Tuesday, July 31, 2012

A Martian Sends a Postcard Home Essay

A Martian Sends a Postcard Home by Craig Raine

A Martian Sends a Postcard Home by Craig Raine is poem full of symbolism, which is used by the author to attract the readers attention to the unusual characteristics of the usual things.

The entire poem consists of colorful and whimsical metaphors, which describe usual and habitual things which surround us in our everyday life. It takes time and requires imagination in order to “guess” what the author means under certain metaphors of his poem. The title of the poem is very symbolic. Only after the reading of the poem it becomes evident that Martin, who writeы this letter is not a person from Earth since he does not know basic things and basic names of the things, which make our reality. Raine describes our reality through the eyes of an alian, who does not know the names of the things and their functions. What is notable, the author treats all things described like objects, which possess thoughts and feelings. Everything we read about in the poem, including books, phones, cars and so on is described like living objects.

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Rich with metaphors and symbolism, this poem creates a unique world instead of our habitual reality. First three stanzas speak about the book. The author compares them to birds, “Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings / and some are treasured for their markings - / they cause the eyes to melt / or the body to shriek without pain” (Raine, lines 1-4). Caxtons, which he uses for common name is a name of a first publisher. Next several stanzas speak about a fog. The author does not name it directly, and describes it as a time, when “Mist is when the sky is tired of flight and rests its soft machine on ground” (Raine, lines 7-8). Rain he compares to television. Next stanzas speak about a car, naming it a “Model T”. Raine gives a car magic power and according to him it is able to free the world for movement. The readers can guess that Raine speaks about the car when they read about locks inside and its ability to move. Speaking about watches he descirbes them as the very time, which is either tided to hand or put into box.

Tenth, eleventh and twelfth stanzas speak about the phone. Raine calls it a “haunted apparatus” and names different way people use in order to make it keep silence. “If the ghost cries, they carry it / to their lips and soothe it to sleep / with sounds” (Raine, lines 21-23). Bathroom is compared to suffering room. This metaphor creates a very unexpected connection between its true function and the one, described by the author. He makes very good and exact observations about children and grown ups, who use this room, but gives other function to it. “Adults go to a punishment room / with water but nothing to eat. / They lock the door and suffer the noises / alone” (Raine, lines 26-27). This unexpected twist of the meaning makes it difficult for the readers to understand the true name of the “suffering room” described by the author. In last two stanzas Raine describes dreaming like “reading about themselves”. He knows that people usually see themselves and their close ones in their dreams and speaks about it in his last stanzas.

The poem is a very skillful interpretation of common objects and mechanisms, which surround us every day. Here the author perfectly passes to the readers feelings of a person, who does not know true functions of the mechanisms described and creates his own explanations to the world around him. Knowing nothing about the world around him, the author of the letter explains what he sees and the readers can very vividly see that reality and objects, which surround them, can have much more than one interpretation. Most of the people spend little time thinking about things, which surround them. Raine not only reflects about things around him, but also creates new interpretations. New vision of the reality breaks our usual ideas about things and objects and that is one of the main functions of this poem. Raine achieves this effect due to unexpected use of metaphors and symbols. He breaks usual connections between the subjects and creates new ones.

The poem goes deeper than describing our everyday life as a succession of bright and unusual metaphors. Raine wants the readers to understand that paying to much attention to the mechanisms around us, we miss an important part of our life.

Routing and busy lifestyle prevents people from real world, which became for them only a combination of symbols of different things. Usually people do not think about time, they look at their watches and hurry up. They do not think about their journey when they sit into the car, they think only about the destination. Raine does just an opposite. He switches readers’ focus to the functions of different objects around us and pays no attention to their forms and names. As he wrote himself in one of the interviews, “I’m not interested in ingratiating myself with the reader as an entirely sensitive, right-minded, liberal poet who could figure in the New Statesman and not shame anybody. I’m not interested in writing poems which end with thumping statements; I’m interested in making objects. I think poems are machines in the sense that Baudelaire called Delacroix’s paintings machines; they have to work as artistic objects. (Haffenden 185.) That is the main purpose of Raine’s writing – to make artistic objects out of mechanisms, which surround people in their everyday life. In his poem Raine proves that any mechanism can be turned to an artistic object and he seems the main function of an artist in creating this new connections between different mechanisms and reality. These unexpected connections brake usual way of thinking and make people see unusual sides of the usual things. That is one of the main function of an art in general – creating another perspective of the reality and passing it to people – and Raine does a perfect job creating this different perspective.

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Essay on Painting Art

Each painting created by an artist is unique. Nevertheless, it is often possible to find some common features and characteristics in paintings of different artists that lived and worked in different epoch. In this respect, it is possible to refer to the works by Jean-August Ingres “Grande Odalisque” (1814) and Edouard Manet “Olympia” (1865). These paintings seem to be quite similar. This is why it is really important to carefully analyze, compare and contrast both paintings in order to find the existing similarities as well as the unique characteristics which reveal the authorship of these paintings created by two outstanding artists of their times.

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Speaking about these paintings, it is primarily necessary to dwell upon the artist that created them. In this respect, it should be said that the paintings were created by French artists Jean-Auguste Ingres and Edouard Manet which naturally preserved some traditions of French art and who actually had the similar historical heritage. However, it is worthy of mention that the half of the century that separates the two paintings in time was full of important events that could not fail to affect the views of the painters.

In fact, Jean-Auguste Ingres created “Grande Odalisque” at the epoch that followed the French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon. This was the period of great social, economic and political changes that influenced the further development of France and the entire world bringing in new democratic and egalitarian principles and ruining traditional norms and beliefs. As for Edouard Manet, he created “Olympia” in 1865.

This epoch was also characterized by serious socio-economic and political changes since the revolutions of 1848, which simply overwhelmed Europe, still influenced the life of French society while the interchanging restoration of monarchy and creation of republic contributed to the social unrest and permanent struggle of ideologies, moral values and norms. At this point, it is possible to speak about certain similarities in the historical background of the paintings since, in fact, both paintings were created in the epoch of changes in France.

At the same time, it should be said that Ingres rather tends to the classical style while Manet prefers to use a modern one, though the function of both paintings was probably similar. It should be pointed out that the two paintings were quite revolutionary or, at any rate, unusual for the traditional art of France and they were apparently influenced by the revolutionary spirit of their epoch, which both artist attempted to convey through their paintings. Both artists attempted to depict women realistically emphasizing naturalism of their painting. In such a way, they probably attempted to reject the old traditions of French art and, in a way, undermine the existing social and moral norms, to revolutionize social conscience.

This is why the artists emphasized the feminine nature of their models. For instance, “Grand Odalisque” by Ingres depicts a woman that seems to be a typical matron, created to bear children that may be seen from the proportion and accents made by the painter in his work. Similarly, Manet also emphasize the feminine nature of his model, depicting a kind of courtesan. In such a way, both painters, to a significant extent focused on the physiological aspect of the models they depicted in their paintings.

On the other hand, it should be said that there are certain differences between the paintings for Ingres idealized the feminine beauty in his painting creating a kind of perfect woman. In contrast, Manet depicted an ordinary woman, who seemed to be taken from the real life and represented a collective image of French courtesans of that epoch. In such a way, Ingres’ painting is executed in accordance with the canons of beauty which is apparently idealized, while Manet empathized the realism of his painting.

No wander, in order to achieve such an effect the artists used different styles and techniques. To put it more precisely, even though both artists used oil to create their paintings, Ingres uses smooth shading and lines, his painting seems to be more harmonious compared to the work by Manet, which is characterized by rough brushstrokes that are clearly visible on the canvas and the forms are painted quickly and intentionally accurately and realistically.

However, there are certain similarities in the composition of both paintings. For instance, it is possible to clearly distinguish two planes in both paintings: the light foreground and dark background, though Ingres created a more carefully constructed perspective while Manet’s distinction between two planes is quite abrupt. Nevertheless, both paintings concentrate the viewer’s attention on the foreground, while the background is hidden in the darkness.

Furthermore, thematically, the paintings may be viewed as different since Ingres admires female beauty, while Manet emphasizes that this beauty is a bit of routine. On the other hand, it is possible to estimate that the painter used different techniques but they still tended to depict their models naturally, emphasizing their femininity, though, Ingres creates ideal, almost divine beauty taken from ancient legends, while Manet depicts secular, realistic but beautiful woman. Also, it is worthy of mention that it is possible to view the two paintings as a clash of two different civilizations since Ingres painting has Oriental motives, which may be seen in the surrounding of his model, while Manet’s “Olympia” is a personification of a French courtesan and the name of the painting turns to be quite ironic in such a context as if the artist wants to debunk the ancient myth by his realism.

Thus, taken into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that “Grande Odalisque” by Ingres and “Olympia” by Manet perfectly reflected the views of painters on art and reflected their epochs. In such a situation, the similarities of the paintings reveal the similarities of the problems and ideas the artists dealt with in different epochs while the differences reflect the uniqueness of their perception of the world and art as well as the peculiarities of their epochs. This is why both paintings are really worthy of attention and still attract viewers and art critics.

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Systems Development Plan Essay

It’s generally agreed that detailed system analysis and study of the subject area is the main requirement for a successful implementation of a project in information technologies area. From this point it’s important to predict and plan in details the project long before the phase of implementation and code design. Mistakes, which are often made on the phase of project design are much easy to be corrected than those which come out when the product is tested and debugged on the final stage.

One of the most popular and widely spread approaches that are used developing systems for IT is System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) which consists of seven phases: project initiation and planning, analysis, logical design, physical design, implementation and maintenance. All these seven phases will be discussed in systems development plan of our jewelry store.

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Project Initiation and Planning
First of all it’s important to set the budget for the project, to calculate the expenses needed for design of the store IT system with online access for customers. Also it’s important to calculate expenses on promotional campaign on internet and its possible impact on sales. It’s one of the most important stages of the project as the project manager should know all risks and weak points of the project. Another vital aspect is financial benefit from introduction of a web based platform for jewelry store, whether such innovation will generate extra profits. If IT system of the store doesn’t create a positive impact on sales and on customers’ growth then implementation of such project is pointless.

After project manager had calculated financial risks it’s important to develop the concept of how the project will be realized. At this point it’s important to develop a clear doable schedule which will show the time period needed for implementation of all seven phases. Project manager should have a clear idea about the potential of the design team, their abilities and equipment (both hardware and software tools), which will be needed both for design and tests. At this point it’s also important to include the possibility of certain kind of emergency situations of technical character into the project’s schedule, so that the team has a reserve time in case of unpredicted situations.

Analysis
After manager has a clear schedule and plan of the IT system project, it’s important to make an analysis of the subject area for the software product. First of all it includes analysis of all business activities of the jewelry store, analysis of relations with customers, analysis of data processing (sales, accounting, relations with suppliers, etc). Project manager needs to draw a clear chain of relations and build visual diagrams which will make all business processes clear and understandable for further development of informational system of a jewelry store. Relational diagrams will be very helpful in further development of a functional information system and what is more important, they will reduce time for debugging and testing as they provide a clear model of architecture for IT system of a jewelry store.

After the work with model of business processes in the jewelry store is completed (in the form of diagrams, algorithms, etc.) project manager should decide how the software product will look like: a spreadsheet database software product with network features, a database with web interface or an online store. The complete project may also combine internet shop interface and a database product which will use the same server and data storage. Such feature will create integration, it will also reduce operations for data processing, as all data and all accounting operations will have integrated identification.

Logical Design
Logical design phase is a continuation of subject area study in order to create a logical model of the online store database and information system and in order to model informational interaction of customers and managers, model data processes, etc. There are lots of different software tools which allow to visualize business and informational processes for different business types. In order to build a business model for sales it’s better to use BPWIN software (or AllFussion Process software). After the scheme of relations between customer and manager is modeled, it’s easy to describe all processes and operations which will be required in running successful online jewelry store. Such supplementary processes may include development of a automatized pricing policy system which will change prices during discount season, offering different discounts for different types of items (depending upon their price, popularity, etc.), offering different discounts for permanent customers, etc. Also one of the most important steps in developing logical design is providing a clear view on the security system of the online store and data protection from unauthorized access. It includes development of special algorithms which will block users according to security rules, etc. It also includes the search for the most optimal software design realization such as development of independent server section which will use only it’s own algorithms and will be deprived of the possibility to be accessed from the outside using web attack methods, etc.

In addition, main database of the IT system should be compatible with other software products used for data processing and sales in the jewelry store, otherwise, it would require more time for store workers to get used to a new software. Database should be compatible with the most used spreadsheets solutions such as Microsoft Excel, database management and administration tools such as Microsoft Access, etc.

Physical Design and Implementation
Physical design mainly includes database management system design which is then supplemented by interface features, communication tools, security features for data protection, etc. In order to develop database management system it’s impotent to multifunctional low level programming languages such as C++ or Delphi, as they allow to design the whole product, making it fully integrated and protected, which can not be achieved using other programming languages which allow only to link components and add features to existing program modules. Independent database platform designed using such language as C++ or Delphi allows IT solution to function independently and doesn’t require additional load on server, in addition it makes hosting procedure much easier as hosting provider won’t need to provide SQL , email or other features. All those features can be designed independently, so that a platform will function without any support from outside, which makes it stable for web attacks and creates higher level of data protection.

Web interface can be developed as a separate program module which will serve as linking chain between database and client’s internet browser. Such programming languages as C++ or Delphi support internet features and have special components which allow building independent internet server application for remote work with databases, etc. In Delphi 6, this unit is called TserverSocket which sends commands and waits for their execution on socket.

User interface of the informational system should be functional and visual; it should contain all necessary features for viewing products, online-surfing on the web site of jewelry store and should also have an understandable order processing dialogue section, comfortable for making quick orders. It should also contain decision support components which will make navigation easier and will assist in choosing the most appropriate luxury items (by popularity, prices, discount, etc.).

Manager’s and administrator’s interface should include features for adding new products, changing prices, communication features, accounting features and sales processing features. In addition admin’s and manager’s interface should include integrated payment solutions for automatized payment processing.

Implementation and maintenance
Implementation and maintenance phase of the project include complete design of software product, code design, web design for online store section and debugging of the whole system module. It’s very important to keep to the core business relational model which describes all business processes between customer’s and sales managers, otherwise IT business solution will lack functionality and will only slow down the process of making and processing new orders.

Before complete solution is hosted on web, it’s very important to test program on local server, check functionally and integrity of all parts of the software product, check functionality of interaction with database and functionality of electronic payment processing. It’s also important to devote a considerable amount of time for testing; otherwise program bugs may come out when online store will be in working mode.

Conclusion
It’s very important to devote a special role to planning and projecting of big multifunctional information systems with online interface and design making support. Informational system for an online store is one of such systems as it requires features for accounting, data and order processing, payment processing and customer support on an integrated platform.

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Essay on the Gulf Arab States

Financing Print in the Gulf Arab States

Research questions

Nowadays, printing is quite a profitable business. Regardless the development of new media and the increasing popularity of television and other audio-visual media, print media still remain very popular among the wide audience. It should be pointed out that the investment in printing is still considered to be quite perspective. Probably, one of the major reason is the audience that regularly consumes the products of the printing industry and that traditionally prefer print media to other, even more technologically advanced media. At the same time, it should be pointed out that in some countries, especially in the western world, the printing industry basically remains profitable due to the mass production and the popularity of the print media brands that are well known worldwide.

On the other hand, in many other countries the investment in printing turn to be highly profitable because the products of the printing industry are really popular as well as print media to the extent that they overshadow all other media, even the most advanced and popular media like television and Internet. Among these countries it is possible to name the Gulf Arab states where print media are very popular and the interest to the products of the printing industry remains stable and high. In such a situation, it would be quite logical to wonder what the reasons for such a popularity of print media in the Gulf Arab countries that make the investments in the printing industry very profitable are.

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Furthermore, it is also necessary to discuss the sources of financing of the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states because it is obvious that the recent progress of the printing industry is the result of the investments and growing popularity of the print media among the local population. Naturally, such a growth is the result of the effective financing and it is really important to find the sources of financing of print in the Gulf Arab states since it will help better understand how print business can develop in the region. This is particularly important from the perspective of a potential foreign investor which is willing to invest money in a reliable and profitable business. By the way, it is also necessary to find out whether the printing industry is really reliable and profitable in the Gulf Arab states or probably there are some risks that make the local market not worth entering.

At the same time, it will be also quite important to define the future perspectives of the printing industry, the possible changes in its financing, and outcomes of such changes. It is necessary to underline that such changes are quite probable, taking into consideration the recent trends in the world economy where the process of globalization has already become predominant and affecting all countries directly or indirectly.

Literature review
The problem of financing the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states was widely discussed in literature since this market is traditionally considered to be growing and quite perspective in the future1. It should be said that traditionally, the printing industry and print media were very popular in these countries where the printed word always had a particular significance, while the new media were traditionally perceived with some apprehension. To put it more precisely, the print media and printing industry practically always progressed in the Gulf Arab states because of the peculiarities of the local culture and religious beliefs. It is not a secret that all the countries that are situated in this region are predominantly Muslim states and the religion plays a very important role in the life of the local population.

In this respect, it should be said that the lifestyle and behavior are basically defined by religious norms and rituals. At first glance it has no relation to the printing industry and print media but it is necessary to underline that the local religious leaders paid a lot of attention to the religious education of people. As a result, the study of Koran was always important to all people inhabiting these countries. This means that since the early childhood they were obliged to study Koran as the major source of human and divine wisdom and its basic concepts and ideas guided Muslims in their life. In such a way, the local population had developed a strong tradition to reading and, what is more, local people are accustomed to perceive print media as the only source of truthful, reliable and wise information because all sacred texts of Islam were and still are distributed by means of printing.

Naturally, people living in the Gulf Arab states have historical traditions of consuming the products of the printing industry that is apparently quite an important fact to a potential investor. By the way, speaking about investments and financing print media and the printing industry, it is necessary to point out that the religious institutions and religious leaders of the local states viewed the printing industry and print media as the material basis with the help of which it was possible to spread Islamic ideology and promote ideas which were convenient to religious as well as political leaders at the moment2.

This is why, due to the paramount importance of printing media to the religious leaders of the Gulf Arab states, religious institutions were traditionally one of the major sources of financing the printing industry in the region3. In fact, religious institutions were vitally interested in the development of the printing industry and print media since, in such a way, they could spread religious ideas and convert new adepts.

Consequently, numerous religious institutions readily financed the printing industry in the Gulf Arab states since the end of financing threatened to the physical opportunity to spread religious ideas throughout the countries. As soon as the possibility to spread religious ideas decreased, the popularity of the religion itself and religious institutions could also decrease to the extent that people would be eventually alienated from the religious institutions and, consequently, the entire structure, which is a backbone of the local culture, could be ruined. On the other hand, it was a real threat to the religious elite of the Gulf Arab states which was very important and often equal or even more significant than political elite of the countries.

By the way, it is worthy of mention that the state was also interested in the financing of the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states and the reasons were basically similar to the reasons that motivated religious institutions to finance print in the region. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that the financing of the printing industry and print media by state was also a part of the local traditions, culture, and mentality. Historically, the region was characterized by the domination of the similar political system characterized by the high level of authority of the ruling elite, which, as a rule, was presented by a monarch and members of his family. Such, practically feudal system was deep-rooted in the mentality of the local population and even nowadays, the traditions typical to this system are still quite significant, even though some states have changed, at least formally, their political system. In this respect, it is possible to draw the example of Iraq which nowadays attempts to build a new, democratic political system with the assistance of international community. In the result of the dominance of such political system, the ruling regimes in the Gulf Arab states were characterized as despotic and, thus, they always needed to control the public opinion and spread its ideology.

In such a context, the printing industry and print media turned to be the most effective tool to meet these goals of the ruling regimes which amply financed print in the Gulf Arab states4. On the one hand, print media were traditional and popular among the local population. The local print media had a good network and a stable sale rates which steadily grew while customers remained traditionally loyal to the print media. As a result, the state naturally preferred to finance this popular and widely spread media since it was cost saving and regularly consumed by the local population. On the other hand, it was much easier to control print media due to the existence of schemes that had been perfectly working for years and decades and censorship in print media proved to be very effective that naturally meet the basic goals of authoritarian states.

At the same time, it is necessary to underline that the financing of other media was not very attracting to the states because television, radio, and, especially Internet, were not so widely spread and so accessible to the mass audience as print media5. And this was another argument in favor of state financing and support of the printing industry and print media. Moreover, such media as television, for instance, were skeptically perceived by local religious orthodoxies which initially totally rejected television as the media that offended their religious beliefs. Even nowadays, many religious institutions in the Gulf Arab states are very critical in relation to such media as television.

In such a way, historically, state and religious institutions were practically vitally interested in the financing of the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states. Nevertheless, many specialists6 underline that in recent years the private capital has increased its presence in the print market of the Gulf Arab states. To put it more precisely, private companies have started to invest money in the printing industry and print media since it proved to be really effective way of investments. Moreover, even the foreign investors have started to carefully analyze the perspectives of the local market and in the future, it is quite probable that leading printing companies and print media will make some efforts to enter the Gulf market of print media and gain a possibly larger share of the market, but this is rather a future perspective than the reality7. Anyway, nowadays specialists single out three major sources of financing of the printing industry and print media: religious institutions, state, and private companies.

Methodology
In order to objectively assess the current situation with the financing of the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states, it is primarily necessary to carefully research the literature dedicated to this problem. It should be pointed out that the existing literature basically provides sufficient amount of information about the financing of the printing industry in the region and, on the basis of the study of this literature, it is really possible to distinguish the major trends typical to the printing industry, print media and their financing. In this respect, it is worthy of mention that there exist a variety of literature sources which highlights this problem but it is necessary to analyze the possibly larger sources of information since often the information presented by the local researchers is considerably affected by the local state or some religious groups which attempt to control the printing industry and print media but, at the same time, some of them attempt to pretend that the general situation in the market is quite liberal and there is no protectionism or pressure from the part of the state or religious institutions.

In this respect, the study of the independent researches conducted by foreign specialists may be quite helpful since they can assess the current situation concerning financing of media more objectively and, what is more, using such studies it will be possible to compare the situation in the Gulf Arab states to other countries of the world since often foreign researchers analyze the problem in the international context. The latter is particularly important taking into consideration the recent economic trends into the regional market and print media, as well as it is necessary to pay a particular attention to the development of the local printing industry and print media in the context of the process of globalization which involves the countries of the Gulf into the international economic relations.

Furthermore, the analysis of the statistical data may be also quite helpful in the research of the problem of financing print media and the printing industry in the Gulf Arab states. It is necessary to underline that the analysis of statistical data may provide ample information concerning the real situation in the national printing industry in different countries of the Gulf region. In fact, this method can be really helpful to an independent research of the current situation in the industry and economy at large.

At the same time, it is worthy of mention that in the current research it is possible to use various sources of statistical information. To put it more precisely, on the one hand it is possible to use statistical data supplied by state agencies which can provide an excellent opportunity to better understand the major macro-economic trends in the region and general situation in the industry. On the other hand, it is necessary to analyze annual reports and financial information of companies operating in the printing industry and print media operating in the Gulf Arab states. Due to this information, it will be possible to analyze in details the situation in the industry and the real perspectives and problems of the companies operating in the industry, namely, it will be possible to find out the extent to which financing of the local printing industry and print media may be profitable to foreign investors, for instance.

Also, in order to have a more profound look at the financing of the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states, it is possible to refer to the specialists that are either operating in this industry or are analyzing it. To put it more precisely, it is possible to use questionnaires to receive information concerning the major sources of financing of the printing industry, contact with its managers and send them the questionnaires simply to find the major sources of financing, the general trends and the financial situation in a company. For instance, it is possible to question the managers about the sources of financing, such as state, private, or non-profitable (optionally – religious) organizations.

In such a way, these methods, being applied in the current research, provides ample information concerning the real situation in the printing industry and print media and their financing. In fact, it is possible to receive not only relatively subjective information from the literature focused on the problem of financing of the printing industry in the Gulf Arab states but also analyze the current statistics on macro- and micro-economic levels and take into consideration the position of specialists that are working in this field or researching this problem.

Findings
The analysis of the current situation in the Gulf Arab states concerning the financing of the printing industry and print media in the region has revealed the fact that the trends, which were typical to the financing in the past, have started to change. To put it more precisely, as it has been already mentioned above, traditionally, the role of religious institutions and state was very significant in the financing of the printing industry and print media. Moreover, religious sources of financing were named among the most important to the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab region. However, nowadays the situation has started to change considerably.

First of al, it should be said that the role of the religious institutions in the financing of the printing industry and print media has decreased substantially. To put it more precisely, even a few decades ago the vast majority of the companies operating in the printing industry and print media were financed by various religious organization. As a result, the overwhelming majority of books and print media were focused on religious problems. In stark contrast, nowadays, the printing industry supplies much more diverse products to the local customers. For instance, Bahrain, which is considered to be one of the regional leaders in the printing industry and print media, has become less focused on religious problems than ever before. to put it more precisely, about the quarter of all books written by the local authors published in the country were on literature, about a fifth constituted books on history and translation, only one in a dozen was the book written on religious theme and twice less were the books written on politics.

Practically, this means that the problem of religion become secondary to the local authors that means that these problems are not really important to the local authors at the moment. On the other hand, this fact may be viewed as evidence of the decreasing role of religious institutions in financing the printing industry in the Gulf Arab states. Otherwise, the rate of books on religion was substantially higher. However, it is worthy of mention that Bahrain is unquestionably one of the most liberal state in relation to the printing industry and its financing and it is necessary to point out that the situation in many states concerning the financing of the printing industry and print media still remains practically unchanged and religious influences are quite strong in such countries as Saudi Arabia or Syria, for instance.

The same trend is typical to the participation of state in the financing of the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states. This means that more progressive states, such as Bahrain, gradually refuses from the total control from the part of the state over print media and the printing industry, including financial tools, while in others, like Syria, the presence of state is still quite substantial in the financing and control over the national printing industry and print media. Nevertheless, it is possible to estimate that the general trend is to decrease the participation of religious and state institutions in financing the printing industry and print media, though in some countries this process occurs faster while in others it is slower.

Naturally, as the financing of the printing industry and print media from the part of the state and religious organizations gradually decreases, this niche cannot remain empty and the financing of the printing industry is still needed. Moreover, the need in financing increases rapidly as the industry and print media market grows faster than before. For instance, the interest of investors to this market may be seen from the rapid growth of the industry. In this respect, it is possible to draw an example of the UAE where recently the commercial printing and publishing sector has been generating billions of dollars in the region with double digit growth of 15-20%8.

In such a way, it is obvious that the share of the private capital in the financing of the printing industry and print media will grow substantially. Such a forecast is quite probably because of the decreasing participation of the state and religious organizations in financing the printing industry and print media which is accompanied by the rapid growth of the local print market. At the same time, it is also possible to forecast that the rapid growth of the local market will also stimulate the interest of foreign investors to the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states. Consequently, the financing of the industry by private companies and foreign investments may increase substantially in the nearest future, though it is necessary to remember about the local specificity of the market since the economies of the Gulf Arab states are characterized as developing and they cannot be named really open market economies that naturally makes the entering of foreign investors in the local market quite problematic.

Conclusion
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that the financing of the printing industry and print media was traditionally very important to the Gulf Arab states since it was the major media of the region which was extremely popular among the local population. Naturally, the local states and religious organizations, which had the major power in the Gulf Arab states, were vitally interested in the financial support of the printing industry and print media which were used as the tool to promote the dominant ideology and, therefore, enhance the position of the ruling political and religious elites.

However, in recent years the economies of the Gulf Arab states, being affected by the general process of globalization and integration of these countries into the world community, have demonstrated a steady trend to the transformation into open market economies that naturally affected the financing of the printing industry and print media. As a result, the role of the commercial companies in the financing of the printing industry and print media, which demonstrate a trend to the rapid growth, has increased substantially. Moreover, at the present moment the growth of the local market has evoked the interest of foreign investors which may become a powerful source of financing of the printing industry and print media in the Gulf Arab states.

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Viruses and Bacteria Essay

Viruses and bacteria are all around us. We cannot see them without microscopes, but this doesn’t lessen the danger of infection. Knowledge about their structure, functions and consequences of prevention ignoring can safe us and our patients from serious diseases.

Virus is a small particle (20-300 nm) that can infect the cells of living organisms, and bacterium is a microorganism itself. Viruses do not perform reproduction function, as they can replicate only in case of host cell infection. There several types of viruses and all of them differ with the structure, they are: helical viruses, icosahedral viruses, enveloped viruses and complex viruses. The simplest form of virus’ structure is the following: nucleic acid and capsid. The distinctive feature of virus activity is that it doesn’t multiply by means of cell division, as it is acellular. Virus can infect eukaryotes (fungi, plants, animals, etc.) and prokaryotes (archaea and bacteria).

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Structure of a bacterium cell is the following: there is a DNA (nucleoid) surrounded by cytoplasm and ribosomes; there is a mesosome and plasma membrane, cell wall and bacterial flagellum. Bacteria reproduce by means of binary fission, but primarily it has to grow to optimum size. Under particular conditions bacteria can reproduce very quickly. They are considered to be alive as they are self-sufficient in their reproduction function. There are many types of bacteria, but only pathogenic ones can be the reason of infectious diseases arousal, for example syphilis. It can be treated with antibiotics, such as penicillin. In case when a person has an allergy for this type of remedy, it can be treated with oral tetracycline.

Viruses can cause such serious human diseases, such as influenza and AIDs. The distinctive feature is that antibiotics cannot do any harm for viral diseases. The best decision in this case is preventing diseases with vaccination, which produced immunity.

The characteristics that establish life are all living things are made up of cells, all grow and reproduce based on heritable info from DNA, all evolve and all require input of energy. Viruses are not considered alive even though they contain RNA or DNA they need a host cell to reproduce. Viruses are not cells and cannot evolve or use energy. Bacterium is a prokaryotic cell; it can reproduce, and uses the input of energy. Bacterium also evolves as shown in certain resistances to antibiotics.

There are a lot of diseases that I can face during my nurse practice. There can be genetic predispositions to them, and also there can be genetic disorders and mutations, that can be caused by ecological matters.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is defined as nucleic acid molecule, which carries genetic instructions that are vital for functioning and development of all living organisms. The key DNA function is long-term information storage. DNA id directly connected with RNA, nucleic acid polymer that plays an important role in the process of translation of genetic information from DNA to proteins. RNA and DNA structures are nearly the same, but there are several critical differences: RNA contains ribose sugars, DNA- deoxyribose, RNA involves urasil and DNA- thymine. RNA also takes part in the process of transcription by means of copying of DNA sequence to produce a complementary RNA. And this process leads to the translation of a genetic code.

Being a nurse brings to me a great responsibility of understanding nature of all diseases. As many of them can occur upon genetic predisposition or because of genetic mutation, understanding structure and functions of both DNA and RNA is crucial for each nurse that strives to be professional. It will enable me to analyze the origin of the disease and using my knowledge to choose the best treatment for every separate case.

Knowledge and understanding of all concepts discussed earlier have not only theoretical, practical sense, as knowledge that has no application in real life is useless. In our private life we are surrounded with antibacterial soaps and general cleaning means that can save us from infection. Prevention is the key to healthy and happy life. Popularization of such knowledge and in-time vaccination is main duties of me as a nurse.

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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Essay on Palestine

Review of Jimmy Carter’s “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid”

Jimmy Carter’s latest book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” has provoked numerous discussions and the opinions concerning this book vary dramatically from total rejection to acceptance as a new or, at least, different view on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is necessary to point out that the book is basically criticized by the Israeli community and pro-Israeli lobby in the US as well as Israeli community in Israel itself. As a rule, it is argued that the book is extremely biased and, what is more, it has an extremely provocative and, as critics of the book estimate, unjust since the ex-President compares Israel policy in relation to Palestinians as apartheid the official discriminatory policy of the white SAR government in relation to the native population of the country. On the other hand, the supporters of the book argue that it suggest a view that is alternative to pro-Israeli view which, as it is estimated, is extremely strong in the US. Nevertheless, what makes this book so controversial and so provocative is its major idea which may be caught even from the title of this work. To put it more precisely, Jimmy Carter attempts to convey to readers the idea that it is Israel official policy that prevents the Middle East, namely Israel and Palestine from peace. In such a way, he argues that Israel should stop its discriminatory policy in relation to Palestinians in order to stop the war and the conflict in the region and establish peace instead.

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Obviously, such an idea is really quite controversial and can be argued by numerous critics. Nevertheless, it is necessary to carefully analyze the content, the message and the basic facts of the book in order to objectively assess the extent to which such an idea is justified or supported by real evidences. First of all, it should be said that Jimmy Carter provides a profound research of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In fact, it is a historic study of the conflict which the author starts from the 19th century. The author actually argues that the roots of the conflict may be found in the historical contradictions and opposition between Jews and Palestinians which may be traced even in the 19th century (Carter 76). Jimmy Carter argues that in the course of time the conflict gradually aggravated and the situation grew worse resulting in the current opposition between Israel and Palestinian population.

On analyzing the causes and reasons for this conflict, the author repeatedly underlines that it is Israel and Jewish population that, to a significant extent, provoked the aggravation of Israeli-Palestinian relationships. For instance, on analyzing the post-World War II period he argues that the Israeli-Arabic wars were mainly provoked by Israel and targeted not just at the improvement of the position of Israel in the region but also at the weakening the position of the Palestinian population in Israel itself through the weakening of its international support from the part of Arab states of the Middle East (Carter 147).

Moreover, Jimmy Carter estimates that the policy of Israel in relation to Palestinians was traditionally discriminatory to the extent that he compares it in the title of the book to South African apartheid. In this respect, it is worthy of mention that he attempts to explain his idea and such a comparison by the fact that Israel historically tended to segregation and separation of Israeli population from Palestinians creating numerous boundaries between Jewish and Palestinian population. He argues that the access of Palestinians to numerous Israeli institutions was limited, for instance, the access of Palestinian children to Israeli schools, or other educational establishments, as well as Palestinians had limited access to political power in Israel and were actually underrepresented, etc. (Carter 195, 202). What is more important, Carter underlines that under the pretext of the struggle against terrorists, Israel even limited the physical access of Palestinians on the territories inhabited by Jewish population. In this respect, he reminds about the numerous checkpoints and militarized zones through which Palestinian could not simply pass through to get access to Jewish territories (Carter 232). Also, it is worthy of mention his reference to the traditional trends of Israel to build resident areas which were separated on the ethnic principles. In other words, Jimmy Carter argues that the Israeli policy of separated settling of Jewish and Palestine population was also discriminatory. As a result, some territories and cities of Israel, such as Jerusalem, were distinctly divided into Jewish and Palestinian areas. In such a way, he justifies his comparison of Israeli official policy to the discriminatory policy of the SAR government in relation to non-white population of the country and in general his arguments seem to be quite persuading and supporting his thesis.

However, on a profound reflection, the criticism of this work seems to be quite just while the position of Carter’s supporters and his ideas are not so unarguable as they may seem to be at first glance. To put it more precisely, on analyzing the entire book and the author’s message it is necessary to underline that the book seems to be one-sided. What is meant here is the fact that the ex-President of the US is very skeptical about the adequacy of the representation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because of the strong pro-Israeli lobby in the US. On the other hand, he attempts to response to this lobby so eagerly that he simply forgets about the objectivity of representation and support of his ideas. To put it more precisely, on reading the book, it seems as if Israel is the only responsible party in the conflict while Jimmy Carter demonstrates a strong trend to represent Palestinians as victims of Israeli despotism and actually racism, though the latter statement the author attempts to disguise and represent it in a more tolerant way.

However, he seems to practically ignore the fact that Palestine is another active party of the conflict which also struggles for its own rights and larger opportunities in Israel. Unfortunately, this part of the problem remains under-researched by Jimmy Carter in his book. Instead he prefers to blame Israel for its presumably unjust policy in relation to Palestinians. Naturally, it is possible to agree with the author that the official policy of Israel is far from perfect but, on the other hand, it is necessary to realize that Israel cannot simply give in and fulfill absolutely all demands of Palestine since, objectively speaking, this will be absolutely unjust and, what is more, it will be simply impossible because some radical Palestinian movements insist on the total destruction of Israeli state, for instance.

Moreover, on suggesting changing the official policy of Israel, Jimmy Cater does not say a lot about the solution of the problem of terrorism. At any rate, it seems to be quite probable that the change of Israeli policy will lead to the strengthening of radicalism in Palestine and even to the growing threat of terrorism since Israel developed its policy throughout decades to prevent itself from attacks of Palestinian radicals, while Carter suggest a radical change which implies that only one party should give in.

This is why it is possible to conclude that the book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” is really biased and, regardless its persuasiveness, it still represents only one side of the problem while the criticism of Palestinian policy and methods of struggle are practically ignored. Nevertheless, this book is really worthy of reading since it provides a new view on Israeli-Palestinian conflict and makes reader think of this conflict more objectively, taking into consideration that Palestinians may be not only terrorists, as they are often described in the US, but also victims.

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Monday, July 23, 2012

Technology and the Environment Essay

Nowadays, the environmental problems are extremely important since they threaten to the future of human society and the survival of mankind at large. At the same time, the numerous environmental problems are basically determined by human activities and the development of the technology. Nowadays, the negative impact of some technologies and human activities on environment is obvious.

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One of the major problems of the modern world is the global warming. This problem affects all countries and all people. This is why the works dedicated to these problems will be interesting not only to environmental specialists but also to the large audience which is the target audience of this project. This problem is central in the project.

Firstly, the current level of the development of technologies is discussed. The analysis reveals that, regardless the high level of the development of technologies, mankind turns to be unable to resist to the environmental challenges people face today. The existing technologies considerably contribute to the deterioration of the situation and increase the negative impact of the global warming, speeding this process up.

Three major causes of the global warming are identified. Firstly, it is the industrial development which pollutes atmosphere with offensive emissions. Secondly, it is the traffic, namely vehicles using conventional fuel, which increase enormously the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. And, finally, it is the deforestation of the planet in the result of human activities, especially extensive agriculture. It was found out that all these factors lead to the ‘greenhouse effect’ the process which is the part of the global warming. The latter implies the increase of the average temperature on the Earth which does not necessarily mean the increasing temperature literally but it rather leads to the catastrophic climate change and natural disasters, such as melting of Arctic ice, hurricanes, etc.

The following solutions of the problem were offered. Firstly, it is necessary to minimize the negative effect of the existing technologies either through their improvement or limitation and, secondly, it is necessary to develop new technologies which could provide an opportunity to use effectively alternative sources of energy that would naturally decrease the negative impact of human activities on environment.

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Diary of a Lost Girl Essay

Despite of the numerous claims that racism and discrimination is not part of the American community today, racism still exists and flourishes. The autobiography of Kola Boof titled “Diary of a Lost Girl” is the perfect example of modern day racism. Kola Boof, the Sudanese woman, tells the story of her life, about the death of her parents, slavery in Sudan, and hopes for better discrimination-free future. In her book Kola has managed to touch a very disturbing topic – modern racism.

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Notably, the book is not about the racism of white people against black people, it is about discrimination of black women by black men. Even though it is hard to believe, slavery is very common in many parts of the world. People live without any rights, freedoms and are not able to change anything in their lives. Black people are openly oppressed in Sudan and are denied any rights. As Kola writes, her grandmother rejected her only because she was too black, she saw the murder of her parents, became the porn star, was the mistress to Osama bin Laden, and finally settled down to raise her sons. Kola’s life was difficult, but she managed to guide her own life, to challenge existing rules, and to face racism with protest.

Racism is one of the topics which is not openly discussed in American society, not because it is forbidden, but because Americans seem not to notice its presence in everyday situations. Discrimination, according to the American legislation, is the crime, and people cannot be denied freedoms, rights and opportunities based on skin color or ethnic origin. Nevertheless, society stereotypes other nations and attributes specific characteristics to different nationalities. For example, the global community thinks that every Russian drinks vodka instead of water, that every Arabian person hates American nations, and that women in India have no right to choose their husbands. As the result, these stereotypes influence the attitude of people to representatives of these nations. Attitude shaped by stereotypes is the pure racism.

Kola’s book is referred to as the story of survival. It would be unwise to reject this reference. Kola told her story openly and honestly, without caring about the public opinion, about the reaction of Muslim community and American society. Racism does not seem to be the central theme of the book, but it is present in every single line of her story. For example, she writes that even in her country of origin, Sudan, black males desire to marry women with lighter skin because they are considered to be more prestigious partners (Boof 2006). This is another form of racism, attitude shaped by the cultural stereotypes imposed by the community.

Kola Boof survived rape, murder of her parents, rejection my family members, and beatings. Her father was killed because he spoke against slavery and racism. Kola has no intention to be silent and her book is the open protest against existing practices and discrimination in modern world. Racism must not be tolerated and the book of Kola has become the guide, the true story of modern day racism. She shows the true life, not the one presented in movies or taught in schools, but the real life of the black woman in black society and American community and the modern racism and pressure in Arabian countries. Racism exists, even though the global society refuses to accept this fact and continues believing that our world is free of discrimination and that all people have equal rights.

Racism has the long history and even though it was not always marked as racism, discriminatory practices were very common. Recalling the Biblical story of Jews in Egypt, their subordinate position as slaves and their rescue by Moses, it is justifiable to say that this historical episode deals with racism and fighting against it. Jews were enslaved only for having ethnic origin distinct from Egyptian. However, they did not give up and left the country in the search of their new home. The story of Kola’s life is analogy of Biblical passage. She also did not give up and went to United States in the hope to find peace and fair treatment.

World War II was also led by racism. Hitler was the powerful leader and he managed to convince the German nation that it was the superior nation and deserved better treatment. The war was started with the desire to enslave the world and show the global community who had the right to guide their lives. In the result, hundreds of thousands people have died for racism believes and even more died in the fight against it. Fortunately, Hitler was not the winner. Racism was the leading idea beneath terrorists’ attack on September 11 when the group of people decided that American nation did not deserve to prosper. They were led by the desire to show the whole world that American nation is weak and vulnerable. They chose American nation because from early years of schooling they are taught that United States is the country of devil.

Kola’s book is autobiography, however, it is not only about author’s life, it is about current ethical problems of modern world. Kola describes different episodes from her life while at the same time she leads the reader to think about the life of global society, ethnical differences and causes of racism. It is worth to note that most of the communities would agree that racism is unethical and wrong in its essence. Nevertheless, there are many communities in which racism is openly practiced and supported. Can the attitude be changed? Probably no, because racism is taught and is the foundation of many cultures. However, it does not mean that the global society should accept racism as cultural norm; community should fight against it, just as Kola Boof does.

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Saturday, July 21, 2012

“Rites of Passage” Essay

Arnold van Gennep’s “Rites of Passage” and the ritual of death in Judaism

Abstract

Rites of Passage are ceremonies which symbolize transmission from one status to some other. Arnold van Gennep, a famous anthropologist defined five stages of human life: birth, puberty, marriage and finally death. In my research paper I’m going to consider the last one. There are various views on death in religions. I’m going to compare Jewish understanding of it with other religions, in order to find out differences and common features. It is necessary to compare funeral rituals in different religions. Besides, I consider it important to explain the concept of famadihana ceremony and the idea of kinship.

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Jewish understanding of death differs from that of Christians. They don’t consider it so tragic, but on the other hand make no illusions concerning Heaven with Angels and Hell and Devils. Death is an evil not only because it ends our lives, but also because it still remains an unsolved mystery. In this way Judaism has rather rational understanding of death. What about life beyond the grave? Human life has a horrible and unfair result, without taking into account people’s merits and achievements. That’s why it is the greatest evil, which breaks human existence unpredictably and thoughtlessly.

According to Eastern religions human life is only one of numerous other (previous) lives. In this way one should be responsible not only for today’s life, but other lives as well. Today’s life is only a new incorporation. Judaism however rejects such an idea, although transformation seems to be quite possible. Judaism along with Christianity and Islam has a specific understanding of death. It proclaims that after the Earth life, soul continues to live “beyond the grave”. This new life lasts for an unknown period of time. According to Judaism there is some other world where people find themselves after death. A righteous person gets retribution for his virtue; a sinful one is caught up with punishment. As for Islam, it also gives a detailed explanation of human life after death. Jewish doctrine can be found in Talmud.

Arnold van Gennep proved that every society has a great number of separate communities. Modern society consists of upper and lower groups. In order to transmit from one group to another one should perform a number of “rites”. It depends on different factors. Ceremonies are specific actions, related to certain feelings and mental orientation of society. Spiritual transformation is so hard that it can’t take place without middle period - liminal phase, which is similar to death. This is a temporal period of uncertainty. All the rituals obey one common scheme. Arnold van Gennep mentions the rites of unification with a deity or a group of them. Jewish Easter (the very word means “passage”) for example, is also a special ceremony. There is a simple interpretation of the ritual sequence during the Jewish Easter. Ideas of death and reborn were later included into the Christian Easter. Originally it was a ceremony of passage, because this holiday combined cultural elements of different nations.

Speaking about religion and death I can’t help saying about the funeral rituals. Every nation has different and sometimes contradictory image of life after death. It always deals with special ceremonies. One of them is mourning. It is especially long-lasting for widows (Gennep, 1960). For a widow the period may last until the pregnancy is visible, for example. Jewish idea of respect to dead people doesn’t special rituals and ceremonies. But still there are some aspects which should be taken into consideration when speaking about rite of burial. It should be done as soon as possible in a simple way. A dead body is put into a wooden coffin without bottom – in this way the body should touch the ground. Friends and relatives should accompany it till the very place of “last relief”. The end of funeral means the beginning of mourning.

The first 7 days of mourning (shiwa): people don’t leave their homes. Their attention is distracted from sorrow by constant visitors who offer their condolences.

The next period lasts for 30 days and is called (shloshim). People, who lost their nearest start doing usual things, but avoid entertainments and continue to pray. The mourning may last for a year, in case of parental death.

The next step would be reintegration into the social life.

Rites of passage can be found in the rituals of reborn and reincarnation. If the soul can leave this world and join to the world of dead, it can later return either on its own or forcedly. Such ideas are popular with different religions, including Judaism.

Speaking about funeral rituals I’d like to mention the ceremony of famadihana. Ancestors are taken out of the graves, rewashed and wrapped up in a new shroud. Then they are sat on a respectable place and supposed to celebrate temporary reborn together with living people. I think that it shows that people don’t want to put up with natural death, and try to bring dead people to life even artificially. “A person lives until he is remembered”. After the ceremony the corpse is reburied in a new place in the tomb. Such a ceremony takes place in different corners of the world and people, who participate in it, don’t see anything unnatural. On the contrary it is a reason for a joyful holiday. Being somber and sorrowful is considered to be indecent. Everybody is sincerely glad to “communicate” with ancestors and honor them. The idea of kinship is also important here. The day for famadihana is defined by the head of family (different nations choose different members of it according to complex family relationships). The member of the family should consult the deity, and only after the most favorable day for the ceremony is finally established. In this way people live in chime with the spirit of dead ancestors.

Human life is the highest value in Judaism. People should live and be joyful, but sooner or later they die and should be buried according to national and religious traditions. Jewish tradition has a realistic attitude to death which is not a tragedy. Dead person just passes to another world. Judaism proclaims faith in afterlife. But on the other hand death of a person is sorrowful for his relatives and friends. The meaning of Jewish funeral rituals is to honor the memory of dead people decently. According to religious principles a funeral must be arranged during the day of death. Only some exceptional reasons can postpone the funeral. After ablution, the corpse is covered in white clothes. The tradition to dress dead people in simple white clothes was introduced in ancient times, in order to emphasize the equality between rich and poor. If a person perished in an accident and his clothes are prodded with blood, he should be buried in the same clothes, because human blood is especially valued. It is as sacred as life, and is worth decent burial. It is prohibited to embalm or cremate the corpse. Unlike Christian tradition it is indecent to show off the dead body in an open coffin, because enemies can come and be pleased with his death. Before the funeral the rite of torn clothes should be performed. It means that Rabin should rupture the clothes of several relatives. It would symbolize broken heart. As for the idea of kinship, the mourning concerns only seven close relatives: husband (wife), parents, daughter, son, sister, brother.

On the whole if to compare Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism one may see differences mainly between Eastern and Western religions. Eastern outlook is based on the concepts of karma, reincarnation and release; Western views follow the ideas of single life of soul, which is followed by reward or punishment. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have common rout in the person of Abraham, that’s why they are sometimes called Abrahamic.

In conclusion I’d like to say that investigation of Arnold van Gennep explains author’s idea concerning individual’s life and phenomenon of death. Our life consists of several changes - transition from one condition into another. The author gives a detailed explanation of his ideas and proves their universal meaning, as they probably concern any nationality and can be found in any religion. My research paper explains the ritual of death in Judaism as well as its expression in other religions.

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Essay on Skin Industry

Nowadays, skin industry is rapidly progressing and is considered to be one of the most perspective industries. At the same time, it should be said that the target customers of the skin industry vary from developed countries to developing ones. It is also worthy of mention that in the current situation, skin industry is focused on both males and females though even a few decades ago skin industry was predominantly oriented on female customers. However, the situation is far from perfect for many companies because of the high level of competition. This is why many companies need to search for new ways of development and marketing.

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First for all, it should be pointed out that skin care industry is quite attractive to investors since many companies, such as the Nu Skin achieved positive results without even having its own products but rather using new system of marketing and sales. In this respect, it is noteworthy that the company started with little resources and did not produce anything and even nowadays the company is not a producer of goods but is a company with widely spread network of distributors that represent the company in many countries of the world. To put it more precisely, currently the company is based in the US but its network is spread worldwide, notably Nu Skin International operates in North America, Mexico, Europe, Australia, Asian and some other countries (Roha 1991).

Moreover, it is necessary to underline that the company keeps growing and in the future, in all probability, it will only grow and the network of its distributors will increase. Basically, it is the result of the strategic plan of the company which aims at the building wide network of distributors and attraction possibly larger number of sellers that is typical for the companies operating in skin care industry.

The example of the Nu Skin perfectly demonstrates the current trends in the skin care industry and the perspectives of its further development. To put it more precisely, companies operating in this industry tend to increase their presence in international markets. Practically, it means that the companies will enter new markets offering new products to the larger number of people.

At the same time, the skin care products are basically oriented on the protection of human skin due to the popularity of the idea of healthy lifestyle. Moreover, in recent years, the number of products and services offered by companies to customers in the customized skincare industry has increased dramatically. Nowadays, company offer a variety of products which may contain different ingredients and it is up to the customer to choose among the variety of ingredients what the final product he/she wants to receive. In this respect, it is important to underline that the demand on the services of specialists working in skincare field increases since customers, as a rule, need some consultations with a specialists which could help the customer select ingredients and practically create a unique product that would meet the customer’s needs. This is why skincare industry and products get to be more individualized and customer oriented.

Thus, it is possible to conclude that skin care industry has good perspectives and in the current situation the position of multinational corporations operating in this industry seem to be particularly strong. On the other hand, the international market expansion also implies the development of some universal products that would meet the needs of different customers in different countries of the world, to a significant extent, this may be achieved by providing customers with an opportunity to define what kind of product they want to get and what ingredients this product should include.

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Friday, July 20, 2012

Slavery in the 18th Century Essay

Slavery persisted throughout many centuries and survived since the ancient epoch till the present days. Naturally, at the present days, slavery is rather viewed as an exceptional and absolutely unacceptable phenomenon while in the past it was viewed as a norm. It is worthy of mention that just a couple of centuries ago, namely in the 18th century, a slavery was an essential part of socio-economic life of American society and many people sincerely believed that slavery is a normal phenomenon which actually helped the US to progress economically. On the other hand, there existed a strong opposition to slavery. The abolition movement, in contrast to supporters of slavery, focused on the inhuman nature of slavery and the violation of all basic human rights and moral values. In the result of such a contradiction of views, the slavery as a historical phenomenon was documented and described in publicist, scientific and literary works in different ways which were often contrary to each other.

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Basically, it should be said that neither of the opposing views, i.e. the views of abolishers and the views of supporters of slavery, could be viewed as totally authentic since the interpretation of the events and historical role of slavery in the 18th century could hardly be assessed objectively by contemporaries for whom slavery was a part of their life and remained a subject of great discussions (Inikori 1989:378). Moreover, slavery provoked the serious conflict within American society and actually led to the Civil war (Crafts 1994:295). This is why it is impossible to estimate that the contemporaries who could observe the process of the development and abolition of slavery could not be objective enough. Instead, they supported one of the positions for or against slavery that naturally brought an additional and subjective shade of meaning in their documentation of the events and history of that epoch.

Basically, there were several factors that contributed to the high degree of subjectivity in the documentation of the historical epoch of slavery in the US by the contemporaries. Firstly, slavery was the basis of the economic life of the Southern states. Naturally, people living in the South and supporting slavery could not view this phenomenon otherwise but as a natural way of the economic development of their country. This is why they viewed slavery from the position of a businessman who assessed the effectiveness of a tool or a way of production. Consequently, slavery was just a tool that could make Southerners rich and prosperous.

In stark contrast Northerners could not document slavery objectively since often they viewed cheap labor of slaves as a major competing force in the labor market. Also, there was a part of thinkers that were the opponents of slavery in principle without any intention to take into consideration any position that was different from their own. Thus, they were originally subjective in their interpretation of slavery as historical phenomenon and their beliefs were one of the major factors that contributed to the inauthentic documentation of slavery in the 18th century.

In such a situation, it would be possible to presuppose that after the abolition of slavery, socialists could document this phenomenon authentically. However, the documentation of slavery still remained quite subjective. In this respect, it should be said that after the abolition of slavery, specialists viewed slavery in retrospection. This means that they knew the history of the development and agony of slavery leading to its abolition, they new outcomes and historical consequences of slavery. Obviously, this knowledge could not fail to affect dramatically their perception of slavery.

As a result, people living after the abolition of slavery and attempting to document this phenomenon authentically failed to fulfill this mission. And the retrospection was the major factor that prevented them as well as it still prevents modern people from totally objective interpretation of this historical phenomenon because the abolitionary position was and still viewed as the only correct (Solow 1985:116). The latter influenced the perception of people living after the abolition of slavery since they viewed slavery in terms of rejection this phenomenon as humanitarian catastrophe or violation of all democratic norms but not as an economic necessity, for instance.

Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that the documentation of slavery in the 18th century was inauthentic since the contemporaries who lived in the epoch of slavery was influenced by their beliefs, economic interests, and philosophical views, while those who attempted to document this phenomenon after the abolition of slavery viewed it in retrospection, being unable to assess it objectively.

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Essay on William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is unquestionably one of the most popular English speaking poets whose works are well known throughout the world. His world popularity is closely linked to his lyric works among which sonnets play probably the most significant role. It is necessary to underline that his sonnets are mainly focused on the theme of love and the poet attempts to depict love as an extremely strong feeling, a state of mind and spirit of an individual. Many of his sonnets radiate the insatiable affection of the poet to the subject of his love but, it is necessary to underline that the poet views love as an overwhelming power which devour an individual and rules his actions and thoughts, his feelings and emotions. Sonnets 18, 20 and 43 are perfect illustration of the great power of love which rules the poet and which he feels with all fibers of his soul.

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On analyzing his sonnets, it becomes obvious that the poet really admires his beloved. In fact, his love overshadows the surrounding world and is the most important thing to the author, it is the strongest feeling he cannot resist to. In this respect, it is worthy of mention that the power of his love turns to be stronger than any natural power. For instance, in his sonnet 18, William Shakespeare emphasizes the insignificance of the most beautiful and powerful things compared to his beloved:

Shall I compare thou to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate

At the same time, the author metaphorically compares his beloved to the most beautiful things that he can meet in the surrounding nature and which are overshadowed by the beauty of his beloved:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too shot a date

It seems as if the poet cannot fully enjoy the love, his love is really insatiable. William Shakespeare attempts to underline the significance of his love through its comparison to the surrounding nature. It is quite important since traditionally, nature was the subject of the admiration of many poets and was considered the greatest power.

On the other hand, William Shakespeare is fully absorbed by this strong feeling of love to which he cannot resist. He is totally controlled by his affection and he believes that this love will last forever as he states:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest
Moreover, even the death cannot terminate his love since:
Nor shall Death brag though wanderst in his shade

This means that the poet strongly believes in the eternal love which can last for the lifetime and even death cannot separate two persons in love. In fact, this is a really strong argument in favor of the overwhelming power of love since death is traditionally perceived with the end of the life but from the lines of this sonnet that has been just mentioned above, it is obvious that the poet has no fear in face of the death. In stark contrast, he views on the death as a trifle but the most terrible thing that can occur to him is to loose his beloved. This is why he insists that his love will last as long as he lives:

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So, long lives this and this gives life to thee.

In fact, this means that the love of the poet is so strong that he can readily sacrifice his own life for the sake of his beloved. Such self-sacrifice is worthy of admiration but still it symbolizes the great power of love the author attempts to covey to his readers. It should be said that this sonnet perfectly demonstrates that love is the strongest feeling a human being can have since it is sharper than any other feelings or even instincts to the extent that the instinctive desire to live gives in to the insatiable love of the poet that William Shakespeare skillfully depicts in his sonnet 18.

At the same time, this sonnet, as well as many others, reveals the idealistic and romantic views of the poet on love and life at large. He seems to be extremely emotional and he is unable to obey to the commands of his reason, instead, he is a slave of his love, his only master.

The same idea may be traced in his sonnet 20, where the poet also expresses his admiration and obedience to his love. In this respect, it is very important to underline that similarly to sonnet 18 William Shakespeare attempts to build certain correlations with his beloved and Nature, namely he states:

A woman’s face with Nature’s own hand painted
Hast thou…

And than the poet continues:

The master-mistress of my passion

In such a way, the poet directly indicates to the great power that his love has over him, to the extent that he is ready to totally obey to his beloved which turns to be not just a mistress of his but his master to which he serves. However, in this poem the author seems to be more conscious of the potential threats hidden in his insatiable and overwhelming love. To put it more precisely, the poet underlines that women are changeable as he states:

A woman’s gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women’s fashion;

It is possible to presuppose that the author attempts to show that women are very complicated beings which may combine quite contradictive characteristics. At any rate, William Shakespeare argues that gentleness and goodness of his beloved may be superficial while he does not really know what is hidden beneath this mask of a good natured woman whom he adores.

At the same time, it should be said that this poem is more gender focused in the depiction of love compared to the previously discussed one. Nevertheless, it does not change the general view of the poet on love. However, it is necessary to emphasize that in sonnet 20 William Shakespeare rather view love as a powerful tool in hands of women with the help of which they can totally control men and make them obedient to their will and caprices. On the other hand, he attempts to show that men are blind in their passion for:

Much steals men’s eyes and women’s souls amazes
At the same time, William Shakespeare actually tends to view the woman as a perfect being created by nature and the main function of a woman is just being a woman:

And for a woman wert thou first created

In such a way, the poet perceives his love as a natural passion to the living being which he cannot fail to reject or ignore. In other words, he simply cannot stop loving his beloved and he practically words it in like a natural law:

Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
And by addition me of thee defeated

Moreover, the admiration of the poet with his beloved is so large that he simply cannot resist to his passion and his life becomes purposeless without his love since his life makes sense only:

By adding one thing to my purpose nothing,

This means that his love brings some purpose to his earth existence. In such a way, William Shakespeare again demonstrates the overwhelming power of love.
The important role of love as the only thing that really brings some purpose in the poets life is also revealed in his sonnet 43, where William Shakespeare attempts to show the extent, to which his life is dull and boring without love and it is only in his dreams when the poet is really free in his feelings and emotions he can really enjoy the life:

When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look at thee,
And darkly bright are bright in dark directed.

Similarly to the two sonnets discussed above, in sonnet 43 William Shakespeare also depicts a woman whom he love and, what is more, he attempts to convey to the reader his state when his soul, his mind and his body is totally obedient to his love, his only ‘master-mistress’. The author skillfully depicts his feelings and his love. He wants to show that his love makes his life really better. In fact, it looks like a drug on which the poet is totally dependent, the drug which brings some sense in his life and which makes this life brighter:

How would thee shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shades shine so!

Moreover, the poet views love as a great miracle that has a great power which can even heal his sufferings:

How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made
By looking on thee in the living day,

In fact, even though he meets his beloved in his dream this dreamy part of his life is much more important to the poet than his real life since:

All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.

In such a way, William Shakespeare perfectly demonstrated the power of love which makes his love better. In fact, his life is dark and worthless without love and, even though he can only dream about his love, these dreams are the happiest moments in his life and it seems as if he readily sacrificed himself to make his dream come true. In other words, he lives the real life only when he dreams because in his dreams he finds his love, while the rest of his life is rather a kind of martyrdom than the life he can really enjoy.

Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that William Shakespeare in his sonnets depicts love as the central theme of his works. In his view, love is really the great, if not to say, the greatest power which controls actions, ideas, thoughts of an individual. In his sonnets, William Shakespeare shows the extent to which he is admired with love to the extent that love makes his life purposeful. In fact, it is due to love the life becomes brighter and more interesting. It is even possible to estimate that love, according to Shakespeare, can totally change human life.

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