lost a total of 364,000, almost one of five Union soldiers and the South lost 258,000, nearly one of four Confederate soldiers (History Channel, 2007).In a way, the brutal and bloody Battle of Shiloh set the tone for the battles that followed. Though the union won the war, there were too many casualties from either side for it to be a clear victory. Both sides paid heavily in both human life and expenses. The losses reverberated for a long time in the consci ousness of the people of America. Reference Civil War, American. (2007). The History Channel website. Retrieved 12:57, Jan 25, 2007, from http://www. history. com/encyclopedia. do? articleId=205794.Draper, John William (1868). History of the American Civil War. Volume: 2. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers. Gudmens, Jeffery J (1960). Staff Ride Handbook for the Battle of Shiloh. Combat Studies Institute PressFort Leavenworth, Kansas, Retrieved February 1, 2007, from http://www-cgsc. army. mil/carl/download/csipubs/gudmens. pdf McDonough, James L (2002). Battle of Shiloh. In Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture [Web]. Tennessee : University of Tennessee Press. Retrieved 01, 21, 2006, from http://tennesseeencyclopedia. net/imagegallery. php? EntryID=S034Santamaria, Jason A, Martino, Vincent, & Clemons, Eric K (2003). The Marine Corp Way. Mcgraw-Hill Companies. Ohio State University, (2007). Albert S Johnston. Retrieved Febraury 1, 2007, from eHistory Web site: http://ehis tory. osu. edu/uscw/features/people/bio. cfm? PID=45 Ulysses S Grant. (2006). In MSN Encarta [Web]. MSN. Retrieved February, 1, 2007, from http://encarta. msn. com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle. aspx? refid=761555289 US Department of the Interior, National Park Service. (2006, 04, 13). Battle of Shiloh. Retrieved January 20, 2007, from Web site: http://www. cr. nps. gov/hps/abpp/battles/tn003. htm