Brief historical background of the book of Romans Essay

The book Romans was written probably during the mid to late fifties. Pauline authorship has been the dominating view as to the authorship of the book especially that the book of Romans reflects an exceptional theological understanding that fits to Paul’s credential as writer. First, he was highly educated receiving education no less than Israel’s greatest teacher Gamaliel during his time. Second, His understanding of the divine plan of salvation as also depicted in other Pauline epistles notably Ephesians and Galatians where he discussed about salvation and the divine action towards accomplishing that plan, appropriately fit with the mature theological thought and thorough presentation of the gospel. While there was no specific intended recipient except that it was addressed to the Romans, the letter was addressed to several congregations in Rome with the purpose of promoting Jewish and Gentile unity in the church. The main theme of the epistle was that the gospel proclaims that God acquits both Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus on the basis of Jesus Sacrificial death. Brief summary of the context of Romans chapter 5 Romans chapter 5 according to Henry (1985) is the climax of the first major section of the epistle. Henry puts it, â€Å"Chapter 5 of the epistle describes the actual, objective manifestation of the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ† (p. 64). Henry noted that Romans 5:12 to 21 places God’s action of reconciliation in Christ in its ultimate context, the cosmic context. It is in this context that this exegesis of Romans 5: 12 to 17 is anchored. To exegete this passage fully, it is hereby deemed necessary to write in full Romans 5: 12-17. Paul states: 12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation. 17For if, by the trespass of the man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ (NIV). The passage was full of important and meaningful terminologies that comprise its entire interpretation. Terminologies such as sin, death, law, gift, grace, judgment, condemnation, abundant provisions, and gift of righteousness are words that have important implications not only in the book of Romans, but the entire doctrine of salvation. For instance, the theological notion of sin which the apostle Paul has raised encompassed the entire interpretation of the scripture. This is also the idea that Paul was giving emphasis especially in such terms such as gift, grace, and righteousness. Exegesis of chapter 5:12-17 Paul begins verse 12 with the conclusive word â€Å"therefore† which means that the passage was connected with earlier theological discussion beginning from chapter 1:18 in which Paul cited that God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against wicked people whose godlessness entails them to suppress the truth. Paul emphasized that despite they know all about God yet they neither recognized him nor glorify him (v. 19). Because of this utter neglect and deliberate violation of God’s will, Paul says, â€Å"they have no excuse† (2:1). Here, Paul refers to both Jews and Gentiles. In chapter 3, Paul declares that no one is righteous and categorically stated that everyone has sinned and have fallen short to the glory of God (3:23). But chapter 4 deviates from the gloom discussion of sin and its consequence. He now focused on the hope of being able to regain spiritual relations with God through faith, citing Abraham as example. Paul used the word â€Å"therefore† to connect the passage with the above context. But as mentioned earlier, this passage is full of important words and phrases that enable this connection. First of all, Paul mentioned about the entry of sin and death. Obviously referring to Adam, he said that sin and death entered the world through the trespass of the one man. It means that the whole human race was contaminated by the sin committed by Adam through which death becomes the consequence. In order to shed more light on this highly theological discussion, it is important to define sin and death from their original usage in this passage. The law of sin and death The original word used for sin in Romans chapter 5:12 was the noun Hamartia, which occurred 174 time in the New testament and Hamartias while Thanatos for death. According to James Montgomery Boice, the Greek Hamartia and Hamartias means short coming or missing the mark. But Hamartia and Hamartias are just two of several Greek words for sin. The Greek Pesha, for transgression, chata to miss the mark, shagah to go astray, and paraptoma offense, all depicts a deviation from a higher standard or from a state enjoyed originally. The context therefore which Paul has in mind about sin and death goes back to the Garden of Eden in which Adam and Eve were placed by God. Obviously, this place depicts God’s presence which suggests that Adam and Eve enjoyed a higher state of life. But they deviated from this state by deliberately ignoring God’s command and therefore breach their fellowship with God. While Genesis 1:8 describes this place as a place of sufficiency as all that Adam needs to live were there, yet they departed from the mark which God has set for them. Thus, while everything that God has created adds beauty to this place especially the four rivers and all the animals that were subject to the dominion of Adam depicts God’s concern, provision, and love for his creation, they were were supposedly strictly oblige to obey what God has commanded them. Along with these beautiful creations, was God’s solemn warning for Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree in the center of the Garden as the very time they would eat of it, they will surely die. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve have chosen to disobey God. Thus, right after Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command, they were sentenced to live a difficult life as the ground by which they could get their food was cursed by God. God also pronounced the entry of death into the world when God said to Adam â€Å"by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return† (Genesis 3:19). Along with God’s judgment, they were driven out of the garden. That means, they were cast out from the very presence of God. The issue here is that Adam and Eve lost a higher state of life they enjoyed at Eden. They enjoyed God’s abundant provisions, they enjoyed God’s presence, and they enjoyed their being a perfect creation of God. They were innocent and they must have also been a divine creation. With Adam’s fall, all these were lost. Although God still care for human being even after Adam’s fall, the state of life which they had enjoyed in the Garden was never restored. Besides, the impact of God’s pronouncement that Adam would go back to dust speaks of the physical corruption. That is, of decaying and dying to which the writer of Genesis clearly indicates the hopelessness of man’s condition. While the Bible was silent about how long did Adam and Eve were living in Eden when they committed that regretful decision, after they were driven out, the days of their lives started to be in counting. Humans offended God and justice must be served against them. It is this condition that Paul was talking. Sin corrupted the human being and because of this we are subjected to decay. Thus, sin is defined as â€Å"coming short of the glory of God† (3:23). The consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin therefore was that every human being became sinners subject to all the woes both physical and spiritual with reference to Adam as the fountain of all the woes that sin has introduced into the world. Referring to Adam, Barnes noted, â€Å"Sin entered into the world. He was the first sinner of the race. The word sin here evidently means the violation of the law of God. He was the first sinner among men, and in consequence all others became sinners. † We are subject to the consequence of sin both in the physical and the spiritual world. Earlier, genesis 3 speaks of the consequence of sin in the physical world as the difficulty of life. That is, all the miseries that the world suffers including hunger and poverty, chaos because of unrelenting wars in various part of the world, calamities such as earthquakes, typhoons’, and other manmade disasters, worries caused by economic uncertainties, and all other social problems affecting our society that are in turn affecting us individually. Sin has corrupted the hearts and mind of many people resulting to more crimes, and moral decay contributing more problems that makes life even more difficult. On top of this, death played the worst role in the lives of the human being. The Greek word for death in this passage is thanatos which means a physical death. The Greek thanato implies both the physical and spiritual death. However, the bible did not give any formal definition of the word death. Thus according to Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman, we must infer our understanding of death from a whole range of Biblical statements pertaining to the subject. In doing so, we must be careful to distinguish idiomatic or euphemistic expressions for death, which may not be intended anything more than a person has died, from comments intending to some understanding of what that death involved . Boa and Bowman noted that the Bible often used the words â€Å"expire† â€Å"to breathe one’s last† to â€Å"depart† â€Å"to be no more† â€Å"to be gathered to one’s people or fathers† â€Å"to sleep† â€Å"to lie down with one’s fathers† â€Å"to be cut off from the land† and â€Å"to perish. † While the use of these terms for death may vary in the interpretation, yet death generally means the termination of the physical life. According to the Standard International Bible Encyclopedia, death is a consequence of sin. It stated that in contrast with a long life which has been viewed in the Old Testament as a blessing, death is seen as a disaster. This condition depicts the worse condition of the human being as aside from making life more miserable, life is now uncertain. This clearly illustrated in the following lines, Death, though come into the world through sin, is nevertheless at the same time a consequence of man’s physical and frail existence now; it could therefore be threatened as a punishment to man, because he was taken out of the ground and was made a living soul, of the earth earthy (Genesis 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47). If he remained obedient, he would have returned to dust but have pressed forward on the spiritual development (The International Standard Biblical Encyclopedia. Against this hopeless condition, Paul states that despite the entrance of sin into the world through one man and death through sin which rendered man hopeless as he was incapable of restoring his previous relations with God, Paul now asserts in verse 15 that the God himself has taken the initiative to reach out with men. Pau states, â€Å"But the gift is not like the trespass. † The gift of grace (which shall also be discussed later) of God according to Paul was far greater than all the effects of sin. The Revised English Bible translation clearly made this striking difference between the effect of sin and the gift of grace of God. REB puts it, â€Å"God’s act of grace is out of all proportion to Adam’s wrong doing. For if the wrong doing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. † Here the effect of sin and death in the human being is clearly outweighed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The Law and Grace There were various kinds of law that the ancient Jews held sacred during the Old Testament times. Among them and the most important were the Torah or the ceremonial laws, and the Decalogue which given by God to Moses in Exodus 20: 1-17. While the Torah of the Old Testament presents a more complicated moral admonition that were difficult for state enforcement however, Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of theology asserts that the state is silent â€Å"about state enforcement or specifies God rather than the state as the enforcer. † Under this law enforcement, the book of Deuteronomy has various laws and regulations which require strict obedience. While the Decalogue (Greek word for the Ten Commandments) â€Å"represents minimum moral and religious requirements for those covenant relationship with God† it nevertheless demand absolute obedience. Because of this strict demand for obedience, the law has become the stumbling black for the Israelites because these laws were too much for them to obey literally and word for word. Paul say’s the law served as a mirror for sin by which the Israelite can reflect on the holiness of God. The Israelites particularly found it to heavy to obey the law, perhaps not only because the law was intended to be all encompassing, but because of their adjustment from practically secular Egyptian values or laws, they could hardly follow the divine laws. They were miserable with regards to obedience to the law. This lead Paul to conclude in Roman chapter 8, that the law was powerless because it weakened by the sinful nature of the human being. Thus, the law was unable to address the divine requirements instead; it served as the vehicle for sin to dominate mankind. It is in this context that God’s grace through Jesus Christ came into the scene to rescue every human being from the serious consequences of sin which death.

Philosophy †Justice Essay

In most of the ancient world, strong fighters won all the glory. But in Athens, great thinkers and wise men were honored. People listened to them and followed their advice. Even today, people admire the ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Their teachings are at the root of modern philosophy and science. Alfred Whitehead is quoted as saying: â€Å"The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. † If you really know how to read Plato, the truth behind this statement is easy to see. Nearly every great philosophical idea was discussed by Plato to some extent. The best way to put it is the way the Stanford Encyclopedia puts it: â€Å"Few other authors in the history of philosophy approximate him in depth and range. † A great example would be his theory of justice, the present day definition of justice is â€Å"a scheme or system of law in which every person receives his/her/its due from the system, including all rights, both natural and legal. † This definition dates back to Plato, One’s search for the meaning of justice in Platos â€Å"Republic† would finally lead to two definitions : -Justice is Harmony. (Plato, Republic, Book 4, section 443b) – Justice is doing one’s own job. ( Plato, Republic, Book 4, section 443b) However finding these definitions is hardly enough to define justice, so Plato went further and offered two analogies to get a clear sense of what justice is, â€Å"the division of parts in the soul as well as the parts of the state†, the soul (nature) being personal morals and the state (legal) being societal morals. Another would be his theory of human nature, he believed we were rational, social animals. Plato tended to identify our nature with reason, and our souls, as opposed to our bodies. He believed that who we are depends on what kind of a soul we have—a philosopher soul, a guardian or warrior soul, or an artisan soul. This is the general role we should play in society (Theory of self). Success or failure at life depends upon what sort of society we live in. Human life needs to be political for Plato, spent in the discovery of the proper manner in which sociality ought to be organized, and then in the practical implementation of that ideal in our own societies. We are rational and social creatures, but we become who we are in society. In order to become what we truly are, we must live in the true (or ideal) society. Essence is grasped by rational analysis, as it is separate from change. This is yet another theory that according to my view of the world defines human nature, defines who we are as a people and what is required.

The External Conflict of the Story „My Oedipus Complex“ by Frank O’conner

The external conflict of the story „My Oedipus Complexâ€Å"by Frank O’Conner? The story „ My Oedipus Complex „written by the well-known Irish author Frank O’Connor is a sacred narration of the youth and growing-up problem. There are three characters in the story: Larry – protagonist, his mother and father. The story is told by a little child Larry, who is 5 years old and who grows up in his nonhazardous world with just himself and his â€Å"beloved† mother. He is not ready to share his mother’s attention with the father, who is returned from the war (WWI) and with new-born brother. Larry is strongly connected with his mother and wants her to belong only to him. The author depicts in the story with galore humour the boy’s â€Å"Oedipus Complex† referring to Freudian psychoanalysis. First of all, to understand the external conflict of the story we need to know who the main character is and what his view on life is. The protagonist, Larry, is an inventive, happy, imaginative and kind young boy, who thinks and cares a lot about her mother. The spectacular experience of Larry seems to be the representation of our childhood stories. Larry is only 5 years old, but sometimes he behaves like an adult person. â€Å"†¦ Having settled my plans for the day, I got up, put a chair under the attic window†¦ â€Å"- he is planning the day, the things he wants to do. While I was reading the story I realized that he enjoys every morning, he thanks God who gave him another splendid day. He was a lively boy, who wanted to brighten his home. Nevertheless, he was just a child, whose thoughts were too strict and sometimes too mirthful. It was difficult for him to understand why his father returned from war and why his mother now spends too much time with her husband and not with Larry. While Larry’s father was fighting in the World War and rarely visited home, boy was enjoying himself and all his mother attention was turned to him. At the beginning of the story he said —â€Å"†¦ the war was the most peaceful period of my life†¦ † Lately, the main point of the sentence was explained as: after his father came back at home his mother’s love was shared by Larry and a â€Å"†¦ stranger†¦ †. The main focus is the relationship between protagonist and his father. It is humorous and adroit how author depicts the oedipal phase. So, as I already mentioned, the main conflict between parent and the child arises when father comes back from the war. Larry is jealous of dividing mother’s attention on two people and is ready to fight for getting back her affections. In the story the relationship is viewed in terms of essential change in influence over normal male development from that of the mother in childhood to that of the father in adolescence. Another thing that struck me was the author’s view of God. Larry narrates when he and his mother prayed for his father, that he comes back home. But when their â€Å"prayers were heard† the child wants his father to go back to the war, because their life changed dramatically. Larry asks his mother: â€Å"†¦ Do you think if I prayed hard God would send daddy back to war? †¦ But, Mummy, couldn't God make another war, if he liked?†¦ † Somehow the protagonist was disappointed about he was prayed for. But why he didn’t thank God for bringing him closet to his father? The answer is very simple he didn’t know what he can do with him, how father can participate in his life. At the end of the story, Larry gets closer to his father when a new baby arrives and pushes both father and son out of the mother priorities. Such outcome create a kind of ironic situation (the thing what brought people closer). In Greek mythology, Oedipus was a prince who killed his father and wanted to marry his mother. In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father. (wikipedia, oedipus complex). In the story Larry wanted to get rid form his father and become more closer with his mother. And the reason why he wanted that concluded in not being nearest to his father, he called him as a „strangerâ€Å". Nevertheless some circumstances brought them closer. So I think the title of the Frank O’Connor story is somehow ironical and humorous.

Together at One Altar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Together at One Altar - Essay Example It provides them a working catechesis on the Eucharist and also allows learning about new translation of Roman Missal. This understanding is necessary to enable students to take active and conscious role in the liturgical celebrations. The information provided at the resource has been grouped into four basic themes including Explore, Craft, Celebrate, Live and the visitors could get hold of the information according to the age group and topic. The resource helps the teachers and parents to make the children well inform and well aware about the concept behind the liturgical formation. It explains each and every step involved in the liturgical ceremonies and also tells them the concept behind all the activities. The resource helps in approaching the minds of the students for making them open to think about liturgy and importance of liturgical formation. It also allows the teachers and parents to explain wide array of information to the children in well-organized manner to eliminate the possibilities of confusing or missing any important related point. Important Features of the resource Understanding the Christian traditions of liturgical spirituality is very important for the children so that the people of today and tomorrow could understand the way of prayers with which the Christians are generally familiar (Bradshaw, 1995) but many still need information and guidance to develop their strong beliefs and concepts while participating in the liturgical ceremonies. For this purpose it is important to get access to the resources that can help teaching the students according to their mind sets and thinking levels so that they become able to understanding the soul of liturgical formation (Baldwin, 1993). The resource contains extensive information about liturgical formation well organized under different sections and topics. The use of graphics makes the information even more interesting and appealing. Since it has been designed for the primary and secondary school stu dents, the basic concepts related with liturgical formation have been explained and explored from the base so that the children could easily understand the basic principles of liturgy and could develop very clear and informed concepts about the liturgical formation. All the four major sections of the resource are devoted to specific themes and under each theme information has been presented in form of rich media focus elements, activities and supporting contents. Furthermore, the links to relate resources are also provides with each topic so that if the students still have some questions unanswered in their mind they can go through the provided links to seek detailed answers of their questions related with that topic. The discussion questions are interesting way to engage the attention of the students towards the resource because it makes them thinking more about the topic and seeking more information to find out the satisfying answer of the questions being asked. Use of Resource in Liturgical Formation Children must be made well aware about the central theme and concept behind the liturgical formation rather simply putting them to participate in these ceremonies. It is very important that right from the childhood individuals gain deep understanding about the soul

Econmics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Econmics - Essay Example These days the term often makes us bring to mind Keynesian economics or shamanic bear rituals. However these animal spirits were neither of them animals nor spirits. Exactly how ought to we process them? In English, the term ‘spirit’ refers to something from the Holy Ghost to gin. In reality, this kind of ambiguity is present all through the romance languages, deriving from the Roman spiritus animales. With similar root as inhale and run out (spiro which means ‘I breathe’) spiritus primarily means breath, after that breath of existence, hence also disposition, determination, and even ghost. In a similar fashion, the meanings of anima vary from inhale to essential theory and sensible soul. (Mlambiti, 2006, p. 82) Our animal spirits may be much better translated, then as life-carrying liquids or essential liquids. John Locke pictured all of them as â€Å"fluid and subtle Matter, transferring through the Conduits of the Nerves†. These were assumed to transfer data between sense organs, mind and muscle tissues. In accordance with George A. Arkerlof and Robert J. Shiller (2009), Keynes looked at the animal spirits as the primary reason for exactly why the economic system varies as it does and those animal spirits can be the primary factor for the involuntary joblessness. To fully grasp the economy thus is to have an understanding of how it is related to the animal spirits. In the same way, Adam Smith’s unseen hand is the keynote of the traditional economics, Keynes’ Animal Spirits are the keynote to a completely different perspective of the financial system – a perspective that describes the root instabilities of capitalism and also the various rates of financial growth within and between countries in the world. (Keynes, 1921, p. 333) As per Arkerlof and Shiller (2009), there are actually five distinct facets of animal spirits theory which have an effect on economic judgments. These are generally assurance, fairness, corruption and

Inquiry 1 creative nonfiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Inquiry 1 creative nonfiction - Essay Example fellow classmates at school due to an unfortunate birthmark appearing on her forehead while at home, she receives less support from her kleptomaniac and alcoholic mother together with her absentee father. Her only sources of comfort and refuge comes from her pet rooster coupled by her favorite meals which us sweetened condensed milk. She prefers ti watch a murfs-like cartoon show known as The Noblets. One day as they had gone to the post office with her mother, Mary stumbles across a New York City telephone book and her curiosity drives her into wanting to know more about the Americans. She decides to write to one of the addresses in the book in a bid to establish more facts about the Americans. She randomly chooses Max Jerry Horowitz and proceeds to write him a letter with a hope that they would become pen friends. The letter is well received by Max who is a 44 year old Jewish atheist and he decides to reply back to Mary owing to the fact that they have some shared interests. This leads into the two becoming very good friends which does not go well with Mary’s mother. Max becomes extremely anxious at the point collapse when Mary asked him about love. Upon his release from the hospital, he hesitates to write back to Mary for a long period of time. As a result Mary becomes despondent thinking that Max had completely forgotten about her. There are a number of themes that have been highlighted by the movie upon close examination. Some of the major themes include neglect that is evident by the manner in which Mary is being treated by her parents. They are less concerned about her and do not care about her happiness neither do they seek to understand their only daughter. I think the producers of the film wanted to offer some life lessons to parents all over the world to watch out on how they are playing their roles as parents. This is a wakeup call to all parents to develop an understanding of their children. The theme of depression is made evident in the film in

Forum 5 constitutional law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Forum 5 constitutional law - Essay Example ure of one’s â€Å"right to privacy† and the constitutionally accepted definition of a â€Å"search.† This case was decided following a Certiorari from the Supreme Court to the District Court for the Southern District of California to review the case. The petitioner was convicted with transmitting wagering information via a pay booth from Los Angeles to Miami and Boston in violation of a federal statute. In this case, Charles Katz used a public booth to give out information illegally about gambling and wagering. The FBI however was recording his conversations through an eavesdropping device attached to the exterior of the booth. The court of Appeals sided with the FBI following Katz’s conviction arguing that there was no physical intrusion into the booth. The Supreme Court ruled that the FBI’s activities in using technology to listen to the petitioner’s words violated the privacy of Katz, privacy upon which he relied upon. The court further expounded that, under the Fourth Amendment, a conversation is protected from unreasonable search and seizure if it is made with a reasonable expectation of privacy. Therefore, wire-tapping counted as a search. Justice Stewart explains the rationale behind their decision was that â€Å"One who occupies [a telephone booth], shuts the door behind him, and pays the toll that permits him to place a call is surely entitled to assume that the words he utters into the mouthpiece will not be broadcast to the world.† (White, Welsh S., and James J. Tomkovicz. Criminal Procedure: Constitutional Constraints upon Investigation and Proof. Newark, NJ: LexisNexis Matthew Bender, 2004. (p. 6).) In the case of the United States v. Antoine Jones, the government installs a GPS device on Jones’ vehicle and monitors its movement in public traffic for 28 days. This investigation was conducted without a warrant. Antoine Jones owned a nightclub in the District of Columbia, with Lawrence Maynard, as manager of the club. In 2004 a joint

Investment and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investment and Analysis - Essay Example I would like to point out that the conventional wisdom of wisdom may not necessarily break down in situations of extreme market volatility. This is because making investments is all about diversifying in the right manner using the relevant tools. In 2008 and 2009, there was the occurrence of a serious stock-market cataclysm that led to massive loss of wealth in the US. Market reports estimated that investors lost approximately $6 trillion worth of wealth. The stock-market cataclysm not only led to massive loss of wealth but also eroded investor’s faith in the conventional wisdom of diversification. However, the failure of the diversification does not arise from the concept of diversification itself. This is because diversifying investments does work especially when done with the appropriate tools. In the newspaper excerpt, the writer noted that there is a tendency of assets correlating hence limiting the opportunity for investors to diversify. Investors who record losses durin g periods of high market volatility are the ones who do not manage to establish a well rounded portfolio. A well rounded portfolio consists of assets that do not have the tendency of swinging up and down in correlation with each other. This means that investors need to diversify their assets to include those that have very the least correlations.In recent times, starting from the year 2000, investors who have diversified their investments among companies that have different sizes have managed to record positive gains. This can be supported by the 2002-2003 performance of the bear market (Satchwell, 2004, p. 24). During this period, the S&P recorded a loss of 47.4 percent but small and undervalued companies produced a gain of 1.6 percent. Real investment trusts also managed to record a gain of 36.6 percent. The market has also in recent times recorded losses as a result of diversification. The latest occurrence of a bear market resulted in small, undervalued companies losing 59.6 percent and REITs losing 68.5 percent. This clearly indicates that what many investors seem to count as diversification does not count any further. This is attributed to the prevailing market dynamics that have changed the correlation between different assets in the market. Despite the mixed results, there is one better approach of utilizing the conventional wisdom of diversification (Jones, 2009, 200). This approach involves paying attention to the correlations of the different assets within a portfolio. Investors should consider diversifying their investments in assets that do not move in sync with each other in terms of market volatility. This can be demonstrated by an example that relates to the stock and bond markets. Given two assets that include Stock S and Bond A, the investor has to first to determine the correlation between the two. Let us assume that the two assets have a perfect negative correlation and are in a similar

The summary, analysis and personal commentary Essay

The summary, analysis and personal commentary - Essay Example Paramount to the function of accounting principles is the commonness that it provides for financial record maintenance. The outcome is that it is simple to compare the financial position of related entities. Secondly, they enhance transparency. Accounting values are intended to impose transparency in businesses. This type of transparency is particularly imperative in the case of public organizations, such as states or publicly traded corporations. Rules restrict the freedom and flexibility of organizations to use smart accounting to move things around or conceal them (Yu & Wahid p. 1898). Thirdly, they serve the role of relevance. Standards work to assist entities give the most appropriate data in the most realistic way possible. In this way, institutions guided by accounting principles will produce the type of financial information that observers are mainly interested in examining. Finally, the significance of accounting standards lies in the worth that it brings to financial records for the assorted audiences that sight and makes important decisions based on it. A nonexistence of accounting principles would make the effort of shareholders, regulators, duty payers, reporters and others more complex and more hazardous. Standards signify that taxpayers can observe how their tariff dollars are being used up, and regulators can guarantee that rules are adhered to (Yu & Wahid

Corporate environmental management- business paper Assignment

Corporate environmental management- business paper - Assignment Example Although there has been increasing awareness about the connections between business and the environment, there is a gap in the knowledge base about how to best address the environmental issues that affect business performance. The project with McDonald’s contributed to this knowledge base by providing an example of how best to manage resources in order to minimize environmental pollution. The collaborative project was highly publicized so that EDF’s work received numerous accolades. Because the research project received widespread attention, it enhanced industry-wide awareness regarding EDF’s corporate environmental agenda. It had a positive effect on the public perception of EDF so that the company could continue to pursue its agenda of promoting the use of economics in the analysis of environmental problems. EDF specialized in advocating the use of market based incentive systems to improve the environment. The joint project with McDonald’s enabled EDF to capitalize upon this expertise. EDF was an environmental group that possessed a combination of economic, scientific and legal expertise enabling the company to address environmental concerns effectively. The focus of the collaborative project with McDonald’s was to reduce the restaurant’s use of material and generation of solid waste. It involved economic analysis in which the company possessed expertise. Therefore the project was concluded successfully and received positive press coverage. By collaborating with large corporations, EDF would be able to keep pace with the change that is taking place in the industry. In order to maintain the effectiveness of its program, the company would have to keep pace with the changes in market drivers and regulatory drivers. This objective was met when EDF participated in the collaborative project with McDonald’s. The environmental group specialized in the use of economic analysis to address environmental problems. When McD onald’s implemented the plan, it improved the effectiveness in supplier chain management. By implementing new management mechanisms and accountability procedures, McDonald’s was able to improve business performance. Because the project was highly publicized, it raised awareness about the connections between business performance and environmental issues. Although the project focused upon materials improvement and waste reduction opportunities, it raised awareness about the effectiveness of using market-based incentive systems to address environmental problems. Since this was the area of EDF’s specialization, the collaborative project contributed to the company’s ability to affect market-based behavior. As a result the company gained reputation that would interest other companies to hire their expertise as well. Therefore from EDF’s perspective the collaborative project with McDonald’s was a success. Question 2 The successful completion of the collaborative project with McDonald’s enabled EDF to promote the use of economic analysis in addressing the connections between business performance and environmental issues. Therefore the environmental group should follow up the McDonald’s project by developing innovative solutions for environmental dilemmas. In setting the strategic focus, EDF would have to consider several factors. One of these factors was maintaining the diversity of approaches. After the

Theater and war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theater and war - Essay Example The play starts off in a club, in Vietnam, and it was during a period before the Americans were removed from Saigon. The main theme that was brought out in the play was love. A seventeen year old orphan by the name Kim was working in the club, and there she met the engineer. At the same time, other ladies are preparing themselves for the nights show. The Americans knew that they were leaving Vietnam soon, and they were enjoying themselves with the prostitutes (Behr and Mark 95). Through the persuasion of John Thomas, Chris Scott who was a sergeant met Kim. He could be able to tell that Kim was a naive girl, but he dragged her in a room. Chris lamented on why God allowed him to meet Kim as they were almost leaving Vietnam. He persuaded her not to sell her body in the club because he wanted to marry her. Despite the risk that Saigon would be taken over by Vietnamese Chris was left behind and he traded a visa for Kim to move to America. Eventually, Chris married Kim in a wedding ceremon y (Behr and Mark 101). All my sons theatrical play The play all my sons are articles written by Arthur Miller, which describes betrayal to the American by Joe Keller. These events took place during the World War 2, where Joe Keller allowed his company to trade unworthy aero plane cylinders to be used by the United States armed forces. This caused the death of the American pilots who were more than twenty. Steve who was a business partner to Joe had noticed the unworthy parts, but Joe went ahead and allowed the shipment of the faulty parts. It was for this reason that the pilots died, and the two were arrested. However, Joe managed to release himself and the blame shifted to Steve. One of the main characters in the play is Kate Keller. She took part and the title mother in the play. She was described as the wife to Joe Keller and a mother to Chris and Larry. She lost her son Larry in the war and despite the fact that she had a successful man and another son she could not forget her s on Larry. She demonstrated more great issues than grief for the loss of her son, which was shown by her self-denial and delusions (Miller 7). She took her husband’s secret as a burden and still tried to show a clear conscience of an untroubled woman to the world. She tried to hide suspicion and nervousness, and this led to her suffering from nightmares and severe headaches (Miller 10). She had a character of self-preservation which developed her fantasies towards Larry. She still had hope of the return of Larry and feels threatened when someone close to Larry failed to share her confidence. Stage make ups and war plays A stage makeup is the mode of painting the stage to bring out the message in the play. It entirely involves the paintings, drawings and the costumes of the actors. The stage makeup plays a very major role in bringing out the appearance the actors want to portray. It also helps the public in understanding the message behind the play. The paintings and the drawin gs at the stage should be designed such that they explain the message of the play in a simpler way that will enable each and every person to understand. War plays are plays that are constructed to preach peace and reconciliation especially in regions that have recently faced warfare. The stage makeup

Do you think IQ will determine your success in life Essay Example for Free

Do you think IQ will determine your success in life Essay Have a successful life is everyone’s goal. Most of people think people who have higher IQ would always have a successful life. They believe that people who had talent is always better than people who don’t. However I think IQ would not determine people’s success in life. I would say have a higher IQ just can help people easier to do things but this doesn’t mean that people can do everything without they try hard and work hard. There are so many people that have higher IQ but they don’t even work hard to try their best. They never try to improve themselves, they just keep waste their precious talent. On the other hand there are people who don’t have higher IQ but they always work hard and try to improve themselves. I think people who never work hard will never success even they have a smart brain. I believe that if I want to have a successful life the only one thing I should do is to try my best. No matter I am a smart person or not, if I want to success in my life I better work as much as I can. Because in this world there is no one can get everything without hard working. Life is just like a race, you have to keep running away from destiny and never let destiny catch you. If you win this race, destiny will not affect you anymore and you will be the boss of your life. Nothing can make you fear and nothing can defeat you. Therefore I think life is based on choice. Because when people really want to change something in their life they can always defeat their destiny. I believe that life is led by myself and I am the guy who will decide where to go in my future. Every decision I make would all depend on my willingness and nothing can affect me except myself.

Complement Products Of 2kg Milo Marketing Essay

Complement Products Of 2kg Milo Marketing Essay Nestles commitment to providing quality products to Malaysians dates back almost 100 years ago. Nestle began in Malaysia in 1912 as the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company in Penang and later, growth and expansion made a move to Kuala Lumpur necessarily in 1939.Since 1962, with its first factory in Petaling Jaya, Nestle Malaysia now manufactures its products in 7 factories and operates from its head office in Mutiara Damansara.   The Company was publicly listed on the KLSE (now known as Bursa Malaysia Berhad) on 13 December, 1989. Today, the Company employs more than 5000 employees, manufactures and markets more than 300 Halal products in Malaysia. Its brand name such has MILO ®, NESCAFe ®, MAGGI ®, NESPRAY ®Ã‚  and KIT KAT ®Ã‚  have become trusted household names and enjoyed for generations. Nestle Malaysia was the first to voluntarily request for Halal Certification of all its food products when it was first introduced in 1996. This does not imply that Nestle products in Malaysia were not halal prior to that.The certified Halal status for all Nestle Malaysia products provides assurance that Nestle products are manufactured, imported and distributed under the strictest hygienic and sanitary condition in accordance to the Islamic faith. As part of journey towards healthiness, Nestle, through its vision of Nourishing Malaysia, continues to invest in RD, innovate further and renovate existing products to ensure they are more nutritious and healthier by reducing salt, sugar, and fats content to complement the Governments efforts via the 10-Year National Plan of Action for Nutrition to create a healthier Malaysian society. Nestle reaches out to the community everyday and in multitude ways. From helping single mothers to underprivileged children, nourishing budding athletes to mentoring programmes, and bringing nutrition awareness through various activities Nestle is firmly committed to its promise of Nourishing Malaysia. Today, as it continues growing with the nation, Nestle actively seeks avenues in which it can promote healthy lifestyles and wellness in Malaysia as part of its promise of Good Food, Good Life. 1.2Product brand line Nestle Company has introduced many types of products into the market with different brands. The products include junior foods, milk, breakfast cereals, hot cereals, creamers, beverages, coffee, culinary products, chilled dairy, ice-cream, confectionary and chocolate, health science and performance nutrition. The junior food is known as Cerelac. The milk products are Everyday, Lactogen 3, Mom Me, Nan Grow 3, Nan Ha 3, Nan Kid 4, Nespray Cergas, Nespray Full Cream, Nestle Low Fat Milk and Omega Plus Adult Milk. The types of breakfast cereals include Cookie Crisp, Corn Flakes, Fitnesse, Honey Stars, Koko Krunch, Koko Krunch Duo, Milo Cereals and Multi Grain Cheerios. The hot cereals are Nestum Mixed Cereal and Nesvita 3 in 1 Cereal Drinks. The creamer is known as Coffee-Mate. The beverages are Milo with different kinds of packing, Milo Sejuk and Nestea. The brand name of coffee is Nescafe. Maggi 2-Minute Noodles, Maggi culinary sauces, Maggi flavour solutions, Maggi Mi Goreng, Maggi recipe solution and Maggi Soakable are the culinary products of Nestle Company. While the chilled dairy includes Bliss, Fat Free Yogurt, Natural Set Yogurt and Smooth and Fruity Yogurt. The health science products are Nutren Fibre, Nutren Junior, Nutren Optimum, Nutren Untuk Diabetik, Peptamen and Peptamen Junior. The performance nutrition products are Powerbar Beverage System, Powerbar Gel, Powerbar Performance Bar, Powerbar ProteinPlus and Powerbar Triple Threat. 1.3Product introduction A package of 2 Kg Milo is a milk beverage with chocolate and malt. Milo is very popular in Philippines and Malaysia, where the brand name issynonymous with chocolate flavoured drinks, Malaysians were said to be the worlds largest consumers of Milo. This is becauseMilo was once used as a nutrient supplement when it was first introduced in thecountry, and has thus gained a reputation as a must-have drink for the elder andthe younger generations. Milo manufactured in Malaysia is made to dissolve wellin hot water to produce a smooth hot chocolate drink, or with ice added for a colddrink. A package of 2 Kg Milo in Malaysia is served in coffee shop and mamak stalls offering different versions such as Milo Dinosaur, a cup of Milo with an extra spoonful of powdered undisclosed Milo added to it, Milo Godzilla, a cup of Milo with ice cream or topped with whipped cream and the combination of Milo with Nescafe powdered coffee called Neslo. Besides, a package of 2 Kg Milo can consume in many others way. It can added to hot or cold milk to give it a malt chocolate flavour and extra texture. When combined with cold milk, it retains the gritty texture of itsraw state. Milo can be stirred into steamed milk or hot water to create somethingsimilar to hot chocolate or cocoa. Sugar can be added to the Milo beverage, butmany people enjoy it without the addition of sweeteners, appreciating it for its subtle chocolate flavour. Another popular use is to sprinkle it on ice cream, especiallyvanilla ice cream. Moreover, Milo can also be sprinkled on breakfast cereals. 1.4A package of 2Kg Milo as a normal goods A package of 2 Kg Milo is categorized as a normal good because as individual receives more income, they tend to increases their purchases on this product. As income rises, consumers shift to purchase their initial preferred brand which is normal good and decrease their demand for the inferior good. The income of each consumer will affect the demand of 2 Kg Milo. When the income of consumersincreases, the purchasing power of consumer will increase as well and thus they will buy more units of the Milo beverage. As a result, its demand will increase. This indicates that the income of consumers influences the demand of Milo beverage and determines that Milo 2kg pack is normal good. 1.5.1Complement products of 2Kg Milo Complement goods are the goods that must be used together or simultaneously. One of the complement products of Milo is sweetened beverage creamer. It is a creamy and tasty milk product prepared from dairy cows milk, refined sugar, milk fat and vegetable oil.  Ã‚  It is filled with vitamins A, D, and B1 and is ideal to use in making beverages and foods to enhance the taste and smoothness. People usually add some sweetened beverage creamer into Milo beverage and it makes the Milo tastes sweet and enhances the aroma of Milo. In term of complement goods, an increase in the price of one good will cause a decrease in the demand for the other good. Therefore, if the price of Milo increases, the demand for sweetened beverage creamer will decrease or vice versa. Another complement product of Milo is cream cracker. A cream cracker is a flat, dry, crunchy biscuit and is light brown in colour usually square savoury biscuit. They are made from wheat flour and yeast. Most of the people dip the cream cracker into the Milo beverage before putting it into their mouths. Since it is complement good of Milo, the increase or decrease of price of Milo will has impact on the demand of cream cracker. So, if the price of Milo decreases, the demand of cream cracker will increase. 1.5.2 Substitute products of 2Kg Milo A package of 2 Kg Milo has its substitute products or competitors. The most famous substitute products of Milo drinks are Vico and Ovaltine. According to the law of demand, when the price of a product is higher than the substitutes, consumer will buy more units of substitutes. However, Milo which has higher price than its substitutes, Vico and Ovaltine, actually has better sales than them. This is surprising because it is not following the law of demand. This clearly shows how much effort Milos company has put in to build up the reputation and confidence from the consumers. 1.6Market structure A package of 2 kg Milo is a coco-based beverage in monopolistic competition market. In this market, coco-based beverage has the characteristics of many sellers and buyers, differentiated product, price makers and spend money in advertisements to convince consumers. Other than Milo, there are many sellers in this market such as Vico and Ovaltine because of the easy market entry and leads to the increase in the number of competitors which will compete with Milo. Therefore, the company spends a large amount of money in differentiating itself from competitors which are also selling similar products. Its effort can be seen in the product of 2 kg Milo. Milo is action packed with the natural goodness of malt, skimmed milk and cocoa and improved with ACTIGEN-E, a unique combination of 8 vitamins and 4 minerals, which helps in optimal release of energy from food. Therefore, this product is popular among elder and younger generation. As a monopolistic competitive firm, Milo is a price maker company that set its own price for its products. Milo charges higher prices compared to its competitors because it develops varied products by recognizing different types of chocolate beverage. For example, Milo with PROTOMALT contains malt extract which is a mixture of different types of carbohydrates that provides energy and nutrients the body needswhich is safe to be consumed by consumers from different ages.Therefore, the products are sold at higher prices for the unique benefits of products and the cost of producing it. In addition, Milo also spends money in advertisements to convince their consumers. Every year, it will advertise its products in different channels such as newspaper, television and internet. By promoting its products through advertisements, Milo has attracted new customers bases who do not know its products well before and promote its unique formula and benefits of their products to the consumers. Part 2 In the market, the price of 2kg pack Milo is RM31.29 while the price of one of its competitors, Vico is RM30.79. The price of Milo is slightly higher than Vico. There are three main reasons why Milo selling price are higher than Vico, which are the effort on advertisements, different taste and preference and the production and cost of Milo. First and foremost, to make Milo more well-known and to increase the demand of Milo all over Malaysia, Milo make a lot of promotion compare to the competitors, Vico. However, Vico make less effort on advertising its product. Milo makes sure that the advertisements are attractive through all the possible media. Milo makes promotion and advertising through television, internet, newspaper, radio station and leaflets. These promotion activities cost a lot. For example, advertisement of a mother give her children a cup of Milo beverage before going to school will charge with high energy and get enthusiasm. It is effective because many buyers spend money to buy Milo since the advertisements have successfully attracted their attention. Milo firm need to pay extra cost for its advertising cost to sell more Milo. Therefore, the price of Milo is higher compare to Vico. Another reason why Milo can sell higher price compare to Vico is because of the taste and preference. Milo is one of the most recognizable brands in Malaysia. Milo brings the nostalgic taste compare to Vico. Milo captures all the features and nutritional benefits of Vico. Milo contains PPROTOMALT, a malt extract found only in Milo, but not Vico. PROTOMALT provides complex carbohydrates, a good source of energy for a balanced diet. Furthermore, Milo has constantly improved the nutritional values of Milo by making it more wholesome and nutritious while ensuring that every delicious mug of Milo delivers the same energy goodness. Moreover, the production and cost of Milo differentiated it from its competitors, Vico. To produce one product, the firm need a good raw material. For Milo, it needs to get raw material such as cocoa from cocoa supplier. If the supplier increases the cocoa price, it will also affect the price of Milo because the Milos cost of production will increase. In Malaysia, Milo needs to import cocoa. The suppliers for basic ingredients like cocoa can increase price resulting in high price for Milo in comparison with Vico. Hence, Milo is a beverage for everyone which suitable for all income level since the price that set by the company is affordable. Although the price of Milo is slightly higher compare to its competitor, Vico, it does not affect the market demand of Milo. Instead, Milo is very competitive since the price is high in quality and most of the consumer does consume the beverage for the taste and preference not the matter of price. Part 3 Firm Advantages Differentiated Products Milos company runs in monopolistic competition market where Milo is a differentiated product. Milo is said to be differentiated from other competitive product because Milo is actually different enough compared to other substitutes although they are similar. As mentioned previously, Milo do contains PROTOMALT and ANTIGEN-E which are not available in the substitutes. This is what makes Milo so different compared to other coco drinks. Besides that, because of doing a lot of advertisement, its green-coloured package is widely recognised in the society compared to other coco drinks. Therefore, even Milo is slightly more expensive than the competitors, Milo is still the primary choice of most consumers. Engagement in advertisement In accordance to what is mentioned above, Milos company does advertisement very frequently in every form of mass media to promote Milo. Because of this, Milo became very well-known to every consumer in the market. The engagement also strengthens Milos differentiation in the market as consumers know how special Milo is compared to other substitutes. Furthermore, consumers will be fed with information of the special features of Milo in terms of how Milo affects ones energy level and health and what special nutrition Milo contains and even special offers. This ensures the consumers are kept informed on every new features and breakthrough of Milo so that they will continue their support toward Milo. As a result, this indirectly maintained or even improved the sales of Milo. Firm Disadvantages High Expenses Milos company has quite high expenses to operate in monopolistic competition market. A big portion of expenses are actually used in marketing and advertising as they are always renewing and revising their contents in advertisements. The work to come out with new advertisement needs cost as well. Besides that, the cost in researching new formula for enhancement of Milos taste and healthiness could not be neglected as well. Apart from that, costs of designing and implementing new appearance of packages have also contributed a lot in the total expenditure. Yet, these expenses could not be ignored as the company need to ensure Milos differentiation within the market or other competitive companies might take over their status in the market. Threat of competitors One of the characteristics of monopolistic competition market is the entry and exit of new firms are free. Therefore, Milos company which operates in this market will face many competitors and each of them will somehow have their own special features in their respective product. Because of that, Milos company will need to put extra effort to maintain its status in the market and not being replaced by the other competitive companies. They need to always revise and come out with new features install in Milo. For example, they have just come out with a new feature called the Milo Sejuk, which consumers can straight away mix cold water into the Milo powder instead of hot water. Consumer Advantages Informational advertisements Milo, a product from monopolistic competition market, is often being seen on advertisements from television, radio and signboards. Because of the regular advertisements made by the company, consumers are always kept informed on the uniqueness of Milo, likely the types of ingredients used, instead of other substitutes. Therefore, consumers always know the benefits they will probably get after purchasing Milo, either benefits on health or implicit benefits. Therefore, consumers need not to worry on the quality of Milo and can have full confidence on it. Enjoy new features As consumers of Milo in monopolistic competition market, they can enjoy frequent update from Milo in terms of the products features. As mentioned above, Milos company who faces many competitive forces needs to always revise and renew Milos feature. As a result, this actually gives consumers an opportunity to enjoy more new features from Milo. For example, when Milo is added with new nutrition, consumers enjoy the healthier Milo. When Milo Sejuk is introduced, consumers enjoy more convenience in consuming Milo. Consumer Disadvantages High price Because of the nature of monopolistic competition market, Milo which is categorised in this market is sold in a relatively higher price. As mentioned, Milos company has put many efforts to ensure the excellence of its product in many aspects, such as the nutritional value, recognisable packaging and most importantly the informational advertisements and these uses a lot of money. Therefore, Milos company has no choice but to increase the prices of Milo to cover the expenses made in the production of Milo. Part 4 Our research product Milo was introduced in Malaysia in 1950 and has won the affection of many Malaysians. Milo 2kg is Malaysians much-loved beverage. Milo 2kg is not just an ordinary coco malt drink. It contains PROTOMALT, a malted barley extract that supplies complex carbohydrates, the preferred, recommended source of energy in a balanced diet. It also has a good part of the nutrients naturally present in barley. Milo 2kg contain nutritional icon on each pack reinforces the nutritional properties that consumer can get from every cup of nutritious and great-tasting Milo. Milo 2kg packaging is the most direct and largest communication vehicle that the organization had with the most impressions they can deliver. Its distinguishes its product through easily recognizable packaging which is its green colour packaging. The firm also makes some effort in the advertisement to convince the consumer or potential consumer to purchase and consume their product. Advertising such as creates a creative slogan in order to make sure consumer will remember Milo. Example of slogan is Buy Milo 2kg free 200g. To make Milo 2kg more interesting to buy, the firm adds some cereal. The cereal will increase the cost of production and at the same time, the price of Milo will also increase. That is why quality factor can affect the price of Milo. After our research for the assignment, we found that the assignment was useful for us. From the assignment, we know more about four market structures. Our research product, Milo 2kg pack, had certainly assist us for a better understanding on the monopolistic competition market. We knew that monopolistic competition market is a market which is characterized by many small sellers, a differentiated product and easy market entry and exist. We understand that the many-sellers condition is met when each firm is so small relative to the total market that its pricing decisions have a negligible effect on the market price. We comprehend that when a product is differentiated, buyers are not indifferent as to which sellers product they buy. Besides, we knew that different kind of product will have distinguished level of demand from the communities. If a product has a high demand, it will attract other producer to produce the same or even better product. As a result, there will be a lot of compe titors and competition. All the producers will make their product popular and more favourable. 26_01b Economic Profit Normal Profit26_01a Our empirical findings in this research had fulfilled our expectations regarding economics. In the short run, Milos company in monopolistic competition able to make economic profits, but in the long run these will be competed away and the Milos company will only be able to make normal profit. In the short run and long run, Milos company will maximise their profit by maximization rule where marginal cost equal to marginal revenue (MC =MR). In the short run, price (Demand Curve) is exceeding the ATC (Average Total Cost ) curve and Milos company can make economic profit. However, in the long run, new firms will be attracted into the industry by the economic profits. The entry of new firms leads to an  increase  in the supply of differentiated products, which causes Milos company market demand curve to shift to the  left.   As the entry of the market increases, Milos company demand curve will continue shifting to the left until it is tangent to the average total cost curve at the profit maximizing level of output. At this point, Milos company economic profits are zero, and there is no longer any incentive for new firms to enter the market. Thus, in the long-run, the competition brought about by the entry of new firms will cause each firm in a monopolistic competitive market to earn normal profits. If we intend to establish a company, we will choose monopoly market which is large in size, to enter. We choose monopoly market because monopoly is a market structure characterize by single seller, others are impossible to entry our market, a unique product and most importantly, we will be the price makers. Firstly, in monopoly, a single firm is the industry. This is because we will be the only one producer or seller exists for a product. Because of single firm in the industry, we will produce output at lower per unit cost than two or more firms. Our monopoly firm will provides the total supply of a product in a given market. For example, we can run as the only Mexican Food in Kampar area. Secondly, there are barriers to entry into monopoly market that prevent competition. In comparison to prefect competition, there are no constrains to prevent new firms from entering an industry. Barriers such as legal barriers, economies of scale, network good and ownership of an essential resource. These barriers are so high that prevent any other firm from entering the market we chosen that is monopoly market. This will certainly give us incumbent advantages. We will earn normal profit in the short run too. Next, we will have a unique product. A unique product means there are no close substitutes for the monopolists product. Thus, we face little or no competition. In reality, however, there are few, if any, products that have no close substitutes. Lastly, we will be the price makers. Price makers means we will have to power to control the price. Sometimes, we as a seller can charge different customers, different prices, for the same good or service when the cost of providing the good or services does not differ among customers. We choose monopoly market because the price discrimination is possible only with monopoly or where members of a small group of firms follow identical pricing policies. In a conclusion, we will choose monopoly market as monopoly is a market structure characterize by single seller, others are impossible to entry our market, a unique product and most importantly, we will be the price makers.

Effects of Ultrasound Therapy on MCL Injuries

Effects of Ultrasound Therapy on MCL Injuries The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is one of the most frequently injured ligaments of the knee joint. Fortunately, most patients who sustain MCL injuries are able to achieve their previous level of activity without the need for surgical treatment. However, the most severe injuries, especially those involving multiple ligaments, may require operative repair. This study will explore the effectiveness of a conservative treatment, namely ultrasound therapy and exercise therapy, in the treatment of MCL injuries of the knee joint. In a review by Phisitkul, James, Wolf, and Amendola (2006), treatment with early range of motion (ROM) exercises and progressive strengthening has been shown to produce very good results. Ultrasound therapy has been a widely used and well-accepted physical therapy modality for musculoskeletal conditions for many years. Wong, Schumann, Townsend, and Phelps (2007) performed a survey about the use of ultrasound by physical therapists who are orthopaedic specialists, and found that ultrasound therapy is a popular adjunct in orthopaedic physical therapy and that it is perceived as important. However, the lack of studies confirming its benefits has led many to question this traditional view. Indeed, many studied which explored the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy failed in establishing a definite conclusion. Nevertheless, it cannot be assumed that this lack of evidence implies that ultrasound therapy is ineffective, and thus further research is needed to establish the adequacy of its use. This study aims at answering the following crucial questions: In patients with MCL injuries of the knee, can ultrasound improve pain, disability and general recovery? Is it more effective than exercise therapy in improving symptoms? An answer to these questions will help to better direct physiotherapy treatment for these patients, and thus optimize recovery. Subsequent chapters will discuss the current literature available on the subject, followed by the methodology used in this study. The results are then presented and analysed. The interpretation of results in the context of previous research will be discussed in the discussion chapter, including the strengths and limitation of the study. Literature Review Ultrasound therapy has become commonly used in soft tissue injuries (Speed, 2001). Research carried out in the past few decades regarding the effects of ultrasound on body tissues will be discussed below. My aim is to review the research available from the past years in attempt to find conclusive and consistent results regarding the effects of ultrasound, and thus to justify the use of ultrasound in the clinical setting, specifically to treatment of medial collateral ligament injuries. As will be discussed in this chapter, when ultrasound enters the body, it is thought to exert an effect on it through thermal and non-thermal mechanisms (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.266). Some of these effects may stimulate healing; however others may be dangerous and may cause damage. Thermal effects of ultrasound As ultrasound waves travel trough body tissues, they cause oscillation of particles, thus converting sonic energy into heat energy. The amount of heat produced will greatly depend upon the intensity given and the rate of energy absorption, but also on certain tissue properties, such as the heat capacity, efficiency of heat transfer, and the tissue distribution and space (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.266). Some authors have suggested pre-heating the area of treatment to achieve a greater increase in tissue temperature (Draper et al 1998a). Living tissue will be affected by an increase in temperature in various different ways. According to Speed (2001), the thermal effects of ultrasound include an increased extensibility in tissues, enhanced blood flow, pain modulation, decreased joint stiffness and muscle spasm, together with a mid inflammatory response. These could explain why a temporary increase in range of motion is observed after ultrasound treatment (Draper et al., 1998b; Knight et al., 2001). Hayes, Merrick, Sandrey and Cordova (2004) studied the extent of heating in tissue at 2.5cm depth and found that 3MHz ultrasound was more effective in heating the tissues at this depth than 1MHz, reaching a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius after 4 minutes. Unfortunately the production of heat may place the patient at risk of a skin burn if applied incorrectly (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.290). Physical effects of ultrasound Cavitation Cavitation is the formation of tiny gas bubbles in the tissues as a result of ultrasound vibration (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.267). Johns (2002) explains how as sound waves travel through the tissues, the characteristic compression and rarefaction causes microscopic gas bubbles present in the tissue fluid to contract and expand. Injury to the cell may occur when these gas bubbles expand and collapse rapidly. Nevertheless, cavitation has been found to occur only when using high intensities, and thus it is unlikely to occur in vivo with therapeutic levels (Nyborg, 2001). However according to a review by Baker, Robertson, and Duck (2001), there are a few studies which suggest the existence of in vivo cavitation. Baker and his colleagues argue that these studies were not replicated and that results obtained may have been due to difficulty with the analysis of B-scan imaging, which were used to measure cavitation. A recent study investigated the method by which cavitation is de tected. The wavelet approach was identified as a new tool for studying bubble cavitation (Zhou, 2008). Cavitation becomes clinically relevant during ultrasound applications in water, as bubbles that form between the skin and the treatment head may block transmission of ultrasonic waves (Ward Robertson, 1996). Acoustic streaming Acoustic streaming may be described as a flow of liquid caused by a generation of pressure along the axis of the beam of energy and on any other structures which reflect it (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.268). There are two types of acoustic streaming: microstreaming and bulk streaming (Duck, as cited in Baker, Robertson Duck, 2001). Bulk streaming occurs in any fluid and develops as the ultrasound beam is propagated, while microstreaming occurs at a microscopic level and is formed as eddies of flow flanking to an oscillating surface (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.268). Unfortunately bulk streaming is much less mechanically powerful, with microstreaming being the only type of acoustic streaming which is able to stimulate cell activity and change membrane permeability (Duck, as cited by Baker, Robertson, Duck, 2001). Microstreaming can produce stress on the cell membrane and wash away any molecules and ions which accumulate outside the cell membrane (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.268). According to Duck (as cited by Baker, Robertson, Duck, 2001), only bulk streaming occurs in vivo, because microstreaming only occurs secondary to cavitation. In vitro studies show increased growth factor production by macrophages (Young and Dyson, 1990a), increased calcium uptake (Mortimer and Dyson, 1988), increased secretion and degranulation of mast cell (Fyfe and Chahl, 1984) and increase cell membrane permeability (McCance and Huether, as cited by Baker, Robertson, Duck, 2001) by microstreaming. This however will have minimal relevance in the clinical se tting if one assumes that cavitation will not occur. Nevertheless, Manasseh, Tho, Ooi, Petkovic-Duran, and Zhu, (2010), suggest that microstreaming which occurs secondary to cavitation will play a role in the action of microbubbles in therapeutic ultrasound. Standing waves Standing waves are formed when reflected sound waves are superimposed with incident waves, and are characterized by high pressure peaks, the antinodes and zones of low pressure known as nodes (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.267-8). Ter Haar and Wyard (1978) put forward that blood cell stasis may occur with ultrasound, with cells forming at half wavelength intervals in the blood vessels at antinodes. These results match those by Dyson, Pond, Woodward, and Broadbent (1974). The latter studied the effect of a stationary wave on blood cell stasis and endothelial damage in blood vessels of chick embryos. The cells form bands half a wavelength apart inside blood vessels. They suggest that under optimum conditions, the minimum intensity of less than 0.5 Wcm-2 at 3 MHz with continuous irradiation is required for stasis to occur. Damage to some endothelial cells of vessels in which stasis has occurred was revealed by an electron microscope. Thus, it is suggested that the treatment head is continuously moved during the treatment to minimize the formation of standing waves (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p.268). The effect of ultrasound on repair of body tissues According the following research, ultrasound therapy may have an effect on cells involved in repair of body tissues, including: Levels of prostaglandins and leukotrienes Leung, Ng, and Yip (2004) performed a randomized, case-control study to study the effect of ultrasound during the acute inflammation of soft-tissue injuries. They measured the levels of leukotriene B4 and prostaglandin E2 in the medial collateral ligament of rats and found that pulsed ultrasound (1:4) applied for five minutes at different durations and intensities may stimulate acute inflammation by increasing the levels of the above mentioned leukotriene and prostaglandin. Release of fibroblast from macrophages Young and Dyson (1990a) studied if ultrasound therapy can increase the release of fibroblast mitogenic factors from macrophages in vitro, and assessed fibroblast proliferation over five days. This study showed an increased secretion of already formed fibroblasts in macrophages at 0.75 MHz ultrasound, which may be caused by permeability changes. On the other hand, at 3 MHz frequency, ultrasound appeared to encourage both the synthesis and secretion of fibroblast mitogenic factors. The reason why these two frequencies cause different effects may be explained by the different physical mechanisms involved. Williams (as cited in Young, 2002, p. 217), argues that cavitation is more liable to occur at lower frequencies, while at a higher frequency heating is more likely. Platelets and ÃŽÂ ²-thromboglobulin Williams, Chater, Allen, Sherwood, and Sanderson (1978) investigated the effect of ultrasound on platelets and established that more ÃŽÂ ²-thromboglobulin, a platelet specific protein, was released by ultrasound therapy. They suggest that this protein is released both by the disruption of platelets by cavitation and by other aggregating agents liberated in parallel with it which cause a release reaction in the adjacent platelets. This however, has not been proved to happen in vivo. Histamine release from mast cells Fyfe and Chahl (1984) suggest that ultrasound applied in the therapeutic range causes a significant increase in degranulated mast cells and thus an increase in histamine release, in rats. They suggest the possibility that ultrasound increases the permeability of mast cells to calcium causing them to degranulate, resulting in an increase in local blood flow. On the other hand, when Hogan, Burke, and Franklin (1982) investigated the change in blood flow in rat muscle on insonation, they found that arterioles vasoconstrict transiently in response to insonation, but improve perfusion after long-term treatment. Increase membrane permeability to calcium Change in the permeability of membranes to calcium has been demonstrated when using therapeutic ultrasound. According to Al-Karmi, Dinno, Stoltz, Crum, and Matthews (1994), applying ultrasound for two minutes will cause a significant boost in ionic conductance in the presence of calcium ions, thus confirming that calcium ions influence the biological effects of ultrasound. Dinno et al. (1989) also used a frog skin model to study the effect of ultrasound on membranes. They argue that the increase in the concentration of calcium ions inside cells which occurs after the application of ultrasound, may decrease the permeability of gap junctions and uncouple cells in the way by which cells differentiate. Therefore, they concluded that ultrasound can affect cell differentiation and consequently histogenesis, and thus its use should be avoided over embryonic tissue. Growth factor secretion Ito, Azuma, Ohta, and Komoriva (2000) applied ultrasound to a co-culture system of human osteoblastic and endothelial cells and studied their effect on growth factor secretion. Their study showed that ultrasound increases the levels of platelet-derived growth factor. This may be the reason for improved fracture healing rate with ultrasound treatment, as discussed later. Fibroblasts and Collagen synthesis Ramirez, Schwane, McFarland, and Starcher (1997), conducted an investigation to determine the effect of ultrasound on the rate of cell proliferation and collagen synthesis by using cultured fibroblasts form the Achilles tendons of neonatal rats. They found an increase in collagen synthesis and rate of thymidine incorporation and DNA content after ultrasound treatment, suggesting that ultrasound stimulates the synthesis of collagen in tendon fibroblasts and cell division after injury. In a more recent study Chiu, Chen, Huang, and Wang (2009), studied the effect of ultrasound on the proliferation of human skin fibroblasts at different frequencies. They applied ultrasound for three minutes daily for three days and found an increase in fibroblast proliferation by both 1 and 3 MHz frequencies, with less stimulation when using 0.5 MHz frequency. Chiu et al., also took into account temperature changes and found a change of only one degree Celsius after insonation, thereby implying that the results observed where due to non-thermal effects. This can be explained by the increase in protein synthesis found to occur in fibroblasts after ultrasound treatment. Harvey, Dyson, Pond and Grahame (1975) suggest that therapeutic ultrasound at 3 MHz frequency and at an intensity of 0.5 2.0 Wcm-2, can directly stimulate protein synthesis in fibroblasts, without any other cells acting as mediators. In fact they attributed this to membrane-associated changes. Nevertheless, the increase in fibroblast proliferation may occur as a result of the effects of ultrasound on macrophages, which release fibroblasts mitogenic factors (Young Dyson, 1990a), as previously discussed. Ultrasound not only stimulates fibroblasts to produce more collagen (Ramirez et al. 1997), but the collagen produced also has a higher tensile strength and is better organized and aggregated. Okita et al. (2009) studied joint mobility and collagen fibril arrangement in the endomysium of immobilized rat soleus muscle, and showed that therapeutic ultrasound may prevent changes in joint mobility and collagen fibril movement which occur with immobility. In contrast, when Larsen, Kristensen, Thorlacius-Ussing and Oxlund (2005) studied the influence of pulsed ultrasound at 3 MHz frequency and different intensities, on the mechanical properties of healing tendons in rabbits, they found greater extensibility after insonation with higher intensities, however there was no significant change of the point of rupture when the tendons were loaded, suggesting that pulsed ultrasound did not improve the mechanical properties of the healing tendons. Angiogenesis Therapeutic ultrasound may also affect the rate of angiogenesis. Young and Dyson (1990b) considered the formation of new blood vessels in full-thickness lesions of flank skin in adult rats and found that by day 5 post-injury, ultrasound treated wounds had developed a greater number of blood vessels, and were thus at a more advanced stage in the repair process. However by the seventh day, there was no significant difference between the groups. Therapeutic mechanism On the basis of these conflicting results, two schools of thought were developed. The evidence-based or factual school considers heat as the only effect of ultrasound therapy and thus emphasise the use of high doses and give little value to low intensity and pulsed treatment. This view is found in most American writing about this subject. On the other hand, the other school of thought is largely European, and is more involved in the biological and mechanical effects of pulsed low-intensity treatments (Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, 2006, p. 269). Robertson, Ward, Low, Reed, (2006, p. 269) suggest that clinical studies may be used to investigate which doses produce better outcomes. In vitro studies can provide a dose-response relationship which may provide information about the most effective dose. Nevertheless, effects demonstrated in vitro, such as cavitation and acoustic streaming have not yet been shown to occur in vivo, since it is difficult to produce doses in vivo which are comparable to dose in vitro. They argue that in vitro, ultrasound is applied to only a thin layer of cells, and thus the noted changes do not necessarily occur when applied to a much larger volume of tissue in vivo. Moreover, in vitro the energy is confined to a very small volume and thus the power density will be much higher than in vivo. Therapeutic effects of Ultrasound Ultrasound therapy has been claimed effective in a wide range of clinical conditions, however there are still difficulties in establishing the effectiveness of ultrasound with certainty and in identifying a dose-response relationship, if there is any. Some of the alleged effects of ultrasound include promotion of fracture healing, soft tissue healing, articular cartilage repair, pain relief, increase local blood flow, change the extensibility of scar tissue and for the diagnosis of a stress fracture, and will be discussed below. Fracture healing Ultrasound has been proposed to promote the processes involved in fracture healing and thus increase its rate. Sun et al., (2001) investigated the effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on bone cells in vitro, and found a significant increase in osteoblast cell counts and a significant decrease in osteoclast cell count after stimulation, suggesting a positive effect on the bone-healing process. Nolte et al., (2001) also studied the in vitro effects of low intensity ultrasound. The latter used foetal mouse metatarsal rudiments and found an increase in length of the calcified diaphysis, which was significantly greater in the ultrasound treated groups compared to the untreated groups, after 7 days. Therefore they concluded that low-intensity ultrasound directly affects osteoblasts and ossifying cartilage, with consequential more active ossification. Cyclooxygenase-2 regulates the production of Prostaglandin E2 by osteoblasts, both of which are thought to be an essential part of fracture healing (Zhang et al., 2002). Ultrasound stimulation has been found to increase cyclooxygenase-2 expression and to promote bone formation in osteoblast via various signalling pathways (Tang et al., 2006). Together with prostaglandins, nitric oxide is a crucial mediator in early mechanically induced bone formation. Reher et al., (2002), investigated the effect of traditional (1MHz, pulsed 1:4) and a long-wave (45 kHz, continuous) ultrasound on nitric oxide induction and prostaglandin E2 production in vitro, on human mandibular osteoblasts. A control group was set which was treated with sham ultrasound. They found a significant increase in both induced nitrate and prostaglandin E2 production. Long wave ultrasound was found to be more effective than the traditional ultrasound. Other studies suggest that ultrasound may have an effect on the regulation of genes necessary for osteogenesis. Suzuki and his colleagues (2009) studied the typical osteoblastic cell line in the presence or absence of daily low intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation at 1.5 MHz frequency, and 30 mW/cm2 intensity, for 20 minutes, for 2 weeks. They concluded that stimulation with these parameters directly affected osteogenic cells, leading to mineralized nodule formation, thus low intensity pulsed ultrasound therapy is likely to have an influence on the activities of osteoblasts in alveolar bone. Clinical studies gave controversial conclusions in this area. In a review, Busse et al., (2002) concluded that evidence form randomised controlled trials suggest that low intensity pulsed ultrasound therapy may significantly reduce the time of fracture healing for non-operatively treated fractures. Five years later, Walker, Denegar, and Preische, (2007) confirmed this finding through another review. Moreover, Della Rocca (2009) reviewed studies about the effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound treatment in fracture healing and found a large body of animal and cellular research which shows this to be beneficial in simulating faster normal fracture healing. However, from a review to of randomised controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of low intensity pulsed ultrasound in fracture healing, Busse et al., (2009), concluded that the evidence available has a moderate to very low quality and provides conflicting results. Pain relief There are a very small number of studies which investigate the effectiveness of ultrasound in pain relief. Nevertheless, assuming that ultrasound promotes healing and resolves inflammation, pain should consequently decrease. Levent, Ebru, and Gulis (2009), used a randomised controlled trial to study the effect of ultrasound therapy in knee osteoarthritis. They applied ten sessions of five minutes of continuous ultrasound at 1 MHz to the experimental group and sham ultrasound to the control group to act as a placebo. They assessed pain by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and found that the decrease in pain in the experimental group is statistically significantly more than the control group. Thus they concluded that therapeutic ultrasound can be used effectively as a pain relief modality in patient suffering from knee osteoarthritis. An earlier review by Brosseau et al., (2001), did not show ultrasound as clinically important for pain relief in people with patellofemoral pain syndrome. However, they were unable to draw a conclusion regarding its use due to methodological flaws and limitations in the studies included in this review. Soft tissue injuries Wilkin, Merrick, Kirby and Devor (2004) studied the effect of pulsed ultrasound applied once daily for a week, on the healing of skeletal muscle in eighty rats. The results suggest that pulsed ultrasound as administered did not accelerate or improve regeneration of skeletal muscle tissue after contusion. Similarly, Markert, Merrick, Kirby and Devor (2005), using a randomized controlled trial with rats, found no evidence that specific continuous ultrasound and exercises protocols enhance skeletal muscle tissue regeneration following contusion injury. Takakura et al. (2002) investigated the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on the rate of healing of injured medial collateral ligaments of rat knees and found a significant improvement in the mechanical properties on the twelfth day, which however was lost by the twenty-first day. Nevertheless they also observed a larger mean fibril diameter in the ligaments treated with ultrasound, concluding that low intensity pulsed ultrasound enhances the early healing of medial collateral ligament injuries. Ebenbichler et al., (1999) investigated the effect of ultrasound in the treatment of calcific tendinitis. This study suggests better outcomes with ultrasound treatment. Since only patients with calcific tendinitis diagnosed by diagnostic imaging were included in the study, results are more valid than if numerous shoulder pathologies with different cellular process were included. This study was included in the review by Alexander et al., (2010). The latter carried out a review from various electronic databases and identified eight randomised controlled trials out of a total of seven hundred and twenty seven, which met their inclusion criteria. All the studies reviewed focused on shoulder musculoskeletal disorders. They concluded that statistically significant improvements were observed generally in studies which used higher levels of total energy and those who used longer exposure times. They noted favourable outcomes when at least 2,250J per treatment session was applied. This is fur ther suggested by the frequency resonance hypothesis, which suggests that the mechanical energy produced by the ultrasound wave may be absorbed by proteins, altering the structure of individual proteins or changing the function of a multi-molecular complex. Thus it may affect enzymatic proteins, inducing temporary conformational shifts, and thus alter the enzyme activity and cell function. This hypothesis implies that different frequencies will cause unique resonant or shearing forces which will therefore have specific effects at cellular and molecular levels (Johns, 2002). Thus further reviews should address different parameters used in different studies, in attempt to establish effective doses. Blood flow Noble, Lee, and Griffith-Noble (2007) applied ultrasound at 3 MHz frequency and 1 Wcm-2 for 6 minutes to assess its effect upon cutaneous blood flow by laser Doppler flowmetry. They also measured skin temperature. They concluded that cutaneous blood flow increased significantly with ultrasound even though no significant changes in temperature had occurred. Nevertheless, blood flow changes in skeletal muscles have not yet been established. Robinson and Buono (1995), investigated the effect of continuous ultrasound on blood flow using 1.5 Wcm2 intensity for 5 minutes and found no significant change in skeletal muscle blood flow. Wound healing Other authors have studied the healing rates varicose ulcers by ultrasound and found more marked healing of insonated ulcers (Dyson, Franks, Suckling, 1976). However more recent studies suggest that ultrasound does not have an influence on the acceleration of healing or final stage of the wound healing (Dolibog, Franeki, Taradai, Blaszczak, Cierpka, 2008). Different findings may be attributed to the different nature of the injuries studied and the different way by which the effectiveness of ultrasound is assessed. Diagnosis of stress fractures Romani and his colleagues (2001), were some of the few people who investigated the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy in the diagnosis of stress fractures. They used 1 MHz of continuous ultrasound therapy in twenty-six subjects with pain in the tibia since less than 2 weeks. Each subject completes a visual analogue scale after each different intensity was applies to assess the pain response to ultrasound. An MRI was taken to ascertain the diagnosis. However none of those who were found to have a stress fracture by MRI were correctly diagnosed by ultrasound. Following this review of literature, it is suggested that there may be a specific therapeutic window for ultrasound therapy. Conflicting results were obtained, possibly due to the different doses and frequencies used in various studies, indicating the need for further future research to identify the most effective parameters. Fortunately, none of the studies reviewed mentioned any negative effects on patients, making ultrasound a relatively safe modality when precautions are taken, and thus would make an important physiotherapy modality if its use is justified.

Essay --

In the book, Refusing the Favor, Deena J. Gonzalez investigates how the lives of Spanish-Mexican women in Santa Fe were affected when the United States colonized northern Mexico between the early and late 19th century. Her work focuses on the cultural contrast among the Euro-Americans and the Spanish-Mexicans in the area. Gonzalez analyzes the histories of women of the period through the lens of those who would bestow upon them "the favor" of colonialism. Hence, she indicates her position through the title of her book. She illustrates how female inhabitants of the defeated territory resisted and scorned the newly arrived powerful Anglo immigrants. She shows how women's responses to the conquest were extremely diverse and illustrates their efforts to preserve their culture. Much of her work focuses on the economic effects and cultural responses to the process of Americanization that took place in New Mexico after the United States took control of the territory. The author challenges the generally accepted history of the United States that has largely put forth that the U.S. conquest was "painless" and beneficial to Spanish-Mexicans in Santa Fe. New Mexico, long before the United States took over, always had a degree of "Spanish character". Her work focuses on Santa Fe which was one of the largest cities west of the Mississippi and oldest of all the territories of the Provincias Internas that opted to stay with Mexico in 1821. In 1846 the land was invaded and conquered by the United States. Much of her interpretation is on the lives of women in the capital city utilizing a range of sources, from travel literature, newspapers, wills, deeds, court records, Catholic Church Archives, Property Census records, and Spanish written sourc... ...zalez 72). Although about half of the Euro-American men in Santa Fe lived with Spanish-Mexican women by 1850, these unions included only several hundred of some four thousand Spanish-Mexican women and were therefore less significant from the perspective of Spanish-Mexican residents (Gonzalez 74). Gonzalez is an author with a mission: she wants to reverse traditional historiographical interpretations about the West, and specifically New Mexico. She wants to give life to the lifeless voices of women who lived in the era. It appears that Gonzalez's primary motive in writing Spanish-Mexican women into the history of U.S. conquest appears to show how the women of Santa Fe were affected and how they overcame a challenging systems which reshaped their lives. In the end, the author successfully achieves her goal of rescuing the voices of New Mexican Spanish Mexican women.

Experiencing Cyberspace :: web internet

Experiencing Cyberspace 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If a survey were being done on how people experience cyberspace, one would immediately notice that no two answers would be the same. Experiencing cyberspace is something that is different for every individual. I myself experience cyberspace psychologically, I experience it in my mind. There have been many attempts at trying to define the abstruse term, but up to date, no one has pinned the tail on the donkey. There cannot be one solid definition for a word that possesses so many meanings. I personally associate the word cyberspace with the idea of being able to travel to distant places without ever leaving my chair. Obviously, I know that there is no possible way of visiting different places or countries via my home computer, but in my mind, when I see the location that I am connected to, it feel as though a part of me is there. The best part is that I can switch from scenario to scenario without having to travel any ground. I do not feel a sense of distance or location, except when it takes a prolonged amount of time to connect to a host. When I travel from place to place (site to site), I do not cover any known physical distances, but instead I cover visual distance. Just as many people do, I refer to the places that I visit as virtual worlds. I like calling them this because I never actually get to see the reality of the "world". I only get to see it electronically and digitally. The feeling that I experience while in cyberspace is knowing that I possess the power to visit any where I want. When I click one of the buttons on the mouse, or what I refer to as a transporter, I feel as though all the power in the world rests at the end of my fingertips. I am in my own sort of fantasy land. Once I land in a desired location, or website, I have the opportunity to click on pictures and words that take me to new worlds. These pictures and words have the power to make my virtual tour even more pleasing by introducing me to new and exciting things. People have referred to experiences in cyberspace, experiences such as mine, as a basic extension of the mind. I definitely agree with this statement. I believe that it takes imagination and creativity to experience all of the things that cyberspace has to offer. With all the colors, strange text and mind-boggling graphics, cyberspace is something that everyone must experience on their own.