The Great Flood Story in Mythology Essays

The Great Flood Story in Mythology Essays The Great Flood Story in Mythology Essay The Great Flood Story in Mythology Essay Essay Topic: The Epic of Gilgamesh There are several myths that include accounts of a great flood. The common reason for the flood, as testified in most of these myths, is usually punishment upon mankind for their sins. Typically, an angry god seeking revenge administers the flood. Some of mankind may be spared through the building of some sort of protective boat, ark, or even a golden egg. Seeds from all animals and vegetation will be stored inside until the flood subsides. At this time, the world will begin again. Genesis of Noah The Bible contains a flood story in Genesis of Noah. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the Sumerian myth that tells the story of a flood.In India, The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe tells the Hindu story of the great flood. The Yoruba myth that tells a flood story is The Creation of the Universe and Ife. Each of these myths has similarities regarding the great flood. Each of these also has some conflicting details of the account. Sumerians The Sumerians lived in Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia was between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, hence the name, Mesopotamia that directly translates to between the rivers.Today, this area is known as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, but it was once occupied by one of the oldest known civilizations. This civilization is given credit to spreading the great myth, The Epic of Gilgamesh.This epic was written in cuneiform on clay tablets dating back to around 2100 B.C.Sin-leqi Unninni, a priest, has been given credit for writing the epic. It was discovered in Ninevah in 1845 in the ruins of the library of Ashurbanipal. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is searching for Utnapishtim, the Faraway, to inquire about immortality.When Gilgamesh finds Utanipishtim, he is told of the great flood. In this account of the flood, Enlil, ruler of the Gods, decides to destroy the Earth.He assembles the other gods in a discussion of what is to be done.

Hubble Studies Giant Gas Bubbles Near our Galaxys Core

Hubble Studies Giant Gas Bubbles Near our Galaxy's Core Its an ancient galactic mystery with a modern explanation: two million years ago, something happened at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Something energetic. Something that sent two huge bubbles of gas billowing out to space. Today, they stretch out across more than 30,000 light-years of space, extending above and below the plane of the Milky Way.  No one was around to see it then at least no humans on Earth. Our earliest primate  ancestors were just learning to walk upright, and astronomy was not likely on their list of activities. So, this major explosion went unnoticed. Yet, it was a titanic event, driving gases and other material outward at two million miles per hour, didnt affect our plane then and it wont likely affect us in the future. However, it does show us what happens when a massive explosion occurs some 25,000 light-years away from our planet. Hubble Sleuths the Cause of the Explosion Astronomers used  Hubble Space Telescope  to look through one lobe of the bubbles toward a very distant quasar. Thats a galaxy that is very bright in  both visible and other wavelengths of light. The quasars passed through the bubbles of gas, which allowed Hubble to peer inside the  bubble to learn more about it- like  looking at a distant light shining through a fog bank.   The enormous structure illustrated in this image was discovered five years ago as a gamma-ray glow on the sky in the direction of the galactic center. The balloon-like features have since been observed in x-rays and radio waves. The Hubble Space Telescope presented a good way to measure the velocity and composition of the mystery lobes.  With the data from HST,  astronomers will work on calculating the mass of the material being blown out of our galaxy. That might also let them figure out just what happened to send all this gas billowing out of the galaxy in the first place. What Caused this Massive Galactic Explosion? The two most likely scenarios that explain these bipolar lobes are 1) a firestorm of star birth at the Milky Ways center or 2) the eruption of its supermassive black hole.   This isnt the first time that gaseous winds and streams of material have been seen coming from the centers of galaxies, but its the first time astronomers have detected evidence for them in our own galaxy.   The giant lobes are called Fermi Bubbles. They were initially spotted using NASAs Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to track gamma-rays.  These emissions are a powerful clue that a violent event in the galaxys core aggressively launched energized gas into space. To provide more information about the outflows, Hubbles Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) studied the ultraviolet light from a distant quasar that lies beyond the base of the northern bubble. Imprinted on that light as it travels through the lobe is information about the velocity, composition, and temperature of the expanding gas inside the bubble, which only COS can provide. The COS data show that the gas is rushing from the galactic center at roughly 3 million kilometers an hour (2 million miles an hour). of the gas at approximately 17,500 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much cooler than most of the 18-million-degree gas in the outflow. This cooler gas means that some interstellar gas could be getting caught up in the outflow.   COS observations also reveal that the clouds of gas contain the elements silicon, carbon, and aluminum.  These are produced inside stars.   Does this mean that star formation or star death is involved in the original event that formed the bubbles? Astronomers think that one possible cause for the outflows is a star-making frenzy near the galactic center. Eventually, those hot, young massive stars die in supernova explosions, which blow out gas. If a lot of them exploded at once, it might spur the formation of a huge gas bubble.   Another scenario has a star or a group of stars falling onto the Milky Ways supermassive black hole. When that happens, gas superheated by the black hole blasts deep into space and that could be what filled out the bubbles.   Those bubbles are short-lived compared to the age of our galaxy (which is more than 10 billion years old). Its possible that these arent the first bubbles to billow out from the core. It could have happened before.   Astronomers will continue to look at these bubbles using distant quasars as illuminators, so it might not be too long before we hear just what it was that caused a huge commotion at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy.  They may well also be interested in studying smaller such bubbles that form as a result of supernova explosions and the actions of hot young stars. Such bubbles actually work to protect systems encased within. One example is the Local Interstellar Cloud, which encases the solar system today. In a few tens of thousands of years, the Sun and planets will move outside of it, exposing our system to radiation levels it hasnt experienced for a long time.

Prepare an equity research report comparing the financial performance Assignment

Prepare an equity research report comparing the financial performance of your chosen retail company with the financial performan - Assignment Example Through prudent risk management and optimum allocation of resources and assets, the company has been able to withstand financial difficulties and turmoil and has been able to portray sound and stable financial outlook. Today the company now has over 900 stores worldwide which cater to wide demography of customers across the globe. The company was founded by the name of John David stores in 1981 with one shop in bury. In the financial year of 1989 the first London store was opened in Oxford Street. One of the most important landmarks in the history of the company was the floatation of its equity stock in the year 1996. At this point of time, the company had around 56 stores. Subsequent to the issuance of equity in the market, the revenue growth of the company started increasing with rapid pace. The company acquired affiliations with international sports brands such as Addidas, Nike and Reebok and thus it was able to establish substantial present in the retail industry. The company not only focused on organic growth but it also expanded through merger and acquisitions. In the financial year 2002, JD sports acquired nearly 200 stores and the highlight among them the acquisition of first sport, a renowned sport retailer. In the financial year 2005, the company was also able to purchase more than 70 stores from Allstores which further established its position as the leading UK retailer in sports wear merchandise. The primary operations of the company reside in UK, Ireland and in France. 1.2 Overview of the current operations In the financial year 2012, the company acquired Blacks, another leading sports retailer in the industry. With the acquisition of Blacks, the JD group comprises of four divisions being Sport Fascias, Fashion Fascias, Outdoor and Distribution. The current primary business of the company is retail and the other businesses of the company acts as support activities. JD Sports have made substantial investment in brands, business, multi-channel and ot her infrastructure to improve and enhance the financial outlook of the company. The company has also made substantial investment in the current year for expanding its business to greater horizons such as Spain, Ireland and France. The company was able to open its first store in Spain in March 2012. The following is a brief financial analysis of various operational segment of the company: 1.3 Sports Fascias The Sport Fascias of JD sports plc comprises of JD, Size, Chausport, Sprinter and Champion sports. During the financial year of 2012, the revenue of the company increased by 16.3% and its market share also hiked as compared to the prior years. The gross margin of the company, however, experienced a marginal decrease from 51% (2011) to 50.8% (2012). This decrease was primarily due to the lower margin business of Champion and Sprinter. The operating profit of the segment experienced a hike of about ?1 million. 1.4 Fashion Fascias The fashion fascias comprises of Bank, Scotts and Gec il Gee. During the current financial year, the total revenue of the company increased by 13.2% and the gross margin of the segment decreased by marginally from 49% to 48.5%. 1.5 Outdoor After the acquisition of Blacks, a new reporting segment by the name of Outdoor has been created. At the time of the acquisition, the operations of Blacks were in adverse position and it required a considerable efforts and time of the managements to bring them to a reasonable position. The acquisition took place three months

Cloning cdc2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cloning cdc2 - Essay Example This was used to calculate the transformation efficiency of the experiment.The aim of carrying out this experiment was to try out carry out cloning of E. coli and to calculate how efficient the cloning was. The following are the key words that will be used in this report. To begin with is the word smid pALA2, which represents the plasmid to be used in the experiment. The other word is S. pombe. This in full is known as the Schizosaccharomycespombe. It is a species of yeast that is rod shaped and reproduces by fission. In this experiment on cloning, the yeast has been used in the determination of how the cell responds to DNA replication and destruction. The other key word in this report is cdc2, which stands for cell division control protein 2. This is also referred to by the name Cyclin-dependent kinase 1. It plays the role of encoding the fission yeast S.pombe in this experiment. This section contains a brief description of the tables and figures that will be used in the report. They are as follows; figure one represents the gels showing the purified genomic DNA from S. pombe, compared to the provided DNA sample. Figure two is of the virtual gel showing restriction digest of purified plasmids. Figure three is of plasmid CPP, lane PCR product and purified PC. The forth figure is the control made of the Marker, KpnI cut pALA2 plasmid, the fifth is KpnI cut pALA2, which is a cdc2 orientation of the first plasmid. The sixth figure is the KpnI cut pALA2 that is also a cdc2 orientation of the second plasmid. The final figure is figure seven that shows the plasmid maps. Table one in the report shows the qubit values and the student number. Cloning can be defined in many ways though all these definitions will add up to the same thing. Cloning generally refers to the process of giving rise to organisms that are alike genetically either in nature like in the asexual reproduction of certain

Frederick Douglass’ Paper Essay Example for Free

Frederick Douglass’ Paper Essay This map portrays a mass exodus into the Northern states as well as Canada. The trip from Louisiana to Indian was an arduous expedition taking several weeks or months to transverse. In this trek African Americans prove their stalwart bravado in the face of danger and prove that their freedom is worth the trail . Frederick Douglass With the idea African American influence in the Civil War, the name of Frederick Douglass is synonymous with freedom, or free blacks. His belief in an unshackled African American race led him to be the spokesman of abolishing slavery. His importance in shaping the fate of the Civil War is found in his being a voice for the freed slave, the oppressed slave, and the sympathizers of abolition. He changed the course of the war simply by speaking out and demanding to be heard, as well as his actions against oppression. His advocacy in abolition changed the tide of not just the war, but also the mentality of many whites to the capabilities of blacks, their intellect, as well as their strength and ingenuity in battle. Douglass was not only a lecturer on anti-slavery but he was a journalist and writer as well. Douglass was invited to join the Anti-Slavery Society and journeyed on a circuit across the Northern states to speak out against slavery by using his own life as a basis for others to become abolitionists. During one of Douglass’ speeches in Pendleton Indiana he is accosted by a mob and has his right hand broken, only a friend and fellow abolitionist stopped the mob from murdering Douglass; in this story and many others, Frederick proves to be a guiding light for other African Americans to unite and be free. Along with these feats of bravery, Frederick Douglass has a magazine entitled Frederick Douglass’ Paper, and subsequently has another paper entitled, Douglass Monthly in which he speaks of the horrendous nature of slavery, its disgrace to humanity and ways in which free blacks are regaining their lives in this country. (Tracy O. 2005). Bordewich describes Frederick Douglass as such, Douglass was one of the most charismatic members of an emerging generation of black intellectuals who were beginning to give African Americans a national voice through antislavery lecturing, journalism, and the ministry. More than anything else, however, it was the steady growth of independent black churches that provided the African American with what John Mercer Langston, the found of the Ohio State Anti-Slavery Society, a black organization called the ‘opportunity to be himself, to test his own powers. ’ (226) The bases of Douglass’ speeches were to encourage abolitionists’ fight in freedom of the African Americans. Many parts of the Northern states were still segregated, especially in areas that could prove to encourage African Americans to learn and be educated. In a Philadelphia, Robert Purvis instituted a black library . In New York, David Ruggles instituted a similar library. Blacks were rising up; they were speaking their minds about suffrage, about oppression, discrimination on public transportation, and schools. Frederick Douglass aided in the movement of a race to define themselves as free to a forming nation, and with the idea of personal liberty laws helping to protect fugitives once they entered the North, this movement quickly became a staple in Douglass’ speeches as well as becoming a changing force in the course of the Civil War. (Bordewich, 226). In striking contrast to white abolitionists, black abolitionists incited their own personal struggles with slavery to get their point across that humans do not belong in bondage. In extreme cases of rebellion groups, some believed in the taking up of arms against their former masters and in the issue of slavery using the events happening on the Amistad d as a vehicle to incite further rebellion and to stoke the fires of freedom and to attest that the supposed supremacy of white slave owners could be overthrown (Bordewich, 227). The antislavery movement, with the help of Frederick Douglass, became one which, though devastated the South’s economy, defined the history of a nation during the Civil War. During his speech with the Anti-Slavery Society, Douglass met with many other like-minded abolitionists, and the lectures proved to be indispensable in allowing the general public to know what abolition was and why it was so integral in the Civil War. As Bordewich describes of Douglass’ life during these lectures. The antislavery movement provided Douglass and a host of his fellow speakers with a forum for their views and life experience that African Americans had never enjoyed before. The stories that they told of floggings, sadistic overseers, shattered families, and prostituted mothers and sisters overwhelmed skeptical Yankees for whom slavery was an unpleasant but abstract national problem, and turned thousands of them into active abolitionists. Douglass soon became one of the movement’s most popular lecturers. ‘All the other speakers seemed tame after Frederick Douglass,’ Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote, after a convention at Boston’s Faneuil Hall. His immensely popular autobiography, first published n 18445, made his name close to a household word (227) Douglass was so adamant about his views of abolition that once during a train ride where he paid for his first class ticket he refused to leave his seat despite the insistence of the conductor. When his refusal couldn’t be tolerated any longer, the conductor had six men physically lift him from his seat to try and remove him due to the enforcement of Jim Crow laws. (Bordewich, 228). The Anti-Slavery Society offered Douglass the opportunity to lecture in New England in the spring of 1843. The lectures began in Vermont and New Hampshire and they ended in Ohio and Indiana. As Bordewich states of this event, Douglass was selected as one of the corps of traveling speakers who would cross the country. He was thrilled. This was his breakthrough, his opportunity to carry his message to a national audience. ‘I never entered upon any work with more heart and hope,’ Douglass wrote. ‘All that the American people needed, I thought was light. Could they know slavery as I knew it, they would hasten to the work of its extinction. ’ 228. Among some of the other noted lecturers there were Charles L. Remond, Henry Highland Gernet, Amos Beaman, and Charles M. Ray. During this period, Frederick Douglass found within himself the ability to offer to an audience the reality of slavery through his own tale of it, and his eventual fugitive state and then freedom. The Church In times of crises, faith is tested, and through this testing there is a revelation of belief and a growing of churches. During the Civil War, both the enslaved blacks and the freed blacks depended on a source of stability and in no other place was this found more strongly than in the church. The church provided a meetinghouse for abolition events (lectures, etc. ), it gave the black community not only a place in which to worship but also a place in which to become united as a people. Not only were many Northern abolitionists found within the sight of the church and religion but also many blacks found within the church a place of sanctuary. As Bordewich states on the subject of black revival religion. Between 1863 and 1846, African Methodist Episcopal congregations grew from eighty-six to nearly three hundred, and spread from the churche’s orginal base in Philadephia as faw wast as Indiana. Black Baptist churches, meanwile, had grown from just ten in 1830 to thirty-four in 1844. Not surprisingly, black churches were usually outspoken in their denunciation of slavery, and many of them were woeven into the web of the abolitionist underground, like the Bethel AME church in Indianapolis, a key station on the Underground Railroad, and Cincinnati’s Zion Baptist Church, which regularysheltered fugitives in its basement (226). Religion was also a source by which the African Americans could be educated. In this turn of events it is not necessarily the African Americans who were a great influence on the Civil War but the war gave them an opportunity to become educated and this happened mainly through studying the bible and learning to read it and become familiar with its morality. In the South, the general opinion was that education for blacks was not stunted through un-exposure to education, but the North held a very different idea ; being removed from the obstacle of slavery allowed freeman to discover their propensity for learning. It is through religion that this education was made possible, as Glatthaar states, â€Å"The more Southern black soldiers studied the Bible, and the better they learned to read and write, the sooner proper character, represented by morality, thrift, industry, and striving for perfection, would take shape among these new freedmen. In turn, this would help to uplift the entire South† (225). The view taken by the abolitionist movement in regards to religion and education was that in the reconstruction it was essential for African Americans to be able to read, write and do arithmetic. One of the overwhelming sentiments that came out of the Civil War was the engrossment of religion to the newly freed blacks. Their strength now came form a religious source and this source gave them the means by which to discover for themselves the true meaning of freedom and gratitude for that freedom. This can best be described through McPherson’s quoting of Susie King Taylor , There are good friends to the negro. Why, there are still thousands that have not bowed to Baal†¦Man thinks two hundred years is a long time, and it is, too; but it is only as a week to God, and in his own time-I know I shall not live to see the day, but it will come-the South will be like the North, and when it comes it will be prized higher than we prize the North to-day. God is just; when he created man he made him in his image, and never intended on should misuse the other. All men are born free and equal in his sight (314). McPherson goes on to give detail about sentiment in the church, and Rev. J. Sella Martin a former slave became pastor of the Joy Street Baptist Church in Boston and wrote this note to Frederick Douglass, Just think of Dimmick and Slemmer (Union Officers) sending back the fugitives that sought protection of them. They refuse to let white men sell the Southerners food, and yet they return slaves to work on the plantation to raise all the food that the Southerners want. They arrest traitors, and yet make enemies of the colored people, North and South; and if they do force the slave to fight for his master, as the only hope of being benefited by the war, they may thank their own cowardice and prejudice for the revenge of the negro’s aid and the retribution of his bullet while fighting against hem in the Southern States. I received a letter form Mobile, in which the writer states that the returning of those slaves by Slemmer has made the slaves determined to fight for the South, in the hope that their masters may set them free after the war, an when remonstrated with, they say that hey North will not let them fight for them (23). The influence that can be seen today with religion and African Americans is the vastness of churches rising across America, and the gospel hymns inspired by wanting to break free of slavery.

An In-Depth Analysis of Fairy Tales :: essays research papers

More Than â€Å"Kiddy† Stuff: An In Depth Look At Fairy Tales. Esteemed German poet Johann Schiller insists, â€Å"Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told me in my childhood than in any truth that is taught in life" (â€Å"Fairy† 1). Fairy tales are unique because they focus all which is moral and corrupt into a short, compact story. The story directly arrives to the plot leaving nothing to ponder. From there, fairy tales branch out and explore each superior characteristic a person should obtain and their opposites. The tales are usually meant for young children, but they are exceedingly beneficial to all ages; however, children benefit more from the abstract reason of thought these provide. Recent studies prove, â€Å"[. . .] children deprived of fantasy may develop nightmares and suffer emotional delays† (Melvin 1). Since the tales are universal, they can be adapted to teach or explain any given lesson in life. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991) portrays a complete transformation by Beast, which can be relat ed to life in countless ways. At first, Beast is disliked and feared by the characters around him because of his appearance. When desperate Maurice wanders into Beast’s castle, he is treated Beast storms down to the room where Maurice waits unexpectedly the moment he learns a stranger has entered his castle. Without welcome to the stranger, Beast begins interrogating Maurice in a derogative manner, â€Å"Who are you? What are you doing here?† With Maurice in a stupor, Beast’s fangs flash, and his large shadow floods the wall. Beast appears jagged and uneven, his mane and fur unkempt. Maurice is terrified because inches away stands a beast twice the size of a man, with talons for nails and fangs for teeth. Beast’s warm, stale breath saturates Maurice, and they stand unchanged for an instant. Before Belle takes her father’s place as prisoner to Beast, she asks to see Beast in the light. He steps forward lighting his dog-like features and Belle is aghast. She covers her mouth with her hand because she cannot believe she is taking her father’s place for this monster. Later when Belle has grown more use to Beast, he messily eats his food without proper etiquette and food sloshes all over his face. Beast perpetrates many wrongful actions; thus, he is not popular among newcomers. This fact is proven well when Maurice is harshly taken up into the keep of the castle.

Sammy of Updike’s A & P: The Voice of Youth and Openness

John Updike, in his short story A & P, has made the excellent choice of making an unpretentious nineteen-year-old boy the narrator.   Sammy, the check-out counter boy provides an honest and unequivocal look at the other characters the way young boys can be.As a narrator, Sammy is able to give the readers a background of what the other characters are like, by describing their interactions and the inclinations of the grocery’s patrons.   The narrator’s honest and casual style creates a vivid picture of the society involved in the story, which in turn discusses the traditional and the unconventional.â€Å"It is in this setting that Updike reveals, through what is almost a prose dramatic monologue technique, the sensitive character of a nineteen year old grocery clerk named Sammy, who rejects the standards of the A & P and in so doing commits himself to [a] kind of individual freedom†Ã‚  (Porter 1155).  Sammy does not make observations according to consequences or what may be thought of as â€Å"right†; instead, he thinks without editing his thoughts, thus producing an accurate account, according to his point of view, of what has happened.He is a character who has no reason to embellish the tale because he is already separating from the views of the majority.Sammy has an eye on everyone coming in and out of the A & P. He is able to observe people passing by the doors, paying for their purchases and even selecting products.   There is no ambiguity in the way he describes people.â€Å"She's one of these cash-register-watchers, a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows†¦She'd been watching cash registers forty years and probably never seen a mistake before†Ã‚  (Updike). In his thoughts, he is not afraid to describe one of the patrons the way he perceives her.Later, he describes the reactions of the other shoppers towards the three girls who enter the A & P in their swimsuits:   â€Å"You could s ee them, when Queenie's white shoulders dawned on them, kind of jerk, or hop, or hiccup, but their eyes snapped back to their own baskets and on they pushed.I bet you could set off dynamite in an A & P and the people would by and large keep reaching†¦But there was no doubt, this jiggled them†Ã‚  (Updike).   Ã‚  Sammy recognizes the level of propriety practiced by the patrons of the A & P, and most likely by the small town itself.He knows the people’s reactions toward the three girls who have become representations of unconventional behavior; Sammy is amused with these reactions which he finds typical of the people he regularly sees at the A & P.Sammy, though distracted by the unprecedented entrance of the three girls, is still able to report what has been going on with the other characters.   This means that as a narrator he is at least able to portray the general mood of the â€Å"event†.If he were completely focused on the girls alone, he will not be a ble to make an adequate comparison between the girls’ carefree behavior and the more rigid attitude of the rest of the characters, especially his boss Lengel’s.Even the lustful reaction of Stokesie, the other clerk, does not escape Sammy.   So, he is not just drawn towards the completely conventional and unconventional characters; he is aware of those who are caught in between, admiring the different but staying with those who remain the same.The perspective of an adolescent is that of someone trying to find his or her place in the world.   The teenage Sammy is still open to new ideas unlike the older characters in the A & P, who have judged the three girls harshly based on their appearance.   â€Å"Girls, I don't want to argue with you. After this, come in here with your shoulders covered. It's our policy†¦That's policy for you. Policy is what the kingpins want. What the others want is juvenile delinquency†Ã‚  (Updike).   Moreover, their attire has automatically given them the label of juvenile delinquents.   Though apparently the rest of the characters think the same way, Sammy steps away from the general opinion and has become the girls’ defender.Though Sammy openly admires the girls, his youth and his previous commentaries on some shoppers show that whether the girls have come to the A & P in swimsuits or not, he will still be critical of the attitudes of the conventional people.He is ready enough to scrutinize each person he encounters partly because he does come across as a bored young man who is waiting for something exciting to happen.Updike’s Sammy has proved to be a reliable narrator; his youth provides free flowing and interesting narrative.   The reader becomes privy to the young man’s thoughts and his strong opinions of people provide a clear idea of what kind of society he is living in.Works Cited:Porter, M. Gilbert. â€Å"John Updike's â€Å"A&P†: The Establishment and an Emerson ian Cashier.† The English Journal (1972): 1155-1158.Updike, John. â€Å"A & P.† 9 February 2008 .   

Mitb

Malaysian Treasury Bills (MTB) MTB are short-term securities issued by the Government of Malaysia to raise short-term funds for Government's working capital. Bills are sold at discount through competitive auction, facilitated by Bank Negara Malaysia, with original maturities of 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year. The redemption will be made at par. MTB are issued on weekly basis and the auction will be held one day before the issue date. The successful bidders will be determined according to the most competitive yield offered.Normal auction day is Thursday and the result of successful bidders will be announced one day after. MTB are tradable on yield basis (discounted rate) based on bands of remaining tenure (e. g. , Band 4= 68 to 91 days to maturity). The standard trading amount is RM5 million, and it is actively traded in the secondary market. Malaysian Islamic Treasury Bills (MITB) MITB are short-term securities issued by the Government of Malaysia based on Islamic principles. MITB are usually issued on a weekly basis with original maturities of 1-year.Normal auction day is Thursday and the results of successful bidders will be announced one day after, on Friday. Both conventional and Islamic institutions can buy and trade on MITB. The MITB are structured based on Bai' Al-Inah principle, part of sell and buy back concept. Bank Negara Malaysia on behalf of the Government will sell the identified Government's assets on competitive tender basis, to form the underlying transaction of the deal. Allotment is based on highest price tendered (or lowest yield).Price is determined after profit element is imputed (discounting factor). The successful bidders will then pay cash to the Government. The bidders will subsequently sell back the assets to the Government at par based on credit term. The Government will issue MITB to bidders to represent the debt created. MITB are tradable on yield basis (discounted rate) based on bands of remaining tenure (e. g. , Band 4= 68 to 91 da ys to maturity). The standard trading amount is RM5 million, and it is actively traded based on Bai ad-Dayn (debt trading) principle in the secondary market.

Perceiving the Grecian Urn Essay

Perceiving the Grecian Urn Essay Perceiving the Grecian Urn Essay Perceiving the Grecian Urn In the first stanza, we have a person observing the old Grecian urn, thinking about the urn, trying to figure out its depiction of pictures frozen in time. It is the "still unravish'd bride of quietness," the "foster-child of silence and slow time." He also describes the urn as a "historian," which can tell a story. While wondering about the figures on the side of the urn, he asks what legend they depict, and where they are from. He looks at a picture that seems to display a group of men pursuing a group of women, and wonders what their story could be: "What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?" In the second stanza, the speaker looks at another picture on the urn, this time of a young man playing a pipe, lying with his lover under some trees. The observer of the urn says, that the piper's "unheard" melody's are sweeter than mortal melodies, because they are unchanging over time. He tells the youth that, althoug h he can never kiss his lover because he is frozen in time, he should not grieve, because her beauty will never fade. In the third stanza, he looks at the trees surrounding the lovers and feels happy that they will never shed their leaves; he is happy for the piper because his songs will be "for ever new" and happy that the love of the boy and the girl will have an enduring love, unlike mortal love. " All breathing human passion far above, That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloyed, A burning forehead, and a parching toungue", descibes that mortal love will give you a high for only a short time and then leave you " A burning forehead, and a parching toungue." In the fourth stanza, he continues to take notice of another picture of a cow being led away to be sacrificed. He wonders "what green altar" the preist is taking the sacrifice to. The speaker is imagining the altar to be green; the green altar could mean that it is highly decorated for the sacrifice, or that there are rarely any sacrifices on it, so it has grown up with vegitation. He starts to think of a town (although none is shown in the picture) where the people are coming from and comes up with a peaceful mountianside town. In ending the discription of his made-up town, he states that, "And, little town, thy steets for evermore Will silent be; and

Religious Thanksgiving Quotes

Religious Thanksgiving Quotes Before we begin the sumptuous Thanksgiving feast, we must remember to offer our thanks to the Supreme Being who has showered us with blessings and fortune. In our prayers, let us remember those who have barely enough to feed or clothe themselves. Let the kindness in your heart reach out to the million starving souls who feast on dry bread and salt. We often question the presence of God and his miracles. But we must acknowledge that every day is a miracle, and His merciful benevolence has seen us through the tough times. The Thanksgiving feast is the proof of His love and we are blessed to share the feast with our loved ones. Here are some religious Thanksgiving quotes to make your Thanksgiving Day special. Use these to say a simple prayer of thanks, offering God your unconditional love and devotion. Thanksgiving Quotes Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins Giving thanks to God for both His temporal and spiritual blessings in our lives is not just a nice thing to do - it is the moral will of God. Failure to give Him the thanks due Him is sin. Jeremy Taylor God is pleased with no music below so much as with the thanksgiving songs of relieved widows and supported orphans; of rejoicing, comforted, and thankful persons. David,  Psalm 57:7 - 9 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. William Shakespeare O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness. Henry Ward Beecher Remember Gods bounty in the year. String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude! Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. John Clayton Thanksgiving is a season that is very much in accord with the themes and teachings of Jesus Christ. There is no racial or ethnic involvement in Thanksgiving, and people who may be very distant from the Christian system can see the beauty and the positive spirit that comes from the holiday. George Herbert Thou hast given so much to me, Give one thing more, - a grateful heart; Not thankful when it pleaseth me, As if Thy blessings had spare days, But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise. Thomas Watson God takes away the world that the heart may cleave more to Him in sincerity. Psalm 50:23 He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God. Samuel Adams It is therefore recommended to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor. Psalm 95:2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. Theodore Roosevelt No people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours, and this is said reverently, in no spirit of boastfulness in our own strength, but with the gratitude to the Giver of good who has blessed us. Thomas Merton, Thoughts on Solitude Our knowledge of God is perfected by gratitude: we are thankful and rejoice in the experience of the truth that He is love. Psalm 26:7 That I may make the voice of thanksgiving heard and may tell of all Your wondrous works.

Strategies in Action Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategies in Action - Assignment Example Lastly, by weighing the relative advantages and disadvantages, a suggested change of thinking is offered for the recommendation. Over the years, global and multinational companies are faced with the choice between standardization and adaptation when it comes to their strategy in different markets. While standardization has been the cornerstone of globalization over the years, it has also been argued that companies that tailor their strategy to their individual country markets have more chances of local success. According to Loyka, â€Å"the globalization of markets is the principal driving force behind the need for global product standardization theory (2003).† The two strategies certainly have their own advantages and their own drawbacks. Therefore, assessing these relative strengths and weaknesses is important when considering entering other international markets and joining the global competition. Johansson in his book â€Å"Global Marketing has identified the advantages of standardization, which according to him includes the following: â€Å"cost reduction, improved quality, enhanced customer preference, and existence of global customers, and the emergence of global customer segments (2000, 367-368).† As according to Loyka: â€Å"While standardization of product design, packaging and promotional material offers important economies to multinational marketers (Buzzell, 1968), little hard evidence is available on the potential benefits arising from a more coherent international image, more rapid international diffusion of products and ideas, and greater coordination and control (Walters, 1986). The gains from standardization range from cost savings and more consistent dealings with customers, to better planning and exploitation of ideas with universal appeal (Buzzell, 1968) (Loyka 2003).† Cost reduction. As companies find their local markets saturated, companies look for opportunities in the international markets. The

Performance Management Evaluation Research Paper

Performance Management Evaluation - Research Paper Example The performance was evaluated keeping the standard appraisal in mind. The method used in this task to evaluate the individuals was peer rating. Peer rating is the method of appraisal in which the one individual is asked to rate the other peers on the basis of their performance. After the introduction of incentives, it was observed that the performance of individuals increased many folds and people were more eager to work on the task. Simply put, Performance management can be stated as the kind of management that keeps a check on the ongoing progress and ensures that goals are being met in an effective and efficient manner. Meeting the required goals that individuals or groups have set up for themselves is of very high significance and studying the effect of the factors that hamper or catalyze the performance is equally important. By understanding the effect of the factors we come in a better position to control those factors according to our needs. To comprehend the significance of these factors, we were required to do a practical and were asked to design a 15 to 20-minute task to be administered in a controlled environment. By conducting this test, using reward systems and analyzing performance appraisals and improvements, we realized that there was a sound relationship between performance outcomes and the factors that influence them. The requirement for this task was to understand the importance of the environmental factors that are present to influence the outcomes of the performance of individuals. Individuals were kept under strict observation and every factor that might help or hamper the outcomes of the tasks is noted down. Observational research is conducted. In a controlled environment, the class was taught how to make tomato, cheese and ham toast sandwiches by the invigilators ant their performance was monitored. They were asked to complete a required amount of sandwiches in a set time. This monitoring was first done under normal circumstances to measure the standard performance ability of the group.