Agile Methodology For Project Management - 2433 Words

AGILE METHODOLOGY IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT 3 Agile Methodology in Project Management Name Instructor Institution Location Date of Submission Table of Contents Introduction 3 Approaches in Agile Methodology 3 Principles of Agile Methodology in Project Management 4 Comparison of Agile Methodology versus Traditional Approach 5 Overall Description of Agile Methodology 7 Benefits of the Agile Methodology 8 Conclusions 9 References 10 Running head: AGILE METHODOLOGY IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT 1 AGILE METHODOLOGY IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT 2 Introduction Among the various approaches adopted in project management is Agile Methodology, one that is mentioned frequently among experts and considered as one of the key approaches adopted in organizations. As pointed out by Stare (2013), Agile Methodology can be described as a particular way that is embraced in the management of projects and teams in Information and Technology among other fields. There are various practices associated with the Agile Methodology and some of them include the ability to assume simplicity, creation of documentation based on value, enabling rapid feedback to all stakeholders, and embracing change among others practices. Since its emergence in project management, various research studies have been conducted in a bid to explore the possibilities of using the Agile Methodology in other industries that are not specifically meant for software development. Given the fact that corporations areShow MoreRelatedResearch Methodology On Agile Project Managem ent1734 Words   |  7 Pages3. Methodology Chapter 3.1 Introduction to Methodology The purpose of this chapter is to describe the research methodology used in completing this dissertation. This chapter starts out by describing the initial research and literature review that was performed and then further describe with relevant research methodology. A research method is being selected and explained. A sample of questionnaire and interview questions can be obtained in Appendix. 3.2 Prestudy and Approach ( Literature Review )Read MoreWaterfall Vs Agile Methodologies For The Project Management2008 Words   |  9 PagesWaterfall Vs Agile Methodologies Choosing a right methodology for the project management enables the organization to tackle the projects comprehensively, systematically, and an approach to assess the risks and difficulties that large projects encompass. It also offers benefits at the strategic, tactical and operational levels to an organization. The two basic, most popular methodologies are: Waterfall Model (which is also known as Traditional Model) and Agile Model. Both of these models are beingRead MoreProject Management Of Software Engineering1721 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Project management is a tool that the organization can use to eliminate waste, increase capacity, or increase positioning in the market place. Project Management is a broad topic. The methodology has been around for many years. During the last twenty years, the Agile methodology was introduced to project management. In the last ten years, maturity of the merged agile methodology and project management occurred. In this paper, we will explore the project management of software engineeringRead MoreAgile Project Management : Shanaz Sithara Mohamed Samsudeen1212 Words   |  5 PagesAGILE METHODOLOGY CITF 120 – IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT - Shanaz Sithara Mohamed Samsudeen Agile movement as it applies to software development and other types of projects. The world is a global village. Change is the only constant that prevails. This has increased the need to be more adaptive to the challenges (changes) that are put forth. In project management, the need to be flexible has grown than ever before to turn the project successful. They have to meet with several constraints at differentRead MoreProject Management Method Called Agile Essay1607 Words   |  7 Pages Different methodologies are used nowadays by a project manager to achieve their project goals. Although all the methodologies have common process for management but their execution differs. In this paper my intention is to discuss the most commonly used project management method called Agile. This methodology is commonly used in software projects because of its iterative development way and its flexibility for a requirement changing environment like in the case of a software project where the requirementRead MoreProject Management : Design Management1278 Words   |  6 PagesProject management is a tool that the organization can use to eliminate waste, increase capacity, or increase positioning in the market place. The concept of project management is broad with methodology dating back across the decades. Project management itself is not new; however, methodologies associated with project management have continued to develop and change over time. Specifically, during the last two d ecades, the Agile methodology was introduced to project management. In recent years, mergingRead MoreExistence Of Agile Team Environment1482 Words   |  6 PagesHypothesis 1 H0: Existence of agile team environment will not help to increase the success rate of the project H1: Existence of agile team environment will help to increase the success rate of the project. Based on hypothesize one the One-Sample T-Test Output is presented below. This output consists of two parts: one of them is One-Sample Statistics and the other one is One Sample Tests. Result from The One-Sample Statistics is explained as sample size is presented as (N), mean, standard deviationRead MoreProject Management Body Of Knowledge1397 Words   |  6 Pagesabbreviation PMBOK denotes to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. The PMBOK is a developing frame of information for the arena of project management. PMBOK is positioned on the Project Manager and the PMP Exam is an effort to measure the knowledge of a Project Manager. Which differs from a methodology. Nevertheless, the significance of PMBOK to the occupation of Project Management cannot be simple, as the knowledge enclosed within it can be leveraged by any formal methodology. Therefore, it should beRead MoreEssay on Agile Software Development Methodologies1638 Words   |  7 PagesThe conventional software developm ent methodologies projects have failed to overcome the problem of volatility in the present project management processes in organizations. This is because they are mostly linear and sequential, imposing a significant challenge when meeting changing user requirements. Volatility in user requirements has been a significant predicament until the discovery of agile project management methodologies such as scrum, Extreme programming, and Future driven development. VolatilityRead MoreQuality Management in Agile Comparison with Traditional Project Management1553 Words   |  7 PagesAgile Project management is one of the industries dominating methodology for project management in IT. It is an incremental and iterative way to manage the build and design activities for constructing an IT product, services, and project development in manner which is highly interactive and flexible. In this methodology, scope is defined in granularity that is appropriate with time horizon and checked with the agreement on each feature with the customer. In this methodology work steps are divided

Neo-Bohemia Art and Commerce in the Postindustrial City Free Essays

About the Author Richard Lloyd is a known social critique. His observation upon the society’s progress has naturally assisted people in seeing the situation that they are in several perspectives of social development. His approach on criticizing the present has naturally rooted from the understanding that he has gained from the past. We will write a custom essay sample on Neo-Bohemia: Art and Commerce in the Postindustrial City or any similar topic only for you Order Now Through this particular process of observation and explanation of the human society’s development, Lloyd captures the attention of both the old generation and that of the new age civilization. Whereas, it is through this procedure of giving the society a glimpse of what is actually happening that more people are able to benefit from the clarity of the author’s description of the current situation. About the Book As mentioned earlier, the book of Lloyd attempts to clarify the actual situation that the human society is involved in at present. This particular reading, as per noted by the author, aims to show the balance as well as the imbalance that happens in the society with regards the developments that are happening with technological innovations as well as the cultural get-up of moist communities today because of the deepening effects of globalization in the lives of the people around the world. To make the discussion less-broad, the author intended to portray the situation in the ways by which the people are situated in a small community whereas, the people’s lives are further intertwined because of the fact that they are living in a single system; a single neighborhood that makes them and their activities collaborate with that of the others. It is a process by which the author simply concise a whole wide world view into a smaller scope of area of understanding so as to be able to help the readers understand the bigger picture of the situation. Content and Summary In a ten-chapter–based discussion, Lloyd particularly opened the minds of the readers to the truth that globalization, technological innovation and industrialization has brought the human society with. Through the discussions of the three major agents of social advancement, Lloyd showed the benefits of the process which are mostly obvious to the human mind and understanding. However, he also noted the negative effects of the progress as the situation becomes vulgarly connected to the devastating situations that are present in the society today. Constant agitation over the social status of the different types of people involved in the process and the ones that they particularly oppress unknowingly helped Lloyd in making his arguments quite stronger and obvious for the common mind to understand. On Industrialization and Globalization: Lloyd particularly recognizes the idea that obvious progress has been implied by the different procedures of industrialization that the commercial sectors of the society have implied upon the human generations through the years. The increased process of employing more and more individuals in the industries have made it possible for the developing nations to follow on through with the developments of the international trade and the world economy as well. However, behind the developments of the society in terms of employment and commercial progress of business organizations, it is almost unnoticeable among those who are gaining profit in the system that they are already becoming wealthy at the expense of others. This is the reason why the theory of Darwinism on poor becoming poorer and the rich becoming richer has been developed to explain the situation. The increased number of child labor is also alarming that it has made it possible for several social organizations to put up programs avoiding the said situations. On Technological Advancements: The society today recognizes the idea that people today [being led by the young generation] engages in a considerable manner of accepting the advancements of technology in an undeniably welcoming manner. Most often than not, the process of technological innovation and invasion in the human society have been much beneficial at almost every cost of living in the present civilization’s process of dealing with everyday challenges and tasks. On the contrary, the downside of the situation is that as the technological innovation increases, the dependability of the society upon the technological machines also increases. At some point, Lloyd sees this in an objective manner. However, it could not be denied that along with this particular progression in the society’s ability of facing the daily challenges that they are supposed to deal with, the willingness of people to solve things on their own have diminished. The dependability that they place upon the systems of technology actually makes it harder for the people to recognize their real capabilities in facing the difficulties of life. Critique of the Author’s Writing Approach Lloyd’s trademark of not using vulgar words simply to avoid boredom in the discussion has made his writing quite professional and authoritative. However, this does not mean that the book was such a bore. In fact, reading tit makes it easier for the readers to understand the social situation in a better picture that suits their comprehension. Most likely, reading through the pages of the reading naturally helps the readers see the approach of the writer as rather friendly yet authoritative, this means that the values of the readers as the ones to comprehend upon the reading is conscientiously carried on through the process by the author. Through this approach, the book was not a bore, but an interesting material that serves as an impeccable picture of the reality of situations happening in the society today. Overall Reaction and Recommendation The reading as per authored by Richard Lloyd is a fine read for every social studies students who are aiming to see the human situation in a much more practical picture. The metaphors and the illustrations used by the author in this reading also makes it a fine read for ordinary people who simply want to know about the different developments in the society and how they particularly affect the lives of the human generations in a much more practical manner. The usage of the words and the choice of language tone on the part of the author makes this particular read applicable for all the ages wanting to learn about the society as well. Overall, Lloyd’s book is indeed a fine read. Reference: Richard Lloyd. (2005). Neo-Bohemia: Art and Commerce in the Postindustrial City. Routledge; 1 edition. Â   Â   Â   How to cite Neo-Bohemia: Art and Commerce in the Postindustrial City, Essay examples

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift free essay sample

Taylor Swift’s new song ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ is currently number one on iTunes beating out Justin Bieber, Fun, Flo Rida, and more! Many people on Youtube are making comments on lyric videos that people make with Taylor’s new song saying that she shouldn’t have changed her sound and that this song doesn’t sound like Taylor Swift at all. I think the song is amazing. It’s probably my favorite that she’s ever released and not just because its her newest one. Taylor is growing as an artist more and more every day. Changing sound is something to do to expand as an artist instead of keeping the same sound all the time. Artists change their sound time. I mean look at Justin Bieber. He went from One Less Lonely Girl to As Long As You Love Me. Taylor’s music can still relate to mostly all teenage girls being that the song is about a girl telling her ex-boyfriend that they’ll never be getting back together . We will write a custom essay sample on We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page .as you can tell from the title probably. I personally can’t wait to see what else is on Taylor’s new album Red.

Problems With Measurements Of The Distance Of Stars Essays

Problems With Measurements Of The Distance Of Stars This is one of the most commonly asked questions and deserves an honest answer. Below is first a short answer then a more thorough answer. There are three things we need to consider when answering the starlight question. 1. Scientists cannot measure distances beyond 100 light years accurately. 2. No one knows what light is or that it always travels the same speed throughout all time, space and matter. 3. The creation was finished or mature when God made it. Adam was full-grown, the trees had fruit on them, the starlight was visible, etc. Let me elaborate on these 3 points. The farthest accurate distance man can measure is 20 light years (some textbooks say up to 100), not several billion light years. Man measures star distances using parallax trigonometry. By choosing two measurable observation points and making an imaginary triangle to a third point, and using simple trigonometry, man uses points available are the positions of the earth in solar orbit six months apart, say June and December. This would be a base for our imaginary triangle of 186,000,000 miles or 16 light minutes. There are 525,948 minutes in a year. Even if the nearest star were only one light year away (and it isn't), the angle at the third point measures .017 degrees. In simpler terms, a triangle like this would be the same angle two surveyors would see if they were standing sixteen inches apart and focusing on a third point 8.24 miles away. If they stayed 16 inches apart and focused on a dot 824 miles away, they would have the same angle as an astronomer measuring a point 100 light years away. A point 5 million years away is impossible to figure with trigonometry. The stars may be that far away but modern man has no way of measuring those great distances. No one can state definitively the distance to the stars. The stars may indeed be billions of light years away, but man cannot measure those distances. Several other methods such as luminosity and red shift are employed to try to guess at greater distances but all such methods have serious problems and assumptions involved. None of them account, however, for why a rabid little weasel like Kent Hovind would argue this, or why a student would copy a paper off of a bad essay site like this one. For a more complex and slightly different answer to the star light question from a Christian perspective, see the book Starlight and Time by Russell Humphry available from www.icr.org. Second, the speed of light may not be a constant. It does vary in different media (hence the rainbow effect of light going through a prism) and may vary in different places in space. Of course, Kent Hovind is a crackpot, but this is his copied essay, so we'll run with the idea. The entire idea behind the black hole theory is that light can be attracted by gravity and be unable to escape the great pull of these imaginary black holes. No one knows what light is let alone that it's velocity has been the same all through time and space. Since atomic clocks use the wavelength of the Cesium 133 atom as a standard of time, if the speed of light is decaying, the clock would be changing at the same rate and therefore not be noticed. Third, the creation account states that God made light before He made the sun, moon, or stars. The rest of creation was mature, so starlight was probably mature at creation as well. A strange notion, but then, this is a copied essay, so I will go with what it says. I would ask the question, How old was Adam when God made him? Obviously he was zero years old. But how old did he look? He was a full-grown man. The trees were full-grown with fruit on them the first day they were made. The creation had to be that way; it would not work otherwise. Stars and their light were made at the same time. The God that I worship is not limited by anything involving time, space or matter. Finally, I would also like to point out that the evolutionists have no answer to the basic questions like; Where did the original matter space and energy come from for the stars? I

Death in One Hundred Years of Solitude and The House of the Spirits Essay Example

Death in One Hundred Years of Solitude and The House of the Spirits Essay Example Death in One Hundred Years of Solitude and The House of the Spirits Essay Death in One Hundred Years of Solitude and The House of the Spirits Essay Attitudes toward death tend to differ between cultures. The Latin American novels One Hundred Years of Solitude and The House of the Spirits show us an attitude toward mortality that stems from many of the attitudes towards life itself. Death in the novels serves as a commentary on life, society, the characters and their spirituality. Each death and the way in which it is received, mourned and celebrated by the other characters is unique but each as significant as the life that preceded it. Consciousness transcends death and is inborn in the next generations ensuring that physical death is not the end. In other cases however a person dies in a spiritual or emotional sense well before their actual physical mortality. The deaths are not incidental, rather the timing and manner of each is crafted and developed by the author for a distinct reason often reflecting the life, relationships and spiritual standing of the individual character.The reactions to death are unusual and often less d ramatic than expected. This arises from the characters belief that death isnt a permanent separation but instead, the creation of a more spiritual relationship. As Clara nears death, in The House of the Spirits, she reflects on the way she wishes her grandaughter to receive her passing. She hoped that Alba would be calm, because in her case death would not be separation, but a way of being more united.1 Ursula is the character in One Hundred Years of Solitude who, due to her longevity, witnesses the most deaths.She mourns the loss of her family and friends but with a certain manner of acquiescence, understanding that death happens to all. Her religion and belief in the afterlife allows her to be calm following the loss of her family, accepting that the spirits of the deceased will live on, along with all their characteristics and memories.Throughout both novels, the physical death of each character does not necessarily entail the end of their spiritual existence or their influence o n the still-living characters. Likewise, several characters experience a spiritual or emotional death well before their last breath. Social and religious constructs such as the possibility of an afterlife, and a universal, inherited consciousness make the re-appearance of characters after their death an acceptable and logical phenomenon. Each re-appearance seems to serve a purpose, as those who return continue to advise and guide the living. In The House of the Spirits, Clara continues to act as the familys spiritual guardian long after she dies.This is important to her family, Fortunately Clara returned, or perhaps she never left.2 At the time of her physical death, she calmly accepts that her purpose on earth has been fulfilled, and seems to simply leave her life rather than have it taken from her. She returns to the family home often, sometimes to observe, and other times with advice. Similarly, in One Hundred Years of Solitude the gypsy Melquà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ades returns to Macondo i n a metaphysical form to converse with and guide Aureliano Segundo. Although Melquà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ades refuses to translate his old, seemingly senseless notations, he spends almost every afternoon in his old room talking with Aureliano Segundo, trying to infuse him with his old wisdom3 and giving clues to the meaning of his manuscripts. He is a man full of scientific wisdom and it seems understandable that he should continue to share his knowledge with the family beyond his death.As well as through a spiritual after-life, the consciousness transcends death and is reborn in other people of succeeding generations. The concept of a universal collective consciousness being passed from generation to generation is evident. In the instance where Melquà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ades appears in the old room Aureliano Segundo recognised him at once, because hereditary memory had been transmitted from generation to generation and had come to him through the memory of his grandfather4. Similarly, in One Hundred Y ears of Solitude, the names given to the children assign a propensity for certain characteristics and behaviours. Subsequently the characters have many similar experiences and relationships, affecting the world and others in much that same way as their predecessors.The names of both the novels imply a continuity of consciousness regardless of physical death, time or change. The House of the Spirits is a title that doesnt refer to any particular person or event, but rather uses the house as a constant figure that holds the spirits, souls and consciousnesss from previous generations. Likewise, One Hundred Years of Solitude indicates a continuity of a feature, in this case solitude, over the entire novel. The very first character of the novel in a sense creates the solitude that remains with the subsequent generations in both a geographical and spiritual sense.Some characters cease to exist within the social and emotional world before the time of their actually physical passing. This o ften occurs due to a dramatic or emotionally scarring incident in their life. Colonel Aureliano Buendia and Colonel Gerineldo Marquez suffer the tragedies of war and withdraw into their own minds, neglecting their family, friends and social obligations. This is a social death that in many ways retracts a person from life to the same or greater extent as a physical death. Both these characters lose all capability of loving, and become emotionless and oblivious to the world revolving around them. Their families learn that they are beyond normal relationships, however Ursula tries to find any last remaining compassion and nostalgia within her son Colonel Aureliano Buendia, asking him to at least remember them all if he goes away again. The Colonel replies in a way that shows he knows that the war has killed him, if only in his soul. Im sorryIts just that the war has done away with everything.5Rebecca, the widow of Josà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Arcadio, also confines her self to her house, breaking a ny connections with the ever changing outside world, and with her family. Many years later Ursula is shocked that Rebecca is still living because through years of living as a hermit Rebecca had rendered herself dead in the minds of everyone. In her first social contact for many years, Rebecca sends the Buendias some money to pay for the renovations that were done on her house. However the coins she sends were withdrawn from circulation many years before. It was then that they saw to what a fantastic point her separation from the world had arrived and they understood that it would be impossible to rescue her from her stubborn enclosure while she still had a breath of life in her.6On the other hand, this form of spiritual and social death does not occur in the characters in The House of the Spirits. These people are very insistent on life and struggle to survive, not only physically but spiritually. When Alba is on deaths door, Clara appears, advising that the point was not to die, be cause death came anyway, but to live which would be a miracle.7The death of many of the characters is often used quite deliberately in order to convey a message or further the plot. The death of Prudencio Aquilar is the first in One Hundred Years of Solitude. It is the catalyst for all the ensuing events in the lives of Ursula and Josà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Arcadio. Likewise, the accidental death of Rosa the Beauty, in The House of the Spirits, causes Esteban, her fiancee, to flee town and become the patron of Tres Marà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½as. This death instigates the events that result due to Estebans bereavement.The calmness and reconciliation that Esteban finds at the end of his life, allows Alba to culminate the cycle of hate caused by Esteban and indirectly by Rosas death. Some characters die for their cause in life, sacrificing themselves for what they believe in. Specific incidences of martyrdom can be seen in the death of the members of the armies and political parties in both novels, who lay d own their lives for their passionate beliefs. In a similar way, those men who are captivated by their love for Remedios either kill themselves or die from ..her powers of death.8 They feel so affected and intoxicated by their love, feeling that if death will bring them any resolution they are prepared to forgo the remainder of their lives.In these novels, death comes in many forms, for many reasons, each deliberate and specific to the individual character. The family sagas of The House of the Spirits and One Hundred Years of Solitude are not just the histories of the lives of the characters, but also the history of their deaths. The deaths are not incidental; the authors have employed them to convey messages.These messages are different and purposeful, some commenting on the importance of maintaining strong relationships and existence in the social world whilst still living, others implying the insignificance of physical death in spiritualistic lives. Whatever the individual meaning , in each novel, spirituality ensures an appreciation that death is not necessarily the end of being, it is just another stage. As Clara says Just as when we come into the world, when we die we are afraid of the unknown.dying is like being born; just a change.9

7 Secrets to Getting a New Job You Love

7 Secrets to Getting a New Job You Love Competition out there is fierce- and getting fiercer. It can be hard enough to find any job- let alone the one you really want. Here are 7 job hunting strategies to help you find a new job you love  in the new year. 1. Burn your resume.No really. This won’t work in every situation, but as a novel strategy it just might work. Try thinking about a handful of companies you’d really like to work for, even if they aren’t advertising any open jobs. Then start actively researching the company- what they do, who they do business with, what their needs are, etc.Then, start learning to talk shop, and start making friends in that company or industry. This strategy requires basically outsmarting and bypassing the whole employment machine- i.e. never dealing directly with HR. It takes time- sometimes a lot of time- but can be just the strategy to get you in the place you really want to be, doing what you really want to do.2. Be selective.If you have to go a more traditional job search route, make sure you’re only applying to the best listings. Broaden out- look at search engines, job sites, company sites, networking sites, and every other avenue you can find. Consider working with a recruiter to get your resume in front of more decision-makers. Focus and narrow your search to jobs you know you’d really be suited for and places (both companies and geographical locations) where you’d be willing to live and work.3. Figure out what you really want.This is part of being selective- and will help you to hone your list. What do you really want out of your life, both your work life and your real life? How can you make the two work together? Develop and define the job you really want that allows you to fulfill yourself on all fronts. Don’t just look at postings and try to fit yourself into round holes. Craft square opportunities for your square peg and the rest will follow.4. Seek your dream.There’s no rule that says you canâ €™t research a company and a job you’d like, then write to your would-be supervisor at that company and express your enthusiasm for that particular job. Even if there aren’t any openings. Explain that this isn’t just another job to you, but your dream career- and how well you would be suited to both it and to the company.5. Be flexible.The pursuit of dreams can be a long process. Be willing to accept interim work, provided it won’t derail your bigger search, while you’re working towards your ultimate goal. Income can be a real asset to put you in a better position to continue working towards your dream.6. Figure out what you need to do.If there are any specific skills or qualifications you might need to get accepted into your dream position. You can find this out by asking a decision-maker in your field directly. Then start working to acquire those skills. The quicker you get them on lock down, the closer you are to your dream career.7. Get hel p.Ask a trusted friend or colleague for advice. Get a mentor. Make sure it’s someone you can trust to help you reach your goal, then lay out a strategy. It can be very helpful to be accountable to another person, also to have someone giving you a bit of extra perspective in your search.

Chinese art from the 1920s to contemporary China Essay

Chinese art from the 1920s to contemporary China - Essay Example The first kind harmonized the goals of the government with those of the artists. The goal of the artists in this kind of art was to modernize their art but at the same time maintain some aspect of the Chinese culture. Artist Ong Schan Tchow who got his education in China and in France is an example of those who practiced this first kind of art. He subtly combined Western art elements especially realism and perspective with some aspects of traditional Chinese art such as calligraphy and minimal contrast using muted color tones. However, there was a larger band of artists that used a different approach during this period. They attempted to reject the aspects of old Chinese culture and they created a culture which emulated the West. This movement was referred to as the New Culture movement.2 Apart from visual art, the movement touched on other aspects of culture such as literature and the government. The movement’s proponents advocated for a government that was based on Western d emocracy ideals. The movement drastically attempted to differentiate itself from the old form of Chinese art. This was done through outright rejection of Chinese traditional culture and consciously copying ideas from Western art. An example was the introduction of low art forms such as cartoons and comic posters in their art works.3 The eruption of the Chinese war in 1949 abruptly ended the Republican Era. A new age of Chinese history in which the government played an even bigger role in the transformation of China’s art that the previous government came into being. All aspects of Chinese life including art came under government control. The communist leadership tried to distance itself from the previous era. Entirely new art forms were encouraged while at the same time clamping down on traditional practices in Chinese life. The art in this era was characterized by a lot of propaganda.4 Artists had to be extremely careful with their works lest they found themselves being bran ded as being counter revolutionary. The use of socialist realism was encouraged by the Chinese government. Art that had been developed by the Soviet Union during previous decades was promoted by the Chinese government as a model by which Chinese artists were to develop their art. In this era, art was seen as a tool which was to be produced in large volumes. Despite the stringent rules on art during this period, a few beautiful and original paintings were produced. These paintings were in forms that did not challenge the government either directly or indirectly. The paintings mainly depicted aspects of nature such as landscapes and still life.5 At the beginning of the 1980s’ another form of Chinese art developed. A new breed of Chinese artists also developed. At this time, China was increasingly growing restless. The government was gradually losing its grip of control on the Chinese population. The New wave of 1985 was a critical juncture for the development of contemporary Ch inese art. The wave referred to the vigorous modern art movement that was developing in China in the period around 1985. A new trend was launched after almost every few weeks. Artists began to draw greatly from various western modernism styles and schools. An exhibition held in 1985 entitled â€Å"progressing Chinese youth art exhibition† was among the most successful exhibitions during that

Logistics Management in Ocean Shipping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Logistics Management in Ocean Shipping - Essay Example The issues like climate change dominate the future and result in headlong rush of western economies to offshore manufacturing to lower cost countries in the east. Further financial cost of delivering goods across the world has always been a fundamental element of trading and decisions of logistician is largely influenced by high environmental costs (www.pmcontent.com)1. Magee et al (1985:1) mentioned that high quality and high efficiencies have become the characteristics of the production and physical distribution operations of many foreign competitors concerned the companies in United States challenging some of their basic tenets. According to Frazelle (2001:10) global logistics is the flow of material, information and money between countries connecting suppliers' supplier with customers' customer internationally. Global logistics flows have increased dramatically during the last several years due to globalization in the world economy expanding use o trading blocs and global access to Web sites for buying and selling merchandise. It is much more complex than domestic logistics due to multiplicity of handoffs, players, languages, documents, currencies, times zones and cultures that are inherent to international business. According to Singh et al (1998:1) logistics management is unique and represents and paradox as it is concerned with one of the oldest and newest activities of business and government. It is further stated that logistics system consists of facility location, forecasting and order management, transportation, inventory, warehousing and packaging which were all being practiced since the start of commercial and industrial activity. Brewer et al (2001:12) states that logistic systems utilize a wide range of resources and services within and external to individual companies which is likely to happen because of wide range of functions that logistics encompass in procurement and distribution. It is further stated that achieving high level of performance in logistics is important for the profitability of companies and for the efficiency of national economies as well as global economy. The interactive effects of the productivity of national and international logistics increase because international trade increases as a percentage of the national domestic activity. Logistics is that part of supply chain process that plans, implements and controls the effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet the customers' requirements. Logistics management is important in relation is issues like transportation costs, large distribution costs, deregulation, changing strategies, technology and globalization (Kritika and Madhu, 2008)2. Cavanagh et al (2002:163) mentions that there has been a massive increase in ocean shipping, highway transport, air cargo transport, rail with a tremendous corresponding increase in infrastructural develo pment with export production as a central feature of free trade. Ocean shipping has expanded more than tenfold since 1950s mainly because of increased commodity export activity from economic globalization which accounts for more than 90% of commodity trade shipments with the

The Strength of the Nuclear Family Within the Anglo-Saxon Economy Essay Example for Free

The Strength of the Nuclear Family Within the Anglo-Saxon Economy Essay This article is about England family set up and how this is related to the economy. This is an economy which is market oriented, and capitalistic in nature. England has unusually small families. Her family structure explains how family owned businesses are run in England. Family firms in England are managed by individuals. The writer claims that small families set up in England need civil society more as they need markets and commercial services. Additionally, small families are ideal for capitalistic economies as they are open and market facing. They are associated with high GDP. The writer asserts that economies with small families have GDP per capita of around â‚ ¬5,000 which is higher than that of regions with extended and egalitarian families. Family is one of the topics learnt in sociology. A small family is usually preferred due to economic advantages accompanied with it. It is easy to sustain and provide for. Most developed countries prefer small nuclear families. Usually as a country employs policy aimed at keeping population down through encouraging small family sizes. Small families are positively associated with good economic performance. They also affect business ownership and management. Borrowing from this article, encouraging small families will benefit the society at large. I never knew that the family structures in the society affect performance of the businesses and the economy. I thought it is through management and good governance economy will grow-family sizes plays a big role This article could have discussed the optimal family size and specify how many members should a small family constitute. It could have also discussed the negative effects of small families both in the social relationships and economic performance. There is a lively debate across Europe about what is happening to our families. And there is the endless argument about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Anglo-Saxon economic model. In my new book I try to show the links between the structure of our families and the structure of our economies. Here is an account of England in the flat language of modern sociology: The majority of ordinary people in England†¦are rampant individuals, highly mobile both geographically and socially, economically rational, market-oriented and acquisitive, ego-centered in kinship and social life. But the quotation is from a description of England in 1250 by Alan Macfarlane, the historian who together with the great French thinker Emmanuel Todd has revealed the significance of family structures. England has had unusually small families, unusually weak local magnates, and unusually free peasants. It is not just different from Papua New Guinea or Pakistan, it is also quite different from France and Italy and most of continental Europe. This difference was recognized by Montesquieu that shrewd 18th-century French observer of human cultures, who observed: I too have been a traveller, and have seen the country in the world which is most worth of our curiosity—I mean England. Just as aerial photography can reveal the outlines of some long-lost medieval village so, if we know how to look, we can discern deep features of English society that endure to this day. So for example, we attribute the long-standing weaknesses in the productivity of the British economy to our lack of a Mittelstand, the strong medium-sized family businesses of the sort they have in Germany or France. We appear to be good at starting small businesses, and some of our big companies are very strong indeed. It is the high performance, solid, long-term, high-investment medium-sized companies in the middle that we seem to lack. It is not that we have fewer family owned firms—about 30% of mid-sized British firms are owned by a family, very similar to France and Germany. But we run them differently. Englands family structure helps to explain this. In France, unlike in England, land or a firm are not the freehold property of the individual; instead, they belong to the familys bloodline with an automatic right of inheritance within the family for all the children. In England, family firms are more likely to be run as the personal property of an individual who often manages the business himself or herself. In France and Germany, family firms are more likely to be held in common by whole family and seen as long-term property of a dynasty across several generations. As a result, they are more willing to bring in professional managers to run the business on behalf of the family. In France, 31% of family owned firms are run by an external manager as against only 23% in the U. K. (It is 60% in Germany. ) Of firms still owned by the founder, 44% in France are externally managed whereas it is only 14% in the U. K. (Again, it is 60% in Germany. ) This has a big effect on economic performance: If an inherited family firm brings in an outside manager it raises returns by six percentage points, a significant improvement in return on capital. There is no single right family structure. But the Anglo-Saxon model has its advantages, too. Small families need civil society more. But it was not just voluntary societies that provided mutual support. You need markets and commercial services as well. Instead of the mutual exchanges of the extended family, small families must buy services. If we need something we turn to yellow pages, not to an uncle. For example, insurance schemes, annuities, and savings help protect you when there is no wider family with any such obligation—one reason why England has a long history in financial services. Small nuclear families are open and market-facing, and that drives a particularly dynamic model of capitalism. Even now, when you control for country-level effects, areas of Europe with Anglosphere-style families have GDP per capita of around â‚ ¬5,000 a year higher than regions with extended and egalitarian families. Indeed, they are higher than all other family forms. Over the past 30 years, they have also outgrown them. These Anglosphere economies are outward-looking and flexible so they are good early adopters of new technologies. But they may not be so good at steady incremental improvements in performance with a given technology. And sometimes, as we have seen with new financial instruments, their sheer restless innovativeness can do catastrophic damage. Nevertheless, their flexibility can sustain them in the long run: It is very possible that in this coming decade, for the first time, more than half of the economic output of the developed world will be in English-speaking countries. We cannot easily change these fundamentals of our national identities. Indeed we specialize in different activities and structure our economies differently because of them. Vive la difference! —David Willetts is Member of Parliament for Havant. His book, The Pinch: How the baby boomers took their childrens future and why they should give it back is published by Atlantic

Bad Choices Essay -- essays research papers

Bad Choices Choices, everyone goes through them sometimes you make good ones and sometimes you make bad ones. In my case I’ve mad a lot of bad choices in my Junior year of High School. I’ve learned the hard way about making bad choices, lying, and being disrespectful to my family. In some ways I think learning the hard way was good for me, otherwise I might not have learned at all. After being in trouble and experiencing the worst of my past high school years, I have new motivation to get everything straight with my life. August 28th was the first day I decided to stay home from school and the start of my long and dreadful skipping school experience. I had no logical reason for not going to school, I just didn’t care at the time and needed a reality check. After the first couple days of not going to school it became a â€Å"I don’t care† and â€Å"One more day wont hurt† mentality. I was ditching 2 to 3 days a week in the beginning of the third week of school. On October the first I skipped school once again and surprisingly my mom showed up unexpectedly at home and got a notice from the school about my excessive absences at school. My mom was outraged and disappointed. When I got home, choked up embarrassed and feeling so stupid, I had to look into my moms eyes and tell her that I hadn’t been going to school and that I had lied to her about my grades and absences. I didn’t have a explanation for my mom or a excuse I told her straight out that I had no reason to and that she didn’...

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 15

Tiggy. She was running. Throwing the door open. Visionsof kittens impaled by tiny stakes in her mind. It wasn't Tiggy on the front porch. It was Ash. He was lying flat in the purple twilight, little moths fluttering around him. Mary-Lynnette felt a violent wrench in her chest.For a moment everything seemed suspended-and changed. If Ash were dead-if Ash had been killed †¦ Things would never be all right. She would neverbe all right. It would be like the night with the moonand stars gone. Nothing that anybody could do wouldmake up for it. Mary-Lynnette didn't know why-itdidn't make any sense-but she suddenly knew it was true. She couldn't breathe and her arms and legs felt strange. Floaty. Out of her control. Then Ash moved. He lifted his head and pushed up with his arms and looked around. Mary-Lynnette could breathe again, but she still felt dizzy. â€Å"Are you hurt?† she asked stupidly. She didn't dare touch him. In her present state one blast of electricity could fry her circuits forever. She'd meltlike the Wicked Witch of the West. â€Å"I fell in thishole, â€Å"he said. â€Å"What do you think?† That's right, Mary-Lynnette thought; the footsteps hadended with more of a crash than a thud. Not like the footsteps of last night. And that meant something †¦if only she couldfollow the thought to the end†¦ . â€Å"Having problems, Ash?†Kestrel's voice saidsweetly, and then Kestrel herself appeared out of the shadows, looking like an angel with her golden hair and her lovely clean features. Jade was behind her, holding Tiggy in her arms. â€Å"He was up in a tree,† Jade said, kissing the kitten's head. â€Å"I had to talk him down.† Her eyes were emerald in the porch light, and she seemed to float rather than walk. Ash was getting up, shaking himself. Like his sisters, he looked uncannily beautiful after a feeding,with a sort of weird moonlight glow in his eyes. Mary-Lynnette's thought was long gone. â€Å"Come on in,† she said resignedly. â€Å"And help figure out who killed your aunt.† Now that Ash was indisputably all right,she wanted to forget what she'd been feeling a minuteago. Or at least not to think about what it meant. What it means, the little voice inside her head said sweetly, is that you're in big trouble, girl. Ha ha. â€Å"So what's the story?† Kestrel said briskly as they all sat around the kitchen table. â€Å"The story is that there is no story,†MaryLynnette said. She stared at her paper in frustration. â€Å"Look-what if we start at the beginning? We don't know who did it, but we do know some things about them. Right?† Rowan nodded encouragingly. â€Å"Right.† â€Å"First: the goat. Whoever killed the goat had to bestrong, because poking those toothpicks through hidewouldn't have been easy. And whoever killed the goat had to know how your uncle Hodge was killed, because the goat was killed in the same way. And they had to have some reason for putting a black irisin the goat's mouth-either because they knew Ashbelonged to the Black Iris Club, or because they be longed to the Black Iris Club themself.† â€Å"Or because they thought a black iris would represent all lamia, or all Night People,† Ash said. Hisvoice was muffled-he was bent over, rubbing hisankle. â€Å"That's a common mistake Outsiders make.† Very good, Mary-Lynnette thought in spite of herself. She said, â€Å"Okay. And they had access to two different kinds of small stakes-which isn't sayingmuch, because you can buy both kinds in town.† â€Å"And they must have had some reason to hate Mrs. B., or to hate vampires,† Mark said. â€Å"Otherwise, why kill her?† Mary-Lynnette gave him a patient look. â€Å"I hadn't gotten to Mrs. B. yet. But we can do her now. First, whoever killed Mrs. B. obviously knew she was a vampire, because they staked her. And, second †¦ um†¦second . . .† Her voice trailed off. She couldn't think of anything to go second. -240 â€Å"Second, they probably killed her on impulse,† Ash said, in a surprisingly calm and analytical voice.†You said she was stabbed with a picket from the fence, and if they'd been planning on doing it, they'd probably have brought their own stake.† â€Å"Verygood.† This time Mary-Lynnette said it out loud. She couldn't help it. She met Ash's eyes and saw something that startled her. He looked as if itmattered to him that she thought he was smart. Well, she thought. Well, well. Here we are, probably for the first time, justtalking to each other. Not arguing, not being sarcastic, just talking. It's nice. It was surprisingly nice. And the strange thing was, she knew Ash thought so, too. They understood each other. Over the table, Ash gave her a barely perceptible nod. They kept talking. Mary-Lynnette lost track of timeas they sat and argued and brainstormed. Finally she looked up at the clock and realized with a shock that it was near midnight. â€Å"Do wehave to keep thinking?† Mark said pathetically. â€Å"I'm tired.† He was almost lying on the table. So was Jade. I know how you feel, Mary-Lynnette thought. Mybrain is stalled. I feel †¦ extremely stupid. â€Å"Somehow, I don't think we're going to solve the murder tonight,† Kestrel said. Her eyes were closed. She was right. The problem was that MaryLynnette didn't feel like going to bed, either. Shedidn't want to lie down and relax-there was a rest lessness inside her. I want †¦ what do I want? she thought. I want †¦ â€Å"If there weren't a psychopathic goat killer lurkingaround here, I'd go out and look at the stars,† shesaid. Ash said, as if it were the most natural thing inthe world, â€Å"I'll go with you.† Kestrel and Jade looked at their brother in disbelief. Rowan bent her head, not quite hiding a smile. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Um †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Look,† Ash said. â€Å"I don't think the goat killeris lurking out there everyminutelooking for people to skewer. And if anything does happen, I can handle it.† He stopped, looked guilty, then bland. â€Å"I mean we can handle it, because there'll be two of us.† Close but no cigar, buddy, Mary-Lynnette thought. Still, there was a certain basic truth to what he was saying. He was strong and fast, and she had the feeling he knew how to fight dirty. Even if she'd never seen him do it, she thoughtsuddenly. All those times she'd gone after him, shining light in his eyes, kicking him in the shins-and he'd never once tried to retaliate. She didn't think it had even occurred to him. She looked at him and said, â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Now,† Mark said. â€Å"Look †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We'll be fine,† Mary-Lynnette told him. â€Å"We won't go far.† Mary-Lynnette drove. She didn't know exactly where she was going, only that she didn't want to go to her hill. Too many weird memories. Despite what she'd told Mark, she found herself taking the car farther and farther. Out to where Hazel Green Creek and Beavercreek almost came together and the land between them was a good imitation of a rain forest. â€Å"Is this the best place to look at – stars?† Ash saiddoubtfully when they got out of the station wagon. â€Å"Well-if you're looking straight up,† MaryLynnette said. She faced eastward and tilted her head far back. â€Å"See the brightest star up there? That's Vega, the queen star of summer.† â€Å"Yeah. She's been higher in the sky every nightthis summer,† Ash said without emphasis. Mary-Lynnette glanced at him. He shrugged. â€Å"When you're out so much at night,you get to recognize the stars,† he said. â€Å"Even if you don't know their names.† Mary-Lynnette looked back up at Vega. She swallowed. â€Å"Can you–can you see something small and bright below her-something ring-shaped?† â€Å"The thing that looks like a ghost doughnut?† Mary-Lynnette smiled, but only with her lips.†That's the Ring Nebula. I can see that with my telescope.† She could feel him looking at her, and she heardhim take a breath as if he were going to say something. But then he let the breath out again and looked back up at the stars. It was the perfect moment for him to mention something about how Vampires See It Better. And if he had, Mary-Lynnette would have turned on him and rejected him with righteous anger. But since hedidn't,she felt a different kind of anger welling up. A spring of contrariness, as if shewere the Mary in the nursery rhyme. What, so you've decided I'm not good enough to be a vampire or something? And what did I really bring you out here for, to the most isolated place I could find? Only for starwatching? I don'tthink so. I don't even know who I am anymore, she remembered with a sort of fatalistic gloom. I have the feeling I'm about to surprise myself. â€Å"Aren't you getting a crick in your neck?† Ashsaid. Mary-Lynnette rolled her head from side to side slightly to limber the muscles. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"I could rub it for you?† He made the offer from several feet away. Mary-Lynnette snorted and gave him a look. The moon, a waning crescent, was rising above thecedars to the east. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"You want to take a walk?† â€Å"Huh? Sure.† They walked and Mary-Lynnette thought. About how it would be to see the Ring Nebula with herown eyes, or the Veil Nebula without a filter. She could feel a longing for them so strong it was like a cable attached to her chest, pulling her upward. Of course,that was nothing new. She'd felt it lots of times before, and usually she'd ended up buying another book on astronomy, another lens for her telescope. Anything to bring her closer to what she wanted. But now I have a whole new temptation. Something bigger and scarier than I ever imagined. What if I could be-more than I am now? Thesame . person, but with sharper senses? A Mary-Lynnette who couldreally belong to the night? She'd already discovered she wasn't exactly whoshe'd always thought. She was more violent-she'd kicked Ash, hadn't she? Repeatedly. And she'd admired the purity of Kestrel's fierceness. She'd seenthe logic in the kill-or-be-killed philosophy. She'd dreamed about the joy of hunting. What else did it take to be a Night Person? â€Å"There's something I've been wanting to say toyou,† Ash said. â€Å"Hm.†Do I want to encourage him or not? But what Ash said was â€Å"Can we stop fightingnow?† Mary-Lynnette thought and then said seriously, â€Å"Idon't know.† They kept walking. The cedars towered around them like pillars in a giant ruined temple. A dark temple. And underneath, the stillness was so enormous that Mary-Lynnette felt as if she were walkingon the moon. She bent and picked a ghostly wildflower that wasgrowing out of the moss. Death camas. Ash bent and picked up a broken-off yew branch lying at the footof a twisted tree. They didn't look at each other. They walked, with a few feet of space between them. â€Å"You know, somebody told me this would happen,† Ash said, as if carrying on some entirely different conversation they'd been having. â€Å"That you'd come to a hick town and chase agoat killer?† â€Å"That someday I'd care for someone – and itwould hurt.† Mary-Lynnette kept onwalking. She didn't slow or speed up. It was only her heart that was suddenly beating hard-in a mixture of dismay and exhilara tion. Oh, God-whatever was going to happen washappening. â€Å"You're not like anybody I've ever met,† Ash said. â€Å"Well, that feeling is mutual.† Ash stripped some of the papery purple bark offhis yew stick. â€Å"And, you see, it's difficult becausewhat I've always thought about humans-what I wasalways raised to think †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know what you've always thought,† MaryLynnette said sharply. Thinking,vermin. â€Å"But,† Ash continued doggedly, â€Å"the thing is andI know this is going to sound strange-that I seem to love you sort of desperately.† He pulled more bark off his stick. Mary-Lynnette didn't look at him. She couldn't speak. â€Å"I've done everything I could to get rid of the feeling, but it just won't go. At first I thought if I left Briar Creek, I'd forget it. But now I know that wasinsane. Wherever I go, it's going with me. I can't kill it off. So I have to think of something else.† Mary-Lynnette suddenly felt extremely contrary. â€Å"Sorry,† she said coldly. â€Å"But I'm afraid it's not very flattering to have somebody tell you that they love you against their will, against their reason, and even-â€Å" â€Å"Against their character,† Ash finished for her, bleakly. â€Å"Yeah, I know.† Mary-Lynnette stopped walking. She stared at him.†You havenot readPrideand Prejudice, † she said flatly. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because Jane Austen was a human.† He looked at her inscrutably and said, â€Å"How do you know?† Good point.Scary point. How could she really knowwho in human history had been human? Whatabout Galileo? Newton? T ycho Brahe? â€Å"Well, Jane Austen was a woman,†shesaid, retreating to safer ground. â€Å"And you're a chauvinist pig-,' â€Å"Yes, well, that I can't argue.† Mary-Lynnette started walking again. He followed.†So now can I tell you how, um, ardently I loveand admire you?† Another quote. â€Å"I thought your sisters said youpartiedall the time.† Ash understood. â€Å"I do,† he said defensively. â€Å"Butthe morning after partying you have to stay in bed. And if you're in bed you might as well read something They walked. â€Å"After all, weare soulmates,† Ash said. â€Å"I can't becompletely stupid or I'd be completely wrong for you.† Mary-Lynnette thought about that. And about thefact that Ash sounded almost-humble. Which he had certainly never sounded before. She said, â€Å"Ash †¦I don't know. I mean-weare wrong for each other. We're just basically incompatible. Even if I were avampire, we'd be basically incompatible.† â€Å"Well.† Ash whacked at something with his yew branch. He spoke as if he half expected to be ignored. â€Å"Well, about that †¦ I think I couldpossibly change your mind.† â€Å"About what?† â€Å"Being incompatible. I think we could be sort offairly compatible if . . .† â€Å"If?† Mary-Lynnette said as the silence dragged on.†Well, if you could bring yourself to kiss me.† â€Å"Kissyou?† â€Å"Yeah, I know it's a radical concept. I was pretty sure you wouldn't go for it.† He whacked at another tree. â€Å"Of course humanshave been doing it for thousands of years.† Watching him sideways, Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Would you kiss a three-hundred-pound gorilla?† He blinked twice. â€Å"Oh, thank you.†Ã¢â‚¬ I didn't mean you looked like one.†Ã¢â‚¬ Don't tell me, let me guess. I smell like one?†Mary-Lynnette bit her lip on a grim smile. â€Å"I mean you're that much stronger than I am. Would you kissa female gorilla that could crush you with one squeeze`? When you couldn't do anything about it?†He glanced at her sideways. â€Å"Well, you're notexactly in that position, are you?† Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Aren't I? It looks to me as ifI'd have to become a vampire just to deal with youon an equal level.† Ash said, â€Å"Here.† Hewasofferingher theyew branch.Mary Lynnette stared at him. â€Å"You want to give me your stick.† â€Å"It's not a stick, it's the way to deal withme onan equal level.† He put one end of the branch againstthe base of his throat, and Mary-Lynnette saw that it was sharp.She reached out to take the other end and found the stick was surprisingly hard and heavy. Ash was looking straight at her. It was too dark to see what color his eyes were, but his expression was unexpectedly sober. â€Å"One good push would do it,† he said. â€Å"First here and then in the heart. You could eliminate the problem of me from your life.† Mary-Lynnette pushed, but gently. He took a step back. And another. She backed him up against a tree, holding the stick to his neck like a sword. â€Å"I actually meant only if you were really serious,†Ash said as he came up short against the cedar's bare trunk. But he didn't make a move to defend himself.†And the truth is that you don't even need a spear like that. A pencil in the right place would do it.† Mary-Lynnette narrowed her eyes at him, swirlingthe yew stick over his body like a fencer getting the range. Then she removed it. She dropped it to the ground. â€Å"You really have changed,† she said. Ash said simply, â€Å"I've changed so much in the lastfew days that I don't even recognize myself in the mirror.† â€Å"And you didn't kill your aunt.†Ã¢â‚¬ You're just now figuring that out?† â€Å"No. But I always wondered just a bit. All right, I'll kiss you.† It was a little awkward, lining up to get the position right. Mary-Lynnette had never kissed a boy before. But once she started she found it was simple. And†¦ now she saw what the electric feeling ofbeing soulmates was for. All the sensations she'd felt when touching his hand, only intensified. And not unpleasant. It was only unpleasant if you were afraidof it. Afterward, Ash pulled away. â€Å"There. Yousee,†he said shakily. Mary-Lynnette took a few deep breaths. â€Å"I supposethat's what it feels like to fall into a black hole.† â€Å"Oh. Sorry.† â€Å"No, I mean-it was interesting.† Singular, shethought. Different from anything she'd ever felt before. And she had the feeling thatshe would be different from now on, that she could never go back andbe the same person she had been. So who am I now? Somebody fierce, I think.Somebody who'd enjoy running through the dark ness, underneath stars bright as miniature suns, and maybe even hunt deer. Somebody who can laugh atdeath the way the sisters do. I'll discover a supernova and I'll hiss when somebody threatens me. I'll be beautiful and scary and dangerous and of course I'll kiss Ash a lot. She was giddy, almost soaring with exhilaration. I've always loved the night, she thought. And I'll finally belong to it completely. â€Å"Mary-Lynnette?† Ash said hesitantly. â€Å"Did you likeit?† She blinked and looked at him. Focused. â€Å"I want you to turn me into a vampire,† she said. It didn't feel like a jellyfish sting this time. It wasquick and almost pleasant like pressure being released. And then Ash's lips were on her neck, and that wasdefinitely pleasant. Warmth radiated from his mouth. Mary-Lynnette found herself stroking the back of his neck and realized that his hair was soft,as nice to touch as cat's fur. And his mind†¦was every color of the spectrum. Crimson and gold, jade and emerald and deep violetblue. A tangled thorn-forest of iridescent colors that changed from second to second. Mary-Lynnette wasdazzled. And half frightened. There was darkness in among those gemlike colors. Things Ash had done in the past †¦ things she could sense he was ashamed of now. But shame didn't change the acts themselves. I know it doesn't-but I'll make up for them, somehow.You'll see; I'll find away†¦. So that's telepathy, Mary-Lynnette thought. She couldfeel Ash as he said the words, feel that hemeant them with desperate earnestness-and feel that there was a lot to make up for. I don't care. I'm going to be a creature of darkness,too. I'll do what's in my nature, with no regrets. When Ash started to lift his head, she tightened her grip, trying to keep him there. â€Å"Please don't tempt me,† Ash said out loud, hisvoice husky, his breath warm on her neck. â€Å"If I take too much, it will make you seriously weak.I mean it, sweetheart.† She let him go. He picked up the yew stick and made a small cut at the base of his throat, tilting his head back like a guy shaving his chin. Mary-Lynnette realized he'd never done this before. With a feeling that was. almost awe, she put her lips to his neck. I'm drinking blood. I'm a hunter already–sort of. Anyway, I'm drinking blood and liking it-maybe because it doesn'ttastelike blood Not like copper and fear. It tastes weird and magic and old as the stars. When Ash gently detached her, she swayed on her feet. â€Å"We'd better go home,† he said. â€Å"Why? I'm okay.† â€Å"You're going to get dizzier-and weaker. And ifwe're going to finish changingyou into a vampire–â€Å" â€Å"if† â€Å"All right,when. But before we do, we need to talk. I need to explain it all to you; we have to figure out the details. Andyouneed to rest.† Mary-Lynnette knew he was right. She wanted to stay here, alone with Ash in the dark cathedral of the forest-but shedidfeel weak. Languid. Apparently it was hard work becoming a creature of darkness. They headed back the way they had come. Mary-Lynnette could feel the change inside herself-it was stronger than when she'd exchanged blood with the three girls. She felt simultaneously weak and hypersensitive. As if every pore were open. The moonlight seemed much brighter. She couldsee colors dearly-the pale green of drooping cedar boughs, the eerie purple of parrot-beak wildflowersgrowing out of the moss. And the forest wasn't silent anymore. She could hear faint uncanny sounds like the soft seething of needles in the wind, and her own footsteps on moist and fungus-ridden twigs. I can even smell better, she thought. This place smells like incense cedar, and decomposing plants,and something really wild-feral, like something from the zoo. And something hot †¦burny †¦ Mechanical. It stung her nostrils. She stopped and looked at Ash in alarm. â€Å"Whatisthat?† 0He'd stopped, too. â€Å"Smells like rubber and oil†¦.† â€Å"Oh, God, thecar, † Mary-Lynnette said. They looked at each other for a moment, then simultane ously turned, breaking into a run. It was the car. White smoke billowed from under the closed hood. Mary-Lynnette started to go closer, but Ash pulled her back to the side of the road.†I just want to open the hood-† â€Å"No. Look. There.† Mary-Lynnette looked-and gasped. Tiny tongues of flame were darting underneath the smoke. licking out of the engine. â€Å"Claudine always said this would happen,† shesaid grimly as Ash pulled her back farther, â€Å"Only I think she meant it would happen with me in it.† â€Å"We're going to have to walk home,† Ash said.†Unless maybe somebody sees the fire†¦.† â€Å"Not a chance,† Mary-Lynnette said. And that'swhat you get for taking a boy out to the most isolated place in Oregon, her inner voice said triumphantly. â€Å"I don't suppose you could turn into a bat or something and fly back,† she suggested. â€Å"Sorry, I flunked shapeshifting. And I wouldn't leave you here alone anyway.† Mary-Lynnette still felt reckless and dangerous and it made her impatient. â€Å"I can take care of myself,† she said. Andthat was when the club came down and Ash pitched forward unconscious.

Poem Essay

India Williams Mrs. Holzmeister English 1102 February 8, 2010 The Theme of Love in Helen Farries â€Å"Magic of Love† and John Frederick Nims â€Å"Love Poem† The word Love is a strange feeling that can be one of the most exciting things someone will ever experience. It’s a feeling of warm, personal deep affection that one has for another person or thing. In Helen Farries poem â€Å"Magic of Love† she is very straightforward about how love makes someone feel â€Å"It can comfort and bless/ it can bring happiness† (601). But in John Frederick Nim’s poem â€Å"Love Poem† he uses metaphors to talk about love and you have to pay close attention to what he is saying. The theme of these two poems is love and the opposing views of the author’s views of love. Helen Farries creates the image of love being magical. Love can make people feel good; make you feel bubbly and all warm inside, â€Å"like the sun, it can warm your hearts† (601). She goes on to create an image that love is a gift, one that you can give and receive, â€Å" It’s a gift you can give every day that you live/ And when given, it comes back to you! † (601). In John Frederick Nims poem he creates the picture of a clumsy person, â€Å" My clumsiest dear, whose hands shipwreck vases† (601), but people still see her beauty. Even though she is very clumsy he loves her anyway. In the first stanza of the poem you start to think that maybe this poem isn’t talking about love because of how he describes her as â€Å" a bull in china† and â€Å" a bur in linen† (601). Just when you think the poem isn’t about love, he changes directions and give her some praise, â€Å"The refugee uncertain at the door/ You make at home; deftly you steady/ The drunk clambering on his undulant floor† (601). He loves her in spite of her flaws. In â€Å"Magical Love†, Farries uses informal diction. She uses plain, common, everyday kind of language that we all can understand. There are no riddles to try to decipher or to understand the meaning â€Å"When love lights the way, there is joy in the day† (601). In Nims â€Å"Love Poem† he uses formal diction. With formal diction the poem comes across, as it should. He is seen as almost arrogant. He can do no wrong but his lovely lady has a lot of flaws but nonetheless he loves her in spite of them. He uses metaphors, â€Å" In traffic of wit expertly maneuver/ And keep us, all devotion, at your knees† (602) to get his point across. In both of these poems the common ground is Love. One-poem talks directly about how magical love makes you feel, and the other indirectly talks about love. They both say the same thing in two different ways. All the ups and down makes love between two people very beautiful. Works Cited Farries, Helen. â€Å"Magic of Love. † The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Micheal Meyer. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2009. 601. Nims, John Frederick, â€Å"Love Poem. † The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Micheal Meyer. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s 2009. 601-602.

Documentary analysis Essays

Documentary analysis Essays Documentary analysis Essay Documentary analysis Essay Food Inc. , a 2008 documentary film directed and produced by Robert Keener, exposes the secrets about how food is processed. Robert Keener is famous for exposing facts and controversies that are rarely discussed. He is also known for his authenticity and his desire to reveal the truth. Keener has received several awards for his films. Food Inc. Even influenced some food policy decisions. His documentary, Food Inc. , talks about the industrialization of the food system in America. The documentary is targeted towards the general public. The documentarys main focus or argument is that the agricultural business in America produces food that is both harmful to the environment and to the consumers while also being abusive to animals and workers. The documentary is informative. Its main objective is to inform the viewers about the secrets that are deliberately hidden from them. The documentary uses specific rhetorical appeals to support its objectives like, ethos. It provides statistics that show how much the food industry has changed over the years in America. It also interviews farmers that have firsthand knowledge of the food industry. The documentary also uses the pathos rhetorical appeal. The documentary shows scenes where animals are being treated inhumanely. For instance, dozens of cows were being kept in dirty pens. The cows could barely move and were covered in feces. The documentary also shows scenes where consumers suffer from the neglect of the companies that process the food. For example, a mother was talking about how her 2 year old son was killed because of E. Coli that he contracted from eating a contaminated hamburger. Moreover, there were also other children who were killed because of eating contaminated meat. The documentary also discussed how workers are being treated poorly. There are scenes showing illegal immigrant workers being arrested but the companies that hired them and brought them to America are not being questioned. This also stirs emotional response from the viewers. Another rhetorical appeal that was used is logos. It is logical that consumers will suffer the consequences of neglect. The documentary also provided a logical reason why companies do this. The reason is that it lessens the cost of production at the same mime, maximizes profits. Through the use of ethos, pathos and logos, the director was able to prove that the food industry produces food that is both harmful and abusive to the animals, consumers and workers. Food Inc. Is an eye opener. It shows the flaw of the food system in America. It unveils the truth that is deliberately hidden by the food processing companies to urge consumers to buy their products. Food is one of the most important commodities in the world. Consumers have the right to know where their food comes from and how it is processed.

Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of globalization

Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of globalization Globalization can be defined in a variety of ways since it is a very important term as it influences the global economies. It can be defined as the movement toward communications, financial, economic, and trade integration. Globalization entails opening out beyond nationalistic and local perspectives to a wider outlook of an interdependent and interconnected world through free transfer of goods, services, and capital over national frontiers. Globalization is a term that is frequently employed to place a trend in the direction of increased flow of ideas, money, goods, and services across national borders and the resultant consolidation of the global economy (Waters 2001, pg.36). Globalization is closely related to international trade which can be defined as the exchange of goods, services, and capital across territories or national border. The increase in the international trade enhances the continuance of globalization. If there were no international trade, then apparently nations w ould not get access to the variety of goods and services produced in different nations of the world (World Bank 2008, pg.56). It has been found that globalization does not involve unhindered labor movement, and as intimated by some economists, globalization may hurt fragile or smaller economies if practiced indiscriminately. Globalization is generally recognized as being goaded by a combination of technological, political, economic, biological and socio-cultural factors. From some other perspective, globalization can refer to the multinational circulation of languages, popular culture, or ideas by acculturation (Tomlinson 1999, pg. 123). This paper will provide an outstanding analysis of the weaknesses and strengths the term globalization. Strengths of globalization Supporters of globalization contend that globalization can possibly better the world economically by solving many problems which are deep-seated for example poverty and unemployment. According to the economic theory, inc reased globalization will lower the wage of unskilled labor in developed nations and raise the wage of unskilled labor within the developing nations as the two groups start to trade with each other. Globalization generates resources and encourages the transfer of ideas that can be utilized for both individual and community improvement. Among many other things, globalization makes rural economic diversification and agricultural productivity gains more achievable. Globalization also makes environmental stewardship, improved conditions of living, and food security more attainable. Due to globalization, the marginal can now get the opportunity to exhibit themselves in the world market (Bauman 1998, pg.121). Globalization encourages the industrialized nations to provide significant market places for exports of poor individuals within poor countries. The global agricultural and food companies can assist the third world countries incorporate required safety, and quality practices by gettin g access to markets in developed nations. Since globalization means delocalization of various enterprises within the word, many people can get access to many industries and in due course globalization promotes economic growth in the global world, brings about competition among companies, enables producers and retailers to reduce the prices of various commodities so that consumers can afford them and therefore increases the demand on the commodities. Because of the increased efficiency, the welfare is raised by offering more affordable goods and services such that the purchasing power is increased. Globalization reallocates capital and labor to more efficient and effective lines of production. Globalization helps poor countries by infusions of technology and foreign capital which enhances economic development. The economic development due to globalization brings modern ways of connecting people, from roads to electricity to telecommunications. The global companies offer training to e mployees and provide time, money and talent that helps them to address needs of the community, lifting communal and individual aspirations and providing ways for accomplishing them. Since globalization brings about spreading of prosperity, it enables various countries to possess conditions in which respect for human right and democracy can flourish (Appadurai 1996, pg.65).

The Bretton Wood's institutions play a big role in intervening with Essay

The Bretton Wood's institutions play a big role in intervening with internal affairs of developing countries. How successful hav - Essay Example This is through regular monitoring and rigid policies especially on nations with weak institutions. On the other hand, foreign investment for poor nations should be limited to acquiring manageable loans and grants that do not collapse the economies. This will increase excellence both African and Asian nations in terms of economic prosperity. Development entails the well-being of a nation or individual in various forms. This may include economic, social or political development and the way it affects the citizens of such a country. Similarly, development may also encompass the gradual advancement or growth that leads to the progress in other sectors of the nation in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and exports among others. Other fundamental areas include education, health and governance in the context of the provision of services for the benefit of the citizenry. Therefore, the involvement of Bretton Wood’s institutions such as IMF, World Bank and IBRD ensure there is a f inancial regulation and fair dispensation of funds to sponsor developmental projects. Such institutions also participate in the regulation of the systems that oversee the monies dished to nations especially the third world countries (Szirmai 45). On that account, there are several ways, which education development, through funds acquired from Bretton Wood’s institutions has helped the advancement of nations. This is manifested in the increase of public schools and literacy levels where there participation of IMF and World Bank is high. In other words, education is now associated with sustainable development that permits people to gain skills, knowledge and skills. Other benefits include values and attitudes that are meant indicate a sustainable future where everyone thrives. Similarly, educational development has meant that matters of sustainable prosperity are translated in areas of learning and teaching for the purpose of students and society. In the same breadth, Bretton W ood’s institutions have given funds to support the reduction of poverty, biodiversity and sustainable consumption to education an enjoyable venture (Tiwari 167). This is manifested in a nations such India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore where financial aid is boosting the education standards of most schools. In this case, the IMF and World Bank has dispensed funds in the ministries of education to facilitate standards of education. Therefore, this has translated to competencies of imagination, critical thinking and decision making skills in a mutual may for kids. This is also apparent in teachers and tutors who get motivation from governmental and non-governmental ventures. However, when it comes to economic development in terms of assistance from Bretton Wood’s institutions, there are interesting issues. This suggests that economic development entails concerted and sustained actions that are used by policymakers in the promotion of the living standards including eco nomic health. In the same breath, y in failed states mostly found in Africa such as Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo, economic development refers to qualitative and quantitative alterations in the economy (Mbaku 134). Therefore, IMF and World Bank have not been successful in their development ventures because of several reasons. For example, issues such as bad governance policies, corruption and civil wars have hampered the efforts of Bretton

Henry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Henry - Essay Example On approaching, he sees that the new owner of the hotel, which has been occupied up since World War II, is carrying boxes from the basement that contain personal items-clothing, photos, diaries and wedding memorabilia that belonged to Japanese families who had earlier been evacuated to internment camps during the war. Henry is taken back to his childhood by these small items, with a strong pull of memories though he tries as much as he can to resist it (Ford 308). This opening scene shows us to Henry present life, which gives the framework for the story in this Jamie Ford’s debut novel. This frame story suddenly leads the reader to the story line in 1942at Rainier Elementary school. Henry was just twelve years old and is under a scholarship. In this school, he is the only Chinese the rest are all whites. Henry’s father who is a Chinese and immensely proud of sending his son to a white school, do not at any time expect or allow anybody to be mistaken on Henry’s nationality. In the national consciousness, the events of Pearl Harbor are still fresh and Henry’s father is passionately against the Japanese and so he always sends Henry to school with a shirt with a button declaring ‘I am a Chinese’. This is the first moment of many depicts Henry’s already difficult relationship with his father (Ford 112). The tension between Henry’s American perspective and his father’s traditionalism Chi nese values is one of the major themes in the novel. He is struggling to live with his father. His life as a Chinese in an all-white school seems to be smooth, but the button provokes teasing by several of his class bullies, and his work-study job serving lunch becomes part of the day he dreaded the most. He arrives in the kitchen one day and finds a young Japanese lady, Keiko Okabe, also assigned for same shift. Being the only Japanese student in the school also, Keiko

Compare the powers of the federal government under the Articles of Essay

Compare the powers of the federal government under the Articles of Confederation to the powers of the federal government under the United States Constitution - Essay Example The US constitution gave powers to the federal government over issues of the national concern while the state government handled the issues of domestic concern. Regardless of that the Articles are not widely used, it is still a part of the United States constitution and still used from time to time to complement the United States Constitution. Although the Articles were the perfect constitution drafted, it still has some similarities with the U.S. constitution. First, both of them are federal U.S. documents. The central government is still the one in charge of the value of money and not the states. Both constitutions have defined term limits for the different offices in the government and they can borrow coins and set up a federal post office. The documents have a provision that can allow the government to establish an army and declare war on other countries and does not allow one state to enter into war by itself (Vile 34). However, as stated earlier, Article of Confederation had its flaws but the constitution came along and ratified the problems. As provided by the Articles, the federal government had very little power to make or enforce laws. Nine out of thirteen states needed in order to pass the laws. Only the states could have the privilege to create and operate courts. However, under the Constitution, the federal government is able to enforce and interpret the laws. Only fifty percent plus one vote and the signature from the president is required to pass laws. The executive branch headed by the president chooses the cabinet that checks on power of judiciary and legislature. The Article of Confederation allowed the federal government to borrow and spend funds, but it had not power to raise or level taxes of any kind (Vile 55). It also had no power to control trade agreements among the states or internationally. Each state entered into its

Effects of Cor and US on Taxol Production of Taxus x Media

Effects of Cor and US on Taxol Production of Taxus x Media SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RESEARCH INCLUDING KEY GOALS For scientifically qualified assessors: Taxol is a natural diterpenoid alkaloid first isolated from the inner bark of pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia (Wani et al., 1971) and widely use in the pharmaceutical industry as the antitumor agents. However, low taxol content, high cost of extraction and the destruction of yew trees spark a major environmental controversy and cause a problem to fulfil its growing demand. The application of plant tissue culture technique has appeared as an eco-friendly method and feasible approach for commercial supply, but the production rate of this secondary metabolite are still very low. Only 10% of taxol secreted in the extracellular medium of T x media suspension cultures (Wickremesinhe and Arteca, 1993). These problems prompted a great effort to discover and identify the alternative means to enhance the mass production of taxol in plant cell cultures. In this study, elicitation using coronatine (Cor) and ultrasound (US) will be used for synthesis and transport of taxol. Cor is a toxin produced by Pseudomonas syringae and can act as a plant growth regulator and stimulates the defence mechanism in plants. Meanwhile, Low-intensity US is a physical or mechanical stimulus that can enhance the cellular transporter activity and trigger the pathway of defence-related secondary metabolites. It is hypothesized that the taxol accumulation in Taxus x media culture is higher than control (unelicited) and single treatment after treated with Cor and low- energy US. The experiment will use two-stage suspension culture and longitudinally young stem as the explant. The effect of these two elicitors on biomass production and taxol production will be analysed. At the end of this study, it is expected that the taxol production and cell growth will show positive result after elicited with Cor and low-energy US. This study will be a significant endeavour in enhance the release of taxol through elicitation approach. For lay readers: Secondary metabolites are chemicals produced by plants and do not have any physiological functions, but use as flavour, food colours, fragrances and pharmaceutical study. Taxus species are one of the medicinal plants that can produce natural anti-cancer agents known as taxol. However, over exploitation of natural sources of taxol from bark, stem, roots and needles put yew trees as an endangered species. Besides, the low yield and slow growth of yew trees limit its potential as a viable source of taxol. Thus, it is important to find alternative method to increase the taxol production in Taxus sp. The production of taxol from Taxus x media can be greatly enhanced through elicitation. Elicitation is a method to stimulate the gene expression of enzymes responsible for the synthesis of secondary metabolites. The substance used in stimulating the production of exuded compound is called elicitor. Elicitor is formed inside or outside of plant cells and imitate as a stress to activate the pla nt defence systems and cause qualitative and quantitative changes in the secondary metabolite content. Two elicitors that will be used in this study are Coronatine (Cor) and low-energy ultrasound (US). Plants use Cor to build defensive compounds and as growth regulators. US, on the other hand can stimulated the cell membrane permeabilization and encourage the release of taxol to culture medium. Plant cell cultures will be used to retrieve the secondary metabolite on demand by maintain the growth of plant cells in aseptic condition with appropriate supply of nutrients. It is expected that the accumulation of taxol treated with elicitors is higher than the untreated culture. This study will provide a good understanding about the effect of elicitors in activate the chemical defence system in plants and directly stimulate the production of taxol. RESEARCH Outcomes / Products What is the proposed outcome of your project: It is expected that all treatments will give significant increase of taxol accumulation when compared with control. Combination between Cor and US exposure will improve the extracellular and cell-associated taxol production. The expected taxol production from the treatment of both Cor and US is 20 to 50% higher than control. Elicitation of Taxus x media using Cor and US also will enhance the cell growth. The use of suspension culture will be one of the reasons that improve the accumulation of taxol and can be a good strategy for the continous production of taxol. Why is it important? Taxol is well known anti-cancer drug derived from natural source of Taxus species. However, direct extraction from yew trees has subjected them as an endangered species. On the other hand, the process of extraction and purification of taxol is also time consuming and not economically feasible. Thus, plant tissue culture is a promising approach to obtain this secondary metabolite. However, one of the main problems in increase the taxol production is instability in the synthesis of secondary metabolite. In order to maximize the yield of taxol, the combination of biotic and abiotic elicitor can be a good strategy. Besides, the elicitation approach is also more economical beneficial compare with other methods such as precursor feeding, phytohormone regulation and biotransformation. US is a simple but effective elicitor while Cor is expected has the similar biological activity as methyl jasmonate (MeJA), the most common elicitor used in stimulate secondary metabolites. The results from th is study can provide a fundamental understanding of the effects of US in combination with Cor on the production of secondary metabolite and plant cell culture. Understanding how Taxus x media cell culture react with these two elicitors can provide a a beneficial in link the growth rate with the production of taxol. DETAILS OF RESEARCH PROJECT Introduction and Background: Taxus species are medicinal plants and members of the Taxaceae family that can produce taxol, a chemotheraphy drug used widely in cancers treatment. FDA approval of taxol in 1992 and a series of success of taxol in clinical test for various cancers led to massive demand for this active substance. The increase of demand was expected since taxol also useful to combact non-canceorus disorders, such as polycystic kidney disease (Woo et al., 1994). However, it is difficult to perform large-scale culture because of the difficulty to gain this active compound from natural source. Three mature, century-old yew trees would produce only 1 g of taxol. It is estimated that about 10 tons of bark or felling of 3000 trees was needed to yield 1 kg of purified taxol to treat 500 cancer patients. Besides, the natural source of taxol from yew trees is only about 0.01% to 0.06% (Sung et al., 2005). All these concerns have prompted extensive efforts in find the method that can increase the mass productio n taxol. Taxus x media is choose for this study since it is good starting materials for the taxol production via biotechnological technique. Besides, the amount of taxol produce by this cultivar is the highest among other Taxus species (Table 1). The elicitation approach has been one of the most promising strategies in improve the mass production of taxol and other secondary metabolites in cell cultures (Roberts ND Shuler, 1997). The idea of using elicitor arise from the defence pathway utilize by plant in deal with environmental stress, pathogenic microorganisms, insects and higher herbivorous predators by stimulate the production of offensive chemicals like secondary metabolites. One of the most commonly studied and effective biotic elicitor is methyl jasmonate (MeJA). However, the report that Cor resemble the biological activity of the jasmonic acid gives an idea that the mode of action between these two compounds could be similar. The chemical structure of Cor is more stable than MeJA because of the rigid cis-orientation in its bi-cyclic skeleton. This lead to the higher levels of induction in the production of secondary metabolites by plant cells treated with Cor when compare with those treated with natural JA. Although Cor stimulated paclitaxel production with less efficiency than MeJA, it resulted in higher paclitaxel excretion to the liquid phases of culture medium. Besides that, there are not many reports about the influence of Cor on the production of secondary metabolite in plant cell suspension culture. Table 1: Content (wt %) of selected taxanes in different species of Taxus plants (Lin Lidong, 2003) The combination of biotic and abiotic elicitor had synergistic effects to taxol production in many reports. Thus, it is expected that the combine use of Cor with a physical stimulus like US might increase the yield of taxol in the Taxus culture. Generally, the abiotic elicitors use in experimental studies is chemical agents, heavy metals and biochemical agents like polysaccharides and organic acid. The use of US to biotechnology is relatively new and not many reports can be found on the effects of US in increase the useful secondary metabolites. This simple and effective elicitor can activate cells or enzymes and induced plant defence metabolism by ultrasonic waves. High intensity US waves can bring detrimental effect to cells, enzymes and other biological materials. Meanwhile, low intensity US waves can change the cellular metabolism, improve the mass transfer of reagents and enhance the release of intracellular products from cultured cells by increase the membrane permeability. The use of US will not disrupt the culture process and allow continuous use of cell’s biosynthetic capacity (Kilby and Hunter, 1990). US deserve an extensive research regarding its effects in plant secondary metabolite due to its wide application in biological field. The combination of Cor and US has great prospect and economic benefits in enhance the taxol production at low cost. Until now, there is no study or information about the effect of Cor and US and their combination on the Taxus species. Work which has led up to the project: The production of taxol using cell cultures were first reported by Christen et al., in 1989. Cell suspension cultures can emit secondary metabolites into growth medium. For instance, the production of resveratrol in the medium was higher than in the cell (Zamboni et al., 2009). Work by Kajani et al., in 2010 on Taxus baccata L cell culture showed that 74.9 % of total taxanes was exuded to growth medium (5. 584 mg/ L). Roberts et al., in 2003 reported that suspension culture of Taxus canadensis secreted more than 90% of the total taxol to the medium after treated with cell wall enzymes. Cell culture of Taxus chinensis emitted 90% of the total paclitaxel in medium with chitosan (Zhang et al., 2007). Komaraiah et al., in 2003 reported that up to 70% of the plumbagin in Plumbago rosea cell culture were released into the medium. Taxol accumulate at high level (1.5 mg/L) in the second phase of growth Previous research by J. Wu and L. Lin in 2003 on the application of US as a physical stimulus and MeJA in increase the mass production of taxol in Taxus chinensis becomes a fundamental reference for this study. Their study showed that the taxol yield was increased about 1.5- to 1.8-fold with 2 minutes US exposure once or twice during a 4 week culture period. Meanwhile, the total taxol after treated with MeJA increase about 5-fold. The percentage of extracellular taxol and cell-associated taxol also showed significant increase. The taxol production from combination between US and MeJA treatment was 20 to 50% higher than each of the treatment used alone. Another research by Wu and Lin in 2002 found that low energy US can play a role as abiotic elicitor to trigger the plant defence responses and induce the production of plant metabolite in cell cultures. Apart from that, US also can increase the cell membrane permeabilization to increase the efficiency of intracellular product release. In their previous study, they found that the combination of US stimulation and in situ solvent extraction in a Lithospermum erythrorhizan cell culture led to 2 to 3-fold increases in the yield of shikonin. Tamogami and Kodama reported in 2000 that Accumulation of flavonoid phytoalexins in rice occurred when treated with Cor. This shown that the effect of Cor on flavonoid production was greater than that of JA or its precursor, 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA). Cor also gave positive result in the alkaloid production in Eschscholzia californica cell cultures (Haider et al., 2000). The previous work by also showed the greater increase in the accumulation of glyceollins, the phytoalexins of soybean (Glycine max. L.), in soybean cell suspension cultures after treated with Cor. Besides, the effect of Cor in induced the phytoalexin productin was greatly better when compared with JA and MeJA. (Fliegmann et al., 2003; Lauchli et al, 2002). Aims of the project: To study the biological and synergistic effects of Cor and US on the taxol production of Taxus x media cell culture. (d) Experimental design and methods to be used in investigating this problem: Cell culture establishment Approximately 1.0 cm long section of longitudinal young stem of Taxus x media will be wash with distilled water and soak in 70% (v/v) ethanol for 30 to 60 seconds. After that, the stem will be surface sterilized by immersion in 1.5% sodium hypochlorite with a few drops of Tween 20 for 20 to 30 minutes. After sterilization, the explants will be rinsed 3 times with sterile distilled water. Next, the longitudinally halved stem sections will be placed with the inner cut surface in contact with the solid Gamborg’s B5 media to induce calli. The media supplemented/ fortified with 3.0% sucrose (w/v), 0.8% agar (w/v), 1 mg/L 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.5 mg/L 6-Benzyladenine (BA), at pH 5.5. All of the cultures will be placed in darkness at 25oC for 25 days. To obtain a homogenous callus, several subcultures of calli will be done every 3 weeks. The snow, friable and massive callus will be used as the inoculums for cell suspension culture. Cor treatment The same media without agar will be used for cell suspension culture. About 10 g of fresh weight of callus will be used as the inoculums and inoculated into 300 mL conical flasks containing 100 mL liquid growth B5 medium and placed on orbital shakers (120 rpm) at 25oC in darkness. 1 uM Cor will be added to the shake-flask culture on day 7 post inoculation since the Taxus cell culture is expected to be in the middle of a rapid growth phase, which is usually a favourable time for elicitor treatment in most plant cell cultures. 3) US treatment An ultrasonic cleaning bath will be used to sonicate the cells in Erlenmeyer flasks from the shake-flask culture (Lin et al., 2001). The bath will had a fixed frequency of 38.5 KHz and variable power levels. The bath temperature wwill be maintained at 25 ±0.5oC. The culture will be sonicated at level 2 US power (corresponding to 13.7 mW/ cm3 in the culture) once (on day 5, 9, or 16) or twice (day 5 and day 9) for 2 min each time (total US energy of each exposure = power x period = 1.64 J/cm3). The US power and exposure period will be selected based on the study by Lin et al., (2001) and Lin and Wu in 2002. Determination of cell density The cells in the shake-flasks will be separated from the medium by filtration through a Whatman filter paper under vacuum. The wet cell mass will be rinsed thoroughly with deionized water and then dried at 50oC in an oven to constant weight. Taxol extraction and determination The taxol content in powdered dried cell and medium in the culture flasks will be extracted by methods previously described by Wu and Lin (2003). The dried cells will pulverized and suspended in 10 mL methanol, filtered and air-dried. After that, the cells will be re-dissolved in dichloromethane: water (1:1, v/v) followed by centrifugation at 5000 rpm. Dichloromethane phase will be collected, air-dried and re-dissolved in 100  µL methanol (HPLC grade) and filtered passing through a 0.45  µm syringe filter, before being injected to HPLC. The taxol content in the extract solution will be quantified by HPLC system, equipped with a C-18 column of 25 x 4.6 mm dimension. Taxol will be eluted with a linear gradient of acetonitrile and water (45: 55, v/v)/ at a flow rate of 1 mL/min with UV detection at 227 nm. Identification of taxol will be accomplished by comparison of retention times with authentic standard. Statistical analysis The results will be analyzed statistically by one-way ANOVA analysis and Duncan multiple range tests. The data will be presented as the mean value  ± standard deviation (SD) of three independent experiments.