Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution Essay

In the 1850s, Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution. His theory proposed that species evolved gradually through subtle changes from one generation to the next by means of natural selection. By natural selection, the most desirable hereditary traits become more common from one generation to the next while the less desirable, weaker traits die out. This gives rise to an organism that is more capable—fitted to—of surviving in the surrounding environment. At the time Darwin formulated his idea beginning with his trip on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, some scientists resorted to the idea that God had preordained life by natural laws rather than by miraculous feats. While logical and correct, the idea still refers to a divine power, indicating a religious bent, so perhaps it was obvious that the ideas addressed could lead to religious controversy. As is common in science, Darwin’s concept arose from ideas garnered from a number of scientists of his time. Some researchers of the time believed that natural laws were responsible for life. While Darwin’s ideas did not account for the processes believed to account for life at the time, there was a theory at the time thought to account for life. Most thought that species were transmuted from one species into another. The problem with transmutation, an idea that is similar to evolution in some respects, is that a species may change through transmutation, but it will still be the same species. A dog may change into a different type of dog, but it will still be a dog; likewise, for a cat or any other species. Evolution dictates that the entire animal kingdom can grow through stages from one species into another over time. Birds came from reptiles, mammals came from birds and humans came from non-humans. (Lewontin, 1981) The data is unequivocal. During his voyage on HMS Beagle, Darwin found fossil remains of gigantic mammals that were recently extinct with no indication that their extinction had been caused by climate changes or catastrophic events. Although he believed that the remains he found were related to species in Africa or Europe, examination of the remains Darwin found showed that they were only related to other species found only in the Americas. Creationists insist that life came about from God in six days. While most evolutionists attack creationism on the grounds of scientific facts, there is another line of evidence virtually unnoticed by those who support evolution theory. Historians and archeologists have learned that the biblical story of creation came from the myths of another culture. Stories presented in the Bible evolved slowly over time, long before religions existed, and incorporated tales from many cultures. The story of the Garden of Eden, the serpent and the Tree of Life, for example, are said to have been depicted on an Akkadian Cylinder Seal nearly 2500 years before Christ. The serpent itself was viewed as a deity. Notice: â€Å"No one familiar with the mythologies of the primitive, ancient, and Oriental worlds can turn to the Bible without recognizing counterparts on every page, transformed, however, to render an argument contrary to the older faiths. In Eve’s scene at the tree, for example, nothing is said to indicate that the serpent who appeared and spoke to her was a deity in his own right, who had been revered in the Levant for at least seven thousand years before the composition of the Book of Genesis. There is in the Louvre a carved green steatite vase, inscribed c. 025 BC by King Gudaea of Lagash, dedicated to a late Sumerian manifestation of this consort of the goddess, under his title Ningizzida, ‘Lord of the Tree of Truth. ‘† p. 9. â€Å"The Serpent’s Bride. † Joseph Campbell. Occidental Mythology, The Masks of God. Arkana. New York. Viking Penguin Books. 1964, 1991 reprint The information in the Old T estament dates from about 1450 BC until 200 BC. This means that, contrary to the strongly held beliefs of most Christians, the creation story of Genesis is actually derived from the myths of ancient Sumerians. Therefore, the story is a myth. This means that those who against Darwin’s ideas on religious grounds based on their beliefs in the accuracy of the story in Genesis have unknowingly chosen to accept myth over facts. While they believe the myth to be factual, archeological evidence demonstrates otherwise. The scientific evidence leans heavily in support of Darwin’s ideas. While we may not fully understand some aspects behind the mechanism of evolution, we are continuously learning more about those mechanisms. (Dobzhansky, 1973) Dobzhansky states: Let me try to make crystal clear what is established beyond reasonable doubt, and what needs further study, about evolution. Evolution as a process that has always gone on in the history of the earth can be doubted only by those who are ignorant of the evidence or are resistant to evidence, owing to emotional blocks or to plain bigotry. By contrast, the mechanisms that bring evolution about certainly need study and clarification. There are no alternatives to evolution as history that can withstand critical examination. Yet we are constantly learning new and important facts about evolutionary mechanisms. Theodosius Dobzhansky, â€Å"Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in Light of Evolution†, American Biology Teacher vol. 35 (March 1973) reprinted in Evolution versus Creationism, J. Peter Zetterberg ed. , ORYX Press, Phoenix AZ 1983. Darwin (1859) believed that whales evolved from bears based on a scenario where selective pressures might cause this evolution, but he was criticized for this idea and removed the suggestion. Gould, 1995) Today, there is much more fossil evidence for the evolution of many species thus supporting the idea of evolution as a general biological principle, including the evolution of whales from lower animals. Evidence in support of evolution exists at many levels. There is paleontological evidence based on fossils, morphological evidence that relate the body morphology of higher animals to lower animals, evidence from molecular biology and from embryology. Added to this, the chronological picture that results is consistent with other lines of evidence. For example, the evidence for the evolution of whales from lower animals is convincing. Whales have been closely studied with respect to evolution. If evolution is valid, transitional stages from one level of evolution to another should exist. Although the fossil remains of whales spotty for a long time, recent fossil discoveries have more than adequately lent support to the concept of evolution for whales. Researchers state that independent lines of evidence from different disciplines confirm the pattern of evolution in whales. John Ray recognized that whales were mammals rather than fish in 1693 based on their similarity to terrestrial mammals. (Barnes, 1984) In 1883, Flower (see Barnes, 1984) found that whales had vestigial characteristics in common with terrestrial mammals just as humans have vestigial tails, the coccyx. Findings similar to these led to the concept of ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. ’ This concept is briefly explained in further detail below. Flower (1883) recognized that the whales have persistent rudimentary and vestigial features characteristic of terrestrial mammals, thus confirming that the direction of descent was from terrestrial to marine species. On the basis of morphology, Flower also linked whales with the ungulates; he seems to have been the first person to do so. Today, we know that whales have vestigial features in common with lower animals. For example, they have vestigial olfactory nerve, protruding hind limbs, pelvic fins and diaphragms. Like humans, during embryological development, whales develop features similar to lower animals and abandon them as development progresses. During their development, there is also evidence that whales have terrestrial ancestors. Some whales even develop hair while in the womb although they do not retain it. In 1985, Goodman et al. demonstrated that whales are more closely related to ungulates than to other animals. (Goodman, 1985; Miyamoto and Goodman, 1986) Some studies have identified genes, enzymes and other proteins that connect whales to extinct animals. (Irwin et al. 991; Irwin and Arnason, 1994; Milinkovitch, 1992; Graur and Higgins, 1994; Gatesy et al, 1996; Shimamura et al. , 1997) We have already noted above that the creation story in the Bible was taken from the text of an ancient culture that predates the Hebrew account. Rather than to openly acknowledge that the Bible’s story of creation is a mythical legend that explains evolution and the appearance of life on ea rth, some religious groups resort to far-fetched, fictitious, generally ridiculous concepts such as ‘creationism’, ‘creation science’ and ‘intelligent design’ to dismiss or explain away the science and replace it with fantasy. Embryology and developmental biology have a concept, ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’, that simplifies and briefly but succinctly expresses the concepts presented in the first chapter of Genesis. This is like explaining a complicated scientific concept, take conception and birth for example, to a little child by using a fairy tale rather than detailed research information. The fairy tale is not accurate, but the general information it communicates is true. With this single phrase, the first chapter of Genesis is summarized and explained. The phrase means that the embryological processes of development, ontogeny, depict and encapsulate the evolutionary history of the species, phylogeny. For example, during development of the human embryo, the fetus briefly has gills and a tail like its phylogenetic ancestors. In other words, during development, the developing embryo goes through some of the same stages that humans went through as the species developed from lower animals to humans. The concept makes perfect sense and explains many aspects of human development. Obviously, we cannot provide a comprehensive review of the evidence support evolution in a few pages, and we certainly cannot provide realistic evidence against it in light of all that exists to support it. While the evidence in support of the evolution of whales is plentiful, much evidence exists for evolution in general, including in humans. As has been reported here, the evidence is not just from scientific research, but also from archeology and history. That evidence shows, among other things, that the biblical story of creation in Genesis predates the Bible by hundreds of years. Despite all the evidence in support of evolution and against the idea of the biblical creation as being anything more than a myth, we can be certain that the argument in support of the biblical creation as being the real story and representing the real facts will not go away. Humans being what we are, we will always be faced with living with the Genesis myth as if it were fact, and coping with those who insist that the earth all the universe was created in six literal days. That concept certainly will never go away no matter what facts exist to disprove it.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Forty-four

Sansa He wouldn't send Ser Loras,† Sansa told Jeyne Poole that night as they shared a cold supper by lamplight. â€Å"I think it was because of his leg.† Lord Eddard had taken his supper in his bedchamber with Alyn, Harwin, and Vayon Poole, the better to rest his broken leg, and Septa Mordane had complained of sore feet after standing in the gallery all day. Arya was supposed to join them, but she was late coming back from her dancing lesson. â€Å"His leg?† Jeyne said uncertainly. She was a pretty, dark-haired girl of Sansa's own age. â€Å"Did Ser Loras hurt his leg?† â€Å"Not his leg,† Sansa said, nibbling delicately at a chicken leg. â€Å"Father's leg, silly. It hurts him ever so much, it makes him cross. Otherwise I'm certain he would have sent Ser Loras.† Her father's decision still bewildered her. When the Knight of Flowers had spoken up, she'd been sure she was about to see one of Old Nan's stories come to life. Ser Gregor was the monster and Ser Loras the true hero who would slay him. He even looked a true hero, so slim and beautiful, with golden roses around his slender waist and his rich brown hair tumbling down into his eyes. And then Father had refused him! It had upset her more than she could tell. She had said as much to Septa Mordane as they descended the stairs from the gallery, but the septa had only told her it was not her place to question her lord father's decisions. That was when Lord Baelish had said, â€Å"Oh, I don't know, Septa. Some of her lord father's decisions could do with a bit of questioning. The young lady is as wise as she is lovely.† He made a sweeping bow to Sansa, so deep she was not quite sure if she was being complimented or mocked. Septa Mordane had been very upset to realize that Lord Baelish had overheard them. â€Å"The girl was just talking, my lord,† she'd said. â€Å"Foolish chatter. She meant nothing by the comment.† Lord Baelish stroked his little pointed beard and said, â€Å"Nothing? Tell me, child, why would you have sent Ser Loras?† Sansa had no choice but to explain about heroes and monsters. The king's councillor smiled. â€Å"Well, those are not the reasons I'd have given, but . . . † He had touched her cheek, his thumb lightly tracing the line of a cheekbone. â€Å"Life is not a song, sweetling. You may learn that one day to your sorrow.† Sansa did not feel like telling all that to Jeyne, however; it made her uneasy just to think back on it. â€Å"Ser Ilyn's the King's Justice, not Ser Loras,† Jcyne said. â€Å"Lord Eddard should have sent him.† Sansa shuddered. Every time she looked at Ser Ilyn Payne, she shivered. He made her feel as though something dead were slithering over her naked skin. â€Å"Ser Ilyn's almost like a second monster. I'm glad Father didn't pick him.† â€Å"Lord Beric is as much a hero as Ser Loras. He's ever so brave and gallant.† â€Å"I suppose,† Sansa said doubtfully. Beric Dondarrion was handsome enough, but he was awfully old, almost twenty-two; the Knight of Flowers would have been much better. Of course, Jeyne had been in love with Lord Beric ever since she had first glimpsed him in the lists. Sansa thought she was being silly; Jeyne was only a steward's daughter, after all, and no matter how much she mooned after him, Lord Beric would never look at someone so far beneath him, even if she hadn't been half his age. It would have been unkind to say so, however, so Sansa took a sip of milk and changed the subject. â€Å"I had a dream that Joffrey would be the one to take the white hart,† she said. It had been more of a wish, actually, but it sounded better to call it a dream. Everyone knew that dreams were prophetic. White harts were supposed to be very rare and magical, and in her heart she knew her gallant prince was worthier than his drunken father. â€Å"A dream? Truly? Did Prince Joffrey just go up to it and touch it with his bare hand and do it no harm?† â€Å"No,† Sansa said. â€Å"He shot it with a golden arrow and brought it back for me.† In the songs, the knights never killed magical beasts, they just went up to them and touched them and did them no harm, but she knew Joffrey liked hunting, especially the killing part. Only animals, though. Sansa was certain her prince had no part in murdering Jory and those other poor men; that had been his wicked uncle, the Kingslayer. She knew her father was still angry about that, but it wasn't fair to blame Joff. That would be like blaming her for something that Arya had done. â€Å"I saw your sister this afternoon,† Jeyne blurted out, as if she'd been reading Sansa's thoughts. â€Å"She was walking through the stables on her hands. Why would she do a thing like that?† â€Å"I'm sure I don't know why Arya does anything.† Sansa hated stables, smelly places full of manure and flies. Even when she went riding, she liked the boy to saddle the horse and bring it to her in the yard. â€Å"Do you want to hear about the court or not?† â€Å"I do,† Jeyne said. â€Å"There was a black brother,† Sansa said, â€Å"begging men for the Wall, only he was kind of old and smelly.† She hadn't liked that at all. She had always imagined the Night's Watch to be men like Uncle Benjen. In the songs, they were called the black knights of the Wall. But this man had been crookbacked and hideous, and he looked as though he might have lice. If this was what the Night's Watch was truly like, she felt sorry for her bastard half brother, Jon. â€Å"Father asked if there were any knights in the hall who would do honor to their houses by taking the black, but no one came forward, so he gave this Yoren his pick of the king's dungeons and sent him on his way. And later these two brothers came before him, freeriders from the Dornish Marches, and pledged their swords to the service of the king. Father accepted their oaths . . . â€Å" Jeyne yawned. â€Å"Are there any lemon cakes?† Sansa did not like being interrupted, but she had to admit, lemon cakes sounded more interesting than most of what had gone on in the throne room. â€Å"Let's see,† she said. The kitchen yielded no lemon cakes, but they did find half of a cold strawberry pie, and that was almost as good. They ate it on the tower steps, giggling and gossiping and sharing secrets, and Sansa went to bed that night feeling almost as wicked as Arya. The next morning she woke before first light and crept sleepily to her window to watch Lord Beric form up his men. They rode out as dawn was breaking over the city, with three banners going before them; the crowned stag of the king flew from the high staff, the direwolf of Stark and Lord Beric's own forked lightning standard from shorter poles. It was all so exciting, a song come to life; the clatter of swords, the flicker of torchlight, banners dancing in the wind, horses snorting and whinnying, the golden glow of sunrise slanting through the bars of the portcullis as it jerked upward. The Winterfell men looked especially fine in their silvery mail and long grey cloaks. Alyn carried the Stark banner. When she saw him rein in beside Lord Beric to exchange words, it made Sansa feel ever so proud. Alyn was handsomer than Jory had been; he was going to be a knight one day. The Tower of the Hand seemed so empty after they left that Sansa was even pleased to see Arya when she went down to break her fast. â€Å"Where is everyone?† her sister wanted to know as she ripped the skin from a blood orange. â€Å"Did Father send them to hunt down Jaime Lannister?† Sansa sighed. â€Å"They rode with Lord Beric, to behead Ser Gregor Clegane.† She turned to Septa Mordane, who was eating porridge with a wooden spoon. â€Å"Septa, will Lord Beric spike Ser Gregor's head on his own gate or bring it back here for the king?† She and Jeyne Poole had been arguing over that last night. The septa was horror-struck. â€Å"A lady does not discuss such things over her porridge. Where are your courtesies, Sansa? I swear, of late you've been near as bad as your sister.† â€Å"What did Gregor do?† Arya asked. â€Å"He burned down a holdfast and murdered a lot of people, women and children too.† Arya screwed up her face in a scowl. â€Å"Jaime Lannister murdered Jory and Heward and Wyl, and the Hound murdered Mycah. Somebody should have beheaded them.† â€Å"It's not the same,† Sansa said. â€Å"The Hound is Joffrey's sworn shield. Your butcher's boy attacked the prince.† â€Å"Liar,† Arya said. Her hand clenched the blood orange so hard that red juice oozed between her fingers. â€Å"Go ahead, call me all the names you want,† Sansa said airily. â€Å"You won't dare when I'm married to Joffrey. You'll have to bow to me and call me Your Grace.† She shrieked as Arya flung the orange across the table. It caught her in the middle of the forehead with a wet squish and plopped down into her lap. â€Å"You have juice on your face, Your Grace,† Arya said. It was running down her nose and stinging her eyes. Sansa wiped it away with a napkin. When she saw what the fruit in her lap had done to her beautiful ivory silk dress, she shrieked again. â€Å"You're horrible,† she screamed at her sister. â€Å"They should have killed you instead of Lady!† Septa Mordane came lurching to her feet. â€Å"Your lord father will hear of this! Go to your chambers, at once. At once!† â€Å"Me too?† Tears welled in Sansa's eyes. â€Å"That's not fair.† â€Å"The matter is not subject to discussion. Go!† Sansa stalked away with her head up. She was to be a queen, and queens did not cry. At least not where people could see. When she reached her bedchamber, she barred the door and took off her dress. The blood orange had left a blotchy red stain on the silk. â€Å"I hate her!† she screamed. She balled up the dress and flung it into the cold hearth, on top of the ashes of last night's fire. When she saw that the stain had bled through onto her underskirt, she began to sob despite herself. She ripped off the rest of her clothes wildly, threw herself into bed, and cried herself back to sleep. It was midday when Septa Mordane knocked upon her door. â€Å"Sansa. Your lord father will see you now.† Sansa sat up. â€Å"Lady,† she whispered. For a moment it was as if the direwolf was there in the room, looking at her with those golden eyes, sad and knowing. She had been dreaming, she realized. Lady was with her, and they were running together, and . . . and . . . trying to remember was like trying to catch the rain with her fingers. The dream faded, and Lady was dead again. â€Å"Sansa.† The rap came again, sharply. â€Å"Do you hear me?† â€Å"Yes, Septa,† she called out. â€Å"Might I have a moment to dress, please?† Her eyes were red from crying, but she did her best to make herself beautiful. Lord Eddard was bent over a huge leather-bound book when Septa Mordane marched her into the solar, his plaster-wrapped leg stiff beneath the table. â€Å"Come here, Sansa,† he said, not unkindly, when the septa had gone for her sister. â€Å"Sit beside me.† He closed the book. Septa Mordane returned with Arya squirming in her grasp. Sansa had put on a lovely pale green damask gown and a look of remorse, but her sister was still wearing the ratty leathers and roughspun she'd worn at breakfast. â€Å"Here is the other one,† the septa announced. â€Å"My thanks, Septa Mordane. I would talk to my daughters alone, if you would be so kind.† The septa bowed and left. â€Å"Arya started it,† Sansa said quickly, anxious to have the first word. â€Å"She called me a liar and threw an orange at me and spoiled my dress, the ivory silk, the one Queen Cersei gave me when I was betrothed to Prince Joffrey. She hates that I'm going to marry the prince. She tries to spoil everything, Father, she can't stand for anything to be beautiful or nice or splendid.† â€Å"Enough, Sansa.† Lord Eddard's voice was sharp with impatience. Arya raised her eyes. â€Å"I'm sorry, Father. I was wrong and I beg my sweet sister's forgiveness.† Sansa was so startled that for a moment she was speechless. Finally she found her voice. â€Å"What about my dress?† â€Å"Maybe . . . I could wash it,† Arya said doubtfully. â€Å"Washing won't do any good,† Sansa said. â€Å"Not if you scrubbed all day and all night. The silk is ruined.† â€Å"Then I'll . . . make you a new one,† Arya said. Sansa threw back her head in disdain. â€Å"You? You couldn't sew a dress fit to clean the pigsties.† Their father sighed. â€Å"I did not call you here to talk of dresses. I'm sending you both back to Winterfell.† For the second time Sansa found herself too stunned for words. She felt her eyes grow moist again. â€Å"You can't,† Arya said. â€Å"Please, Father,† Sansa managed at last. â€Å"Please don't.† Eddard Stark favored his daughters with a tired smile. â€Å"At last we've found something you agree on.† â€Å"I didn't do anything wrong,† Sansa pleaded with him. â€Å"I don't want to go back.† She loved Mng's Landing; the pagaentry of the court, the high lords and ladies in their velvets and silks and gemstones, the great city with all its people. The tournament had been the most magical time of her whole life, and there was so much she had not seen yet, harvest feasts and masked balls and mummer shows. She could not bear the thought of losing it all. â€Å"Send Arya away, she started it, Father, I swear it. I'll be good, you'll see, just let me stay and I promise to be as fine and noble and courteous as the queen.† Father's mouth twitched strangely. â€Å"Sansa, I'm not sending you away for fighting, though the gods know I'm sick of you two squabbling. I want you back in Winterfell for your own safety. Three of my men were cut down like dogs not a league from where we sit, and what does Robert do? He goes hunting.† Arya was chewing at her lip in that disgusting way she had. â€Å"Can we take Syrio back with us?† â€Å"Who cares about your stupid dancing master?† Sansa flared. â€Å"Father, I only just now remembered, I can't go away, I'm to marry Prince Joffrey.† She tried to smile bravely for him. â€Å"I love him, Father, I truly truly do, I love him as much as Queen Naerys loved Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, as much as Jonquil loved Ser Florian. I want to be his queen and have his babies.† â€Å"Sweet one,† her father said gently, â€Å"listen to me. When you're old enough, I will make you a match with a high lord who's worthy of you, someone brave and gentle and strong. This match with Joffrey was a terrible mistake. That boy is no Prince Aemon, you must believe me.† â€Å"He is!† Sansa insisted. â€Å"I don't want someone brave and gentle, I want him. We'll be ever so happy, just like in the songs, you'll see. I'll give him a son with golden hair, and one day he'll be the king of all the realm, the greatest king that ever was, as brave as the wolf and as proud as the lion.† Arya made a face. â€Å"Not if Joffrey's his father,† she said. â€Å"He's a liar and a craven and anyhow he's a stag, not a lion.† Sansa felt tears in her eyes. â€Å"He is not! He's not the least bit like that old drunken king,† she screamed at her sister, forgetting herself in her grief. Father looked at her strangely. â€Å"Gods,† he swore softly, â€Å"out of the mouth of babes . . . † He shouted for Septa Mordane. To the girls he said, â€Å"I am looking for a fast trading galley to take you home. These days, the sea is safer than the kingsroad. You will sail as soon as I can find a proper ship, with Septa Mordane and a complement of guards . . . and yes, with Syrio Forel, if he agrees to enter my service. But say nothing of this. It's better if no one knows of our plans. We'll talk again tomorrow.† Sansa cried as Septa Mordane marched them down the steps. They were going to take it all away; the tournaments and the court and her prince, everything, they were going to send her back to the bleak grey walls of Winterfell and lock her up forever. Her life was over before it had begun. â€Å"Stop that weeping, child,† Septa Mordane said sternly. â€Å"I am certain your lord father knows what is best for you.† â€Å"It won't be so bad, Sansa,† Arya said. â€Å"We're going to sail on a galley. It will be an adventure, and then we'll be with Bran and Robb again, and Old Nan and Hodor and the rest.† She touched her on the arm. â€Å"Hodor!† Sansa yelled. â€Å"You ought to marry Hodor, you're just like him, stupid and hairy and ugly!† She wrenched away from her sister's hand, stormed into her bedchamber, and barred the door behind her.

The Pricing of Health Costs and its Effect on the Poor in the United Dissertation - 1

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Business Case Formulation for a successful SAP (ERP System) Implementation - Literature review Example Aladwani (2001) elucidates that, businesses are operating in environments that are undergoing continuous experiences of dynamic changes and as a result, many organizations are striving hard to remain competitive. Nonetheless, the changes pose challenges for most companies as they focus on improving their business practices and procedures, as a way of maintaining a strategic influence in the competitive market using the current forms of information systems. More significantly, the advancements have seen organizations adapt support information systems with advanced operations that include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, which enhance companies maximization of strategic management of its resources by allowing maximum potential use of diverse enterprise systems that suit the organizational needs (Peffers, Gengler & Tuunanen, 2003). In most cases, the ERP systems implemented are based on the extensive knowledge of the industry, readily usable assets besides proven ERP processes, strategies and technologies. Kerimo & Uluhan (2003), emphasis on the fact that the use of clearly implemented ERP systems for a suitable company practices provide viable solutions that remain significant in achievement of business advantages in the competitive global markets. Nah & Delgado (2006) describes the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems as being of great importance to companies as it offers integrated, enterprise-wide systems that can be used in the provision of automated support. As a result, the automated support system will allow effectiveness and efficiency of business procedures as it is considered essential for standard business processes within and outside operations of organizations. More considerably, companies have found it beneficial to adopt an ERP system that allows for improvements in management and decision-making. More considerably, the implementation

Honda Accord or Chevrolet Tahoe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Honda Accord or Chevrolet Tahoe - Essay Example The 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe is, however, a more rugged machine with both looks as well as fuel efficiency. It is a true SUV and can take both the city as well as country roads with aplomb. It comes in a lot of variants and a hybrid model is a dream machine which can shift from gasoline to electricity without any appreciable difference in performance. The long experience of the ‘General Motors’ company and the intense passion with which it builds its cars shows in this model. It is equipped with a plethora of safety features for the driver as well as co-passengers with easy access to controls which incorporate the latest developments in technology. It ranks at No. 1 as the most affordable of the SUVs. It has plenty of seating, foul-weather and off-road capability and towing capability as well. The Vortec engine is a powerful heart for the machine and comes in variants ranging from 4.8 to 6.2l. The exterior is aerodynamically designed and the style and finish are excellent. T he manufacturers claim that it shows exemplary performance in summers as well as winter. It has been rated as the best value for money car in the modern SUV section. However, despite good after sales service offered by the company, it is no secret that ‘General Motors’ is on the verge of bankruptcy in this era of recession and one can expect setbacks in the future. The course of action to be taken depends upon one’s financial situation, requirements and the safety factors a person needs in this era of heavy traffic on the roads.

Microcosmos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microcosmos - Essay Example The orders which are presented in the Microcosm film encompasses dragonfly, grasshoppers, rhinoceros beetle, praying mantis, moth, cutworm, ant, dung beetles, wasps, sacred beetle, bee, climbing caterpillar, wriggler, swallow-tail butterfly, 3rd instar larvae hatching into butterfly, black ants, spiders in their spider web, cricket, pavement ant, ladybird with seven spots, great peacock moth and a mosquito. In addition, cabbage looper caterpillar is also depicted.The behaviors exhibited include geotropism which is seen in the growing plant tendrils. In addition, insect pollination is also exhibited. Also, a bee is portrayed sucking nectar from a full blown flower. In addition, black ants are seen feeding on excretion materials from the thrips. Also, lady birds are seen mating. Caterpillars are also seen depicting mimicry and camouflage to evade predators. In addition, the slug is seen gliding in a moist environment covered with green grass. Slugs are also seen mating. One of the most surprising bit about the film is the bit a caterpillar is seen breaking out of a cocoon and then feeding on it afterwards. Furthermore, the film shows a spider which abruptly pounces on a grasshopper and stops it from escaping by deploying its spider web to tie them up. It’s fascinating to observe how insects are trapped in a spider web and later fed on by the king spider. An additional intriguing observation is made on how preys are trapped then wrapped by a spider web to paralyse them to enhance the liberty of the king spider to feed on them.

Company law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Company law - Essay Example It must be emphasized that the Partnership is nothing but a collection of individuals and not a separate entity in itself. As such, there is no concept of limited liability. All the partners are jointly and severally liable for the debts of the business. This means that the creditors of the business can not only seize the assets which were put into the Business by the partners, but also to the personal assets of the partners. So for example if your Business defaults on the loan that you intend to take out from Credit Crunch Bank, then not only will the  £10,000 put in by each partner be liable for forfeiture, but the personal assets of the partners will also be up for grabs. To emphasize the point, under a partnership there is no dividing line between the Business and the Partners themselves. A private company limited by shares is different. Here a company will be incorporated having separate legal personality and the Business will be carried out by this company. In the eyes of the law, the company is a separate person just like all you and your fellow colleagues are different people. Any debts of the company will remain its own and will not flow over to the shareholders. Similarly, any assets contributed to the company will belong to the company and will no longer be a part of the shareholder’s estate. The main duty of the shareholder is to contribute to the value of the share. Once this is done, there is no further liability on the shareholder. Even if the company later faces debts, the personal assets of the shareholder are safe. The concepts of separate legal personality and limited liability come together to ensure that the liability of the shareholder is limited to any amounts unpaid on the price of the shares and nothing else. So if, as before, the company defaulted on the Credit Crunch Bank loan, then only the assets of the business such as the  £10000 each contributed as capital by you and your colleagues would

The declining incidences of strikes in the United States and some Research Paper

The declining incidences of strikes in the United States and some possible explanations - Research Paper Example To understand the extent and causes of this phenomenon, one needs to leaf through the labor history of this country. Once the European settlements grew in America, notions of prosperity based on agricultural development slowly started to be replaced by the mineral wealth mined out from the earth. Gold and silver became the most coveted attributes and mining expeditions often ended up in looting of ancient civilizations like Aztecs and Incas. The American labour class emerged from the Native Americans who were deprived of their godly havens of Mother Nature and left to toil for a living by this new civilization. (Nicholson, 2004, p.4). Expansion of trade succeeded the crusades of 13, 14 and 15th centuries. America along with the whole world was witnessing the birth of the merchant class, the bourgeoisie. Colonies in Africa were established initially to exploit the rich natural resources but eventually the merchants realized that they could make use of the physical capabilities of the black Africans to further their commercial interests. America started importing African slaves who thereby joined the labour forces of the country. When following the civil war, slavery was finally abolished in 1865, all the free slaves got consolidated into a more visible form of working class. Thus it was the ethnic mix of natives and black slaves that formed the labouring masses of this country. Philip Yale Nicholson, writing on the labour history of USA had noted several historians observing that â€Å"the wealth produced by slavery and slave trade provided the economic foundation for the industrial revolution and that plantation slave labour was the precursor to the property-less industrial working class or proletariat.† (Nicholson, 2004, p.6) The working conditions of the early labourers were so inhuman that the human spirit in them often revolted in the form of â€Å"theft of property, flight into the wilderness or other colonies, rebellions, slowdowns, strikes, mutinies

CAPM and the use of it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

CAPM and the use of it - Essay Example CAPM is popular because of its simplicity and utility at various problems. CAPM is used to quantify the risk associated with the assets and then translate it into the returns associated with the securities (Mullins 2012). CAPM is actually used to make calculations of a single security. The formula is very simple which is used in calculations. It includes the expected return on the capital assets, risk free rate of interest, market risk which is denoted by beta, market premium and the risk premium. Now the description of all of these components is given as follow; Here beta or the market risk is very important. Every company also has its own beta value which is useful for every type of calculations. A specific company’s beta value means the risk associated with the company but in comparison with the whole operational market. But when we talk about beta in capital asset pricing model i.e. CAPM then it means the market risk which any company must face during their cost and return calculations. By definition the value of beta is equal to 1.0. The application of CAPM gives its best results when all of the above assumptions are met in an appropriate environment. These assumptions are made regarding a generalized conditional environment. Whenever any specific different situation may come and the investor may feel any difficulty then the researchers start their duty and find any other way to solve the problem. Therefore we may see certain modified versions of theories and models. The basic theme and assumptions of these theories and models is same only the operational side may be modified according to the situations. Some critics are of the opinion that CAPM assumptions are totally unrealistic, but still there are many supporters of this model of capital asset pricing model. From the very beginning (i.e. just after introducing CAPM), the