Nightmare in the city

It was a cold dark night in metropolis, a large city just outside of New York, USA. The year is 2199 and the dawning of a new centuary is apon us with great delight to most of the million citizens or so that live here. But in the ranks we were more worried about the mass killings that strangely occur this time every hundred years. I am an underground detective that investigates for the police â€Å"The names Brody, Detective Brody,† I said to the new Detective sergeant of the NYPD. â€Å"It's good to meet ya, Kid,† the new sergeant growled at me through the thick black smoke of his cigar. My first impressions of the character were one of trust and one of dress sense, which in both cases he had none of. I left the police station at about 10.30pm and took a back alleyway back to my apartment on 7th and 4th street when I noticed that every street lamp went out the moment I walked past, it went out â€Å"funny,† I say to myself aloud and carry on walking by the lights which still went out every time I walked past them. I had only experienced this once before in my lifetime but I was as usual under the influence of my favourite tipple at the time, Thankfully today I was sober. Then suddenly I heard a cry, a loud screeching noise a few hundred metres away dead ahead of me, I knew this alleyway well I used it every day. There was no way anyone could be attacked down this alleyway, but then again the excitement of the next few hours as the clock strikes twelve made me very apprehensive, so I ran down the alleyway to find out what had happened. I ran for about two minutes then I tripped over a large object on the floor I looked around and I found a woman on the floor unconscious and bleeding heavily so I instantly called an ambulance to help come and pick her up. Buy the time they arrived she was dead. No one knew who was there on site could understand her cause of death, No impact wounds on the head or body which could have caused the blood, No gunshot on her body, nothing. This got me even more worried. I got home about two hours later, the shock of seeing someone in that condition made me sick. Who or what as the case could be did this to such an innocent person. When I got into my bedroom I fell onto my bed and slept, as I was not in the party mood after this little fiasco. I woke up several times in the night as the partying kept me awake for hours at a time then before I knew it my alarm woke me up at about 7.30am before I got dressed I wrote a list of what I could do to help the poor ladies family. I finished my list had a wash and got changed I then sat down for breakfast I sat watching the holoscreen to see if the killings of last night had been better or worse than last time. The reporter informed me that the killings were ten times as bad as last time and that you should avoid going out at all costs. Unfortunately my time had come to leave the warm comfort of my home and headed downtown to my office on 12th and 9th. I left my apartment with caution, as you don't quite know what is going to happen at this time of year. As I left the tatty main door to the block I saw all of the wonderful displays that all of the children had made for the city up in flames. They looked like old torn clothes rather than wonderful display of affection to the community. It looked like a scene from an old space movie where only the star was left after they destroyed the planet. The city even had the red glow of the fires that were here and their, as the fire robots tried to extinguish them

Escapism in the Sun Also Rises

The characters whose story Hemingway tells in The Sun Also Rises are referred to as â€Å"the lost generation. † These characters, all greatly affected by the tragedies of war, were disillusioned with their own country and attempted to find solace in Paris. In the hustle bustle and excitement of the city, they still seem to long for some sort of escape and this is where Hemingway brings in pastoral language and other forms of escapism. The novel begins with a long epigraph from Ecclesiastes (read).This epigraph is intended to show the reader that nature is a constant, while people are not. This basically means that our lives and hardships are seemingly insignificant and that no matter how bad an experience a person has one day, another day will always come. The sun will always rise and set, the wind will always blow, and the rivers will always flow into the ocean. This idea is essential in order to understand the importance of pastoral language. The Oxford English Dictionary d efines the word pastoral as poetry, music, pictures, etc: portraying rural life or characters, esp. n an idealized or romantic manner. (Read definition&next) While Paris was meant to be an escape from the wartime and the reminders of their lives in America before the war, it is still difficult for them to cope because the city is still very similar to their old lives and is full of corruption. (read) Hemingway creates pastoral interludes in which the men escape from the social, sexual, and monetary competition of the city to a more idyllic setting.For example, Bill and Jake go on a trip to the countryside and are able to enjoy the freedom from the busy schedules of city life as well as a new openness with one another when Bill expresses his deep feelings of friendship for Jake that would’ve been considered inappropriate to express by social standards. Jake desperately wants to escape from his problems, however he carries a constant reminder of what he went through because of his injury.Lady Ashley and his desire for what can never happen between them is another constant reminder of what he has gone through which never allows him to escape his war. So, while the pastoral setting was a good break for him, it doesn’t allow him to completely regain his masculinity. Instead, he uses a forced masculine attitude as a form of escapism. In comparison to the count, Jake is a small and seemingly weak man. The count dates Brett, buys her things such as dinner flowers and champagne. Brett treats Jake lovingly but it is almost in a tantalizing way because she knows nothing will happen etween them. In order to keep up his many image, Jake begins to spend money frivolously as the count does, even though he is by no means wealthy. (Read) Jake isn’t the only one that the pastoral setting doesn’t help when it comes to escaping the memories of the war. After the war, women had a new place in the world because during the war they had to work while the m en were away. Brett is unable to use the country as a place of solace because women were still supposed to be traditional and that type of confinement wouldn’t allow her to forget the things she saw as a nurse.Instead, she turns to a somewhat wild lifestyle consisting of alcohol and men as her own form of escapism. The characters seem to be constantly looking for a way to escape their problems rather than fixing them or simply accepting that there are some things that can’t be changed. They cling to ideas of what could have been, even up to the very last lines of the book. Through their constant efforts to escape, they never seem to grasp Hemingway’s idea that the world is bigger than one person’s suffering.

Ma Earth Essay

Ans1. Heather before being a marketing manager she loved the company and its products. And not only because of its products but also because of their values, that they promised to use all natural ingredients and also ensured that they wouldn’t harm the planet. But in reality the story was different. When she was given the responsibility of campaigning one of its product Ore Essentials, she came to know that the story behind growing the product is quite different. Ma Earth Skin Care was using a different strategy to maintain its image in the market. The company was paying the tribes neither for growing the product there nor for purchasing. They were actually buying its product at a cheap rate from a mainstream supplier. But the company wants to convey its message to the customers that the product is very precious and rare, and they get it only from the tribal area. So this was the ethical issue Heather was facing. She wasn’t ready to accept the way the company was marketing its product. If Heather shows its customers how the company is getting its resources for the Ore Essentials i.e. if she tells them that though the company says that it gets its resources from the tribes but in reality it doesn’t, this would cross a line into unethical territory. Whereas if Heather supports the company i.e. if she shows that the company gets its resources from the tribes rather than showing the actual truth, it can be considered ethical. Ans2. From the customer point of view, the company was fulfilling its corporate social responsibility by paying the tribes for their wellbeing in return for their effort to grow the plants and maintaining them. The company provided the tribal people a school, a health clinic as well as food and clothing. This way the company is effective in practicing its social responsibility. But even though the company is supporting the tribal people, they are cheating its customers by showing false claims. This way the company is not fulfilling its social responsibility.

Explain the mechanism of the money multiplier. How can the monetary Essay

Explain the mechanism of the money multiplier. How can the monetary authorities influence its size and the supply of money - Essay Example To this, there will be answering of the study question, â€Å"What is a Money Multiplier?† An economic view will be maintained in this study. The money multiplier is also known as the deposit or the credit multiplier. From the simple point of view, the term multiplier means the magnitude by which money supply expands and this is usually bigger than the rise in the equivalent monetary base. Thus, if the multiplier stands at 20, then it follows that an increase of $1 in the underlying monetary base will lead to a $20 rise in the supply of money. (moneyterms.co.uk, 2011) Money multipliers can be divided into several types. One of these multipliers is the deposit expansion multiplier. This type of multiplier measures by what magnitude money supply can be increased from the original deposit. Thus, the formula that shows how the deposit expansion multiplier works is as under; Where; Reserve requirement is the set deposit reserve for all commercial banks by the equivalent central bank. Taking that the set reserve requirement is 10%, then it follows that the deposit expansion multiplier is Thus, if the one applies the multiplier computed before, and taking that the excess reserves from the original deposit are $800. The potential money supply expansion (M1) is to be determined as follows: M1, which is the sum of the original deposit ($1,000) plus the $16,000 that has been created is, therefore, $17,000. Note that the formula presented is what is usually referred to as the simple money multiplier. (Morton and Goodman, 2003 p197) Under the deposit expansion multiplier there are various assumptions that have to be considered. This is to ensure that the explanations presented make sense. These are with the inclusion of the bank customer’s usage of cheques to pay each other as opposed to usage of cash, banks usually keep a particular deposits’ fraction to take care of the central bank’s reserve

Serious Game Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Serious Game Critique - Essay Example The serious games have the capability of changing opinions of the societies of influencing them towards achieving a common goal through educating and funny learning. This has aroused the need to analyze one serious game, in order to demonstrate the way it has the capabilities of influencing the societies towards social, physical, and emotional changes. The research study also identifies if the serious game was successful, and illustrate the way the targeted audience responded to the game. This paper specifically assesses the Climate Defense, which is a defense games educating the player to prevent the global warming through the absorption of carbon dioxide before building up into the atmosphere. The game contains towers that represent quantities of trees that can be planted to absorb the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere. The towers are constructed by the player to destroy the clouds of carbon dioxide, which matches along the pathway from the ground surface to the atmosphere in the form of waves. The game presents the overall impacts to the player, especially after the increase of global temperatures. It gives details of the expected results, as predicted by the economists and scientists after the increase of the global temperatures. However, the games provide an opportunity for the player to approach the problematic aspect of the results by decreasing the wave-size of the emitted carbon dioxide. It also gives the player an alternative approach of increasing the efficiency of energy consumptions by decreasing the waves of carbon dioxide, which the trees must deal with. Therefore, the game achieves its goals of eliminating the player the various approaches to end the issue of global warming, especially the common one of planting the trees. It achieves its notions be even predicting the possible impacts if the situation is not taken under control. Such predictions include the economical point of view and scientific

Nonconsequentialist Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nonconsequentialist Theories - Essay Example The essay "Nonconsequentialist Theories" talks about the Non Consequentialist theories that state that consequences should not find their way into our moral judgments. It means that actions are to be judged good or right in line with other criteria i.e. divine command or intuitions. They are categorized as; Act non-consequential theories and Rule non-consequentialist theories.Rule Non-Consequentialist theories are of the idea that blanket rules should be employed to govern the society since they will introduce a greater good. One of the major examples in Rule Non-Consequential theory is the divine command theory that claims that our only source of morality or moral authority is from a higher source, a spiritual deity like God. On the real world, an example is the adherers of the Catholic Church. Many of these followers base their moral values on what is written in the Bible. They believe whatever the scripture says or its interpretation by the church leaders to be moral. Two examples are the Catholic Church’s opposition to birth control and homosexuality. These stands would never be agreed upon by secular reasoning alone, it takes religion. Act Non-Consequentialist Theories are of the idea that we should not employ general or blanket rules but act on a case by case basis. The theory states that only individual acts and situations count morally. The theory is against generalization since every situation is different. They are based on emotions and intuitions to be able to come up with moral conclusions.

Compare Two Types of Music Eras Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Compare Two Types of Music Eras - Essay Example This esssay stresses that the popular forms of music have taken over Western Culture, with the more artistic forms of music losing their niche in the world. Orchestra attendance is dropping all around the world due to this widening gap between what people listen to in the world. Also, modern composers have created some very interesting and complex music however the modern audience wants nothing to do with these complex and intricate forms of musical art. This article makes a conculusion that the advancements of music recording and the recording industry have also been great. Musical recording is able to do things with the composition and recording of music that would make past generations quake, and the vast possibilities that are possible with this new technology is amazing; even to someone like me who is not a fan of the modern music age. Despite what else the modern age has done, it’s contributions to music recording and technology have really increased the myriad of possibilities for anybody who wants to go into electronic music or the recording or music. Despite the advancements we have seen in the Modern Age, it has done nothing to compete with the huge musical development of other ages, such as the Middle Age. The rift that has developed has left the art forms of music in the dust, and I cannot advocate this by any means. Hopefully we will see a return to the artier forms of music one day.

Paper subject ( Management financial resource ) Essay

Paper subject ( Management financial resource ) - Essay Example The mental health care, among adults, is provided on the basis of the community based hospital, independent supported living and adult residential care homes (CareTech, 2014). The young people residential services are directed towards children; this segment is associated with various facilities that are associated with facilitating the learning of children, as well as managing their behaviors. Fourthly, the company offers the foster care services; this segment ensures that children are assessed in their homes. This foster care segment is related to the provision of special services to children with disabilities. While offering these services, the management understands that a prudent financial management can help the company to perform effectively in its area of operation (CareTech, 2014). In this respect, this paper is focused on assessing the financial management of the health and social care organization; the paper will pay attention to the operations of CareTech PLC. Among the financial aspects that would be discussed include the principles of costing and business control systems. Considering that CareTech PLC is a firm that focused on offering health and social care services, it is critical for the firm to use the absorption costing method. The absorption costing method ensures that various costs are expensed to a given product or service. This method is effective as far as the external reporting is concerned (Fukui, Yoshiuchi and Ikezaki, 2014). The method ensures that both direct and indirect costs are effectively expensed to a given service or product. The absorption cost would be efficient in determining the costs that are required to be met by CareTech PLC in various segments in order to continue offering its services to diverse clients. Generally, the direct and indirect costs are assigned to different the end product or service that is provided to a customer. The absorption costing has remained a key principle of costing

Reflective report on your experience of the Myers Briggs Personality Essay

Reflective report on your experience of the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory - Essay Example These basic traits are the precursor to the sixteen personality types which are essentially the combination of each of the typologies. As suggested by Jung the personality type do not put people in a box but rather show the inclination of the person’s choices base on the typologies. It should be noted that as early as 1917 Katherine Briggs had already developed a way of describing the differences of accomplished individuals based on their biographies. However, when Jung’s book â€Å"Psychological Types† was translated into English in 1923, Katherine immediately devoured the book and studied it in detail since Jung went beyond what she initially conceptualized (Reinhold, 1997). Katherine’s daughter, Isabel Briggs-Myers, took over where her mother has left off and went on to construct the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test in 1942 while apprenticing in a bank under the tutelage of Edward N. Hay (Quenk, 2000). From the 1944 publication, the Myers-Briggs Type In dicator has undergone several revisions and improvement over the years to reflect the expanding understanding of the complex human behaviour. The last of these revision happened in 1998 under Mary McCaulley (McCaulley & Myers-Briggs, 1985). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is rooted on dichotomies of several human traits. ... The same can be said about Sensing vs. Intuition. Rationalising facts and tangible details may be true for most of the cases but there are instances most especially if there is ambiguity in the facts and figures presented that an individual has to rely on patterns and gut feel. When it comes to decision making, not all decision that will be made by an individual relies on the objective and impersonal logic. There will definitely be instances when irrational blind belief will be relied upon. In conducting or performing something there are instances when an individual will prefer to have plans over spontaneity. Having said the differences between the dichotomies, internal conflict that will be resolved as time goes on will clarify the actual preferences of the individual. Nonetheless, there is a tendency for humans to change their mind or even their pattern. Therefore the validity of the MBTI is always under scrutiny. The National Academy of Sciences committee reviewed data from over 2 0 MBTI research studies and concluded that the Introversion-Extroversion scale has adequate construct validity (Psychometric Success, 2009). In the same article Robert Spillane, a professor of management at the graduate school of Management at Macquarie University said that â€Å"Test trivialize human behaviour assuming that fake attitudes predict performance. Not only is this incorrect but testers’ offer no explanation for behaviour beyond the circular proposition that behaviour is caused by traits which are inferred from behaviour. The technical deficiencies of most personality tests have been known for many years. Yet they are conveniently ignored by those with vested interests in their continued use.† Despite of existing criticisms, majority of organizations who conduct personality

Critical Observation Essay Example for Free

Critical Observation Essay The aspect of psychological basically relates the scientific explanation regarding the behavioral characteristics and personality issue of an individual as a human being. In this field, the critical aspects of personality development and behavioral characteristics of each person as unique and individual beings are explored relating to their social action and behavior. Included in this approach are the study of the significant issues and elements relating to the development and the establishment of the behavior and personality of each person particularly on the critical conditions such as abnormalities and psychological problems. Indeed, the psychological field discusses the human psyche and the establishment of the characteristics and qualities relating to the biological and physiological basis of their personality and behavior. There are several important issues and elements that are critical in the study of the psychological aspect of each individual particularly on the focusing of explaining his or her present condition or behavioral characteristics. On this aspect, a specific approach in line to the psychological research is employed to determine the relevant elements, contributory factors and the influential system to the present behavioral characteristics of each person. Several of the common approaches to this research aspect are the observation method, profiling, interview and others in which the researchers try to uncover and determine the possible cause and contributory element explaining the present behavioral characteristic and psychological problem of the subject. Through determining the primary root and the possible influences to the manifestation of the problem, further understanding can be facilitated which promotes awareness to the psychological characteristic of the involved person. As an actual example of the aspect of psychological research, consider the exercise conducted by the author of this paper wherein a specific approach were used to determine, understand, and explain the possible causes and the significant influences to the development of certain behavioral issue of a chosen subject. The subject established in this exercise is a female classmate of the researcher that displays a certain critical behavioral condition namely the alcoholism and smoking problem of the said person. As the person of this exercise, the researcher wishes to determine and the primary causes and specific influences to the development of this personal issue which is manifested in her social interaction. As a primary approach, the researcher first resorted to observation method and background profiling wherein she learned that the behavioral problem of the subject is commonly displayed when she is with peers of her social group. As observed, the likely need for the said behavioral issue only comes or is displayed when the subject is socializing, bonding with friends, and during social events. It is also noted that the subject spends most of her time for the said activities making the manifestation of her behavioral problems to be common in her daily routine and contributing to the development of this psychological issue. Proceeding after the observation is the interview approach wherein the researcher will evaluate the said psychological issue through based on the exposition and perspective of the subject. As she relates, the said issues namely the alcoholism and smoking have already became a habitual act on her part. It first started as her medium to deal with her personal problems and as a bonding grounds for her peers and friends which eventually developed into a behavioral routine. She also expressed that the said actions and issues are only exhibited while she is engage to social interaction and activities and are only passive when she is alone. Another particular element she expressed emphasis on her story is the issue of her family situation wherein she must also deal with the separation and certain conflicts between her parents. Living under these conditions, she started to resort to external means to adapt to her situation and gain stability over her problems. Based from the facts and factors gathered through the different approaches employed in determining the nature of the behavioral condition and issue of the subject, a form of evaluation will be conducted to determine the possible nature of the said issue. As based from the observation and interview, the alcoholism and smoking problem of the subject is mainly attributed to two specific condition namely her personal family situation and her social characteristics. First, the behavioral problem of the subject manifest as her form of her adaptation process to her situation particularly with the separation of her parents. It is also established that the behavioral problem of the subject also started during this period making this among the primary causes of her problem. Second, is her social characteristic wherein the problem manifests as her approach of socializing, interacting and bonding with her friends who also share the same behavioral condition. It is likely that the subject learned the said behavior from her social group. Also, the constant practice and involvement of the subject of the said behavior with her social group led to the routinary development of the said act leading to its integration to her personality. Leading up to the possible solution, two particular approaches are important to address this behavioral problem effectively namely, to tackle her family situation and address the parental guidance crucial to her withdrawal and the change of her environment particularly separation from her social group who also practice the said problem. These two particular issues are the main causes of her behavioral problem as established from the conducted critical observation research. From the determination of the primary causes and the significant contributory elements, an effective approach to address the problem can be created through tackling the fundamental factors leading to the development of the general issue. Indeed, as displayed in the result of the conducted critical observation research, the application of the said aspect in the field of psychology promotes critical understanding and effective intervention measures for the behavioral issue and problems involved. Through determining the possible causes, the related circumstances, the contributory factors as related from observation, profiling, and interview, the involved researcher can draw an effective approach to intervene and address the problem at hand towards the development of a positive and healthy behavioral characteristic for the subject of the matter. Bibliography American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association. 5th Edition. ISBN-10: 1557987912. Clark-Carter, Da (1997). Doing Quantitative Psychological Research: From Design To Report. Psychology Press, U. K. 1st Edition. ISBN-10: 0863777880. Grych, John H. Fincham, Frank D. (2001). Interparental Conflict and Child Development: Theory, Research and Applications. Cambridge University Press. 1st Edition. ISBN-10: 0521651425.

In The Time Of The Butterflies Essay

In The Time Of The Butterflies Essay Many years ago, people believed that women did not have the right to express their ideas and feelings. These people thought that women were born just to get married and become mothers, and if they considered going to school they were often punished by society. At that time, women were not allowed to go to school or to have a job because they had to be in charge of the house. At home, women had not only to take care of their children but also they had to satisfy their husbands, take care of the old and sick members of the family and do the housework. Something very important that we have to consider is that in those times the families did not have just one or two children, but six or seven. This made it even more difficult for them. Women of that time were discriminated against socially. They did not have the same opportunities as men. Women could not have important jobs, and if they had, they did not receive the same treatment and salaries as men. Women were the worst paid and the mo st exploited. Women had always a secondary role in the family and society. Fortunately now, the situation has changed and society has established more rights for the protection of the women. However, there are still some places where people continue to have the negative beliefs about keeping women always at home. Nowadays, women have rebelled against those who think they are just an object that can be bought and sold. Most of them are not afraid to fight for their rights anymore, they are now allowed to do everything they want; they can work, they can express their opinions, they can attend school, and they can even vote and have important jobs in our society. In our new society, women can have as important jobs as men. For example, in Germany, the citizens have a woman as president because now society supports them and believes in them. In this paper, the two stories that I am going to analyse are In The Time of the Butterflies written by Julia Alvarez and The Color Purple written by Alice Walker. My essay is going to focus on the role of the main women in each story. Celie, Nettie, Sofia and the Mirabal sisters. The reason I decided to talk about this topic is because even though I am a man, I think women should receive the same treatment and opportunities as us, men. And also because it is very important to know that women have an important and essential role not only at home but also in labour lives. In The Time of the Butterflies is a story that talks about the lives of the Mirabal family, especially of the Mirabal sisters. This story takes place in the Dominican Republic where each Mirabal sister narrates the story according to her point of view. The Mirabal sisters called Patria, Minerva, Dedà © and Maria Teresa. These women were involved in a movement against Trujillo, who at that time governed the Dominican Republic. This man was an oppressor and he governed the nation in a brutal and cruel way. This movement against Trujillo shows the Mirabal sisters as strong women, women who fought for their rights and who gave their lives in order to get the treatment any woman deserved. On the other hand, The Color Purple is a story about violence, oppression and discrimination against women. Celie, a little black girl, is raped by her stepfather many times. She had two babies by him. Celie receives discrimination from white people, who treat black people as animals or, at best, as servants. Celie is given to Mr Black by her stepfather. Mr Black forces Celie to have sexual relations with him. He beats her. The babies Celie has had from her stepfather have been taken away from her. Celie is just fourteen years old, but she has now to take care of Mr Blacks children. Celie knows nothing about love because she has never experienced that feeling. She has just received beating and oppression from everyone. Mr Black has a son, Harpo, who marries to Sofia. Harpo humiliates and hits Sofia. But he gets a huge surprise; Sofia will not allow it. Sofia is a strong and independent woman who fights for her rights. Nettie, Celie ´s sister, is discriminated against as well. As we see, these two stories have many things in common, and one of the most important is the role that women play in each novel. In The Time of the Butterflies, the Mirabal sisters grew up in an upper class because their father was a businessman. The Mirabal sisters were very close and they were expected to get married and to have babies, and that is what they did. The Mirabal sisters supported each other in any decision they made. Here we can find a clear similarity with The Color Purple; it is because in this novel the sisters Celie and Nettie were always very close as well. Even though these sisters were separated from each other, they were together their thoughts. Another similarity between these two stories is that in both novels women have very traditional roles. For example, in The Color Purple when Celie is taken to Mr Black ´s house, she has to take care of the children, do the housework and satisfy Mr Black. She has to do everything Mr Black wants; she was even forc ed to have sexual relations. Celie was hit by Mr Black and she received a terrible treatment. Even though Celie was just fourteen years old Mr Black did not allow her to attend school. Women at that time were expected to get married and become mothers and going to school did not make any sense at all. It is another similarity with In The Time of the Butterflies, people also thought that women should stay at home with the children. A clear difference between these women is that in The Color Purple Celie, the protagonist of the novel, and her sister Nettie, did not have the opportunity of attending school. They were poor and they did not have someone who could support them. On the other hand, In The Time of the Butterflies, the Mirabal sisters, Patria, Dedà ©, Maria Teresa and Minerva had the opportunity to study because their father, Don Enrique Mirabal, earned enough money to send them to school. However, these sisters suffered too, but in a different way. The Mirabal sisters suffered because of Trujillo. Trujillo was the government of Dominican Republic at that time. He was an oppressor and his dictatorship was brutal. Trujillo used to treat women as objects, he could have any woman he wanted because he had the power. Here, we have another similarity with The Color Purple, in this novel Mr Black was an oppressor and a dictator too. He forces Celie to do things she did not want to do. However, Celie had to ob ey him, and she did not have the opportunity to say what she really thought. Mr Black had Celie as a servant in his house while he spent time with Shug Avery, a woman who Mr. Black loved. Thats why Trujillo and Mr Black have many things in common. Both were machinists. In The Color Purple we have Sofia, character who for me is the strongest woman in the novel. Sofia married Harpo, Mr. Black ´s son. Harpo wants to treat Sofia, his wife; of the same manner, his father treats Celie. However, Sofia is a very intelligent woman and she does not allow it. On the contrary, Sofia takes control of the house and she does not allow herself to be insulted by anybody. She confronts even the white community, this community treated blacks as animals, but Sofia rebelled against that and she fought for her freedom. Unfortunately, she was taken to jail because she hits and insults a very important white man in the town. The similarity with In The Time of the Butterflies is that Sofia has the same courage that Minerva, one of the Mirabal sisters. For me, Minerva was also the bravest and strongest woman in this novel. I think these two women are similar. They have the same purpose in fighting; they wanted freedom for themselves and for their families. These two women did not really care if they lost their freedom in order to get their fights. Minerva Mirabal gave her life in order to have a better country and Sofia, from The Color Purple, lost her freedom in order to get a better treatment for her family and for the black community. Another similarity I found is that in each novel there is one woman who narrates or tells her story through writings. For example, in In The Time of the Butterflies Dedà © narrates her story through a diary, in which she wrote all that happened to her. On the other hand, In The Color Purple Celie tells her story through letters to God. In these papers, Celi and Dedà ¨ could write all their thought and all those things they could not say in front of people. In these papers, they expressed all they felt. And I could say that these papers were like a person they could talk to. In conclusion, I can say that these two stories made me think about the life I want for my daughters in a future. In these novels there was much tragedy but they showed me the value people should give to the women. I personally believe that all women have to have the same opportunities. The society should not distinguish between black and white women, because they are all equals. Consequently, they have to be treated in the same manner as the society treats men. Women have the same and even more capacity as men and sometimes they are stronger. Women have the power to sacrifice her life in order to save their relatives not matter what. The difference between genders is just an obstacle created by the human mind.

Secretors And Non Secretors In Human Population Antigens Biology Essay

Secretors And Non Secretors In Human Population Antigens Biology Essay Human population can be categorized into secretors and non-secretors based on A, B and H antigen on basis of presence or absence of these blood group antigens in the body fluids and secretions, such as saliva, sweat, tears, semen, serum, mucus present in the digestive tract or respiratory cavities etc. Secretors are individuals that secrete blood group antigens in their body fluids while non-secretors are the individuals that do not secrete them in their body fluids and secretions. It is a known fact that ABO blood type is controlled by blood type coding genes present on the chromosome 9q34 but the secretor status of an individual is decided by interaction of a separate gene (called secreting gene) with these blood type genes. The presence of the secreting gene in a persons genome makes him a secretor and absence makes him a non secretor. The gene is designated as (Se) for Secretors and (se) for Non-secretors and it is entirely independent of the blood type A, B, AB or O. The individuals secreting antigens in the body fluid are designated as ABH secretors in blood banks. Individuals having O blood group secrete antigen H, A blood group secrete A and H antigens, B blood group secrete B and H antigens in the fluids. A secretor gene helps a person to gain a degree of protection against different environmental conditions especially the micro flora of a particular environment and also the lectins present in them. It helps them in promoting the growth of friendly, stable blood type intestinal bacterial ecosystem which depends on the blood type antigens present in the mucus of an individual. Secretor status does modify carbohydrates in the fluids present in the body and their secretions and it also affects and influences the attachment and persistence of the micro flora present in the body. Secretors are at a higher advantage than non-secretors. Non-secretors have a potential health disadvantage. They possess many metabolic traits such as carbohydrate intolerance, immune susceptibilities. Different tests are available for determining an individuals secretor status. Most common test uses saliva or other body fluids of an individual for testing the secretor status. These tests are based on the principl e of Agglutination Inhibition where the antigens are neutralized by the corresponding antibodies so that these antibodies will not be further be available to neutralize or agglutinate the same antigens residing on the red blood cells. ELISA could also be used for determining the presence of the secreted Lewis antigens in the saliva or other body fluids. Statistics 1 Place Population Tested % Secretor Frequency % Non-Secretor Frequency New York Negroes 178 61.2 0.38 38.8 0.62 Copenhagen Danes 263 74.0 0.49 26.0 0.51 Japan Japanese 424 75.7 0.51 24.3 0.49 Berlin Germans 363 78.0 0.53 22.0 0.47 Poland Poles 88 79.4 0.54 21.6 0.46 New York Whites 74 82.4 0.58 17.6 0.42 Helsinki Finns 196 86.3 0.63 13.7 0.37 New Mexico American Indians 69 98.5 0.88 1.5 0.12 Utah American Indians 79 100.0 1.00 0 0 The alleles Se and se differ in the frequency and have an anthropological value. They occur in different frequency in different populations. They have a high frequency in the American Indiana and a low frequency in the southern Indians. In US 20% of the population is secretors whereas 80% of the population consist of non-secretors. The fusion allele of the FUT2 (secretor type alpha(1,2)-fucosyltransferase) gene at a high frequency and a new se385 allele in a Korean population SECRETOR AND NON-SECRETOR A person secreting blood group antigens into the body fluids and other secretions like saliva, semen, tear, mucous in the digestive tract and respiratory cavities are named as secretors. In similar terms they put their blood type antigens in the body fluids. They secrete antigens according to their blood type, A secrete antigen A and H, B secret antigen B and H, O secrete antigen O and AB secrete A, B and H antigen. Secretors expresses Lewis b (Leb) antigens on the RBC where as non-secretor expresses Lewis a (Le a) on their RBC.These antigens in the body fluids give additional protection to the individual against the various microorganisms and the lectins present all around us. 15- 20% of the population consists of non-secretor. These individual fail to secrete the blood group antigens in their body fluids hence they become susceptible to bacterial and superficial yeast infections. A large no of them sometimes also suffer from the autoimmune disorder. This could also be correlated with the secretor and non-secretor phenotype. The body secretions of secretors and non-secretors differ quantitatively and also qualitatively. The type and quantity of the antigens present in it differ among different individuals. In some cases the non-secretors may contain the A and B antigens in the saliva but the quantity is less and even quality is very low hence they have similar functional problem. There are certain properties which are specific for secretors and differ in non-secretors. Some are listed below: Intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity ABH secretor correlates the activity of alkaline phosphatase and serum alkaline phosphatase present in the intestine. Non-secretors have low activity of alkaline phosphatase and serum alkaline phosphatase which is responsible for the breakdown of fat and assimilate calcium.2-5 Low molecular weight alkaline is present in both secretors and non-secretors and high molecular weight alkaline phosphatase is present only is secretors.6 Bacterial flora The ABH blood types influence the population of bacteria residing in the local vicinity of the gut mucin glycoproteins. Bacteria produce enzymes that have the capability to degrade the end sugar of A, B, and H blood antigens and which are consumed as food by them. The B antigen degrading bacteria produce enzyme to remove the end alpha-D-galactose and A antigen degrading bacteria produce enzyme to detach N-acetylgalactosamine which are used as a source of food by them.7,8 Blood clotting The secretor and the ABO genetics influence each other and effect upto 60% of the vWf concentration variation in plasma. Raised levels of factor VIII and vWf may cause thrombotic and heart disease in future. Secretors have the slowest clotting time, thinnest blood, least tendency of platelet aggregation, low amount of factor VIII and von Willebrand factor (vWf).9,10 The non-secretors have highest clotting time, thick blood, high amount of factor VIII and von Willebrand factor (vWf) and low bleeding time. The blood viscosity is also influenced by the secretor status of that individual. Phenotype Lewis Characteristics of Clotting Le (a- b-)  Ã‚  maximum action of factor VIII and vWf Very Low bleeding times (seen in A, B and AB) Le (a+ b-) intermediary action Low bleeding times (seen in O) Le (a- b+) minimum action of factor VIII and vWf Very Long bleeding times (seen in O) Blood Type Lewis and Factors effect Blood Clotting Immunoglobulin Variations ABH non-secretors express low concentration of IgG immunoglobulin.11,12 The secretion of varying concentration of diverse constituents of the blood group is controlled by the secretor gene and it also affects the phagocytic activity of the leucocytes which provides an added advantage to the non-secretors. The leucocytes of the non-secretors possess a greater ingestion power when compared to the secretors. The O and B blood group non-secretors have the highest phagocytic activity.13 The presence of different concentration of anti-I in the an individuals serum is affected by the ABO group, secretor status and sex of the individual. The secretors females have a high level of anti-I in the serum as compared to the males.14 The non-secretor have low levels of IgA and IgG antibodies and hence have frequent problems with the heart valve. Genetics and Biochemical pathways The secretion of the blood group antigens in the body fluids and other secretions are genetically influenced by certain allelomorphic genes. Secretor gene contains two alleles (Se) and (se). The dominant gene (Se) is present in the homozygous or heterozygous condition in the secretors which lead to the secretion of antigens into the body fluids. (se) is recessive allele and is present in non-secretors in the homozygous condition. SeSe and seSe produces a dominant secretor phenotype and sese produces a recessive non-secretor phenotype. Basically three genes are responsible for the formation of the A and B antigens. They are namely ABO, Hh, and Sese genes encoding glycosyltransferases which produces the A and B antigens. H antigen present in the individual with O blood group is the precursor for the formation of A and B antigens. H antigen acts as a backbone for A and B antigens. The O gene is considered as amorphic. The allele Hh and Sese reside on each locus and are closely linked together. It is also suggested that one of the allele has arisen by the gene duplication of the other. The second allele on the same locus is really rare. The product related to this allele hasnt been discovered yet and hence it is considered as amorph. The oligosaccharide responsible for the formation of the A and B antigen can exist in a simple linear fashion or a complex branched fashion. Infants A, B and H antigens contain high amount of linear chained oligosaccharide whereas oligosaccharides present in an adult contain high amount of branched chained oligosaccharides.15 The A and B antigen is synthesized from a common intermediate known as substance H. The conversion is carried out by the addition of a sugar molecule to the non reducing end of the H oligosaccharide chains. This addition affects the reactivity of H antigen.16,17 The ABH substances are secreted in the Urinary respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract by mucous glands residing there. The secretor gene regulates the synthesis of blood group antigens in the glands of small intestinal mucosa. The secretors and non-secretors produce A and B substances which are basically glycoproteins in pylorus and Brunners glands and produce A and B substances those are soluble in alcohol and glycosphingolipids in nature.18,19,20 The secretors also produce ABH substances in the prostate and lactating mammary glands.20 The secretion of breast is rich in H substance but poor in substance A and virtually absent in substance B. The synthesis of these constituents in the pancreas and secretory cells of sweat gland is not controlled by the secretor gene.21 The blood groups substances were also found in the calyxes and collecting tubules of the secretors (Se) but it could not be concluded that whether they are produced by the kidneys or are generally excreted. These secretions were noticed in the eight to nine weeks old salivary glands and stomach and later it appears throughout the gastrointestinal tract.19,22 Glycosphingolipids carrying the A or B oligosaccharides are present on the membranes of RBCs, epithelial and endothelial cells and are also present in the plasma in the soluble form. The glycoproteins carrying the similar A and B oligosaccharides are responsible for their activity in the body fluids. In the body fluids they are present in the secreted form. The A and B oligosaccharides which do not contain the carrier proteins are present in the milk and urine. The chromosome 19 contains FUT 1 and FUT 2 genes which code for fucosyltransferase.23 FUT genes numbered from 1-7 and form clusters which are responsible for the production of enzymes called as fucosyltranferases. The cluster is located on chromosome 19q13.3. Fucosyltranferase helps in the formation of fucose moiety which is added to the H antigen and further gylcosylate the A or/and B antigens.24,25 H antigen is a basic blood group antigen present in each and every human being but the content varies in different individuals of the same ABO group. A general pattern indicates that its strength varies as O>A2>A2B>B>A1>A1B. Water soluble H antigen has been demonstrated in the saliva and the body fluids of the individuals. H antigens are fucose containing glycan units which are present on the glycolipids or glycoproteins residing on the erythrocytes membrane or in the secretions. The fucosylatedglycans are the substrate for the enzyme glycosytransferases that are responsible for the formation of the Lewis and A, B blood group antigen epitopes. Secretors contain both the alleles whereas non secretor contains the null allele for FUT2 gene. The FUT 2 gene codes for fucosyltranferaseenzyme in the exocrine tissues which lead to formation of antigens in the body secretions and body fluids. The A and B genes produce glycosyltranferase that add sugar to oligosaccharide chains that is converted to H antigen. The H antigen are constructed on the oligosaccharide chain. The oligosaccharide chains could be of two type: Type 1 and type 2.15 The glycosphingolipids present in the plasma and on the membranes of glandular and parenchymal cells and glycoproteins present on the cell surfaces or body fluids carry either the type 1 or type 2 chains. The glycolipids antigens present on the RBC contain type 2 chains. A gene encodes N-acetyl-galactosaminyl-transferase and B gene-encodes galactosaminyl-transferase and add   GalNAc   and  Gal   in alpha (1-3) linkages which is acts on the H gene transferase. The H gene produces fucosyltransferase that add fucose to the terminal Galactose molecule of type 2 chain. It forms an alpha (1-2) linkage. A and B antigens are constructed when the A and B transferases attach respective sugars to the type 1 or type 2 chain substituted with Fucose.26 The secretor gene FUT2 located at 19q13.3 and codes for the activity of the glycosyltransferasesin concert with the FUT1 gene coding for H antigen, needed to assemble both the ABO and Lewis blood group and are active in mucous gland and goblet cells which interact with each other and lead to secretions of antigens in the fluids. The expression patterns of both the genes are different. The FUT1 (H) gene is dominantly expressed in the erythroid tissues which lead to the formation of the H enzyme whereas the FUT2 (secretor) gene is expressed in the secretory tissues and lead to the formation of secretor enzyme. The product of the H enzyme or H gene resides on the erythrocytes and product of secretor gene resides on mucins in secretions. If an individual lack these alleles, he/she will not be able to express the above active enzymes therefore they would be deficient of the substrates which are required by the A or B glycosyltransferases. Therefore they would not express the A and B epitopes. Correlation between Lewis Phenotype and ABH Secretor status The Lewis typing also helps in finding the ABH secretor status. The production of Lewis antigens is genetically controlled. Individuals possessing the Lewis (Le) gene would produce the Lewis antigens which are carried in the plasma by different substances and are absorbed onto the Red blood Cells present in ones blood. The ABO determinants and H/h blood groups factors seem to show structurally corelation to Lewis blood determinants. FUT1 provide the glycans for glycosyltransferases which convert Lewis antigen to ABH antigens. FUT2 allele is expressed in the secretor and is responsible for the expression of type1 H determinant. The secretors convert their Lewis a antigen to Lewis b therefore they are (a-b+) and the non-secretor are (a+b-) as they lack the FUT2 responsible for glycosyltransferase which could convert Lewis a antigen to Lewis b antigen. Lewis (Le) gene and Secreting (Se) gene interact with each other. Initially Lewisais formed and if Se gene is absent in an individual the Lewisa substance is absorbed on the RBC and the individual is typed as Lewisa but in secretors the Se gene controls the activation of the H gene which causes addition of an additional sugar to Lewisa which convert it to Lewisb. Secretors contain both Lewisa and Lewisb in their plasma but absorb Lewisb preferentially on the red blood cells and the individual is typed as Lewisb. Hence we could interpret that presence of Lewis gene would type an individual as Lewisa positive or Lewisb negative or vice versa. An individual could not be positive for both. A person containing both Lewis gene and Secreting gene are typed as Lewisa negative and Lewisb positive whereas a person having the Lewis gene but not the secretor gene is typed as Lewisa positive and Lewisb negative. Individual who does not have Lewis gene regardless of secretor gene is typed as Lewisa negative and Lewisb negative.27,28 Note: Lewis Double Negative (LDN) is a sub type of non secretors but Lewis typing cannot be used for them to determine the ABH secretor status. Detection methods29-31 The presence and absence of the antigens in the body fluids could be detected by Agglutination Inhibition and Lewis typing. Agglutination Inhibition test could be divided into two parts:- Part I Antibody Neutralization: To determining ones secretor status, the saliva of the individual is mixed by the antiserum (Anti-A, Anti-B or Anti-H) available commercially. In secretors the soluble substances i.e. blood group antigens will react with the antibodies present in the antiserum and will get neutralized. Part II Agglutination Inhibition: The bed blood cells obtained commercially are added to the test mixture. In secretors agglutination of the RBC do not take place as no free antibodies are available to agglutinate them. All the antibodies have reacted with the soluble antigens present in the saliva whereas in non-secretors agglutination would occur upon addition of the RBC as no blood group antigens are present in the saliva so antibodies present in the antiserum are not neutralized and hence would be free to react with the test RBC cells which are added to the test mixture. Hence agglutination is a negative test for secretor status and positive test for the non-secretor status. Note: Anti-H lectin containing phytohaemagglutinin virtually specific for human RBC. Thirteen Cucurbitaceaespecies have been investigated for the anti-H activity present in their seed lectins. Lectins has been extracted and purified from Ulexeuropaeus seeds. It could be used to demonstrate the H secretor status of blood group O individual and also for subgrouping the blood group A individuals. Lewis typing: Individuals carrying the Lewis gene produce Lewis antigens that are carried by the plasma and are also adsorbed on the red blood cells. Lewis antigens do not reside only on the red blood cells. Initially the gene gives rise to Lewisa. If Se gene is present it activates H gene which interact with the Lewisa and add a sugar to Lewisa and hence get converted it to Lewisb. Both Lewisa and Lewisb in present in the plasma of the secretors. If the Se gene is not present then the Lewisa substance is adsorbed on the red cells and individuals are typed as Lewisa. The secretor status of an individual could be determined with help of Lewisa and Lewisb antibodies mixed with an individuals saliva and observing the agglutination macroscopically. Disease Susceptibility among Secretors and Non-secretors Digestive system Non-secretors are more prone to the diseases caused by the oral bacteria in the digestive system of an individual. It includes ulcers, celiac diseases gastric carcinoma pernicious anemia etc. It could lead to dysplasia or increase in the number of cavities present in the digestive tract. Non-secretors are less resistant to the infection caused by Helicobacter pylori which could lead to the formation of peptic and duodenal ulcers.32,33 It could easily colonize and cause inflammation in the non-secretors.34 The non-secretors lack the blood group antigens in the mucus secretions therefore H.pylori attach to the walls of the digestive tract and cause infection. The secretors have a tendency to secrete free ABH antigens in their intestinal secretions which effect the bacterial and lectins adherence to the microvilli present in the gut. The secretors produce these antigens and prevent H.pylori attachment. These antigens act as a decoy in the secretors which prevent them from attaching with the host tissues. The non-secretors also show a lower IgG immune response to the H.pylori. They have extreme rate of bleeding and stomach ulcers but correlation between these complications and the secretor status have not been documented yet. The non-secretors are not able to turn off the digestive enzymes and hence they produce large amount of enzyme pepsin and hence are more prone to duodenal ulcers. 50% of the duodenal ulcers are present in non-secretors. 30-40% of group O individuals are affected by the duodenal ulcers and 15- 20 % are affected by the gastric ulcers. They show a high risk factor along with the gene coding for hyperpepsinogenemia I which impact in the risk of duodenal ulcers.35,36 Group A individuals have a higher tendency of having gastric cancer and pernicious anemia. Statistics shows that 20% of the group A individuals are affected by gastric cancers and 25% are affected by the pernicious anemia. Oral pathology The non-secretors are more prone to oral diseases like mouth and esophagus cancer, epithelial dysplasia etc. They have more cavities than secretors.37 Diabetes The ABH non-secretors and Lewis negative (Le a-b-) individuals have a high risk of developing insulin dependent diabetes or complications arising from diabetes.38,39 Secretors with juvenile diabetes have a low chance of developing retinopathy.40 The ABH non secretors which are affected by insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, they show mean levels of C3c and C4 is lower as compared to ABH secretors. Metabolic Syndrome X The Lewis negative men are predisposing to syndrome X and prothrombic metabolism. They have high levels of BMI, SBP, triglycerides and low levels of insulin in serum and plasma glucose while fasting. This relationship is not true for women and is only applicable for the men.41-43 Respiratory System   Secretors have an added protection against the harmful environmental assaults directed towards our lungs and as usual non-secretors have a health disadvantage. They are over represented among the people suffering from influenza viruses A and B, rhinoviruses, respiratory synsytial virus and echinoviruses.44 Secretors who are miners or smokers do receive a protection against the disastrous effects of the cigarette smoking. Asthma is very common among the individuals working in the coal mines. Upon research it was concluded that asthma among them is also related to the non-secretor phenotype present in them. The non-secretor has a tendency to snore and are more prone to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).45 Heart disease The ABH non-secretor phenotype have a high risk of developing myocardial infarction and Lewis negative individuals have a high risk of developing chronic heart disease (CHD) and also ischemic heart disease (IHD).46 They contain high levels of triglycerides.47 Alcoholism has a positive interaction with the Lewis negative individuals. Alcohol consumption is protective in these individuals.48,49 Autoimmune Disease   Autoimmune disorders such as Sjogrens syndrome, spondylitis, sclerosis, arthropathy, arthritis, and Graves disease are more prone in non-secretors.50-52 The ABH non-secretors affected with graves disease produces high levels of antitubulin antibodies as compared to secretors and are unable to produce the water soluble glycoproteins in the saliva.53 Fetal Loss and Infertility ABO antigens are also found on the sperm of the secretors.54 These are obtained from the seminal secretions present in them. ABO incompatibility could exist between the wife and husband if could affect the fertility of an individual.55,56 This issue has not been properly studied and is therefore under research. Rheumatic Fever The secretors and group O individuals are resistant to Rheumatic fever and more number of cases have been recorded in the non-secretors.57,58 Secretor status could also determine whether the rheumatic fever would be followed by streptococcal pharyngitis or not.59-61 Neisseria species The non-secretors who do not produce water soluble antigens in the saliva are at the risk of getting infected by Neisseria meningcococcal disease.62 The immune capabilities of the secretor provide a relative protection in the secretors. The ABH non-secretors produce low level of anti-meningococcal salivary IgM antibodies which provide protection to the secretors against the microorganism.63 Candida species Non-secretors are barriers of candida species and therefore are frequently affected by the candida infections. The glycocompounds secreted by secretors in the body fluids inhibit adhesins present on the yeast which are responsible for their adhesion with the body tissues.64-66 This leads to the development of the chronic hyperplastic Candidiasis. Statistics shows that 68% on the non-secretors are affected by chronic hyperplastic candidiasis.67 Non-secretor women are affected by recurrent idiopathic vulvovaginal Candidiasis. An individual with a combination of non-secretors and absence of Lewis gene are at relative risk of developing recurrent idiopathic vulvovaginal Candidiasis.68 Tumor Markers The individuals with homozygous active Le alleles (Le/Le) and inactive (se/se) alleles shows a highest mean value of CA19-9 tumor marker.69 The Lewis negative individuals irrespective of Se genotype have negative values for CA19-9. The Lewis negative individuals have higher mean value for DU PAN-2 as compared to Le-positive individuals.70 We can conclude that CA 19-9 marker is not an appropriate tumor marker for Le-negative individuals but DU-PAN-9 is an appropriate tumor marker.71 UTI Non-secretors show a higher risk of getting recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) and renal scars as compared to secretors. This susceptibility is higher among negative Lewis subset. Statistics of a study done on women affected with recurrent urinary tract infection stated that 29% of the non-secretor women were affected by UTI and 26% of Lewis (a-b-) women were affected by the UTI.72-74 The non-secretor phenotype and blood group B and AB phenotype work together to increase the risk of UTI among women. Women and children suffering from renal scarring with and without the antibiotic treatment for UTI are prone to UTI and pyelonephritis.75-77 55-60% of non-secretors develop renal scars and 16% on secretors develop renal scars.78 C-reactive protein levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and body temperature are higher in the non-secretors that in secretors with recurrent UTI.79 Conclusion It concludes that there exist a statistical association between the individuals blood-group secretor phenotype and the diseases they are susceptible to. So knowing your secretor status is advantageous as we can use the nutritional supplements more intelligently and effectively. It also makes us aware of the diseases, illness and metabolic dysfunction we are prone to, difference in the levels of intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity, propensities towards blood clotting, tumor markers and different ingredients of breast milk so that we can manage them before hand and would be prepared for them in the near future.

Abortion :: essays research papers fc

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of independent life. Abortions must be conducted before the end off six months, or the fetus will leave the womb and it would be considered a premature birth.There are two types of abortions. One is spontaneous and the other is induced. If the fetus ways less than 18oz or is less than 20 weeks into the pregnancy, it is usually considered an abortion. Spontaneous abortions are known by another name, miscarriages. These usually occur during the first three months of pregnancy. It is estimated that 25% of all pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion.The second form of abortion is induced abortion. This is the deliberate termination of the fetus. There are four main types of induced abortions. The first takes place up to 12 weeks. It is called vacuum aspiration. This is where a tube attached to a vacuum is inserted into the uterus and sucks out the embryo and all other material. The second type takes place after the 15th week and is called saline infusion. Here, the doctors replace a little fluid with a salt solution. This causes the uterus to contract. The fetus is then expelled. The third type is a hysterotomy. This is a similar procedure to a cesarean section. The only difference is, in this operation, is that the cut is smaller and lower. The fourth type is available in the first fifty days. It is a drug called RU-486. It was developed in France and approved for sale there in 1988. Clinical trials in the United States began in 1994.When performed under proper conditions, the sooner the person has the baby, the less risk she is at. The likelihood of complications increase as the woman gets farther into the pregnancy. Although, an abortion has less of a risk of injury than does actually delivering the baby.Abortion is one topic that has been heavily debated. Many cases have gone to court over an abortion. Perhaps the most famous case was Roe vs. Wade. It was a case that was settled in 1973 under Justice Blackman. The Supreme Court ruled that they could not ban abortions in the first six months of the pregnancy. After six months, the states can ban an abortion except in cases in which the woman's health is at risk.I think that there is a lot that can be done.

Media - The Relationship of Self and Advertising Essay -- Exploratory

The Relationship of Self and Advertising      Ã‚  Ã‚   Advertising has an extremely strong hold on society. Due to the overwhelming presence of mass media in popular culture, products are often recognized solely by how they are portrayed in their advertisements. Regardless of how truthful or misleading it may be, advertising is how companies spread the message about what they have to offer to the public. Advertising appears in various forms, including printed material, television, audio, and even down to its simplest form-word of mouth. Without good advertising, a product would not succeed and would lack added publicity given to it through advertising. Consumers would not always be informed of the best products and prices without ads. Both the corporation and the consumer directly benefit from advertising. However, potential buyers should proceed with caution. There is misleading information circulating through advertisements on a daily basis. Products are often glamorized and appear as something they really are not. The truth is that people can be easily influenced by advertisements that appeal to them. Until this group of consumers can see through the hype often associated with advertising, they will continue to be mislead by the ads presented before them.    Manufacturers' dependence upon advertising is evident on everyday television, but is especially obvious during Super Bowl night, one of America's most hallowed evenings. A few seconds of advertising to the countless number of football fans watching the Super Bowl can cost businesses millions of dollars. If this were not an effective means of drawing customers to a product, nationally renowned companies would not spend this much money for just a f... ...lf. The two (advertising and self) help each other out. Advertising communicates information to the self while benefitting it most of the time. The self keeps advertising alive by purchasing the displayed products and following the media as closely as it does. Despite occasional glamorizations of products by advertising, the public should appreciate advertising and enjoy the ads for what they are. Advertising should inform and assist the consumer in purchasing a product and not be the only reason one purchases something. Take them for what they're worth; advertisements are good!    Works Cited Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin, 1972: 129-54. Scheidell, John M. Advertising, Prices, and Consumer Reaction. Washington, D.C.: AEI Publishing, 1978. Sutherland, Max. Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer. Sydney: Griffin, 1993.

Poetry Response to Wallflowers by Donna Vorreyer Essay

This poem makes me think of my favorite book called The Perks Of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It is the story of a boy named Charlie and his not-so-average life. The story is written as letters to someone he has never met, but heard was a good shoulder to lean on. This book is my favorite because I can really relate to Charlie. Speaking of Charlie, that is my puppy’s name. He is a chihuahua and dachshund mix. He is my best friend and is always at my side. He is probably the coolest puppy ever, except at three in the morning when he is sitting outside my door whining, then he can be someone else’s best friend. This poem is probably one of my new favorites because it actually made me feel something and that is really important to me when reading. I really enjoy how the poet talks about words people never use because I have an extensive vocabulary, but rarely use any of the words I know because most people I know would not understand me at all. The reason I am so educated in words reminds me of my grandmother, who is one of the most intelligent people I know. When I was about six or seven, she would say words to me that no Kindergartner knows and I was expected to spell them. Most of the time, I was pretty close and when I got it right, she would tell me what the words meant. At that age, I was more interested in the taste of my boogers than in learning boring words I never thought would matter. Looking back, I cannot thank her enough for that small effort to help me in life. I am sure without her, I would be using words like â€Å"ain’t† and phrases such as â€Å"don’t got no† instead of knowing how to speak like a civilized human being. my grandma is awesome, and as soon as Meya (my daughter) starts school, I plan to use this same technique on her to ensure she grows up to make something of herself. Might as well end this with things about Meya. She is the most beautiful child, and she is so intelligent, it is almost scary at times. She sings and dances and amazes me in every way daily. She is the greatest gift I have ever received and I love her with every fiber of my being. To finally wrap this up, the poem Wallflowers by Donna Vorreyer makes me think up some of my fondest memories and reminds me of the wonderful things I have.

Warehouse Worker

The pyramids were used as final resting places after the pharaoh’s death. The construction on the pyramids was started soon after the pharaoh ascended to and generally took about 20 years to build. They were aligned with the stars to ensure the pharaoh’s ascension into the afterlife. There is only one known explanation of how the ancient pyramids were built. That explanation is created to Herodotus around the year 425 B. C. Herodotus traveled around Egypt collecting verbal history of this ancient nation. In writing about the construction of the pyramids, he stated: The method employed was to build it in steps, or, as some call them tiers or Terraces. When the base and sub levels were completed, the blocks for the next level were from the ground by means of a cedar sled called a lisch. The sleds were pulled from the quarry to a barge by means of oxen. The blocks of stones was carried up the Nile River on the barge and then unloaded and pulled to the pyramid’s site . Ron Wyatt based his design on the description by Heordotus constructed machines made of wood that easily lift heavy objects. There was a stair case that leads from the opening down to the Royal burial chamber. Here the Pharaoh’s personal belongings and riches were place upon the death of the Pharaoh. This staircase was sealed to prevent grave robbers from finding the royal burial chamber and sometimes fake burial chambers were built to confuse would be grave robbers. The stones were pulled up long ramps to the level that was being constructed. The ramps were at least 3 times and long as they were tall. This made it somewhat easier for the oxen and men to get them into place. Once they reached the level that was needed they were pick up and dropped into place using a contrivances. Upon the death of the Pharaoh’s death, the mummification process was began and this took 60 days. During the Pharaoh’s belonging that was to be interred with him would be placed in the guarded tombs. To prevent the pyramids from leaking during the rainy season, the pyramids were sealed with sand or marble or some other material of the pharaoh’s choosing. If they did not seal the pyramids they would eventually fill with water and decay everything inside. This process was started at the top of the pyramid and the workers worked down the sides until they reached the bottom.

People’s Republic of China Essay

Different countries have different societal structures, cultural norms and ways of forming relationships. China has strong traditions and moral values, borne out of a long history. Food In China, food is an important part of life. The official Language of China is Mandarin. In the Chinese culture there are a vast of Morals and Values that range from humility to respect and are very important in the Chinese culture. There are two main religions in the Chinese culture. Taoism, also known as Daoism, is based on the teachings of the Tao Te Ching, which was written  in China in the 6th century BC. The emphasis is on finding spiritual harmony within the individual. Buddhism is the dominant religion in China. This began in India 2, 500 years ago and follows the teachings of the Buddha, â€Å"The Enlightened One. † In China, Mahayana Buddhism is particularly common. In this form of Buddhism the path to liberation involves religious ritual, meditation and devotion. The social structure of China is a hierarchical and formal social structure. For example, in the family, children are expected to respect their elders with the eldest  family member commanding the greatest respect In the Chinese culture family is defined as mother, father and children. When the female child marries she then is a member of her husband’s family and is no longer considered as a member of her family that she was born into. Therefore the family then consists of Mother, father, son and daughter n laws and children. The oldest male in the family has he most status. This person is considered to be the oldest and the wisest therefore has the most status. In the Chinese culture success is determined by purpose. The definition of purpose is the  reason for which something exists. Meaning, â€Å"Why are we here? † In the Chinese culture they strongly believe in a creator. The creator defines there purpose for them. Amy stated that â€Å"Every moment of every day, I live my life according to what I believe†. Every decision is based on a set of values that guides her in determining the direction she is to go. When asked if she considered her parent to be successful. Her response was yes. She feels as though her parent’s success is measured by what their purpose was. Her mother purpose was to be a house wife and  take care of the home and her father’s purpose was to work and to provide for the family. Education in the Chinese culture is very important. It starts when the child is very young and in the home. In China, parents are the first educators of their children. Therefore, family education is the most basic and important education model of their culture. Given the importance of family education, parents put more and more effort in educating their children and helping them grow as persons. Amy stated that her parent always demanded that she get good grades in school. She had to attend extra classes to help her achiever higher grades and she was continuously involved in numerous activities ranging from art, dance or musical classes. She stated that she didn’t have much of a say in choosing her classes or clubs that she was a member of. Her parents made all of these decisions for her. Chinese parents tend to care so much about their children’s studies that they don’t ask them to help in any other daily tasks. The primary requirement for children is to study hard, do well in exams and graduate from reputable universities so that they could have careers. The reason for this on one hand is children’s own good, as in a populated and highly competitive society like the Chinese, good academic scores can probably guarantee a bright future; on the other hand, it is a traditional value orientation that parents will be respected if their children have great achievements in society. Therefore, Chinese parents are willing to self-sacrifice and give up their own time, hobbies and interests in order to provide better conditions for their children. In the Chinese culture breakfat is the most important meal. Most Chinese persons start  there day out woth a bowl of Congee, which is like a watery rice that can be seasoned just to give it more flavor, it can be sweet or salty or even spicy and, sometimes, with vegetables, meat or mushrooms if the person chooses. Another typical food that the Chinese people eat for breakfast is Crullers, they call them also the â€Å"deep-fried-devils† and they are basically twisted strips of dough that been deeply fried in oil, they are very popular in the street stands. The Crullers always are eaten with congee. In China, food is an important part of life. Sharing a meal is the common way to socialize in the same way that We may go to a bar or pub for a drink. In the Chinese culture they have a strong ‘waste not, want not’ . This means they can make a meal out of just about any combination with rice or noodles. In the Chinese culture ricer and noodles are like bread to our culture. It’s a common part of every meal. I asked Amy if racism existed in China and she told me no. I asked her ‘what do you think of black people’ or ‘what do you think of Japanese people’, and the answers that she gave me were very racist responses. In my opinion her responses showed me that racism against black people may be the strongest form of racism in China. I asked her how would her family react if she had of married a black man. She stated that she would probably get disowned. She said this is because most black people are known to have very little status or money unless they are basketball players or entertainers. Now the racism against Japanese People in China is just as bad. Some children in China are taught hate songs against Japanese people in elementary school – and history books in China that deal with Japan focus almost exclusively on the terrible things  Japan did around World War II, ignoring much of Japan’s recent history. This project opened my eyes to the differences among cultures. I didn’t truly understand why some of my coworkers that were Chinese acted the way that they did. For example; Amy would never give a direct answer especially of the answer was no. This was because in her culture it was not a common thing to say no, and when one did say no it meant that the relationship was now ended. She would always say, I’m not sure or maybe. This then protected her from having to end out working relationship. She also was not very affectionate. In her  culture displays of affection were seen as disrespectful. I can remember a time when we had got some great news within out department and she was sitting next to me. I immediately reached out and hugged her because she was the main person that worked on the project with me. I felt a little weird after the embrace because I felt as though I violated her space. But after doing this research on her culture I now understand why. I started out in this class not understanding what I would truly learn from this. But after the assignment I have learned how to effectively communicate with coworkers of the Chinese culture.

Integrated Marketing Communication

During the last decade of the twentieth century, the concept of integrated marketing communications (IMC) received considerable attention from practitioners and academics alike, and that interest has continued into the new millennium (e. g. , Bearden and Madden 1996; Cornelissen and Lock 2000; Duncan, Schultz, and Patti 2005; Garretson and Burton 2005; Nowak and Phelps 1994; Schultz and Kitchen 2000a; Schumann, Artis, and Rivera 2001). As the marketplace has become more fragmented over the years, organizations have embraced IMC as a means to effectively and efficiently target and attract the splintering mass market through the transmission of a unified message across all â€Å"contact points† between organizations and their consumers. Whether the contact point is product packaging, a Web advertisement, or any other â€Å"information bearing experience that a consumer or prospect has with a brand† (Schultz, Tannenbaum, and Lauterborn 1993, p. 1), the goal is to present a message to an audience that is consistent (Duncan 1993) and/or to generate valuable customer information (Roznowski, Reece, and Daugherty 2002; Yarborough 1996). In short, utilization and coordination of various promotion and communication tools is necessary to assure optimal market coverage (Stewart 1996) and to develop a strong marketing program (Nowak and Phelps 1994). Despite its potential contributions, debate still exists regarding the significance of IMC as a practice (e. g. , Cook 2004; Cornelissen and Lock 2000; Gould 2001). Questions pertaining to the prevalence of IMC in the marketplace (Roznowski, Reece, and Daugherty 2002) and regarding its differential applicability across product type (e. g. , Nowak, Cameron, and Delorme 1996) remain. This study was designed to help answer these questions. In recent years, the concept of IMC has made its way into the mainstream of the marketing literature (Duncan and Caywood 1996; Nowak and Phelps 1994; Schultz 2003; Schultz and Kitchen 1997, 2000b; Zahay et al. 2004). This has occurred despite the fact that, in reality, there is no universally agreed upon definition of IMC (e. g. , Cornelissen and Lock 2000; Kliatchko 2005; Schultz and Kitchen 1997; Stewart 1996) and IMC appears to be an evolving concept (Duncan, Schultz, and Patti 2005). While a â€Å"working definition of integrated marketing communication is hard to come by† (Schultz, Tannenbaum, and Lauterborn 1993, p. xv), one simple characterization of the phenomenon poses IMC as the coordination of communication tools for a brand (Krugman et al. 1994). Central to the concept of IMC is the notion that effective communication is accomplished by blending various communication forms–for example, advertising, publicity, sales promotion, and so forth–into a single, seamless entity (Nowak, Cameron, and Delorme 1996). Furthermore, when it is well devised, IMC can generate information that can be used to identify and target different types of consumers with customized communication (Schultz 1997) and, ultimately, help to build a strong relationship with them (Duncan 2002). In a sense, then, IMC involves a process that is circular in nature–a sort of two-way communication between organizations and consumers that gathers and stores responses to communication and uses that information to effectively target consumers in future efforts (Roznowski, Reece, and Daugherty 2002; Schultz, Tannenbaum, and Lauterborn 1993). A review of the phenomenon in practice performed by Nowak and Phelps (1994) uncovered three broad manifestations of integrated marketing communication: IMC as â€Å"integrated communication,† IMC as â€Å"‘one voice' communication,† and IMC as a â€Å"coordinated marketing-communication campaign. † While the distinction among the three manifestations is sometimes hazy, each one poses a slightly different approach that organizations may take to create messages that are uniform in tone and look (Duncan 1993). The â€Å"integrated communications† approach involves promoting brand image and direct audience behavior simultaneously by coupling devices such as brand advertising and public relations communications with consumer sales promotions and direct response tools within an organization's marketing-communication materials, particularly advertisements (Peltier, Mueller, and Rosen 1992). For instance, an ad that contains a direct-response tool (e. g. , a coupon), a public relations appeal (e. g. , support of an esteemed social cause), and brand advertising (e. g. depiction and description of the offering) would reflect the integrated communication form of IMC. A key outcome of this approach is the acquisition of consumer information that is captured when consumers respond to direct-response tools, sales promotions, and the like (Nowak and Phelps 1994). The â€Å"one voice† approach reflects a firm's focus on a single positioning strategy that emphasizes unity among brand/ image advertising, direct-response advertising, public relations, and consumer sales promotions at the outset of a promotional campaign (Reilly 1991; Snyder 1991). In this approach, the position, message, or theme is what ultimately guides an organization's IMC decisions, which ostensibly could be rendered independently by the firm's advertising, public relations, and sales promotion agencies (Nowak and Phelps 1994). The third approach, â€Å"coordinated marketing-communication campaigns,† stresses the need to integrate the activities of different marketing-communication disciplines (e. g. , sales promotions, advertising, and public relations) in order to reach multiple audiences with a synergistic effort (Rapp and Collins 1990; Schultz, Tannenbaum, and Lauterborn 1993). The â€Å"coordinated marketing communication† approach differs from the â€Å"one voice† manifestation of IMC in that it does not simply focus on a single brand position; rather, multiple positions are the norm (Nowak and Phelps 1994), with a goal of targeting multiple audiences (Rapp and Collins 1990). A further comparison of the three forms of integrated marketing communication reveals that the â€Å"coordinated marketing-communication campaign† and â€Å"one voice† approaches to IMC involve an organization's communication activity at a broad level of application, whereas the â€Å"integrated communications† manifestation encompasses a more microlevel application. More precisely, the first two manifestations involve integration across communication campaigns, whereas the latter one entails integration within particular communication devices, such as advertisements. For example, early indications following Super Bowl XL suggested that the ads broadcast during the event were successful not only in terms of their brand advertising, but also in terms of direct response, as evidenced by the increased traffic to the advertisers' Web sites (Horovitz 2006). Of the three forms of IMC, it is the integrated communications† approach that appears to be the one most often utilized in practice (Phelps, Plumley, and Johnson 1994) and the one that is the focus of this study. One broad goal of our research is to discern how the â€Å"integrated communications† form of IMC is manifested in practice. Integrated Marketing Communication Research While the phenomenon of integrated marketing communications has received widespread attention over the past 15 years, there have been very few empirical investigations of its incidence and application. The scant research findings that are available suggest that IMC is perceived to be valuable by practitioners (Duncan and Everett 1993; Roznowski, Reece, and Daugherty 2002) and that its utilization seems to be increasing. For example, one early study found that approximately two-thirds of consumer product companies employed IMC in some manner (Caywood, Schultz, and Wang 1991), while a later investigation reported that 75% of the organizations surveyed had adopted IMC in one way or another (Phelps, Plumley, and Johnson 1994). A more recent investigation revealed that 95 % of Fortune 500 executives responding to an inquiry indicated that their company used IMC to some degree and that nearly the same percentage was at least somewhat satisfied with its results (Roznowski, Reece, and Daugherty 2002). It bears noting that most of these findings are based on respondents' perceptions and may not reflect IMC as actually practiced. In general, most of the examination of IMC has focused on its perceived value and beliefs regarding its potential among packaged or durable-goods marketers. By comparison, there is little documentation of the actual existence or prevalence of IMC in these or other market contexts (Nowak, Cameron, and Delorme 1996). The scant published research on the actual practice of integrated marketing communication suggests that organizations involved in green marketing have been slow to adopt IMC principles in their advertising (Carlson et al. 1996). Meanwhile, retail and consumer service organizations appear to use media and message delivery elements associated with integrated approaches, yet lack strong coordination among these IMC components (Nowak, Cameron, and Delorme 1996). In a further examination of IMC across different business firms (i. e. , business-to-business, retailing, services, and consumer product), it was discovered that coordination among IMC components does indeed exist, yet the selection of specific marketing communication activities differs significantly among the business types (McArthur and Griffin 1997). Given the contradictory results and scarce empirical research, there appears to be a need for further examination of IMC and marketers' activities to plan and execute its implementation (Duncan and Everett 1993; Roznowski, Reece, and Daugherty 2002). Integrated Marketing Communication and Product Type Based on the research results discussed above, IMC appears to be a practice that is used across business contexts, but in different ways (e. g. , McArthur and Griffin 1997; Nowak, Cameron, and Delorme 1996). McArthur and Griffin observe, â€Å"different product-market situations demand different communication tools and techniques† (1997, p. 5). Hence, it is not surprising that a study of media usage within IMC programs revealed differential emphasis on some media when comparing services and retailing firms (Nowak, Cameron, and Delorme 1996) or comparing across services, retailing, business-to-business, and consumer product organizations (McArthur and Griffin 1997). There is even some indication that consumer product firms lag behind others in terms of the degree of attention they accord to IMC (McArthur and Griffin 1997). In addition, and as suggested by Duncan (2005), IMC may be particularly relevant within the services sector. Taken as a whole, these findings suggest that the nature of the product that an organization offers may affect the emphasis it places on IMC and its utilization of different communication materials. Further supporting the notion that the nature of the promoted product may be related to the adoption of IMC is a body of literature that indicates that the advertising of services differs substantively from the advertising of physical goods in several ways (e. g. , George and Berry 1981; Grove, Pickett, and Laband 1995; Legg and Baker 1987; Mittal 1999; Shostack 1977; Stafford and Day 1995). For example, since services are essentially performances (Gronroos 1990; Grove and Fisk 1983) and not things that can be displayed (e. g. , insurance, health care, an airline flight), it is difficult for organizations to communicate about them and for customers to grasp what it is they are likely to receive (Lovelock and Wirtz 2004; Shostack 1977; Zeithaml 1981). Many years ago, in her seminal paper establishing the nature of service products, Shostack (1977) stressed that marketers must strive to â€Å"integrate† evidence of service offerings to compensate for their innate intangibility. She argued that such an effort should involve controlling a broad range of potential clues to foster a concrete, â€Å"total impression† of the service. Essentially, that effort entails coordinating various communicative devices associated with a service and its delivery, including the content of service advertising. George and Berry (1981) similarly argue for the importance of presenting a uniform message as one of the six guidelines for advertising a service. From their viewpoint, â€Å"advertising continuity,† that is, continually using distinctive symbols, formats, and/or themes can reinforce a service's image and differentiate it from the competition. Ostensibly, the creation of a consistent and uniform perception of the service product might also be accomplished as one outcome of effective integrated marketing communications. Yet in a comprehensive overview of the services advertising literature several years ago, Tripp (1997) identified IMC as one of several phenomena related to service advertising's message structure and execution that needed further study. A recent examination of advertisements across various categories of services found a high incidence of IMC portrayed within the ads (i. e. , over 60% of the ads reflected IMC), yet argued that there was room for improvement in terms of the degree of integration that was present (Grove, Carlson, and Dorsch 2002). However, a comparison of advertisements for goods versus services with respect to incidence and character of IMC has yet to be performed, despite the potential applicability of IMC in the area of services promotion (Duncan 2005).

Existentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Existentialism - Essay Example For that matter, he explored the said journey of every man focusing on the lives of his acquaintance. According to Frankl, people exist sue to different factors regardless of the nature of the said factors. Some people live based on negative or positive reasons yet they still exist and survive. The said view then is referred to as the â€Å"will to meaning.† His followed the inspirations of Freud who proposed the view â€Å"will to pleasure† and Adler’s â€Å"will to power† in his objective to give meaning to human existence (Pytell 285-306; Frankl and Allport 101). The most notable applications of the view of Frankl had been about the experiences in concentrations camps which occurred during the time of Holocaust. During the period of high stress wherein the main objective that consumes a person’s life is survival, thus, even simple things and events can give a person’s life an important meaning. Based on his observations, such situations can be considered as the time wherein the simplest principles of existentialism applies, an event wherein luxuries are deprived and even basic needs are in shortage. He then summarized that even in worst situations, existence will still have meaning. For that matter the will to meaning is an important reason for existence (Frankl and Allport 15-20). Soren Kierkegaard is a Danish proponent of Existentialism and is s theologian. He is against the formalities undertaken by the Danish church. For that matter, he often discussed issues that are related to Christianity, ethics, and the emotions of the people in different situations and decision-making events in life. Basically, Kierkegaard can be considered as a relatively opinionated person who explored challenging issues of his time such as existentialism, philosophy, psychology, literature and a number other fields. For that matter, his critics can be classified in both the fields of science, literature and even

Pricing of real estate Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Pricing of real estate - Case Study Example Real options have been in existence since centuries and the earliest references are found in the story of Thales, a Greek philosopher. Thales predicted a bumper olive harvest and paid a large premium to local olive refiners for the right to hire their entire olive pressing facilities for a specified fee during that year's harvest season.'Thales however did not have the obligation to use the facilities and had the option to let his right lapse if he chose to do so, at the cost of losing the premium he had paid already. The bumper crop did take place and Thales exercised his real option. He allowed other producers to use the facilities he had got at a predetermined price, but at a large additional premium. Thales is said to have profited immensely by his use of the real option. Real options in real estate are best illustrated by examples. Consider a prospective home owner who identifies a dream home available at an attractive price. Several others too would have arrived at the same conclusion and may be ready to make competitive offers. The first homeowner however does not have his finances tied up and needs a fortnight to get it done. Waiting for a fortnight may push the dream home into another's possession, a situation that throws up the concept of a real option. The prospective owner could offer the seller a sum of money just to hold the property for the two weeks he needs to arrange the funds and buy the home at the offering price. If the funds don't come through or if he changes his mind, he loses the money paid, while the seller keeps the sum of money and can easily find another buyer from among the numerous others interested in buying the property. Just how much the sum paid should be involves putting a value on the real option. A similar situation may arise in the case of a real estate development company holding vacant land. The possession of vacant land confers a right or an option, but not an obligation, to develop a completed building at a future date. The value of vacant land is a consequence of this right to develop an asset, the completed construction, at a price, the cost of construction. The decision to build or not and when to build if at all, are subject to several uncertainties. The future value of the constructed building may be uncertain - if property values rise, the builder is more certain of profits, while lower values at a specified time may justify delaying construction by avoiding potential losses. Delaying the construction may make more information available, allowing for a change in land utilization, nature of the project, tenant mix, funding options etc. The option to wait itself becomes valuable. Thus the uncertainty by itself has value, and if that value can be quantified, the decision making process would become more accurate. Real options analysis thus assumes relevance and importance in real estate pricing by allowing a value to be put on uncertainty. The value of the real option increases when uncertainty about the future value of the built property increases. Thus, development of the property will take place when the value of the completed project exceeds the costs by a premium determined by a combination of uncertainty of asset value, irreversibility of the development and the choice of waiting. In many cases, projects that might have been dropped as unviable become attractive when associated real options are evaluated and quantified. In a