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EDGAR ALLAN POE 1809 - 1849 â€Å"Quoth the Raven, â€Å"Nevermore† Edgar Allan Poe – Darkness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dark what is dark? It is defined in the dictionary as: Darkadj 1.Being without light or without much light. 2. Not a light in colour 3.Gloomy. 4. Being without knowledge and culture 5.Secretive – darklyadv – Dark-ness n.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dark2n 1.Absance of light: Darkness; esp.: night 2. A dark or deep colour – in the dark 1. In secrecy. 2. In ignorance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dark is a major part of Edgar Allan Poe’s work. Take for example â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum†: The main character is locked in a dungeon with no light to see his surroundings. â€Å"I quickly unclosed my eyes. My worst thoughts, then, were confirmed. The blackness of eternal night encompassed me.† (Edgar Allan Poe, story and structure Canadian edition, â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† pg.357 line 33.) Take also for example â€Å"The Mask of the Red Death†. The seventh room was black. â€Å" But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood – tinted panes, was ghastly and extreme †¦ It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the west wall a gigantic clock of ebony.† These are just examples of literally darkness with no light. There is also the literary darkness Like in the â€Å"Tell Tale Heart†, the man murders his employer â€Å" He shrieked once – once only. In an n instance I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heave bed over him... the old man was dead†¦I took for the concealment of the body. The night warned, and I walked hastily, but in silence , first as I dismembered the corps. I cut off the head and the legs and the arms†. â€Å"The Raven† the man is mourning over the lost love Lanor. When a raven comes only to torment his already tired soul. With those words of pain â€Å"Never More†. †On this home by horror haunted – tell me truly I implore – is there – is there balm in Gilead? – tell me – tell me – I implore!† â€Å"Quoth the raven â€Å"never more†Ã¢â‚¬    Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion it is said that the greatest writer either write about sex or death and Edgar Allan Poe is one of the greatly misunderstood writers of our day due to the lack of information on him and his life.

The Effects of a Change in the Minimum Wage Essay -- Economics Workfor

The Effects of a Change in the Minimum Wage In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed and ever since, the United States has required that all firms that do at least $500,000 worth of business per year pay their workers a minimum wage (â€Å"Handy† n.pag.). Because it affects so many workers in so many different aspects of the economy, the minimum wage plays a big part in the cost of labor and how firms deal with those costs. A change in the minimum wage, which would seemingly affect only workers, can actually be felt sometimes all the way down to the consumer, who might end up paying for it in the end—unless the firm finds another way to pay for the mandatory raise for all its workers, such as a decrease in its workforce or a change in the production process. These changes the consumer might not noticeably feel. A change in the minimum wage has several short-term and long-term effects on the economy that can be either beneficial or devastating to society at large. The arguments for and against the minimum wage have been ongoing. On one hand, it’s simply a supply and demand issue. As prices (or wages) rise, the demand for that product (or labor) decreases—in other words, employers will simply stop or slow down their hiring. If the minimum wage increases too much, then it could even force some smaller firms out of business. Then even more people will be out of work. On the other hand, better paid employees could feel more motivation to increase their productivity. And increase in a company’s productivity could be high enough that, in order to keep up supply, it might need to hire even more employees. In this case, raising the minimum wage has increased employment. So who’s right? Almost all studies of minimum wage ef... ... "Handy Reference Guide." ESA/WHD: Wage Hour Division Home Page. U.S. Department of Labor. 21 April 2001 . Neumark, David and William Wascher. "Employment Effects of Minimum and Subminimum Wages: Panel Data on State Minimum Wage Laws." Industrial & Labor Relations Review Oct 1992: 55. EBSCOhost MasterFILE Premier. 22 April 2001 . Partridge, Mark D. and Jamie S. Partridge. "Do Minimum Wage Hikes Reduce Employment? State-Level Evidence from the Low-Wage Retail Sector." Journal of Labor Research Summer 1999: 393. EBSCOhost MasterFILE Premier. 22 April 2001 . Wimmer, Bradley S. "The Minimum Wage and Productivity Differentials." Journal of Labor Research Fall 2000: 649. EBSCOhost MasterFILE Premier. 22 April 2001 .

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and Balance Sheet

F? 151. Assets become liabilities when they expire. F152. Revenue results from collection of accounts receivable. F153. A company’s fiscal year must correspond to the calendar year. T154. Accounting periods should be of equal length to facilitate comparison between periods. T155. When there is no direct connection between revenues and costs, the costs are systematically allocated among the periods benefitted. T156. Applying accrual accounting results in a more accurate measurement of profit for the period than does the cash basis of accounting. F157. Adjusting entries affect cash flows in the current period.T158. Revenue cannot be recognized unless delivery of goods has occurred or services have been rendered. F159. Accrual accounting recognizes revenues and expenses at the point that cash changes hands. F160. A deferral is the recognition of an expense that has arisen but has not yet been recorded. T161. Adjusting entries are useful in apportioning costs among two or more acc ounting periods. T162. An adjusting entry includes at least one balance sheet account and at least one income statement account. T163. Recording incurred but unpaid expenses is an example of an accrual. F164.If all transactions were originally recorded in conformity with GAAP, there would be no need for adjusting entries at the end of the period. T165. Every adjusting entry must change both an income statement account and a balance sheet account. F166. When the reduction in prepaid expenses is not properly recorded, this causes the asset accounts and expense accounts to be understated. T167. Accumulated depreciation may be referred to as a contra-asset account. T168. The adjustment to record depreciation of property and equipment consists of a debit to depreciation expense and credit to accumulated depreciation.T169. When services are not paid for until they have been performed, the accrued expense is recorded by an adjusting entry at the end of the accounting period. T170. The amou nt of accrued revenues is recorded by debiting an asset account and crediting an income account. F171. Acquiring a computer for cash is just exchanging one asset for another and will not result in an expense even in future periods. F172. A decrease in an expense account is the equivalent of a decrease in owner’s equity. F173. Accrued revenue is a term used to describe revenue that has been received but not yet earned. T174.Book value is the original cost of a building less depreciation for the year. F175. The adjusting entry to allocate part of a cost of a one-year fire insurance policy to expense will cause total assets to increase. T176. The adjusting entry to recognize earned commission revenues, not previously recorded or billed will cause total assets to increase. F177. The adjusting entry to recognize an expense which is unrecorded and unpaid will cause total assets to increase. T178. The adjusting entry to recognize earned revenues which was received in advance will ca use total liabilities to decrease.F179. The maximum period covered by a worksheet is 6 months. T180. Withdrawals is recorded in the Balance Sheet debit column of the worksheet. F181. The Owner’s capital account is shown in the Income Statement credit column in the worksheet. F182. The Owner’s withdrawal account will not appear on an adjusted trial balance on the worksheet. F183. Accumulated depreciation appears on the income statement. T184. The worksheet is used to pull together up-to-date account balances needed to prepare the financial statements. F185.Financial statements are prepared from the adjusted trial balance of the worksheet. F186. Because adjusting entries are recorded on a worksheet, they do not need to be journalized or posted. T187. A loss occurs when there are more expenses than revenue. T188. If revenue and expenses were equal for an accounting period, the result would be neither profit nor loss. T189. The worksheet is not presented with the financial statements. T190. The third step in worksheet preparation is to enter the adjusted account balances in the adjusted trial balance column.T191. The worksheet is a convenient device for completing the accounting cycle. T192. After all necessary adjustments are entered in the worksheet, the two adjustment columns are totaled to prove the equality of debits and credits. F193. Income and expense accounts are moved to the balance sheet columns of the worksheet. F194. Assets, liabilities capital and withdrawal accounts are extended to the income statement column of the worksheet. T195. The balance of the Unearned Revenues account will appear in the balance sheet credit column of the worksheet. F196.The balance sheet credit column of the worksheet usually contains only the liability and equity accounts. F197. Where the income statement column of the worksheet are totaled the excess of debits over credits is called profit. F198. The totals of the balance sheet columns of the worksheet will usually be the same as the totals appearing in the formal balance sheet. T199. The last step in the worksheet preparation is to enter the profit and loss figure as a balancing figure in the income statement and balance sheet columns. T200. The worksheet helps the accountant discover existing posting and calculation errors.T201. If an asset has been carried to the debit column of the income statement and a similar error occurred involving income or liabilities, the worksheet may appear to be correct but the profit figure is actually misstated. F202. Financial statements are confidential documents which are available only to the owner of the business. T203. The focal point of the accounting cycle is the financial statements. T204. The income statement shows the types and mounts of revenues and expenses for the accounting period. F205. The excess of expenses over revenues is called loss. F206.Expenses are increases in equity caused by the entity’s income-generating activities. F 207. Cash loaned from a bank constitutes income. F208. The statement of changes in equity uses only the profit figure from the income statement to explain the change in equity. T209. The balance sheet provides the financial statement user the type and amount of each asset, liability and capital account at a particular date. T210. The balance sheet is prepared based on the final equity balance in the statement of changes in equity. F211. The account form of balance sheet shows assets, liabilities and equity in a vertical sequence.T212. Financial flexibility is the ability to take effective actions to alter the amounts and timings of cash flows so that it can respond to unexpected needs and opportunities. T213. Solvency refers to the availability of cash over the longer term to meet financial commitments as they fall due. T214. Liquidity refers to the availability of cash in the near future after taking account of the financial commitments over this period. T215. An income statement r efers to the specified period while a balance sheet shows the financial position of the entity at a particular date. T216.Cash flow statement reports the amount of cash received and disbursed during the period. T217. Notes to financial statements include narrative descriptions or more detailed analyses of amounts shown on the face of the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement and statement in changes in equity. T218. Accounting policies are the specific principles, bases, conventions, rules and practices adopted by an enterprise in preparing and presenting financial statements. F219. The purchase of an equipment is an example of a financing activity. T220. Buying and producing goods and services are examples of operating activities.T221. The purchase of land is an example of an investing activity. F222. Paying taxes to the government is an example of financing activity. T223. Financial position may be assessed by referring to the balance sheet. T224. The statement in c hanges in equity discloses the withdrawals during the period. F225. The heading of the income statement might include the â€Å"As of December 31, 2011. † T226. The balance sheet is also known as the statement of financial position. T227. The statement of cash flows discloses significant events related to the operating, investing and financing activities of the business.T228. The statement of changes in equity relates the income statement to the balance sheet by showing how the owner’s capital account changed during the accounting period. F229. The account Commissions Earned would appear on the balance sheet. F230. The account Wages Payable would appear in the income statement. T231. Financial statements cannot be prepared correctly until all the accounts have been adjusted. F232. A worksheet is more useful for a small company than a large one. T233. Working papers provide a written record of the work performed by an accountant or auditor. T234.The worksheet is a type of accountant’s working paper. F235. The amount for owner’s withdrawal will appear in the income statement column of a worksheet. T236. The adjusted trial balance columns of the worksheet are prepared by combining the trial balance and adjustments column. T237. When the Income Statement columns of the worksheet are initially footed, they should be out of balance by the amount of profit and loss. F238. When the balance sheet columns of the worksheet are initially footed, they should be in balance. F239. The worksheet should be prepared after the formal financial statements have been prepared.T240. An important use of the worksheet is an aid in the preparation of financial statements. 241. The worksheet is prepared after the formal adjusting and closing entries. 242. On a worksheet, the balance of the owner’s Capital account is its ending amount for the period. 243. The amount placed opposite the owner’s Capital account in the Balance Sheet columns of the w orksheet is the amount to be reflected for owner’s Capital on the Balance Sheet. 244. The balances of the Accumulated Depreciation accounts will appear on the credit side of the worksheet’s Balance Sheet Columns. 245.The balance sheet may be prepared by referring solely to the Balance Sheet columns of the worksheet. 246. When adjusting entries are entered onto a worksheet, it is not necessary to record them in the general journal. 247. Total assets, total liabilities and owner’s equity on the balance sheet are the same as the totals of the Balance Sheet columns on the worksheet. 248. The amount of owner’s withdrawals can be found on the worksheet. 249. After the adjusting and closing entries have been recorded and posted, the general ledger accounts that appear on the balance sheet have no balances. 250.General account balances agree with those in the financial statements even before adjusting and closing entries are recorded and posted. 251. The income s ummary account is used to close the income and expense accounts. 252. The balance of the owner’s Capital account represents the cumulative net result of income, expense and withdrawal transactions. 253. Closing entries clear income and expense accounts at the end of the period. 254. The post-closing trial balance contains asset, liability, withdrawal and capital accounts. 255. The final trial balance is called a post-closing trial balance. 56. A reversing entry is a journal entry which is the exact opposite of a related adjusting entry made at the end of the period. 257. To simplify the recording of regular transactions in the next accounting period, all adjusting journal entries are reversed. 258. Post-closing trial balance tests the equality of the accounts after adjustments and the closing entries are posted. 259. Trial balances are prepared to ensure that no entries have been omitted. 260. In the accounting cycle, closing entries are prepared before adjusting entries. 261 .In the accounting cycle, information from source documents is initially recorded in the journal. 262. Nominal accounts are reduced to zero by closing entries. 263. Closing entries deal primarily with the balances of real accounts. 264. The only accounts that are closed are the income statement accounts. 265. Closing entries result in the transfer of profit or loss into the owner’s Capital account. 266. After all closing entries have been entered and posted, the balance of the income summary account will be zero. 267. Depreciation Expense-Building is a permanent account. 68. Supplies expense is a temporary account. 269. A revenue account is closed with a credit to the revenue account and a debit to income summary. 270. An expense account is closed with a debit to the expense account and a credit to income summary.271. Income Summary is closed with a debit to income summary and a credit to the owner’s Withdrawals account. 272. When profit or loss is exactly zero, one of the usual closing entries will be avoided. 273. The Income Summary account appears in the income statement. 274. Temporary accounts are also known as real accounts. 75. During the closing process, revenues are transferred to the credit side of the Income Summary account. 276. During the closing process, expenses are transferred to the credit side of the Income Summary account. 277. All nominal accounts must be closed before the Income Summary account can be closed. 278. The post-closing trial balance will have fewer accounts than the adjusted trial balance. 279. The balances of all accounts that appear on the balance sheet are the same on the adjusted trial balance as they are on a post closing trial balance. 280.There is sufficient information on a post-closing trial balance to prepare an income statement. 281. The post-closing trial balance will contain only real accounts. 282. The Income Summary account will appear on the post-closing trial balance. 283. There is sufficient info rmation on a post-closing trial balance to prepare a balance sheet. 284. There is sufficient information on a post-closing trial balance to prepare a statement of changes in equity. 285. If the post-closing trial balance does not balance, then the error/s definitely occurred at some point during the closing process. 86. The adjusting entries involving Rent Receivable and Salaries Payable could be reversed. 287. The adjusting entries involving Depreciation Expense-Building and Supplies Expense could be reversed. 288. A reversing entry will include either a debit to a revenue account or a credit to an expnseaccount. 289. Reversing entries are never required. 290. Reversing entries can be made for deferrals but not for accruals. 291. Reversing entries are made to correct errors in the account. 292. The purpose of reversing entry is to simplify the bookkeeping process. 293.Adjusting entries are all dated as at the first day of the new accounting period. 294. Closing entries can be prepa red by referring solely to the income statement columns of the worksheet. 295. The chart of accounts for a merchandising entity differs from that of a service entity. 296. The difference between revenue from sales and cost of sales is operating income. 297. For cash sales, the operating cycle is from cash to inventory to accounts receivable and back to cash. 298. The bill of lading is a document prepared by the seller detailing the terms of delivery. 99. A validated deposit slip indicates that cash and checks were actually deposited. 300. Discounts offered to the buyer to encourage early payment are trade discounts. 301. Cash discounts are called purchase discounts from the buyer’s viewpoint. 302. The sales discounts account is a contra-income account and will have a debit balance. 303. A credit term of 2/10 n/30 means that the buyer may deduct 3% from the invoice if payment is made within 10 days from the end of the month. 304. Purchases return and allowances is a deduction from purchases. 305.The cost of merchandise purchased during the period is determined by subtracting from the net purchases the amount of transportation costs incurred during the period. 306. The purchase of equipment not for resale should be debited to the purchases account. 307. If the seller is to shoulder the cost of delivery, the term is stated as F. O. B destination. 308. The term freight prepaid or collect will dictate who shoulders the transportation costs. 309. The two main systems for accounting for merchandise are periodic and perpetual. 310. The perpetual inventory system requires recording the cost of each sale as it occurs. 11. There is no need for a physical inventory count in the perpetual inventory system. 312. The debit balance in the inventory account in the trial balance under the periodic inventory system is the amount of inventory at the end of the current year.313. The ending inventory of one period is the beginning inventory of the next period. 314. The balan ce in the merchandise inventory account at the beginning of the period represents the cost of merchandise on hand at that time. 315. The operating cycle involves the purchase and sale of inventory as well as the subsequent payment for purchase and collection of cash. 16. A business can shorten its operating cycle by increasing the percentage of cash sales and reducing the percentage of credit sales.317. Merchandise inventory could include goods in transit. 318. An advantage of using the periodic inventory system is that it requires less recordkeeping than the perpetual inventory system. 319. The periodic inventory system relies on a physical count of merchandise for its balance sheet account. 320. Under the periodic inventory system, the cost of goods sold is treated as an account. 321. The periodic inventory system provides an up-to-date inventory on hand.322. Summing ending merchandise inventory and cost of goods sold gives the cost of goods available for sale. 323. A physical inv entory is usually taken at the end of the accounting period. 324. Under the periodic inventory system , purchases of merchandise are not recorded in the Merchandise Inventory account. 325. A company would be more likely to know the amount of inventory on hand if I it used the periodic inventory system ra of all merchandisether than the perpetual inventory system. 326. Taking a physical inventory refers to making a count of all merchandise on hand at a particular time. 327.When the periodic inventory system is used , a physical inventory should be taken at the end of the fiscal year. 328. The income statement of a company that provides services only will not have cost of goods sold. 329. For a merchandising company, the difference between the net sales and operating expenses is called a gross margin. 330. Sales return and allowances is described a contra-revenue account. 331. On the income statement of a merchandising concern, profit is the amount by which net sales exceed operating expenses. 332. Transportation out is included in the cost of goods sold calculation. 33. Advertising expense appears as a selling expense on the income statement. 334. Transportation in is considered a cost of merchandise purchased. 335. The difference between gross sales and net sales is equal to the sum of sales discounts and sales returns and allowances.336. When the terms of sale include a sales discount, it usually is advisable for the buyer to pay within the discount period. 337. The terms 2/10, n/30 mean that a 2% discount is allowed on payments made over 10 days but before 30 days after the invoice date. 338. Terms 2/10, n/30 is an example of a trade discount. 39. Goods should be recorded at their list price less any trade discounts involved. 340. FOB Shipping point means that the seller incurs the shipping costs. 341. Under the perpetual inventory system, the cost of merchandise is debited to Merchandise Inventory at the time of purchase.342. The merchandise inventory accou nt is not affected when a sales allowance is granted. 343. Ending merchandise inventory is included in the calculation of cost of goods available for sale. 344. Ending merchandise inventory for year 1 automatically becomes the beginning inventory for year 2. 45. The calculation of cost of goods available for sale during the year is not affected by the previous year’s ending inventory. 346. The change in inventory level from the beginning to the end of the year affect cost of goods sold. 347. Transportation In is treated as a deduction in the cost of goods sold section of the income statement. 348. Under the periodic inventory system, the Purchases account is used to accumulate all purchases of merchandise for resale.349. Cost of goods sold is the primary difference between a merchandising and a service business income statement. 350. Debiting income summary and crediting beginning merchandise inventory eliminates the beginning inventory at the end of the period. 351. Cost of goods sold is a major expense of a merchandising business. 352. Using the nature of expense method of presenting expenses in the income statement has the advantage of simplicity because no allocation of operating expenses between functional classifications is necessary. 353. The function of expense method reports gross margin and income from operations. 354. Operating income is not computed in the nature of expense method.355.Gross margin from sales is the income that the business would have made if all goods available for sale had been sold during the period. 356. The excess of gross profit over operating expenses is called operating profit. 357. In the worksheet, the ending inventory amount will appear in the income statement credit column and the balance sheet debit column. 358. The determination of net cost of purchase would include addition of transportation out. 359. The traditional balance sheet arrangement of assets on the left-hand side with the liabilities and ownerâ€℠¢s equity on the right-hand side is called the report form. 360. Net sales is not an account name. 361. In the income statement, operating expenses are classified as selling expenses, administrative expenses and other operating expenses. 362. The sales return and allowances has a normal debit balance. 363. The closing entry for transportation in debits purchases and credits income summary. 364. Both Transportation In and Transportation Out accounts are closed by crediting the accounts. 365. On the worksheet of a merchandising company that uses the perpetual inventory system, the Merchandise inventory account balance is not adjusted.366.When using the perpetual inventory system, the Merchandise inventory account will not appear in the closing entries. 367. The worksheet of a merchandising company that uses the perpetual inventory system will not have a Transportation In account. 368. When preparing a worksheet for a merchandising company that uses the perpetual inventory system, the cost of goods sold can be derived from the balances of several account in the income statement column. 369. Under the perpetual inventory system, the ending merchandise inventory balance is closed at the same time as cost of goods sold.370.When preparing a worksheet for a merchandising company that uses the periodic inventory system, the merchandise inventory amount shown on the trial balance will be carried over the Balance Sheet debit column. 371. On the worksheet of a merchandising company that uses the periodic inventory system, both Purchase and Purchases Returns and Allowances appear in the Income Statement column. 372. The Purchases account is closed to the Merchandise Inventory account. 373. The ending inventory amount appears in both Income Statement columns on the worksheet of a merchandising company that uses the periodic inventory system. 74. Under the periodic inventory system, the Merchandise Inventory account appears in the closing entries made at the end of the perio d. 375. When preparing closing entries under the periodic inventory system, Sales, Purchases Returns an Allowances are both closed in the same entry. 376. Sales discount is a contra-revenue account with a normal credit balance.377. Purchases discount would be recorded as a credit. 378. Transactions involving the payment of cash for any purpose are usually recorded in the cash journal. 379. Special journals are modified in practice to adapt to the specific needs of an entity. 80. The primary ledger that contains all the balance sheet accounts and income statement accounts is called the general ledger. 381. At the end of each month, the total of the amount column of the sales journal is posted as a debit to accounts receivable and credit to sales. 382. After postings have been completed for the month, if the sum of the balances in the accounts receivable subsidiary ledger does not agree with the balance of the accounts receivable In the general ledger, the errors must be located and c orrected. 383. Sales on ccount of office equipment used in the business would be recorded in the sales journal.384. Each amount in the other accounts column of the cash receipts journal must be posted individually to the appropriate general ledger account. 385. When there are numerous accounts with a common characteristic, it is common to place them in a separate ledger called a detail ledger. 386. The sale of merchandise for cash is recorded in the sales journal. 387. The total of the other accounts column of the cash receipts journal is not posted to the general ledger. 88. When special journals, control accounts, and subsidiary ledgers are used, no posting to any ledger is performed until the end of the month. 389. For each transaction recorded in the purchases journal, the credit is entered in the accounts payable column. 390. Acquisitions on account which are not provided for in a special debit column are recorded in the other accounts column in the purchases journal. 391. Debi ts to creditor’s accounts for invoices paid are recorded in the accounts payable debit column of the cash payments journal. 392.Comparing the purchase order with the receiving report will show that all the goods ordered actually arrived and all goods that arrived were actually ordered. 393. The total of the accounts payable in the cash payments journal is posted at the end of the month as a debit to accounts payable and a credit to cash. 394. When customers are allowed to return for credit to their accounts, these transactions are recorded in the general journal. 395. A check register is used to record all expenditures. 396. The voucher register is a substitute for a sales journal. 397. The voucher register takes the place of the cash payments journal.

History and Significance of Cavendish Banana Essay

The banana plant, or Musa acuminata, is one of the most important fruiting plants on Earth. This plant belongs to the Musaceae family, also known as the â€Å"banana family†. The genus Musa refers to â€Å"large herbaceous flowering plants† with fruit that is usually elongated and curved, with a yellow, purple, or red rind covering soft starchy fruit (Merriam-Webster). Banana plants are often mistaken for trees, because their â€Å"false stem† or pseudostem resembles a tree trunk. However, trees are dicots with organized vascular bundles while banana plants are monocots, which have scattered vascular bundles. The average cultivated banana plant stands at 16 feet tall, although they may range from 10 to 23 feet (Nelson 26). A mature banana plant forms an inflorescence at the top of the pseudostem, a structure known as the â€Å"banana heart†. Each banana heart usually develops bunches of banana fruits made up of tiers (called â€Å"hands†) with as ma ny as 20 fruit to a tier. â€Å"Cultivated bananas are sterile and develop the typical seedless fruits without the need for pollination† (Van Wyk). Bananas are one of the most important fruits because of the role they play in the global economy, food security, and the everyday lives of people around the world. Bananas originated in Southeast Asia, which is still the center of banana diversity in flavor, scent, texture, color, shape, and size. However, bananas were most likely domesticated first in Papua New Guinea, where cultivation can be traced back to times between 5000 and 8000BC. Around 1000AD, the banana crop spread to Africa through Indo-Malaysian immigrants who colonized Madagascar, and also to the Pacific region (Van Wyk). In the 15th and 16th centuries, banana plantations began to sprout up in the Atlantic Islands, Brazil, and western Africa under the care of Portuguese colonists. Shortly following the Civil War, North Americans started eating bananas on a small and expensive scale. In the 1880s, banana consumption in the United States became a lot more widespread due to advancements in transportation and refrigeration (Koeppel). Today, Americans eat more bananas than apples and oranges combined (Koeppel). This development of modern transportation networks and storage materials allowed for the introduction of the earliest modern banana plantations located in Jamaica and other regions in the Western Caribbean Zone and Central America (New Zealand Herald). This yellow fruit has played a big role in economies all over the world. Banana plants are currently being produced in over 107 different countries, primarily for their and less frequently for producing fiber, banana wine, and as ornamental plants. The 2011 study of production and exportation of bananas and plantains by the Food and Agricultural Organization found that worldwide, we produced a total crop of 145 million metric tonnes. India led the world by producing 20% of this, followed by Uganda, China, the Philippines, and Ecuador. However, the leading exporters of bananas and plantains were Ecuador (which exported 5.2 million metric tonnes, making up 29% of worldwide banana and plantain exportation) followed by Costa Rica, Colombia, the Philippines, and Guatemala. Although plantains were included in this study, Ecuador did specify that 93% of its exportation statistic was made up of solely bananas (FAOSTAT). The delicious fruit is used frequently in the daily lives of people around the world. Bananas can be eaten raw or baked in both savory and sweet dishes. Some popular examples are fruit salads, milkshakes, yogurts, pancakes, breads, and the famous banana split. Plantains are not distinguished from bananas in some parts of the world because they are very similar, but can be differentiated by their lower sugar and higher starch content. Plantains are usually used as a vegetable in African and West Indian cuisine. Bananas are cultivated on an extremely large scale in tropical regions, so they remain a big staple in the diets of millions of people in Asian and African populations, and in other developing countries (Van Wyk). Since banana plants produce fruit all year, they present an invaluable food source during the time of year between harvests known as the â€Å"hunger season†. This, combined with their exceptional nutritional value—an individual banana has an energy yield of about 95-125 kcal and the ripe fruit comes equipped with a large variety of essential vitamins and minerals—makes them essential to food security worldwide (Anania, van Wyk). Price competition among supermarkets has reduced margins, leading to lower prices for growers. Chiquita, Del Monte, Dole, and Fyffes have somewhat of a monopoly over the banana plantation business, and their plantations are centralized in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras. Many producers in these countries are wealthy land owners that have tried to raise their prices by marketing their bananas as â€Å"fair trade† or Rainforest Alliance-certified (Wikipedia). The term â€Å"banana republic† has been used to describe countries like Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama because the banana trade has become the dominant part of their economy. Banana producers have also played a large political role, including â€Å"working with local elites and their rivalries to influence politics or play to the international interests of the United States, especially during the Cold War, to keep the political climate favorable to their interests† (New Zealand Herald). Although banana production is a huge industry, the entire banana species is facing an increasingly serious problem. The most popular cultivar of bananas was Gros Michel for quite some time, but after an attack by a soil fungus called the Panama disease, this cultivar was almost completely wiped out. After a large amount of agricultural research, scientists were able to produce the Cavendish cultivar, which has made up the majority of banana crops for the past 40 years. However, the Cavendish banana is also in danger. T he Black Sigatoka fungus has begun to attack Cavendish banana plants all over the world. This once high-yielding crop has decreased in yield by 50-70% and the lifespan of banana plants has dropped from about 30 years to an average of only two (Alison). Researchers blame the vulnerability of the banana plants on the monogenetic cultivation, resulting from commercial motives. Plantation owners and farmers have been selectively breeding bananas since the beginning of their cultivation 10,000 years ago, which is why the modern cultivar is seedless and sterile (Alison). This has resulted in banana crops with no genetic diversity, which leaves them helpless against environmental stresses, including disease and crop pests. Some experts predict that cultivation of the Cavendish banana will become unviable within the next 10-20 years, so agricultural researchers are searching for an equivalent banana cultivar, but it has proven difficult because most of the cultivars used in other countries produce bananas that are more starchy and thus used in cooking instead of eaten raw as a sweet snack. Over time, genetic modification and selective breeding of bananas has transformed what we know as a banana from a small, seed-filled, starchy, wild banana to the huge-in-comparison Cavendish dessert banana (Figure 1). Because of this, various hybridization and genetic engineering programs are exploring the wild banana genomes in an attempt to produce a â€Å"disease-resistant, mass-market banana† (Wikipedia). Bananas represent a delicious and essential part of the world’s economy and food security, so hopefully the extensive agricultural research will pay off to create a new banana that is ready to ward off environmental pressures. Cavendish bananas are the most important cultivar in the world, representing all of the exports in the statistical figures discussed earlier†¦ The Cavendish â€Å"dessert banana† that is eaten raw and is most common in the US is the one that is under attack by the Black Sigatoka fungus. â€Å"why bananas† instead of going through prompt. Figure 1: The common Cavendish dessert banana, left, is shown with the seed-filled wild variety (Mestel) Bibliography Alison, Robert. World: Bananas are a Dying Breed. Globe and Mail. 19 July 2003. www.corpwatch.org Anania, Giovanni. How would a WTO agreement on bananas affect exporting and importing countries? July 2009, Issue Paper No.21, ICTSD â€Å"Banana†. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved 2013-01-04 â€Å"Banana†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/banana Big-business greed killing the banana – Independent, via The New Zealand Herald, Saturday May 24, 2008, Page A19 â€Å"FAOSTAT†. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Van Wyk, Ben-Erik. Food Plants of the World, an Illustrated Guide. October 2005. Timber Press. Koeppel, Dan. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World (New York: Hudson Street Press, 2008), pp. 51–53 ISBN 0-452-29008-2 Koeppel, Dan. Yes We Will Have No Bananas. New York Times. 18 June 2008. Nelson, Ploetz & Kepler 2006, p.26 Mestel, Rosie. Banana genome sequencing gives a boost to pest-plagued fruit. Los Angeles Times. 11 July 2012. http://articles.latimes.com

In what ways did popular culture Essay

The entertainment profiteers encouraged a â€Å"fai ade of classlessness† which would â€Å"undermine working class solidarity† 3. This was not good for socialism; for a socialist state to emerge, the workers themselves need to take control. Socialism rests on the premise that the proletariat should be aware and proud of their background, and certainly not aspire to join the middle classes, the ones who are expected to be overthrown. It’s interesting that the recommended alternatives to commercial entertainment, put foreword by socialists in the late 19th century, were often related to the natural countryside. For example, the â€Å"Clarion† (The weekly socialist paper founded in 1891 by Robert and Montague Blatchford and influenced by the ideas of William Morris) soon became a movement with its own hiking, climbing and cycling clubs. This leisurely, back to nature approach was intended to promote a healthy life and portray its followers as energetic campaigners, who could turn their backs on the urban squalor. According to David Prynn, such groups â€Å"expressed a revulsion against the ugliness and anonymity of urbanised, industrial society, and a deep reverence for nature†4. Nowhere were the negative effects of capitalism more visible than in the industrial towns and Engels describes this in detail in â€Å"The Condition Of The Working Class In England†. British socialists were likely to have been influenced by this key Marxist text. However, despite the popularity of the Clarion clubs, the easy availability and convenience of commercial entertainment must have played a part in preventing more from joining. Why would somebody, after a hard week’s work, want to travel out of the town when the pub, theatre or football ground was just round the corner? And the energetic nature of socialist pastimes (such as choir singing, cycling, hiking) did not really lend itself to the physically demanding shifts in the factories, mines and mills. Music Music hall entertainment was another realm of commercial recreation considered by socialist thinking as unhealthy passive entertainment. The gulf between performer on the stage and paying spectator in the audience discouraged the working class from making their own music. To socialists, â€Å"the commercial revolution had eradicated a viable popular musical culture†5. Music halls were seen as a threat to local performers and travelling showmen. Music played an important part in socialist circles, as it was recognised as arguably the most popular form of entertainment. Alternatives to Music hall shows were group choirs (For example, the nationwide Clarion Vocal Union) and sing-along political compositions, which not only emphasised community spirit by encouraging participation, but also were seen as essential for propaganda value, the lyrics instilling in people the ideas of the socialist cause. Music hall attendance, and the nature of the entertainment there, was therefore viewed as counter-productive to the cause. The music hall acts themselves would tend to reaffirm bourgeoisie values by reflecting everyday life and the songs could hardly be considered as inflammatory. According to John Kenrick: â€Å"With women and children in the audience, the material was never more than mildly risqui. The songs were mostly sentimental and/or comic takes on everyday life, as well as spoofs of the rich and famous. â€Å"6 Furthermore, the diversity and variation of music hall acts was not good for creating a â€Å"common musical heritage†7, which was seen as important in cementing working-class unity. Folk songs were added to the socialist repertoire, considered to be timeless songs of the people. Conclusion The rising popularity of British socialism and its accompanying clubs and associations demonstrates that the working classes were not entirely diverted away from socialism, as this essay question suggests. Socialism (which, after all, was a new idealism in the late 19th century, and was born in the midst of the fastest growing industrial nation in the world and found itself having to compete with that nations capitalist values) never went away and continued to grow in strength through the next century. However, forces existed, of which commercial entertainment was one, which prevented socialism from being as popular as it might have been. As sport and leisure became new fields of investment for entrepreneurs, capitalism became an even bigger part of life for the masses. The money they made from wages was put back into the system via paid-for entertainment. The other reasons that Socialists were unable to win over more of the masses could be linked to the types of leisure activities they put foreword. These activities were physically demanding, as I have already explained, but also they were arguably the type of leisure enjoyed by the middle classes. The unintended result of this was that movements like Blatchford’s tended to attract more middle class socialists, and had less appeal to the working classes. Socialists advocated leisure time spent in the countryside; but to travel out of the city every weekend could also have been regarded as the privilege of the middle class. Perhaps socialists needed to start their campaigns from within the towns where the workers lived, not from outside them. Word count = 1560 Bibliography Waters, C: â€Å"British Socialists and the Politics of Popular Culture† Manchester University press, 1990 Prynn, D: â€Å"The Clarion Clubs, Rambling and the Holiday Associations in Britain since the 1890’s† Journal of Contemporary History 11,1976 Benson, J: â€Å"The Working Class in England 1875 – 1914† Croom Helm, 1985 Marx and Engels : â€Å"The Manifesto of the Communist Party† Progress, 1952 Engels, F : â€Å"The Condition Of The Working Class In England† Oxford University Press, 1993 John Kenrick: â€Å"The British Music Hall† http://www. musicals101. com/musichall. htm James Sotheran SOCHI2036 IN WHAT WAYS DID POPULAR CULTURE AND PEOPLE’S PASTIMES DIVERT THE WORKING CLASS AWAY FROM SOCIALISM? Module Leader: Ray Physick 1 Waters, C: â€Å"British Socialists and the Politics of Popular Culture† Manchester University press, 1990, (P. 23) 2 Same as â€Å"1† (P. 44-50) 3 Same as â€Å"1† (P. 40) 4 Prynn, D: â€Å"The Clarion Clubs, Rambling and the Holiday Associations in Britain since the 1890’s Journal of Contemporary History 11,1976 (P. 65) 5 Same as â€Å"1† (P. 103) 6 John Kenrick: â€Å"The British Music Hall† http://www. musicals101. com/musichall. htm 7 Same as â€Å"1† (P. 105).

Romeo and Juliet – Juliet, Film-Play Comparison

Explore the ways in which Romeo and Juliet are presented in this scene and elsewhere in Shakespeare’s play, and the performed versions. Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is set in Verona. The feud between the Montague family and the Capulet family reaches a climax when Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, a Capulet, is killed by Romeo, a Montague. Romeo and Juliet are first seen as very different characters, but later in the play, we realise that these two characters are not as different as we thought. In Act 3 scene 5 of Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the scene first starts with Romeo and Juliet in Juliet’s bed.They have just spent their first, and last night together. Romeo wakes and realises that he must leave, as he has been banished for killing Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Juliet is presented as being intelligent, calm and obedient. â€Å"But no more deep will I endart mi ne eye- than you gives strength to make it fly† This shows that Juliet is obedient and that she is saying that she will not do anything without her mothers or fathers consent. This also shows that Juliet is very intelligent and also that she is an intelligent girl.Juliet, later on in the play shows her true self and becomes more exposed so that we can see her true personality. We see that she is very sharp and witty. She can take a joke from Romeo and return with a witty reply. This shows Juliet is more, relaxed and less timid and shy than the reader originally thought. Luhrmann’s version of the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is set in the 1990s, as a modern day version and instead of using swords, which they probably would have used in Shakespeare’s play, they used guns. Luhrmann’s version of the play is set in L.A and so he uses places such as Verona Beach in L. A to show the resemblance between Shakespeare’s play and his own version of the play. Act 1 scene 5 in Luhrmann’s film opens with Romeo and Juliet lying together in Juliet’s bed. In Luhrmann’s version of the play, Juliet, who was once portrayed as young, foolish child, is now seen as a mature, sensible young woman. Although this could be portrayed in correctly, because in Luhrmann’s version of the play in the background of Juliet’s room, are a shelf of dolls and toys.This shows, although Juliet has matured because she is with Romeo she is still a young child of a tender age of 13. The scene is a very intense scene which shows the love and passion that Romeo and Juliet have for each other. By using the sheets of Juliet’s bed they throw over the top of them, this creates the effect of the couple being in a fantasy world all of their own, unfazed by the fact that Romeo must leave. Everything bad seems to be forgotten. It is just Romeo and Juliet making the most of their time together. Reality finally hits them both, when t he nurse knocks on Juliet’s door.Juliet’s mother is on her way to Juliet’s room and at this point, Juliet begins to dress Romeo herself, she dresses him in a brightly coloured shirt and some dark trousers, and dresses herself in a plain white night dress, nearly reaching the floor. Juliet kisses Romeo good bye and sighs but knows that if her mother found out she has just spent the night with him she would surely kill them both. Romeo climbs down her balcony, and Juliet’s distraught, but she must let him go, she knows that if he does not leave the consequences would be worse, than banishment.Lady Capulet comes bursting in just as Romeo leaves. Juliet’s mother then tells her that she will marry Paris and she cannot believe what she is hearing. She is dedicated to Romeo and Refuses to marry Paris. Her mother gives her no choice and tells Juliet that she will disown her and she will be a disgrace to her and her family. Lady Capulet will not stand for i t, and tells Juliet that if she does not want to marry Paris she must discuss with her father. Lord Capulet enters the room, and Juliet tells him that she cannot marry Paris.Her father loses his temper and threatens Juliet. Zeffirelli’s version of the play Romeo and Juliet is very similar to Luhrmann’s but is filmed and set at an earlier time to when Luhrmann’s was set. This version of Romeo and Juliet is much older and sticks more what Shakespeare wrote instead of being a bit more adventurous like Luhrmann. In Zeffirelli’s version Juliet seems to be a little more immature than in Luhrmann’s play. She seems younger and not as sensible, but also seems just as obedient as she is in Luhrmann’s version.In this scene, it begins with Juliet persuading and convincing Romeo that it is not yet time for him to leave. ‘It was the nightingale and not the lark’ Juliet persuades Romeo that it is not yet morning by telling him that what he hea rd was the nightingale, which does not sing in the morning. Romeo insists that he it was the lark, and that he must leave. Juliet shows a passion and love for Romeo in this scene, showing that she doesn’t want him to leave. Juliet wanders how she will live without Romeo. She mourns over him once he is gone. She acts as though she cannot live without him.

Helicobacter pylori in gastrointestinal disorders Essay

Helicobacter pylori in gastrointestinal disorders - Essay Example pylori is the production of urease (Graham & Sung, 2006). H.pylori infection is typically acquired in childhood, and affects children by the age of 10-years in developing countries (Graham & Sung, 2006). In developed countries, an age-related increase in prevalence of the disease is seen (Graham & Sung, 2006). Humans are the primary reservoir of infection and the primary mode of transmission is person to person (Graham & Sung, 2006). Oral-to-oral transmission is supported by the finding of H. pylori in dental plaque and saliva by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) while fecal-to-oral transmission is supported by the finding of H. pylori in stool by culture and PCR (Graham & Sung, 2006). Gastro-oral transmission is also possible but more evidence is needed (Graham & Sung, 2006). The ability of H. pylori to colonize and damage gastric mucosal cells is determined by the immune gene polymorphisms of the host and the gastric acid secretion (Kusters, van Vliet, Kuipers, 2006). In addition, bacterial virulence factors like the cytotoxin-associated gene pathogenicity island-encoded protein (CagA) and the vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA) help in the colonization (Kusters, van Vliet, Kuipers, 2006) and also triggers the host inflammatory response by activating the nuclear factor kappaB-dependent gene transcription (Zarrilli, Ricci, Romano, 1999). â€Å"Urease and/or motility of the bacterium, presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and various bacterial enzymes† are also known to affect the colonization (Lee, 2005.) The healing of the gastric mucosa is also impaired â€Å"through inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor-dependent signal transduction pathways and induction of apoptosis† (Zarrilli, Ricci, Romano, 1999). H. pylori infection also may lead to the progression from chronic gastritis to gastric adenocarcinoma (Zarrilli, Ricci, Romano, 1999). The â€Å"cag pathogenicity island (cagPAI), which encodes the type IV secretion