Night Patrol by Alan Ross, War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Essays

Night Patrol by Alan Ross, War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Essays Night Patrol by Alan Ross, War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Paper Night Patrol by Alan Ross, War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Paper Essay Topic: Carol ann Duffy Poems Dunkirk Poetry All of these poems are about the effects of war, and how people feel about it. `Night Patrol` by Alan Ross. This is about a soldier that goes out on a night patrol, he is on a boat that leaves port at last light, and returns to the port at dawn. It shows the daily routine of a patrolling soldier at war. `War Photographer` by Carol Ann Duffy. This poem isnt first hand experience, she is writing as a male photographer that goes to report the war. The man realises the issues of war and death. `Dulce et Decorum Est` by Wilfred Owen, this poem is about a man on the front lines. He faces and describes the dangers or war, gunfire, gas and shelling. Night Patrol, this poem is told from a soldiers point of view. The soldier goes on his night shift patrolling the channel by boat. The first three lines are about his view on going to war, he describes it as if he was forced to go to war. He describes the headland so well that it seems he doesnt want to leave it, but it is disappearing in his view. He talks about the docks, the cranes, and railways. In his shift he sails south from land, he sees the moon as `a rouged face`. He is talking about all this as if hes not going to see it again, this could be the case though, as in the end he is going to war. He describes it so passionately, and as it disappears out of his view, he then looks at the `sea crumpled in the spray-flecked blackness`, meaning the waves and spray created at the back of the boat. `Towards midnight the cold stars, high over Europe, freeze on the sky This is a very descriptive line that gives the reader a lot of information. He is confirming that he is on a night patrol on a boat. He is also saying that he is somewhere in Europe, the North Sea. The way that he worded the line makes you feel the coldness that he is experiencing. He uses the expression of the stars freezing in the sky, giving it a cold feeling, a clear sky without clouds indicates a very cold night. I feel that he finds his day tedious and must have seen it many times before. He sees `stigmata in the sky, meaning Anti-Aircraft guns firing away piecing holes in the sky. He also hears gunfire, this I think scares him as his life is at stake. It is made worse by that he can only hear them, not see them. Then from Dunkirk he sees `red flames opening fanwise`, or an image of death, the fire then burns out and he is back to normal. As the shift is coming to an end they pass another patrol boat coming from England. Heading back he sees some clouds overhead, and back in early light he sees minesweepers going out. He is trying to get across that the daily routine starts all again, but for another man. War Photographer was written by Carol Ann Duffy, it is not a first hand piece of writing, she has written about a male photographer that has gone to war to take photos. As this is not a first hand piece she may have not got all the detail correct, unless she has spoken to a photographer that went to the war. In the first line it says that he is in his dark room and `finally alone, this suggests that he has been waiting for this moment for a long time. `With Spools of suffering set out in ordered rows The pictures taken were war photographs, most pictures taken in war had horrific outcomes, people dying or injured. What she is saying is that loads of pictures are set out in rows (each negative of the film). She then goes on to give you a little description of what the room looks like red lights that softly glows. It is quiet and he is alone, as we know. He is taking his time, and carefully developing the film. Taking photographs is his livelihood, so he was very professional about it, `his hands did not tremble then though seem to now. When he took the photograph he did not have the time to think of the horror and see the proper effect of war, he was there just to take photographs, as a professional. Now that he is in the comfort of his home, his emotions have caught up with him. `Something is happening, one of his photos is coming through, and he sees it as a stranger. He remembers how and when the photo was taken. The woman crying, lying there bleeding on the floor, `blood stained into foreign dust`. A very descriptive piece. Hundred agonies, these are the photographs showing the horrors of the war zones but only five or six will make it into the Sunday supplement. Discarding the photographs in theory is like discarding the stories and tragedies. The readers will be moved by the photographs, but, as they are between the bath and the pre-lunch beers, they are obviously more interested in their own lives. In the final two lines the photographer is on a plane heading presumably, for another war zone. What he sees from this point is the landscape where he works, full of people who feel nothing for the subject that earns him a living. Dulce et Decorum Est`, is written by Wilfred Owen, he has done many other well-known war poems and was tragically killed during the great war. Dulce et Decorum Est is about a battalion going to war and facing a daily routine of being at the front lines. `Bent double, like old beggars under sacks`, this is a very powerful first line that gets the reader thinking straight away. The message that he is trying to get across that these fine young soldiers have been worn down and are acting like old women. A flare is set off, and the whole battlefield is lit, meaning that they can see and be seen by the enemy. Men were so tired that they were marching asleep, some had lost boots, but that was the last thing on their mind. Swaying as theyre marching, `drunk with fatigue`. Gas hit them, they are all fumbling to get their masks on, the large clumsy things that they are. Someone wasnt quick enough and was burnt, by the `fire and lime`. Everyone staring out of there gas marks, a green mercy sight, as if under water. `In all my dreams before my helpless sight he plunges towards me`, what he is trying to say here is that he is haunted by the memories of what he had seen, of the terrible effects of the gas making the man choke, drowning in his own blood. In the last stanza, he is describing it as if he is there, saying that you have to be there to experience it. He describes the vision of the dead person clearly. `His hanging face, like a devils sick of sin`. It may look like hes been hung. The body having been exposed to the gas is rotting away, his corrupted lungs, bleeding, `bitter as cud`. He is saddened by the fact that all these people have lost their lives, but he may also be happy that the battle is over. To sum up this poem he uses a strong finish, Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. Meaning it is noble to die for your country. It does not necessarily mean that hes not afraid of death, just that he thinks it is noble to die for his country. All of these poems have the relationship of war. The main message that all these poems are trying to get across is that war isnt good. In all the poems there is a sign of fear, either first hand or not, the writer still knows that theres fear. In all of the poems there is no positive part to it. In the `War Photographer` the photographer hasnt got the time to realise what is really happening, hes only there to get a front-page snap. When hes home he can have all the time to recollect his thoughts. The photographer cannot be part of his home setting because of the horrors he has witnessed, and the people for whom he works cannot fully appreciate the photographers work because they have no idea of the real circumstances of war. `Night Patrol`, the soldier that goes out on patrol seems to be scared, and wants to stay on land. He also seems fed up of the shift and continuous patrol that risks his life.

Handwriting As A Means Of People Communicate Essay

Handwriting As A Means Of People Communicate - Essay Example Most people have ignored the subject of handwriting because it does not seem to be important. However, the author of this reading highlights his observations especially among children and how they value good handwriting. He considers the fact that although print media has taken effect in the modern world; writing remains to be a significant factor. It is also interesting how the author emphasizes the fact that practice makes perfect. This implies that with regular practice, those with poor handwriting can improve their skills. What is surprising about this reading is that the author does not fully explain how grownups can enhance their handwriting. Instead, it concentrates on how different writing skills can be used artistically. Another problem with this reading is that it focuses entirely on the Chinese people. It would be better if global comparisons across different cultures would be made. When I take a look at this reading, I ask myself whether indeed a person’s handwriti ng could be a reflection of the individual’s personality. This is because the author points out that bodily movement can be a reflection of thoughts. Another question is whether handwritings are translated differently or rather have different meanings in different cultures. I, however, think that the answer to this question is difficult to gauge since handwriting is simply the connection, pressure, size, and spacing of words. These factors have no elements of culture in them. This reading relates to other readings for the course in terms of highlighting different social elements and how they define the human nature. For instance, the author of this article uses handwriting as a social element to define human characteristics associated with the element such as personal order. This reading relates to my personal experiences in various ways.

Matrix Factorization Techniques for Recommendation Systems (Netflix Research Paper

Matrix Factorization Techniques for Recommendation Systems (Netflix Prize) - Research Paper Example We will also describe an incremental variant of the MF that effectively undertakes new users and rating that is fundamental within the real life recommender system. A hybrid MF-neighbor based method is further discussed in regard to advancing the prevailing performance of the MF. The proposed methods are mainly examined on the Netflix Prize dataset and mainly depict that they can be accomplish very favorable Quiz RMSE, which is the best sole method :0.8904, combination: 0.8841 and corresponding running time. The Netflix Prize competition of 2006 showed that the Matrix Factorization techniques are greater to archetypal closest-neighbour techniques in the production of product recommendations and lets the inclusion of extra material like inherent feedbacks, self-assurance levels and chronological effects. There are floods of choices for contemporary consumers. Electronic dealers and content suppliers offer a vast choice of products with exceptional openings to meet a range of distinct needs and preferences. As a trend observed of late, more retailers have had an exponential positive change in interest to many purchasers with the most fitting products which is vital in the enhancement of user content and loyalty. In so doing, it evaluates trends of customer interests to offer rather custom-made recommendations which are in accordance to customer preference (Ricci, 124-198). Netflix, an e-commerce leader has recommender structures as prominent fragments of its website that are observantly b eneficial for music, movies and TV shows. Quite a huge number of users will check a similar movie while each and every one of the users views various dissimilar movies. These users have shown the will to indicate their satisfaction levels with specific movies and thus a massive volume of data is available about what particular movies charm which users. Various known corporations analyze the available information to provide a recommendation on movies particular to

England Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

England - Assignment Example Players in the industry had to put forward drastic measures by the engagement of massive discounts so as to support the relatively threatened customer base especially due to the global economic meltdown which had its effects in the UK by the end of 2009.It has been reported that the global shipments of the products have been growing by 4% annually supported majorly by the imports from the US ,Japan and South Africa .The Japanese market has been stabilizing currently making ripple effects in the local market and enabling the increasing stability of the UK market an achievable phenomenon. By January the import of our company stood at 7% and the shipments to foreign branches stood at 3.1 %.The projected sales of champagne in the year 2012 is expected to be 35.5M. Sales is one of the most important components of a business ,however it has to promote responsibility to avoid the long term effects on their brand and to avoid the crumbling of the business. The size of the industry has been growing over the previous years, however it received a major slow down due to the impacts of the global economic recession. Despite the economic troubles facing the globe presently, the sales are stable and relatively high during the festive seasons plus there are new emerging markets within the country offering the champagne business new avenues for major sales. The ports that are used by our company for the importation of our facilities and majorly for our products have to meet the criterion for efficiency and have to be secure .the port has to be versatile ,have diversity of traffic and the charges have to be competitive and realistic for the business venture of our type to avoid extra input into the system. The company has been using the Bristol port for a very long time for its shipping duties since it is meeting the standards put by the management and the stakeholders in the company. Our

pitch perception :: essays research papers

page References Baharloo, S., Johnston, P. A., Service, S. K., Gitshcier, J., Freimer, N. B. (1998). Absolute pitch: An approach for identification of genetic and nongenetic components. American Journal of Human Genetics, 62, 224-231. Retrieved 11/16/2004. Deutsch, D. (1985). Dichotic listening to melodic patterns and its relationship to hemispheric specialization of function. Music Perception, 3, (2), 127-154. Gregersen, P.K. (1998). Instant recognition: The gentics of pitch perception. American Journal of Human Genetics, 62, 221-223. Retrieved 11/16/2004. Heaton, P., Hermelin, B., Pring, L. (1998). Autism and pitch processing: a precursor for savant musical ability? Music Perception, 15, (3), 291-305. Lenhoff, H., M., Perales, O., Hickok, G. (2001). Absolute pitch in Williams syndrome. Music perception, 18, (4), 491-503. Levitin, D., J., Bellugi, U. (1998). Musical abilities in individuals with Williams Syndrome, Music Perception, 15, (4), 357-389. Pechstedt, P., H., Kershner, J., Kinsbourne, M. (1989). Musical Training improves processing of tonality in the left hemisphere. Music Perception, 6, (3), 275-298. Simpson, J., Huron, D. (1994). Absolute pitch as a learned phenomenon: Evidence consistent with the Hick-Hyman law. Music Perception, 12, (2), 267-270. Sloboda, J. A. (1985). An exceptional music memory. Music Perception, 3, (2), 155- 170. Nature or Nurture: The origins of pitch Perception For most of us, quick and accurate perception of the visual world is essential for getting around in life; we take for granted our instant recognition of color, shape, distance, and the physical relationships between objects. Many aspects of the auditory world are also apprehended in an effortless manner: a nighttime whistle is easily identified as a distant train, without any deliberation. However, identifying the pitch of an isolated whistle is beyond the abilities of most people. This is also the case for most musicians, despite the fact that they spend every day working in the context of a standardized system of pitch relationships. Those rare individuals who can instantly recognize the pitch of a random piano tone or passing car horn, without the use of a reference pitch, possess a cognitive ability that is termed "absolute pitch." The range of useful musical pitches is 20-5,000 Hz, which is, roughly the range of a piano keyboard Pitch is a one-dimensional attribute defined by the number of vibrations, per second, emanating from a sound source, such as a plucked string The peripheral auditory organs are designed specifically for frequency analysis. The cochlear basilar membrane vibrates, at each point along its length, with an optimal resonant frequency. The fact that all humans are quick to appreciate the differences in timbre between instruments illustrates the extreme sensitivity of this organ to complex frequency spectra.

Hih Accounting Strategy Essay

I am going to talk about HIH insurance’s Corporate accounting scandals. Background: HIH insurance was formed as a small insurance company in 1968. Its main business was to underwrite workers compensation insurance in Australia. The company expanded its operations into property, commercial and professional liability from the mid 1980s. During this period, it also moved into the UK and the US insurance markets. In the US, the focus was on workers compensation insurance. Public liability and professional indemnity insurance were its main specialisations in the UK. Corporate governance The HIH Royal Commission Report attributed the failure of the company to two key factors. First, claims arising from insured events in previous years were much greater than the company had provided for in its accounts, thus leading to an overstatement of reported profits. This is known as ‘under-reserving’ or ‘under-provisioning’. The second factor concerns the further mismanagement of HIH through poorly conceived and badly executed acquisitions. The insurance risks were not properly identified and managed. There was an environment where unpleasant information was hidden from the Board or filtered or sanitised to reduce discomfort or undue questioning from the Board. And there was a lack of sceptical questioning and analysis by senior management, by the board and, arguably, by the auditors Accounting issues: Provisions for expected future claims Evidence presented before the HIH Royal Commission indicates that the prudential margin approach is common industry practice due to the inherent uncertainties in predicting claims. Yet HIH almost always employed the central estimate and did not apply a prudential margin. The consequence was not only to take an overly optimistic view of claims provisions but to continually overstate reported earnings. Accordingly, if one assumes a lower amount of claims is likely to be made on outstanding policies this will generally make profits look more substantial than otherwise would be the case, given an inverse relationship between profits and provisions for future claims (that is, liabilities). According to Main (2003, p. 107) and Westfield (2003, pp. 38 and 43) the approach to profit determination at FAI and HIH was to chose a targeted profit number and to alter the provisions to effectively arrive at that arbitrary figure. Not only did this approach appear to violate the spirit of the accounting standard but it would eventually result in large losses being reported should actual claims exceed the amounts that were previously provisioned. Earnings management using reinsurance contracts HIH appears to have obscured its optimistic provisioning by entering into so-called financial reinsurance arrangements with other parties. Reinsurance is a process â€Å"whereby a second insurer, in return for a premium, agrees to indemnify a first insurer against a risk insured by the first insurer in favour of an insured† According to AASB1023, for a transaction to be accounted for as insurance or reinsurance, there must be a transfer of risk to the reinsurer. The standard does not describe, either in qualitative or quantitative terms, what degree of risk transfer is required. Without examining the intricate details of the actual transactions entered into by HIH, these contracts, in effect, â€Å"promised that no claim would be made on a specific reinsurance policy† (Main, 2003, p. 115). The overall objective was to use reinsurance to offset any likely increase in claims liabilities on the balance sheet with a corresponding recovery under a reinsurance contract. Accounting for goodwill In acquiring the shares of FAI, HIH gave consideration which, in total, amounted to $300. 5 million. This acquisition was initially recorded in 1999 in the consolidated financial statements of HIH as comprising $25 million of net tangible assets and $275 million of purchased goodwill. Subsequently, another $163 million of FAI-related â€Å"goodwill† was added to this intangible asset account so that by the year 2000 this goodwill account had a balance of $438 million (HIH Royal Commission Report, 2003, Section 7. 1. 4). Justice Owen contended that the goodwill adjustments (and reinsurance transactions referred to earlier) became techniques for concealing under-reserving problems inherent in FAI’s insurance portfolio. Conclusion: In conclusion, HIH insurance has several factors lead the company collapses- 2 corporate governance problem and 3 accounting issues. ‘under-provisioning’ and mismanagement are two factors of corporate governance. Provisions for expected future claims; Earnings management using reinsurance contracts and Accounting for goodwill are 3 factors of accounting governance.

Transplant ( NODAT ) Risk Factors For Overcome...

Abstract New onset diabetes after transplant (NODAT) is an important complication after transplantation that increases risk for poor patient and graft outcomes. Recent studies in children identified older age, extremes of body mass index (BMI), and corticosteroid use at discharge as risk factors for NODAT. However, these studies were conducted in a national sample which underrated certain patient groups like deceased donor transplants and African American recipients. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between acute rejection (a surrogate for increased corticosteroid exposure) and NODAT in a pediatric kidney transplant program. A retrospective chart review was performed on a cohort of 121 consecutive pediatric kidney†¦show more content†¦The main risk factors include age ≠¥50 years old, male gender, family history of diabetes, and high systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) 50mmHg.1,2 A review of data from the United States Renal Data System for primary renal transplant recipients ≠¤21 years old transplanted between 1995 and 2004 found the following risk factors for NODAT: African American children, BMI ≠¥ 30, increased age of child at time of transplant (≠¥13 years old), discharged on tacrolimus, and cytomegalovirus donor positive/recipient negative status.2 Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is herpes virus that is present in over sixty percent of adults that generally only causes non-specific fever and flu-like symptoms in immunocompetent hosts. In immunosuppressed transplant patients however, the virus can develop into a systemic infection involving several organ systems and increase the risk for transplant rejection.3 Other studies in children also identified corticosteroid use at discharge as a risk factors for NODAT.4 There have been no studies exploring the risk factors for NODAT in a population similar to that at Children’s of Alabama, which is distinct due to a large number of deceased donor transplants and African-American recipients with higher immunologic risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between acute rejection (a surrogate for increased corticosteroid exposure) and NODAT in this kidney transplant program. Methods Before initiation of this research, a literature