Art anaylsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art anaylsis - Essay Example On research, it is evident that the STEN in STEN MK. V submachine gun is an acronym from the names of the chief designers of the weapon namely Shepherd, Turpin and Enfield. The submachine was produced in several basic marks i.e. mark I, mark II mark III and the initials MK were used for the term mark. The drawing is small, measuring 44 by 33 inches, yet immensely powerful. Though its dimensions may be small, the art work is immensely powerful. In simple terms, the smaller the submachine, the higher is its efficiency and effectiveness. The fire arm is small and yet it is extremely powerful. The STEN was used exceptionally extensively throughout World War II and in the Korean War by the British and commonwealth forces. This background information makes the inscriptions â€Å"God Bless America† on the drawings stock very full of meaning, hence extremely powerful. The aspect of its sight of the submachine on the globe is additive in a symbolic way. The artist used an acrylic, a pl astic polymer pigment which is used with water and dries extremely quickly, on a canvas ground. The canvas has the ability to reflect light. The use of acrylic on canvas gives the drawing exceptionally impressive and distinctive detail and a rich visual sensation. The artist also blends closely related colors in, but the blue color comes out as giving the globe a feeling of calmness. The message seems to be that a STEN Submachine can restore calm in the globe. The artwork has the flag of the United States of America embedded on it and these may be used to mean that the machine is heavily used in America to shed blood, and it is only through the blessing of God that the country will be saved. On the background, closely related colors are also blended making the submachine appear as if it is placed on the entrance of a cave. It also appears that there is light radiating from the background. This gives the submachine a highly symbolic meaning; one feels that the artist meant a gun is a protective instrument. The light that radiates from the back is a symbol of hope, that if a person has a gun they can have hope they are or will be safe. The dominant message that comes out in this work is the correlation between a gun and safety. To enhance the subject matter, a map of the world has been painted and then gun pointed at it, and it is specifically pointed at the United States of America. This is to show that the machine has been used globally and more so in the United States of America. In the map of the world, the United States is painted as one which is torn apart and full of blood. This is to show that regardless of its small size, the machine is able to shed blood in a whole country. During World War II, Britain and the commonwealth countries relied on the United States for supply of guns as it had entered the war without an adequate submachine gun of its own. So, Britain and the commonwealth countries purchased large numbers of Thompson submachine guns from the United States. American factories at the time were operating at peacetime levels, and as such were not able to meet demand for the weapon by Britain. The British army was then defeated at the continent and the Dunkirk Evacuation because of shortage of weapons with which to defend Britain. Thus, a drastic action had to be taken as there were no sufficient numbers of Thompsons submachine guns available. Thus, a shortage in supply led to the invention of the STEN gun so the machine was hastily created. Its

Alternative Energy Sources Essay Example for Free

Alternative Energy Sources Essay Scientist have been on a great journey for years (especially in the 21st century) for a better and more efficient way to harness energy, that does not pose a negative impact on our environment. Many paths have been explored and a few of them are: Tidal Power, Solar Windows, Nuclear Waste, Flying Wind Farms, and Nuclear fusion. In my research I have found some of these sources to be more practical than others. However, they all contain the potential to be large scaled and put into effect if not in the near future then in the distant future. A few that I wanted to key in on is: Tidal Power, Solar Windows, and Flying Wind Farms. Why is it necessary for us to look into alternative sources? Well it is because in our current situation we are polluting our environments with harmful substances that can have long lasting impacts. Not only does these substances affect the human life but also the wild life. That is only one aspect of need in our world. Another aspect would be in third world countries. Cheap and efficient ways to harness power will bring many of these countries out of poverty and into wealth, benefiting us all. Tidal power is the process of harnessing the energy from waves in the sea/ocean. This idea was at one point highly sought out for. However, as wind turbines started to come into the picture this idea was put aside and neglected for a few years. Recently this idea has been getting more attention and has been resurfacing as an engineer with the air force has created a way to harness theoretically 99% of its energy (as opposed to the 50% it was getting a few years ago). In past projects drag was the main element used to capture the energy. The new method from the air force engineer uses lift instead of drag which gave him higher results in the end. I can strongly see this source of energy playing a big part in powering our homes day in and day out. Solar Windows is a higher level of solar panels. A recent break-through in quantum dot solar technology enables solar panels to act as transparent windows. When this technology becomes available to the public, every window  in every metropolitan building (highly efficient) to every household can be equipped to power itself. In the Past four years itself the US has increased its solar capacity by 500% in seeing its potential for an avenue in clean energy source. So this is yet another source that I strongly believe and trust will have an impact on our environment. Flying Wind Farms comprised of Buoyant Air Turbines (BAT) is an interesting topic. It involves a blimp and a wind turbine fused together to get into higher altitudes (1000-2000 ft) to get stronger and more consistent winds. Not only is the energy harnessed but also this blimp will also act as a double to provide Wi-Fi in a larger scale. It is predetermined that the entire tower based wind farms will be replaced by BAT. These Bat devices are capable of retracting and extending in altitude as it senses the wind pressure getting too strong or too weak. The wind turbines were initially considered a hoax but now have taken the industry by storm. In saying that I do see a future for this innovation. However, I do not see it being accomplished in the near future. Overall my understanding is that there are many ways to harness renewable energy, however, some will be more efficient than the others. In the short list that I presented I see the Tidal power project having the greatest capacity to be seen in the near future. It is also one of the most efficient forms of collecting energy as it can collect up to 99% of the tidal energy. This will be great for a large scale like powering entire cities. However, for an average consumer looking to power their homes then I would point them to the Solar Windows as soon as they arrive in the market, because they provide an energy source without having to sacrifice appeal of the home. As regular solar panels tend to be bulky and weird looking sitting on the top of the roofs. As scientists and engineers look for alternative energy sources lets provide our support by simply accepting the fact that there is a need for all these alternative energy sources.

The Bean Trees :: essays research papers

Taylor's fears 		In the Story, The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingslover we see a character named Taylor overcome several fears that she has. Taylor Greer, a woman who once saw a man being thrown several feet up into the air shortly after his tractor tire blew up, never did really like tires. She always seemed to think that the same thing might happen to her if she ever did something like, overfilling it too much with air. Her mom, who was fairly normal, decided to test Taylor's tire-changing-skills shortly after she bought her ‘55 Volkswagen. She knew what to do in a case of emergency but she was afraid to do it. 		Mattie, the sole owner of a shop named "Jesus is Lord Used Tires", was accustomed to changing and rotating tires everyday. One day she received a customer who had driven over some cracked glass pieces on the side of the road. Mattie took standard procedures by lifting the car, taking out the tire, and finally dipping it to see if air bubbles would come up. "I'm sorry to tell you, hon, these are bad. I can tell you right now these aren't going to hold a patch. They're shot through." (page 40). Mattie was exceptionally nice to Taylor and told her to come inside and have some coffee. After drinking a cup of coffee and giving Turtle some juice Mattie came up with the idea that Taylor could work for her. Taylor being the one who doesn't like tires in the first place accepted the generous offer, but went almost nuts with the huge tire wall that surrounded her. Taylor was a good worker and didn't have any real complaints about her position, but she still had a fear of exploding tires. This fear was noticeable to Mattie. Mattie being the rough-tough but nice person, asked Taylor nicely to follow her, when suddenly Mattie threw a 5-gallon Jerry can at her. "Knocked the wind out of you, but it didn't kill you, right?" "That's twenty-eight pounds of water. Twenty-eight pounds of air is about what you put into a tire. When it hits you, that's what it feels like." (page 81). 		When I was about 10 years old, my mom took me to a roller coaster theme park in Massachusetts. I was terribly afraid of the huge roller coaster that appeared in front of me, and while I waited in line, the anxiety of waiting to die in a roller coaster made my heart beat through my chest.

Alternative Medicine :: essays papers

Alternative Medicine Throughout recorded history, people of various cultures have relied on what Western medical practitioners today call alternative medicine. The term alternative medicine covers a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies. It generally describes those treatments and health care practices that are outside mainstream Western health care. People use these treatments and therapies in a variety of ways. Alternative therapies used alone are often referred to as alternative; when used in combination with other alternative therapies, or in addition to conventional therapies they are referred to as complementary. Some therapies are far outside the realm of accepted Western medical theory and practice, but some, like chiropractic treatments, are now established in mainstream medicine. Worldwide, only an estimated ten to thirty percent of human health care is delivered by conventional, biomedically oriented practitioners ("Fields of Practice"). The remaining seventy to ninety percent ranges from self-care according to folk principles, to care given in an organized health care system based on alternative therapies ("Fields of Practice"). Many cultures have folk medicine traditions that include the use of plants and plant products. In ancient cultures, people methodically collected information on herbs and developed well-defined herbal pharmacopoeias. Indeed, well into the twentieth century much of the pharmacology of scientific medicine was derived from the herbal lore of native peoples. Many drugs commonly used today are of herbal origin: one-quarter of the prescription drugs dispensed by community pharmacies in the United States contain at least one active ingredient derived from plant material ("Fields of Practice"). Twenty years ago, few physicians would have advised patients to take folic acid to prevent birth defects, vitamin E to promote a healthy heart, or vitamin C to bolster their immune systems. Yet today, doctor and patient alike know of the lifesaving benefits of these vitamins. Twenty years ago, acupuncture, guided imagery, and therapeutic touch were considered outright quackery. Now, however, in clinics and hospitals around the country, non-traditional therapies are gaining wider acceptance as testimonials and studies report success using them to treat such chronic maladies as back pain and arthritis. The number of people availing themselves of these alternative therapies is staggering. In 1991 about twenty-one million Americans made four hundred and twenty-five million visits to practitioners of these types of alternative medicine; more than the estimated three hundred and eighty-eight million visits made to general practitioners that year (Apostolides). The U.S. Department of Education has accredited more than twenty acupuncture schools and more than thirty medical schools now offer courses in acupuncture (Lombardo; Smith). As the number of Western medical institutions researching alternative therapies increases, the legitimacy of at least some alternative therapies will also increase. Alternative Medicine :: essays papers Alternative Medicine Throughout recorded history, people of various cultures have relied on what Western medical practitioners today call alternative medicine. The term alternative medicine covers a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies. It generally describes those treatments and health care practices that are outside mainstream Western health care. People use these treatments and therapies in a variety of ways. Alternative therapies used alone are often referred to as alternative; when used in combination with other alternative therapies, or in addition to conventional therapies they are referred to as complementary. Some therapies are far outside the realm of accepted Western medical theory and practice, but some, like chiropractic treatments, are now established in mainstream medicine. Worldwide, only an estimated ten to thirty percent of human health care is delivered by conventional, biomedically oriented practitioners ("Fields of Practice"). The remaining seventy to ninety percent ranges from self-care according to folk principles, to care given in an organized health care system based on alternative therapies ("Fields of Practice"). Many cultures have folk medicine traditions that include the use of plants and plant products. In ancient cultures, people methodically collected information on herbs and developed well-defined herbal pharmacopoeias. Indeed, well into the twentieth century much of the pharmacology of scientific medicine was derived from the herbal lore of native peoples. Many drugs commonly used today are of herbal origin: one-quarter of the prescription drugs dispensed by community pharmacies in the United States contain at least one active ingredient derived from plant material ("Fields of Practice"). Twenty years ago, few physicians would have advised patients to take folic acid to prevent birth defects, vitamin E to promote a healthy heart, or vitamin C to bolster their immune systems. Yet today, doctor and patient alike know of the lifesaving benefits of these vitamins. Twenty years ago, acupuncture, guided imagery, and therapeutic touch were considered outright quackery. Now, however, in clinics and hospitals around the country, non-traditional therapies are gaining wider acceptance as testimonials and studies report success using them to treat such chronic maladies as back pain and arthritis. The number of people availing themselves of these alternative therapies is staggering. In 1991 about twenty-one million Americans made four hundred and twenty-five million visits to practitioners of these types of alternative medicine; more than the estimated three hundred and eighty-eight million visits made to general practitioners that year (Apostolides). The U.S. Department of Education has accredited more than twenty acupuncture schools and more than thirty medical schools now offer courses in acupuncture (Lombardo; Smith). As the number of Western medical institutions researching alternative therapies increases, the legitimacy of at least some alternative therapies will also increase.

Internal & External Factors that Affect Management

In today’s ever changing business world companies from of all sizes have to be aware of the different factors that might affect the way they are managed and ultimately operate. There are two main areas where these factors can originate, internally and externally. According to â€Å"Businessdictionary. com† (2013), â€Å"Internal factors are inner strengths and weaknesses that an organization exhibits. Internal factors can strongly affect how well a company meets its objectives, and they might be seen as strengths if they have a favorable impact on a business, but as weaknesses if they have a deleterious effect on the business.† (para. 1).External factors are the opposite of internal factors because they involve all relevant forces outside a firm’s boundaries, such as competitors, customers, the government, and the economy. In the following we will discuss how a company like Google is affected by internal and external factors that change their four function s of management such as globalization, technology, innovation, diversity, and ethics. Organizational culture is a business’ DNA.Depending on how strong or weak an organization’s culture is will determine how successful that business generally becomes. This analogy can not be more evident than with or organization, Google; founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 while still at Stanford pursuing graduate degrees. Their youthful outlook remains dominant within company culture today (Johansson, (2010)). Organizationally, Google maintains a casual and democratic atmosphere (quite similar to our owner’s personalities), resulting in its distinction as a Flat company.Within the walls or more correctly the parameters of this flat company, teams are made up of members with equal authority and certain level of autonomy is maintained. This unique approach has lead Google to boast about some unique cultural aspects such as: double rooms (few single offices! ) with thre e or four team members, dogs, lava lamps, and massage chairs and even local touches like ski gondolas in Zurich, express each office's unique location and personality. With benefits like those, it’s clear to see how Fortune magazine describes us as the best company in the world to work for.The fostering creative, relaxed work environment along with the entire unique employee perks help shape the strong unified culture amongst Google (Johansson, (2010)). On the other hand a week organizational culture can lead to toxic consequences for a business. Consider, Enron, a prime example. Once one of the most successful businesses in its heyday has long gone but its lessons endure. The company’s epic fail resulted in the biggest business bankruptcy ever, facilitated by unethical behavior by its top-level managers.Ethics which are part of the planning function of management goals are to identify both the rules that should govern people’s behavior and the products that are worth purchasing. Proper ethical behavior is generally demonstrated and facilitated by top- level manager as a working example for other employees to adopt and cultivate within the organization. â€Å"Just as character matters in people, it matters in organizations,† says Justin Schultz, a corporate psychologist in Denver. This was not the case with Enron’s leaders, who sought excess at the expense of their employees, shareholders and community.In the end, those misplaced ethics destroyed Enron and essentially the only product they produced worth seeking can be found in university textbooks that characterizes Enron’s unethical behavior (Silverstein, (2013)). Similar to how internal factors influence a company culture throughout an organization and vice versa during planning, external factors can influence management within the function of planning. Particularly technology, for example just as with any planning phase, decisions about technology must balance inte rnal capabilities (strengths and weaknesses) with external opportunities and threats.Management uses several techniques to better understand how technology is evolving within a particular industry (Bateman & Snell, Chapter 10,Assessing External Technological Trends, (2011)). Globalization is another one of the major factors that can influence the way that a company manages itself. According to â€Å"Oxforddictionaries. com† (2013), † globalization is the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale† (para. 1).According to Adams (2008) â€Å"Businesses are said to be competing on a level global playing field almost without regard to location or nationality. † (p. 153). This could be advantageous to a company like Google or a disadvantage as well. Planning can be a problem with globalization because not only is Google doing business in other countries they also have offices in them as well. Communication on a real-time level can be difficult by collaborating with people in different time zones and languages. This could be helpful thoughas well because of all of the different backgrounds and diversity in the countries that Google operates in can give strong ideas to plan upon. Organizational efforts can be a bit troublesome as well when you are working across such a vast area and diverse people. Getting the right people together to attend meetings, whether it’s over the phone or face to face via video conferencing, can be hard to organize as well. Although again this could be advantageous to Google because of all of the diversity of its employees, organizing can lead to big things.One of the more important functions of management is leading and this could be compromised by globalization in a couple different ways. If you have a employees working on a team that are far apart in different countries, the team leader or manager can find it difficult to get the most out of his workers because of language barriers, time zones, or ethical differences. However, this could work out good for the manager because he or she could use the different backgrounds of the employees to motivate or come up with new tactics to improve efficiency.The one thing that should not have an effect by globalization is controlling. With technology these days watching over or supervising a group, ever over a vast area, is not that difficult. With the invention of video conferencing and things like databases and dashboards, managers are able to see and control a wide variety of things. On the other hand, some things can be easier to get by management, like time working on a project, than if it was all in one building. Another factor that can change the way Google manages itself is diversity.The previous few paragraphs touched on this point a little but this does change things a lot. Planning can be a bit challenging because of how many different backgrounds an d morals that a manager has to consider. Again this can be helpful though as well because of the different ideas that can come out of the diversity of the employees. Organizing these diverse people can be hard as well. Some of them might have different religious holidays and beliefs so the manager might have to work around them to maintain a good moral.On the flip side this could be a good thing because again the diversity can be an advantage to the manager. Leading can be another way that this can be advantageous because a manager can really play on the emotions of their diverse employees by really respecting their beliefs and morals so that the manager can gain respect. The down side is that it might go against the morals of the manager to respect or allow an employee’s beliefs in which the leader of the team is dissatisfied. Controlling can be difficult because of the different language barriers and time zones to really get a handle on things.With all of these different fa ctors weighing on Google’s management functions, it appears that there are many more advantageous opportunities to increase efficiency and profits while expanding the company to new heights. However, if any of these factors start to change or start to affect the company in a more negative way without addressing it or changing, things might go terribly wrong for the company. So make sure that everything is running smoothly and not to a point that it will look bad on the company.

The French Revolution and Napoleons Governance

The French Revolution and Napoleons Governance The French Revolution (1789-1799) became the period of significant changes within the French society and in the political life of France. It began with the meeting of the Estates-General in May, 1789, and finished with Napoleon Bonaparte’s coming to power in November, 1799 (Duiker and Spielvogel 394).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The French Revolution and Napoleon’s Governance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Like any substantial change in the political life of any country, the French Revolution consisted of several stages of the dramatic transformation of the state system, political and social life in France. In this paper, we will discuss the period from the Thermidorian Reaction to the last years of Napoleon’s government. We will discuss the reasons and the course of change of leadership in France during this period. The Thermidorian Reaction, 27 July 1794, was the response on the violent p olicies of Reign of Terror and actually put an end to it. Being inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution, the people of France continued their struggle for their rights and for effective state system. The power in the country was taken by the Executive Directory (1795-1799). The new body of executive power that consisted of five elected Directors started functioning within the country and at the same time took intense military actions abroad. The inner policies of the Directory were not successful with people and gradually led to the loss of its authority. Particularly, the inability to implement successful taxation and financial policies, â€Å"flourishing† corruption and faction between the directors (ibid.) were step by step undermining the influence of the Directory. The French people expected the opportunity to forget about the events of the last years; however, the governance of the Directory did not meet their expectations, as the country did not approach to the desired stability. On the other hand, the military successes of France did not contribute to the authority of the Directory, but backwards, actually gave birth to Napoleon’s bright political start. In 1799, the Directory finished its existence. Failures in the inner and foreign policies gave a good opportunity for Napoleon who came to France after the military operations to overthrow the Directory and seize power. Napoleon’s success at the first stages of his governance can be explained by the effective balance between â€Å"liberation† and strengthening of his own power. He understood that the processes emerged during the first years of the Revolution could not disappear: they were more likely to be a starting point for the further changes.Advertising Looking for essay on eastern europe? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, it is possible to say that since the beginning of Napoleon’s era , the political life in France took its course between two poles, which are Napoleon’s personal motives of keeping and maintaining his power, and the inertial power of the French Revolution (Hunt et al 650-652). The slogan â€Å"Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity† reflects the essence of French Revolution; its focus was defense and equalization of the human rights and transformation of the social and political system in France, which included elimination of monarchy and replacing it with republic. During Napoleon’s governance, these two matters submitted to the interests of Napoleon as a governor. Instead of republic, Napoleon established an empire and defended his power by means of strong military services (652). Since that moment, the notion of â€Å"liberation† stated by the revolutionary slogan had lost its initial meaning and served to Napoleon’s plans as the justification and disguise for his intent of conquest, being realized in his French-st yle reforms throughout the lands belonging to France. In 1789, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaimed â€Å"freedom of religion, freedom of press, equality of taxation, and equality before the law† (660). Napoleon slightly followed the statements born by the Revolution, adapting them to the needs of strengthening his power: for example, he reduced an initial number of newspapers in Paris, which was seventy-three, to thirteen and then to four (684). He cultivated and popularized the image representing him as a hero, a magnificent governor. When forming the new political system of France, Napoleon followed his imperial intents: he focused on eliminating both the ascendancy of the old nobility and the influence of the contemporary revolutionary trends of equality and liberation, and the most appropriate decision was to create the new nobility based on the military estate which would support his power. Besides the political field, Napoleon reformed the legislation, having introduced the Civil Code: again, on the one hand, it was aimed to provide equality; on the other hand, this concerned only the adult males, omitting the rights of women and children. The social transformations were fulfilled by Napoleon’s predecessors as well; however, they had another nature: the Revolution had penetrated into the life of the citizens too deeply, touching upon all fields of their life, including even the forms of speech and the names of the months (669).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The French Revolution and Napoleon’s Governance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Certainly, this intrusion was not a single factor which caused the resistance to the Revolution: some people were just tired of the hard conditions of life, such as â€Å"long bread lines† (670) or of the terror; however, the combination of a range of factors impacted on the total outcome of the Revolution. Thus, Napoleon came to power when the revolutionary â€Å"foam† descended and focused only on the matters which could impact his position and power, which defined the direction of his policy. During the decade of his government, Napoleon’s power was strengthening within and outside the country. By 1812, the military success of France was impressive: only Great Britain and Russia as two major European countries kept their full independence (692). In fact, the Great Britain was the main obstacle on Napoleon’s way to fulfillment of his plans: the country â€Å"ruled the seas† (691), and its economy was developing rapidly; Britain produced goods and exported them to the European markets. On the other hand, Napoleon’s power was undermined by his military failure in the war against Russia: trying to fight on two fronts simultaneously, having not enough provision and being not ready to the cold climate of the Russian territories, the French a rmy failed. In 1813, the coalition of the Russian, Austrian, Prussian and Swedish armies (with the financial support of the Great Britain) defeated Napoleon. Duiker, William J., and Speilvogel, Jackson J. The Essential World History. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. Hunt, Lynn, et al. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History. 2nd edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. Print.

assholes on crack essays

assholes on crack essays If you want to be given credit for your work, and you should!!! Please include your name and e-mail address. There is nothing wrong with submitting your paper. Teachers have no right to get upset with you for publishing your work. IT'S YOURS!!! If you want to be given credit for your work, and you should!!! Please include your name and e-mail address. There is nothing wrong with submitting your paper. Teachers have no right to get upset with you for publishing your work. IT'S YOURS!!! If you want to be given credit for your work, and you should!!! Please include your name and e-mail address. There is nothing wrong with submitting your paper. Teachers have no right to get upset with you for publishing your work. IT'S YOURS!!!If you want to be given credit for your work, and you should!!! Please include your name and e-mail address. There is nothing wrong with submitting your paper. Teachers have no right to get upset with you for publishing your work. IT'S YOURS!!!If you want to be given credit for your work, and you should!!! Please include your name and e-mail address. There is nothing wrong with submitting your paper. Teachers have no right to get upset with you for publishing your work. IT'S YOURS!!!If you want to be given credit for your work, and you should!!! Please include your name and e-mail address. There is nothing wrong with submitting your paper. Teachers have no right to get upset with you for publishing your work. IT'S YOURS!!!If you want to be given credit for your work, and you should!!! Please include your name and e-mail address. There is nothing wrong with submitting your paper. Teachers have no right to get upset with you for publishing your work. IT'S YOURS!!!If you want to be given credit for your work, and you should!!! Please include your name and e-mail address. There is nothing wrong with sub...

How Fluorescent Lights Affect You and Your Health

How Fluorescent Lights Affect You and Your Health Fluorescent lights are a common light source in office buildings and shopping markets. With the advent of compact fluorescent lights, they are becoming commonplace in most homes as well. Fluorescent lights are less expensive to buy compared to how long they last (about 13 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs) and they are much less expensive to operate. They require a fraction of the energy that incandescent bulbs use. But they can have negative impacts on your health. The Problems There were hundreds of studies done over the last quarter of the last century that showed causal links between elongated exposure to fluorescent lights and various negative effects. The foundation of most of these problems is the quality of light thats emitted. Some of the theories about negative effects or dangers stem from the fact that we evolved with the sun as our main source of light. It is only relatively recently, with the proliferation of electricity, that humankind has taken complete control of the night and interior spaces. Before that, most light came from the sun or a flame. Since flames dont give much light, humans usually woke along with sunrise and worked outdoors or, later in our history, by windows. With the light bulb, we had the ability to do more at night and to work in enclosed rooms without windows. When the fluorescent lights were invented, businesses had access to a cheap and durable light source and they adopted it. But fluorescent bulbs do not produce the same type of light as the sun gives us. The sun produces a full spectrum light: that is, a light that spans the entirety of the visual spectrum. In fact, the sun gives a lot more than the visual spectrum. Incandescent lights give off a full spectrum, but not as much as sunlight. Fluorescent lights give off a rather limited spectrum. A lot of human body chemistry is based on the day-night cycle, which is also known as the circadian rhythm. Theoretically, if you do not get sufficient exposure to sunlight, your circadian rhythm gets thrown off and that, in turn, throws off your hormones with some negative health impacts. Health Effects   There are a number of negative health effects that have been linked to working under fluorescent lights that are theorized to be caused by this disturbance to our circadian rhythms and the accompanying body chemistry mechanisms. These negative health effects may include: MigrainesEye strainProblems sleeping, due to melatonin suppressionSymptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder or depressionEndocrine disruption and poor immune systemsFemale hormonal/menstrual cycle disruptionIncreases in breast cancer rates and tumor formationStress/Anxiety, due to cortisol suppressionSexual development/maturation disruptionObesityAgoraphobia (anxiety disorder) Flickering The other main cause of problems with fluorescent lights is that they flicker. Fluorescent light bulbs contain a gas that gets excited and glows when electricity is passed through this. The electricity is not constant. It is controlled by an electric ballast that pulses on and off really quickly. To most people, the flicker is so fast that it looks like the light is on constantly. However, some people can perceive the flicker even if they cant consciously see it. This may cause: MigrainesHeadachesEye strainStress/Anxiety Additionally, fluorescent bulbs, especially cheaper bulbs, may have a green cast to them, making all the colors in your environment more drab and sickly looking. There is some theory that this, at the least, affects mood. The Solutions If you are forced to work/live beneath fluorescent lights for extended periods of time each day there are a number of things you can do to combat the negative effects. The first is to get out in the sun more. Getting sun exposure, especially for stints in the morning, midday, and late afternoon, can help maintain your circadian rhythm. Putting in some windows, skylights, or solar tubes to bring sunlight into your interior environment can help as well. Short of bringing in sunlight itself, you can bring in a light source with a fuller spectrum. There are some full spectrum and daylight spectrum fluorescent lights on the market that have a better color temperature spread than regular fluorescent lights, so they do help, but they dont replace sunlight. Alternately you can put a full spectrum light filter over your fluorescent bulb or light fixture lens that alters the light coming out of the fluorescent bulb and gives it a fuller spectrum. These tend to give off more Ultraviolet (UV) rays that may cause skin problems, prematurely age materials like plastic or leather, and cause photos to fade. Incandescent lights do a decent job of providing a good spectrum of light that most people respond to well. Another benefit of incandescent lights is that they are a constant light source that doesnt flicker. If you perceive the fluorescent flicker, having a single incandescent light bulb on in the room can be enough to cover the flicker and keep it from affecting you. These bulbs can also balance out any green tint given off by the fluorescent bulb. In some cases, phototherapy, or light box therapy, can counteract lack of sunlight exposure. This is a common treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder and it uses an incredibly bright light for a limited amount of time to help keep your body chemistry regulated. Optometrists have long prescribed glasses with a very light rose-colored tint on them to counteract the effects of working under fluorescent lights, especially in women who are experiencing hormonal problems. Finally, flicker problems can be improved by using fluorescent light fixtures that use electronic ballasts as opposed to magnetic ones.

Fruit content of fruit juice and apple juice content of cider using Literature review - 3

Fruit content of fruit juice and apple juice content of cider using DNA methodology - Literature review Example The PCR –RFLP method was used for the analysis of the different fruits in the fruit juice. The PCR heteroduplex system was successfully applied to the LOC and was found to show greater sensitivity for the identification of the fruit juices. After this process, random reannealing of the amplified DNA was done based on Hardy- Weinberg law. The heteroduplexes obtained from these studies have proved that the heteroduplexes were underestimated at the lab-on-a-chip method. The differential data interpretation is done to obtain better results. (Scott and Knight 2009). DNA profiling method was developed for the fruit samples. Different DNA extraction methods were practiced for the isolation of the genomic DNA from the fresh fruits. Some of the DNA extraction methods are CTAB- based DNA extraction method and some kits such as Nucleon Phytopure plant DNA Extraction kit, DNeasy Plant mini kit and G2 buffer & Genomic –tip 20/G kits can be used for the extraction of the DNA from the given fruit juices. SSR markers are used for the identification of the DNA from the given samples. The SSR analysis was able to reveal that the genotypes were the same for the dried fruits and the fresh juices. The DNA samples obtained from the canned and processes foods will be very small of 500 bp. (Yamamoto et al. 2006). These DNA samples can be easily amplified using the high quality primers. In the pear fruit DNA sequence there are 15 SSR sequences and among them 9 SSR markers were obtained from the fruit juice containing pear. The reason for this could be that the DNA obtained from the fruit juices were around 150 base pairs and they were very small for amplification. The DNA profiling and the cultivar methods were found to be very useful for the identification of the DNA of the fruits from the fruit juices. (Yamamoto et al. 2006). Orange juice is one of the most

How important was nationalism as a cause of the collapse of communism Essay

How important was nationalism as a cause of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe - Essay Example In this paper, the term nationalism is used in the meaning of political doctrine and ideology which is justified by a goal to make a certain nation succeed in pursuing its interests. In this context, a nation is understood as â€Å"a political, ethnic, territorial, cultural, or religious group united by a common economy, mass culture, common legal rights and duties, and a belief system that emphasizes either shared history and genealogy or other common myths distinguishing this group from others† (Smith, 1991: 14). Molchanov (2000: 264) observes that nationalism today is a product of modernization as well as mass education. It is also a product of the elites’ conscious manipulation of country’s masses. Nationalism is based on national feeling, i.e. a feeling of belonging to a community which is culturally distinct and goes beyond people’s circles of important others, covers the barriers of statuses and classes, and on a legitimate basis commands its member s’ loyalty. In this respect, a national community is perceived as an imagined community with its contours being reconstructed during the process of national mobilization (Molchanov, 2000: 263). As for the national elite, it serves a mobilizing agent in this process. Its parochial interests get the status of national interests and become values for which all compatriots fight. Typically, the elite is made up of well-educated classes â€Å"from the indigenous nationality and local administrators† who have become dissatisfied with current social standing (Molchanov, 2000: 264). ... It is also a product of the elites’ conscious manipulation of country’s masses. Nationalism is based on national feeling, i.e. a feeling of belonging to a community which is culturally distinct and goes beyond people’s circles of important others, covers the barriers of statuses and classes, and on a legitimate basis commands its members’ loyalty. In this respect, a national community is perceived as an imagined community with its contours being reconstructed during the process of national mobilization (Molchanov, 2000: 263). As for the national elite, it serves a mobilizing agent in this process. Its parochial interests get the status of national interests and become values for which all compatriots fight. Typically, the elite is made up of well-educated classes â€Å"from the indigenous nationality and local administrators† who have become dissatisfied with current social standing (Molchanov, 2000: 264). Exploring the political agenda of contempor ary nationalism, one may state that it necessarily develops in its connection to state (Tibor, 2010: 36). The relationship between nationalism and the state is discussed in two major modes. The first one describes the situation when the representatives of the indigenous nationality already have control over the state. They make efforts to unite people and create their specific nation. It is characterized by a focus on cultural and linguistic homogenization, consolidation of political connections, and creating the feeling of solidarity. The activity of the government results in education standardization and decrease of the social distance which may be found between the society layers (Gellner, 1998). The second mode of nationalism development within the state is when the elites do not possess control over

Transformers I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Transformers I - Essay Example Apparently, Sam Witwicky, the grandson of Captain Witwicky, buys a new car only to realize that the car was actually Autobot Bumblelee. This discovery shocks him since it was unimaginable in the human world for someone to transform into a machine or robot. However, Sam Witwicky later learns that Autobot Bumblelee was actually protecting him from the Decepticons (Transformers). After realizing that the Autobots were actually not harmful to humans, Sam Witwicky and his girlfriend Mikaela stop fearing them. Instead they start working together. They learn that Autobots are harmful when Bumblebee actually helps Sam to woo Mikaela. Moreover, Sam later realizes that the Autobots are actually trying to protect him and the entire earth from destruction by the Decepticons. As they relationship between Sam, Mikaela and Bumblebee grows, Sam and Mikaela gain more confidence in Autobots. After all, Bumblebee does not harm any of them. In fact, he comes to their aid severally helping them escape from potential harm by the Decepticons (Transformers). On the other hand, Decepticons arrive and unleash terror on the planet earth. Their first landing is at a US military base in Qatar. Two Decepticons, Scorponok and Blackout try to hack into computer files at the military base without success. The base commander, William, acts first to prevent the Decepticons from accessing the files. Apparently, the Decepticons hoped to access the files that would help them locate where the AllSpark and their leader, Megatron, were. The captain and his platoon manage to escape from the military base. When the US government learns about this invasion by the Decepticons, they send a special unit to capture all the aliens. The government’s reaction was hostile towards the transformers, which were considered to be aliens. In fact, when the government learns about the presence of Autobots, they also take the same approach and try to capture them. When Sam and Mikaela and taken by a

Hadron collider Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hadron collider - Assignment Example The research carried out by the organization assesses the likelihood of hazardous experiences in the context of the present assumptions laid out by physicists (Beech 190). However, the theories are not complete, creating a possibility of unforeseen occurrences. The present knowledge and theories man has about physics cannot predict the side effects of the LHC on the planet (Halpern 47). As a result, several authors have analyzed and discussed dangers that might occur from the use of the LHC on planet Earth. Studies from CERN have accepted the rule that the collisions of particles in the LHC will generate elements with velocities far much less than those generated by cosmic rays (Erdmann and MÃ ¼ller 65). This implies that the cosmic ray trial cannot firmly be applied to the LHC. As a result, the planet might easily capture some of the unanticipated heavy particles. This idea has driven other researchers and writers to form ground for studies on the possibility of risks from the use of the LHC (Evans 214). The formation of black holes is the main concern that string theorists are worried will occur with they use of the LHC. Mini black holes have been predicted to form due to the collision of the particles, and are able to swallow up the earth. Strangelets are another potential collider product from the use of the LHC (Steiger and Uhl 13). Strangelets could speed up the conversion of ordinary matter into more strangelets. As a result, the Earth might into a small sphere of strangelets. Safety factors might also be compromised. Certain theorists believe that the black holes likely to form might dissolve through hawking emission (ACS and CSA 111). This forms a danger in the use of the LHC since the collection of strangelets must be electrically constructive on its surface. If not, physicists consider the possibility of the non-fading of micro black holes (Lincoln 21). Another danger

Presidental and Parliamentary Systems of Government Term Paper

Presidental and Parliamentary Systems of Government - Term Paper Example Finally, conclusions were arrived at. The presidential separation of powers is not typical of modern constitutionalism. As such, there are several constitutional democracies that depict the commingling of governmental powers. Most of these systems of government are parliamentary systems. Such systems exhibit reliance of the head of government on the legislature for political survival. Another important trait exhibited by such governments is the power of the executive to declare elections by bringing about dissolution of the legislature.1 In the presidential systems of government, such powers are rarely encountered. These systems uphold the principle of separation of powers. The latter provides a governmental branch with the power to oversee the actions of the other branches, which generates a system of governance based on mutual distrust between the various branches of the government. Such invasive overlap among government branches ensures that no specific branch of government obtain s absolute power.2 In the US, delegation of power is quite strong, and society is politically active to a considerable extent, and there is extraordinary support from all quarters to the principle of democracy. Thus, the US represents a strong presidential system of government that differs from the Westminster model of democracy. The latter supports parliamentary democracy.3 The presidential system of the US establishes a strong President in the White House, who acts as the head of the state. In the Westminster model, the Prime Minister holds the position of pre-eminence. Despite these differences, both models focus on the concentration of power in the political party that has control over the legislature. In some democratic countries of Latin America, power is concentrated in the hands of a single person or party. Examples of such regimes are to be found in Venezuela, Colombia, and Costa Rica. 4 In the presidential systems of Greece and France, the President is elected by the peopl e and power is concentrated in the office of the President. These systems are known as delegate democracies. 5 The presidential system of government frequently includes a bicameral legislature. The passage of any law requires control over the executive, and the upper and lower houses of the legislature. These three entities are not elected at the same time and in the same election, which drastically increases the scope for dissent. 6 Parliamentary democracy is characterized by comparatively better stability. However, development in a country results in people aspiring for greater freedom with regard to expressing dissent. In addition, there is a greater tendency to spread different viewpoints. In the UK these desires have led to a gradual transition of the system of government towards the presidential system. 7 In fact, there is little of the original Westminster model that pertains to the political system prevalent in the UK. It is now quite apparent that the parliamentary system w ith its stability and authoritarian norms is apt only as far as the developing nations are concerned. With growth among the populace of a nation, it becomes essential to adopt a system of government that replicates a presidential system of governance. 8 The President in a presidential system of governance appoints the members of the Cabinet. In general, the latter are not members of the

Hadron collider Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hadron collider - Assignment Example The research carried out by the organization assesses the likelihood of hazardous experiences in the context of the present assumptions laid out by physicists (Beech 190). However, the theories are not complete, creating a possibility of unforeseen occurrences. The present knowledge and theories man has about physics cannot predict the side effects of the LHC on the planet (Halpern 47). As a result, several authors have analyzed and discussed dangers that might occur from the use of the LHC on planet Earth. Studies from CERN have accepted the rule that the collisions of particles in the LHC will generate elements with velocities far much less than those generated by cosmic rays (Erdmann and MÃ ¼ller 65). This implies that the cosmic ray trial cannot firmly be applied to the LHC. As a result, the planet might easily capture some of the unanticipated heavy particles. This idea has driven other researchers and writers to form ground for studies on the possibility of risks from the use of the LHC (Evans 214). The formation of black holes is the main concern that string theorists are worried will occur with they use of the LHC. Mini black holes have been predicted to form due to the collision of the particles, and are able to swallow up the earth. Strangelets are another potential collider product from the use of the LHC (Steiger and Uhl 13). Strangelets could speed up the conversion of ordinary matter into more strangelets. As a result, the Earth might into a small sphere of strangelets. Safety factors might also be compromised. Certain theorists believe that the black holes likely to form might dissolve through hawking emission (ACS and CSA 111). This forms a danger in the use of the LHC since the collection of strangelets must be electrically constructive on its surface. If not, physicists consider the possibility of the non-fading of micro black holes (Lincoln 21). Another danger

Human resource management & technical change Essay

Human resource management & technical change - Essay Example Megginson, L.C. (1981:6) defines personnel management as the "performance of all managerial functions involved in planning for, recruiting, selecting, developing, utilizing, rewarding, and maximizing the potential of the human resources of an organization". The implication here is that all managers, at all levels, have a duty to perform the personnel function. According to De Cenzo & Robbins (2002:2), inception can also be called "staffing" in that it is a way of getting individuals into the organization. This dimension entails strategic human resource planning, recruitment and selection. Hellriegel et al (1993:246) defines as the process of deciding on and analyzing the organization's mission, overall objectives, general strategies, and major resource allocationsThe overall purpose of strategic planning and management is to deal effectively with environmental opportunities and threats in terms of the organization's strengths and weaknesses". The major elements in strategic planning are mission, objectives, strategies and resource allocation. De Cenzo et al (2002:150) defines recruiting as "the process of discovering potential candidates for actual or anticipated organizational vacancies. Or from another perspective, it is a linking activity- bringing together those with jobs to fill and those seeking jobs. In other words, recruitment is the process of looking for persons who possibly may be suitable to fill the vacancies. It does not mean that an interested person has already been appointed in the vacancy, it only tries to find a number of suitable persons from which the final selection can be made. Hellriegel (1993:390) advises that "the organization should develop a pool of job candidates from which to select qualified employees. Candidates are recruited by, for example, running adverts, contacting employment agencies, and visiting college campuses". One thing that should be noted is the importance of trade unions because lower-level workers are recruited by trade unions. They have contact with all their members in the different enterprises and can bring vacancies in all the different enterprises to their members' attention. Selection according to Hellriegel et al (1993:390), "takes place after recruiting candidates for available positions. The organization selects and hires those people who are most likely to perform well on the job. These decisions can be difficult'. It is worth

Travel with Companion Essay Example for Free

Travel with Companion Essay After working hard or finishing courses, many people want to have a tour which they have fun and relax. Many people like to travel with a companion ; other people prefer to travel alone. So I love traveling with friends more than traveling alone because it is convenient and brings me a lot of memories. Firstly, traveling with my best friends is great and gives me many nice memories. Also, it brings more fun because you can do a lot of things, and different people have different ideas on what to do. For example, we can go sightseeing, eat and take photos together. For one thing, I can share happiness with others instead of enjoying it lonely even the landscape is really graceful. For another thing, we can take care of each other because we are friends. On the other hand, I can save tour expenditure when traveling with friends. That is a reason why many people do not like to travel alone. I can rent double rooms, king-size rooms instead of renting only a single room. Besides, I think it is a bit troublesome to travel with friends because I will always feel safe, especially if I am going to somewhere dangerous. For instance, if I am travel sick and need to take medicine, someone can help me. In conclusion, I assured that my tour will be happier if I go with my friends. This brings nice memories and convenience to me. Therefore, I can enjoy my tour wonderfully.

Summary On Turkey Import Export Economics Essay

Summary On Turkey Import Export Economics Essay Turkey is officially known as the Republic of Turkey is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia mostly in the Anatolian peninsula and in East Thrace in South-eastern Europe. Turkeys location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance. In addition to its strategic location, Turkeys growing economy and diplomatic initiatives have led to its recognition as a regional power in the Middle East. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) , Turkey is expected to be the fastest growing economy among OECD members between 2011 and 2017, with an annual average growth rate of 6.7 percent. Although immigration from rural to urban areas since 1990 has been high, 24.5% of the population still lives in rural areas. The major cities and their populations are: Istanbul, the trade and finance centre, 12.9 million; Ankara, the capital, 4.7 million; Izmir a major player in the dairy, greenhouse and tourism sector, 3.9 million; Bursa, the centre of automotive manufacturing and food processing, 2.6 million; Adana, the centre of agricultural production,2.1 million; Konya, the canter of grain production, 2.0 million; and Antalya, the centre of vegetable production and tourism sector, 1.9 million. The population of Turkey is expected to reach 75.8 in 2013 and 77.6 million in 2015. Seventy-two percent of the population is under the age of 35 and 26% is under t he age of 15. Parameter Value in Year 2010 : Population 74 million, Labour Force (Population) 25.9 million Median Age 29.2, GDP USD 736 billion, GDP Per Capita USD 10,079, Exports Value USD 120.9 billion, Imports Value USD 185 billion, Tourism Revenue USD 20.8 billion, Tourist Number 28.5 million people, Foreign Direct Investment USD 9.1 billion, Number of Companies with Foreign Capital 25,500, Inflation Rate 6.4%. Turkeys largely free-market economy is increasingly driven by its industry and service sectors, although its traditional agriculture sector still accounts for about 25% of employment. An aggressive privatization program has reduced state involvement in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication, and an emerging cadre of middle-class entrepreneurs is adding dynamism to the economy and expanding production beyond the traditional textiles and clothing sectors. The automotive, construction, and electronics industries, are rising in importance and have surpassed textiles within Turkeys export mix. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. Several gas pipelines projects also are moving forward to help transport Central Asian gas to Europe through Turkey, which over the long term will help address Turkeys dependence on imported oil and gas to meet 97% of its ene rgy needs. After Turkey experienced a severe financial crisis, Ankara adopted financial and fiscal reforms as part of an IMF program. Turkeys public sector debt to GDP ratio has fallen to roughly 40%. Continued strong growth has pushed inflation to the 8% level, however, and worsened an already high current account deficit. Turkey remains dependent on often volatile, short-term investment to finance its large trade deficit. The stock value of FDI stood at $99 billion at year-end 2011. Inflows have slowed considerably in light of continuing economic turmoil in Europe, the source of much of Turkeys FDI. Further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost Turkeys attractiveness to foreign investors. However, Turkeys relatively high current account deficit, uncertainty related to monetary policy-making, and political turmoil within Turkeys neighbourhood leave the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence. IMPORT REGULATION Overall, Turkey has a relatively free market for trade in goods and services as a result of liberalization measures introduced over the past two decades. Turkey follows basic WTO rules to regulate imports and tariff structures and has adopted the European Union (EU)s common customs tariff for imports from third countries. Turkey signed a customs union with the EU in 1996, eliminating all duties and charges on goods imported from EU member countries, excluding services, public procurement and unprocessed agricultural products. Turkey has signed free trade agreements with various countries and extends preferential treatment for least developed countries and some developing countries. TARIFFS AND CLASSIFCATION OF GOODS Turkeys tariff schedule is based on both the Harmonized Coding System (HS) and the Combined Nomenclature (CN) of the European Union within the framework of the Customs Union. Import duties are calculated on cost, insurance and freight (CIF) prices and are levied as a percentage on the landed value of the good. The importer is responsible for payment of the Turkish value-added tax (VAT), which is set at 18% for the majority of imports or 26% for luxury goods. Goods on which duty was paid on entry to an EU country can be admitted duty-free to Turkey and vice versa (with exceptions for agricultural goods and some industrial products). Clearance time is usually one to three days, depending on the type of freight. In the event of a classification dispute, the higher duty can be paid with the intent to seek reimbursement at a later date STANDARD The Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) is responsible for setting standards in Turkey. TSE approval is required to import any product covered under these standards. Many categories of products are subject to restrictions and special requirements such as narcotics (prohibited) and weapons (subject to strict license control). Items such as live animals, medicines and pharmaceuticals, food and plant products, organic chemicals, telecommunications equipment, ozone-depleting substances, explosives, banknotes and commercial paper, radioactive materials and temporary import of goods for exhibition may require additional permissions and certificates from government agencies. FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN TURKEY Foreign direct investment plays an important role in the Turkish economy. The Government has introduced reforms to improve the investment environment in Turkey, such as simplified procedures, new legislation and tax incentives to attract foreign investors. Under Turkeys programme to privatize state enterprises, foreign investors benefit from the same rights and incentives as local investors. FREE TRADE ZONES IN TURKEY Turkey has numerous free trade zones, considered to be outside the jurisdiction of Turkish customs authorities. Goods can be imported duty-free, assembled, manufactured, stored, repackaged and re-exported without paying tariffs. Unlike many free zones around the world, Turkish free zones allow sales into the Turkish market, subject to a fee. EXPORT REGULATION TRANSIT 1 Increased concern on the transit of dual-use items within Turkey as well as within the international community. Relevant Turkish legislation 1 The related provisions of the under secretariat of Foreign Trade Communiquà © 2003/12 on the Control of Exports of Dual-Use and Sensitive Items. The related provisions of the Customs Law no. 4458 dated 5 February 2000 which conforms with EU Customs Code (Council Regulation 2913/92). TRANSIT 2 Relevant Turkish legislation 2 Anti Smuggling Law no. 5607. Within this legislative framework, transits of items that are subject to export controls are treated on a case-by-case basis within the scope of interagency cooperation. ENFORCEMENT -1 Located in a sensitive geography where transit-trade and transit-shipment is common, customs enforcement and ground interdiction in general is of prime importance to Turkey. Customs authorities use an extensive database for enforcement purposes. New security systems have also been developed and established to prevent illegal trafficking of goods. ENFORCEMENT- 2 Intelligence and Land Border Gates Vehicle Pursuit Program has been developed. System currently operates at strategically important land border gates and seaports. All alerts and intelligence information about suspected vehicles, goods, firms, brokers and other actors are introduced into this program and forwarded to all regional units. ENFORCEMENT- 3 Fixed and mobile vehicle and container scanning systems Fixed, mobile and handheld radiation detection units Transit Vehicle Traction System / Monitoring of movements at the Control Centre in Ankara. System alerts enforcement officers when The vehicle leaves its specified route within Turkey, or The vehicle remains outside the path already specified, The mobile tracking unit is removed. EXPORT CONTROLS: COOPERATION ON THE GROUND We receive intelligence (either through own Intel channels or through international cooperation. Immediate action by MFA: call on board interagency task force. Depending on the intelligence: relevant export control authority + intelligence insight sought + if necessary military advice (including naval/air). Ability to confirm proper licensing/customs info. Intelligence needs to be on time and accurate. A CHALLENGE IN EXPORT CONTROLS-FREE ZONES-1 Constitutes a loophole within control systems. Can be exploited by proliferators. The transfer of sensitive items to other destinations is difficult to trace. The burden of the exporter country is increased In Turkey: transfer of dual-use items into free zones in Turkey are subject to licensing according to the export legislation. A CHALLENGE IN EXPORT CONTROLS-FREE ZONES-2 The items transferred into the free zones cannot be transferred out of the free zone without the permission of the under secretariat of Foreign Trade (UFT). Import Certificate and End-user Certificate is required for the transfer. If and when necessary, UFT consults other relevant institutions before granting permission. The UFT has the authority to deny or postpone the transfer. RECENTLY CHANGED REGULATIONS In December 2011 several amendments were made in the regulations which include : Official import controls of plant origin food and feed , Measurements to monitor certain substances and their residue on live animals and animal products, Food Hygiene , Food premises registration and approval , Food and Feed official control ,Pre-notification and veterinary checks of animal and animal products entering to the country, Specific rules for animal products official inspections, Veterinary checks on products entering to the country, Veterinary checks on live animals entering to the country, Domestic animal and animal products movements, Animal Hospital regulation , Veterinary checks on animal and animal products entering to the country, Animal welfare regulations, Protection and combating measurements against cattle leucosis, Protection and combating measurements against cattle anthrax, Surveillance of zoonose and zoonotic agents, related antimicrobial resistance and food borne outbreak, Cri teria of livestock markets registration and inspections, Animal welfare during animal transportation, Animal by products that are not intended to use for human consumption, Sperm, Ovum and Embryo production centre establishment, Special hygiene regulation for animal products, Feed hygiene, placing on the market and use of feed, methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of feed, Turkish food codex, Maximum residue limits of pesticides, Flavorings and certain food ingredients with flavoring properties, Food additives, Microbiological criteria for foodstuff, labelling, Contamination, Materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, Import inspection regulating, In December 2012 amendments were made in the regulations which include : Bread and varieties of Bread, methods of sampling for chemical analysis for the monitoring of preserved milk, composition and labelling of foodstuffs suitable for people intolerant to gluten, sampling, testing method for dioxin and similar products, methods of sampling for chemical analysis of edible caseins and caseinates, indications or marks identifying the lot to which a foodstuff belongs TURKEY IMPORTS-EXPORTS EXPORT $133 billion (2011) $120.9 billion (2010) EXPORTS-COMMODITIES Apparel, Foodstuffs, Textiles, Metal Manufactures, Transport Equipment EXPORTS-PARTNERS Germany 10.1%, UK 6.4%, Italy 5.7%, France 5.3%, Iraq 5.3%, Russia 4.1% (2010) TURKEY EXPORTS BY PRODUCT in 2010 (In US DOLLORS ($)) Food and Live Animals 6,512,339,000 Beverages and Tobacco 736,445,000 Crude materials ,Inedible, Except fuels 1,334,833,000 Mineral Fuels ,Lubricants and Related Material 2,641,023,000 Animal and Vegetable Oils, Fats and Waxes 405,300,000 Chemicals and Related Products 2,801,266,000 Manufactured Goods classified chiefly by Material 20,408,933,000 Machinery and Transport Equipment 21,005,357,000 Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles 15,947,496,000 Commodities and Transact-ions not classified elsewhere in the SITC 1,106,838,000 ELECTRICITY EXPORTS (million kWh) IN 2012 -1550 OIL EXPORTS 68,450 bbl/day (2011) NATURAL GAS-EXPORTS 649 million cu m (2011) IMPORTS $212.2 billion (2011) $185 billion (2010) IMPORTS-COMMODITIES Machinery, Chemicals, Semi-Finished Goods, Fuels, Transport Equipment IMPORTS-PARTNERS Russia 11.6%, Germany 9.5%, China 9.3%, US 6.6%, Italy 5.5%, France 4.4%, Iran 4.1% (2010) TURKEY IMPORTS BY PRODUCT SECTION YEAR 2010 (In US DOLLORS ($)) Food and Live Animals -1,615,878,000 Beverages and Tobacco -298,876,000 Crude materials, inedible ,except fuels 7,660,516,000 Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials 15,764,234,000 Animal and Vegetable Oils, Fats and Waxes 744,731,000 Chemicals and Related Products 16,166,494,000 Manufactured Goods classified chiefly by Material 19,989,660,000 Machinery and Transport Equipment 37,808,892,000 Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles 6,615,182,000 Commodities and Transactions not classified elsewhere in the SITC 10,109,685,000 OIL IMPORTS 581,000 bbl/day (2011) NATURAL GAS-IMPORTS 38.04 billion cu m (2011) GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nations GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States. GDP (PURCHASING POWER PARITY) $1.026 trillion (2011) $981.2 billion (2010) $906.9 billion (2009) Note: data are in 2011 US dollars Source: International Monetary Fund 2011 World Economic Outlook GDP REAL GROWTH RATE 4.6% (2011) 8.2% (2010) 4.7% (2009) Variable: Gross domestic product, constant prices Units: Percent change Country-specific Note: See notes for: Gross domestic product, constant prices (National currency). Source: International Monetary Fund 2011 World Economic Outlook Year Gross domestic product, constant prices 2008 0.659 2009 -4.826 2010 8.945 GDP PER CAPITA (PPP) $14,600 (2011) $13,800 (2010) $12,900 (2009) Note: data are in 2011 US dollars Year Gross domestic product based on purchasing-power-parity (PPP) per capita GDP Percent Change 2008 13107.54 1.68 2009 12460.79 -4.93 2010 13577.11 8.96 GDP COMPOSITION BY SECTOR Agriculture: 9.3% Industry: 28.1% Services: 62.6% (2011) AGRICULTURE SECTOR Agriculture has always been one of the most promising sectors for Turkey, both for the domestic economy and in terms of international trade. Around 40 percent of Turkeys land area is arable and offers a large range of products such as grains, pulses, oil seeds, fruits and vegetables, cut flowers, poultry, dairy products, seafood, honey and tobacco. Grain production, livestock and fisheries/forestry account for 67 percent, 26 percent and 7 percent of the total agricultural production, respectively. Turkeys agricultural imports in 2010 and 2011, excluding processed food, reached USD 6.49 billion (3.49 percent of the total imports) and USD 8.94 (3.7 percent of the total imports), respectively. Export were USD 5.09 billion (4 percent of total exports) in 2010 and USD 5.35 (3.9 percent of total exports) in 2011. The top Turkish exports are dried figs, dried apricots, sultana raisins, hazelnuts and hazelnut products. Turkeys top imports are cotton, soybeans, hides and skins, feed ingredients, live animals and paddy rice. FOOD PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR The Turkish food sector is becoming more advanced due to retailer demands for higher standards and investments by food manufactures. Through the widespread presence of modern international and domestic grocery retail outlets such as Metro, Carrefour, Tesco and Migros as well as rising incomes, the consumption patterns of Turkish consumers have shifted away from bulk and raw foods towards packaged and processed foods, including ready-to-eat meals and frozen foods. An increase in the number of females working full-time and higher levels of disposable income has supported this trend. This is particularly the case in urban centres. The major food consumption patterns have not changed as much in the rural areas and are still based on wheat and grain products and a variety of meat products. Consumers in the south east of Turkey mainly consume lamb, but in Central Anatolia and the West more consumers prefer beef. Milk consumption has not increased as quickly as milk production, which increa sed from 8 million MT in 2002 to 12.5 million MT in 2011, but the variety of milk products such as yogurt and cheese increased. There are still a lot of opportunities for investments in the dairy products sector but products should be adjusted to local tastes. Turkey should be considered a door to Middle Eastern market. Due to shared history and religion as well as common cultures, Turkish agriculture and food export to the Middle East increased dramatically in the past decade. The Halal and organic food subsectors are areas which could be ready for investments or partnerships in the region. Production in the food and beverage sector reached TRY 8,852 million in 2009, which constitutes 18-20 percent of the countrys production as a whole. The proportion of Turkish household expenditure allocated to food and beverages, which was around 23 percent and declined to about 21.9 percent in 2009, remains high compared with Western standards, which range between 15-20 percent. But Alcoholic beverages and tobacco expenditures increased from 4.1 percent to 4.5 percent in 2009-10. Total consumer spending on food, beverages and tobacco was estimated at around USD 145 billion in 2010. The Turkish economy grew 15.7 fold between 1980 and 2010 from TRY 70 billion to 1,105 billion whereas the food sector grew 14.8 fold from TRY 15 billion to 222 billion in the same period. Accordingly, the share of the food sector in Turkeys GDP dropped to 20.1% in 2010 from 21.4% in 1998. The Turkish diet contains a large share of baked goods. Hence, the bakery subsector forms the majority (65 percent) of the total number of food and beverage companies in Turkey. In 2011 Turkey consumed 11,486,000 MT of bread and only 33,600 MT of packaged bread. Turkish consumers tend to buy bread from small bakeries when it is hot and generally dont buy packaged sliced bread. Another important bakery product is the Simit (type of bagel) as well as salty cookie-like products. Modern bakery shops have begun to open, especially in Istanbul, but that is not widespread throughout Turkey. Moreover, due to the low quality of flour available in Turkey, pita style bread is popular in East and South East Anatolia. Therefore, the bakery sector in general offers a lot of opportunities for growth and development. FINDING BUSINESS PARTNERS IN TURKEY There are 467 foreign companies actively operating in the Turkish food sector. Cargill, Bunge, Nestle, Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Co are some of the most prominent ones. Restaurant franchises are one way of introducing new products. An increasing number of restaurant chains are opening in Turkey, especially in Istanbul. These include casual dining, fast food and cafes. While most of these companies source food ingredients produced in Turkey, some require specialized ingredients or imports of certain items that are not readily available. Exporters should check with importers to see if they are approved suppliers for franchises. Additionally, Turkeys hotel sector has traditionally represented an important niche market for certain high-value food products that cannot be readily found throughout Turkey. Turkey attracts 30 million tourists every year, especially in Istanbul and Antalya. There are 336 five star and 543 four star hotels in Turkey and most of them are located in Antalya and Istanbul. Global hotel chains including the Marriot, Hilton and Sheraton have a strong presence in Turkey. Turkey is a major tourism destination for Germans, Russians, British and Scandinavian travellers. Five star hotels would like to offer more high-quality products to their customers. Fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available in Turkey but high quality meat (especially steak) and fishery products (especially shrimp and crab) can be extremely difficult to source. Trader associations are also very important contacts for those seeking to enter the market. The Feed Millers Association, Turkish Food and Drink Industry Association Federation, and Poultry Meat Producers and Breeders Association are examples of important traders organizations. (See Annex A for more details). A visit to Turkey to gain a first-hand information about the Turkish market, preferably coinciding with a major trade show such as FOODÄ °ST (See Annex C for more details), is a good way to get started before entering the Turkish market and meeting prospective importers. Similarly, international food shows such as ANUGA, SIAL and Gulfood area attracting more and more Turkish importers, and may also be a way to meet prospective customers. TRADE POLICY The major barrier to selling agricultural products to Turkey is high tariff rates. The tariff for beef cuts is bound at 225%, for milk is 150%, for white cheese is 80%, and for wheat and corn is normally 130% (depending on demand, the government can temporarily lower tariffs).Turkey and the United States signed an import protocol allowing imports of live dairy breeding cattle and for fattening cattle. However, neither a protocol for slaughter cattle, nor for cut beef has been negotiated. Another major barrier is a new Bio safety Law which has been enforced in Turkey since September 26, 2010. The law banned importation of any GMO products until the genes contained within go through a lengthy approval process. On January 26, 2011, Turkeys Bio safety Board approved the three biotech traits for soybeans (A2704-12, MON89788,MON40-3-2) for feed use that were approved in the European Union at the time, allowing U.S. soybeans to enter Turkey for feed use only. Then on December 24, 2011, The Bio safety Board approved 13 corn (see annex D for more information) events for feed use. The remaining 9 events have been reviewed, but due to a negative recommendation by the committees, approval will be difficult. New import regulations were published in the Official Gazette dated December 30, 2011. Changes in these regulations reflected that fact that the Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (previously known as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs) was reorganized in 2011 and divided oversight of plant and animal products. According to the new import regime, plant and plant products no longer require control certificate (Find more details in Annex F) however the importer must pre-notify imports of material according to the information provided below. Some animal and animal products now require control certificates. A list of products which require control certificates is given in Annex E Most Turkish agriculture-related regulations, laws, communiquà ©s, directives, and notifications are available on the website of the General Directorate of Food Control (GDFC) of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL): www.gkgm.gov.tr. Some of the regulations have an English translation available on the same website. The legal infrastructure of agriculture is mainly based on communiquà ©s rather than on laws. The reason for this is that the Turkish constitutional system does not allow laws to be adopted, amended or abolished easily. Therefore governments have traditionally preferred to publish communiquà ©s or regulations in order to maintain flexibility. As you will see from table below, currently the main policy goal of Turkish food and agriculture officials is to harmonize the related laws and regulations with the EU Acquis Communitarians. Sometimes it appears that this concern overwhelms other concerns such as national interest and farmer interests. IMPORT DUTIES High tariffs on the majority of food items continue to hinder the growth of food imports from the United States (see Annex G for tariff rates of important products). Import tariffs on consumer food products range from zero to 225 percent, but most products face tariffs in the range of 40-50 percent. Turkey has considerable flexibility in raising or lowering tariffs. Consequently, tariffs are subject to review and change, especially on December 30. Tariffs can vary and often depend on whether there is a need to import or not. Turkey normally applies the highest/bound rates for some products such as meat cuts at 225%. Some products, however, like cereals, have high tariff rates at 130% although still below the bound rate of 180%. Due to high meat prices last year, allowed imports of carcass meat (but not cuts) and lowered the customs tax from 225% to 30% at first, then slowly raised the tariff back to 75% when meat prices dropped slowly. Where there is strong demand but a lack of domestic supply, the applied tariff can be very low such 8% for soybeans, and DDGS at 4.3%. Turkish corn producers and soy millers are calling on the government to raise the bound rate on DDGS but, since it is bound, they use non-tariff barriers such as standards that are difficult to meet. Two important government agencies receive special tariff quotas when acting as importer get special tariff quotas. The Turkish Grain Board (TMO) (www.tmo.gov.tr) usually procures grain from the domestic market but when there is a need to import the government allocates a special zero tariff rate import quota for TMO. The other institute is The Meat and Fish Institute (www.ebk.gov.tr), which acts to control domestic meat prices and also receives reduced tariff meat import quotas from the government when there is a need. CUSTOMS INSPECTION AND DOCUMENTATION Upon entry of the product at Customs, the importer should be prepared to present the approved control certificate if required as well as other normal import documentation such as the bill of lading, original invoice and certificate of origin. In addition, the importer should be prepared to present Customs with the exporting companys analysis report for physical, chemical, microbiological and heavy metal content, and a certificate from the official food inspection agency of the country of origin stating that the product meets the quarantine requirements of the importing country. Turkish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Livestock (MINFAL) officials take samples of the imported product to government laboratories for physical, chemical and microbiological analysis and confirm it matches the information supplied from the exporting country. Import of the foodstuff is allowed if the results of the analysis are found to be acceptable and consistent with Turkish regulations, and the imports have been approved by MINFAL. Results of the analysis are normally received within a few working days. If the inspection results do not match with Turkish requirements, the importer may request secondary sample tests. In the case that the secondary test results are also against the Turkish import requirements then the shipment is rejected by MINFAL authorities or they allow special treatments under specific circumstances.

Those Winter Sundays Essay -- Literary Analysis, Robert Hayden

Distance is a problem in many homes whether it be through emotional distance or physical Distance or it may just be that the word love is not spoken enough, in both Robert Hayden’s poem â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† and Rita Dove’s â€Å"Daystar† is a distant parent are they selfish or mean or is the love they do show just not understood? In Robert Hayden’s poem â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† show that children have a hard time understanding why a parent is distant the speaker says â€Å"Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on/ in the blueblack cold,†(Line 1-2) the father even gets up very early on Sundays as in the â€Å"blueblack cold† the speaker seems to not understand why the father does this why does he get up so early day after day? He seems to ask himself. The speaker observes that â€Å" †¦With cracked hands the ached from labor in the weekday weather/ banked fires blazed†(Line 3-5) the father works hard for his family his hands are cracked and sore and he still gets up earlier then the rest of his family and makes the fire blaze to warm the house for them. Distant parents even if they mean well and try to convey their love to their families through actions or deeds as the speaker states â€Å"No one ever thanked him† the father not seen as loving to the child. (Line 5) The speaker says â€Å"I will rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house,† there is usually a lot of tension and fear in a house hold with bad communication skills, the mother and father may fight or argue often or the distant parent if not both of them may be angry that the child does not understand their love and compassion The children grow to be uncaring and unresponsive to the actions that the parents do for the family as the speake... ...e that was hers for an hour†(Line 16-20) when they are making love she day dreams of her time with her self and the only thing she has is her thoughts she has no desire to love her husband as the speaker explains she thinks of the place â€Å"where she [is] nothing, pure nothing, in the middle of the day.†(Line 20-22) In Robert Hayden’s poem â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† there is a father who loves his cild and does kind things for his family he works hard getting up early everyday and â€Å"No one ever thanked him† (Hayden Line 5) and in Rita Dove’s â€Å"Daystar† there is the mother who is deeply depressed and is not happy with the life she has she is unhappy was being a mother and goes through the motions of everyday life because she has to as a mother. Children never benefit from distance in the home they rarely understand it and they never feel loved.

Jogging and Walking for your Health :: essays research papers

Have you ever stopped to think how much you actually walk every day? We take dozens of little walking trips just to do errands and daily chores. Walking and Jogging is a way of life to some people more than others, it can improve fitness and trim your body. It can also be an enjoyable experience if you have the proper equipment and the proper strategy. Take brisk 30 to 40 minute walks at least three days a week. Aerobic walking increases the efficiency of your heart and lungs, lowers blood pressure and resting heart rate, relieves stress, raises metabolism, improves muscle tone, and improves the health of the bones. If your pace is too slow, however, you will not get the aerobic benefits. If you are out of shape, overweight, or older, begin your exercise program with walking, not jogging. Keep your pace slow at first, and then gradually increase the speed of walking. You need to exercise gently and then rest, exercise gently and rest, over and over. Gradually you will get fitter and your resting heart rate will decrease. Then your body will be ready to begin jogging, not before. If your goal is to lose fat, exercise for long periods of brisk walking. Duration and frequency are very important. If you walk at a fast pace over long distances, you need to wear good shoes with a reasonable amount of cushioning. This is especially important for overweight walkers. Walking ought to be comfortable. If your knees and hip joints are constantly uncomfortable at a brisk walking pace, you may do better with hiking, bicycling, or even jogging. Sudden demands on your muscles, like running up stairs, pedaling a bike, or lifting a heavy weight, may cause the muscles to burn. The burn indicates a build-up of lactic acid in those muscles. Slow walking is the best way to get rid of lactic acid. The more aerobically trained you are, the less you will feel the burn. This means you can exercise longer and harder before getting the burn. Always warm up for 5 to 10 minutes. Walk slowly and stretch before you start a faster workout.

On Saussure’s Linguistic Theory Essay

1. Introduction Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) is one of the most famous and influencing linguists in the last century. His linguistic theory of regarding language as a synchronic and static sign system has turned the historical trend of linguistics and opened up a new pattern of modern linguistics, thus makes linguistics get great achievement in the 20th century. His work Course in General Linguistics (1916) that comes from the notes of his lessons collected by his students is one of classical works and is called â€Å"Bible† of linguistics. It has caused extensive response with its novel and unique thought, and Saussure is praised as â€Å"Father of Modern Linguistics† too. Saussure is an epoch-making giant in the development history of linguistics. His new theory, new principle, and new concept have become the foundation stone for the setting-up of the modern linguistic mansion. 2. Langue and parole Saussure begins with the two basic expressive forms of language, namely langue and parole to examine the whole language phenomenon first. He thinks that speech activity is various, and its nature is complicated. It covers several fields of physics, physiology and psychology at the same time, and it still belongs to personal field and social field. We are not able to include it in any category of humane fact, because we do not know how to understand its entia (Saussure, 1980, p. 30). He points out that in separating langue from parole we are at the same time separating: (1) what is social from what is individual; and (2) what is essential from what is accessory and more or less accidental (Saussure, 1980, p.35). This is the first fork in Saussure’s thoughts of language: the speech activity is divided into the langue and parole. Saussure says that, â€Å"No doubt, these two targets are closely linked and both as the prerequisite. To let parole understood by people and make all its effects, there must be languages. But to establish language, there must be speech† (Saussure, 1980, p. 41). â€Å"The speech activity has personal aspects and social ones; one cannot exist without the other† (Saussure, 1980, p.29). We can conclude from the statements above, that Saussure thinks langue and parole are inseparable, and closely linked. Without langue, parole loses the unified system, and cannot be understood, its result is unable to be verified. Without parole, langue will not be set up either. Therefore, it is easy to tell that, Saussure’s distinguishing of langue and parole is on the purpose of explaining the differences between the two, namely emphasizes the systematization of language. However, at the same time Saussure says that â€Å"Research of speech activity includes two parts, one is primary, which is social essentially, and does not take the personal speech as research target†¦Another is less important, that it takes the personal part of speech activity, namely parole, including articulation as research target†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Saussure, 1980, p. 41). â€Å"It is an illusion to joint langue and parole together with the same view. The whole of the speech activity is unable to know, because it is not homogeneous† (Saussure, 1980, p. 42). This kind of seemingly self-contradictory view is really very apt to make people produce doubt and misunderstanding on the relation between langue and parole. The meaning of Saussure is that language is systematic and can be studied because of the disorder of inner link between langue and parole, but parole cannot be studied systematically, and therefore is cast out. And then people criticize Saussure for distinguishing langue and parole on the purpose of cutting off the connection between them and regarding them as irrelevant to each other. In fact, Saussure does not think there are impassable gaps between langue and parole. For Saussure, langue and parole are two unified aspects in speech activity. He also thinks that, â€Å"We must be clear: we believe linguistics†¦is a science that tries to converge two thoroughly different things into a whole, it emphasizes that they form a research object†. It is obvious that Saussure not only finds the antithesis of langue and parole, but also finds the connection and unity between them while describing the relation between them. 3. Saussure’s theory of linguistic sign. As the founder of modern semiology, Saussure proposes and establishes the discipline of semiology formally for the first time. The influences of Saussure’s theory of semiology on later age are known by everyone, but the disadvantages are seldom mentioned. How to understand the core connotation of the theory correctly is the primary subject of semiology. The contribution of Saussure’s theory of semiology lies in the following several aspects. First, it proposes the discipline of semiology formally for the first time. Second, it points out the essential distinction between  linguistic sign and non-linguistic sign clearly. Third, it has carried out systematic analysis on the characteristics of the linguistic sign. The research of sign is not initiated by Saussure. As everyone knows, in the west in ancient Greek period, and in China in the early period of Qin, there was already large amount of dispute about the phenomenon of signal. The target of the dispute is primarily linguistic sign, and the essence of the dispute is mainly about the relation between linguistic sign and the object it represents. Namely whether there is natural relation of different extents between linguistic sign and the signified. Namely whether the forming of words and phrases can be proved, and whether the origin cause of linguistic sign’s formation can be found from the targets represented. Different answers to this question have formed the â€Å"natural theory† and â€Å"conventional theory† of ancient Greek, and â€Å"nominalism† and â€Å"realism† correspondingly in China. Such disputes are not yet settled down today. Saussure’s semiology is not only review and examination on the basis of the related disputes in the history of language. The more important thing is that he realizes the human society has used numerous relatively self-sustaining form systems consciously or unconsciously while expressing and transmitting the achievement of understanding about surrounding environment and oneself. These systems have very obvious generality that they can replace, represent, and reflect the objects on different extents (LU, 2001, p. 101). To Saussure, language is an organic sign system. In this system, linguistic sign has two aspects of a form (signifier) and content (signified). It is arbitrary to use a sign to represent any content, and it is determined by the society. However, when it is fixed, it has compelling force, and any individual cannot change it optionally. The debt relation of linguistic sign is not important, and the more important thing is the difference and relation between it and other signs. That is to say, the value of linguistic sign is not decided by its physical property but the relation between signs. On the basis of this theory, Saussure thinks that linguistics face the second fork on the road, the language in speech activity can be divided into synchronic and diachronic. Thus, Saussure advocates distinguishing two kinds of linguistics: synchronic linguistics and diachronic linguistics, and the synchronic linguistics are more important. On this foundation, Saussure explains syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations emphatically. He thinks that in the organization of language, all key elements are based on â€Å"relation†, and this kind of relation is nothing more than two kinds, syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations. Syntagmatic relation is a relation between one item and others in a sequence; and paradigmatic relation is a relation that items can substitute for each other without violating syntactic rules. These two relations are the basic relations in language system, and are our keys to observe, analyze, and sum up the intricate language phenomenon. While setting up new language theory, Saussure points out that the question of language is mainly the question of semiology, and all of our demonstration should obtain meaning from this important fact. To know the essence of language, we must know what common qualities it has with other congener sign system first. He thinks that we can imagine there is one science studying the life of sign in social life; we call it semiology†¦. Because this science does not exist, we cannot say what it will be like, but it has the right of existence, and its position is confirmed in advance. Linguistics is just a part of this general science†¦ (HU, 2001, p. 105). The theory of semiology proposed by Saussure is limited, but it is very important to the research later. In addition, although his definitions of sign, signifier, and signified are made for linguistic sign, they inspire all of the modern semiologists. Therefore, people praise Saussure as the founder of semiology (JI, 1994, p.  19). 4. Conclusion Saussure’s contribution to linguistics is indelible. However, his theory of language has limitation, too. Since the coming out of Course in general linguistics, Saussure’s views have been accepted by the linguistic circle generally. According to his opinion, linguists throw into the synchronic static research and description of the construction relation in the language system, in order to achieve the â€Å"scientific† aim of â€Å"research language according to and for language†. In the language world of Saussure, what he values is structure, form, rule, generality, mode, and system, which makes the language research step on a road that repels humane factors, and departs from the social environment and the people who use languages. If this way is convenient to establish an accurate and â€Å"scientific† linguistics, it makes distance with the active, abundant, and changeable human speeches. Linguistics may become â€Å"lean† and â€Å"sere†. Certainly, we should not deny Saussure’s theory from this angle totally. As a kind of â€Å"scientific linguistics†, Saussure’s view should have its certain historical position, and it has finished corresponding historical mission. What we really need to do is that we should not regard Saussure’s linguistic mode as the only possible existence. We should break the traditional way of observing language phenomenon, and examine them from different sides and different points of view, so that to understand language more roundly, and establish more scientific linguistic view, instead of sticking to one kind of understanding (JI, 1994, p.20). In the field of linguistic research today, the research object has already expanded from Saussure’s structure analysis to social linguistics, speech linguistics, practical linguistics, etc, which brings new vigor to the development of world linguistics. This development trend will make linguistics emit more magnificent and brilliant rays in humane scientific research.