Adult Crime, Adult Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adult Crime, Adult Time - Essay Example Other non-violent offenses include skipping classes, violating the curfew laws, and running away from home (Stahl). The US crime law requires the juvenile offenders who are below the age of 18 should be treated rather than be punished. I strongly support the idea that juvenile offenders should not be treated the way adult criminals are being punished. In line with this, several reasons will be provided in order to strengthen this argument. Reasons behind the Argument There is a negative psychological impact associated with the idea of mixing the juvenile offenders with the adult prisoners. Several studies revealed that most children and young adolescents have not yet fully develop their critical thinking abilities. Since the adult offenders can easily influence and affect the emotions, attitude and behavior of the juvenile offenders, the act of mixing the juvenile offenders with the adult offenders could only worsen the situation. According to Siegel and Welsh, â€Å"social issue re lated to racism and despair could lead to the development of juvenile delinquency† (118). It means that the act of labeling a juvenile offender as a criminal offender could make the child accept the idea that he or she is a criminal.

Early Matrimony is Ineluctable Mistake Essay Example for Free

Early Matrimony is Ineluctable Mistake Essay For certain countries such as the poor countries of the Middle East and Africa, their young women are traditionally made to believe that only by marrying young can they get out of the quagmire that their current life has placed them in. The men of these countries do not have much to fear, but the women, most of whom are married off as early as the ages of 10 and 12 years old, they sometimes pay with their lives for such a mistake. The women of these countries are most often trained to accept that early marriage is an inescapable part of their lives and they cannot do anything but accept it. Such early marriages are an acceptable tradition in these countries and is most often done using only the tribes specific traditions and therefore are not registered by the state thus making such unions illegal. But because the women do not understand any of these things, they stay in what they believe to be a life long commitment. In the United States, early marriages occur within the youth of the country between the ages of 15-17 with less harsher outcomes, although still with ineluctable mistakes. I will discuss that in the latter part of this paper. For now, I would like to concentrate on the unfair practice of early marriages in the Middle East and certain countries in Asia. Most of these so called child marriages happen in the outback countries like Nigeria, Central African Republic, Nepal, Uganda, and Bangladesh to name but only a few of these countries. A recent UN report entitled â€Å"Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation, and Abuse† noted that such early marriages occur in the rural settings possibly because of the way those of little or no education equate female youth with fertility. A part of the report indicates that â€Å"Child marriage is associated with high levels of fertility. For example in Colombia, 1 per cent of women with no children, 35 per cent of women with one or two children, 72 per cent of women with 3 or 4 children and 87 per cent of women with 5 or more children were married by age 18 (UNICEF estimates based on DHS 2000). â€Å" A family’s finances play a major part in the decision to turn their daughters into a child bride. The simple minded folk of these nations believe that by marrying off their child early, they are rid of an economic burden since in their culture, there are certain activities women simply are not allowed to perform even if they are capable of doing so. For such young marriages, the unions signify that the child will manage to survive even away from the family. Such marriages may also be orchestrated by the family of the girl because they believe that by marrying off their daughter at an early age, she will be protected from sexual abuse because she already has her husband to protect her. Sometimes, the reason for the marriage is also as simple as trying to insure that the child will grow into womanhood without the possibility of having a bastard child. Although the family of the female child has good intentions for marrying off their child at an early age, their lack of formal education limits their knowledge of the highly life threatening aftermaths of such early marriages. A child trapped in an early marriage no longer has a future ahead of her as she is expected to comply with the tradition wherein the married child no longer attends school and instead tends to her family. These countries also have very poor sanitation and healthcare facilities, hence the high rate of sexually transmitted disease in the area. The child brides are faced with a constant stream of premature pregnancies and infant deaths. Reports say that these women also most often than not test positive for HIV/ AIDS. Perhaps the saddest part of these young marriages in Asia and the Middle East is that the little girls are often abused by their pre-arranged spouses. This is not to say that the little girls who choose their own spouses do not get punished once they marry a man who is not the choice of their parents. In such cases, once a spouse or family senses that their family honor has been tarnished, they are most often killed by â€Å"honor killings† which hope to restore their family names. Indeed, for such countries, early matrimony, early marriage is indeed an inescapable mistake. The repercussions of such marriages see the under aged women paying for their mistake with their lives. For death it seems, is the only way out of such marriages in that part of the world where females are valued more as a property than a person. Nobody tries to inform the women that they can get out of their current situation simply by getting an education and using it to get out of their early marriage before they commit any more serious mistakes. Over in our part of the world, The United States also has its own share of early marriages. But there is a marked difference between the Mid East and African problem and ours. Mainly because even though early marriages are sometimes entered into by the youths of the land, they do not have to choose to remain in the marriage if it is not working for them. That is an option that I can only wish for the rest of the world to leave open for the mistakes of youth. In our country, such early marriages are deemed illegal by law and is therefore prohibited. Although, marrying young with a duly accomplished parental consent form is allowed. An early marriage in our country is one that is entered into by parties within the 14-19 age bracket. Even though both the young man and young woman have the support of both sides of the family, the marriage still fails with some inescapable and life changing results. In the article â€Å"Marrying Minors: Are They Making a Mistake? † staff writer Elizabeth Alvarado discusses the reasons as to why marrying young, even for American youth, is a big mistake. Using actual early marriage experiences as related by those women who were at one time or another involved in such a relationship, she explains how the law known as Dissolution of Marriage more commonly known as Divorce, allows the parties to leave the marriage but forces them to face the life long mistakes that decision to marry young has placed upon their young shoulders. There was a time in the past 40 years that young men and women often married even before they completed their high school education. When the Brigham Young University conducted a study related to the issue, they discovered that there was an 80 % divorce rate among those youths who married at the age of 14. Such statistics can be considered very high when compared to the 45 % of failed 20 year old marriages and 30 % of the 23 year olds. Such mistakes may be attributed to the follies of youth. At such ages, teenagers are not yet mentally mature nor emotionally ready to handle the big responsibilities that come with married life. They are still in their selfish stage and think that everything in life is a game. Which is why as the maturity begins to set in, so do the changes in attitude and perspectives of the mates involved in the marriage. Most of the youth involved in early marriages also run a very high risk of never completing their college education because of the way decisions have to be made differently when a couple is married. There is also that foreseeable outcome of the couple having children. Children are the most inescapable mistake of marrying young. Children suffer the most because their parents were not ready emotionally, socially, and financially to deal with the presence of a child. In such events, the mother most often has to quit school and care for the child. In this respect, she becomes no more different than her Middle East and African counterparts who sacrifice themselves in the name of motherhood. Although, unlike the men in the previous scenario, who are usually twice the age of their wives and therefore more mature and able to handle the situation better, their American counterparts are barely out of short pants themselves and find themselves lost when it comes to dealing with the reality of a family and fatherhood. Once the mistakes begin to pile up in this scenario, both parties become disillusioned and wish for nothing more than to end the nightmare of a marriage they so willingly entered into at first. Leaving behind the most irrevocable, real mistake that they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives. The fact that they brought a life into this world and that living person will be the constant reminded to them as to why early marriage most often than not fails to survive. After hearing the facts and supporting arguments I believe that you will agree with me that marrying young does not have to be an inescapable mistake for the youth involved in such marriages at the moment. It is true that there will be inescapable results stemming from the marriage, but with proper education, nobody has to remain in an early marriage that is proving to be disastrous for them as individuals.

Tar Baby Essay -- Essays Papers

Tar Baby It is often said that it is better to follow your heart instead of your mind because it will never lie to you. However, when you follow your heart you are not always prepared for what the outcome may be. This is proven in Toni Morisson's novel Tar Baby . Tar Baby is Morrison's fourth novel and it took three and a half years to write . The story was based on an old African American folk tale about Brer Rabbit and Tar Baby. This book is said by some to be an excess of what made Morrison's other books good but despite the criticism the book still made it to the best seller's list. The story takes place on an isolated island of L'Arbe de la Croix. this was purposely done by Morrison so that the characters would have no way to escape. There were no immediate policemen to call and no neighbors to interfere in the story . The characters were placed in a cage and left to see what would happen. L' Arbe de la Croix is the vacation home of Valerian Street a retired candy maker and his wife Margaret Street. The house is also occupied by a black couple, Sydney and Odine, who have been the long time servants of the Street's. During the time of the story the house is also occupied by Jadine, who is Sydney's and Odine's niece. Jadine was took in by the Streets and they paid for her to go to school and become a model. Jadine came down from Paris to contemplate a marriage proposal from a Frenchman and to spend Christmas with her aunt and uncle. Jadine can be considered the tar baby in this story. She was taken in by the Street's and opened up to the world that they lived in. She got a wonderful education and traveled all over. She had a sense of security and knew that anything she needed would be given to her by the streets. The streets get another unexpected guest during Christmas. One night when Margaret is up in her room she opens her closet and sees a strange black man sitting there. She becomes hysterical and runs down the stairs in a panic. Sydney goes upstairs and brings down the intruder everyone in the house is startled by his appearance and ready to call the police. Everyone except Valerian. He invites the intruder to sit down for a drink and this makes Margaret crazy. She runs up to her room and locks herself in her bedroom. We later find out that the intruder is the same man that we encounter in the beginning of the novel on ... ...sland but Gideon says that it is to late. Gideon's wife on the other hand offers to take Son. Gideon's wife is partly blind but she claims to know the sea well and Son takes her up on the offer. Gideon's wife takes Son to a part of the island that Son never ventured to. It is dark and Son does not know where to go. Gideon's wife says to trust her and just get out the boat and follow the path. The story ends there and we do not find out what becomes of Jadine or Son. Jadine and Son are a prime example of listening to your heart and not your mind. They rushed into their relationship and did not know enough about each other to make a reasonable decision. Jadine was trying to run from something and Son was not in love he was in lust. If they had taken the time to know each other better they might have realized that they were two different people. Just as in the folk tail of Brer Rabbit and Tar Baby, Son (the rabbit ) was attracted to Jadine (Tar Baby ) and got caught in a trap. Jadine and Son were from two different worlds that could not come together. In the end Jadine realized that she made a mistake but Son still held on to the past and ended up right where he started. Lost.

Opportunity Assessment Essay

Explain the purpose and value of a business plan to a new or existing business. There is a whole host of reasons to justify the preparation of a business plan, not just for business start-up enterprises, but as a model of good practice for established organizations. First, the process of producing a business plan acts as a very efficient method of focusing the ideas of entrepreneurs in terms of defining their objectives and assessing their own abilities to organize and run the business. A business plan also acts as a means of testing the viability of the business proposal before actually committing its proposers to any substantial expenditure or investment. As there are relatively few entrepreneurs who have the resources to be totally self-financing, most are faced at some point in time with the need to raise external finance. The possession of a business plan is crucial to the business’ future; an appointment with the financier or bank manager who is a potential investor or source of loan to discuss a proposal is a bit like an audition in a Hollywood film – if they blow their lines, they blow their chances, or at least, they reduce their prospects of getting the part they want. Written business plans are essential to guide bankers, lenders or investors in understanding and monitoring the financial strength of the business entity. So the most important thing is to prepare the plan thoroughly and to present it in a professional and competent manner. The elements of a business plan is primarily for the benefit of the lending institution and should not be confused with the strategic or detailed operating plans the business may use for internal management purposes. The kind of business plan any banker, lender or investor looks for should provide broad-based financial and organizational information. It should be made available upon submission of the initial credit request and updated periodically thereafter. Financial statements, together with management’s analysis of financial performance, for the past three-year period are especially essential. In addition, the banker, lender or investor will want to see financial performance projections for the coming two or three years. Define the term `micro business` and outline the contribution micro business make to the Australian economy. The term micro business tends to better describe the smallest niche within the small business world. A micro business is, in general, fewer than ten people and includes some unique needs to that space. It typically requires less than US$15,000 in start-up capital, which means that it does not have access to the commercial banking sector because initial loan needs are usually less than US$15,000. In most micro-enterprises, the owner is the sole operator and worker. The capital needs of micro-businesses are too small to be of interest to formal financial markets, yet too large to be covered by the personal means of business starters particularly if they come out of precarious situations. In more cases than not, micro business owners mix personal expenses with business expenses, clouding the company’s functional cost relationships and making ratio analysis very difficult. Typical micro business operators only keep cash records during the year. They present a ‘shoe-box’ of records to their accountants at year end. They only use their accountant to generate a tax return and set of accounts, which might be received six months after the year end. Market niches tend to be defined geographically. Typically, competitive businesses turn over very rapidly, with frequent new entrants to the market, many ownership changes, and a high percentage of bankruptcies and liquidations. Micro business is a key niche to keep in mind in today’s economy and a field that is quickly starting to gain enterprise attention. The economic significance of micro-businesses to the economy of Australia as well as to the global economy is highly acknowledged. This is for the reason that the involvement that micro-businesses create for both employment and the income it produces. Micro-businesses put in $20,193 million to the Australian industry’s GNP and provide work for more than 1/3 of micro-business workers (Khosrowpour 525). Briefly explain the role market research plays in the evaluation of a business opportunity. An entrepreneur must make a commitment to pursuing a business opportunity long before the outcome of that decision is known. How can he know whether the opportunities he is pursuing have a perfect fit with the marketplace, need to be expedited on a rush basis, and are the right decisions to go ahead with? Market research is the answer. Market research is the compilation and examination of any trustworthy information that improves managerial decisions. An entrepreneur needs to do market research to identify and assess an opportunity. Intuition, personal expertise, and passion can take businessmen only so far. Both traditional and nontraditional marketing research can be used to assess opportunity. Research is vital in strategic evaluation if new ideas for diversifying the business are evaluated or tested out. A company entering a new market with a new product is unlikely to know much about that market, and is going to be dependent on good information for decision making for developing sales of the new product and services. The research is likely to reduce the uncertainty about pursuing the diversification opportunity, and to help managers to plan, based on known and defined customer needs. In all practical terms, the application of market research to identify problems and opportunities and to evaluate programs of activity is as important as in other areas of marketing communications. It is the methodical and objective recognition, compilation, study and distribution of information for the intention of supporting business decision-making activities connected to the detection and resolution of business troubles and prospects. Certainly market research plays an important role in business decision making, but ultimate success in markets is determined by many other factors, not least the commitment of the team, the size and mix of marketing budget, and the ability to react to unforeseen problems. Briefly describe the process by which the total cost price of a product or service is established. Pricing, as a process, can simply be defined as setting or adjusting a price charged to a customer in exchange for a good or service. The need for correct pricing decisions has become even more important as global competition has become more intense. Organizations that have been successful in making profitable pricing decisions have been able to raise prices successfully or reduce prices without competitive retaliation. Pricing policy cannot be established in a vacuum. The selling price of the product or service should be consistent with the entrepreneur’s marketing goals, the image he or she is attempting to project, and the perceptions and expectations of the target market. Also, the pricing decision must be viewed as in interactive process in that there is a strong need for cross-functional interaction. It should be clear that effective pricing decisions involve considerations of many factors, and no single model will fit all pricing decisions. While all pricing decisions cannot be made strictly on the general model to be presented in the next paragraph, it does break pricing strategy into a set of manageable stages that are integrated into the overall marketing strategy. Given a product or service designed for a specific target market, the pricing process begins with a clear statement of the pricing objectives. These objectives guide the pricing strategy and should be designed to support the overall marketing strategy. The evaluation of the relationship of product or service to pricing with respect to the distinctiveness, perishability and stage of the life cycle a product/service is in all affect pricing. In addition, marketers need to consider what value the product/service has for customers and how price will influence product/service positioning. The other components of the marketing mix need to be also examined in relation to the pricing component, in order to arrive at a total price. Although the main basis should be the product or service cost, marketers should combine various criteria in setting prices rather than considering only the costs. What is the difference between a projected Profit and Loss Statement and a Projected Cash Flow? Why do you need both? There are several distinctions between projected cash flow and projected profit and loss statement. Although both are only estimates, one difference is that the projected cash flow statement will record budgeted cash receipts from customers, while the projected income statement will show forecast revenue for the period. Further, the projected cash flow statement will record budgeted cash payments to suppliers, while the projected income statement will show forecast of sales, which will reflect opening inventory, plus purchases, less closing inventory. Furthermore, the projected cash flow statement shows the budgeted cash payments for the expenses such as wages, electricity and rates while the projected income statement will record the expenditure expected to be consumed in the period, reflecting any accounts or prepayments. Lastly, the projected cash flow will reflect the cost of purchasing a non-current asset at the expected date of purchase and the proceeds at the date of sale, while the projected income statement will record a depreciation charge for the consumption of the asset and a profit or loss on disposal. The business needs both of these projected statements because they are important tools of financial analysis. Projected cash flow statement, for instance, is a point of comparison for actual cash flow statement so that the firm can find out the variation and take necessary remedial measures. It also helps in overcoming the problem of meeting deficit cash or investment of surplus cash because projected cash flow is usually prepared on the basis of the past year’s experience. Using the cash flow forecast enhances the business’ versatility and allows it to adjust its planning horizon as the business grows. A projected income statement is likewise an invaluable tool. It will help the business estimate its approximate income and expenses in the short term, from months to a few years. It will give a gauge to judge the financial progress of the company. Outline the legal avenues available to an individual to protect intellectual property. Even though it is an intangible term for a theoretical concept, intellectual property is nevertheless completely well-known to practically everybody. While the underpinnings of material property rights are clear, those of intellectual property rights appear clouded. Intellectual property rights have seen perceptible, indeed substantial extensions in the last decade alone. Copyrights, service marks, trademarks and patents are all types of intellectual property, and are avenues for individuals in the United States to protect their intellectual property. The examination of intellectual property law is significant since intellectual property is captivating an escalating implication worldwide. Copyright and trademarks are directly related to the Web, patents less so except if the thing being patented is a new type of technology that affects how the Web is actually used. Trademarks and service marks are used to protect logos, unique elements, phrases, services and official names that have sufficient distinctive character by which the government recognizes the concept as being unique and wholly owned by the individual. At common law, the individual who utilized a symbol or mark to classify a company or manufactured good was sheltered in the employment of the trademark. Service marks protect services rather than products, which is its main difference with trademark, in where the later protects products. Copyright protects everything that goes into a website or in print. It provides the inventor of a work the right to the restricted utilization of that said work for a certain time. Copyright infringement is all too common, often resulting in lawsuits in which individuals receive handsome compensation for having their work ripped off. A patent is a government endowment that bestows an inventor the private right to produce, utilize and put up for sale the invention for a time of twenty years since the time of filing a request for a patent. If a firm produces, utilize and put up for sale a patented blueprint, produce or procedure without the consent of the owner of the patent, it is obligated with the tort of patent infringement. What are the main advantages of operating your business as a company rather than as a sole trader or partnership? Are there any disadvantages? The primary advantage of operating the business as a corporation is protection against liability. The corporation can protect one’s personal assets in the event of a judgment against the business. This is because the corporation’s assets (cash, real estate, securities, accounts payable, etc. ) do not include one’s personal property and assets such as car, house, bank account, and other personal property. One’s personal property is considered separate from the property and assets of the corporation. A second advantage over sole proprietorship or partnership is organization and efficiency. No matter what form the business takes, keeping one’s personal and business finances and assets separate is crucial to the survival of the business. If one’s business and personal finances are intertwined, it will prove difficult and eventually impossible to sort them out to the satisfaction of say, banks and other financial institutions where one may be applying for business loans. A third advantage is savings. There are myriad instances where, as a corporation, one may be able to save on business costs – savings that might otherwise be unavailable to one as a sole proprietor or partnership business. For instance, business equipment amortization IRS allowance and schedules are generally more favorable for corporations than for individuals and partners. Also, financial institutions tend t give more favorable credit and lending rates to corporations as opposed to individuals and partners. The primary disadvantages, on the other hand, are the record-keeping that is required and the fact that corporations are subject to double taxation – the corporation pays taxes on its profits, and if one receives some of those profits as dividends, he/she will be taxed, too. Moreover, the business has to maintain minimal corporate formalities that will take some time and effort, including government regulation of the creation of the corporation, issuance of stock and operations of the organization. The lack of management skills is the cause of 92% of business failure. Does a successful business operator have to be expert or competent in all facets of business management? Long ago in business literature, experts have researched the role of the entrepreneur in firm failure. Managerial deficiencies, inexperience, and inefficiency are consistent themes in the literature explaining business failure. Researchers found that many firm characteristics – particularly decision-based ones – were directly related to the entrepreneurial characteristics. These included lack of insight, inflexibility, and emphasis on technical skills. Additionally, managerial deficiencies and the financial shortcomings of the entrepreneur also contributed to failure. Other researchers have further found support for the case that lack of management expertise along with financial matters was the most common causes of business failure. Some of these researchers pointed to poor management skills as the most frequently identified common theme in business failure. The significance that is placed on management deficiencies as a cause has therefore warranted a closer examination of the specific areas where these deficiencies are greatest. Although this is the case, it is often unfeasible for a business operator to be an expert on all facets of business management. This is the role of consultants; experts that business owners hire too assist in the facilitation of business management processes. The business operator may not possess the expert comprehension of the specialist (such as technology specialist) but it is the business operator who is familiar with the worth and the prospect of expert knowledge. Thus the management expert has specialized knowledge and the business operator has knowledge breadth and it is through the organization that the two kinds of knowledge are united to create wealth. The proven formula for success involves leveraging limited human and financial resources. For example, most business operators lack at least one critical management function, such as a controller or a sales manager. An outside accounting firm, a part-time employee, a channel partner, or a retired person could perform these functions. You have been approached by a person who has identified a business opportunity and who needs some assistance to evaluate it. Outline the advice you would give to such a person? An opportunity is not just an idea. A business opportunity must grow an idea with the potential to develop with the enterprise that has a reasonable chance to succeed. This means that all of the pieces of the puzzle must come together, and in the right order. There should first be the evaluation of external and internal factors that may influence the potential of the business opportunity. External analysis should consider both the general environment, and big picture, and the industry setting in which the venture might do business. Identifying potential affecters in the external environment is definitely worth the effort, but business concepts make sense only if they fit well with the internal potentials of the business. In other words, the entrepreneur’s understanding of potential business opportunities should be combined with insights into what the entrepreneur is able to do. With respect to the chosen sector/industry, learners need to know how to perform a systematic search for new business opportunities as well as how to analyze and evaluate them. There are many different tools identifying opportunities to determine ideas that are worthy of further development, like Drucker’s Seven Sources of Innovative Opportunity, Boston Consulting Group Matrix, GE Planning Grid, 7-S Model and Competitive Strength vs. Market Attractiveness Model. Assessment can be more ‘real world’ if the task of evaluation relates to an idea, plan or proposal with which an individual can identify personally. Determining whether an opportunity is possibly right for a company is not the same as deciding to enter a business, nor is evaluating an opportunity the same as evaluating a business plan. Grabbing a business opportunity is appropriate only after it has been determined that the opportunity itself is both valid and right for the company and the company has a business strategy and plan to which it is prepared to commit. Once a business has become established, it requires sound management systems to operate efficiently. Describe the system you would put in place to operate and control a small business. If the strategic objectives of the business are to be successfully implemented, then first, it is critical to identify the systems that will need to be in place in order to achieve them. The key management systems will typically be those that actively contribute towards the primary goals or profitability of the business. This includes the production functions that manufacture goods for sale and the sales and marketing that sell those goods to the customers. This is all about having the right resources in place to achieve the desired objectives of the business. Without these key systems in place, the strategic development of the business will not work, which is precisely why they must be right before anything can be started. The second stage is to ensure that the support systems are in place. These are the functions that enable the key systems to operate smoothly, such as the purchasing, stores, administration and distribution functions, not forgetting the management systems to organize and coordinate these. The third stage is to ensure that adequate monitoring and control systems are in place both to monitor the expansion of old or the implementation of new systems, and to monitor the efficacy of the whole strategic process and its component parts. In order to implement both the key systems and support systems, it will be necessary to produce an action plan which identifies the critical dates by which each one of these systems must be in place. The action plan should be regarded as a means to an end, as opposed to something that, once set, cannot be changed. Although it sets the guidelines and targets for the process, it must be flexible enough to account for, and respond to, any factors that are beyond the control of the process. The planning procedures must be, like the workings of each of the systems, subject to the same planning and review cycle if they are to function efficiently.

UOB Bank Advertisement

UOB Lady’s Card -â€Å"The men don’t get it† 1. 0 Introduction of the Company United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) is a leading bank in Asia. It provides a wide range of financial services through its global network of over 500 offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Western Europe and North America, including banking subsidiaries in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and mainland China.UOB (Malaysia) offers an extensive range of commercial and personal financial services through its branches, subsidiaries and associate companies: commercial lending, investment banking, treasury services, trade services, cash management, home loans, credit cards, wealth management, general insurance and life assurance. UOB also plays an active role in the community, focusing on children, education and the arts. UOB has been established the annual UOB Heartbeat Run to raise funds for charity.Today, UOB is rated among the world’s top banks by Moodyâ€⠄¢s Investors Service, receiving B for financial strength, and AA1 and Prime-1 for long-term and short-term bank deposits respectively. UOB is proud to be the first to unveil the revamped UOB Lady’s Card in Malaysia. Besides sporting a new card face, the purpose of the advertisement shows that UOB Lady’s Card is staying relevant to the needs of modern women with new features.It is the first in the market to develop a mobile phone application, â€Å"Lady’s Soulmate† dedicated to ladies, which helps card members access privileges through Google maps and a directional guide based on AR technology. Consumers can download the Lady's Soulmate application from the Android Marketplace to compatible mobile phones. It will also be progressively made available on Apple App Store, Ovi Store by Nokia and Blackberry App World. The ad clearly show that the UOB Lady's Soulmate application marks a new era for the UOB Lady's Card, as it remains in touch with the progress o f women nd technology. The advertisement does show its effectiveness as the card was already available in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, has a current membership of over 500,000. The advertisement expected to attract more than 500,000 new lady users. The company claims that the UOB Lady’s Card is targeted to more than double by 2014, driving the continued growth of the bank’s card business in the region. 2. 0 Discussion of the Advertisement 2. 1 Target Market The revamped UOB Lady’s Card placed a strong emphasis on health, beauty, fashion, connectivity and discovery.This make over of the UOB Lady’s Card is timely as a group same gender consumers seek to strengthen the brand promised to valued card members. The ad targets young adult women, and they will buy products not only for them but to show their financial health in their lives. We acknowledge that today’s women are more independent financially, assertive in their choices, mobile and techno logy savvy to stay â€Å"connected†. The reason for the advertiser to choose this market segment is because female young adults may look for the requirement as stated before. 3. 0 Advertisement SourceThe ad focuses on two trendy lady’s high profile, smiling with full of satisfaction, public may easily attract by them who emotionally aroused. The two ladies show in an appropriate way to market the company’s credit card as they are looking relax and rejoice, their face expression and body language prompt the desire of women to obtain the credit card. It also shows that they are able to keep constant contact with privileges and deals via smartphone, the women looked grateful to get the information from their mobiles. Technology on tap is but one of the many benefits available to Lady’s Card members.The new UOB Lady’s Card proposition centres around providing a total financial and lifestyle solution which complements the modern woman who is constantly on the move from connectivity, discovery, fashion and money matters. 3. 1 Visual and Verbal Content Basically the kind of visual image used in ad is photographs. There is a few images show in different ways. The rectangular picture with blank background is composite â€Å"paste-up† of several images from various sources used, whereas the whole image of two ladies adopts â€Å"superimposed† over each other. The others small images place near to the related information.The roses for both types of credit cards seem to stand for women product. The corporate logos included in the design of credit card, the consumer already familiar with the logo. The car and branded stuffs symbolize exclusivity or luxury, visually depicted the financial strength for the group of target market they can have. From the ad, we can see that two young women wearing high heels with an eye catching smile. The clothes and adornments they are wearing look striking as they walk in confidence, simply r elated to self egoism. It seems like two best friends sharing the same privileges and deals from the credit card.The image shows their legs walk together depicted they shopping together, which also shows young women concern about social need. Many women become more financially independent and career orientated. The body language of the models in the ad seem like they don’t have financial worry. Although there are often claims of gender bias and the results have showed that women in general will have a much more impulsive buying behavior than that of their male counterpart. Through this natural disposition it will often hinder them from being able to ever becoming an efficient money saver.Thus, those offer deals in the ad may attract their attention. 3. 2 Semiotic Analysis It has bold print stating â€Å"If we had our way, it would be Wednesday everyday† and smaller print that promotes the offers of the credit card and targets women to purchase the related product and s ervice especially on Wednesday. The ad is implying that women in society now can take care of their financial, yet still targets them to purchase more by using the credit card. At the core of the UOB Lady’s Card popularity is the endearing philosophy of this female-only product, â€Å"The Men Don’t Get It. More than just a signature tagline, it is an acknowledgement of the financial strength and independence of women, and the freedom of choice that is available to them. Now, underpinned by technology and refreshed with a host of new privileges, the company seemed like confident that the Lady’s Card will continue to be preferred, extending their leadership in the female space, I would find this advertisement particularly interesting because it is promoting friendship, financial solidity, health and beauty standards in our society, women's roles as consumers which afford to pay and the graphics of the ad focuses on.It is promoting credit card that only for female , which have previously been viewed as women's products and it will also influences women to buy these products on men's behalf. The two models are wearing striking outfits and expensive adornments. This influence perpetuates the sociological role of women in society as financial takers, as well as encouraging them being active in caring about their appearance and their need to use health and beauty products. This ad clearly promotes the credit card which special designed only for female, that’s why the word stated there the men don’t get it†.The roses symbolized that the only attention of the company focus on the specific needs of women. They have taken a 360-degree approach in the Lady's Card makeover, leveraging our insights into women over the years and research around the region. 3. 3 Layout and Design The headline shows in an appropriate way to has three-quarters up the page or advertisement space. The advertiser position headline statement where it can be seen quickest, this can make sure the reader generally know what is all about.They avoid putting headlines at the very top of the space because the reader’s eye is naturally drawn to between two-thirds and three-quarters up the page or space, which is where the main benefit statement needs to be. The advertisement involves the reader in writing style of using the second and third person-‘you’ and ‘she’. Refer to the reader as ‘you' and ‘she’ in the description of the ad does for the customer to get them visualizing their own personal involvement. The advertiser describes the service as it affects them in a way that they will easily relate to it.This advertising can be defined as using â€Å"cool† tones. It is often referred to as a ‘Black Art', because it is mysterious but cheerful. 4. 0 Publication The advertiser has chosen the two most common print media are newspapers and magazines. Print media is important because it can reach such a large audience, and the great number of specialized publications enables businesses to focus in on a target audience with a specific set of characteristics. The advertiser picks the right time as the Malaysia Mega Sales start from July until September 2010. The consumers can use their Lady’s Card for exclusive privileges.NEWSPAPERS When deciding upon a newspaper in which to advertise, there are three physical criteria to consider: distribution, size, and audience. Newspapers are either daily or weekly, come in a standard or tabloid size, and reach nearly all of the reading public, which is estimated to be around 85-90 percent of the population. Because of the broad demographic reach of most newspapers it is difficult to target a specific audience; however, newspapers are effective in increasing awareness of a business' products and services in a specific geographical area.Types of ads placed in newspapers include: display ads, classified ads, public notes, and preprinted inserts. Newspaper ads have some flexibility in their size. For instance, the UOB ad only takes up half portion of a page, while others might span one or two full pages. Regardless of this flexibility, newspaper ads can only use limited special effects, such as font size and color. These limitations lead to advertising â€Å"clutter† in newspapers because all the ads look very similar. Therefore, advertisers must use original copy and headings to differentiate their ads from their competitors.This is why the advertiser show theirl exclusive shopping, dining and beauty privileges, and the latest technology, a mobile phone application called â€Å"Lady's Soulmate†. MAGAZINES With magazines an advertiser can focus in on a specific target audience. Audiences can be reached by placing ads in magazines which have well-defined geographic, demographic, or lifestyle focus. The advertiser has placing the ad in the localized edition of a national magazine. In addi tion to the above factors, it is also important to consider the nature of the magazine ad copy.Magazines allow elaborate graphics and colors, which give advertisers more creative options than do newspapers. Also, recent surveys have indicated that informative ads are the most persuasive. Therefore, it is important to include copy and art work that is direct and presents important product information to the consumer, such as how the product works, how it benefits the consumer, and where it can be purchased. Besides The Star, it also can be found in female magazine such as New Tide, July 2010.Those magazines are targeted towards young adult women interested in beauty, fashion and relationships. This advertisement is promoting both UOB Lady’s Classic and UOB Lady’s Platinum cards for women. 5. 0 Hierarchy Model Response The AIDA Model Attention The feature followed by ad agencies is AIDA, which acronym stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. The first A equals getting the attention of the readers. The ad in the form of a headline-â€Å"Wednesday every day’’ has grab the attention as it perks the curiosity of readers.The images of the credit cards with the symbol pertain to the company introductory paragraph. The advertiser gets the attention of consumer immediately by using the Wednesday special offer deals; therefore readers will read the rest of the articles. The advertiser is generating an emotion, women walking in confidence with big smile and setting up a situation. UOB (Malaysia) became the first foreign bank to recognize the affluent female segment in Malaysia when it launched the UOB Lady's Card. The ad plays with fear and greed for a moment.These two emotions combined as a key because almost every women would be Interested and has a certain amount of greed (possess everything that they want) and also has fear (questioning what if they missed the chance to get all the great offer deals). The advertiser didn’t use the headline to play the biggest benefit. They choose to appear that not only true but also in an exclusive way. The ad plays on emotions in their headline; the two models address happiness and satisfaction, pump up their egos or show the luxury and branded items. The advertiser chooses the middle part to present the benefits in aspect of the credit card service.The readers may pay more attention on the â€Å"FREE† word which showed in the subhead lines. Interest After the advertiser got the consumer’s attention, they focus on building their interest and supporting what the ad told them thus far. The advertiser makes the reader really want the card but have to start a twinge of reality. Consumers may compare the benefits they offered with the competitors. The newly developed mobile application-â€Å"UOB Lady’s Soulmate App† based on AR technology, female young adults which consider as tech-savvy group may show their interest in the ads.Another way is that the advertiser building interest to include sub headlines throughout the copy. The readers will be more interest when there are a lot of offers with the â€Å"Cash Back† or ‘FREE† words on the sub headlines. Next, the reader embarks on the ever-challenging task of justifying her purchase; especially she wants to do a large purchase. In consumer’s interest section, the ad uses emotion to address the fact that this purchase is a good bargain, the right step, a sound decision, etc. In addition to that, the advertiser let the customer know what will happen if consumer purchase their service.This can be found in â€Å"With it in the bag, every lady gets what she wants, when she wants it†. Depending on this ad, the negative result might be the fact that she misses all those grand offers from the product service. She will have to struggle to get all the same stuffs but in more expensive price or other consequences without the credit card. â€Å"If we had our way, it would be Wednesday every day’’, implies that the consumers can enjoy spending every Wednesday. The goal here is to create a few statements that will cause the customer to say, Oh! I didn’t think of that.Desire The third step in AIDA indicates the desire to buy. This section is really turns on the charm. The ad is written to tug on the heartstrings in order to create that final desire to buy. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the ad is they can get â€Å"FREE Coach Bags & Accessories Every Day†. By using the â€Å"UOB Lady’s Soulmate App†, the interactive application is able to display the latest deals and offers within a 2km range of the card member's location and also contains a personal assistant feature to help connect members with people who are important to them.Customers will have all the information they need right at their fingertips. The advertisement turns deep down inside their consumer to have two desires. The first is the desire to use the convenience of connection that not just technology. The second is the desire to obtain more things and the most common reason is to get a free branded items. The 2010 Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival sweeps the nation up in a frenzied shopping fervor! This is the best time to pump them up and get them excited about the credit card service. They have not yet come to the justification stage where price might play a factor.While always, from the aspect of desire, the ad portrays the best and biggest benefits their customers will receive. It speaks to the joys of being able to relax and run an errand in the whole range of bargains of, the sub headlines of the article indicates that the customer can experience from restaurants, spas, facial service while doing their shopping of the day. Action The final A in AIDA stands for action. During the action phase of convincing, the ad gives them enough motivational cause to take action and buy. At the moment get to this poin t, the customers should have all the information they need.The company as the seller will have walked them through each step of the buying process and emotional journey to the point of purchase. A few ways to create action with the copy are: â€Å"Apply now and get 20 entries for your first minimum RM50 swipe within 30 days from your new card approval†, â€Å"the more you swipe, the better your chances! † The advertisement motivate the readers look forward to get better deals on that special day, which can be found in â€Å"Wednesday are simply wonderful when you have the new UOB Lady’s Card. † The point of the action phase is to get the readers moving. The advertisement ade them drool with the exclusive deals, answered all their questions via Dedicated Customer Service Line, filled them with benefit and the company don’t want to lose them at the end. 6. 0 Overall Opinion In personal view, the main message of this advertisement is prominent. The bi ggest part of the advert is the main benefit statement. This is the part that entices the reader to read on. The ad offers a single impressive benefit, quickly and simply. Research proves that where responses are required, the best adverts are those which offer an impressive, relevant benefit to the reader.This point cannot be stressed enough; the advertiser keep it quick, simple and to the point. More information has stated bottom of the ad, reader who wants to know more detail can read through there. Younger generations are extremely visually literate. The advertiser had thought about the vocabulary and language to use and clearly know their target audience. The ad has avoided any words or grammar that would not be found in the newspaper that the target group would read. Therefore message can be read in quick and easy to absorb. The ad has use a clear layout, clear fonts and clear language.They don’t distract the reader from the text by overlaying images or using fancy font s. They use simple language, avoid complicated words, and keep enough space around the text to attract attention to it. The advertiser also avoids cluttering the advert with fancy images, colours and backgrounds, which make it easy to read. The advertisement has incorporated something new. The Consumers can download the Lady's Soulmate application to compatible mobile phones. The ad clearly show that the UOB Lady's Soulmate application marks a new era for the UOB Lady's Card, as it remains in touch with the progress of women and technology.Consumers respond better and are more easily attracted initially to a concept that is new or original. If they've heard or seen it all before it will be no surprise that they take no notice at all. The advertisement induces reader to believe there's something in it for them right from the start. The advertiser has developed a proposition that is special or unique and emphasizes this. The revamped UOB Lady's Card also comes with a new card face for both UOB Lady's Classic and UOB Lady's Platinum cards. UOB Malaysia is the first foreign bank to recognize the affluent female segment in Malaysia when it launched the new UOB Lady's Card.The ad also states that they provide Wallet Guard coverage and Purchase Protection Plan for the purchases which make their service special. The Advertising Standards Authority or equivalent would prevent the advertiser from making overly extravagant claims anyway, but they still attempt to make their offer seem perfectly credible. 7. 0 Recommendations From the advertisement, the readers might feel the card only available in exclusive world as the car stands for luxury. Not all but some of the readers might feel that the exclusivity rewards, and special treatment reserved for a special few, not for them.The website or service line should explain further to those customers that misleading by the pictures. They can emphasize on the protection plan to place themselves a credible image. The words-† The men don’t get it† didn’t stated clearly that whether the male readers can apply this credit card for the lady. For male readers, they may think they can use this card without the offers which women interested at. The conditions should write clear, not that small which stated in the advertisement. I am not sure that buying branded items necessarily causes happiness to a woman.But many of them tend to believe the advertising; they may feel a let-down when their existing card does not bring the desired partner or other increase in status. When they have such expectation, buying a branded item would be necessarily, make them feel happy. More insidious is the indirect effect, namely that they have to work hard and go into debt to buy all this stuff. That, in my opinion, the debt hidden behind is what makes people unhappy. The company should come out a proper financial plan and clarify to the consumer before the consumer purchase their services.

How Charlotte Bronte presents Jane Eyres oppression and her ability to overcome it at Gateshead with that at Lowood Essay Example

How Charlotte Bronte presents Jane Eyres oppression and her ability to overcome it at Gateshead with that at Lowood Essay Example How Charlotte Bronte presents Jane Eyres oppression and her ability to overcome it at Gateshead with that at Lowood Paper How Charlotte Bronte presents Jane Eyres oppression and her ability to overcome it at Gateshead with that at Lowood Paper Essay Topic: Charlotte Temple Jane Eyre Literature Jane Eyre is a young orphan who lives at Gateshead with her Aunt Reed and her three cousins John, Georgina and Eliza. She is placed in an unusual situation as her Aunt only looks after her because of her late husbands final request which was for her to treat his niece as her own child. Aunt Reed, however, has not kept her word and instead excludes Jane from her family. The first nine chapters of Jane Eyre follow Jane through her childhood as she leaves Gateshead and attends a school named Lowood. In both of these places Jane is made to feel alone and is looked upon as a charity case. At Gateshead Janes Aunt Reed locks her on her own in the Red Room and similarly, at Lowood Jane is forced to stand on a stool to be humiliated in front of the other girls. These methods of punishment both isolate Jane and put her in a position that she cannot escape. However, at Lowood Jane becomes more mature and learns how to overcome oppression instead of retaliating as she would do at Gateshead. Being able to accept criticism allows Jane to enjoy her time at Lowood whereas she thoroughly disliked her years at Gateshead. One of the reasons Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre was to question the prejudice views of Victorian society and to fight for womens rights. When Jane Eyre was first published it was written under the name Currer Bell because no one would accept a womans novel and interestingly Charlotte Bronte is sometimes known as one of the first early feminists. She relates to her own life in parts of Jane Eyre through drawing on her own experience at her own school of Cowan Bridge to create Janes school named Lowood. This makes the novel semi autobiographical and adds a degree of authenticity. At Gateshead, Jane experiences oppression through the physical abuse she receives from her cousin John Reed. She says that he bullied and punished me continually showing how he beats her regularly and is never challenged by his mother Mrs Reed. He does this to show his position in the house and to prove his higher authority over her. Jane is extremely scared of Johns physical power and every nerve she has feared him. She tells the reader how she was dreading the blow moments before he hit her to emphasise the extent to which he terrorizes her. At Lowood the physical abuse derives from the harsh conditions within the school. When Jane describes Lowood she tells the reader of the poor facilities and how there is one basin to six girls and that two girls share a single bed. On her first morning at Lowood the lack of food is shown when breakfast is over, and none had breakfasted demonstrates how undernourished the girls are whilst under Mr Brocklehursts care. Womens clothing in Victorian fashion was used as a means of control and this can be seen at Lowood. Jane describes the uniform as insufficient to protect us from the severe cold and how it gave an air of oddity even to the prettiest which illustrates how inadequate and dull their uniform is. As well as physical abuse, Jane also endures mental and psychological abuse. At both Gateshead at Lowood she is made to feel unwanted and consequently becomes desperate for someone to love her and care for her. On one particular occasion, Jane is locked in the Red Room by her Aunt Reed after an incident with John that was not entirely her fault as it was he who had provoked her. She is left alone in this chamber where her uncle breathed his last and as she is a young girl this begins to frighten her. Janes imagination starts seeing strange supernatural things take place around her she sees how a little figure had the effect of a real spirit. Jane describes how she looks up at the high, dark wardrobe which adds to her vulnerability as she appears to be so small. This helps the reader to identify with Jane as they can see through a childs perspective and therefore feel sympathy for her. Similarly, at Lowood Jane is singled out by Mr Brocklehurst when he forces her to stand on the stool for Aunt Reeds accusation of her being a liar. She describes the humiliation by saying I felt their eyes like burning glasses against my scorched skin and compares her terror to being paralysed. Jane is left standing there to be shown how little power she has and to isolate her from the other girls. This makes Jane feel alone and as though no one cares for her. Pathetic fallacy is a technique Charlotte Bronte uses to mirror Janes mood at both Gateshead and Lowood. Whilst Jane is looking out of the window at Gateshead the weather is described as a pale blank of mist and cloud, with ceaseless rain which reflects Janes miserable emotions and how sad she feels there. Jane focuses on a storm beat shrub whilst looking down on the grounds of Gateshead and this symbolises her terrible situation of being beaten by John and her separation in the house. On Janes journey to Lowood the weather is misty which creates a sense of mystery and uncertainty of what is to come. Jane constantly describes Lowood as being bitter cold and this represents the lack of warmth and love around her. The two main characters responsible for Janes suffering are Mr Brocklehurst and Aunt Reed who both warp religion in order to make Jane suffer. Aunt Reed isolates Jane from her family and her punishments go as far as locking her in the Red Room where her own husband died, something which she would not dream of doing to her own children. When Jane first says how John beats her she tells the reader how Aunt Reed was blind and deaf on the subject meaning that she thinks of her son John being perfect and seems to have no idea of what he is capable of. She gives Jane no love or care and even spoils the beginning of her time at Lowood through accusing her of being a liar. The motive for Aunt Reeds cruel behaviour towards Jane is that she thinks of her as an intrusion on her darling family. Also, Aunt Reeds believes Jane not to be as pretty as her own daughters and thinks of her as a poor charity case. Aunt Reed knows that Jane is only living with her because of her husbands last request which makes her a constant reminder to Aunt Reed of him. However, these reasons are not good enough for Aunt Reed to exclude Jane from her family and not to love her. At Lowood, Janes headmaster Mr Brocklehurst also treats Jane unjustly and like Aunt Reed he believes it is for her own good. Mr Brocklehurst does not question Mrs Reeds accusation of Jane being a liar and uses it as his reason for oppressing her. On one occasion he sees a girl with naturally curly hair and orders for it to be cut off as he wants these girls to be the children of Grace. However, when his own daughters enter the room the girls of Lowood see how Mr Brocklehurst allows them to dress in elaborate clothing and have false French curls which shows how hypocritical he is towards his pupils. He indulges his own daughters whilst making his pupils live with only the basic necessities. Throughout her childhood Jane learns how to overcome oppression on her own. At Gateshead she uses a physical approach as she retaliates against John after he hits her. She calls him a wicked and cruel boy and a murderer. However her fiery temper ends up with her being locked in the Red Room. On Jane and Aunt Reeds final encounter before she leaves for Lowood Jane finally finds the courage to stand up to Aunt Reed. She tells her how she dislikes her the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed and that she is hard hearted and deceitful. This outburst leaves Jane shaking from head to foot, thrilled with ungovernable excitement and makes her feel she has beaten her Aunt in their on going battle. At Lowood Jane also overcomes oppression when she argues with Helen Burns about fighting back against injustice. She tells Helen I must dislike those who persist in disliking me which is part of her quick-tempered character. However, Helen responds that you should love your enemies which is something Jane never thought about before and this makes her question how she should react to oppression. Jane also overcomes her suffering with the help and care of others. At Gateshead, Dr Lloyd shows his concern by asking Jane lots of questions such as have you any pain? and this makes her able to confide in him. She describes this comfort as a soothing conviction of protection and security which is something Jane has never felt before. One of the maids at Gateshead, Bessie, becomes a friend to Jane and she says Bessie seemed to me the indest being in the world which shows her respect for her. Bessie helps Jane get into Lowood which gives her a new life. Jane is always pleased to be in Bessies presence. As Jane has no parents, she regards Miss Temple as a mother figure who cares for her well being. Miss Temple cleared Janes name from having been accused of being a liar and this gives Jane the chance of a better childhood. Jane describes Miss Temple as a beauty of meaning of movement and of radiance which shows how highly she thinks of her. Miss Temple is a comfort to Jane and she shows this by saying how it was a treat for her to be with me in the room. When Jane leaves Lowood she reflects on how Miss Temple stood me in the stead of mother, governess and latterly companion. Helen is Janes best friend at Lowood and she helps her to overcome oppression. She does this by comforting her after she has been on the stool and tells her that probably not one in the school either despises or dislikes you: many pity you much. This reassures Jane that no one thinks badly of her for being accused of being a liar, but instead they feel sorry for her. This calmed Jane and increases her confidence. Whilst Jane is standing on the stool, another girl smiles at her and Jane tells the reader how the feeling bore me up, and she stands with her lifted head, filled with pride on the stool. I think the time Jane spends standing on the stool matures her because she does not fight back injustice as she would at Gateshead, but instead stands patiently and with confidence. Charlotte Bronte uses pathetic fallacy again to show the contrast in Janes mood after settling at Lowood. The weather changes as the hardships of Lowood lessened. The quote snows melted symbolises Jane finding warmth and love in a place she belongs. Flowers peeped out and placid sunshine pictures a bright and colourful atmosphere which reflects how Jane is feeling. In conclusion, Jane is oppressed both mentally and physically by many different characters throughout her early childhood. At Gateshead Jane reacts with anger and does not cope well with criticism and the bullying of John. However, at Lowood through the teachings of Helen and Miss Temple she turns from a fiery, passionate girl into a mature young woman with a subdued character. The love she is given at Lowood enables Jane to deal with injustice and oppression in a more effective way.

punishment argument essays

punishment argument essays hat sentencing a person to death does not change the reality of the situation; the harm already done simply cannot be fixed from a vengeance standpoint. You cannot bring the murdered person back by taking the prisoner's life. Proponents of capital punishment tend to defend their opinion mainly on two grounds: death is a fitting punishment for murder, and executions maximize public safety through incapacitation and deterrence. The view of proponents of the death penalty in reference to the "let the punishment fit the crime" ideal is that, in the eyes of many law officials and citizens of the United States, if a crime is so serious that it causes irreversible damage or the loss of human life, then the only penalty for such crimes would be death for the individual that committed this act. Many also feel that if an individual can possess the strength and will to take the life of another human being in a planned maner human being - and is a very controversial method of punishment. In most states, a person convicted of first degree murder has the potential to be given the death penalty. Capital punishment is a subject that can be counted upon to stir emotion and controversy into any conversation or argument. The very concept provokes a profusion of valid questions and opinions. Today's daily world of crime and violence calls for punishment of a severe nature, and many citizens argue that the punishment necessary is the death penalty. These people quote passages such as the "an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" concept from the Old Testament of the Judeo-Christian bible. Some people take the neutral position that there is no right or wrong answer, that each opinion on l, automatic state review, post-conviction hearing, and Supreme Court petitions. The cost of maintaining the death row inmates in prisons, clemency hearings, and of the execution itself are also added to the price of capital punishment. In New York, there was ...

9 Things I Learned From Rewriting My First Childrens Books Series

9 Things I Learned From Rewriting My First Childrens Books Series 9 Things I Learned From Rewriting My First Children's Book Series As a primary school teacher, Heather B. Moon always knew she eventually wanted to write books for children. She also felt that she had a leg up in terms of knowing her market. In this article, she discusses what she learned from rewriting her first series of children's books with the help of a professional developmental editor.   Lessons learned? You can see how I made changes that addressed the problems that we talked about earlier:Introducing secondary characters: I brought other characters into the story in a more entertaining way. But more importantly, I have introduced them through Lottie’s eyes! She is still the main focus of the story, and the people around her have been woven into the action instead of taking the main stage.Show, don’t tell: I must admit it took me a while to get the hang of this - but once I did, my brain fizzed and frothed with ideas. See what I did there? Don’t say: â€Å"I thought of an idea† - that is boring adult speech. If your character is feeling frightened, write something like: â€Å"I felt a giant chunk of ice plop into my tummy.† This is much more appealing to a child and gets the feeling across that the character is scared.Make current, relatable references: Kids might not know what a DVD is - but I’ll bet they can all identify with hoping for WiFi to continue their interrupted iPad games!The young readers I have shared Lottie’s story with have responded well - and a lot of it is thanks to the changes that Rachel and I made to my dialogue and prose. 9 tips for writing books that children will want to read again and again. That’s the best tip I have for other writers looking to publish children’s books: understand how your little readers see the world and talk to them on their level. It might not be as easy as 1-2-3, but with supportive people in your corner, you’ll be on your way to sparking the imaginations of a new generation of readers.Please share your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for Heather B. Moon  in the comments below!Lottie Saves the Dolphins is available on Amazon and on Amazon Kindle!

Within the context of the boundaryless career critically analyse the Essay

Within the context of the boundaryless career critically analyse the challenges faced by graduates in a volatile global economy - Essay Example This factor deters many graduates from securing internship and job opportunities (Sturges 2000). There are issues such as lack of suitable skill required in the job market by employers and over qualification on other job areas (Queck 2011). Therefore, this paper is going to discuss the meaning a career and boundaryless career, the major challenges affecting graduates and their mechanisms of avoiding the setbacks. Additionally, it will also analyze the effects of volatile economy upon the graduates in their search for internships and jobs. Therefore, we define career as a form of profession that is taken by a person for certain duration with the purpose of personal development. On other hand, a boundaryless career entails those careers of changing companies, locations, jobs, specializations or industries. In other words, boundaryless careers have no bounds and it grants an individual the opportunity of movement. In addition, a person is able to define himself in accordance with his jo b rather than the company. This enables a person to guide their careers by adapting to the changing surroundings (Arthur 1997). Alternatively, several main contents of theoretical perspective influence graduates in boundaryless careers. ... Furthermore, opinion the persons who go against the society in terms of career development should not be ignored. This is backed by the career theory, which tries to comprehend the phenomena of careers and analyses aspects of careers beyond the usual confines of the society. However, I am against the argument that graduates should be offered employment they want and not the conventional grounds of traditional employment. This is because a number of factors have influenced the current graduates. For instance, demographic and workforce factors, changes in the organization structure and new trends in the job market. It is such attitudes of job discrimination that has prevented many graduates from securing jobs hence increasing the rate of unemployment. It is therefore, imperative to note that a theory such career theory backs boundaryless careers as it seeks to analyze the broader spectrum of career development (Lent & Brown 2005). Furthermore, this theory tries to break the traditional limitations of how society views careers. This theory incorporates among other issues career counseling that aims to understand the employee on how he finds the job and the challenges of doing the job (Shaikh 2011). This theory further aims to understand the networks of career development used by employees in boundaryless careers utilize to communicate. However, there critics of the career theory argue that it supports only pluralism instead of unity, which is unproductive for the worker and the organization. There are numerous challenges facing graduates in terms of securing internships and obtaining gainful employment. For example, there is the obstacle of

Comunication Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comunication Disorder - Essay Example This includes the difficulty in communicating our feelings and emotions with others. Such disorders not only affect our communicating ability, but also reduces our relationship with others. With this small introduction, now let us move on to the next part where we shall discuss about a specific communication disorder. In order to have a clear idea about this communication disorder, we shall begin with the definition of the term 'autism'. Autism is really a brain development disorder that affects our behavior in terms of communication, understanding and so on. It normally begins as a childhood disorder. How this occurs or the actual cause of it is not understood, but it is quite clear that it has a strong biological and genetic connection. Though this disorder leads to many problems like unequal social interaction, impairments in communication, restricted interests and repetitive behavior, as far as this paper is concerned the focus is on the effects of autism in communication. Autism affects and prevents the progression of good communication by decreasing the natural flow of speech. It prevents the growth of communicating skills. Some symptoms include delayed onset of babbling, unusual gestures, diminished responsiveness. Individuals affected with this disorder find it difficult with consonants, words and word combinations. Sometimes their gestures are less often integrated with words.

Employment Experiece Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Employment Experiece Journal - Essay Example of backlog in terms of my course works and assignments and made it more challenging for me especially in internalizing the various theories in the module. The things that I learnt about in this module will help in working in a global business environment. This will also be useful because modern firms, even those which don’t operate globally, have to work in a global arena and apply the tools that are necessary to operate in a global business environment. I was able to understand the various issues that are revenant in a modern business environment and how the global business environment came to be. Regardless of the many challenges that I had during the module, I was able to actually enjoy the module and I believe most of the things I learnt in the module will be useful in my future, either in employment or in operating my own business. Specifically, it is necessary to me because intent to start a web based business and operating a website is like operating a global business. Through this module and the personal research that I carried out, I am now able to help a business to identify the high volume area that it can used to access across worldwide market and use this as the basis if it is expanding to the international busine ss (Blyth & Zimmerman, 2005). This module was one of the most intriguing modules to study. I was able to learn a lot of things about modern marketing. Again, this module provided me with knowledge that wills be useful both in an employment environment as well as an entrepreneurial environment. While taking this module, I was able to have a few brainstorming with friends of mine and we were able to brainstorm on the various issues which were raised in the module and how valuable they are. This module provided me, and hopefully most of the other students, with a good foundation to roll out a successful career in marketing, especially with regard to modern business environment and global competitiveness. It was probably my deep interests in

Individual Experiencing Health & Social Care Essay - 1

Individual Experiencing Health & Social Care - Essay Example This protected mealtime initiative â€Å"encourages the suspension of all non-urgent clinical activity on wards during mealtimes. During this time patients can eat their meals without interruptions and nursing staff are available to offer help to those who need it. In the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report, it was recognized that the initiative had been successful and should be introduced in all hospitals.† (Nutritional Care Group Report 2008) This policy can only be effective, though, if the patients are able to eat most, if not all of the food that is meant for them. A good diet will go a long way in improving a patients chance to recover fully, and overcome malnutrition and the risk of inspection. Protecting mealtimes helps in tackling poor nutrition and can also reduce the long term costs of healthcare. Also, some Patients might have special dentition needs and may have difficulties eating hard food may need softer meals. Protected, regular meals taken in a calm, unhurried and social atmosphere will promote the eating of such soft meals. Thus, there can be marked improvement in the nutritional intake of these patients, especially those who can be moved from their bedrooms to a suitable dining area during the protected mealtimes. Protecting mealtimes also creates a social atmosphere of communal dining, which can support increased food consumption on the part of the patients due to encouragement and the interaction of the staff and patients. Communal Dining environments are often more â€Å"home-like† or usual experiences for patients than eating off an over bed tray, either in or beside a bed, which in turn supports optimal intake. According to Simon Williams, â€Å"Making sure that our patients get the opportunity to eat and enjoy appetizing and nutritious food is one of the most important aspects of nursing care. Research shows that over forty per cent of people who come

A MORE PERFECT UNION(speech by pres. OBAMA) Essay

A MORE PERFECT UNION(speech by pres. OBAMA) - Essay Example In classical and the 20th century, various authors such as Aristotle, Michael Foucault and Chaim Perelman wrote theories on rhetoric, which has been brought out in this speech. Obama’s speech echoes the rhetorical theories among them pathos, ethos and logos that are thoroughly argued out in Aristotle’s the writing. Through the use, of ethos, which Aristotle argues to be the aid a speaker’s credibility and character adds in influencing the audience; Obama did make use of his character and credibility as the former senator of Illinois to influence Americans to vote for him in his speech, a more perfect union. Similarly, President Obama strategically employs pathos, a rhetoric device that changes the perception of the audience through emotional appeal and storytelling. In his choice to use pathos, President Obama did not only win the support of the majority of the American population but also caught their attention on the need to disregard racism as a vice that tear s apart the United States. Lastly, the concept of logos also had a tremendous impact given its input in Obama’s presidential speech. This is the use of reason to make an argument and express an idea. Aristotle’s the rhetoric gives a detailed account of this device. In his presidential speech, a more perfect union, President Obama used the argument on the need of unity among American citizens irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds for the common good of the United States as a whole (blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/03/18/text-of-obamas-speech-a-more-perfect-union). The success of president Obama ion delivering such an effective was founded on the factual information that he included in it. The breakthrough in Ethos is also based on biological, social, spiritual and intellectual levels. In his presidential speech, president Obama achieves this by use of historical references as well as interpolating to

Individual Experiencing Health & Social Care Essay - 1

Individual Experiencing Health & Social Care - Essay Example This protected mealtime initiative â€Å"encourages the suspension of all non-urgent clinical activity on wards during mealtimes. During this time patients can eat their meals without interruptions and nursing staff are available to offer help to those who need it. In the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report, it was recognized that the initiative had been successful and should be introduced in all hospitals.† (Nutritional Care Group Report 2008) This policy can only be effective, though, if the patients are able to eat most, if not all of the food that is meant for them. A good diet will go a long way in improving a patients chance to recover fully, and overcome malnutrition and the risk of inspection. Protecting mealtimes helps in tackling poor nutrition and can also reduce the long term costs of healthcare. Also, some Patients might have special dentition needs and may have difficulties eating hard food may need softer meals. Protected, regular meals taken in a calm, unhurried and social atmosphere will promote the eating of such soft meals. Thus, there can be marked improvement in the nutritional intake of these patients, especially those who can be moved from their bedrooms to a suitable dining area during the protected mealtimes. Protecting mealtimes also creates a social atmosphere of communal dining, which can support increased food consumption on the part of the patients due to encouragement and the interaction of the staff and patients. Communal Dining environments are often more â€Å"home-like† or usual experiences for patients than eating off an over bed tray, either in or beside a bed, which in turn supports optimal intake. According to Simon Williams, â€Å"Making sure that our patients get the opportunity to eat and enjoy appetizing and nutritious food is one of the most important aspects of nursing care. Research shows that over forty per cent of people who come

Product Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Product Report - Essay Example Apple has designed the latest model of an iPod with video capability. This makes it stand out for it does not only serve the purpose of listening to music but also watch videos. However, it would be better if this gadget contains a digital camera incorporated into it. This will make life even better, and people will not have to carry a digital camera. (Ireland et al, 2008) For this reason, am marketing a new design of an iPod by the name iPod Camera/ Video. This iPod has an added advantage for it contains a three in one service. Despite its nature, the price is very considerate which makes the gadget affordable. This is because from a range of $ 165 dollars a customer can obtain one depending on its disk space. Additionally, this product is very competitive in the market for it offers a twenty-four hour of music play back. Moreover, it has a huge storage capacity enabling individuals to store more than two thousand song, eight thousand images, and nine hours of video recording. (Irel and et al, 2008) To be able to buy iPod Camera/ Video a person has to visit the Apples customer care shops around the country. In these shops, the marketers will be able to sell the product and explain all the necessary information to customers. Such information will include how to use and maintain the iPod. Moreover, the sales and marketing agents in the Apple Company will be holding an outside market every weekend in the town center. The iPod Camera/ Video will be beneficial to all people irrespective of age and classes. However, it will be even more advantageous to the young people thus the sales and marketing agents will be going round in the institutions of learning to market the product. The iPod has three months guarantee, clear product description and a unique logo to help the customers distinguish the real iPod Camera/ Video from the counterfeits. This will enable the iPod to reach a hundred million marks in sales. This stems from referring back to other market analysis con ducted by the Apple Company that clearly manifests high rate of sales in other brands of iPod. Therefore, iPod Camera/ Video by being a new and modified product in the market will record even more market sales within a very short duration of time. However, this does not mean it will be the last brand of the iPod since the iPod family has been evolving since the first original launch in the year 2001. (Ireland et al, 2008) Lastly, the SWOT analysis of iPod Camera/ Video comprises of its brand perception, price, better quality control implementation, strong competition and major competitors among others. Brand perception clearly manifests the Apple Company as being very innovative when it comes to selling and manufacturing of their products. This makes it give a wider access to a series of brands that they continue to invent occasionally. Their brand stands out against all the other companies hence, it has registered in peoples mind that all their iPod brands are the best quality prod uct. (Ireland et al, 2008) Secondly, better quality control implementation reveals that Apple Inc. device quality control procedures to enable them to provide magical and revolutionary quality products to its consumers. However, the Apple Company that produces the iPod faces a huge competition in the current globe oligopoly from other companies such as Samsung, Nokia and dell among others. In addition, the political and financial crisis also adds to the apples challenges. This

Impetus to Department of Homeland Security Essay Example for Free

Impetus to Department of Homeland Security Essay Abstract This is a case study into the impetus of The Department of Homeland Security due to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the increase awareness of terrorist attacks. This study will also cover the Oklahoma City and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and why it did not have the full impact or awareness of the 9/11 attack. Also, the study will try inject ways that the two earlier kinds of attacks could have been prevented according to the protection strategy in place today. Title of Paper (Does not Count as Heading) The word terrorist and terrorism is synonymous in that they both are used as violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. The 9/11 attack on The World Trade Center serves as a prime example to the type of terror that Americans have never witness before. It showed that our great nation was venerable to a new kind of attack where people do not value life but value their pursuit of life, liberty, and justice much more. These are the type of organization or people who will die for a justice cause. These very people lead to the Impetus of The Department of Homeland Security. The main reason the 9/11 attack was so gruesome was the fact that the organization did not need weapons of mass destruction to accomplish it goal. The organized group of the Taliban or Al Qaeda, as known by some, was able to commandeer two 747 planes and launch an attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This was a strategic threat that was well plan and the funding of it leader Osama bin Laden. These types of suicide missions that were televised to the nation through the media signified the dawn of a new kind of threat and that a new kind of organization or rational think had to be formed. This formidable threat lead to the formation of the Department of Homeland Security with the expressed mission of keeping our people, cyber, and critical infrastructure safe from terrorists and natural disasters. This is the third largest federal department that encompasses state, local, and the private sector. Of course this is not the first time that our soil has been threatened by extremist or terrorist groups. For example, on the morning of April 19, 1995, an ex-Army soldier and security guard named Timothy McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City(n.d.). He was about to commit mass murder. Inside the vehicle was a powerful bomb made out of a deadly cocktail of agricultural fertilizer, diesel fuel, and other chemicals(n.d.). McVeigh got out, locked the door, and headed towards his getaway car(n.d.). He ignited one timed fuse, then another. McVeigh’s anger with the federal government on how his colleagues was treated at the Waco incident cause massive destruction and the loss of 168 human beings lives. Although, this was one of the worst home grown act of terrorist it did not gain that much dramatic impact from society and politicians because it was small scale and did not appear to have the funding to escalate to large scale terrorism. It also did not have the mass appeal of the 9/11 incident that was broadcast to the nation. Only the after mass was on display. Plus the ingredients used in making the bomb were your everyday garden variety, not weapons of mass destruction. Another example of the destructive nature of a terrorist group was the bombing of the Epicenter Parking Center under the World Trade Center. On Friday, February 26, 1993, Middle Eastern terrorism had arrived on American soil with a bang(n.d.). A small group of Islamic terrorist detonated a bomb that caused a massive crater killing 6 people and injuring thousands of others. The intent was to topple one building into the other collapsing both. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had intelligence information on this group but did not foresee them as a threat. Again, this incident did not have the dramatic impact as the 9/11 attack because the group was small scale and did not have the funding to inflict the damage of weapons of mass destruction. There were no ties to a large terrorist group with unlimited funding and followers. In both of these examples as stated neither gain the grandeur nature of the 9/11 attack because of they were not televised live as the event occurred, they did not have the notoriety or followers as Taliban or Al Qaeda terrorist group, they not have the funding of group capable of amassing weapons of mass destruction, and they were not the all for nothing suicidal group that would have giving their life for a cause. What we have in place today that could have thwart the attacks in the examples are different agencies are task with investigating specific areas and that is what they specialize in. For example, if one department had the responsibility of investigating the intelligent on the Islamic terrorist group they would have been more inclined to have arrested the group before they did any damage. The deployment of explosive sniffing dogs at critical infrastructure sites may have been able to detect the bombs before they were detonated. Surveillance camera located at critical location may a detected the vans being abandon for an undetermined time and helped to identify those involved. Quotations (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/february/tradebom_022608 References http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing Gaines, Larry K., and Victor E. Kappeler. Homeland security. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.

The Polymerase Chain Reaction Pcr

The Polymerase Chain Reaction Pcr The polymerase chain reaction was first developed in 1983 by Kary Mullis. This reaction is commonly used in molecular biology to amplify and generate thousands to millions of copies of specific DNA sequences across several orders of magnitude (4-1). It relies on thermal cycling, consisting of cycles of denaturation, primer (short DNA fragment) annealing and primer extension (4-7). PCR can also be used for the analysis of RNA sequences and to qualitatively detect RNA expression levels through creation of complementary DNA (cDNA) transcripts from RNA by use of reverse transcriptase. This technique is called reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) (5-2). Although PCR and RT-PCR have revolutionized many areas of biomedical science, they are not suitable for the quantitative analysis of analysis of samples. Hence, real-time or quantitative PCR (qPCR) techniques need to be employed (5-8, 5-9). RT- qPCR distinguishes itself from other methods available for gene expression, such as northern-blot analysis, ribonuclease (RNase) protection assay and competitive RT-PCR, in term of accuracy, sensitivity and fast results (2,6). RT-qPCR does not required post-amplification manipulation and it can produce quantitative data with wide dynamic range of detection (7 to 8 logs). In addition, RT-qPCR assay is 10,000 to 100,000-fold more sensitive than RNase protection assays and 1000-fold more sensitive than dot blot hybridization (3). RT- qPCR also can even detect a single copy of a specific transcript and can reliably detect gene expression differences as small as 23% between samples (3-6, 3-7). Furthermore, it has lower coefficients variation (cv; TaqMan at 24%; SYBR Green at 14.2%) than end point assays such as probe hybridization and band densitometry (45.1%; 44.9% respectively) (3-8). RT- qPCR can differentiate between messenger RNAs (mRNAs) with almost identical sequences and requires much less RNA template than other methods of gene expression analysis. Because of this, RT- qPCR has established itself as the gold standard for the detection and quantification of RNA targets (1-2,2). Furthermore, it is firmly established as a mainstream research technology (1-3). However, the major disadvantage of RT-qPCR is that required expensive equipment and reagents (3). The principle of RT-qPCR is straight forward: following the reverse transcription of RNA in to cDNA, it needs an appropriate detection chemistry to dete ct the presence of PCR products, an instrument to monitor the amplification in real-time and compatible software for quantitative analysis. RT- qPCR is characterized by the point in time during cycling when a PCR product amplification is first detected (Figure 1, 1). A direct relationship between the starting copy number of the nucleic acid target and the time required to observe fluorosence increasing. Nowadays, there are four fluorescent DNA probes available for RT-qPCR detection of PCR products: TaqMan, SYBR Green, Molecular Beacons, and Scorpions. All of them generate a florescent signal to allow the detection of PCR products. While the TaqMan probes, SYBR Green, Molecular Beacons, and Scorpions generation of fluorescence depend on Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) coupling of the dye molecule and a quencher moiety to the oligonucleotide substrates, the SYBR Green dye simply emits its fluorescent signal by binding to the double-strand DNA in solution (5-34). As RT-qPCR has extremely high sensitivity and reproducibility, in depth understanding of normalization techniques is imperative for accurate conclusions (6). Normalization of gene expression data is an essential component of a reliable RT-qPCR assay and it is used to control for error between samples (7,3). This error could be introduced at one or more stages throughout the experimental protocol; (input sample, RNA extraction, etc.) however, there are many strategies to control this error ( please, read the discussion section strategies for more details). Currently, internal control genes, which are often referred to as housekeeping genes, are most frequently used to normalize the messenger RNA (mRNA) fraction. This housekeeping gene should remain constant in the tissues on cells under investigation, or in response to experimental treatment (8, 8-69, 8-70, 6,7). In addition, the ideal housekeeping genes should by stably expressed, and their abundances should show strong correlation w ith mRNA total amounts present in the samples (8). Consequently, normalization against a single housekeeping gene in not acceptable and can falsely bias results unless the researchers present clear evidence for the reviewers that confirms its invariant expressions conditions described (3,8-71,8-73). In this study we carried out an evaluation the gene expression of three commonly used housekeeping genes (GAPDH, ÃŽÂ ²-action, ALAS1) in three different cell lines which are derived from T-cell leukemia, B-cell lymphoma and myeloid leukemia, using RT-qPCR as an analytical tool. Our goal was to recognize a housekeeping gene with minimal variability under different experimental conditions. Materials and Methods: Samples, RNA handling and isolation: Cell line pellets (5-10X106 cells) which have been frozen in 0.5 ml TRIsure Reagent (Bioline code BIO-38033). Cell lines are: Jurkat, CEM-C7 and MOLT-4 (all T-cell leukemia-derived); SKW 6.4, BJAB and JeKo-1 (all B-cell lymphoma-derived); and HL-60, NB4 and K562 (all derived from myeloid leukemia). RNA was isolated from cell pellets using Trizol procedure. However, isolating and handling RNA ask for special precautions because naked RNA is highly susceptible to degradation by ribonucleases (RNases) (1). RNases are found everywhere and they are very stable and active enzymes that do not require metal ion co-factors to function and can maintain activity even after prolonged autoclaving or boiling. So that, all equipment and reagents should be treated to inactive RNases prior to use. Wearing gloves while handling reagents and RNA samples, changing gloves frequently, keeping tubes closed whenever possible and keeping isolated RNA on ice when aliquots are pipetted for downstream applications could prevent RNase contamination. We are used sterile, disposable plastic ware and they were RNase-free and do not require pretreatment to inactive RNAses (8-46,8-47). The quantity of the isolated RNA was determined by nanodrop spectrophotometry (absorbance at 260 nm of a 40ÂÂ µg/ml soluti on of RNA is 1.0) using nuclease-free water as a blank. A sample was reserved for quality assurance (see below) and the remainder was stored at -80 degree centigrade for one week. Gel electrophoresis (quality assurance of RNA) : The quality of the isolated RNA was verified by agarose gel electrophoresis. The gel was run at 100V for 30 minutes and photograph under UV transillumination. DNA digestion: A DNase digestion step was performed as a precaution using RQ1 RNase-free DNase kit although the TRIzol method generally results in RNA which is essentially free from genomic DNA (2). A sample was reserved for reverse transcription (see below) and the remainder was stored at -80 degree centigrade. Reverse transcription: 11 ÂÂ µL of DNase-treated sample was reverse transcripted, using Superscript II reverse transcriptase, to complementary (cDNA) by random hexamer priming.