Transformation of e.coli with plasmid dna and ligated dna Essay

Transformation of e.coli with plasmid dna and ligated dna - Essay Example nce gene on the plasmid serves the purpose of a selectable marker that provides a new characteristic to the transformed cell not possessed by the non-transformed cell, thereby distinguishing from the non-transformant on a selective media. The ‘No DNA’ control on the LB plate (which contains no antibiotic or X-gal) is expected to show lawn pattern of bacterial growth implying that the bacterial cells are viable and can grow in the absence of the antibiotic ampicillin. However the "No DNA" on the LB blue plate is expected to show no growth as they do not contain the necessary gene for the restriction enzyme to survive in the medium with ampicillin. Tube 2 shows all blue colonies which illustrates that transformation of cells with plasmid pCK103 confers the bacterial cells with the ability to grow in ampicillin medium due to the presence of the resistance gene and also convert X-gal in the medium to produce blue colonies by the action of lac Z gene present in the plasmid which encodes ï  ¢- galactosidase involved in lactose metabolism. 3). x ï  ­g of the plasmid pCK103 were added to the E. coli during the transformation. From your results calculate the total number of transformants produced by this amount of DNA. Remember that the 100ï  ­l sample is only half of the total transformation and the 10ï  ­l sample is, of course, a twentieth. 4). This value is known as the transformation frequency and is a measure of the efficiency of the process. It is to some extent dependent on the plasmid used but for pCK103 a value of 106 - 107 transformants per ï  ­g may be expected under ideal conditions. How does your value compare to this? Why do you think it differs? The value differs from the ideal transformation efficiency predicted for pCK103. A number of factors affect transformation efficiency such as the actual DNA concentration and amount of DNA, heat shock, length of time for expression after transformation as well as the selective plates used. The results

Income and spending Essay Example for Free

Income and spending Essay The change in consumer spending divided by the change in disposable income. B. Total consumer spending divided by total income. C. Disposable income divided by consumption. D. The change in disposable income divided by the change in consumption. 2) Assume a consumption function is C = 500 + . 80 Yd. This means A. Consumers will save 80 cents out of each additional dollar in disposable income. B. Consumers will spend $500 in addition to current income. C. Consumers will spend $500 plus 80 cents out of each dollar of disposable income D. he marginal propensity to consume is . 20. 3) In a model with no government or foreign sector, if saving is defined as S 200+ (0. 1)Y and investment is 10 = 200, what is the equilibrium level of consumption? A. 3,800 B. 3,600 c. 1 soo D. 2,000 E. 1,000 4) In a model with no government or foreign sector, if autonomous consumption is Co = 80, investment is 10 = 70, and the marginal propensity to save is s = 0. 25, equilibrium income is A. 150 B. 0 c. 225 D. 600 E. 750 5) The 45-degree line on a graph relating consumption and income shows: A. all points where the MPC is constant. B. all points at which saving and income are equal. C. all the points at which consumption and income are equal. D. the amounts households will plan to save at each possible level of income 6) If the MPC is . 8 and disposable income is $200, then A. consumption and saving cannot be determined from the information given. B. saving will be C. personal consumption expenditures will be $80. D. saving will be $40. 7) The MPC for an economy is: A. the slope of the consumption schedule or line. B. the slope of the savings schedule or line. C. 1 divided by the slope of the consumption schedule or line. D. 1 divided by the slope of the savings schedule or line. 8) At the point where the consumption schedule intersects the 45-degree line: A. the MPC equals 1 B. the APC is zero. C. saving equals income. D. saving is zero. Answer the next question(s) on the basis of the following consumption schedule: C 20+ . Y , where C is consumption and Y is disposable income. 9) Refer to the above data. The MPC is: A) . 45. B) . 20. C) . 50. D) . 90. 10) Refer to the above data. At an $800 level of disposable income, the level of saving is: A) $180. B) $740. C) $60. D) $18. 1 1) In a Keynesian model of income determination, when intended spending is greater than actual output, the adjustment to a new macro-economic equilibrium is based on changes in A. autonomous consumption B. unplanned inventories C. government spending D. net exports E. all of the above

The Development Context Essay -- Politics Political Economics Essays

The Development Context This study falls at the intersection of several key themes or debates in International Development. These include the debate about the role and effectiveness of official international assistance agencies, the body of thought on the micropolitical forces which shape the development assistance process, and the debate over the ecological limits to and sustainabiltiy of economic growth. The following sections will review the most important concepts and some of the authors associated with those themes. 1) What do international donor agencies do, and do they do it well? Some discussion has been given in the literature to approach taken by international donor agencies to development assistance. For the most part, this discussion has focused on the fact that large governmental and bureaucratic agencies lack the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions and be effective at grassroots-level implementation. In a scathing condemnation of official international development assistance, Korten (1990) asserts that such efforts are defined by the bounds of bureaucratic convenience, and that there has been a strong preference in international assistance for short-term, narrowly-focused, and self-interested efforts.' Hellinger et al. (1988), in an assessment of the U.S. Agency for International Development, suggest that even when more farsighted and well-designed approaches emerge, they "face internal structures, operational procedures, and reward systems geared to promote objectives related primarily to expansionary ' David C. Korten, Getting to the 21st Century, West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press, 1990, pp. 36-137. and survival interests of the AID bureaucracyi' In the context of this criticism and dom... ...r: Lynne Rienner. 1988. Hirschmann, David. "Women and Political Participation in Africa". Public Domain. 1990. Kasfir, Nelson. "Explaining Ethnic Political Participation". (in State of Development in the Third World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1986.) Kolenda, Pauline. Caste in Contemporary India: Beyond Organic Solidarity. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. 1985. Korten, David C. Getting to the 21st Century. West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press. 1990. Lipsky, Michael. "The Rationing of Services in Street-Level Bureaucracies". Street-Level Bureaucracy. New York: Sage Foundation. 1980. Meadows, Donella et al. Beyond the Limits. Post Mills, VT: Chelsea Green. 1992. Robertson, C. and I. Berger. Women and Class in Africa. New York: Holmes & Meier. 1986. Ibid, p. 24. Samarasinghe, Vidya. "Hangin' in at the Margin". Public Domain. 1992.

Porter Diamond Automotive Market China

Automotive market in CHINA China’s domestic car sales, growing at more than 10% annually, these growing sales were in the domestic market and did not improve China’s competitiveness in the global auto industry. The rise of China as a Automotive car producer has lead to better roads, new distribution channels, the deregulation of the auto market, and China’s WTO entry. The multinational automotive companies invest in China for several reasons they try to find lower production costs, increase their market share in that specific areas while increasing their efficiency while operating and producing.In the early stages of China’s economic development, many foreign firms invested in China for cheap material and labor costs, as well as low worker unionization rate and environmental standards. Thus, most of China’s exports come out of miscellaneous manufacturing and labor-intensive industries. The central government has increased investment in basic infrast ructure development in order to remove the bottleneck effect caused by low infrastructure conditions and to increase energy productivity, transportation quality and communication ability.Although China’s auto firms have few competitive advantages comparing to leading global companies in terms of technological and managerial skills, China is still the largest potential demand market in the world. predicted that China’s average income will increase at an annual rate of 6% by 2011. Currently, for every 100 families in Beijing, 12 own private vehicles. While this number is insignificant compared with developed nations. Currently the country’s per capita GDP is low by international standards, and the majority of Chinese families are preoccupied with issues such as housing, medical care, and education.Many auto firms is the asymmetric distribution of China’s population and income. Competition in major cities has been accelerated in almost all market segments. D uring that period, in China, the supply chain underwent a major transformation. Multinational part suppliers began to work closely with local suppliers, in response to growing pressure from global auto assemblers. Meanwhile, Chinese domestic carmakers tried to improve their research capacity and economy of scale by standardizing local supply network. The first and most obvious strength is low production costs.Secondly, available production facilities build a solid infrastructure for parts manufacture and technological upgrading. Major auto assemblers invested heavily in the emerging markets, increasing production capacity and modernizing existing plants. They are attracted not only by the sales growth prospects offered by low motorization rates in developing nations, but also by the potential cost reduction that may be obtained through integrating low cost manufacturing locations and spreading the vehicle development costs across a greater number of markets.In China, the government promotes the development of large business groups in the auto sector so as to concentrate foreign investment and help build up competitive Chinese automakers. Finally a shared supplier network can help improve the suppliers’ economy of scale while promoting global quality standards and reducing the cost of vehicle manufacturing.

Jonathan Swift and Piers Paul Read Essay

Cannibalism is the last taboo. In ‘Alive’ and ‘A Modest Proposal’ Jonathan Swift and Piers Paul Read approach the subject with completely different purposes in mind. What do you consider to be the purpose of each author, and say how he achieves this? A Modest Proposal is a scathing attack on the economic oppression of the Irish by the English. During Swift’s lifetime tremendous suffering was caused by English practices in Ireland. However, it is incorrect to say that cannibalism is the theme of ‘A Modest Proposal. ‘ Swift was a Protestant writer in Ireland at the time of The Great Potato Famine. The article is a clever satirical device to draw attention to the plight of the poor. He infiltrates the opposition, the rich Protestant landlords, in order to put their torturous ideas to ridicule. Swift attacks his own Protestant, English community by creating a narrator who considers himself a reasonable and compassionate character, but one who combines a repulsive anti-Catholic bigotry, with a ‘modest’ proposal, that is, rather, a ‘final solution’: he, the narrator, advocates cannibalism as a means of countering Irish Catholic poverty abortion, and the high birth rate. The narrator, in a frighteningly rational and level-headed tone condemns the English for being inhumane, the Irish for being passive, the speaker for being morally blind, and the reader for accepting intolerable situations in the world around him; for this piece was accepted and believed by many, at the time. On the other hand, Piers Paul Read, in his biographical ‘novel’ ‘Alive, rather than indirectly giving answers to a problem, asks questions. He tells of the experiences of the survivors of an Andean plane crash in 1976, who, in the remoteness, and the harshness of their environment, the lack of a consumable source of food, and the quickening exhaustion of their own limited amounts of chocolate and wine, have no where to turn except, in their desperation, to eat the meat from their fellow, dead, company. They have only their plane’s wreckage as shelter, which has come down from 14,000 feet. Both literary pieces, although their purpose, style and audience are different, jolt the reader out of their complacency, and encourage them to think of things they thought weren’t necessary to be thought about! However, it is necessary to understand that the two texts have been written hundreds of years apart, and society, of course, has evolved. Swift has reached out across the religious and ethnic divide to champion the ignorant, impoverished Irish Catholics. The bigotry of Swift’s narrative is so convincing and grotesque, that Swift himself is sometimes mistaken as his narrator, an anti-Catholic bigot! On the contrary, Swift’s essay harshly attacks the ‘Christian’ commitment of Ireland’s wealthy Protestant absentee landowners, and his unflattering ‘cannibal’ is made in their image. P. P. Read meanwhile, attacks not the opposition, but gives a balanced and meaningful account of the plane crash and the tales that followed, and examines the human spirit to stay alive, and questions what is ‘civilized’ and ‘human. ‘ Yet, simultaneously, Read, almost in the opposite of Swift, advocates cannibalism. Read turns the views of cannibalism as a taboo on its head. Rather than associating it with savagery and being primitive and irrational, he questions logic, and seems to state that the ban is the primitive thing, that is not based on reason. In one paragraph alone, he writes, â€Å"we grappled with emotions,† and â€Å"we did not think it wrong† twice. While Swift attacks the Landlords by linking their greed to their â€Å"devouring† of the Irish Catholics, and satirizes cannibalism to the extent that it is no longer seen as ironic, only distasteful, Read, using a character ‘Canessa’, reasons cannibalism out. He talks of nourishment and energy, and of course, eventually wins his company. Their decision is based on logic and reason, and the ability to use these makes us civilized. Although I do not feel that Swift’s narrator’s views are plausible, Read using a variety of effective techniques, convinces the reader. Swift shows how the English projected their own blame onto their victims- destitute Irish Catholics, that, Swift suggests, have been ‘cannibalized’ by the rapacious greed of absentee landlords. Swift is hoping to shame them into being more compassionate. However, as what happened when I read it for the first time, because Swift and his narrator are so tightly intertwined, readers often emerge from their reading, confused, perhaps unable to take in the implausibility of his case.

Group Project of wineries companies

Group Project of wineries companies Executive summary This paper involves analyzing business activities of given companies all operating on wineries industry. This means that the paper will be concerned with how these companies apply marketing strategies to make sure that their businesses achieve their operational goals. This means that the organization makes sure that they provide new products to customers always.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Group Project of wineries companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This means that they hire competent brewers to work on these drinks hence making sure that they provide different tastes for customers at all times. Hardy’s wine company positions itself on basis of reliability. From the matrix various aspects of organization’s websites were recorded and it was found that the four organizations have their own strong points and weaknesses. This means that all organizations run their websites in different manners hence giving different results. Introduction This paper involves analyzing business activities of given companies all operating on wineries industry. This means that the paper will be concerned with how these companies apply marketing strategies to make sure that their businesses achieve their operational goals. Marketing is very important for any organization because it is the only way customers learn about new products. This means that creating awareness is very important because customers need to be reminded about products hence cautioning them from competitors. In fact, organizations should come up with effective marketing strategies aimed at maximizing on their market share. This means that organization should have customers in mind all the time when considering making decisions regarding marketing of their products (Tuckwell, 2010). In fact, organizations should emphasize on quality of products and other benefits that may entice customers into buying their pr oducts. When considering marketing through internet, organizations should make sure that they segment their market effectively. This means that organizations should know how to reach their target market in order to maximize on their profits. Organizations can end up wasting a lot of resources when advertising to the wrong group of people. This means that they should understand the product used by internet users in order to come up with appropriate marketing strategy targeting them. This is very important because resources should be directed to the right market. Otherwise a lot of resources may end up going to waste if marketers direct advertisements to the wrong groups of consumers. Report content Overview of the different organisations The paper is going to look at various organizations which include Dulcinea which deals with baking of breads and delivering them to homes. This organization has an operational website that they use to promote their products. The organization uses the website to market its products to customers through carrying out its strategies.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Marketing communications are conducted through the website hence helping the company reach all tis target customers. The other organization is Berrysbridge which deals with wineries (Applegate, 2001). The organization runs a website that it uses to advertise all its brands for customers to learn about them. in addition, they advertise all services that they give to customers through the internet making their products known to customers. Captainscreek is another organization that was analyzed in this paper. Its website is used to communicate important information to customers hence keeping them up to date with changes in the market. This organization deals with fast dishes and wines and these are served to customers from various parts of the world. This is because, these clients come from various parts of the world. In fact, most of their clients come are tourists who stop by their stores purchase fast foods for from their outlets. Finally, another organization under study is known as Hardys. This organization offers services to customers which include serving award winning wines. They run a website through which they market their quality products to customers. They introduce new products through the website hence making it possible for new customers to learn about their new products from the website. This organization makes use of their website to maximize their profits as they win customers loyalty through use of website. They know how to reach their target customers through conducting market analysis which aims at understanding consumer behaviors of those customers. Products/Services sold These organizations sell various products which are in foods and beverages industry. in fact, they are concerned with selling of snacks and w ines. The four organizations compete on the quality of foods and wines they serve to their customers. This means that they either come up with unique breads in order to shine over other players in the market. This is very important as customers chose their favorite outlets depending on what they get from them. The four organization being studied have to struggle to maintain their quality and standards in order to retain their loyal customers. Target market These organizations have the same target market since they offer almost the same services. Their target market includes young people who are just employed and they have a lot of time meeting friends. These people have to assemble in these joints to enjoy their favorite wines and breads (Kyle, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Group Project of wineries companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These people are the same ones targeted by the organization marke ters through their websites. Young people spend a lot of time on internet hence making it the most appropriate platform for marketing products from these organizations. In addition, these organizations target people who have high incomes hence developing various products to suit their class. For instance, they have very important persons’ products which are served exclusively to those people hence making them feel honored by the organization. Positioning of different organizations Dulcinea positions its services on quality since they offer home delivery services to their customers. This includes offering quality services to their customers hence remaining at a good position to compete with other players in the same industry. Berrysbridge positions itself on service provision. This is because their marketers insist that the organization employs competent people who provide good services to their customers. In fact, this means that their service providers maintain high level of hospitality hence making customers to come back to the organization. Captainscreek positioned itself on offering of unique wines to their customers. This means that the organization makes sure that they provide new products to customers always. This means that they hire competent brewers to work on these drinks hence making sure that they provide different tastes for customers at all times. Hardy’s wine company positions itself on basis of reliability. This is where they insist that they are always there to serve customers. Their employees are trained well to ensure that they respond to customers’ needs at all time. This is important since they value their customers regardless of the time they turn up for services. Attributes The four organizations take advantage of the internet to market their products. This means that they use internet to communicate to their customers hence remaining less a cheap way of advertising. For instance, if they decide to run sales promoti ons for their products, marketers communicate to their customers through internet hence making it easy for customers to see. As a result, majority of their clients turn up for promotions hence bringing a lot of capital to the organization (Bussing-Burks, 2009). The four organizations make sure that they maintain their positioning factors in order to compete in the market. This is very important because customers will always walk into organizations with the aim of attaining the promised benefits. In case they fail to attain what has been promised, chances are high that they will never come back to the outlet. They feel deceived hence opting to get services from other providers in the market.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Main competitors Competitors of these four organizations include all players in the foods industry. In fact, some of their competitors may be very powerful since they may be financially stable. This stability may lead to establishment of an organization that combines both wines and dishes. In fact, people may prefer going to outlets where they can get snacks alongside their favorite drinks. Some of their competitors include Sheraton Pattaya Resort and they are financially healthy hence running a series of businesses in the market. In fact, they provide services in both dishes and drinks making them beat other players in the market. MATRIX data analysis From the matrix various aspects of organization’s websites were recorded and it was found that the four organizations have their own strong points and weaknesses. This means that all organizations run their websites in different manners hence giving differing results. The four websites were found to have various qualities depen ding on areas that their host organization emphasized. This means that they reflected how those organizations planned their business and what they intended to achieve in future. Compare the 4 different websites (data from the matrix) All the four websites can compare on basis of their application. This means that they all had similar purpose of informing since they are used by marketers to communicate to their customers in the market. In fact, they are all used to pass information regarding quality service and promotions to be held by organizations. In fact, organizations take advantage of internet to reach to their customers regarding their products hence attracting more customers (Kuratko and Hodgetts, 2008). In addition, all websites are designed in a way to be very appealing to customers hence use of various colors. These colors are in a way such that they remain attracting to people on the internet hence making them feel like visiting them to learn about products being advertis ed. Data Collection and Analysis In fact, data collected showed that all websites were designed to specifications of given organization. For instance, each websites put more emphasis on some elements as opposed to others. This means that each website had its special elements which differentiated it from the rest. In addition, all websites achieved their objectives in various ways according to expectations of marketers. Finally, organizations made sure that their websites addressed issues concerning their customers and only elements relevant to customers were prioritized. Relevant theories in data analysis Information obtained in these websites proved several theories which involve marketing communications. For instance, customers are given priorities which mean that organizations value their customers in a great way. This means that people in various organizations worked tirelessly to ensure that their websites delivered messages to customers hence helping them to reaming profitable at all times. These websites were developed putting into consideration all aspects of consumer behavior into concern. This can be evident where responsiveness was at maximum hence helping consumers to learn about organizations and their products from such websites. Marketing theories which argue about the marketing mix were applied in developing those websites. This is evident where various websites address issues aimed at ensuring that marketing mix is to its perfection. Marketing mix is the key to any business success hence these organizations really understood its essence. Recommendations It is recommendable that all these organizations should make sure that their websites retain a good average mark in order to reach all customers well. As a result, these organizations will get to positions where they can reap good results from marketing through internet. In fact, their websites should be inclusive whereby they should address issues that concern customers and organizationsâ€⠄¢ products. For instance, these organizations should ensure that they develop strategies through which customers can consult about their products. They should come up with a customer care section that should be tasked with answering all questions coming from online customers. In addition, organizations should consider using colors that are friendly and attractive to both genders in order to capture customers across all genders. This is very important because it helps organizations to acquire large market share that is responsible for organizations’ increased profitability. What are your communications objectives? Marketing communication objectives for this organization include reaching more customers. This means that the organization should increase its customer base hence being able to realize huge returns in terms of profits. This means that marketers have to do everything within their reach to make sure that their customers remain loyal to the company. This can be achieve d through constantly reminding them of their products and this helps in cautioning customers against competitors (Ouwersloot and Duncan, 2007). In fact, many organizations lose out to their competitors due to the fact that they fail to communicate to their customers. Customers tend to shift their loyalty to providers who are always on the ground advertising their products. Another objective of marketing communication is to let customers learn about new products. This is very important as customers need to be made aware of various products in order to consider buying them. Provide suggestions or specific recommendations on how to improve the marketing communications practices. Marketing communication practices should be done in a way such that it achieves its set objectives. For instance, marketers should make sure that their organizations aim at meeting customers’ expectation. Marketing communication should be done in a timely manner to make sure the set goals are achieved. F or instance, if marketing communication was to counter threats from market players, it should come just in time in order to save the situation. This means that organization should be able to know exactly what they want when developing marketing communication plans and strategies. Conclusion Marketing communication is very important because it enhances communication between marketers and consumers. Organizations should come up with marketing communication strategies aimed at ensuring that their products remain at the top of other players in the market. This is important because it gives an assurance to organization managers regarding their market security. Marketing communication should be done in a way such that it allows customer feedback hence enhancing their productivity. Marketers should embrace technology by making use of the internet in marketing of their products. Organizations should focus on how to maximize on their profitability by communicating effectively to their custom ers (Shimp, 2008). References Applegate, J. (2001). 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business. New York: John Wiley Sons. Bussing-Burks, M. (2009).Starbucks. New York: ABC-CLIO. Kuratko, D. F., Hodgetts, R. M. (2008). Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process, and Practice. New York: Cengage Learning. Kyle, T. (2008). Small Business Ideas: 400 Latest Greatest Small Business Ideas. London: Terry Kyle. Ouwersloot, H. Duncan, T. (2007). Integrated Marketing Communications. London: McGraw-Hill. Shimp, T. A. (2008). Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications. Michigan: Cengage Learning. Tuckwell, K. J. (2010). Integrated Marketing Communications: Strategic Planning Perspectives. New York: Renouf Publishing Company Limited. Appendix Weighted Matrix Rate the firms/website elements as follows 0 = completely absent 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = average 4 = good 5 = very good Dulcinea Berrysb ridge Captainscreek Hardys Weights Design Format 25% position on screen 1 3 2 4 4 format (too busy) 2 3 5 2 1 colours 3 2 4 1 3 fonts 4 1 5 3 2 photos 5 5 4 5 2 virtual tour 6 5 2 4 3 sound 7 2 5 3 1 movement 8 2 1 3 6 subtotal count 8 0 0 0 0 weighted score max score 40 10 Navigation / Functionality 25% easy to use 1 5 4 5 2 clicks through to correct page 2 5 2 4 3 scrolling 3 2 5 3 1 quick search 4 2 1 3 6 appropriate number of levels 5 2 4 1 3 appropriate tools (buying etc) 6 1 5 3 2 time to download info 7 5 4 5 2 track purchases 8 3 2 4 4 site map 9 3 5 2 1 links to other sites and return 10 2 4 1 3 clear navigation guides 11 1 5 3 2 return to home icon 12 5 2 4 3 subtotal count 12 0 0 0 0 weighted score max score 60 15 Interactivity 20% sign-up as member 1 2 1 3 6 feedback icon 2 2 4 1 3 how difficult to complete forms 3 1 5 3 2 opt-in opt-out for emails 4 5 4 5 2 e-community forum 5 3 2 4 4 subtotal count 5 0 0 0 0 weighted score max score 25 5 Product/Service Information 10% range 1 2 1 3 6 features 2 2 4 1 3 availability 3 1 5 3 2 prices 4 2 1 3 6 FAQ 5 2 4 1 3 currency of information 6 1 5 3 2 pdf format for printing 7 5 4 5 2 error free 8 3 2 4 4 no this page under development notices 9 5 4 5 2 subtotal 2 4 1 3 count 9 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.3 weighted score max score 45 4.5 Security/Privacy 10% details of personal data collected 1 1 3 2 4 how data used 2 2 3 5 2 your access to data 3 2 4 1 3 links to other sites 4 1 5 3 2 security/credit card security 5 5 4 5 2 FAQ 6 5 2 4 3 subtotal 5 4 5 2 count 6 3 2 4 4 weighted score max score 30 3 Firm Information 10% history 1 1 5 3 2 is the brand clear 2 5 4 5 2 financial performance 3 3 2 4 4 press releases 4 3 5 2 1 senior mgt details 5 2 4 1 3 contact details 6 1 5 3 2 store/office locations 7 2 4 1 3 info up to date 8 1 5 3 2 hours of business 9 5 4 5 2 FAQ 10 5 2 4 3 frequency of updating website 11 5 4 5 2 subtotal 3 2 4 4 count 11 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.4 weighted score max score 55 5.5 firm scores 10 10 10 9 max possible 255 3.5 2.6 4.5 4.7 weighted score 43

Documentary Review essays

Documentary Review essays The documentary I watched is about Thaipusam festival. I watched it on National Geographic Channel and was amazed to discover the meaning, the process and the traditions and practices of Thaipusam. It was interesting to watch the procession yet at the same time learn more about it in detail. Every January/February, depending upon the lunar month - on a full-moon day in the Tamil month of Thai, the Hindus will celebrate Thaipusam in honour of their Hindu God, Lord Subramaniam (sometimes referred to as Lord Murugan) who is a son of the Hindu God Shiva. He is believed to represent virtue, youth and power. As mentioned in the documentary, Thaipusam is celebrated in Singapore and also in Malaysia, although it does not occur in India, which is rather strange to me. Thaipusam is important to the Hindus, as they believe that it reinforces the solidarity of the minority Hindu community and symbolises the eternal struggle between good and evil. This festival is known for the devotees who fulfil vows by shaving their heads bald or performing rituals. Some have their cheeks, chest and tongue pierced with flesh hooks or thin sharp spear like metal rods that looks more like skewers. Personally, I find the piercing ritual rather horrifying as it was a gory scene with lots of blood. Some of the devotees carry milk pots, while some carry a 'Kavadi'. The Kavadi is a large festive structure, made of aluminium, covered with colour and peacock feathers. It symbolises a mountain, with an effigy of Murugan at the top. Some Kavadi can reach 3-4 metres in height. Others pull wheeled altars that are atta ched to the back by hooks. They all involve some form of body piercing. As they are said to be in a trance, there is no pain of piercing such stuff on their bodies. But as a viewer, it was rather painful for my sight. Young devotees as early as the age of 9 also participates in this festival, they have to go for a thorough bath du...