Public Relations - Professionalism. Big Pitch Assessment Essay

Public Relations - Professionalism. Big Pitch Assessment - Essay Example However, the market condition is better than ever. The luxury consumer market has expanded and there is a great demand for private jet services not only in terms of lifestyle requirements but also for business needs (Okonkwo, 2007, pp.237). In addition, according to an industry study, the sharp uptick in charter jet demand was also brought about by an increase in holiday travel and the fleet optimization introduced by private jet companies (Avinode 2011). This latter development is supported by a report last year, which found that such optimizations (ex. one-way pricing, guaranteed access and lifestyle positioning) became industry innovations that have made charter look more attractive than ever (Wynbrandt 2012). Europe is also on the verge of recovery and executives such as Eric Connor of NetJets Europe are bullish about the future of the industry (Connor 2012). The business case for luxury travel was also reported by the New York Times when it found that many business travelers use chartered flights in order to skip the holes and delays of commercial air travel system (Sharkey 2012). Million Air with its fleet of four jets that can accommodate six passengers bound for London, Zurich, Jersey and Monaco would be able to establish a foothold in the European market. In a brief situational analysis, the following key issues were revealed: A European economic recovery is underway leading to an increase in chartered jet passenger demand in the region where Million Air operates in. Aside from the traditional clientele who looks for luxury and prestige in their travel, there is also the emergence of business travelers who require swift and efficient travel directly to their destination (Sharkey 2012 ) There are huge shifts in the industry brought about by technological changes as well as the increase in demand for innovative solutions to travelling needs. Million Air enjoys the premium quality of the brand, while the market has potential. On the other hand, it is a ne w company and competition could threaten its viability. PR STRATEGY The following are the PR plan objectives: 1. To position the company as a high profile leisure based private jet service; 2. To create brand awareness within at least 50% of our target audience prior to the launch on the January 2013; and, 3. To help increase the company bookings by 20% by September 2013. The proposed PR strategy will span one year and would aggressively push for pre-launch awareness-building, an integrated communications strategy that will support the launching activities and, follow up PR activities to further augment and sustain the momentum garnered. At the core of this strategy is a set of high profile activities to be staged in Million Air’s destination cities: London, Zurich and Monaco. GENIUS IDEA The campaign slogan is "accessible luxury". The plan focuses on the implication of premium experience at the same time will evoke concepts like efficiency and practicality. It is not about p itching luxury at a tampered cost since the market understands how quality can never come cheap. Instead, the campaign will go back to the fundamentals behind the business: why clients turn to private jets in the first place. The luxury narrative will be complemented by consistent messages about being available, being timely, being fast, among other concepts that communicate how

Persepolis and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and...Spring Essay

Persepolis and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and...Spring - Essay Example It is one of a kind movie, for it is rare that politico-historical subjects are treated in an animation format. This cinematic experiment has worked out well, as symbolism and abstract depictions are well suited to socio-political drama. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and...Spring is a masterpiece in its own right. This film treats such difficult subjects as nature v nurture, religion, meaning of life, human tendencies for sin, methods for salvation, etc. Broad and yet profound in its interpretative scope, the director conveys his musings mainly through visuals set amongst brilliant natural scenery. Dialogues playing second fiddle as a narrative device but are potent nevertheless. The two main characters of the two films are Marjane and the young monk respectively. The character and life story of the young monk holds a better universal appeal, as the director treats his life history via universal metaphors. In other words, the events, conditions and temptations that confront the young monk are representative of broader humanity. Religion is shown in a benign light in Spring, Summer...while it is shown as oppressive in Persepolis. Indeed, in the life of young Marjane, religion (at least those who claim to stand for it) is authoritative, repressive and cruel. In contrast, in Spring, Summer..., the young monk comes of age by committing mistakes that were discouraged by his religious code. Yet, his wise master was not prohibitive of those mistakes, although he was well cognizant of their implications. The wise and experienced master allows his ward to learn the realities of life by himself. The master is not indifferent to the wellbeing of his ward, but merely austere and understated in his guidance. For the master knows scriptures cannot substitute real life experience and that the young monk will have to eventually find his own way out of worldly temptations. Hence, the process of coming of age for the young monk is by learning to see his own shortcomings. The comp assion and warmth of the wise master was also instrumental in his growth. In contrast, in the case of Marjane, the process of coming of age is not through understanding her frailties. To the contrary, she is a regular girl with normal affections and inclinations reflecting various stages of growth. But the country in which she grows up – Iran – was going through radical political upheavals. She gets valuable guidance through elders in her family, most notably, her uncle and her grandmother. Her uncle fought the excesses of Shah’s regime and was persecuted for the same. Later, when he objected to the oppression of the Islamic regime, he was imprisoned and eventually executed. But he made a profound impression on the formative mind of young Marjane. His words of advice to her – â€Å"stay true to yourself, never compromise on your dignity† - would remain as a guiding beacon to Marjane whenever she is troubled by social and political circumstances. He r grandmother too reiterates the thoughts of her illustrious uncle and admonishes Marjane whenever she breaches those lofty standards. Marjane grows up, albeit with lots of hurdles en-route, by upholding her principles in light of strong authoritarian opposition. She doesn’t always win, as illustrated by her sad return to home from Vienna and her short-lived marriage. But, she is the stronger for it. This is evident in her last

Web Service Implementation Essay Example for Free

Web Service Implementation Essay Christiansen, S. (2002) once described ‘web services’ as â€Å"a potential political intrusion† (p. 15). When we think what does this sentence mean and when we add the fact that â€Å"web services are hot -by their nature- and not easy to make them workable in practice† like Siddhartha, P. (2002, p. 587) mentioned; then we could be able to imagine some of the potential hurdles that need to be overcome to successfully implement web services. Web services –by their nature- belongs to IT projects category. That’s why it is important to realize the reality of IT projects. A â€Å"41% of IT projects failed to deliver the expected value and more than ? of IT projects were canceled† (Needmuchwala, A. , [2008], p. 3) not to mention that â€Å"only 11% of organizations consider technology as a strategic weapon† (p. 3). Despite the fact that ‘web services’ do not require high costs to be implemented like other IT systems or solutions (ERP systems for example), the way to implement web services isn’t a bed of roses. And if we add those information –mentioned above- to the fact that â€Å"only 20% of companies gained significant experience with web services technologies† (Altova, 2008), the picture will be clearer that there are some implementation hurdles to be overcome such as the â€Å"technological, organizational and cultural obstacles that stand in the way of implementation† (Saugatuck, 2007, p. 3) First of all, ‘implementation’ is only a phase in managing IT solutions (web services in this case). And if the ‘strategic planning’ phase was successful and was done collaboratively by both top business management and IT department, taking into consideration all possible hurdles or challenges, the ‘implementation phase’ will be easier than with a weak plan. However, despite â€Å"the advances made in web services standards, achieving the seamless interoperability among heterogeneous platforms for the participating entities –which is required for successful implementation of web services- could be tricky† as Siddhartha, P. (2002) mentioned (p. 587) What softens the situation is the fact -mentioned by Aponovich, D. (2002)- that â€Å"none of these hurdles is insurmountable, each one of them could cause (1) potential delays to implementation or (2) adding barriers in the way to get maximum business value of web services (or return on a web services investment)†. Also, (Valentine, L, 2004) mentioned the fact that â€Å"lack of standards in such technology won’t be ‘a deal breaker’† –maybe- because the extra coding process required for this standardization won’t be too dramatic. The five hurdles mentioned by Aponovich, D. (2002) was (1) lack of experience in architecting web services, (2) difficulties in managing the organizational culture change, or â€Å"the ever-present hurdle, resistance to change† as Provost, D. (2004, p. 19) mentioned- (3) lack of standards, (4) lack of perceived business cases, and (5) difficulties in managing relationships with other organizations† There are numerous examples for companies (or sites) that overcome these hurdles and successfully implemented web services with a real business value or return on investments (ROI). Amazon (http://www. amazon. com/) and eBay (http://www. ebay. com/) are two examples for those sites. In Amazon’s case, â€Å"partners needed better data access but the process of collaboration was expensive and brittle† (Dumbill, E. , 2003) that’s why Amazon decided to provide web services. Certain issues were taken into consideration right from the planning phase that’s why Amazon succeeded in addressing these issues and finding the appropriate solutions. First of all, Amazon aligned the web services with their business strategy and â€Å"decided to pursued ‘revenue’ based on the successful relationship with Amazon’s associates and seller† (Dumbill, E. , 2003). Secondly, to guarantee success, â€Å"the license was important to sustain Amazon’s business model† (Dumbill, E. , 2003). The third issue was concerning protocols; Amazon â€Å"provided both SOAP and XML over HTTP (REST) and let developers decide between them† (Dumbill, E. , 2003). The fourth issue was â€Å"to create a software platform and they address this by borrowing best practices† (Dumbill, E. , 2003). The final issue was to â€Å"successfully provide support for developers by using a combination of some tools such as discussion board, weekly chat, regular newsletter, software development kit, and online FAQ† (Dumbill, E. , 2003). The most important is that Amazon â€Å"provided openness with developers to foster creativity and focused on effectiveness by ensuring data freshness and preventing excessive server load† (Dumbill, E. , 2003). Finally, it is obvious that the main factor, that leads to a successful implementation for web services, is the â€Å"the full participation and engagement of the business† (Jahnke, A. , 2004). Or in another word, to have melting the whole business into what Brynjolfsson, E. (2003) called ‘the digital organization’. And this ‘digital organization includes: â€Å"(1) automation of tasks, (2) skilled labor, (3) decentralization of decision making, (4) improving the information flow across the organization, (5) adopting performance-based incentives programs, (6) more emphasis on the effectiveness of training and recruiting, and having employee and customer satisfaction† References Altova. (2008). Altova Web Services Solutions. Retrieved October 30, 2008 from http://www. altova. com/solutions/web_services. html Aponovich, D. (2002). Five Barriers to Implementing Web Services. Jupitermedia Corporation. Retrieved October 30, 2008 from http://itmanagement. earthweb. com/erp/article. php/965371 Brynjolfsson, E. (2003). The IT Productivity GAP. MIT. Retrieved October 30, 2008 from http://digital. mit. edu/erik/Optimize/pr_roi. html Christiansen, S. (2002). The Business Case for XML Web Services. In XML 2002 Proceedings. IDEAlliance. Retrieved October 28, 2008 from http://www. idealliance. org/papers/xml02/dx_xml02/papers/04-02-01/04-02-01. pdf Dumbill, E. (2003). Making Web Services Work at Amazon. O’Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2008 from http://www. xml. com/pub/a/2003/12/09/xml2003amazon. html Jahnke, A. (2004). Why is Business-IT alignment So Difficult?. CIO. Retrieved October 29, 2008 from http://www. cio. com/article/32322 Needmuchwala, A. A. [2008]. Evolving IT from ‘‘Running the Business’’ to ‘‘Changing the Business’’. TATA Consultancy Services. Retrieved October 29, 2008 from http://www. tcs. com/SiteCollectionDocuments/White%20Papers/DEWP_05. pdf Saugatuck (2007). SOA Governance: Necessary Protection for a Strategic Business Investment. IBM. Retrieved October 30, 2008 from http://www-935. ibm. com/services/us/cio/flexible/saugatuck_ibm_soa_governance_jun07. pdf Siddhartha, P. (2002). Web Services Interoperability: A practitioner’s experience. Springer Berlin. Retrieved October 29, 2008 from http://www. springerlink. com/content/q4w6ru7mbde4xfa7/ Valentine, L. (2004). CIO Focus on Internet, Web Services. CIO Today. Retrieved October 28, 2008 from http://ciotoday. newsfactor. com/story. xhtml? story_title=CIOs_Focus_on_Internet__Web_Servicesstory_id=23743

CAD for Electromagnetic Devices Laboratory Exercise

CAD for Electromagnetic Devices Laboratory Exercise An introduction to numerical modelling techniques for electromagnetic problems using finite element analysis Contents 2. Introduction 3. Simulation Results 3.1 Electric Potential 3.2 Magnetic Flux Density 3.3 Magnetic Flux Density For Single Conductor 3.4 Finite Difference vs Finite Element 3.5 Comb Drive Micro Actuator 3.6 Magnetic Circuit 4. Discussion Finite element analysis (FEA) is the modelling of products and systems in a virtual environment, for the purpose of solving potential (or existing) structural or performance issues. (1) FEA is the practical application of the finite element method (FEM), a numerical technique for approximating solutions to boundary value problems for partial differential equations (2) which cannot be solved analytically. This method works by separating a large system into smaller parts called finite elements, known as discretization (3). The simple equations governing these finite elements are accumulated to form an overall system of equations for the problem, which FEM uses to approximate a solution. Computational Electromagnetics is the process of modelling the interaction of electromagnetic fields with physical objects and the environment. (4) The electromagnetic analysis that this involves is based on solving Maxwells equations subject to given boundary conditions. Maxwells equations can be expressed in general differential form and therefore the solutions to electromagnetic problems governed by these equations can be modelled and solved using FEM. (5) The electromagnetic problems outlined in this report have been modelled and approximated in two-dimensional space using the finite element program pdetool in MatLab. This is done through the use of linear triangular elements. 3.1 Electric Potential The aim of this experiment was to model the electric potential between two circular metallic conductors of radius 30 cm and centre distance 120cm. The left and right conductors were subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions and given potentials of 1 and -1 respectively. The enclosed area was modelled using the Neumann boundary condition (6) and the current source set to 0. The following model was observed: The purple to blue shading demonstrates the varying electric potential across the model, with V = 0 at the midpoint of the two conductors as anticipated due to the equation†¦ The electric field is visualised through the red arrows, confirming the expectation that the current would flow from the positively charged conductor to the negatively charged conductor. 3.2 Magnetic Flux Density This experiment aimed to model the magnetic field between two cylindrical, current-carrying conductors of radius 5cm and centre distance of 60cm. The magnetic permeability of both conductors was set to and the current density set to 1 and -1 respectively. The enclosed area was modelled using Dirichlet boundary conditions with magnetic potential set to 0, and the magnetic potential and current density set to and 0 correspondingly. The following model was observed: The red arrows show the direction of the magnetic field at certain points, while the shading demonstrates the magnitude of the magnetic flux density, clearly highlighting that the strength of magnetic flux decreases with distance away from the conductors. The current in each conductor is given by the equation , where J is the current density and A is the cross sectional area of the conductor. Using this equation yields a current of 7.85mA for the left conductor and -7.85mA for the right conductor. 3.3 Magnetic Flux Density For Single Conductor The experiment from 3.2 was then replicated using a single, circular, current-carrying conductor of radius 0.2cm. The boundary conditions for the enclosed area remained the same while, for the conductor, magnetic permeability was set to and current density to 1. The following model was observed: The magnetic flux density was then measured from the FEM model for a number of distances and compared with results calculated from theory; this comparison can be found in table 1 below. 3.4 Finite Difference vs Finite Element For this electrostatic model, a 16cm x 12cm square was plotted to represent four electric diodes of differing electric potential, shown in figure 4. The dielectric permittivity of the electric diodes was set to 1 and the electric potential and electric field for the system was modelled as shown below: The variation of electric field between the positive and negative diodes is represented through the shading and the electric field lines are shown in black. Values for the electric potential at particular geometric coordinates were then measured from the FEM model and compared against the results calculated from FDM; this comparison can be found in table 2. 3.5 Comb Drive Micro Actuator This experiment aimed to model the electric field distribution of a voltage controlled, comb-drive, electrostatic micro-actuator, consisting of a movable comb and a fixed comb, with the latter containing four fingers. The dimensions of the comb were specified as follows: w=1, d=1, dl=0.6 and Lc=3 (all figures are in mm) and explained through figure 6: The movable comb was given a potential of 5V and the fixed comb a potential of -5V to simulate a 10V applied voltage. The electric potential of the enclosed area was set to 0 and the space charge density to 0 as well. The following model, demonstrating electric field distribution, was observed: 3.6 Magnetic Circuit A model for an electromagnet was created as shown in figure 8 below: The magnetic permeability of the iron was set to 500 and current density 0. The coil was represented in the model by two rectangles either side of where the coil appears in figure 6, one with positive and one with negative current density. Given that the current in the coil is 10 A-turns, the current density is given by the equation, where A is equal to the area of the approximated coil. The magnetic permeability of both the coil and the enclosed area were set to and models for the magnetic flux density and magnetic field were achieved. These are shown below: The experiment was then altered to model the effects of the coil if the material of the magnet was plastic, with a relative permeability of 1, and therefore the magnetic permeability of the magnet was set to . All the other values remained constant. The magnetic flux density and magnetic field were then found and are shown below:

Crohn’s Disease Essays -- Nursing Essays

Introduction with Statement of Purpose Crohn’s Disease is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Crohn’s disease is an acute and chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal track. The disease can also affect the surrounding bowel tissues. Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, but it is most common in the distal ileum and the ascending colon. The disease is characterized by periods of remission and exacerbation. The disease process begins with edema and thickening of the mucosa, and then ulcers begin to form on the inflamed mucosa. The affected areas are separated by healthy tissue. As the inflammation of the disease begins to spread into the peritoneum, abscesses, fistulas, and fissures can develop. As the disease advances, the intestinal wall begins to thicken, becomes fibrotic, and the intestinal lumen narrows. Signs and symptoms of Crohn’s disease can vary from mild to severe. They can also develop slowly or come on suddenly, without any warning. When Crohn†™s disease is in remission, signs and symptoms may be very mild or there may be none. When the disease is in an active state signs and symptoms may include: diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, ulcers, reduced appetite, occult blood, and weight loss. There are many different test and procedures that confirm the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, these include: blood tests, fecal occult blood test, magnetic resonance imaging, computerized tomography, double balloon endoscopy, capsule endoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, small bowel imaging, and barium enema (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). Impact on patients and patient care My father was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2010 at the age of 51 years. He currently does not smoke cigarettes, but has a hi... ...who is familiar with inflammatory bowel disease and the psychosocial difficulties that it can cause. â€Å"Although living with Crohn’s disease can be discouraging, research is ongoing and the outlook is brighter than it was a few years ago† (Mayo, p. 16, 2011). Works Cited Bare, B.G., Cheever, K.H., Hinkle, J.L., & Smeltzer, S.C. (2010). Brunner & suddarth’s textbook of medical- surgical nursing (12th ed. p. 1082-1088). Wolters Kluwer Health. Crohn's and colitis. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-crohns-disease/ Diseases and conditions crohn's disease. (2011, August 09). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/basics/definition/con-20032061 Inflammatory bowel disease. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.gastro.org/patient-center/digestive-conditions/inflammatory-bowel-disease Crohn’s Disease Essays -- Nursing Essays Introduction with Statement of Purpose Crohn’s Disease is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Crohn’s disease is an acute and chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal track. The disease can also affect the surrounding bowel tissues. Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, but it is most common in the distal ileum and the ascending colon. The disease is characterized by periods of remission and exacerbation. The disease process begins with edema and thickening of the mucosa, and then ulcers begin to form on the inflamed mucosa. The affected areas are separated by healthy tissue. As the inflammation of the disease begins to spread into the peritoneum, abscesses, fistulas, and fissures can develop. As the disease advances, the intestinal wall begins to thicken, becomes fibrotic, and the intestinal lumen narrows. Signs and symptoms of Crohn’s disease can vary from mild to severe. They can also develop slowly or come on suddenly, without any warning. When Crohn†™s disease is in remission, signs and symptoms may be very mild or there may be none. When the disease is in an active state signs and symptoms may include: diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, ulcers, reduced appetite, occult blood, and weight loss. There are many different test and procedures that confirm the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, these include: blood tests, fecal occult blood test, magnetic resonance imaging, computerized tomography, double balloon endoscopy, capsule endoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, small bowel imaging, and barium enema (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). Impact on patients and patient care My father was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2010 at the age of 51 years. He currently does not smoke cigarettes, but has a hi... ...who is familiar with inflammatory bowel disease and the psychosocial difficulties that it can cause. â€Å"Although living with Crohn’s disease can be discouraging, research is ongoing and the outlook is brighter than it was a few years ago† (Mayo, p. 16, 2011). Works Cited Bare, B.G., Cheever, K.H., Hinkle, J.L., & Smeltzer, S.C. (2010). Brunner & suddarth’s textbook of medical- surgical nursing (12th ed. p. 1082-1088). Wolters Kluwer Health. Crohn's and colitis. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-crohns-disease/ Diseases and conditions crohn's disease. (2011, August 09). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/basics/definition/con-20032061 Inflammatory bowel disease. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.gastro.org/patient-center/digestive-conditions/inflammatory-bowel-disease

We have Decided Essay -- essays research papers

Since nearly the beginning of time, adultery has been thought of as morally wrong. Marriage, on the other hand, has been thought of as a sacred institution shared by most of the people and religions of the world. In the â€Å"Lais† written by Marie de France, we are given insight into the inner workings of five adulterous affairs, six pre-marital sexual encounters, and one instance of impure thoughts. Although Marie de France does not seem to condone adultery, she writes in a manner that allows the reader to feel possible sympathy with it, depending upon the situation. In fact, she seems to separate her lays into two categories. The first category consists of extenuating circumstances in which the reader is made (allowed) to feel empathy and compassion for the couple such as in â€Å"Yonec† and â€Å"Lanval.† The second category however seems to combine the ideas of sympathy and disdain. In this category belong only the lais of â€Å"Bisclaveret† and â₠¬Å"Equitan.† Although the lais focus entirely on sex outside of marriage, the affairs that take place in these poems were often rewarded with various prizes that included children, wealth, healing, and loving marriages. In the first lai, â€Å"Yonec† tells the seeming tragic tale of a beautiful young woman who is kept locked away in a castle by her rich and old husband. The poem tells us that â€Å"he kept her there more than seven years† (37), and that she was never allowed to come down not even â€Å"for a relative, not for a friend† (40). The young woman, who had no contact with anyone other than her husband’s sister, began to let herself go. â€Å"She lost her beauty, as a lady would† (48), when she no longer took care of herself. At this point in the lai, the readers feel ultimate sympathy for this unnamed woman. Although she is bound in a sacred marriage to a man, we look upon this situation as cruel and unjust. Our heart goes out to this woman. We first begin to feel sympathy for her when we are told she is married to an older man who keeps her locked away, but our sympathy deepens when we realize she is beginning to lose all hope. When we are told her beaut y fades, our hearts are filled with not only sadness, but also a desire to see her made whole again. The lai continues with the woman lamenting her sorrows when she says â€Å"God, who have power over all, Please hear, please answer now my call† (62-63). These two lines set this lai apart from all... ...rds the husband. Overall, I believe that Marie de France does a wonderful job in creating the many poems in which the stories of true love and betrayal are told. I do not feel that she condones adultery in any way, but rather presents a situation and allows the reader to decide their thoughts and opinions for themselves. Perhaps it is the idea that such powerful and pure love exists that allows us to put aside our moral and values if only for a minute to accept the affairs that occur in these poems. The reader is allowed to feel sympathy and understanding for the couples in some lais while they feel disdain and contempt in others. Sympathy arises in the situations in which there are cruel or unusual circumstances, while contempt develops when mischief and evil are plotted. Overall, these poems provide us with insight into fairytale and nightmare like situations. One moment as we read, we as readers are hoping the couples end up together, while the next moment we are hoping for revenge. In the end, Ma rie de France’s lais take us on a wonderful journey that is filled with many exciting highs and disastrous lows. The lais were a pleasure to read and a joyous adventure to undertake. We have Decided Essay -- essays research papers Since nearly the beginning of time, adultery has been thought of as morally wrong. Marriage, on the other hand, has been thought of as a sacred institution shared by most of the people and religions of the world. In the â€Å"Lais† written by Marie de France, we are given insight into the inner workings of five adulterous affairs, six pre-marital sexual encounters, and one instance of impure thoughts. Although Marie de France does not seem to condone adultery, she writes in a manner that allows the reader to feel possible sympathy with it, depending upon the situation. In fact, she seems to separate her lays into two categories. The first category consists of extenuating circumstances in which the reader is made (allowed) to feel empathy and compassion for the couple such as in â€Å"Yonec† and â€Å"Lanval.† The second category however seems to combine the ideas of sympathy and disdain. In this category belong only the lais of â€Å"Bisclaveret† and â₠¬Å"Equitan.† Although the lais focus entirely on sex outside of marriage, the affairs that take place in these poems were often rewarded with various prizes that included children, wealth, healing, and loving marriages. In the first lai, â€Å"Yonec† tells the seeming tragic tale of a beautiful young woman who is kept locked away in a castle by her rich and old husband. The poem tells us that â€Å"he kept her there more than seven years† (37), and that she was never allowed to come down not even â€Å"for a relative, not for a friend† (40). The young woman, who had no contact with anyone other than her husband’s sister, began to let herself go. â€Å"She lost her beauty, as a lady would† (48), when she no longer took care of herself. At this point in the lai, the readers feel ultimate sympathy for this unnamed woman. Although she is bound in a sacred marriage to a man, we look upon this situation as cruel and unjust. Our heart goes out to this woman. We first begin to feel sympathy for her when we are told she is married to an older man who keeps her locked away, but our sympathy deepens when we realize she is beginning to lose all hope. When we are told her beaut y fades, our hearts are filled with not only sadness, but also a desire to see her made whole again. The lai continues with the woman lamenting her sorrows when she says â€Å"God, who have power over all, Please hear, please answer now my call† (62-63). These two lines set this lai apart from all... ...rds the husband. Overall, I believe that Marie de France does a wonderful job in creating the many poems in which the stories of true love and betrayal are told. I do not feel that she condones adultery in any way, but rather presents a situation and allows the reader to decide their thoughts and opinions for themselves. Perhaps it is the idea that such powerful and pure love exists that allows us to put aside our moral and values if only for a minute to accept the affairs that occur in these poems. The reader is allowed to feel sympathy and understanding for the couples in some lais while they feel disdain and contempt in others. Sympathy arises in the situations in which there are cruel or unusual circumstances, while contempt develops when mischief and evil are plotted. Overall, these poems provide us with insight into fairytale and nightmare like situations. One moment as we read, we as readers are hoping the couples end up together, while the next moment we are hoping for revenge. In the end, Ma rie de France’s lais take us on a wonderful journey that is filled with many exciting highs and disastrous lows. The lais were a pleasure to read and a joyous adventure to undertake.

Spina Bifida Research Paper

Spina Bifida A type of birth defect that affects the skeletal system is Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is a nueral tube defect that occurs when the bones of the spine or the vertebrae do not form accurately around the spinal cord. In severe cases it can inhibit a persons walking or daily activities. There are three basic forms of Spina Bifida. The mildest form is Occulta, the next would be Meningocele and the most severe is Myelomeningocele. (http://www. uptodate. com/contents/overview-of-the-management-of-myelomeningocele-spina-bifida 2012) Myelomeningocele is the case that affects the skeletal system the most.With this, the nerves in the spine protrude out of the spinal canal and a bulge in the skin may appear. If nerves become damaged, there may be a high chance that there could be problems with walking, coordination and bowel and bladder control. The exact cause of Spina Bifida is not known. (Foti 2012) Some say that it could be genetic and is more likely to happen in women that are obese and have diabetes. Symptoms that may indicate that a child has Spina Bifida, include, a curve in the spine, nerves coming out of the back and swelling of the spine.Also, the child will have nerve damage, which can mean that they will have little or no feeling in the legs, feet and or arms. (http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/spina-bifida/DS00417 2012) Another indicator could be a build up of fluid in the brain. Spinal deformity occurs most frequently in patients with Myelomeningocele. It can manifest as kyphosis, scoliosis or lordosis. Most children diagnosed with Spina Bifida also have an allergy to latex. (http://www. everydayhealth. com/health-center/spina-bifida-symptoms. aspx 2012) The diagnosis for Spina Bifida is usually determined by a blood test that a woman has during pregnancy.Most people find out that their child has this defect before he or she is born. If it is not determined before birth, it may be diagnosed by how the baby’s back looks and as they get to the pint of where they should start crawling and standing. You will be able to notice how the weekness in the muscle and bones are. Children that are born wih Spina Bifida may also have mental disabilities as well because it affects the brain just as much as it affects the spine and nerves. (http://www. spinabifidaassociation. org/site/c. evKRI7OXIoJ8H/b. 8029563/k. 83B2/