Descendant of Henry 7th Essay Example for Free

Descendant of Henry 7th Essay Richard the third is cruel, manipulative, cold hearted and corrupt; however we really ought to mention his bad aspects. Richard the third displays all of the qualities of a true baddie yet he still succeeds in providing the audience with great entertainment and humour. The way he forces the audience to be co-conspirators partly by using clever soliloquies, which are directed specifically to include the audience in his plans but also by showing the audience full spectrum of his roles, he succeeds in appearing to be a kind hearted man, bidding his brother farewell in one seen and in another plotting his death. One key thing to note when Richard addresses the audience is the great humour he uses. He is able to laugh at the death of his two nephews and is intrigued to know more, he also takes it upon him to marry the women whose husband and father he had murdered. He thinks of it as a challenge and when he addresses the audience in act I scene 1, Ill marry Warwicks youngest daughter.  What though I killed her husband and her father?  The readiest way to make the wench amends  Is to become her husband and her father,  The which will I not all so much for love  As for another secret close intent  By marrying her which I must reach unto,  But yet I run before my horse to market:  Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns;  When they are gone, then must I count my gains.  This is one such example of the great wit and bravado shown by Richard. Richard has many different characteristics: from being the pungent, repellent arrogant commander; to being the witty jester that we cant help but adore. He can be a great leader, which is shown in his oration to his troops and can be greatly cunning in order to achieve his goals. One may be deceived by his outwardly appearance however Richard is certainly not disabled on the inside. He is a very intelligent man whose planning and acting is that of a true baddie. Richard the Third is about a lot more than a tale of an evil man. It is quite clearly a piece of pro-Tudor propaganda. At the time when Shakespeare wrote the play Elizabeth 1st was on the thrown. She was a direct descendant of Henry 7th (Richmond), and so it would do Shakespeare no harm at all if he were to depict the Monarchs Ancestor as being a great mad who fought against evil and succeeded.  The play also covers an important political issue, can a tyrannical king be removed. In the time the play was set the common thought was that God had delivered the king and so therefore it would be deeply wrong to overthrow a king, be he evil or good. The play really resolved this issue and it is clear to see which viewpoint Shakespeare had.

UAE flower industry

UAE flower industry Introduction: Tulips is a flower delivery company in the UAE. It currently operates in Dubai and is applying business plans to operate in the rest of UAE with the view to become the market leader in the domain. Tulips started off its business in the year 2000 seeing the opportunities for growth in the region. Crossing all barriers Tulips gathered a strong sustainable base of regular buyers of flowers and also started delivering fresh flowers right at the doorstep just on a phone call. Providing the largest variety of flowers in its retail outlets (currently four in numbers) it is deemed to become the leading flower distributor in the city. The flower delivery market today has evolved out of a meagre retail business to one where more the innovativeness more is the price you get. It is not a single rose put even its petals do matter. Gradually all the florists are leaving their traditional business and diversifying their business into innovative system of preserving the freshness of flowers through refrigeration and delivering more exotic items with them like perfumes, chocolate, greeting cards etc. Tulips has entered into the same process. As a result it is looking out for opportunities so that it is not left in the race. The company has been meeting with the expectations of the customers and has been receiving good response over the years with majority of the customers feeling completely satisfied with the services of the company. The company now proposes to spread its business worldwide beginning from expansion in UAE with the introduction of doorstep delivery service centres, online booking business. Executive Summary: Tulips is a chain of floral decorations and delivery that operates various retail shops in Dubai. Flowers grace every event from ceremonies to weddings, from gifts to decorations etc. Tulips is the pioneer in this field by providing fresh flowers for all occasions on just a call. In this way it has set a benchmark by initiating the unique anywhere, anytime doorstep delivery of services o n just a single phone call thereby reducing all the hassles a customer has to take in first going to a florist, buying and presenting the flowers to the concerned person. Tulips has realised huge potential that lies in the Middle East for flower delivery and hence has decided to expand its portfolio by opening retail chains across the nation that provide quick delivery and also arrange decorations for parties, weddings and other ceremonies. For the first time in the region Tulips tends to begin online booking of flowers for the ease of the customers and expanding of the business for a higher growth. This business model is centred to the establishment of a nationwide retail chain fully computerized to take online bookings and orders. The goal is to tap the hidden potential of the market by providing world class services at the cheapest possible rates. The climate of Middle East being extremely hot, to preserves fresh flowers in store and during delivery is an important issue that lingers the plan when delivering to destinations far off to the retail store. This requires huge costs to be spent to maintain the freshness of flowers like air conditioning etc. The Company: Tulips is a leading flower outlet that provides fresh flowers in various artistic ways like bouquets, flower vase etc in selected parts of Dubai City. The company is on a rapid diversification process to evolve as the leading flower distributor through a nationwide expansion policy. Mission The mission of the company includes: Developing a sustainable client base. Providing personalized services to the maximum extent as possible. Innovation in design and decoration. Adapting to changing market scenario. Achieve break even within the second year of investment. Vision: Becoming the leading chain of flower distribution in UAE. Fostering intercontinental supply of flowers from UAE. The main keys to success of the firm lie in: Creating a retail outlet that confronts flower like an art gallery fully fresh and artistic floral arrangements. Additive products along with flowers. Advertisements and popularising services through quality service. Using the best available technology to maintain the freshness of products. Designing and customising the flowers according to the likes of customers. The Market: The market for floral delivery is rapidly growing as more and more customers advance into modern style of living and consider flowers as the prime object for greetings. Flower delivery has recently increased due to the increase in population and higher celebrations at various festivals. The market is not restricted to only UAE but has got wide expanse across the world. The demand for flowers will never decrease and their frequent use in bouquets, garlands make the market run all round the year. Located at the boundaries of Europe, Asia and Africa has got great potential to be a major centre of growth or the flower industry. Dubai Flower Centre is the only trans-shipment in the country that prevents perishing of flowers when imported from countries like India, Thailand etc. (Dubai Flower ) According to another survey for the household buyout of the flowers in UAE we gathered the following information: 30% of all households purchased freshly cut flowers at least once in a year. The mean rate of purchase ranged between US $60 to US $70. The maximum percentages of buyers include women. The income from bulk delivery accounts for only 27%. Competitive Comparison: In the corporate world it is not a difficult task to establish a flower shop or flower business in any region. After globalisation import and export of goods have become very easy and hence flowers can also be transported to various part of world with ease and little damage. This has allowed many companies to setup flower delivery service in UAE. Taking the advantage of location of UAE in the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, companies import flowers from several countries, including Holland, Kenya, India, Iran and Equador. (UAE flower industry endures effects of crisis ) Some companies that sell flowers currently in UAE and are our competitors include:- DFC (Dubai flower centre) FlowerDubai.com Flowersdubai.co.uk Emirates florist.com Ready flowers Dubai Flower Centre: Dubai flower centre handles flower imports and exports and Dubai is the main hub for import and export of flowers. Dubai flower centre is capable of preserving 150,000 tons of flowers and other perishables. DFC is committed to deliver the above by providing: Increased capacity and connectivity between leading trading countries in the world. Trans-shipment and rapid consolidation. One of the worlds best cool preservation management. Facilities and Resources to enable value addition that is cost effective. Efficiency in commercial transactions. DFChas been designated as a trans-shipment hub. The main operations for handling items of import, export and transition trading take place on the base or the ground floor of the company. Shell life is maximized by efficient handling of the perishable materials. DFC is responsible for maintaining the perishable transit cargo of Emirates. Flowerdubai.com: Flowerdubai.com is an online shop of flowers. People can buy flowers form website flowerdubai.com and flowers will be delivered on the door. It uses door to door delivery service. There are many services given by the company as follows: (Fresh Flowers for Dubai ) Express Checkout Privileges Need not to enter the information again while booking flowers and hence saves time. Member Only Specials Exclusive discounts and offers from the company. Gift Reminder Services A remember policy to help the customer remind the dates of important occasions. Newsletter(s) Customer is daily updated with new ideas, offers and fun articles. Flowersdubai.co.uk: FlowersDubai.co.uk is an internet purchaser and seller of flowers and specialty gifts. FlowersDubai.co.uk is operated by Grey Matter SARL, one of the leading e-commerce companies, that was founded in 1996. Operating throughout the UAE, Cyprus and Lebanon, it is a key provider of tourism related products on the internet. FlowersDubai.co.uk sells flowers directly to consumers through its web portal and on telephone. This company delivers only to Dubai because the company does not deal with intermediary retailers, distributors and other online networks; they directly purchase it from the main source of flowers and gifts to provide the customers with the best lot of prices and exercise full control over the quality. As every country, has its own manners and cultures, Dubai too has it and thus FlowersDubai.co.uk utilises it to capture the market of Dubai. FlowersDubai.co.uk offers a huge variety of unique and artistic floral arrangements and gifts for holidays and other auspicious occasions. If the company has any item that does not appear in their catalogue or if customers have a special request, it just requires an email to deliver such objects. Flowersdubai.co.uk has divided the shops on three bases:- Shops by categories In these types of shops products are divided into categories Specials Flowers for Dubai Plants Etc. Shops by occasion In these types of shops products are categorised on the basis of occasion Birth day Congratulations Corporate gifts Get well soon Love romance Miss u New born Thank you Shops by price In these types of shops products are categorised on the basis of price Under $60 $60-$90 $90-$120 Over $120 Emiratesflorist.com: The company offers same day delivery tonearly every city in United Arab Emirates. They hope that their customers enjoy shopping on web portal. Customer can search from more than 200 offerings for the item of their choice which is far more than any competing site. The company offers superior service, free home deliveryand 100% satisfaction guarantee coupled with very low service charge as compared to its competitors. Tulips sees a major competition from this company. Emiratesflorist.com offers customers a wide variety and selection from amongst mixed bouquets, fresh-cut flowers, arrangements, potted plantsetc. for all occasions. Emiratesflorist.com is one of the fastest growing online floral retailers in the flower delivery industry as they deliver what they promise. The company accepts credit cards from all major providers and it is processed by one of the leading banking companies in the United States. The company has also divided its products on the basis of various categories similar to the last company. Ready flowers: Ready Flowers Company sends flowers and gifts all aroundUnited Arab Emirates every day. Ready Flowers employs a centralised management centre that monitors and controls all the orders that go through their system, thereby keeping a track that they are delivered on time to the customers. This process goes in parallel with a customer care centre where floral experts are always solving flower related queries. They do not use other flower networks to fulfil customers orders, as they send all of our flowers through their own network of experienced and professional florists. They offer a wide variety of beautiful Bouquets, floral Arrangements, Gifts and Corporate designer collections to ensure there is everything that the customer requires. They care about their customers, and that is why they stay in touch with all of their customers on a regular basis. They also have product division in several categories: Shops by categories In this type of shops products are divided into categories Specials Flowers for Dubai Plants Etc. Shops by occasion In this type of shops products are categorised on the basis of occasion Birth day Congratulations Corporate gifts Get well soon Love romance Miss u New born Thank you Shops by types: Season best Corporate flowers Flowers case Important dates Flower meanings Affiliates Testimonials Shops by colour: Red Yellow Orange Purple White Pink Thus we see that all the competitors of Tulips already have innovative features in their portfolio that really poses tough environment for Tulips to build its niche in for the flower delivery market. To counteract this Tulips maintains an innovative ERP solutions for its flower delivery business that integrates the good features of all its competitors. Every other seller has a unique advantage over the others in terms of their plan of services and Tulips has to create an innovative solution for managing its portfolio. The important features of business to be carried out by Tulips are as follows: Centralised management. Wide variety of choices. Delivery at the earliest. No false promises. Maintaining customer faith. Web portal reflects the theme of business to attract the customers. Customer service through surveys and feedback system. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is as follows: Strength The biggest strength of Tulips is complete knowledge of price and choice of customers and delivering the customized product required. This flexibility allows it tap further opportunities in the market. The present customer base of Tulips is large enough to give it a good growth for its starting endeavours. Weakness: The weakness of Tulips, lies in the plan of action which is shares many common features with its competitors and those features have already been implemented. Thus Tulips has to use the same tools to give better service than the others. Opportunity: The opportunities in the flower delivery market are vast enough to allow another player in the domain. A large number of celebrations and occasions continuously take place all round the year thereby there are many customers who can be the source of earning for the company. Threats: Flowers are perishable and stocks cannot be maintained over a long time as it increases the cost of preservation and can lead to huge losses. Hence the only way out is to sell off the stocks as soon as possible to prevent losses. The company if not able to deliver products at the right time can also suffer loss of reputation which can be extremely harmful for its business. Thus we see that overall structure is conducive for Tulips to diversify its business and look out for new growth opportunities in this sector. Tulips has implemented a unique business strategy that employs the good points of all its competitors and tries to solve as many problems as possible. Services: The main products that will form a part of the Tulips flower delivery process are mentioned as follows: Attractive floral designs by using a hybrid of flowers whose ready samples would be showcased at the stores and visuals and images would be available on the website. The designs will have specific names to allow online booking of pre purchased products. Attractive vases for different customer segments and concessions on the next purchase. Bulk booking for decoration at occasions with free arrangement of flowers upon delivery or at very low rates. Online or telephone booking for quick delivery to destinations with the options of sending chocolates or perfumes available at the store. Focus on every segment with the most economic to the most costly product. Special supply for bonsai plants for decorative purposes. Thus the customer will always get more than he wishes at Tulips. How many times it happens that people tend to forget the important occasions? For them Tulips brings a special Remember program. Customers can book their important dates with the Remember calendar and pay the money and get assured that the dates wont be forgotten from now on. In the event flowers remain undelivered Tulips is not going to cheat its customers but return half the amount of the flowers to the customer as a part of its fair service policy. Besides this the flower delivery portfolio of Tulips will contain services like: Regular delivery of flowers for households, offices as per orders. In store offers. Free greeting card with every purchase of flowers above US $ 60. Strategy: In order to implement aforementioned goals and services there requires an adequate plan for the roll out of the services including spotting of the market, location of retail stores and spotting the right customers. Marketing Strategy The marketing strategy and services of Tulips may be quite similar to its competitors but the factors of quality, timely delivery and cost effective services may set it apart from the others and develop its own niche in the market. Often the customers are neglected once served but Tulips has a strong customer support system that takes care that the choices of the customers are recorded to give speedy de livery the next time. Tulips flower delivery model is same as of its competitors but much more innovative to deliver what the customer requires and ethical in its policies. The marketing strategy can be outlined as follows: All the Tulips Retail Stores will have all the possible designs of floral arrangements and display of prices with each design. Customers will have choice to choose his/her design from the printed arrangements and can also have his / her own design. The customers who buy online will be sent different designs of floral arrangements and attractive discount policies from time to time as and when a festival or the occasions in the Remember record are near. No return policy will be provided once ordered and delivered however the customer s can exchange it in some due time with another of cost lower than what they ordered. Free delivery to destinations on orders more than US $100. Free gifts from time to time to make the occasion even more special. Kiosks at malls and shopping complex will be set up for the ease of customers if the retail outlets are far from their home. The five segments that Tulips tends to target have been formed as follows: Businessmen who work in Dubai and have families. Newly engaged or married couples. Boys and Girls. Event Management Companies. Restaurants and Hotels. Reasons for businessmen to buy flowers from Tulips: For spouse to foster romance. For family members on their birthdays and anniversaries. Easy and convenient delivery at the doorstep without having to postpone meetings or work. Options of additives like chocolates, cakes, and perfumes to manage the complete occasion. Reasons for Newly engaged and married couple and boys, girls: As a gesture of love. To rejoice on occasions. Reasons for Event Management Companies: During weddings. In decoration on various occasions. During business meetings and summits. Ceremonial occasions. Reasons for restaurants and hotels: For decorative purposes. For parties. For dates. For welcoming guests and dignitaries. Advertisement: The advertising strategy shall be targeted to all the above segments of customers through: Business and Lifestyle Magazines. Small TV commercials. Pamphlets with every purchase at shopping malls. Through discount coupons on purchase of perfumes and exotic chocolates that are sold at Tulips stores. Website and emails to customers. Sponsoring key events and events to attract the customers. Sales Strategy: The prime focus of the above segments is on the individual purchase of flowers. Thus the sales strategy at the start is not on bulk delivery but to add more and more customers to the database of the company in the short run. This will ensure that the market penetration will reach an optimum amount in the next 2 years. The future sales of the company shall target bulk orders like decorations at parties or supply to an Event Management company to embark on the path of higher growth and involve direct selling agents. Doorstep Delivery Online Booking And Delivery Targeting heavy populated areas. Streamlining designing and innovation to increase the sales. Management: The management of Tulips stores will be fifty percent owner based and remaining franchisee based. This will prevent franchisee from taking undue advantage by selling at prices higher than set. This will also decrease the setup cost of retail outlets and the division of profits will be done as follows: The total profit from sales will go to the chairman of Tulips. The franchisee will get 30% of the profit thereon and commission at 10% of the additional sales incurred above the targeted amount. The franchisee will have the freedom to sell at prices lower than the MRP to attract the customers. Tulips thus gets a share only in the sales. The cost of overheads like transportation, electricity sales employees and shop rent shall be born either fifty-fifty or Tulips can pay a larger amount if required. The losses shall be borne by both the parent company and franchisee equally. The management shall only comprise of three hierarchies only to prevent complexities and reduce the investment incurred over the wages of the employees: Owner of Tulips Franchisee Head Sales employees(in store, out store) The flowers that are left in the retail outlets shall have to be dispensed before they perish and lose their moisture. Thus the store maintains the policy to sell of the flours to local suppliers at low rates to avoid high losses. Pricing Policy: The pricing policy is extremely important to draw the attention of the customers hence the aim of Tulips is to give more to the customers at the lowest rates. A brief structure of prices is as follows: 15 vivid pink roses in a attractive vase= US $ 65 100 red roses in a fish bowl= US $ 180 Chocolates= US $ 25 to US $150 Cakes= US $45 to US $80 Perfumes= US $ 200 above These are the tentative prices of the objects but the range will be scattered around the above prices only. The prices may vary depending on the import prices and prices of the competitors but not on the account of keeping them low than everyone else but by delivering the best quality at the best prices as satisfaction must balance sacrifice. Financial Strategy: The financial strategy of Tulips is as follows: The wages of labour and rent on land and other expenses shall account to only 40% of the operating expenses. Main source of income is through cash flow. Advertisement costs and marketing costs to form 6% of the portfolio. In case of revenues exceeding the estimated ones the excess profit can be plough backed or bonus be given to the employees through bonus pool. Break Even Analysis: In the break even analysis we need to consider only the running costs which include utilities, payroll and rent. The chart below shows the break-even point and sales relationship under the assumptions: It is the minimum for each retail outlet. Monthly revenue Break-Even: US $ 6000 Average Variable cost: 30% Estimated fixed cost monthly: US 4000 Profit and Loss Estimation: The model assumes losses to occur only in the beginning months followed by profit and the following considerations on the gross revenue: 12% profit 28% cost on labour. 15% cost for inventory management. 27% overhead. 18% costs incurred on merchandise. Conclusion: Thus we see that the flower delivery business is of great potential as per the financial projections. Although these are just projections but we can estimate to grow really well provided we meet our objectives at the earliest. Tulips has a good advantageous position over its competitors which can be further strengthened provided optimum finance and opportunities arrive in its way. The initial start-up does not require loans as we have seen in the financial analysis and so all the preliminary amount shall be invested by Tulips only except some favours from outside investors. Tulips has good foresight to witness the boom that the flower delivery sector is yet to witness and it is right at time to have its presence in the market to tap all the available opportunities. The portfolio of Tulips once completing its first phase of expansion has plans to enter the world market to narrow the restriction of flower being produced and delivered seasonally and huge inventory costs. Bibliography: There have been no books referred in making the project although facts and figure presented in this plan have been retrieved from the following sources: UAE flower industry endures effects of crisis Retrieved May 10, 2010 from http://www.uaeinteract.com/docs/UAE_flower_industry_endures_effects_of_crisis/35132.htm Dubai Flower Retrieved May 11, 2010 from http://www.datadubai.com/directory/dubais_flower.html Fresh Flowers for Dubai Retrieved May 11, 2010 from http://www.flowerdubai.com/

Germany Under Wilhelm II and Russia Under Nicholas II

Germany Under Wilhelm II and Russia Under Nicholas II Was the Russian state under Nicholas II more or less stable than the German  Reich under Wilhelm II? Seen from their end-points — for Russia, from the November 1917 Revolution, the abdication and execution of the Tsar, the bloodshed of millions; for Germany, from defeat and the humiliation of the Versailles Treaty — it is tempting to reply to the present question that Nicholas II and Wilhelm II left their countries in near equal depths of chaos, destruction, and disorder. Russia in 1918 witnessed the overthrow of a centuries-old monarchy, class-system and way of life, and found it replaced with a Bolshevik revolution, a wholly different power structure and system of governance  ­Ã¢â‚¬â€ and thus it is hard to imagine a more tumultuous reign than that presided over by Nicholas II. At the outset of his reign in 1894 he was undoubtedly confronted with the immense problem of effecting the vast reforms promised to ordinary Russians following the emancipation of the serfs, and it is likely that this awesome task would have resulted in tremendous instability for Russia no matter who she was ruled by. Nonetheless, Nicholas II and the various dumas he worked beside, undoubtedly exasperated and intensified the wave of potentially destabilizing forces facing Russia in these years. Nicholas II’s own temper and impatience led to the dissolution of two dumas and thus to prolonged political uncertainty for the country; the intransigence of certain conservative elements as well as the perceived weakness of several of his prime ministers further compounded this uncertainty. From 1900 onwards the various central institutions of Russian life — Church, monarchy, parliament — were eroded and exposed to ever greater change and danger — culminating in the carnage and collapse of 1917. In Germany there was no such perception of a gradual erosion of institutions and gathering crisis; rather she was shaken into disarray by the final four calamitous years of the Great War. Upon taking the throne in 1888, Wilhelm II found Germany in better con dition than Nicholas’ Russia; the euphoria and pride arising from national unification in 1870 flowed around Germany right until 1914 and 1915; her institutions were thought to be strong, stable and even invulnerable. Still, within four years of 1914, she had been visited by an equal if not greater destruction and instability than Russia. Russia was destitute in 1918, but at least she was victorious and could hope for some continuation of her cultural way of life. Germany however had been defeated and so was in 1918 the thrall of the victorious powers and so could be shaped and moulded be them as they pleased. The general levels of stability of Germany under Wilhelm II and Russia under Nicholas II can be partially measured by comparing the stability of their political institutions. In both instances (Nicholas’ relationship with the Duma and Wilhelm’s with the Reichstag), the story is one of the deterioration of the authority of the monarchy and its ceding of power to political or military bodies (1). Nicholas’ relationship with the dumas was antagonistic from the beginning of his reign in 1884. The First Duma, following the emancipation of the serfs in the 1870s, was composed of a majority of Kadets, and this composition necessarily led to a hostile reaction between the Kadets and the Tsar — something clearly leading to national internal instability (2). Nicholas II found his Prime Minister Sergei Witte competent and able and this relationship promised a dilution of the dispute between the Tsar and the Duma; nonetheless, this relationship began to wane when Nich olas’ wife, Alexandra, showed distrust of Witte, thus precipitating Nicholas’ dissolution of the First Duma (3). This dissolution was outwardly characterized by a friction of personality between Witte and Alexandra; inwardly, it pointed to the immense problems the Russian Prime Minister faced in implementing the promised political and social reforms. The extreme nature and proportions of these reforms, overturning centuries of Russian aristocratic government, would shake the stability of any country; in Russia the problem was compounded by its vast population and geography. Tsar Nicholas’ task of effecting political reform in Russia was thus in many ways more difficult than Wilhelm’s: for instance, Russia was decades behind Germany in its development and this led to greater instability in its pursuit of equality. Russians might have anticipated greater stability from the Second Duma; in reality it turned out to be as problem-plagued and ineffective as the First Duma — and eventually its ineffectiveness precipitated the great crisis and abdication of 1917 (4). The Prime Minister of the Second Duma, Pyotr Stolypin, perceiving these problems, dissolved the parliament, and sought to manipulate its electoral nature to possess a more conservative composition and thus for the new Duma to be controlled by the liberal-conservative Octobrist Party of Alexander Guchov (4). Despite his conservative leaning, Stolypin, like Witte before him, initially looked like he might effect some of the long-promised reforms; he planned, for instance, to provide loans to the lower classes to let them purchase land, and thus forge an agricultural class faithful to the Tsar (4). Had such plans succeeded then they would undoubtedly brought greater stability to the Russian state; in the event the opposite came about : Stolypin’s proposed reforms were opposed by ultra-conservatives close to the Tsar, and events reached a low when Stolypin was assassinated by Dmitry Bogov in Kiev in September 1911. All in all, the huge difficulties of effecting Russia’s urgently needed reforms proved too great for successive Russian prime ministers; these failures in turn led to a deterioration of the relationship between the Tsar and the Duma, and thus to profound political and social instability for the Russian state. The relationship between Wilhelm II and the Reichstag was similarly blighted, though this conflict and division was, in itself, less destabilizing than in Tsarist Russia (5). In Germany the Emperor’s dispute with the Reichstag and the instability it precipitated was the result of clash of personality: between his own and that of his Chancellor, the formidable Otto von Bismarck. At Wilhelm’s succession of the throne in June 1888 Germany was in a nervous euphoria about the unification that she had engendered in the previous decade; a great deal remained to be done, but Germany’s reforms had always been those concerning the of unification of its various states, and not the reformation of social classes as in Russia (6). Wilhelm II had no intention of being a passive or nominal monarch: he wanted to ‘rule as well as reign’ as one historian has put it (6). This intention antagonised Chancellor Bismarck, who cared for no interference from the monarch. This dispute finally led to Wilhelm II dismissing Bismarck in 1890, and thus, due to the monarch’s impatience and petulance, an abandonment of Bismarck’s prudent and wise policies for the government of Germany. Wilhelm installed Leo Graf von Caprivi, Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Shillingsfurst, Prince Bernhard von Bulow, and Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg as a series of successors to Bismarck; each of them being polar opposites to the former chancellor — they were rather obsequious puppets to the Kaiser’s will. Wilhelm’s decision to remove Bismarck had thus weakened Germany significantly and increased its vulnerability and instability; not only had the hero of unification been cruelly deposed, but his prodigious powers of statesmanship and the order those skills brought to Germany, had been replaced by those of the Kaiser: a man whose character was irascible and volatile and thus of the worst possible kind to handle the inflammable events that would pin nacle in 1914. The relative stability of Wilhelm’s Germany and Nicholas’ Russia may also be discussed in the context of their contribution to and handling of the Great War of 1914-1918. Anticipating somewhat the conclusion to this essay, the following may be said of the two monarchs respective attitudes to war and the instability these wrought: Nicholas II’s reign is characterized by reluctance to enter the conflict, Wilhelm’s by the precipitation of it. A historian might expect thus that Nicholas II, being more prudent and indisposed to war, might have thus secured greater internal stability for Russia than the bellicose Germany of Wilhelm, which one would have expected to suffer the vicissitudes and fluxes of war. Nonetheless, paradoxically, despite quite different attitudes to the conflict both Germany and Russia were to endure similar levels of turmoil and upheaval in its wake: Russia subjected to Revolution and anarchy and Germany the humiliation and disintegration of the Versailles Treaty. Wilhelm’s contribution to the instability of 1914-1918 can best be described in terms of his personal character: he did not avidly crave war — even once describing it as a ‘most unimaginable thing’ (7) — but rather aided it by his injudicious foreign policy decisions, blunders, and errors. Wilhelm II lent his authority and power to the German generals and to others who ardently sought the conflict. His minor precipitative blunders included his support for Germany’s massive increase in naval power, his telegram (8) that congratulated President Kruger for the success of the Jameson Raid against the British, and his July 1900 address encouraging German forces to support to Boxer Rebellion. Most disastrous and inflammatory of all was the Kaiser’s involvement in the Daily Telegraph Affair of 1908 (9). In this interview the Kaiser’s mistimed and inappropriate comments angered not only Britain, but also Japan, Russia, France and other c ounties also. In the years immediately preceding 1914 Bismarck conscientiously abandoned Bismarck’s former successful foreign policy of ostracizing France from the other major international powers and instead invoked sympathy for France by appearing to challenge her rule in Morocco. All in all, Bismarck’s personal leadership of Germany during the years 1900-1914, whether deliberately or unintentionally, did much to antagonise Germany’s international neighbours and so to eventually precipitate the profound instability that arose from World War I and its aftermath. Wilhelm’s naivety and impatience, coupled with the bellicosity of his generals, eroded many the positive reforms and strong institutions established by Bismarck during and after unification; this erosion left Germany improperly balanced and leaning precariously in the direction of crippling international warfare. But the instability that arose for Russia during and after the Great War was due not to Russia’s seeking such a conflict but from her fragmented and dithering response to it. Nicholas II was a main source of this indecision and his inadequate leadership, compounded by the largely failed implementation of reforms in previous years, led to the collapse of the monarchy and abdication of the Tsar, and thus a deeply distressing and turbulent period for Russia. In the wake of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, by Gavrilo Princip of the Serbian Black Hand organization, Russia and the Tsar were forced into a very awkward position. Russia had for several years advocated support for the Pan-Slav movement and had signed treaties with Serbia guaranteeing her protection; on the other hand, as the Will Nicky correspondence (10) shows, Nicholas II sought to avoid war at all costs — fearing the devastation it would bring to himself and to the nation. In the event, Russia w as truly devastated by the war: her armies were destroyed en mass, the monarchy fell and millions of Russians died from fighting, disease, hunger and drought. The 1917 November Revolution led to civil war, further bloodshed, misery and suffering and to the installation of a wholly new political regime. A greater state of instability can hardly be imagined! In the final analysis, the question as to which of Tsar Nicholas II’s Russia and Willhelm II’s Germany knew greater stability depends upon whether a historian looks at these periods from their respective beginnings or their ends. The Germany that Wilhelm inherited in 1894 was certainly more stable than that received by Nicholas in 1884. But a powerful argument can be made to say that despite the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia was nonetheless possessed of greater stability than Germany. This argument is given strength if one looks at events after 1918: Communism gave Russia seventy years of stable government and administration — irregardless of whether one endorses such a governance or not; Germany, on the other hand, was to endure the vicissitudes of Weimar, ten years of the Nazi regime and finally the ultimate instability of World War II.   BIBLIOGRAPHY Academic Books, Journals Articles (1) Roberts, John. The Penguin History of the World. (3rd Ed.) Penguin, London,  2003, pp. 707-717. (2) Perry, John P Pleshakov, Constantine. The Flight of the Romanovs. Oxford  University Press, Oxford, 1999, pp. 209. (3) Alexandrov, Victor. The End of the Romanovs. London, 1966. (4) Pares, Bernard. The Fall of the Russian Monarchy. London, 1939, pp. 44-48.. (5) Van der Kiste, John. Kaiser Wilhelm II: Germany’s Last Emperor. Sutton  Publishing, Stroud, 1999, pp101-103. (6) Rohl, John C. G. The Kaiser’s Personal Monarchy, 1888-1900. Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 133. (7) Macdonogh, Giles. The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II. St. Martin’s Press,  New York, 2001, pp. 301. (8) Massie, Robert K. Dreadnought: Britain, Germany and the Coming of the Great   War. New York, Random House, 1991, pp. 108. (9) The interview of the Emperor Wilhelm II on October 28, 1908. London Daily  Telegraph, October 28, 1908. (10) The Kaisers letters to the Tsar, copied from the government archives in Petrograd, and brought from Russia by Isaac Don Levine, ed., with an introduction by N.F. Grant. London, Hodder and Soughton Ltd, 1920

Essay --

The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Untreated Male Negros made a distinct impact on the history of research. The study began in Mason County, Alabama in 1932 at the Tuskegee Institute. The goal was to learn about syphilis, and how the disease progressed with an emphasis on uneducated and illiterate African American males (Tuskegee University, n.d). There were 600 participants involved; 399 with documented cases of syphilis, and 201 control group members without syphilis (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Researchers informed the participants that they had â€Å"bad blood,† never informing them that they were infected with syphilis (Tuskegee University, n.d). To encourage the men to participate in the study they provided free medical care, transportation, meals on the days they were being examined, and burial insurance (Tuskegee University, n.d). When the study began no reliable treatments were available. The study was based on the Oslo study, which stated that the current treatments of mercurial ointment were of no benefit, and that going untreated was more beneficial for the patient in the end (Brandt, 1978). Participants were given full physical exams, radiographs, and lumbar punctures that were conducted by the United States Public Health Services (Brandt, 1978). To guarantee that the men would show up for the lumbar puncture, researchers sent a letter to the participant titled, â€Å"Last Chance for Special Free Treatment,† (Brandt, 1978). Research continued, and in 1945, penicillin became approved to treat syphilis (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). The USPHS could have incorporated this treatment into their study, but chose to prevent the men from getting treatment, and never informed the p... ... & Human Services, 1979). After the conclusion of the Tuskegee Study, research found that many African American individuals were hesitant to participate in biomedical research (Davis, Green, & Katz, 2012). Researchers also found that African Americans have a distrust towards and suspicion of other health education programs such as the HIV/AIDS prevention programs. This is due to the similar methods used to select the participants in these programs as compared to the Tuskegee Study (Thomas & S.B., 1991). The Tuskegee Syphilis Study had and will continue to have lasting effects on the research community. Fortunately, some of these effects have improved how research is currently being conducted. To continue to build upon these improvements, researchers need to find ways to make all individuals comfortable and secure with the research in which they are participating.

The Facts About Food Preservatives Essay -- Health, Food Preservatives

There is something that has been around for thousands of years, makes your trips to the grocery store cheaper and prevents people from dying of starvation every winter. This invention that helps us in many ways is food preservatives. Most people associate food preservatives with terrible chemicals that should be avoided, and while many that are used today have been known to cause health problems, there are many benefits that some people may not be aware of that food preservatives offer us. Before there were so many food preservatives, things were different in the traditional house. People didn’t have enough food in the winter because crops and meat that were unpreserved went bad. When people expected the food was about to go bad they would eat all of it so that nothing would be wasted. Also, as winter was approaching, many farmers would kill all of their animals because it was not economically wise to keep them through the winter. The animals would have to be fed and kept warm but grass wouldn’t be available for them to eat, water sources where they normally drink would be frozen over and they wouldn’t be producing as much food as they normally produce, such as milk or eggs. Also, animals that moved heavy farm equipment, like horses or oxen were not needed as much when there was no farming to do. People first figured out how to make food last longer a very long time ago. In as early as 1000 BCE, the Chinese had figured out how to use salt, spices and smoking. The Incas figured out how to freeze-dry things by around the 15th century. This helped them to always have 3-7 years of food available for their warriors. Nicolas Appert (pictured) was a French chef who figured out in January of 1810 how to store food in airtigh... ...urger-looks-almost-new/>. "Early methods of food preservation." Early methods of food preservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. . "Food Additives." Food Additives. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. . French, Alicia. "The top 10 scariest food facts." Food Recipes RSS. N.p., 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. . "Middle Ages Food Preservation." Middle Ages Food Preservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. . Pancholi, Rahul. "Join Academia.edu & Share your research with the world." Food preservatives. N.p., 12 Apr. 2012. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. .

The A Bomb :: essays research papers

The Atomic Bomb The first atomic bomb was tested on July 16,1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico and was developed, constructed and tested by the Manhattan Project. The new device represented a completely new type of explosion. All explosives before this time got their power for the rapid burning of a chemical compound like gunpowder. These bombs could only do a limited amount of damage. This new group of nuclear explosives involved getting energy sources from within the nucleus of the atom. The Atomic bomb gained its power from the fission of all of the atomic nuclei in several kilos of uranium. A Ball about the size of a baseball made an explosion equal to about 20,000 tons of TNT. An atomic bomb can also be called a fission bomb because it uses fission to release the nuclear power from the fuel. The fuel is usually either Uranium-235 or plutomium-239. Uranium-235 has an extra property that makes it useful for both nuclear power production and for nuclear bombs - it is one of the few materials that can undergo induced fission. If a neutron runs into a Uranium nucleus, the nucleus will absorb the neutron, become unstable and split immediately. As soon as the nucleus captures the neutron, it splits into two lighter atoms and throws off 2 or 3 new neutrons. These neutrons then hit other uranium atoms and a chain reaction is started. An incredible amount of energy is released, in the form of heat and gamma radiation. In order for these properties of U-235 to work, a sample of uranium must be enriched. Weapons-grade uranium is composed of 90% or more U-235. In a fission bomb, the fuel must be kept in small and separate masses. These must be small enough to not support fission otherwise the bomb could explode before it is meant to. These masses are called subcritical masses. Critical mass is the minimum amount of fissionable material needed to keep a nuclear fission reaction going. Because the masses are separate there had to be ways to bring them together to detonate the bomb. There are two ways to detonate an atomic bomb. The first is the gun-triggered device and the second is the implosion device. In both of these types, neutrons had to be introduced to start the fission. This was done by making a little neutron generator out of a small pellet of polonium and beryllium, separated by foil.

Blood Covenant Essay

This book, which is actually two books in one, has two main parts. Book one which covers from page 21 to page 200 is about Michael Franzese’s life before his conversion to Christianity. In the first paragraph of the book, which is in page 22 of the book, the author says â€Å"To understand me and the path I took in life, it is necessary to first understand my father, mob enforcer John Franzese†¦Ã¢â‚¬  then follows a long story of his father better known as Sonny and his exploits around about 1960s, this first book on franzese’s life as a Mafia leader sets the stage for the second part of the book titled book 2 which is carries the title The New Life in Christ. The book also has a brief photo insert between the two main parts of the book. After the epilogue of the book, there is a small section written by Camille Garcia, Franzese’s wife, which is thereafter followed by afterword then appendix. 2. Express ideas in your own words. Utilize book content, which will support your ideas and conclusions. While it remains a fact that there are some serious holes with the book in that some of the events cannot be pinpointed in a timeline map, there are still some considerations and positive points about he book. Part two of the book basically outlines the Christian life that Franzese lives and other motivational stuff like how to avoid the mafia and so on. 3. Do you as the reader accept or reject the author’s argument? Do they make sense? Do you feel they are accurate or valid? Are they logical? Does the author convey himself as being credible to the reader? I accept the author’s arguments. Even though some of the details are not clear and may need validation, there is a truth to the facts and feelings of Franzese. It has been said that this book, Franzese’s second, is the rendition of the first, called Quitting the Mob which was published in 1992, with some few addition of words. The various issues that raise the issue of credibility to the readers are that since he stole hundreds of millions of dollars. What happened to this money, did the mob get it? Why has the mob never come after him even after testifying to the grand jury? These are some of the questions that are left hanging leaving the reader thinking seriously about the credibility of the story. 4. Has the author included all the important variables or factors in his analysis? For example, are there any inconsistencies or contradictions in his arguments? If so, what are they? No. the author has failed in a number of ways. Some of the information that is provided by Franzese is either in the public domain or cannot be independently verified. His claim that he had met by his own admission, stole hundreds of millions of dollars don’t answer some primary questions like: what happened to the money? How come the mob never came after him after he testified in front of the grand jury? How did he break parole and many other questions? 5. To what extent if any is Franzese different from Sammy `the Bull` Gravano? What are their similarities? Did you find on individual more believable that the other? Why? While Franzese turned to a Christian and totally ignored the Colombo family to which he had swore an oath to, Sammy turned to be a CIA informer on the activities of the Gambinos. He had a plastic surgery to hide from the mob but continued to live a life of abandon and violence after leaving the US witness Protection Programme. While Franzese changed because of the girl he met, Sammy changed to be an informer because his then boss, John Gotti, wanted to alienate him so that Sammy could be seen as the mad one after their arrest. Franzese and Sammy are similar in that they have both written books on their lives with the mafia. Franzese has written two books, Quitting the Mob and Blood Covenant while Sammy wrote a book called Underboss. They are also recorded as the first top ranking members of the mafia who turned on their oath, Franzese to Christianity and Sammy to a Spy. Finally both of them have been invited for public lectures and motivational talks. Sammy’s story is believable and reliable since it can be backed by other sources like the CIA; this is not the case with Franzese’s story. 6. Given what you have learned about Organized crime were you convinced of the author’s contentions? If not, what evidence would need to be presented to be convinced? There need to be somebody who can verify the stories given Franzese. His public talks and lectures make it necessary for people to really understand what made him do the things he did. 7. What did you find most valuable and least valuable of the information presented by the author? This story gives a not-so-detailed account of the Franzese life with the Mafia. Some of the details provided are a little hazy and difficult to verify, if not outright absurd. When he claims for example that he says that he made a lot of money and that he had connections with other mafia bosses like Jon Gotti, , Don King, Reverand Al Sharpton and others but doesn’t reveal anything he public domain about them make a person somewhat disappointed. 8. The outcome for both Gravano and Franzese are very different. What factors and theoretical perspectives can account for this? While Franzese claims that it was due to the influence of his wife that he left the life of being a mafia, Sammy turned to be an informer when he realized that the then boss, john Gotti, was bent on portraying him as mad and a cold blood killer. This made him to turn into a state witness against the john Gotti. References Franzese Michael. Blood Covenant. Chicago: Whitaker House, 2003