Hobbit Summary Essays - Fiction, Film, Literature, The Hobbit

Hobbit: Summary This is a story about a Hobbit whose name is Bilbo Baggins. One morning thirteen Dwarfs and Gandalf The Wandering Wizard appeared at Bilbo's door. The Dwarfs wanted Bilbo to help them conquer a dragon named Smaug, who had taken over their land. When Bilbo woke up the next morning, they started out on a journey towards Lonely Mountain. Then, a thunder storm came upon them and they found a dry cave and slept there for the night. Bilbo was awakened by a scraping sound, then he saw the stone wall open. The group was captured by Goblins. They found themselves in a large cavern in the mountain. The Goblin scowled at them. Then Thorin stepped forward and explained to him that they did not mean to trespass. Gandolf appeared at the door and freed the group from the goblins. The group ran ahead and Bilbo was lost behind them. Bilbo found an underwater lake and a ring on an island in the lake. He found out that the ring made him invisible. In the lake also lived a creature named Gollum. Gollum was a creature that ate other people. Gollum approached Bilbo and Bilbo told him he desired to find a way out. They then played a riddle game and if Bilbo won, he lived and if he lost, he would die. Bilbo won the riddle game but Gollum still wanted to eat him, But then Bilbo accidentally slipped the ring on his finger and became invisible, so he escaped. He met with the group again and walked with them for a few days. Gandolf left the group a few days later. The ring Bilbo had helped the group through two more circumstances along the journey. The group made it to the base of Lonely Mountain. They then climbed the mountain and found a secret entrance to the inside, where Smaug was. Thorin and the Dwarfs stayed outside. Bilbo went down a hallway and came upon Smaug. He then slipped on the ring he had found earlier and became invisible. Smaug awoke when Bilbo tried to steal a gold cup. Smaug knew that the Hobbit was there because he heard him. Smaug told Bilbo that nothing could pierce his scales. But when Bilbo searched Smaug's body he found a scale was missing in one spot. So Bilbo grabbed the cup and ran out of the mountain. Smaug followed Bilbo and started burning the city. Meanwhile, Bilbo had told a bird to find a hunter named Bard the Hunter and to tell him that Smaug had a weak spot below the neck. Bard the Hunter came and saw the spot and plunged an arrow into Smaug, Smaug fell down and died.

Ameriquest Essays

Ameriquest Essays Ameriquest Essay Ameriquest Essay Ameriquest: Socially Responsible or Reprehensible? Ameriquest, a private sub-prime mortgage lender, considers itself â€Å"the proud sponsor of the American Dream†, but many consumers and former employees of Ameriquest feel otherwise, as they tell nightmarish stories of deception. The company is one of the nation’s leading private sub-prime lenders. Originally known as a bank named Long Beach Savings and Loan, Ameriquest has undergone significant change since its 1979 inception. The company moved its corporate office to Orange County in 1991, where it became a pure mortgage lender and changed their name to Long Beach Mortgage Company in 1994. In 1997 the company split in two, and the retail portion of the business became what is now known as Ameriquest. (Wikipedia) Ameriquest has had its share of ups and downs throughout its transformation, including some major lawsuits, forcing the company to change their lending guidelines, and exposing some potentially dangerous practices of the company. Most recently Ameriquest has been in the media for the company’s restructuring of their workforce, which has resulted in a series of layoffs totaling nearly 9,000 workers. (Job Cuts Totaling 3,000 at ACC? Ameriquest has had many customer complaints for allegedly deceiving customers, and conducting predatory lending practices. These allegations led to a $325 million settlement agreed to by Ameriquest, as well as a new set of â€Å"best practices† the company was forced to implement. The Washington Post reported, â€Å"State prosecutors and lending regulators in 49 states and the District [of Columbia] have reached a wide ranging $325 million settlement with Ameriquest Mortgage Company, the nation’s largest lender to home loan borrowers with poor credit to resolve allegations that the company defrauded and mislead consumers. It is the second largest consumer protection settlement in U. S. history, following the $484 million predatory lending agreement reached in 2002 with Household Finance Corp. † (Downey) Ameriquest, being a large non-prime lender, stands on principles of helping groups of people who otherwise may not have the opportunity to be a homeowner, such as those with not so perfect credit, minorities, and lower income borrowers, realize the dream of homeownership. Affording Americans the opportunity to achieve such a large dream is very admirable; be that as it may many American families feel that Ameriquest has done just the opposite. A simple Google search yields several results of consumer complaints on sites such as ripoffreport. com and consumeraffairs. com, as well as articles reporting predatory lending claims and employee complaints about the huge company. Tony of Stanwood, WA story is one of many on consumeraffairs. com, as Tony claims Ameriquest made false promises, lied about pre-pay penalties, charged him hidden fees, misquoted him the rate for his adjustable rate mortgage, purposely held payment to make them late, and charged late fees on payments which were on time. Due to this negative experience Tony states â€Å"I have been lied to, screwed over etc. like everyone else doing business with this company. I will refi no matter what the fees to get out from under them. † (consumeraffairs. com) Consumers are not the only ones who have lodged complaints about the company. Although Ameriquest offers an attractive salary and benefits package to employees, Ameriquest has received complaints from employees for allegedly forcing employees to commit misdeeds and fraud, as well as to work long hours in a very highly pressure work environment. Ameriquest has been named in a class action lawsuit claiming the company did not fairly compensate loan officers for overtime pay (Bergquist). The tremendous amount of pressure put on loan officers may be an explanation for so many complaints of deceit. Former employees Mark Bomchill and Lisa Taylor recalled extreme pressures to boost loan volume by any means necessary. â€Å"It was so out of hand, I was juggling 10 to 15 loans each month, says Bomchill, who now works as a loan consultant at Plymouth Minn. based All State Residential Mortgage. â€Å"And there were guys in my office doing two to three times as I was. No one ever thought to question whether [the loan] was right for the customer or the lender. It was just do the deal and move on to the next. † But Bomchill claims the high volume of loans he was working on during his one year of tenor at Ameriquest never proved to be quite enough. â€Å"Even though he and others in his office were closing more than 80 loans every month, it wasn’t enough to satiate upper management. ‘Every day my boss would scream and yell at us to make more calls, solicit more suckers,’ he says. ‘He was a tyrant. It never ended. † The work environment for the branch employees are often compared to the Hollywood movie boiler room. â€Å"Lisa Taylor, a former Ameriquest loan agent says the atmosphere in her office was very similar to the environment portrayed in the 2000 movie Boiler Room starring Giovanni Ribisi and Vin Diesel. In fact, one manager used the film as a teaching model. According to Taylor, promoting the anything-t o-get-the-deal mentality resulted in abuses. One-time she says she walked in on co-workers using a brightly lit Coca-Cola vending machine as a tracing board where loan agents were copying borrower’s signatures onto blank documents. (Barrett and Carr) This is not the only story of fraudulent practices occurring by former employees of Ameriquest, Chris Arnold of NPR News reported â€Å"some former employees of the nation’s leading sub-prime lender say the company encouraged them to conceal rate terms and make fake fixed-loan documents that pushed customers into loans they couldn’t afford. † (Arnold) It is obvious that there is a lasting effect on the customers and employees who were subjected to the alleged acts of this mortgage giant, but what about the repercussions on the economy? How is the economy affected by all of the loans that may have been made in bad faith by a company possibly practicing as a predatory lender? Foreclosures are expected to rise significantly, and affect the economy. â€Å"On a national level, rising sub prime mortgage foreclosures are sure to have a ripple effect. What the effect will be is a matter for debate – but at least one analyst thinks we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. Professor Cathy Lesser Mansfield of Drake University Law School has studied default and foreclosure rates in the sub prime mortgage industry. Mansfield tells Michelle Norris that she expects more foreclosures and defaults on loans to have a ripple effect on home values in affected neighborhoods – and the ability for families to pay for other basic needs. †(Norris) According to Jack Speer of NPR News â€Å"efforts are under way on several fronts to forestall a wave of home foreclosures due to problems in the mortgage market. Legislative solutions are one option, but non profits and many smaller lenders are also stepping up efforts to help borrowers. (Speer) Although there have been many reports of the negative effect of Ameriquest’ practices, Ameriquest does make many efforts to contribute to the communities which they serve. Ameriquest has been a large contributor to many charities which benefit children, and a large proponent of financial education. Ameriquest has designed several unique programs to give back, such as the Create Your Legacy Program, Dream saver, S. A. F. E. , and the Affordable Homeow nership Program. Ameriquest has also contributed to victims of Hurricane Katrina thorough their Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund. Ameriquest employees have participated in building homes on the Gulf Coast, as well as building homes throughout the nation with Habitat for Humanity, as well as local playgrounds with Kaboom through its league of volunteers program. (ameriquestcares. com) Roland Arnall, owner of Ameriquest, is known as a philanthropist and large political contributor. Arnall has been named Ambassador to the Netherlands. While charity may be a high priority of Ameriquest, the damage done to consumers, employees, and the economy outweighs the positive factors of the company. Ameriquest has not proved to be socially responsible, and will require a change in company culture, as well as a strong customer relationship management program to become a socially responsible company. The Best Practices which were implemented by the company after the Jan 2006 lawsuit is a start, but a change of this magnitude requires a true change in the company’s philosophy. The company motto Do the Right Thing† and â€Å"Continuous Improvement† must become more than simply words, and turn into actions. Ameriquest Mortgage. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Apr 2007, 21:40 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 May 2007 http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Ameriquest_Mortgageoldid=121055539. Arnold , Chris. Former Ameriquest Workers Tell of Deception. npr. org. 14 May 2007. 22 May 2007 Barrett, Larry and David Carr. Ameriquest Mortgage: Risky Business, Risky Practices. Baseline 09 Sep 2005 19 May 2007 baselinemag. com/print_article2/0,1217,a=159568,0 0. asp. Bergquist, Erick. Loan Officers Seeking Overtime Pay in Suits. American Banker 171. 16 (2006): 3. Business Source Premier. 2 May 2007. http://search. ebscohost. com. Downey, Kristin. Mortgage Lender Settles Lawsuit. Washington Post 24 Jan 2006 19 May 2007 C:Documents and SettingsOwnerMy DocumentsMortgage Lender Settles Lawsuit washingtonpost_com. mht. JOB CUTS TOTALING 3,000 AT ACC?. National Mortgage News 31. 25 (2007): 2-2. Business Source Premier. 22 May 2007. http://search. ebscohost. com. Norris, Michelle. Foreclosures May Weaken Home Prices, Spending. npr. org. 10 Apr 2007. 19 May 2007 npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=9501422.

Historical Challenges of Urban Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Historical Challenges of Urban Planning - Essay Example Modern urbanization mostly entails improvisation of the early urban cities. Planning an urban centre is influenced by certain factors such as historic preservations, strategic plans, regulatory and incentive strategies, comprehensive plans, or even neighborhood plans (Levy, 2011). Therefore, a planner ensures enforcement of the chosen policy in urban planning. Urban planning can be viewed as a complex and sequential procedure that considers the welfare of the population around. This paper discusses in length challenges that were faced by historical urban planners and they were able to overcome and can pose as an example to the upcoming urban planners. As depicted by scholars, history in one way or the other repeats itself, is evident in the society. Urban planning is a process that used to be centuries ago and still ongoing due to changes in technology. Planning an urban centre is not an easy task and is accompanied by several challenges. Urban planning involves the social-economic aspects in a city contrary to historical planning that dealt with improvisation of physical aspects of streets and buildings (Balducci, 2011). Although these two types of planning systems differ, there are several challenges that were faced by historical planners that other planners can learn from. One of the challenges that faced most of the historical urban planners was infrastructure and public health.

How does the democratic leadership style affect the work environment Thesis

How does the democratic leadership style affect the work environment in school - Thesis Example In a school, democratic leadership has a vital role to play and it is important that the people closest to the students, get the opportunity to make decisions on school curriculum and instructions. Coalition principles state that the school itself "should model democratic practices that involve all who are directly affected by the school" In a democratic setup, students, teachers and parents could have various insights, thoughts, ideas and talents which when shared would be so effective in creating a healthy school culture. It is vital to start democratic leadership while children are still in school, as schools play a crucial role in preparing citizens for democracy. According to Nancy Mohr -"You can do anything you want: you just can't do everything you want". The positive side of limited time is that it forces schools to make choices that correlate with the core values of the school resulting in teachers, students and parents-the decision-makers experience commitment that   surp asses their personal fortune. In a democratic set up, one does not think and act individually for ones self, but on the other hand think and work for the whole group. This vision is clearly reflected in the words of Anzar's Charlene Mckowen where she states "Once you've worked here, (democratic set up) you always think on behalf of the whole staff, the whole school. You think for the long term when you're a part of making a decision". Accomplishing a democratically run school can be very difficult. But once it is achieved, the needs of the whole community can be met and there is a good chance that the school will retain itself even with the loss of its key visionaries and founders. Democratic leadership  places key decision making in the hands of people who know the students best and which makes it a powerful tool to serve the common good. Educational leadership in the 21st century shows patterns of change, conflict and contradictions. The need for effective leadership is being cl amored for, by all quarters, be it the teacher, politician or the parent. The topic of democratic leadership has always been a highly debated one and has surfaced time and again in the arena of educational research. One of the foremost advocates of this system is John Dewey who opined that for students to become able citizens of a democratic society it was important that they lived and grew up in a democratic educational environment along with their teachers. Democratic leadership plays a very vital role in all the facets of our life, especially education. According to (Gastil, 1994) it is both crucial and essential to understand the meaning of democratic leadership, but currently not much attention has been paid to it. In (Minier, 2001) opinion, democratic movements have been responsible for the historical progress of democracy and there are many great leaders of the world who have contributed a great deal to democracy, freedom, liberty and human rights among the developing countri es. These dynamic leaders have fought against dictatorship, racial problems involving discrimination and segregation, and military regimes and were instrumental in promoting democracy and bringing about good social change. (Fox & Brown, 2000; Wiseman, 1996) According to (Bass,

Financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Financial management - Essay Example This presents that fact that the company has been able to maintain its cost of sales and made sure that it remains in constant proportion with the revenue. The company has been able to manage the impact of inflation in the cost of material and labor. The operating profit margin follows the same trend. Net profit margin, on the other hand analyzes the profitability of the company before deducting the taxation and finance charges from the earnings. The ratio is calculated by dividing the profit after interest and tax with the sales revenue of the current financial period. The ratio highlights how well the company is managing its selling and administrative expenses it also highlights the other income generated by the company during the course of its operations. The net profit increased significantly in the financial year 2012 as compared to the financial year 2011. ... ital employed (ROCE) is, according to the analyst, is considered to be the most significant ratio in order to evaluate a company’s performance from an investor’s point of view. ROCE measures a company’s ability to earn a return on all of the capital that is being employed by the company. The ratio is calculated as net income upon total capital employed, which is the sum of debt and equity financings. The return on capital employed is showing a fluctuating pattern as presented in the tabular representation. If we evaluate the tabular information, the ROCE increased sharply from the financial year 2010 to financial year 2011. The net profit of the company increased by a staggering ? 100 thousand during the financial year 2012 which resulted in an incline in the return on capital employed. Earnings per share (EPS) are considered one of the most important financial ratios from the investor’s point of view. The ratio highlights the average earnings from the sha res transacted and is calculated by dividing the profit attributable to the common share holders and multiplying them with the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. The earnings per share trend follow the same pattern as that of the net profit margin. The liquidity ratio measures the company’s ability to pay its short term liabilities. The ratio illustrates that how quickly a company can convert its assets into cash and cash equivalent in order to pay off its short term liabilities. The most commonly used liquidity ratio, the current ratio, which is calculated by comparing the current assets and current liabilities. The strengthened the current ratio the more ability the company has to pay its debts and short term obligations over the next 12 months. As apparent from the above

Case study of a man with parkinsons disease

Case study of a man with parkinsons disease Mr Henderson has arrived in hospital after a history of falls at home and has just commenced a new medication regime. It is very possible that he may be anxious, worried, frightened as a result of falling at home which also may result in loss of confidence. He may also be apprehensive about his new medication regime. Having been diagnosed with Parkinsons for 5 years, he more than likely knowns the importance of getting his medications on time, in reducing the symptoms allowing him to maximise his independence. However, it is not for the nurse to presume this and she/he must sit down, talk to him, allowing him time to talk and express his worried and anxieties. This was help to establish a relationship and Mr Henderson will understand that you are there to support him throughout his journal of care. The nurse should also make sure that all members of the multidisciplinary team are aware of Mr Hendersons condition and if they are not aware of the importance of getting medication on time out with normal drug rounds then they should be informed of its importance and understand the significant consequenc es resulting from not getting the drugs on time such as reduced independence and prolonged hospital stay. As medications are a large part in maximising independence and mobility and it may be suggested that Mr Henderson receives his medications before getting out of bed in the morning. This will allow time for the drugs to work and therefore enabling him to get out of bed more easily. Freezing, a symptom of Parkinsons disease can be distressing for patients. It affects gait initiation, turning and moving through small spaces, such a doors and busy areas. Anxiety can exacerbate freezing and it is vital that the nurse can firstly recognise anxiety, this may be achieve through effective communication and listening skills and secondly developing strategies to reduce anxiety levels such as allowing him time to talk, listening and taking on board his expressions allowing for a trusting relationship to be developed, helping him to build in confidence and preparing him psychologically for going home. Various strategies have been suggested to assist with freezing. Alexander, Fawcett and Runicnan (2006) suggest cognitive techniques in breaking down movement. They suggest breaking down the task of getting out of bed in the morning and describe that patients should bend their knees so that feet are flat on the mattress and they the patient should swing knees in the direction that he wants to turn. The next stage involves clasping both hands and lifting them straight up, straightening the elbows, then turning the head and swinging the arms in the same direction as the legs. Finally the patient can grip the edge of the mattress and adjust his position until comfortable. When Mr Henderson is mobilising then it is important that he does not have any distractions and the nurse or other members of staff should not disturb or interrupt if at all possible as this could lead to freezing. The Parkinsons Disease Society describe cueing strategies as external meaning visual, auditory or preprioceptive or internal meaning cognitive. Visual cues could be stepping over a cue in the floor, for example tape can be placed on the floor in strips to help initiate in confined spaces when freezing has taken place. Tape can also be placed on the edges of stairs. Mr Henderson may also find useful to imagine he is taking steps up stairs and this may prompt movement. The nurse should ensure that the area is clutter free and this can exacerbate freezing. Auditory cues as the name suggests would indicate sound used to enhance movement. Metronomes have been described as a useful tool in support gait initiation. Counting out rhythms or singing and walking in time to this can be beneficial. Proprioceptive cues which means taking a step back before starting to walk; rocking gently from side to side or marching on the stop before stepping. The nurse should ask Mr Henderson if he has experienced falls in the past year and frequency, obtaining as much information as possible about the falls, this can form part of the patients assessment namely a Falls Risk Assessment. Nice (2004) provides clinical guidance on falls risk assessment and suitable referrals should be initiated to the physiotherapist who will help to improve balance and the occupational therapist can help to make Mr Hendersons home safer place to live by attending a home visit and suggesting suitable aids that can improve safety, maximising independence. One of the most devastating consequences of falling in older people is a fractured neck of femur which can have significant impact on independence and quality of life. The nurse may suggest to Mr Henderson about wearing a hip protector, this again can improve confidence and also help to protect the hip if her were to fall. A full explanation as to why this is being suggested should be provided allowing for in formed choice. Falls can be as a result of loss of balance and posture, freezing, only being able to take small steps, or dyskinesia and it is important to use techniques such as cues to minimise the risk of falls. Also physiotherapy input will help with exercise, improving balance and posture. Multidisciplinary collaborating is essential in proving effective care. The nurse can find out what strategies are being taught to Mr Henderson and the nurse can encourage continuation of these exercises within the ward environment. It is important to continue to communicate with Mr Henderson allowing for evaluation in care and understanding what strategies are working and ones that are not. Once evaluated alternative strategies may be considered. Postural hypotension should be monitored/assessed for patients with Parkinsons as this increases the risk of falls as a result of dizziness or fainting in the drop in blood pressure. The patient should be supine for at least 10 minutes before taking a supine blood pressure reading. Then another reading should be taken within 3minutes of him standing up from the supine position. The nurse should be aware the dizziness the patient may experience when standing up should be standing next to him when she does the reading. If there is a significant fall in systolic blood pressure, by 20mmHg or goes below 90mmHg then this would indicate that the person has postural hypotension. Strategies can be adopted to improve the deficit before considering pharmacological methods such as recommending gradual compression stockings to improve venous return and therefore blood pressure. For them to work efficiently they much be measured and fitted to ensure the correct pressure is applied to the legs and ensuring that Mr Henderson is achieving recommended fluid intake of 1500-2000ml per day. If Mr Henderson is in a bay of beds for example 6 beds, then his location within the room should be considered in relation to the toilet. The bed should be relatively close to the toilet, if his fluid intake perhaps is being increased then frequency to micturate will potentially be increased. Mr Henderson is experiencing reduced mobility then bed position should be definitely considered to minimise the risk of unnecessary bowel or bladder incontinence. A commode may be considered and placed discretely closer to his bed for the evening or provision of urine bottles and buzzer placed in a position that is easily available. Appropriate footwear should be consider, the nurse should ensure that the are well fitted and not falling off increasing the risk of falls. The nurse should also check his feet or ensure there are no problems such as ingrown toe nails or blisters. The nurse should also ensure that Mr Hendersons vision is examined or glasses should be worn at all times if required as this could result in unnecessary falls. 1299 words Parkinsons Disease Question 2b Within the substantia nigra and basal ganglia there is progressive degeneration of cells which produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. The substantia nigra is a strip of dark pigmented cells located in the midbrain and the basal ganglia are collections of nerve cells located in near the base of the cerebrum. When motor impluses are initiated in the motor cortex, they need to be modified by the basal ganglia and substantia nigra by modifying motor activity, posture and making fine adjustments to movement. This is contained within the extrapyramid motor system and within the system there is normally a fine balance of neurotransmitters dopamine and acytylcholine. Dopamine is inhabitory and acytylcholine is excitatory. Due to the reduction in dopamine there is excess of the excitory neurotransmitter acytlecholine resulting in excitable muscle tone and the symptoms associated with Parkinsons disease. Mr Hendersons has begun a new medication regime using co-careldopa used to regain and maintain the balance between dopamine and acytlecholine. Dopamine cannot be given on its own as it will fail to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB is a physiological barrier that prevents substances from getting across from the blood stream and into the brain. Instead of dopamine, the drug levadopa is used which can cross the blood brain barrier and is then converted into dopamine. The dopamine then acts on dopamine receptors in the extrapyraminal motor system to maintain the neurotransmitter balance and therefore control the Parkinsons disease symptoms. When levadopa is administered it is broken down in the gut and liver by an enzyme called dopa decarboxylase, therefore combined with levadopa is a drug that inhibits the enzyme from breaking down levadopa is used which will lengthen the effects of levadopa meaning that less drug is required. This drug is called dopa decarboxylase inhibitor (cardidopa) This combination of levadopa can be provided as a preparation of one drug called co-careldopa or Sinemet (the brand name) There may be side effect such as nausea and vomiting, postural fall in blood pressure, constipation, and red stained urine. Mr Henderson must be made made aware of these side-effects and should inform the nurses when he is experiencing them. Domperidone can be used as an anti-emetic to stop the side-effects of nausea and vomitting. Blood pressure should be monitored for signs of postural hypotension and if required a medication review may be required, the nurse may ask the patient not to sit up or stand up too quickly. Parkinsons Disease 2c

Tom and Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: The Great Gatsby

During The Great Gatsby it was apparent that Tom and Daisy had an unstable relationship.   While reading the novel, I questioned the reason behind the continuation of their relationship.   Tom and Daisy are from the same world and are united by a background of money, and in a bizarre way I think they might have loved one another.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Tom and Daisy both came from the upper crust of society.   Daisy married Tom because his house was covered with ivy.   Tom was from the old money; his family had been wealthy for many years.   Daisy claims that she was in love with Gatsby, but he did not have the money she was expected to marry.   Therefore, when Tom was introduced to Daisy, she saw an opportunity to marry a person she could love and who was wealthy enough to provide the life she was accustomed to.   Ã‚  Ã‚   At the beginning, when Daisy is talking to Nick on the porch, Nick’s wording was interesting.   Nick talks about the restless way her eyes flashed, resembling Tom’s habit, and her whole performance pleased her because it represented their "membership in a rather secret society to which she and Tom belonged."   Tom and Daisy play their roles in a rich, bored society, and the drama of it all is the reason that they do it.   Daisy plays the air-headed, pretty wife, while Tom plays the hulking, brute of a man.   They thought they were a perfect combination of the ideal wealthy couple.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Daisy has been brought up being a pretty object.   She was an object to Tom; however, he did truly love her.   When Tom’s mistress, Myrtle, called out Daisy’s name, Tom became outraged and   hit her.   He felt it was permissible to have a mistress, yet he still honored Daisy by not allowing Myrtle to talk about her.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the novel Tom manages to speak sensitively to Daisy.   For example, when Tom and Daisy are in the kitchen eating chicken, he takes time to remind her of all the intimate moments they have had together.   I think that this scene shows that Tom really does love Daisy in his own way.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Nick speaks of Tom and Daisy at the end of the novel.   He talks about how they smashed people up and then "retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together†¦"   Nick points out the similarity between Tom and Daisy’s characters and attitudes about money.

Radio One Case Essay

This case involves whether Radio One should purchase the 21 radio stations from Clear Channel, Davis and IBL LLC and the impact of the acquisition to the investors and on the market. Examining the stations it fits with Radio One’s Corporate Strategy and they have the ability to bid first on a group of stations that would double Radio One’s size. Also this purchase would create national coverage for Radio One. First we must look at the Return on Asset of Radio One. With a Risk Free rate of 6.3% given from Exhibit 10; I am using 30 years because that is the highest and most logical for this particular industry. I calculated the Risk premium from the average of both the AAA and AA Corporate bonds on Exhibit 10; the result was 7.2%. Finally the Asset Beta given in Exhibit 8 of .82 .Thus the Return on the Asset is roughly 12.2% Calculating the NPV of the stations helps Radio One see if taking on this acquisition is worth the value. Using Exhibit 9 for the project forecasting and continuing on for the said 30 years you get 1,178,171 with the NPV set at 12.2% and each year growing at 6%. The reasoning for 6% is because from optimizing between 4-8%; 6% was in the middle. What is the market value of Radio One? To find this I took the price per share $97 and multiplied it by the number of shares 16,137,000 getting a market value of $1.5 billion. Now to investigate the WACC of Radio One. Rd = Interest paid of $15.3m over Market Price = $82.6 million = 18.53% Re = CAPM = 6.28 + Beta of .82*7.7 (Using the BBB Corp Bond Rate) =12.44. I propose that Radio One should offer the said price of 1.3 billion for the 21 stations. They should use the payment of the debt of $82 million with the use of current investments available for sale, then use the remainder in the deal for. This would cover the cash portion making the bid attractive because of the balancing of the debt before taking on the acquisition. The remainder of the funds will come from the shares together to create the total of 1.3 billion. Being the first to bet and with this attractive offer Radio One should have the strongest position in the deal and come out with  an acquisition that doubles their size and giving them a competitive position in nation wide coverage.

buy custom Ossification of Bone essay

buy custom Ossification of Bone essay The process of humanformationstarts once the sperm fertilizes the ovum. The fertilized ovum usually contains both the female and male nuclei called pronuclei. After fertilization, cleavage occurs to form two cells. A zygote is the fertilized egg before the process of cleavage. Once fertilized, the egg undergoes a period of gestation in the womb that takes about 266 days before delivery (Marseken Surhone). Once cleavage begins, it goes on toformmany cells. These cells undergo specialization toformvarioustissues. The tissues in turn form organs. The embryo is the developing baby between the first cleavage and the time when allmainorgans of the body form. Theembryonicperiodis 56 days or eight weeks. After this period, the embryo becomes a fetus. The remaining 38 weeks, until birth, is the fetal period. Most of the fetal skeleton consists of cartilage. Cartilage has no minerals or salts (Marseken Surhone). The skeletal system is one of the vital systems in the human body. It consists oflargebones and small bones. Large bone in the body includes the sternum, the cranial sutures, the pelvis, the radius and ulna. These bones take a long time tomature. Amaturebone is ahardandcompactliving tissue. It consists of a dense layer of small structural units made up of bothorganiccomponents such as fibroblasts, collagen, proteins, extracellular matrix and living cells (Marseken Surhone). It also consists of mineral constituents mainly calcium carbonate and hydroxyapatite. Calcification The process of bone formation is long and immensely complicated. It is a particularly vital process in development of the human body. Ossification is the process of formation bone through the activities of bone forming cells called osteoblasts. These cells take calcium from blood and deposit the salts into the bone. Most bones ossify partly sometime before the time of birth (Henrikson, Gordon Mazurkiewicz). In order to understand ossification, it is necessary to understand some of the various terms used in explaining this process. Osteogenesis is the other name for ossification. Calcification is a relatedwordbut it does not mean the same. Calcification is the deposition of calcium salts in to thesoftbone tissues in the process of bone formation. This process takes place with the aid of Vitamin D. absence of vitamin D leads to the formation of soft bone and Rickets. Calcification process goes on throughout life until the age of about 40 years when bone development ceases (Henrikson, Gordon Mazurkiewicz). The process of ossification or bone formation cuts across the embryonic, fetal period, infancy through to early adulthood. In the third month, bone formation centers start to appear. Long formation of long bones begins during this period. The fetal skeleton forms by the time the fetus is three months old. Types of Ossification The bones form from conversion of certain connective tissues. There are various tissues that can develop into bones. These determine the ossification type. Ossification process is of two types: endochondral and intramembraneous ossification. Bone synthesis involves intramembraneous ossification, endochodral ossification or a combination of both. Intramembraneous ossification also called mesenchymal ossification occurs when embryonic cells of the mesoderm called mesenchyme transforms into bone. In other words, bones form from mesenchymal condensation. Mesoderm is the middle layer of the three layers of cells that form in the embryonic period. Mesenchyme cells are responsible for the formation of most of the connective tissues, skeletal tissues, visceral tissues as well as the blood tissues. Example of the bones derived from this ossification type is the bones of the skull (Henrikson, Gordon Mazurkiewicz). On the other hand, endochondral ossification also called intracartilageneous ossification occurs when calcification or deposition of calcium occurs in the preformed cartilage tissues. The bone develops from cartilage and gradually replaces the soft cartilage. Most skeletal bone formations in the body form through this process. It occurs when osteoblasts arise in certain regions of the cartilage. Osteoblasts are actively-dividing cells that form bones. They undergo development to form mature bone cells called osteocytes. Osteocytes embed in the bone matrix.Chondrification is the conversion of mesenchmal condensations in cartilage. This process starts occurring during the second month of gestation (Martini, et al.). Membrane bones start ossification before the second month while cartilaginous bones begin ossifying after the second month (Martini, et al.). Centers of Ossification This process does not just start anywhere. There are certain points where ossification starts. The osteoblasts begin the activities of laying down the lamellae (the thin bands of calcium filled matrix usually arranged concentrically around a haversian canal) at these sites. These points are the centers of ossifications. Osteoblasts secrete the principal bone protein constituent called collagen as well as other substances that constitute the bone. There are two centers of ossification: primary and secondary centers. Primary centers appear in the fetal period while secondary centers appear after delivery. The radius usually has three ossification centers: one on the shaft and others on the heads of the bones. The first center of ossification to appear is the one on the shaft. It begins at around the end of the second month. One year after birth, ossification begins on the lower epiphysis while the upper center of ossification appears at about five years. Lengthening may go on until the age of sixteen years when ossification starts to cease. The ossification of the ulna is slightly different. Just like the radius it has three centers of ossification: on the olecranon, at the center and the exterior end. Intramembraneous ossification takes place in the center and starts at about eighth week. The olecranon and the inferior extremity are both cartilaginous at birth. Ossification center appears near the styloid process and spreads. The olecranon starts ossifying at ten years while the inferior extremity begins at about sixteen. The sternum develops through mesenchymal ossification to form two cartilaginous bars. After fusing, the two bars develop eight centers of ossifications. The first appears at six months of pregnancy, second in the seventh month, the last appears at the eighteenth year. Ossification may go on up to 40 years, but usually it is complete by 25 (Henrikson, Gordon Mazurkiewicz). Some parts remain unossified. Ossification of the Cranial Sutures The cranium undergoes ossification along cranial sutures. Both itramembraneous and endochondral ossification takes place distinctively. The neurocranium forms through mesenchymal ossification. The cranial base and the viscerocranium develop through intracartilaginous ossification. The membranous neurocranium has five centers of ossification, two frontal, two parietal and one occipital (Opperman 475). The increase in brain volume provokes initiation of these centers. The flat bones grow radially against each other. The trabeculae thicken and cancellous bone becomes less porous than before forming compact bones. When there is a further development of compact bone and continues opposing of cranial bones, sutures form. A suture is an immovable joint in the cranium usually with little connective tissue between the frontal and parietal bones found (Opperman 473). These sutures will provide intramembraneous growth sites. Increase in the cranial pressure due to the growth of brain lead to widening of cartilaginous growth sites and addition of cancellous bones on the edges. The sutures maintain the same distance between the developing bones. The sutures do not undergo ossification during the period of cranial expansion. Ossification of sutures as well as closure of fontanelle (a cranial opening in a fetus or an infant that occurs due to the incomplete ossification) occurs since the brain is no longer exerting pressure on the cranium (Opperman 478). These occur when the brain ceases to grow and stops exerting pressure on the five centers of ossification. Despite the cessation of brain growth, the cartilaginous bones continue lying down of spongy bones that grow past each and forming a continuous flat bone (Opperman 478). The sutures lose their potency at this point. From this point, it is ineffective to carry out bone remodeling. Premature ossification results in a permanent deformation of cranium. Rapid, premature fusion of the sutures leads to cranial asymmetry (Opperman 481). On the other hand, late ossification of cranial sutures results in sutural abnormalities and large fontanelle. Bone remodeling is the altering of bone structure of asymmetric or disproportionate skull to achieve symmettry. Orthotic modeling depends on ossification. If cranial sutures close due to early cessation of brain expansion, bone modeling is hard to achieve (Opperman 482). Structure of a Long Bone By studying the formation of long bones such as radius, one can understand the process of ossification. There are different classes of shape according to their shapes. These are flat bones, irregular bones, short bones and long bones. A mature long bone consists of a cylindrical shaft or body that has a marrow cavity within the compact bone called diaphysis. The endpartcalled epiphysis has spongy bone covered with a shell of compact bone. These two parts develop separately. Immature long bone has the two parts separated by cartilage. This transitional cartilaginous region is the metaphysis. A thin membrane called periosteum covers and encloses the outer bone. Periosteum membrane supplies the bone with oxygen and nutrients as well as removes waste from the bones (Marseken Surhone). Compact bone is a dense, solidly filled (with mineral salts and organic compounds) bone matrix with small lacunae that have osteocytes. Osteocytes are mature osteoblasts are no longer involved in bone formation. Bone matrix consists of collagen fibers and crystalline salts bonded together (Marseken Surhone). The minerals are calcium and phosphate salts. The matrix form concentric circles called Haversian systems. Haversian systems are also called osteons. Compact bones have small canals that ramify them called Haversian canal. A haversian canal forms a cylindrical surrounded by lamellae and cells-containing lacunae (Marseken Surhone). Lamellae is thin bands cancerous matrix usually arranged in concentric around a haversian canal. The lacunae in the compact bones forms links with each other through microscopic channels called canaliculi. Compact bone forms a thin coating around cancellous bone. Volkmanns canals pass through and cross the Haversian systems allowing for circulation of all bone structures. Cancellous bone is the spongy-like, lattice-like bone usually within medullary cavity with a lot of space within it. It has a lower density than a compact bone. Ossification Process of Long Bone The process of ossification of long bones has two stages: the early steps of ossification and the growth of epiphysis. In the first stage, intramembraneous ossification occurs to form the periosteal collar. A primary ossification center forms by the formation of matrix of diaphysis. The matrix undergoes erosion by blood vessel to form calcified spicules. Then bone forms from osteoblast cells on the calcified spicules. Finally, invasion of blood vessels initiates a secondary center of ossification (Marseken Surhone). The second phase of long bone formation involves the growths of the epiphysis. The development of the epiphysis plate takes place through various zones that occur in succession (Marseken Surhone). First is the zone ofreserve cells. These cells form a thin layer of chondrocytes next to the bony trabeculae. The second is the zone of proliferation where chondrocytes form in staked rows with a basophilic cartilage. There is a mitotic division of chondrocytes. The third zone is the zone of maturation that lacks chondrocyte mitosis, but has a gradual cellular enlargement. Fourth is the zone of hypertrophy where there is an increase in the size of chondrocytes as well as the lacunae. The other one is the zone of calcification. Here, calcium salts deposit in the matrix around the lacunae. The result is the death of cells. The next is the zone of ossification. Osteoblasts secrete bone matrix on the calcified cartilage plates. Last is the zone of re-absorption where osteoclasts actively absorb bone spicules. The bone increases in size up to the end of adolescence. In addition to increase in length, the body maintains the thickness and strength of the bone. Osteoclasts deposit new bone material while osteoclasts reabsorbs the old bone materials. The rates of deposition and absorption are the same. The net mass of the bone remains the same throughout. Osteoclasts occur in small amounts but concentrated masses. They erode the bone for a short time and create a tunnel in the bone then cease their activity. They are succeeded by osteoclasts which deposit bone material for about a hundred days replacing the lost bone and filling the tunnel. Blood vessels signal cessation of osteoblasts activities once bone mass reaches it (Marseken Surhone). Ossification of different bones completes at different ages. At 25 years, ossification of all bones is complete. However, the alternating activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts go on until the age of 40-45. A process of bone loss can occur if there is no replacement of calcium. The process of healing of bones at this stage is very slow. Buy custom Ossification of Bone essay

Gene environment essay Essays

Gene environment essay Essays Gene environment essay Paper Gene environment essay Paper The first is a passive kind, in which the parents who are genetically related to the child liver a rearing environment similar to the parents genetic disposition. The second is an evocative kind, whereby the childs characteristics receive response from others that is directly influenced by their genotype. The last type that is known as active is when the child seeks out compatible and stimulating environments. It is the purpose of this paper to describe how these three genotype-environment correlations apply to myself. Throughout my childhood there was something to be said about fitness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As early as I can remember my mother dressed how taking care of yourself will lead to a happy life and her genetic predisposition was passed on to my siblings and myself. This defines the passive genotype correlation. I found myself throughout the years becoming increasingly curious about being fit from watching my mother workout on her new home fitness machine. In turn as I aged and realized that being fit was something I took interest in, my mother gradually bought more weight training equipment more suitable for a males needs and in no time part of my childhood garage was a now a small weight room. The next genotype called evocative explains the types of experiences I had u to who was and my genetic make-up. In the physical world, everyone is different and you will evoke different responses depending on types of skills that you possess. : For example, I was always very good with electronics and people who knew me could speak to me about setting up home entertainment systems or car audio and know would have good input for them. The feedback that receive is very different than those who fail at such tasks. The active genotype is the one that feel is most important to humans because it has the most powerful connection between people and their environment. The term competitive can be used to describe myself, as with most things in my life, competition is what gives me drive. I found out in earlier years, even before high school, that playing in organized sports was something that I looked for in life and continued through high school and even today if friends want to organize a game. I found that once certain experiences occurred like competing, naturally they led to even more and I found my niche.

Hospitality Management Major Marketing Class - Interview Project Essay - 1

Hospitality Management Major Marketing Class - Interview Project Additional Info - Essay Example These principles have enabled the company edge competition and increase market penetration (Slack, 2007). It defines its services as good music, good food, and good services. Essentially, hotel Pennsylvania is a classic pub that embraces the American culture and provides the revelers with quality music, performances, and quality food. The customers of the cafà © are attracted to the courteous services, fun, and lively ambience. The Hotel Pennsylvania values the business ethics and practices, which has enhances the companys mission in leveraging the market (Slack, 2007). They have the advantage of sound financial records and out matches its competitors, has the experience and delivers a strong coffee brand reputation. Arguably, the company is widely known to have the largest coffeehouse chain globally (White, 2006). They employ the best brains in the industry and offers employees with extensive benefits and high salaries. Employee motivation translates to high quality of goods and services. The hotel has been in the business for a long time and understood that strategic supplier partnerships are critical in enhancing the success. This has enabled them to bring forth efficiency in logistics and supply chain management (Steinhoff, 2003). Inherently, strategic supply partnerships stand on a better position in helping companies heighten their level of logistics and supply chain management. The importance of such strategy is improving cost efficiency and reliability. The revolutions in the technology world and Internet accessibility made the urban population develop a new social class of persons with the urge to get rich and enjoy a good life. The people embraced the culture of success, good life and productivity (Steinhoff 2003). Notably, New York has a huge traffic, which provides them with an opportunity to expand their business. They have competent employees in terms of chiefs, who make special diet menu that

Early Medical Practices in the Neolithic Period Research Proposal

Early Medical Practices in the Neolithic Period - Research Proposal Example The objectives are to conduct a visual survey and then a targeted analysis looking for narcotic or other chemical traces, and to interpret the remains holistically including any new evidence found. Literature review There is a very extensive literature on the burial practices of Neolithic peoples, (Thomas, 1999) and indeed excavations of burial sites, especially in Egypt but also across Europe and in the Americas provide the largest sources of human bone material for analysis. The form of deposition human remains is, however, not without its problems because the bones are subjected to various processes ranging from burning, to de-fleshing, selected preservation of only parts of the body, and mummification. Various kinds of positioning in different types of ground leave traces on the bones which add layers of complication to scientific analysis. Incomplete samples survive, with uneven distribution due to geological rather than historical variation, which makes it difficult to form a c omplete picture. There are some Neolithic bone samples which show evidence of healing, but it is not certain that this is a result of medical intervention. The large number of trephined skulls found in Europe in Neolithic deposits, and somewhat later also in Peru, is however, incontrovertible evidence of medical activity (Ackerknecht, 1968, p. 8). McKenzie (1936, p. 895) theorizes that the purpose of scraping a hole in the skull was to cure giddiness or epilepsy but it is unclear what evidence can be drawn to point to this conclusion, other than that no trauma is evident in the bones, which could otherwise explain the hole. The Peruvian examples do show evidence of... This study is a great example of an investigation into Neolithic Doctoring practices via visual and chemical analysis. The Neolithic period from between 4000 and 2000 BC is widely recognised as being pivotal in human history because it marks the time when large populations of people shifted from a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more settled existence dependent on agriculture as a major food source. Evidence for this has been gathered from several centuries of work in the field of archaeology. Often, however, the human artifacts do not provide complete answers to exploratory research questions, and so holistic techniques from the field of anthropology can be used to make sense of supplement sparse findings. The aim of the study is to explore the evidence in Neolithic skeletal remains in order to illuminate medical practices of this period. The majority of the material available from the Neolithic period consists of skeletal remains, and some work has been done on dental evidence and diet (Lubell et al., 1994). A combination of thorough visual examination and modern GC-MS testing of the bone material for chemical elements offers a new angle on medical practices because it will reveal both healing processes at work, and any potential use of medicinal narcotics. These testing techniques have been used on organic residues of 958 British prehistoric pots to trace dairy material and a similar method applied to Neolithic bone may bring to light significant information on medical practices of that time.