human genome project :: essays research papers fc

What would you do if you were given the power to change your genetic code from brown hair to blond?. Man has had this ability through natural selection for some time without knowing it, but in the near future scientist will be able to speed the process of natural selection by changing a persons genes. Scientists have identified what constitutes human DNA located in the nucleus of a cell. The Human Genome Project was established to identify the genes that make us who we are and is now an international organization. The massive task of identifying the numerous gene combinations has created a problem. In the nucleus are 22 genomes, plus two sex chromosomes which have already been identified. In the 22 genomes there are approximately 3 billion base pairs of DNA, which contain 50,000 to 100,000 genes, a basic unit of heredity. The identification of these base pairs is the goal of the Human Genome Project, which started in 1990 and whose job it is to identify the letters or chromosomes in DNA. These letters represent nucleotides called adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine (or A, C, T, G). ('92 BSCS pg. 1) The Human Genome Project idea originated in the mid 1980's and was discussed in the scientific community and media through the latter part of that decade. In the United States the combined effort of the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Health were involved in the project planning. (The National Center For Genetic Research) The Human Genome Project has several goals including identifying the genes of a human assessing the genes and comparing human DNA to that of bacteria, yeasts, the fruit fly, mice, and the Arabidopis thaliana, a small genome plant that grows rapidly. A major purpose is to determine how evolution proceeds from lower organisms to humans, and discover why the smaller genomes of animals have less junk or unneeded DNA. Geneticists use two types of maps to characterize the genes they discover--a genetic linkage map and a physical map. A genetic map registers the distance between the fragments of DNA we know according to the frequency with which they are inherited. The physical map measures the actual physical distance between two markers. Scientists want to map and develop technology for rapid genotyping, plus develop markers that are easy to use as well as generate new mapping techniques. (Instrumentation) Scientists can map genes but it is still expensive.

Communities Essay -- Group Communication Community Essays

Communitites When most people talk about community, they think of a location, an area in which people live. By definition â€Å"community† is a group of people living in the same location and under the same government. Community can also be defined as a group of people with the same common interests or segments in society. However, these definitions, which can be found in any dictionary, are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to explaining what community really is. Community is the memories and traditions of a certain area, as well as the interactions and responsibilities of its members. In order to truly belong to a community people must follow a set of values. These communal values are needed to provide stability among communities in this ever changing world. In the past ten years, with the advent of the internet and many other forms of communication, communities have become less interactive and isolated. In this paper I will be discussing the purpose of communal values and why t hey should be protected. Having a sense of belonging within a community is very important. Many people who have moved since childhood will always remember where they grew up. It is the memories and history they have there that will always make it home. In the play The Piano Lesson, the author shows the conflict between Boy Willie and his sister Berniece both of whom are African American. The conflict of the story centers on gaining a sense of belonging from one’s past. Boy Willie wishes to buy the land where his ancestors were slaves. In doing this Boy Willie must sell an antique piano which has been in his family for generations. Berniece wishes to hold on to the antique piano because it holds the history of their family in its unique carvings. In Boy Willie’s mind, gaining the piece of land would make his life meaningful and give him a sense of belonging. This story shows how the powerful bonds of memories and history are enough to create conflict between even the closest individuals. However , sense of belonging in a community does not require the history and memories of a place. People can gain a sense of belonging from simple but meaningful acts within the community. In Scott Russell Sanders’s essay on community, he explains how simple acts such as making bread with his daughter and children from the neighborhood gives him a sense of belonging and hope. Communal inte... ...o their communities as a whole. Throughout this paper we see the common problem of limiting the interactions between community members, and how this will hurt communities. Only when these issues become so evident that they begin to cause large problems will they be looked at, and by that time it could be too late. Schools now should be teaching children the importance of group thought and how it forms the basis of community structure around the world. The children of the future must not be sheltered from the outside world with new technology and packaged communities. Works Cited Collie, Tim. â€Å"In 21st Century, Americans are increasingly mobile creatures.† Sun-Sentinel [Fort Lauderdale, FL] 3 Jan. 2001: A4. Ehrenfeld, David. â€Å"Pseudocommunities.† Vitek and Jackson 20-24. Kline, David. â€Å"An Amish Perspective.† Vitek and Jackson 35-40. Paige, Harry W. â€Å"Leave If You Can.† Vitek and Jackson 11-14. Sanders, Scott Russell. â€Å"The Common Life.† Vitek and Jackson 40-49. Tall, Deborah. â€Å"Dwelling: Making Peace with Space and Place.† Vitek and Jackson 104-12. Vitek, William, and Wes Jackson, eds. Rooted In The Lan: Essays on Community and Place. New Haven: Yale UP, 1996.

Analysis of Amores Perros

Analysis of Amores Perros The Urban Environment of Mexico City, As Presented in Amores Perros Amores Perros represents the feature film directorial debut of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and was written by Guillermo Arriaga, the craftsman behind such acclained Hollywood successes as 21 Grams and Babel. It is perhaps no surprise then that this pairing, of inspired passion and experienced creativity, resulted in a film that won 52 of the 69 total awards for which it was nominated world-wide, including the Ariel Award for Best Picture from the Mexican Academy of Film and the Critics Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.But it is more than exceptional filmmaking that is responsible for the critical success of this film. Depicting the social and economic stratification of life in modern day Mexico City, Amores Perros exhibits a host of cinematic techniques whose aim is to join form to content in an effort to convey the fractured nature of, and fracturing effects on, the individual a nd the family that life in this particular urban environment creates. The film takes the form of a triptych, (a composition made up of three parts).These three stories represent the three general levels of life in Mexico City. The first story explores what amounts to working class life in Mexico City. It depicts a quality of life determined by and confined within the economic limitations that are a fact of that social sphere. The second story sets itself to convey an upper class life that amounts to little more than a veneer of wealth, while the third story examines both the confined nature and the inherent freedom of the underclass of Mexico City.But, beyond a simple explication of these disparate levels of society in this capital city, the film also strives, by the ways that it intertwines these three stories, to show how these levels of society are both mutually interdependent, and, ultimately, inextricable, one from the other. Story I: The Working Class The first story opens wit h a chaotic car chase, and we’re introduced to one f this story’s two main characters, Octavio, who is driving, and his dog Cofi, who is bloody in the back seat, while Octavio’s friend Jorge desperately attempts to stem the bleeding, as the three flee from gun-toting thugs through the streets of Mexico City. Immediately, the turbulent, life-or-death nature of working class life in this city becomes evident. The chase ends with Octavio barrelling through a red light and plowing into another car. As the story unfolds through flashbacks, we learn that Octavio has decided to give up life as a high school student to enter his dog in the local dogfights.Living at home with his mother, his unstable brother Ramiro, and his brother’s wife Susana and their young infant, Octavio is driven to pursue this illicit activity by his growing infatuation with his brother’s wife, and his desire to run away with Susana and make a life for them. But with no hope that hi s education will bring him a job by which he can support a family, Octavio sees no other choice but to fight his dog for money and hope that his newfound wealth will prove to Susana that he can be the man of a household. His choice here is the clearest summation of the way working class life is depicted in this film.Unable to find a legal avenue to assure a financially stable life, a working class person’s only recourse is to step outside of the law. Octavio’s brother reaches the same conclusion only in a more extreme fashion, as dictated by his sociopathic personality. He moonlights from his job asa supermarket clerk as an armed robber whose crimes eventually get him killed. Prior to that, though, a more subtle indictment of working class life in Mexico City is explored through the burgeoning relationship between Octavio and Susana.Octavio is unable to recognize that he is misreading Susana’s need for the comfort and understanding she is not getting from her hu sband for a reciprocation of his own passion, and so he becomes increasingly attached to the immediate gratification of his desire for connection that Susana represents. Having no reason to hope for the fruitfulness of any long term goals or aspirations, Octavio’s immediate environment has shunt him off into a fixation upon what is immediately attainable—pursuing his brother’s wife and chasing the money and increased social standing that comes with ighting his dog. It comes as no surprise to the viewer, then, that these constraints placed upon him by the particular urban environment in which he lives lead to his downfall. After succeeding wildly through a number of dogfights, Octavio has earned enough money to convince Susana that they can run away together, but he gets greedy and agrees to only last, high-stakes fight against a dog owned by the local gang leader, who has been Octavio’s constant nemesis and antagonist.Octavio descends to his lowest point, though, when at the same meeting where he agrees to this final fight, he contracts with the ringleader of the dogfights to assault his brother, who, as a result, is nearly beaten to death. This choice backfires on Octavio, as Susana is now compelled to flee with her husband, taking with her all the money Octavio and Cofi had won. This shows that working class life in Mexico City often produces in people aims which will only exacerbate their situation. Learning of the betrayal, Octavio is outraged and is forced to scramble together his remaining money to fund the bet of the final fight.At the fight, Cofi once again takes the upper hand against the gang leader’s dog. The thug is prepared for him this time, and pulls out a gun and shoots the dog. As Jorge scrambles to carry the bleeding animal to their car, Octavio lashes out and stabs the gang leader in the gut, initiating the car chase that opens the film. The first story ends on the seminal car crash, and we jump back in tim e again to be introduced to the main characters of the second story, Daniel and Valeria. Story II: Upper Class Life This middle story depicts upper class life in Mexico City in a way that puts its superficiality and frivolousness front and center.If the essence of working class life—its chaotic and dangerous nature—is symbolized by the car chase that opens the film, the fact that the first scene of the second story consists of Valeria, a high fashion model, being interviewed on a morning talk show, pretending to be in a relationship with a soap opera star, is a clear indication of the artificial and cosmetic nature of celebrity life in Mexico City. The problems of the upper class, like those of the working class as explored in the first story, play a central role in the second story, but they are problems of a completely different order.Daniel, a successful magazine editor, is committing adultery with Valeria. Whereas in the first story the father is absent altogether, in this story Daniel’s relative wealth allows him to support both his family and the purchase of an upscale apartment for himself and Valeria. But, as he makes the choice to leave his family for his mistress, the facade of wealth begins to crumble. The veneer-like quality of wealth in Mexico City is conveyed in clear symbolism when, shortly after moving into their new apartment, Valeria puts her foot through the pristine-looking parquet floor.It is conveyed explicitly when, as we learn that it was Valeria who was driving the car Octavio hit in the scene that opened the film and who is now in a wheelchair with a badly fractured leg, Daniel becomes frantic over his financial situation. As it turns out, Valeria had no insurance, and so, between his mortgage, the cost of their new apartment, and Valeria’s medical bills, Daniel begins to doubt his choice to stay with Valeria. But this is where a clear difference between the upper class and the working class, as represented in this film, begins to become obvious.While the actions of the characters in the first story seem almost inevitable due to their economic situation, Daniel’s relative wealth allows him some means of freedom to choose how he is to act. His financial burdens may, and do, create great stress for him, but he has the means to make his decisions upon moral grounds instead of merely upon financial considerations. So whereas Octavio is driven to fight his dog by his need for money in order to possess Susana, Daniel, after flirting with the idea to abandon Valeria and return to his wife, in the end chooses to remain with his new love.He may have revealed his moral weakness by leaving his family in the first place, but he shows some ability to act ethically when he decides to commit himself to his decision to join his life to Valeria’s, instead of leaving her in her time of greatest need. The film conveys this choice as one allowed him, in great part, by his financial situatio n. Story III: El Chivo The third, and final, story explores the life of a member of the upper class, and transigent named El Chivo who works as a hitman for the corrupt police force.Living in squalor with only his dogs as companions, El Chivo represents, by his physical appearance, the decrepit state of members of this class of society in Mexico City. As his story unfolds, though, we learn that his tale is not one of perennial poverty—he is a fallen man. Giving him an origin of normality and respectability conveys the tragic nature of members of this underclass—their current state of abject poverty is a result of flaws in their character. On the contrary, El Chivo left his family to fight in some unnamed ideological quest—he wanted to save the world.Having failed at that, he has fallen in cynicism and exploits the freedom and lack of accountability for his actions that his life on the outskirts of society allows him to become a murderer for hire. His perspective is changed, though, upon seeing the obituary for his wife in the paper. He attends the funeral, slinking on the periphery. When he sees the daughter he chose to leave when she was only a child, he feels compelled to find some measure of redemption that would allow him to become a part of her life again.He gives up his life as a gun-for-hire, bathes and shaves for seemingly the first time in years, and, as he walks off into the proverbial sunset to close the film, the viewer gets a clear sense that El Chivo, contrary to appearances, is the one least constrained by his economic situation. While the characters of the first two stories were driven, in some part, by economic considerations, El Chivo’s greatest desire is to find the moral and ethical ground that would make him worthy of reconnecting with his daughter.While Octavio is driven by immature passion, and Daniel is led by his wandering heart, El Chivo searches for the firm ground of morality upon which to stand. His desi re is only for redemption, and by this desire he is redeemed. Part IV: Greater than the Sum of its Parts Such clear and intricately constructed depictions of the stratified layers of life in Mexico City would amount to little more than three separate stories if they weren’t connected by equally clear and intricate means.The filmmakers were interested not merely in showing these layers in isolation, but in weaving them into a cohesive whole that would mirror the actual situation in this modern city. This is done in several ways, both structurally, and through plot. First, the writer took inspiration for the structure of the film from William Faulkner’s Light in August, which is also told through three loosely connected stories. Amores Perros makes heavy use of flashbacks and flash forwards to intertwine the stories into a single film.The writer also used the technique of hyperlinking, which he exploited in his films 21 Grams and Babel as well. This technique consists of introducing one character slowly, and often mysteriously, over the course of the film, and building up his or her story until it is fully revealed in the final, climatic scenes. This is done with the character El Chivo, and the effect is further enhanced by the director’s choice to shoot the early scenes with El Chivo using a telephoto lens, so that the viewer is kept at a distance from this seminal character.He shows up in each of the first two stories, but it isn’t until it is time to tell his story that the viewer actually is allowed some intimacy with this character. These stories are intertwined through plot as well; namely, through the traumatic experience of the car crash. By the time we get to the third story, we know that it was Octavio who was driving the car responsible for the crash, that it was Valeria who was driving the car that was hit, and that it was El Chivo who was present at the scene to rescue Cofi, who had been left to die on the side of the roa d by the paramedics.As the writer said in the commentary track for the film, â€Å"Crashes are horrible, life-altering events, but they serve to bring people together who otherwise would never have met. † It is trauma that, among other things, connects all three of the layers of society as represented in this film; no one is free from pain. Finally, these three stories are linked thematically. One theme that links all three stories is that of the absentee father. For the working class family, the absence of the father makes no mention—he is just gone.In the second story, we watch as the father decides to leave his family, and in the third, we see the father’s sincere desire to return to his family. This is the most significant emotional arch of the film—the redemption of the father. First, we have the wreckage left behind in the wake of his abandonment, the bitter nature of the brothers Octavio and Ramiro, a pain whose source is buried deep under the surf ace. Then we see the crime being committed, as Daniel leaves his family, and the viewer is allowed to feel the anger and outrage produced by the father’s abandonment, and, more importantly, we can link that pain to its proper cause.Finally, we are positioned within the perspective of the father, El Chivo, and are allowed to feel his own pain and experience the authenticity of his own desire to atone for abandoning his family. It is this progression that, ultimately, drives this film. A theme closer to the surface, and more sentimental in nature, which also connects these three stories, is a love of dogs. Cofi is Octavio’s best friend and is responsible for whatever pleasure his master is able to gain from his surroundings through being forced to participate in dog fighting. The dog Richie is Valeria’s constant companion.He falls into the hole in the floor that Valeria accidently created and is trapped under the floor of the couple’s apartment for the bett er part of their story. With Valeria languishing in the hospital after having suffered a thrombosis, Daniel, in the penultimate scene of the second story, decides to tear up the floor to rescue the dog. As he pulls Richie out of the hole he has created, his is symbolically rescuing his and Valeria’s relationship. Finally, El Chivo’s dogs are his best friends and, until he rediscovers his desire to be with his family, they are the only connection he has left to his humanity.His humanity is put to the test when, after rescuing Cofi from the aftermath of the crash and nursing him back to health, Cofi kills every last one of his dogs. He moves to kill Cofi in retaliation, to act out an impotent and meaningless revenge. But, because he has seen his daughter at his wife’s funeral, his humanity has already begun to awaken and he is compelled to let Cofi live, so that he is there with El Chivo, man and man’s best friend, to walk off into the sunset that brings on the closing credits. In the American release, the film’s title was translated as, â€Å"Love is a bitch. This title is in some ways relevant to the movie—none of the characters manage to find unqualified happiness. But, according to Wikipedia, the director gave an interview to NPR where he expressed dissatisfaction with the use of this English idiom as the title for his film. For him, â€Å"Amores† expresses everything that is good about life, while â€Å"Perros† expresses life’s wretchedness. In this sense, the title could be viewed as meaning, â€Å"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,† which captures the highs and lows that each set of characters experiences.

Poetry: Its Universal Appeal and Merits Essay

Poetry was born out of the basic human desire to communicate; not only meaning but feelings. The reading of poetry is a matter of both: pleasure as well as enlightenment. It serves as one’s escape from the dullness, drudgery, and oppressive influences of life. Poetry appeals to our sense of beauty, thus giving us aesthetic pleasure. Thus, it is capable of evoking a range of different emotions; laughter, tears, sighs, nostalgia, etc. , in its audience. At the general and universal level, poetry recollects the actual experiences of mankind – joys, sorrows, misfortunes, love, hatred, etc. It is hard usually to distinguish among these complex emotions. However, poetic interpretation helps us distil these complex emotions. When it comes to interpretation, a poem can be seen in many ways: simply as an aesthetic object, a work of art to look at and be entertained by, or a new way of looking at the ordinary things. Or we may consider the poem to be a ‘new experience’. Poetry is all this and more. What I personally like about poetry is how it liberates the mind, opening my eyes to newer possibilities and meanings. It gives a broadness and richness to my life, perceptions, and imagination. Its study and appreciation is important because it enlarges one’s vision of life and broadens one’s sympathies and spectrum. Initially, a poem may look hard to crack through, but I have learnt that understanding a poem is a matter of time, and it requires patience, a certain frame of mind, and perspective. As I continue to read and re-read it, different layers of meanings begin to unravel. Thus, there is something new to be discovered every time I read a poem: a new revelation, a new insight, a new appreciation. I cannot help but awe and wonder how poets are able to convey the most extensive, in-depth meaning and images through the fewest words, and weave a web of the most intricate images and symbols. It is this brevity what makes poetry distinct from other genres of literature and forms of knowledge. It is not uncommon for students of Science to look down upon poetry or at least feel baffled by it. I, however, don’t share their sentiments. Poetry definitely stands out in terms of its merit when compared with Science and Prose. It can be said that if prose is the language of reason, poetry is the language of emotions. Similarly, the imaginative and emotional appeal of poetry distinguishes it from Science. Science teaches us knowledge and appeals to our minds. The aim of both is the same i. e. , to arrive at truth. While Science derives from facts and owes nothing to the extra mundane forces; in contrast, poetry seeks to express truth in the most concrete and pictorial form possible – in the form of images or pictures in which meaning can be seen with the mind’s eye. In Science and Mathematics, generality, abstraction, and impartiality are appreciated. But in poetry, particularity and novelty are marvelled at. Unlike Science, poetry operates in the sensory dimension, and thus acts as the third eye. A poet helps us see deeper into the truths of nature and life; and thus, poetry relies a lot on intuition and imagination. It teaches us the knowledge of the human heart, by appealing to our senses. However, in distinguishing poetry’s importance among other disciplines, we must understand that one cannot be substituted for the other. We should remember that although the Romantic Movement was a reaction against Science and reason and propagated the need for emotional intensity, yet others like the Victorians sought for a compromise, a balanced approach. Indeed, poetry seeks to coexist in harmony with other disciplines. I understand that life is complex, and one needs to approach it from all realms of knowledge in order to understand it. Thus, a wholesome approach to life contains a balance between both faculties: the rational as well as the emotional. One major criticism against poetry is that it is art for art’s sake. It is believed that poetry is divorced from real life and the poet is living in an ivory tower in isolation from real life. Some of this criticism is valid when it refers to the escapist form of poetry that it provides an escape to the reader by transporting him/her to an imaginary and seemingly perfect world. However, the appeal of this sort of poetry is momentary and very transient. The enduring form of poetry is one which talks about the universal issues and themes, relevant to all times. This why Shakespeare and others’ poetry have endured the test of time and continue to be revered. When we read poems, we not only have our emotions aroused as we are entrained by the poems, but we also have a chance to have an insight into the poets’ perceptions. A poet doesn’t merely use the poem as a vehicle for expressing his philosophy. He, above all, wants to help us experience things in the way he has experienced them. Hence, we are able to connect with the poet and his vision and the larger microcosm of the universe through that vision. We can also say that poetry is the result of divine inspiration, which doesn’t come easy and to just about every one. Therefore, a poet is a seer, and his method is insight, intuition, and a vision, which enables us to see what we may generally miss. A poet has a rich and vivid imagination; it travels far and wide and gathers exotic images, whether he is describing something farfetched or mundane. The poet chooses to describe the ordinary into the most extraordinary way. Poetry’s novelty lies in giving a new meaning to common place words, thus giving them new associations. Let me elaborate my point of view through examples. For instance, a poet may see the sun sinking and the shadows growing larger. This might remind him of the passage of time and the approaching of death. This common place observance may give him an idea for a poem. As he puts pen to paper, the product of this process would become a poem. Through his unique ideas, experiences, and opinions to a common observance, he gives a fresh perception of the world around us, relates it to and make it part of a larger whole. Thus, the poem begins to have larger and universal implications. Similarly, poetry lets us appreciate the beauty in woods on a snowy evening, and helps us resonate with the common sentiment of finding a moment of peace in an otherwise busy life. Likewise, a mathematician would tell you that one tablespoon equates to near about 25 grams, but only a poet like Eliot would use ‘coffee spoon’ as an appropriate device for measuring Prufrock’s life in his poem ‘The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock’. While other disciplines inform us about facts; it’s only the poets who can seek the connection between two unlikely things and situations. The poet thus makes connections between two unlikely things. For me, lyrical poetry is the most enjoyable form because of its intense emotional and richly imaginative appeal. Literature’s primary purpose is to give us pleasure, and poetry is an embodiment of this sentiment. It is a source of keen delight for me to read the lyrical poetry of Shelly, the sensuous ideas of Keats, the narrative poems of Coleridge and Byron, the sweet and musical verse of Tennyson, the Nature poetry of Wordsworth, and the melancholy mood of Mathew Arnold. All this is a source of solace and peace, wonderment and bafflement. In a volume of poetry, there is something to be read every day, something to suit the pensive mood and vexed mind. The technical elements in a poetic piece, like the syntax, meter, rhyme, rhythm, etc. , make its structure, but ultimately, the metaphors, the imagery, the depth and range of emotions, the expression, the novelty of the subject and the poet’s ingenuity are what give the poetic piece its appeal. Wordsworth (as cited in Davie, 1972) has rightly said: â€Å"Poetry is the first and last of al knowledge – it is as immortal as the heart of man† (p. 9). Hence, one may argue that the best of the poetry is created out of life, belongs to life, and exists for life. A poet constantly ponders on ways to live and live well: in a beautiful and natural way, which happens to be my goal in life too. Work Cited Davie, D. (1973). Thomas Hardy and British poetry. Great Britain: Taylor & Francis.

The spread of pathogens Week 7 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The spread of pathogens Week 7 - Coursework Example Some diseases such as HIV/AIDS and genital herpes are sexually transmitted diseases and their pathogens spread when the body service of infected persons touches that of a healthy person. Avoiding contacting body fluids from infected people can abate the spread through body contact. In addition, safe sexual intercourse should be encouraged to stop the spread of HIV/AIDs. Eating undercooked or raw food, or drinking water contaminated by sewage means you take huge numbers of pathogens straight to your stomach. In most cases, contaminated water contains cholera pathogens while contaminated food contains Salmonella. Living in hygienic conditions is a significant step towards preventing contamination of food and water. Additionally, foods should be properly cooked. Vectors are animals or insects that spread disease- causing pathogens from an infected host to a healthy one. In this case, the vector is not infected with the disease. Pathogens such as plasmodium (malaria) and dysentery are transmitted by mosquito and housefly respectively. Spread of pathogens through vectors can be reduced by preventing multiplication of vectors or completely eliminating them. Mosquito can be prevented by sleeping under treated mosquito

International Finance and Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Finance and Banking - Essay Example In 1965 the Northern Rock Building Society was formed as a consequence of union between the two North East building societies. The bank was nationalized in 2008. Concise summary of the facts of the case In the year 2007, the country of United Kingdom experienced the bank run for the first time in over 140 years. At that time the bank under consideration was not significantly large as it was ranked 7th taking the total assets in consideration. But the bank played a significant role in retail banking business. The bank also had its mark as a mortgage lender. About a decade ago, the bank transformed itself from a mutual building society to retail deposits as well as mortgages. The depositors queued outside the bank to withdraw the deposits. It was feared that it could shed its impact on the deposits of the bank. After repeated attempted failures to secure a purchaser operating in the private sector, the government took the initiative to nationalize the bank. The bank now operates as a b ank that is fully owned by the state. Since then, the government has acquired substantial stakes of equity in other banks of Britain as a part of the general program of re-capitalization (Llewellyn, n.d. p. 1). After the Bank of England made an announcement on liquidity support on an emergency basis for the bank, the depositors started to queue up outside the branches with the objective to withdraw the deposits they made in the bank. The television news channels broadcasted the news that the bank has sought for the support of bank of England on the previous evening. However the damage was complete well before the run made by the current account holders. A sign of subprime crisis could be felt from the month of July in the markets for short term funds. The crisis began to apply stresses on the balance sheet as well as the off balance sheet items sponsored by the bank. The bank depended heavily on non retail funding. The retail deposits constituted only 23 percent of the liabilities t ill the summer months of the year 2007. The short term borrowing constituted the rest of the funding. (Shin, 2008, p. 3). The above figure shows the beginning of the situation of crisis. The ABCP or Asset backed commercial paper was regarded as the favoured way for the vehicles of off balance sheet to fund the holdings of mortgage that are related to assets. But the real question which came up in that situation was not directed to find the reason behind the running of the retail depositors. Decision makers were more concerned on sudden drying up of the short term deposits which the bank enjoyed before the month of August, 2007. More emphasis was given on to find the reason on why the lenders operating in the market for capital suddenly decided to deny lending to other banks. (Shin, 2008, p. 10). The above figure shows the comparison of liabilities of the bank both before and after the run. The bar on the left hand side shows the main components of the liabilities of the bank at the end of the month of June, 2007 (Rafferty, 2008, p. 4). The bar at the right hand side shows the liabilities after the run and support in terms of liquidity by the Bank of England. The most glaring picture which comes out from the figure is the difference of the liability to the Bank of England at the end of the year 2007. Response of the financial markets A problem for all banks during the middle of the year, 2007 was the turbulence in the

Employees' Access to the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Employees' Access to the Internet - Essay Example It is clear from the discussion, an organization must allow its employees to use the Internet freely but it must implement strict measures to deal with security issues. According to Australia’s one of the major communications companies, Telstra, there has been a three-fold increase in Australian employers limiting the access of their workers to social network sites in the space of 10 months. In fact, throughout the same duration the total number of URLs usually permissible while working has reduced by approximately 60%. (Davidsson) gives an interesting response to the facts by saying that â€Å"organizations should not block their employee’s Internet usage, not even social networking sites.† No doubt, limiting the employee’s access to the Internet can bring in full of nasty worms and a wide variety of security threats. In view of the fact that the needs of a professional workforce can cause anger and augment valuable turnovers however, limiting the employe es’ access to the Internet access can also decrease efficiency by making difficult or interrupting execution as well as completion of organizational activities. In fact, companies restricting employees’ access to the Internet specifically social networking sites will also cause a risk of preceding online networking chances, identifying critical agreements, leads and take delivery of appropriate industry news (Davidsson). In addition, (Davidsson) discusses the viewpoints of various researchers such as the research carried out by Dr Brent Coker while working at the University of Melbourne showed that employees who make use of the Internet just for enjoyment and entertainment at work within a realistic limit of approximately 20% of their total time they spent in the office are more fruitful and active by approximately 9% as compared to those who don’t have these facilities. Additionally, Coker also says that employees need to zone out for a bit to retrieve their at tention. In this scenario, small and self-effacing breaks for instance a rapid surf of the Internet, allows the brain to rest itself, and as a result leading to a higher total net attentiveness for a days’ work, and consequently, greater than before output.† Certainly, companies must take care of their resources and confirm that their employees make use of the Internet for work as intended. In fact, an organization does not just permit its workers to have full Internet access, close its eyes and hope for the best. According (Davidsson), â€Å"an organization must put into practice formal policies on the use of social networking sites in the place of work and the suitable and efficient software tools that help maintain those policies† (Davidsson). Many researches show that if organizations do not stop their employees from using the Internet, employees with unlimited and unnecessary Internet access will misuse their lots of precious time and open the network to vir uses, spyware and a wide variety of other security threats. On the other hand, an organization cannot just disconnect from the world. In this scenario, there is need to implement a set of rules and regulations in order to ensure effective use of the Internet. In addition, it must establish suitable use strategies, choosing and implementing security technology, and finding the way to deal with ethical and legal concerns.