Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Bre-X Gold Scandal, History and Resources

The Bre-X Gold Scandal, History and Resources Start with the biggest deposit of gold ever reported, in the headwaters of the Busang River in the steaming jungle of Borneo. The Canadian company Bre-X Minerals Ltd. didnt know about that when it bought rights to the site in 1993. But after Bre-X hired a high-living geologist to map the ore body, the deposit, along with the fever dreams that accompany gold, grew to monster size- by March 1997 that geologist was talking about a 200-million-ounce resource. You do the math at, say US$500 per ounce in mid-1990s dollars. Bre-X prepared for big times ahead by building a gold-plated website, where you could generate your own Bre-X stock chart to follow its meteoric rise. It also had a chart showing the equally meteoric rise of the estimated gold resource: together, those two pages could infect anyone with gold fever. The Sharks Arrive Bigger mineral companies took notice. Some made takeover offers. So did the Indonesian government, in the person of president Suharto and his powerful family. Bre-X owned more of this lode than seemed prudent for such a small, inexperienced foreign firm. Suharto suggested that Bre-X share its fortunate surplus with the people of Indonesia and with Barrick, a firm tied to Suhartos ambitious daughter Siti Rukmana. (Barricks advisors, among them George H. W. Bush and ex-prime minister of Canada Brian Mulroney, also favored this scheme.) Bre-X responded by enlisting Suhartos son Sigit Hardjojudanto on its side. An impasse loomed. To end the contretemps, family friend Mohamad Bob Hasan stepped in to offer all sides a deal. The American firm Freeport-McMoRan Copper Gold, led by another old Suharto friend, would run the mine and Indonesian interests would share the wealth. Bre-X would keep 45 percent of the ownership and Hasan for his pains would accept a share possibly worth a billion or so. Asked what he was paying for this stake, Hasan said, There is no payment, no nothing. It is a very clean deal. Trouble Arises The deal was announced on 17 February 1997. Freeport went to Borneo to start its own due-diligence drilling. Suharto was ready to sign a contract after this step, locking in Bre-Xs land rights for 30 years and starting the flood of gold. But just four weeks later, Bre-Xs geologist at Busang, Michael de Guzman, exited his helicopter that was 250 meters in the air at the time- an evident suicide. On March 26 Freeport reported that its due-diligence cores, drilled only a meter and a half from Bre-Xs, showed insignificant amounts of gold. The next day Bre-X stock lost almost all of its value. Freeport brought more rock samples to its American headquarters under armed guard. Bre-X commissioned a review of Freeports drilling; the review recommended more drilling. Another review focusing on the chemical assays caused Bre-X to clam up completely on 1 April, and Suhartos signature was postponed. Bre-X, in a novel strategy for the time, blamed the Web. CEO David Walsh told a fawning Calgary Herald reporter that the meltdown began when scurrilous local rumors in Indonesia were picked up by one of the ghostwriters on the Internet on the chat page or whatever. Further reviews took the rest of April. Meanwhile, disquieting details began to arise. Industry journalists soon found evidence that the Busang ore samples had been salted with gold dust. Salting of the Earth On Friday 11 April, Northern Miner magazine put a news flash on its site laying out three lines of evidence that Bre-X had been duped. First, contrary to company statements, the Busang core samples had been prepared for assay in the jungle, not in the testing lab. A videotape made by a visitor to the field site showed the humble machines common in assay labs- hammer mills, crushers, and sample splitters. Well-labeled sample bags clearly had finely crushed ore in them. Security was lax enough that samples could easily have been spiked with gold.Second, the local inhabitants had begun panning for gold in the Busang River, but in two years they never found any. Yet Bre-X claimed that gold was visible, a sign of unusually rich ore. And de Guzmans technical report, confusingly, called the gold submicroscopic, which is typical of hard-rock gold ore.Third, the assayer that tested the samples said the gold was predominantly in visible-sized grains. Also, the grains showed signs consistent with being typical river-panned gold dust, such as rounded outlines and rims depleted in silver. The assayer dodged the 64-billion-dollar question, saying that there were indeed ways for hard-rock gold grains to acquire rounded edges- but that argument was a fig leaf. The Curtain Falls Meanwhile, a storm of securities lawsuits arose around Bre-X, which vigorously protested that this was just an unfortunate series of misunderstandings. But it was too late. The collapse of Bre-X cast a cloud over the gold mining industry that lasted into the next century. David Walsh decamped to the Bahamas, where he died of an aneurysm in 1998. Bre-Xs chief geologist, John Felderhof, eventually went on trial in Canada but was acquitted of securities fraud in July 2007. Apparently in selling part of his stock holdings for $84 million in the months before the scandal hit he had not been criminal, just too stupid to catch the fraud. And I have been told that Michael de Guzman has been seen in Canada, years after the scandal. The explanation would be that, as was rumored at the time, an anonymous corpse was thrown from the helicopter. You could say the very jungle had been salted as well as the ore bags.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Assume vs. Presume

Assume vs. Presume Assume vs. Presume Assume vs. Presume By Maeve Maddox Both words have numerous definitions in the OED, but in ordinary usage, both assume and presume mean suppose. I suppose you are going to the beach this summer. I assume you are going to the beach this summer I presume you are going to the beach this summer. H.W. Fowlers opinion was that in using presume, the speaker believes the supposition is true and will believe it until he learns otherwise. In using assume, the speaker feels no certainty that his supposition is true or not. In a legal context, presume means to take as proved until contrary evidence is presented. Ex. The defendant is presumed innocent. Because of the association of the word presume with legal contexts, it carries a connotation of formality. For the fiction writer, presume would be the preferable choice in the speech of a remote or officious character. Here are some quotations from newspapers: cant even agree on why we disagree about President Trump, a USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll finds, but we assume the worst about the other side. Republicans described Trump’s opponents as lazy, narrow-minded  and mired in (www.usatoday.com) Even the most secure corporate networks tend not to take that sort of approach: once you’re in the secure zone, they assume you’re one of the good guys.† The future won’t be a hack-free heaven. Software is complex, mistakes (www.theguardian.com) As the heirs to those brave patriots who fought the American Revolution, we must not retreat from the ramparts they built. Due process was costly to achieve in battle and ought not to be conveniently ignored. When someone raises an allegation that the law has been violated, we must presume that the claim lacks merit until evidence is tested in a court of law and a judge or jury makes a ruling. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names50 Synonyms for â€Å"Idea†10 Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills

Thursday, November 21, 2019

I Sought My Brother Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I Sought My Brother - Essay Example Evans and S. Allen Counter (Harding 1). These two authors transverse the Suriname rain forests, of the independently new black republic along the South American central north coast. Driven by a deep feeling of ancestral calling, the authors went to seek ways out, in which the communities descended from enslaved Africans that rebelled against their Dutch masters and fled into the jungles in the last half of the 18th century. As a result, stunning pictorials have been presented due to the series of pilgrims. Allan counter was very interested in finding out about the Bush African Americans of whom were basically untouched by modern civilization and lived deep in the jungles of Suriname in absolute isolation (Harding 1). Counter wanted to know how much of the original African culture was retained by the Bush African Americans because he thought it is significant for all African American people. The accounts of I sought my brother are condensed experiences from 1972 to 1978. However, the two authors are successful in conveying the feeling of strong emotions as well as the spiritual experience that were considered central to the adventure of courage. For example, during the last several days of the perilous boat ride on the first adventure, the authors eventually met the people they were looking for, and were overwhelmed by the thought of having traced their living ancestors, their pre-slavery bloodline of whom were still alive. In addition, Evans and Counter documented very well the totality, vitality as well as life of the mostly remote African American river communities in Suriname (Harding 1). Viewing the numerous pages of photographs, in both black and white and in color format, it is easily understandable why the authors said, â€Å"our eyes continuously told us we were in Africa, while our minds knew we were in South America.† One interesting thing about the villager’s traditions

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Shackletons Artic Adventure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Shackletons Artic Adventure - Assignment Example when Ernest Shackleton, an Irish born explorer, distinguished himself, not only among the masses, but also among the 27 crew members that included scientists, officers and seamen. Shackleton earned the respect shown to him by these men, not to mention the respect of millions today, by serving as an able leader putting his men’s wellbeing, both physical and mental, above everything else (WGBH, 2001). Repeatedly during the expedition, the Endurance crew members faced fatal situations, yet every time, they were able to beat the odds and survived. Although some of their success can be attributed to providence or luck, but Shackleton’s leadership is widely regarded as the critical differentiation. Put your people first. While Shackleton was leading the expedition to be the first to reach the South Pole, he himself and his crew members suffered a great ordeal that eventually made them weak. Shackleton realized that a further push would be equivalent to putting their life at risk. That is why he chose to turn back, even though he knew that being the first to reach the South would bring hi everlasting fame and glory. Alongside the strong desire to lead to the expedition, his sense of responsibility for his men was impeccable. This decision of Shackleton gave his crew members the confidence that their lives would not be sacrificed as a means for meeting the goal of the expedition. Be flexible in tactics. While the elementary goal to survive remained paramount, Shackleton remained intelligently flexible in the strategies that he adopted to achieve the goal. His adaptability to the demanding environments was incredible and that is what gave him strong control over the expedition and fostered zeal within him making him believe that he would be able to bring all 27 crew members safely back home. Choose your people carefully. The recruitment notice posted by Shackleton itself speaks for his honesty. He knew about the uncertainties that are inevitable during the journey

Sunday, November 17, 2019

How Do We Know Something Is True in the Arts and Science Essay Example for Free

How Do We Know Something Is True in the Arts and Science Essay Hey Jamie! I’ve been wondering for a while now how you can really know if something in art or natural sciences is true.? I mean when you look at a piece of art or let’s say the way atoms connect with each other, or how the gravity works, how do you know it’s all true? Obviously there are laws that are connected with these things, however how can you be sure if what the law states is true? Jamie:You’re pretty much right about that, but I think it’s not about the truth for now – first there should be some kind of idea or a belief, before it can be confirmed, right? I mean, for instance Newton came up with the idea of gravity when an apple fell on his head, remember? It made him think about it more and more until the conception of some kind of force that affects everything on Earth popped into his mind, but I don’t think art works the same way†¦ Molly:Right†¦ Art’s totally different thing. Natural science have some rules they work with, even though there probably are some we still don’t know about, however we can notice something that happens the certain way. The rules are true. Well – people, or rather scientists claim so, but they are based on long-term observation and other research, right? Jamie:Right! If someone is absolutely certain that something is true, is it because this is the way he sees it or seeing it equals believing it is true? Molly:Well†¦ That’s a good question. I’ve heard that there are some ways to know that something is true – like I’ve mentioned before, observation, or rather a sense of perception, is one of them, but there is also reason and language that suggests people which is the objective, factual or relative truth. It’s more connected with natural sciences, however when it comes to art the way one can tell something is true is slightly different. Jamie:How so? I mean†¦ I don’t get what your point is. Molly:Look, if you have a piece of art, let’s say a picture of a battle, okay? The one who painted it, probably had some kind of knowledge about the battle he was drawing, right? Jamie:I think so†¦ Molly:So, let’s say, there is a person the picture revolves around, some kind of great figure, a king or other known man. The author of the painting wanted to show ordinary people the greatness of the person he pictured in the centre of his work. And there is a big chance that the person who’ll look at this exact piece of art, will think ‘Oh, that man was so great. ’, but how can he or she know it is true that he was as ‘great’ as the author portrayed him? Then, we could take a work of another author, the same battle, and there will be no person who will attract your attention at first, just the way the battle looked like, dead people, blood on the ground and other realistic fragments. If I was the one comparing these two pictures, I’d get a feeling that the first artist suggested the greatness of the man he portrayed because he was paid or had to do so, while the second one would be more true to me, because it would probably show the facts at some point. Jamie:Oh I see what you mean now! Hmm†¦ I have a feeling that in the end art and natural science are somehow connected when it comes to knowing the truth! Molly:†¦ Okay, now you got me confused. How can they be connected? Explain? Jamie:Oh look! If you take our chemistry book, you’ll find there all kinds of described experiments, right? However it is rare to find the outcomes of these experiments in the book. Molly:Yeah†¦? Jamie:And when you listen to your chemistry teacher, and he’ll tell you before you do the experiment that the product of the reaction should smell the certain way, as let’s say†¦ Hydro-sulfuric acid smells like rotten eggs. After finishing your research and experiment you would probably note that the smell of the acid was of rotten eggs, because this is what has been suggested by your teacher, right? Molly:Oh, now I see how it’s connected to art. Some kind of statement can be suggested to you and you are very likely to believe it, however, then you could find some other research that declines what your teacher claimed or that the guy portrayed in the picture was great. Jamie:Yes! Exactly! But then there arises a new question. Molly:Huh? What question? Jamie:Can we be sure of what people claim to be true to be actually true? Molly:Right†¦ In the end I think we are should stick to the rules that have been stated in the past, because they seem to be true, however after you said that†¦ I’m starting to doubt everything I know! Jamie:Sorry for that! Didn’t want to make you confused! Molly:No, it was actually pretty interesting! Jamie:Yup! But I think we can never be in 100% sure of what is true when it comes to art and natural science. Molly:Yeah, totally agree with you on this one.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Role of Technology in Management Leadership Essay -- Business Mana

The Role of Technology in Management Leadership Over the last sixty years of business activity, there has been new ways and means of conducting business through something we call technology. Technology is the advancement and use of electronic devices and other high-tech equipment to produce and progress knowledge into the future. Advancements in technology have affected management leadership in many ways over the last sixty years. New technology has altered leaders’ consciousness, language, and the way they view their organization. Technological advancements have made things easier for those in management leadership roles. But as with anything, there are positive and negative aspects of technology on leadership. Some of the positive aspects of technology are: the availability and use of wireless networking, collaboration tools, digital video, handheld devices, and videoconferencing. On the other hand, the negative aspects of technology are: it offers less privacy, it allows for less interaction with others, and it runs a h igh risk of contact with viruses. On the more positive side, wireless networking allows leaders to share resources with their team operating by means of wireless media, such as microwaves, cellular technology, and radio frequencies. Wireless networking is paving the way for technology integration around the world. The use of collaboration tools allows ongoing conversations among leaders, their subordinates, board members, and community members. Professional development is one area where collaboration can have an enormous impact on management leadership. When leaders can casually share new approaches and practices with each other through a technology connection to their workplace, both leaders and their team will benefit. One way of doing this is to create an Internet mailing list where they can share questions, problems, solutions, successful techniques, and less successful techniques. The Internet is enabling digital video to achieve professional-quality and two-way interaction. This will be one of the rare cases wh ere management leadership will be leading a technological shift in society as a whole. Hand-held devices are high-tech gadgets, now more powerful than early Windows or Macintosh machines. Handheld devices offer more versatility than full-size computers and are much more portable than the alternative personal device, the ... ... to remember that the Internet is a public place, and you should never assume that something is secure. Leaders should be the moral compass for groups, but... Technology has blurred some distinctions between what's right and wrong. Many institutions have been caught in the discourse about websites such as Napster. Some people seem to want to have two sets of rules, one for the cold reality of the analog world and another for the magical digital world. It may take many years to establish equilibrium. In the meantime, be clear and consistent about expectations, after you've given full consideration to the implications. Choose your battles, but be prepared to say "let's wait and see". Leaders appreciate differences, but technology threatens to marginalize others. As for any program goal, a leader should always ask "who gets excluded by this approach?" There is a misperception among many leaders that technology is naturally bias-free: The research suggests otherwise. Furthermore, ind ividuals from some backgrounds do not "buy into" or choose to participate in the emerging technology culture, as should be their choice. Be careful when a technological solution becomes the only solution.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

I’m Nobody Essay

â€Å"I’m Nobody! Who are You? † is a poem written by Emily Dickinson. The poem conveys the main idea of being alone, isolated from the society – or being â€Å"nobody†. This is partly influenced by the social gender status of Dickinson’s time – 19th century featured the inequality of sexes, where females were expected to stay at home and serve their husbands, thus disconnected from the society. As a result Dickinson had adapted and perhaps taken pleasure into being an outsider, whilst she found it boring to be part of the society – or to be a â€Å"somebody†. These are all various ideas reflected through Emily Dickinson’s poem. The poem has 2 stanzas – very typical of Emily Dickinson’s style. Her choice of language in this poem is also very simple and succinct – but at the same time meaningful and pithy. The first line, â€Å"I’m nobody! †, shows how Dickinson admits to be a â€Å"nobody† willingly. Being a â€Å"nobody† can mean an outsider – a person who is isolated, alienated from the rest of the world and society. The second phrase of the line – â€Å"Who are you? † shows that the poem is directly written to a target. This person – shown on the second line of the first stanza, is a â€Å"nobody† too – perhaps even a friend of Dickinson. The poet also realizes the fact that being a â€Å"nobody† is to be loathed by the society. This is shown in line 3, when she advises the other â€Å"nobody† not to tell, as she states in line 4 â€Å"They’d banish us†. The word â€Å"They† in the beginning of lines 3 and 4 suggests the rest of the society – people who are â€Å"somebody†, as opposed to Dickinson’s â€Å"nobody’. The use of dash in line 3 shows the furtiveness of the phrase â€Å"don’t tell! †, emphasizing the hatred or dislike they face from the society. The same effect is achieved by the use of exclamation mark in line 3. Lines 3 and 4 can also be interpreted as that after she finds another â€Å"nobody†, they are a pair – not longer belong to a group of â€Å"nobodies†. She does not want to be banished from the status of being â€Å"nobodies†. A conclusion can be drawn that she feels more secure to be a â€Å"nobody†; she feels comfortable to be treated as a â€Å"nobody† by the rest of the society. The second stanza sees a noticeable change in Dickinson’s tone. The repetitions of â€Å"How† and â€Å"To† in the beginning of each line give a more secure and commanding tone. This can be explained by the â€Å"discovery† of another â€Å"nobody† stated by the poet in the first stanza – she feels more assured that to be a â€Å"nobody† is not too unacceptable as she is not the only one. Also perhaps because she feels more secure to be with a person who feels the same as she does and understands her, she is more willing and daring to express her more inner feelings. The poet states that it is â€Å"dreary to be somebody† in line 5 of the second stanza. â€Å"Dreary† refers to being boring or dull; and â€Å"to be somebody† suggests to be recognized by the society and belong to it. Hence Dickinson is suggesting that to be part of a society is tedious and meaningless to her, which can also implies being a â€Å"nobody† is the contrary – interesting and meaningful. A further implication may be that being â€Å"nobody† allows her to write poetry – as it is not part of the â€Å"traditional role† of women at her time to write poetry, and instead women were expected to serve only their husbands. However, being a â€Å"nobody† in the society helps her to escape her role of being a â€Å"women†, granting her freedom instead. Hence we can see that poetry is meaningful to her. She also compares that to be â€Å"somebody† is like to be â€Å"public†, another indication that Dickinson likes isolation – which is proven correctly as one would learn that she locked herself in her house for the majority of her life. Dickinson uses a simile to compare â€Å"somebody† to a â€Å"frog† in line 6. This can be explained by the fact that â€Å"frogs† are considered noisy with the sound they generate. Combining with line 8, â€Å"To an admiring bog! †, it suggests the idea that frogs create noise to be noticed – but only by â€Å"an admiring bog†. A bog is the environment in which a frog dwells – this creates an irony. Emily Dickinson is suggesting that although being a â€Å"somebody† means being noticed by the public, but the public to â€Å"somebody† is like a bog to a frog – it is not really a relationship, or friendship, as no one would say that a bog is the friend of a frog. Also the word â€Å"admiring† creates a whole sense of sarcasm to the idea – and the technique of personification is used to describe the â€Å"bog† as well, perhaps to emphasize the sarcasm of the simile. Overall the poet suggests that to be â€Å"somebody† might mean to be well-known, accepted by the society; however the relationships are often shallow, distanced or impersonal. The rhyming of the words â€Å"frog† and â€Å"bog† also suggests a congenial relationship between â€Å"Somebody† and her targeted audience – conveying the idea that the poem is a direct criticism against the â€Å"somebody† – the general public. Through the use of contrast and irony between â€Å"Nobody† and â€Å"Somebody†, her strong will to be a â€Å"nobody† is shown, as well as her despise towards â€Å"somebody†. This poem reflects Emily Dickinson’s life and perhaps her more inner and cryptic feelings – it was probably written from the heart. She imprisoned herself for the most of her life, completely isolated from the rest of the world. This may contribute to the reason why she thinks being an â€Å"outsider† is better than being â€Å"somebody†, and that she does not value â€Å"friendship† in the same way as normal people do. However at the same time it was also proven in the poem – for instance she found another â€Å"nobody† in the first stanza – that she is not totally a recluse, and that she treasures the very few friendships she had.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Animal Slaughter

Animal slaughter is a necessary evil, but unfortunately with the way It Is carried out It Is repulsive. For as long as recorded history mankind has hunted animals for survival and that practice continues today. The main use for an animal is for food: this is the oldest and the most universal form of an animal. With advancements of the world's civilization, animals were traded at markets and the owner would receive a payment for the animal's value. This process continues today. Animals are sold for larger sums to corporations that will then send the animal to a slaughterhouse and sell the meat o a deliberate.Here customers purchase the meat at inflated prices. Around the globe meat from livestock animals Is a popular Item to add to one's plate for any meal. One could have beef, lamb, pork, or even horse, but how does this animal get from a place it once thought was it's home to the customers table. The amount of stress the animal goes through before the slaughter process is astonishin g. Horses that are slaughtered regularly come from the racetrack where they were administered drugs before running a race. These drugs are harmful to humans If consumed.The health of an animal while It Is living In Its pen, cramped with many of its own breed is heartbreaking to see. The World Organization for Animal Health has helped established new regulations for slaughter, transportation and killing animals for disease control. The World Organization for Animal Health, also known as OWE, has developed basic standards that developed and developing countries now agree on. In addition to Oleo's standards, each country has specific laws and standards of their own. OWE designed the five basic standards. One, the percentage of animals stunned on the iris attempt. Two, percentage rendered insensible prior to hoisting. Three, percentage that vocalizes (moo, bellow, or squeal) during movement up the race and in the stunning box. Four, percentage that fall down, and five, percentage moved with an electric goad† (Grand 56). An animal welfare addling system that Is deemed â€Å"good† should have standards that prohibit bad practices, Like, dragging, dropping, throwing, punctilio, (which is a small knife or dagger used to cut the spinal cord. And hoisting live animals. Some examples of welfare misfortunes can be measured with the outcomes is the percentage of animals that are underfed, lame, have lesions, bruising, missed their stuns before being slaughtered or fell down during handling. The examples given are outcomes of bad practices or unacceptable conditions (Grand 57). The standards are based on conditions that are the results of poor management, neglect, abuse of the animals, or poorly designed equipment. N. G.Gregory did a review on pigs, lambs and cattle while in transport, at a livestock market and in the slaughterhouse (before being slaughtered). Many physical injuries can take place along with high stress levels. Gregory gives the world in his st udy an extensive amount of examples of the animal's welfare at the markets, during transport and at the time of slaughter. If animals have a high stress level, for pigs there is evidence that any type of strenuous exercise of CA stunning can contribute to old or stale tastes in pigs, poultry and fish.One study was done in Australia and the second in New Zealand. Over time we have learned from other studies and experience certain breeds are more difficult to handle, for example, the Limousine, Red Borrow cattle and Text sheep (Gregory 3). It is now recommended that if working tit these breeds one is experienced and accustom to the handling procedures. This will make it easier for the animal and create less stress for the animal before the slaughter period. Unfortunately for any animal, as soon as it is loaded for transport it becomes stressed.Sometimes it can even start earlier then this, during the study in Australia five out of thirteen lambs had pre-transport stress or were underf ed (Gregory 2-11). A study was done on lambs in Spain during the transportation period by G. C. Miranda- De la Lama. This study that Miranda-De la Lama performed is also helpful to animals in the United States. Miranda-De la Lama helps explain the stress created on lambs and how it can bargain with the animal's welfare during transportation. When transporting animals it is usually a stressful process, especially for the animal.A study was done in Spain with lambs during transportation. This study mainly consisted of the handling of the animal before and after transporting. Specific categories were focused on and surveyed, farmers, haulers, abattoirs (a slaughterhouse), and classification center (a temporary feedlot). A Journey of seventy- nine kilometers and average Journey time of seventy-four minutes was conducted. A questionnaire was created for all categories specified above. When preparing for transport lambs were normally separated from their first enclosure the day before bei ng transported.They were also kept off their feed for five or more hours before departing for slaughter. Many of the animals were maneuvered onto the transportation truck using plastic bags. Very few of the farms that the studies were done on did not usually have climate or environmental control or veterinarians present while the sheep were being loaded. Thankfully while lambs were being unloaded there is no reported application of sticks or electric rods. When lambs had arrived to the second farm for weight gain, they arrived weighing in at an average of 19. 6 keg, and departing at 25. 6 keg, with a stay period averaged at twenty-one days.That is rather revolting that someone can beef up an animal in a short time span. The lambs would be transported again to the slaughterhouse once the slaughter weight was met (Miranda-De la Lama 175). Many important points on the farm where the lamb is coming from incorporate poor loading facilities including not having a veterinary on site while the lambs are being loaded. Transportation can have a combination of many different stresses that can eve harmful effects on the lambs. Miranda-De la Lama states that there should be some sort of installed payment plan that will be put into action.This would help agree to terms on transportation quality of the lambs directly for the welfare of the lamb (Miranda-De la Lama 178). All attempts should be made to help decrease the level of stress on any animal heading to the slaughterhouse. Careful planning should abattoirs need to have better communication to help create a smoother traveling system. Miranda-De la Lama states in her study that a decision support system to assure animal welfare across the board for any animal should be implemented to help reduce and prevent the different welfare risks (Miranda-De la Lama 178).All possibly ways to help reduce the amount of stress of an animal should be observed and rules set into place. Thankfully, some researchers have already put this to the test. Veronique Deeds performed a study on lambs to try to pinpoint where these animals become stressed. Today, public and consumers are concerned about the welfare of animals, mainly for the discomfort of the animals that are going to be slaughtered. To elf reduce the stress of the animals during the slaughter period it is imperative to comprehend the causes of stress for the animal. The slaughter process can represent different types of stress for every animal.When Deeds conducted this study, it was done on lambs on to determine profiles measured during rearing, plasma cortical levels in blood collected at assassinations (draining blood of the animal), and metabolic activity in the dead bodies muscle. Tests showed many differences in lamb's muscles with lower pH levels produced in their meat. Even lambs that produced a high- pitched bleating had a higher muscle temperature. The more alert lambs had a higher pH after death compared to others. Any animal that has a higher pH le vel in the muscles before dying will not taste as good.These different tests of post mortem muscle metabolism and expressions of social distress predict stress during the slaughter period. Also social disturbances and the environment of the slaughterhouse contain major causes of stress (Deeds 193-202). Deeds concluded in her study that lambs showed coherence in emotional reactivity to different stressful conditions. In her current study, lambs slaughtered in a commercial abattoir, the lactating cortical levels at assassinations and post-mortem measurements of stress reactions had been related to the day of slaughter.Now, seeing how the lambs reacted on the day of slaughter, another study has been done on cows to see if it is possible to identify how the cows react to the slaughter procedure. A study on thirty-two Norman cows was done to see if it is possible to identify if cows reacted to the slaughter procedure. Along with which factors contributed to stress during the pre-slaughte r period. Many different tests proceeded with the cows to test behavioral and physiological activity. These tests consisted of but were not limited too, social separations, and human exposure.Tests showed that when cows saw other cows compared to having a human presence there was a stronger reaction. The cow's heart rate elevated and spent more time in the exit zone. A stress-inducing atmosphere can have very negative repercussions for animal welfare and meat quality. The slaughter duration begins at the animal's farm with the preparation of transport, and then ends at the moment of slaughtering the animals. Many of the cows might not become stressed to the same things as their fellow cows. All cows differ in their evaluation of stressful to the reactivity tests. Two slaughter situations were used. Limited Stress† situation and an â€Å"Added Stress† situation were used on the cows (Burette 11). Each day two cows were put to slaughter from the same pen, one for each str ess environment. A cow brought down the added stress situation had to maneuver through different hallways inside and outside, consistently hear banging from metals objects and was immediately slaughtered. A cow that was led through the limited stress situation was handled with a human and another cow was also being led. This cow heard no banging of any kind, did not need to maneuver through different hallways, and was able to be calmer with another cow by its side.The cow with a limited stress evaluation was slaughter with a lower heart rate and a lower pH level in the muscles (Burette 11-12). Since Burette concluded his study many advancements have been made, but challenges do still exist. Temple Grand helps the U. S. Get an idea of the progress and challenges in handling the animals during the slaughter process. In many slaughterhouses around the world serious animal abuse exists. Other than we re actually killing them for us to eat. Many restaurants have started auditing the U. S . Beef and pork slaughter plants.Surprisingly McDonald's has played a huge part in this. McDonald's made large improvements in the way people handle and stun the animal. McDonald's used five different measurements to start helping the way they handled and stunned the animal. â€Å"One, the percentage of animals stunned on the first attempt. Two, percentage rendered insensible prior to hoisting. Three, percentage that vocalizes (moo, bellow, or squeal) during movement up the race and in the stunning box. Four, percentage that fall down, and five, percentage moved with an electric goad† (Grand 129).Since 1996, before McDonald's began their audits, each average percentage grew. The most impressive developments were in beef. In 1996 the average first attempt to stun a cow was rated at eighty-nine point five percent. By 2003 it was ninety-eight point six percent. Even visualization has improved during stunning from 1996 was ten percent, in 2003 it was two percent (Grand 129). In 1 996 and on a total of fifty plants were audited. Many of the plants were able to significantly improve welfare of the animal y improving stunner maintenance, installing non-slip floors and better training of the staff (Grand 131).Since we have created better standards for the animal's well being in a slaughterhouse, we now have another challenge to face, drugs used on different animals. Nicholas Adman has helped the world understand more on the slaughter of race horses that were given medication known as Phenylalanine. Horse slaughter has had many attempts from animal rights activists to see the end of it. Last year alone there was about sixty seven million pounds sent across seas from the United States. Many drugs are used for horses while they are at work. The most common is known in the horse world as ‘butt', Phenolphthalein by the vet.This is the most common used drug in the horse world. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The most common slaughter horse in the U . S. Is the Thoroughbred, most commonly known as racehorses. ‘Butt' is banned for any type of human consumption. It can cause serious and lethal unique harmful effects in humans. Tests have been done during race day to horses that were given ‘butt' and then sent U. S. Horses. In this case, it can create a serious health risk for the people who ingest reseat (Adman 1270-1284). Horses should not have to be slaughtered for any reason other then it is seriously injured.Sadly they are slaughtered for many other reasons. The American Association of Equine Practitioners helps the United States get a glimpse of what its all about. The Unwanted Horse in the U. S. Is an ongoing issue for many people. Tom Lend helps give the U. S. A glance of the issue. To many people horses are seen for their beauty, poise, and the Old West and are a cultural icon. This has made it very difficult for the unwanted horse issue and the decision of ending the life of a horse. Including in this debate the horse business will usually categorize a horse as livestock, where the public tends to categorize the horse as a companion.The ‘unwanted horse' came about in 2005, from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (APE) at a meeting in Washington D. C. These unwanted horses are defined as, â€Å"those no longer wanted by their current owner because they are old, injured, sick, unmanageable, or fail to meet their owners expectations† (Lend 253). This has become a very large issue in the U. S. Many horse rescue, adoption and retirement organizations have made a dedicated and vigorous effort to provide care, funding or suitable accommodations for unwanted horses over the years.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The eNotes Blog R.I.P. Encylopedia Brittanica1768-2012

R.I.P. Encylopedia Brittanica1768-2012 My grandparents had them. They lined the den in their modest Indiana home. In the garage, outdated sets were stacked neatly in boxes. Every year, salesmen came to the doors of homes and schools peddling their wares. But all that is over.   Encyclopedia Brittanica has announced that they will no longer offer their product in print. Its rather a sad passage for some of us older folk.   There arent many businesses that can claim they were viable for over two hundred years. In 1768,   Encyclopedia Brittanica published its first set of volumes in Edinburgh, Scotland and has been in continuous publication until this year. Its not difficult to understand what finally put the venerable company under. Two words: Wikipedia and Google.   Publicly, the company claims that their online competition was not a deciding factor in killing their printed volumes but that seems difficult to believe. Not only is it much easier to access needed information quickly, its difficult to compete with free. A complete set of Encyclopedia Brittanicas runs some $1,395. Space, too, is a consideration. A full set consists of thirty-two volumes and weights upwards of 129 pounds. A good flashdrive, by contrast, could conceivably contain every entry in Wikipedia (26,603,553 pages) and fit comfortably in your pocket, with room to spare. While some champions of the old school encyclopedias decry Wikipedia for having factual errors, a study comparing errors in a sampling of Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Brittanica articles found that there were three errors in Brittanica entries and four in Wikipedia selections. And of course, factual errors are much easier to correct online than in print. Encyclopedia Brittanica prides itself on having experts write their entries. For example, Arnold Palmer penned the article about the Masters tournament. If you truly care about this sort of thing, you can still have access to Encyclopedia Brittanica online. But it will cost you $70 for an annual subscription.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Writing English Drama Scripts in ESL Class

Writing English Drama Scripts in ESL Class English learners need to use their English in productive settings to improve their communicative skills. One of the most fun ways to do this is by working on collaborative projects. Students work together towards some tangible goal such as a business presentation, creating a powerpoint slide or by performing a short work for each other. This lesson plan focuses on helping students write a short script, practice the dialogue and perform for fellow students. Having students perform a short drama script that theyve developed combines a number of production skills through working in groups. Some of the territory covered includes: Writing skills - writing up the scriptPronunciation - working on stress and intonation when actingFocus on specific terminology depending on subject - including target vocabulary taken from previous lessonsNegotiation skills with other students - working together to choose a romantic film, choosing appropriate language for linesImproving confidence - acting in front of others This activity is especially useful after students have been studying a particular topic area over a period of time. In the example lesson, Ive chosen romantic films for classes that have been developing their understanding of relationships. Its best to start off by exploring related vocabulary through the use of vocabulary trees and related exercises. Once students have expanded their vocabulary knowledge, they can work on speaking about relationships through the use of modal verbs of deduction for giving advice. Finally, students can put together their newly won knowledge by putting it all together creating a script on their own.   Drama Script Lesson Plan Aim: Building conversational and team working skills in English Activity: Creating an English drama script based on a romantic film Level: Intermediate to advanced level learners Outline: Ask students to name a romantic film. Make sure that most if not all of the students are familiar with the film.As a class, have the students choose a film with a limited (best two, three, or four) number of characters that are crucial to the overall plot of the film.Write the characters up on the board as in a dialogue between the characters.Solicit lines from the class for a short portion of the scene. Encourage students to use vocabulary theyve learned throughout the course of the past few lessons.Read the lines dramatically, have students practice the lines in their own small groups. Keep the focus on the acting to help focus on stress and intonation in pronunciation.Explain the project to the class. Stress that students should create the lines themselves, rather than try to find a clip from the film and reproduce the lines individually.Pass out the project worksheet.Have students access the internet to find the plot outlines on the site suggested below or another movie spoiler s ite. Once students have found the plot outlines, print out the outline so students can work together in groups to choose the appropriate scene.Follow the directions below in the handout for the students. Project: Writing a Drama Script You’re going to write your own script for a scene from a movie about a romantic relationship. Here are the steps: Go to themoviespoiler.com.Choose a romantic movie that you already know.Read through the movie description and choose one short scene (or paragraph) from the description to write a script for.Choose your characters. There should be one character for each person in your group.Write the script using the description as your guideline. Try to imagine what each person would say in that situation.Practice your script in your group until you feel comfortable with your lines.Get up and perform! You’re a STAR baby!! Next stop: Hollywood!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Chinas Unique International Relations Theory Essay

Chinas Unique International Relations Theory - Essay Example All this has also helped the country to become an independent power in the eyes of the rest of the world with time as well. The foreign or international policy of this country is the policy or theory by way of which it interacts with other nations and also the outlook that it has towards other nations around the world. According to many sources the international theory and policy of China has been said to be ‘highly influential’. The main objectives for the reason for the unique policy that it upholds with pride are to bring about independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Recent Chinese foreign policy makers may be seen to adhere to the realist rather than the liberal school of international relations theory. Thus, in sharp contrast to the Soviet Union and the United States, China has not been given off to advancing any higher international ideological interests such as world communism or world democracy since the Cold War; or in other words, its ideology appe ars to be secondary to advancing its national interest. China is also a vital member of many international organizations; with itself holding key positions like the permanent member on the UN Security Council and is also a leader in many areas such as non-proliferation, peacekeeping and resolving regional conflicts.... nese scholars began to think about theoretical studies of IR, and some of them emphasized the construction of an IR theory with Chinese characteristics. Recent Chinese foreign policy makers may be seen to adhere to the  realist  rather than the  liberal  school of  international relations  theory. Thus, in sharp contrast to the  Soviet Union  and the  United States, China has not been given off to advancing any higher international ideological interests such as world  communism  or world  democracy  since the  Cold War; or in other words, its ideology appears to be secondary to advancing its national interest. China is also a vital member of many  international organizations; with itself holding key positions like the permanent member on the  UN Security Council  and is also a leader in many areas such as  non-proliferation,  peacekeeping  and resolving regional conflicts. Since 1978 the international relations theory in China has developed to a great extent and the entire theory is based on the works of two parallel processes that are simultaneously trying to establish their superiority within the country, the two of them being; (Yaqing, Qin) 1. A tenacious learning process aimed at trying to acquire knowledge and along with it, generation. a) Learning and acquiring knowledge from countries situated in the West like the US, through which the international relations theory has slowly and gradually developed as an independent discipline within the country of China. b) Furthermore as discussed above, the result of this learning has led to the formation of different schools of thought which have given rise to thinking of Realism, Liberalism and Constructivism. c) All these different thought processes have also helped and led to the rise and growth in the national and

Friday, November 1, 2019

Global Human Resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global Human Resources Management - Essay Example This task requires a human resource department or function that can identify the right people at the right moment in time and come up with working strategies to keep and attract talent to the organization. The coca-Cola company is known to be the world's largest beverage manufacturer, marketer, distributor marketer and company. The company which is also one of the largest companies in the United States of America also deals in non-alcoholic concentrates and syrups. Incorporated in 1892, the Coca-Cola organization is best known for its main product - Coca-Cola although it currently offers almost 400 brands in well over 200 countries. The company serves a wide client base with an approximate serving of 1.5 billion clients daily. This figure translates to over 10,450 beverages per second, and 800 million in the USA per year. In 2003 alone, the company achieved earnings in excess of 4.347 billion US dollars. The Coca-Cola Company and its subsidiaries only produce syrup concentrates which are sold to bottling companies who hold Coca-Cola franchise throughout the world. The company has several competitors across the different countries some of which make alcoholic drinks. The Coca-Cola Company has a franchised distribution network that dates from 1889. It makes concentrate which is later sold to various bottling companies with exclusive territories throughout the world. ... Coca-Cola has used catching themes such as "Drink Coca-Cola" and many other promotional strategies to market its products coupled with a strong, aggressive and effective marketing and distribution network. The company's mission is to refresh and benefit everyone touched by the business. The company mission is simplicity, solidness and timelessness in doing business. The coca-cola Company applies several strategies in order to stay ahead of competition. Differentiation strategies applied help to ensure that clients have a clear distinction between the company's products, trademarks and brands and those of its competitors. Before venturing into a market, the company engages its machinery in conducting vigorous market research. The company has policies that ensure its activities are globally standardized and meet all legal requirements. What this means is that more or less the same quality of product is ensured universally. Further, the company is renowned for recruiting and employing a well trained human resource that ensures its activities are performed satisfactorily. Human Resource Strategies and Programs Throughout the business world, human resource functions are faced with a number of challenges as a result or rapid evolutions in the corporate world. This calls for the adoption of strategies that will help in overcoming problems faced by human resource managers. Firms that do not emphasize on attracting and retaining talent often face dire consequences as competitors seize the opportunity to strategically employ a better human resource (Rohmetra, 2005). The organization must become more resilient, adaptable, customer-focused and agile in order to succeed. The human resource function of the company must hence