Arrested Development :: essays research papers

Default individualization is a path which someone can follow by accepting personally bounding identities which are socially accepted. Basically each person accepting the same identity of that of the person right next to them. By not being their own individual, these identities may possibly delay growth into adulthood. Things in life happen by default for these people, whatever happens just happens, and it is not planned out or thought of to any extent. This individualization does not stimulate growth as a person, because one can just look onto others (whose are actions, choices, and behaviors are socially accepted) to choose their life choices. Or someone can choose a path of developmental individualization. They can easily have their own personal identity apart and different from any others. People can actively have a well thought out plan to change your life for the better and to maintain this plan for life improvement in the adult world As times have changed, so has our culture. Our country tends to veer children towards one particular individualization over another. It seems developmental individualization is more common. People have expectations by society which they must fulfill, and are expected to do so at particular times in their lives, as said by Tamara Haraven who argues the importance of â€Å"†¦ the timing of transitions, with those to adulthood becoming more uniform and orderly.† People are expected in life to go to school, work, get married, start a family, all these things are expected to be done at a certain time in their life. People may not want to do all this in this order and whatever point in their life, but they do because they are expected to do so. This is all supposed to happen developmentally. People are molded by society, actively making decisions and trying to be ahead of life’s obstacles. This is occurring in not only America but as well as in Europe, as Wallace observe s how instead of becoming their own individual people, people â€Å"choose identities from among and increasingly complex array of options†. Sven Morch makes similar observations, on youths who must ‘master’ their adolescence ‘ways’ in order to become successful adults, showing the importance of structure to their culture. Life must be followed in a particular sequence according to ‘contemporary capitalism’ in order to succeed in life. With a million and one people trying to get the same task done, people do things because they have to, not because they want to.

The Old Man In The Sea(the Relationship Between The Old Man And The Bo :: essays research papers

Under close inspection, people have had a hard time agreeing what to make of Santiago's adventure in The Old Man and the Sea. Is it just a good fish tale? One brave man, one big fish, sounds Biblical, but is it? Are we dealing with allegory, or parable, or fable? If so, what is the parallel narrative, or message, or moral? Different people have arrived at different answers, But I believe that Hemmingway is trying to show the relationship between Manolin and Santiago. How that to the world Manolin can only be one person yet to the world Manolin can mean everything. The act of catching the fish is bound to the act of losing the fish—the red blood released by the mortal blow is the green light for the sharks. Whether he catches the fish or whether the fish snaps the line and escapes, the old man will not be able to bring the meat home. The fish is lost, either way. But the two scenarios are not equal. The man is welcomed back into the esteem of the fishermen, into Manolin's company on the fishing boat, into society, solely because he broke with society and went out "too far", out beyond all others. He gains only by losing. This old man will never again chase marlin for days on end. He won't have to, because for the rest of his days he will have Manolin with him not only physically but mentally because of the fact that he knows Manolin will stick with him no matter what. Even if the odds are against him, and the two of them will catch big, but not giant-sized, marlin with the relative ease known as teamwork. One could also make a case that the old man has neither gained nor learned anything. He did not care when the other fishermen mocked him so why should he care if they praise him? He had Manolin's love before and he has it still, and the love and support of that one special person can mean so much to someone, and give them the confidence to go on. He had been a champion before, as an arm-wrestler, and knew he could be a champion again, as a fisherman even though in Manolin’s eyes he was always a champion. He was right, and has the skeleton to prove it. He had bad luck before he hooked the marlin, and he has bad luck after he kills the marlin.

The Defeat of Ethiopia Essay -- African History

In the beginning of the 20th century, all of Africa was in European hands except for just one country. Despite all the factors against this one country, Ethiopia, in1896 they successfully defended themselves from the Italians in the Battle of Adwa. Unfortunately, when the Italians invaded a second time in 1935, the Ethiopians were not so successful. How come the Ethiopians were defeated when not 50 years earlier they were victorious? Was the advance in technology to much for the Ethiopians to combat or was it the lack of good leadership that they once had in the years leading up to the second invasion. I believe that due to the lack of good leadership before and during the second Italian invasion attributed to the defeat of Ethiopia, rather than their technological deficiencies. To first understand the loss in the second war we must first briefly look at their victory in the first war. In this conflict Ethiopia defeated the Italians because their leaders made all the right choices before and during the war. It started with Emperor Tewodros II, who â€Å"reunified the Ethiopia under a single emperor†. Before that Ethiopia was in great disarray, with many different kings and warlords ruled different parts of Ethiopia. This was a crucial step in defeating the Italian because without the full cooperation of all the Ethiopian warlords, than the Italian military would have easily defeated the fragmented Ethiopian states. Another crucial decision that Tewodros II made was to modernize the Ethiopian military with firearms. He learned this lesson harshly after a tough defeat from the modern equipped Egyptian army and from this experience he used it to better his empire. With just these two simple improvements Ethiopia was now in ... ...talian bullets ever could. Even in our time, the most modern army like the United States is not assured victory against a less advanced foe like the Taliban. In the end, it all comes down to the soldiers training, and the leadership of their superiors. WORKS CITED Del Boca, Angelo. Guerra d'Abissinia. Translated by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. The Ethiopian War 1935-1941, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1969. Milkias, Paulos. The Battle of Adwa. N.p.: Algora Publishing, 2005. Nicolle, David, and Raffaele Ruggeri. The Italian Invasion of Abyssinia 1935-36. London: Osprey Military, 1997. Wienholt, Arnold. The Africans' Last Stronghold. London: John Long, 1938. Gilbert, Erik, and Jonathan T. Reynolds. Africa in World History: From Prehistory to the Present. Boston: Pearson, 2012.

Fnce451 Midterm

Midterm Exam – October 17, 2012 SOLUTIONS Instructions: 1. Read the questions carefully. 2. Answer all questions on the following pages. 3. A financial calculator and a regular calculator are permitted. 4. A one-sided 8. 5† x 11† formula sheet is permitted with formulas only. 5. The midterm has 11 pages, including 2 blank pages. 6. For Part 2, show all your work. 7. Midterm duration: 75 minutes. 8. Mark allocation: Shown on exam. Print your name: _________________________________________ Sign your name: __________________________________________ Student Number: __________________________________________Good Luck!!! Part 1: Multiple Choice Part 2: Short Answer and Problems Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Total /20 /4 /5 /10 /16 /55 1 Part 1 [2 points each = 20 points]: Multiple Choice. Circle the BEST answer. 1. The Double Dip Co. is expecting its ice cream sales to decline due to the increased interest in healthy eating. Thus, the company has announced that it will be reducing its annual dividend by 5% a year for the next two years. After that, it will maintain a constant dividend of $1 a share. Two weeks ago, the company paid a dividend of $1. 0 per share. What is this stock worth if you require a 9% rate of return? A. $10. 86 B. $11. 11 C. $11. 64 D. $12. 98 E. $14. 23 2. The value of common stock today depends on: A. The expected future holding period and the discount rate. B. The expected future dividends and the capital gains. C. The expected future dividends, capital gains and the discount rate. D. The expected future holding period and capital gains. E. None of the above. 3. The tax shield on CCA is calculated by: A. The quantity (1-Tc) multiplied by CCA. B. Revenues less expenses less CCA. C.The quantity (Revenues-Expenses) multiplied by CCA. D. Revenues less expenses less taxes. E. None of the above. 4. If the project beta-IRR co-ordinates plot above the SML, the project should be: A. Accepted because it is overvalued. B. Accepted because it is undervalued. C. Rejected because it is overvalued. D. Rejected because it is undervalued. E. None of the above. 5. The opportunity set of portfolios is: A. All possible return combinations of those securities. B. All possible risk combinations of those securities. C. All possible risk-return combinations of those securities.D. The best or highest risk-return combination. E. The lowest risk-return combination. 2 6. The combination of the efficient set of portfolios with a riskless lending and borrowing rate results in: A. The capital market line which shows that all investors will only invest in the riskless asset. B. The capital market line which shows that all investors will invest in a combination of the riskless asset and the tangency portfolio. C. The security market line which shows that all investors will invest in the riskless asset only. D.The security market line which shows that all investors will invest in a combination of the riskless asset and th e tangency portfolio. E. None of the above. 7. Stock A has an expected return of 20%, and stock B has an expected return of 4%. However, the risk of stock A as measured by its variance is 3 times that of stock B. If the two stocks are combined equally in a portfolio, what would be the portfolio's expected return? A. 20. 0%. B. 4. 0%. . C. 12. 0%. D. Greater than 20%. E. Need more information to answer. 8. Two mutually exclusive investment opportunities require an initial investment of $8 million.Investment A then generates $1 million per year in perpetuity, while investment B pays $500,000 in the first year, with cash flows increasing by 5% per year thereafter. Determine the NPV for which an investor would regard both opportunities as being equivalent. A. ?$1 million B. $0 C. $1 million D. $2 million E. $8 million 9. When comparing two projects with different lives, why do you compute an annuity with an equivalent present value (PV) to the net present value (NPV)? A. So that you can see which project has the greatest net present value (NPV). B.So that the projects can be compared on their cost or value created per year. C. To reduce the danger that changes in the estimate of the discount rate will lead to choosing the project with a shorter time frame. D. To ensure that cash flows from the project with a longer life that occur after the project with the shorter life has ended are considered. E. To avoid complications arising from alternating cash inflows and outflows. 3 10. A firm is considering changing their credit terms. It is estimated that this change would result in sales increasing by $1,000,000.This in turn would cause inventory to increase by $150,000, accounts receivable to increase by $100,000, and accounts payable to increase by $75,000. What is the firm's expected change in net working capital? A. $1,175,000 B. $325,000 C. $250,000 D. $175,000 E. $150,000 4 Part 2 [35 points]: Short Answer and Problems. Please show all your work. Question 1 [4 poi nts]: When two stocks have a correlation of ? 1, is it always possible to construct a portfolio with 0 standard deviation? If so, what is the weight (denoted as ? ) that always ensures that the portfolio has 0 standard deviation? Answer: Yes. 1 point) We can show this by substituting correlation of ? 1 in the portfolio variance formula: ? p2 = ? 2? 12 + (1 ? ?)2? 22 + 2? (1 ? ?)? 1,2? 1? 2 which gives, ? p2 = ? 2? 12 + (1 ? ?)2? 22 + 2? (1 ? ?)(? 1)? 1? 2 = [ 1 ? (1 ? ?)? 2]2 (1 point for setting up the problem with the variance formula) We are interested in the standard deviation, which is the square root of the above variance. By choosing ? so that [ 1 ? (1 ? ?)? 2] = 0 we get ? = ? 2/(? 1 + ? 2) and thus we can always ensure the portfolio has 0 standard deviation. (2 points: 1 point for setting the standard deviation equal to zero to solve for ? and 1 point for final answer) 5 Question 2 [5 points]: Storico Co. just paid a dividend of $3. 50 per share. The company will increase i ts dividend by 20 percent next year and will then reduce its dividend growth rate by 5 percentage points per year until it reaches the industry average of 5 percent dividend growth, after which the company will keep a constant growth rate, forever. If the required return on Storico stock is 13 percent, what will a share of stock sell for today? Answer: Here we have a stock with differential growth, where the dividend growth changes every year for the first four years.We can find the price of the stock in Year 3 since the dividend growth rate is constant after the third dividend. The price of the stock in Year 3 will be the dividend in Year 4, divided by the required return minus the constant dividend growth rate. So, the price in Year 3 will be: P3 = $3. 50(1. 20)(1. 15)(1. 10)(1. 05) / (. 13 – . 05) = $69. 73 (2 points: 1 point for set up and 1 point for answer) The price of the stock today will be the PV of the first three dividends, plus the PV of the stock price in Year 3 , so: P0 = $3. 50(1. 20)/(1. 13) + $3. 50(1. 20)(1. 15)/1. 132 + $3. 50(1. 20)(1. 15)(1. 0)/1. 133 + $69. 73/1. 133 (2 points for set up) P0 = $59. 51 (1 point) 6 Question 3 [10 points]: The expected return of the S&P 500, which you can assume is the market portfolio, is 16% and has a standard deviation of 25% per year. The expected return of Microsoft is unknown, but it has a standard deviation of 20% per year and a covariance with the S&P 500 of 0. 10. The risk-free rate is 6 percent per year. a. [2 points] Compute Microsoft’s beta. Answer: ? Microsoft = Cov(RMicrosoft, RM) / var(RM) ? Microsoft = 0. 10 / (0. 25)2 = 1. 60 (2 points: 1 point for set up and 1 point for final answer) . [2 points] What is Microsoft’s expected return given the beta computed in part (a)? We know from the CAPM: E(R) = Rf + ? (E(RM) – Rf) Therefore, E(RMicrosoft) = 0. 06 + (1. 60)(0. 16? 0. 06) = 0. 220 or 22. 0% (2 points: 1 point for set up and 1 point for final answer) c. [2 points ] If Intel has half the expected return of Microsoft, then what is Intel’s beta? From the CAPM, we can solve for ? : E(R) = Rf + ? (E(RM) – Rf) 0. 11 = 0. 06 + ? Intel(0. 16 – 0. 06) ? Intel = 0. 50 (2 points: 1 point for set up and 1 point for final answer) 7 d. [2 points] What is the beta of the following portfolio? . 25 weight in Microsoft; 0. 10 weight in Intel; 0. 75 weight in the S&P 500; ? 0. 20 weight in GM (where ? GM = 0. 80); 0. 10 weight in the risk-free asset. Answer: The beta of the portfolio is the weighted average of the betas of the assets that comprise the portfolio: ? P = (0. 25)(1. 60) + (0. 10)(0. 50) + (0. 75)(1. 0) + (? 0. 20)(0. 80) + (0. 10)(0) = 1. 04 (2 points: 1 point for set up and 1 point for final answer) e. [2 points] What is the expected return of the portfolio in part (d)? Answer: From the CAPM, we can solve for E(RP) E(RP) = Rf + ? E(RM) – Rf) = 0. 06 + (1. 04)(0. 16 – 0. 06) = 0. 164 or 16. 4% (2 points: 1 point for set up and 1 point for final answer) 8 Question 4 [16 points]: Better Mousetraps has developed a new trap. It can go into production for an initial investment in equipment of $6 million. Ignore the CCA system and assume that the equipment will be depreciated straight-line over 5 years to a value of zero, but in fact it can be sold after 5 years for $500,000. The firm believes that working capital at each date must be maintained at a level of 10 percent of next year’s (i. e. he following year’s) forecast sales. The firm estimates production costs equal to $1. 50 per trap and believes that the traps can be sold for $4 each. Sales forecasts are given in the following table below. The project will come to an end in five years, when the trap becomes technologically obsolete. The firm’s tax bracket is 35 percent, and the required rate of return on the project is 12 percent. What is project NPV? Year Sales (millions of traps) 0 0 1 0. 5 2 0. 6 3 1. 0 4 1. 0 5 0. 6 Thereafter 0 Answer: YEAR: Sales (traps) Revenue ($4. 00 ? Sales) Expense ($1. 50 ?Sales) Working capital Change in Wk Cap CF from Operations: Revenue Expense Depreciation Pretax profit Tax After-tax profit CF from operations Cash Flow CF: capital investments CF from working capital CF from operations Total CF PV @ 12% Net present value 0 0. 00 0. 00 0. 00 0. 20 0. 20 1 0. 50 2. 00 0. 75 0. 24 0. 04 2 0. 60 2. 40 0. 90 0. 40 0. 16 3 1. 00 4. 00 1. 50 0. 40 0. 00 4 1. 00 4. 00 1. 50 0. 24 –0. 16 5 0. 60 2. 40 0. 90 0. 00 –0. 24 0. 00 0. 00 0. 00 0. 00 0. 00 0. 00 0. 00 2. 0000 0. 7500 1. 2000 0. 0500 0. 0175 0. 0325 1. 2325 2. 400 0. 900 1. 200 0. 300 0. 05 0. 195 1. 3950 4. 000 1. 500 1. 200 1. 300 0. 455 0. 845 2. 0450 4. 000 1. 500 1. 200 1. 300 0. 455 0. 845 2. 0450 2. 400 0. 900 1. 200 0. 300 0. 105 0. 195 1. 3950 (5 points) –6. 00 –0. 20 0. 00 –6. 20 –6. 20 –0. 1817 0. 0000 –0. 0400 1. 2325 1. 1925 1. 0647 0. 0000 – 0. 1600 1. 3950 1. 2350 0. 9845 0. 0000 0. 0000 2. 0450 2. 0450 1. 4556 0. 0000 0. 1600 2. 0450 2. 2050 1. 4013 0. 3250 0. 2400 1. 3950 1. 9600 1. 1122 (2 points) (6 points) (3 points) 9 This page is left blank on purpose. Use it if you need it. 10 This page is left blank on purpose. Use it if you need it. 11

Advantage of Internet Essay

But its all depends on how we use the INTERNET which is simply called as the backbone of world technology.. You might have heard that everything in this world has the other side, if one side is good, another side may be bad. Similarly, if one side is bad, another side will be good. This is the simple example, which may be applicable on the usage of internet. Internet, no doubt has made this world so wonderful, which we had never even dreamt of. For example, I am writing this answer for a person, who is thousands of miles away from my place. It is only internet, which has made our life so comfortable and informative, you name any information, it is just a click away from you. For professionals and students, this new virtual world has become very useful, it is like a sea or information or a reference book, which is always on your fingertips. As I mentioned, everything has the other side, internet too has the other side or negative side, which could badly spoil anyone especially children, who are exposed to many unwanted information like obscenity, sex, violence etc. They also get addicted to many things like online games, cartoons etc, which led to the deviation from studies and behavioral change. At last, I would like to say that parent should always keep watch on their wards and must ensure that their child don’t get exposed to unwanted content on internet, parents’ can also use the child lock or block the websites, which have the explicit content. The advantages are: information, communication and creation. For example, there is a vast amount of info on the Internet which can be used both by children and adults alike. Everyone uses the Internet for e-mail or blog. And everyday lots of new creations such as websites and forums are created and people use them in accordance to the values of the other 2 advantages. The disadvantages are: people can become addicted to the Internet. They will stay inside all day long and not stretch or anything. And, some people have  their head buried in their Blackberries all day long. Another disadvantage is that there are a lot of inappropriate sites on the Internet which children visit. They see things that are too old for them. Personally, i feel like it gives the child motives to study, because theres a lot to know, and the internet makes it seem interesting to know, it makes finding information easy, helps with answering questions, contacting the teachers, and staying in contact with friends, but then again, there are sooo many distractions; if the child doesnt have much self control, they wouldnt get anything done, but only use facebook, ect. And there are always alternatives to the internet, like cell phones to stay in contact, books to learn, and dictionaries to look up words. You dont REALLY need the internet. For an adult, I feel like they can use it to share things with friends, find out what they need to know, advertise, but theres distraction’s always for them too. There are advantages and disadvantages both aspects we find using internet by the children. To know about world’s information they can grab immediately through it and update themselves with the knowledge. The games, notes, puzzles, outdoor/indoor activities to develop their mind and many things are there which are useful to them. But to see computer continue might harm their eyesight, they may go to see towards negative pictures and video clips, give up concentrations towards study and more unusual moves will be created through internet. Internet has made the world narrow and reachable immediately for friendship and planning for new activities, communicating with different cultures and exchanging ideas as well as to know about new places and see in the picture lively. However, the bad aspect is to keep vulgar pictures in sharing and to scold others or threaten through internet has become much easy. Therefore, we might get both the things in the use of internet by the children in this society. The proliferation of Internet technologies has both advantages and  disadvantages. Internet is defined as a collection of various services and resources. Today, Internet has brought a globe in a single room. Right from getting news across the corner of the world to accessing knowledge resources to shopping, everything is at your fingertips. Internet has tremendous potential and a lot to offer in terms of services. However, like every single innovation in science and technology, Internet has its own advantages and disadvantages. And it has some effects also in students in their development socially, psychologically, physically, emotionally and spiritually. There is so much that students can do with the Internet. Not only can they communicate with other students, they can gain from others’ knowledge and experiences, participate in chat rooms, share ideas and solutions and learn about the many diverse cultures out there. And one of its advantages is the email. Email is a quick and easy way to stay in touch with family, friends, business contacts, and strangers. It doesn’t cost the price of a stamp and you don’t have to wait for days to get a response or answer. In the business world, it is any easy, fast way to keep in touch with co-workers and employers. Emails keep us from wasting valuable time being placed on hold when you need to contact someone regarding business or pleasure. Many students also use it to pass their projects via email and it’s because it is fast and reliable. And the other one is the Infinite storage of information. The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The ‘search engines’ on the Internet can help you to find data on any subject that you need. And for students it could make their work easier like their homework but sometimes the information you get from Internet cannot be 100% right, because everybody can write  on Internet about everything. Entertainment is another popular reason why many students nowadays prefer to surf the Internet. In fact, media of internet has become quite successful in trapping multifaceted entertainment factor. Downloading games, visiting chat rooms or just surfing the Web are some of the uses people have discovered. There are numerous games that may be downloaded from the Internet for free. The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal attention by game lovers. In fact, the Internet has been successfully used by people to find lifelong partners. When people surf the Web, there are numerous things that can be found. Music, hobbies, news and more can be found and shared on the Internet. And like Youtube where students usually visit to listen music. And when one is bored he could search for games he want and play. But despite its numerous advantages the Internet is not absolutely free of weak points. Thus, alongside with useful and beneficial information the Internet sources, sites that make pornography available to students are all over in the Web. In addition, too often the ease with which the information can be retrieved is not directly proportional to its quality and reliability. Many Internet users indicate as a flagrant problem the potential ability of dangerous strange fellows to make contact with students. Disadvanatages your eyes will be destroyed. no appetite in the food. when you’re having an assignment,you’ll immediately copy and then paste without reading and understanding it carefully pornographies unreliable informations you’re going to be a victim of some social networking sites like hacking, etc.

Making Scotch

Scotch whiskey is traditionally made with just barley and water.   Also referred to as malt whiskey, Scotch, in the beginning of the production process, requires barley grains to be steeped in water until they sprout.   The germinating barley is generally spread on the floor of a malting house where it continues to develop over the course of a week or two. The grains are turned over regularly during this malting period, using a â€Å"paddle† to allow air to get at them and to encourage even development.   The starch in the barley turns to sugar, and germination is stopped at the optimum time by placing the barley in an oven or kiln.   Traditionally, Scotch makers used peat fired ovens to give the Scotch its peaty, smoky taste.   Some distilleries continue to retain the peaty flavor of Scotch today by burning peat and blowing the smoke over the grain. Once the barley is dry, it is milled to produce a floury substance called â€Å"grist.†Ã‚   This substance is rich in sugar, and mixed with hot water to create a â€Å"mash.†Ã‚   The mash is placed in a large cylindrical metal vessel or container called a â€Å"mash tun.†Ã‚   In order to release the sugars, the contents of the mash tun are stirred regularly.   At the conclusion of this process, a liquid known as â€Å"wort† is produced.   This hot, sweet, non-alcoholic liquid is transferred to a large wooden â€Å"washback,† which is similar to a giant wooden pail that is commonly made from Oregon pine or Cypress, both of which are highly resistant to fungi. The yeast is added in the washback to begin the fermentation process.   During this process, the sugar in the wort is turned into alcohol as the solution bubbles and foams furiously before gradually slowing down.   The sugar is converted over a period of two to four days.   At the end of  this process, the alcohol content of the product is no more than approximately 8-9%.   The Scotch is not ready, and so the liquid wash must be distilled down to the required alcohol content. Distillation is the next major step in Scotch making.   This process takes place in copper pot stills that have a distinctive, swan-neck shape.   The shape of the stills and the length of the neck determine the character of the final product. Typically, there are two kinds of stills involved in the distillation process: the wash still and the spirit still.   The first is used to produce the first distillation, referred to as â€Å"low wines.†Ã‚   This product is distilled for the second time in the spirit still before it is collected as the strong distilled spirit.   This spirit is not useable, however.   Hence, it is diverted into a receiving tank.   The final product of the second distillation is not useable either.   But it is saved to be added to the next batch of low wines. The glass-fronted â€Å"spirit safe† is where the spirit is tested with a hydrometer as it leaves the pot stills.   In Scotland, this safe is heavily padlocked by the Customs & Excise to prevent any possibility of the distillery siphoning off the spirit in order to avoid the payment of legal duty on it. Following this formality, the final spirit is collected in the receiving tank.   It is now prepared to go into barrels for the next stage of the Scotch making process – maturation.   Scotch whiskey is normally stored in barrels that have been previously used.   It takes around three years at least to call it Scotch, however.   Maturation may take anything from three years to twenty years.   Before it is matured, the Scotch is simply referred to as spirit. During the process of maturation, around 2% of the spirit is lost each year due to evaporation.   Once the malt whiskey has been matured for the required time, it can be bottled and labeled.   However, if it is to be used as part of a blended whiskey, the master blender would â€Å"nose† each  whiskey to determine its characteristics and to ensure that the consistency of the specific blend is maintained. Blenders may include in the final blend as many as thirty or forty different malt and grain whiskeys.   The blender is also responsible for ensuring that a particular blend retains its consistency over a number of years.   For this reason, the blender’s nose must be skilled. Coloring is added at this point to the Scotch, and the drink is chill-filtered so as to remove the oils that cause cloudiness when ice is added.   The prepared whiskey, whether blended or not, is then transferred to the bottling plant where it is bottled using automated methods.   It is also noteworthy that some of the processes mentioned in the making of Scotch are now automated.   As an example, barley may be turned or â€Å"ploughed† with automatic paddles as opposed to manually during the grain germination process.   The chief fermentation and distillation processes, however, have largely remained unchanged in the last couple of hundred years. Bibliography 1.   Distillery Journey: Making Scotch Whiskey. (1998). Cocktail Times. Retrieved from http://www.cocktailtimes.com/distillery/making_scotch.shtml. (15 March 2007). 2. Making Scotch Whiskey: A Brief Explanation of the Traditional Method. (2005). Loch Lomond Distillers. Retrieved from http://www.lochlomonddistillery.com/making-scotch.htm. (15 March 2007).   

Nothing Lasts Forever: Critical Analysis of Ozymandias

Nothing Lasts Forever: A New Critical Analysis of â€Å"Ozymandias. † Throughout the history of man, there has always been a select few who wish for immortality. They build awe-inspiring kingdoms, erect massive statues, all in a vain effort to leave their mark on the world. None of them has been successful, thus far, and Ramesses II is no exception. In the poem â€Å"Ozymandias,† by Percy Bysshe Shelley, a traveler shares his experience at the site of a statue depicting Ramesses II. The statue has fallen into disrepair at the hands of the harsh environment, as well as the eroding process of Time.At first reading, the text presents itself as a poem about the withering away of a once great statue. However, through the use of symbolism, setting, diction, and irony, the poem reveals that while men may strive for immortality, the true â€Å"king of kings† (line 11) is Time. Legs on the human body are necessary for motion and balance, but they also act as an important symbol of Ramesses II’s kingdom. Without these twin apparatuses, the human body is incapable of moving forward. In this respect, the two â€Å"vast and trunkless legs of stone† (line 2) found bodiless in the poem symbolize the overthrow of Ozymandias’s empire by Time.Without legs on which to stand, his kingdom has lost its momentum and has subsequently been devoured by the sand. In addition, the top half of the statue—the head and part of the torso—is laying in the sand â€Å"half sunk† (line 4). As with the legs, the positioning of the head and torso is symbolic. Ozymandias is gazing at the sky, looking up what remains of his decimated kingdom, a â€Å"wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command† (line 5) on his face. To look up to someone else is to acknowledge their position of authority over others.Through the positioning of the statue, Ramesses II is acknowledging that Time has conquered him. His empire has been reduced to dust, clai med by the sands of Time. The poem describes the setting as â€Å"boundless and bare/The lone and level sands stretch far away† (line 13-14), which amplifies Time’s dominance as a theme. What is a desert? To the unknowing reader, it is nothing more than a large sandbox. With the exception of sand and rocks, it’s an empty, dead land. However, when compared to other terrains, such as a forest or ountain range, it is surprisingly uncomplicated. In â€Å"Ozymandias,† the harsh environment and unforgiving terrain is a symbol of brutal honesty. Humans are poorly tolerated in deserts, and should a man decide to build his empire in one, he will be faced with brutal honesty and will be tested. The choice of location is just as crucial to the theme as the location itself. Since the statue is in its original environment, overtaken by the harsh winds and buried in the sand, and not preserved behind a glass case, it argues against Ozymandias’s immortality.Rathe r than be displayed for others to learn and respect his accomplishments, the remains of his kingdom have been left behind, deemed useless and unwanted by the world. Had the traveler viewed the remains of the statue in a museum, Time’s purpose in the poem would have taken on a whole new meaning. Given the state of his later surroundings, Ozymandias’s words â€Å"Look at my works, ye Mighty, and despair† (line 11) are ironic, and the imagery of his former kingdom proves that Time has conquered him. When the traveler recounts his visit to the â€Å"antique land† (line 1), he describes a landscape that is covered in sand.A statue is a symbol of longevity and permanence. Its appearance, if well-maintained, does not wane or deteriorate, forever capturing the beauty and magnificence of the subject for which it was created. Such is the case with Michelangelo’s â€Å"David†, which has only continued to thrive because it is maintained. However, there are no servants remaining to tend to Ramesses II’s statue, no one to remember his legacy. The statue of Ozymandias has broken in half, and the head lays on the ground close by. â€Å"Nothing beside remains† (line 12) the traveler explains, noting â€Å"†¦ the decay/Of that colossal wreck† (lines 12 – 13).Can the King of kings’ legacy continue without proof that it ever truly existed? No, it cannot, which means the words scripted on the pedestal have taken on an entirely different meaning. It is not Ozymandias that the Mighty should fear, but the true King of kings—Time. Time’s empire is in actuality the thing that is â€Å"boundless† (line 13), not the kingdom of Ozymandias, which had a time limit all along. The diction choices in the sonnet are very specific, particularly those describing the statue, and they serve to reflect Ramesses II’s downfall. The raveler describes the statue as being â€Å"on the sand/Half sunk† (line 3-4), which is often interpreted to mean that the statue is buried halfway in the sand. Considering the ironic words engraved on Ozymandias’s statue, the word â€Å"sunk†Ã¢â‚¬â€the past participle of the word â€Å"sink†Ã¢â‚¬â€takes on a different meaning. What is sand, and more importantly, how does it relate to the theme of the poem? When used in conjunction, sand and Time make up an hourglass—the universal symbol of time. The sand surrounding the statue is not merely a mass accumulation of sedimentary rock, but a symbol for the Sands of Time, a term given to the inside of an hourglass.The statue, as well as the kingdom has been devoured by Time. Another few centuries, and the last remnants of Ramesses II’s empire will fall through the hourglass completely. Furthermore, line four continues with â€Å"a shattered visage lies† (line 4). When something is shattered, it is almost impossible to reassemble them. Even a shatte red limb takes months to heal properly, and it is never quite the same from then on. The â€Å"shattered visage† (line 4) spoken of in the poem isn’t just Ramesses II’s statue; it is his legacy that has been broken. The empire that he had created, the one that he was so sure would endure, has collapsed.The hubris of kings is pride and the desire for immortality. Unfortunately, as Shelley’s poem demonstrates, Time is not something that can be manipulated. With his death, Ramesses II’s empire came to a standstill, but Time continued to move and ultimately overthrew the pharaoh. Time is the true King of kings. Through the use of symbolism, setting, diction, and irony, Shelley proves that humans are finite beings and nothing lasts forever. Works Cited Shelley, Percy Bysshe. â€Å"Ozymandias. † Literature: Reading and Writing with Critical Strategies. Ed. Steven Lynn. Pearson-Longman. New York City. 2004. 618 – 619. Print.