Period Comparison Essay

The two paintings I chose to compare are The Virgin and Child by Rogier van der Weyden (1406, Netherlandish; gallery room 207) and The Crucifixion by Francisco de Zurbaran (1627, Spanish; gallery room 215). These two paintings focus on Jesus Christ, his humanity and his divinity. I chose them because they represent Jesus’ fragile humanity through his infancy and death. These paintings struck me as different from the other religious art I had seen because it stresses humanity without sacrificing divinity. Weyden illustrates the beauty of humanity with a poignant portrait of The Virgin Mary breastfeeding Jesus as an infant. The sheer tenderness of this most simple and necessary bonding between the mother and the child is captured in this painting. It is a feeling that only a mother can understand but it is capable of touching everybody because everybody plays at least one of these roles throughout their lifetime. The beauty and simplicity of human nature is also contrasted with the jewels that adorn Mary’s robe and the velvet drape behind her. It seems to me that it implies divinity though one could also interpret that as something else. Although this was a painting for private devotion and intended to capture a beautiful moment, one can also see the dark side of human nature in this painting. Exotic and expensive jewels surround Mary and Jesus. But why jewels? Why were jewels chosen to represent the divine? Jesus spoke against material riches saying that only those rich in spirit can enter the kingdom of Heaven. Jewels can also be interpreted as money and that is of course a necessary evil. If money is the root of all evil and human nature by definition is imperfect and tends to stray towards evil, then this painting takes on a whole new meaning to me. This means that nobody, even Jesus, can be perfect if he is limited to being a mortal human being. To me, the painting goes much deeper than what is actually presented. Whether he intended to or not, Weyden created a statement of God enjoying the beauty of his humanity but also dealing with the ugliness that comes along. The jewels represent humanity because even though they are beautiful and marvelous on the outside, beneath they cannot escape the evil that is. For the jewels it is  the greed and the bloodshed and everything else money represents that seems to stain it’s beauty. For man, it is the amazing and marvelous things we can create that are also stained with the atrocities that we are capable of. Obviously there is more to this painting than meets the eye but there is something interesting in the way the two are positioned. Mary, with her breast exposed preparing to feed her son means that Jesus is still in his infancy. Infants are very helpless and vulnerable, but Jesus appears to be sitting upright, albeit with support. The look in his eyes gives a feeling of intelligence and wisdom while at the same time they are still doe-eyed and innocent. However, the most interesting point is the position of the infant’s arms. He sits upright with his hands almost offering a blessing. A similar pose can be seen in Rembrandt’s Christ Healing the Sick. The other painting that captured my thoughts was one by Francisco de Zurbaran. Even though it was painted over a century later in a different part of Europe, the two paintings seem to intertwine to deliver a strong message. This painting, which is considered Zurbaran’s lost masterpiece, is a massive painting designed originally for a church, the church of Dominican of San Pablo el Real in Seville. It dwarfs Weyden’s tiny Virgin and Child. These seemingly opposite paintings oddly enough have so many similarities. They both portray Jesus in fragile states yet this differs from the first because it deals with Christ’s death. The picture is a somber one with depth that is so life like, it was often mistaken for sculpture when viewed from far away. It portrays Jesus hanging from the cross. He is in the classic position with nails driven through his palms. There are no other objects in the background; it is just Jesus, his cross and a mysterious source of light. According to the background history of the painting, the light suggests divinity. Both paintings have symbols for divinity but are radically contrasted at the same time. Christ is left on the cross, alone and tortured whereas the first is the comfort of infancy. The Crucifixion, in all its great size and beauty reflects what a huge, momentous event Jesus’ death really was. The Crucifixion does contrast the first painting because instead of intricate  poses and fine jewels, it is just simply death. The painting is so good because it is something so simple and raw that it is beyond words. No words can capture the sorrow and the pain of that very moment like Zubrbaran can with his brush. It stands profound and intimidating. It draws upon our experience and our knowledge of death. We are there, we are seeing the fault and the evil of humanity. â€Å"We have killed our creator,† Zurbaran seems to say. He seems to be screaming it in your ear while at the same time we are enveloped by a deafening silence. It is enough to put you in awe of what humanity is. It seems to put us in the same state of mind early man must have been in when looking upon the dark, infinite sky above. The light source is another interesting and debatable point. It seems to bring a source of comfort, if any could be found. It is a single light in a presumably infinite dark and it illuminates the empty corpse of God. If life is death and life is beautiful, it seems that the death of the Lord can be seen as a beautiful thing. God came to live amongst his creation, to teach and to spread the word. In his death however, he created something of much more impact than he ever accomplished in his own lifetime. That leads me in to another point. In his death, that single light source could be just the start, a spark or a flame that would spread like wildfire, spreading the love of God everywhere. It could be represented as not only the death of Christ, but the birth of Christianity. In conclusion, these two paintings seem to go hand in hand. They are completely opposite paintings that tie into each other and almost seem to tell a story. Of course it could be argued that these two paintings have nothing at all in common except for the subject. But it doesn’t really matter what part of the world they are from or what period in history they lived in. What matters is that they saw something, felt something so strong and so profound that they captured it to be acknowledged by all.

Hans Zimmer Essay

This case study will explore the life and works of one of the most prominent and inventive film and music composers of modern times, Hans Zimmer. His extraordinary ability to span an extensively wide range of genres and formats with extreme competence is extremely influential and inspiring. Zimmer is a pioneer in his field, with his use of both electronic and orchestral elements within film scores. Zimmers success in creating the scores for some of the most celebrated films, and his ability to encapsulate in the music the overriding themes, and personalities of the characters in modern day cinema is what makes him so special. I have chosen to write on this subject as it is completely relevant to my interest in the field. This case study includes a discussion of the early life of Hans Zimmer, his entrance into the world of Hollywood composition, his influences and growth as a composer and leads to a more in-depth discussion of the work on his most current films, as well as a brief look at the studio and equipment he uses. Born in Frankfurt, Germany on September 12th 1957 Hans Florian Zimmer is acknowledged as one of the most pioneering, innovative, successful, influential and sought after composers in Hollywood today (IMDB, no date). His interest in music began at a very early age and he began playing the piano at the age of three, although he had little or no formal music education or training throughout his early life (Gillespie, 2001). Despite his lack of training, Zimmer knew he wanted to be a composer by the age of six and this coincided with an important event in the young Zimmer’s life; the death of his father. He is quoted as saying in an interview with CNN Worldbeat; â€Å"My dad died when I was six, that’s when I decided I was going to become really serious about music, because it was my refuge† (CNN Worldbeat cited by IMDB, no date). During his early teens his family moved all over Europe before settling in London when Zimmer was 14 years old. Throughout his childhood his passion for music meant he neglected his schoolwork and as a result was expelled from several different schools (Shelton, no date). After finally finishing school he began his professional music career by composing advertising jingles for Air Edel associates and playing in rock bands (Ankeny, no date). It was during this period that Zimmer found success as a member of The Buggles, an English new wave synthpop group, and had a hit single with ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’. It is said that this worldwide hit helped ‘usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to be shown on MTV’ (IMDB, no date). His talent on the keyboard and synthesisers would continue to be significant throughout his career although this is perhaps the first event that might have suggested at the huge amount of success and appreciation he would go on to enjoy as a composer. Zimmer is known to have favoured the Moog synthesiser when performing and creating music for these groups, a preference that has endured the span of his career. It was also during this period that we see Zimmer first combining the use of computers with live music on stage with other successful groups (Shelton, no date). This combination has been a constant throughout Zimmer’s professional career and his talent in merging the two elements is part of what has earned him the success and appreciation he currently enjoys. The diversity of his talent is also seen in his ability to span genres such as new wave UK punk, as well as Spanish pop music. However, Zimmer would not remain a part of the pop scene for long. He felt inhibited by having to write in just one style of music and felt his creativity was restrained. It was at this time that he first went to work with Stanley Myers who began to teach him about scoring films (Shelton, no date). This partnership would prove to be a collaboration of great orchestral elements combined with the most up to date electronic instrumentation available (Abodos, no date). Zimmers technological fascination in these early years has proved influential in his later and most successful works. Perhaps it is this preoccupation with technology that has kept him at the forefront of composition. It could also be said that the use of both technological and traditional orchestral elements has ensured his popularity with all generations of audiences. It was with Myers that Zimmer co-founded the London based Lillie Yard recording studio (Wikipedia, no date). A demonstration of the combining of the elements mentioned above is showcased in their early works, an example of which is seen in the film ‘Moonlighting’ (1982). The fusion of moody undertones performed with synthesisers and clean orchestral pianos combine to create a dark, unnerving, suspenseful atmosphere in keeping with the films subject and the emotions portrayed by the characters. His talent for creating music spanning the genres of different films is also seen in this early collaboration with Myers. Further examples of this are his compositions for films such as ‘Success is the Best Revenge’ (1984) which is a drama and the films ‘Insignificance’ (1985) and the acclaimed ‘My Beautiful Launderette’ (1985) which have comedic elements and demand that a completely different atmosphere is created. For example, ‘My Beautiful Launderette’ features a much more upbeat electronic production with less orchestral elements as the subject matter of the film requires. From 1982 – 1987 Zimmer worked collaboratively on productions. It was not until the film ‘Terminal Exposure’ (1987) that Zimmer would produce his first solo-score (Wikipedia, no date), based heavily on electronic production encapsulating the 80’s pop culture era. His next collaboration with David Byrne and Ryuichi Sakamoto would lead to his first taste of Academy Award success – winning the Oscar for Best Original Score with the picture ‘The Last Emperor’ (1987). The theme tune of which combines influences from both traditional Western and Eastern cultures, again allowing him to experience new found inspiration for his future creations. At this time he also created one of his most durable works for the UK television game show ‘Going for Gold’, about which he was quoted in an interview with the BBC as saying ‘[it] was a lot of fun. It’s the sort of stuff you do when you don’t have a career yet’ (BBC, 2008). This demonstrated his levelheadedness despite his new found success. This is also another example of how Zimmer was able to span the genres of music composition whilst enjoying his work, which arguably has been crucial to his success. The next film score composed by Zimmer was the small budget movie ‘A World Apart’ (1988) about apartheid South Africa (Shelton, no date). This was his first excursion into composition for a movie set in Africa, perhaps leading to his continuing interest in this area (seen in his work on the later films ‘The Power of One’ (1992) and ‘The Lion King’ (1994)). The soundtrack to ‘A World Apart’ featured traditional African instruments such as African drums and shakers giving the soundtrack an authentic feel. At the same time, these are combined with powerful synthetic strings which strike emotion and also bring in a Western element, which mirrors the films subject. 4 – Word Count: 3459 Student no. 15735 The success of this soundtrack led to Zimmer’s involvement in the critically acclaimed film ‘The Rain Man’ (1988) after the Hollywood director Barry Levinson’s wife introduced him to Zimmer’s work (Wikipedia, no date). Zimmer would follow an individual process when composing; â€Å"It was a road movie, and road movies usually have jangly guitars or a bunch of strings. I kept thinking don’t be bigger than the characters. Try to keep it contained. The Raymond character doesn’t actually know where he is. He might as well be on Mars. So, why don’t we just invent our own world music, for a world that doesn’t really exist? † (Zimmer cited by Young, 2008). This allowed for the score to contain escapist, other-worldly elements reflecting the character played by Dustin Hoffman. The Rain Man’ (1988) was Zimmer’s first venture into Hollywood. The soundtrack was created by the use of a lot of digital synthesis from the Fairlight CMI which was able to do sampling as well as additive synthesis where Zimmer was able to draw his own wave forms. In 1989 the score was nominated for an Academy Award and won Best Picture (Shelton, no date). His success would only contin ue. He was approached by the director of ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ (1989) the score of which consisted mainly of synthesisers and samplers. The Roland MKS-20 synthesiser was used for piano sounds about which Zimmer jokingly quoted â€Å"It didn’t sound anything like a piano, but it behaved like a piano† (Zimmer cited by Wherry, 2002) showing the unpredictable nature of digital synthesis. Within the same month as ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ Zimmer also created the score for the film ‘Black Rain’ (1989). In involving himself with both these films which were of entirely different genres he felt that Hollywood would not be able to typecast him (Young, 2008). This is further evidence of Hans Zimmer’s drive to think outside of the box, never wanting to be constrained or restricted to create just one type of music. His broad horizons were demonstrated further in 1992 with the film ‘The Power of One’ where Zimmer expressed his thirst for gaining authentic samples and knowledge of different musical cultures by travelling to Africa and sampling indigenous choirs and traditional drums. He gained a police-record whilst in the country for his work on the film for being labelled as subversive (Wikipedia, no date). It was ‘Power of One’ that led to his first expedition into the world of animation with the 1994 film ‘The Lion King’ which followed the African theme. Zimmer originally created 48 different theme tunes for ‘The Lion King’ (1994) before he was happy with the outcome (Hans-Zimmer. com, no date, a), displaying his meticulous nature. It can be said that this contributed to the film’s success and it went on to win an Oscar for Best Original Score and Golden Globe awards (Ankeny, no date). The African drum and choir samples used in ‘Circle of Life’ (the theme tune for the film) convey authenticity, whilst the use of a Western vocalist meant that a Western audience could still identify with the track. This maintained its resonance with the films main demographic, and the score was later adapted into a Broadway musical. After years of orchestral development Zimmer went back to his roots of synthesis with the Grammy Award winning film ‘Crimson Tide’ in 1995. However, his success post-Lion King meant that the celebrity lifestyle was in danger of catching up with him and his first attempts at the composition for ‘Crimson Tide’ were described by its directors as ‘crap’ and ‘rubbish’ and Zimmer is quoted as saying that â€Å"reality came back really fast for him† (Zimmer cited by Young, 2008). In the following years Zimmer went on to work on the scores for many more successful films. It was in the 2000’s, however, with the postmodern preoccupation with film that he became involved with even higher budgeted Hollywood Blockbusters. The following discussions of his works will describe 5 – Word Count: 3459 Student no. 15735 in depth how Zimmer’s creative processes lead to an extremely effective way of making sound for movies. The first of these discussions will focus on the film ‘Gladiator’ (2000). It is important to note Zimmer’s preoccupation with imagery and how the sound will translate on screen. It can be said that rather than dictate with music, Zimmer will take elements from the scenes, the characters and aesthetics of the film to set up the tone. An example of this is seen in what is arguably the most iconic scene of the movie, set in a wheat field, which is extremely poetic. Zimmer argues that the music gives the artistic license to be so poetic (hans-zimmer. com, no date, a). He talks about the collaboration with the artist Lisa Gerrard on this scene, and describes this relationship as a meeting of minds, finding her to be a ‘true’ artist. This collaboration is clearly effective in evoking emotion as the guttural vocals by Gerrard coincide beautifully with the imagery. Whilst watching the movie, it is found that the same piece of theme music is used in different places and in scenes that are worlds apart in terms of emotion. Zimmer’s ability to create polarity with one piece of music clearly displays his strategic ability to place the music effectively. For example, one piece of music is used in a scene where two people kiss as well as just before a battle scene. In the former, the effect is one of tenderness and romance, whilst in the latter tension and violence is alluded to. A further example of this is how the use of music conveys the humble theme of the movie (the personal life of the character) while at the same time can be turned into thousands of different emotions. (hanszimmer. com, no date, a) Additionally, the tone of the music clearly changes as the film moves around geographically in order to represent the location. For example, the battle scene set in Germania consists of sustained, powerful strings and other skewed instruments which create a frantic and tense scene as well as authentically representing the location. Furthermore, for the scenes set in Morocco the sound is generally more tribal, dirty and gritty giving the sound in the movie a bigger range and representing the change in locations effectively (hans-zimmer. com, no date, a). The composition throughout the entire movie is mainly orchestral and this has the effect of transporting the viewer to the appropriate period of time in history that the film represents. All of this amalgamates to an all-round epic and large scale experience which is at the heart of the Gladiator’s subject matter. Another interesting aspect of Hans Zimmer’s work is to see how he portrayed one of the most iconic villains in modern day films in the Batman movie ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008). From the outset it seems that rather than create a happy, indulgent score, Zimmer wanted to create something hateful and provocative, something that the viewer could invest in. The Joker is the focal point of the film and represents a change from its predecessor, ‘Batman Begins’ (2005). In order to convey the significance of the character the sound that accompanies him on screen displays the anarchy, mayhem and insanity inherent to the Joker’s eccentric personality. youtube. com, no date). In an interview on the making of the film, Zimmer describes his attempts at depicting the tone of the character through the use of razor blades on barbed wire and incessant tapping on tables and floors, but he eventually came to the extremely successful technique of playing two notes on a cello at the same time, which juxtapose beautifully. This gives the effect of a taught string that gets tighter and tighter but never breaks, paralleling the Jokers spiralling descent into madness. Also, the note of the cello slowly but consistently rises in order to draw the viewer in as the character also does on screen. This extraordinary quiet, high-pitched sound which creates rising tension appears to have a 6 – Word Count: 3459 Student no. 15735 slightly anxious and uneasy quality which syncs perfectly with the character and the viewer’s perception of him. To accompany the sound of the cello, and add to the ever-growing tension two heavily distorted guitars, almost unrecognisable as the original instrument, are played with pieces of metal, with the result of creating a completely anarchistic atmosphere. These effects are heavily processed with the use of distortion to create a more surreal experience, detached from reality. These techniques fuse together to form a rich and complex tapestry of emotion, the audial and the visual aspects are combined in a way that portrays harmony as well as contrast. (youtube. com, no date). The final movie that will be discussed in depth is ‘Inception’ (2010). In the New York Times Zimmer describes his own understanding of the films subject as being about time and its slowing down, and speeding up. The Edith Piaf track ‘Je ne regrette rien’ is used as part of the film to signify a kick to another reality. However, Zimmer has taken its use to a deeper level â€Å"all the music in the score is subdivisions and multiplications of the Edith Piaf track† (Zimmer cited by Itzkoff, 2010) representing his perception of the film as being based around time and its manipulation. In the same way Zimmer manipulates the Piaf track by using a single beat and slowing it down dramatically in order to create the trademark foghorn sound that the movie is well known for (Itzkoff, 2010). The momentum of the film is defined by the structure of the score that accompanies it. The intensity of the film gradually snowballs, becoming more and more surreal and penetrating. At the same time the music increases in intensity and level of depth as the film explores the different levels of the human mind. In an interview with Hans Zimmer (hans-zimmer. com, no date) he describes making electronic sounds from scratch on the custom moog rack in his studio, as well as using software synths such as U-he Zebra. In order to create the sounds he wanted he would play the synthetic sounds to his bespoke orchestra which consists of; six bass trombones, six tenor trombones, four tubas and six French horns in order for them to imitate the sounds. Combinations of the two create a euphoric and emotive atmosphere where deep and unsettling synthetic and orchestral sounds accompany and synchronise with a powerful and grand visual experience. Whilst Zimmer has admitted ‘The Dark Knight’ was heavy in its use of electronic sounds in ‘Inception’ this is pushed even further. In order to gain a further insight into what Hans Zimmer is influenced by, it is important to consider the setting in which he creates his momentous scores. His home studio in Santa Monica, USA is extremely gothic in its decor and can be perceived as having an overwhelmingly dark and eerie vibe – somewhat consistent with a large amount of his compositions. This can be seen in the pictures below. (Pictures sourced from www. stuckincustoms. com) In picture one, we see that muted decadence is incorporated with the feeling of comfort. It is hard to imagine that influence would not be drawn from these surroundings. – Word Count: 3459 Student no. 15735 The second picture, displays the core of the hardware at Zimmers disposal. Whilst it is hard to make out the various components, some are identifiable; his Quested monitors (5. 1 surround sound set up), his Doepfer LMK4+ midi-keyboard, and two analogue synthesisers which are mounted on the back wall – one of which is a custom Moog rack (as mentioned above) and a custom Roland rack, as well as two custom HP touch sensitive LCD screen monitors connected to his DAW (Steinberg Cubase as his main sequencer and Pro Tools for his final mix) (hans-zimmer. om, no date, b). The picture on the right shows a large amount of Pro Tools systems and a patch bay as well as various other hardware devices. He also has a custom built Bosendorfer grand piano. It is also worth mentioning the software used by Zimmer which as well as the DAW’s described above include various VST’s such as; Omnisphere, U-he Zebra, Atmosphere and thousands and thousands of sample banks. (hanszimmer. com, no date, b) Hans Zimmer enjoys an astonishing career with some incredible a ccomplishments, despite the fact that he has had no formal training. His passion is maintained and can be seen in both the way he talks about the composition process as well as the finished product that is heard on screen. Perhaps, it can be said that in his work he is still battling his inner turmoil at the death of his father as a young boy; â€Å"[composing] was my way of calming the demons in me or at the same time sometimes letting them roar, letting them rip, letting the monster out and seeing that it wasn’t so scary being able to look it in the eye. † (CNN Worldbeat cited by IMDB, no date). It is argued here that in his work Zimmer forces his audience to confront the demons on screen whilst creating an opportunity for escapism which is what cinema represents. His productions are both seamless and effortless whilst at the same remaining extraordinarily powerful and commanding. As a relatively young composer and with some of the biggest and long-awaited Hollywood blockbusters ever to be produced in the pipeline, such as the sequel to ‘The Dark Knight’; ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, his success can only intensify with time.

Central European Market - Final Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Central European Market - Final Report - Essay Example This paper examines the Auchan’s progress in the Russian market. The paper starts with background information and then analyzes the Russian market. The paper also discusses some of the challenges facing the company and suggests ways through which they can be addressed. Auchan Corporation is based in Croix, France and had presence in more than 12 countries. The company’s origin can be traced to 1961 when Gerard Mulliez opened the first store in Roubaix, France. Five years later, another store was opened in Roncq, Northern France. The company started expanding to other countries in 1981, when it established a subsidiary in Alcampo, Spain. In 1989, the company opened its first hypermarket in Italy. The company has also established foreign subsidiaries in China, Hungary and Russia. In order to increase its presence in the major economies, the company has also acquired other players in the retail industry. This mode of entry allows the company to expand much faster rather than using wholly owned enterprises. The company is one of the pioneers in the hypermarkets landscape in France and other major European countries. ). The consumers have extended values and intimacy to the corporation and the company has become more than a localized entity in R ussia. Auchan prefers organic growth and has 1,450 stores across the globe. Although the organization prefers organic growth, at times it expands to foreign markets through acquisitions. For instance, in 1996, the company acquired Docks de France and partnered with RT Mart in China. In Italy, Achuan acquired La Rinascente’s while in Italy it acquired GCI. Such acquisitions are very advantageous as they are less risky and are associated with positive outcomes such as increased market share, lower cost of operation, higher competitiveness, financial leverage and higher profitability. In most countries where it operates, the Achuan group pursues a strong

English class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

English class - Essay Example Underage drinking in fact contributes to 17.5 % of total alcohol sales. As youths are not allowed to possess alcohol, they consume it in unsupervised spaces such as house parties which are the hotspots of binge drinking and drug abuse. Lowering the age allows them to drink alcohol in regulated and safe environment. Other issue is the underreporting of alcohol related accidents due to fear of legal consequences which lead to death in many cases. Proper medical care can be provided in accidents if the action is not illegal and is reported promptly. Proponents of the move also claim that if the drinking age is lowered, it will no longer be a taboo which will make young people less prone to take up drinking as an act of rebellion. Excessive drinking can be controlled if moderated drinking is made part of the culture and not banned. One of the very important reasons the age should be lowered is the lax administration of law. Police personnel have a lot more pressing cases to handle rather than to chase youth below 21 who are drinking. As the law cannot be enforced effectively, it needs to be altered. The most pressing concern in lowering the drinking age is drunk driving. More than 11000 people died in 2010 due to drunken driving. Research also shows that incidents of drunken driving are more common in youth below 25 years of age and reduces with the increase in age. If the drinking age was lowered to 18, more young people would get behind the wheel drunk leading to a spike in the number of deaths. The nation cannot be responsible for this catastrophe and thus drinking age should not be lowered. Binge drinking is a common phenomenon in US colleges. Youth regularly have bets with each other to see who can drink the maximum. This leads to alcohol poisoning and causes death in many cases. Lowering the drinking age will invite more cases of binge drinking which is

Land Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Land Law - Essay Example One such attempt is the Land Registration Act 2002 which was seen as the successor of the Land Registration Act 1925 (Francis, 2013).1 The land registration Act of 2002 was based on the earlier UK land laws such as the land registration Act of 1925. Although the Land Registration Act 2002 meant to improve on the issues of the Land Registration Act 1925, it still has many issues which would need to be taken care of. Critics see the Land Registration Act 2002 as still based on archaic property ownership principles, making it hard for the Land Registration Act 2002 to be able to solve modern challenges of property ownership. Some of the issues with Land registration Act 2002 are as follows; Under the Land Registration Act 2002, landlords have a header time dealing with registrations issues. This is especially while dealing with tenants who are not represented by a legal professional. To avoid issues, most landlords will have to avoid leasing their land for more than seven years. The Land Registration Act 2002 also requires that land owners and leasers to unregister any leases once they expire. The issue with this is the fact that most small scale owners may not be careful enough to waste their time to go unregistered expired leases. This means that the Land Register will not have data that completely reflects the status of land ownership because expired leases, which have not been unregistered from the land register, will be seen as still active. This is similar with so many other issues in the land registry that fail to give a more accurate situation of the land ownership in the country. The Land Registration Act 2002 introduced a major problem with regard to the way the land is registered. For instance, the act allows for anyone to object to a registration as long as he has a reliable ground. While this is intended to solve some ownership problems, the issue with it is that people of ill will can use it to thwart land ownership by other people. This is

The Kent State University Shootings And The Boston Massacre Essay

The Kent State University Shootings And The Boston Massacre - Essay Example These lines printed in bold on the front pages of national newspapers and magazines dated May 5, 1970, conveyed the essence of what had happened during Kent students' protest against the war in Vietnam and the U.S. invasion to Cambodia. The Cambodian invasion took place in late April of 1970. According to the statement of President Nixon broadcasted nationwide on April 30, 1970 the goal of the invasion was to attack the Viet Cong headquarters located on Cambodian territory. The first protests followed the next day after Nixon's statement. Hundreds of American students, whose anti-war sentiment was the highest as compared with other social groups protested in their campuses across the country. Kent State University campus was also involved in the anti-military demonstrations. The protests peaked on Monday, May 4, when several hundreds students of Kent State University gathered at noon to declare their disapproval of the U.S. military policies in Asia2. By strange coincidence the Kent State University shootings bore frightening resemblance to another prominent event of the U.S. history, namely the Boston Massacre of 1770. The Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 between a group of Boston citizens and British troops. A group of British soldiers shot five colonists during a public protest action against the Townshend Acts and the excessive presence of British troops in Boston and New York. The soldiers, struck by snow and ice balls thrown by the crowd, fired into the demonstrants killing five and wounding half a dozen people3. The first thing one might notice about these two events is striking similarity of dates and numbers. Separated by almost exactly two centuries both shootings occurred in the spring, and both cases produced nearly the same number of victims. In-depth analysis of the historical background of the shootings, comparison of the implications produced by them and examination of their impact on the society reveals even more interesting details. The second half of 20th century was marked by a series of events that determined the modern visage of American society. Nuclear disarmament movement and Civil rights movement in the USA of the late 1950s - early 1960s, Anti-Vietnam War movement in the USA and worldwide of the mid 1960s - early 1970s, students movement in the USA of the mid 1960s - early 1970s, women's movement in the USA that began in the late 1960s and soon spread to Europe - these are only most notable examples of such events. The shootings at Kent University went down in history as the turning point of the Vietnam War era. In those days the nation was torn by deep cultural and political conflict. Richard Nixon won the 1968 election promising to end the Vietnam War, but failed to stick to his promise. Instead, the first draft lottery since World War II was announced followed by the invasion into Cambodia that made the war even more intensive. Thousands of American students responded to the increased risk of being d rafted by protests and demonstrations setting the stage for the Kent University shootings4. The historical background of the Boston Massacre was characterized by a number of similar features, though the context was totally different. Political and economic

The humpty dumpty falls scale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The humpty dumpty falls scale - Essay Example This paper critically analyses the paper ‘The Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale: A Case–Control Study’ which reports the findings of the aforementioned research study and a critique of the various components of this paper is presented in the discussion that follows. Research Problem/Purpose or Question Hypothesis   The authors have clearly stated the purpose of the study as being an assessment of the efficacy of the newly developed Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale (HDFS) in predicting the risk of falls in pediatric hospitalized patients, in a separate section entitled ‘purpose’ (Hill-Rodriguez, et al., 2009). Moreover, in the same section, the choice of the study design, i.e. case control study has been justified and the authors have explicitly mentioned that the research question was to elucidate whether the risk of falls predicted by the screening tool in question was in conjunction with the actual risk of falls. This gives the readers a clear picture of the aim s and objectives of this study and the rationale behind the conduction of this study. Review of Literature   An adequate review of the existing literature has been provided. The authors have quoted statistics to emphasize the magnitude of the burden that the problem in question poses. As pointed out by the authors, there is ample literature on the issue of falls occurring in the elderly population, but there is a paucity of existing data on the pediatric population in this regard (Hill-Rodriguez, et al., 2009). The importance of the development and implementation of screening and preventive strategies in the pediatric population is underscored by authors in this section. Moreover, the authors have also identified the gaps in the existing literature and have thus provided the rationale of conducting this study in order to build upon the existing research findings and fill in the gaps which were identified. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework   No theoretical or conceptual framework for this study has been provided by the authors. However, the study design is such that it does not warrant the need for a theoretical/conceptual framework. Research Design   The study design employed in this study was a matched case control design (Hill-Rodriguez, et al., 2009). The cases and controls were matched in various regards such as This design is best suited for the research question identified by the authors, as case-control studies have been found to be a suitable study design to evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of screening tools (Rothman, Greenland, & Lash, 2008). Sampling Method/Data Collection   The data was collected from five different in-patient and two ICU pediatric units from a single center. (Hill-Rodriguez, et al., 2009) The sampling method is not mentioned clearly but it can be extrapolated from the given information that purposive convenient sampling methodology was employed. Although no specific inclusion criteria or cut-offs for age are mentio ned, the exclusion criteria are defined and presented in the paper by the authors. The data collection tool used was the Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale (HDFS), which consisted of seven different assessment items. This tool was designed after input from various skilled and expert nurses and other medical personnel (Hill-Rodriguez,

Law Justice and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Law Justice and Society - Essay Example This can truly be seen in the light of to reform youth justice. The vague nature of constitutional definitions have led a lot of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership to follow these definitions (Sprigings, 2005), leading to inconsistencies and divergence in the utilization of Asbos. The mixing of incivilities as well as criminal offences clearly discombobulates basic questions of justice. This results in the intensification of anti-social behaviour, as well as fears and anxieties of the public. Dissertation of boundaries during deviancy control, according to Cohen (1985) evades the issue of if a law had actually been broken, it eliminates the difference among public and private furthermore it also penetrates the family, educational institutions and neighbourhood. As the explanation of visions regarding social control recommended, 'classification' is a essential characteristic of the system, and the growth of deviancy control professions makes way for more classification systems to form new categories of deviance, which need to be fulfilled (Brown, 2004:204). It is quite clear that New Labour government favour a general definition. We can consider this kind of control by Foucault theory of discipline and punishment he believes in order to have power one must need knowledge. In a prison the guard has all the power compared to the inmates. According to Foucault (1981), they have the knowledge to watch and keep the prisoners in order. As for the prisoners they realize they are being observed and they realize that they do not have any authority. If a prisoner does something wrong they will be punished, so when they are in their cell they try not to do anything out of the ordinary. The inmates know that if they do something wrong they will be punished by the guards. The fact that the prisoners know they will punish by a guard for misbehaving shows that the guard has the power and is in charge. ASBO and its Success in Youth Justice System The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 was the foremost legislative piece of the New Labour it presented Anti-social behaviour orders along with a lot of other orders regarding sex offender, parenting, o child safety, damages, action plan orders, and custody, so that anti-social behaviour can be appropriately dealt with (www.audit-commission.gov.uk/). This act's main objective is to decrease crime, improve the safety of the community, encourage more successful multi-agency approaches, and develop the trust of the public in the criminal justice system, by means of cooperation with local communities, difficult to reach groups as well as each and every agency of the public sector. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 finished off the doli incapax, therefore resulting to alterations in youth justice. This order has done a lot for the juvenile justice system as an order may be utilized against an juvenile who is 10 years old or more for acting in an 'anti-social manner' moreover it can be used via the police, local authorities as well as registered social landlords (Campbell, 2002 p 56). The minimum period for an order is 2 years.Breach

Computer Sciences and Information Technology in Business Essay

Computer Sciences and Information Technology in Business - Essay Example Low financial growth of the company was a problem due to various reasons. To begin with, the company had stagnated on its financial gains over five years and at some point had an experience of losses. The organization was at a level where it generated little income to cover the operational costs and make profits. Financing the growth of the company is a major problem in such a scenario, if there is no financial growth, then the organization starts losing its market share because of competition. To make the situation worse, the existing customers are lost to the competition. Financial growth of a company fails if there are insufficient sales. To solve this problem it, is necessary know why the problem occurred in the first place. In the organization, the problem arises because of poor sales from the sales people. The poor sales result from cutting back on the marketing budget thus there are few leads. Another issue is poor training of sales people in the company and clients cutting down their budgets. An innovative solution is necessary to solve this problem. Such a problem needs urgent solving to save the company (Baumgartner, 2013). The firm requires generation of more income, which is only possible through selling more of the products that the company makes. Information technology is important in making more sales. To get more leads the sales people will require more training and higher access to information. Technology today has made success of companies to be easy. The company needs to employ the use of technology such as use of the internet to train the sales people and look for more leads.

Cogs in the great machine Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cogs in the great machine - Coursework Example The business became unbalanced as skilled workers were replaced by the unskilled immigrants during industrialization, pay decreased, workforce was downsized. The Conflict Theory is focused on the ways in which society is divided and unequal. The struggle for power and resources, force and domination lead to division and inequality according to this theory. By manipulating the Conflict Theory, the executives effectively took control, gaining power and resources within government. The executives divided themselves from their workers in favor of more money and provided low cost competition. Using force, they banded together and drove out smaller businesses, dominating the industry. There was a struggle for the American worker to maintain jobs. The skilled American worker was replaced with cheap unskilled immigrants who would work for less than satisfactory wages and work environment. The chapter discussed how the workforce within the meat packing industry was affected. Many jobs were lost as the industry downsized and removed the need for skilled labor. Pay was decreased and American citizens were replaced by cheaper unskilled immigrant labor. Workers wandered from one slaughterhouse to another, working short term due to poor working environments. The Interaction Theory is concerned with how society is experienced by those living within it.

Crips Essay Example for Free

Crips Essay Not only in the past but in today society the term gang is a hard word to define, because No two gangs are alike (Mays Winfree, 2006, 313) The National Institute of Justice report adopted the the definition of street gangs as groups of youths and young adults who have engaged in a sufficient amount of antisocial activity to warrant attention by the criminal justice system. owever to add on to that definition, the law enforcement uses the definition an ongoing, organized association of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, who have a common name or common signs, colors, or symbols, and members or associates who individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in criminal activity. However when talking about gangs you need to be specific in which gang you are talking about because there are over hundreds around the world. With that being said this paper will be giving information about the gang Crip. To give more insight on the Crip gang, you should know that they consist primarily of African-American males, and according to the NDIC there are approximately 35,000 members throughout the United States. But in 1970 the gang was established in Los Angeles, California by two men Raymond Lee Washington, and Stanley Tookie Williams, before they were expanding around the United States. Unlike normal people who work the gang gets its income by doing illegal crimes. The Crip gang members are represented by the color blue, there style, and some of the symbols they make with there hands. When many gang member get caught they all go through different procedures through the juvenile system because not all crimes are regulated on the same actions. Even though there are many minorities that make up the Crip gang such as Hispanics, Caucasians, Asians, African Americans, and others the group is primarily made up with African Americans. With all of the minorities coming together and joining along in the gang there are approximately 35,000 members through out the United States. With those numbers being so high, it is also said to be that there are around 400 different Crip sets throughout the United States,(P. O. I. G) and when I say different Crip sets I am talking about how they like to be referred to by their geographical names such as the Inglewood Crips or the Hoover Crips, and further by their set names such as the GrapeStreet Watts Crips or the Rolling 60s Crips. When they call themselves by there geographical name it does not mean that they are not in the crip gang that makes up the United states it is basicly just saying that is where they come from and how the group likes to be recognized as. Just like how many other things start, the gang was made up of individuals. Founder Raymond Lee Washington who was fifteen at the time and Co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams. Stanley Williams joined because he was not old enough to join in the Panther movement in the 60’s so he decided he wanted to take what he had learned, regarding control of neighborhoods, and start his own. That is just what the young boy did to. Both boys were from the Los Angeles, California area. Eventually gathering more people to join and the list started to add up of members day by day. Many members did not go by there first name and they all had nicknames or also known as street names. The main reason to start the group was to protect their neighborhood and act like community leaders. Many people got the same idea and started to have a copycat affect and decided to call themselves the crips too. However on a real note you could tell they were copycats because they would fashion themselves by regional cultural indicators that have nothing to do with Los Angeles. (Crip Gang. Internet 4) Like mentioned previous in this essay we talked about Geographical names, some of the following below: East Side Crips, Compton Crips, West Side Crips, Avalon Garden Crips, 43rd Street Crips, Harlem Crips, Hoover Crips, Inglewood Crips, and Grandee Crips should be added to the list. (Crip Gang. Internet 4) Both men Washington, and Williams passed away and the gangs kept rising and becoming bigger. The men both passed away from different incidents, Washington passed away on August 9, 1979 by a former gang member because of a verbal dispute. Williams on the other hand did not pass away until the later years of 2005 when he was fifty one years old. Before he passed away he was currently on death row at San Quentin for murder. Well like unlike many normal people who worked for there money legally, the gang did it in an illegal manner hoping to make it day by day risking there lives and familys lives. Although there family members might not of been in he gang they would be the first people targeted at when that family member in the gang messed up. Gang members are known to do anything from uncountable murders, assaults, the gang is involved in drug trafficking, racketeering, extortion, murder, prostitution and robbery,(P. O. I. G) drive-by shootings, graffiti, and violent takeover bank robberies. Most of the gang’s murders involve disputes over territory and drugs. One they have done all of the above and havent gotten caught they continue to do it and risk there lives and others. However after selling drugs, and participating in the other illegal acts the money adds up where they then can afford to purchase expensive cars, watches, and clothes Like any other type of gang or club there is always a symbol that the group goes by, and in this situation there are a select few important ones that should be talked about. There is anything from the color clothes, hand signals, and how they dance. The color that crips like to go by are shades of blues. However the Grape Street Crips in Watts and New Jersey wear the color purple. There style of clothes is just like any other young adult would wear jeans, t-shirt, sweat shirts, sneakers, polo and a hat. However many of them wear a blue rag or handkerchief as an identity item. Another type of symbol the gang likes to go by are the hand signals that they throw up at others or even each other. Some symbols they like to go by are making the letter C(P.  O. I. G) with there hands, this means Crip up, and Crippin. (P. O. I. G. ) Not only do they make the letter C but they are also aware of making the letters BK which stand for their status as blood killers. They talk about blood killers because the gang blood is one of there biggest rivals. They are also known for the symbols they make in graffiti the gang is also known to replace the letter â€Å"B† with the letter â€Å"C† in writings, and go by the six pointed star which represents Life, Loyalty, Love, Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding. The thing that gets me most about this is how they may be loyal to there gang but what about others? They are out there killing and breaking the law for no reason they dont know what any of the things they preach mean! Above it stated that they talk about blood killers because the gang blood is one of there biggest rivals. Just like the Crip gang the Blood gangs have symbols and identifiers that they go by so you know whos gang they belong to. Unlike the crips that wear blue and use the C in hang gestures the bloods like to wear red, usually a bright color. Not only to they wear read but they make a hand gesture. One of there most common gestures in spelling out the word blood with there fingers. When crips and bloods get together they will fight and fight untill one finally wins. In todays society all cases are looked upon differently, which basicly gets down to how each case gets ran through the juvenile justice system. Many people think that children can not be charged as adults through the system, however Today, all states allow juveniles to be tried as adults in criminal courts in one of four ways. (Siegel, 2001, 466) The four ways that a youth can be tried as an adult would be through direct file wavier, excluded offense wavier, judicial wavier, and reverse waiver. A direct file wavier, is were the prosecutor has the discretion of filling charges for certain legislatively designated offenses in either juvenile or criminal court. About 15 states have this provision. (Siegel, 2001, 466) The excluded offense waiver, states laws exclude from juvenile court jurisdiction certain offenses that are either very monor, such as traffic or fishing violations, or very serious, such a murder. About 29 states now have sch laws for certain crimes. (Siegel, 2001, 466) Believe it or not but after doing some more research I stumbled upon some shocking news about juveniles. Which was a quote that I found stating that After all, juveniles commit almost 9 percent of all the murders in the United States and about 15 percent of all rapes(Siegel, 2001, 451) Last but not least the judicial wavier comes into play after a formal hearing at which both prosecutor and defense attorney present evident, a juvenile court judge may decide to waive jurisdiction and transfer the case to criminal court. This procedure is also known as binding over or certifying juvenile cases to criminal court. (Siegel, 2001, 467) Then lastly there is the reverse wavier, which states laws mandate that certain offenses be tried in adult court. Once the case is heard in the adult court, the trial judge may decide that the offender would be better served by the juvenile court and order a reverse waiver. About 25 states have this provision for certain circumstances. (Siegel, 2001, 467) With that being said you know how juveniles can be tried through the adult system, but did you know that The problem of youths processed in adult courts is a serious one. About 8,000juvenile delinquency cases are now being transferred to the adult courts each year. Supporters view the waiver process as a sound method of getting the most serious juveniles offenders off the street. (Siegel, 2001, 467) Even though trieing youths as adults is now aloud many people think that it does more harm then it does good. If you think about it they are right, because now juveniles will be in cells with adults were they can be targets of the adult predators. Youths held in adults prisons and jails are five times likely to be victims of attempted sexual attacks or rapes that those held in juvenile institutions. (Siegel, 2001, 467) Also not only will they be victims of attacks but it also states that The suicide rate for juveniles in adult prisons and jails is nearly eight times higher than that for juveniles in youth detention centers. (Siegel, 2001, 467) Just like any other crime probation can always be a type of punishment to depending on how serious the crime was. Probation is a sentence entailing the conditional release of a convicted offender into the community under the supervision of the court (in the person of a probation officer),subject to certain conditions for a specified time. The conditions are usually similar to those of parole. (Siegel, 2001, 336) Probation however can be revoked just as quick as the person was put on it. If you brake the probation rules, or commit another crime you will be put back into a prison in most instances. In todays society there are approximately four million people on probation. However if there was not probation facilities would be even more overcrowded then they already are. If none of the above programs work they can be charged as a Juvenile delinquent as well. It basicly would all be based on what the crime did and how big of a crime it was. Each judge is going to have a different outlook on the situation. Not only will they have a different outlook on the situation but another thing that plays a major factor is weather or not you have been caught before for doing a crime. If you were caught before for oing a crime, or something else that was illegal that could affect the way you are charged through the system. Below I would like to talk about some of the reasons people join gangs and some of the things that people need to do in order to be accepted into the gang. Some kids join gangs because they need to feel acceptance, excitement, to earn money, peer pressure, protection, to socialize and etc. (S. A. P. D) If kids have nothing better to do or dont feel like they mean anything at home they are going to find mischief to get into because one way or another someone will notice them. Many minority groups have this problem because there family members have a tough time trying to live so they work alot and try to make money to support there familys. In situations like that though it pushes the child away because there is never anyone around. Then they go seek and find other kids with the same problem and they become a family. Its not as simple as it sounds to get into a gang. Not every gang is the same but some of the ways you can enter into a gang is by being rolled in also known as jumped in, quoted, lined in, then there are ways like being courted in, walked in, sexed in, and commit crimes. Being rolled in means usually consists of the recruit having to fight 3 or more members of the gang for a specified amount of time. The time limit is different from gang to gang, but usually last somewhere between 15 seconds and 1 minute. The reason for the beating is to see how tough the recruit is and if he is a fighter. (S. A. P. D. ) Courted in is were, sometimes and individual is asked to join a gang without going through any initiation. (S. A. P. D) If you are offered a spot in a gang like this that usually mean that you have something the gang wants rather it be talent, or special connections. Being walked in means that you can just join it is very similar to being courted in. Sexed in is as bad as it sounds, being sexed in means female recruits are required to roll 2 dice. Whatever number is thrown is the number of gang members the recruit has to have sex with. Lastly committing crimes is pretty self explanatory and means that you have to commit special crimes in order for them to see what you can do and if you are talented enough to do it without getting caught.

Globalization in Sub-Saharan Africa Essay Example for Free

Globalization in Sub-Saharan Africa Essay ABSTRACT It is factual that globalization began before the industrial revolution was existent in the colonial period and continues to be a major influence on how governments worldwide operate. When analyzing the effects of globalization, a common controversial debate is whether globalization has maimed the society or has brought significant benefit. The African society is used severally by anti-globalists to defend their views. This paper explores the negative dynamics of globalization in Sub-saharan Africa e.g. undermining of state sovereignty and hastening of environmental degradation of the continent. However, it does not suggest that globalization is entirely bad nor does it say that globalization is the only cause of Africa’s problems. It proposes some measures that can be considered when globalizing the African market so that this negative effects can be minimized. INTRODUCTION The nations of the world have synchronized their trading goods and services, financial markets, Ideologies, innovations and cultures through globalization. The free flow market policy adopted by many countries has led to significantly positive outcomes in the broader African region for example, creating new job ventures and advancements in technology. However, globalization has also cast a dark shadow on some sectors of the African economy , an issue that this paper will put into perspective with a particular case study on the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some proposed consequences of globalization addressed here include increased conflicts in the area, erosion of state sovereignty, imbalance in the ecosystem and income inequality. Sub-Saharan Africa is a term used to refer to all of Africa except the Northern region. Most of their economies are agricultural based and are not as stable as those in the Western world. The average income in sub-Saharan Africa is below the poverty line level. Nevertheless, this region enjoys a large comparative advantage on raw resources in the extractive industries for example minerals and oil. The demand for these minerals can perhaps explain why immediately before the great recession in 2008,there was the 27% increase in FDI; the highest ever seen(Jaja:3).Foreign companies can obtain these minerals at a very low cost in some African countries and reap huge marginal benefits. Some of the avenues they use to get them are questionable as is the case with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Congo Zaire) is a central African nation that borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its neighbouring countries include Central African Republic Southern Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola and Tanzania (the two are separated by Lake Tanganyika).It is the second largest nation by area with over 65 million people. It was a Belgian colony and gained independence in June 1960. DRCongo has the most variety in biodiversity in Africa and enviable amounts of rare natural resources such as diamond, copper, gold, cobalt, timber and coltan. With its resources one would expect that such a country would be awash with prime economic developments, projects to exploit all agricultural potential and high standards of living. On the contrary, most of the civilians in DRC live in poverty and have not benefited from the rich well of resources they have. They are victims of years of civil war, propelled by power- hungry, conniving national leaders and part of the international community. A sneak peak into the colonial history of DRCongo reveals that the exploitation of the minerals for self-intrests is not a recent phenomena. POLITICAL BACKGROUND OF THE DRC In the late 1800s, King Leopold of Belgium acquired full rights of ownership of the Congo territory at the Conference of Berlin. He governed it like private property and the area experienced some developments. However, this came at the expense of the local people because they were treated as slaves and could not reap any fruits from their labour. Intense pressure from the international community on the Belgian parliament led to the reclaiming of the Congo region from the king’s hands. It was renamed The Belgian Congo state from 1908. There was significant economic growth at the time but the indigenous people were on the losing end again, exploited and enslaved. The fight for independence was won on June 1960 with Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister and Joseph Kasavubu as president. Lumumba would later be fired and Joseph Mobutu, chief of staff of the new army, aimed to ‘restore’ the relationship between the two leaders with the help of the USA and Belgium governments. In January 1961, Katanga forces and Belgian troops executed Patrice. The Katanga succession ended in 1963 with the help of UN forces. There were several governments afterwards; the most notable one being that of Mobutu Sese Seko. His ‘career’ as president began in 1971. He was largely dictatorial; for example he revoked the powers of the legislature, fired the prime minister and conducted an election where he was the only candidate. Funds were mismanaged, state cooperations collapsed and the country was in debt. He renamed the country several times but officially used Congo-Zaire. Note that he had several billions of US dollars in a Swiss Bank account and still had favour with the USA government. It is believed that he even had a world bank official as a personal assistant. This in turn gave him â€Å"confidential information about granting aid to Zaire†. (Reno 1998:152) In 1994, the DRC was a refuge for the many Rwandese Hutus fleeing the Rwandan genocide. Refugee camps a few kilometers from the border with Rwanda were planning zones for attacks into Rwanda. Mobutu cheered them on. However in 1996, Rwandan led forces backed by Uganda and the The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire, led by Laurent Kabila, advanced into Kinshasa to close down Hutu camps in Eastern DRC.As a result, Mobutu’s government was overthrown when he was away and Laurent Desire Kabila was declared president. Kabila’s leadership was no different from his predecessor’s. Conflict between his government and rebel groups ensued in August 1998 because Kabila saw the Rwandese rebels as threat to his government. The Ugandan group, led by Congolese warlord John Pierre Bemba, formed the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, joined the Rwandese and together they terrorized the citizens and the government .Kabila requested for military assistance from the international community but they hesitantly supported him since they did not know him enough to trust him. In 1999, the rebels and the government signed a peace accord and six other countries were witnesses. A new constitution was promulgated in May 2005 and in 2006 the first free and fair elections were held. Tension increased just before elections and the government, backed by the UN, disarmed all non- governmental factions to keep the nation stable. The trail of this civil war commonly equated to Africa’s first world war has left a trail of death, despair and pain amongst the people with over 5 million dead, several displaced, and thousands of women and children raped. It is interesting to question the ability of the rebel groups to oust governments sequentially. Could someone be funding them? Are there some hidden interests? The minerals in the DRC, and coltan in particular, are treasured gems in the technological era. When raw, coltan, which is composed of columbium and tantalum, looks like black mud or sand. It is used to produce capacitors. Capacitors are used to conduct electrical charge in high tech equipment for example cellular phones, computers and some jet engines. The DRC has the world’s largest reserves of the mineral. Four fifths of the world’s supply of coltan is in Africa and DRC has eighty percent of it. In the late 1900s,the sales of tantalum increased by three hundred percent. This time period coincided with the times of civil war in the DRC.As Dena Montague states in her article, â€Å"Stolen Goods: Coltan and Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo†, international cooperations such as Banro-resources cooperation, Finconcorde and Raremet imported DRC coltan via Rwanda for use in Asia, Europe and US A. In response to UN accusations of involvement in illegal trading H.C Stark, one of the largest producers of capacitors commented that they only purchase raw materials from established companies. However, established companies were indeed involved in illegally obtaining goods from DRC. Investors restructured deals in support of Desire Kabila instead of Mobutu in 1996.This was a violation of the constitution which stated â€Å"The soil and subsoil belong to the state-prospecting, exploration and exploitation requires permits from Ministry of Mines and Energy.† Local militia backed by Ugandan and Rwandese forces got supplies in form of food, money and military equipment in exchange for smuggled goods. The militia men took stronghold of areas with huge deposits of gold and coltan e.g. Bukavu, Lubumbashi and Mayi. Gold was exported through Uganda and into United Arab Emirates. It was difficult to trace from there. It is worth noting that between 1995 and 2006,gold was one of Uganda’s main exports. Additionally, Uganda had GDP growth rate of 6% per annum in 1999 yet the average GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa was about 2.5%in the same time. These trade revenues undermined the power of the central Congolese government because the Ugandan economy gained more from D.R. Congo’s resources more than the DRC’s economy did. The fact that the international community was in one way or another involved in increasing conflict in the DRC is undeniable. If the corporate investors were genuinely trading with DRC to improve the state of the country, they would have questioned the legitimacy of the DRC based enterprises and suppliers. Another simultaneous consequence of the years of instability was an imbalance in the ecosystem. Wildlife products such as elephant tusks and animal skin were and are still very marketable globally. They were sold or bartered in exchange of food, ammunition and other goods. With a nation in strife, this meant that there were neither environmental regulations nor expensive wildlife products. In the 1990s, there were increased rates of elephant poaching and habitat encroachment in the forest areas of Kahuzi Beiga National Park. Statistics by the UN reveal that in the area of Garamba Park, north eastern DRC, 4000 out of 12000 elephants were killed between 1995 and 1999.[61]The area was controlled by Ugandan troops and Sudanese rebels. This created a human-animal conflict. The militia fed on wild meat when on their missions. Wild meat was also the only easily available food source for the displaced persons. Rebel leaders disarmed the guards in national parks, thus they were unable to patrol the forested areas. Local conservationists also raised the alarm on the decreasing numbers of the bonobo monkeys; famed for language learning abilities when in captivity and complex social behavi or in the wild(Gretchen Vogel).Another result of the clash between man and animal as suggested in the article â€Å"Effects of War and Civil Strife on Wildlife and Wildlife Habitats†, was the spread of human monkey pox and bubonic plague. The people were exposed to more diseases other than water- borne and tropical diseases. With lack of adequate healthcare and restricted movements, the people’s lives were at risk too. The flora and soil were not spared either. The people burned the vegetation and cut trees to get timber and to create room for living and farming. Due to the uncertainty they were in, it is unlikely that their methods of farming were conservative e.g. overharvesting and thus leading to soil erosion. Timber, which is a fundamental raw material for the building industry, was cheaply available to local and international traders thus they found the political situation in the DRCongo very favourable to their activities. Globalization of trade and financial commodities in the world has a general pattern where most of the trade and investments are dominated by a few nations. They make policies that work to their advantage, a fact clearly outlined by Joseph E. Stilitzp in his article â€Å"Globalism Dis contents†. Agriculture, which is the backbone of many African countries, is sometimes left out in some of the import tariff reliefs given internationally on account of globalization. Some regional agreements also exercise some form of discriminatory trade towards agricultural products. Additionally, globalization has led to liquidity of funds due to free financial markets. This means that capital investments can quickly be converted to cash. African states are become vulnerable to liquidity perhaps because of several sectors of the economy that need quick monetary solutions and overreliance on foreign loans as Stiglitzp highlights. One probable outcome from this phenomena in the period of conflict in the D.R.C would be that the rich political leaders in the country became richer and richer whereas the common people sunk deeper into poverty. It is likely that the agricultural sector was neglected(and this is where the people economy was/is based)and the mining industry prioritized. Middlemen from some countries traded weapons and money, with the rebel groups and some political elite, for coltan and other minerals. It is also likely that some foreign companies were given full ownership rights of some mines after giving the leaders of the time were given some money. The Congolese will indeed find it hard to trust their leaders again. The harsh reality right now is that so many families are focused on the primary needs of fending for their families so the idea of demanding for their rights is would sound unpractical. The fragility of this state can be traced to the days of state formation and the nature of subsequent governments. If the leaders who came into power prioritized the formation of a strong army and building of the nation, then we would perhaps tell a different story. This region and several others in Sub-saharan Africa have faced a humanitarian,environmental and political turmoil for too long. To avoid a repeat of the civil war situation and its consequent effects, specific codes of conduct that promote economic and political stability should be considered in the globalization aspect. Foreign investments into Africa require strict policies and an end of the bargain that considers the welfare of the people e. g a company that wants to invest must contribute directly or indirectly towards building a hospital, school or social hall. This will be effective in ensuring that the transition between a globalized market and the previous one involves the whole society in all dimensions of life. This can only happen with government system that is dedicated to building a brighter future for these great nations. The effective building of DRCongo’s economy will involve Congo’s immediate neighbors, the whole of Africa and the world. Conservationists should develop programs in war torn areas so that resource conflicts do not arise in the future. Global gatherings that address environmental issues should also prioritize the critical environmental crisis the Democratic Republic of Congo and in other areas affected by similar or even worse conditions. REFERENCES Globalization, Culture and the Great Disruption: An Assessment International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences February 2012, Vol. 2, No. 2 Dena Montague, Stolen Goods: Coltan and Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, SAIS Review 22.1 (2002) 103-118 Joseph P. Dudley1,*, Joshua R. Ginsberg2, Andrew J. Plumptre2, John A. Hart2, Liliana C. Campos3Conservation Biology Volume pages 319–329, April 2002 Effects of War and Civil Strife on Wildlife and Wildlife Habitats Alan Cowell, Letter from Britain: Lack of African Dream Lets a Nightmare Prevail by The International Herald Tribune, 2 August 2006 Stiglitz Joseph.Globalism Discontents Conflict in Congo Threatens Bonobos and Rare Gorillas * Gretchen Vogel Science 31 March 2000: 287 (5462), 2386-2387. [DOI:10.1126/science.287.5462.2386] Report of the UN Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 2002. Reno, William. 1998. Warlord Politics and African States. Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner.(preface of the book)

An Analysis Of Cigarette Ignition Environmental Sciences Essay

An Analysis Of Cigarette Ignition Environmental Sciences Essay Hydrogen or deuterium gas when mixed with air or oxygen forms a highly flammable mixture over a wide range of proportions; they also form flammable mixtures with chlorine and the oxides of nitrogen, further, they will also react spontaneously with fluorine and chlorine trifluoride. Because it is impossible to guarantee that any system will be completely leak free every effort should be made to exclude all sources of ignition. The designer and the user should give careful consideration to the risk from a wide variety of ignition sources e.g. smoking, flames, hot surfaces, electrical and other sparking, static electricity, shock, impact, catalytic and chemical action. , Thus petrol vapour mixed with air has a lower flammability limit of just over 1% and an upper limit of 6% by volume petrol vapour in air, at normally encountered temperatures. Concentrations below the lower limit are said to be lean mixtures and those above the upper limit rich mixtures Flammability For flammable liquids with flash point temperatures above normal ambient, e.g., kerosene, white spirit and diesel oil, an ignition source has to ignite not only the flammable mixture of fuel vapour but to generate this mixture in the first place by heating the bulk liquid. Ignition delay A further factor in the mechanism of ignition of gases and vapours is the ignition delay time or induction period, that is the time period between bringing a potentially flammable mixture to a condition where it will ignite, Ignition delay times are dependent on temperature and are reduced with an increase in temperature. Cigarette composition and combustion Composition The most commonly encountered, manufactured cigarette consists of a cylindrical packed bed of 1 g of shredded tobacco enclosed in paper and is generally 8 mm in diameter and 65 mm to 85 mm long. The strands of tobacco are non-uniformly packed and the volume of the cigarette consists of about 75 percent free space. Often a smoke filter is attached and this is typically 20 mm long and contains cellulose acetate, paper fibres and sometimes charcoal. The Virginia tobacco typically used in the manufacture of British cigarettes contains less than 0.1 % of nitrates. One obvious difference in their burning characteristics is that hand-rolled cigarettes tend to go out unless puffed by the smoker, whereas a cigarette with tightly packed tobacco will smoulder for about twenty minutes with no assistance from the smoker. The experimental work reported here and the discussion relates to manufactured cigarettes. The smoke itself consists of mainstream smoke, from the maximum gas phase temperature (850Â °C) was at the centre butt end of the cigarette during suction by a smoker, and. sidestream smoke during the smoking cycle. The term used here for the suction or drawing process during smoking is puffing of the cigarette. One puff of a cigarette is, there- the fore, one suction or draw by the smoker. There are two main regions at the tip on the coal, namely the combustion zone A and the pyrolysis and distillation zone B. Combustible vapours are produced in zone B prior to ignition in zone A In the interval between puffs, the natural convection flow of air around the combustion coal in an upwards direction sustains burning, and forms the sidestrearn smoke. Baker [33] employed two different methods of measurement, one for the solid phase and one for the gas phase, and his results are generally accepted as being representative of the temperatures encountered inside a burning cigarette tip. smoking machine, taking a 35 cm3 volume of 2 sec duration, once per minute of both the gas and solid phases, were determined. These temperatures can, therefore, be regarded as approaching the maximum attained during the drawing of a cigarette surprisingly, the maximum solid phase temperature in the area region of 900Â °C-950Â °C was attained at the points of maximum air flow, i.e., 0.2 mm to 1 mm forward of the paper burn line. This is the area of the cigarette where a distinct pale red glow can be seen when a cigarette is puffed. The maximum gas phase temperature (850Â °C) was at the centre of the cigarette coal. Ignition of gases and vapours by hot surfaces Although the tip of a cigarette cannot be treated simply as a hot surface in a discussion about its potential to ignite substances, it is useful to consider such an ignition source and the combustion parameters involved. Powell has reviewed much detailed experimental work on hot surface ignition [42], and the results provide an insight into some of the reasons for ignition or otherwise of flammable gas and vapour mixtures by a lighted cigarette. Some of the factors involved in the ignition of flammable mixtures of vapour or gas by hot surfaces are: temperature of heated surface; contact time of gas and surface; movement of gas; composition of surface; shape and size of surface; chemical nature of substance; ignition delay time. Ignition of gases and vapours by lighted cigarettes Experiments carried out at the US Bureau of Mines found that a smoked (puffed) cigarette would only ignite methane air mixture if the latter were caused to flow across the glowing cigarette at 1000 ft per min. Attempts were made to ignite propane, petrol and butane with lighted cigarettes without success and similar results were obtained with white spirit Laboratory studies of ignition by a lighted cigarette were carried out by Yockers and Segal testing the liquids carbon disulphide, ethyl ether, benzene, toluene, xylene, acetone, methylethylketone, amylacetate, ethylacetate, ethyl benzene, ethanol, methanol, petroleum ether, gasoline and Stoddard solvent (white spirit) [50]. They suggested that it might be thought that a cigarette would ignite these substances as their ignition temperatures were lower than those encountered in the burning tip of a cigarette. Carbon disulphide was readily ignited and ignition also occurred during one of the tests with toluene. Ignition of toluene could not be achieved, however, in several subsequent tests under the conditions which prevailed during the one ignition. It was speculated that this one ignition was perhaps owing to a hot spot when a solid chunk of tobacco seems to spit or sizzle. (It was later suggested that as some tobaccos in the USA contain nitrates, a concentration of this substance could give rise to a hot spot as described in Yockers and Segals paper.) They also tried without success to ignite natural gas (mostly methane), butane and acetylene. Carbon disulphide, acetylene, ethylene oxide, hydrogen sulphide and hydrogen phosphide were readily ignited. Diethyl ether was ignited but only in a closed vessel and after a long delay. Included in the substances which were not ignited were methane, butane, benzene, hexane and cyclohexane. In 1989 scientists at the Research and Technology Division of British Gas studied the effects of lighted cigarettes on methane and ethylene. Six tests were carried out wit smoked cigarettes in natural gas-air mixtures over a concentration range of 5.6% (v/v) to 9.6% (v/v) natural gas in air; tests were also carried out with ethylene-air mixtures Flammability limits The low values of the upper flammable limits of methane, gasoline and propane suggest that in the burning tip of the cigarette or indeed at the surface, oxygen is not present in a sufficient concentration to allow ignition. At the temperatures encountered (700Â °C to 950Â °C), the upper limit would be much higher than those quoted for ambient temperatures but insufficient oxygen molecules are present. Some regions of the cigarette coal are virtually depleted of oxygen and in other areas less than 10% oxygen by volume was measured. In addition to this, carbon dioxide is produced during the combustion of the tobacco and it has been shown by Jones et a1 [54] that gasoline vapour-air-carbon dioxide mixtures are non-flammable when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the mixture exceeds 28.9% by volume. Although some combustible gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen are produced, inside the cigarette coal there is a reducing atmosphere depleted in oxygen. A cigarette tip does not, therefore, have sufficient heat energy both to strip off vapour from the liquid surface and to ignite the air vapour mixture produced. Auto-ignition temperature For a burning cigarette, a given parameter involved in the combustion process cannot be discussed in isolation from the others but for ignition by hot surfaces the number of these factors is reduced. It has been found that at the temperatures encountered in a cigarette where the smoulder is stable (ca 700Â °C to 775Â °C) ignition of methane and gasoline by a hot surface in this temperature range is highly unlikely. For methane, temperatures in excess of 1,000C are needed for ignition. Temperatures in the region of 900Â °C to 950Â °C are generated when a cigarette is puffed, so even at this elevated temperature methane would not be expected to be ignited. During the puff of a cigarette in a flammable atmosphere there will be a continuous flow of fuel and air drawn into the combustion zone. Only substances with short ignition delay times, of around 1 millisec or less, at the temperatures encountered in the cigarette, will be expected to be ignited. For substances with long ignition delay times cooler reactants would be swept into the path of reacting fuel and oxygen molecules, before a flame could propagate through the mixture. Namely that methane and gasoline constituents are not ignited, diethyl ether is but after a long delay and hydrogen and carbon disulphide are ignited. Quenching distance The ignition of flammable gases and vapours will probably take place in the airlgas space between the glowing tobacco fibres. It is possible that some substances are ignited in this region but the flame does not propagate to the flammable gas outside the cigarette. Guest [44] found that some surfaces, which formed a layer of scale or ash, e.g., iron or impure carbon, did not ignite natural gas mixtures with ease, and that surfaces which were strongly catalytic or possessed an interstitial structure required higher temperatures. This latter effect could be similar to the flame arresting property of a fine-mesh wire gauze (e.g., as in the Davy Lamp). Heat is conducted away by the gauze from the reacting gaslair mixture, lowering the temperature of the reactants and preventing the progression of flame to unburned fuellair mixture. This phenomenon is related to the quenching distance of the fuel and these distances for stoichiometric mixtures of fuels (at 20Â °C and one atmosphere) tested by cigarettes are given in Table 2 [57] and [58]. The substances which are ignited by a cigarette have the shortest quenching distances. These are the substances where, because of their reactivity, the loss of heat or destruction of reacting molecules at a boundary is not significant until the dimensions of the boundary are small. As with the other parameters discussed, this alone cannot provide an explanation why some substances are ignited and others are not. For example diethyl ether, which is ignited by cigarettes, has a greater quenching distance than hexane, which is not ignited.

Merging Art and Theater into Real Life in Six Characters in Search of a

Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello In Six Characters in Search of an Author Pirandello illustrates the point that in art there is no one reality, only perceptions. Art is one perception held by the one artist, in the case of the play, the author, who brings this perception to an audience. To illustrate this principle, Pirandello uses many staging approaches and techniques to merge art and theater into real life, while highlighting the shortcomings of drama and art in imitating life. Four elements are used within the play: the Characters themselves, the lines spoken by the Characters, the play structure pertaining to acts and scenes, and the stage directions within the play. The first main area of art and reality colliding in the play is the existence of characters who are referred to as Characters. Pirandello stretches the bounds of meta-theater by having actors portray Characters who swear they are not actors, when faced with other actors playing actual actors and a Director. The layers of unraveling of reality are astounding. The Characters must try and convince not only the Actors and the Producer of their true nature, but also the audience. Pirandello must convey his beliefs about the essence of art through the mouths of Characters seemingly unattached to the actuality of the theater around them. In the play, the Producer acts on stage in place of the author, questioning the sincerity and the true nature of the Characters, who become his r...

Finding Ones Self in Jane Smiley’s Moo :: Jane Smiley Moo Essays

Finding One's Self in Jane Smiley’s Moo Finding one's self is not without turmoil. This does not pertain to only the young. It takes some people well into old age before they reach the level of ‘knowing’ who they are. An essential element of this maturation is turbulence. Periodic turbulence gives an individual the opportunity to rise above previous deficiencies of personality and provides levels of self-awareness. There are many ways that people face maturation, and many more ways in which they do or don’t face their ‘demons’. Let’s look at some of the characters in Jane Smiley’s novel, Moo. At Moo University there are plenty of examples of turmoil and growth process’. One of the ways that a person matures is through learning to accept themselves for who they are. Cecelia Sanchez is the assistant professor of foreign languages. An immigrant from Mexico, Cecelia is the first in her family to make something of herself, at least in her family’s eyes. She has done all the right things yet she feels dislocated from herself. On arriving at Moo University she experiences a feeling of displacement, as if she doesn’t belong. In her first weeks there "she would have picked a different source of dislocation." (Smiley, 16). Cecelia’s life turns upside down as she attaches herself to the chaotic world of Chairman X. She attempts to locate herself through him. She shops for "transformative items" (Smiley, 261) in an attempt to remake herself into something that Chairman X will want. It isn’t until Cecelia returns home to Los Angeles for the holidays that she feels "a fourth presence enter the room. It was her own sadness." (Smiley, 266). Cecelia tells Tim, "I come from a family who could have LIVED somewhere, but instead just ended up." (Smiley, 378). Cecelia has decided that she does not want to ‘end up’ somewhere. Her turmoil has led her to realize that she has a choice to ‘end up’ in a place of her choosing, not someone else’s. Other people find through turmoil that it is time to release the myths with which they have surrounded themselves. Chairman X and his lifelong companion, Beth, have made a life for themselves that does not fit into the myth they created many years before. They had never married because they originally believed that they must not "in order to subvert the capitalist tradition of marriage as a property relationship and the consequent intrusion of the corporation into private life.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Personal Relationships Essay -- essays r

Zora Neale Hurston, in keeping with themes dealing with personal relationships and the female search for self-awareness in Their Eyes Were Watching God , has created a heroine in Janie Crawford. In fact, the female perspective is introduced immediately. "Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly" (Their Eyes 1). On the very first page of Their Eyes Were Watching God, the contrast is made between men and women, thus initiating Janie's search for her own dreams and foreshadowing the "female quest" theme of the rest of the novel. "Detailing her quest for self-discovery and self-definition, it [Their Eyes] celebrates her [Janie] as an artist who enriches Eatonville by communicating her understanding" (Kubitschek 22). Janie is a Black woman who asserts herself beyond expectation, with a persistence that characterizes her search for the love that she dreamed of as a girl. She understands the societal status that her life has handed her, yet she is determined to overcome this, and she is resentful toward anyone or anything that interferes with her quest for happiness. "So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don't tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see," opines Janie's gr...

Evaluating the Importance of Women in Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby

â€Å"While working on the Great Gatsby Fitzgerald acknowledged that the women characters are subordinate†¦Ã¢â‚¬  evaluate the importance of women in Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby.The 1920’s were the foundation of the dramatic change to society, many people called it ‘The roaring twenties’. During this period many Americans were uneasy about their ‘consumer society’ and the new ‘mass culture’. Women were most affected by the roaring twenties, this new up rising of sexually free women with bobbed cuts and short skirts, drinking and smoking landed them the nickname ‘flappers’. Women had now been given the right to vote and had new high status jobs.Machinery took over their household work and new birth control methods were inhibiting them to have fewer children. Women were constantly fighting in this age to be noticed and with people like Fitzgerald who created these characters with â€Å"no important woman characterà ¢â‚¬  (qtd. In Turnbull 197) they had no hope of the freedom and status they wanted.The faceless women at Jay Gatsby’s parties were the perfect representation of what they call ‘flappers’. These women were at these parties purely because they were free, free from the war â€Å" I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited-they went there.†This shows how people in this period would just go to any party they could and not one of them were concerned in the slightest about the sources of Gatsby’s wealth. These parties needed women, they required female energy and I am sure that the â€Å"number of young Englishmen dotted about;† would have no participation at this party without the women.The women at these parties were the perfect stereotype of male perspectives â€Å"I never care what I do, so I always have a good time.† This shows how women were seen as ‘loose’ and ‘unladylikeâ₠¬â„¢ as they would do what they pleased even if it wasn’t the ‘correct’ way to act, they had complete lack of ethical concern.Although women believed that they were purely independent they clearly weren’t â€Å"girls were putting their heads on men’s shoulders in a puppyish. Convivial way.† they were utterly unaware of the objectification men had towards them and put on this perception of being entirely free â€Å"they are emancipated yet they contribute their share of vulgarity which appalls Daisy.† (Ivan Strba) this  shows how Fitzgerald judges these ‘faceless’ women through characters, even through the same gender, which is loaded with irony.Myrtle Wilson’s inclusion in the novel is to represent the lower class of women who thrived for the freedom and wealth of the upper class and do anything in their power to do so. Myrtle’s constant interference with the marriage of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, â€Å"she i s introduced into the novel by her telephone call, which disturbs the urbane surface of Daisy’s dinner party†(Ivan Strba) this is the first evidence where she is portrayed as lower class and looked down on by other women characters in the book â€Å"Tom’s got some women in New York†.Who hasn’t â€Å"the decency not to disturb at dinner†. This shows how women who were of lower class didn’t know right from wrong and weren’t taught social morals. Nick also judges her for her status â€Å"her lower class pretensions appear comical to Nick because he judges them from a position of social superiority, but her overt sexuality impresses him†(Ivan Strba) this also shows how Myrtle doesn’t hide her sexual desire for Tom and is very open in the way she is.Myrtle is always fighting for her place â€Å"Her flower name suggests a fleshy yet beautiful climbing plant vigorously moving upwards.†(Ivan Strba) this is the perfe ct representation of Myrtle as she is a ‘climbing plant’ doesn’t have the ability to climb, this is a symbolism for her trying to climb ‘vigorously’ up the social ladder to the upper class. There is always something holding her back, which is background, where she lives ‘the valley of ashes’. The valley of ashes is a â€Å"gigantic trash burning operation†(Litkicks mystery spot series). It was the road between Great Neck and Manhattan. It is where myrtle’s husband George runs a decrepit auto garage.This is also where Myrtle is murdered, she is still seen as a sexual object through her injuries â€Å"left breast was swinging loose like a flap† â€Å"the mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners† it also shows how she never belonged in the higher social class with the imagery â€Å"mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust† this implies that is was wrong what she was trying to do with Tom and how it would of always ended badly as she was stuck in this fantasy.Myrtle always felt like her and Tom were going to end up together â€Å"get married to each other right away† where as Tom always  thought of her as nothing more than an object â€Å"since her social status is simply unworthy of any more profound engagement†(Ivan Strba) even though Myrtle knows this she is still constantly luring him in, even though he has made up a stupid lie that he cannot leave Daisy because she is catholic she still has some sort of hope that one day he will think of her as more than just a mistress.You could also argue that she is in it purely for the money and has no intention of a relationship with Tom, Ivan Strba touches on this subject â€Å"constantly attempts to lure Tom into her womb† this could be a symbolism of pregnancy where Myrtle knows if she were to get pregnant Tom would give all the money he had to make sure that, that baby would have no link back to him, theref ore she would get what she wants.Jordan Baker’s slight masculinity and indifferent personality is the representation of the small percentage of women who were strong enough to stand on their own and didn’t rely on the security of men for wealth and social class. Underneath Jordan’s bitchy hysteria she is extremely vulnerable, she constantly has this front that she doesn’t need anyone to protect her. Jordan barely even acknowledges men, for example the first time she meets Nick she pretends she doesn’t care is â€Å"almost imperceptibly† but she does secretly â€Å"lips fluttered†.This is evidence that she doesn’t give much away to people â€Å"completely emotionless†, especially men as she doesn’t want to destroy this veneer of survival which has an element of tragedy as you feel sympathy for the character as to what could of made her this way. Jordan is described as self-sufficient â€Å"distancing from any emot ional entanglement†(Ivan Strba), which reflects her relationship with Nick, or lack of one for that matter as Nick’s opinion of her changes instantly as he finds out she cheated to win a golf tournament â€Å"Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply—I was casually sorry, and then I forgot.† This is the first of many lies Jordan tells, this portrays that Jordan feels as though she has to lie to ‘play the game’ she cant be seen as a woman who is sweet and innocent or it will ruin this image that she has created for herself.By playing with Nicks feelings she is showing authority of the character and not letting him take control this is why she is with Nick because he is vulnerable compared to other characters such as; Tom or Gatsby, as he doesn’t have as much money as them, â€Å"Nick also judges that she  avoids relationships with clever men that might see through her†(Ivan Strba) and has a lower status, therefore she knows he wont have power over her.Jordan is the perfect example of ‘new women’ and the freedom they claimed after the World War, and with characters like Nick who â€Å"simply does not know quite how to handle this cool, unbalanced independent woman of the 1920’s†(Ivan Strba) they allow women to play with their feelings.Daisy Buchanan is objectified by several men and is not resistant to the objectification. With her lack of personality and beautiful looks, she has lost all identity through the desire for the veneer of glamour and wealth. The character of Daisy is made up of this image that everyone else has of her â€Å"exists only as a fragile veneer, a shinning radiance of Gatsby’s construction.The centerpiece of Tom’s wealth†(Ivan Strba) she is constantly being refereed to objects rather than a person, a ‘center piece’ is the idle way to describe her, as they are pretty to look at, but there is nothing to them, the y are simply there to look good. Daisy has no identity and tends to hide behind the men, especially Gatsby and Tom. Daisy’s love for Gatsby is uncertain, this makes her a dislikable character as it creates frustration for the reader, as she doesn’t have nerve or the sprit to pursue it.You could say that Daisy is scared to be with Gatsby as he is from West Egg, which was seen as the place of ‘new money’ this could bring her doubt as she wouldn’t want to risk the life style she has now as Gatsby’s money is ‘new’, whereas East Egg was almost like certain money, from inheritance etc. Also Tom places doubt in her head about Gatsby’s money â€Å"certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he out on her finger†, this could most definitely influence Daisy’s hesitance towards the life with Gatsby as she just wants a life for herself.The love between The Buchanan’s can be seen as â₠¬Ëœsuperficial’, â€Å"a love that was established for legal means†(Min Jae hogsheadgastby.blogspot) but then turned into something more real between the couple, although adultery appears in both characters, there is something there that I stopping either one from leaving, it could be love or it could be to maintain his veneer of happiness through wealth and social class. They are seen as what society wanted, ‘happily’ married, with money what many people called ‘the American dream’.Gatsby is the ultimate sacrifice for Daisy, she is the one who causes his death and she  doesn’t even have the decency to go to his funeral leaving was Daisy’s ‘scapegoat’, which shows the lack of ‘back bone’ she has, and she just runs away when things get bad â€Å"she and Tom had gone away early that afternoon† It's simply symbolic of the fleetingness of wealth during the time period.Overall I think that the women are important in the novel, as the men wouldn’t be who they are without the women, they may not be the most important but the novel needed females in order for it to work. It is good representation of the changes in the roles women had in the 1920’s and also the different personalities the women had and Fitzgerald portrayed this well through the female characters.