An experiment paper on the effectiveness of the Pandan plant in Essay

An experiment paper on the effectiveness of the Pandan plant in repelling cockroaches from food - Essay Example More often than not, people avoid cockroaches or try to kill or repel them, mainly because they carry disease and germs, and the fact that many people either find cockroaches disgusting, or are afraid of them. This is why these people spend money on insecticides, repellants, exterminators and other chemicals and gadgets for the purpose of getting rid of cockroaches. As commonly known, cockroaches are attracted to food, and are often found in dark confined places of the home. These cockroaches that we see are actually only a small percentage of the actual number of cockroaches in your home. According to an article by extension.umn.edu, â€Å"Cockroaches are nocturnal, hiding during the day and becoming active at night. The number of cockroaches people see is usually a small percentage of a much larger population.† And this means that there are definitely more cockroaches in your home than you expect. The problem with trying to maintain a cockroach-free home is that it costs quite a bit of money, and most extermination or repellant methods are difficult to apply, or have off-putting odors. This paper's aim is to test a natural, non-toxic, easy-to-use, and environment-friendly way of repelling cockroaches from your food, or your home and rooms. It aims to test the effectiveness of the pandan plant in repelling cockroaches.

Of the Dawn of Free

Of the Dawn of Freedom Essay In â€Å"Of the Dawn of Freedom,† author W. B. Du Bois (1903) points out the historical basis for the persistence of racism as a problem. Written almost three decades after the civil war, the text is addressed to both African-American and White people who comfort themselves with the illusion that the granting of the right of suffrage to African-Americans instantly solved the problems of inequality. This is evident in how Du Bois illustrates that contrary to popular perception, the Civil War did not totally lead to the emancipation of African-Americans and that the subsequent â€Å"Negro suffrage ended a civil war by beginning a race feud† (34) wherein African-Americans became the subject of contempt of Southern White populations who fought against the abolition of slavery. Indeed, Du Bois’ observations accurately mirror the situation of African-Americans until today. Clearly, African-Americans are still subjected to deeply-held stereotypes that systematically degrade and debase them on the basis of what Du Bois calls â€Å"the color-line. (9) Despite the abolition of slavery, African-Americans continued to be socially-marginalized. Consequently, African-American’s situation as â€Å"a segregated servile caste† (37) after slavery was abolished only resulted in the formation of a double consciousness or an identity confusion owing to the lack of their clear role in society and their alienation from the dominant White culture. In effect, the abolition of slavery also uprooted both African-Americans and White Americans from the customs and clear norms that arose from centuries of slavery. Without the delineations of the slave order, African-Americans found it difficult to establish their identity especially as the White Americans did not want to accommodate the ex-slaves into the folds of society. It is therefore not surprising that African-Americans continue to be subjected to racist perceptions. As Du Bois rightly points out, the freedom of the Black Americans was immature in so far as the Whites regarded them not as their equals but looked condescendingly at the newly-freed Black people as their inferiors and â€Å"helpless wards. †(34)

Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales English Literature Essay

Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales English Literature Essay Life in England wasnt always easy in the early fourteenth century. On the surface, it looked as if nothing was going on but everyday life; however, In Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, it is revealed that you cant always believe what is on the outside. A group of travelers gather together at Tabard Inn to begin a pilgrimage to Canterbury. In the General Prologue, the readers are introduced to each of these characters. The stories which range from animal fables to epics about love and comedies of sexual comeuppance (Chaucer) are important factors in the story. During the pilgrimage, each traveler has to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury, and on the way back. Chaucer wrote the story around the late thirteen hundreds, but it was meant for a private reader because of its controversial stories. He died before he could finish the tale. He used the pilgrimage to create literary works that could last over a hundred years. Chaucers precise description of the harsh reality of soc iety includes controversial topics like the corruption of church, sexuality, and abuse of power; but regardless to say, Chaucers story helps unravel some of the corruption in society. In England, life was not easy for everyone. There was famine, poverty, corruption in politicians and people of high status. By the late fourteenth century, the Catholic Church, which governed England, Ireland, and the entire continent of Europe, had become extremely wealthy. It cost a lot of money to build and decorate the lavish cathedrals. The leaders of lay society were less patient with the special privileges of the clergy; laymen of all ranks questioned the vast wealth of the church wealth that was not all that much greater than before, but which seemed more irritating; and many genuinely religious people, lay and clerical both, criticized the spiritual failures of the church (Muhlberger). Due to expenses caused by war, and many deaths by the Black Plague, many people have lost patience with the church because of how it seemed like the church and its clergymen seem to have a more luxurious life compared to others. This triggered many stories and tales about how the church was g reedy and selfish. The religious figures Chaucer represents in The Canterbury Tales all deviate in one way or another from what was traditionally expected of them (Spark Notes Editors). The characters themselves are just the stereotypical representations of how religious figures acted during this time. The Monk, Prioress, and the Friar were religious figures, but in the general prologue, it is revealed that they are not who they seem to be. For example, the Prioress (a nun who is head of her convent) was described as modest and quiet, she aspires to have exquisite taste, and dressed very lavish and lived a life that most nuns do not. Of smale houndes hadde she that she fedde with rosted flesh, or milk and wastel-breed (Chaucer 5), in translation it says that she gave roasted mean or milk and bread to her dogs. During this century, there was a lot of famine and poverty. Many people could even afford milk and bread, so the fact that the Prioress can give her food generously to animals instead of sharing with others is an ironic representation of a nun who are usually kind and sharing. Another example of the representation is of the Monk. Most monks devote there life to work and prayer, and lived in monasteries, but the Monk on the pilgrimage didnt care for this rule. He enjoys hunting and eating as his pastimes instead of prayer and fasting. It is ironic because Monks are typically known for the quite calm nature, and love of life and gods creatures, and in this case the Monk enjoys hunting down the creatures he is supposed to love. Chaucers stereotypical representation of the characters doesnt represent everyone of the profession, just the ones on the pilgrimage. As stated earlier, it was a common stereotype that religious figures often abused their power for greed; in which some cases took advantage of the position they hold to cease opportunities for personal gain. It is human nature to want to have dominance over others and control over their lives. Some people just want power to be understood and treated better. Like the Wife of Bath, who used her story to send a message to the other men in the journey. The wife of bath told a story of a Knight who rapes a young maiden because he felt that he had the power to do so because of his authority. He was sentenced to death but the Wife gave him one chance to make amends, Thou standes yet, in swich array that of thy lyf yet hastow no suretee. I grante thee lyf, if thou kanst tellen me what thing is it that women moost desiren (Chaucer 182). A year later, he returns to the castle with an old hag who had given him the answer in exchange for any request she wanted. He told the Wife of Bath that what women wanted most was to have control over their husbands and lovers. The queen decreed that the knight was to be pardoned, but he was in horror because he was forced to marry the Hag. Over the next few days , the wife of the knight confronts him as to why he is acting repulsed by her. The women tells the knight that beauty is only skin deep, and that even though you are at of a high status in social hierarchy, it doesnt make you better then the peasants on the lower level. In essence, the Hag can represent the Wife of bath who is telling the story, because later on she turns into a beautiful maiden when the knight surrenders himself to her control. She wants to be considered beautiful and have power over her husbands, where as she has had five marrages already. The Wife of Baths story shows the significance of sexuality during this time, because back then it was common to not treat females right, it was a male dominated world. But her story shows that in some cases, bad men can change, and that women can have influence upon their lovers. Now not every male can be converted like the knight in the Wife of Baths tale, because in reality not all mens pride allows them to let their lovers dominate them. Although sex paid an important role in society, whereas being a male means that you have more dominance and power than others, it doesnt mean that all men use their powers wisely. Many of the religious figures in the Canterbury tales often abused their power, which can add on to the assumption that the Church of England was corrupted. The Friars and Summoners took advantage of the jobs they had. The Friars were traveling priest who spread religion in a wide, diverse area, along with collecting money for the church. In the story, the Friar was said to have taken advantage of people who wanted to atone for their sins. He would travel from town to town and demanded bribes when peasants and lords wanted to have penance for the sins they have committed. He would also take advantage of women. The friar can be seen as a symbol of corruption, because he uses his power as a man of god to gain money for himself, instead of fulfilling his duties for the lord. During the Pilgrimage, the Friar and Summoner often got into arguments because they did the same thing, take advantage of others and collected money. This clearly is an act of corruption, in our viewpoint it looks as if the church is the cause of the problem, but thats not always the case. It is the actions of an individual that creates the conflicts in society, not the group the person is associated with. Chaucer used the Canterbury tales to show how the church was assumed to be corrupted because of how people took advantage of their power. People took advantage of social status and people without knowledge to make money for personal gain. These people who have grown wealthy had stained the church during the time. During the Fourteenth century, the roles of sexuality led to several factors. Whether you were male or not determined how others treated you and what you were able to do, thus creating a need for power in the more neglected side as stated in the Wife of Baths tale. This abuse of power feeds those who prefer to advance their own selfish ambitions rather than help others for the good of man, which inevitably caused many to believe in the corruption of the church. Chaucers Canterbury tales helped readers see the darker part of society, whereas those do whatever they can to survive and for happiness, neglected who they affect in the process. Works Cited Page Chaucer, Geoffrey. Canterbury Tales. Alfred A. Knope, INC., 1958. 607. Print. Halliday, F.E. A Concise History of England. New York: Viking Press, 1965. Print. Muhlberger, Steven. Religious Conflict in Fourteenth-Century England. The Orb. Steven Muhlberger, n.d. Web. 15 Dec 2010. . SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on The Canterbury Tales. SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.

Essay --

Popular representations of war encompass how different generations and societies have seen, witnessed and explained or justified wars through the use of language, literature, visual arts and later, films. Contemporary war refers to the new concepts, weaponry, and technologies that have been used at the beginning of WWII to the present time period. Over the years that have passed, the methods and concepts have assumed newer complex forms, mainly due to widespread use of information and technology and also modern armies that have constantly upgraded to preserve their battle worthiness. Furthermore, contemporary war has sought the greater inclusion of civilians and civilian infrastructure as targets in destroying a nations capability of waging war. As an apt corollary of popular representations of war, Homer’s epic poem, ‘The Iliad’, tries to show its audience the suffering and loss caused by war, in his time period. In addition, some of the main themes in popular re presentations of war are, for example, the theme of wrath and revenge, motives that have been the start of many wars; and the theme of military prowess. However, ‘The Iliad’ can also be seen as a misleading corollary that disconnects from popular representations of war through the centuries, due to the fact that it excludes the theme of battle or combat suffering, since in ‘The Iliad’, soldiers die instantly, whereas the author does not expose to the readers the suffering accompanying so many wounded soldiers, who die a slow and un-hero like death. Using adequate quotes from ‘The Iliad’, Lokesson, Shay, and other outside sources, we will try to understand how ‘The Iliad’ is an apt and a misleading corollary to understand popular representations of war. The Greek ancient ... ...wn us a less tidy affair, involving many conflicting needs and many more possibilities of dissent. Overall, one thing remains clear, whether in The Iliad or in other depictions of war through the times, it is the young that are sent to the battlefield, either to gain glory or to die, thus, as Herbert Hoover once said: â€Å"Old men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.† The Iliad is no different, as it clearly shows us that war is waged by those that can physically fight it, that show the bravery and masculine love for the affair and that have something to gain (or lose) from it. The Iliad thus, becomes perhaps, one of the greatest depictions of how war is fought and why it is fought, and the pathos it brings to all it touches. If we still read it 2,500 years or so, after it was written, it must conjure powerful feelings with which we still identify. Essay -- Popular representations of war encompass how different generations and societies have seen, witnessed and explained or justified wars through the use of language, literature, visual arts and later, films. Contemporary war refers to the new concepts, weaponry, and technologies that have been used at the beginning of WWII to the present time period. Over the years that have passed, the methods and concepts have assumed newer complex forms, mainly due to widespread use of information and technology and also modern armies that have constantly upgraded to preserve their battle worthiness. Furthermore, contemporary war has sought the greater inclusion of civilians and civilian infrastructure as targets in destroying a nations capability of waging war. As an apt corollary of popular representations of war, Homer’s epic poem, ‘The Iliad’, tries to show its audience the suffering and loss caused by war, in his time period. In addition, some of the main themes in popular re presentations of war are, for example, the theme of wrath and revenge, motives that have been the start of many wars; and the theme of military prowess. However, ‘The Iliad’ can also be seen as a misleading corollary that disconnects from popular representations of war through the centuries, due to the fact that it excludes the theme of battle or combat suffering, since in ‘The Iliad’, soldiers die instantly, whereas the author does not expose to the readers the suffering accompanying so many wounded soldiers, who die a slow and un-hero like death. Using adequate quotes from ‘The Iliad’, Lokesson, Shay, and other outside sources, we will try to understand how ‘The Iliad’ is an apt and a misleading corollary to understand popular representations of war. The Greek ancient ... ...wn us a less tidy affair, involving many conflicting needs and many more possibilities of dissent. Overall, one thing remains clear, whether in The Iliad or in other depictions of war through the times, it is the young that are sent to the battlefield, either to gain glory or to die, thus, as Herbert Hoover once said: â€Å"Old men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.† The Iliad is no different, as it clearly shows us that war is waged by those that can physically fight it, that show the bravery and masculine love for the affair and that have something to gain (or lose) from it. The Iliad thus, becomes perhaps, one of the greatest depictions of how war is fought and why it is fought, and the pathos it brings to all it touches. If we still read it 2,500 years or so, after it was written, it must conjure powerful feelings with which we still identify.

Mary Kay EC Systems Essay

Founded in 1962, Mary Kay (marykay.com) has about 1.8 million consultants selling its cosmetics and fragrance in 34 countries. In 2008, the company had about $2.4 billion in wholesale sales. As a company that has based its reputation on personal contacts in door-to-door visits and home gatherings, one might think that Mary Kay would not benefit from EC. Actually, the opposite is true. Currently, more than 95 percent of Mary Kay’s independent salespeople place orders via the internet. The Problem The cosmetics market is very competitive, but it is growing rapidly, especially in developing countries. Mary Kay is trying to capitalize on this trend. The My Kay business model enables rapid growth into new markets. By the early 2000s, consultants found that more and more customers wanted to shop online. With a long and global supply chain and the need to manage almost 2 million consultants, it was clear that automation was needed, but Mary Kay’s existing computer system was old and lacked web or e-commerce applications. Therefore, a major overhaul of the information systems was needed. Finally, it became clear that the emergence of social computing might provide a golden opportunity for Internet marketing by the company. The Solution Mary Kay’s IT department is now split into three divisions: e-commerce, supply chain, and back-office support. Because of pressure from the consultants, the restructuring focused on e-commerce. The company’s goals and objectives were set based on industry best practices and this will determine what, how, and when the company is operated, and these also apply to EC initiatives. Mary Kay’s EC solution included the creation of an electronic service desk that supports consultants in 30 countries in a standardized way. Mary Kay also introduced a global electronic ordering system, called Atlas, that allows the consultants to  communicate with company warehouses. An intelligent data repository that dynamically maintains a logical model of the EC environment that can be accessed by Mary Kay IT staff. Mary Kay and its consultants are also making extensive use of social computing. The following are some representative examples of how Mary Kay uses social computing: The company posts job opening announcements on several sites, including MySpace Jobs (jobs.myspace.com). Movies and videotapes are available on YouTube (youtube.com) and on movies.go.com. Several blogs are available, both for and against the company (e.g., marykayandrews.com/blog) Auctions and fixed price items are available for sale on eBay. Mary Kay provides a consultant locator on the Internet (marykay.com/locator). All of these developments are supported by an extensive hardware and software infrastructure, including a wireless remote management system at the 760,000 square-foot corporate headquarters, an extensive wide area network, and a large data center. Some of the EC systems are used enterprise wide (e.g., service desk, ticketing system for consultants for events, and  service requests made by consultants). Others are functional (e.g., accounting, finance, marketing, and inventory control). The company uses an intranet for internal communications as well as dozens of other EC applications. In addition to providing better support to consultants, the EC initiatives produced other benefits, such as greater efficiency, reduced costs and downtime, and improved service. In terms of human resources, it enabled the company to handle its rapid growth without a substantial increase in staffing. The changes also have allowed EC personnel to focus on strategic tasks. Mary Kay found that its engineers and technical people now have time to spend on new innovations.

Regional Economic Cooperation Essay

One of the most important developments in the world trade system in the 1990s has been the emergence of regional cooperation. The end of the Cold War reduced political tensions between countries in Asia as well as globalizing production processes and increasing vertical integration. Cities like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore have been lifting their populations out of poverty in part through cooperative arrangements with neighboring countries. Transnational economic zones have utilized the different endowments of the various countries of East Asia, exploiting cooperative trade and development opportunities. Transfer of technology and manufacturing between nations has allowed them to develop sequentially. Information technology has improved linkages between economies and put remote regions in contact with the world. The private sector provides capital for investment; the public sector provides infrastructure, fiscal incentives, and the administrative framework to attract industry. Regional cooperation is now considered the means of enhancing economic development and providing economic security within the regions. Trade among ASEAN members accounted for more than 23% of all trade by member nations in 1994, topping that of any of the group’s major trading partners. Singapore has concentrated on becoming the technology center for Southeast Asia, sending labor-intensive operations to low-cost neighboring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia in special mutual cooperative trade and development arrangements known as growth triangles or growth polygons. The Southern Growth Triangle, also known as SIJORI (Singapore, the Johore state of Malaysia, and Riau Province of Indonesia), was formed in 1989 and covers a population of about 6 million people. It attracted $10 billion in private sector investments during its first five years. Such regional economic cooperation has occurred in other Asian regions as well, spurring economic development. Growth triangles are expected to be a continued driving force for growth in Asian economies throughout the 1990s. Four growth triangles have been established since 1989, involving parts of 11 countries. There are currently eight growth polygons in East and Southeast Asia, with additional triangles being planned. For example, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China’s Yunnan Province have been discussing ways to develop the Mekong area since 1992. Regional cooperation provides a competitive model to attract investment and technology. According to the secretary general of ASEAN, Ajit Singh, â€Å"These growth areas will have to be flexible to change where necessary, innovative, and always attentive to the needs of the investors and the businessmen. They also have to be aware that they are competing with much larger countries such as China and India, whose capacities for attracting investors are much greater than their own† (Kruger 1996, 17). Asian capital markets are now watching the global economy, and large companies recognize their need to be involved in this fastest growing region in the world. The growth triangles typically group remote regions of the nations involved in an effort to exploit complementary assets within the groupings. For example, the Tumen Delta triangle integrates the capital and technology of Japan and the Republic of Korea with the natural resources of Russia and North Korea (i. e. , the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea) and the labor and agricultural resources of China. The governments of Brunei, East and West Kalimantan, and North Sulawesi of Indonesia; Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan in Malaysia; and Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines have given priority to expanding air and shipping routes within the East ASEAN Growth Area, another polygon. Where all parts of the polygon are at similar levels of development, growth is expected to be slower. Singapore has provided capital and technology for developments in Malaysia to support SIJORI. Thailand is expected to provide capital and experience in developing the Mekong polygon. It will encompass a population of over 400 million people offering low wages, rents, and land costs. The Southern China Growth Triangle The Southern China Growth area comprises Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the southern provinces of China (Thant et al. 1994). Because China lags behind Taiwan and Hong Kong considerably in economic development and has a very large population, growth in this triangle has enormous potential. Establishment of this triangle was spurred by market forces and private sector initiatives rather than by policy coordination among the countries. However, government policies have supported the economic links that were instituted. The PRC’s economic reforms and open door policy initiated in 1978 laid the foundation for economic success in Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Establishment of China’s first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 1980 provided for tax concessions, expanded land use rights, and simplified procedures for foreign investment. Policies for land use, finance, and trade were designed to reduce transaction costs and to provide greater access to the domestic as well as the world market. Policies formulated within the SEZs themselves have been even more liberal than those in other parts of the triangle. For China, the triangle has provided exports, foreign exchange, and employment as well as access to the larger global economy. Rapid economic growth and higher incomes have occurred in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces with materials and components from Taiwan’s manufacturing sectors and the support of Hong Kong’s advanced services sector. Geographical proximity and common language are the most compelling factors for capital to move across the border from Hong Kong into Guangdong Province, or for investment to flow across the Formosa Strait from Taiwan to Fujian Province. Cantonese is a Chinese dialect spoken in both Hong Kong and Guangdong, while Fujianese is spoken in both Taiwan and Fujian. For Hong Kong and Taipei, the triangle has provided a means of implementing structural changes in manufacturing and export patterns at minimal cost. In spite of recent political posturing on the part of China, economic planners in Hong Kong and Taiwan are optimistic that economic logic will continue to drive regional integration. Low-Cost Sourcing As Japanese and U. S firms seek to reduce the cost of their latest innovations, they are outsourcing production to low-cost contract manufacturers. China has a growing number of low-cost parts and components suppliers. With a minimum of overhead and a large pool of low-cost labor in China, there is a growing list of high-quality vendors in China. The continuing miniaturization of products has lead to joint ventures with companies from Japan, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries. The success of these firms is dependent upon providing competitive value in a timely manner. Low-cost board assembly operations in China utilize the latest SMT equipment required by new computer and telecommunications products. Capital intensity will increase as IC packaging and SMT assembly operations are installed. In the 1980s, Korea and Taiwan provided the first step in the cost reduction chain by providing the most advanced process capabilities. Singapore and Malaysia became additional sources for contract manufacturing with the establishment of global vendors like SCI and Solectron. Today, further cost reduction is possible by moving production to lower cost regions like China and the Philippines. Wong’s Electronics in Hong Kong provides a three-step process for cost reduction that includes low-cost labor, low-cost sourcing, and low-cost production designs. Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and China are considered the home of lowest-cost manufacturing competitors in the electronics industry today. They offer limited component technology or product design skills, but provide many low-cost suppliers of generic, low-technology components. Since low-cost manufacturing countries generally lack the technologies required to become industry leaders, they must follow the technology trends as quickly as possible. OEM competitors from Taiwan and Singapore are being forced to open branch plants in China or other Southeast Asian countries to produce the most labor-intensive, cost-driven products.