Digestion and Absorption Essays - Digestive System, Hepatology

Digestion and Absorption Essays - Digestive System, Hepatology Introduction The key issue in the digestion and absorption of fats is one of solubility. Lipids are hydrophobic, and thus are poorly soluble in the aqueous environment of the digestive tract. The digestive enzyme, lipase, is water soluble and can only work at the surface of fat globules. Digestion is greatly aided by emulsification, the breaking up of fat globules into much smaller emulsion droplets. Bile salts and phospholipids are amphipathic molecules that are present in the bile. Motility in the small intestine breaks fat globules apart into small droplets that are coated with bile salts and phospholipids, preventing the emulsion droplets from re-associating.The emulsion droplets are where digestion occurs. Emulsification greatly increases the surface area where water-soluble lipase can work to digest triacylglycerol. Lipase is a pancreatic enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of fats to fatty acids and glycerol or other alcohols. Lipase is primarily produced in the pancreas, but is also in th e mouth and stomach. Most people produce enough pancreatic lipase. But people with cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease may not have enough lipase to get the nutrition they need from food. Lipase is an enzyme which catalyzes the degradation of triglycerides. More generally known as Lipoprotein Lipase(LpL). This is a catabolic reaction. Lipases catalyse the breakdown of fats and oils into fatty acids and glycerol in the small intestine, with an equation of ; Fats (lipids) Fatty acid and glycerol. Lipase hydrolyses the fat in milk to fatty acids which react with sodium carbonate to lower the pH of the mixture. This pH change is observed by using phenolphthalein. Procedure (a) Firstly , label three test-tubes 1-3. (b) Next , using a pipette or syringe, place 5 ml milk in each tube. (c) Rinse the pipette and use it to place 7 ml dilute sodium carbonate solution in each tube. This solution is to make the mixture alkaline. (d) Rinse the pipette or syringe and use it to place 1 ml 3% bile salts solution in tubes 2 and 3 only. (e) Use a dropping pipette to add phenolphthalein solution to each tube until the contents are bright pink. About six drops will be sufficient and equal quantities should be added to each tube. Phenolphthalein is a pH indicator. In alkaline solutions (above pH10) it is pink; in 'acid' solutions (below pH 8.3) it is colourless. (f) In a spare test-tube, place about 15 mm of 5% lipase solution and, using a test-tube holder, heat the liquid over a small Bunsen flame until it boils for a few seconds. Cool the tube under the tap and, using the graduated pipette or syringe, transfer 1 ml of the boiled liquid to tube 2. (g) With the pipette or syringe, place 1 ml unboiled lipase solution in tubes 1 and 3. (h) Note the time. Shake the tubes to mix the contents, return them to the rack and copy the table below into your notebook, observing the tubes from time to time. (i) Note the time required for the contents of each tube to go white and then complete the table of results. Results Tube 1 (Lipase only): took 6 mins 42 secs to turn from pink to clear/white Tube 2 (Boiled Lipase, Bile salts): remained pink after 15 minutes Tube 3 (Lipase and bile salts): 2 mins and 11 secs Discussion The result obtained is different because all three test tubes are tested with different condition and materials. From the result function of bile salts is known and what will a boiled lipase will result. Test tube 1 shows the change in phenolphthalein after 4 minutes, where you used no bile. This is the time it takes for lipase to break down ordinary fats to fatty acids and glycerol (the production of the acids causes the colour change). Test tube 2 doesnt show any changes for 15 minutes due to boiled lipase which is used to show the denaturing effect of heat on enzymes (which are proteins). Heating the lipase destroyed its structure, which in turn prevents its action. This means that no fats are converted, even in the presence of bile but emulsification still occurred in this tube. Test tube 3 took 2 minutes plus to change colour because the

Purify Alcohol or Denatured Ethanol Using Distillation

Purify Alcohol or Denatured Ethanol Using Distillation Denatured alcohol is toxic to drink and may be unsuitable for some lab experiments or other purposes. If you need pure ethanol (CH3CH2OH), you can purify denatured, contaminated or impure alcohol using distillation.   Alcohol Distillation Materials Balance100-mL volumetric flask or graduated cylinderDistillation apparatus250-mL beaker (or another container to receive the distilled alcohol)Hotplate or another flameless heat source (to avoid igniting the ethanol)Boiling chips200-mL impure ethanol (e.g., 70% denatured alcohol) You can also  make  a distillation apparatus if you dont already have one or arent sure what one looks like. Alcohol Distillation Procedure Put on appropriate safety gear, including goggles, gloves and protective clothing.Weigh the volumetric flask or graduated cylinder and record the value. This will help you determine your yield if you care to calculate it.Add 100.00 mL of alcohol to the volumetric flask. Weigh the flask plus alcohol and record the value. Now, if you subtract the mass of the flask from this value, you will know the mass of your alcohol. The density of your alcohol is the mass per volume, which is the mass of the alcohol (the number you just obtained) divided by the volume (100.00 mL). You now know the density of the alcohol in g/mL.Pour the ethanol into the distillation vessel and add the remaining alcohol.Add a boiling chip or two to the flask.Assemble the distillation apparatus. The 250-mL beaker is your receiving vessel.Turn on the hotplate and heat the ethanol to a gentle boil. If you have a thermometer in the distillation apparatus, youll see the temperature climb and then stabilize when it reache s the temperature of the ethanol-water vapor. Once you reach it, do not allow the temperature to exceed the stable value. If the temperature starts to climb again, it means the ethanol is gone from the distillation vessel. At this point, you could add more of the impure alcohol, if it didnt all fit in the container at the start. Continue distillation until you have collected at least 100 mL in the receiving beaker.Allow the distillate (liquid you collected) to cool to room temperature.Transfer 100.00 mL of this liquid into the volumetric flask, weigh the flask plus alcohol, subtract the weight of the flask (from earlier), and record the mass of the alcohol. Divide the mass of the alcohol by 100 to get the density of your distillate in g/mL. You can compare this value against a table of values to estimate the purity of your alcohol. The density of pure ethanol around room temperature is 0.789 g/mL.If you want, you can run this liquid through another distillation to increase its purity. Keep in mind, some alcohol is lost during every distillation, so youll have a lower yield with the second distillation and even less final product if you do a third distillation. If you double or triple distill your alcohol, you can determine its density and estimate its purity using the same method outlined for the first disti llation. Notes About Alcohol Ethanol is sold in the pharmacy sections of stores as a disinfectant. It may be called ethyl alcohol, ethanol or ethyl rubbing alcohol. Another common type of alcohol used for rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol. These alcohols have different properties (notably, isopropyl alcohol is toxic), so if it matters which one you need, be sure the desired alcohol is listed on the label. Hand sanitizer gels also often use ethanol and/or isopropanol. The label should list which type of alcohol is used under the active ingredients. Notes About Purity Distilling denatured alcohol will remove enough impurities for may lab applications. Further purification steps could include passing the alcohol over activated carbon. This would be especially helpful if the point of the distillation is to obtain drinkable ethanol. Be very careful distilling ethanol to drink using denatured alcohol as a source. If the denaturing agent was simply an additive intended to make the alcohol bitter, this purification might be fine, but if toxic substances were added to the alcohol, a lesser degree of contamination may remain in the distilled product. This is especially likely if the contaminant had a boiling point close to that of the ethanol. You can reduce contamination by discarding the first bit of ethanol that is collected and the last portion. It also helps to tightly control the temperature of the distillation. Just be aware: distilled alcohol is not suddenly pure! Even commercially produced ethanol still contains traces of other chemicals.

LEADING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING Essay - 1

LEADING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING - Essay Example Nowadays, with the support of knowledge management, numerous instruments and models of knowledge management are obtainable to organizations to acquire competitive advantage. Such development provides power to organization to manage and deal with actual business issues without difficulty. Organizations are in the habit of sharing and having to transmit knowledge to employees. However, there are challenges while transmitting important knowledge. Technology can contribute to the creation of knowledge but cannot stimulate or motivate knowledge sharing without the involvement and commitment of people within the organization. Hence, knowledge management can be viewed as either system or a model which will facilitate the development of processes to gather and share knowledge. Oil companies, like British Petroleum, operate according to the capacity and capability of its human resources, technologies, infrastructure, and natural resources. If one of the components changes, it affects the production, planning, and processes of the industry. In the present global setting, based on the technological and social development worldwide, organizations are obliged to adopt knowledge management systems as an important technique to manage the global competition and to enhance their ability to overcome challenges in their operations regardless of the organization’s size. Hence, knowledge management becomes the most important component for the oil industry. Knowledge of the top management and executives within the oil industry probable to retire in the near future, if not efficiently managed, may result in loss of knowledge or produce vast knowledge gap, particularly in the oil industry. In these circumstances, mere knowledge management can offer ways to solve k nowledge loss. Oil firms, like British Petroleum, were early implementers of knowledge

Problems of Inside Trading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problems of Inside Trading - Essay Example Also, their firms as well as those people who have invested in them heavily risk suffering financial ruin. Despite this issue, a number of people raise doubts based on their understanding of insider trading. These doubts usually prompt concern regarding the justice that surrounds the persecution of insider trading as well as the harsh moral judgments that people make regarding insider traders. These doubts prevail while trying to identify the moral wrong that prevails in the case of insider trading (Cohen, 2011). This paper will lay emphasis on the moral problems that are affiliated with insider trading and their influence in stock trading. An argument from the harmful side of insider trading maintains that it is wrong because it causes social harm. In this case, causing harm implies leading to failure to realize optimal social good or social welfare. In the case of a securities exchange, the losers and winners are those people who get bad prices and those who get good prices. When other things are held to be equal, the person who has the best information about what is being sold and bought is in a better position to find appropriate bargains that can allow him to get the best price (Shaub, 2011). While competing against corporate insiders who are in possession of superior information, a person increases the risk of losing. Most ordinary traders usually trade alongside insiders, and thus insider trading later undermines the confidence in the securities market, and thereby deterring investments. This incidence later raises the price that a firm is supposed to pay so as to raise capital and also hinders the economic growth of a society and development of a firm (Strudler, 2009). Most societies have moral reasons to protect themselves from being subjected to this form of economic harm, and the laws that prohibit insider trading provide appropriate protection. In this

Perfect Pizzeria Essay Example for Free

Perfect Pizzeria Essay Perfect Pizzeria Restaurants is a chain of 125 pizza establishments around the country with headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. There are three locations in Bloomington, Indiana however they have financial and employee problems particularly at the location near the Indiana University campus. Each location has one manager and two shift leaders. The employees are mostly college students, with a few high school students performing the less challenging jobs. Nearly all of the employees, with the exception of some managers, are employed part-time and most earned only the minimum wage or slightly above. To address the financial problems, the Perfect Pizzeria manager’s compensation plan was changed to now being based on food and beverage costs and profit targets. If the percentage of food unsold or damaged is very low, the manager gets a bonus. If the percentage is high, the manager does not receive a bonus; rather he or she receives only his or her normal salary. Their compensation is also reflected in the restaurant’s profit figures which also must reach a certain level for the manager to receive a bonus. Thus the managers knew the criteria being used for their evaluation and therefore where to focus their efforts. These profit and loss figures often fluctuate. Knowing the manager cannot be in the store 24 hours a day, some employees make up for their low paychecks by helping themselves to the food. When a friend comes in to order a pizza, extra ingredients are put on the friend’s pizza. An occasional slice or two of pizza by the 18 to 20 employees throughout the day/evening at the break table also raises the percentage figure. An occasional bucket of sauce may be spilled or a pizza accidentally burned. Sometimes the wrong size of pizza may be made. In the event of an employee mistake or a burned pizza by the oven person, the expense is supposed to come from the individual employee. Because of peer pressure, the night manager seldom writes up a bill for the erring employee. Instead the establishment takes the loss and the error goes unnoticed until the end of the month when the inventory is taken. That’s when the manager finds out if the food loss percentage is high and if there will be a bonus. (Next page) Over time these loss figures increased. To address these problems at the Bloomington location, the manager took retaliatory measures. Previously, each employee was entitled to a free pizza slice, salad, and all the soft drinks he or she could drink for every 4 hours of work. Management decided to raise this figure to 6 hours of work before any free food. Since the employees had received this â€Å"free food after 4-hours† benefit for a long time they frequently ignored the rule and took advantage of the situation whenever the manager was not in the building. Therefore, the Perfect Pizzeria manager decided to create an assistant manager position which could more closely supervise the shift leaders. Each shift leader was now responsible for a team of 3 4 employees who were given specific responsibilities for a particular job such as counter, delivery, food preparation, etc. Employee apathy grew within the pizzeria. There seemed to be a further separation between the store manager and his workers, who were once a closely knit group. The manager made no attempt to alleviate the problem, because he felt it would iron itself out. The employees who were dissatisfied would quit or they would be content to put up with the new regulations. As it turned out, there were many employee resignations. The manager had no problem in filling the vacancies with new workers, but the loss of experienced personnel was costly to the business. It didn’t take long for the new employees to become influenced by the more experienced employees and the unsold/damaged food percentage remained high. Then the manager took a bolder step. He eliminated all the benefits that the employees had – no free pizzas, salads, or drinks. The manager tried still another approach to alleviate the rising unsold/damaged food percentage problem and maintain his bonus. He placed a notice on the bulletin board, stating that: if the percentage remained at a high level, a lie detector test would be given to all employees. All those found guilty of taking or intentionally wasting food or drinks would be immediately terminated. This did not have the desired effect on the employees, because they knew if they were all subjected to the test, all would be found guilty and the manager would have to dismiss all of them. This would leave him in a worse situation than ever. As the manager sat in his office listening to his beloved Cub’s baseball game, he analyzed the month’s profit/loss statements and knew things were not going to be good. What he did not expect was that the percentage was actually increasing from previous months. Another problem developed at the Bloomington campus location when Jennifer, a recently hired night shift counter clerk filed a complaint with the regional manager. She stated in her complaint that she was always required to work the late shift and Bill the night manager was becoming a bit â€Å"too friendly†. In fact her complaint stated, the only way she could get off from work earlier than other employees was if she would agree to meet Bill on their nights off at Hoosier’s, a popular college student club down the street from Perfect Pizzeria. Additionally, there was a formal complaint from a group of male employees that only the attractive female workers were being promoted to assistant managers or shift leaders even though the men had worked at the restaurant longer than most of the promoted women. The case assignment questions follow†¦ PERFECT PIZZERIA – CASE QUESTIONS (Please type your responses by listing the question number/letter and then your answers to the questions.) 1. List two different managerial functions/activities the manager has performed. Then give specific examples or evidence from the case that explains these two management functions the manager has performed. 4. points) 2a. Which of the managerial skills was the manager best at? Explain. 2b. Which of the managerial skills did the manager need to improve? Explain. (4 points) 3. List and/or give examples of four (4) different forces or factors from Perfect Pizzerias’ external environment. Then give a specific example of how each of these could have an impact on Perfect Pizzeria. Please be specific.(4 pts.) 4a. The case mentions that some employees put extra ingredients on their friends’ pizza or take a nibble or two of pizza during their shift. Please discuss whether you feel this is ethical and your reasons why you feel this way. (2 pts.) 4b. What actions could an organization take to prevent these potential ethical violations from happening based on the concepts in the textbook? Explain by applying these ideas to this case situation. (4 pts.) 5. Review the organizational approaches to managing diversity from Chapter 6. Then discuss or give an example of how you would apply two of these concepts to address the complaints of the male employees regarding the unfair promotions? Be specific. (4 points) 6. Give an example from the case of a poor management action and discuss two (2) specific ways you would correct the situation if you were the manager. (3 points)

The 60s (movie) :: essays research papers fc

The 60’s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When deciding what movie to do for this particular paper I faced a few issues. I knew what the requirements were, but I wanted something different and something I could have fun watching and writing as well. So, after looking around and pondering movies for weeks I finally decided on a perfect choice The 60’s directed by Mark Piznarski? This movie is a wonderful production starting from 1960 and ending in 1969 covering all the different things that occurred during this unbelievable decade. The movie takes place in many different areas starring two main families; a very suburban, white family who were excepting of blacks, and a very positive black family trying to push black rights in Mississippi. The movie portrayed many historical events while also including the families and how the two were intertwined. These families were very different, yet so much alike, they both portrayed what to me the whole ‘message’ of the movie was. Although everyone was so different they all faced such drastic decisions and issues that affected everyone in so many different ways. It wasn’t like one person’s pain was easier to handle than another is that’s like saying Vietnam was harder on those men than on the men that stood for black rights or vice versa, everyone faced these equally hard issues. So it seemed everyone was very emotionally involved. In fact our whole country was very involved in president elections and campaigns against the war, it seemed everyone really cared.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The two families were just some of those that really cared although all had different stand points and views they stuck to their beliefs and ended with more love for each other in the end than they ever started with. In the white family there was the conservative ex-marine father who loved his children dearly but wanted them to be well behaved and often was hard on them. The mother was more liberal housewife who stood up for her and her children’s opinions to her husband. The oldest son Brian was a football star in high school and later goes on to join the marines and fight in Vietnam. The middle child Michael was very liberal active anti war student who marched with the blacks in the Birmingham. The youngest Katie was a young 16 year old who loved to party and have a good time. The black family was a family of good hearts and lots of hope.

Neuro Pasta Case Analysis

That is when two firms – one profitable and one unprofitable merge together such that the loss of the one firm is offset by the other firm. Also, in certain situation Merger also helpful in increasing the debt capacity. 0 Diversification – Diversification will create value by reduction in unsystematic risk. The firms will diversify in order to move in to different businesses than what they are currently into. 0 Control – Merger will lead to more control to the acquiring managements as they will be handling the bigger management than before.However , the acquired firm's manager may be asked to leave the firm. 0 Purchase of assets below replacement cost – Merger can also happen in order to place the ageing assets or they want to acquire more assets which are currently operating with full capacity. 0 Synergy – This is the reason because of which most of the mergers happen. Synergy will result in more value than the additive values of the acquiring and acquired firms ( V ABA > VA +VI) From the standpoint of society, Most of the points are relevant to company like ICC.As Icily may look for diversification, that is they are currently into Indian and Chinese cuisine however the merger will help them to diversify into Italian cuisine. Also synergy effects will be there which will ICC. Sections, Group 2 3 Friendly Merger Hostile Merger Friendly merger happens when both the Both the firms will not be receptive acquiring company and target companies are receptive. Merger will happen through the agreement In hostile merger the acquiring company will use between the two companies. Lot of techniques to gain the control over the target company as they will not be agreeing for the merger.Acquiring firm uses techniques like proxy fights, tender offer to gain the power. In hostile merger the acquiring company will allow tender offer in order to acquire biding more than the actual value of stock. This money bid by the acquiring company will be m ore than the actual value of the share in order to gain power is the premium. Sections, Group 2 4 During the time of merger or acquisition, the interest expense is not tax effective which means taxation authorities may take a look as if it is for tax avoidance.This also means to take care that the profits of the parent company are not subsided by showing the interest expense of the target company and vice versa. This is particularly applicable only at the time of acquisition and not later. Hence, it is added later explicitly. Retained earnings are something presented on the other side of cash in the balance sheet. It is not the actual cash which the company can use when its balance gets low. But, it is actually the stockholder's claim which is apparently seen as cash and hence it is not actually available to the company.A similar situation would prevent the potential suitor/bidder to think twice before replacing the management Secondly, Enron's management can agree with the potentia l suitor on a mutually beneficial per share price which in turn would be lower than the high price if the bidder were to go for a hostile merger or a takeover. They may negotiate with the potential suitor in the price per share with an intention of Log-rolling to benefit both the parties. Thirdly, as Enron's management should consider positioning itself not as Just a brand but as a Brand owned by a trusted individual like CEO or a family. For e. G.It is not advertised that who owns Domino's and pizza hut because it is positioned in terms of pizza as a brand but we it is widely known who own has partnered Cataracts I. E. Data. B) Nero may adopt shareholder rights option, Golden parachute strategy as measures encouraged my Enron's management to Retire the Debt before the Acquisition and reissue and equal amount of debt post-merger. This is because the stockholders can tire at a lower performer rate and later can refinance to neutralize coinsurance effect. Also, they may think of Emplo yee poison pill strategy as anti-take over strategy but it would be unethical at times.It can still be thought of positively by Just threatening the bidder by showing support and strength of relationship between Management and talented employees that if the knot is broken, the target company may not be able to fare well in future. Sections, Group 2 8 c) Firstly, the terms and conditions should be seen that is the management being replaced while considering the lower offer? If not, then anyway the managers are in benefit as they will still exist in their positions. Also, they should negotiate for a higher compensation in lieu for the lower bid.Still, if the bid is lower than our minimal expectation then we may think repurchasing shares from market showing confidence in our growth and future. This is will help the stock price rise and in turn pushing the potential bidders to increase the bid price at least near or above the true value. Also, they may give a call for a White Knight com pany to make a Friendly offer, further influencing the potential acquirer to increase the bid price. D) In the case as stated, the management is young and might want to have larger pie of the expected growth seeing which the acquirer has made a bid.In the initial stage itself, the target company (Nero) should make clear with the acquirer (ICC) to set the terms of retaining the management. The pillar strength should be clearly shown as the managerial ability of the Management and thus justifying Enron's position in retaining management seats. If things do not work out, they may go threaten with the inevitable Employee poison pill strategy which may be assumed to work in Enron's favor. Sections, Group 2 9 To give a tempting and irrespective bid, we shall place our bid comparing by keeping our upper limit as expected ROE.As given in exhibit 2, the ROE starting 1996 is consistently above 42% with expected 51% in 1999. Hence, we can place our bid starting 25% above the share price I. E. $ 1. 875 ? $1. 85 and have a target to settle till 40% above $1. 5 which is $ 2. 1 . Also, retaining the Enron's management below $2. 1 should be considered as an option which would be tempting for the Enron's managers exulting lesser restriction towards acquisition. Also, retaining management would be dishes where experienced folks in initial phase would be an added advantage to get acquainted with the system. Action Group 2 10 Yes, we believe that Synergy in any form such as Tax benefit, Revenue increment, reduction in Operational expenses due to some common operations will create value in an average completed merger. The value as mentioned above is created in following fours forms but not limited to only four: – Combined revenue increase than the individual added ( Data motors – JELL) Tax infinite due to Combined debt increase or increased Debt taking capacity due to lesser risk Reduction in Operational Costs due to implementing common facilities, common operations, cheap raw material in case of vertical integration/expansion etc. Tech Maidenhair – Astray) Reduction in capital required for maintaining same efficiency as today From the above mentioned benefits, depending on the type of merger, the source of value creation would change. Like whether it is Vertical integration (Supplier benefit), Horizontal integration (increase market share and higher control over prices in retain cases), conglomerate acquiring (for diversification) etc.

Archetypes essay

In The Three Little Pigs archetypes are mainly present through the wolf and each of the little pigs. The main conflict that the pigs face is that the wolf comes to their house asking the two pigs to come in each of their houses and they refuse, so the wolf huffs and puffs and blows their house down and eats them. The third pig being the smart one decides to play a game with the wolf. He refuses to let the wolf in and the wolf tries with all his might to blow the house down but it doesn't work. The wolf gets and idea and ties to get the pig out of the house and tells him to meet him at Mr..Smith home – field at six o'clock and that they will get dinner together. The pig outsmarts him and leaves at five o'clock and comes back by the time the wolf gets to his house. He keeps doing this and outsmarting the wolf, soon the wolf gets mad and declares that he will eat him up and that he would get down the chimney. The little pig decides to boil a pot full of water and the wolf falls i n to it and the pig boils him up and eats him. This shows that the cleverness of the third pig prevailed. In The Finnier Wolf the wolf is portrayed as strong and powerful character that thinks he will get what he wants.In the end the wolf gets defeated and the power and dominance is turned over to the protagonist. The hero in this story is as strong as the wolf physically but has a significant amount of knowledge and uses it to his benefit. The wolf thinks many of his actions are clever but in reality they aren't. The wolf declares himself super strong and decides he can pull and break the chain but he underrated the strength of the chain and was overpowered by that. In agenda of Colossal there is great conflict between the villain also know as the monster and the main character also known as Colossal. Sing his crafty kills and strength Colossal advanced toward the monster that everyone feared and sealed him. Many myths and legends end like this because the hero or main character is always portrayed as a good person and the villain is always someone who has a really dark side to them.

Events Leading to the 1959 Tibetan Uprising

Events Leading to the 1959 Tibetan Uprising Chinese artillery shells pummeled the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lamas summer palace, sending plumes of smoke, fire, and dust into the night sky. The centuries-old building crumbled under the barrage, while the badly outnumbered Tibetan Army fought desperately to repel the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) from Lhasa. Meanwhile, amidst the snows of the high Himalaya, the teenaged Dalai Lama and his bodyguards endured a cold and treacherous two-week-long journey into India. Origins of the Tibetan Uprising of 1959 Tibet had an ill-defined relationship with Chinas Qing Dynasty (1644-1912); at various times it could have been seen as an ally, an opponent, a tributary state, or a region within Chinese control. In 1724, during a Mongol invasion of Tibet, the Qing seized the opportunity to incorporate the Tibetan regions of Amdo and Kham into China proper. The central area was renamed Qinghai, while pieces of both regions were broken off and added to other western Chinese provinces. This land grab would fuel Tibetan resentment and unrest into the twentieth century. When the last Qing Emperor fell in 1912, Tibet asserted its independence from China. The 13th Dalai Lama returned from three years of exile in Darjeeling, India, and resumed control of Tibet from his capital at Lhasa. He ruled until his death in 1933. China, meanwhile, was under siege from a Japanese invasion of Manchuria, as well as a general breakdown of order across the country. Between 1916 and 1938, China descended into the Warlord Era, as different military leaders fought for control of the headless state. In fact, the once-great empire would not pull itself back together until after World War II, when Mao Zedong and the Communists triumphed over the Nationalists in 1949. Meanwhile, a new incarnation of the Dalai Lama was discovered in Amdo, part of Chinese Inner Tibet. Tenzin Gyatso, the current incarnation, was brought to Lhasa as a two-year-old in 1937  and was enthroned as the leader of Tibet in 1950, at 15. China Moves In and Tensions Rise In 1951, Maos gaze turned west. He decided to liberate Tibet from the Dalai Lamas rule and bring it into the Peoples Republic of China. The PLA crushed Tibets tiny armed forces in a matter of weeks; Beijing then imposed the Seventeen Point Agreement, which Tibetan officials were forced to sign (but later renounced). According to the Seventeen Point Agreement, the privately-held land would be socialized and then redistributed, and farmers would work communally. This system would first be imposed on Kham and Amdo (along with other areas of the Sichuan and Qinghai Provinces), before being instituted in Tibet proper. All the barley and other crops produced on the communal land went to the Chinese government, according to Communist principles, and then some were redistributed to the farmers. So much of the grain was appropriated for use by the PLA that the Tibetans did not have enough to eat. By June of 1956, the ethnic Tibetan people of Amdo and Kham were up in arms. As more and more farmers were stripped of their land, tens of thousands organized themselves into armed resistance groups  and began to fight back. Chinese army reprisals grew increasingly brutal and included wide-spread abuse of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. China alleged that many of the monastic Tibetans acted as messengers for the guerrilla fighters. The Dalai Lama visited India in 1956  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹and admitted to Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that he was considering asking for asylum. Nehru advised him to return home, and the Chinese Government promised that communist reforms in Tibet would be postponed and that the number of Chinese officials in Lhasa would be reduced by half. Beijing did not follow through on these pledges. By 1958, as many as 80,000 people had joined the Tibetan resistance fighters. Alarmed, the Dalai Lamas government sent a delegation to Inner Tibet to try and negotiate an end to the fighting. Ironically, the guerrillas convinced the delegates of the righteousness of the fight, and Lhasas representatives soon joined in the resistance! Meanwhile, a flood of refugees and freedom fighters moved into Lhasa, bringing their anger against China with them. Beijings representatives in Lhasa kept careful tabs on the growing unrest within Tibets capital city. March  1959 - The Uprising Erupts in Tibet Proper Important religious leaders had disappeared suddenly in Amdo and Kham, so the people of Lhasa were quite concerned about the safety of the Dalai Lama. The peoples suspicions, therefore, were raised immediately when the Chinese Army in Lhasa invited His Holiness to watch a drama at the military barracks on March 10, 1959. Those suspicions were reinforced by a none-too-subtle order, issued to the head of the Dalai Lamas security detail on March 9, that the Dalai Lama should not bring along his bodyguards. On the appointed day, March 10, some 300,000 protesting Tibetans poured into the streets and formed a massive human cordon around  Norbulingkha, the Dalai Lamas Summer Palace, to protect him from the planned Chinese abduction. The protestors stayed for several days, and calls for the Chinese to pull out of Tibet altogether grew louder each day. By March 12, the crowd had begun to barricade the streets of the capital, while both armies moved into strategic positions around the city and began to reinforce them. Ever the moderate, the  Dalai Lama  pleaded with his people to go  home  and sent placatory letters to the Chinese PLA commander in Lhasa. When the PLA moved artillery into  the range  of the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama agreed to evacuate the building. Tibetan troops prepared a secure escape route out of the besieged capital on March 15. When two artillery shells struck the palace two days later, the young Dalai Lama and his ministers began the arduous 14-day trek over the Himalayas  for  India. On March 19, 1959, fighting broke out in earnest in Lhasa. The Tibetan army fought bravely, but they were vastly outnumbered by the PLA. In addition, the Tibetans had antiquated weapons. The firefight lasted just two days. The Summer Palace, Norbulingka, sustained over 800 artillery shell strikes that killed an unknown number of people inside; the major monasteries were bombed, looted and burned. Priceless Tibetan Buddhist texts and works of art were piled in the streets and burned. All remaining members of the Dalai Lamas bodyguard corps were lined up and publicly executed, as were any Tibetans discovered with weapons. In all, some 87,000 Tibetans were killed, while another 80,000 arrived in neighboring countries as refugees. An unknown number tried to  flee  but did not make it. In fact, by the time of the next regional census, a total of about 300,000 Tibetans were missing - killed, secretly jailed, or gone into exile. Aftermath of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising Since the 1959 Uprising, the central government of China has been steadily tightening its grip on the Tibet. Although Beijing has invested in infrastructure improvements for the region, particularly in Lhasa itself, it has also encouraged thousands of ethnic Han Chinese to move to Tibet. In fact, Tibetans have been swamped in their own capital; they now constitute a minority of the population of Lhasa. Today, the Dalai Lama continues to head the Tibetan government-in-exile from Dharamshala, India. He advocates increased autonomy for Tibet, rather than full independence, but the Chinese government generally refuses to negotiate with him. Periodic unrest still sweeps through Tibet, especially around important dates such as March 10 to 19 - the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising.

Consequences of the Conquest of the Aztecs

Consequences of the Conquest of the Aztecs In 1519, conquistador Hernan Cortes landed on Mexicos Gulf coast and began an audacious conquest of the mighty Aztec Empire. By August of 1521, the glorious city of Tenochtitlan was in ruins. The Aztec lands were renamed New Spain and the colonization process began. Conquistadors were replaced by bureaucrats and colonial officials, and Mexico would be a Spanish colony until it began its fight for independence in 1810. Cortes defeat of the Aztec Empire had many ramifications, not the least of which was the eventual creation of the nation we know as Mexico. Here are some of the many consequences of the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and their lands. It Sparked a Wave of Conquests Cortes sent his first shipment of Aztec gold back to Spain in 1520, and from that moment, the gold rush was on. Thousands of adventurous young Europeans - not only Spanish - heard tales of the great riches of the Aztec Empire and they set out to make their fortune just like Cortes had. Some of them arrived in time to join Cortes, but most of them did not. Mexico and the Caribbean soon filled with desperate, ruthless soldiers looking to take part in the next great conquest. Conquistador armies scoured the New World for wealthy cities to loot. Some were successful, like Francisco Pizarros conquest of the Inca Empire in western South America, but most were failures, like Panfilo de Narvaez disastrous expedition to Florida in which all but four men out of over three hundred died. In South America, the legend of El Dorado - a lost city ruled by a king who covered himself in gold - persisted into the nineteenth century.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Population of the New World was Decimated The Spanish Conquistadors came armed with cannons, crossbows, lances, fine Toledo swords and firearms, none of which had ever been seen by native warriors before. The native cultures of the New World were warlike and tended to fight first and ask questions later, so there was much conflict and many natives were killed in battle. Others were enslaved, driven from their homes, or forced to endure starvation and rapine. Far worse than the violence inflicted by the conquistadors was the horror of smallpox. The disease arrived on the shores of Mexico with one of the members of Panfilo de Narvaez army in 1520 and soon spread; it even reached the Inca Empire in South America by 1527. The disease killed hundreds of millions in Mexico alone: its impossible to know specific numbers, but by some estimates, smallpox wiped out between 25% and 50% of the population of the Aztec Empire. It Led to Cultural Genocide In the Mesoamerican world, when one culture conquered another - which happened frequently - the winners imposed their gods upon the losers, but not to the exclusion of their original gods. The vanquished culture kept their temples and their gods, and often welcomed the new deities, on the grounds that their followers victory had proven them strong. These same native cultures were shocked to discover that the Spanish did not believe the same way. Conquistadors routinely destroyed temples inhabited by devils and told the natives that their god was the only one and that to worship their traditional deities was heresy. Later, Catholic priests arrived and began burning native codices by the thousands. These native books were a treasure trove of cultural information and history, and tragically only a few battered examples survive today. It Brought Forth the Vile Encomienda System After the successful conquest of the Aztecs, Hernan Cortes and subsequent colonial bureaucrats were faced with two problems. The first was how to reward the blood-soaked conquistadors who had taken the land (and who had been badly cheated out of their shares of the gold by Cortes). The second was how to rule large swaths of conquered land. They decided to kill two birds with one stone by implementing the encomienda system. The Spanish verb encomendar means to entrust and the system worked like this: a conquistador or bureaucrat was entrusted with vast lands and the natives living on them. The encomendero was responsible for the safety, education and religious well-being of the men and women on his land, and in exchange, they paid him with goods, food, labor, etc. The system was implemented in subsequent conquests, including Central America and Peru. In reality, the encomienda system was thinly-disguised slavery and millions died in unspeakable conditions, particularly in mines. The N ew Laws of 1542 tried to rein in the worst aspects of the system, but they were so unpopular with colonists that Spanish landowners in Peru went into open rebellion. It made Spain a World Power Before 1492, what we call Spain was a collection of feudal Christian Kingdoms which could barely put aside their own squabbling long enough to oust the Moors from Southern Spain. One hundred years later, a united Spain was a European powerhouse. Some of that had to do with a series of efficient rulers, but much was because of the great wealth flowing into Spain from its New World holdings. Although much of the original gold looted from the Aztec Empire was lost to shipwrecks or pirates, rich silver mines were discovered in Mexico and later in Peru. This wealth made Spain a world power and involved them in wars and conquests around the globe. The tons of silver, much of which was made into the famous pieces of eight, would encourage Spains Siglo de Oro or golden century which saw great contributions in art, architecture, music, and literature from Spanish artists.   Sources: Levy, Buddy. . New York: Bantam, 2008. Silverberg, Robert. The Golden Dream: Seekers of El Dorado. Athens: the Ohio University Press, 1985. Thomas, Hugh. . New York: Touchstone, 1993.

Homosexuality & American Psychiatry by Ronald Bayer Essay

Homosexuality & American Psychiatry by Ronald Bayer - Essay Example Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) claims that the removal of homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) list is a political decision without any scientific foundation, no more than a victory of harmful â€Å"homosexual urban legends that have infiltrated every aspect of our culture† (TVC). The declaration does not oppose Bayer’s claims directly; rather, the author uses Bayer’s book as evidence. However, it does oppose Bayer’s stance on the changes in APA in 1972, cutting only the most dramatic passage out of the context. From the perspective of logic, this is an example of ambiguity created by quoting out of context (Gula 97). The declaration of TVC cites the passage in which Bayer really describes the behavior of homosexual activists as violent: they â€Å"attacked† APA in 1970 and â€Å"greeted the speaker† on the Association’s conference with exclamation about Auschwitz and the swearwords lik e â€Å"motherfucker† (Bayer 103). TVC’s article covers neither the pretext of such violent actions nor the aggressive behavior of some APA members described by Bayer. Furthermore, the article and the book are parts of the discourses that oppose each other, one claiming that homosexuality is a disease (TVC) and the other implying that this is a variation of normal sexual habit (Bayer). In the TVC article, the following claims about the issue are made: 1) Homosexuality was removed from the DSM list under the political pressure and without any significant scientific support. An instructive example is how both sides of the debate speculate about the lack of firsthand expert evidence from the APA members. To Bayer, Kent Robinson (who had never been an expert in homosexuality) is a disinterested scientist helping the fighters for human rights: â€Å"Since Robinson knew no homosexual psychiatrists, he somewhat reluctantly agreed to chair the gay panel† (104). However, to Socarides, one of the most active supporters of the TVC line, Spitzer’s lack of background in the studies of homosexuality is only the sign of professional incompetence of the APA member: â€Å"Spitzer, who to my knowledge had never previously published a single article on homosexuality or the sexual deviations, had composed a position paper on the meaning and content of homosexuality† (Socarides). 2) The imbalance of power was on the side of homose xual activists (who â€Å"threatened† APA) - hence the â€Å"Trojan Horse† metaphor: â€Å"For the next 18 years, the APA decision served as a Trojan horse, opening the gates to widespread psychological and social change in sexual customs and mores† (TVC). It follows that the change was not relevant to the needs of the society but was only the manipulation of a small group. 3) Diagnosing homosexuality as a mental disorder helps homosexuals. The Accuracy of the Review The accuracy of any review quoting only small part of the source is doubtful at best. The TVC’s review is accurate in citing facts; still, it is entirely misleading about the assessment of those facts. It

Technology and Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology and Organizations - Research Paper Example The influence of technology extends beyond influencing the organization to enhancing the services given to its customers. Of particular importance to organizations has been information and communication technology, commonly interchanged with the terminology technology, which could be attributed to the rapid increase in adoption of information technology in organizations (Zammuto et al., 2007). This paper adopts the definition of technology by Prasad (2009) which encompasses three elements: human processes, physical system and knowledge. Technology occurs through the interaction of human and organization processes and the physical hardware. Knowledge allows the creation of the physical product. Therefore, technology refers to the product resulting from a body of knowledge aimed at achieving a design for a physical system and the human processes interacting with the product, allowing it to meet the intended function. Importance of Technology to Organizations Technology plays a critical role in shaping the function and form of an organization. According to Zammuto et al. (2007), technology, and in particular information technology, propagates automation of organizational operations and increases communication speed. Automation of organizational functions has made it possible to collect and store tasks and replace people and papers with electrons, without necessarily changing the outcome of the tasks. Digital filing saves on paper and printing costs. The use of computer systems allows for instantaneous corrections and also, together with the capabilities provided by information technology, make information available when need be. Therefore, it could be said that technology enhances the efficiency of organizations. Secondly, technology in organizations eliminates time and space by promoting mobility (Prasad, 2009). For instance, video conferencing technology allows people in different localities to interact with each other. This creation of virtual meetings reduces travel costs and distributes data without necessarily being in the same room. Therefore, technology propagates the establishment of a global presence at minimal cost. Another importance that comes with technology focuses on human capital. According to Prasad (2009), technology in organizations enables effective screening, recruiting and hiring of rightful workforce. Various organizations use the Internet to attract potential employees. Technologies such as personality assessments have been useful in determining the fit of candidates in an organization. Negative Impact of Technology on Organizations Even as technology improves organizational performance, it also has limitations which could render it worthless. Birchall and Giambona (2008) point out job elimination as one of the major negative impacts of technology. According to the scholars, whereas technology could greatly reduce paperwork and human intervention on one hand, it reduces employment opportunities for people on the othe r hand. For example, the introduction of automated telephone answering systems has cut down on the human intervention through receptionists and telephone operators needed in many organizations. This results in elimination of jobs and in other cases alienation of customers. It further makes it difficult for the unemployed specialists to secure future employment. Nonetheless, Freeland (2013) argues against this postulate