Steroids and Sports Essay -- Sports Argumentative Drugs Essays

Steroids and Sports Steroids, ever since their introduction into the sports world five decades ago, they have been a controversial issue (WebMD medical news). Anabolic performance dates as far back as the original Olympic Games. Today walking into any gym you will find some one who is using steroids or some kind of enhancement supplement. Anabolic steroids are so popular with athletes from high School level all the way up to the top. For the past fifty years, athletes around the world use steroids to gain muscle mass, and along with regular work-outs try to achieve the results they desire. Kids today using these drugs are getting younger and younger every day. But is it worth the cost? I believe the ban on steroids should be strictly enforced because besides the health risks it provides, it also compromises the integrity of the game in sports. The history of anabolic steroids can be traced back to the 1930's when a team of scientists first produced synthetic testosterone. The purpose of this synthetic steroid was to improve malnutrition and muscle loss in patients. In to the sports arena they were first introduced by the German athletes in preparation for the 1936 Olympic Games (Measles 2). The Russian Weight-lifting team won several metals in 1952 Olympic Games due to the use of "synthetic testosterone (Measles 54). After this American sport's physicians determined the US athletes should have the same completive advantage, and so the Americans started to use steroids. By the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, the debate was not over the ethical or moral use of the drugs, but whether which drug was more effective. By 1969 all was in the open; the talk among users was all praise of the effect steroids had on performance (M... ...ung athletes should be encouraged to rely on their natural talents and strengths for the sake of fair play and medical safety. Anabolic steroids improve strength but that doesn't necessarily make you a better player. Work Cited Anabolic steroids in Sport and Exercise. Second edition. Charles E. Yesalis, MPH, ScD the Pennsylvania State University Editor. Explains the history of Steroids and also talks about how it is used in today's sports, and how steroids can be prevented. www.9NEWS.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=b401471f-0abe-42 In this article they talk about the growing use of steroid in sports. INFOFACTS; Steroids : www.drugabuse.gov In this website they talk about the health hazards of using Anabolic steroids. AMETRICAN COLLEGE of SPORTS MEDICINE Steroid survey reveals dangerous trends among users: June 1, 2005. www.acsm.org

Pirates of Silverland Essay

A. INTRODUCTION OF THE CASE Palm Haul Sdn Bhd (PHSB) was actively engaged in the business of transportation of crude palm oil (CPO). It was in a niche market because of high demand in delivering the CPO from the mills to the refineries. In addition, due to this reason, the industry players were rewarded with high gross profit margin which ranged on 35% – 45% with low administrative overheads. However, as PHSB involved in service industry, high cost of sales was inevitable in the operations. This issue created higher competitiveness in the market because the industry players tend to operate more efficaciously in managing cost of sales. Furthermore, oil piracy was the major issue which was difficult to be solved and avoided by the industry players. It also caused to significant impact and losses in this industry. In more serious extent, the persons committed this siphoning cases were not identified and red-handed. This was the reason contributed serious impact to PHSB, as the gross profit margin was substantially narrowed due to highly increased in direct costs. The drastic decrease of gross profit margin certainly not only caused by the single reason mentioned. PHSB was found to incur high compensation paid for CPO shortfall, inconsistency of drivers’ attendance and high expensed on maintenance. PHSB was in critical situation due to the emergence of these challenges. In depth of analysing problem encountered by PHSB, the CPO consigned by PHSB was justified and led to the quality issue in refineries. Oilene Refineries Sdn Bhd (Oilene), one of the major customers of PHSB, criticised the CPO delivered was frequently short and contaminated with water or sludge. The low quality of CPO affected the processing plant of Oilene and additional works had to be performed for cleaning purpose, by shutting down the plant. Because of the serious impact given by PHSB, the management of Oilene decided whether not to proceed for the contract renewal, which would be expired in June 2009. Therefore, En. Rossly must review the operations of PHSB and necessary actions must be taken in order to secure the contract from Oilene. B. COMPANY BACKGROUND Palm Haul Sdn Bhd (PHSB) was established in 2002, in Taiping, Perak. It was a medium-sized enterprise in the CPO transportation business. It had about 200  employees, out of which, 80% was in operations, primarily drivers of the company’s customized tankers. Generally, PHSB was owned and chaired by Datuk S. Najeed, who was the former chief engineer of Ministry of Transport PHSB. The routine operation of PHSB was managed by En. Rossly, the CEO and son-in-law of Datuk S. Najeed. Furthermore, this company was branched into three major functions which included Account cum Finance, Human Resource and Administration functions. And, they were in charged by three key personnel, Romsee Rossly, Ramli Ali and Aliah Ibrahim, respectively. En Rossly decided to engage with a management consultant who was also a friend of En. Rossly’s, to provide effective solutions for the issues endangered PHSB. C. ISSUES LEADING TO THE INCREASE OF DIRECT COST IN PHSB 1. Rising compensation to CPO shortfall and low operating margins 1.1 Issues 1.2.1 Compensation to the refineries Referred to the PHSB’s two years financial reports (2008-2009), there were increasing trends of compensation being made by PHSB to the refineries due to the shortage of CPO during the transportation. It showed that until March 2009, PHSB compensated about RM2 million, which already increased more than 33 % from the compensation they made RM1.5 million in 2008. The compensation cost was on increasing trend which it could be seen from the compensation figures from 2006 until 2009. In 2006, the compensation that PHSB had to bear was RM345, 111 and it was increased double in 2007, RM645, 222, and then again another two-folded increased in 2008, which was at RM1.5 million. PHSB should shoulder the differences in the amount of CPOs that were short-delivered to the refineries. The PHSB’s customer, Oilene Refineries Sdn Bhd (Oilene), claimed that the CPO delivered by PHSB’s tankers, were less than the recorded quantity in the delivery order and some of the CPO had been contaminated with water or sludge. Compared to another transporter hired by Oilene, Tiger Oils Transporter, PHSB’s consignment was the most difficult to be processed. Despite the claim by Oilene on the delivered CPO, there was also a possibility that the CPO turned into sludge because of their chemical reaction to the changes of temperatures in the tanker. Therefore, PHSB should look into this matter as well. Nevertheless, there was a possibility of five years contract, between PHSB and Oilene, would be insecure if these issues were not amicably settled by the PHSB as soon as  possible. 1.2.2 Compensation to the staff Another compensation that PHSB had to cover was regarding the compensation to the staff, such as salaries, allowances and ex-gratia. The compensation amount recorded until March 2009, costing PHSB around RM8.03 million, an increase of 7.1 % compare to 2008. There is a possibility that the increased amount was due too many festive seasons during the year’s end. The amount from both compensation lead to the lower operating margin for the PHSB in 2009 compared to 2008. Operating margin is a measurement of what proportion of a company’s revenue is left over after paying for variable costs of production such as wages, raw materials, etc. A healthy operating margin is required for a company to be able to pay for its fixed costs, such as interest on debt. Low operating margin for the PHSB, meaning they are not making a good profit on every Ringgit that they spending on. It will jeopardise their bottom line for the financial year. 1.2 Recommendations There are five possible recommendations for this issue, which are monthly financial report for the PHSB and to have an additional staff to monitor this irregularity in the account. 1.2.1 Monthly Financial Report By implementing the monthly financial report, PHSB could monitor their expenses on a monthly basis, thus any regularity could be taken care as soon as possible. The standard monthly financial reporting package includes the following two core reports (University of Michigan, n.d.): i. Statement of Activity (SOA) The SOA reports display the posted revenue and expense transactions for an accounting period (i.e. one month period) for the specified parameters (e.g. Project/Grant). By presenting the SOA on the monthly basis, PHSB’s management could thoroughly monitor and review their activities for that particular month. If there is any unnecessary activity, the management could take corrective action before it could jeopardise their operations. ii. Gross Pay Register (GPR) The GPR report is a record of each employee’s paycheck salaries and  allowances. By having this report every month, the management will be able to identify the compensation made to the employees on a monthly basis. And, they will be notified on the additional or irregularities payment that the PHSB made during that particular month. 1.2.3 Close Monitoring on the Tankers Temperature To train and educate PHSB’s drivers on the measurement of the tanker temperatures in order to avoid any chemical reaction which it could turn the liquid form of CPO to sludge. PHSB also have to invest more on the reliable tankers to keep the CPOs in a suitable temperature. 1.2.4 Trucksecure’s System PHSB may install tankers with the Trucksecure System. It is a unique, simple, non-invasive system fuel loss can be detected from either the main or secondary tank, whether taken through the fuel filler neck, sender hole or from puncturing the tank. One of the main problems encountered by haulers is detecting small but regular amounts of stolen fuel. The Trucksecure system has the ability to measure minimal fuel loss to combat this problem with the additional benefit for the operator to detect suspected internal theft covertly via an optional GSM text message. By installing this system, PHSB will be alerted on any attempt to siphon or steal the CPO immediately. Security Company will be alerted as well and they will investigate that particular tanker. This will decrease the possibility of siphoning and stealing of CPOs. 1.2.5 Balance Inventory Levels PHSB have to cooperate with Oilene in implementing the balance inventory levels in checking and manage the CPO. Both companies could review the consignment through the purchase orders, receipt and credit notes, return notes as well as delivery notes which all of it will be validated by representatives from both companies. To follow-up on this method, both companies could have a thorough check on their inventory records. By implementing this method, PHSB could avoid the possibility of receiving less amount of CPOs than stated in the delivery orders. 1 High oil pilferage 1. 2. 3.1. Issues 2.1.1 Siphoning caused to higher direct cost incurred to refineries In the transportation industry, the transporter is required to bear for any losses incur during its consignment. The same practice applied to PHSB, hence, it had to reserve huge sum of money as the compensation to the refineries. In fact, the management found that many of the loaded tankers were not delivered to the refineries, but were found to be abandoned at the roadside by the irresponsible drivers. In addition, the siphoning case also contributed to the high compensation paid to the refineries. As per the case reported, the compensation cost per turnover hit at 7.7% in 2008, and increased to 8.3% as reported in total of three quarters of income statement in 2009. The increase of compensation cost had led to narrower of gross profit margin as it was a part of cost of sales. 2.1.2 Increase of insurance premiums PHSB took a good practice where it mitigated the consignment risk to third party, the insurer. PHSB had bad track records because many cases happened to be the tankers left abandoned by the drivers. The insurer, Allianz Insurance might not be responsible on the abandoned tankers. Moreover, it brought to higher operation risk of PHSB. Thus, there will be a ground for the insurer to charge greater insurance premiums to cover the inconsistency of operation in PHSB. And, the cost of sales of PHSB will be risen significantly due to the Goods-In-Transit insurance is incurred directly to operation in the nature of transportation. 3.2. Recommendations 2.1 2.2.3 Implementation of Fleet Management System (FMS) In the view of Mukhriz Mohd, FMS is a must to be enforced in PHSB. This system allows PHSB to minimise the risks associated with tankers in consignments, improve the operation efficiency and reduce in compensation cost. With this FMS, siphoning cases will be drastically reduced because the management of PHSB is able to detect the delivery locations of the tankers. In addition, it helps to reduce the fuel consumption as well. The problem of abandoned tankers will be eliminated as the drivers will be red-handed with  serious punishments. Therefore, FMS is vital to be installed as PHSB operates in delivery services, despite the high cost of implementation. For the greater reduction in cost of sales and better preventive action, PHSB is strongly advised to enforce accordingly. 2.2.4 Serious disciplinary actions will be taken against drivers As the increase of insurance premiums was due to the irresponsible drivers, actions must be taken to penalise them. This solution is made to reduce or even eliminate such cases to be happened repetitively. Ex-gratia will be deducted for the drivers who are identified to commit on wrong-doing. In more serious extent, if the drivers ignore the disciplinary actions, termination of service will be given to the drivers. This solution may not contribute to immediate financial benefits, however, the insurer will reduce the insurance premiums in future when the abandoned tankers cases decline. In other words, it contributes to greater profit margin of PHSB in long term. 2 High Absenteeism/ Driver Shortage 3.2 Issues As per reported by Ramli Ali, Human Resource Manager of PHSB, the company had the problem on driver shortage due to better offer from bigger company. The company also encountered issue on high absenteeism of drivers. The problem occurred because of irregular routes and away from home for a long period, caused the drivers tend to search for a better jobs or remunerations. 4.4.1. Unattractive remuneration package According to Ramli Ali, PHSB was unable to offer an attractive remuneration package to their drivers. With more attractive remunerations offered by big companies, drivers tend to bite the bait, therefore, PHSB needed to hire and train new drivers more frequently. This activity had made increment in the Administration and Operation Expenses for year 2009. The pilferage activities are recognized to happen during year end. This was identified that most of the drivers more likely needed money during this period of  time, hence, the temptation siphoning the CPO was high. 4.2.1. 4.4.2. Irregular routes and tight scheduling Ramli also declared that irregular routes and tight scheduling were the factors of drivers’ high absenteeism and shortage. By having this problem, it has affected the quality of operation service where refineries claimed that the CPO had not been delivered on time. Lack of drivers means that same driver might be running several deliveries. Each delivery requires them to stay away from home for a few days. Thus, some drivers might not get well rested and home away more than they supposed to be. 4.4. Recommendations 4.5.3. Offering attainable remuneration package PHSB needs to consider giving year-end bonuses to the drivers in order to earn their loyalties. Hence, this will help to reduce drivers’ shortage as well as absenteeism problem that troubled PHSB throughout the year 2009. PHSB can emerge good remuneration package where year-end bonuses given to the drivers and staff. The bonuses will be much lower than the compensation cost that PHSB is currently bearing. PHSB can as well offer rewards to drivers with satisfaction attendance by giving performance incentives by year end. These incentives also can be applied to those who have delivered CPO as per Purchase Order or sludge-free. This will hope to lower the absenteeism percentage. 4.5.4. Realistic Schedule PHSB shall also consider giving annual leave based on Malaysian Industrial Development Authority’s guidelines which is normally provided with annual salary increment that is calculated based on a certain percentage of the basic salary and performance. PHSB shall come out with more realistic schedule which drivers are allowed to have some rest after their long journey. PHSB may as well to schedule more carefully to avoid continual shifts. This may be seen as increment in PHSB’s expenses but in long term, it will help to reduce expenses in staff training as per stated in Administrative and Operating Expenses table. With new remuneration package and realistic schedule, drivers can give their greater commitments on their shifts, as a result, PHSB shall be able to enhance their transportation service. Consequently, PHSB will acquire higher profit since the customers  are satisfied with the service provided, and indirectly, PHSB will able to expand to a bigger network. 3 High Cost of Maintenance 4.3 Issues Being a logistic service provider specialised in transporting CPO, it is crucial to emphasise on the upkeep of its tankers. Indeed, PHSB’s predicament is also related to this matter. As we have gone through the case carefully, we have identified that PHSB is incurring high cost of maintenance. The maintenance costs incurred for the three quarters of years 2009 and 2008 are RM 5.5 million and RM 2,3 million respectively. Thus, PHSB faced a 143.8 % increase in maintenance cost for 2009 compared to 2008* (estimated based on average calculation of total maintenance cost for 3 quarters of the accounting period). Marginal planned cost accounting or flexible analytic cost planning and accounting studies by Sharman (2003) can be referred to understand the cost of sales in the case of PHSB better. Below are the possible root causes of this predicament. 4.4.5 No regular upkeep and maintenance of the tankers. It was found that PHSB did not regulate the maintenance of its tankers. The tankers were only sent for service and repairs when the drivers complained of breakdown. At times, the damages occurred were severe, hence resulting in high cost of repairs. 4.4.6 No standardised administrative mechanism. PHSB is lack of a standardised administration mechanism. At the moment, the perform vehicle and driver allocation and scheduling are done manually. Hence, a lot of time is wasted in the process. The situation get worse if there were any absentee, as the delivery route and allocation of drivers need to be rescheduled. 4.2 Recommendations 4.3.1 Scheduled maintenance program. PHSB should practice a more systematic method of maintaining its tankers. It should ensure each of its tankers have gone total check-up, let say in a  fortnight basis before be available for transporting scheduling. As we are concerned, PHSB is a small company with certain constraints. Its annual gross profit margin is just around 10% over the years. Thus, we understand it will be unable to spare extra cost especially if it wanted to establish an in house maintenance facility for its tankers. However, PHSB could overcome this problem by out-sourcing maintenance services from the market. A yearly contract with the service provider will assist PHSB to upkeep its tankers within a minimal cost. PHSB could use its power of negotiation to get good deals from the service provider for this mean. Moreover, PHSB would have an option to discontinue the contract and assign a new service provider in case of dissatisfaction too. Thus, PHSB will be able to cut sales cost, add competitive value to its company and eventually increase operating profit. 4.3.2 Computerised Scheduling. It was found that manual scheduling method utilised by PHSB delays time. Hence, a computerised scheduling method will be very convenient. This method will help PHSB to organise delivery routes, driver allocations, delivery durations, maintenance breaks and forecast the total cost of sales regarding this matter systematically. Some of Transportation Management System (TMS) softwares that are widely being used by major third party logistic (3PL) companies worldwide include RoadNet Technologies, TMW Systems and Precision. PHSB could employ any of these softwares too, to manage its operation and administration mechanisms. Moreover, this method does not need an expert to carry out or additional staffs as it could be done by single person who knows how to operate computer and familiar with data entering. Besides, PHSB could always acquire consultations and trainings from the system provider if it faces any difficulties related to the software. The quality of CPO transported and the safety of the drivers who work for PHSB are greatly influenced by the condition of the tankers. These aspects would affect PHSB’s entire operation processes if not tackled immediately. Therefore, we believe the recommendations given will hinder such quandary plus contribute to lower direct cost of sales in the future. Consequently, PHSB will be able to increase its operating profit. D. CONCLUSIONS As displayed on the financial statements of PHSB, the loss of RM 1.8 million  marked as the worst performance ever throughout seven years back. This circumstance shall not be repeated if PHSB wishes to remain its competitiveness and roles in the industry. From our analysis, we strongly believe the compensation cost to refineries is the â€Å"Achilles Heel† of PHSB operations. As mentioned above, 8.3% of turnover was solely contributed to compensation expenses. If PHSB is able to manage properly on the direct cost, the reduction portion of the compensation cost will be the additional gains to gross profit margin of PHSB. And, it surely remains PHSB at the higher competitiveness in the industry. However, the key personnel of PHSB must aggressively review on the inconsistencies of the financial reports. The financial reports shall be utilised effectively, as these reports provide a good avenue for the management to identify the weaknesses in the operations, although the informa tion is historical. It is reasonable that salaries and allowances of drivers are the leading cost component in direct cost, as the drivers are the human capital to PHSB. However, it should not be on increasing trend which the gap is bigger than the increasing turnover. Relevant of remuneration package is powerful to retain and attract more human capital. The relevance remuneration package would be in term of performance-based incentives. As this variable reward is individualised, drivers will be more motivated to work disciplinarily in PHSB. Although it will affect the gross profit margin, this direct cost is better to flow to the benefits of internal employees, which will improve the employees’ loyalty, rather than as the compensation cost to refineries. Besides, the upkeep and maintenance must be thoroughly monitored. As mentioned in the case, most of the tankers are fully depreciated. In other words, these aged tankers may lead to higher possibility of breaking down during delivery of PHSB. It is considered cost inefficient when high maintenance cost incurred repeatedly because it will cost a boom to PHSB. As a good recommendation, the tankers must be properly scheduled for regular maintenance checks. This is because preventive maintenance can avoid high repair and replacement costs. Last but not least, the effect from the inefficient operation of PHSB leads to higher inventories held by Oilene. This is because of the inconsistencies delivery provided by PHSB. This circumstance further indicates that Oilene will have poor inventory forecasting. The management of Oilene may find difficult to manage the inventory, as PHSB failed to  consign the accurate and planned quantities. And hence, Oilene is required to maintain high level of inventories. Furthermore, the low quality of CPO, which often contaminate by the drivers, also raises an impact on Oilene’s inventories. Therefore, higher operation cost will be incurred by Oilene. Besides, Oilene will encounter the bottlenecks issue when the inventories level is high. Production capacity of Oilene may not require huge volume of inventories in short period of time. Also, the product under demand will be another constraint which worsening the bottlenecks. As such, the identified inconsistencies of the financial statements shall be addressed with solutions proposed. These recommendations may contribute to higher confidence and possibility of PHSB to secure the service contract with Oilene. With tight monitoring and reviewing on the financial data, PHSB will be operated more consistently and achieve more competitive advantages for greater future growth. References University of Michigan. Financial Operation. Retrieved October 5, 2013 from http://www.finance.umich.edu/finops/reporting/department/standar Sharman, Paul A. (2003). â€Å"Bring On German Cost Accounting†. Strategic Finance (December)

Male Identity and Greek Mythology’s Hercules in Films Essay

Famed for his mighty muscles, Hercules was the son of the mortal woman Alcmene and the god Zeus. Hercules performed many legendary feats of strength, the first of which came as an infant: when Zeus’s wife Hera placed two serpents in his crib, Hercules quickly strangled them. After he had grown to manhood Hera got revenge by driving Hercules briefly mad, causing him to slay his own wife and children. As penance Hercules performed his famous 12 labors (or tasks), which included killing the Hydra, capturing Cerberus the dog, and cleaning the stables of Augeas. Hercules appears in many ancient Greek stories and is one of mythology’s best-known heroes. Mythologies are fantasies that have the power to endure in people’s minds and culture through time. For this, mythological stories and characters have been part of substantial themes of films in the history of filmmaking. They have a significant place in the world of filmmaking because mythological stories and characters have the ample amount of mystery and magic that has the ability to capture the audience’s attention and imagination. Storylines may differ or be similar to the myths itself but the essence of the mythological character exudes. One such masculine and mythological character is the half-man half-god Greek hero, Hercules. This mythological character with extraordinary physical strength has been featured and appeared in numerous films in the big screen and television. With the different depictions of Hercules, this paper then is an assessment on how he was portrayed and presented in films. The materials considered for this study were Disney’s animated film â€Å"Hercules† released on 1997 and Roger Young’s miniseries entitled â€Å"Hercules. Half Man. Half God. All Power. † released on 2004 by the Hallmark Channel. Hercules on Disney’s Animated Film According to the Big Cartoon Database (n. d. ) â€Å"Hercules† was a â€Å"Disney update on classic mythology†, an animated film about his journey towards finding a place where he belonged. Here, Hercules, the son of Greek gods Zeus and Hera was born god-like strength in Olympus, the home of the gods. When Hades, the God of the Underworld, learns that his plan of domination in the future will be affected because of Hercules’ existence, he summons his two followers, Pain and Panic, de-immortalize the child Hercules and kill him in the mortal world. Pain and Panic, failed in their mission and only succeeds in making Hercules mortal. No mortal beings are allowed to dwell in Olympus, which leaves Hercules in the care of Alcmene and Amphitryon, the childless mortal couple who found him on the bushes. Hercules later grows into a misfit adolescent because of his extraordinary strength that always gets him in the center of chaos. His adoptive parents later tells him of his past and a medal found with him that is a link to Zeus, his father. Hercules then journeys to the temple of the gods. Zeus appears and confirms Hercules thoughts. Zeus tells him that the only way that Hercules can enter Olympus again is that if he becomes an earthly hero to gain his godliness. The adolescent Hercules then goes on a pursuit of a hero status with the help and instructions from the satyr, Philoctetes. He achieves the hero status later in adulthood but is perplexed because he still is not a god. When Hades learns that Hercules still lives, he orders his soul-bound follower Megara to deceive Hercules. Hades tries to block his path to being a God with calamities and creatures like the multi-headed, Hydra. Hercules becomes a God when he sacrifices himself for Megara. The animated film ends with Hercules choosing to stay in the mortal world to be with Megara. The most obvious difference of the animated film from the original Greek myth of Hercules is that the dreadful factors of his origins were revised and some components of modern day popular culture were utilized. According to Royalty. nu (n. d. ), Hercules was born to Alcmene, wife of Amphityron, but fathered by the Greek God Zeus. Zeus deceived Alcmene into thinking that he was Amphitryon on a night when the real Amphitryon was away. Hera, Zeus’ wife loathed Hercules and tried several times to try and kill Hercules, much unlike in the animated film, where Hera as Hercules’ mother doted on him. The animated film focused on Hercules’ early life; the famous ten labors of Hercules and the other half of his life was not included. The circumstances of the Greek myth characters like Megara, Zeus, Hera, Aphitryon, Alcmene and the rest included in the film were greatly modified to fit the storyline of the animated film. Apart from that Hercules’ twin brother, Iphicles was excluded in the storyline. Greek mythology portrays Hercules as a character with â€Å"low intelligence and terrible temper†(Royalty. nu, n. d. ). Although there was much difference from the original Greek myth, Hercules’ character as half-man half-god hero with weaknesses was still portrayed. Hercules’ character in the animated film was a bit naive but he was not quick to loose his temper. Audiences were also given a taste of Hercules’ famous battles with calamities and creatures. Hercules on Roger Young’s Miniseries According to FilmAffinity (n. d. ), this Hercules miniseries is about â€Å"the gifted child born of a blood greater than mortal who would become the most powerful of all gods†. Roger Young’s miniseries starts with how Hercules was conceived. Similar to the Greek myth, the dissolute God Zeus deludes the Princess of Thebes, Alcmene, into thinking that he is the princess’ husband, Amphitryon, and then forces himself on Alcmene on a night where the princess was awaiting her husband’s return. When Alcmene gives birth to twin boys, Hercules and Iphicles, Alcmene and Amphitryon are perplexed on which baby is fathered by Zeus and whose is Amphitryon. They later realize that Hercules is Zeus’ son when he kills the snakes with his bare hands an infant. Hercules develops into a lumbering young man, â€Å"rejected by his mother, envied by his brother Iphicles and loathed by Zeus’ wife Hera† (FilmAffinity). Similar to the Greek myth while Alcmene reserves no love for Hercules, he grows up with Amphitryon doting on him and teaching him. Hercules then falls for Megara but was rejected. Their brief connection results to a child. When he lost his temper and accidentally hurt his teacher Linus during a class, Amphitryon sends far away to be taught under the care and instruction of a centaur, Kiron. Hercules becomes an agile adult and more capable to handle his great strength. He then was married to Megara after he helps the king from the creature Hydra. Megara and her sons, turn out to be â€Å"tools of the vengeful Hera, plotting against him and initiating events that lead to his banishment from his people† (FilmAffinity). To atone the punishment that he deserved in killing his own children, Hercules agrees when he was given difficult challenges which were set out to destroy him. With his ally Linus, he travels the Stymphalian Swams to the River styx of the underworld, faced with challenges and monstrous creatures that was arranged to kill him. Hercules willingly continues on this journey that afterward made him a â€Å"legend on Earth and achieve immortality in the heavens† (FilmAffinity). With the storyline of the miniseries, it was clear that the filmmakers focused on the raging politics between the noble mortals and their want of power and control. It is important to note that this miniseries was one of the few productions that embarked on Hercules true conception with regards to the original Greek myth. Hercules’ character of recklessness and short temper was portrayed true to the original Greek myth during his younger adult days. There were slight alterations unto how certain events happened to the characters but the miniseries was in a way loyal to the Hercules’ myth. For example, Hercules develops a more profound thinking later on the miniseries but there was no hint of that according to the Greek Myth. The Gods Hera and Zeus were not given much attention during the miniseries and only appeared briefly. The supposed raging battle between Hera and Zeus was implied but not shown comprehensively. Conclusion In conclusion, both films were individual depictions of Hercules’ character as the legendary Greek hero. He is a paragon of action and masculinity, and thus embodies characteristics such as great strength, great courage, and great appetites, including erotic adventures with both women and boys or young men. These qualities did not prevent him from being regarded as a playful figure that used games to relax from his labors and played a great deal with children. Aelian, while he was a champion and a great warrior, he was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his advantage. However, he was renowned as having â€Å"made the world safe for mankind† by destroying many dangerous monsters, and he was also held up as an example for never having attacked first, but for having conquered all merely by defending himself when attacked, and protecting the helpless and distraught. His self-sacrifice obtained him the ascent to the Olympian realms and he was welcomed by the gods. He represents a balanced, complete energetic principle of the masculine, partaking of both light and dark influences. Historically, the strong American presence in post-war Italy is evident in the very physical presence of Steve Reeves as Hercules. Moreover, the film’s masculinization of revenge also seems to reflect the ideals of post-war society. Instead, as the character of Hercules suggests, it is more important for the wandering male, and also the foreign influence, to be incorporated into the domestic sphere. Hercules preserves the morality at the centre of the family. Paradoxically, however the interference of Hercules also ensures continued dependence on foreign influence and protection. Each film represented the filmmakers approach on representing a storyline associated with Hercules’ myth. Disney may have chosen to emphasize more on Hercules’ journey to his fate in a more conducive way that was appealing since their audiences are young people. Roger Young’s miniseries took more of a similar likeness to the original myth although alterations were made on how events were played because the storyline demanded that it be so. Works Cited FilmAffinity. Hercules (TV). FilmAffinity – MovieAffinity. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. filmaffinity. com/en/film260353. html The Big Cartoon Database. Hercules Story Details. The Big Cartoon Database. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. bcdb. com/cartoon_synopsis/6-Hercules. html Royalty. nu. Hercules, Young Hercules. The Gordon Knot Webring. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. royalty. nu/legends/Hercules. html

T.S. Eliot and the Fisher King †Informal American Literature Essay

T.S. Eliot and the Fisher King – Informal American Literature Essay Free Online Research Papers T.S. Eliot and the Fisher King Informal American Literature Essay It is indeed fortunate that Eliot decide to include his Notes on The Waste Land. When one understands that the poem was written in post-World War I Europe, it is much simpler to comprehend much of what Eliot was trying to express. It is also just as (if not extremely more) beneficial to read Eliot’s passage in his Notes that details the influence of Jesse Weston’s From Ritual to Romance and Fraser’s The Golden Bough. The poem The Waste Land is primarily the description of a wasteland, replete with sorrowing subjects and all. However, it carries the promise that through death, life may be born again and the wasteland can be rejuvenated, a theme found in the works of both Weston and Fraser. One of the best examples of the theme of the necessity of death before rebirth is found in lines 71–72. This passage reads: That corpse you planted last year in your garden,Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year? The theme of renewal following loss of life is certainly nothing new. Fraser’s anthropological work, The Golden Bough, describes the creation of primitive religions and mythology. Fraser maintains that these agrarian societies were originally completely dependent on the land and its storms, floods, and seasonal cycles for their lives. Thus, the personification of these phenomena resulted in the gods and spirits of their mythologies. Because of the obvious influence of the productivity of crop and soil, these religions generally were fertility religions. Eliot mentions that he especially drew on the Fraser’s volumes Adonis, Attis, Osiris. Of these, the latter is particularly notable. Osiris was the king of Egpyt who was killed by his jealous brother, Set. Osiris’ wife Isis found his body and blew life back into him with her wings. Osiris then became the god of Nile flood plain fertility and of its harvest. The Egyptians literally thought that each year, Osiris died and his flesh became the harvest. Thus, through a death, life and birth could be sustained. In Eliot’s poem, â€Å"that corpse† was â€Å"planted† in a â€Å"garden† (71). The character in the poem is asking, â€Å"has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?† The corpse is, of course, a death. But, apparently, through this death, fruit may be produced, just as Osiris produces the harvest for the Egyptians. It is also certainly necessary to mention Weston’s book, From Ritual to Romance. This book details the Grail legend and describes it as a fertility myth about this very subject of rebirth through death. The fisher king in the Grail legend lives in a wasteland- a devastated terrain (presumably by famine, but can represent any type of dead and dying land) and he goes on a quest to find the grail to restore vitality to his kingdom. One version of the legend explains how, when the dying fisher king finally discovers the grail and drinks from it, he must die. Through his death, a new, strong, and virile king can arise to restore the wasteland to its former fertility. In the devastation of World War I, it is easy to see why Eliot described Europe as a â€Å"Waste Land.† He was living in an era of extensive devastation and the general outlook on basic humanity was bleak. However, he calls our attention to the nature of Earth’s fertility to assuage our souls. Because of the tilt of the planet, we are able to have extended seasons of warmth proper for growing a bountiful harvest. However, this tilt brings the other extreme- winter. It is a simple necessity for this winter â€Å"death† to occur before the Earth once again renews itself in the summer months. The death and devastation of World War I or any great tragedy can only bring temporary sorrow before life restores itself and we reap a harvest once again. Research Papers on T.S. Eliot and the Fisher King - Informal American Literature EssayMind TravelCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsBringing Democracy to AfricaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayCapital PunishmentArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Three Concepts of PsychodynamicBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Free Essays on Women Gaining Strength

Women Gaining Strength It is very obvious that the roles of women have altered significantly over time. Despite the fact that they are not as important today, a couple hundred years ago they controlled their lifestyle. During that time period it was a man’s responsibility take care of women and to be the one who represent their household. In the late 17th century the job of a woman consist of organizing the house. Keeping everything in the home running in a smoothly manner such as preparing all the meals and keeping up with the chores. It was very common for the males to have the voice of the family; therefore a woman’s opinion was rarely heard. In the beginning of the 18th century a few things began to change. Woman were slowly starting to stand up for themselves and voicing their opinions. This time period was known as a transition period, and women’s lifestyles were definitely apart of it. There were several different types of writers during this time. There were male wri ters and poets that still wrote about what they believed a woman’s life should consist of at that time. Majority of their writings were insensitive but some of them were considerate. Several stories and poems would bring down the confidences of many females are. On the other hand a couple of the male writers would put females first such as are Geoffrey Chaucer and Edmund Spenser. This was also the time where woman finally started writing their own stories and poems. Many of them spoke out, voicing the thoughts on men, marriage, and their own personal beliefs. A two of the female writers are Katherine Philips and Margey Kempe. In each of the texts expresses a different concept on gender roles, which is why English Literature during the 17th and 18th century is extremely interesting. To begin with, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, which consist of several short stories; the passage he wrote pertaining to woman was â€Å"The Wif... Free Essays on Women Gaining Strength Free Essays on Women Gaining Strength Women Gaining Strength It is very obvious that the roles of women have altered significantly over time. Despite the fact that they are not as important today, a couple hundred years ago they controlled their lifestyle. During that time period it was a man’s responsibility take care of women and to be the one who represent their household. In the late 17th century the job of a woman consist of organizing the house. Keeping everything in the home running in a smoothly manner such as preparing all the meals and keeping up with the chores. It was very common for the males to have the voice of the family; therefore a woman’s opinion was rarely heard. In the beginning of the 18th century a few things began to change. Woman were slowly starting to stand up for themselves and voicing their opinions. This time period was known as a transition period, and women’s lifestyles were definitely apart of it. There were several different types of writers during this time. There were male wri ters and poets that still wrote about what they believed a woman’s life should consist of at that time. Majority of their writings were insensitive but some of them were considerate. Several stories and poems would bring down the confidences of many females are. On the other hand a couple of the male writers would put females first such as are Geoffrey Chaucer and Edmund Spenser. This was also the time where woman finally started writing their own stories and poems. Many of them spoke out, voicing the thoughts on men, marriage, and their own personal beliefs. A two of the female writers are Katherine Philips and Margey Kempe. In each of the texts expresses a different concept on gender roles, which is why English Literature during the 17th and 18th century is extremely interesting. To begin with, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, which consist of several short stories; the passage he wrote pertaining to woman was â€Å"The Wif...

7 Signs Your Coworkers Don’t Like You

7 Signs Your Coworkers Don’t Like You Many people spend half their waking weekday hours with their co-workers. So, if you figure you’re asleep a majority of your home hours, you’re getting to know what’s going on in the lives of your cubicle mates more than your family and friends most weeks. Such intimacy does not mean  everyone always get along. In fact, the opposite is sometimes true. And, sorry to say, the problem isn’t always with the other guy. It’s hard to accept it, but there may be times when your coworkers don’t like you. Being able to recognize the warning signs may help you to change the things that have made you an outsider. Here comes the tough love- the signs the issue is you, not them.1. You’re invisible.Probably the clearest sign that you’re not well liked is that people don’t want to talk to you. If you try to engage your coworkers in conversation or simply make eye contact and they breeze by like you don’t exist, it’s likely that they are not thrilled with you.2. You’re the talk of the office- not in a good way.Are your coworkers whispering about you? Well, people usually don’t whisper when they have something nice to say. If you find yourself the source of hushed talk or nasty gossip, you might have a serious workplace problem.3. You’re getting bad body language vibes.Coworkers don’t express displeasure through words alone. Sometimes they speak with their movements. Have you noticed your coworkers rolling their eyes or even sneering when you speak? Maybe they move away from you in the break room or speed in the other direction when you come down the hall. None of these are positive signs.4. You’re always in trouble.There may be a workplace conspiracy against you brewing if you constantly find yourself in the doghouse. Coworkers who don’t like you may rat you out to the boss for the smallest infraction. Things can get even more dire when its management that has a problem with you.5. People don’t seem to trust you.Are your ideas constantly being questioned? Is management constantly looking over your shoulder? Then there may be trust issues at play. When people deem you untrustworthy, personal fondness tends to fly out the window.6. Everyone talks down to you.Do coworkers sometimes speak to you as if you’re a child or you might have trouble understanding the simplest direction? Do they speak to you veeeery sloooowly through a nasty smirk? Then they are condescending to you, and few things feel more demeaning than that. No one condescends to someone they like.7. You’re unwelcome.Because they are forced to spend so much time together, coworkers tend to build bonds and friendships. After eight hours on the job, they may decide to spend their after-work hours grabbing dinner at a restaurant or drinks at a bar together. But is everyone invited to the party except for you? Then your coworkers might not want to spend their tim e in or out of work with you.Sometimes your coworkers may have a genuine gripe against you. However, people are often ostracized at work for foolish reasons–their coworkers are bored and decide to fill their time by picking on someone for no reason at all. It’s mean and unfair. In such cases, they’re the ones with the problem, but it still feels lousy to be on the receiving end of such cruelty. Maybe you can try asking someone you find relatively trustworthy for feedback on why you see to be on the outs with everyone. If that person can’t give you any constructive criticism, then it may be time to get out of that toxic environment.

Secondhand Smoke in Asthmatic Children Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Secondhand Smoke in Asthmatic Children - Article Example Results of the study conducted by Dr. Robert McMillen and others (2003), show that 70% of US adult smokers do not prohibit or do not have smoking prohibitions at home which puts their spouses', children's and other inhabitants' health at risk. The same study confirmed that parent's cigarette consumption influence their children's exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) (McMillen, 2003). According to Randall (2006), secondhand smoke, also known as passive smoke, is the involuntary breathing of other people's smoke. In his study, he found out that more than 40% of British children live in a house with at least one person smoking. And secondhand smoke being worse than firsthand smoke, these children is even more in danger of acquiring illnesses such as asthma. Asthma is said to be the most common chronic illness in children (Hansen, 2002). And because studies show that a large number of US homes do not prohibit smoking inside the house, there is a great possibility that the children acquire or inhale some of the secondhand smoke from cigarette and tobacco.