Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Queen Of Crime, And Mystery Genres - 1344 Words

â€Å"I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.† This quote was said by one of the world’s best selling authors, Agatha Christie. Although she had great childhood, her quote stands true. She faced many challenges in her adolescent and adult years. She used these struggles and other life experiences to create her world renown collection of books. She wrote books in the thriller, crime, and mystery genres. Such works included And Then There Were None, her best seller, and Five Little Pigs. Her accounts earned her the titles â€Å"The Queen of Crime† or â€Å"The Queen of Mysteries†. Christie also wrote six romance novels†¦show more content†¦Whether it was on a theater screen, stage, or even a bookstore or library shelf, Agatha Christie was no stranger to the entertainment industry. She was able to perfectly mix her wil d imagination and her phases of life to create her legendary works. Thus, making her one of the world’s greatest authors. On September 15, 1890, a little girl who would later change the ways of literature was born. Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born to Clarissa and Frederick Boehmer in Torquay, Devon, England. She was the youngest of three children in a middle to upper class family. Agatha never attended regular school. Instead, she was educated in her home by her parents, who taught her the basic subjects. As a child, she was known to have an active imagination. She would often create games and other activities to keep herself occupied. From the time she was young, her mother encouraged her to write stories. She enjoyed writing fantasy based stories and playing games of the same genre. She also enjoyed developing characters and story plots. At age eleven, Agatha’s father passed away from multiple heart attacks he had had in a short period of time. After the death of her father, she and her family endured many hardships such as depression and financial struggles. However, she and her mother man aged to overcome all these struggles by staying close and working hand-in-hand for extra money. Although she was an energetic child, she had difficulties expressing her emotions, so she

Monday, December 23, 2019

Careful Visual Observations Of Photography - 1578 Words

Careful visual observations are key when distinguishing masterpieces of photography. The attention to the slightest details and uses of many various techniques are what distance Gregory Crewdson and William Eggleston from the norm. Though it is simple to discuss the contents of a photograph, it takes a trained eye to analyze the true visual art that the picture portrays. Every image by both of these photographs contains a hidden meaning, a variety of thousands of possible interpretations made by the viewers. Composition and content are both considered and involved when the photographers make the final decisions of the arrangement. Thus, the artist’s intensions of the the subject of the image are also essential to consider. All in all, the†¦show more content†¦There is no mistaking that Crewdson carefully set up every image to create a story that is seen beyond the frame. The simple realization is that, in modern art, the value of a photograph is not accredited to the aesthetics of it. Though aesthetics plays an important role in the craftsmanship of an image, it is by no means the selling point. Eggleston’s photographs are simple yet extraordinary. In order to understand them, you must understand what art truly is: a way of looking at the world through different eyes. Art must induce emotions and create new thoughts. It challenges ones views of the world by creating an entirely new one. Eggleston has mastered this technique. The simplicity of his photography is the key to his success. Some even describe his works as â€Å"perfectly banal, perfectly boring,† yet they are just that, perfect. â€Å"Birth† is featured in Crewdson’s â€Å"Beneath the Roses† album. The image portrays a young women sitting in a dimly lit room with a baby by her side. The setting is serene yet gloomy. The baby is sleeping peacefully on the bed yet the mother has a look of confusion and sadness. The woman is looking at the child, not knowing what do. She is wearing a patterned nightgown which reveals a small tattoo on her arm. Darkness surrounds the motel room as lights from beyond the frame shine into it. On the far nightstand, there is a pack of prescription drugs sitting by the lamp. On the other, an old

Sunday, December 15, 2019

This assignment will examine issues around social exclusion and teenage pregnancy Free Essays

Q. Describe and write a critique of any ‘personal trouble’ and illustrate how the key theoretical concepts raised in this class can help you explain it as a ‘public issue’. This assignment will examine issues around social exclusion and teenage pregnancy. We will write a custom essay sample on This assignment will examine issues around social exclusion and teenage pregnancy or any similar topic only for you Order Now It will explore the links between teenage pregnancy, poverty, and how it links into the underclass theory. This assignment will look at the trends in teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom. It will focus on issues based around assumptions that teenage pregnancy is a personal trouble and a public issue and why teenage pregnancy is a problem and whom it is a problem for. I will be looking at what the government expectations of young people are and how they hope to raise the aspirations of these young people through education and training. It will examine the government policies and practices in relation to teenage pregnancy whilst critically analysing the implications that these have on teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy according to figures published in S. E. U (1999) are rising dramatically and despite the introduction of compulsory sex education there doesn’t seem to be anyway of stopping these figures from further rising. In England alone there are approximately 90,000 young people getting pregnant, girls under 16 account for about 7,700 of these pregnancies, and approximately 2,200 of these being under 14 years of age. Out of these pregnancies around 3/5,s go to full term and result in live births. If you explore this further the figures show that around 56,00 babies are born each year to teenage mothers. The figures suggest that there are 87,000 children living with teenage mothers in England alone. These statistics are frighteningly high and the government is aiming to halve the rate of teenage pregnancies in nder 18 year olds by the year 2010. Teenage pregnancy occurs in all classes of society but the figures show definite links between teenage pregnancy, being more prevalent in the poorer underclass, and those daughters of single mothers who themselves may have been teenage mothers. These links according to S. E. U (1999) state that ‘ socialisation and deprivation are two of the main causes of teenage pregnancy. ‘ They also state that ‘overall teenage parenthood is more common in areas of deprivation and poverty†¦ teenage pregnancy is often a cause and a consequence of social exclusion. Information collated and analysed by the S. E. U enabes us to see how they have reached their theories surrounding teenage pregnancy. It shows how they identified and linked the risk factors to teenage pregnancy and how all of these seem to have an association with the poorest category of society the `underclass`. The report by the S. E. U (1999) also shows how these risk factors can be seen in geographical concentrations, thus the teenage pregnancy map, ‘ resembles the distribution of local authorities identified as the most deprived in the unit’s report on neighbourhood enewal. ‘ The map shows that the poorest areas of England have up to more than six times a higher rate of teenage pregnancies than the more affluent areas. The areas outside of London which have been identified has having the highest rates of conception amongst young people are industrial cities which are going through economic recession and ports which are suffering from loss of jobs due to the recent collapse of ship building industries. How does this then prove the government’s theory that teenage pregnancy is linked to social exclusion? A list of factors relating to women in their mid-thirties who had become teenage mothers, the evidence confirms that the vast majority are low achiever’s, do not work, single with many being reliant on long term benefits. As a result of this they have not had the opportunity to progress in life and has a result of this are trapped in the cycle of poverty, deprivation and social exclusion. Hence the S. E. U report say ‘teenage pregnancy is often the cause and a consequence of social exclusion †¦ overall teenage parenthood is more common in areas of deprivation and poverty’. Thus adding weight to the governments argument about teenage pregnancy being a public issue. The figures show that teenage pregnancy is a public issue; the facts show that the UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe. This is three times higher than France and nearly six times higher than Holland. Could this be down to our lack of morals? The fact remains that in Holland if you have a child in your teenage years and out of wedlock the local communities still shun you and there is a lot of social stigma attached to this. Whilst in the UK teenage pregnancy along with cohabiting has become the `norm` and are more easily accepted, with very little stigma attached to it. The law states that sex under sixteen is unlawful and young women cannot give consent for sexual intercourse to take place. Yet in 2000 there were more than 7,000 young people under sixteen, who had conceived, with over 54% ending in legal abortions. That is a lot of young people participating in an illegal sexual intercourse. Where have all the traditional family values gone? Traditionally people meet, fall in love, get married, have children and become a loving secure family unit. With the changing trends and loss of family values more than 90% of teenage births are outside of marriage. Thus changing family life has it was and creating a new trend towards single young mothers, children being brought up without permanent father figures, who are dependent upon the state to provide for them unless some changes can be made. The government states that it costs tax payers over i10 billion each year, the S. E. U reports say that this money could be better spent else where, and that unless we get this phenomena under control we can not support this rising tide of young teenage mothers. The government has been looking at the Netherlands and the United States for inspiration on how to deal with these issues. The Netherlands have one of the lowest teenage birthrate, they educate young people from a young age and take a more realistic approach to sex education. Compare this to the United States who do not provide support for teenage mothers and have used controversial measures such as forced sterilisation of certain ethnic groups and the family of these young people have to support them financially and emotionally in order for them to survive. Do young people see it as a problem? Is it an issue for young people? After looking at facts there seems to be no evidence that states it is a problem for the young people themselves, thus it is no big issue for them. Maybe it is just another way for the government to control the lives of young people? The government seems to be saying that teenage mothers are not equipped with the skills and knowledge to become competent parents, but who decides what makes a good parent, how can age be a deciding factor in good and bad parenting. So is it just an assumption that teenage pregnancy is a problem, functionalists would argue that it is just a process of socialisation and that if the young people aspirations could be raised then they would be able to break the cycle. Durkheim’s anomie theory (1951: 273) seems to suggest ‘that a condition of normalness arises when a disruption of the social order occurs†¦ so that they are no longer controlled by the collective social order. ‘ Compare this to Merton’s anomie (1938:53) ‘ the roots of which lie in a structural strain, generated by differential access to opportunity structures. Currently young girls who have little or no education and very few plans for the future are 30% more likely to get pregnant than those who aspire to gain qualifications and are well educated. Not being educated, in training or work are factors that are seen as being a negative influence on young girls and thus the risk of them becoming pregnant rises. Teenagers from socially deprived, poor families are less likely to have abortions compared to the young girls from more affluent families has they have higher aspirations in life and also have the funds to pay for private abortions. The lack of aspirations in the poorer young girls life, can lead them to believe that they can do nothing else and also if it was not a personal trouble for their mother then why should they expect anything else in life. Evidence seems to support the socialisation theory, with young girls often having no prospects due to lack of education, family support to break the cycle, believing that this is the way life is that this is all that life has to offer them and seeing that this is the way their life has been apped out for them. The lack of knowledge and confidence can also stop young girls from accessing services, which are available to them, and this just reinforces the negativity within their lives. As a result of finding themselves pregnant many young girls from poorer backgrounds, are less likely to continue with their education, compared to the young girls from more affluent homes who are expected to succeed in education and already have a prosperous career mapped out for them by their parents and peers. As a result of this young mothers from poor areas, start to become trapped in the cycle of poverty, with no way of supporting themselves and child they find themselves in the benefit trap. If they wait until the child is old enough to start school, returning to education is extremely hard and most training and apprenticeships are only open to school leavers. So with no experience, qualifications, expensive childcare and limited employment options due to most young mothers only being able to afford to work during the school time hours which are usually the lowest paid jobs the poverty trap begins a down ward spiral of debt and depravation. Therefore becoming a single teenage mother is a stigma and figures show them to be a burden on society hence a public issue. Are teenage mothers to blame for the creation of the emerging underclass in society? Teenage young mothers are often referred to as being a contributing factor in creating the underclass. The underclass theory (Murray 1980) describes this as ` people who are at the bottom of the social ladder, structurally separate and culturally distinguishable from the `decent` working class `. Murray (1980) discovered this new class of people in the 80’s and he labelled them as the new underclass in Britain. He blames this emerging underclass on the over zealous welfare state system, which was set up to provide relief from poverty, not provide people with an alternative way of life. Where has Marx (1951) suggests that` we are born into a social class†¦ which are modified locally by region and neighbourhood`. Thus the teenage mothers cannot be to blame for the creation of the underclass, which adds viability to the theory put forward by Murray. The result of this theory is that there are now younger single parent families due to the ability to support themselves through the benefit system. Murray (1980) goes on to say that before the welfare system started to increase the level of provision there were few single parent families because they were not economically viable. He states `that the more generous benefits have made it possible for women to have children outside of marriage†¦ therefore the welfare state is to blame for this phenomenon. Thus he argues that the benefit system is to blame for single parents and they are a contributing factor of the underclass theory. Charles Murray (1980) goes on to say that we are creating a culture of dependency and if the benefits were taken away from single parents, it would discourage young people from becoming pregnant and is a possible solution to stop further development of the underclass. Many other people believe that young girls get pregnant on purpose in order to gain priority in the housing and benefits system. There are many flaws in Murray’s (1980) theory the main one being that single teenage parents is seen in all class stratification and is not exclusive to the underclass element of society. Statistics show that young people do not start to enquire about benefits and housing prior to getting pregnant therefore these facts are not a forethought to getting pregnant. Research shows that most teenage pregnancies are not planned and young people seem to rarely plan for the future until after they are pregnant so they are very unlikely to have become pregnant in order to obtain benefits. Liberal thinking social theorists argues that the idea of an underclass diverts attention away from what the real issues are and the disadvantages experienced by certain groups of people in society especially young people from working class backgrounds. The conservatives denied poverty existed, so why is there a need for a welfare state and where is the emerging underclass. Labour said that it is just a lack of means to work that causes poverty, thus justifying the need for a welfare state and acknowledging the `underclass` exists. Other political groups outside these seem to blame poor education, bad housing unemployment, and family breakdown has main reasons why people become dependent on benefits and thus the underclass theory serves a purpose to hide the real causes of teenage pregnancy and social exclusion. Teenage pregnancy is a cause of and consequence of social exclusion, these young people share the values as everyone else unfortunately they have limited opportunities and are therefore restricted in plans for their future. These young people are deemed to be suffering from inequalities in life and are victims of an unjust society, which fails to ensure a fairer distribution of opportunities and resources. Poverty and social exclusion has a direct affect on the choices young women make about abortion and sex education, and if all young people had the same opportunities and options open to them when they find themselves pregnant or prior to having sex then maybe the rate of teenage pregnancies would fall. If young women have a clear vision about their future, their options in life explained clearly through education and training then they will have nothing to gain by choosing early parenthood. Whereas young people with no job prospects, poor education, who expects to be on benefits anyway might see that having a baby is going to provide them with a better future. The government are under pressure to cut the rate of teenage pregnancies as currently the UK has the highest rate in the western world. So what can the government do when the media seems to undermine all the initiatives that the labour government have come up with? All the media misrepresentation has altered the public’s perception of teenage pregnancy and how the sex education program is delivered. The general consensus seems to be that Pregnancy advice is right, just the tactics used to deliver it are wrong. The media has highlighted this issue, alongside figures pointing out the amount of money currently being spent to deliver these services. It implies that all the time and money is being wasted has teenage pregnancy rates continue to ise. The media seems to be blaming the government for wasting money and accusing them of being dictators to young people The Daily Mail newspaper reports â€Å"60 million to tell girls that it is okay to be a virgin† how can this reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy, this nanny government is wasting money telling young people how to their lives. Whilst the girls are being advised to stay virgins they are not being told about sex and how it could affect them in their future and the message to boys is that sex is okay just wear a condom so the gap between the genders just keeps getting reinforced. The government have responded to this positively by bringing out new policies and are changing ways of delivering this service to youngpeople these include: Compulsory sex education: Sex education in schools is to become compulsory part of the national curriculum and will be taught alongside reading, writing, maths and science. The fact that it is compulsory seems to indicate that all children are being taught sex education but this is not so as parents can opt to remove their children if they so wish to. So were is the compulsory part? Should it be given to all children regardless to what a parent may feel? It is a civil right for every young person to be educated, so why is the choices to learn about sex being taken away from the young person, Why does a parent have the right to dictate to the young person what they need to learn to become a responsible adult later in life? Without sex education how can a child make the transition through adolescence from a child to a teenager who has a need to experiment sexually safely? To conclude, teenage pregnancy is a personal personal and a public issue. Many adoloscents I think fell trapped in a viscious circle. However I think that social exclusion and teenage pregnance are inextricably linked and these terms cannot be separated. The government have reccomended that young people should have better access to sex advice and other issues based around sex education. This is good practice but these clinics are not available countrywide, it is up to individual schools and parents to decide whether or not this service is should be available. On the other hand would these clinics encourage young people to have sex which would create an even bigger public issue? How to cite This assignment will examine issues around social exclusion and teenage pregnancy, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

International Economics for Exports and Imports-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theInternational Economics for Exports, Imports and Debts. Answer: There are numerous factors that influence the forex prices. Anything that creates an impact on the flow of money in a nation or between the countries might create an impact on the currency value. Below stated are the factors that effects the foreign exchange markets are as follows; Inflation Rates: Modifications of the inflation rate in the market can lead to the change in the currency exchange rates. A country having lower rate of inflation than the other country will witness a rise in the value of its currency (Deventer et al., 2013). A nation with constant lower rate of inflation presents a rising currency value whereas the nation with higher amount of inflation would witness a fall in the currency and is escorted by the rising interest rates. A nations current account or balance of payments: A nations current account demonstrates the balance of trade and earnings on the foreign investment. This comprises of the total amount of transactions together with the exports, imports, debts etc. If there is a deficit noticed in the current account because of the spending of currency on importation of products, then the earnings generated through sale of exports results in depreciation (Bodie, 2013). Therefore, the balance of payment fluctuates the exchange rate of a domestic nations. Government trade: A nation having government debt is less probable to obtain foreign capital that ultimately results in inflation. Overseas investors would dispose their bonds in the open market given that the market predicts the government debt within the specific nation (McMillan, 2013). As a result of this, a fall in the value of the exchange rate will come following. Recession: When a nation witness recession the rate of interest will fall it ultimately decreases the chances of acquiring in the foreign market. As a result of this, the currency of the nation weakens in respect to that of the other country that ultimately lowers the exchange rate. The foreign exchange market is generally described as the worlds highly liquid fiscal market. However, this does not signify that the currency is not subjected to varying liquidity conditions that the traders of currency are required to bear in mind. From the perspective of the individual trader, liquidity is generally experienced in respect of the volatility of the movement in price (Mishkin, 2016). A market that is highly liquid would be witnessing more movement in the prices abruptly with larger price increments. The foreign exchange risk on the other hand, represents the financial risk of the exchange rate of an investment change in value because of the changes in the currency exchange rates. Foreign exchange risk generally creates an impact on the business that export or import their products services or supplies (Friedman, 2017). Considering the relations of risk in the foreign exchange market a firm faces the risk due to the economic exposure given that the market value is impacted by the unanticipated volatility in the currency rate. Fluctuations in the currency rate might influence the position of the company in comparison to its value, competitors and its future cash flow. Money can be regarded as anything which is usually accepted as the medium of exchange namely coins, cash, debit cards and cheques. It helps in underpinning every countrys economy. Every country prints or mints its own currency of money. However, a central bank implements the control on the supply of money in a nation (Mishra, 2015). The supply of money can be defined as the entire amount of money that is held by the public along with the transactional accounts balances, cash or the travellers cheques. A transaction account is referred as the bank account which enables direct payment to the third party. For instance, an individual can make use of the cheque or debit card to make purchase of the local farmers market. Cash on the other hand refers to the quantity of currency or coin in the circulations beyond the territories of the bank account. Basically, it can be stated that the money supply represents the amount of the money which is available with the nation during any given period of time. Interest rates on the other hand represents the amount of money which a person pays in respect of the loan taken by them. Financial institutions profit when they give out the loan for a certain sum of money and requires the lender to repay the sum of initial loan along with the additional sum of money forming a specific percentage of the loan. Considering the relation of interest rate on the supply of money it can be stated that the interest rate has the direct impact on the quantity of money that is in circulations (Hung, Thompson, 2016). If the reserve bank increases and lowers the discount rate which in this case is the interest rate that is charged by the banks for borrowing money would be to either limit or expand the supply of money. In respect of finance, an exchange rate can be defined as the rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another currency. When the exchange rate is increasing, a nation must sell its currency which ultimately increases the holdings of the international reserves and the supply of money. It becomes necessary for the central bank to keep the exchange rate fixed that ultimately creates an impact on the monetary base and hence the supply of money (Selgin, 2015). The empirical findings from the comparison has confirmed the presence of the long run equilibrium relationship between the money supply, exchange rate and interest. In line with the comparison the findings from the relationships has demonstrated that in the long run interest is positively related to the supply of money and the exchange rate, whereas it is negatively associated to real income. The effect of money supply in proportion to the exchange rate is to lower the exchange rate, lessen the financial account and reinforc e the current account. Reference List: Bodie, Z. (2013).Investments. McGraw-Hill. Hung, H. F., Thompson, D. (2016). Money Supply, Class Power, and Inflation: Monetarism Reassessed.American Sociological Review,81(3), 447-466. McMillan, D. G. (2013). Risk and Return.J Bus Fin Aff,2, e130. Selgin, G. (2015). Synthetic commodity money.Journal of Financial Stability,17, 92-99. Mishra, C. S. (2015). Risk and Return. InGetting Funded(pp. 193-218). Palgrave Macmillan US. Deventer, D., Imai, K., Mesler, M. (2013).Advanced financial risk management. Singapore: Wiley. Mishkin, F. (2016).The economics of money, banking, and financial markets. Boston [etc.]: Pearson. Friedman, M. (2017).Quantity theory of money(pp. 1-31). Palgrave Macmillan UK.

Friday, November 29, 2019

The Person You Admire the Most free essay sample

We might have met up with a lot of people throughout our life, yet people leave and life still goes on as what it used to be. The person that I admire the most is none other than my mother. I admire her the most as she possesses most of the qualities that we should have in order to success in our life.I think one of the most endearing qualities she possesses is genuineness. When you meet a genuine person, they tend to look you directly in the eye and many times they touch you in order to connect. That’s how she communicates with others. She doesn’t have the average walls up that many people have in life. She seems to touch everyone in a way where one can immediately connect with her and for sure she has no false pretenses. She crosses all barriers and has the ability to connect with others and radiates great empathy to others. We will write a custom essay sample on The Person You Admire the Most or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It’s almost like she has an additional sense. She never pretended to be perfect or know all the answers but one thing is for sure anything she tells you is coming straight from the heart.She has been very patient with me and supports me in everything I do. She has done a lot to boost my self-confidence and self-esteem. She does not scold whenever I fail in something, instead she will console me and make me feel better by telling me stories about her own failures and achievements throughout life. She also makes all kinds of sacrifices, big and small for the sake of her children. She has always been my source of inspiration and pillar of strength. My mom is the one that is always there, the person I can count on, the one that will never turn her back on me. The one that supports, helps, hug, kisses, gives me confidence, comforts, listens, makes me laugh, cheers me up and wipes my tears. She will definitely be the one that I always admire and love the most.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Causes and Effects of U.S. Economic Intervention in Latin America

The Causes and Effects of U.S. Economic Intervention in Latin America "We should consider any attempt on [Europe's] part to extend their system [of government] to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety," President James Monroe proclaimed in his 1823 State of the Union address to Congress. His famous address, subsequently known as the Monroe Doctrine, declared the Western Hemisphere closed to European colonization and influence, thus establishing an American sphere of influence for the first time in the nation's young history. Shortly before the Monroe Doctrine, the United States formally recognized the new republics of Latin America, beginning the first century of Latin American-U.S. foreign relations with Monroe's address before the House of Representatives on January 30, 1822. The relationship between the United States and its neighbors to the South grew gradually. The United States slowly shifted from acting as an arbiter in Latin American affairs, merely looking out for its best interests from the outside, to a steady, escalating period of U.S.English: Newspaper cartoon from 1912 about the Mon...investment and political intervention. A mounting desire for economic prosperity and profit by the United States government and American-owned businesses led to the shift in involvement and caused the political and economic interventions that characterized the first century of Latin American-U.S. relations, interventions that resulted in American domination in the economic development of Latin America.In the first half of the nineteenth century, the United States exhibited a growing lust for new land. In the age of Manifest Destiny, expansionist fervor denominated American political and social thought. With the establishment of Latin America as the United States' sphere of influence, many Americans looked to their proverbial backyards for new territories. For example, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams suggested Cuba and Puerto Rico as perfect additions to the United States. In a letter to a U.S. diploma t for Spain, Hugh...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Final assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final assessment - Essay Example Due to the rise in cyber attacks and more reliance on eCommerce, the confidence of customers online has been compromised. Quantium reported that Australia’s online sales fell at a diminishing rate, largely caused by ever increasing eCommerce frauds. For example, the growth of Australia’s online sales was 31% in 2010 with fraud rate at 0.6%. However, the online growth rate dropped to 22% in 2012 when fraud rate increased to 0.8% (Demery, 2013). Furthermore, according to CyberSouce (2012) 13th online fraud report, the total online revenue loss due to fraud was estimated at $3.4 billion in 2011. It can be seen that eCommerce fraud has a significant negative impact on online business and this is therefore a cause of concern. Moreover, McAfee as a security vendor, reported that 33% of Australian businesses were involved in a security incident in 2009, which meant a loss of an average $34.000 in revenue and $37.000 for fixing the bug (Timson, 2009). In order to avoid a large proportion of sales being lost due to fraud, Ausmart is in need of a well-developed and secured online network. New Paragraph In many business communities, most of the major transactions are performed online. Online business has become as important and maybe even more important than basic commerce done outside the channel of online arena. Banking transations are done by busy people online as they don’t have the time or the place to go to the banks and perform the transactions by themselves. Credit card purchases, shopping, ordering food, paying bills, performing business transaction, buying books and even paying college fees. People online are now doing all these transactions and therefore eCommerce’s importance has grown and risen significantly in the last 10 years. Owing to this phenomenon, it is imperative for the eCommerce industry to safeguard its business online and to make sure that hackers do not get access to the credit and debit card information of the users. Also, it is crucial that hackers do not block any event and all the transactions carried out online have a safety network, which makes them happen seamlessly. New data collated from about 2 million Australian credit and debit cards reveals the popular suburbs in which e-commerce fraud has been attempted, using internet-connected computers. E-commerce fraud involves a criminal using a stolen credit or debit card to buy goods online. Ecommerce crime is on the rise in Australia and the rest of the world and the hacker community has been very successful at targeting various business enterprises. Ausmart has been trying hard to develop a strong firewalled network and this has taken a significant energy and time from their pursuits. It must be noticed that they have been trying to cope with such threats for a long time and knowing that hackers have been targeting them hwihc has hampered their business negatively, focusing on E-Commerce and making the business as hacker free as they can i s the number one priority right now. Reflections It can be seen from the above paragraphs that eCommerce is significant to the development of business and it is paramount to have a strong cyber security for all the business transactions in order to avid any kind of cyber attacks or malpractices by the hackers which in turn may jeopardize profit margins for the business community.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Making of a Rebellion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Making of a Rebellion - Essay Example Because of the colonization of the British, the economies of Europe, Africa and the Americas were ties together. These economies were tied together by the triangular trade. Because of the economic conquests and ambitions, wars were experienced among the European themselves and these fighting spilled across into the Americas and thus causing a lot of social and political unrest among the Native Americans. The war politics during this period was characterized by alliances among the Native Americans, the French and the Europeans themselves. This essay discusses the political status of the Native Americans and the Europeans colonial empires in 1750s and the political implications of the Seven Years War among these political entities. The political and economic interests of the Europeans in the Native American region led to conflicts and unrest among the Europeans themselves (Boyer 89). Since the European rule applied to its colonies, the colonialists and explorers who were driven by econ omic conquest ambitions were opposed to the economic and political limitations that the European governor Sir John Andros implicated on them. The colonialists wanted the parliamentary system of governance in Britain because it catered for their colonial and economic interests. As a result, Sir Andros was removed from power in 1688. William of Orange and Mary who became the new governor in Britain promised to provide full support for the parliamentary system of governance. The colonists thus pledged their loyalty to the new monarchs but they wanted to know the kind of governance that they wanted to adapt. The colonialists were surprised to find out that William and Mary also advocated for full control of Britain for all colonial affairs and interests. This led to revolts such as the Catholic Maryland conflicts because the colonialists wanted the British government to limit its control over the colonial affairs. The conflicts among the Europeans had political impacts on the Native Ame ricans. For example the fighting between the French and England over economic and political dominions led to the British and French allies being formed among the Native American tribes (Cobb 103). The natives were therefore involved in the European fighting. The economic and political oppression of the Europeans on the Native American communities eventually led to the Great Awakening because the indigenous people would not stand economic exploitation and political cruelty of the British any more. The political implication of the Great Awakening was demonstrated by the use of religious leaders who advocated for social equality to motivate the native communities to fight or their rights. The social rebellions which characterized this awakening increased within the American British colonies. These rebellions were fueled by the religious questioning of the European political and economic authority in the Americas. These rebellions and revolts against the Europeans eventually led to the Seven Years War (Boyer 92). The formation of alliances among the Native American Indians, the British and the French led to divided political and economic interests which eventually led to the Seven Years War. The diversity of interests caused a lot of tension among the three political entities. The Seven Years War is termed as a global conflict which began as soon as the British and their Indian allies declared war on the French (Cobb 102). Even though the British and t

Monday, November 18, 2019

Critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of the UK's uncodified Essay

Critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of the UK's uncodified constitition - Essay Example However, none of the constitutions in the world countries is known to have perfectly performed its mandate and achieved perfection in its use. Different constitutions in various countries have their own flaws, which limit their effectiveness in those countries. Therefore, although constitutions give direction in governance and highly influence many spheres in a country, they all have their own disadvantages. This is also the case with the constitution of the United Kingdom, which has advantages and disadvantages in the country, due to various reasons, as will be discussed. The constitution of the UK is quite different from those of most countries. While most countries in the world use written constitutions in their governance, the UK continues to make use of the uncodified constitution. By uncodified, it does not mean that none of the elements constituting the constitution is written down. However, in this constitution, one or more elements constituting the constitution might be written down, but there is no one single or whole document, having all the elements of the constitution written in it. Most countries however, as noted, use the written or codified constitution; this includes even the United States of America. Therefore, being among the few countries that do not use a written constitution, considerable attention has been drawn to the significance of the constitution of the UK (Pilkington 1999). The unwritten constitution of the United Kingdom is also referred to as an uncodified constitution. This is a more appropriate term to refer to the UK constitution. Pilkington (1999) emphasizes that, the United Kingdom has different parts of its constitution written down, but what it only lacks is a one document, compiling all those elements of the constitution. Therefore, this means that the United Kingdom uses convention and common

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Concepts of Racism and Discrimination

Concepts of Racism and Discrimination Race has been an issue in North America for many years. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva discusses the new racism in his book, Racism without Racists. Bonilla-Silva classifies the new racial discrimination as color blind racism. Color blind racism is then structured under four frames (26). Color blind racism is believed to have lead to the segregation of the white race from other minorities called white habitus. Color blind racism and white habitus has affected many people, whom dont even realize that they are currently affected, have been or will be affected. Color blind racism is an ideology, which acquired cohesiveness and dominance in the late 1960s, explains contemporary racial inequality as the outcome of nonracial dynamics, according to Bonilla-Silva (2). In order to analyze color blind racism, Bonilla-Silva relies mostly on interview data (11) through a 1997 Survey of Social Attitudes of College Students and a 1998 Detroit Area Study (DAS) (12). Bonilla-Silva then breaks down the analysis of color blind racism into four central themes to convey how whites explain a world without racial issues: abstract liberalism, naturalization, cultural racism, and minimization. Abstract liberalism is ideas associated with political liberalism and economic liberalism (28). Abstract liberalism is used for a wide range of issue therefore Bonilla-Silva gives a few different examples of when this frame is used. Rationalizing Racial Unfairness in the Name of Equal Opportunity was used when asking white students if minorities should be provided unique opportunities to be admitted into universities (31). Most whites will state that everyone should have an equal opportunity. Those whites, ignored the effects of past and contemporary discrimination on the social, economic, and educational status of minorities, argues Bonilla-Silva (31). Some of the other views explained are: The Most Qualifiedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦: A Meritocratic Way of Defending White Privilege, Nothing Should be Forced upon People: Keeping Things the Way They Are, and Individual Choice or an Excuse for Racial Unfairness and Racially Based Choices. The reasoning for abstract liberalism usually deals with equal opportunity, choice and individualism as a defense to white privilege (28). In this frame, it says that you cant allow preferential treatment to certain groups to promote racial equality because equal opportunity is available for everyone. This denies that there are any advantages to whites based from history. Cultural racism uses the they dont have it altogether statement (39). The essence of the American version of this frame is blaming the victim, arguing that minorities standing is a product of their lack of effort, loose family organization, and inappropriate values, stated Bonilla-Silva (40). Kara a MU student states, black people that Ive metà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I dont want to say waiting for a handout, but to some extent, thats kind of what Im like hinting at, when asked what she thought about blacks lacking motivation (40). Other students used a kinder response to the above question leading to a family structure issue, a lack of education, and financially that blacks had to get a job at an earlier age than whites (41). Cultural racism is the basis of most racism today. The blame game is used in all situations. Peoples egos dont like to believe that the problem occurs because of themselves. If it isnt my fault, it must be yours! All of these frames are not solely separate. Each frame can and are intertwined when talking to most of the students. According to Bonilla-Silva, when minimization of racism and cultural racism are mixed, the results are ideologically deadly (40). Minimization of racism is the belief of whites that race is not the concerning issue. Bonilla-Silva analysis the DAS survey response to the question if the students believed that discrimination was currently a problem. The white and the black groups both responded with a high percentage that they disagreed or strongly disagreed (43). Although whites and blacks believe discrimination is still a problem, they dispute its salience as a factor explaining blacks collective standing, states Bonilla-Silva (43). A more through question was then asked to clarify and blacks believed that discrimination was alive and still is alive (43). Minimization explains, simply, that race is no longer a factor. People sometimes state that minorities are too sensitive. Naturalization is the next frame discussed. Bonilla-Silva believes that this frame was used particularly when discussing school or neighborhood matters, to explain the limited contact between whites and minorities, or to rationalize whites preferences for whites as significant others (36). Students would use words such as natural or thats the way it is when using this frame (37). Bonilla-Silva uses segregation questions to show examples of the naturalization frame. The question would ask why people segregate in schools or where they live. Most would respond, its human nature (39) or I dont really think its a segregationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦spend time with people that they are like (37). According to Bonilla-Silva, As white neighborhoods develop, white schools follow- an outcome that further contributes to the process of racial isolation (39). This racial isolation Bonilla-Silva calls white habitus. Naturalization says that people self select or are hedonistic but why d o people live in all white or black neighborhoods? This may be due to the long history of segregation or selection of realtors to sell only to a certain ethnicity for a certain area. White habitus is a radicalized, uninterrupted socialization process that conditions and creates whites racial taste, perceptions, feelings, and emotions and their views on racial matters (104). Bonilla-Silva stated, One of the central consequences of the white habitus is that it promotes a sense of group belonging and negative views about non whites (104). Whites interpret segregation as natural or as just the way things are (112). The white race does not have to think about their race because of their dominance. This issue expands when racial segregation occurs. Besides the absence of noticing ones race, white respondents did not seem to see any problems in having an all white neighborhoods. Whites reported being friends with blacks but then later when asked more questions never named a black friend. The research showed that less than 10% of whites actually had black friends even when interracial friendship were available, whites did not cross the color line (108). The impact of white habitus is significant. Racial segregation causes attitudinal, emotional, and political implications (125). Other impacts are the negative effect naturalization and justifications of racial segregation; creates a greater distance between races; lack of empathy and the lack of the reality of colorblind racism (123-125). Colorblind racism affects you, me, and everyone in this world. It is the new racism. Bonilla-Silva states, Color-blind racism forms an impregnable yet elastic ideological wall that barricades whites off from Americas racial reality (181). Not only does it cut white Americans off it allows them to justify what is happening without the harshness of the past (181). Blacks are affected by color blindness, also. They fall within the four frames similar to white but on a smaller scale. Blacks were more direct in their answers but color blind racism had some indirect and direct effects on blacks (172). Color blind racism has shaped some blacks way of thinking about segregation (171). It has allowed some blacks to believe in the culture of poverty concept (172). The struggle against color-blind racism will have to be waged not only against color-blind whites, who cannot see the centrality of race in America, but also against the many slightly color-blind blacks, concluded Bonilla-Silva (172) . In my opinion, the only way to work on the struggle against racial inequality is to continue to talk about it, learn about it, and emphasize the effects of it. Based on the information provided in Bonilla-Silvas book, I can assume that most white are not around to see or hear the racism compared to the minorities that deal with it on a daily basis. Most whites live in primary white neighborhoods so they do not have the opportunity to be aware of racism or sometimes they dont pay attention to it because it doesnt involve them. Sometimes whites say they have black friends but in reality they may have seen black people but never connected with a black person on a friendship level. In order to understand one another and get along, it is important to integrate and learn about each race. Integration of all forms is the key to dissipating racism. The Dynamics of Racial Residential Segregation states, Sociologists and policymaker have long viewed racial residential segregation as a key aspect of racial inequality (Charles, 2003). This article along with many other sociology classes, books, and articles state that segregation is an issue of our past and present. We have made some integration movement since the Apartheid days but this is not enough. We have to level the playing field. If it takes the government getting involved to promoting integrated communities, then I think that is what should be done. People do not like new rules or regulations, so why cant the government promote integration like they promote new federal laws such as the DUI legal limit of .08%. If you move into an integrated community of a certain percent then you will receive a tax cut or some type of benefit. This promotes people to live with other races and eventually it will become second nature . Obviously, the government cannot make those integrated communities communicate but I believe that with time neighbors will start to talk to one another or if nothing else some type of promotion for community block parties, similar to when I was a kid, would assist in the communication process. That is how I remember meeting the neighbors. Community block parties are non-existent now days but I believe they are beneficial to everyone! With a little effort from everyone, we can make it happen, a life without racism!

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Gender Diversity: Using Information Technology in Today’s Classroom. E

Gender Diversity: Using Information Technology in Today’s Classroom. What happens when your education is different from mine? When does that invisible line get erased; When youth’s, adolescent’s or adults, male or female encounter the same unique education being taught with nothing being held back just because of gender. In today’s society, teachers and students are connected by using information technology to help expand their knowledge on the issue of gender diversity in the classroom. Gender diversity is not an issue in the United States that just gets swept under the carpet, it’s greater than that, it’s something that has become a worldwide concern affecting the ways in which students are educated in most schools. Issues of diversity are not new. In fact, â€Å"contracting communities are faced with this topic a little too regular, meaning it’s time for change† (Sunderland, 2002). As the reader of this document you will discover the true definition of gender diversity, how it has affected students in numerous ways, what techniques have become greatly appreciated when reaching teachers and students inside of the classroom curriculum, various approaches toward change, a complete understanding of digital divide, a shine of hope and dedication, while striving for a new day. â€Å"Gender differences in ways of learning have been described by researchers observing children as young as three† (Tannen, 1990). When children are young they tend to fight and argue about the same play item. Amazingly, today whether the fighting and arguing is about toys, friends, etc. it’s more about computers and the ways in which people learn relating to gender differences. Every day in our society, there is given a dominant role to which peop... ...ealth Journal. Teachers College Record, 105 (2), 1-21. Risman, B (2003). Gender & Society: Valuing all flavors of feminist sociology. Sociology, 17, 659-663. Schank, R. (2003, November). FUTURE PERSPECTIVE- A Vision of Education for the 21st Century. Retrieved November 9, 2003, from http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A2598.cfm Sunderland, J. (2000). New Understandings of Gender and Language Classroom Research: Texts, Teacher Talk and Student Talk. Language Teacher Research Journal, 4, 149-173. Tannen, Deborah. (1990). You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men Conversation. New York: Ballantine Books. Babbie, E. (1999). The Basics of Social Research. California: Wadsworth’s. This book was an overall review of research performed in the past and present by both women and men about the success and downfall of diversity in education.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Mission vision Essay

Introduction This assignment is prepared to find out the mission, vision and value statements of some organizations from different industries. In this assignment I will also try to find out whether these firms put emphasize on quality in their vision and mission statement. This report looked into the mission, vision and value statements of McDonald’s, Bank of America, Rangs Group, BRAC University and IBA, University of Dhaka. Mission statement A mission statement defines the organization’s purpose and primary objective. Its function is internal; to define the key measure or measures of the organization’s success and its prime audience is the leadership team and stock holders. Vision statement A vision statement’s purpose is to explain the organization’s key values and does not refer to bottom line figures. It tells how a particular company believes things should be done. Additionally, it also gives direction to customers and employees. A vision statement also tells where the organization is heading and how it will complete its operations Value statement Value statement is an expression of a company’s or individual’s core beliefs. Companies write the statement to identify and connect with the consumer. Additionally, the declaration allows for the company’s staff to be aware of the priorities and goals of the company. Mission and vision statement of different organizations McDonald’s Mission statement â€Å"McDonald’s brand mission is to be our customer’s favorite place and way to eat. Our worldwide operations are aligned around a global strategy called The Plan to win which centers on an exceptional customer experience- People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to continuously improving our operations and enhancing our customers’ experience† Value Statement We place the customer experience at the core of all we do We are committed to our people We believe in the McDonald’s System We operate our business ethically We give back to our communities We grow our business profitably We strive continually to improve Comments McDonald’s doesn’t have a specific written vision statement. McDonald’s value statement specifically mentions the organizations commitment to quality service. McDonalds considers quality as key to ensuring positive consumer experience. McDonalds considers quality, commitment to its staff suppliers and shareholders, ethical business practices and CSR as integral to maintaining its spot as the industry leader. IBA, University of Dhaka Vision Statement â€Å"We strive to be visible among the respected business schools in the world, as we relentlessly pursue the goal of transforming the individual into a caring professional, who can make society just a little better† Comments IBA does not have a specific mission and value statements. The vision statement of IBA does not make any mention of quality. However, the goals stated in the statement require a strong emphasis on quality in order to achieve them. North South University Vision statement The vision of North South University (NSU) is to become a leading university and remain as a top center of excellence in higher education and research. It aims at attracting brilliant students, teachers, scholars, and from all over the world. Mission statement The mission of NSU is to produce highly skilled manpower, visionary professional leaders and responsible and enlightened citizens. This mission is achieved by imparting high quality higher education, and training, and by conducting useful research so that individuals can achieve their intellectual, social, and personal potentials. NSU is committed to developing human capital by sharpening creative thinking. In addition to creation and dissemination of knowledge, its mission includes promotion of humanism and peace through higher education. As a social institution, NSU endeavors to induce changes for betterment of the society as a whole through public services, and through promotion of ethical behavior and social justice. Comments NSU emphasized on quality in their mission statement. They have stated several long term targets for their organization in their vision statement and they have planned to achieve those by imparting higher quality higher education. Bank of America Mission Statement â€Å"Bank of America is all about providing people, companies and institutional investors the financial products and services they need to help achieve their goals at every stage of their financial lives. Our deep experience, broad range of services and global capabilities allow us to deliver comprehensive solutions that help customers and clients succeed in today’s market and prepare for the future.† Vision Statement â€Å"Our vision is to become the world’s finest financial services company.† Value Statement/ Core Values We deliver for our customers, clients and shareholders. We trust in our team. We embrace the power of our people. We act responsibly. We promote opportunity. Comments Bank of America emphasized a lot about quality in their value statement. Bank of America’s core value statement makes a declaration of quality in the form of consistency to all its constituents. Since, quality is considered a core value by the Bank of America; Rangs Group Mission and Vision Statement â€Å"Provide the population of Bangladesh with modern technology by offering quality products and proper after-sales-service through multi distribution channels to make their lives easier, more comfortable and convenient.The objective of our mission is by establishing a congenial working place with content employees and by offering quality products at reasonable prices we want to create a bond with every customer in order to maximize profit through perfect competition.† Comments Rangs group does not have a formal value statement. Rangs group places high emphasis on providing quality products and after sales service to its consumers. The group mission and vision statements are stated together. Besides they have emphasized on the modernization of technology.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost Essay

â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay† by Robert Frost focuses on the idea that nothing lasts forever. The poet uses a central metaphor and personification to express his idea. The poet uses figurative language such as controlling metaphors, personification,and allusions and is specific in his choice of words. â€Å"Nature’s first green is gold† (Line 1) is the first line the is the main example of the controlling metaphor. The color green is compared to gold, which is precious. What he means by this is that things may start out good, but they will not always last. Nothing gold can stay (Line 1) means that things will soon come to an end. â€Å"Dawn goes down to day† ( Line 7 ) by this he means that all the good that happened throughout the day will soon come to an end. There is personification in the poem, which is how Frost is referring to nature as ‘her’ ( Line 2 and 3). Her early leaf’s a flower,but only so an hour, by this he means that good things can last a while, but then will come to a drastic end. He used words like subsides, grief and Eden to represent â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay.†( Line 1)Here, he means that everything has to come to an end sooner or later. Eden is a state of happiness, that soon came to an end due to the choices made by Adam and Eve. Frost uses many examples of allusions in this poem such as, the brightness like that of gold’s reflective dazzle, that becomes dulled with time, and the Biblical paradise of Eden that was lost when Adam and Eve fell from the Creator’s good graces. The allusions are to help create a picture in the readers’ mind of what the poem is about, for example with the line â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay† (line 1) it is saying that nothing good (gold) will last forever. Frost is specific with his word choice. He uses words like â€Å"Eden sank to grief†( Line 7) Eden sank to grief because Adam and Eve ate some kind of fruit off of the tree they were told not to eat from. When they ate from the tree the Creator forbid them from the garden of Eden. Frost uses many different ways to help put a picture in the readers mind. He uses allusions, personification and metaphors.â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay† by Robert Frost focused on the idea that nothing lasts forever. The poet used central metaphors and personification to express his ideas.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Effect of concentration of copper sulphate on the action of amylase to break down starch Essays

Effect of concentration of copper sulphate on the action of amylase to break down starch Essays Effect of concentration of copper sulphate on the action of amylase to break down starch Paper Effect of concentration of copper sulphate on the action of amylase to break down starch Paper There are two ways that we could have consumed copper sulphate. Water pipes are responsible for transporting water, and some of them are made out of copper. Copper pipes can become rusted if there is high sulphate content in the water, basic copper sulphate is precipitated which can grow through the pipe wall creating pit holes [1]. Copper sulphate is also used in some places to treat sewer lines, tree roots are constantly looking for water and organic sources and sewer lines are the perfect site for them. Tree roots will penetrate and damage the pipes which will is expensive to repair. Copper sulfate kills tree roots without killing the tree or other plants [2], therefore copper sulphate is poured into these pipes to kill the tree roots. This way there is a small chance that copper sulphate will leak into the pipes that are used for drinking. Copper sulphate can do a lot of harm to the human body, but very little has been discussed on the effect of copper sulphate on amylase, which is an enzyme that is present in human saliva and in the small intestines, therefore I want to perform an experiment to find out how the concentration of copper sulphate will affect the action of amylase. Copper sulphate Copper sulphate has the formula CuSO4 and is commonly used to control fungus diseases [17], both in agriculture and medicine. According to the Turkish Journal of Zoology (source 16), copper sulphate can inhibit the activity of amylase by 5%. Enzymes- Alpha Amylase Enzymes are biological catalyst, and a catalyst is substance which speeds ups a chemical reaction but remains unchanged itself at the end. [71] Enzymes are biological catalyst because they are globular protein molecules that are made by living cells to speed up reactions inside a living organism. There are three levels of structure of enzyme; the primary, secondary and tertiary structure. The primary structure is the order and type of amino acids that made up the chains. The secondary structure is the folding of the chains into either beta sheets or helix. The tertiary structure is the overall folding of the chains into a three dimensional, globular shape with an active site of a specific shape. Amylase is an enzyme made in the salivary gland and pancreas in the human body. They are used to break down carbohydrates, in other words starch are broken down to sugar or glucose [8]. Enzymes are sensitive to its environment, changes to the pH and temperature will affect the structure and function of enzyme, and therefore these factors have to be kept the same during the experiment. How does an enzyme work? Being a biological catalyst, enzymes work by providing an alternative pathway that has a lower activation enthalpy for reaction to take place therefore speeding up reactions without changing any other factors such as temperature and concentration. Many reactions in the body will not happen at all because the activation enthalpy is too high to reach, therefore the presence of enzymes are vital in every organisms for reactions to take place and to stay alive. The first proposed theory of how the enzyme work is called the lock and key hypothesis, where the substrate is imagined being like a key whose shape is complementary to the enzyme or lock. [72] The substrate will fit into the active site of the enzyme and will form an enzyme-substrate complex. Once this complex is formed, bonds within the substrate will be affected by the bonds in the enzyme; bonds will break and reform, ultimately forming products. The products will then leave the active site of the enzyme, leaving the enzyme free again to accept another substrate. The diagram below shows how the enzyme works. A diagram showing how enzyme works Induced fit hypothesis However this is not completely true, by using technique such as X-ray crystallography and computer assisted modeling [73], we can say that the active site is actually not a perfect fit to the substrate. So when the substrate approach the active site, either the shape of the substrate or the shape of active site will change slightly so they can fit precisely together. In addition, the active site could be modified as substrate interacts with the enzyme. The amino acids which make up the active site are moulded into precise shape which enables the enzyme to perform its catalytic function effectively [74]. The diagram below illustrates the induced fit theory, the shape is different when there is no substrate bonded to it and when there is substrate bonded to it. A diagram showing the induced fit theory Enzyme inhibition There are molecules that exist which act as enzyme inhibitors. They will disrupt the normal function of the enzyme, preventing it from working so the rate of reaction will decrease, or no reaction at all. There are two forms of inhibitions; competitive and non-competitive inhibitions. Competitive inhibition Competitive inhibitors will compete with the substrates for the active sites of the enzyme. This occur when a structure which is sufficiently similar to that of the normal substrate to be able to fit into the active site [75]. As the active site is occupied by the inhibitor, the substrate cannot bind to the active site to get catalysed, so rate of reaction is decreased. However, a competitive inhibition is usually reversible if sufficient substrate molecules are available to ultimately displace the inhibitor [12]. Non-competitive reversible inhibition The inhibitor has not got a complementary shape to the active site of the enzyme; it will bind to other parts of the enzyme instead. The binding of the inhibitor to the enzyme will have no effect on the ability of the substrate to bind to the enzyme, but it makes it impossible for catalysis to take place [76]. Unlike the competitive inhibitor, the rate of reaction will not be affected by the concentration of substrate. Non-competitive irreversible inhibition This type of inhibitor is non-competitive because it has not got a complementary shape that can fit into the active site of enzyme, so will not compete with the substrate for the active site, and the inhibition is irreversible. Heavy metal ions are typical of this type of inhibitors. They will combine permanently to the sulphydryl (-SH) groups. This could be in the active site or elsewhere [13] of the enzyme. The metal ions replace the hydrogen in -SH to form -SX. This will alter the structure and active site of the enzyme permanently, therefore enzymes can no longer catalyse the break down of starch. The diagram above shows the how heavy metal ion, in this case silver, will substitute hydrogen to form -SAg bond. This will alter the shape of active site so the substrate can no longer fit into it to get catalysed. As mentioned above, heavy metal ions are typical of this type of inhibition; copper is a heavy metal ion, so if copper sulphate does inhibit the action of amylase, I can conclude that copper sulphate is a non-competitive irreversible inhibitor. The collision theory The collision theory explains how reactions occur. Two particles can only react together if they come into contact with each other. They first have to collide, and then they may react [21]. They may react because colliding particles need to satisfy two requirements to cause a successful collision or reaction. The orientation of collision When two particles collide together, they need to have the right orientation when they come into contact for them to react. The diagram below illustrates this. There are four different orientations of collisions with enough energy for a successful collision to happen. However only collision 1 results in a successful collision, this is because it has the right orientation to collide with the bond which results in a successful collision, the particles in the other three collisions will simply bounce off each other [21]. Energy of collision The second requirement for a reaction to take place is that particles must collide with a certain minimum energy, called the activation energy [21]. Without sufficient energy, the two particles will simply bounce off each other after they collide. The activation enthalpy of a reaction is shown below. Starch and iodine solution This is a test for the presence of starch in a solution. When iodine solution is added to a solution contatining starch, a blue black colour will form. This is because the amylose, or straight chain portion of starch, forms helices where iodine molecules assemble, forming a dark blue/black color. [15] This means that when starch is being broken down by the amylase, the amylose will start break down too into smaller units, therefore losing the helics shape around the iodine molecules, the blue-black colour will then start to disappear. I can exploit this characteristic in my experiment to dertermine the end point. Using a colorimeter to monitor the light absorbance, I can determine the rate of reaction as it is the same as how quickly the solution decolourises.

Monday, November 4, 2019

South Korean Automobile Market - Non-Tariff Barriers Essay

South Korean Automobile Market - Non-Tariff Barriers - Essay Example The thesis examines the updated trade patterns and determinant of complete passenger and road vehicle trade between the U.S and S. Korea. The main explanatory variable is the effect of S. Korea’s Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) on the automobile industry trade with its one of the biggest trading partner, the U. S. The patterns and performance of automobile industry trade and the effects of NTBs in S. Korean car market will be assessed by the Normalized Trade Balance Index, Grubel and Lloyd index and the regression that is by using multiple regression analysis approaches, more specifically. The results of the thesis will highlight the trend of the road and passenger vehicle industry trade and the impact of NTBs on the volume/ value of trade in automobile sectors between the countries since the beginning of the 2000s. S. Korea and the U.S share a great deal of interest in pursuing positive development in the automobile industry’s trade performance. Both countries substantially rely on the profits of the automobile trade for their economic growth and their market sizes are often large. (Dyer & Chu, 2000). Consequently, S. Korea and the U.S Free Trade Agreement is about to come into effect and one of the biggest issues that prolonged the deal while negotiating for the FTA was regarding the automobile, especially passenger vehicle industry trade. President Obama and the U.S industry representatives claimed that the FTA deal regarding automobile trading regime is not fair if they start to trade bilaterally in the current condition and regulation. Opponents of recent FTA provision even claimed that the U.S automakers exaggerate the potential sales in S. Korea of cars produced in U.S. assembly plants (Schott, 2010).  

Saturday, November 2, 2019

LLM EC Competition law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LLM EC Competition law - Essay Example Within the UK Articles 81 and 82 EC have been incorporated into the Competition Act 1998 (CA). The aim of these articles and the CA is to prohibit agreements, business practices and behaviors that have, or are intended to have, a damaging effect on competition in the UK (in the EU for the EC Articles).1 Article 81 prohibits any dealings that will distort competition within the EU, which includes any agreement from insider trading through to companies discriminating to supply goods or services on the basis of preferential businesses. The sale and supply of goods and services should be open to all members of the class that the company deals with. Also the sale of goods and services should be based on fair and open grounds, examples that the Office of Fair Trading and the EC use to illustrate anti-competitive agreements, in addition to cartels, include: The basis that the EC has used to identify what grounds are anti-competitive can arguably be determined as not economic, but more socially based. On economic grounds could such agreements as shown above not be a way to create a more competitive market, because if the present competitors agree to limit output does this not open the door for new businesses to open up in order for supply to meet the demand. Therefore it is questionable whether the current system of law is really dealing with what is economically competitive on economic grounds3. This is even more apparent with Article 82 EC, which deals with identifying what equates to abusive behavior by a company in respect to EC competition law. In order to be abusive under the company must be in a dominant position, which raises a question on the fairness of this article because if a company is not in a dominant position why is it not abusive This seems to be more of a social rather than an economic factor, because it means that if you are NOT a powerful and dominant company you can do as you wish.4 This illustrates that the grounds that EC law is determining on abuse in fact favors one sector of the economy over others, i.e. the underdogs. Is this not an abuse of competition law, because in certain instances dominant companies are a natural part of the industry's landscape, e.g. water, natural resources and fuel. This indicates that the current approach to determining a breach of competition law is in fact ironically a breach itself. The definition of dominance comes from the cases of United Brands5 and Hoffman-La Roche6 where the ECJ (European Court of Justice) defined the concept of dominance as: A position of economic strength enjoyed by an undertaking which enables it to prevent effective competition being maintained on the relevant market by affording it the power to behave to an appreciable extent independently of its competitors, customers and ultimately of its consumers.7 It is commendable that the ECJ indicates the need to protect the interests of the consumer; however is this determination on the basis of the economic grounds of

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The impacts of motivation on works and staff,which encourage employees Dissertation

The impacts of motivation on works and staff,which encourage employees to work in Saudi private sector - Dissertation Example SABIC controls over 10% of the international petrochemical market (30). It has entered into joint ventures and partnerships with foreign organizations like Shell, ExxonMobil and numerous other American, European and Asian companies (Cordesman, 2006). SABIC is a true reflection of the intention of the government of Saudi Arabia to involve private sector investment and participoation in the growth and development of the nation. As such, 70% of SABIC is owned by the government while the remaining 30% distributed among private owners (SABIC, 2011). The government further plans to divest the various company holdings and accelerate the privatization process. In the light of the Saudi Arabia’s policy to encourage Saudization or to ensure that the private sector organizations employ a substantial number of local employees (), it is essential to study the factors that help in attracting recruitment and which keep the local employees motivated and loyal to the company. While the Saudiza tion program was initiated as early as 2006, with the objective of increasing the private sector local workforce to 30%, the current statistics reveal that the actual fraction of local employees in private sector is less than 10%. ... mean that there is a low level of motivation among the local employees either to get selected in the private sector, or to work in such an organization. This is very little research undertaken within the private sector to understand why the sector lacks in local participation, or what makes it attractive to the expatriates and not the local workforce alone Al-Eisa, Furayyan, & Alhmeoud, 2009). However, this is a major issue that the government of Saudi Arabia is facing, and hence there is a need to study the problem intricately so as to S SABIC provides a dynamic environment where the changes that facilitate privatization are visible as can be seen in the recent changes to its human resource policies and packages. The organization employes a vast majority of both local and foreign workers and has been tasked with keeping the workforce trained and qualified as well as motivated to work. A research into the policies, practices and Human resource strategies in SABIC are expected to prov ide insights about how organizations in Saudi Arabia, especially, the private oraganizations, can motivate and retain their employees. Research Objectives In the light of the above background, the following research objectives are found useful for the current research: -To examine the factors that affect employees and staff motivation in Saudi Arabian firms - To define the role of motivation in achieving job satisfaction in Saudi Arabian petrochemical organizations. -To find out whether employee motivation is related to higher performance and low employee turnover in the context of Saudi Arabia Research Methods The research is conducted using both primary and secondary methods. The secondary method consists of an exhaustive literature survey and review where topics like employee motivation

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The High Tide †Second Day’s Battle at Gettysburg Essay Example for Free

The High Tide – Second Day’s Battle at Gettysburg Essay The first day at Gettysburg had seen the two great armies – the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee and the Union Army of the Potomac, led by newly appointed Major General George Gordon Meade – come together. The fighting had ended with the southern army in control of the town and Seminary Ridge, while the northern army possessed the high ground along Cemetery Ridge, a very formidable position dominated by two large hills – Round Top and Little Round Top on the southern end of the line; it will be around those two hills that the Confederacy’s effort of independence from the United States will reach its high tide; it will break upon, and around those heights and it will ebb and flow there. It will be on the Union left that Longstreet’s Corps will be broken, and it will likewise be there that the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac will see the south’s hopes break and recede and from whence it will gain renewed strength from having been the instrument upon which those hopes are dashed. The night between the beginning of the battle and its fiercest fighting found Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s I Corps hurrying toward the field. It had been delayed during the morning, left waiting as of part of Lieutenant General Richard Ewell’s corps passed by near the town of Greenwood; the I Corps had been moving throughout the day and evening reaching the main army about midnight. On the morning of the second day, Lee, Longstreet, A.P. Hill, Harry Heth, and John Bell Hood sat beneath a tree on Seminary Ridge and discussed plans for the day’s attack.[i] Longstreet had tried to convince his leader that the Army of Northern Virginia should move around the Union forces flank and position itself between Meade and Washington, and he had believed he and Lee had agreed upon this strategy, and he tried to get Lee to follow through on that strategy, â€Å"We could not call the enemy to position better suited to our plans,† he observed. â€Å"All that we have to do is to file around his left and secure good ground between him and his capital.†[ii] After the first day’s fighting, Lee had decided if Meade’s army was still found along Cemetery Ridge in the morning he would attack him and he told Longstreet so, â€Å"If the enemy is there tomorrow, we must attack him.†[iii] Longstreet had disagreed, â€Å"If he is there, it will be because he is anxious that we should attack him – a good reason in my judgment, for not doing so.†[iv] But the bit was between Lee’s teeth now and he would not, and could not, let go of the Army of the Potomac and move around it. There was too much at stake, and his army would never be able to survive for long as a group, and could not afford to spread out now in order to live off the land around them. Meade could wait them out and Lee knew this. This may not be the ground of his choosing, but here was where the enemy had gathered, and it was now here where he would have to fight him. Lee had been observing the enemy’s position and he believed its left flank was in the air and unsecured, but he had no cavalry to confirm this. Major General J.E.B. Stuart had been assigned the mission to screen the Confederate army’s move northward, but had become distracted with the idea of riding around the Union army, and had hence left Lee with no screen and with no reconnaissance capability, and he now had to use the tools he had at hand. To determine if Meade’s flank was indeed unsecured Lee had sent a small reconnaissance party to the right to verify Meade’s position. He had sent Captain Samuel R. Johnston, one of his staff, to scout out the enemy’s flank. Johnston led his party to the top of Little Round Top, and found no one there. He could see, looking through the trees below him, no Union troops. The flank appeared to be unsecured! He returned to the commanding general and confirmed Lee’s suspicion that Meade’s left was exp osed and opened to attack. But the empty flank Johnston had seen was only momentarily so, â€Å"†¦the reconnaissance party had taken a quick look at the enemy lines during the time when the Federals were in the process of shifting troops. In fact, the Union lines did extend south along Cemetery Ridge. Lee therefore had a complete misunderstanding of Meade’s position.†[v] With his suspicions confirmed, Lee was determined to attack, and he turned to his most trusted Lieutenant – to his â€Å"Old War Horse† – Longstreet. But the I Corps commander did not share Lee’s confidence; he too had been studying the Union defenses and he had â€Å"concluded that this line was too strong for an attack to succeed. He urged Lee to turn its south flank and get between the Union army and Washington. This would compel Meade to attack the Army of Northern Virginia in its chosen position.†[vi] Lee would not be swayed however, and ordered Longstreet to prepare for the attack; the attack that if it succeeded could drive the Union army from the field and win the war. But Lee’s battle plan â€Å"rested on two givens – first, that scout Samuel Johnston had spied not a single Yankee soldier from his vantage point on Little Round Top that morning; and second, that therefore General Meade lacked either the troops or the intellect to anchor his left flank properly.†[vii] The Union line had been established as the Army of the Potomac was driven from Gettysburg during the first day’s battle after Meade sent Major General Winfield Scott Hancock forward to take charge of the army on learning of I Corps Commander Major General John F. Reynolds death. Hancock had quickly determined the high ground south of Gettysburg running from Culp’s Hill on the north past Cemetery Hill and down the long stretch of Cemetery Ridge south to the Round Tops – could and should be held. He rallied the units on hand and established the defense, sending word to Meade of his disposition, who swiftly ordered the remainder of the army to converge on Gettysburg, and hurried to the site arriving around midnight. Hancock will be dubbed â€Å"Hancock the Superb,† by northern newspaper writers for his roll in the Union victory.[viii] As Longstreet’s corps made its way south it would soon discover that not only was the Union left soon to be occupied, but that â€Å"Meade finally had most of his 85,000 men present. Lee with approximately 75,000 soldiers, was facing a formidable line that stretched from Culp’s Hill, around Cemetery Hill, southward along Cemetery Ridge, and finally to the Round Tops.†[ix] Lee’s plan of attack called for Longstreets corps to position itself to attack the Union left flank, facing northeast astraddle the Emmitsburg Road, and to roll up the Federal line. The attack was to move en echelon from the right beginning with Hood’s and Major General Lafayette McLaws’s divisions, followed by Major General Richard H. Andersons division of Hills III Corps. The progressive sequence of the attack was supposed to thwart Meade from shifting troops from his center to bolster his left. At the same time, Major Generals Edward Johnsons and Jubal Earlys II Corps divisions were to make a demonstration against Culps and Cemetery Hills (again, to prevent the shifting of Federal troops), and to turn those demonstrations into full-scale attacks if a favorable opportunity presented itself. What Lee’s plan had not taken into account was the possibility of Union generals doing the unexpected, and as Longstreet’s corps moved into position its leaders were surprised to find Major General Daniel Sickles III Corps sitting right in their path well out in front of the entire Union line. It was both an opportunity and problem. An opportunity because in moving forward Sickles had left the Union left truly unsecured, and most especially he had left the Round Tops void of any Union forces; it was a problem because Sickles corps, blocking the expected path of advance would slow down the rebel assault. As Sickles had moved his corps into position on Cemetery Ridge, he looked toward the Confederate lines and decided – on his own that his corps was not in the best location. â€Å"Trees and boulders covered both the ground that he was to occupy and the area to his front seemed slightly higher. From there, Confederate artillery might be able to command his lines.†[x] As the afternoon wore on, and shadows began moving through the woods nearby, Sickles, sensing a crisis was approaching, sent skirmishers into the woods to find out what the Confederates were doing. Twenty minutes later, his men reported enemy movement toward the south. â€Å"Thinking he had to act promptly to prevent the high ground from falling into enemy hands, Sickles moved his corps forward. Back on Cemetery Ridge, Hancock, whose corps was on Sickles’ right, was astounded by the move. One of his division commanders suggested that perhaps Meade had ordered a general advance and that Hancock’s corps missed the order.†[xi] By moving his corps so far ahead of the Cemetery Ridge line Sickles not only forced Longstreet to modify Lee’s battle plan at the last moment, but he also greatly altered the strategic landscape. â€Å"Lee’s prospective battlefield was extended southward some three-quarters of a mile. Hood deployed his four brigades, newly designated as the outflanking division, along Seminary Ridge facing due east, toward Round Top and Little Round Top. The half mile or so of terrain between Hood and the two heights contained what military cartographers euphemistically termed ‘broken ground.’†[xii] As he moved forward, to occupy the high ground, Sickles had placed his III Corps into a salient extending his line to a length far greater than could be adequately defended by the number of men he had in his command, and the shape of his line exposed it to both Confederate fire and attacks from three directions. To make matters worse, â€Å"not only had Sickles disobeyed his orders to occupy Cemetery Ridge, but he had also left Little Round Top undefended.†[xiii] Reporting to Meade’s headquarters for a meeting of corps commanders as he was dismounting, heavy artillery fire could be heard in the direction of his corps on the Union left. Sickles quickly remounted and rode swiftly back to his men. Just as quickly, Meade mounted his horse, and he and his chief of engineers, Major General Gouverneur K. Warren rode to ascertain the situation on the III Corps’ front. When they reached Cemetery Ridge, Warren said, â€Å"‘Here is where our line should be.’ Hearing the Confederate cannon fire to the front, Meade replied, ‘It is too late now,’ and rode in the direction of the fire. Warren, wanting to get a better view of the terrain, rode to the crest of Little Round Top.†[xiv] While the fire was spreading and intensifying, Warren and his aides raced up the rocky slopes of Little Round Top, and once there were stunned to find there were no Federal soldiers, except for a handful of signal-men on the heights, and it was further apparent, â€Å"from what the signal-men had seen and from Warren’s own observations, that Confederate attackers were less than a mile away and moving toward the heights even as they watched. That discovery, Warren later wrote, ‘was intensely thrilling to my feelings and almost appalling.’ Earlier in the day he had written his wife, ‘we are now all in line of battle before the enemy in a position where we cannot be beaten but fear being turned.’ Now that fear was upon him. To General Warren it was instantly clear that if Rebel infantry and artillery seized Little Round Top, they would utterly dominate the Potomac army’s position on Cemetery Ridge.†[xv] Understanding what would happen if someone didn’t occupy the heights and do so quickly, Warren sent one of his aides to Meade calling for troops to meet the emergency. He also dispatched another aide, Lieutenant Ranald Mackenzie, to Sickles and to have him order one of his brigades to the crest. By the time Mackenzie found Sickles, his corps was already heavily engaged and the General was beginning to realize the scope of his recklessness, and told Mackenzie he could not spare any of his men. Mackenzie rode back to Cemetery Ridge in search of other troops, and soon found Major General George Sykes, moving forward with his V Corps. â€Å"Without hesitation, without clearing the matter with headquarters, Sykes sent a courier to the commander of his lead division, James Barnes, with orders to answer Warren’s call. â€Å"Sykes’s courier, in his search for Barnes, encountered Colonel Strong Vincent, commanding the V Corps’ lead brigade. ‘Captain, what are your orders?’ Vincent demanded of the courier. He needed to find General Barnes, said the courier. ‘What are your orders?’ Vincent repeated. ‘Give me your orders.’ The captain answered, ‘General Sykes told me to direct General Barnes to send one of his brigades to occupy that hill yonder,’ pointing to Little Round Top. ‘I will take the responsibility of taking my brigade there,’ said Vincent. As the corps’ lead brigade, Vincent’s was the logical choice for this task, but in sensing the crisis and bypassing the chain of command, Strong Vincent, too rose to the occasion. His variegated brigade – Twentieth Maine, Eighty-third Pennsylvania, Forty-fourth New York, Sixteenth Michigan – was soon scrambling up the rocky face of Little Round Top.à ¢â‚¬ [xvi] Warren did not sit idly by while his aides were looking for troops; Warren also moved off searching for men to place on the exposed left. Noticing infantry moving up, he moved to the unit discovering it was none other than a regiment from the brigade he had earlier commanded. â€Å"As he started to explain the army’s plight to the regimental commander, Warren saw his younger brother, Edgar, approaching. Edgar Warren was an aide to Brigadier General Stephen H. Wood, commander of a brigade in the V Corps. The army’s chief engineer received promises that the entire brigade would send help. Next, Warren directed an artillery battery and the brigade’s lead regiment to move to the top of the hill. He then rode to see the V Corps commander and secure additional reinforcements. The ensuing fight for Little Round Top was a close contest. Federals ran up one side of the hill as Confederates ran up the other. The fight ended with the Army of the Potomac holding the positio n. Warren had taken action in time.†[xvii] Longstreet had repeatedly argued to have the army move around Meade’s flank, but he had been overridden by Lee. He was not happy about the planned attack, but he was a career soldier and he would obey orders. But after being rebuffed, he was determined to follow the letter of Lee’s instructions and it made him extremely inflexible. His division commander on the far right, Hood, recommended that the right wing of the attack should be extended around the Round Tops and into flanks of the Union army. â€Å"Longstreet replied that Lee’s orders were to attack up the Emmitsburg Road, and that everyone would obey the orders of the commanding general. Nevertheless, Hood extended his lines to the right to include Little Round Top, and his near success against Warren on that hill was proof that the Federal line of battle was vulnerable.†[xviii] Longstreet’s artillery fired a cannonade for more than an hour, and then his divisions charged forward, slamming into Sickles’s front and flanks. Sickles’s decision to move forward was a bad one, but his men fought bravely and made the Confederate I Corps pay dearly for each yard it advanced, and Sickles defended it well. â€Å"†¦the fight for the Peach Orchard and the Wheatfield lasted almost four hours. Before being seriously wounded, Sickles skillfully plugged the holes in his lines almost as quickly as they developed.†[xix] As the I Corps continued its assault on the Union left it began to flow up and around the Round Tops, as it moved to the left and right enveloping Sickles’s Corps it began the long hard fight into and through the forbidding Devil’s Den. This area of the Union line was being defended by the One Hundred Twenty-fourth New York Infantry known as the â€Å"Orange Blossoms†. The fighting soon became some of the hardest of the war, and presently became desperate. â€Å"Some of the Texans later claimed that the muzzle flash of their rifles had singed the New Yorker’s uniforms. At the start of the fight, the regiment’s Colonel A. Van Horne Ellis and Major James Cromwell had been on foot. It was safer that way.† As the fight worsened, â€Å"Ellis had their horses brought forward, and he and Cromwell mounted up. To a captain who remonstrated at what good targets the colonel and major would make on horseback, Ellis replied, ‘The men must see us to day.’†[xx] The fighting became hotter, and as moment of immediate â€Å"crisis seemed to approach, Ellis gave the signal. He and Cromwell led their men down the slope in a counterattack. For a few moments all was glorious victory for the Orange Blossoms as the First Texas broke and fled before them. Then, near the foot of the slope, the Texans turned and blasted a volley into the faces of their pursuers. Cromwell, a magnificent figure on his iron-gray horse, crumpled to the ground. The Orange Blossoms surged forward to recover his body, and the rocky hillside became a fiery cauldron of battle. One participant recalled that all was ‘roaring cannon, crashing rifles, screeching shots, bursting shells, hissing bullets, cheers, shouts, shrieks and groans.’†[xxi] The Texas line receded and it looked as though the Orange Blossoms may have won a startling victory, but suddenly, â€Å"†¦emerging from the thick smoke and passing through the Texas’ line, strode a solid gray-glad line of battle, fresh and unbloodied, two ranks deep, shoulder-to-shoulder and stretching out of sight in the battle smoke in either direction. Brigadier General Henry Benning’s Georgia brigade had moved up from its reserve position and was going into action to renew the momentum of the Confederate assault. The Georgia line swept the scattered Orange Blossoms before it like the first chill blast of a violent spring storm. Colonel Ellis fell dead with a bullet in his brain, and the survivors of the 124th, now scarcely one hundred strong, fell back to the crest of Houck Ridge, struggling to delay the Confederate advance.†[xxii] As the Confederate assault began to flow over the top of the ridge it soon collided with the Fourth Maine Regiment. Its commander, Colonel Elijah Walker, realized very quickly that the Rebels would soon be able to turn his flank and continue to plunge through the Union line. â€Å"Walker responded with the sublime audacity that seemed almost commonplace on both sides this afternoon. He ordered his regiment to wheel to the right, fix bayonets, and charge. ‘I shall never forget the â€Å"click† that was made by the fixing of bayonets,’ the colonel wrote years later. ‘It was as one.’ â€Å"The Fourth Maine surged to the top of the ridge, but there it, too, met the onrushing wave of Benning’s Georgia brigade. The fighting became hand-to-hand on the ridge top and in Devil’s Den. The Maine men were soon joined by reinforcements of their own, one regiment from the other end of Ward’s line and another from de Trobriand. The oversized Fortieth New York took up the position the Fourth Maine had just left, covering the Slaughter Pen and Plum Rum gorge. The Ninety-ninth Pennsylvania, led by Major John W. Moore with the shout of ‘Pennsylvania and our homes!’ charged into Devil’s Den alongside the Fourth Maine and drove the Georgians and Alabamians out of the boulders and off the ridge. Meanwhile, the Fortieth New York charged the Confederates who were trying to press through the gorge and drove them back but could not dislodge them. One Confederate counted seven separate charges by the Fortieth. The two sides blazed away at each ot her there until the Slaughter Pen was more thickly strewn with bodies than with boulder.†[xxiii] Sickles’s salient had caused Hood’s division to move to the right of the assault, and it began to flow over and about the Round Tops, and the two right-hand regiments, the Fifteenth and Forty-seventh Alabama, under the Fifteenth’s Colonel William C. Oates, climbed up – and over the steep, heavily wooded slopes of Round Top, and then plunged down into the saddle separating it from Little Round Top to its north. â€Å"Oates’s instructions were to locate ‘the left of the Union line, to turn it and do all the damage I could†¦.’†[xxiv]