Custom Essay: Shakespeares Hamlet and the Character of Gertrude

Hamlet and the Character of Gertrude      Ã‚  Ã‚   Bryan N. S. Gooch in "Review of The Shapes of Revenge: Victimization, Vengeance, and Vindictiveness in Shakespeare," presents as a victim Gertrude’s closest woman friend in Shakespeare’s Hamlet:    Harry Keyishian rightly recognizes that distinction between various manifestations of revenge is crucial in coming to terms not only with many of Shakespeare’s characters -- and some were notable and clearly nasty avengers of perceived yet unsubstantiated wrong -- but also with his social and moral milieu. . . . Moreover, the author clearly presents in Chapter I, "Victimization and Revenge: Renaissance Voices," a useful survey of the problem, drawing from books on the passions and moving on to consider not only the power of the revenger but the powerlessness of victims, e.g., the Duchess of Gloucester, Ophelia. . . . (1).    If Ophelia is a victim, certainly Gertrude is likewise, having died from imbibing the poisonous drink intended for Hamlet by Claudius and Laertes. This essay intends to explore this aspect and many other aspects of   the character of Gertrude.    At the outset of the tragedy Hamlet appears dressed in solemn black. His mother, Gertrude, is apparently disturbed by this and requests of him:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not for ever with thy vailed lids   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Seek for thy noble father in the dust:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Passing through nature to eternity. (1.2)    The queen obviously considers her son’s dejection to result from his father’s demise. Angela Pitt considers Gertrude â€Å"a kindly, slow-w... ...Psychoanalysis Into' Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet." Early Modern Literary Studies 6.1 (May, 2000): 2.1-24   http://purl.oclc.org/emls/06-1/lehmhaml.htm Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Rpt from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html Smith, Rebecca. â€Å"Gertrude: Scheming Adulteress or Loving Mother?† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from Hamlet: A User’s Guide. New York: Limelight Editions, 1996. Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. â€Å"Shakespeare.† Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.

Responsibilities of Business Organizations

With the rate at which technology is currently growing and the number of competitors available in markets also increasing, responsibilities by firms is obligatory. With all this, it is of great importance to observe issues relating to business ethics with a very keen eye. For businesses to be valued in terms of ethics, they must observe principles related to ethics. This value attached to business ethics can make a business boost its performance and achieve set objectives and goals (Donaldson & Werhane 34). Customers, employees and employer satisfactions will dictate the type of ethics to be followed in a business.The responsibility of acting ethically lies on the hands of each single person in the organization. Acting ethically means more than adhering to company rules, policies or laws. Everything done counts and constitutes of visibility concerns that must be held high. Some of the business’ responsibilities expected to be practiced include the following. Legal Systems It i s argued that the law binds the business to its ethics. Milton Friedman the view’s pioneer said that as long as businesses are faced with the obligation of making profits, all its activities should be inline with the country’s legal system.Friedman says that businesses should conform to core rules of both the country of operation and the ethics of the location where the business is located (Donaldson, & Werhane123) The legal system of a country ensure that firms are regulated from engaging in activities that can prove detrimental to the broader perspective of social good including its citizens and environment. It’s the responsibility of the firm to ensure that all these regulations are complied with as far as running its activities.This is despite the inability of government laws being unable to cover all perspectives of business operations. Business Practices and Priorities Businesses are expected to be responsible in performing their activities. This is becaus e the most crucial stakeholders of the firm dictate them to be. For instance it is the obligation of the business to carry out activities that are in agreement with their employees views. This is due to the benefits that accompany increased engagements and cooperation of employees. Other key stakeholders include customers, investors and consumers.The community of operation and regulators all require their needs to be satisfied by the corporations. It’s upon the organization to determine the degree of importance of each stakeholder and how to satisfy their different needs. Community Expectations It is the responsibility of the firm to work hand in hand with the local community. This in turn will prevent conflicts that are bound to take place when disagreements regarding some actions taken or not taken by one of the parties involved. The community will hold the corporation responsible for its actions.The community expects so much from the business and it’s of great impor tance if the firm fulfills this expectation. This can be in form of employment creation, participation in community activities and provision of better and improved living standard due to the other amenities attracted to the region. Education and Crisis Management It’s the responsibility of the organization to ensure that the society is educated regarding its operations. The society and the corporation should be able to work collectively with the society to tackle pressures that are taking place due to constant changes.If the company is involved in activities that can lead to crises, the duty of taking up cleaning measures lies on it. This is to avoid the effects that may result from the actions taken. The business has the responsibility of creating awareness to its customers and consumers regarding the side effects of their operations in the region and the products it’s selling. References Donaldson, Thomas& Patricia, Werhane. Ethical Issues in Business: A Philosophica l Approach. New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008.

FASB Accounting Standards Codification Essay

This section deals with certain general background considerations and information related to the FASC and the answers can be found by clicking the â€Å"About the Codification† and â€Å"Notice to Constituents† sections on the FASC Welcome Page. This section is a good general source of information about the FASC and should be reviewed prior to starting to answer the specific questions set forth in all sections. The related research questions that you must answer are: (a) When did the FASC Codification become effective? †¢It was released on July 1, 2009 and became effective for Interim and Annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. (b) Did the FASC change prior GAAP? †¢No it didn’t change, it only got restructured. (c) What does the FASB expect from the new FASC structure and system? †¢The System is expected to reduce the amount of time and effort that is used to solve an accounting research issue. (d) What are the â€Å"topics† used in the ASC? †¢The General Principles †¢The Presentation †¢The Assets †¢Liabilities †¢Equity †¢Revenue †¢Expense †¢Broad Transactions †¢Industry (e) Are Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) references included in the ASC? †¢Yes It is. 2. Transfer of Receivables FASC 860-10 As the new staff person in your company’s treasury department, you have been asked to conduct research related to a proposed transfer of receivables. Your supervisor wants the authoritative sources for the following items that are discussed in the securitization agreement. Access the FASB Codification at http://asc.fasb.org/home to conduct research using the Codification Research System to prepare responses to the following items. Provide Codification references for your responses. (a) Identify relevant Codification section that addresses transfers of receivables. †¢ 860-10-05 (b) Provide definitions for the following: (i) Transfer †¢transference of a noncash financial asset by and to someone other than the issuer of that financial asset (ii) Recourse uncollectable †¢When the transferor of receivables retains the risk of uncollectability. (iii) Collateral †¢Assets that a borrower pledges as security for a loan, which the financier seizes if the borrower seizes to pay (c) Provide other examples (besides recourse and collateral) that qualify as continuing involvement. 3. Inventories FASC 330-10 Jones Co. is in a technology-intensive industry. Recently, one of its competitors introduced a new product with technology that might render obsolete some of Jones’s inventory. The accounting staff wants to follow the appropriate authoritative literature in determining the accounting for this significant market event. Access the FASB Codification at http://asc.fasb.org/home to conduct research using the Codification Research System to prepare responses to the following items. Provide Codification references for your responses. (a) Identify the primary authoritative guidance for the accounting for inventories. †¢Accounting Research Bulletins (ARB) No.43 Chapter 4. (b) List three types of goods that are classified as inventory. †¢Goods awaiting sale (finished goods) †¢Goods in the course of production (work in process), †¢Goods to used directly or indirectly in production (raw materials and supplies) What characteristic will automatically exclude an item from being classified as inventory? †¢Long-term assets that are subject to depreciation accounting †¢Goods which, when put into use, will be so classified as depreciable Assets (c) Define â€Å"market† as used in the phrase â€Å"lower-of-cost-or-market.† †¢market means current replacement cost (by purchase or by reproduction) provided that it meet the two conditions 1.Market shall not exceed the net realizable value 2.Market shall not be less than net realizable value reduced by an allowance for an approximately normal profit margin

Battle of Stoney Creek in the War of 1812

Battle of Stoney Creek in the War of 1812 The Battle of Stoney Creek was fought June 6, 1813, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). Having conducted a successful amphibious landing on the Lake Ontario side of the Niagara Peninsula in late May, American forces succeeded in capturing Fort George. Slowly pushing west after the retreating British, U.S. troops encamped on the night of June 5-6, 1813. Seeking to regain the initiative, the British launched a night attack that resulted in the enemy retreating and the capture of two American commanders. The victory led Major General Henry Dearborn to consolidate his army around Fort George and largely ended the American threat on the peninsula. Background On May 27, 1813, American forces succeeded in capturing Fort George on the Niagara frontier. Having been defeated, the British commander, Brigadier General John Vincent, abandoned his posts along the Niagara River and withdrew west to Burlington Heights with around 1,600 men. As the British retreated, the American commander, Major General Henry Dearborn, consolidated his position around Fort George. A veteran of the American Revolution, Dearborn had become an inactive and ineffective commander in his old age. Ill, Dearborn was slow to pursue Vincent. Finally organizing his forces to chase Vincent, Dearborn delegated the task to Brigadier General William H. Winder, a political appointee from Maryland. Moving west with his brigade, Winder halted at Forty Mile Creek as he believed the British force was too strong to attack. Here was joined by an additional brigade commanded by Brigadier General John Chandler. Senior, Chandler assumed overall command of the American force which now numbered around 3,400 men. Pushing on, they reached Stoney Creek on June 5 and encamped. The two generals established their headquarters at the Gage Farm. Scouting the Americans Seeking information on the approaching American force, Vincent dispatched his deputy assistant adjutant general, Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey, to scout the camp at Stoney Creek. Returning from this mission, Harvey reported that the American camp was poorly guarded and that Chandlers men were badly positioned to support each other. As a result of this information, Vincent decided to move forward with a night attack against the American position at Stoney Creek. To execute the mission, Vincent formed a force of 700 men. Though he traveled with the column, Vincent delegated operational control to Harvey. Battle of Stoney Creek Conflict: War of 1812Date: June 6, 1813Armies Commanders:AmericansBrigadier General William H. WinderBrigadier General John Chandler1,328 men (engaged)BritishBrigadier General John VincentLieutenant Colonel John Harvey700 menCasualties:Americans: 17 killed, 38 wounded, 100 missingBritish: 23 killed, 136 wounded, 52 captured, 3 missing The British Move Departing Burlington Heights around 11:30 p.m. on June 5, the British force marched east through the darkness. In an effort to maintain the element of surprise, Harvey ordered his men to remove the flints from their muskets. Approaching the American outposts, the British had the advantage of knowing the American password for the day. Stories regarding how this was obtained vary from Harvey learning it to it being passed on the British by a local. In either case, the British succeeded in eliminating the first American outpost they encountered. Advancing, they approached the former camp of the U.S. 25th Infantry. Earlier in the day, the regiment had moved after deciding that the site was too exposed to attack. As a result, only its cooks remained at the campfires making meals for the following day. Around 2:00 a.m., the British were discovered as some of Major John Nortons Native American warriors attacked an American outpost and noise discipline was broken. As the American troops rushed to battle, Harveys men re-inserted their flints as the element of surprise had been lost. Battle of Stoney Creek, June 6, 1813. Public Domain Fighting in the Night Situated on high ground with their artillery on Smiths Knoll, the Americans were in a strong position once they had regained their poise from the initial surprise. Maintaining a steady fire, they inflicted heavy losses on the British and turned back several attacks. Despite this success, the situation began to quickly deteriorate as the darkness caused confusion on the battlefield. Learning of a threat to the American left, Winder ordered the U.S. 5th Infantry to that area. In doing so, he left the American artillery unsupported. As Winder was making this error, Chandler rode to investigate firing on the right. Riding through the darkness, he was temporarily removed from the battle when his horse fell (or was shot). Hitting the ground, he was knocked out for some time. Seeking to regain the momentum, Major Charles Plenderleath of the British 49th Regiment gathered 20-30 men for an attack on the American artillery. Charging up Gages Lane, they succeeded in overwhelming Captain Nathaniel Towsons artillerymen and turning the four guns on their former owners. Returning to his senses, Chandler heard fighting around the guns. Unaware of their capture, he approached the position and was quickly taken prisoner. A similar fate befell Winder a short time later. With both generals in enemy hands, command of the American forces fell to cavalryman Colonel James Burn. Seeking to turn the tide, he led his men forward but due to the darkness mistakenly attacked the U.S. 16th Infantry. After forty-five minutes of confused fighting, and believing the British to have more men, the Americans withdrew east. Aftermath Concerned that the Americans would learn the small size of his force, Harvey retreated west into the woods at dawn after carrying off two of the captured guns. The next morning, they watched as Burns men returned to their former camp. Burning excess provisions and equipment, the Americans then retreated to Forty Mile Creek. British losses in the fighting numbered 23 killed, 136 wounded, 52 captured, and three missing. American casualties numbered 17 killed, 38 wounded, and 100 captured, including both Winder and Chandler. Retreating to Forty Mile Creek, Burn encountered reinforcements from Fort George under Major General Morgan Lewis. Bombarded by British warships in Lake Ontario, Lewis became concerned about his supply lines and began retreating towards Fort George. Having been shaken by the defeat, Dearborn lost his nerve and consolidated his army into a tight perimeter around the fort. The situation worsened on June 24 when an American force was captured at the Battle of Beaver Dams. Angered by Dearborns repeated failures, Secretary of War John Armstrong removed him on July 6 and dispatched Major General James Wilkinson to take command. Winder would later be exchanged and commanded American troops at the Battle of Bladensburg in 1814. His defeat there allowed British troops to capture and burn Washington, DC.

information security and BC essays

information security and BC essays Business continuity is of great importance to organizations and continually attempt to find better ways to protect the availability of information through technology. There are three business drivers that have brought this issue to the forefront of management and boardroom discussions. They are the rising cost of downtime, available technology to combat security breaches, and an overall heightened risk awareness. By analyzing some of the costs of major power outages and terrorist acts, one can see how big an impact that downtime has on an individual organization as well as the economy. Some companies have been looking at some of the most recent solutions to disaster recovery by using data compression software and data replication using IP versus physical tape backup. The increased awareness has been apparent in the formation of a national cyber security task force to help organizations understand the importance of including information security into their corporate governance fr amework. Information security is the biggest piece of business continuity and can be seen in current issues of internet and network security. The Internet is plagued by e-mail SPAM and viruses costing companies hundred of thousands of dollars in lost employee productivity as well as lost data and information. One can also look at the damage estimates of some of the biggest viruses over the past 6 years to see the impact that this security breach has on the worldwide economy. Lastly, network security has become a primary concern as organizations are looking to create their own virtual private networks (VPN) to connect remote employees and distant offices to secure information. Other methods of keeping networks secure is the use of WORM discs, which allow users to write data to a disc that is not re-writeable for security purposes. Lastly, companies need to find ways to require employees to periodically delete old files and other data to help save on ...

Steam Engines and the Industrial Revolution

Steam Engines and the Industrial Revolution The steam engine, either used on its own or as part of a train, is the iconic invention of the industrial revolution. Experiments in the seventeenth century turned, by the middle of the nineteenth, into a technology which powered huge factories, allowed deeper mines and moved a transport network. Industrial Power Pre 1750 Before 1750, the traditional arbitrary starting date for the industrial revolution, the majority of British and European industries were traditional and relied on water as the main power source. This was a well-established technology, using streams and waterwheels, and was both proven and widely available in the British landscape. There were major problems because you had to be near suitable water, which could lead you to isolated places, and it tended to freeze or dry up. On the other hand, it was cheap. Water was also vital for transport, with rivers and coastal trade. Animals were also used for both power and transport, but these were expensive to run because of their food and care. For rapid industrialization to take place, alternative sources of power were needed. The Development of Steam People had experimented with steam-powered engines in the seventeenth century as a solution to power problems, and in 1698 Thomas Savery invented his ‘Machine for Raising Water by Fire’. Used in Cornish tin mines, this pumped water with a simple up and down motion that had only limited use and couldn’t be applied to machinery. It also had a tendency to explode, and steam development was held back by the patent, Savery held for thirty-five years. In 1712 Thomas Newcomen developed a different type of engine and bypassed the patents. This was first used in Staffordshire coal mines, had most of the old limitations and was expensive to run, but had the distinct advantage of not blowing up. In the second half of the eighteenth century came inventor James Watt, a man who built on the development of others and became a major contributor to steam technology. In 1763 Watt added a separate condenser to Newcomen’s engine which saved fuel; during this period he was working with people involved in the iron-producing industry. Then Watt teamed up with a former toy manufacturer who had changed profession. In 1781 Watt, former toy man Boulton and Murdoch built the ‘rotary action steam engine’. This was the major breakthrough because it could be used to power machinery, and in 1788 a centrifugal governor was fitted to keep the engine running at an even speed. Now there was an alternative power source for the wider industry and after 1800 the mass production of steam engines began. Considering steams reputation in a revolution which is traditionally said to run from 1750, steam was relatively slow to be adopted. A lot of industrialization had already taken place before steam power was in major use, and a lot had grown and improved without it. The cost was initially one-factor holding engines back, as industrialists used other sources of power to keep start-up costs down and avoid major risks. Some industrialists had a conservative attitude which only slowly turned to steam. Perhaps more importantly, the first steam engines were inefficient, using a lot of coal and needed large-scale production facilities to work properly, while much industry was small scale. It took time (until the 1830s/40s) for coal prices to fall and industry to become large enough to need more power. The Effects of Steam on Textiles The textile industry had used many different sources of power, from water to human in the many laborers of the domestic system. The first factory had been built at the start of the eighteenth century and used water power because at the time textiles could be produced with only a small amount of power. Expansion took the form of expanding over more rivers for the waterwheels. When steam-powered machinery became possible c. 1780, textiles were initially slow to adopt the technology, as it was expensive and required a high starting cost and caused trouble. However, over time the costs of steam fell and use grew. Water and steam power became even in 1820, and by 1830 steam was well ahead, producing a large increase in the productivity of the textile industry as new factories were created. The Effects on Coal and Iron The coal, iron and steel industries mutually stimulated each other during the revolution. There was an obvious need for coal to power steam engines, but these engines also allowed for deeper mines and greater coal production, making the fuel cheaper and steam cheaper, thus producing more demand for coal. The iron industry also benefited. At first, steam was used to pump water back up into reservoirs, but this soon developed and steam was used to power bigger and better blast furnaces, allowing for an increase in iron production. Rotary action steam engines could be linked to other parts of the iron process, and in 1839 the steam hammer was first in use. Steam and iron were linked as early as 1722 when Darby, an iron magnate, and Newcomen worked together to improve the quality of iron for producing steam engines. Better iron meant more precision engineering for steam. More on coal and iron. The Importance of the Steam Engine The steam engine might be the icon of the industrial revolution, but how important was it in this first industrial stage? Historians like Deane have said the engine had little impact at first, as it was only applicable to large-scale industrial processes and until 1830 the majority were small scale. She agrees that some industries used it, such as iron and coal, but that the capital outlay only became worthwhile for the majority after 1830 because of delays in producing viable engines, high costs at the start, and the ease with which manual labor can be hired and fired compared to a steam engine. Peter Mathias argues much the same thing but stresses that steam should still be considered one of the key advances of the industrial revolution, one which occurred near the end, initiating a second steam-driven phase.

Comcast voip telecommunications Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Comcast voip telecommunications - Research Paper Example This age is known as the age of information technology and we see information technology everywhere. In this scenario, Comcast based VoIP is completely an innovative and high-tech technology for the superior management of business and corporate issues. Additionally, Comcast Digital Voice presents a completely new set of alternatives for our home telephone service with the Comcast superior broadband network. For example, Comcast Digital communication and phone service allows us to choose unlimited local as well as long distance communication plans through which we can keep our present telephone number as well as touch-tone telephone. Moreover, we can enjoy all of our preferred options similar to call waiting, voice mail, caller ID and a lot more (OnlineComcast, 2011). This paper outlines strategic Implications of information technology on COMCAST with a focus on VoIP Telecommunications over the next three years. This paper will also present a recommendation on what Strategic Action sh ould be taken. Technology Overview Comcast VoIP has emerged as a modern and high-tech technology service that offers a lot of facilities for the business management. Presently Comcast VoIP service is attracting a large number of VoIP clients every quarter and has extremely quickly turned out to be the nation's (US) 4th major phone carrier. However, they are not only one of the major VoIP communication service providers, but they also present the maximum quality local and international calls. Additionally, the Comcast VoIP Digital phone service offers a range of improved telephone characteristics with cost savings that exceed a lot of customary telephone services. In addition, the modern services of Comcast VoIP technology based service allows its users to keep their present telephone number as well as touch-tone telephone thus offering advantages of countless characteristics similar to improved Voice Mail that allows the users to get and send their messages through online or phone s ystems. Moreover, digital phone service as well allows the users to take pleasure of unlimited local as well as nationwide long distance calls, such as calls to Puerto Rico and Canada at least monthly price. Thus, people are able to save money. It also allows its users to connect TV and Internet service with Comcast phone service and take pleasure pay less for the entire Comcast communication services (Bode, 2008) and (OnlineComcast, 2011). Company  Background For this report I have selected Animusoft Company that is making use of VoIP services offered by ActivePBX. While using traditional VoIP services, Animusoft Corporation faced a lot of problems regarding internal communication of business and departmental interaction. The business is aimed at improving its overall services and potential working capability with new VoIP services. In this way the company will be able to achieve high level performance (Animusoft Corporation, 2011). Current Business Issues of VoIP   VoIP is a c omparatively modern technology. In this scenario, the research work shows that a lot of corporations are now making use of VoIP technology to reduce costs, tonnage efficiency and maintaining strategic position.