Illusion and Identity in Atwood’s Essay Example for Free

Illusion and Identity in Atwood’s Essay Identity in Atwood’s â€Å"This is a Photograph of Me† In her poem â€Å"This is a Photograph of Me,† author Margaret Atwood uses imagery and contrast to explore issues of illusion versus reality as well as identity. The poem is split into two halves. The first half contains descriptive words about scenery and natural objects, and the second half, surrounded by parentheses, begins with the unnerving surprise that the narrator is dead. The poem opens with a description of a picture that at first seems blurry but slowly comes into focus, like a photograph slowly developing, that even resembles a written poem itself (â€Å"blurred lines and grey flecks/blended with the paper. †) The second and third stanzas go on to describe objects in the picture, including a â€Å"small frame house,† a â€Å"lake,† and â€Å"some low hills. † The first half has a reminiscent and descriptive tone, falsely leading the reader along with serenity. But even here, there is a shroud of mystery, with a description not just of a â€Å"branch,† but of â€Å"a thing that is like a branch,† and the house is â€Å"halfway up/ what ought to be a gentle slope,† not halfway up a gentle slope. What could this mean? The calm albeit mysterious peacefulness of the first half ends with the fourth stanza’s jarring declaration, beginning with an opening parenthesis, that the photograph the narrator is describing â€Å"was taken/ the day after [she] drowned. The pace of the poem after this revelation seems frantic, searching for the narrator in the lake, which was in the first half described as being â€Å"in the background† and now â€Å"in the center/ of the picture. † The narrator tells the reader that what can be seen is distorted and one must look intently, playing with the themes of illusion and identity. Perhaps the ambiguity of the poem and the exploration of illusion and identity are hinting at a feminist perspective that a woman’s true spirit is overcast by a male-dominated society. Or perhaps the poem’s focus is eluding to a more universal human search for identity, a with a narrator who is unsure and obscured, but â€Å"just under the surface,† about to break out – previously dead but now reborn, to find a new path. Or perhaps the author is talking about poetry or literature itself and the author’s hidden intentions lurking in the work. As noted earlier, the description of the â€Å"photograph† at the beginning resembles a description of a poem: â€Å"blurred lines and grey flecks/ blended with the paper,† like lines of writing and the letters comprising words. The author dies with the birth of her poem, when the piece lives on its own; but the author is still there, somewhere, her intentions a key part of the text. The photograph in the poem, in the first half, is described as â€Å"smeared† and â€Å"blurred† and in the second half there is still â€Å"distortion. † So instead of disclosing the narrator’s story and identity, no resolution is apparent. On the contrary, the photograph creates illusion and obscures identity. The reader is left with uncertainty, just like the blurred and distorted photograph of the poem.

Migration Rate of Colo16 Cells Exposed to UV Light

Migration Rate of Colo16 Cells Exposed to UV Light Introduction: Cells exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays of light often supress signalling pathways associated with inflammation as well as the immune system and as a result of activating the p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Radiation from UV light is from the electromagnetic spectrum and can be divided into two primary wavelengths; UVA 320 – 400 nm and UVB 290 – 320 nm. UVA rays are more dominant than UVB, however both UVA rays reaching the subcutaneous layer of skin and UVB rays reaching the dermis are known to cause the development of skin cancers via damaging the DNA of skin cells (1, 2, 3). The effect of UV light on cells can be measured by determining the time the cells take to migrate back to their normal positions after the creation of an artificial wound. An inexpensive and easy assay to perform to make such measurements is the scratch assay. The scratch assay uses a pipette tip to create an artificial gap between the cells under aseptic conditions and uses high resolution imaging devices connected to an inverted microscope to take pictures of the cells migrating at specific time intervals. The images can then be used to calculate the distances travelled under the different UV exposures and therefore a comment on how the cells were affected under the different conditions can be made (1, 2, 3, 4). In this experiment, Human squamous cell carcinoma (SSC) cells that are known to have a dysfunctional p53 proteins were taken from the epithelial Colo16 cell line and used to measure the migration distances of the cells under different UV exposures. Then the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor GM6001 was added to the Colo16 cells in order to determine if it had an effect on the cell migration distances under the same UV exposures (1, 3, 5, 6). GM6001 is a MMP inhibitor that inhibits the enzyme collagenase which destroys the peptide bonds of the protein collagen found in the extracellular matrix. Collagen is an important component of the connective tissue and helps the cells adhere to their surrounding surfaces. GM6001 has been shown to block the phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) and inhibit cell migration responses (3, 5). Aims: To determine the migration rate of Colo16 cells exposed to UV light at intervals of 12 hours over 48 hours after the creation of an artificial wound (gap). To determine the effect of the MMP inhibitor GM6001 on the migration rate of Colo16 cells exposed to UV light at intervals of 24 hours over 72 hours after the creation of an artificial wound (gap). Hypothesis: If cells from the Colo16 cell line are treated with the MMP inhibitor GM6001 then it is expected that the mean gap distance will increase when compared with untreated Colo16 cells under the same exposure to UV light due to the inhibition of collagenases that breakdown collagen and the blocking of EGFR phosphorylation. Materials and methods: As per the BIOL2299 2014 Prac 4 lab notes. Results: Raw class data for the untreated and treated Colo16 cell gap distance (mm) is shown in Table 1 and Table 2 respectively. From the class data our group was Group A shown in Table 3 and Table 4, and the mean class data along with its standard deviation values is shown in Table 5 to Table 8. Table 1. Class Untreated Colo16 Cell Gap Distance (mm). Table 2. Class Colo16 GM6001 Treated Cell Gap Distance (mm). Table 3. Group A Colo16 Untreated Cell Gap Distance (mm). Table 4. Group A GM6001 Treated Colo16 Cell Gap Distance (mm). Table 5. Mean Class Colo16 Untreated Cell Gap Distance (mm). Table 6. Class Standard Deviation (SD) of Colo16 Untreated Cell Gap Distance (mm). Table 7. Mean Class GM6001 Treated Colo16 Cell Gap Distance (mm). Table 8. Class Standard Deviation (SD) of GM6001 Treated Colo16 Cell Gap Distance (mm). Figure 1. Line graph showing the mean gap distance of Untreated Colo16 cells under different UV exposures along with the standard deviation values after the creation of a synthetic gap using a pipette tip at intervals of 12 hours over 48 hours post-irradiation. Figure 2. Line graph showing the mean gap distance of Colo16 cells treated with the MMP inhibitor GM6001 under different UV exposures along with the standard deviation values after the creation of a synthetic gap using a pipette tip at intervals of 24 hours over 72 hours post-irradiation. Discussion: From the line graph in Fig. 1, the Colo16 cells under UV radiation showed a slower decline in gap distance compared with the control. And the Colo16 cells exposed to UVA + UVB rays had the slowest decrease in gap distance over 48 hours after the creation of the artificial wound with a gap distance of only 0.200 mm suggesting that both UVA and UVB work with synergy together and the p38 MAPK pathway and therefore cause a delay in wound healing. From the line graph in Fig. 2, the Colo16 cells treated with the MMP inhibitor GM6001 exposed to different UV conditions had a delayed cell migration response when compared to the control GM6001 Colo16 cells that were not exposed to UV irradiation. This may be due to the inhibition of collagenases that help breakdown the collagen found in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the Colo16 cells via the action of GM6001. GM6001 is a MMP inhibitor that inhibits the enzyme collagenase that normally is involved in the breakdown of collagen of the ECM. This inhibition may affect the cell migration of Colo16 cells during wound healing as a result of the collagen not being broken down by the collagenases in the ECM and therefore resulting in the cells being adhered to their surrounding for a longer time; increasing the time required to close the gap and complete the wound healing process. Discussion questions: What other ways are there to determine whether cells are migrating into the wound or proliferating into it? (Are there morphological characteristics of cell migration or proliferation?) Other ways of determining cell migration or proliferation include: 1 – Immunofluorescence staining: cells can be stained using fluorescence markers that use antibodies to bind to specific antigens associated with cell migration or proliferation such as the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) (7). 2 – Laser scanning confocal microscopy: cells can be viewed under high resolution and the morphological features of migrating cells can be observed such as the formation of fibrin matrices, an increase of length, width and total spread of fibroblasts (7). 3 – Boyden chamber: which measures cell migration via the determination of a chemical gradient based on chemicals release via chemotaxis during cell migration (7). What is a Boyden chamber and why would you use it? Give 3 examples of where it can be used. A Boyden chamber is an in vitro chemotaxis assay that measures cell migration via the analysis of leukocyte chemotaxis, where cells are placed in pores at the top of a chamber and allowed to migrate through its pores containing chemotactic agents. After incubation the cells are stained and the number of cells that have migrated to the lower portion of the chamber (8). The Boyden chamber can be used to measure: 1 – Cell migration based on chemicals released to the cell’s surrounding, and determine if a specific chemical causes the cells to migrate towards or away from the stimulant (Chemotaxis) (8). 2 – Cell migration based on the gradient of specific extracellular matrix proteins, and determine if a particular protein causes the cells to migrate towards or away from the protein. This can be done via the coating of the chamber with the protein of choice (Haptotaxis) (8). 3 – Cell migration rate of tumour cells through the vascular endothelium toward specific chemokines (8). Describe 3 limitations of the scratch method. Some limitations of the scratch method include: 1 – Creation of an artificial wound of the same approximate width can be extremely difficult and any variance in the gap distance between the different cells at time 0 hr can greatly affect the significance of the results (4). 2 – The incubation of the cells after the creation of the wound (scratch) has to be long enough to help the cells migrate during the fastest time frame and any variance in this may lead to the cells not migrating equally, therefore affecting the results. Also, the temperature and environmental conditions of the incubator have to be at their ideal values for healthy cellular migration (4). 3 – Highly time consuming, in order for the readings to be statistically significant at least 100 readings of distance for each sample and each experiment must be repeated at least three times. As a result, this creates copious amounts of data that consumes a lot of time and energy to analyse (4). If you are investigating cell growth factors on cell migration, should serum be present in the media? Explain your answer. Yes, Serum containing the growth factors should be found in the media in order to study its effects and the growth factors should be soluble in the serum and added to the media before the addition of cells in order to be equally distributed in the solution (4). What are the main differences in investigating a scratch assay using non-transformed vs transformed cells? Transformed cells are transfected with a plasmid coding the gene of interest along with a plasmid marker before the conduction of a scratch assay, whereas non-transformed cells are investigated without being transfected with a specific plasmid (4). Apart from taking photos of the cells over time, propose another way you may be able to show cell migration. Cell migration can be shown via the conduction of an electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) in vitro cell migration assay that measures cell migration via the creation of a wound by passing an electrical current through the cell and causing electroporation. Then cell migration is measured via the calculation of the cell’s impedance in ohms over a specific time as seen in Fig. 3 (9). Figure 3. Typical ECIS data involving the electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) in vitro cell migration assay (http://www.biophysics.com/woundhealingpubs.php#ECIStheory). Which of the methods is the one that most labs would not use, explain why you think this would be so. Most labs would not use the ECIS in vitro migration assay due to its expensive cost and it’s relatively time consuming cell type dependant incubation times. Another in vitro migration assay that would not be used in labs is the microfluidics-based system due to its need for nanofabrication facilities and its reasonably very expensive cost (4). Conclusion: In conclusion, Colo16 cells under UV radiation showed a slower decline in gap distance compared with the control. And the Colo16 cells exposed to UVA + UVB rays had the slowest decrease in gap distance over 48 hours after the creation of the artificial wound with a gap distance of only 0.200 mm suggesting that both UVA and UVB work with synergy together and the p38 MAPK pathway and therefore cause a delay in wound healing. Whereas, the Colo16 cells treated with the MMP inhibitor GM6001 exposed to different UV conditions had a delayed cell migration response when compared to the control GM6001 Colo16 cells that were not exposed to UV irradiation. This may be due to the inhibition of collagenases that help breakdown the collagen found in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the Colo16 cells via the action of GM6001. This inhibition caused by GM6001 may affect the cell migration of Colo16 cells during wound healing as a result of the collagen not being broken down by the collagenases in the ECM and therefore resulting in the cells being adhered to their surrounding for a longer time; increasing the time required to close the gap and complete the wound healing process. References: BIOL2299 Biology of Tissue Growth and Repair Manual, 2014. Reichrath J, Rass K. Ultraviolet damage, DNA repair and vitamin D in nonmelanoma skin cancer and in malignant melanoma: an update. Advances in experimental medicine and biology. 2014;810:208-33. Muthusamy V, Piva TJ. A comparative study of UV-induced cell signalling pathways in human keratinocyte-derived cell lines. Archives of dermatological research. 2013;305(9):817-33. Liang CC, Park AY, Guan JL. In vitro scratch assay: a convenient and inexpensive method for analysis of cell migration in vitro. Nature protocols. 2007;2(2):329-33. Grobelny D, Poncz L, Galardy RE. Inhibition of human skin fibroblast collagenase, thermolysin, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase by peptide hydroxamic acids. Biochemistry. 1992;31(31):7152-4. Moore GE, Merrick SB, Woods LK, Arabasz NM. A Human Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line. Cancer Research. 1975;35(10):2684-8. Chen HC. Boyden chamber assay. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, NJ). 2005;294:15-22. http://www.cellbiolabs.com/boyden-chamber-assays http://www.biophysics.com/woundhealingpubs.php#ECIStheory

Meth the killer drug Essay -- Drug Abuse, Psychotic Behaviors, Brain D

Meth the killer drug â€Å"Meth is a very strong drug that attacks the central nervous system stimulant.† â€Å"The drug works directly on the brain and spinal cord by interfering with normal neurotransmission (â€Å"HOW METH DESTROYS.† 1) Meth is also potent an easy to make only thing you need is a few boxes of cold and asthma medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, red phosphorous, hydrochloric acid, drain cleaner, battery acid, lye, lantern fuel, and antifreeze are among the ingredients most commonly used. Longtime meth abuse causes brain damage, various oral cancers and oral infections, as well as psychotic behavior, and various skin conditions; it also decreases nerve sensitivity. Brain damage is a sure thing for a meth user; it can change your brain chemistry. â€Å"Meth releases a surge of dopamine, causing an intense rush of pleasure or sense of euphoria (â€Å"HOW METH DESTROYS.† 2) â€Å"Chronic abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, including paranoia, in somnia, anxiety, extreme aggression, delusions and hallucinations, and even death†. (â€Å"HOW METH DESTROYS.† 2) When addicts use meth it causes you to lose your memory and it also affects your cognitive abilities witch cause the user to be reckless and not think about what they are doing because when a user high wares of the go in to a depression and a sense of need more felling. â€Å"Meth also releases a high dose of adrenaline it also makes you suffer from similar symptoms as seen in Parkinson disease (â€Å"HOW METH DESTROYS.† 13) Meth has a focus effect on the user called tweaking which allows you to be super focus for a period of time, Meth mouth is a disease that comes along with long term meth use. â€Å"Meth mouth is the term called for user it’s a serious disease that rots your teeth and giv... ...easure at all. (HOW METH DESTROYS.†) Over time meth can destroy your dopamine receptors which control your felling and pleasures making it very hard to fill pleasure. Although these pleasure centers can heal over time, research shows that the damage done to the user cognitive abilities may be permanent. (â€Å"METH MADNESS.† 1) â€Å"Meth is a very dangerous drug that is powerful an will lead you down the wrong road meth will change you life so much that the users will not even know them selves because they would’ve of been to focused on the next high.† â€Å"Meth is the most addictive drug out there an it has so many risks such as brain damage, various oral cancers and oral infections, as well as psychotic behavior, and various skin conditions; it also decrease nerve sensitivity it also increase your risk of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B an or C.†

Essay --

Teagan Seeley Word Count: 1294 HWC 204 Benjamin Guyer December 17th 2013 â€Å"Exploration of Similarities in Religious Texts: A Further Look at the Koran, the Tanakh and the New Testament† People who practice the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam collectively comprise over one half of the world’s population, and while disparities between these three religions are widely spread and politicized, the similarities between their religious texts outweigh their differences. A crucial similarity between these three religions is their view on Abraham as their spiritual patriarch (lecture). The Koran makes use of both the Tanakh and the New Testament, and while minor differences exist between these texts, the perspectives they share are far more significant. The Koran retains many of the core ideas found in the Tanakh and the New Testament, specifically in regards to the perception of Abraham, the status of God, and the role of women. Any religious text can be interpreted in any number of ways, and while it is easy to pull apart texts of different faiths and dissect the differences, finding common ground and similarities is arguably more important. As previously mentioned, one of the most important similarities between these three texts is the perception of Abraham. Abraham’s commitment to God was tested, and as it was proved, he is the basis for all three of the Abrahamic faiths. In Genesis, God speaks directly to Abraham, saying, â€Å"I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall by blessed.† (Genesis 12:1-3) In the Tanakh, Abraham’s loyalty to God is tested throughout the Bible, and as Abraham’s devotion become apparent, God solidifies ... ...he New Testament, large themes and important messages resonate similarly across the three faiths. The power, authority and oneness of God is undeniable and unquestionable. Similarly, those who disobey the direct commands of God and who do evil will undoubtedly face his punishment. Also, all three religious texts outline a specific hierarchy that is inherent to the believers; God is above Christ, Christ is above men, and men are above women. The roles and rights of women were limited, and not questioned. As with any ancient text, a reader must be aware of the difference in historical cultures, interpretations and biases. With these texts not all being written at the same time, cultural shifts undoubtedly occurred, but the Koran makes use of ancient Jewish and Christian Scriptures, as evidenced by the similarities between the Koran, the Tanakh and the New Testament.

Nova Scotia :: essays research papers

Nova Scotia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nova Scotia, one of the three Maritime and one of the four Atlantic provinces of Canada, bordered on the north by the Bay of Fundy, the province of New Brunswick, Northumberland Strait, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and on the east, south, and west by the Atlantic Ocean. Nova Scotia consists primarily of a mainland section, linked to New Brunswick by the Isthmus of Chignecto, and Cape Breton Island, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Canso. On July 1, 1867, Nova Scotia became one of the founding members of the Canadian Confederation. The province's name, which is Latin for New Scotland, was first applied to the region in the 1620s by settlers from Scotland. Physical Geography   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nova Scotia can be divided into four major geographical regions-the Atlantic Uplands, the Nova Scotia Highlands, the Annapolis Lowland, and the Maritime Plain. The Atlantic Uplands, which occupy most of the southern part of the province, are made up of ancient resistant rocks largely overlain by rocky glacial deposits. The Nova Scotia Highlands are composed of three separate areas of uplands. The western section includes North Mountain, a long ridge of traprock along the Bay of Fundy; the central section takes in the Cobequid Mountains, which rise to 367 m (1204 ft) atop Nuttby Mountain; and the eastern section contains the Cape Breton Highlands, with the province's highest point. The Annapolis Lowland, in the west, is a small area with considerable fertile soil. Nova Scotia's fourth region, the Maritime Plain, occupies a small region fronting on Northumberland Strait. The plain is characterized by a low, undulating landscape and substantial areas of fertile soil. History   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The area now known as Nova Scotia was originally inhabited by tribes of Abenaki and Micmac peoples. The Venetian explorer John Cabot, sailing under the English flag, may have reached Cape Breton Island in 1497. Colonial Period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first settlers of the area were the French, who called it Acadia and founded Port Royal in 1605. Acadia included present-day New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The English, rivals of the French in Europe and the New World, refused to recognize French claims to Acadia, which they called Nova Scotia (New Scotland) and granted to the Scottish poet and courtier Sir William Alexander in 1621. This act initiated nearly a century of Anglo- French conflict, resolved by the British capture of Port Royal (now Annapolis Royal) in 1710 and the French cession of mainland Acadia to the British by the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. Thus, the bulk of the Roman Catholic French-Acadians came under Protestant British rule.

PLC

The main stages of the product life yes are: Start Up – introductory phase of a lunch of a product Growth -? new entrance are attracted into the market Turbulence – where increasing product capacity result in overcapacity, and then turmoil in the market resulting in shakeout Maturity -where demand and supply in balance Decline – where the market is saturation and therefore replacement or new product development is required. Start up When proton first launched their product in the market there's lots of uncertainty from consumer during that time. Since it's new, there's no guarantee of the success of the brand.Start-up phase is where allocation of trust needs to be in consumers mind because Proton was facing great competition with famous, successful car brand out there. Competing with these is not easy. Since proton already know about the market environment and their competitors Proton was smart, to segment their Proton brand to economy or affordable car market. S ales of proton during this phase was low due failure to meet demand in the market. Growth The successful launch and introduction of the Xerox, the first truly Malaysian MAP in 2009, helped to improve the total production volume from 157,643 nits to 173,057 units.Although it is new, the Xerox alone has contributed to 20% of the total volume in its first year of production, a testament of its high demand. In July 2010, the new Xerox Special edition was launched and continued to capture the MAP segment with its enhanced styling and product specification. The Saga will also be upgraded by having a two phase facilitate, the first facilitate targeted in November 201 0 with minor appearance modification and a second involving an engine upgrade in 201 1. This facilitate is planned despite its continuing streak of high bookings.In fact in the last financial year, the Saga was a best seller several times for the Malaysian automobile market; due to its impressive selling points of consistent q uality, value for money and reliability. The launch of the Persona ‘Elegance' in March 2010 is another example of PROTON's commitment to continuously improve its products. The Elegance is equipped with better specifications including a bit ACE which means increased functionality, better engine performance and increased diagnostic capabilities.These combined with an enhanced stylish body kit, alloy rims and interior trim leather makes the Elegance a much sought after car in its class. We expect the Elegance to continue its reign as one of the top revenue generating models in our stable. Efforts to improve productivity and quality remain a core focus within the Manufacturing Division. Quality levels improved in 2009, and with the increase in production volume, we are also taking steps to raise our productivity index. In term of market shares, the company's market share later grew to 65% in 1987.Proton maintained a majority market share in the following years, which peaked in 199 3 at 74% with over 94, 100 units sold. Turbulence The financial year 2009/2010 has been a challenging yet exciting year for proton. They started cautiously in the wake of the drastic market slowdown due to the 2008 global economic crisis. This had severely affected the automotive industry domestically and globally. Market analysts had originally forecasted an 1 1% decline in total industry volume growth in 2009 as compared to 2008 due to the effect of the economic downturn.And Automobile sales in Malaysia plunged from 404,000 units in 1 997 to 163,851 in 1 998 due to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Proton's revenue and profits ere severely affected, but a majority market share was still maintained into the early 20005. Maturity New sales and product distributions Effectively, PROTON gained an additional 2% market share, increasing to 28% from 26% in the previous year. This marked improvement of 13% increase in overall performance was primarily driven by the popularity of four core models namely the Saga, Persona, Xerox and Austria Neo.These made up 94% of the total registration. The Saga continued to be the lead model amongst the top four PROTON models and had managed to become the best-selling model in Malaysia for 3 institutive months from January 2010 to March 2010. With better systems and improved processes in place, the overall monthly average of unregistered stock against registered ratio remained healthy at below 1 month, resulting in better cash flow. Decline The mid-asses witnessed a decline in Proton's revenues and sales. In 2006, Proton's market share was 32%, down from 40% in 2005.Proton lost its majority domestic market share for the first time in 20 years to Periods, the second Malaysian automobile manufacturer. Factors which contributed to the fall of Proton included the revision of the National Automotive Policy (NAP), Proton's newer indigenously designed models (I. E. The Proton Wag, Gene-2 and Saws) which were poorly designed and manufacture d compared to the former Mediumistic-based Protons and stronger competitors, specifically Periods with their best-selling Mimi which launched in 2005.Both Proton's total sales volume and market share failed to recover to its pre-2002 figures and Periods remained the domestic market leader from 2006 onwards. Business Risk Factors Corporate and Operational Risks Corporate risks are primarily risks caused by external events that have potential impact on the strategic decision or activities of the Group. The Board is responsible in ensuring that the corporate risks of the Group are identified proactively. This was performed via product development, quality improvement and process improvement programs.Operational risk is defined as the risk of loss resulting from inadequacy or failure of internal processes, people and system. As the Group progresses towards operational excellence, the Group faces a multitude risks relating to financial risks, vendor capacity and capability in achieving b usiness objectives. Appropriate measures were undertaken to ensure that controls are in place to avoid any sorption Of operations. Export Market Risks Proton conducts its businesses across regions.This exposed the Group to risks such as changes in market regulation, infringement of Intellectual Property Rights (PR) and stiff market competition which may impact the Group's ultimate objectives. As the Group's future lies in expanding into the export markets, it is imperative that efforts are taken to ensure that a risk faced by the organization is effectively managed. Various risk assessments were performed in the year in review specifically for our operations in China, Middle East and Sean.Updates on mitigation plan were reported to the GRAM and BRIM respectively on a quarterly basis. Business Environment Risk Business environment risk is inherent in all businesses. The strengthening global call for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is now widely acknowledged in both developed an d developing nations and is a catalyst for the â€Å"Green Vehicle† concept to be promoted. In view of this challenge, the Group has deliberated the challenges and opportunities in the green technology and ways to catapult this idea into a feasible end state.

Continue to Fund NASA

The wreckage of the ship and the remains of her seven crew members were strewn all across Texas and parts of Louisiana. Even the most staunch NASA believers contemplated their support for the agency as fire rained from the sky. It had been nearly 17 years since the last fatal disaster of the Challenger explosion, and this served as another frightening reminder that space travel till is not safe.The incident caused the question that everyone asked themselves that day: Is the journey Of space travel and exploration worth the sacrifice of human lives? This line of thinking has ultimately lead to the debate over whether we, as American tax payers, should continue to fund NASA in its mission to explore and understand the universe. I propose that NASA is not only an important part of our government, but an absolute critical piece of our development as a human species. We are a race destined for the stars, and the formation of agencies like NASA were the first steps to that end.To better un derstand NASA, we have to look at the agency from its inception. NASA was essentially born out of fear of Soviet space superiority. On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launch the worlds first artificial satellite into space by the name of Sputnik (Gerber, Lanais). As a direct result, almost exactly one year later NASA was formed with 8,000 employees and a 1 00 million dollar budget. The initial goal of NASA was to make up lost ground on the Soviets in the space race, but on May 25, 1961 President John F Kennedy gave NASA its prime directive: put a man on the moon and bring him back feely before the end of the decade.With an astonishing pace and efficiency, that goal was achieve on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon and gave his famous â€Å"One Small Step for Man† speech. At that time, the whole country was behind NASA and its mission. The very act of putting a man on the moon changed our society in many ways. Man was no longer bound to the Ear th, and it changed our perception of the universe. Exploration of space and the stars seemed within our grasp. It looked like only a matter of time before the common man would be colonizing the moon. Fast forward almost forty years later and we find that Man has not been back since.The notion that we were able to send a man to the moon in eight years, but spend the next forty idly by on Earth and our low orbit space stations does not sit well with some. And, if you are just looking at the small picture of manned space travel, it would seem that NASA is moving at a snails pace. Since the last moon landing, Man has not moved an inch past our low orbit space stations. When looking at faults, there are many to be found as to why this has occurred. The first thing we can look at is the faltered support NASA received from our entry in the past few decades.When Americans started dying for the cause, we all slowly started losing our taste for space travel. This also occurred when we realize d the high cost of sending man into space. The public does not see the benefits of sending a man to the moon again, as the â€Å"been there, done that† mentality has prevailed. This is especially apparent as of late when Obama just recently canceled the Constellation Program, which aimed at getting a man back on the moon by 2020 (Atkinson). The ultimate goal was to start towards building a lunar base from which we could launch other space sessions from.Yet, even though we had already spent 9 billion dollars on the project, it was axed. NASA was cited as â€Å"over budget, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation due to a failure to invest in critical new technologies. † Instead, NASA was urged to invest and inspire the centralization of space flight (Belton). This comes about because the space shuttle fleet will be retiring this year, and the US will be entirely reliant on the Russian space agency to ferry our astronauts to the International Space Station for the nex t few years. It is suggested that spurring growth in this sector will achieveBeam's angle of creating jobs and will be better economically than sending our money to Russia. While I find the centralization of space flight a step in a good direction, I believe the cancellation of the Constellation program shows an enormous lack of foresight on the Obama administration's part. While this move harkens back to when the government spurred growth in commercial aviation sector by use of the Airmail initiative (Simmers 2), one must realize that the money is just not there yet for commercial study and exploration.The projects NASA have undertaken have required massive budgets with usually very little monetary return. This is not necessarily the arena for private industry, who have a bottom line to worry about. There has been much outcry as to the cost of supporting NASA through public funding. This year Anna's budget actually increased 6% to just under 18 billion dollars, which to some, are n ot being spent wisely. It is unfortunately true that NASA has become the government agency that nobody wanted it to be: big, bloated, inefficient and expensive.It seems it has fallen into the pit that most other government agencies have. For proof of this e can look at Anna's latest Mars rover project, the Mars Science Laboratory (MS). The rover was supposed to launch near the end of 2009 and now has been delayed (twice) to 201 1 (Chance). The budget for this project was approved at 1. 6 billion but now is projected to surpass 2. 2 billion by launch. Even if you look at Anna's more recent success stories the public has been asking â€Å"is it worth it? ‘ The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity launched in 2003 and were expected to last only 6 months.Six years later and we find they are still operating on Mars and sending back data. At a total cost of -? 944 million for a six year mission, you could say that's a bargain (Chivies). Yet, there are many who wonder how soil samples and weather patterns on Mars help us when there many more issues down on Earth that need attention. Some have urged for the slashing and outright abolishment of NASA in favor of shifting its budget to other social programs like well fare, national health care or education.While I am not debating the whether or not these programs need more funding, I am stating that diminishing Anna's budget and overall presence would be a huge blow to the development of the IIS and he human race as a whole. When looking at the overall governmental spending budget, NASA is only a drop in the bucket, totaling only less than 1% (Change). Compare that to the height of the Apollo missions that took 5% of the budget, it shows that today's program is affordable. The national defense budget is nearly 40 times that of Anna's.While NASA does not directly work towards the hyphenation of space (that is the Air Force's domain), maintaining space superiority does lend to our country's defense. One can only imagi ne if Russia or China gains the upper hand. Regardless, the minute anis we might see by diverting Anna's funding elsewhere would be greatly outweighed by the detrimental effects this would have on our country and perhaps the world. So far you might say there haven't been many pro's for NASA that have been presented. The fruits of Anna's labors really fall into two categories: tangible and intangible.The intangible gifts that NASA has given us are really the hardest to defend as they may not directly benefit us. For instance, NASA has discovered more than 300 explants (planets orbiting stars outside our solar system) and are still finding new and better ways to detect them Cowmen). They recent launched the Keeper space telescope that will aid us in finding even more explants. The knowledge that there are definitively more planets outside our solar system, while not surprising, does nothing for us now and helps no one at the moment.Yet, the information we might glean from these explan ts may perhaps unlock how planets are formed in our universe; and may even give a glimpse into how life is formed. One cannot put a price tag on expanding the human understanding of the universe. But, knowing how life or planets are formed do not help the starving or the dying. For those who do not care that Uranus has 1000 MPH wind speeds or that at the center of every galaxy there may be a super massive black hole; we must look at the direct and tangible presents that NASA has bestowed on our society.Many, many innovative technologies have been directly and indirectly created by NASA is pursuit of its goals. If you get lost in the woods and your GAPS leads you back to safety; you can thank NASA for that. If MR. scan catches the early stages of cancer and you get to live a full life because of it, you can thank NASA (Change 2). If your fire alarm goes off and you can get out of your souse before it is engulfed in flames; again, you can thank NASA. If you have an ear thermometer, ce ll phone, satellite TV or cordless drill; you can thank in whole or in part, NASA.The technologies NASA has given the world has not only made life easier, but has saved countless lives as well. Let's not forgot Anna's enormous contributions to meteorology either, which have not only saved lives but have help the agricultural sector as well. All these things we may not have come about if NASA hadn't help create them as a means to their end. If all of Anna's contributions to humanity have not swayed you than reaps nothing will. You must take into account this though; that the fate of the entire world and the human race may be on Nanas shoulders.I'm sure you have all seen movies like Armageddon and Deep Impact, and believable or not these Earth striking comets are a very real possibility. The only way we will have fair warning if this comes to pass will be through the efforts of agencies like NASA. The only organizations even considering the possibilities and contingency plans are thos e like NASA This is not fear mongering either; the widely accepted notion that Earth has been hit by a comet before exulting in the extinction of species like the dinosaurs is proof enough that it is possible.It may very well be that one day NASA saves the Earth from destruction, and We will breath sigh of relief that we kept them around. When its all said and done, we need NASA. They have given us so much in the way of knowledge and tech analogical advancements that we shouldn't turn our backs on them now. Granted, they are not perfect and do have many glaring flaws. Perhaps they need a restructuring or new leadership to get them back on the path. The fact remains that we are indebted to NASA for eloping us grow technologically and as humans looking up wide eyed at the sky.