Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Anti Abortion Essay - 2212 Words

Since the Darwinian Revolution of the 19th century our society has turned upside down. Everything under the sun had become questionable, the origin of life, how we came to be, where are we headed and what to do in the here all became questions in life. But one of the greatest impacts of this new age thinking is its effect on our Old World values. Western societies values, morals and ethics became debatable, with some people striving for change and others clinging for stability. Battle lines had been drawn and the Liberals and Conservatives were ready to duke it out on a number of issues. One of these debates centers on a woman?s right to have and abortion. According to the Webster?s dictionary and abortion is defined as a miscarry,†¦show more content†¦The Biblical understanding of life isn?t the only religious argument that opposes abortion and its practice. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and many other world faiths have a similar stance on the topic at hand. Hinduism claims tha t the soul enters the embryo at the time of conception and abortion should hence be outlawed except in the case of rape or incest. Buddhism takes a similar stance and claims abortion is ?murdering?, yet also states that each case should be individually analyzed. Islam considers abortion as a moral crime and sees life (its start finish) as the jurisdiction of God. Islamic law states that abortion is illegal except in those situations in which the woman?s life is in jeopardy. The question that arises after examining these numerous perspectives is how can these practices which violate or threaten our fundamental beliefs be tolerated? The critics of the ant-abortion perspective, ?pro-choice?, have arguments of their own. First and foremost they argue that biblical law and its perspectives are codes of life for believers and in a pluralistic society this view shouldn?t be a reference or a deciding factor. One could imagine how it would be to have another foreign view imposed on us so why would anyone impose their views on others or the society at large? Other pro-choice arguments have went to claim that abortion isn?t immoral because morality is subjective hence people decide on their own what isShow MoreRelatedAbortion : Abortion And Anti Abortion1624 Words   |  7 Pagesa very large controversy between the ideas about abortion and anti-abortion. Different religious views, beliefs, peoples many different customs and even people of different cultures all have their own preferences and ideas on the take of this political issue. Views against abortion can lead to as much of an impact as a violent/non violent riots outside of an abortion clinics, to something as simple article in the newspaper. The belief on abortion that leads to a lot of the controversy is that inRead MoreAbortion : Abortion Or Anti Abortion1082 Words   |  5 Pages Abortion is among one of the world’s greatest debates. Americans hold the notion that someone is either pro-abortion or anti -abortion; there is no in-between. There is so much research to support both sides of the issue. For those who support abortion there is research that says that the choice belongs to every woman. There are certain circumstances that support this claim. A woman’s choice to have an abortion is her right. Is it right? Is it murder? There are countless people that view abortionRead MorePro Abortion (Anti Abortion Rebuttal) Essay888 Words   |  4 PagesPro Abortion Abortion is defined as the expulsion of a fetus by a pregnant female before the normal end of a pregnancy. Many times and in most cases, specifically in the article titled â€Å"ABORTION† by Jimmyissmart on oppapers.com, abortion is seen as an act of violence and inhumane murder. It is mainly for this reason why people who are anti- abortion support their point of view. However, to murder the victim must first be alive, but what is the meaning of life? According to dictionary.com life isRead MorePro And Anti Abortion Controversy4704 Words   |  19 Pagespro and anti abortion Controversy 1970-1990 In the photo to the Left we can see women marching in protest for REPEAL, these women are Pro-Choice and wanted to change the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act. In the photo to the Right we can see Pro-Lifers marching in the ‘Rally for Life’ with banners protesting to abortion. Leading up to the Controversy Leading up to the Controversy in the 70s and 80s - An introduction to where it all Began Before the abortion debates in the 70s to 80sRead MoreAn Anti-Abortion Discussion Essay655 Words   |  3 PagesAn Anti-Abortion Discussion A woman walks into an abortion clinic one day and has a partial birth abortion. She walks out a few hours later, child-ridden, drugged up on painkillers, and maybe a little tired. The baby was killed and disposed of. Meanwhile another femaleRead MoreThe Standard Anti Abortion Argument932 Words   |  4 PagesThomson brings up the standard anti-abortion argument. Every person has a right to life. A fetus is a person. Which means a fetus has a right to life. Therefore abortion is wrong. Thomson does not understand the jump from a fetus having a right to life to abortion being wrong. She believes that the fetus being a person or not is irrelevant to the argument. And abortion is based more on the rights of the woman, fetus, and who has more of the right of ownership of the woman’s body (Thomson 47-48).Read MoreThe Texas Anti-Abortion Law is Unconstitutional Essay1189 Words   |  5 Pages The Texas anti-abortion law has taken the country’s attention by storm. It is an issue on many different woman’s minds, especially those who live in the state of Texas. The new laws are forcing many woman to have to cross state lines in order to receive an abortion and medical care. This includes woman who needs abortions due to preexisting medical conditions and those who are carrying fetuses which are diseased and are expected not to be born as healthy babies. The Texas Governor Rick Perry andRead MoreThe Anti Abortion Movement Of The United States Essay2176 Words   |  9 PagesPolitics: What Everyone Needs To Know, Rickie Solinger outlines the history of anti-abortion sentiment in the U.S. Solinger establishes that while abortion began to be criminalized in the mid 1800’s, it was not until the early 1900’s that abortion had been made fully illegal in the United States (Solinger 2015). The rhetoric advocating for the â€Å"protection of women† t hat Solinger describes is similar to much of the anti-choice rhetoric we see today. Solinger states â€Å"Arguments in favor of criminalizationRead MoreAbortion Matters of Life and Death Casts Dispersions on Both Pro-Abortion and Anti-Abortion Debates1980 Words   |  8 PagesAbortion A. Jonathan Glover, in his article Matters of Life and Death casts dispersions on both pro-abortion and anti-abortion debates citing them as too knee-jerk emotional reactions diminishing the inherent complexity of the other side (1. Glover, CC2006, p. 0110). Glover comprehensively addresses the key points of both sides of the abortion debate and evaluates their inherent virtues, especially for those who hold these opinions, then methodically points out its flaws. Ultimately, Glover comesRead MorePro Life, Does Not Mean `` Anti Abortion951 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Pro-Life† does not mean â€Å"Anti-Abortion† It is 2016 and with the anniversary of â€Å"Roe v. Wade† past us, the citizens of this free country continue to oppose on the issue of whether abortion should be legal in the United States. Because many people argue that termination of pregnancy is murder, they believe that it is just to penalize those who support pro-choice law, however it is unjust to prevent a woman from making her own decisions when it comes to her body. Most of these arguments are advocated

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Evolution Of Young Earth Creationism - 1698 Words

Young earth creationism is what most people mean when referring to â€Å"creationism.† This is primarily due to the fact that the creationists most visible in the public eye during the creation-evolution debate were most likely to hold young earth creationist views. Additionally, the terms â€Å"recent earth† or â€Å"recent creation† have been used to refer to this same position. These terms clearly define their position as one in which the creation of the world occurred somewhat recently, that is, the world is young. However, it obviously doesn t provide us with much information beyond that. To begin with, how young is the world? In order to help answer this and other questions concerning young earth creationism, biologist and philosopher of science†¦show more content†¦The next point Nelson and Reynolds make is one of disagreement between young earth and progressive creationists. Concerning the impact of the curse in Genesis 3, young earth creationist s typically view this point to be the entrance of all death and suffering to the world. Progressive creationists, however, consider there to be a long period of time between the creation of the world and the introduction of sin into the world. Because of this length of time, progressive creationists consider animal death and suffering to have occurred long before the first humans sinned. The question of animal death and suffering prior to the fall of mankind is one that will be discussed in further detail when looking at the old earth positions According to Nelson and Reynolds, the strongest point of contention between young earth and progressive creationists is that of the flood. Young earth creationists generally view the account of the flood as actually having occurred. Other positions, however, progressive included, consider it a metaphor, or myth which has theological implications, but does not describe any actual historical events. The open philosophy of science is key toShow MoreRelatedThe World And The Word By Eugene Merrill, Mark Rooker And Michael Grisanti1299 Words   |  6 Pagesof creation; how exactly was the earth created? Creationism and evolution have become progressively more controversial within the Christian body. In The World And The Word by Eugene Merrill, Mark Rooker and Michael Grisanti explains the three major positions on the creation of the universe: the theistic evolution, in which absolute evolution and natural selection occur, old-earth creationism, involving divine intervention and evolution, and young-earth creationism, consisting of six solar days (180)Read MoreCreationism : Creationism And Creationism1193 Words   |  5 Pagesworld there are arguments on what is right and wrong when it comes to creationism. There are different ways to look at creationism. There’s young earth creationism, old earth creationism, intelligent design, and theistic creationism. The first known u se of creationism was in 1880. In a washington post poll studies found that 58% of Americans believe in creationism, while 42% believe in evolution. Different types of creationism can have different effects on society today. It divides society onRead MoreDiscussions and Arguments of Old Earth vs Young Earth Creationism1239 Words   |  5 PagesINTRODUCTION 1 ATHEISTIC EVOLUTION 1 THEISTIC EVOLUTION 1 OLD EARTH CREATIONISM 1 YOUNG EARTH CREATIONISM 2 COPERNICAN PRINCIPLE 2 EVOLUTIONISM 2 YOUNG EARTH AND OLD EARTH CREATIONISM ARGUMENTS 3 PERSONAL VIEW 4 CONCLUSION 4 BIBLIOGRAPHY 5 INTRODUCTION Evolution theories have been around for a long time. There have also been a lot of old- and young Earth creationism arguments. These theories and arguments are discussed in this paper. ATHEISTIC EVOLUTION Atheistic evolution can be definedRead MoreThe Debate Between Evolution and Creationism1648 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween creationism vs. evolution consist of, the thought that it is ‘â€Å"God did it† vs. â€Å"Natural processes did it,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Scott, 2004) may arise. Science cannot absolutely prove or disprove Creation or Evolution. Yet scientist and the remainder of society use creationism and evolution to prove our existence. Creationist believe in the Christian account of the origin as recorded in Genesis. Creationism is the belief that statements such as â€Å"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth† (NIV) foundRead More Creationism vs. Evolution Essays1663 Words   |  7 PagesCreationism vs. Evolution This paper will focus on the huge controversy between Creationism and Evolution. I will provide two opposing viewpoints on this subject. First, the discussion will focus on the question of why many people believe that God created the universe and all living things. On the other end of the spectrum, scientific information will be presented that substantiates the evidence against the existence of God. This creationism counter-argument known as evolution has itsRead MoreCreationism: The Center of Our Universe and Life Essay examples1605 Words   |  7 Pagesthat through the theory of evolution life began. However the world’s most popular book is the Bible. The Bible is also on almost every critics top ten list of books that should be read. So how can the world’s most popular book be wrong? Many who have read the Bible believe that only through the power of God life began upon the Earth. There are many people who do not believe in the theory of evolution and instead believe in the power of divine creationism. Creationism is a belief that Deity or GodRead MoreCharles Darwin s Views On Evolution And Evolution1275 Words   |  6 Pagestwo or more events, in which the occurrence of one, precludes the occurrence of the other. Creationism and evolution are two notions that can be viewed as mutually exclusive or non-mutually exclusive, depending on the evidence that you are provided with as well as one’s personal beliefs. In order to appreciate this concept it is important to understand the meanings of both opposing arguments. Creationism is the belief that the universe and living creatures originate from specific acts of divineRead MoreThe Theory of Evolution Essay1353 Words   |  6 PagesThe ongoing scientific investigation of how exactly evolution occurred and continues to occur has been an argumentative idea amongst society since Darwin first articulated it over a century ago. The scientific basis of evolution accounts for happenings that are also essential concerns of religion; both religion and science focus on the origins of humans and of biological diversity. For instance, in the reading â€Å"Truth Cannot Contradict Truth,† Pope John Paul II, addressing the Pontifical Academy ofRead MoreUnderstanding Darwin s Theory Of Evolution1342 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science – in all of biology,† claims Bill Nye. Creation versus evolution is a controversial subject. Is creation a reliable model of origins to teach children in today’s scientific era? Where I stand on it is no it is not a reliable model. The reasons that evolution is a reliable model and creation is not a reliable model of origins are because the belief in religion is decreasing, court cases, and the possibility of teaching both in school. To giveRead MoreThe And Evolution Between Creationism And Creationism1023 Words   |  5 Pageswith the opportunity to make their own decisions? According to the laws and court decisions as of today, it is highly unlikely that Creationism will be granted equal time in the biology classroom any time soon. The Ohio standards for science include evolution as a core component mandating that biology teachers incorporate natural selection and the history of life on earth as part of the curriculum. One strategy, presented by the National Center for Science Education is teaching the information and the

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Impairment Loss For Cash Generating for Treatment - MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theImpairment Loss For Cash Generating Units for Treatment. Answer: Impairment Loss For Cash Generating Units Excluding Goodwill Meaning of Impairment and treatment As per the common parlance the impairment is defined as the term to denote the reduction in the value of an asset. It means whenever the value of an asset is decreased from its book value then it may be called as the Impairment of an asset. As per the International Accounting Standard number thirty six on the Impairment of asset which was re issued in the month of March two thousand and four, the impairment is defined as the amount by which the amount of the carrying value of the asset is in excess of the recoverable amount of that asset. The carrying value of an asset is defined as the value at which the asset is recorded in the balance sheet of the company and is also known as the book value of an asset at the particular point of time. Carrying amount is identified by deducting the accumulated depreciation and the impairment loss from the book value of an asset (AASB 136, 2011). Impairment loss is treated as expenditure. On one hand it is charged to the Statement for Profit and Loss and on the other hand it is deducted from the asset value as shown in the Balance Sheet. Meaning of Recoverable Amount As per the common parlance, recoverable amount is the amount which can be recovered from the asset after selling in the market. In accordance with the provisions of the International Accounting Standard number thirty six, recoverable amount is the amount equivalent to the higher of the following: Net Selling Price and Value in Use Net Selling price is defined as the difference of the fair value of an asset and the cost incurred to dispose of the asset. Fair value of asset is the amount which the asset if sold in the market would be able to fetch. In terms of the International Financial Reporting Standard number 13, the fair value is amount which will be received for selling the asset or the amount which will be paid to set off the related liability in the transactions which normally takes place during the ordinary course of business at the particular point of time. Cost of disposal is the amount is the amount which is incurred to sell or dispose of the asset. Value in Use is defined as the present value of the cash flows which will be expected to be generated from the asset or the cash generating units in the future. Present value is calculated at the rate defined as per the internal rate of return of the company or the cost of capital. The above shall be calculated for each individual asset separately and in case the recoverable amount is not identifiable for the individual asset then it shall be calculated using the concept of cash generating units. Meaning of Cash Generating Unit and its Identification- Cash generating unit is defined as the small group of the asset which can be identified as pertaining to the same class of assets. The cash flows generated by one cash generating unit will be totally independent of the cash flows derived from other group of assets or class of assets. The concept of inclusion of cash generating unit in this standard has been emphasized because of the fact that there are certain assets which are not able to generate the cash flows on their own rather they require the help of other assets to generate the cash flows. Therefore, the individuals assets are grouped into the unit which further helps in identifying the cash flows and thus has been defined as the cash Generating Units. Sometimes also they are clubbed into one cash generating unit when there are chances that the asset cannot be disposed off separately (IAS 36, 2014) . For instance, the colleges of the Australian University have their own canteens and the cafeterias where they give the food and other eatables to the students in the college hours. It is the policy of the university that the contract to operate and run the canteen of all colleges shall be allocated to one contractor. Out of the twelve canteens, seven canteens are profitable and five canteens are non profitable and thus they are clubbed as one cash generating unit. Calculation of Impairment Loss for Cash Generating Units excluding Goodwill: If goodwill of the company cannot be allocated to cash generating units on the basis of reasonableness then the impairment test will be followed and there arises the four situations: Goodwill and corporate assets of the company are not allocable Only goodwill will be allocable Only Corporate Assets will be allocable Only some corporate assets will be allocable. The impairment loss in the first situation will be identified by going through the following steps: First of all the cash generating unit will be identified to which the particular assets is related Indentifying and determining the future cash flows and determine the value in use Identifying the recoverable amount for each cash generating unit Finding out the recoverable amount as the higher of the value as determined in step (b) and step (c). Carrying amount will be mentioned and it will be only of the cash generating units as the goodwill is nit allocable Determining the impairment loss for the cash generating unit only as the difference between the value defined in step (d) and step (e) Determine the revised carrying amount by deducting the impairment loss as defined in step (f) from the value as defined in step (e) Identify the larger cash generating unit with their carrying amount to which the goodwill can be allocated fairly and reasonably. Calculating the recoverable amount of the larger cash generating unit Calculate the carrying amount of the larger cash generating unit and calculate the impairment loss by deducting the carrying amount from the recoverable amount as determined in step (i). The amount of impairment loss will first be allocate to the goodwill and then to the corporate and other assets. For Example ABC Company acquired XYZ Company at 600 million dollar. The company has two cash generating X and Y having the fair value of 240 million dollar and 160 million dollar. Goodwill is recognized at 120 million dollar. Recoverable amount of X and Y has been estimated at 200 and 140 million dollar respectively. Calculate the impairment loss if the carrying amount of X and Y are 260 and 180 million dollar respectively. Answer Particulars X Y Total (Amount in Million Dollar) (Amount in Million Dollar) Net Fair Value 240 160 400 Pro Rate (%) 60 40 Net Carrying Amount 260 180 440 Recoverable Amount 200 140 340 Impairment Loss 60 40 100 References AASB 136, (2011), Impairment of Assets, available on https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB136_07-04_COMPjun09_01-10.pdf accessed on 25-05-2017. IAS 36, (2014), Impairment of Assets available on https://www.iasplus.com/en/standards/ias/ias36 accessed on 25-05-2017.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

William Bryant Essays - William Cullen Bryant, Thanatopsis

William Bryant William Cullen Bryant was born in Cummington, Massachusetts on November 3, 1794. His home in Cummington was surrounded by brooks, rivers, rocky hills, and woods. Bryant's mother was Sarah Snell Bryant. His father, Doctor Peter Bryant, was a strict Calvinist who loved poetry, music, and was also one of the strongest men in the countryside. As a child, Bryant was sickly, but his father's training turned him into a husky boy. Bryant attended the district schools until he was twelve. Then, he studied Greek and Latin. In 1810, Bryant spent a year at William's College. In 1811, Bryant began to study law, and in 1815 he was admitted to the bar. After some private study, he practiced law in Barrington, Massachusetts. Poetry wasn't a practical occupation for Bryant, so he continued working as a lawyer and a justice of the peace in Massachusetts until he moved to New York City in 1825. Considered a child-prodigy, Bryant published his first poem at age ten and his first book at age thirteen. All of Bryant's early poetry was published in the early nineteenth century, and he found his subject in the American landscape, especially that of New England. Bryant's first draft of ?Thanatopsis?, an elegy, was written between 1813 and 1814, when Bryant was seventeen years old. Other early poems include ?To Waterfowl?, Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood?, and ?The Yellow Violet?, which were all written before he was twenty-one. A few years after Bryant wrote ?Thanatopsis? and ?To a Waterfowl?, Doctor Peter Bryant found them in a desk and sent them to The North American Review. Bryant's father helped to publish Bryant's first book, Embargo. Most materials published between 1818-1825 were previously written poems now submitted, since Bryant was known for editing his work for quite some time before submissions. ?Thanatopsis? first appeared in The North American Review in 1817. Interested in technique, Bryant published ?On the Use of Trisyllabic Feet in Iambic Verse? in 1819. In 1821, Bryant was invited to read the Phi Beta Kappa poem at the Harvard College commencement. Also in 1821, he married Frances Fairchild. In 1825, Bryant moved his family to New York City to become editor of The New York Review. By this year, he was known as the finest poet in the United States. In 1826, after a year as editor on The New York Review, Bryant became an editor-in-chief at The Evening Post, a New York paper. The Evening Post was established by the ?Federalist Party Stalwart?, Alexander Hamilton. Bryant had great influence on The New York Evening Post. In fact, Bryant's editorials made The Evening Post one of the most respected papers in the country. At first, Bryant stood with the Democrats on national affairs, but he finally broke with them on the slavery issue. By 1840, Bryant had largely abandoned poetry to become one of the country's leading advocates for the abolition of slavery. In 1856, Bryant assembled the paper to Republican cause. In 1863, The Evening Post and Bryant influenced Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Also, Bryant introduced Abraham Lincoln before an audience at Cooper Union in New York. In Bryant's later life, he traveled widely, made many public speeches, and continued to write a few poems, such as ?The Death of Flowers?, ?To a Fringed Gentian?, and ?The Battlefield?. After the death of his wife in 1866, Bryant resumed translating The Iliad, completed in 1870, and thereafter, The Odyssey, completed in 1872. In 1876 he published a final collected edition. Bryant continued to pursue editorial work for a total of fifty years. In his book Lectures on Poetry, which was delivered in 1825 and published in 1884, he emphasized the values of simplicity, original imagination, and morality. In 1878, after attending the dedication of a bust of himself in New York, William Cullen Bryant died, rich and successful. Conclusion Although William Cullen Bryant led a prosperous life, he is regarded as falling somewhat short of his potential. Because of this, his place in literary history is not altogether secure. Bryant lacked epics, elegies, and verse drama in his poetry, causing critics to not give him categorical honors. Nevertheless, even though he published very little as he became more and more involved in the journalistic life, he was remarkably popular in his time. He was even at one time named as a candidate for President. Introduction William Cullen Bryant was a defender of human rights and a supporter of free trade, the abolition of slavery, and

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Biography of Calvin Coolidge, the 13th US President

Biography of Calvin Coolidge, the 13th US President Calvin Coolidge was the 30th President of the United States. He is often described as unusually quiet, though he was known for his dry sense of humor. Coolidge was a small-government Republican who was popular among conservative middle-class voters. Calvin Coolidges Childhood and Education Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872, in Plymouth, Vermont. His father was a storekeeper and local public official. Coolidge attended a local school before enrolling in 1886 at the Black River Academy in Ludlow, Vermont. He studied at Amherst College from 1891-95. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1897. Family Ties Coolidge was born to John Calvin Coolidge, a farmer and storekeeper, and Victoria Josephine Moor. His father  was a justice of the peace and actually delivered  the oath of office to his son when he won the presidency. His mother died when Coolidge was 12. He had one sister named  Abigail Gratia Coolidge. Sadly, she died at age 15. On October 5, 1905, Coolidge married  Grace Anna Goodhue. She was well educated and ended up getting a degree from the Clarke School for the Deaf in Massachusetts where she taught elementary aged children until her marriage. Together she and Coolidge had two sons:  John Coolidge and Calvin Coolidge, Jr. Calvin Coolidges Career Before the Presidency Coolidge practiced law and became an active Republican in Massachusetts. He began his political career on the Northampton City Council (1899-1900). From 1907-08, he was a member of the Massachusetts General Court. He then became Mayor of Northampton in 1910. In 1912, he was elected to be a Massachusetts State Senator. From 1916-18, he was the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and, in 1919, he won the Governors seat. He then ran with Warren Harding to become Vice President in 1921. Becoming the President Coolidge succeeded to the presidency on August 3, 1923, when Harding died from a heart attack. In 1924, Coolidge was nominated to run for president by the Republicans with Charles Dawes as his running mate. Coolidge ran against Democrat John Davis and Progressive Robert M. LaFollette. In the end, Coolidge won with 54% of the popular vote and 382 out of 531 electoral votes. Events and Accomplishments of Calvin Coolidge’s Presidency Coolidge governed during a relative calm and peaceful period between the two world wars. Nevertheless, his conservative beliefs helped make significant changes to immigration laws and taxes. The Immigration Act of 1924 reduced the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. so that only 150,000 total individuals were allowed in each year. The law favored immigrants from Northern Europe over Southern Europeans and Jews; Japanese immigrants were not allowed in at all.In 1924 and 1926, taxes were cut that had been imposed during  World War I. The money that individuals were able to keep and spend helped contribute to the speculation that eventually would lead to  the fall of the stock market  and contribute to the  Great Depression.​In 1924, the Veterans Bonus passed through Congress despite Coolidges veto. It provided veterans with insurance redeemable in twenty years.In 1927-28, Congress tried to pass farm relief bills allowing the government to buy crops to support farm prices. Coolidge vetoed this bill twice, believing that government had no place in setting price floors and ceilings.In 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was created among fifteen countries who agreed that war was not a viable method for settling international disputes. It was created by Secretary of State Frank Kellogg and French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand. Post-Presidential Period Coolidge chose not to run for a second term in office. He retired to Northampton, Massachusetts and wrote his autobiography; he died on January 5, 1933, of a coronary thrombosis. Historical Significance Coolidge was president during the interim period between the two world wars. During this time, the economic situation in America seemed to be one of prosperity. However, the foundation was being laid for what would become the Great Depression. The era was also one of increased isolationism after the close of World War I.

Friday, November 22, 2019

At Your Disposal

At Your Disposal At Your Disposal At Your Disposal By Maeve Maddox Some speakers, perhaps because of their familiarity with the word disposal in connection with trash, seem to have trouble with the polite idiom â€Å"at your disposal.† For example, I saw this comment on a Yahoo forum: â€Å"If you are at their disposal, it is derogatory and demeaning.† Disposal and its different forms descend from Latin disponere, â€Å"to set in different places, to arrange.† The verb has more than one meaning, including the following: to place or arrange things in a particular order to make fit or ready to make arrangements to get rid of The noun disposal can mean the action of disposing of something. In the expression â€Å"at one’s disposal,† it means â€Å"the power or right to dispose of, make use of, or deal with as one pleases.† The notion that the person â€Å"at one’s disposal† is â€Å"under the command of another† is doubtless the reason for objections to the expression by literalists. Language has its polite conventions, and most people can tell the difference between convention and sincerity. Literalists, however, object to addressing a letter â€Å"Dear Sir† and signing it â€Å"Yours faithfully† on the grounds that the language is â€Å"too intimate† to use with a stranger. Taking the quotation a little out of context, I’ll let Dr. Johnson explain the difference between sincerity and social convention: you may say to a man, â€Å"Sir, I am your most humble servant.† You are not his most humble servant. You may say, â€Å"These are sad times† You dont mind the times. You tell a man, â€Å"I am sorry you had such bad weather the last day of your journey, and were so much wet.† You dont care six-pence whether he was wet or dry. You may talk in this manner; it is a mode of talking in Society† Speakers who object to putting a person at someone’s disposal can still use the idiom in regard to an object or a facility. Here are some examples of current usage: Rest assured that Alotta Properties, Inc. will be at your disposal for as long as you need us. Anecdotal evidence is great and it’s even better the more of it you have at your disposal. But, my good sir, why do you come to me? Your motive is most excellent, but an honest employment is the last thing at my disposal. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs PastDo you "orient" yourself, or "orientate" yourself?Letter Writing 101

At Your Disposal

At Your Disposal At Your Disposal At Your Disposal By Maeve Maddox Some speakers, perhaps because of their familiarity with the word disposal in connection with trash, seem to have trouble with the polite idiom â€Å"at your disposal.† For example, I saw this comment on a Yahoo forum: â€Å"If you are at their disposal, it is derogatory and demeaning.† Disposal and its different forms descend from Latin disponere, â€Å"to set in different places, to arrange.† The verb has more than one meaning, including the following: to place or arrange things in a particular order to make fit or ready to make arrangements to get rid of The noun disposal can mean the action of disposing of something. In the expression â€Å"at one’s disposal,† it means â€Å"the power or right to dispose of, make use of, or deal with as one pleases.† The notion that the person â€Å"at one’s disposal† is â€Å"under the command of another† is doubtless the reason for objections to the expression by literalists. Language has its polite conventions, and most people can tell the difference between convention and sincerity. Literalists, however, object to addressing a letter â€Å"Dear Sir† and signing it â€Å"Yours faithfully† on the grounds that the language is â€Å"too intimate† to use with a stranger. Taking the quotation a little out of context, I’ll let Dr. Johnson explain the difference between sincerity and social convention: you may say to a man, â€Å"Sir, I am your most humble servant.† You are not his most humble servant. You may say, â€Å"These are sad times† You dont mind the times. You tell a man, â€Å"I am sorry you had such bad weather the last day of your journey, and were so much wet.† You dont care six-pence whether he was wet or dry. You may talk in this manner; it is a mode of talking in Society† Speakers who object to putting a person at someone’s disposal can still use the idiom in regard to an object or a facility. Here are some examples of current usage: Rest assured that Alotta Properties, Inc. will be at your disposal for as long as you need us. Anecdotal evidence is great and it’s even better the more of it you have at your disposal. But, my good sir, why do you come to me? Your motive is most excellent, but an honest employment is the last thing at my disposal. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs PastDo you "orient" yourself, or "orientate" yourself?Letter Writing 101

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Article review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article review - Assignment Example Moreover, I will suggest additional research finding that would make the article more authentic, and bring some more understandings. Parker begins by describing the economic history of depression. In this period, there was high rate of economic growth, and increased consumer spending and purchasing power. He claims that economic growth was only disrupted minimally by the three recessions that took place in 1923, 1924, and 1926 (Parker, 2010, Web). Parker also claims that the policy adopted by the federal government were key in economic growth. For example in the 1920’s, the Federal Reserve used monetary policies to stabilize business cycle fluctuations (Parker, 2010, Web). Moreover, there were also high demands of America goods, as World War 1 did not affect it like other European countries. In addition, the Gold Standards were not much entrenched during this period (Parker, 2010, Web). Secondly, Parker describes the beginning of the economic anguish. He talks of the federal government failures to notice dangers leading to the great depression. He says that deflation failed to operate, as it was case in the beginning of 1920. Moreover, the European economies had recovered and Gold Standards became a mode of transaction. He also focuses on failures of the economy, and factors that might have led to this failure. He describes failures in the bank claiming that there was no deposit insurance and this led to panic. He also cites various forms of contemporary explanation on the great Depression. For this reason, various theories are highlighted such as liquidationist theory. He also describes the modern explanation based on monetary hypothesis of Friedman and Schwartz together with the nonmonetary/financial hypotheses of Bernanke and Fisher (Parker, 2010, Web). Parker claims that based on his own understanding, the non-monetary theories cannot support the theories menti oned to account the state of the economy during

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Balkan War Of 1991-1995 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Balkan War Of 1991-1995 - Essay Example The belligerent groups in the Balkan war of 1991-1995 have been described by Gallagher (1999, p. 45), as being from diverse ideological and religious backgrounds. Some of the belligerent groups in the war had archaic and religious iconographies which included perceptions of being the elect, holy, most ancient, heavenly and sacred. As a result there were beliefs among the warring groups that they had a mission to fulfil which came from God. Glenny (1993, p. 211) reveals that the historic military crusades of various cultured nations and dictators who were declared to be chosen illustrates how religion can influence development of war. The religious traditions of the warring groups in the Balkans war and their impact on democracy and political policies are therefore blamed for the fighting in the Croatian region. During the war, fighters were motivated by the need to protect their religious identity against adversaries who were considered a threat to their beliefs and national heritage . As demonstrated by Denitch (1994, p. 24) the final analysis of the Balkan war of 1991-1995 shows that it was a religious war. Although the war has been attributed to the consequences of differences in culture, incompatible national policies and revenge for previous injustices, religion had a big role in the development of the war. Because the happenings which led to this war were spontaneous, unreasonable and irrational, the role of religion in the fighting is justifiable.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Violence In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

Violence In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay To use violence or not to use violence, that is the question that every author aspiring to write a novel must ask. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about two men working ranches out west and How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster is about literary symbolism, and they both refer to violence. How to Read Literature Like a Professor explains violence and its significance, and Of Mice and Men includes violence as major plot events. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster in Chapter 11 refers to violence and what it means. In this chapter Foster writes â€Å"Violence is one of the most personal and even intimate acts between human beings, but it can also be cultural and societal in its implications.† ( Foster 88) This quote describes how violence is always meaning more than just simply violence. Violence can be symbolic, thematic, or even biblical in its meaning, but it is never just violence for violence’s sake. In Of Mice and Men’s case, the violence was symbolic in a foreshadowing way. This quote takes place while George and Lennie are in the wilderness thinking of memories, and Lennie remembers this memory. â€Å"I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead—because they was so little.† (Steinbeck 10) This quote is foreshadowing of how Lennie will kill Curly’s wife later in the book, because she does something mean to him like the mouse and then he does something to stop her, just like he stopped the mouse. He also ended up killing both the mouse and Curly’s wife. To the reader this shows that Steinbeck carefully intertwined symbolism into his novel in the form of foreshadowing. As demonstrated, How to Read Literature Like a Professor was right in saying that violence is always more than violence, and Of Mice and Men is an excellent example of that. Whether violence is biblical, thematic, or symbolic in its usage, it always adds the electricity that powers a good literary work.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Firearms :: essays research papers

Firearms War. Conflict. Famine. Pestilence – these are the four horsemen of Apocalypse as the people in the mid-ages imagined them. They stormed through countries and cities, leaving thousands dead, injured, frightened or crying behind. The first two – the most merciful ones, or to be more precise, the fatal tools they use to make their evil deeds are the subject of my essay. To be precise, I’m going to speak about the types of modern firearms - the ones that a single man can handle and which fire bullets – very simple, easy-to-use and deadly. Revolvers – these can be described as pistols with revolving chamber which enables you to fire several shots without reloading. Revolvers were popular in the end of XIX - beginning of XX century because they are quite easy to use, reliable, and cheap, but were soon replaced by pistols because of their limited capacity and mobility. However, revolvers are still used by the policemen -- large-caliber bullets they use (â€Å"Magnum† 45 or 36 millimeter) can knock out an outlaw at first shot, even if fired in foot. Revolvers usually hold 5, 6, or 7 bullets. There are 2 major types of revolvers: with single and simultaneous extraction of fired shells. In the first case, after you’re done shooting, you have to take out every single shell using some sharp object to push on it from the front holes of the chamber. In the second case, the revolver usually opens up, â€Å"breaking into two pieces† and you pull out every single shell, or the chamber is shifted left an d emptied by pushing on the special rod in the front (i.e. â€Å"Colt† or â€Å"Smith-Wesson†). Revolvers are also divided into manual and automatic ones. In the manual revolver you have to draw back the firing lever each time to make a shot, in automatic it moves back itself, each time you pull on the trigger. Pistol – The main difference between revolvers and pistols it that the revolvers use the muscular force of the shooter to recharge, and on the other hand, pistols use the energy of gunpowder gases and don’t have revolving chambers. There are lots of different designs of pistols, but the principle of work is the same. Pistol’s bullets are usually located in its handle, and are of a smaller caliber than those of revolver. The capacity of the pistol’s cartridge can range from 5 to 30 bullets and pistols shoot automatically, as many times as you pull the trigger (of course, until it runs out of bullets).

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Importance of Computer Essay

Science is one of the greatest blessings in modern life. Scientific advancement has led to many important inventions. One of them is the computer. About a decade back, a computer was seen as a wonder machine. A few years later, this wonderful machine came closer to us as the Personal Computer (PC) entered the household scene. The computer today plays a significant role in our everybody’s life. Computers are used practically everywhere. The use of computer in our country in the past two decades has taken a big jump. Today computers do much more than simply compute, super market scanners calculate our grocery bill while keeping store inventory; computerised telephone switching centres play traffic cop to millions of calls and keep lines of communications untangled, and Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) let us conduct banking transactions from virtually anywhere in the world. The extensive use of computers in all fields of business has improved efficiency of the industry and the economy of the country. Computers have the capacity to do extremely complicated work in all branches of learning. Computers can be effectively used in solving the most difficult and complex mathematical problems. The other use of computers can be in compilation of information. Thus there will be a saving of time in research works. Computers can provide information to prevent traffic accidents. They can do such works which make the worker dull to repeat a process hundred times or more. Automation of work through computer will save the time and energy of human life. Thus human beings will get more leisure than they have today. Computer is the result of human mind exercises. It is a machine. It can help in any physical action. It can be used in progressing a physical work. It cannot think independently. We have to feed it before taking any mental work. We can find the answers based and limited to feeding material. First, we have to feed for a particular field to find some answers related to that field, we cannot find an answer from a vacuum because there is no ndependent feeling and thinking to answer without any base. Computers will never be able to replace man as they need detailed instructions from man and can never lead independent lives. In the Armed Forces computers are being widely used for collecting complex data for the aircrafts, missile and guns. The radar system is controlled with complex computers to give early warnings of coming enemy unit. Computers are also being widely used in mass communication and medical science. Today the police have started storing data on crimes and criminals on computers. Computers now have become a need of the day, in modern life. They are being used in every field of work. Due to importance of computer, its knowledge has been thought an essential qualification for a job. No doubt computers are capable of doing everything, but it is falling short of thinking. This is still only reserved form of man. So here computers are only machines; it cannot compete with man though they have overcome him in many ways

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Assessment Task †Health and Safety Mu 2.4

MU 2. 4 1. 1 Understanding your role in contributing to children and young people’s health and safety is a priority. As a new member of staff your line manager will need to know how you can apply this in your work setting. You have been asked to produce information that includes: †¢an outline of the health and safety policies and procedures of the work setting Health & Safety Policies †¢Protective clothing to be warn when necessary for example, wearing gloves when administering medical aid to children. i. e. If child fell over and bleeding put gloves on. †¢If an accident occurs write down in accident book. No matter how small the injury is. With a double signature from staff and end of the day by parents †¢Medical Records. Only prescription drugs to be added and our policy match Schools. †¢Making sure the gate is always shut on the entrance to the kitchen area so the children can’t go in and get hurt or burnt. †¢All cleaning products are locked away in the kitchen area. †¢Fire exits always clear and known to staff and back exit gate key on hook if needed. Making sure children wash their hands after the toilet and before eating. †¢Continual risk assessment of new and on-going tasks and areas of the children’s surroundings. i. e. If I see an overhanging bramble/branch in the garden, I would need to cut it off and mention it to the manger before children can play. †¢If there were objects that could cause unnecessary accidents they would need picking up. If there was lots of mess on the floor like paper that would need to be cleaned up to avoid slips. This would be the same if there was water spilt and the manager would need to be informed. †¢Making sure all the rooms are ventilated so the children don’t get over heated and the it not to cold either. †¢Staff to child ratio on walks would be one adult to two children with the nursery that can increase to one adult to eight children. †¢Volunteers and staff are all CRB checked before working with the children. †¢Front door and gates always locked. †¢First aider always known and first aid boxes located around the setting but secure from the children.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Books Essays

Books Essays Books Essay Books Essay The Bible.   The Iliad of Homer.   Both timeless tales studied over the generations.   Both began as stories.   The apostles told their stories of their lives with Jesus and this went on to become recorded history and would be studied by believers and non believers alike.   The Iliad is the most famous epic poem of all time that began as an oral story and also became written over time and would go on to become one of the most studied epic poems in the canon.   While not all stories go on to become life changing religious guides or great pieces of literature, people still tell stories.   They always have and they always will.   The main reason that people have always told stories, in my opinion, is to try to communicate some aspect of the human condition. A story allows people to express their experiences and even embellish them a little bit.   Embellishment makes the story a bit more entertaining to hear and can make the storyteller feel better about the situation.   We have all listened to a co-workers telling of what a horrible day that he was having!   We also know that it is hard to listen to a story that is full of nothing but complaints or obstacles; it can bring the listener down along with the teller!   A story with humorous embellishments helps to lighten the situation and to give the teller a better outlook on what is going on.   On the same note, many people end up telling stories solely as a way to entertain.   Stand up comics do this for a living.   People tune in to sitcoms on a nightly basis to enjoy the humor in someone else’s life. Stories help to take the stress off of our own lives.   If we can look at someone else’s life with humor or compassion or whatever feeling is called for in the story, we can better be able to do that in our own lives.   Sometimes it takes looking in on someone else’s life to better grasp our own. Stories allow for fantasy and the impossible.   I will never be a millionaire, but sometimes I talk about all the things I’m going to do with my non-existent money.   If not for dreams, then what? Often people tell the truths of their own lives as hypothetical examples in order to get feedback or to conceptualize their own situations.  Ã‚   Other times they do it to be able to help understand their own feelings. No matter the type story, people enjoy telling them.   It helps us relate to others and gives us a forum to explore our own feelings and experiences.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How the College Admissions Process Works

How the College Admissions Process Works Despite the hysteria surrounding college admissions and the beastly amount of paperwork, the process itself is fairly straightforward. So before you get swept up in that panic, or fall prey to the marketing campaigns that fuel the multi-billion dollar college prep industry, here’s a broad overview of how the process works, what you should be doing and when: High School - Freshman Year When people say the college application process starts a freshman or sophomore year of high school – or worse, with pre-PSATs in seventh grade or pre-pre-PSATs in kindergarten - don’t fret. What they mean are high school grades and coursework count. And some requirements – math and English, for example - can only be fulfilled by starting the freshman or sophomore year. As long as your child takes four or, preferably, five serious academic courses each year, he’ll be fine. He needs to end up with four years of English, three or four of math, two science, three history, two years of a foreign language and, depending on the college, a year of visual or performing arts. The rest of his schedule can be filled with things he enjoys, whether it’s wood shop, music or more of any of the above courses. If hes aiming for a very competitive college, advanced placement courses should be on his list. The College List In order to apply to college, your child will need a list of 8 to 10 universities that are good fits for him: places he really likes, and where he stands a good chance of getting in. Some families hire college consultants to help them compile the list, but with a laptop and a few hours of free time, your child can do the same thing for himself for free. So the junior year is an excellent time to start researching possibilities, hit a college fair and make a few college visits – all while keeping a tight rein on reality. This â€Å"DIY College Admissions Advice† guide will help your family compile that list and provide your own reality check. The Exams   Although hundreds of college have gotten off the SAT train, most still require the SAT or ACT exam for entry. Your child should take one of these exams a junior year, so theres still time to retake it in the fall, if necessary. If he opts to take a test prep course, take it in the weeks immediately prior to the exam date, not the summer before. Some schools also require the SAT II. The Essays The summer between junior and senior year is a good time for your child to start mulling college essay topics and writing drafts. Take a sneak peek at the Common Application, a basic application used by hundreds of colleges, and which includes some of the most common essay topics. The Application Fall of senior year is college application season – and yes, it quickly degenerates into a stressful haze of paperwork, spreadsheets, and parental nagging. He will need to keep close tabs on which schools require what – essays, supplemental materials, test scores, transcripts and recommendations - and when. It helps to remember that this is your child’s process and his decision. He needs to own the process. Your role as a parent is equal parts cheerleader, cookie-supplier and sounding board. Also, number one nag, as deadlines loom. But the application, essays, and ultimate decision are his. The Wait   Most college applications are due between mid-November and January 10. Early decision and early action apps are due in early Fall - and decisions come back around the winter holidays - and rolling admissions rewards early birds with early replies. But for most students, once the paperwork is in, you’re in for a long wait. Most college acceptances arrive in March and early April. Your child should use the time to make sure every last piece of paperwork, including teacher recommendations, was submitted, fill out financial aid paperwork (in January) and keep his grades up. Colleges can and do rescind the acceptances of senioritis-struck students. The Decision Good news arrives via fat packages and thin envelopes, e-mail and even text messages these days. And it often comes with an invitation to Admit Day, an open house for newly accepted freshmen. Now comes decision time. Your child must notify the school of his choice by the deadline, typically May 1, in writing and with a deposit check. He also needs to notify any other schools that accepted him that he will not be attending – if he thinks that’s an unnecessary step, remind him that it’s not just a courtesy to admissions officers at those schools, it’s a kindness to the kids languishing on waiting lists. And after you’re done celebrating, it will be time to move on to Paperwork Round #2: final transcripts, housing applications, health forms and on and on.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Resource Management - Essay Example Other large national surveys show that there are differences in both the broader attributes of health like educational attainment, lifestyle, income levels, living and working conditions and in health outcomes. There are also important differences between and within black and ethnic minority groups. This paper attempts to highlight, analyze and evaluate the prospect of using skilled, qualified and bilingual teachers to improve literacy and numeracy among black and minority ethnic groups at a primary inner city school in Sheffield with 90% BME children. This phase will focus on how the school will locate and then proceed to plan its resources (the teachers) so that they can be utilized to achieve the objectives of the school, which are to increase the rates of literacy and numeracy among black and minority ethnic groups. This stage could involve several issues and a number of methods can be used to identify potential recruits that can be incorporated into the school’s system. Identification may involve the following: The school may create a network which will be entirely dedicated to identifying and hiring teachers who have attractive attributes and credentials. This network will be allocated the necessary resources so that it can be able to perform its duties effectively in order to help achieve the objectives of the school. The network will be charged with the task of traversing different areas ranging from other schools to colleges that provide training to prospective teachers. The government is a huge source of information on the performance of various schools with specific information on the performance of individual teachers. Working closely with the government can lead to access to this type of information and as a result the school can be able to use this information to identify the teachers it thinks can help it achieve its goals and objectives. This includes

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Mid-Nineteenth Through the Early Twentieth Century Essay - 1

The Mid-Nineteenth Through the Early Twentieth Century - Essay Example He also condemned Christianity as it hindered the development of human instincts. He further went on to state that man can only be saved by the evolution of a superman who would create his rules based on his own instincts. He will not adhere to any set rules or code of conducts that have been imposed by the civilization of mankind. He firmly believed in his principles even during the late 19th century which was heralded as an era of scientific progress and development. Many European scholars considered the thoughts expressed by Nietzsche as an expression of the inner energy of man. Like Nietzsche, Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky also believed that human were irrational and rebellious and did not believe in the era of enlightenment or the age of human reason. He was totally against science and reasoning. He strongly believed that man could not fit into a tailor-made world and that he was bound to undergo suffering and act irrationally in order to assert their individuality. There w as more to the existence of human beings than merely reason and perform worldly duties expected from him. This, he believed, was the freedom of every man as it is created by him and not put down by the society in which he lives.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Sustainable engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sustainable engineering - Essay Example employed schemes are the building research establishment environmental assessment method(BREEAM) and leadership in energy and environmental design(LEED). BREEAM was officially launched by the building research establishment(BRE) and consequently adopted by the United Kingdom as one of its systems. LEED was by us institution United States green building council (USGBC) and officially accepted as the benchmark for green building practices. All these two schemes are based on effective system for collecting credits that are used for a wide of building, both the existing buildings and the new buildings. These systems cover a wide range of issues that include energy, pollution, building site, water indoor environmental quality and materials one of the most important in both the two schemes that is the key sustainable development is energy consumption expressed in another language as resulting to carbon emissions from the buildings. It is therefore clear that robust building environmental assessment schemes will possibly play a very critical role in assessing the building energy performance. According to Lee and Bumet(2008) it is important to understand this schemes interms of their scopes, performance criteria, credit scales and methodologies. Lee et al conducted a comparison of the baseline buildings, their performance criteria, credit scales and their simulative tools between a number of schemes while Asdrubali et al (2008) undertook a comparative study of energy regulations in Spain and Italy based on a semi-detached house. In this study more emphasis is put on the assessment of energy performance of new building within the BREEAM and LEED. For easy assessment of the energy performance of buildings and effective calculation of the corresponding energy rating in BREEAM and LEED schemes, a computational simulation was applied. Even though there are many energy simulation software that are available in the market, there is need to choose the one that suits the aim of

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Profiling Genome of Tibetan Chicken

Profiling Genome of Tibetan Chicken Profiling the genome-wide DNAmethylation pattern of Tibetan chicken  using whole genome bisulfite sequencing Abstract Background: Tibetan chickens living at high altitudes show specific adaptations to high-altitude conditions, but the epigenetic modification bases of these adaptations havent been characterized. Results: We investigated the genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in Tibetan chicken blood using whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). Generally, Tibetan chicken exhibited analogous methylation pattern with that of lowland chiken. A total of 3.92% of genomic cytosines were methylcytosines, and 51.22% of cytosines in CG contexts were methylated which was less than those in lowland chicken (55.69%). Moreover, the base next to methylcytosine of mCHG in Tibetan chicken had a preference for T, which was different from that in lowland chicken. In Tibetan chicken, the methylation levels in the promoter were relatively low, while the gene body maintained hypomethylated. DNA methylation levels in upstream regions of the transcription start site (TSS) of geneshad a negative relationship with the gene expression level, and the DNA methylation of gene-body were also negatively related to gene expression. Conclusions: We firstly generated the genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in Tibetan chicken, and our results will be helpful for future epigenetic studies in adaptations to high-altitude conditions and provide a new idea for the prevention and treatment of mountain sickness and other hypoxia-related diseases to human. Keywords: Epigenetics, DNA methylation, MethylC-Seq, highland chicken, adaptation, extreme environment.   Ã‚   Background DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic modification that plays a vital role in genomic imprinting [1], transcriptional repression [2], and chromatin activation [3]. In recent years, we have gained knowledge on the association of DNA methylation with cellular differentiation, development, and disease, however, little information is available concerning the DNA methylation modifications under long-term extreme environment. Environmental aspects influence through both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms [4, 5]. Several studies have tried to establish the relationship between environmental factors and DNA methylation in humans. It was reported that reduced global DNA methylation in whole blood was related to exposure to ambient air pollution at the home addresses of non adults [6]. In malignant cells, airborne benzene induce a significant decrease in the methylation of LINE-1 and AluI, and increasing airborne benzene levels can cause hypermethylation in p15 and hypomethylation in MAGE-1 [7]. The average level of methylation in p16 was increased in patients with benzene poisoning compared with control group, while no alternation was observed in the p15 methylation [8]. Korea et al. revealed that most organochlorine (OC) pesticides were inversely and significantly related to the methylation of Alu [9]. In the prenatal pregnant women, lead exposure was inversely related to genomic DNA methylation in white blo od cells [10]. Moreover, base on the epigenetic inheritance mechanisms, adaptive traits that result from the environment can be transferred to the next generation. For instance, environment containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals can affect the germ line and promote disease across offspring via DNA methylation [11]. Above researchs shows that environmental conditions could induce DNA methylation alternation to to influence disease, prompting us to explore whether DNA methylation is associated with the unique adaptations of farm animals to hypoxia and high-dose ultraviolet radiation in high-altitude environments. The Tibetan chicken which lives in high-altitude environment has smaller body, lower heart rate, higher spleen rate and erythrocyte volum than low-altitude chicken. Previous research showed that humans relocating to high-altitudes might undergo acute mountain sickness, high-altitude pulmonary edema, and high-altitude cerebral edema [12]. Whereas, the Tibetan chicken is greatly adapted to the low-oxygen and high-altitude environment and displays good performance in terms of survival and has high reproduction [13]. Therefore, investigation the genome-wide DNA methylation of Tibetan chicken, understanding the effects of DNA methylation on the plateau adaptability, may provide a new idea for the prevention and treatment of mountain sickness and other hypoxia-related diseases to human. In this study, we perform whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) on Tibetan chicken blood to analyze their global DNA methylation patterns. The DNA methylome distribution in the Tibetan chicken genome was shown for the first time. Our results will provided an important resource for exploring low-oxygen adaptation mechanism in high-altitude district. Methods Animals In this study, one Tibetan chicken was obtained from Xiangcheng County in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture with the living place about 3500 meters above sea level. Blood samples were collected and stored at -20  °C for bisulfite sequencing. Total genomic DNA was collected from the blood with the use of a TIANamp Genomic DNA Kit (Tiangen, Beijing, China). All experiments in this study were performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations, and were approved by the Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province. MethylC-Seq library construction and sequencing DNA was fragmented by sonication with a Sonicator (Sonics Materials) to a mean size of approxi ­mately 250 bp, followed by blunt ending, 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²-end addition of dA, and adapter ligation, in which Illumina methylated adapters were used according to the manufacturers instructions (Illumina). The bisulfite conversion of Tibetan chicken DNA was carried out using ZYMO EZ DNA Methylation-Gold kit (Zymo Research, Irvine, CA, USA) and ampli ­fied via PCR with 12 cycles. Ultra-high-throughput pair-end sequencing was performed by the Illumina Genetic Analyzer (GA2) on the basis of manufacturer instructions. Raw GA sequencing data were processed using Illumina base-calling pipeline (SolexaPipeline-1.0). Data Filtering Data filtering was performed via the elimination of the adaptor sequences, contamination and low-quality reads from raw reads. Low-quality reads consist of three types including: 1) Contain adaptor sequence; 2) N base number over 10%; 3) The number of base whose quality less than 20 over 10% was trimmed, and the read which accord with one of them will be removed. Only cleaned data were used for the downstream analyses. Reads Alignment On the forward read of each read pair, observed cytosines were replaced with replaced with adenines, and the observed guanines were replaced with adenines on the reverse read of each read pair. The alignment form reads were then mapped to the alignment form gallus_gallus reference genome by SOAP aligner[14]. Each hit with a single placement with a minimum number of mismatches and and a clear operation chain was defined as unambiguous alignment (uniquely mapped reads) and was used for ascertainment of methyl-cytosine. The copy numbers of the local region was estimateed by calculating the the uniquely mapped reads. Estimating methylation levels Methylation level was determined by dividing the number of reads covering each mC by the total reads covering that cytosine, which was also equal the mC/C ratio at each reference cytosine. The function is showed as following: Methylation level = 100 * GO enrichment Analysis GO annotations of Tibetan chicken genes were downloaded from the Ensembl (ftp://ensembl.org/pub/current/otherdata/Gene_ontology/gallus_gallus_glean_gene.go). GO comparative analyses between inter ­ested genes groups were performed using BGI WEGO (http://wego.genomics.org.cn/cgi-bin/wego/index.pl). KEGG Pathway Analysis Different genes usually interact with each other to exercise their biological functions. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomesà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ KEGGà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °is the main public pathway database. Super geometry analyses were conducted to find the KEGG pathways enriched in genes differentially methylated compared to the whole genome. The calculation formula is the same as that in GO function analyses, N represents number of genes with pathway annotation; For the number, n is the number of differentially expressed genes corresponding N, M represents number of all genes which have a particular pathway annotation; m represents numbers of differentially expressed genes which have a particular pathway annotation. Pathway mapped Q value à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 0.05 defined as the pathway of significant enrichment. Through significant enrichment of the pathway, we can determine the most main in biochemical pathways and signal transduction pathways. Results       Global mapping of DNA methylation In the present study, blood samples from a Tibetan chicken were used to generate three libraries for genome-wide methylation sequencing. All libraries showed nearly complete bisulfite conversion (99.7%). A total of 41.3 Gb raw data were obtained from three blood samples. After data filtering, 151,345,614, 165,745,108 and 141,554,972 clean reads were generated for the three libraries, respectively. Of the total reads, 75.6% were mapped to the reference genome, with 28 X Whole-genome average coverage depth, which could reveal the data quantity of clean data because of the characteristics of bisulfite sequencing (Table 1 and 2). Cytosine patterns have 3 major types (CG, CHG and CHH, H represents non-G base, hereinafter inclusive) according to the sequence context. Therefore, we analyzed the relationships between effective sequencing depth and genome coverage for different cytosine patterns (Figure S1, S2). Figure S1 reveals that there is a negative correlation between the effective sequencing depth and the percentage of cytosine in genome. The Figure S2 shows that the distribution of genome coverage varies with sequencing depth accord with the Poisson distribution, and the depth of the distribution`s apex is near to the genome average sequencing depth. In additon, we performed effective coverage analysis base on three different levels: chromosome, gene region and genomic feature. The effective coverage of all cytosine in each chromosome ranges from 82.77% to 97.86%, except for 24.96% in chr17 , while the CpG effective coverage of each chromosome ranges from 86.74% to 97.5%, except for 23.58% in chr17 (Table S1). Moreover,coverage of all cytosine in CDS and intron region was 95.94% and 93.66%, respectivelyà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ and CG coverage in CDS and intron region was 96.04% and 93.45%, respectively (Table S2). DNA methylation patterns In Tibetan chicken, the methylation level of all genomic C sites was more than 3.9%. Patterns of Cytosine methylation in Tibetan chicken were found to have three major types (mCG, mCHG and mCHH) according to the sequence context. We discovered overall genome-wide levels of 51.22% CG, 0.4% CHG, and 0.45% CHH methylation in the Tibetan chicken (Table 3). In whole genome, the CG methylation occupied over 96% of cytosine methylation, which is the primary cytosine methylation pattern. However, the rate of mCHH was only 3% and the rate of mCHG was 1%(Fig. 1A). Methylation status of CG, CHG and CHH differ between species, even varies with different conditions concerning time, space and physiology within a single organism. Figure 1b showed that percentage of the methylation level of methyl-cytosine varies with methylation level. In the tibet chicken blood, more than 75 % of mCG sites were 60-100 % methylated (Fig. 1b). In addition, chromosome1 was used as an instance to illuminate the methyl-cytosine density distribution in chromosome, and the methyl-cytosine density showed large variations throughout the chromosome 1, which was similar to other chromosomes (Fig. 1c) Proximal Sequence Features Analysis To identify whether the particular local sequences were markedly enriched as the DNA methylome of Arabidopsis, we analyzed the sequence adjacent to sites of CG and non-CG methylation. The methylation ratios of all potential 9-mer sequences were calculated, and the methylated cytosine was located at the fourth position in these sequences (permitting an analysis of three bases upstream of CHG, and CHH methylation). As shown in figure 2, hardly a sequence preference was found in the CG-flanking regions of the hole genome or in the mCG-flanking regions. Moreover, the highest frequency base that next to the CHG cytosine in genome was A, followed by T and C, while the base following the mCHG methylcytosine has a preference for T, followed by A and C. In CHH context, the fifth position that proximal to the sites of cytosine has a preference for C, and the sixth position prefer to T, which is similar to the mCHH(Fig. 2). DNA methylation levels of different functional regions Different genomic features are associated with distinct regulation functions. To study the DNA methylation profile in different genomic features, the heat map was used to present the distribution of methylation level in the CDS, downstream, Genome, intron and upstream (fig. 3). The comparative analysis of mean DNA methylation levels revealed that different gennome regions showed distinguishing DNA methylation levels. Additionally, we analyzed DNA methylation patterns across the transcriptional units at whole genome level. In Tibet chicken, most of the promoter regions have an association with CpG islands and are hypomethylated, which showed a lower CG methylation level than the gene-body and the gene downstream. Moreover, methylation of CG declined sharply before the TSS and increased markedly towards the gene body regions and stayed at a plateau until the 3 end of the gene body, and two obvious peaks were present in the regions of the internol exon and the last exon (Fig. 3). The me thylation of CHG had the same varying tendency with the methylation of CG, but was characterised by mitigatory changes compared to the rapid changes of CG methylation. Furthermore, the methylation peaks of both CG and CHG were presented in the internal and last exons in which the methylation lows of CHH appeared. DNA methylation levels ofpromoter and genebody Methylation of the promoter suppresses gene expression, but the functional role of gene-body DNA methylation in highly expressed genes has yet to be clarified. To better characterise the methylation of promoter and gene-body, a comprehensive analysis of methylated genes and unmethylated genes in gene-body and upstream2k was performed. In total, 14,018 genes were methylated in both promoter and gene-body, while 505 genes were exclusively methylated in promoter and 409 genes were exclusively methylated in gene-body, and 231 genes unmethylated in both promoter and gene-body (fig. 4A). Gene ontology analysis of methylated and unmethylated genes revealed the top-ranked enriched GO terms were related to the cellular process, metabolic process, and response to stimulus in the biological process (BP) category. The cellular component (CC) category mainly comprised genes involved in cell, cell part, and organelle. Within the molecular function (MF) category, binding, catalytic activity, and tr ansporter activity were highly represented (fig. 4B and 3S). In addition, KEGG analysis showed that genebody methylation genes were clustered in the metabolic pathways, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, and calcium signaling pathway, while the genebody unmethylation genes were clustered in metabolic pathways, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, and endocytosis. Moreover, promoter methylation genes were most involved in ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, oocyte meiosis, and melanoma, while , promoter unmethylation genes were most involved in N-Glycan biosynthesis, Glycosylphosphatidylinositol(GPI)-anchor biosynthesis, and Fat digestion and absorption (fig. 5). DNA methylation and gene expression level DNA methylation of promoter generally suppress gene transcription via inducing a compact chromatin structure. We obtained the gene expression profiles of Tibetan chicken from the GEO database. Based on expression levels, all genes were divided into ten groups, from the lowest 10% and to the highest 10%. Furthermore, the genomic regions that 2 kb upstream of the TSS were defined as the proximal promoter, and used the mean methylation as the methylation level of each group. The correlation analysis showed that gene expression level was negatively related to the mean DNA methylation level of the promoter regions (fig. 6A; r=-0.93, pshowed little difference in these ten groups with different expression level (fig. 6B; r=-0.83, p Discussion Genomics technologies have been extensively used to investigate the adaptations of humans, animals and plants to extreme conditions [15, 16]. However, the relationships between the adaptions and the epigenetic modifications that result from extreme environmental exposures remains to be further elucidated. To date, the methylation pattern of Tibetan chicken remains unknown. To improve our understanding of the association between epigenetic modifications andadaptations to hypoxia and high-dose ultraviolet radiation in high-altitude environments, we analyzed whole-genome single-base resolution DNA methylomes by WGBS to provide the genomewide DNA methylation patterns in Tibetan chicken blood and interrogate the potential role of DNA methylation in adaptations to high-altitude environments. Genome-wide DNA methylations of lowland chickens have been researched using MeDIP-seq [17, 18], MBD-Seq [19], and Methyl-MAPS [20], which measure methylation base on immunoprecipitation and restriction enzyme digestion. Compared to WGBS, these technologies generate lower resolution and coverage, and fail to obtain methylation level for CHG and CHH. For example, Only 32 % of CpG coverage was obtained from the study of lowland chicken using Methyl-MAPS [20]. In the other lowland chicken study, the CpG coverage ranges from 83.72 to 91.57 % using MethylC-seq [21]. In the current study, the CpG effective coverage of each chromosome ranges from 86.74% to 97.5%, except for 23.58% CpG coverage of chr17 in Tibet chicken. In lowland chicken, more than 55.69% of cytosines in CG contexts were methylated which is much higher than those in Tibet chicken (51.22%), while the percentage of mCHG and mCHH in Tibet chicken was higher than those in lowland chicken. In addition, 96.24 %, 0.86 % and 2.89 % of all methylcytosines were present in the CG CHG and CHH context, respectively, while the CG methylation in Tibet chicken occupied only 96% of cytosine methylation. Moreover, the base next to methylcytosine of mCHG in lowland chicken had a preference for A, while that in highland chicken prefer to T. All these indicated that the highland environments decrease the global CG methylation levels of chicken, and change the sequence context preferences for methylation, suggesting that the methylation involve in the adaptations of chicken to high-altitude environments. In Tibetan chicken genome, the DNA methylation level rapidly down before the TSS and markedly increased towards the gene body regions and stayed at a plateau until the 3 end of the gene body. These methylation features discovered in this study consistently match with those previously reported in bovine placentas [22]. Similar to the lowland chickengenome, the Tibetan chicken genome has two CG methylation peaks in the internal and last exons, but the difference is that the lowland chicken genome showed a mitigatory methylation level in the genome regions before the TSS [21], suggesting that the long-term hypoxia and UV radiation under high-altitude conditions cause methylation alternation. The promoter plays a crucial role in the regulation of gene transcription and most of the promoter regions are hypomethylated [23], while the gene-body DNA methylation is associated with chromatin structure and elongation efficiency, and prevents spurious transcription initiation [24, 25]. In present study, we found the promoter is hypomethylated, whereas the methylation level in gene-body is relatively high, a finding that is similar to those from previously reported in human [26] and lowland chicken [17]. Hypermethylation of the promoters represses gene transcription [27], and the reduction of methylation at the promoters causes gene overexpression [28]. In human embryonic stem cells, Laurent et al. reported that 20% of the most highly expressed genes displayed the lowest methylation levels in promoter. We analyse the relationship between the methylation and the expression inTibetan chicken, using the method reported in previous studies [17]. Similar to reports in humans [17, 29, 3 0] and lowland chicken [5], DNA methylation level in 2 kb upstream of genes is negatively related to the gene expression level in Tibetan chicken, this was further evidence that DNA methylation at the promoters is involved in gene silencing. Methylation in gene-body is more prevalent than in promoter, but the role of gene-body methylation in gene regulation remains unclear. Previous researchs showed that gene-body methylation has an intricate correlation with expression level. Most researchers believed that the methylation of gene-body is positively correlated with gene expression [26, 29, 31, 32], although several researchers have indicated that intragenic methylation might inhibit gene transcription [24]. However, the correlation between gene-body methylation and expression levels in bovine placentas is non-monotonic and the moderately expressed genes show the highest methylation in gene-body [22]. Our data demonstrated that methylation in the gene-body of Tibetan chicken may decrease gene expression. However, methylation in gene-body is just one of the thousands of factors that affect gene transcription. Therefore, further studies centering on the DNA methylation of certain regions that display distinct effect in gene regulation are needed to clarify the complicated epigenetic mechanism underlying high-altitude environments and its relationships with adaptations to hypoxia and high-dose ultraviolet radiation in high-altitude environments. In summary, the present study provides the first comprehensive analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in the blood of highland chicken, and our results can be used for future studies on epigenetic gene regulation in highland chicken. This study contributes to the knowledge on epigenetics in highland animals. References 1. Tirado-Magallanes, R., et al., Whole genome DNA methylation: beyond genes silencing. Oncotarget, 2017. 8(3): p. 5629-5637. 2. Li, S., et al., Genome-wide analysis reveals that exon methylation facilitates its selective usage in the human transcriptome. Brief Bioinform, 2017. 3. Keown, C.L., et al., Allele-specific non-CG DNA methylation marks domains of active chromatin in female mouse brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2017. 4. Daxinger, L. and E. Whitelaw, Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: more questions than answers. Genome Res, 2010. 20(12): p. 1623-8. 5. Chen, Z.J., Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms for gene expression and phenotypic variation in plant polyploids. Annu Rev Plant Biol, 2007. 58: p. 377-406. 6. De Prins, S., et al., Influence of ambient air pollution on global DNA methylation in healthy adults: a seasonal follow-up. Environ Int, 2013. 59: p. 418-24. 7. Bollati, V., et al., Changes in DNA methylation patterns in subjects exposed to low-dose benzene. Cancer Res, 2007. 67(3): p. 876-80. 8. Xing, C., et al., Methylation and expression analysis of tumor suppressor genes p15 and p16 in benzene poisoning. Chem Biol Interact, 2010. 184(1-2): p. 306-9. 9. Kim, K.Y., et al., Association of low-dose exposure to persistent organic pollutants with global DNA hypomethylation in healthy Koreans. Environ Health Perspect, 2010. 118(3): p. 370-4. 10. Pilsner, J.R., et al., Influence of prenatal lead exposure on genomic methylation of cord blood DNA. Environ Health Perspect, 2009. 117(9): p. 1466-71. 11. Crews, D., et al., Transgenerational epigenetic imprints on mate preference. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2007. 104(14): p. 5942-6. 12. Srivastava, S., et al., Association of polymorphisms in angiotensin and aldosterone synthase genes of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with high-altitude pulmonary edema. J Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone Syst, 2012. 13(1): p. 155-60. 13. Li, M. and C. Zhao, Study on Tibetan Chicken embryonic adaptability to chronic hypoxia by revealing differential gene expression in heart tissue. Sci China C Life Sci, 2009. 52(3): p. 284-95. 14. Li, R., et al., SOAP2: an improved ultrafast tool for short read alignment. Bioinformatics, 2009. 25(15): p. 1966-7. 15. Turner, T.L., et al., Population resequencing reveals local adaptation of Arabidopsis lyrata to serpentine soils. Nat Genet, 2010. 42(3): p. 260-3. 16. Liu, S., et al., Population genomics reveal recent speciation and rapid evolutionary adaptation in polar bears. Cell, 2014. 157(4): p. 785-94. 17. Li, Q., et al., Genome-wide mapping of DNA methylation in chicken. PLoS One, 2011. 6(5): p. e19428. 18. Hu, Y., et al., Comparison of the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles between fast-growing and slow-growing broilers. PLoS One, 2013. 8(2): p. e56411. 19. Carrillo, J.A., et al., Methylome Analysis in Chickens Immunized with Infectious Laryngotracheitis Vaccine. PLoS One, 2015. 10(6): p. e0100476. 20. Tian, F., et al., DNMT gene expression and methylome in Mareks disease resistant and susceptible chickens prior to and following infection by MDV. Epigenetics, 2013. 8(4): p. 431-44.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Yi Dynasty :: essays research papers fc

서영준  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  aka Eddie Sanchez The Yi Dynasty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Yi Dynasty, also called the Chosun Dynasty, is the last and longest-lived imperial dynasty of Korea. General 이성계 founded the Yi Dynasty when he overthrew the Koryo dynasty. It lasted until 1910 when Korea ceased to be an independent sovereign state after being annexed by Japan. During the Chosun Dynasty, Korea’s class system was very defined and social mobility was defined. Primarily, one could theoretically go up through Chosun’s education system, which was Confucian based. Commerce was controlled by the government, but as time went on, government loosened its grip over trading and commerce.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1392, General 이성계, or King 태조 as he was later known, became ruler of Korea. Confucian replaced Buddhism as the main ideological influence, and a rigidly structured, hierarchical social system evolved, dominating the kingdom for five centuries (Washam). These measures effectively undercut the societal influence of both Koryo’s Buddhist hierarchy and the old aristocracy. This cleared the way for the new elite class that would dominate Korea for the next 500 years   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Great landowners and a Confucianist scholar-gentry, known 양반, dominated agriculture, politics, and foreign policy. The 양반 was comprised of the literati, or educated, class. They monopolized civil and military posts in the new national bureaucracy. The primary way into the bureaucracy was to be successful in the civil service examinations. Since 양반 families were exempt from taxes and labor, they were able to fully devote their time to studying while those who were not born into 양반 families generally did not move up in the social structure due to the fact that they needed to work to survive and pay taxes. Thus, social mobility was difficult and extremely uncommon. However, theoretically and ideally, one could escape the lower classes through mastering the civil service examination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beneath them were the crafts people and artists who were highly esteemed because of their skills and talents. Astronomers and physicians were also included in this group. During the Yi Dynasty, Korean landscape painting becomes popular. Also, the Korean ceramics industry is renewed. Craftsmen begin producing white porcelain as well as 분청자기. Craftsmen manufactured many 분청 ceramic pieces for the government as well as for artistic purposes. Porcelain, on the other hand, was basically centralized. Porcelain was managed by the royal court. Perhaps, that is why the craftsmen were highly regarded (Lee).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Below the craftspeople in the official order were the common people who made up 75 percent of the population.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How is happiness conveyed in Jane Austen’s Emma and Charlotte Bronte’s Villette?

The nineteenth century was an era of great discovery, invention and social change as a result of political unrest in the previous years. The American Revolution which culminated in the United States Declaration of Independence, lead to a change in political thought, bringing ideas of ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness' (1776: line4), though how much this extended to women is debateable. Published thirty-seven years apart, Emma and Villette tell the stories of two girls trying to find happiness in difficult societies. The two lead characters are very different; Emma is a respected, wealthy and attractive young woman yet rather spoilt, whereas Lucy Snowe is passive and secretive, with no significant amount of money or family connections. Living in the same century, therefore, it would seem safe to assume that the girls would find happiness in the same things; good company, money and a happy marriage. As Philip Davis argues, Victorian novels (though Emma predates Victoria's reign by approximately twenty years) were concerned only with ‘Humanity, Duty, Vocation, Work, Marriage [and] Family' (2002:2). However, this is not the case for either of the girls. Lucy finds comfort in solitude and some of the passages in Bronte's novel where she is most at ease are those in which she is alone. If not alone, Lucy prefers the company of just one or two trusted friends, but even this is problematical, as she often hides her feelings from the reader. Emma on the other hand, appears to take pleasure in helping others to be happy; often to their detriment! What can be said, nonetheless, is that both novels convey moral journeys towards a greater understanding of self and society. By looking at a few specific incidents in each novel, the methods with which the authors explore the feeling of happiness can be uncovered. Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her (Emma p. 5). The opening sentence of Jane Austen's novel manages to summarise Emma's situation and history in a few simple words. The reader is already informed by the omniscient narrator that this central character is content and privileged in every aspect that a young lady could wish for. In comparison, Villette has a very different approach. For example, it is not until the second chapter that we find out the name of the protagonist and narrator, Lucy Snowe. Interesting to note also that the first two chapters are names of characters, ‘Bretton' and ‘Paulina', as if the narrator is happy to talk about them, but reluctant to talk about herself. We hear about the people surrounding the narrator, events in the past but very little physical or characteristic detail. We are given few clues as to how Lucy feels or thinks about these events; ‘well I liked the visit' (Villette p. 1) is the only indication of preference or opinion. Even by the end of the novel we do not know where her ‘home' was, and Lucy is constantly evasive about places and locations. The reader is left to speculate why this is; because of unhappiness there and desire to forget it? Or perhaps she is ashamed? It is almost as if she does not trust the reader and as a result becomes difficult to like. Most readers will assume that this past, of which Lucy is so vague, holds bad memories or experiences which set the tone of her character from the start. As a narrator, Lucy is unreliable and the revelation that Dr. John and Graham Bretton are, in fact, the same people, is the prime example of this. ‘I first recognized him on that occasion, noted several chapters back, when my unguardedly-fixed attention had drawn me on the mortification of an implied rebuke' (Villette p. 70-1). Only when the reader will find out for themselves, does Lucy tell us that she knew all along. ‘I had preferred to keep the matter to myself' she reasons, ‘I liked entering his presence covered with a cloud he had not seen through' (Villette p. 171). This motif of hiding, or being screened, recurs throughout the novel. Lucy is often seen observing or people watching, preferring to be out of the limelig ht. However, this changes when she is recruited to be in M. Paul's play after one of the lead characters falls ill. Nevertheless, she puts on a performance, a mask, and is not herself. The clothes she wears are men's and by speaking another person's lines, Lucy distances herself from that which makes her feel so uncomfortable, her own feelings. It seems as if she is afraid to admit to herself how she feels. By suppressing her emotions and living an almost muted life, Lucy denies herself happiness. This alienation is heightened by her being in Belgium, where she does not speak French initially, by being a Protestant in a Catholic society and through the atmosphere of the Mme. Beck's school. Despite working very closely with the headmistress, Lucy still finds her searching through her belongings one evening, showing a lack of trust between the characters. Lucy's narrative style shows a lot about her unhappiness as a character and surprisingly Emma shares some of these traits. Emma is told through a third-person omniscient narrator, whereas Lucy tells us the story through her own, if somewhat limited perspective. Austen's narrator gives us a wider outlook on the events at Highbury, although the free-indirect style means that the narrator's opinions are sometimes blurred with those of the characters and there is some mimicry of Emma's thoughts and tone. She is a more open character, whom the narrator can easily display to the reader, and her feelings are more easily accessible, on first impression. As Emma is already ‘handsome, clever and rich' (Emma p. 1), her happiness is taken for granted, but looking a little deeper it is evident that she is not fully content. The novel is based around a series of shocks for Emma; Miss Taylor's marriage, Mr. Elton's proposal, Frank and Jane's engagement, and she seems in a constant struggle to maintain a certain decorum and propriety. It is ironic that Jane Austen's novels are so often seen as portrayals of a stagnant society, when Highbury is full of entrances and exits; Mrs. Elton, Frank Churchill, Jane Fairfax and Harriet. The proximity to London, peculiarly, does not seem to have an effect on the community. Emma's constant need to help others could be interpreted as dissatisfaction within herself. Instead of realising her feelings for Mr. Knightly at the beginning of the novel, as so easily could have occurred, Emma goes through systematic pairing up of her acquaintances, to try and arrange as many couples as possible. It is only when Harriet confides in her regarding her own feelings for Knightly that Emma is forced to identify and realise her attachment to him. Because she demands a kind of variety and excitement life cannot supply, Emma allows her fancy and imagination to shape and distort her perception of reality [†¦. What Emma constantly desires and frequently demands is not simply that her world admire her; it must also be as rich and vital and beautiful as she feels herself potentially to be [†¦. ] The crux of the matter, then, is the peculiar way in which Emma's life depends upon and is dedicated to richness and beauty in human experience. (Minter 1966 : 51) Minter argues that Emma relies on this constant application of herself to try and adapt her surroundings to suit her. In doing this, Emma is attempting to create an environment in which she is truly comfortable; not a trait one would associate with a young lady of ‘happy disposition' (Emma p. ), but more with slightly nervous and compulsive behaviour. It is as if Emma must have control of the events around her to feel content. This shows a certain extent of self-consciousness and dissatisfaction, reflected most clearly in her thoughts of Jane Fairfax: Why she did not like Jane Fairfax might be a difficult question to answer; Mr Knightly had once told her it was because she saw in her the really accomplished young woman, which she wanted to be thought herself. (Emma p. 125) View in this manner, Emma becomes, in essence, a structured action in which Jane Austen renders both the nobility and the dangers, the significance and the consequences of Emma's endeavour to force an aesthetic ideal upon her world' (Minter 1966 : 51). As a character, Lucy Snowe is built up in a different way by Charlotte Bronte than Emma is by Jane Austen. By looking at their happiest and lowest points in each text, the reader has an insight into their extremes of emotion, and how these are created by the authors. Lucy characterises her weakest moments by images of storms and tempests. This occurs several times throughout the novel and blurs the situations which Lucy does not want the reader to know or understand fully, perhaps because she does not understand herself. This is first seen upon Lucy's departure from Bretton; ‘I must have somehow fallen overboard, or that there must have been wreck at last' (Villette p. 30). It is not certain whether Lucy actually embarks on a boat journey or whether she just uses this as an extended metaphor. Bronte adds the scream of the Banshee to symbolise the coming of bad news; Miss Marchmont dies and leaves Lucy with little money. However, the worst for Lucy personally is arguably the fall ‘headlong down an abyss' (Villette p. 160) after her visit to the church. She has been ill for a long while and her soul leaves her body ‘hoping to leave for rest (Villette p. 160). The reunion of the two is a particularly painful image, ‘a sort of racking struggle', ‘with pain, with reluctance' (Villette p. 161). Villette's final chapter is the most ambiguous sequence of the whole text, in which Lucy almost leaves the conclusion of the novel down to the reader. ‘Reader, they were the three happiest years of my life. Do you scout the paradox? Listen' (Villette p. 488), she appeals to us. Whether M. Paul is killed in a tempest on his return is not overtly stated, though the image of the storm again would imply that he does. If the past three years ‘were' the happiest, then it follows that these are now unhappy times. As with the beginning of the novel, Lucy finishes by telling us what happened to other characters, but not herself; ‘Madame Beck prospered all the days of her life; so did Pire Silas; Madame Walravens fulfilled her ninetieth year before she died. Farewell' (Villette p. 491). With a similar style of description and attitude, it is as if Lucy Snowe has come full circle; she is just as happy at the end of the novel, as at the start, or there seems no noticeable difference. Victor Hugo wrote in Les Miserables that ‘life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved' (1862) and it is this sentiment that gives Lucy the highest moment in Villette. She says that her love for M. Paul ‘gave me such pleasure as, certainly, I had ever felt' (Villette p. 403). Emma's happiest moment comes with similar thoughts on Mr. Knightley, but also a revelation about herself and her own actions; ‘How long had Mr. Knightley been so dear to her, as every feeling now declared him now to be? When had his influence, such influence begun? ‘ (Emma p. 312). This sequence comes with a long set of rhetorical questions in which Emma begins to see her flaws; perhaps this is the ultimate happiness for her? Mahatma Ghandi is often famously quoted as saying, ‘Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony'1 and this can be seen clearly in the closing chapters of Emma. Finally Emma is settled in herself; knows how she feels, is able to talk openly and does, of course, eventually marry Mr. Knightley. What totally different feelings did Emma take back into the house from what she had brought out! – she had then been only daring to hope for a little respite of suffering; – now in an exquisite flutter of happiness – and such happiness, moreover, as she believed must still be greater when the flutter should have passed away. (Emma p. 328) Emma's reaction is markedly different from Lucy's. Her language is more descriptive and appears fast, almost as if she cannot keep up with what her mind is thinking. The narrator here sounds just like the character of Emma, speaking rapidly with the use of many exclamation marks. Lucy falters, questions M. Paul's affections and seems unsure of the situation. ‘I was content', she states (Villette p. 403) compared to Emma's ‘state of spirits' (Emma p. 328). Emma's unfeeling comments to Miss Bates at the picnic however, paint her in a very different light; ‘†Ah! Ma'am, but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me – but you will be limited as to a number – only three at once†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (Emma p. 280). This can be seen as Emma's most unkind and lowest moment in the text, ‘she had never been so depressed' (Emma p. 284) it is a necessary addition that makes her realise how badly she has behaved, although requiring a little help from Mr. Knightley. Throughout Emma and Villette, Austen and Bronte shape their main characters with the use of these dramatic highs and lows, which alter their perceptions and also the reader's perceptions of them. By using specifically chosen language, the feelings and emotions of Lucy Snowe and Emma Woodhouse are made apparent and so the reader can share in their delight and depression. Jane Austen's novel appears overall a happier text, despite the continual failings of Emma's matchmaking, and ends positively with both Emma and Harriet getting married, and Harriet discovering her parentage. Although their marriages are well paired, with men who will complete them, the reader cannot help questioning whether marriage and money will always create ‘perfect happiness' (Emma p. 367). Villette on the other hand, ends just as mournfully as it begins, with very little defined ending. It could be argued that Lucy Snowe finds an inner peace with herself, after enjoying three happy years, despite not having M. Paul with her. Perhaps knowing she is loved is enough, and so with this and the solitary life which has given her comfort throughout the novel, Lucy can be settled. With her flourishing school as financial security, Lucy does not require anything more; she has stability and security, that which she has lacked from a young age. Though the storm imagery, if consistent with the rest of Bronte's novel, indicates further change, we are not given any clues as to how this will transpire. With so many novels of this era, both Emma and Villette look at the difficulty of a woman finding true happiness in such a patriarchal society. Kate Millett argued that Villette was ‘too subversive to be popular' (1977:140), accurate considering the conformity of many novels of the time. Emma, for example, still allows a happy ending and a marriage, despite the main character's actions throughout. In creating this alternative style, Charlotte Bronte shows happiness through a perhaps more realistic perspective, rather than Austen's romanticised, ‘happily-ever-after' story.