Make Prostitution Legal Essays - Feminism, Human Sexuality

Make Prostitution Legal Prostitution Theory 101 by Yvonne Abraham with Sarah McNaught Hardly any things have separated women's activists as much as the sex business. Scholars who concede to a huge area of issues - monetary correspondence, agreed activity, even sexual freedom - regularly end up harshly restricted over erotic entertainment and prostitution. Most nineteenth century women's activists contradicted prostitution and thought about whores to be casualties of male abuse. In any case, similarly as the suffragette and balance developments were bound together when the new century rolled over, so too were women's activist and contemporary good issues with prostitution. Ladies, the contention went, were archives of good uprightness, and prostitution spoiled their immaculateness: the offer of sex was, similar to liquor, both reason what's more, indication of the wantonness into which society had sunk. By the 1960s and '70s, when Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer affirmed that sexual freedom was indispensable to ladies' freedom, women's activists were hesitant to restrict prostitution on moral grounds. Customary profound quality, Greer contended, had assisted with stifling ladies explicitly, had made their needs optional to men's. That sexual subjection exacerbated ladies' financial and political subjection. Today, a few women's activists consider snaring to be a type of sexual servitude; others, as a course to sexual self-assurance. What's more, in the middle of are the individuals who see prostitution as a type of work that, similar to it or not, is staying put. Radical women's activists, for example, legal counselor Catharine MacKinnon and antipornography scholar Andrea Dworkin contradict sex work in any structure. They contend that it misuses ladies and fortifies their status as sexual objects, fixing a considerable lot of the increases ladies have made over the previous century. Others identify in this mentality a strain of neo-Victorianism, a deigning conviction that whores don't have the foggiest idea what they're doing and need someone with more instruction to ensure them. A few ladies, these dissidents point out, really pick the calling. Women's activists who question the antiprostitution radicals likewise bring up that Dworkin and MacKinnon once in a while sound frightfully like their adversaries on the strict right. Phyllis Schlafly, an out of control family-values crusader, has even refered to Dworkin in her antipornography limited time materials. This sort of thing has not improved the radicals' picture among women's activists. At the other outrageous from Dworkin and MacKinnon are sex-radical women's activists like Susie Bright and Pat Califia. They contend that sex work can be something worth being thankful for: a strong type of freedom for ladies, a route for some to take control of their lives. The issue there, however, is that the life of a prostitute is frequently more Leaving Las Vegas than Pretty Woman (see Pop Tarts). Numerous women's activists fall some place in the middle of the rad-fem and sex-radical posts. Wendy Chapkis, educator of humanism and ladies' investigations at the College of Southern Maine and the creator of the Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor (Routledge, 1997), is one of them. For a long time, Chapkis examined prostitution in California and the Netherlands, just as in England and Finland, and led interviews with 50 sex laborers. Chapkis says she considers the to be for what it's worth: a significant number of her meetings affirmed a lot of the grotesqueness that extreme women's activists hate, just as the strengthening that sex radicals see. I don't think prostitution is a definitive in ladies' freedom, she says. In any case, I believe it's preferred comprehended as work over as unavoidably a type of sexual viciousness. What whores need, she contends, isn't a lot of toadies looking down on them, however conventional working conditions. Chapkis accepts prostitution ought to be decriminalized. Because it can be lousy work doesn't mean it ought to be gotten rid of, she contends. All things considered, she says, there are heaps of occupations in which ladies are come up short on, overlooked, and abused. Condemning the calling just compounds whores' issues by segregating them from the law and leaving them powerless against oppressive pimps and johns. In a calling where ladies customarily are not rewarded well, aren't enabled, and ought to have the option to go to the police for security and help, she says, we make the police an additional hindrance, another danger. In the Netherlands, on the other hand, where prostitution is decriminalized, police also, whores are on a similar side: hookers talk at police institutes to teach the officials about their work, and Chapkis says the correspondence pays off in more secure working conditions for the ladies. Yet, what of the extreme women's activists' case that prostitution is excessively man centric to be endured? Chapkis calls attention to that numerous things in current life started as male centric organizations - marriage, for instance. Issues inside marriage, she says, can be tended to without falling back on annulment: nowadays, conjugal property is dispersed all the more reasonably, and mishandled spouses have spots to go for help. Indeed, even Catharine MacKinnon

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 143

Outline - Essay Example So as to accomplish the essential point of the exploration, questions, for example, â€Å"what is the middle temperature at which intracellular ice development happens in human oocytes?† â€Å"How promptly does intracellular ice arrangement (IIF) happen in human oocytes?† and â€Å"what is the impact of extracellular seeding on human oocytes?† (Trad et al. 1572-73). These inquiries were replied through an exploratory structure that utilized neglected to-treat and new oocytes with a germinal vesicle and polyspermic eggs. This plan included representation of how IFF first happened at a cooling pace of 120OC/min utilizing a programmable warm magnifying lens stage connected to a video magnifying instrument (Trad et al. 1574). It additionally included execution of extracellular seeding at a cooling pace of 0.2 OC/min so as to diminish the event of IIF and thus increment endurance paces of the freeze-defrosted human oocytes. The plan additionally utilized particular cryoprotectants and diminished the middle temperature in both mouse and human oocytes (Trad et al. 1575). The investigation depicted that IIF happens energetically in human oocytes, and unfavorable IIF can be stayed away from, and endurance rates expanded. The outcomes depicted a 78%, 33% and 0% event of IIF, and the 24 h post-defrost endurance rate was 32%, 56%, and 93% individually (Trad et al. 1576). Trad, Fouad S., Mehmet Toner, and John D. Biggers. Impacts of cryoprotectants and ice-seeding temperature on intracellular freezing and endurance of human oocytes. Human Reproduction 14.6â (1998): 1569-1577.

Phobophobia Is the Fear of Phobias

Phobophobia Is the Fear of Phobias Phobias Types Print The Fear of Phobias Is Phobophobia By Lisa Fritscher Lisa Fritscher is a freelance writer and editor with a deep interest in phobias and other mental health topics. Learn about our editorial policy Lisa Fritscher Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on August 12, 2019 Martin Dimitrov / Getty Images More in Phobias Types Causes Symptoms and Diagnosis Treatment The fear of phobias is phobophobia. This anxiety disorder can lead to a self-replicating cycle, ultimately resulting in escalating circular fears. Some people with phobophobia already have one or more existing phobias, while others are afraid that they might develop one. Phobophobia is often, but not always, linked to other anxiety disorders. Phobophobia With an Established Phobia If you already have an established phobia, you may be at greater risk of developing phobophobia. This is because a common symptom of any phobia is anticipatory anxiety, which causes increasing fear in the days or weeks leading up to a planned confrontation with the object of fear. Therefore, you may begin to dread not only your original trigger but also your own reaction to it. Over time, this dread can worsen and develop into phobophobia. Phobophobia Without an Established Phobia It is possible to develop phobophobia even if you never had an actual phobia. For example, you can worry that you will develop a phobia of something you love, or that you will develop a phobic reaction that limits your daily activities. Phobophobia is an anxiety disorder rooted in the basic fear of developing an illness. Once you understand that phobias are a life-limiting condition, its not difficult to understand that a phobia could become the object of fear. A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Phobophobia is interesting in that it is one of the only disease fears that can actually lead to the feared outcome. While the fear of cancer (carcinophobia) does not increase the odds of developing it, the fear of phobias can lead to a phobia. How does that happen? You gradually limit your activities in an ever-increasing attempt to minimize your exposure to fearful reactions. Over time, this can lead to agoraphobia. If your fear centers around a specific object or situation, you might gradually develop a phobia of that object or situation. Understanding Phobophobia Like all phobias, phobophobia is an exaggerated fear response. While in other phobias, the irrationally heightened response focuses on a specific object or situation, in phobophobia, the fear is of the fear response itself. If you have phobophobia, you are likely the opposite of an adrenaline junkie. Rather than experiencing a thrill when facing your fears, you may go out of your way to avoid any situation that causes heightened anxiety. This self-protective instinct can have devastating effects on your work or school life, causing you to minimize risks that could lead to great rewards. It can also have an impact on your social life by leading you to avoid situations that you perceive as anxiety-inducing. Treatment Phobophobia typically responds well to standard phobia treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and hypnosis. However, since phobophobia is often linked to other anxiety disorders, it is important to simultaneously treat all conditions. Your therapist will carefully diagnose all applicable disorders and create a customized treatment plan that meets your unique needs. Phobophobia can be difficult to manage, but with proper treatment, there is no reason for it to limit your life. How to Find the Right Therapist If You Have a Phobia

Smoking Is Banning an Effective Measure to Discourage People

Smoking: Is Banning an Effective Measure to Discourage People? Nowadays all people seem to be aware of the health risks smoking entails. Yet the number of smokers is not decreasing. In some countries it has brought about some drastic measures such as banning smoking altogether in the offices and in public places. But is it actually an effective way to fight smoking? My attitude to such measures is ambivalent. On the one hand, it certainly benefits non-smokers, who often have to put up with the cigarette smoke in public places and at work. It is common knowledge that regular passive smoking can be as detrimental to our health as active. So, as a non-smoker mindful of my health, I find the banning policy beneficial. However, if we consider it from the point of view of the smokers, it deprives them of places for smoking. By prohibiting it in public places, we will not manage to discourage them from this habit. The only result that would be achieved is that they would be smoking at home more often and endanger the health of their families. Therefore, when we ban public smoking, we should introduce special places for smokers, where they will not be able to harm those, who do not approve of this indulgence. If we want to wage war against smoking, we should use a whole complex of measures. For instance, if the government undertook the expense of profes sional psychological and medical treatment, many people would be more willing to do away with this bad habit. To sum up, prohibition has never managed to

The Reflection Of Edouard Manet Painting A Bar At The...

The reflection of Édouard Manet s Painting Édouard Manet s painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergà ¨re has been a piece of artwork that has been debated among art historians for over a century; the painting is perplexing due to its ambiguous cultural meaning and therefore creates a discussion between art historians. A Bar at the Folies-Bergà ¨r deludes the spectator when first looked at, as if there is no uncertainty but then with further observation gives a sense of doubtfulness (Harland et al. 2). As one can imagine, countless amounts of art historians throughout the world have created their own interpretations and views of Manet s painting, some more valid than others. With these various authors, the reflection of the mirror is the main point that is studied, it is the part of the painting that is very dynamic and what takes Manets A Bar at the Folies-Bergà ¨r artwork to a new level of art with the use of reflection. Due to the equivocal and lively nature of the painting, Ha rlands interpretation creates the ideology of what Manet was intending the artwork to be perceived as. In the painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergà ¨re portrays a scene at the Folies-Bergà ¨re, a cafe that also has performances in this scene a woman who is depicted as a barmaid and believed to be a prostitute, is looking towards the observer of the painting. The barmaid is engaging to an extent however she is not completely looking at the viewer. The right side of Manet’s work shows the backShow MoreRelatedManet at the Bar1216 Words   |  5 PagesPaper December 5, 2012 Manet and The Bar Edouard Manet’s painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, was completed in 1882 and is considered his last great painting. He displayed it at the Paris Salon just one year before his passing. This painting as vexed art historians throughout the years for its complex visual subject matter and leaves Manets true interpretation of his painting in the air for discussion. Although there are many interpretations, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere is an avant-garde; viewerRead MoreEssay about Edouard Manets Bar at the Folies Bergere1639 Words   |  7 PagesEdouard Manets Bar at the Folies Bergere Edouard Manet’s Bar at the Folies Bergere was completed in 1882. This was to be the last major work Manet would complete before his death. The painting was intended for the Salon, and because of his recently awarded Legion of Honor, Manet could be sure this piece would be accepted. This painting would be considered from the impressionistic style. That Manet’s Bar is a masterpiece can hardly be argued, but the intent of the piece however is theRead MoreThe Bar At The Folies Bergere1450 Words   |  6 PagesThe Bar at the Folies-Bergere shows a young lady who works at the Folies-Bergere, a Paris cafe. The lady is the sole focus of the work. Manet has depicted her in a manner that seems both thoughtful and aloof. Her mind seems elsewhere while she is focused on serving drinks and appetizers to the noisy crowd. The viewer’s attention is focused on her locket pendant, which makes us think of a situation and place far away from this, where she is someone’s beloved, not one of many servers in an overcrowdedRead MoreA Bar At The Folies Bergere1572 Words   |  7 PagesFrench painter Edouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergà ¨re [Figure 1], Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas [Figure 2], and American artist Faith Ringgold’s Dancing at the Louvre [Figure 2]. Spanning the late 19 th century into the late 20th century, these common goals to change focus from piece to piece within artwork remain prevalent throughout the world, even with the sharp increase in artistic styles of modern art. The first painting is an impressionistic work by Manet called A Bar at the Folies-Bergà ¨reRead MoreThe Influence Of Edouard Manet On The Transition Of Realism Into Impressionism1491 Words   |  6 PagesThe artwork of Édouard Manet was a determining factor in the transition of Realism into Impressionism. Impressionism was the beginning of modern art. It rose to notoriety in the shadows of the French Revolution under the rule of Napoleon III, â€Å"The precise moment when Impressionism was coalescing as a style, 1870-71, coincided with a war and a change of political regime.† Strict rules were implemented governing each art exhibition, thus artists who stood for artistic freedom and innovation revolted

Night World Huntress Chapter 6 Free Essays

Me? Hugh nodded. â€Å"I’m supposed to stop the end of the world? How?† â€Å"First, I ought to tell you that it’s not just me that believes all this about the millennium. It’s not even Circle Daybreak that believes it. We will write a custom essay sample on Night World : Huntress Chapter 6 or any similar topic only for you Order Now It’s the Night World Council, Jez.† â€Å"The joint Council? Witches and vampires?† Hugh nodded again. â€Å"They had a big meeting about it this summer. And they dug up some old prophecies about what’s going to happen this time.† â€Å"Like?† Hugh looked slightly self-conscious. â€Å"Here’s one. It used to rhyme in the original, I think, but this is the translation.† He took a breath and quoted slowly: ‘In blue fire, the final darkness is banished. In blood, the final price is paid.† Great, Jez thought. Whose blood? But Hugh was going on. â€Å"Four to stand between the light and the shadow, Four of blue fire, power in their blood. Born in the year of the blind Maiden’s vision; Four less one and darkness triumphs.† Jez blinked slowly. â€Å"What’s blue fire?† â€Å"Nobody knows.† â€Å"‘Four to stand between the light and the shadow†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Meaning to hold off the end of the world?† â€Å"That’s what the Council thinks. They think it means that four people have been born, four Wild Powers who’re going to be instrumental in whatever’s coming, whatever battle or disaster that’s going to destroy us. Those four can stop the end of the world-but only if all of them fight together.† â€Å"‘Four less one and darkness triumphs,† Jez said. â€Å"Right. And that’s where you come in.† â€Å"Sorry, I don’t think I’m one of them.† Hugh smiled. â€Å"That’s not what I meant. The fact is, somebody around here has already reported finding a Wild Power. Circle Daybreak intercepted a message from him to the Council saying that hell hand the Wild Power over to them if they make it worth his while. Otherwise hell just sit tight until they’re desperate enough to agree to his terms.† Jez had a sinking feeling. She said one word. â€Å"Who?† Hugh’s expression was knowing and regretful. It’s one of your old gang, Jez. Morgead Blackthorn.† Jez shut her eyes. Yeah, that sounded like Morgead, trying to shake down the Night World Council. Only he was crazy and nervy enough to do that. He was stubborn, too-perfectly capable of letting disaster come if he didn’t get his way. But of all the people in the world, why did it have to be him? And how had he found a Wild Power, anyway? Hugh was speaking again softly. â€Å"You can see why we need you. Somebody has to get to him and find out who the Wild Power is-and you’re the only one who stands a chance of doing that.† Jez pushed hair off her face and breathed slowly, trying to think. â€Å"I don’t need to tell you how dangerous it is,† Hugh said, looking into the distance again. â€Å"And I don’t want to ask you to do it. In fact, if you’re smart, you’ll tell me to get lost right now.† Jez couldn’t tell him to get lost â€Å"What I don’t understand is why we can’t just let the Council take care of it. They’ll want the Wild Powers bad, and they have a lot more resources.† Hugh glanced back at her, startled. His gray eyes were wide with an expression that Jez had never seen before. Then he smiled, and it was an incredibly sad smile. â€Å"That’s just what we can’t do. You’re right, the Council wants the Wild Powers. But not so they can fight the end of the world. Jez†¦ they only want them so they can kill them.† That was when Jez realized what his expression was. It was gentle regret for innocence-her innocence. She couldn’t believe how stupid she had been. â€Å"Oh, Goddess,† she said slowly. Hugh nodded. â€Å"They want it to happen. At least the vampires do. If the human world ends-well, that’s their chance, isn’t it? For thousands of years the Night People have had to hide, to live in the shadows while the humans spread all over the world. But the Council wants that to change.† The reason Jez had been so slow was that it was hard for her to imagine anybody actually wanting to bring on the Apocalypse. But of course it made sense. â€Å"They’re willing to risk being destroyed themselves,† she whispered. â€Å"They figure that whatever happens, it’ll be worse on the humans, since the humans don’t know it’s coming. Hell, some of the Night People think they’re what’s coming. Hunter Redfern is saying that vampires are going to wipe out and enslave the humans and that after that the Night World is going to reign.† Jez felt a new chill. Hunter Redfern. Her ancestor, who was over five hundred years old but looked about thirty. He was bad, and he practically ran the Council. â€Å"Great,† she muttered. â€Å"So my family’s going to destroy the world.† Hugh gave her a bleak smile. â€Å"Hunter says the Old Powers are rising to make vampires stronger so they can take over. And the scary thing is, he’s right. Like I said before, the Night People are getting stronger, developing more powers. Nobody knows why. But most of the vampires on the Council seem to believe Hunter.† â€Å"So we don’t have much time,† Jez said. â€Å"We have to get the Wild Power before Morgead makes a deal with the Night World.† â€Å"Right. Circle Daybreak is fixing up a safe place to keep the Wild Powers until we get all four. And the Council knows we’re doing it-that’s probably why that ghoul was following me. They’re watching us. I’m just sorry I led it here,† he added absently, with a worried look around the room. â€Å"Doesn’t matter. He’s not telling anybody anything.† â€Å"No. Thanks to you. But we’ll meet someplace different next time. I can’t endanger your family.† He looked back at her. â€Å"Jez, if the Night World manages to kill even one of the Wild Powers-well, if you believe the prophecy, it’s all over.† Jez understood now. She still had questions, but they could wait. One thing was clear in her mind. â€Å"I’ll do it. I have to.† Hugh said very quietly, â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Well, somebody has to. And you were right; I’m the only one who can handle Morgead.† The truth was that she thought nobody could handle Morgead-but she certainly had a better chance than any Circle Daybreaker. Of course, she wouldn’t survive the assignment Even if she managed to steal the Wild Power out from under Morgead’s nose, he’d hunt her down and kill her for it That was irrelevant â€Å"He hates me, and I hate him, but at least I know him,† she said out loud. There was a silence and she realized that Hugh was looking at her oddly. â€Å"You think he hates you?† â€Å"Of course. All we ever did was fight† Hugh smiled very faintly-an Old Soul look. I see.† â€Å"What’s that supposed to mean?† ‘It means-I don’t think he hates you, Jez. Maybe he has strong emotions for you, but from what I’ve heard I don’t think hate is one of them.† Jez shook her head. â€Å"You don’t understand. He was always gunning for me. And if he found out I’m half human-well, that would be the end. He hates humans worse than anything. But I think I can fool him for as long as it takes to get the Wild Power.† Hugh nodded, but he didn’t look happy. His eyes were bruised and tired. If you can pull it off, you’ll save a lot of lives.† He knows, too, Jez thought. That I’ll die doing this. It was some comfort that he cared-and more comfort that he didn’t understand why she was doing it. Sure, she wanted to save lives. But there was something else. The Council had tried to mess with Hugh. They’d sent a stinking ghoul after him. They would probably send something different tomorrow-certainly, they’d keep trying to kill him. And for that, Jez was going to wipe the floor with them. Hugh wasn’t any kind of fighter. He couldn’t defend himself. He shouldn’t be a target. She realized that Hugh was still looking at her, with pain in his eyes. She smiled to show him that she wasn’t afraid of dying. â€Å"It’s a family affair,† she told him-and that was true, too. â€Å"Hunter’s my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. It’s only right that I stop him. And if anything happens to me-well, one Redfern less is probably a blessing to the world.† And that was the last part of the truth. She came from a tainted family. No matter what she did, who she saved, or how hard she tried, there would always be vampire blood running in her veins. She was a potential danger to humanity by her very existence. But Hugh was looking horrified. â€Å"Don’t you ever say that† He stared at her for another moment and then took her by the shoulders, squeezing. â€Å"Jez, you’re one of the best people I know. What you did before last year is-â€Å" â€Å"Is part of me,† Jez said. She was trying not to feel his warm grip through her T-shirt, trying not to show that his little squeeze sent a shock through her entire body. â€Å"And nothing can change that. I know what I am.† Hugh shook her slightly. â€Å"Jez-â€Å" â€Å"And right now, I have to get rid of that ghoul. And you’d better be getting home.† For a moment she thought he was going to shake her again; then he slowly let go of her. ‘You’re officially accepting the assignment?† The way he said it sounded as if he were giving her one last chance not to. â€Å"Yes.† He nodded. He didn’t ask how she planned on getting back into a gang that she’d abandoned, or getting information from Morgead, who hated her. Jez knew why. He simply trusted that she could do it â€Å"When you know something, call this number.† He dug in a different pocket and handed her a square of paper like a business card. â€Å"I’ll give you a location where I can meet you-someplace away from here. We shouldn’t talk about anything on the phone.† Jez took the card. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Please be careful, Jez.† â€Å"Yes. Can I keep the articles?† He snorted. â€Å"Sure.† Then he gave her one of those sad Old-Soul smiles. â€Å"You probably don’t need them, though. Just look around. Watch the news. You can see it all happening out there.† â€Å"We’re going to stop it,† Jez said. She reconsidered. â€Å"We’re going to try.† Jez had a problem the next morning. The problem was Claire. They were supposed to drive to school together, to ensure that Jez didn’t cut school. But Jez had to cut school to go find Morgead. She didn’t want to imagine the kind of trouble that was going to get her in with Uncle Jim and Aunt Nanami-but it was crucial to get to Morgead as soon as possible. She couldn’t afford to waste time. At the first major stoplight-and there weren’t a lot of them in Clayton-she smacked her forehead with her palm. â€Å"I forgot my chemistry book!† She unfastened her seat belt and slid out of the Audi just as the light turned green. â€Å"You go ahead!† she shouted to Claire, slamming the door and leaning in the open window. â€Å"Ill catch up to you.† Claire’s expression showed her temperature was reaching the boiling point. â€Å"Are you crazy? Get in; I’ll drive back† â€Å"You’ll be late. Go on without me.† She made a little fluttery encouraging motion with her fingers. One of the three cars behind Claire honked. Claire opened her mouth and shut it again. Her eyes were shooting sparks. â€Å"You did this on purpose! I know you’re up to something, Jez, and I’m going to find out-â€Å" Honk. Honk. Jez stepped back and waved goodbye. And Claire drove off, as Jez had known she would. Claire couldn’t stand the peer pressure of cars telling her to get moving. Jez turned and began to jog for home, in a smooth, steady, ground-eating lope. When she got there, she wasn’t even breathing hard. She opened the garage and picked up a long, slim bundle that had been concealed in a corner. Then she turned to her bike. Besides Hugh, it was the love of her life. A Harley. An 883 Sportster hugger. Just twenty-seven inches tall and eighty-seven inches long, a lean, light, mean machine. She loved its classic simplicity, its cold clean lines, its spare body. She thought of it as her steel and chrome thoroughbred. Now she strapped the long bundle diagonally on her back, where it balanced nicely despite its odd size. She put on a dark full-face helmet and swung a leg over the motorcycle. A moment later she was roaring away, heading out of Clayton toward San Francisco. She enjoyed the ride, even though she knew it might be her last one. Maybe because of that. It was a dazzling end-of-summer day, with a sky of September blue and a pure-white sun. The air that parted for Jez was warm. How can people ride in cages? she thought, twisting the throttle to shoot past a station wagon. What good are cars? You’re completely isolated from your surroundings. You can’t hear or smell anything outside; you can’t feel wind or Power or a slight change in the temperature. You can’t jump out to fight at an instant’s notice. You certainly can’t stake somebody at high speed while leaning out of a car window. You could do it from a bike, though. If you were fast enough, you could skewer somebody as you roared by, like a knight with a lance. She and Morgead had fought that way once. And maybe will again, she thought, and flashed a grim smile into the wind. The sky remained blue as she continued west, instead of clouding up as she approached the ocean. It was so clear that from Oakland she could see the entire bay and the skyline of San Francisco. The tall buildings looked startlingly close. She was leaving her own world and entering Morgead’s. It was something she didn’t do often. San Francisco was an hour and fifteen minutes away from Clayton-assuming there was no traffic. It might as well have been in another state. Clayton was a tiny rural town, mostly cows, with a few decent houses and one pumpkin farm. As far as Jez knew, the Night World didn’t know it existed. It wasn’t the kind of place Night People cared about. Which was why she’d managed to hide there for so long. But now she was heading straight for the heart of the fire. As she crossed the Bay Bridge and reached the city, she was acutely aware of how vulnerable she was. A year ago Jez had broken the laws of the gang by disappearing. If any gang member saw her, they had the right to kill her. Idiot. Nobody can recognize you. That’s why you wear the full-face helmet. That’s why you keep your hair up. That’s why you don’t custom-paint the bike. She was still hyper-alert as she cruised the streets heading for one of the city’s most unsavory districts. There. She felt a jolt at the sight of a familiar building. Tan, blocky, and unlovely, it rose to three stories plus an irregular roof. Jez squinted up at the roof without taking off her helmet. Then she went and stood casually against the rough concrete wall, near the rusty metal intercom. She waited until a couple of girls dressed like artists came up and got buzzed in by one of the tenants. Then she detached herself from the wall and calmly followed them. She couldn’t let Morgead know she was coming. He’d kill her without waiting to ask questions if he got the jump on her. Her only chance was to jump him first, and then make him listen. The building was even uglier inside than it was outside, with empty echoing stairwells and faceless industrial-sized hallways. But Jez found her heart beating faster and something like longing twisting in her chest. This place might be hideous, but it was also freedom. Each one of the giant rooms behind the metal doors was rented by somebody who didn’t care about carpets and windows, but wanted a big empty space where they could be alone and do exactly what they wanted. It was mostly starving artists here, people who needed large studios. Some of the doors were painted in gemlike colors and rough textures. Most had industrial-sized locks on them. I don’t miss it, Jez told herself. But every corner brought a shock of memory. Morgead had lived here for years, ever since his mother ran off with some vampire from Europe. And Jez had practically lived here, too, because it had been gang headquarters. We had some good times†¦. No. She shook her head slightly to break off the thought and continued on her way, slipping silently through the corridors, going deeper and deeper into the building. At last she got to a place where there was no sound except the humming of the naked fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The walls were closer together here. There was a sense of isolation, of being far from the rest of the world. And one narrow staircase going up. Jez paused, listened a moment, then, keeping her eyes on the staircase, removed the long bundle from her back. She unwrapped it carefully, revealing a stick that was a work of art. It was just over four feet long and an inch in diameter. The wood was deep glossy red with irregular black markings that looked a little like tiger stripes or hieroglyphics. Snakewood. One of the hardest woods in the world, dense and strong, but with just the right amount of resilience for a fighting stick. It made a striking and individual weapon. There was one other unusual thing about it. Fighting sticks were usually blunt at either end, to allow the person holding it to get a grip. This one had one blunt end and one that tapered to an angled, narrow tip. Like a spear. The point was hard as iron and extremely sharp. It could punch right through clothing to penetrate a vampire heart. Jez held the stick in both hands for a moment, looking down at it. Then she straightened, and, holding it in a light grip ready for action, she began up the stairs. â€Å"Ready or not, Morgead, here I come.† How to cite Night World : Huntress Chapter 6, Essay examples

Judicial Review Essays - Constitutional Law, Philosophy Of Law

Judicial Review Towering over us all When looking at the three branches of government one sees all the power that the people have given them. One is looking at all the great accomplishments in the history of the U.S.A. In the beginning, the United States government was formed in the intent of having the power fall in the order of executive, legislative, and then judicial. Although this was supposed to be the case, now in the modern age the judicial branch holds the most power. This is largely because of the system of checks and balances. They have the power to impeach the President and members of the Congress. They also have the power of holding a mans life in their hands. Finally, they also have the power to tell society what is right and wrong. One of the judicial systems many powers is to impeach the President and members of Congress. This is done via the system of checks and balances. This is very important because they now can make sure that the public officials are obeying, and not above the law. This was the case of President Nixon. The power to impeach officials is also used to make sure that the officials are acting morally and in the best interests of the country. This was the case of President Clintons near impeachment. The next power that the judicial system has is that of holding a mans life in the balance. With all the criminal activity that is going on in todays society, this branch of government is becoming more and more involved and powerful. They can sentence a man to life in prison or even give the criminal the death penalty in extreme cases. I do believe however, that the court system is not very efficient in the way a murderer can get off almost scott free because of one little slip up in the law. The last and maybe the most influential power that the judicial system has is the power to decide and tell the public what is right and wrong. This is useful to shape the future of the country. As an example I give you the issue of gun control. With all the school shootings they must decide what to do with the right to bear arms amendment in the Bill of Rights. If they get rid of the right to bear arms then this will assure that only criminals and police will have guns. If they decide to keep the gun laws then the guns will be more available for the youth to get a hold of. This will definitely shape the future, and how society develops. In conclusion, the powers of the judicial branch of the government are very strong and influential in todays society. That is why they are now the most powerful branch of the government. This was not how it was intended to be, but thats how it played out. Government

The Realization of My Advantages Essay Example

The Realization of My Advantages Essay Example The Realization of My Advantages Essay The Realization of My Advantages Essay Each individual is unique- this is one of the very clichà © lines which most people hear all too often. However, the reality is that this line is something that we must learn to remember. Being an individual means that we are different from other people and that we have different things to offer for various situations. Every person specializes in a skill or talent where he or she can excel, no matter how insignificant that skill or talent may be for others. Thus, I personally believe that it is important for us to seek our own interests to fully realize our capabilities while enjoying the things that we must do. I view that this is crucial whenever a person reflects on the advantages that he or she possesses. Even during my younger years, I have already been interested in colors and shapes. My parents used to buy coloring books and materials for me when I was a kid, and before I knew it, I was fascinated with colors. I tried various colors to match another color by mixing them in the corners of the plain drawing. As a child, I was developed a fascination for building things with my own hands. However, with my limited dexterity at that time, I was not able to build anything successfully. Although my mother often appreciated the small things that I created, such as boxes I made out of recycled materials, I always felt that I could do it better Thus, as I grew older, I became very keen on details, most especially with the things that I design. I started looking at magazines and was able to distinguish the designs that I like. Sometimes, I draw what I think or directly create things from scratch. Although this activity is very time consuming, I believe that this will hone my skills and will directly address my issues in being a perfectionist. I do think that in order to be the best in my craft, I also need to critique myself constructively. It is essential to be aware of my weaknesses so that I could improve as an artist. My training at Parsons, The New School of Design that offers a world-class education, is something that I have always been very proud of. As the said school is used in a popular reality show as a training ground for many fashion designers, being granted with the opportunity to attend training here would definitely have a great impact in my future career as a designer. Parson has a great faculty and staff members who provide top-of-the-line training for their students. By passing the training at Parson, I gain the impression and image that I am capable of making designs that the world can acknowledge as exceptional. In addition, the training which I have received as well as the design perspectives made me feel confident with myself. Thus, I believe that my training at Parsons provided me a competitive edge. Considering my personal assessment of myself, I believe that I am very unique from the other design students in terms of my willingness and devotion to this field. From the time that I was young up to this very day, I do think that my trivial interest developed into a strong passion for creating designs to make life more beautiful comfortable for people in different walks of life. Hence, my advantage is my passion to work which could be a trademark that would be remembered by others. By making a simple design that is captivating to the eyes of the viewers as well as convenient for those who would use it daily is one of the most important values that I have as a designer. This attitude is one of my competitive advantages that I possess that aid me in creating a name for myself to be acknowledged just like the other renowned artists in the world. For me, advantages are only a plus to the natural abilities and the talents which are bestowed upon us. Nevertheless, my education, personality, perspective, and my passion are the best advantages that I have. These competitive advantages will stand as my weapons to prosper and be noticed as an artist in my own genre and be appreciated by those who also believe in the mixture of beauty and comfort.

The Catcher in the Rye Quotes

'The Catcher in the Rye' Quotes J.D. Salinger’s use of informal language in The Catcher in the Rye is part of the novel’s enduring popularity. But the writing style wasn’t chosen simply to make it accessible; Salinger mimics the patterns and rhythm of a story being told orally, giving readers the almost subliminal sense that they’re listening to Holden Caulfield instead of reading a book. The result is a powerful sense of the character despite his obvious unreliability and tendency to lie, and the ability to pull almost any quote from the novel and find plenty of meaning and symbolism. â€Å"‛Up home we wear a hat like that to shoot deer in, for Chrissake,’ he said. ‛That’s a deer shooting hat.Like hell it is.’ I took it off and looked at it. I sort of closed one eye, like I was taking aim at it. ‛This is a people shooting hat,’ I said. ‛I shoot people in this hat.’† Holden’s red hunting cap is ridiculous, and there is plenty of evidence that he’s aware of that fact, aware that walking around an urban setting wearing a bright red hunting cap is weird. On a surface level- surface because it’s the obvious reason for the cap that Holden himself admits to- the cap symbolizes Holden’s independent spirit, his determination to not be like everyone else. This quote demonstrates Holden’s own perception of the hat as a disruptive tool, a layer of protective armor that allows him to attack the people he meets, if only in his mind. Holden’s misanthropy grows steadily throughout the novel as people he admires disappoint him and those he despises confirm his suspicions, and the red hunting cap symbolizes his willingness to shoot those people, or attack them and insult them. â€Å"The trouble was, that kind of junk is sort of fascinating to watch, even if you don’t want it to be.† As Holden observes the perverts at the hotel, he feels conflicted. He admits to being fascinated, but he’s also clearly disapproving. His sense of helplessness is part of his emotional collapse- Holden doesn’t want to grow up, but his body is outside his control, which is terrifying to him. â€Å"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move ... Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.† Unlike the ducks, which disturb Holden due to their regular disappearance, he finds comfort in the museum he takes Phoebe to, reveling in its static nature. No matter how long he stays away, the exhibits and the experience remain the same. This is comforting to Holden, who is terrified of change and who feels wholly unprepared to grow up and accept his mortality- and his responsibility. â€Å"The part that got me was, there was a lady sitting next to me that cried all through the goddam picture. The phonier it got, the more she cried. Youd have thought she did it because she was kindhearted as hell, but I was sitting right next to her, and she wasnt. She had this little kid with her that was bored as hell and had to go to the bathroom, but she wouldnt take him. She kept telling him to sit still and behave himself. She was about as kindhearted as a goddam wolf.† There are many quotes about the phonies that Holden meets and his low opinion of them, but this quote in the middle of the story expresses Holden’s true problem with it. It’s not so much that people put on airs and pretend to be something they’re not, it’s that they care about the wrong things. For Holden, what offends him here is that the woman is becoming emotional about the fake people on the screen while ignoring her unhappy child. To Holden, it should always be the other way around. This gets to the core of Holden’s war against time and maturity. As people get older, he sees them consistently ignoring what he thinks is important in favor of things he considers less so. He worries that by giving in and growing up he will forget Allie and start caring about fake things like the movies instead. â€Å"I walked all around the whole damn lake – I damn near fell in once, in fact – but I didnt see a single duck. I thought maybe if there were any around, they might be asleep or something near the edge of the water, near the grass and all. Thats how I nearly fell in. But I couldnt find any.† Holden’s obsession with death and mortality drives the entire story, as it’s heavily implied that his emotional troubles and difficulties in school began when his brother Allie died a few years before the story opens. Holden is terrified that nothing lasts, that everything- including himself- will die and disappear like his brother did. The ducks symbolize this fear, as they are a feature of his past, a fond memory that is suddenly gone, leaving no trace. At the same time, the ducks are also a sign of hope for Holden. They represent a comforting constant, because Holden knows that when the weather warms up again the ducks will return. This adds a faint note of hope that is amplified by the revelation at the end of the novel that Holden is telling his story from a place of safety and calm, implying that for Holden the ducks have finally returned. â€Å"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobodys around- nobody big, I mean- except me. And Im standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff- I mean if theyre running and they dont look where theyre going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. Thats all Id do all day. Id just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know its crazy, but thats the only thing Id really like to be. I know its crazy.† This quote not only gives the novel its title, it explains Holden’s fundamental issue in a beautiful, poetic way. Holden sees maturity as inherently bad- growing up leads to corruption and phoniness, and finally death. Everything Holden has observed in his life has told him that his brother Allie and his sister Phoebe are perfect in their childhood innocence, but will become like all of Holden’s despised schoolmates, teachers, and other adults in due time. He wishes to stop that passage of time and freeze everyone at a more innocent point in their lives. Crucially, Holden sees himself as all alone in this endeavor- the only person willing to attempt this feat, or qualified to do so. The fact that the song Holden’s mis-remembers- Coming Through the Rye- is actually about people sneaking into the fields to have illicit sexual encounters makes Holden’s immaturity obvious. It’s also another example of something Holden believes to be pure and innocent being corrupted and ruined by adult sensibilities, even if he’s not aware of the fact in the story.

Strategic Managment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Managment - Assignment Example It involves the mission, vision and objectives of the company and also the policies and plans that are made to achieve these objectives. Strategic management helps the company to decide about allocating resources and plans in different programs and projects (Sadler, 2003). Our question asks us to discuss and analyse the strategic capabilities of HSBC and Oman International Bank during their merger in Oman. While applying a suitable theory from the strategic management context, we have selected the SWOT analysis framework for the given case study and in the following sections we will be discussing about the various strength, weakness, opportunity and threats aspect of these organizations. HSBC has operated in Oman since 1948 and has decided to merge its Oman branch with Oman international bank. Strategic capability and strength of HSBC in the merger can be stated as the opportunity the bank will get to invest $97.4 million additional capital in a key economy like Oman in gulf. As HSBC is present over there for 60 years in Oman thus they have recognized that this merger as a opportunity which will provide them with lots of opportunities in Oman. On the other side, OIB is the fifth largest bank is Oman who had gross assets of $3.2 billion at the end of December. The strength of the merger with HSBC Oman will provide the company with huge additional capital and the 60 years of operating experience of HSBC and the merger will not effect on the listing of OIB on Muscat Securities Market. The weakness of HSBC Oman before the merger is that HSBC has lack of opportunity and the weakness of OIB is that it is in the fifth position in the country and has lack of potential staffs. This merger will create the largest bank in Oman. Question 2 Identification and Critical evaluation of the change management style that I think is appropriate for the new organization Change management can be defined as an approach which is used in transitioning any team, company or any individual to change it in a desired state. It is a systematic approach which deals with the change from both side of a company and individual. Change management has different aspects which includes adapting the change, controlling change and effecting change (Anderson, 2010). From the aspect of this case, I will like to relate it with the view point of Kurt Lewin’s change management style. The theory is also known as the Unfreeze, Change, Freeze or refreezes (Liu, 2011). Unfreezing stage is the most important stage in change management. It indicates that the company should be ready to change. It involves the understanding regarding changes. The first step involves moving a department or individual or entire business organization towards the motivation that change is necessary to survive in this ever changing competitive environment. The second stage refers to the step towards transition. Because change is not event, it is a everyday process. Transition is the internal movement towards the change. It means the company is unfrozen and moving towards a new form. Strong skills and support is necessary in this stage in the form of training and guiding. Same in case of HSBC bank Oman SOAG, new company needs this change strategy to unfreeze itself to proceed

College is a Waste of Time and Money by Caroline Bird Essay

College is a Waste of Time and Money by Caroline Bird - Essay Example The paper tells that the views and structure of the article â€Å"College is a Waste of Time and Money† by Caroline Bird are truly bound to their senses having conveyed in the author’s statement â€Å"college is the dumbest investment you can make† . That should suffice to proceed without contesting the majority in the general public who would at any time be disposed to argue â€Å"that is downright true and how can a regressed economy running scarce with job creators ever address the fresh yields of the academe, the new brood of the first-time bloodthirsty job hunters?† However, while Bird commits to this type of sentiments in her period which are presently felt as well and expresses sold-out support for the abolition of college, does it ever occur to her to ponder on how the world would look with money-driven human beings who act, talk, treat, and think like some crazy engine for dough all the time? For one, having thought ahead of the possible scenarios with that and what the author would most likely feel about each of them, he is rather afraid of acquiring much trouble in coping with that kind of future Bird insists in her sphere of change and investments. Apparently, she is quite significantly concerned with the keen reality experienced via the inverse proportionality that exists between finishing college and the hard-to-settle issue of unemployment than the core essence of tertiary education itself. Perhaps we ought to guide her perception to veer off at examining and modifying the curriculum instead of rationalizing â€Å"If high-school graduates don’t want to go, or if they don’t want to go right away, they may perceive more clearly than their elders that college is not for them† in a tone of complaint. The concept of further education is never unwise and if our main problem lies on the reluctant attitude of most 18-year-olds toward college, this can be neutralized or put to balance by focusing on the man ner educators are supposed to work on tools or techniques of fostering a stimulating atmosphere for the students. We can opt herein to find hope and realize that exploring beyond the conventional academic realm enables studying individuals to learn the remarkable key to versatile potentials and thereby gain opulent interest on succeeding with the targeted growth in both professional and economic goals as they stay in school prior. Bird primarily communicates her findings that â€Å"A great majority of our nine million college students are not in school because they want to be or because they want to learn – They are there because it has become the thing to do† (1975). Of course, we have widely known the ever-prevailing behavior among youth in transition from secondary level as such since we have gone through the stage and somehow managed to comprehend all the frailties and unpleasant feelings thereof. This we can acknowledge, nevertheless, as a normal phase of life where immaturity inevitably combines with confusion and curiosity due to the so-called ‘identity crisis’ which naturally places a young person to a state of random inquisition, denial, rebellion, and repulsion of moral discipline. Whether in and out of the academe, this condition lives as a fact and may not be prevented from happening so it would be irrational to tolerate the reasoning that college alone is responsible ju st because the 18-year-olds are being forced into a challenge or something they are not prepared yet considering which, they must thus be allowed the freedom to decide for themselves as Bird proposes. After conducting scholarly studies and interviews, Bird is eventually brought to conclude that â€Å"students are sad because they are not needed ... there is no room for so many newly minted 18-year-olds –

Structural Biology in Pharmaceutical Research

Structural Biology in Pharmaceutical Research INTRODUCTION Molecular biology plays a key role and contributes a lot in determining the 3D structure of a molecule be it proteins, nucleotides or any other biological macromolecule. It also helps in finding the target sites when it comes to drug designing. Many structural biology techniques are used in the field of pharmaceutical research. These mainly include X-ray crystallography and NMR Spectroscopy. However, structural biology also includes the help of bioinformatics. Structure based drug design plays a major role when it comes to pharmaceutical research and also it has advanced a lot over the years. The remarkable discovery of peptidomimetics and nonpeptides proves this. This was done using techniques like X ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy as well as other computer based methods. One of the widely used tools in structural biology is X-ray crystallography. This is used to determine the atomic as well as the molecular structure of a crystal where the crystalline atoms cause diffraction of X-rays in many specific directions. It is a form of high resolution microscopy. Using this technique, visualizing protein structures at the atomic level becomes easier and helps in understanding its functions. It also gives information about how proteins react with other molecules and undergo changes in their conformation. As well as the process of catalysis with respect to enzymes. All this knowledge is necessary for designing drugs which are meant to ta rget specific sites or are used for industrial processes. Crystallography, being the most widely used technique may not be successful at all times. With this, NMR comes to the rescue. It helps in elucidating 3D structures of target ligand complexes. With advances in genome sequencing, protein expressions, crystallography and NMR; these have helped in using protein 3D structure for fast discovery of drugs. The role of structural biology and bioinformatics in this is that they help in the manufacturing of drugs that are target specific and well optimized. Also, due to the determination of structure, fragment binding becomes possible. For a drug to work efficiently, it needs to bind to the specific site or the target proteins. Using computer for this is a very good technique which finds and optimizes target proteins that are required. For a substance to bind a target it has be extremely specific like a lock and a key. Structural biology methods and molecular modeling are tools that are used in the developments of such molecules. In the process of drug discovery, computational chemistry proves to be a tool of great help. After the molecule has binded to the desired molecule and the binding properties are known, the suitability of the compound can be improved using the computer. The drug’s binding affinity can be calculated digitally using the computer. Also, using these methods it is also possible to calculate if the changes in the structure would lead to any undesirable or toxic properties. These methods save a lot of time as compared to lab work especially in the early stages of drug designing. Due to this, an increase in the success rates can be observed. Fig 1: Drug Discovery Process Courtesy: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1609333/figure/fig1/ X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY In order to determine the precise molecular structure of the target protein, X-ray structure analysis is used. In this, the crystal lattice structure of the protein diffracts the X-ray beam in a typical way. The diffraction pattern can be analyzed and due to this, the density of electrons can be read which are present in the parts of the target protein. This in turn, helps in determination of the position of the atoms. Several repetition of this process and refining the image is done till the researchers obtain a 3D structure of the target molecule. Usage on X-ray crystallography in drug discovery has been present since a long time where 30 years ago the 1st three dimensional structure of proteins were determined. However, not all the pharmaceutical companies resort to this technique as it is considered time consuming and too expensive. A total change in drug design has occurred in the past years, thus using 3D structures in the designing processes. For structure that were not available with X-ray crystallography, other methods were used which included comparative models based on homologues. Crystal structures of key drug targets are now available like AIDS drugs such as Agenerase and Viracept were developed using the crystal structure of HIV protease and the influenza drug Relenza was designed using the crystal structure of neuraminidase.Drugs originating from structure based design have entered clinic trials and some of them have even been marketed as drugs now. Knowing the protein structure is a key component in the process of drug design. It is used in lead optimization which is a process that revolves around the usage of structure for guiding chemical modification of the molecule of lead for giving the perfect fit with respect to shape, bonds and other interactions. Protein structure is also used in target selection; this involves homology recognition but with the recent advances in structural genomics this has become easier. X-ray crystallography is also used in the direct screening of chemical fragments. Astex Technology has developed â€Å"Pyramid†, where fragment libraries are screened in cocktails using X-ray crystallography. Fragment hits that are derived from Pyramid are optimized in order to maintain good ligand efficiency. NMR NMR spectroscopy was the first structural technique to be made full use in fragment screening. Target Immobilized NMR Screening (TINS) Usage of NMR spectroscopy on targets that are immobilized helps in binding of small molecules. A process called as Target Immobilized NMR Screening (TINS) has ennumerable advantages; one of them being that a minimum quantity of the non isotopically labeled protein is needed. This method helps in binding in the range of KD values of 100nM to 20mM. If the reference protein is selected carefully, the number of false positive hits that one may get can be avoided. Due to this, maximum valid hits are ensured. These hits can be treated with biological assays. A variety of soluble proteins as well as membrane proteins have been screened. The combination of target immobilization and small screening of fragments using NMR proves to be of immense help in Early Drug discovery. STEPS IN DRUG DISCOVERY PROCESS TARGET IDENTIFICATION FROM SEQUENCE STRUCTURE HOMOLOGY RECOGNITON Structural bioinformatics is a backbone for the identification of new members of supefamilies. Protein structures impart a major information about the families and super families. The proteins that have evolved would be having some common structures or features that they would be exhibiting thus leading to the importance of â€Å"homology recognition†. An example of this was the recognition of HIV proteinase which belonged to be a member of the pepsin/renin superfamily. Recognition of distant homologues can be done using methods like sequence-structure matching that are classified as profile methods or threading. Profile methods involve the sequence comparison algorithms using traditional methods. Computer programs like FUGUE aid in this and helps in the recognition of homologues. Another method used is Threading which fits a probe sequence and evaluates compatibility between the sequenced and the structure that is proposed. This method is powerful for fold recognition. Example of a computer based program is GenTHREADER. After the homologue of the structure is known and identifies, it can be modeled using a variety of procedures. Although structural bioinformatics is helpful, it is necessary to have an accurate experimental structure. Target validation and the identification of ligand binding regions Structures defined by structural genomics programs are mainly of proteins that do not have a known function but they have been identified as proteins only on the basis of their gene sequences. Hence, the need for the development of computerized based methods arises which would identify sites which are involved in the interactions. PROSITE, a sequence motif database identifies the specific residues that have functions. Several attempts have been made to predict the interaction sites using computerized based methods either by identifying high-energy conformations or identifying clefts that can accommodate ligands. LEAD DISCOVERY The trait of a target is based on the number of drug like ligands for a target class. Classification of the targets into families has helped in designing compound libraries for particular families. Screening of a small fragments or molecule is needed and this can be done using biophysical assays. Ligand docking is a method that helps to find the best binding position and orientation. The best docking programmes are successful in dockin 70-80% of ligands in the ligand-protein complexes. A major drawback of this method is that there are difficulties in predicting affinities of different compounds. CONCLUSION Knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of protein targets plays a major role in all stages of drug discovery. Its place in lead optimization is well established with large teams of structural biologists recruited into all major pharmaceutical companies. The success of the method is evident from drugs in use and new ones reaching the market. But structural biology and bioinformatics show that many key targets for drug discovery are multidomain and multiprotein complexes. Such systems pose significant challenges not only for characterization using structural techniques but also because the inter-protein surfaces are usually poor in distinguishing features. BIBLIOGRAPHY RESEARCH PAPERS: Blundell, T., Sibanda, B., Montalvao, R.W., Brewerton, S., Chelliah, V., Worth, C., Harmer, N., Davies, O.,1 and Burke D(2006) Structural biology and bioinformatics in drug design: opportunities and challenges for target identification and lead discovery. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 361(1467): 413–423. Congreve, M., Murray CW., and Blundell T(2005) Structural biology and drug discovery. Drug Discov Today. 2005 Jul 1;10(13):895-907. BOOK: Structural Genomics and High Throughput Structural Biology(2006)edited by Michael Sundstrom, Martin Norin, Aled Edwards. WEBSITE: http://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com/suppliers/zobio/products/nmr-based-structural-biology http://www.bayerpharma.com/en/research-and-development/technologies/research-technologies/computational-chemistry-structural-biology/index.php

Geographical Layout of an Area on Its Politics Essay

What is the effect of the geographical layout of an area on its politics, society, and economy? Physical characteristics of a specific area can have a substantial impact on its history. Regardless of how close one area is to another the outcome of the civilization could be completely different because of how the people have had to adapt to live in their respective areas. This issue would explain how intertwined history is with geography. Europe’s geography provided many disadvantages and advantages which have been the factors for its many successes and failures. Since the majority of Europe is surrounded by water it was a peninsula. This made it so they could trade with ease. The many rivers and mountain ranges of Europe most certainly aided in protecting certain civilizations from invasion or being involved in wars. The wildly vast and diverse geographic features in Europe set the tone for trading routes to prosper, long-lasting cultures to develop, and battles to occur that would change the identity of the region indefinitely. A region’s geographic shape is instrumental in determining what a region will become. Due to Europe’s geographical shape it became a hotspot for any and all trade. With natural resources plentiful Europe was constantly bustling with business. The Iberian Peninsula gave Spain and Portugal easy access to trade with foreign countries. The Balkan Peninsula gave many countries along the Aegean Sea the effortless option to trade. The many Peninsulas provided great advantages for Europeans due to the plentiful food the oceans supplied. These advantages molded many European civilizations into what they are today whether they isolate themselves from others or interact. The specific geographical features within a region provided protection, but also could have provided isolation. The many rivers and mountain ranges of Europe provided many people with fertile soil and a feeling of safety. However, the mountain ranges could stop trade between countries and slow the advancement of technology and knowledge between these regions. The rivers on the other hand would encourage trade and it would flourish. The physical characteristics of a region affect the decisions people greatly. Europe has a wide variety of terrains. Some help the people who live there, while others force people to adapt. These features influenced the development of many areas. For example the Alps acted as a barrier throughout the Punic Wars. It was perhaps the Roman Empire’s greatest asset. Several times Hannibal was forced to attack by sea instead of being able to invade from the North. This is not the only time in history was affected by geographical features. Climate overcame Hitler’s forces in the Invasion of Russia. The cold winter air killed off many of Hitler’s forces. That event alone could have changed the entire turnout of WWII. Europe’s features both hindered and kindled its growth as a world power. People’s choices have always been affected by their surroundings. The geographic features found in Europe were a commodity and the reason Europe succeeded the way it did for so long. Europe is filled with a wide variety of natural resources and geographical features. Sometimes their surroundings were beneficial and other times it was detrimental. Geography affected the choices of everyone. These features are what caused certain trade routes to emerge, cultures to find their identities, and wars to take place where they did.

An Introduction to the Dunning-Kruger Effect

At one point or another, you’ve probably heard someone speak with confidence on a topic that they actually know almost nothing about. Psychologists have studied this topic, and they’ve suggested a somewhat surprising explanation, known as the Dunning-Kruger effect: when people don’t know much about a topic, they’re often actually unaware of the limits of their knowledge, and think they know more than they actually do. Below, we’ll review what the Dunning-Kruger effect is, discuss how it affects people’s behavior, and explore ways that people can become more knowledgeable and overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect. What is the Dunning-Kruger Effect? The Dunning-Kruger effect refers to the finding that people who are relatively unskilled or unknowledgeable in a particular subject sometimes have the tendency to overestimate their knowledge and abilities.   In a set of studies testing this effect, researchers Justin Kruger and David Dunning asked participants to complete tests of their skills in a particular domain (such as humor or logical reasoning).   Then, participants were asked to guess how well they had done on the test.   They found that participants tended to overestimate their abilities, and this effect was most pronounced among participants with the lowest scores on the test.   For example, in one study, participants were given a set of practice LSAT problems to complete. Participants who actually scored in the bottom 25% guessed that their score put them in the 62nd percentile of participants. Why Does the Dunning-Kruger Effect Happen? In an interview with Forbes, David Dunning explains that â€Å"the knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at that task.†Ã‚   In other words, if someone knows very little about a particular topic, they may not even know enough about the topic to realize that their knowledge is limited. Importantly, someone may be highly skilled in one area, but be susceptible to the Dunning-Kruger effect in another domain. This means that everyone can potentially be affected by the Dunning-Kruger effect: Dunning explains in an article for Pacific Standard that â€Å"it may be sorely tempting to think this doesn’t apply to you. But the problem of unrecognized ignorance is one that visits us all.†Ã‚   In other words, the Dunning-Kruger effect is something that can happen to anyone. What About People Who Actually Are Experts? If people who know quite little about a topic think they’re experts, what do experts think of themselves? When Dunning and Kruger conducted their studies, they also looked at people who were quite skilled at the tasks (those scoring in the top 25% of participants).   They found that these participants tended to have a more accurate view of their performance than participants in the bottom 25%, but they actually had a tendency  to underestimate how they did relative to other participants—although they typically guessed their performance was above average, they didn’t realize quite how well they had done. As a TED-Ed video explains, â€Å"Experts tend to be aware of just how knowledgeable they are. But they often make a different mistake: They assume that everyone else is knowledgeable too.† Overcoming the Dunning-Kruger Effect What can people do to overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect?   A TED-Ed video on the Dunning-Kruger effect offers some advice: â€Å"keep learning.†Ã‚   In fact, in one of their famous studies, Dunning and Kruger had some of the participants take a logic test and then complete a short training on logical reasoning. After the training, the participants were asked to assess how they’d done on the previous test. The researchers found that the training made a difference: afterwards, the participants who scored in the bottom 25% lowered their estimate of how well they thought they had done on the preliminary test. In other words, one way to overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect may be to learn more about a topic. However, when learning more about a topic, it’s important to make sure that we avoid confirmation bias, which is â€Å"the tendency to accept evidence that confirms our beliefs and to reject evidence that contradicts them.†Ã‚   As Dunning explains, overcoming the Dunning-Kruger effect can sometimes be a complicated process, especially if it forces us to realize that we were previously misinformed. His advice? He explains that â€Å"the trick is to be your own devil’s advocate: to think through how your favored conclusions might be misguided; to ask yourself how you might be wrong, or how things might turn out differently from what you expect.† The Dunning-Kruger effect suggests that we may not always know as much as we think we do—in some domains, we may not know enough about a topic to realize that we are unskilled. However, by challenging ourselves to learn more and by reading about opposing views, we can work to overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect. References †¢ Dunning, D. (2014).   We are all confident idiots.   Pacific Standard.   https://psmag.com/social-justice/confident-idiots-92793 †¢ Hambrick, D.Z. (2016).   The psychology of the breathtakingly stupid mistake.   Scientific American Mind.   https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-psychology-of-the-breathtakingly-stupid-mistake/ †¢ Kruger, J., Dunning, D. (1999).   Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing ones own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments.   Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121-1134. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12688660_Unskilled_and_Unaware_of_It_How_Difficulties_in_Recognizing_Ones_Own_Incompetence_Lead_to_Inflated_Self-Assessments †¢ Lopez, G. (2017).   Why incompetent people often think they’re actually the best.   Vox.   https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/11/18/16670576/dunning-kruger-effect-video †¢ Murphy, M. (2017).   The Dunning-Kruger effect shows why some people think theyre great even when their work is terrible.   Forbes.   https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2017/01/24/the-dunning-kruger-effect-shows-why-some-people-think-theyre-great-even-when-their-work-is-terrible/#1ef2fc125d7c †¢ Wednesday Studio (Director) (2017).   Why incompetent people think they’re amazing.   TED-Ed.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?vpOLmD_WVY-E

International Monetary Fund Argentina Project And Its...

The International Monetary Fund Argentina Project and its problems and outcomes One project of the International Monetary Fund was a series of loans given to the country of Argentina in the 1990s through 2001. In the 1990s many investors and brokers looked to Argentina for investments as they rated its economy as one of the world s strongest (Blustein, 2003, Aug 3). It was at this time that Argentina first started to follow the International Monetary Fund formula for economic stabilization in development including reducing budget in balance of payment deficits, raising interest rates, reducing inflation, privatizing state assets, and reducing trade barriers and regulation on capital flows in and out of the country (Paddock, 2002, p. 158). These policies helped reduce the hyper-inflationary levels that Argentina had reached during the 1980s. This positive outlook may have prevented a needed change in the economic policies when the effects of the Mexican peso crisis in 1995 placed Argentina s economy in a brief recession. It wasn t until 1998 that Argentine po licymakers discussed the country s finances with a senior official of the International Monetary Fund who sounded the alarm that the country might be headed for an Asian style melt down. However despite the warning significant economic changes were not made, in part due to the confidence that money could be easily acquired from the International Monetary Fund (Blustein, 2003, Aug 3). In 1999 the financialShow MoreRelatedThe Crisis Of Bolivia As Economy1661 Words   |  7 Pageshas now an accumulated valuable amount of rainy-day fund of foreign reserves. Ana Corbacho, the International Monetary Fund’s chief of mission said of Bolivia’s growth: â€Å"Bolivia has in a way been an outlier. 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