A Short History of the Chinese in Cuba

A Short History of the Chinese in Cuba The Chinese first arrived in Cuba in significant numbers in the late 1850s to toil in Cuba’s sugarcane fields. At that time, Cuba was arguably the largest producer of sugar in the world. Due to the diminishing African slave trade after England’s abolition of slavery in 1833 and the decline of slavery in the United States, a labor shortage in Cuba led plantation owners to search for workers elsewhere. China emerged as the labor source following deep social upheaval after the First and Second Opium Wars. Changes in the farming system, a surge in population growth, political discontentment, natural disasters, banditry, and ethnic strife- especially in southern China- led many farmers and peasants to leave China and look for work overseas. While some willingly left China for contract work in Cuba, others were coerced into semi-indentured servitude. The First Ship On June 3, 1857, the first ship arrived in Cuba carrying about 200 Chinese laborers on eight-year contracts. In many cases, these Chinese â€Å"coolies† were treated just as the African slaves were. The situation was so severe that the imperial Chinese government even sent investigators to Cuba in 1873 to look into a large number of suicides by Chinese laborers in Cuba, as well as allegations of abuse and breach of contract by plantation owners. Shortly after, the Chinese labor trade was prohibited and the last ship carrying Chinese laborers reached Cuba in 1874. Establishing a Community Many of these laborers intermarried with the local population of Cubans, Africans, and mixed-race women. Miscegenation laws forbade them to marry Spaniards. These Cuban-Chinese began to develop a distinct community. At its height, in the late 1870s, there were more than 40,000 Chinese in Cuba. In Havana, they established â€Å"El Barrio Chino† or Chinatown, which grew to 44 square blocks and was once the largest such community in Latin America. In addition to working in the fields, they opened shops, restaurants, and laundries and worked in factories. A unique fusion Chinese-Cuban cuisine melding Caribbean and Chinese flavors also emerged. Residents developed community organizations and social clubs, such as the Casino Chung Wah, founded in 1893. This community association continues to assist the Chinese in Cuba today with education and cultural programs. The Chinese-language weekly, Kwong Wah Po also still publishes in Havana. At the turn of the century, Cuba saw another wave of Chinese migrants – many coming from California. The 1959 Cuban Revolution Many Chinese Cubans participated in the anti-colonial movement against Spain. There were even three Chinese-Cuban Generals who served pivotal roles in the Cuban Revolution. There still stands a monument in Havana dedicated to the Chinese that fought in the revolution. By the 1950s however, the Chinese community in Cuba was already diminishing, and following the revolution, many also left the island. The Cuban revolution did create an increase in relations with China for a short time. Cuban leader Fidel Castro severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1960, recognizing and establishing formal ties with the People’s Republic of China and Mao Zedong. But the relationship did not last long. Cuba’s friendship with the Soviet Union and Castro’s public criticism of China’s 1979 invasion of Vietnam became a sticking point for China. Relations warmed again in the 1980s during China’s economic reforms. Trade and diplomatic tours increased. By the 1990s, China was Cuba’s second largest trade partner. Chinese leaders visited the island several times in the 1990s and 2000s and further increased economic and technological agreements between the two countries. In its prominent role on the United Nations Security Council, China has long opposed U.S. sanctions on Cuba. The Cuban Chinese Today It’s estimated that Chinese Cubans (those who were born in China) only number about 400 today. Many are elderly residents who live near the run-down Barrio Chino. Some of their children and grandchildren still work in the shops and restaurants near Chinatown. Community groups are currently working to economically revitalize Havana’s Chinatown into a tourist destination. Many Cuban Chinese also migrated overseas. Well-known Chinese-Cuban restaurants have been established in New York City and Miami.

Obvious Marketing Moves I was Totally Missing on LinkedIn and Mobile!

Obvious Marketing Moves I was Totally Missing on LinkedIn and Mobile! Squeeze Pack Solutions While eating out of a nut butter squeeze pack a few weeks ago, I reached the point where I could not squeeze out any more- but I knew there was still plenty of almond butter stuck to the inside walls of the package. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I could cut the package open to extract the remaining goo. It was messy, but it worked. Shortly thereafter, I reached the end of a toothpaste tube and thought, â€Å"I wonder if there’s toothpaste stuck to the insides of this packaging too?† I cut open the tube and retrieved three brushings worth of paste. It took me what†¦ 40 years? to even notice this problem. The solution was easy. Blinding Flashes of the Obvious We all have moments where something happens, or someone makes a suggestion to us, and a light bulb goes off. Wow! That makes total sense! How did I not think of that? It was right in front of my face. How have I not done that already? My ActionCOACH coaches call these sudden revelations â€Å"Blinding Flashes of the Obvious.† When one of these ideas arises, I am surprised by it because I probably knew somewhere deep inside that I needed to do this thing, but it hadn’t risen to the surface as a priority. After an initial, â€Å"What have I been thinking?!† I get into action. This past week, I attended The National Resume Writers’ Association annual conference, where I garnered several â€Å"blinding flashes of the obvious† from conversations I had with my colleagues. Here are my top two: 1. Create more than one LinkedIn profile Experience entry for my â€Å"job† at The Essay Expert. You’d think that as a LinkedIn expert I would have maximized my LinkedIn SEO already. I tell other people all the time that if they held more than one position at a company, they should create more than one entry in order to include more keywords. But was I following this advice myself? Nope. I was like the proverbial overweight, cigarette-smoking doctor. Yikes. At The NRWA conference, a fellow resume writer showed me her LinkedIn profile to ask my opinion. She had eight (eight!!) entries for her current business, and she had stuffed keywords into every one. While I did not recommend that she use this tactic, and while I believe that â€Å"keyword stuffing† can backfire, I realized that with only one entry for my role in my business, I was missing out on a big opportunity to put more keywords into my own LinkedIn profile. As of Sunday night, I have created separate sections in my profile for my position as an Executive Resume Writer, Executive LinkedIn Profile Writer, and College Admissions Essay Consultant. I am in disbelief that for the past eight years, I had been cramming all these roles into one LinkedIn Experience entry. I am curious to see what happens with my profile views and inquiries for business now that I have followed my own advice! 2. Get texting capabilities to and from my business phone line. For at least two years, texting has been the most popular form of communication used in this country. It would seem obvious that people would want to send texts to my business number. In fact, I’m sure many people have sent texts to my business number, thinking they were reaching me. Until yesterday, those texts were going directly to nowhere. Not only that, but when I wanted to send a text to a client, I had to do it through my personal cell phone. I did not like texting clients because then they would call me on my personal cell phone number, and I much prefer to keep that number, well, personal. I was avoiding texting because of this issue, despite the fact that my clients probably would have loved to text me. Was I thinking of the most obvious solution to this problem? No. I was not prioritizing the issue, despite the fact that 95% of texts are read within 3 minutes, while only 12% of emails are opened. Enabling text was a no-brainer, and I apparently had no brain. It took me until last week’s conference, at the suggestion of my brilliant colleague Robin Schlinger, to bite the bullet and enable texting capabilities on my business line. She mentioned that several executive clients had texted her with inquiries for her services, and that was enough to convince me to get on the texting bandwagon! Now clients will be able to reach out to me via their preferred mode of communication, whether that is phone, email, or †¦ text!! And I can easily send texts without revealing my personal number. On a related note, I needed a better way to make calls from my cell phone that appeared to be coming from my business number. Purchasing texting capabilities led me to download the eVoice app, which solved that problem too. I had been wanting that kind of solution for years- getting the app was another blinding flash of the obvious! In order to have the types of revelations I’ve been describing, we have to be paying attention, listening for good ideas (they could appear at any moment), and willing to take new action. Are you ready? Are there nagging problems in your life that you have been ignoring, not even giving them the time of day? Maybe they are more important than you think, and easier to fix than you think. I challenge you to have a â€Å"blinding flash of the obvious† this week, and share below what it is!

Financial Decision Making Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial Decision Making - Coursework Example The price earnings ratio measures the relationship between stock dividend payout and a stock’s market price in order to compare a stock’s performance against any other stock. One can also use earnings per share in order to determine how a company compares to another in terms of current dividend paid. This two key investment ratios can only be used with company’s that are publicly traded and issue stocks Additionally there is a wealth of investment advice and current company profiles and analysis available on the internet, which make the task of choosing an investment much easier for the private investor. For a company that is not publicly traded, an individual must use other forms of financial analysis in order to determine what the best investment option is and how much the required rate of return needs to be in order to justify the risks associated with a specific company. We have been presented with three individual companies as possible investment alternative s none of the companies are publicly traded. The three possible investment choices are: 1) Acme Consulting-Although the initial investment of the company is low at $50,000,the company will be a start up venture so the risks related to the investment are always highest with a new company. Acme will be a management consulting firm with a high level of expertise and experience specializing in marketing and distribution of high technology products and solutions in the international market. The initial operating focus for the company will be the European and Latin American markets and the American market for foreign clients. Acme will provide high value services at the highest costs the market will bear the company will be targeting primarily large manufacturers of high technology products such as IBM, Apple and HP as potential clientele. 2) Interstate Travel Center- Is also a start-up company which will consist of a will be full service truck stop and service center to be located in Tex as. The initial start up costs for the project will be 2.75 million in order to buy the land and build the 6,000square foot facility which will include a restaurant, convenience store, gas/ diesel islands and service facilities and amenities. The required capital investment will be $250,000 from an investor/s and a 2.5 million loan. 3) Silvera and Sons- This is a successful well establish business dedicated to the distribution and exportation of premium Brazilian Arabica Coffee beans. Its main customers are premium American specialty roasters and wholesale to the local Brazilian market. For the last six years demand for the company’s products has exceeded capacity, so the company has had to refuse a lot of larger shipments, therefore losing a lot of potential sales and customers. The company wants to expand their production capacity in order to fulfill the additional demand. The company is confident that they will be able to sell all additional production of their premium Ara bica beans. Since the investment will be used to fulfill the demand for their products, and it is a successful profitable company, it seems that the safest investment for an individual would be to invest in Silvera and Sons. Although it was not required in this assignment to calculate the discount rate for each company, I took the initiative in my research of learning how to calculate the discount rate. In order to calculate the required rate of return or discount rate one must determine what the risk free interest rate is, the average market return, market risk premium

Control Mechanisms Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Control Mechanisms Paper - Essay Example According to Long et al (n.d.): "Managers within bureaucratic control systems use primarily rules and regulations, hierarchical lines of authority, and job specifications to direct subordinates in their tasks". Certain premises of the decisions on these matters are to be supplied in advance in the form of general rules or standards, and compliance with these standards is to be enforced by centralized units. All decisions for which standards have been prescribed are cleared with or reviewed by the appropriate centralized unit to assure compliance. One way of meeting control problems of this kind is to assign to specialized administrative units in their particular area of specialization. A central office enforces the rules relating to the hiring, pay, promotion, and dismissal of personnel throughout the entire organization. The College School System determines special rules and standards in order to create a unified system of education and maintain high level of service delivery (Medei ros, Barbosa, n.d.). Also, the College School System uses some elements of clan and market mechanisms which help it to survive. Following Long et al (n.d): "Managers within clan control systems place relatively greater emphasis on the development and actualization of common values, traditions, and beliefs". The College School System follows educational values and traditions which have a great impact on its decision-making and performance. These traditions involve equal treatment of all students and high level of education, programs and activities based on human-centered approach and Christian morality. In some cases, The College School System can be seen in terms of market control mechanism when: 'managers make decisions based on price considerations" (Long et al n.d.). Many private schools are driven by this control mechanism which helps them to maintain high level of education and services. The main advantage of bureaucratic control mechanism is structure of control procedure. Control is exercised through the executive hierarchy itself. The main limitation (negative consequences) of clan and market control mechanisms is that the executive hierarchy itself does not know and cannot be expected to know enough about all the many areas of an organization's activities to make sure that all these activities are being conducted according to the expressed wishes of those higher up in the organization, the chief executive, the legislature, or the public. The chain of accountability is maintained by assigning different parts of the review process to centralized units whose personnel then become specialists in securing high standards in their respective fields. The effectiveness of clan mechanism can be explained by the fact that "the traditions and norms that clan system managers use to affect subordinate behaviors are best applied before tasks are commenced" (Long et al, n.d.). T he effectiveness of market control is explained by output control targets which allows the organization evaluate the work when it completes. The bureaucratic control mechanism determines the structure of four functions of management based on hierarchical relations. All functions and decision-making are closely connected with each other following strict rules and procedures. An important element is the mechanism employed to see that the policies laid down by the body and the top executives are carried out by the

Clusters, small business (Five forces, Porter's generic strategies, Essay

Clusters, small business (Five forces, Porter's generic strategies, STP with marketing) - Essay Example First, it can use mass marketing strategy where it focuses on medium-end quality door according to different ages as they have different segmentations. Targeting the mass market may help drive huge purchases of their products for them to survive and grow in the international market (Panda, 2008: 98). Secondly, the company can use targeted marketing strategy. They should focus on high income individuals by tailor making high quality doors. By communicating their value proposition well, they will be able to attract and retain many customers internationally (Tyagi & Kumar, 2004: 72). Thirdly, they can use tradeshow marketing strategy. It should participate in Trade Fairs, Chinese Guangxi - Southeast Asia Business Expo, the CAEXPO as well as other transnational commodity fairs so as to attract both local and international customers. Finally, the company should use global marketing strategy. The company should have sales agents through other countries door expositions in Europe so as to e xpand its customer base (Nijssen & Frambach, 2001: 45). It helps the company to analyze the industry and the market in which it will operate. This theory can equally help the company attract current buyers and future buyers over the world especially in Europe market. The company can use personalized or differentiated services so as to win customers thereby avoiding the threat of new entrants that may decrease profitability or take away some customers (Hill & Jones, 2010: 179). The personalized of differentiated products can create customer loyalty to the company’s brands thus creating a barrier to entry. To protect itself from the threat of substitute products, the company should develop high quality state-of-the-art doors with low ease of substitution (Roy, 2009: 64). This will increase the customer satisfaction thus reducing buyer propensity to substitute. Further, the company can implement loyalty programs to reduce bargaining power of

Genetic Regulation of Apoptosis and Organ Development

Genetic Regulation of Apoptosis and Organ Development This report reviews about the genetic regulation of apoptosis and organ development. The specific genes have been determined which cause these functions inside an organism proves to us some vital sequential systems concerning cell differentiation which in turn leads to the proliferation of the species. This report mainly gives you a clear cut explanation about how cell death and organ development act together in a progressive manner in concern with the development of an organism. The genes determined have been attested to be very useful in the field of treatment of diseases time and time again. And the review also dissertates on how the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used efficiently to determine the regulative genes of development and apoptosis. Which sequentially leads us to some predetermined definite advantages of the practical findings in the field of medicine. There are an enormous number of cells in the human body and in all organisms. Including an exception for numerous other bacteria and other microorganisms lower down the complication order. The basis of all these cells are two processes namely mitosis and meiosis. To be more specific in humans the fertilized egg is the source of all types of cells. From the fertilized egg in the humans to the innate process of mitosis and meiosis in the smallest of organisms all undergo cell differentiation. This process in defined as bringing in the characteristic of a specific cell to it specific function. These cells basically develop into various types of cells from their first stage of interphase in mitosis. But to remember that the zygotic stage never determines the specific function of the cell. Not only the newly formed cells undergo differentiation but the adult cells or the adult stem cells to be more specific undergo differentiation to form specific tissues and then organs and later to form a whole organism. The adult stem cells after their process of differentiation transfer their characteristics to their daughter cells in such a way that the daughter cells also exhibit the same characteristics as their parental generation. The cell differentiate along these lines that the whole morphology of the cell like the cell size, cell structure, membrane potential and even its response to signals alter. On the contrary cell death also plays a major part in cell differentiation and organ development. For example the process of metamorphosis in butterfly from larvae to the completely metamophosized butterfly or from the tadpole to a frog. The deaths of many cells are involved in this process, but very specific cells. Apoptosis is the word given for a programmed process of cell death without which the development of organs or any higher organism is most unlikely to happen. All the processes mentioned above are the consequences of gene manipulation within the cell. These are cont rolled by specific genes within a cell giving out certain signals as and when needed for different processes. Determining the genes that are involved in these processes is called as genetic regulation. Genetic regulation or gene evaluation plays a vital role in the field of medicine. This article discusses about the use of Caenorhabditis elegans, a transparent nematode worm as a specimen for determining the genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death or apoptosis. This specific species was short listed among many others as it had a very short time spanned cell cycle (Wood and William, 1988). Which consisted of only 959 adult cells in its generation cells making it very easy to analyse and determine the genetic regulation (Brenner, 1974). On the whole three scientists worked on determining the genetic regulation of apoptosis and organ development. Sir John Sulston was the first one among the three to initiate the experiment starting with developing all the techniques to study cell division in the nematode worm from its stage of a fertilized egg to a completely mature adult stage of the worm. (Sulston and Horvitz, 1977). Dr. H. Robert Howitz continued the work of Sir John Sulston by putting forward the question whether there was a genetic code for all death and development processes taking place in an organism. A specific genetic programmed that he suggested might be and determined the genetic regulations for the same processes in the worm (Jonathan and Robert, 1978). Dr.Sydney Brenner played his part by proving the work done by the previous scientists on determining the specific genes. He mutated those specific genes involved in the processes by using EMS or Ethyl Methane Sulphonate. This landed up on the result that, when these genes are mutated the organ development does not take place and consequentially lead to the death of the organism (Brenner, 1973) (Jonathan and Sydney Brenner, 1978). The work of all the three scientists helped in landing up in a theory and experimental proof of genetic regulation of apoptosis and organ development and also that there is a major connection between both the processes for the survival of the organism. The use of nematode worm was considered because it is difficult to determine the same in higher animals. The genes like Ced-3 and Ced-4 were primarily determined to be the genetic regulators of apoptosis and the proteins which codes for the initiation of these genes were used for degrading the DNA after apoptosis. Also making an understanding on how the dead cell is eliminated after the process of apoptosis. It was proposed that the same regulations also take place in higher organisms including humans as one of them with the help of homologous proteins like Apaf-1 in humans replacing CED-4 in C.elegans (Hua and William, 1997). The male and the hermaphrodite are differentiated by the morphology or by their internal organs. The male nematode is supposed to have 959 cells in its mature adult stage and makes it very easy to determine the genetic regulation. The picture above gives the lateral view of dissected C.elegans. The lateral dissected view clearly shows the simplicity of the organism and also on why the organism was narrowed down to study upon. (Sulston and Horvitz, 1977) This report mainly concentrates on the determination of genes involved in the process and how the two processes of development and death are linked in the complete life cycle of an organism. Determining the genetic regulation of the same plays a vital role in curing a hand full of dreadful diseases like Cancer, AIDS and Myocardial Infarction (Thompson, 1995). The unstoppable growth of cells inhibiting the process of apoptosis in the case of cancer (Morgan et al., 2006) and the death of cells inhibiting the process of development and initiating the process of apoptosis by activating all the available pathways (Explained in detailed in the proceeding pages) for the process of apoptosis in the case of AIDS (Perez et al., 2008). Determining the genes involved or genetic regulation has a major role in the treatment of these diseases. As genes and gene coding are the bases of every live organism in this universe. Genetic Regulation of Apoptosis and Organ Development: To just basically explain about genetic regulation before getting deep into the degree of the paper, genetic regulation is the process of turning on or turning of the genes that are needed and those of which are not needed respectively. The first ever gene regulation developments were on the lac and the trp operon model. Basically it is a system used for saving up the enzymes and using them whenever necessary and not wasting them by accumulating them by continuously producing them on the contrary. These are helped by the genes. And for better understanding s schematic is given below of the overall process of genetic regulation. Introduction to Apoptosis Apoptosis is derived from the Greek language meaning dropping off or falling off of parts. This I suppose does not give the appropriate meaning but the term was coined according to the preliminary discoveries of researchers regarding the same. The term was titled to fit the process as there were findings and literature that stated the dropping of all organelles (not literally) of the cell after the depletion of the cell wall in the continuum of processes of apoptosis. The term generally means programmed cell death, which is defined as the well timed suicide of the cells by gene regulation as and when needed by the organism. This is the exact process that takes place in all organisms from a single celled to a multicellular complex organism. Apoptosis regulates certain morphological features of the cell leading to its death in the coming cycles of apoptosis. The morphological changes include bleebing, loss of cell membrane, asymmetry of the cell, fragmentation of the DNA and many other structural and functional changes (Alberts et al., 2008). Atrophy is caused in the final stages of apoptosis which can lead to the complete destruction of the cells. The process was primarily considered to be incomplete as it was not known how the cells were dissolved after their death as the organelles after the cell death would cause to create an unwanted mass in the organism. But latter it was determined that the cells after the process of apoptosis ended up in creating apoptotic bodies which were engulfed by other cells using pseudo arms and then were dissolved using the proteins that code for the gene to regulate the process of apoptosis (Walker and Sikorska 1994). During the years of the primary experimentation this process was written along with the process of necrosis which was the premature death of cells due to external effects like toxins, hazardous chemicals or radiations. But further experimentation and trials proved that apoptosis was a self-inducing factor of cells for their suicide in order that the following processes of or gan development takes place without obstructions. When human trials are concerned it is to be noted that about 50 to 70 billion cells die each day in the same process, where at the same time daughter cells are generated. Cell death plays an important role in organ development and tissue homeostasis. The regulation of cell proliferation by Programmed Cell Death (Apoptosis) contributes to organ and tissue development and differentiation to a great extent. Depending upon the time and clinical impacts many genes change their expression during organ development. The success of organ development completely depends upon the interaction between the maintenance of cell survival and cell death. Cell death plays a significant role in promoting growth and tissue development of an organism. Generally when cell death occurs, the following points are to be taken into account, Development of normal tissues and cell death. Regulation of cell cycle and expression of genes. Determining the cell death pathway. The pathway acts as a molecular target for therapy (Prof. Dr. M. Nurhalim Shahib, 2001). When cells die, the contents of the cell are released in the surrounding and it causes inflammation or swelling which is termed as necrosis. When cells die during normal development or tissue homeostasis, they tend to condense and shrink and the dead cells are phagocytised by neighbouring cells before the contents of the cell get leaked in the surrounding. They do not induce any inflammatory response unlike the necrosis. This process is termed as Apoptosis or Programmed Cell Death (Kerr et al., 1972). Apoptotic Pathways Extracellular and intracellular pathways are the two terms that are concerned when there is a death of a cell taking place or a death of group of cells. Extracellular pathways are the subjecting of cells to toxin or hormones or growth factors which can in turn lead to the death of the cell. This not of much concern in our review as we are concentrating on the pathways of apoptosis. To get a brief knowledge about the death of the cells we should know that the death of the cells can take place by sensoring the signals from inside the cell or from the outside of the cell. Apoptosis mainly takes place by transducing signals from the inside of the cell. This process can be put into two main categories namely positive induction and negative induction. Induction means the inhibition of the reaction and hence positive induction refers to the undergoing apoptosis reaction. To give a brief about the extracellular and intracellular processes. The intracellular processes will be explained in detail below and the extracellular process is simply the transducing of signals in case of unstable environment or the sequential crossing of the plasma membrane. Intracellular signalling has many different pathways which follow a definite sequence of steps. These including some like the binding of receptors by glucorticoids in the presence of high calcium concentration. All processes in the cells are initiated by enzymes specific enzymes that code for specific genes to be activated for the following reaction to take place. Hence in the contrary these proteins or enzymes can also be used to inhibit the reaction by finding out the genes which code for the enzyme to be produced. The process of apoptosis is mainly targeted to the mitochondria of the cell which then ceases almost all the functions the cell. For explaining in detail the intracellular processes that are taking place we need some specific pathways for a deep understanding. Many pathways are proposed and on literature which we are going to discuss in brief in the following pages of my report. Mitochondrial Regulation of Apoptosis Briefly explaining about mitochondria, they are the power house of the cell and supplies energy for the complete survival of the cell without which the cell is not in existence. Obviously needless to say that without the functionality of the mitochondria the cell is just another non living organism without any appropriate use. This vivid function of the bacteria is used by the apoptotic pathways. There are two pathways by which the cells are forced to death by inhibiting the function of the mitochondria. They are the intrinsic and extrinsic pathway. They both vary in the pathways but the end product is always the death of the cell. (Susin et al., 1999). The intrinsic pathway is basically the swelling up of the mitochondria by the formation of pores. This is formed by the binding of Cytochrome C to the apoptotic protease activating factor and then followed by the process of apoptosis. On the other hand the extrinsic pathway is the decrease of the membrane potential of the mitochondrial membrane by the action of nitric oxide and also the increase of the permeability causing a leak of enzymes inside the mitochondria. This causes the uncontrollable swelling of the cell and also causes blebbing. When the cells continue to swell it leads to the damage of the cellular membrane that eventually leads to cell death. These are reported to be caused by the SMACs which are stated to be secondary mitochondria derived activation of caspases. This can be proved to be the right opposite to the intrinsic pathway as this process deactivates the pathway that inhibits apoptosis by binding to the inhibition of apoptosis proteins or namely IAP rather than the intrinsic pathway that directly induces apoptosis. (Mayer and Oberbauer, 2003). When we get to compare both the processes we tend to end up in a result which states that the damage of the cell is indistinguishable between the two. 2.2.2 Caspase Independent Pathway Caspase in considered as the most important protein in the proper functioning of the apoptosis cycle. But it is proved that the apoptosis can also take place without the activity of the caspase protein. This takes place by a binding factor known as Apoptosis Inducing Factor (Cande et al., 2002) which only needs transduced signals rather than the caspase binding (Magali et al., 1999) 2.2.3 Signal Transduction Signal transduction is generally described as the process of transferring signals. The same as mentioned above this also involves both extracellular and intracellular signals. This process is also called as the shape shifting process as the morphology of the cell is completely changed after this process takes place. There are two different pathways TNF and Fas pathways namely. Figure 4: TNF and FAS Pathway within the cell. The diagram gives an easier explanation for the Fas pathway including the caspase binding reaction. It also shows many other proteins involved in programmed cell death. The TNF and the Fas pathways are two completely different pathways with the same functionality as to programmed cell death. They assist mainly in transferring signals not only from the inside the cells to the point of pathway commencement but also from the exterior of the cell to the important signal transducers inside the cell. (Philip, 2004). The TNF pathway or the Tumor Necrosis Factor pathway. The pathway is commenced by the binding of TNF R1 and TNF R2 which in turn leads to the initiation of caspase activating pathway which then eventually leads to the death of the cell. Both the pathways to be mentioned are results of binding. This pathway was also proved to be leading to one too many activations of transcription factors, the cause of numerous diseases (Chen and Goeddel, 2002). The Fas pathway also follows the same binding pathway as the TNF pathway. Only that the activation of transcription factors is unlikely to happen and the binding here takes place in caspase 8 and caspase 10. Binding of Fas and Fas L takes place along with the Death Inducing Signaling Factors or DISCs (Wajant H, 2002). 2.3 Extracellular Control of Apoptosis Programmed cell death or apoptosis have found to be activated or suppressed by extracellular signals from other cells apart from the apoptotic cells by controlling the mechanism. These extracellular signals are sent majorly to prevent programmed cell death. (Raff, 1992). There are a few examples to demonstrate how the signals activate or suppress apoptosis. Most of the vertebral cells tend to undergo apoptosis when cultured at a low density with the secretion of extracellular signals on their own. For Example- Blastomeres have the ability to survive and divide even in the absence of extracellular signals. The cells from tissues that are made of only single cell types have the ability to produce self-survival signals (Biggers et al., 1971). In some cells, a combination of several signals from different cells is required for their survival in a long term aspect. Example- The vertebral neurons during development compete for signals for their survival which are secreted by the target cells that they innervate. In this process only half of the neurons get enough signals to survive and the rest undergoes programmed cell death. Therefore, the normal death can be prevented by injecting exogenous Nerve Growth Factors (NGF) to the neurons. Similarly when the genes that code for NGFs are inactivated or by addition of anti-NGF antibodies, all the neurons undergo Apoptosis. Usually both inactivation and injection of NGFs are carried in a neuron to provide a balance between the number of neurons innervating the target cell and the unwanted neurons that target inappropriate cells (Levi, 1987). Some cells are triggered by programmed cell death inducing signals which suppresses the action of the signals that are responsible for the survival of the cell. Example- In amphibians like tadpoles, a systematic induction occurs at the metamorphosis stage where the cells in the tail undergo apoptosis due to the increase of thyroid hormone in the blood and this facilitates the resorption of the tail (Kerr et al., 1974). 2.4 Overall Process of Apoptosis- Morphological Concern The figure above gives us an easier understanding of the morphology of the cells in the course of Apoptosis. The diagram gives us a clear cut explanation about how normal cells receive signals and then followed by cell shrinkage and nuclear collapse leading to death and formation of apoptotic bodies to the complete lysis of the cell. (Philip, 2004). Observation Causes Cell shrinkage and rounding Breakdown of proteinaceous cytoskeleton by caspase. Density of Cytoplasm Signal transduction by TNF pathway or Mitochondrial regulation Tight packing of organelles Signal transduction by TNF pathway or Mitochondrial regulation Chromatin shrinkage against nuclear envelope- Phykonosis Condensation of Nucleus Karyorrhexis Degradation of DNA Breaking of Nucleus Blebbing (Mathew et al). Localized decoupling of the cytoskeleton from plasma membrane Phagocytosis or engulfing of dead cells Usually present on the cytosolic surface but spread by scramblase Table 1: Tabulated format of the observations during Apoptosis of the cell and their primary causes. 2.5 Role of Inhibitory or Promoter genes in Apoptosis The cells after undergoing apoptosis in all tissues and animals appear similar and this cell death gets involved in many operations that are active and intracellular which can be promoted or inhibited by physiological or pathological stimuli. Regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans The genes responsible for apoptosis was first identified in a nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, related to cell death and its control (Horvitz et al., 1982; Ellis and Horvitz, 1986). Initial genetic studies in C.elegans led to the identification of a gene called Ced-3, a promoter gene responsible for programmed cell death to occur during the development of the worm (Ellis et al., 1991). The Ced-3 gene codes for an enzyme which is Cysteine Protease (Yuan et al., 1993). The gene cleaves the substrate after every active and specific aspartic acid sites and they get activated by cleaving at the aspartic acid sites. These are now referred to as Caspases (Alnemriet et al.,1996) The caspases mediate the apoptosis by cleaving at specific intracellular proteins that are of high selectivity and these proteins in turn activate the apoptosis process (Chinnaiyan and Dixit, 1996). Similarly there are many genes that inhibit the apoptosis process in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. One such gene is Ced-9, which belongs to the same family as the Ced-3 and this gene inhibits apoptosis in the nematode (Hengartner and Horvitz, 1994). If Ced-9 is activated by disruption or any mutation, the worm dies at a very early stage when compared to the usual growth. Therefore Ced-9 is necessary to prevent programmed cell death if the cell has to survive in the developing worm. (Hengartner et al., 1992) Regulation in Mammalian cells Similar to the nematode there are many genes that act as inhibitors or promoters of programmed cell death or apoptosis in mammalian cells also. They in turn contribute to organ and tissue development. Certain genes like Bcl- 2 and Bcl- XL act as inhibitors that inhibit programmed cell death. Genes like Bax and Bak act as promoter genes. They promote programmed cell or apoptosis. The average ratio of the inhibitors to the promoters determines the capacity of a mammalian cell to undergo apoptosis (Korsmeyer, 1995). Bcl- XL, in three dimensional structures is noted to function as a pore forming protein in the intercellular membrane where the genes are actually present. (Muchmore et al, 1996) When the Bcl- 2 and Bcl- XL is disrupted in a mammal like mice, the animal tends to die either as an embryo itself of in the post natal stage due to excessive programmed cell deaths in particular organs. When Bax is disrupted, normal programmed cell death or apoptosis process itself fails to occur (Deckwerth et al, 1996). Although proteins are required for the apoptosis process, inhibitors of RNA or protein synthesis often inhibit apoptosis indicating that transcription and translation are required to activate the programmed cell death process. 2.6 Importance of Programmed Cell Death (Apoptosis) In the mutant nematodes, where the apoptosis process is deficient, it is found to have a normal life span. But whereas apoptosis process deficient flies are found to die at an early stage. The vertebrates exhibit results similar to that of the flies. This difference is due to the inhibitory and the promoter genes in the different organisms and their relation to organ development and tissue homeostasis. 2.7 Consequences of Defective Pathways The consequences caused (diseases) are only caused by the defective apoptotic pathways. Where normal apoptosis does not take place. The only way by which the flow of apoptosis is disrupted is by deferring the signal. When the pathway is inhibited the growth of the cell continues and the cells live more that they are supposed to actually live and differentiation of these cells also transfer the fault to their progeny. Which most probably leads to cancer. The inhibitor or the suppressor as we call it here binds to caspase preferably 8, 9 or 10 here in this case and stops the cell death. AIDS: This specific viral protein deactivates the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and triggers the mitochondrial regulation pathway to progress the reaction at a higher pace. FAS mediated apoptosis is increased and the death rate also increases (Perez et al., 2008). Cancer: This disease is a causative of inhibition of apoptosis. Where the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein plays a vital role. When the cells do not die at the specified time a tumor is produced leading to cancer (Ott et al., 2006; John and Kerr, 2006). Having mentioned about the disadvantages of the defective apoptotic pathways, the advantages of apoptosis is none other than the development of organs by programmed suicide of the cells As I have mentioned before, there are uncountable processes that are taking place inside an organism every milli second. The process of apoptosis has its own significance amidst all the other. It can also be rightly named the mother of all processes as apoptosis is the cause of organ development and also the root cause of development of any organism. 3. Organ Development Organ development is also known as organogenesis. For our clear understanding we can explain it as the budding of organs from the growth cycle beginning from the form of a zygote. This routine is followed in all organisms which is just the consequence of death of cells in a programmable manner. The cells from the stage of division are never pre-determined the cells later are differentiated to form certain organs or organ systems. This programmed process of cell death coupled with organ development is the most important course of action in any organism as it determines the growth or death of the same. Then which can be followed by all the regular functions of the gene. To give a brief description about how organ development takes place, it is the proceedings of the ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm to develop organs and organ systems. The embryo is at its weakest in this stage of development which may lead to anomalies or discretion. The soul reason behind this process on paper to progress in a timely manner is the proper differentiation of cells by gene coding. Which can literally imprint an impact on the cells to develop only to certain organs by coding them. Stem cells play the most vital part. Being the cells that can undergo easy differentiation combined with a superiorly faster rate of proliferation when compared to normally proliferating cells. Figure 9: Development of Endoderm, Mesoderm and Ectoderm into specified organs by genetic coding. The layers are distinctively separated and differentiated into specific organs and organ systems by genetic regulation. This differentiation is defined by the genes that regulate the development. Endoderm à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Forms the tissue within the lungs and pancreas (Anne and Douglas, 2000). Mesoderm à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Function of forming muscles and also the tissues of kidneys. Ectoderm à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Primordial function of formation of tissues with the epidermis and most important characteristic of formation of neurons. 3.1 Causes of improper organ development There are many conditions that can cause improper organ development. Some of them like Toxicity, high amounts of radiation in the form of zygote or even in the higher order in the development line can cause permanent shift from the frame of reference. Other prime movers for this plight are some like tobacco and alcohol and other brain stimulating drugs. These obstructions of organ development due to mutation can been experiment on Arabidopsis thaliana and proved to cause the same effect on humans (Stein et al., 2004). This is because human field trials on this has been stated illegal all around the globe. Irregular apoptotic pathways can also be mentioned as some the reasons for the cause of improper organ development. But the root cause of everythig always lies in its beginning that is the primary infection of exposure to hazrdous materials or drugs. This can interfere in the primary pathway, leading inturn to the defective pathway of apoptosis. The defective pathways in apoptosis c an be the major cause of the irregular or improper organ development. May be considered as one of the most important reason for improper organ development. One of the most important reasons for improper organ developent is the cause of genetic mutations. The genetic mutations are caused by the radiotions or hazardous toxins that I have mentioned before. But what leads to improper organ development is genetic modification or mutations in the gene. This can lead to permanent damage of the cell or the gene. This gene damaged, specifies to an organ. Finally the organ is completely damaged due to the mutation of the gene that tends to regulate that specific organ of the organism. Also considering the fact that the cells can also die due to mutations causing permanent damage in the organ development phase of the organism. 4 Applications 4.1 Clinical applications Many diseases like cancer, auto immune diseases, neuro-degenerative diseases do not either inhibit apoptosis or leads to inappropriate activation of apoptosis. They do not completely eliminate harmful cells which lead to loss of all the essential cells that prevent the oncoming of these diseases. Therefore, potential therapeutic strategies must be incorporated by including small molecules that either inhibit or activate certain target proteins that are responsible for apoptosis (Murphy et al., 2003).Generally there occurs a natural delay in the activation of Caspases after any injury and this delay allows enough time for treating the molecules that target Caspases. They are said to show therapeutic applications in preclinical studies (Reed, 2000; Nicholson, 2000). Bcl-2, another inhibitor gene of apoptosis, plays a vital role in the mitochondrial pathway and is regulated in many cancer cells. Introduction of an antisense Bcl-2 oligo molecule has shown promising results in preclinical trials in SCID mice and phase III clinical trials (Reed, 2000; Nicholson, 2000). There is something called, Inhibitors of Apoptosis (IAPs) that are of potential therapeutic targets for treatment of diseases. Some cancers over expresses the IAPs that is associated with the genes responsible for the resistance of apoptosis. One such gene is called Survivin (an IAP) which is involved in cancer cells. By eliminating this Survivin, the cancer cells become more sensitive to drugs that initiate apoptosis (Nicholson, 2000). 4.2 Immunoblotting techniques Cytochrome C, an indicator of apoptosis is attached to the apoptotic cells along with the presence of genes responsible for apoptosis and immunoprecipitates were formed. By addition of anti-Cytochrome C or anti-Bc

How are nonverbal signals sent by casual dress in the workplace? Essay

How are nonverbal signals sent by casual dress in the workplace? Business Communication Apr 11, 2005 How are nonverbal signals sent by casual dress in the workplace? The phenomenon of casual dress in the business place has come full circle. Many companies are now moving away from casual dress. Many business leaders have come to realize that the nonverbal signals sent by casual dress, conflict with the image the company is attempting to portray. A trend that was seeing more and more companies opting for casual dress, now has companies considering a complete withdraw from this popular business fashion. Companies will need to completely overhaul their dress codes if casual dress is to survive. The History The concept of business casual dress began in the early 1990’s in Silicon Valley, California. In the beginning, it was a method of getting out of those hot suits in the summer, allowing people to be more comfortable in their work environment. It was expanded to console or placate workers during hard times. â€Å"Casual Fridays were introduced, experts say, to improve morale among cynical white-collar folks who saw their coworkers falling like flies during the layoffs of the 1980s and early 1990s. Generally, the casual look was never meant to replace traditional Monday-through-Thursday business attire† (McPherson, p. 134). Business casual was hyped as an employee benefit. The casual experiment quickly gained popularity. The attitudes toward casual dress began as positive and at its peak in the mid 1990’s the business industry reported that 63.7% of all businesses were allowing some form of casual dress (Cotton, Inc., 1997). Positive Thinking Whether true or perceived, some businesses and workers have stated a positive outcome to casual dress. â€Å"Some of the more commonly touted benefits include improved employee morale, a lack of cost to the employer, increased worker productivity, more open communication between staff and managers, cost savings to employees because casual business wear is less expensive, and improved work quality (Gutierrez & Freese, 1999). Casual dress was received so well by the employees that most companies thought they had tapped into the morale gold mine. †Take Morgan & Finnegan LLP, a Park Avenue law firm in New York. It started a Casual Friday routine during the summer of 1998. It was so well received the firm decided to allow bu... ...ished and then policed. References Allen, F. L. (2003, December). Dress for the Occasion: Your Attire - Your Image. Retrieved April, 5 2005, from http://www.blacksocietypages.com/advice.html Cotton, Inc. (1997, January, 23). Corporate Casual Daze?. Retrieved April 5, 2005, from http://www.cottoninc.com/lsmarticles/?articleID=373 Cotton, Inc. (2001, November 1). Casual Dilemma. Retrieved April 5, 2005, from http://www.cottoninc.com/lsmarticles/?articleID=392 Emily Post Institute (2003). Many businesses today have a "Dress Down Friday" policy. Do you think this is a good idea?. Retrieved April 5, 2005, from http://www.emilypost.com/surveys/results/poll2.htm Gutierrez, T., & Freese, R. J. (1999, April). Benefit or burden? Dress-Down Days . Retrieved April 5, 2005, from http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/1999/0499/Features/F320499.HTM McPherson, W. (1997, March). "Dressing Down" in the Business Communication Curriculum. Business Communication Quarterly, 60(1), 134-146. Taub, S., & Parsi, K.JD, PhD (2003, Feb). The Trend Toward Casual Dress and Address in the Medical Profession. Retrieved April 5, 2005, from http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/6563.html

Government Regulation of Climate Change Essay

For all nations, adapting to climate change has become a key issue. Governments are mandated to formulate policies aimed at safe guarding lives and livelihoods for their people and at the same time attain their development goals. As cities continue to grow, more people moving to urban centers, and nations working to become industrialized, climate change is here to stay, all that can be done is formulation of policies that will help reduce and adapt to the change. These regulations should put into consideration sustainability. In its short term policy, the government has formed a wide array of public private partnerships aimed at reducing greenhouse emissions. Focus is put on use of renewable energy, efficient use of energy, methane and other non carbon gases agricultural practices, and projects to achieve reduction in greenhouse gas emission. ( U. S. Climate Policy and Actions) . In its quest to reduce green gas emissions, the government has established a multi agency climate change technology programs to develop and implement the technologies. Climate change being a global challenge, no nation can satisfactorily claim to have fought it within its jurisdiction. It is on this ground that the government has formed international cooperation with other nations in areas of science, mitigation and environmental monitoring. To some extent, large (mostly industrializes nations) green gas emitters are made to compensate the small (developing world) green gas emitters. The government has set threshold for green gas emissions. These defines the acceptable limits of green gas emissions by firms . The regulations here targets large and stationary greenhouse gas emitters. EPA estimates these large emitters to contribute about 70% of green house gases in the country (EPA regulatory initiative, p3). Programs targeting reduced green gas emission and increased fuel economy for cars and trucks used in United States have been established. Under the regulation general suppliers of fossil fuel and industrial green house gases, manufacturers of vehicles and engines and any other green gas emitting facility that emits above 250000metric tonnes of green house gases annually to submit annual reports to the regulation body EPA. These regulations aim at collecting timely information for better planning. Different views have been given on climate change . Arguments that there is no scientific proof showing that increase in global temperature is brought about by heat trapping gases in the atmosphere have been raised. It also has been claimed that despite the claims that these gases are as a result of man’s activities, for instance burning of fossil oil or deforestation, still no scientific proof on this has been given. In his view Brzorad, scientists in addition to doing their work, have other motives, their research are at times biased based on the desired outcome . The bias could be politically motivated, need for firms to make more profit, or personal urge for recognition (p2). In my view, climate change is a reality. As a result of industrialization, increased life expectancy and a generally growing population, human activity is putting pressure on the limited natural resources. These acts of man has led to more green house gases being generated from power plants, automobiles and other firms accumulating in the atmosphere, trapping heat from the sun and increasing global temperatures. Policy makers have several options to choose from as they consider how to reduce green gas emissions. Of the many options, the most practical ones are command and control regulation where regulatory authorities directs on how emission limits will be achieved, and the incentive based regulation where forces of supply and demand are used to change behavior and achieve environmental goals. Command and control regulation are enforced by fines if pollution is above the set limits or threshold. In this system, pollution is monitored and laws enforced. This is done either under a tax regime or a regulatory regime. The system applies uniform emission limits on polluters despite each firm having a different cost on emission reduction. The regime is considered rigid as it also controls the emitter choices on how to reduce emissions. In the incentive based regulation, pollution reduction is achieved through tradable emission limits where and if allowed pollution can be achieved at lower costs. It is a market based approach to pollution reduction achieved by providing economic incentives. In this system, a regulatory body or the government sets a limit on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted. The limits are sold to firms in forms emission permits. Each firm is required to hold permits equivalent to its emission. Each firm is only entitled to a certain specific number of permits. A firm emits higher levels of pollutant than the maximum allowed permits then the firm buys the extra permits from other firms. In the set up, the buyer pays for extra pollutant while the seller is rewarded for causing less harm to the environment. The approach leaves the burden of reducing emission to the emitter. It offers reduced social cost due to its flexibility. It also creates a single price for emission. If in Federal Congress or administration, I would recommend an incentive based approach for greenhouse gases. These gases have the same effect on the environment regardless of where pollution is occurring and are also perfectly mixing. The approach gives the polluter the freedom to look for most economical ways to reduce emission and continually reduce emissions to be below the set standard to avoid buying more permits or enjoy selling the permits if emission is blow the set standards. For other types of pollutants, including solid waste I would recommend command and control regulation the polluter would be made to pay for the actual damage made to the environment. List of references Brzorad John, (Feb. 9, 2009) opposing views on climate change. Retrieved from http://www2. hickoryrecord. com/content/2009/feb/05/just-science-opposing-views-climate-change/news-opinion National Center for Environmental Economics (May 31, 2010). Retrieved from http://yosemite. epa. gov/ee/epa/eed. nsf/3cdbd09d7c867d9785256c9200548b12/988c90eb8ee77035852574ce000e9724! OpenDocument U. S. Climate Policy and Actions (February 22, 2010). Retrieved from http://www. epa. gov/climatechange/policy/index. html

The Failed State of Franklin

The Failed State of Franklin Founded in 1784 with the intent of becoming the fourteenth state of the new United States, the State of Franklin was located in what is now Eastern Tennessee. The story of Franklin - and how it failed - highlights how the victorious end of the American Revolution in 1783 actually left the new Union of states in a fragile condition. How Franklin Came to Be The costs of fighting the Revolutionary War left the Continental Congress facing a staggering debt. In April 1784, the legislature of North Carolina voted to give Congress some 29 million acres of land - about twice the size of Rhode Island - located between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River to help pay its share of the war debt.   However, North Carolina’s â€Å"gift† of the land came with a major catch. The cession document gave the federal government two years to accept complete responsibility for the area. This meant that during the two-year delay, the western frontier settlements of North Carolina would be virtually alone in protecting themselves from the Cherokee Indians, many of whom remained at war with the new nation. Needless to say, this did not sit well with the residents of the ceded region who feared that the cash-starved and war-weary Congress might even sell the territory to France or Spain. Rather than risk this outcome, North Carolina took the land back and began to organize it as four counties within the state. After the war, the frontier settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi had not automatically become part of the United States. As historian Jason Farr wrote in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly, â€Å"It was never assumed.† Instead, Congress gave the communities three options: become parts of existing states, form new states of the union, or become their own sovereign nations. Rather than choosing to become a part of North Carolina, the residents of the four ceded counties voted to form a new, fourteenth state, which would be  called Franklin. Historians suggest that to some extent, they may have agreed with George Washington, who suggested that they had become â€Å"a distinct people† with cultural and political differences from those in the Atlantic states who had fought for American independence. In December 1784, Franklin officially declared itself to be an independent state, with Revolutionary War veteran John Sevier reluctantly serving as its first governor. However, as historian George W. Troxler notes in the Encyclopedia of North Carolina, Franklin’s organizers did not know at the time that North Carolina had decided to take it back. â€Å"The December 1784 constitution of Franklin did not formally define its boundaries,† Troxler wrote. â€Å"By implication, jurisdiction was assumed over all of the ceded territory, and area approximating the future state of Tennessee.† The relationship between the new Union, its 13 Atlantic Seaboard states, and the western frontier territories had gotten off to a rocky start, to say the least. â€Å"There was little concern for western political and economic interests during the Confederation era, especially among the northeastern elite,† Farr writes. â€Å"Some even assumed that frontier communities would remain outside the union.† Indeed, Franklin’s declaration of statehood in 1784 stirred fears among the Founding Fathers that they might not be able to keep the new nation together.   The Rise of Franklin A delegation from Franklin officially submitted its petition for statehood to Congress on May 16, 1785. Unlike the statehood approval process established by the U.S. Constitution, the Articles of Confederation in effect at the time required that new petitions for statehood be approved by the legislatures of two-thirds of the existing states. While seven states eventually voted to admit the territory as what would have been the 14th federal state, the vote fell short short of the required two-thirds majority. Going It Alone With its petition for statehood defeated and still unable to agree with North Carolina over several issues including taxation and protection, Franklin began operating as unrecognized, independent republic. In December 1785, Franklin’s de-facto legislature adopted its own constitution, known as the Holston Constitution, which closely tracked that of North Carolina.    Still unchecked - or perhaps unnoticed due to its isolated location - by the federal government, Franklin created courts, annexed new counties, assessed taxes, and negotiated several treaties with area Indian tribes. While its economy was based mainly on bartering, Franklin accepted all federal and foreign currencies. Due to the lack of its own currency or economic infrastructure and the fact that its legislature had granted all of its citizens a two-year reprieve on paying taxes, Franklin’s ability to develop and provide government services was limited. The Beginning of the End The ties that  held Franklin’s unofficial statehood together  began to unravel in  1787. In late 1786, North Carolina offered to waive all back taxes owed to it by Franklin’s citizens if the â€Å"state† agreed to reunite with its government. While Franklin’s voters rejected the offer in early 1787, several influential citizens who felt disenchanted by the lack of government services or military protection in Franklin supported it the offer. Ultimately, the offer was rejected. North Carolina subsequently sent troops led by Col. John Tipton into the disputed territory and began to re-establish its own government. For several very contentious and confusing months, the governments of Franklin and North Carolina competed side-by-side.   The Battle of Franklin Despite the objections of North Carolina, the â€Å"Franklinites† continued to expand to the west by forcibly seizing land from the Native American populations. Led by the Chickamauga and Chickasaw tribes, the Native Americans fought back, conducting their own raids on Franklin’s settlements. As part of the larger Chickamauga Cherokee Wars, the bloody back-and-forth raids continued into 1788. In September 1787, the Franklin legislature met - for what would be the last time. By December 1787, the loyalties of Franklin’s war-weary and debt-laden citizens to its unrecognized government was eroding, with many openly supporting alignment with North Carolina. In early February 1788, North Carolina ordered Washington County Sheriff Jonathan Pugh to seize and sell at auction any property owned by Franklin’s Governor John Sevier in order to repay taxes he owed to North Carolina. Among the â€Å"property† seized by Sheriff Pugh were several slaves, who he took to Col. Tipton’s home and secured in his underground kitchen. On the morning of February 27, 1788, Governor Sevier along with about 100 of his militiamen showed up at Tipton’s house, demanding his slaves. Then, on the snowy morning of February 29, North Carolina Colonel George Maxwell arrived with 100 of his own better-trained and armed regular troops to repel Sevier’s militia. After less than 10 minutes of skirmishing, the so-called â€Å"Battle of Franklin† ended with Sevier and his force withdrawing. According to accounts of the incident, several men on both sides were wounded or captured, and three were killed. The Final Fall of Franklin The final nail in Franklin’s coffin was driven in March 1788 when the Chickamauga, Chickasaw, and several other tribes joined in coordinated attacks on frontier settlements in Franklin. Desperate to raise a viable army, Governor Sevier arranged for a loan from the government of Spain. However, the agreement required Franklin to be placed under Spanish rule. To North Carolina, that was the final deal-breaker. Strongly opposed to allowing a foreign government to control what it considered to be part of its state, North Carolina officials arrested Governor Sevier in August 1788. While his supporters quickly freed him from the poorly protected local jail, Sevier soon turned himself in. Franklin met its final end in February 1789, when Sevier and his few remaining loyalists signed oaths of allegiance to North Carolina. By the end of 1789, all of the lands that had been part of the â€Å"Lost State† rejoined North Carolina. The Legacy of Franklin While Franklin’s existence as an independent state lasted less than five years, its failed rebellion contributed to the framers decision to include a clause in the U.S. Constitution regarding the formation of new states. The â€Å"New States† clause in Article IV, Section 3, stipulates that while new states â€Å"may be admitted by the Congress into this Union,† it further stipulates that no new states â€Å"may be formed â€Å"within the jurisdiction of any other State† or parts of states unless approved by votes of the state legislatures and the U.S. Congress. Historical Events Fast Facts April 1784: North Carolina cedes parts of its western frontier to the federal government as repayment of its Revolutionary War debt.August 1784: Franklin proclaims itself as the 14th independent state and secedes from North Carolina.May 16, 1785: Petition for Franklin statehood sent to U.S. Congress.December 1785: Franklin adopts its own constitution, similar to that of North Carolina.Spring 1787: Franklin rejects an offer by North Carolina to rejoin its control in return for forgiving the debts of its residents.Summer 1787: North Carolina sends troops to Franklin to re-establish its government.February 1788: North Carolina seizes slaves owned by Franklin Governor Sevier.February 27, 1788: Governor Sevier and his militia attempt to recover his slaves using force but are repelled by North Carolina troops.August 1788: North Carolina officials arrest Governor Sevier.February 1789: Governor Sevier and his followers sign oaths of allegiance to North Carolina.By December 1789: All areas of the â€Å"Lost State† of Franklin had re-joined North Carolina.

Free Essays on Rainbow Six

Tom Clancy Rainbow Six Tom Clancy Rainbow Six This book was published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in New York, USA. Copyright date is 1998. There are 740 pages in this book. Thomas L. Clancy, Jr. was born on the 12th of April 1947, he is married and lives in Maryland, USA. Clancy's novels can be classified as Military-Techno-Thrillers. He has written fiction and non-fiction books, Rainbow Six is a fiction book. As for other titles, well there are just to many to list, in total 23. Some books that he has written are The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, to list a few. According to Clancy "Rainbow Six, is one of my all time favourites." The book starts with a prologue that introduces us to the one main character, John Clark, an ex-Navy SEAL, and two other characters, Alistair Stanley the executive commander of Rainbow Six, and Domingo (Ding) Chavez, the Captain of Team 2. There are two other insignificant character introduced, Clark's wife Sandy and his daughter Patsy, who is married to Ding. Patsy is pregnant. The other main character is Dmitriy Arkadeyevich Popov, he is an ex-KGB agent who is now working as a ‘special consultant'. He will become very important later on in the book. Clark is the commander and in charge of starting a new European anti-terrorist group called Rainbow Six. Rainbow Six is split into two teams; Team 1 and Team 2. These teams are the best there is. They are based in Hereford, England, but any European country can call on them at any time. They run 3 miles in 20 minutes every morning at 6:00 am. Only one team will be on-call at a time. The team that is not on-call will be doing live fire practices. In the first 6 months of being in operation they are called on three times which is a lot for this type of thing. The first incident happens in a Swiss bank where terrorists have taken control. They also have hostages. Team 2 successfully takes them out, with only one hostage killed, but he... Free Essays on Rainbow Six Free Essays on Rainbow Six Tom Clancy Rainbow Six Tom Clancy Rainbow Six This book was published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in New York, USA. Copyright date is 1998. There are 740 pages in this book. Thomas L. Clancy, Jr. was born on the 12th of April 1947, he is married and lives in Maryland, USA. Clancy's novels can be classified as Military-Techno-Thrillers. He has written fiction and non-fiction books, Rainbow Six is a fiction book. As for other titles, well there are just to many to list, in total 23. Some books that he has written are The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, to list a few. According to Clancy "Rainbow Six, is one of my all time favourites." The book starts with a prologue that introduces us to the one main character, John Clark, an ex-Navy SEAL, and two other characters, Alistair Stanley the executive commander of Rainbow Six, and Domingo (Ding) Chavez, the Captain of Team 2. There are two other insignificant character introduced, Clark's wife Sandy and his daughter Patsy, who is married to Ding. Patsy is pregnant. The other main character is Dmitriy Arkadeyevich Popov, he is an ex-KGB agent who is now working as a ‘special consultant'. He will become very important later on in the book. Clark is the commander and in charge of starting a new European anti-terrorist group called Rainbow Six. Rainbow Six is split into two teams; Team 1 and Team 2. These teams are the best there is. They are based in Hereford, England, but any European country can call on them at any time. They run 3 miles in 20 minutes every morning at 6:00 am. Only one team will be on-call at a time. The team that is not on-call will be doing live fire practices. In the first 6 months of being in operation they are called on three times which is a lot for this type of thing. The first incident happens in a Swiss bank where terrorists have taken control. They also have hostages. Team 2 successfully takes them out, with only one hostage killed, but he... Free Essays on Rainbow Six Tom Clancy Rainbow Six This book was published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in New York, USA. Copyright date is 1998.Clancy's novels can be classified as Military-Techno-Thrillers. He has written fiction and non-fiction books, Rainbow Six is a fiction book.The book starts with a prologue that introduces us to the one main character, John Clark, an ex-Navy SEAL, and two other characters, Alistair Stanley the executive commander of Rainbow Six, and Domingo (Ding) Chavez, the Captain of Team 2. There are two other insignificant character introduced, Clark's wife Sandy and his daughter Patsy, who is married to Ding. Patsy is pregnant. The other main character is Dmitriy Arkadeyevich Popov, he is an ex-KGB agent who is now working as a ‘special consultant'. He will become very important later on in the book. Clark is the commander and in charge of starting a new European anti-terrorist group called Rainbow Six. Rainbow Six is split into two teams; Team 1 and Team 2. These teams are the best there is. They are ba sed in Hereford, England, but any European country can call on them at any time. They run 3 miles in 20 minutes every morning at 6:00 am. Only one team will be on-call at a time. The team that is not on-call will be doing live fire practices. In the first 6 months of being in operation they are called on three times which is a lot for this type of thing. The first incident happens in a Swiss bank where terrorists have taken control. They also have hostages. Team 2 successfully takes them out, with only one hostage killed, but he is killed before they had gotten there. The first mission helps them organize themselves and fix a few holes in their planning. The second mission is in Germany. An international trader is taken hostage in his mansion. This mission goes well too, thanks to the snipers. No hostage deaths, but all the terrorists are killed. After this mission is over they realize they should have a helicopter and pilot on the team,...

Critically Evaluate why the Liquidity of a Firm is Considered Crucial Essay

Critically Evaluate why the Liquidity of a Firm is Considered Crucial Especially in the Growth Stage of a Company's Development - Essay Example Current paper focuses on a particular aspect of organizational performance: liquidity, a term used in order to show the potentials of an organization to meet its liabilities. Emphasis is given on the significance of liquidity in the growth stage of the company development. At the same time, efforts are made in order to identify the terms under which the changes in the financial statement of a particular organization can influence the organization’s value creation process. The literature published in regard to these issues has been reviewed and evaluated; it is made clear that the role of liquidity in the growth stage of the company development can be differentiated. As of the changes on a firm’s financial statements, these seem as unavoidable especially under the following terms: the value creation process of each organization is based on specific organizational data; changes on the particular data could influence the validity of the assumptions made in regard to the ec onomic status of the organization and its power within its industry. 2. Liquidity and company development - Why the liquidity of a firm is considered crucial especially in the growth stage of a company's development In order to understand the role of liquidity in the growth stage of a company development, it would be necessary to refer to the activities in which a company has to be involved during the specific phase. In accordance with Schmeisser, Clausen and Popp (2011), during its growth phase, a firm has to develop its activities covering the relevant costs; at this point, the following problem appears: the development of a company in its growth phase may be delayed due to a series of factors that cannot be easily controlled, such as the lack of capability of employees, failures in the communication of the organization with its customers or suppliers and so on (Schmeisser, Clausen and Popp, 2011). During the above period, the cash required for the completion of the firm’s projects can be increased while the profits achieved may be low, especially in the initial period of the firm’s growth. Therefore, the liquidity of the organization during the specific period may be low. In a different case, i.e. in case that the liquidity of the organization in its growth phase is high, it can be assumed that the prospects for the organization, in terms of its performance, are quite positive. Kapil (2011) notes that the level of liquidity of each organization should be periodically checked in order to ensure the status of the organization within its market. It is explained that for modern firms, liquidity reflects their ability to achieve their targets, no matter if they refer to the short or the long term. In the context of the above role, liquidity is described as an indicator of ‘the investments and assets of a firm that can be quickly converted to cash at any time or within one year’ (Kapil 2011, p.6). In the study of Arnold (2008) reference is made to the liquidity risk, which is described as the condition in which the organization is not able to retrieve the cash necessary for covering its liabilities. Moreover, Singla (2007) notes that in the growth sta

Applied research methods for Business and management Essay

Applied research methods for Business and management - Essay Example The 2006 record high of global acquisitions indicates the rampancy of Mergers and Acquisitions in the recent past (Saigol and Politti, 2007). The value of worldwide acquisitions stood at more than 4 trillion US dollars in this year. Out of the 4 trillion US dollars, 1.3 trillion US dollars worth of acquisitions were cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions (Saigol and Politti, 2007). The consistency of the trend spread to the first fiscal quarter of 2007 when acquisitions were valued at 1.13 trillion US dollars; making this fiscal quarter the busiest in the history of acquisitions (Henry, 2002). The value of completed acquisitions in the past two decades exceeds that of completed deals in the prior 30 years (Child et al., 2001). However, this recent upsurge comes along with the fact that about 80 percent of acquisition deals are unsuccessful (KPMG, 1999). Most empirical studies suggest that the reason for the immense failure in acquisitions is majorly the acquirers’ poor anticipation of the most probable challenges in the post-acquisition stages (Shimizu et al., 2004). The high failure rates coupled with the simultaneous high rampancy of acquisition transactions makes the concept of Mergers and Acquisitions an unexplained paradox (Arika, 2004). Academic and economic research efforts indicate that despite the failure of most acquisitions to achieve the objectives set in the pre-acquisition stage, Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions continue being popular and remain the main strategy multinational corporations use to invest directly in foreign countries (Rottig and Reus, 2005). The concurrent successes and failures of Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions beg for a well-targeted research study to examine the main causal factors for the high failure rates (Larsson and Risberg, 1998). Additionally, while numerous research hours have been devoted to the study of Cross-border