Essay on Voltaire’s Candide: The Accuracy of Candide -- Voltaire Candi

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Voltaire is correct in Candide, where he argues that life on earth is hell in many ways. Voltaire accurately describes how selfish people often are and how they inflict misery on others as a result. Voltaire also describes accurately common forms of cruelty in society. Although he may be mistaken that all wars are equally senseless and avoidable, Voltaire is correct in showing that war inevitably produces atrocities, which makes for hell on earth.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In support of these statements, let's examine Voltaire's accurate description of human selfishness.  Ã‚   An example would be the behavior of the sailor who Pangloss and Candide met on their voyage to Lisbon.   This sailor was rescued from drowning by Jacques the Anabaptist. Yet when Jacques fell into the sea himself, the sailor refused to risk his own life to save him. As a result of this selfishness, Jacques died. Later on, when the sailor reached shore, he ignored the sufferings of people horribly injured by a recent earthquake. Instead the sailor took money from them in order to get drunk and hire a prostitute. This sailor was wholly self-centered and uncaring about anyone else and by not helping anybody out he in effect inflicted misery on them. When the terrorists destroyed the World Trade Centers, and many police and firemen were killed, many people received money for relatives that did not die, and used the money for gambling, booze and whores. Human nature in this regard has not changed since the book was written. This being so, Voltaire's description of how human selfishness can often turn life on earth into a hell is accurate.     Ã‚   Voltaire's depiction of how common cruelty is in society is also well supported. For example, Voltaire describes how Candide en... ... again as an example, there were many instances of people who risked their own lives to save others and as a result received citations and promotions as well as the admiration of their family and friends. This objection to my argument, however, does not take an important thrust of Candide into account. That is, that Voltaire felt that he had to use exaggeration and one-sided presentation to make sure his audience did not refuse to contemplate deeply just how much cruelty and selfishness exists at all times all around them and how much people suffer because of that. Works Cited and Consulted: Frautschi, R.L. Barron's Simplified Approach to Voltaire: Candide. New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1998. Lowers, James K, ed. "Cliff Notes on Voltaire's Candide". Lincoln: Cliff Notes, Inc. 1995. Voltaire. Candide. New York: Viking Publishers, 1976.

The use of recombinant technology can only benefit humans

Recombination is a way in which meiosis produces new combinations of genetic information. During synapsis, chromatids may exchange parts with other chromatids, leading to a physical exchange of chromosome parts; thus, genes from both parents may be combined on the same chromosome, creating a new combination. Recombinant DNA technology is a series of techniques in which DNA fragments are linked to self-replicating forms of DNA to create recombinant DNA molecules. These molecules in turn are replicated in a host cell to create clones of the inserted segments. I think that recombinant technology only benefits humans as it allows us much greater control over genetic manipulation, which we can then use to our advantage. Indge, Rowland and Baker (2000) summarises some of the ways that recombinant technology has been beneficial to humans; > Genetically engineered micro organisms- large amounts of insulin and human growth hormone can be produced cheaply. > Genetically modified plants- Desirable plants can be transferred from an organism to a crop plant. > Genetically modified animals- human proteins such as haemoglobin and blood-clotting factors, are already produced in the milk of transgenic cows, goats and sheep. > Human gene therapy- gene therapy involves inserting a ‘normal' gene into an organism's body to correct a genetic disorder. ; Mapping human chromosomes (the Human Genome Project)- scientists in over 1000 laboratories around the world are contributing to the Human Genome Project. Their aim is to create a map of all human chromosomes, identifying the precise location of every gene. This will help to develop new gene therapy treatments. The ability to clone genes through the use of recombinant technology is a big advantage to humans. The production of human insulin is now done on a very large scale and benefits many thousands of diabetics. Kent (2000) states that human insulin made by recombinant DNA technology produces fewer side effects than insulin prepared from cow or pig pancreatic extracts, previously the main source of insulin. But diabetics are not the only people who are benefiting from recombinant technology. Jones and Jones (1999) show that considerable advances in genetic engineering are making gene therapy possible. Gene therapy is intended to correct inherited disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, which are caused by a defective gene. If the ‘correct' gene could be inserted into the affected person's cells, then they should be free of the disease. Recombinant technology is also beneficial to humans when it comes to crop production. Genetic engineering is used to produce pest resistant varieties of crop, which means that fewer pesticides would have to be used on the crops and they would produce a greater yield. Jones and Jones (1999) say that tomatoes have been produced containing genes that result in them remaining fresh for much longer than usual after picking. This makes it much easier, and therefore cheaper, to transport them form grower to sale point, so they have a much longer shelf life. But genetically modified crops can also cause problems in the environment. If crops are produced containing a gene making them resistant to herbicides and are then sprayed with the herbicide to kill weeds, this gene might then somehow spread to wild plants and affect the balance of the ecosystem. Although recombinant technology is of great use to humans when it comes to gene therapy and genetically modified crops it can also be a threat if used in the wrong way. Jones and Jones (1999) state that the techniques of genetic engineering could be used deliberately to create new organisms that could infect and kill humans. There are, of course, already many organisms that can do this, but little use had been made on biological warfare. About half of the nations of the world signed a treaty in 1972 pledging not to produce biological weapons of any kind. However, the concern remains, and it is certainly possible that new, highly dangerous forms of infectious organisms could be used deliberately.

Buad 310 Case Analysis Instruction

BUAD 310 Spring 2013 Case Due by 4PM on Friday, May 3rd (in BRI 400C) In this case you will apply statistical techniques learned in the Regression part of BUAD 310. Please read the following instructions carefully before you start: †¢ This assignment uses data from the file MagAds13S. XLS, which you can download from Blackboard. After you download the file go to Data > Load data > from file in StatCrunch to open it (you don’t need to change any of the options when loading this data. ) †¢ The entire report should be typed and clearly presented without typos and grammatical errors.Copy and paste the relevant (explained further in more detail) regression output into your document. Do not attach any graphs. †¢ You are encouraged to work in groups (maximum size is 5). Any group submits only one report, in which the first page should have all the names and USC ID of the group members. A hard copy of the report needs to be submitted (an electronic copy is NOT acceptabl e). Before May 3rd, you can also hand in the report during class. When I am not in my office (BRI 400C), please drop the report in the office through the gap between the door and floor. Very important: present the problems in exactly the same order as they are listed. †¢ A note to Mac user: you might need to hold â€Å"shift† when selecting variables for the X-variables with multiple linear regression in StatCrunch. Magazine Advertising What factors influence the price of advertisements in magazines? Suppose you are part of a team of consultants hired by a retail clothing company wishing to place advertisements in at least one magazine. They are curious about what types of costs they can expect for magazines with different readership bases so they most effectively utilize their advertising budget.Your team has collected cost data on 44 consumer magazines. In addition, your team has measured some other characteristics of the magazines and their audiences that may be usefu l in understanding the advertisement costs better. The variables are as follows, pagecost: Cost of a four-color, one-page ad (in dollars) circ: Circulation (projected, in thousands) percmale: Percent male among the predicted readership medianincome: Median household income of readership (in dollars) Some natural logarithms of the variables are also provided for your convenience.Your goal is to analyze the data with StatCrunch using Multiple Linear Regression methods and choose the best model to explain the differences in advertising costs between the different titles, and then to predict what the retail clothing company should expect to pay for advertising in the different magazines. Answer the following questions (with reasonable detail, not just â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no†, use one or two sentences per question). 1. Visually examine the scatter plots of the response variable, pagecost, versus each of the explanatory variables (circ, percmale, medianincome).In StatCrunch you can go to [Graphics( Scatter Plot] to do each plot. Describe the form and the direction of each relationship. Do not attach any graphs. 2. Perform a Regression analysis to predict pagecost using all three explanatory variables [Stat ( Regression ( Multiple Linear, then fill in the proper Response and Predictor variables, then click Next twice and under Save options select Residuals, Predicted values and 95% interval for either the mean or an individual (you will have to decide which one you need for part d! ). For he CI (or PI) to be produced you need to enter the values from part d in the row underneath the data table, in appropriate columns. Note that the value for circ has to be entered in the same units as all the values in the circ column. To produce a residual plot do a Scatter plot as in question 1, selecting Residuals as the Y variable and Predicted values as the X variable]. Include the regression output, but not the plot. a. Use the R-squared and the F-test to comment on the usefulness of the regression model you fitted (use the significance level of 5% for the test). b.Evaluate the regression assumptions by assessing the residual plot. c. Examine each of the explanatory variables individually to determine which are contributing significantly to the model. (Use the significance level of 5 %. Do NOT actually eliminate any variables from the regression at this stage. ) d. Using the same model with all the variables, provide an appropriate 95%-level interval to the retail clothing company for the amount that they would pay for a full-page ad in a magazine with a projected audience of 2,000,000 readers, 55 percent of which are male, with a median income of $30,000.Explain in one sentence and in simple terms what this interval means. 3. Rerun the regression in part 2 with circ replaced by LN_circ (the natural logarithm of the variable circ), keeping all the other variables the same. Include the relevant regression output (only the coefficient and ANOV A tables). [Stat ( Regression ( Multiple Linear, then fill in the proper Response and Predictor variables, then click Next twice and under Save options select Residuals and Predicted values. Produce a residual plot the same way as in question 2]. a.How does this model compare to the previous model using R-squared? Explain what this difference in the R-squared values means in simple terms. b. Evaluate the regression assumptions by assessing the residual plot. c. Examine each of the independent variables individually to determine which are contributing significantly to the newest model. (Use the significance level of 5 %. Do NOT actually eliminate any variables from the regression at this stage. ) 4. Rerun the regression in part 3 with LN_pagecost (the natural logarithm of pagecost) as the response (i. . the explanatory variables are LN_circ, percmale and medianincome). Include the regression output. [Stat ( Regression ( Multiple Linear, then fill in the proper Response and Predictor variables, then click Next twice and under Save options select Residuals, Predicted values and 95% interval for either the mean or an individual (you will have to decide which one you need for part d! ). For the CI (or PI) to be produced you need to enter the values from part d in the row underneath the data table, in appropriate columns.Note that the value for LN_circ has to be entered in the same units as all the values in the LN_circ column. Also note that the interval will be produced for the LN_pagecost variable. To produce a residual plot do a Scatter plot as in question 1, selecting Residuals as the Y variable and Predicted values as the X variable]. a. Evaluate the regression assumptions by assessing the residual plot. b. Examine each of the explanatory variables individually to determine which are contributing significantly to the new model. Use a significance level of 5%. . Remove the variables you find insignificant and re-run the model. Include the regression output for the new model. d. Using the new model, provide an appropriate 95% -level interval to the retail clothing company for the amount they would pay for a full-page ad in a magazine with the values given in 2. d (projected audience of 2,000,000 readers, 55 percent of which are male, with a median income of $30,000) using the newest model. Explain in one sentence and in simple terms what this interval means. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: (roughly about ? to 1 page)You are given the task of summarizing your findings for the board of directors of the retail clothing company. Since they are not very well-versed in regression techniques, you will need to explain things in easy-to-understand, simple and practical terms. Make sure to answer the following questions within the summary: 1. Describe each of the models you considered in parts 2-4 and how these models estimate the relationship between the cost of one-page ad and each of the explanatory variables (for each of the models you will need about one se ntence per explanatory variable). . Specify which model you would recommend to best forecast the cost of one-page advertisements. Explain why this model should work well and why you picked this particular model from the ones you tried (go over the positives you see for this model and the negatives for the other models). †¢ Reminder: include only the relevant regression output in your final document. Do not attach or include any graphs.

Classification of Milk Essay

Ultra-high-temperatureprocessingClassification of milk products based on the manufacturing process Milk is important for both children and adults because it is a source of minerals, calcium, protein and phosphorus. Currently, there are different kinds of milk products in the market. Here are some types of milk based on the manufacturing process: -UHT Liquid Milk UHT is stands for Ultra High Temperature Processing or Ultra Heat Treatment. It is a way to sterilize food through to high heat process about 24 seconds at 135-140 degrees Celsius which the spores of milk is destroyed completely in that temperature. The high temperature pasteurization processes was first discovered in the 1960s by used with the milk know as UHT milk. UHT milk can be stored at room temperature for 6-10 months compared with pasteurized milk. UHT milk free of preservatives because the package is made in six layers to keep the milk remains in a sterile condition within a specified period without other chemicals. Milk Pasteurization Pasteurized milk is raw milk that passed through the heat of not less than 60 Celsius for at least 30 minutes or uses the heat of not less than 73 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds. Pasteurized milk is only lasted for 14 days if not stored in the refrigerator with a temperature of 5-7 degrees Celsius. Pasteurized milk has fresh taste and features as the natural milk. -Milk Sterilization The milk will be sterilized by high heat at 120 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes and caused the whole bacteria die but the spores will still be growing. The sterilized milk is not suitable for children because some nutrients like Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin C disappear during the heating process. The sterilized milk is usually packed in sealed metal cans so it can be kept up to 1-2 years and should be stored in the refrigerator after you open it to maintain the quality of milk. -Sweetened Condensed Milk 80 degrees Celsius warming conducted over three hours. It is condensed milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added. It can last for year without refrigeration if unopened. Sweetened Condensed Milk is used for cooking rather than drinking. And it contains very high sugar so it should not to use to feed the baby. -Milk Powder It is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness with a spray dryer or roller dryer is 200 degrees Celsius for two hours. The purpose of drying milk is to preserve it. It can be kept longer than the liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated.

Does cultural globalization inevitably result in cultural Essay

Does cultural globalization inevitably result in cultural homogenization Your answer should consider examples from at least one - Essay Example Globalization is an ongoing process, and the term has come into use since around 1990. The spread from one region to another of different symbols, products and concepts of culture across the globe, and their incorporation into new cultures are key to cultural globalization. It is important to understand whether the mutual assimilation of new cultures by different countries leads to their homogenization and uniformity of culture. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to determine whether cultural globalization inevitably results in cultural homogenization. Cultural Globalization Results in Homogenization and Differentiation Traditional concepts of culture are challenged by globalization. Culture was considered as that which differentiated one group from another, thereby identifying â€Å"otherness†. Culture has been one of anthropology’s main means of categorization; however the flexible boundaries today makes the concept of culture even more abstract. Lewellen (2002: 162) states that â€Å"globalization tends to break down categories; boundaries dissolve and once-differentiated types overlap, flow into each other, are transformed by contact into new forms, and take on unanticipated meanings in new contexts†. ... Moreover, globalization is almost never unimpeded. Nationalism, ethnicity, nongovernmental organizations, and transnational communities form a defense to prevent economic and political marginalization, cultural disintegration, and anomy or social instability caused by erosion of cultural standards. This is also true for cultural assimilation of transnational communities. Modernization theory predicted increasing cultural homogenization through assimilation of ethnic groups in western cultures over several generations. However, mainly due to global technology it is increasingly possible to maintain one’s ethnic identity through quick visits to home country by air, cheap and instantaneous communication with family that stayed behind, business networks and financial transactions both ways, expatriate participation in home-country politics, and a constant introduction of new immigrants from home country contribute to sustaining migrant ethnicity for long periods of time, and preve nts homogenization with host culture. Contemporary anthropologists tend to look for differences and not similarity, resistance not accommodation, transnationalism not assimilation. Friedman (1994) states that there are several examples of cultural devolution which are not represented in evolutionary theories. Examples are cultures such as those of Hawaii, North American and Peruvian Indians, and Congo pygmies that have lost much of their original autonomy and complexity as they are absorbed into the peripery of dominant cultures. Anthropologists agree that no cultural convergence is observable, and it is likely that the â€Å"total repertoire of cultural forms

Corporate Governance & Corporate Social Responsiblity Research Paper

Corporate Governance & Corporate Social Responsiblity - Research Paper Example The increasing incidents of scandals in financial organizations has facilitated the need for corporate to play a more active role in promoting good corporate governance and behavior. This paper investigates the roles that banks and institutional investors can play in promoting good corporate governance and behavior in Asian economies. Asian financial institutions, banks and institutional investors play important economic roles in the region. However, just like in other regions across the world have indicated, poor governance of the institutions do not only cause a decline in profitability, but also could destabilize monetary system if the problem becomes widespread (OECD, 2003, p13). Therefore, it is important for the financial institutions to ensure implementation and enforcement of sound corporate governance behavior. Before investigating the role that financial institutions in Asia can play in promoting good corporate governance behavior, it is important to examine the normative f ramework in these organizations in the region. Alayannis, et al (2003) noted that families own majority of businesses and organizations in Asia and hence relations with stakeholders is mostly informal. In addition, the region has a wide economic and legal diversity but countries such as China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Hong Kong have similar legal structures governing business operations. According to Johnson and Mitton (2003, p51) over 65% of all listed companies in Asia are private and are managed and run by families. The companies have been in existence for several decades and their success is almost fully attributed to the collective efforts of their owners. These business owners have a tendency of forming extensive interconnected networks of subsidiaries and sister companies, which include partially owned and publicly listed companies. Allen and Douglas (2000) argued that investing in the subsidiaries enables investors to put their investments under their chosen management team. In addition investing in the subsidiaries gives the investors an opportunity to put their money in potentially profitable ventures. However, this mode of investment leads to unfair treatment of investors who do not belong to the family that owns the enterprise. Due to the nature of the business proprietorship, the organizations have strong informal relationships between the stakeholders, who are mainly family members or close friends. In China, the state maintains a strong grip on the ownership of financial organizations and some elements of socialist laws are common especially on the firms’ relations with stakeholders (Klapper and Love 2002). To promote good corporate governance behavior in China, Hong Kong and other Asian countries with similar business and legal framework, banks and other institutional investors should enforce credible laws and regulations. Similarly, judicial systems should enhance their expertise and increase capability to arbitrate conflicts perta ining to corporate governance with fairness and efficiency (Holder, et al 2009). Senior management and board of directors of banks and institutions should play a more proactive role in promoting good corporate governance and behavior in Asian countries. In particular, Gregory (2002, p49) argues that â€Å"

Critical review the opportunities and constraints of ecotourism Thesis

Critical review the opportunities and constraints of ecotourism development in Hong Kong - Thesis Example Despite the diversified resources for ecotourism development in Hong Kong, the ecotourism industry has not germinated to become a prosperous industry. The government has already started to provide funding for the development of ecotourism in 2001 (Yeung et al., 2004). However, the ecotourism industry could not make any progress. Could it be attributed to the fact that our resources are not good enough to attract tourists? If not, what went wrong? In this context, the present chapter seeks to find the way ecotourism can capitalize the potentialities of the environmental resources including human beings for the development and growth of the economy. The researcher attempts to review the resources available in the country in detail with projection of opportunities for further development in the sector and thereby economic development. The chapter contains factual information on resources in the country supported by researcher’s assessment of how these resources are turned into means of ecotourism development. An attempt is also made by the researcher to analyze the impact of ecotourism on country’s resources. It is desirable that the study of the identification of resources for ecotourism development must precede the exploration of whether the country is really having the potentialities to make use of the resources. As understood by everyone, ecotourism is not supposed to endanger the environment and cultural heritage of a country. It must seek to find ways to enjoy the natural beauty of the country and should in no way affect the culture and lives of the local populace. One of the significant study by Cater remarked that during the 1980s, annual tourist arrivals in certain ‘ecotourism destinations’ are more than doubled and tourist receipts grew tenfold (Cater, 1994). In the early 1990s, one of the official reports of World Tourism Organization (WTO) predicted that there