Why it is so important to be physically fit today What are some of the Research Paper

Why it is so important to be physically fit today What are some of the Physical Fitness Benefits - Research Paper Example I said to myself it is time to get fit. I had to register for the physical fitness this summer which l believe is a great start on my journey towards achieving complete physical fitness. Definitions of physical fitness are constantly changing because of the amount of effort wanted to do normal day by day activities has dangerously turned down. I think people are not capable to maintain with the normal daily activities of three or four decades ago. Today lifestyles of man are more inactive so there one can see the need of accurate definitions related with physical fitness. Physical fitness of today can define as an enhanced physiological condition that leads to better quality health and long life. From my own experience with health professionals and doctors , I knew that the term physical fitness stands for a level of health exemplified by muscular strength, cardio vascular endurance, physical and mental flexibility, muscular endurance, and a lean and fit body composition. Mohamed Han i Ratib et al attribute: â€Å"Physical, mental and social benefits are gained from physical fitness† (.Ratib et al 51). In general a physically fit person goes with a satisfied and happy state of mind. Additionally this condition is the foundation of all energetic and creative intellectual activity. Through fitness evaluation I measured my own physical fitness and I came to realize that desirable physical fitness provide both mental and physical strength and well-being for my life. The term physical fitness is related with a person’s quality of life. Different factors such as health status, hereditary, deficiency power, food habit, family backgrounds and life style can play a significant role in the process of making physical fitness. Physical fitness takes in various physical abilities like effective body composition, coordination, cardiovascular strength, speed and flexibility. I agree with the findings made by previous studies and researches which emphasize the var ious benefits of physical fitness. Studies and researches have proved that physical fitness prevents various diseases like cardiovascular disease and digestion problems Physical fitness is essential for the formation of a sound psychological state. It is a part of common knowledge is that a healthy body is a home for a sound mind. Furthermore Physical fitness is responsible for the overall well-being and development of a person. Similarly, physical fitness is an essential factor in work field and it promotes success in both personal and professional life of a person. Physical fitness is one of the important properties that an individual can achieve. It is helpful for a person to work in the armed forces because fit body is free from aliment of any kind. I have some friends who been maintained physical fitness for many years and they informed me that the importance of physical fitness is that it is the need of both young and old. The easy contact to fitness centers further highlights the importance of physical fitness. Daily exercises have resulted in people towards longer and healthier lives. Today, I can give suggestions about various exercises to my own friends who failed to keep physical fitness. Patricia Bragg, Dr. Paul C. Bragg, Dr. Patricia Bragg and Paul C Bragg advise that â€Å"If you want a long, healthy life, keep your body orderly and fit† (Bragg & Bragg 79). My own experiences have convinced me that physical fitness gives more than improvement to the quality of life; it strengthens cardiovascular fitness and body survival. Habitual physical exercise helps to make better the strength of human heart. Besides physical fitness increases the blood circulation in human body naturally that helps to distribute oxygen and nutrients to all the

Methodology - using Hofstede's VSM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Methodology - using Hofstede's VSM - Essay Example There are a number of different studies conducted on similar topic which have been discussed in the literature review. The research strategy cannot be exploratoryYin (2003). On the other hand causal studies are usually used when a cause and effect relationship has to be identified. This means that the changing of one variable should show an effect in other variables, that is the relationship between dependent and independent variable. This study does not establish a cause and effect relationship but only identifies a set of variables relevant to a culture. The research strategies used to identify variables is the correlation study. This study aims at establishing a quantitative evidence for the existence of a set of variables. Therefore in agreement with the research objectives, the research strategy is correlation. The type of research approach being used is directly dependent on the type of research strategy being used. A research usually carried out by using the approach of induction or deduction and in some rare cases a combination of both methods Sekram (2006). The two approaches of research are therefore directly related to types of strategies. The process of deduction is used when enough evidence is available on a research topic. The availability of evidence is a critical in deductive reasoning. This is because deductive reasoning starts from the general to the specific. This can also be described as a top down approach. Thus it leads down to a hypothesis which is than tested. Inductive reasoning on the other hand has a totally different approach. Inductive reasoning starts from the very specific and moves up to the general. Therefore the research is begun by observation of specific phenomenon and observes patterns which can finally be used to establish some general theories or conclusio ns. Therefore we can say that deduction is conclusive in nature Sekram (2006). That means that it is usually used to reach a conclusion. This is

Blackberry Picking Essay Example for Free

Blackberry Picking Essay Task: Choose a poem that deals with an aspect of ordinary living. Analyse the poem showing how it . Pleasures are like poppies spread You seize the flower, its bloom is shed Bums Seamus Heaneys sensual and disturbing poem Blackberry -Picking explores aspects of ordinary living and enables us to see clearly the truth about a core element of human nature. This engaging piece of verse, written early in the Nobel laureates career, exposes humans perpetual desire for pleasure and the seemingly inescapable negative consequences attached to this pursuit. The poem is produced in a style readers familiar with Heaney will recognise: the deeper meaning is heavily cloaked in metaphor, and is therefore made clearer and more emphatic once understood. Upon reflection of these underlying themes about ordinary life, the reader experiences the clarity of vision usually associated with seeing something for the first time; this is a quality Heaney has claimed is essential to poetry. The poem is, on the surface, about a boys experiences at berry-picking time in the countryside. The anticipation and participation in this apparently very pleasant practice is conveyed for most of the first stanza of this two stanza piece. The poet describes an insatiable appetite (that verges upon greed) for indulging in the activity. In the latter part of this first stanza, however, a far less hedonistic mood can be detected by a very noticeable change in lexical choice and imagery; indeed, guilt and perhaps even remorse are evident here. In the second stanza the picked fruit becomes grotesque as it decays and the inevitable destructive forces of time take effect: Primarily, it is necessary to detail the larger metaphor which is relevant from the very beginning of the poem the title: Blackberry-Picking. The concept of picking fruit has irreducible associations with the Biblical story of Genesis an explanation of creation and mankinds fall from a state of innocence to one of sin a nd guilt. In this book Adam and Eve are templed by Satan to pick the forbidden fruit, resulting in their expulsion from Paradise. From this we can infer that the berries of Heaneys poem symbolise temptation, and that this temptation will lead to a loss of innocence and the incursion of guilt and sin into the world of the poem. In addition to this, the idea that the propensity for giving in to temptation is central to human nature, as it is of such ancient  origin, is strongly suggested. †¢ The time of year when these symbolic berries are picked, Late August, is given in the first line, and the sultry, humid, sensual atmosphere of this time of year is evoked by the following zeugma: given heavy rain and sun. This sensual atmosphere is developed in the first nine lines of the poem, and it clearly contains allusions to sex in lines 5-7: You ate that first one, and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summers blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking. Here the idea of the irresistible allure of the berries is emphasised, and the allusions to sexual pleasure through the lexical choice of that first one, its flesh was sweet, Leaving stains upon the tongue, and the direct reference to lust, heighten the mood of sensual temptation. This is reinforced and strengthened by the suggestion of intoxication in line 6 when the flesh of the berries is described in a simile as being Like thickened wine. Summer is subsequently personified and this reference to Summers blood thickens the languid, warm, impassioned atmosphere. In this section of the poem, then, very ordinary aspects of life sensuousness, sexuality, desire, temptation are conveyed cleverly and clearly through the metaphor of blackberry picking. This metaphor enables us to see these things as extraordinary driving forces behind our actions, and this is a disturbing realisation. The boy experiencing this burgeoning, bountiful time of the rural calendar cannot, as has been shown ab ove, get enough of the fruit he picks. He and others set out between lines 9-12 to gather as many berries as they can. After they have indulged in this harvest, however, a contrasting mood is introduced: .. on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeards. Here the poetry is loaded with imagery and cultural associations. Initially the monosyllabic alliteration of the plosive b in big dark blobs burned strikes the reader as ponderous and menacing. This reaction is reinforced by the connotations of pain in the verb burned. The effect of this is aided by the gruesome and macabre simile that follows. The berries are described as being Like a plate of eyes. The very different mood engendered by this imagery is developed by the subsequent allusion to the crucifixion of Christ in hands in thorn pricks and the simile incorporating the legendary  character Bluebeard (a pirate who murdered many wives). This section of the poem, then, gives three consecutive images that evoke . connotations of guilt: the mutilation of the berries nat ural environment, the indirect reference to Christ (crucified by mankind), and the comparison between the berry pickers hands and the bloody hands of a serial murderer. In stanza two the mood of the poem deteriorates further as the harvested berries decay. In the first line the word hoarded, used to describe the volume of berries stored, reminds us of the insatiable appetite and self-indulgence depicted in the first stanza. The berries are now rotting, however, and this is conveyed effectively through word choice. They are described with the verbs stinking and fermented. Furthermore, a disease is spreading through the hoard. This is described as A ratgrey fungus, glutting on our cache. The connotations of disgust, revulsion and disappointment evident here are developed in lines 20-21: Once off the bush/I the sweet flesh would turn sour. What we can also perceive here is the notion of the inevitable and regularly experienced fate of all pleasure it cannot last and becomes satiety and guilt. The anguish at the fate of the berries, and therefore the fate of all indulgence is emphasised by the tone of the third last line: I always felt like crying. It wasnt fair. The boy of the poem is clearly still becoming accustomed to the irresistible forces of time. In the last line, however, we learn that the boy experiences this annually: That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot Each year I hoped theyd keep, knew they would not Perpetual hope and the following inevitable disappointment is emphasised here, and the reader can directly engage with this as we all experience such sequences in ordinary life. By the process of reflecting upon, and understanding, the blackberry picking metaphor, the reader sees the driving forces behind human behaviour afresh, and they become extraordinary and disturbing. Blackberry-Picking is a sensual and evocative poem which entices the reader with rich and opulent images. In stanza one we are drawn into the pleasure of the activities depicted by the poet. The ideas of guilt, disgust, and disappointment are then introduced as the greed of the pickers and the decay of the berries are illustrated. The extension of this cycle to others areas of life is performed by the use of sexual and cultural  allusions, symbolism and metaphor. Through these techniques we are given a startlingly clear picture of a common and ordinary reality we may never before have considered: that our lives are driven by perpetually disappointed hope and desire and that pleasure cannot last. The disturbing nature of this realisation is compounded by the religious symbolism of the berries this state of affairs may have been with us from the very beginning, and there is no reason why it should not be with us to the end.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase: From Ethanol To Acetaldehyde

Alcohol Dehydrogenase: From Ethanol To Acetaldehyde (20) 1. Alcohol dehydrogenase (AD) is an enzyme which catalyzes the reaction of its natural substrate ethanol to form acetaldehyde. The Km of AD, from rhinoceros livers, for ethanol is 1 X 10-3M. This enzyme is however somewhat non-specific and will recognize substrates other than ethanol. How would the kinetic plot be affected if AD were to separately catalyze methanol and isopropanol instead of ethanol? Assume that the overall Vmax remains the same in all 3 cases. How would the Km change for methanol compared to ethanol (higher, lower, the same)? How would the Km change for isopropanol compared to ethanol (higher, lower, the same)? How would the Kms of methanol and isopropanol compare (which higher than the other or about the same). Based upon your knowledge of the mechanisms by which enzymes work, briefly explain how you decided to place your new Kms. Hint: The alcohols are being added separately. There is not any kind of competition between the alcohols. They are not included in the same reaction. For your reference, the structures of these alcohols are below. Because ethanol is the natural substrate of Alcohol dehydrogenase (AD), AD would have a higher affinity and bind more readily to ethanol than other alcohols, including methanol and isopropanol. Because AD has a higher affinity for ethanol than other alcohols, its Km would be lower than methanol and isopropanol. The lower the Michaelis constant (Km) the less substrate required to get to  ½ Vmax or  ½ the maximum reaction rate and the higher the affinity of the enzyme for the substrate. Higher Km means more substrate concentration to reach  ½ Vmax and less affinity of the enzyme for the substrate. Vmax or the maximum reaction rate can be approached, but never actually reached. The Km for methanol would be higher than ethanol, thus requiring more substrate to reach  ½ Vmax and demonstrating lower affinity of AD for methanol. The Km for isopropanol would be higher than ethanol, thus requiring more substrate to reach  ½ Vmax and demonstrating lower affinity of AD for isopropanol . The Km for methanol would be lower than the Km for isopropanol and show a higher affinity for AD. The Michaielis-Menten kinetic plot would reflect a Km of 110-3M at  ½ Vmax for ethanol, a Km greater than 110-3M for methanol and a Km greater than the Km of methanol for isopropanol. The overall Vmax is the same for all three, so the  ½ Vmax for all three will stay the same. The plotted curve would become less vertical with the initial angle for ethanol becoming more acute and the curve becoming more linear as it changed from ethanol to methanol to isopropanol. Ethanol is ADs natural substrate, so based on enzyme mechanisms, it is able to bind more readily to AD due to its size and shape which fits ADs active site and allows ethanol to get close enough to create hydrogen bonds. The substrate and enzyme change confirmation and become destabilized which stabilizes the transition state, lowers the energy of activation and allows easier formation of the reaction products. Methanol and isopropanol do not bind as well, likely due to their structure or size and shape. Methanol is one carbon shorter which would prevent it from fitting in the AD site as well as ethanol and has fewer numbers of hydrogens, reducing H-bonding potential. Isopropanol is one carbon larger than ethanol which might make it too bulky to effectively bind to AD. Isopropanol is a secondary alcohol, with two carbon atoms attached to the carbon bonded to the OH, creating a bulky Y shape and not a chain alcohol like methanol and ethanol. This conformation and bulky shape prevents isopropanol from binding more readily than methanol, which is similar to ethanols linear shape. (10) 2. Briefly explain the protein cleavage involved in the maturation of an insulin molecule from proinsulin. Briefly explain 3 reasons why it is important that insulin be made as an inactive precursor requiring editing. Hint: Think in terms of things that would be important to the action of insulin (decreasing blood sugar). Protein cleavage is post-translational processing. Proinsulin is the precursor to insulin. Proinsulin is a polypeptide chain that loops around to form two disulfide bonds between four cysteine amino acids, two near either end. Endopeptidase cuts two molecules by proteolysis to remove the middle portion of the polypeptide. The final disulfide stabilized protein is insulin. Inactive proinsulin allows for optimal intracellular insulin stores that can be edited or activated quickly if needed to lower blood sugar and quickly prevent hyperglycemia. Proinsulins can be produced rapidly in response to elevated blood sugar with the post-translational processing switched off quickly; leaving the inactive molecules, once blood sugar is under control. Proinsulin is important because it is not degraded until it is needed, thus does not cause harmful low blood sugar levels and maintains sustained basal levels of insulin in the body. (10) 3. Briefly and individually outline the mechanisms of action for covalent, competitive, non-competitive, and uncompetitive enzyme inhibitors indicating how they effect enzyme action. For each type of inhibitor, describe a unique example of how we could learn something valuable, and at least somewhat practical, about an enzyme from each type of inhibitor study. The mechanism of action for covalent enzyme inhibitors is covalent binding in the enzyme active site and thus preventing substrate binding. This is irreversible and completely deactivates the enzyme requiring more enzymes to be produced to catalyze the reaction. This could tell us what amino acids bind in the enzyme active site by identifying covalent inhibitor modified functional groups and also substrate binding order. The mechanism of action for competitive enzyme inhibitors is they are shaped like the substrate and can bind in the enzyme active site, blocking the substrates binding. Competitive inhibitors can be outcompeted by increasing the substrate concentration and are reversible. Competitive inhibitors could be used to determine enzyme substrate affinities by finding out how much substrate is required and how long it takes to get back to  ½ Vmax. The mechanism of action for non-competitive enzyme inhibitors is they bind in a place other than the enzyme active site, allowing the substrate to bind, but they destabilize the transition state which hinders the enzyme by obstructing its proper performance and reducing Vmax. Non- competitive inhibitors are reversible, but cannot be outcompeted because they do not bind to the active site. Non-competitive inhibitors could be used to determine an enzymes induced fit mode of action as the substrate would still be able to bind, but not fully react. The mechanism of action for uncompetitive enzyme inhibitors is the substrate and inhibitor bind together in multi-substrate enzymes. While substrate binding and Km seem better, velocity is less because the inhibitor acts as part of the substrate. They are reversible. Uncompetitive inhibitors could be used to determine effective drug therapies by inhibiting an enzyme to varying degrees without permanently altering it, counter acting large amounts of the multi-substrate enzyme but not eliminating it from performing other useful functions. (10) 4. In discussing advances in molecular biotechnology, we mentioned 2 processes whose names sound remarkably similar called RFLP and AFLP. These two processes indeed share some similarities, but have many differences. Briefly explain 2 significant similarities that these share in their processes. Briefly explain 2 significant differences in terms of what these processes are used for. One similarity in RFLP and AFLP processes is cutting DNA for RFLP and cDNA for AFLP with restriction enzymes to create fragments. Another similarity is that DNA is electrophoresed in RFLP to separate different sized restriction fragments creating unique patterns for organisms or individuals (with the exception of twins) much like fingerprints and used for comparison. PCR products are electrophoresed in AFLP to compare tissues, experiments or expression profiling. One difference in what these processes are used for is RFLP is used to compare DNA from people or organisms for genetic fingerprinting and forensics, and AFLP is used to profile gene expressions (requiring mRNA to be converted to cDNA) of uncharacterized tissues, organisms or experiments. Another difference is AFLP can be used for Quantitative Trait Loci which help identify multifactorial inheritance of traits and assist in genome mapping, whereas RFLP is not used for QTL, but can be used for identifying a persons predisposition for a particular disease. (10) 5. Life on the planet Zornock encodes its genetic info in overlapping nucleotide triplets such that the translation apparatus shifts only one nucleotide at a time. In other words, if we had the nucleotide sequence ABCDEF on Earth this would be two codons (ABC DEF) whereas on Zornock it would be 4 codons (ABC, BCD, CDE, DEF) and the beginning of two others. Briefly explain and compare the effect of each of the following types of mutations on the amino acid sequence of a protein in 1) an earthling and 2) a Zornocker. A. The addition of one nucleotide. B. The deletion of one nucleotide. C. The deletion of 3 consecutive nucleotides. Assume these all occur in the middle of a gene. X = added nucleotide, ? = unknown nucleotide A1. One nucleotide added resulting in ABCXDEF in the earthling would create a frameshift that would produce the original codon ABC, a new codon XDE and one codon beginning F. A2. One nucleotide added resulting in ABCXDEF in the Zornocker would create one new codon, making a total of 5 codons, (ABC, BCX, CXD, XDE, DEF) and the beginning of two other codons EF? and F. B1. The deletion of one nucleotide resulting in ABCEF in the earthling would create a frameshift that would produce one original codon, ABC and two different beginnings EF? and F. B2. The deletion one nucleotide resulting in ABCEF in the Zornocker would result in 3 complete codons, ABC, BCE and CEF and two beginnings EF? and F. C1. The deletion of three consecutive nucleotides resulting in ABF in the earthling would create a frameshift that would result in one new codon, ABF. C2. The deletion of three consecutive nucleotides resulting in ABF in the Zornocker would result in one new codon and two partial codons, ABF and the beginnings BF? and F. The insertions and deletions in the earthling would produce a frameshift, creating different codons and a different polypeptide chain from the mutation on. Other effects of the frameshift could be inserting a different AA into the polypeptide or stopping translation altogether. These genotype effects could create non-functioning proteins or fragments, partially functioning proteins or no protein expression. The insertions and deletions in the Zornocker would add or remove codons at the site of the mutation, but would not alter the polypeptide chain after the mutation due to the overlapping nucleotide triplets. (10) 6. Imagine that weve isolated a new and potentially useful mutation in an existing model plant. Our goal as biotechnologists might be to characterize the mutation, figure out what protein it affects, figure out how it is expressed, figure out how it is controlled, and how to best take advantage of it for crop improvement. Using the techniques that weve covered so far, briefly outline a series of experiments and expected results, using at least 5 of the techniques weve discussed, to attempt to achieve the above goals. Hint: There is more than one way to do this. 1 In order to characterize the mutation, we could use Sanger DNA sequencing to determine the amino acid sequence of the mutated gene. We use a primer and DNA polymerase to start DNA synthesis. We then prepare reactions with dideoxynucleotides (ddNTP) for each nitrogenous base, A, T, C and G. We run the reactions with normal nitrogenous bases and one ddNTP nitrogenous base representing either A, T, C or G. The ddNTPs terminate the DNA chains and when all the reactions are electrophoresed on a gel with lanes A, T, C and G, we can read from the bottom up to determine the DNA sequence. We could then compare the DNA sequence to the sequence of the existing model plant to determine the differences in amino acid sequences caused by the mutation. 2. In order to characterize what protein it affects, we could detect gene expression and protein interactions by using qRT-PCR. First we create mRNA by transcribing the mutant DNA genes. Next, we convert the mRNA using reverse transcriptase to cDNA. Then we run a qPCR on the cDNA and add SYBR green to the products. SYBR green intercalates the DNA and we can measure the fluorescence and determine the number of mRNA copies, thus determining which proteins are affected. 3. In order to figure out how it is expressed, we could use DNA microarray and protein microarray analysis. With DNA microarrays we obtain gene chips and hybridize fluorescently labeled cDNA from the tissues containing the mutation. The mutation sample is compared to the model sample in parallel microarrays. A machine then analyzes and overlays the images to measure transcript levels, identify products and determine upregulation and downregulation of many proteins. We could also use protein microarrays which are similar to DNA microarrays, but are used to identify other proteins and compounds a protein interacts with. At times, protein function can be inferred by analyzing the environment in which it is expressed. 4. To figure out how it is controlled, we could use in situ hybridization to locate the mutant gene expression products or RNA molecules produced. First we chemically fix sample tissues to slides. With DNA probes we could localize mRNAs to see which cells and where in these cells the gene is being expressed. We could probe with antibodies to determine which proteins are being translated. We could add or subtract associated enzymes, substrates and cofactors and alter internal and external cell conditions to see how this changes the gene expression and thus determine how the gene is controlled. 5. To determine how best to take advantage of it, we could genetically engineer the model plant with the mutation by inserting the mutant DNA into a Ti plasmid, creating a recombinant Ti plasmid, and have Agrobacterium introduce that into the model plant. The Ti plasmid would recombine with the model plant DNA and create a genetically engineered plant that expresses the new trait. We could then run various experiments on the genetically engineered plant to determine if the trait is expressed as desired and if not, change the variables until we get the advantage we are looking for.

Love Today :: essays research papers

Love in today’s world has been strongly effected by the social and artistic factors of the past. The question of how has the social environment, in which love is taking place, effected the people that are in love. In stories like Romeo and Juliet, the social environment is the major aspect of the main character love life. Because of their feuding families, their love almost did not exisist, but at the same time, if their families where not in this situation, their love might not of been inspired in the first place. Problem’s like this show up in hundreds of fiction and true life stories all of the time. The only difference between the love between Romeo and Juliet and other scenarios such as West Side Story, and Splendor in the Grass, is that these social situations make the story interesting, therefore, a wonderful love story. In the story, West Side Story, there is a huge social disagreement between two New York City gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets are primarily a white territorial gang that has been sworn to defend there street from a Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks. This social difference had made these two groups sworn enemies of each and there fore there, it was known that there was to be no interaction between the gangs unless it was expressed in hostility. At a dance on night that both of the racial groups were attending, Tony, a Jets veteran, had his eye caught by a young girl, Maria, who happened to be the younger sister of the Sharks leader, Benardo. Both of the gangs where outraged because Tony had crossed the social line because his love had ruled out the idea of fighting the Sharks because it was not acceptable. Therefore, these two people in love, directly inferred with the social environment during the time that they were living in. In a different sort of social aspect of love, Splendor in the Grass is an excellent example of how a social environment may be related to people in love. Bud, the main character in the story, is from a rich family in the Midwest. Bud’s girlfriend, Deanie, is from a family with less money, who think the world of Bud, but look down at a sexual relationship between the two lovers. The play starts off with the two high school seniors very committed to each. They spend most of their time together and would enjoy times of being together alone. As the play moves on, many factors in Bud’s life make their relationship more and more complicated. Such as Bud’s father Ace, encouraging his son

A Deconstructive Glance at Edgar Allan Poes The City in the Sea Essay

A Deconstructive Glance at Edgar Allan Poe's The City in the Sea Always mesmerizing, Edgar Allan Poe's poems range from deep and depressing to dark and grotesque. Certainly this is true of his poem â€Å"The City in the Sea,† which is dark in tone and ambiguous meaning. What does it mean, and where did Poe come up with his concept? There are many possible answers to this question, and interpretations include the phallic and yonic symbols of Freudian theory and the idea of biblical cities as source material exist. Therefore, it seems that critics cannot agree on a definite explication for the poem. Alice Claudel posits that there are mystic symbols in the poem and states that: â€Å"One can piece bits together and form the general narrative from II Chronicles, II Kings, and Daniel, among others† (56). The idea that Poe took his ideas from the bible is well founded, but he was too complex a poet to make his poetry that easy or that obvious. Another writer, Dwayne Thorpe, suggests Poe had Christian doctrine in mind when he wrote the poem, contending that Poe's sources were biblical in nature (395). He continues: â€Å"identification of it [biblical source] casts some infernal illumination on his use of a Christian work to create a nihilistic vision† (395). This goes back to Claudel's biblical association, but Thorpe ascribes the city a darker, more sinister meaning. While many critics look at â€Å"The City in the Sea† through a Freudian or biblical lens, a deconstructive approach reveals the image of Death's inverted Necropolis. Deconstruction is the art of ambiguity. The theory posits infinite interpretations to literary works, with most of them just as creative as the work itself. With so many interpretations, no one ... ...ing only becomes more deeply hidden. The complex maze of twisting, turning, and doubling back of Poe's work, specifically â€Å"The City in the Sea,† makes the task of completely deconstructing it almost impossible. Works Cited Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 2003. Claudel, Alice M. â€Å"Mystic Symbols in Poe's ‘The City in the Sea.'† Papers on Poe: Essays in Honor of John Ward Ostrom. Ed. Richard P. Veler and Richard Beale Davis. Springfield, OH: Chantry Music Press at Wittenburg U, 1972. 54-61. Garrison, Joseph M. Jr. â€Å"Poe's ‘The City in the Sea.'† Explicator 48.3 (1990): 185-88. Leonard, Douglas N. â€Å"Poe's ‘The City in the Sea.'† Explicator 43.1 (1984): 30-33. Thorpe, Dwayne. â€Å"Poe's ‘The City in the Sea': Source and Interpretation.†American Literature 51 (1979): 394-99.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway originates in Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, which is 1,142 kilometers (713 miles) long. With about 600 kilometers of the railway is built within the Tibet Autonomous Region, it is however, the first railway that linking Tibet with the western part of China, and it will extend from Lhasa, the Tibetan capital to Golmud, a traffic hub in Qinghai Province. Once the construction completed, it will become the longest and most elevated railway built on highlands in the world, and will later be extended to Shigaze and Linzhi in Tibet, and Yunnan Province in southwest China. The acme of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is 5,072 meters above sea level, and more than 960 kilometers, or four-fifths of the railway will be built at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters. Nearly half of the railway (550 kilometers) will be laid on continuous and permanent frozen earth, and the rest of the railway will pass through the grasslands, natural reserve zone, wetlands, and also the arid desert region. The Chinese Government has wanted to build such a railway since the 1950s, shortly after the Communist Army took over control of Tibet. However, the project was postponed for decades due to the construction difficulties with the altitude, terrain, and also the shortage of capital sources. Nevertheless, the dream of building such a railway linking to Tibet has never been gave up by the Chinese Authorities, for which the construction planning, reconnaissance, and feasibility research study has been took place in Qinghai-Tibet plateau for many years ever since the 1960s. In 1984, the Xining-Golmud Railway was completed, the first phase of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which is 815 kilometers long. However, the construction discontinued due to extreme weather condition, terrain, and altitude. In February 2001, the China State Council has approved the construction plan of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway after reviewed the official report submitted by the State Planning Commission. The construction project will take seven years to complete with a sum of 4 billion US Dollars (approx. 32 billion Chinese RMB) total investment. Building the world's most elevated and longest railways, indeed, is not only a trial to a Country's combine national power, and her technology level. In contrast to its several billion dollar of investment, the short-term economic benefit is incommensurate de facto, but it serves for a long-term economic benefit and extensively political and military meanings. Currently, the only transportation to Tibet is limited to ground and air transport, which is deficiency to meet the demand for developing Tibet's economy. In compare to the prosperous eastern seaboard, Tibet remains as the most backward region in China at a little bit more above the national average income for farmers and herdsmen. According to the Himal South Asian magazine (Sept 2002); the current disparity between rural, â€Å"impoverished† Tibetans and urban, â€Å"developed† Chinese then, is a problem for the Beijing administration. The dominant point of view in Beijing is that Tibet has been a messy backyard that remains an embarrassment; for they realize that a radically under-developed Tibet will tarnishes the image of a new China. It is neither the result of a coherent and successful policy, nor a carefully crafted plan to keep Tibetans down. It is an undeniable fact that, once the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is completed, it will bring a convenient transportation way to and from Lhasa, and it eventually lead to a result of overwhelming influx of Chinese migrants, unemployed, and the laid-off workers of the over-saturated eastern coastal cities to migrating to the Tibet Autonomous Region seeking for working and business opportunity. However, these Chinese do not come all the way here to Tibet just to preach Maoism or even Han-ism, and they are concerned about Tibetans only in as much as a Tibetan might endanger or increase their chances to make money. Their opportunities mainly depend on the large government-subsidized projects that fuel Tibet's tertiary economy. Without these, they would have to be left floating again and would drift to the next prospective region all over the country. This controversial railway construction plan has gained great attention for Overseas Tibetans and Tibetan observers over the world after the Chinese government reveal its plan as part of the so-called Western Development Strategy. The Tibetan Action Committee stated that they are afraid once the Qinghai-Tibet Railway plan completed, it will decimate the Tibetan's cultural and traditions and therefore it will destroyed Tibetan's unique identity and turn Tibetan to become sinicize. As the action committee still regards the presence of Communist administration in Tibet since the 1950s as an occupation; in contrast to what the Communist administration called it the â€Å"peaceful liberation†. Therefore, it is not too hard to understand for their worries of the railway construction that link to Lhasa will bring tightening military grip over Tibet , and a much faster and convenient way for logistics supply. Looking at it another way, once the railway is completed, Tibetan herdsman can easily sell their sheer product outside the border, plus more consumer products can enter Tibet which can be improve Tibetans' living standard, where the price will go down due to scarcity of goods. This will greatly benefit Tibetan throw off poverty and enter to a much faster economy development track, isn't it just great for everyone? As business is business, the company needs not to get involve into politic that much. Like the Chinese saying â€Å"The water that bears the boat is the same that swallows it†; if you take weapons like gun for example, it can be use for murder, robbery, self-protection, and of course, use by authorities to saving civilian's life. Thus, it is absolutely depending on how people use it; anything else is out of the question. What the Tibetan Action Committee worries can be taken as a consideration for the company while considered the offer, but it shall not be the sole consideration factor that affects the company on the railway contract offer by the Chinese Government.