Julius Caesar And Romeo Essays - Characters In Romeo And Juliet

Julius Caesar And Romeo "A pair of star-crossed lovers", Romeo and Juliet. From the opening scenes of the play these two children of feuding families were destined to fall in love together and eventually die together. How does the reader see this? How do we know it was fate which triggered these events? Coincidence caused the death of these two lovers. For this reason Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's great tragedies. For coincidence to have caused the death of Romeo and Juliet it must have been evident in the events leading up to their deaths. These events include their meeting and falling in love, their separation, their reunion and finally their suicides. Solving the ancient feud between their families was the only real result of these untimely deaths. How did Romeo and Juliet meet? Was it by fate or could it have been avoided? Romeo and Juliet could not have avoided coming in contact with each other, they were brought together by uncontrollable circumstances. In Romeo and Juliet's time Verona (a city in Italy approximately 100 km west of Venice) was a fair sized city, and "bumping" into an acquaintance was unlikely. During the course of Act I, Scene II, the contrary had happened, and happened by chance. As Romeo and Benvolio were nearing a public area they were stopped by a Capulet servant. After Romeo had read the guest list to the Capulet party and the servant was on his way, Benvolio suggested that to relieve himself of his sadness for Rosaline, Romeo should go to the party and compare Rosaline to the other female guests. Romeo agreed Another example of coincidence is evident here. If Rosaline had not been attending, Benvolio would not have thought anything of the party. During the Capulet's ball Romeo and Juliet had seen each other, once this happened, there was no force that could have stopped them from falling in love. The encounter with the servant in the city set off an unlikely chain of events. Given the information following, none of these events could have been altered or avoided . "And for that offense immediately we do exile him hence," (Romeo and Juliet, III, II, 191-192). Romeo's banishment and the fate involved with it is a prime factor in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Why banishment? In Act I, Scene I the Prince's words were quite the contrary. Was it intentional that a man of such high standard would go back on his word? Perhaps. Romeo's exile poisons all possibility of happiness for himself and Juliet. His exile causes Juliet great sorrow, greater then if he had been executed, as stated by Juliet in Act III, Scene II, lines 130-131. Juliet's sorrow drives her to obtain a "knockout potion" from Friar Laurence which, in effect causes Romeo to make some important decisions regarding his well being. Romeo's banishment (brought about by the death of Tybalt) initiated the Friar's scheme which eventually leads the two lovers to their deaths. In reuniting the two lovers, timing played the largest role in deciding if they would live or die. Friar Laurence had two chances to deliver the message to Romeo regarding Juliet's present state. The first and most practical method of sending this message was through Romeo's "man", Balthasar. The second method was to send the message with Friar John. Timing was an important factor in both of these events. Friar Laurence had missed his opportunity to send the message with Balthasar and reverted to sending it with Friar John. As fate would have it, Friar John was locked up in a condemned house because of the plague. As a result Romeo received incorrect information. The only information he received from the unsuspecting Balthasar was that Juliet was dead. There are two important points to note in this area of the play. One being the reference to star-crossing made by Romeo when he heard of Juliet's death. "Is it even so? then I defy you, stars." (Romeo and Juliet, V, I, 24). The second being that when Romeo received the poison he states "Come cordial, and not poison, go with thee." (Romeo and Juliet, V, I, 85). This is coincidental to what Juliet had said earlier, in Act IV, Scene III, when she drinks to Romeo. Cordial means hearty, or sincere. When someone drinks to someone else it is usually in good health. The reuniting of the two lovers in such circumstances (Romeo's unawareness) could only have happened as it did by timing. One could ask what if the friar had

Free Essays on Blow to Psyce

One person has died after anthrax exposure, compared to more than 5,300 who perished in the hijacking attacks on New York and Washington. But whoever is behind the recent anthrax scares - and there is no known connection with the Sept. 11 attacks - is inducing confusion and psychological distress - a good definition of terrorism. In an ABCNEWS poll released Tuesday, 65 percent said they were worried about the anthrax situation, with a third saying they were worried a "great deal." And 54 percent said they were worried that they or a loved one might become infected. In waging psychological warfare, the bioterrorists are manipulating our fears by posing risks of unknown and potentially deadly consequences to a large population of Americans, even if the actual casualties are limited in number, says Stephen Cimbala, a terror expert and Penn State political scientist. "People are led to expect that disaster may strike randomly and regardless of their ability to prevent it or prepare for it," he said. "Creating this expectation of random vulnerability is the necessary condition for widespread hysteria." Also necessary for widespread panic is making the privileged feel as vulnerable as the lower rungs of society, Cimbala said. The pattern of anthrax incidents thus far meets these requirements. At some of the nation's most prominent news organizations, critical in setting the national tone, journalists are on edge with anthrax spores found in their offices and infecting at least four of their colleagues. And the nation's business has been disrupted to the highest levels, with the U.S. House of Representatives closing down for several days. The chairman of the congressional subcommittee that has studied anthrax for years acknowledges that terrorists appear to be winning another battle here, even if the results are not catastrophic. "This anthrax is not such a dramatic advance that we are in real danger yet," Rep. Christopher ... Free Essays on Blow to Psyce Free Essays on Blow to Psyce One person has died after anthrax exposure, compared to more than 5,300 who perished in the hijacking attacks on New York and Washington. But whoever is behind the recent anthrax scares - and there is no known connection with the Sept. 11 attacks - is inducing confusion and psychological distress - a good definition of terrorism. In an ABCNEWS poll released Tuesday, 65 percent said they were worried about the anthrax situation, with a third saying they were worried a "great deal." And 54 percent said they were worried that they or a loved one might become infected. In waging psychological warfare, the bioterrorists are manipulating our fears by posing risks of unknown and potentially deadly consequences to a large population of Americans, even if the actual casualties are limited in number, says Stephen Cimbala, a terror expert and Penn State political scientist. "People are led to expect that disaster may strike randomly and regardless of their ability to prevent it or prepare for it," he said. "Creating this expectation of random vulnerability is the necessary condition for widespread hysteria." Also necessary for widespread panic is making the privileged feel as vulnerable as the lower rungs of society, Cimbala said. The pattern of anthrax incidents thus far meets these requirements. At some of the nation's most prominent news organizations, critical in setting the national tone, journalists are on edge with anthrax spores found in their offices and infecting at least four of their colleagues. And the nation's business has been disrupted to the highest levels, with the U.S. House of Representatives closing down for several days. The chairman of the congressional subcommittee that has studied anthrax for years acknowledges that terrorists appear to be winning another battle here, even if the results are not catastrophic. "This anthrax is not such a dramatic advance that we are in real danger yet," Rep. Christopher ...

Limits to the Power of the Security Council Essay

Limits to the Power of the Security Council - Essay Example The UN’s principal goal is to build on the lessons of the past and create a peaceful and secure environment for the future. To better achieve this, the Security Council was established as one of the two principal political organs of the U.N. Controversies have arisen, described in the following section, on the use of the broad coercive powers of the Council. This paper examines whether limitations exist to the exercise of these powers, and if so, how they work to enable the Security Council to better achieve its objectives. 2. The Power of the Security Council The powers of the Security Council are far reaching, but they are generally confined to the maintenance of international peace and security.1 The powers of the Security Council are conferred upon it by the United Nations in Article 24 of the UN Charter, by virtue of which the Security Council acts on behalf of the Member States of the UN in the discharge of these duties. It is also in Article 24, in paragraph 2, where th e first mention is made of the limits to the exercise of its duties. ... â€Å"In any case, neither the text nor the spirit of the Charter conceives of the Security Council as legibus solutus (unbound by law).†2 This contains no assurances, however, that the Security Council’s actions at all times will be within the proper purview of the constitutional provisions; there may be times when questions arise as to whether certain actions exceed the limitations of these powers. The powers granted to the SC for the purpose of fulfilling its duties are explicitly stated in Chapters VI, VII, VIII, and XII.3 Chapter VII of the Charter empowers the Security Council to make decisions with far-reaching repercussions and which bind the Member States of the UN.4 And Member-States are bound to comply with its pronouncements: â€Å"Whether or not States have accepted the jurisdiction of the Court, they are required to fulfill their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and other rules of international law†¦and they remain responsible for acts attributable to them which are contrary to international law.†5 This makes it all the more important for the Security Council to project itself through its actions as entirely credible and legitimate in its resolutions and decisions. 3. Definition and Composition of the Security Council The Security Council (SC) is a permanent council of the United Nations with the primary (but not exclusive) responsibility of ensuring that peace and security is maintained among the Member-Nations and, in effect, the nations of the world. Its principal task is to determine whether particular events or activities pose a threat to international peace and security. It has the power to

How to be a good parent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to be a good parent - Essay Example The research paper consists of the children that are in between 2 to 16 years. In this age, considerable changes occur in children because this is the age in which developments is in ongoing position. Then parents have to be conscious while behaving wrongly in front of the children because they are in learning position (Fontenelle, 2011). Each and every behavior effects on their mental and physical development. Parents have to be conscious while talking with the neighbors, friends and any other person in front of the children because children learn most of the behaviors from the parents. Parents should maintain stable behavior with the children. Too much leniency and strictness spoil the child’s mental health, and he or she cannot be a strong person in the future life. Parents should be concerned in the activities of their children so that they know the behavioral changes and the reasons of these changes. In this way, parents can easily solve the problems of children (Steinber g, 2004). Parents should know the children’s liking and disliking such as what sport they like, what television show they want to watch, who are their friends and why do they like them. Through the strong connection, they can know mostly about the children. Parent should tell the children what is right and what is wrong, what is good and bad for them. Parents should tell them the limits so that in the future they will become responsible and self reliant (Hawkins, 1972). Mostly young and inexperienced parents do not know the behavioral changes of the children because they are inexperienced. According to the writers, young parents need assistance for knowing these changes so that their children will become confident and self reliant in their lives. Parents should observe the children’s behavior and attitude keenly so that they can know their children's behavioral changes. In this way, they can easily know the problems that children are facing in the life. Parents should have a friendly attitude with children so that they feel protective and comfortable in their parents company. In this way, whenever child faces some problem, he or she firstly will tell their problem to their parents. In this way, they will secure from crucial issues. The parents who created a comfortable environment between children and themselves, these children will become more confident and self reliant (Kerr, M., & Stattin, 2000). The children who have confidence take more accurate decisions in the future for themselves. Parents have to be conscious while selecting their name. In that way, the child will become more confident and self reliant. Name is the first and most valuable gift that parents give to their children. Name is the identity of the children. This identity he has to use in his or her whole life. That is why parents should be more conscious in the selection of name. Writer tells name should be in the way that the person can carry in the whole life. Names should no t be look like the name of child and any elderly person. The name of the child gives him or her confidence to become more socialized and confident in the future. Second and most important thing he told is that love is the most important thing for the children’s confidence and maturity. The more you provide love to your children, the more they will become more confident in making important decisions in life. Good name gives

The Neo Accountant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Neo Accountant - Essay Example A. Hopwood has correctly stated: "Accountants and other members of the management team searching for means of understanding and improving standard setting and budgeting; must therefore see the process in its entirety and respond to it as a complex human and technical problem rather than one standing in technical isolation." The Contingency Theory can best explain how management should respond to proposed change. The theory is summed up in two words: It depends! Accountants and other members of the management team will have to respond to each situation by looking at it whole. According to Fiedler's Contingency Theory of Situational Leadership, situations of proposed change that appear low in control must be managed in a directive and task-oriented manner. On the other hand, situations that are high in control must simply be dealt with in a supportive fashion; in this case, managers can stay out of their subordinates' way to a large extent (Boje). All changes in accounting practices are sure to have extensive effects on the organization as a whole and the community of people it is involved with. Accounting practices with the aid of latest technology that make an organization more efficient may improve the state of an entire economy. Given that finance is the basis of organizational operation, accountants cannot isolate themselves and be looking for an improvement in accounting practices without consulting other branches of management as a team. Consultation, then, has got to be the first step in the introduction of accounting or managerial change. This essential step to change involves many departments of management, including planning. Forecasters and planners along with those that propose change have to work in agreement before any lasting change can be implemented, let alone expected to have results that lead to increased efficiency, productivity, and profitability. According to Brewer, Brownlee, and Juras, who have writte n on the implementation of activity based costing and the change management process: "Implementing change in an organization is about ninety percent cultural and ten percent technical." To put it another way, applying accounting change is easy when it comes to the technical side of things. But organizational change is never about technicalities alone. Before applying new accounting principles expected to lead to greater organizational success, it takes a long time for any firm to convince the people that it must convince, and plan with the workforce it must plan change with. Vroom And Yetton's Contingency Model of Normative Leader Decisions is clear on this point. The model asks for consultation or the group decision process if the commitment of group is essential. But if the managers have got all the necessary information, they are advised to be autocrats, making decisions for all and going with the flow (Boje). Take the example of digitization alone for the simple fact that the technological age has brought tremendous change in all areas of human life. Bhimani writes about digitization only in an organizational context:Digitization impacts the form, substance, and provenance of internal accountinginformation with attendant consequences on the behavior and actions of organizationalparticipants and on the functioning of enterprises more widely. Knowledge about theinfluence of the deployment of

Pancreatitis: Causes and Symptoms

Pancreatitis: Causes and Symptoms Acute Pancreatitis Introduction Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It is widely accepted that it is caused by pancreatic enzymes digesting their own gland. This leads to inflammation of the pancreas. There are two main forms of pancreatitis, acute and chronic. In acute pancreatitis the pancreas can usually heal itself without any lasting changes to function or structure of the gland. If the pancreas heals but then inflammation reoccurs intermittently and causes irreversible changes to structure and function then it is known as chronic pancreatitis (1). Pathophysiology The exact mechanism is not fully understood however it is believed that the initial events take place within the acinar cells of the pancreas. Injury of the acinar cells leads to an inflammatory reaction localized within the cells. If this inflammation is excessive it can lead to a systemic inflammatory response. The inflammatory process can cause systemic effects because of the presence of cytokines, such as bradykinins and phospholipase A. These cytokines may cause vasodilation, increase in vascular permeability, pain, and leukocyte accumulation in the vessel walls all leading to inflammation. Fat necrosis may also occur causing hypocalcaemia; and pancreatic B-cell injury leading to hyperglycemia (2). A marked systemic inflammatory reaction can lead to ‘distant organ damage and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) (1). This is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in acute pancreatitis. The disease progression can be seen in the following three steps: 1) Local inï ¬â€šammation of the pancreas, 2) A generalized inï ¬â€šammatory response, 3) Multi-organ dysfunction (1) When there is injury or disruption of the pancreatic acini pancreatic enzymes namely trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase leak into the pancreatic tissue. These enzymes become activated and initiate autodigestion and lead to acute pancreatitis. The activated enzymes break down the pancreatic tissue and cell membranes which leads to oedema, and vascular damage which leads to hemorrhage and necrosis. Some patients who have had a severe attack of pancreatitis who survive through the initial event die following a rather minor insult that would not be life threatening normally. It is said that the two hit hypothesis comes in to play here. The initial excessive systemic inflammatory response primes the immune system so that if another event takes place (a small insult in comparison) for example a chest infection, the immune system is overwhelmed leading to an exaggerated inflammatory response which can lead to death (1). History and examination The main presentation of acute pancreatitis is epigastric pain or right upper quadrant pain radiating through to the back. In many patients sitting forward can relieve the pain a little. The patient would usually also complain of nausea, vomiting and fever. It is important to note a history of previous biliary colic and binge alcohol consumption. The patient may also be tachycardic, tachypneic, hypotensive and mildly jaundiced (2). Abdominal tenderness, distension, guarding, and rigidity are quite common as are diminished or absent bowel sounds. If the inflammation should spread to the lungs then basilar rales may be noted on auscultation of the lung. In severe cases Grey Turner or Cullens sign may also be noted (2). Aetiology There are many causes of pancreatitis. The most common causes being habitual chronic alcohol consumption and biliary stones. In western countries including the UK alcohol abuse is the most common cause of acute pancreatitis. A recent study showed that 44% of patients have alcohol as the primary risk factor for acute or chronic pancreatitis (3). Gall stones can cause pancreatitis as they may become wedged in the pancreatic duct or ampulla of Vater and obstruct the pancreatic duct, leading to release of enzymes into the parenchyma. Other less common causes include: injury (e.g. post ERCP), drugs (such as NSAIDS, azathioprine), viruses (e.g. mumps), autoimmune conditions (e.g. SLE), hyperlipidaemia, malignancy and Scorpion and snake bites (4). Investigations to be done if pancreatitis is suspected 1) Serum enzyme levels: Serum amylase in pancreatitis is more than four times the normal value and lipase is twice the normal and this is diagnostic as there is no other source other than the pancreas, but this test is not always available (5). 2) Full blood count, U+E, glucose, CRP: the CRP value is significantly lower in drug-induced acute pancreatitis and a raised bilirubin and serum aminotransferase is suggestive of gall stones. Low serum calcium levels are quite common in acute pancreatitis and hypocalcaemia is also relatively common. 3) Plain erect abdominal x-ray: this is done to exclude other causes of the symptoms such as intestinal obstruction or perforation. 4) Chest x-ray: this can show if there is a rise in one hemidiaphragm, acute respiratory distress syndrome or pleural effusions which can occur in severe cases of acute pancreatitis. 5) CT with contrast enhancement: this can be diagnostic if clinical results were inconclusive. CT may show swelling, fluid collection and change in the density of the gland. 6) Ultrasound: this is useful to see if the pancreas is swollen and if the common bile duct is dilated. It can also detect gallstones (5). Management In mild cases management is on a general medical ward. Analgesia is given to relieve the pain, usually with pethidine. Morphine is not usually used as it can have a spastic effect on the sphincter of Oddi (4). The patient is given intravenous fluids and not allowed to take anything my mouth. If the patient is vomiting severely then a nasogastic tube is considered. Oral fluids and solids can be taken once symptoms have cleared and blood tests are normal. The cause must then be treated, for example if gallstones were the cause then they must be removed. The severity of pancreatitis is determined by the Glasgow score or Ranson criteria which looks at patient demographics, electrolytes and enzyme levels on admission and 48 hours later (see 1) Glasgow prognostic score Ransons criteria * Age >55 years * WBC >15 x109/l * Urea >16mmol/l * Glucose >10mmol/l * pO2 * Albumin * Calcium * LDH >600 units/l * AST/ALT >200 units Present on admission: * Age >55 years * WBC >15 x109/l * Glucose >10mmol/l * LDH >600 units/l * SGOT >250 units/l Developing during first 48 hours: * Haematocrit fall 10% * Urea increase >8mg/dl * Serum Ca * Arterial O2 saturation * Base deficit >4meq/l * Estimated fluid sequestration >600ml In Severe cases the patent is treated in ITU. There is a high chance of multiple organ failure and infected pancreatic necrosis in these patients so if there is evidence to suggest this then intravenous antibiotics should be administered straight away. The patient should be fed via a nasogastric tube and where there are gallstones present and a high probability of a severe attack early ERCP should be done. Local Complications Pancreatic necrosis is likely if the CRP is rising and is confirmed by a CT scan. Infection occurs in 30-70% of cases of necrosis and this trebles the mortality risk. Fluid collections occurs in 30-50% of patients with acute pancreatitis but in most cases resolves spontaneously. Pancreatic abscess, acute pseudocysts and pancreatic ascites can also occur (6). Systemic complications These include pulmonary oedema, pleural effusions and ARDS with regards to the respiratory system and hypovolamenia and shock with regards to the cardiovascular system. Other complications include: disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, renal dysfunction, hypocalcaemia, hypomagnesaemia, hyperglycaemia and GI haemorrhage (6). Summary Acute pancreatitis is a disease in which there is inflammation of the pancreas. Acute abdominal pain and vomiting are the most common symptoms and increased serum concentrations of the enzymes amylase and lipase can confirm the diagnosis. Injury to the pancreas is mild in 80% of patients who recover well without complications. The rest have a more severe disease and present with local and systemic complications. Alcohol abuse and gall stones are the two most common causes of acute pancreatitis in adults and treatment of mild pancreatitis is supportive and more serious disease needs intervention from quite a few members of the multidisciplinary team (5). Improving the understanding of the pathophysiology and better investigation of the disease severity should improve the management and outcome of this compound disease (5). References Bhatia M,Wong FL, Cao Y, Lau HY, Huang J, Puneet P, Chevali L. Pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis. Pancreatology [online]. 2005; 5(2-3):132-44. [cited 2009 Dec 4] Available from: URL:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15849484 Ghattas K, Samer S Deeba. Pancreatitis. E medicine [online]. 2009; [cited 2009 Nov 21]. Avalable from: URL: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/775867-overview Whitcomb DC, Yadav D, Adam S, Hawes RH, Brand RE, Anderson MA, et al.Multicenter approach to recurrent acute and chronic pancreatitis in the United States: the North American Pancreatitis Study 2 (NAPS2).Pancreatology [online]. 2008; 8(4-5):520-31. [cited 2009 Dec 1] Available from: URL:http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/18765957 Longmore M, Wilkinson I, Turmezei T, Cheung CK. Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine (Oxford Handbooks Series) 6th edition. Oxford university press; 2008 Frossard JL, Steer ML, Pastor CM. Acute pancreatitis. The Lancet [online]. 2008; 12;371(9607):143-52. [ cited 2009 Nov 23] available from: URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(08)60107-5/abstract Willacy H, Kavanagh S. Acute Pancreatitis. Patient Plus UK [online]. 2008. [cited2009 Nov 29] Available from: URL: http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Acute-Pancreatitis.htm

Typical and Atypical Abuse Essay -- Physical Emotional Abuse Abusive E

Typical and Atypical Abuse Physical and emotional abuse can originate from any source but the majority of the abuse generates from parental or adult figures and is direct toward a timid figure, typically a child. The abuser commonly chooses a more timid recipient because they will be less likely to stand up against the abuser. Physical abuse is maltreatment that involves actual contact between one body part of a person and an other body part of an other person, such as hitting or slapping. Emotional abuse consists of just the opposite: maltreatment that is directed to harming the individual psychologically, such as negative comments or put downs (National Exchange Club Foundation, 2000). Regardless of whom the abuse is directed toward or whether its physical or emotional, it all causes several types of damage. Abuse is not limited to a specific type of community or to children (NAEYC, 1997). Three million children are victims of abuse each year. Each day three hundred and sixteen young children are arrested for crimes. Sixteen die from gun related wounds (Massey, 1998). The majority of these statistics are related to abused children from home settings, which will cause significant damage to how the child deals with everyday situations in settings out of the home. The effects of abuse tend to vary with different children but any type of abuse can cause serious damage. Not all children display the same responses to physical and emotional abuse. A few of the typical emotional responses include; showing excessive fear, extreme anger, low self-esteem, and an inability to trust adult figures. In contrast a few physical responses are difficulties developing speech patters, difficulties getting involved with other ch... ... situations, such as; gangs, drug abusers, and children that were abused but adults. But with programs, time and devotion the country is now lowering their numbers of each hazard that can cause harm to the students learning environment. Rose, M. (2002, February 22). TSL Education Limited The Times Educational Supplement. Abuse That Comes With a Smile for Not Making Waves, pp. 2 from the Academic Search/EBSCO database There are a few parents who choose to educate their children at home so the students will not come into contact with controversial topics. However, by home schooling, the parents unwittingly enforce social learning issues on their children because they will never feel comfortable in situations that deal with other people their own age. This proves the children need the social aspect of school just as much as the educational aspect.

Baking

My parents worked a lot of hours when I was a teenager, so dinner was left to me to cook. I soon learned all the usual family classics Like spaghetti bologna's, shepherds pie, roasts and cooked breakfasts. I became a lot more adventurous when I had my own family and quite often get the recipe books out to try something new. I only really got into baking once our boys came along and wanted to make them homemade cakes for their birthdays.I remember the first cake I ever made was at school in cooking class. It was awful, it sated like a biscuit, the icing was a terrible hot pink color that ran off the sides of the cake as I hadn't let them cool enough. It was a disaster but with age I have become a lot more patient. When I started baking I Just tried Victoria sponges everyone that tried them said that tasted delicious. So then I went on to experiment with different flavors like chocolate, carrot and coffee and walnut and a variety of different flavor cupcakes.I still haven't tried cake pops even though I have a little machine to try them. Not all of my cakes turn out perfect, some sink In the middle or urn around the outside edges. It takes a while to get to know your oven , what temperature Is best to cook at and remember never to open the oven door to early. So now I had mastered the cakes it was time to get on with the decorating which is either easy and straight forward or a nightmare and you keep pulling the icing off and starting again.It can be really frustrating when the icing splits or cracks but what is really awful is when you've laid the icing over the cake and you turn and put your finger in it. That's not so bad if your covering the cake with flowers or other secretions because you hide it but if it has to be smooth you have to restart it or try and patch if it's not in a noticeable place. The first cake I made was for my eldest when he was three. He was crazy for fireman Sam. Looking back on what I can do now it wasn't really that good.For the cake I made a 8 Inch round Victoria sponge and covered It with white fondant. I colored red fondant and cut out a fire engine shape as seen from the front. I put a photo of our boys on the cake and laid the fire engine shape over the top so it looked like they were driving I added the blue lights, a few details to the fire engine, name, age and the happy birthday. Everyone loved it even though we couldn't eat the picture. I had found something that I really loved doing. I get a warm feeling when I see someone face after they have received their cake.I started making them for our boys but ended up making them for friends, their children and other family members. The first cake I made outside the family was for my best friends son on his third birthday. He wanted a treasure chest, this I was a little worried about as I had never tried to bake any other shapes other than circles r squares, and this needed to have a lid on It. I always start by looking in my cake books and the Internet. Ther e are millions of cake pictures on Google Images. I look at the pictures and decide what shape, flavors and colors I'm going to use.Then I get a piece of paper and draw a rough copy of the cake and add little notes as to what the color is going to be or the type of icing I'm going to use or where the decorations buying a Swiss roll to give the lid a curved shape. Whilst the cake was cooling I got to work on making the decorations so they would have time to dry out before putting hem on the cake. I then made up a pile of chocolate butter cream and sandwiched the cakes together and covered the complete outside and the lid which was made out of a cardboard rectangle covered with foil.Once it was covered I dragged a fork through the icing to give it a wooden effect and stared putting the decorations and the lid on. I put the lid resting on two skewers so I could have chocolate gold coins and some Jewels spilling over the top. I dusted all the yellow fondant with gold shimmer powder to g ive it some elegance. It was one of my successes and with allow sugar all around the bottom to look like sand. Just to add a little surprise I buried a two pound coin under the sand and placed an x on top then finished with the usual name age and happy birthday.Not all of my cakes have been so amazing. It depends on what the birthday boy or girl likes. One cake I hated making was a Manchester united football shirt . When it was finally finished it looked okay but getting it to the end was a nightmare. The icing kept splitting or cracking, I couldn't cover the sleeves without creasing the icing I ended up throwing the icing at the wall ND having a cup of tea. When I went back to it with fresh icing and changing tactics I got it covered but swore I would never do another one.I found it to be a very plain cake with very little decoration even so the little boy was delighted. It depends on what the â€Å"in† thing is with the children as to what I get asked to make. With girls it tends to be princess castles, horses or anything pink or sparkly. With boys the last couple of years it's been mine craft but they also like football themes, been 10 and the minions from despicable me. My all time favorite cake to bake was when my ingest asked for a yellow minion ( there are purple one too. I thought it was going to be quite complex but it turned out to be one of the easiest cakes I have ever made. Once I had baked enough cakes and cooled them I sandwiched them all together with butter cream and covered with yellow fondant. Whilst this was all setting I fashioned a pair of blue dungarees from fondant, his eye and goggle, arms and legs. When these were all ready I stuck it all together and it Just went together like a dream. He was awe struck when he saw it and everyone said it was amazing and tasted fantastic.

Horizon offshore Inc

Horizon offshore Inc Horizon Offshore IncI General Information:A. Company NameHorizon Offshore IncB Company's IndustryHorizon Offshore, Inc. is a leading provider of marine construction servicesto the offshore oil and gas Industry.C. Choice of this companyJust a friend of mine had recommended this company.D. Company trade LocationCompany trades at NASDAQ NM.E. The ticker symbol of the company.Ticker symbol is HOFF.F. Auditing firmArthur Andersen LLP, Houston, Texas.G.Information about the website1. The following information are provided in the website such as The Horizon news, about the company and its operations, the press releases, Investor relations which consists of the share holder information and the transfer agents address, corporate overview and the SEC filings (8K,10K and 10Q).2. Website Address:www.horizonoffshore.com.3. Website Print out:Horizon Offshore, Inc. provides marine construction services to the offshore oil and gas industry around the world.Company year-end-party - 08The Company's fl eet is used to perform a wide range of marine construction activities, including installation and burial of marine pipelines with conventional 'S' pipelay and "reel" pipelay methods, derrick barge operations for installation of new and abandonment of old oil and gas producing facilities.Horizon's mission is to pursue operational excellence while maintaining the highest regard for the management of health, safety and environment (HSE) and quality. In all aspects of our work, we provide high quality, industry recognized marine construction services throughout the world.Recent Horizon News02/26/2003- Horizon Offshore to Present at Raymond James Associates 24th Annual Institutional Investors Conference01/22/2003- Horizon Offshore Names Additional Board Member01/13/2003- Horizon Offshore Names New DirectorSearch | Disclaimer | Web Policy | Questions/Comments |Copyright  © 1996-2002Horizon Offshore, Inc. All rights reserved.Company EnvironmentA. Article about the company and its indust ry.Article1:1. "Horizon offshore wins Gulf Of Mexico Pipeline contract from Williams." (10/17/2002), www.oilworks.com/new/i102102.htmlHorizon Offshore Inc is a leading provider of marine construction services to the offshore oil and gas industry. Operations are concentrated in the shallow deep water ranges of U.S Gulf of Mexico, central and South America, with strategic expansion into other international areas. Horizon offshore of Houston, Texas has been awarded a contract by Williams's oil gathering to install 50 miles of oil pipeline in the united states of gulf of Mexico for the mountaineer shallow water pipeline system, which is the part of the devils tower project being constructed by Williams.Horizon offshore decided to utilize one of their largest vessels Lone Star horizon and Pecos horizon for pipelining. This will be installed in water depths ranging from 8 to 270 feet. the work started in the fourth quarter of 2002 and scheduled to complete during the first quarter of 2003 .Gulf of Mexico demonstrates the company's ability to capitalize and benefit from growing deep water field development, by performing related shallow water work. Horizon's stellar track record frequently makes them marine construction contractor of choice by its customers for longer, high profile project of this type.Article2.2. "Horizon offshore announces International certifications" press release(9/16/2002), horizonoffshore.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.asp?id=69Horizon offshore also called HOFF announced its achievement of two internationally recognized certifications. Norwegian classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) certified horizon with occupational health and safety assessment series management system standard OHSAS 18001.This certification is designed to minimize the risk of accidents and near-miss incidents that employees and other parties may encounter while participating in work-related activities.The second certification was received by DNV to international qu ality management system standard ISO9001:2000 for its activities in Houston and Southeast Asia marine constructionm.Compliance with this certification is expected to enhance customer satisfaction by demonstrating horizon's ability to consistently provide products meeting customer and applicable regulatory requirements.The company is mainly involved in performing wide range of marine construction activities, including installation of marine pipelines to transport oil and gas and other sub sea production systems.The industry conditions and volatility, prices of oil and gas, the company's ability to obtain and the timing of new projects reflect the actual results. Obviously horizon has grown up to level where it reached the depths of the marine construction.B.Company Analysis:Horizon offshore, Inc is a leading provider of marine construction services to the offshore oil and gas industry and was established in the year 1989 with around 545 employees, including 399 operating personnel an d 146 corporate, admisnistrative and management personnel. Operations are concentrated in the shallow to deepwater ranges of the US Gulf of Mexico, Central and South America with strategic expansion in to other international areas.Horizon.The company's fleet consists of thirteen vessels, twelve of which are operational. The company established a joint venture with Cal Dive International, Inc to participate in the ultra deep water market. The primary services the Company provides include installing pipelines to transport oil and natural gas, providing pipelines, hook-up and commissioning services and installing production platforms and other structures and then salvaging them at the end of their life cycles.During 2001, the Company laid 126 miles of pipe of various diameters in various depths. In 2001, the Company performed a total of 72 pipeline construction contracts, and installed or removed 30 offshore platforms. The Company continued its international expansion efforts with the purchase of the Sea Horizon in July 2001, a combination 360-foot derrick pipe lay barge. After completing upgrades and modifications, the Sea Horizon became the Company's largest combination barge capable of performing turnkey projects in remote locations with a single mobilization. The Sea Horizon was mobilized in February 2002 to perform a pipeline and platform installation project in Indonesian waters. This project, involving over 10.6 kilometers of pipe at water depths of 175 feet, and a 450-ton, four-pile platform installation, marks the Company's entry into Southeast Asia. The Sea Horizon is scheduled to upgrade its lift capacity to 1,200 tons in the latter part of 2002. The Company intends to continue operating the vessel in Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as other areas in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Vietnam. The Company's pipe lay vessels employ conventional S-lay technology, which is appropriate for operating on the United States continental shelf and in many inte rnational areas. For larger pipe burying projects, or where deeper trenching is required, the Company uses the Canyon Horizon, the dedicated pipe bury barge.For the nine months ended 9/30/02, revenues fell 2% to $195.4 million. Net income before extraordinary item decreased 56% to $4.8 million. Results reflect higher contract revenues from the projects in Mexico, offset by a $2 million loss due to a fire. The major competitors for this company are Atlas Pipeline Partners (APL) and Atwood Oceanic, Inc. (ATW)The marine construction industry is highly competitive .Competition is influenced by factors such as price, availability and capability of equipment, personnel, reputation and experience of management. They currently compete with Global industries, Ltd., Torch Offshore, Inc and a few other smaller contracters, and the competitors for the installation and removal of production platforms are offshore specialty Fabricators, Inc.C.Plotting Stock prices:IV: Balance sheet and Income sta tement analysis:A. Balance sheet:1. There are two types of stocks reported on the balance sheet they are the Common stock with a par value of 35000,000 and preferred stock of 5000,000.2. The number of shares that are authorized are 24244598, the number issued is 19,869098 and the number of outstanding for each year is3. The Accounting equation is A=L +E393584=207894 + 185690Beginning balance: Assets = Liabilities + Equity239425=135390 + 239425Ending Balance: Assets = Liabilities + Equity393584= 207894 + 3935844. The inventory has increased from last year to this year5. The company's largest asset is the company's property and the equipments (6 vessels)B.Income Statement Analysis:1. The change in the cost of goods sold is 237,175 and he Gross Margin from Last year to this year is2. The net income from last year 2000 is $6374, and 10,693 in the year 2001,Hence the net change in the net income is 43193. The largest operating expense is the selling general and Administration expense whi ch is 13,7714. The company has one revenue account.C.General1. The amount of dividends the company paid last year is 95,838 in 2001, and 16,581 in the year 2000.This change is due to the change in the net income from last year to this year.2. The 3 items of information that I learned from reading the footnotes are the Accounts Recievable, Notes payable and the Dividends.V. Ratio Analysis:Return on Assets: This is a profitability ratio that measures how efficiently the company uses assets to produce profits.The Return on Assets can be calculated by: Net Income before taxes / Total Assets.$16,078 / 393584 = .041 or 4.1%The company has a low return on assets.Total Asset Turnover: A profitability ratio that indicates the amount of revenues produced for a given level of assets used.Total Asset turnover = Sales / Total Assets$272208 / 393584 = .69 0r 6.9%This indicates that horizon produced 6.9% as many dollars in sales as it has invested in assets.Profit Margin after Income taxes: A prof itability ratio that measures the earnings produced from a given level of revenues by comparing net income after income taxes with the revenue figure.Profit margin after Income tax = Net Income after taxes / sales$10,693 / 272208 = .039 or 3.9%Return on Equity: A profitability ratio that measures the after-tax net income generated from a given level of investment by a company's owners.Return on equity: Net Income after taxes / Equity$10,693 / 185690 = .057 or 5.7%Current Ratio: A liquidity ratio that measures a company's ability to meet short term obligations by comparing current assets to current liabilitiesCurrent ratio: Current assets / current liabilities$161745 / 83690 = 1.93 to 1.This indicates that Horizon had $1.93 of current assets for every $1.00 of current liabilities at the end of 2002Quick Ratio: A liquidity ratio that is similar to the current ratio, but a more stringent test of liquidity, because only current assets considered to be highly liquid are included in the c alculation.Quick ratio = Cash + Receivables + Marketable Securities / current liabilities.$7864 + 52431 + 0 / 83690 = .72 to 1Net sales to working capital ratio: A ratio used to measure the level of sales generated from a given level of working capitalNet sales = Sales / Current assets - Current liabilities$272208 / 161745 - 83690 = 3.487 to 1This figure suggests that in 2002 the horizon generated $ 3.48 in sales for every $ 1 of working capital it had at the end of 2001Inventory turnover: A liquidity ratio that indicates how long a company holds its inventoryInventory turnover = cost of sales / inventory$237175 / 1705 = 13.9 times365/13.9 = 26.25 daysDebt ratio: A solvency that indicates what proportion of a company's assets is financed by debtDebt ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets = 207894 / 393584 = .53 0r 53%Total liabilities to Net worth = A solvency ratio indicating the relationship between creditors claims to a company's assets and the owners claim to those assetsTotal liabilities to net worth = total liabilities / net worth83690 / 185690 = .451The horizon has $ .451 of debt for every $1 of equity.

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buy custom Organized Gangs essay According to the FBI, over one million people in the US belong to organized gangs. When members of different gangs are arrested, convicted for crimes and imprisoned, they meet each other in prison. This means that they can use the common background that they have in criminal activities in order to perpetuate criminal acts within prison cells. Outside prisons, contact with those who are yet to be imprisoned makes it easy for crimes to continue being organized and perpetrated. Within California, Terry Thorton, a spokeswoman for California Department of Corrections, the prisons are today accommodating about 162,000 inmates within the states prisons. Gang population has been estimated to comprise 803 members, 325 inactive member, 900 associates and 1,050 dropouts. In The Influence of Prison Gang Affiliation on Violence and Other Prison Misconduct, Wallace, et al, 2002 used automated The Bureau of Prisons data in order to conduct an empirical research how prison affiliation gangs contribute to various forms of misconduct and violence inside prisons. They found out that specific as well as more generic indicators of gangs were directly connected to instances of violence and various unlawful acts that threatened to destabilize law and order in prisons. Prison gangs represent an extension of a society whose morality has suffered untold erosion. Many people who join these gangs do so in order to survive in a prison society full of animosity, hostility and cruelty. According to Bill Wallace, a Chronicle staff writer, Californias prison system is dominated by 5 major inmate gangs. According to Wallace, the gangs are often organized based on racial affiliations. This brings into sharp focus the survival theory. In this case, those races that are threatened by marginalization find themselves finding for ways through which they can survive. They find solace in prison gangs in the face of harsh life outside and within the confines of prison walls. Even upon completion of their sentences, members of thee gangs maintain close ties with the base that is within the prison. The gangs thrive because their members are able to take advantage of the tensions that already exist among inmates due to ethnic and tribal affiliations. The State Department stated in a 2003 report relating to the genesis of organized prison gangs: as these gangs began to continuously grow in number and acquire leverage, more and more cases of rivalries began to emerge and this resulted in increase of violence in prisons. Nuestra Familia is one of the earliest prison gangs to be formed in Soledad Prison. It was formed in order to protect young inmates held in North California prisons from the Mexican Mafia. The Mexican Mafia, also known as La EME, had been formed as early as w1950s in order to enable prisoners to connect with the outside world and to continue organizing crimes. In November, 2005, Pelican Bay State Prison, considered one of the toughest penitentiaries in California, froze the accounts of some 16 inmates believed to have been laundering money through sale of drugs in the streets, criminal activities and prostitution. Black Guerilla Family is another prison gang, which gang experts say, is largely responsible for racial frictions within California prisons. The gang was founded in 1996 in San Quentin prison. The 1990s saw the memberships of Black Guerilla Family drop dramatically. It is only six years ago that saw recruitment drives for this prison gang increase dramatically. The gang even started hiring from street gangs with a predominantly black population, including The Crips and 415 Kumi Nation. How do gangs maintain control in California prisons? All gangs thrive through connections that they maintain with street gangs. All prison gangs are affiliated to certain street gangs whose members cooperate in matters of mutual interest such as crimes, sale of drugs in the streets and prostitution. These links have become so cohesive that they have attracted the interest of federal prosecutors. Modern communications technology has made it easy for inmates to communicate with the outside world. It takes a simple phone call for the leader of a prison gang to coordinate drug business in the street through the use of connections with gang members who are out of prison. In most cases, these members happen to be former inmates at the said prison from where the activities are being coordinated. In most cases, mobile phones find their way into prisons as contraband. This makes it possible for gang leaders to issue commands even when they are in segregation. Geoffrey et al, 1993, looks at the organizations of California prison gangs within the context of a culture that has developed in prisons over decades that go as far back as the 1950s. Within this context, prison gangs are seen to rely on external subcultures as well as a prison culture that is not easy to find in any other place on earth. Every gang maintains a unique sense of identity by designing symbols and tattoos. Prison population demographics are never constant; they keep changing as new inmates come in and old ones go. This scenario presents even experienced inmates with a difficult situation where they have to keep adapting to a new environment all the time. With prison gangs, the problem of maintaining cohesion is solved. Without solidarity, gangs cannot succeed in making contraband find its way into the prisons. Where cooperation between members of different gangs takes place, it is because there are mutual benefits to be derived. In most cases, this happens when there is need to coordinate efforts aimed at covering up the illegal activities that go on in prison cells. Members of each gang have a particular coded language that they use for communication. They also replace letters with number codes in order to ensure that only a member of their gang can decode the information that is transferred. The codes are changed periodically in order to ensure that they are not cracked by law enforcement agencies. Buy custom Organized Gangs essay

Service learning and high school diploma Research Paper

Service learning and high school diploma - Research Paper Example Service learning and high school diploma Service learning wouldn’t benefit the students’ education. Indeed, many students would be unable to volunteer in their field. This negates any argument that service learning would help the students’ education†. The above argument is also illogical. The aim of education is to prepare the children to meet all sorts of life challenges effectively in future. In other words, it is ridiculous to argue that a science student should get practical experiences only in science topics. It should be noted that for conducting a successful future personal, professional and social life, he should acquire all sorts of knowledge even if he is specifically studying the science or arts during his school days. Service Learning programs must have specific goals in mind, and a system to support them. It should connect community services to the learning goals. In some cases, people develop service mentality because of genetic reasons. However, genetic reasons alone may not help a student to acquire service mentality. Suitable environment will help the students to develop more service mentality. In order to develop the suitable environment for service learning, planning and preparations are necessary. To conclude, service learning should be made mandatory in order to prepare the students better equipped for meeting the life challenges in future. Theoretical contents learned from the classrooms will become meaningful only when the students were able to apply it in the practical context. Service learning will help the students in doing so and therefore service learning should be made compulsory to earn a high school diploma. ... In their opinion school is a place in which learning should take place rather than servicing. However, such people have forgotten to realise the fact that learning by doing is the most efficient method of the learning process. Students may get lot of contents from their text books; however they will never realise the importance of such contents in the absence of practice. For example, students may learn more about Mother Teresa and her contributions from text books. But only those who take part in the community servicing will learn more about the depth, breadth and greatness of Mother’s services. According to Jonathan Sims, the student representative of Maryland state board of education, â€Å"students who are forced to community work may view the work as something to get out of the way and they will become clock watchers† (Morris, p. 4). The above arguments seem to be meaningless. In my opinion, when planned properly, service learning allows students to utilize their c lassroom learning, and use it in a real life situation.  It is difficult to create a wall between education and servicing. In fact the ultimate aim of education is servicing. Whatever the knowledge acquired by a student while learning, becomes meaningful only when he applies it in his personal, professional and social life. In other words, service learning will help the students to apply their knowledge learned from the classrooms. According to Ron Peiffer, Director of communication and special projects at Maryland state department of education, â€Å"when opponents argue that we cannot mandate volunteerism, they are ignoring the basic goal of required service programs ie, education† (Morris, p. 4). â€Å"Training throughout the mentoring experience would have helped to make

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I don't have one - Essay Example Diageo financial reports for the year ended 30 June 2012 reveals the strength of the business. In summary, the business increased net sales by 6%, 9% in net operating profit, and 4% points of positive price/mix. Emerging markets played a big role in improving Diageo business, which amounted to about 40%. These emerging markets increased sales by 15% and operating profits by 23%. In addition, the business has free cash flow available for investment amounting to Euros one point six billion. Earnings per share went up by 13 % increasing final divided by 8%. The most important tool to an investor interested in stocks of Diageo is the income statement. From this statement earning per share in the year 2010 was at 72 pence and rose to 83.6 pence in the year 2011. Profits went up too by 292 million Euros. Operating profit went up by 133 euros. The margins are also at 29.4, which is higher than the previous year.This is a good indicator that of how company’s stocks are fairing in the market. The balance sheet of Diageo will help an investor see the extent of expansion of the company and diversification of its markets. A balance sheet gives the information on the value of the assets of the company and their growth over the last few years. From Diageo’s balance sheet, an investor can see there is a big growth in assets of the company from emerging markets. In addition, the balance sheet of Diageo reveals that 2% volume growth is driven by growth in strategic brands, emerging markets, premium plus products, innovation, and acquis itions. The stocks of Diageo earn good dividends and present great growth over the last few years. Thus, I would advice an investor to take up the shares. Stocks of international companies are a bit tricky to analyse. One reason is that hey are affected by issues like dramatic change in market value, politics, reliance on foreign legal remedies, and poor