Phrmaceutical Formulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Phrmaceutical Formulation - Essay Example It has a wide range of applications, like, levosalbutamol inhalers have been designed to help in the treatment of asthma. Pulmonary drug delivery can be used to administer a vaccine like in the case of currently inhaled measles vaccine given by nebilizer. (Molema, 2001 pg 16) Also it can be used to give medication to infants and young children who have a small tidal volume and low inspiratory flow rates by the use of a baby mask which normally is attached to spacer. (Perry, 2012 pg 25)It has been used to treat lung cancer by the means of inhaled chemotherapy which has proven to be a logical approach and also it is used on patients who are very ill who cannot withstand any more pain by inhaling opioids such as morphine and fentanyl. (Sigmund, 2009 pg10) Drugs used in pulmonary drug delivery have multi-component powders with mucoactive compounds and anti-asthmatic medicines bound together in a single particle because of the mucus layer covering the airways of the tracheobronchial struc ture. (Friebel, 2010 pg 20)The substances used in the inhalers must dissolve 100% so as not to block the air gaps to avoid suffocation. (Le, 2001 pg 37) Been affected by the rapid change of technology due to great inventions pharmaceutical industries had to do some research to come up with more efficient drug delivery system like drug powder inhalers. (Zeng, 2001 pg 8) Although drug powder inhalers has greatly boosted the pharmaceutical companies there are challenges that are experienced during its formulation like the cohesive ,adhesive property of drug and carrier aggregation, particle size , morphology of the drug and carrier aerosolization performance and powder formulation properties. (Koning, 2001 pg 40)One of the challenges in pharmaceutical industries is to characterize their various physical behaviors; here the concern is mainly focused on the study of the relations relating the properties of the grain to those of the powder bed. (Wang, 2012 pg 44)The goal is thus to be abl e to control, analyze and improve the manufacturing processes of the powder. (Talton, 1999 pg 60) To improve the aerosolization performance of drug powder inhalers, varieties of carrier and carrier types have to be sampled and studied so as to come up with the best, and the drug ratios are prepared by spray-drying so as to improve the efficiency of the drying procedure and the characterized at last. Again to improve aerosolization two critical physical properties which are the particle size and flowability has to be keenly observed where the particle size should be around 5-6   Ã‚ µm and the angle of repose to be within the ranges of 43 °Ã¢â‚¬â€œ52 ° for the flowability to boost the aerosolization. If this is done well the aerosolization performances can be improve greatly. Cohesion forces of particles used in dry powder formulation is a great nuisance to inhalers because it reduces powder flow and hinders accurate metering hence needs to reduce it and this can be achieved by blending the active pharmaceutical ingredient with a larger inert carrier so as to reduce the high cohesion forces that are normally between the micron sized active pharmaceutical ingredient particles. Adhesion forces are also of great concern in dry powder inhalers because if not catered for they make the patient to find it difficult to deliver the drug from the inhaler to his or her system hence it must be overcome or reduced by great magnitude so as to allow liberation of drug from the device with minimal energy from the patient. The particle size is a challenge in drug powder inhalation

The Theory Of Colour Essay Example for Free

The Theory Of Colour Essay Colour surrounds us and as such will impact, critically, on the way we feel. Certain colours and colour combinations or tone are mood enhancing making us feel happy, peaceful or energised, other colours will make us make us feel sad, angry, agitated or subdued. Business, fashion and the media make full use of their understanding of colour to achieve their aims and this often results in colour trends that will make certain colours or combinations being dated and others modern or up to the minute. The considered use of colour and tone can also make locations or items more attractive and thus increase sales or create environments where sales are enhanced. E. g. In hotels or restaurants colour can be used to create an ambience such as classical to ensure that customers will return and high prices charged. In a fast food restaurant, where sales are limited colour and design will be used to encourage customers to eat quickly and leave. The psychology of colour shows the degree to which we are all affected at a subconscious level by colour. For example the colour pink is used to suppress feelings of anger and violence in disturbed adolescents. Colours can also be related to gender and sexuality as well as seen as relating to periods in history e. g. Egyptian, Classical, and Victorian etc. It is clear then that in order to be effective in the area of interior design one needs to understand and apply the theory of colour. This is achieved by assisting the client to determining the most appropriate colour scheme for them. This will be based on a fluent understanding of colour carefully applied to the taste, personality and preference of the client, their choice of style or period, and the atmosphere they wish to create e. g. formal, cosy. Pragmatically it will need to include the consideration of furnishings, the purpose of the room, the geography of the room, lighting and costs. It is also very important to know when the room is likely to be used the most as colours are dramatically affected by the quality of light. That is to say a colour scheme will look quite different in the evening than it will in the daytime. Rooms that are used frequently tend to lend themselves to a lighter colour treatment. Thus colour is the foundation on which the design for an interior is based and should include all aspects such as walls, ceilings, woodwork, furnishings, architecture and needs to also consider contrasts and textures. It is important to start by understanding the theory of colour and the development of the colour wheel. This is based on the three primary colours red, yellow blue, that cannot be mixed from any other colours These colours are then the first on the wheel and by mixing them together we can create the whole colour spectrum. Thus two primary colours when mixed will provide a secondary colour e. g. red yellow will create orange thus we have the secondary colours orange, green purple. Tertiary colours are achieved by mixing one primary and one secondary colour together. Thus blue (primary) mixed with purple (secondary) creates blue violet (tertiary). See attached colour wheel. The tone of a colour refers to how light or dark it is. When we add white to a colour we have a tint and when we add black we have a shade. The addition of grey both white and black, to a colour creates a depth of colour called a tone (Please see attached) Hue is the correct name for colour it is important to note that the best use both hue and tone will provide a successful colour scheme for a room this includes mixing separate colours to the same tone. Restricting darker or lighter shades to small areas such as skirting and rails.

MORPHINE Essay -- essays research papers fc

MORPHINE Morphine is a narcotic analgesic drug, which means that it is a downer painkiller. It is most commonly given intravenously (by injection) for more rapid results, but it can also effectively be given orally. It has a remarkable ability to reduce physical distress, and its calming effect protects against exhaustion in traumatic shock, internal hemorrhage, and several other conditions. This drug is truly a miracle worker. Morphine is an opiate, coming from the poppy seed. It was first isolated from opium in 1803 (some sources say 1806) by the German pharmacist F. W. A. Serturner, who named it after Morpheus, the god of dreams. Morphine was first used as a painkiller, and mistakenly, as a cure for opium addiction. Morphine quickly replaced opium as a cure-all recommended by doctors, not to mention its popularity as a recreational drug. The exchange of morphine addiction for that of alcohol was considered positive for the reason that alcohol was harder on the body, and more likely to trigger antisocial behavior. By the time heroin was discovered in 1874, morphine had already addicted hundreds of thousands of people. Soon heroin found its way to the level of morphine and codeine. Since the practice of selling patent medicines had no regulation until 1906, with the Pure Food and Drug Act, it was common to simply mail order any of these drugs. Morphine played a part in the American Civil War as well. Not only was it commonly the companion of a soldier injured on the fiel...

Success of Mcdonalds

As a husband and Father of two children, I’d like to say I’m an expert on McDonalds, especially the modern day McDonalds which is a lot different than when I was a kid. Today, McDonald’s is practically everywhere in the world and is a part of their cultures. The explanation of McDonald’s success can be derived from many things, but the ones that stand out are first their branding. They have been around for over sixty-five years and that certainly helps with branding. As of today, McDonald’s success in the public’s eye is that they have quality food at a low price that is given to the customer quickly with great service and clean facilities. The planning, organization, leadership and controlling by McDonald’s are about as cutting edge as you can get when it comes to fast food restaurants. I’m going to talk about these four points and they will tell you why McDonald’s is the number one fast food chain in the world. The McDonald’s chain is composed of company owned restaurants as well as franchised restaurants which make up over sixty-five percent of the operating McDonald’s outlets. Now because of this many of the restaurants are controlled and run separate from one another. McDonald’s is not just around to gain profits, but to survive not only the American recession, but also the global market. They strive to be the best employer for people in each community around the world, deliver operational quality to their customers in each and every restaurant and achieve profitable growth by continuing to expand their brand and using their strengths to continue to be innovative and take advantage of modern technology. So yes, McDonald’s knows what they are doing, but that wasn’t always the case. Back when they first opened, they were only open for lunch and dinner. So approximately from 7:00 a. m. to 7:00 p. m. and they did well, but today most McDonald’s restaurants are open twenty-four hours a day. Many fast food chains have copied this idea in order to keep up with McDonalds. From a planning standpoint, McDonald’s is always coming up with innovative ideas to continue to their branding. When you watch a couple hours of television in the evening, no matter what channel, you are going to see a McDonald’s commercial. They are typically very fresh and memorable and that’s without a doubt on purpose. The planning that goes into McDonald’s marketing is to always be two steps ahead of their competition. You also probably can’t help but see at least one billboard from McDonald’s on the way to work. Again, this to McDonald’s in your head for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Another big part of McDonald’s planning is to stay modern. Our American culture has gotten increasingly obese over the decades and McDonald’s takes a lot of heat for this. This is why they came up with their healthy menu a few years back so people had the choice to eat healthy. I believe another big part of McDonald’s planning is to tap into markets that they haven’t reached before. Sure McDonald’s has been serving coffee for years, but who doesn’t like a good cup of Starbuck’s coffee? I know I love my Starbuck’s in the morning and this is where McDonald’s decided to tap into the gourmet coffee drinker market recently by coming up with the McCafe. They now serve frappuccinos, gourmet coffee and iced coffees. This was brilliant in my opinion because now when you go to McDonald’s in the morning for your Egg McMuffin, you can now get a Starbucks quality gourmet coffee. McDonald’s has done very well with this addition to their menu and this is why McDonald’s has been and will continue to be the number one fast food chain in the world. As far as organizing, McDonald’s has franchises all over the world now and they continue to grow at a blistering pace. Their goal is to make sure that globally, each restaurant caters to specific cultures. What is on the menu in my southern California McDonald’s is different that say a McDonald’s in Europe. Having been stationed in Germany, I can definitely attest to this. So organizationally, McDonald’s continues their success by globally rganizing and implementing innovations to each of their franchises all over the world. Even the McCafe, as new as it is, is launching in McDonald’s franchises across the globe. Leadership is vital the McDonald’s success. Without strong leadership, who knows what would have happened to the McDonald’s brand. In 2001, the Hu man Resource Design Center for McDonald’s Corporation initiated the development of a special leadership development program for a select number of high potential managers identified as candidates for possible promotion into a key role in its system, that of regional manager. The program was entitled â€Å"McDonald’s Leadership Development Experience†. This program, now twelve years young, is breeding leadership within its own walls. Having read about the program, it’s very extensive and well thought out and this is just one of the reasons why McDonald’s continues to have strong leadership. Now as far as McDonald’s controlling is concerned, they do have very strict controls and guidelines in place to ensure that all of their restaurants are uniform. This is really one of the qualities that separate themselves from the competition. The strict controls in place for each McDonald’s franchise don’t just apply to the ones here in the United States, but all over the world. Things like uniform restaurant hours, quality control standards and strict hiring criteria for employees are just a few of the things that McDonald’s has in place to ensure that all of their restaurants in the world have a high standard of excellence. McDonald’s has been successful for quite some time now and the four points I just wrote about are some of the reasons for their success. McDonald’s will continue to be innovative and hold a high standard of excellence. I be in twenty year there will be new and exciting products from McDonald’s as they continue to be the number one fast food chain in the world. McDonald's 24/7; By focusing on the hours between traditional mealtimes, the fast-food giant is sizzling, by Michael Arndt. Business Week. New York: Feb 05, 2007. , Iss. 4020; pg. 64, retrieved at 07/22/2010 from: http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/07_06/b4020001. htm Helm, B. (2010). Ethnic Marketing: McDonalds' Is Lovin' It. Bloomberg Business Week, retrieved May 15, 2011 at http://www. usinessweek. com/magazine/content/10_29/b4187022876832. htm A Golden Recipe for McDonald’s Europe, by Kerry Capell(2010). A Golden Recipee for McDonalds' Europe. Business Week (on line), New York, July 18, 2008, retrieved at 07/200/2010 from: http://www. businessweek. com/globalbiz/content/jul2008/gb20080717_293203. htm Patton, L. (2011). Ronald McDonald Sidelined as Chain Toutes Lattes. Bloomberg Business Week, retrieved May 15, 20 11, at: http://www. businessweek. com/news/2011-03-02/ronald-mcdonald-sidelined-as-chain-touts-lattes. html

Erich Maria Remarque Essay

â€Å"If you tell the truth, you won’t have to remember anything† (Mark Twain). Throughout my life I have come to recognize many truths. Sometimes I would tell the truth and sometimes I would lie, but when I lied I didn’t always get away with it. Although I do lie about some things and get away with it, I still feel bad about doing it. Throughout my life, Algernon and Jack’s false identities, Father Hooper’s sacrifices, Dr. Heidegger’s experiments, Eldorado’s disappointing truth, and Paul’s journey, we are awaken with the truth. The theme of truth has been revolving around all our first quarter readings. In the poem Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe, a knight is on a journey to find this joyful land, called Eldorado. The knight continues to search for Eldorado, but he knows he has failed. But he keeps searching, and even though, in his mind, he knows that Eldorado is a fictional place, in his heart he still believes it’s real. The knight in Eldorado recognizes a fairly disappointing truth, that Eldorado is a nonexistent place. â€Å"But he grew old-this knight so bold-and o’er his heart a shadow fell as he found no spot of ground that looked like Eldorado† (Poe 305). This quote illustrates how the knight realizes there is no Eldorado. Another example of the recognition of truth is in All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, when Paul Baumer realizes the truth about war, and how it really destroys people, physically and mentally. â€Å"I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another† (Remarque 263). This quote signifies that Paul is very young and that all he knows is death, fear, and despair, and it is because of the war. The war had destroyed him and made Paul a different person. Throughout my life I have come to recognize many truths, but one major one is that nothing in this world is free, even if it doesn’t cost any money, because it still requires work. Nowadays everyone wants to buy the new technology being created, and it has been like this for many years. They also want to buy the clothing that is popular and very expensive. But, neither of the two are free, and they both cost money and both take time to get. I realized this when I was about 8 years old. I would still ask for a lot of things, even though I knew whatever I was asking cost a lot of money, and it was just because everyone else had it. However, when you grow older, you come to recognize that nothing is free and that you have to work for everything. Another important truth that I have come to recognize is that revenge is insignificant and for the irresponsible. When someone does something to you that is cruel or hurtful, you are going to want to get revenge on them, and that’s just how every human being is. I learned that revenge was unimportant a few years ago. My brother told on me for something I did, and I got in a lot of trouble. I was grounded for one week, and that made me furious. So I decided to get revenge on my brother. In the end, when I tried to get revenge, I ended up in more trouble and was grounded for even longer. This has happened to me many times, and I have come to realize that revenge is insignificant, it just makes everything worse. A third, and final, significant truth that I have come to recognize is that everyone will die someday. No matter how old or how young you are, you won’t be alive forever, which is just how life is. So everyone must live their life to the fullest and go out and do things. Don’t kill time, because killing time is priceless, and will never grow back, so why do it. Many people have lists of what they wish to do throughout their lifetime, which is amazing, because these people to realize the fact that they won’t be here one day. I have recognized this truth and am taking it as an advantage, and so should everyone else. Everything is revolved around the truth, whether it’s in your life or in a book you read. However, not many people recognize these truths in life. Once they do, they will be taught remarkable life lessons that will help them out in life. Throughout our lives, I, as well as the characters in the books we have read, have come to recognize many truths about life, which have helped us come to discover many things. Many people should need to start recognizing the truths in their lives, as I did, and it will benefit them in the long run. Works Cited BrainyQuote. Xplore, n. d. Web. 09 Oct. 2013. Holt Elements of Literature. Fifth Course. Essentials of American Literature. Orlando, FL. : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2007. Print. Remarque, Erich Maria, and A. W. Wheen. All Quiet on the Western Front;. Boston: Little, Brown, and, 1929. Print.

Megalodon - The New Evidence

Megalodon - The New Evidence Does Megalodon: The New Evidence present a compelling case for the existence of this giant prehistoric shark? If youve just watched the encore of last years Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives (retitled, for Shark Week 2014, Megalodon: The Extended Cut) you probably havent gotten your hopes up. Check back here for live updates during the show! 10:00 PM EST: Well, Discovery is sticking with the big lie. Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives is still a documentary, Collin Drake is still a marine biologist, and Megalodon is still among us. Also, reaction in the scientific community was mixed, even though no reputable scientist has backed the show. Apparently, the soap opera actor who plays Collin Drake has furiously been pursuing leads for the past year, and Discovery has the temerity to sit him down opposite the shows host as if hes a genuine scientist. 10:03 PM EST: The phrase Lazarus taxon, as pronounced by Collin Drake, must have taken quite a bit of rehearsal. No, you cant adduce the existence of Megalodon from the (established fact) that coelacanths still prowl the worlds oceans. 10:06 PM EST: Basically, the documentary got my name out there, says Collin Drake, the only true fact stated on this show so far. Also, cute of Collin to make fun of viewers obviously photoshopped Megalodon snapshots, in light of Discoverys own photoshop shenanigans. 10:09 PM EST: Jake Shelton, who is he? A quick Google search is unproductive. If anyone has any leads, email me right away at dinosaursaboutguide.com. PS, that enhanced image of Megalodon chomping a whale is one of the most laughable effects ever seen on reality TV. 10:15 PM EST: New evidence from Collin Drake, from an unnamed U.S. government agency. A satellite photo near Sao Paolo, Brazil, looks like a giant oil spill. but is actually a swarm of microbes. And look, theres a 70-foot shark right nearby, captured in full (fake) silhouette! U.S. National Geospacial Intelligence Agency (yes, it really exists) media relations liaison Linda Strong weighs in. its fun to speculate, she says, but she wont play along with the Megalodon hoax. This one doesnt seem like an actress, she may actually be a genuine person! 10:26 PM EST: The guy who plays Collin Drake, Im afraid to say, isnt a very good actor. For some reason, hes talking about a whale with a century-old spear embedded in its hide, which seems to be veering a bit off track. But hey, Megalodon was as big as a giant whale, right? 10:30 PM EST: Mirena Malik, who is she? No evidence of her existence in Google. If shes really from the U.S. Geological Survey, she should be fired for sharing a table with Collin Drake and going along with this farce, though admittedly Collin is getting better at the scientific jargon. Malik says Megalodon would be the logical conclusion from the available evidence, so now Im thinking actress rather than geologist. 10:35 PM EST: Collin Drake unmasked, thanks to an alert correspondent! Hes Darron Meyer, a South African actor, whose profile you can see on IMDB. 10:40 PM EST: Its supposedly someone named Gavin Curring from the South African Department of Environmental Affairs. Refreshingly, he says Collin Drake is a phony, but not-so-refreshingly he then maintains that that fake South African charter boat disaster was caused by an orca rather than a Megalodon. No such person as Gavin Curring, according to a quick Google search, and the guy is an execrable actor. The depth of the Discovery Channels duplicity is truly amazing. 10:51 PM EST: Collin Drake was 100 percent sure he tagged Megalodon last year, but the shark supposedly dove to below 6000 feet. Stunning disclosure: Maybe it wasnt a Megalodon after all. Drake considered all the options, and using Occams Razor, he concludes that there are actually...wait for it....two Megalodons, not one, and theyre reproducing! 10:55 PM: Martin Isaacs, a researcher and filmmaker for the Australian Marine Biodiversity Project, which doesnt exist. Are you surprised that he agrees with Collin Drakes findings? Conditions are right for Megalodon to make a comeback. 11:00 PM: Good night, Megalodon. Good night, Collin Drake. I need to take a long shower. Â   Last year, to kick off Shark Week, the Discovery Channel aired one of the most shameful documentaries in the history of reality TV: Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives. This two-hour extravaganza starred marine biologist Collin Drake, who was actually played by an Australian soap-opera actor, and had the gall to fabricate a fatal fishing-boat disaster off the coast of South Africa as if it were recorded fact. Essentially, the entire show was made up from start to finishbut enough unwary viewers were taken in that today, millions of people believe Megalodon still prowls the worlds oceans. (Read my review of this show.) Now its almost time for Shark Week 2014, and the Discovery Channel is at it again. Heres the blurb from the official website: In April 2013, a fishing vessel off the coast of South Africa was attacked, killing all on board. A TV crew documented Marine Biologist Collin Drake as he worked to determine the predator responsible. Megalodon: The New Evidence presents Shark Week viewers with shocking new evidence and interview footage.

Freedom Of Speech essays

Freedom Of Speech essays Imagine a time when one could be fined, imprisoned and even killed for just simply speaking ones mind. Speech is the basic vehicle for communication of beliefs, thoughts and ideas. Without the right to speak ones mind freely one would be forced to agree with everything society stated. With freedom of speech ones own ideas can be expressed freely and the followers belief will be stronger. The words sound so simple, but without them the world would bee a very different place. Without the right to speak freely one would not be able to debt, nor would one be able to receive full coverage on world issues. There would be no interesting newspapers, no free religion and no free thoughts. This amendment seems so simple but, the boundaries of which issues and incidents are covered are so complex and varied. What is legal and illegal? What can be said and cannot be said? Does this amendment include spoken word only or does it include action also? What, if any, limits should be put to this amendment? As long as the government has existed, people have battled over censorship. Censorship takes on all different shapes and forms: banning of books, television guidelines, laws that curb specific types of speech, and imprisonment or even death for openly speaking. For example, in sixteenth century England, a loyal subject of Henry VII was imprisoned for saying, I like not the proceedings of this realm.1 In earlier times this would have been punishable by death for treason. The need for freedom of speech was first brought up in Massachusetts Body of Liberties in 1641. After the Revolutionary War in America, many states recommend that free speech be put in the United States Constitution. Nevertheless, freedom of speech was written into the Bill of Rights and A few years after the First Amendment was ratified, the government passed the Sedition ...

16 Substitutes for Because or Because Of

16 Substitutes for Because or Because Of 16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of† 16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of† By Mark Nichol Many words or phrases can be used to set up an explanation. The most common is because (or â€Å"because of†), but others have their uses. Here are alternatives and a discussion of their uses and their merits. 1. As: As is a direct synonym for because (for example, â€Å"He opted not to go see the movie, as it had gotten poor reviews†), but it’s inferior. 2. As a result of: This phrase is a substitute for â€Å"because of,† not because, as in â€Å"As a result of his intervention, the case was reopened and they were ultimately exonerated.† 3. As long as: This informal equivalent of because is used to express the thought that given that one thing is occurring or will occur or is true, another is possible, in such statements as â€Å"As long as you’re going, could you pick some things up for me?† 4. Being as (or being as how or being that): This phrase has the same sense and the same formality as â€Å"as long as.† 5. Considering that: This phrase is essentially identical in meaning to â€Å"as long as† and â€Å"being as† and its variants. 6. Due to: Like â€Å"as a result of,† â€Å"due to† is a preposition, rather than a conjunction like because, and is used in place not of because alone but instead of â€Å"because of.† It applies specifically to an explanation of why something occurred or will or will not occur, as in â€Å"Due to the large number of applications, we cannot respond individually to each applicant.† 7. For: This substitute for because is reserved for poetic usage, as in â€Å"Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.† 8. Inasmuch as: This phrase is a very formal equivalent of because, as in â€Å"Inasmuch as his account has been discredited, I wouldn’t believe anything else he says.† 9. In view of the fact that: This phrase is identical in sense to â€Å"inasmuch as.† 10. Now that: This phrase informally connotes cause and effect, as in â€Å"Now that you’re here, we can proceed.† 11. Out of: This phrase applies to explanations of emotion or feeling for example, â€Å"She asked out of compassion† or â€Å"Out of spite, I refrained from passing the message along.† 12. Owing to: This phrase is equivalent to â€Å"due to†; the two choices are more formal than â€Å"because of.† 13. Seeing that: This phrase is identical to â€Å"considering that.† 14. Since: This alternative to because is informal and is considered inferior because since primarily refers to elapsed time and the usage might be confused, as in â€Å"Since it had rained, we didn’t need to water the garden†; the reader might not realize until reading the second half of the sentence that the sense is causal rather than temporal. 15. Thanks to: This equivalent of â€Å"because of,† despite the wording, can apply to either a positive or a negative outcome; â€Å"Thanks to your meddling, we’re receiving much unwanted attention† demonstrates the latter sense. 16. Through: Through is a preposition; it takes the place of â€Å"because of,† as in â€Å"Through the efforts of these charities, the city’s homeless services have been reinstated.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterExpanded and Extended6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know

Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 10

Final paper - Essay Example Therefore, in this paper, I will be discussing institutional racism based on stereotypes and how it has come to affect Middle Easterners. I will attempt to make a comparison between past and present treatment of students of Middle Eastern origin in the United States as well as show different places where this type of discrimination might take place. Furthermore, I will discuss how stereotypes of these individuals often affect these individuals in both their public and personal lives based on my own experiences. In the United States, institutional racism has become a part of everyday life for many individuals especially from the Middle East or for those Americans who have origins in this region. In my experience as a student of Middle Eastern origin, institutional racism enforces stereotypes of people from this region without necessarily taking into account their individual differences. I have been faced with many problems during my stay in the United States and this has been based on beliefs by ordinary Americans that because of the way I look, I am a threat to them. There was an instance where after going into a restaurant to get something to eat, I was viewed suspiciously by not only its staff, but the customers as well. Many of these customers actually moved away from the table that I took and despite waiting for a long time, no one seemed to be willing to come to my service. This was within my first few days in the United States and my dreams of this country being a bastion of liberali sm were shattered as I came to realize that the stereotype of Arabs as terrorists had become firmly entrenched in American viewpoint (Oswald 1775). I later came to experience open discrimination at the University of Arizona when attending classes, and this became a trend because whenever I entered a classroom, and took a seat, the students who had been sitting all around me would move away from me and take other seats. Only those who did not seem to have a problem with me or my

Comparison of Three Sculptures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparison of Three Sculptures - Essay Example Michelangelo’s interpretation however shows David before his battle with Goliath. He carries his slingshot over his shoulder and is almost unnoticed. The expression on his face shows he is ready for battle. On the other hand, Donatello depicts David after his triumphant battle with Goliath. He is shown stepping over the head of Goliath. The masculinity of David is emphasized more in Bernini’s and Michelangelo’s sculpture as opposed to Donatello’s. Bernini’s sculpture clearly shows the force and energy exerted by David as he launches the stone. The muscles in his legs give the impression of how his feet hold tightly on the ground to support the strain in his body’s stance. David’s skillful maneuver of his sling was perfectly interpreted by Bernini. One also observes the anger shown through David’s facial expression. Michelangelo’s sculpture of David shows a more relaxed David in contrast to Bernini’s. The contours of David’s physique seem flawless. Michelangelo sculpted David’s body with preciseness, molding with perfection his bones, muscles and veins. As opposed to Bernini’s and Michelangelo’s interpretation of David, Donatello portrayed David in a very fragile physique, almost like a woman. It lacks masculinity, as if David was only in his teens. It does not seem to be a body of a well-developed man. Even the stance of David which presents him with his left arm on his waist is so unbecoming of a fighter, which is very unlike Bernini’s and Michelangelo’s image of David. The saving grace of the masculinity of Donatello’s David is the lower part of the sculpture which shows David stepping over the head of Goliath. All three sculptures show how the interpretation of a subject can vary depending on the artist. The views, beliefs and backgrounds of the artists have an effect on their masterpieces. A single subject such as David can be interpreted in a number of ways depending on who is creating

Molecular Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Molecular Biology - Essay Example For monoclonal antibody, mice are immunised with purified protein. Mouse splenocytes are collected after the immunisation process and fused with myeloma cells. To obtain monoclonal antibodies individual B cells are fused to myeloma cells and isolated by serial dilution resulting to a fusion product or hybridoma cell line of which can produce one specific antibody for extended periods of time by tissue culture. These hybridomas can be screened and best clones cultured in standard tissue culture facilities. The hybridoma cell line obtained for a given antibody was injected into the peritoneal cavity of mice where it grew and simultaneously produces the antibodies. Ascetic fluid containing the antibodies was harvested from the peritoneal cavity after a period of time. One fusion may produce 1000hybridomas therefore one must choose the most appropriate. This might be the highest infinity mAb but could be the most stable, the least cross reacting, the highest specificity depending on what is required. The advantage of using monoclonal antibodies is that they are monospecific, they tend to reduce cross reactivity and useful in diagnostics such as tissue typing. They are highly reproducible, can use relatively impure antigens to immunise animas, theoretically have limitless supply and can manufacture using recombinant DNA technology plus phage display libraries to produce fully human antibodies of any specificity. Labelling antibodies is useful as it enables detection of antibodies. Currently, the most commonly used are fluorescent labels, enzyme labels, chemiluminescent labels and radioactive labels. These are sometimes amplified using Avidin-Biotin Conjugate system. Some common fluorescent labels include, Fluorescein isothiocyanate, DAPI, Phycoerithrin and Texas red. When using enzyme labels, an enzyme is covalently attached to the

Interest Groups and their Influence on the Making of Public Policy Research Paper

Interest Groups and their Influence on the Making of Public Policy - Research Paper Example The composition of interest groups depends on the issues that the groups are concerned with. Examples of the interest groups are business organizations, labor unions, gender, professional associations, religious and public interest groups, and occupational groups. The impact of the interest groups depends on two factors: if the elected officials and bureaucratic agents are, championing public policies considered by the interest groups. Secondly, it depends on if the interest groups can be able to form organized groups through which they can lobby and influence public policies that are consistent with their mission and vision statements (Asare, 2009). Interest groups tend to thrive in a pluralistic environment and conflict ensuing from this environment translates to compromise and bargaining among the interest groups with the policymakers and the politicians. A review of literature evidence that these groups have been given names ranging from iron triangles, epistemic communities, advocacy coalition frameworks, and policy subsystem, issue, and policy networks. Though they are diverse groups, they all sought to influence the public policy in the areas they were envisioned to represent (Asare, 2009). The American government has classified the types of interest groups into three main classes based on their mission and composition: economic, public, and single use. Economic groups are aimed at providing economic benefit to their members. Examples are professional associations, business, and labor organizations. Business interest group examples are United States Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers. An example of labor interest groups is The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the Teamster, the United Auto Workers (UAW). Professional groups in this category include the American Bar Association (ABA), American Medical Association (AMA), and the Screen Actors Guild (SAS) (American Government).

Homosexuality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homosexuality - Research Paper Example Members of the Society for the Reformation of Manners in England accused Captain Rigby of sodomy. The captain was convicted and sentenced to serve one I year in prison. He was also made to stand in a public place where people get to humiliate him for his supposedly bad manners. During the reign of Germany’s National Socialist (Nazi) government under the leadership of Adoft Hitler, the Nazi attempted to rid Germany of people whom they think do not fit their vision of the Aryan race. Since homosexuals do not fit into their vision of the Aryan race, many homosexuals were summarily put to death (see United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Although times have changed since the open persecution of homosexuals through the courts and through summary execution, the public perception of homosexuals still remains mixed. Some people have become more tolerant to gays while others remained close minded on the issue. In our modern times, homosexuals enjoy more freedom but still, there are areas where these people still do not enjoy the kind of freedom that most people have. A good example of this is the case of the military. During the Clinton Administration, the government adopted the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy for gays in the military. This laws which took effect in 1993 authorized the government to discharge an American soldier for coming out as lesbian, gay or bisexual. The rationale behind this legislation is that accepting people who are openly gay into the military would affect the high standard of morale in the military and would affect the implementation of good order and discipline among soldiers. The Bush administration supported the policy but the Obama administration promised to allow gays to openly serve the military. Of course this promise of President Obama is yet to be seen in the military. As of now, the â€Å"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell† policy still

Interest Groups and their Influence on the Making of Public Policy Research Paper

Interest Groups and their Influence on the Making of Public Policy - Research Paper Example The composition of interest groups depends on the issues that the groups are concerned with. Examples of the interest groups are business organizations, labor unions, gender, professional associations, religious and public interest groups, and occupational groups. The impact of the interest groups depends on two factors: if the elected officials and bureaucratic agents are, championing public policies considered by the interest groups. Secondly, it depends on if the interest groups can be able to form organized groups through which they can lobby and influence public policies that are consistent with their mission and vision statements (Asare, 2009). Interest groups tend to thrive in a pluralistic environment and conflict ensuing from this environment translates to compromise and bargaining among the interest groups with the policymakers and the politicians. A review of literature evidence that these groups have been given names ranging from iron triangles, epistemic communities, advocacy coalition frameworks, and policy subsystem, issue, and policy networks. Though they are diverse groups, they all sought to influence the public policy in the areas they were envisioned to represent (Asare, 2009). The American government has classified the types of interest groups into three main classes based on their mission and composition: economic, public, and single use. Economic groups are aimed at providing economic benefit to their members. Examples are professional associations, business, and labor organizations. Business interest group examples are United States Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers. An example of labor interest groups is The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the Teamster, the United Auto Workers (UAW). Professional groups in this category include the American Bar Association (ABA), American Medical Association (AMA), and the Screen Actors Guild (SAS) (American Government).

Price discovery in American and British Property Markets Essay

Price discovery in American and British Property Markets - Essay Example On the other hand, real-estate taxes accounted for 17.1 per cent of home-owners' housing costs in Britain in 1983, compared to only 7.6 per cent in the United States. These home-ownership costs provide a simple cash-flow comparison of family housing cost, but they do not take into account a variety of other important factors, including, most importantly, the impact of mortgage interest tax relief and the appreciated value of the house. The results suggest that actual cost is extremely sensitive to the rate of appreciation. However, using the average annual appreciation over the 1978-83 period, we calculate that, as a percentage of income, the real annual cost of home-ownership (excluding property tax and maintenance) was significantly lower in Britain than in the United States. Indeed, given that interest rates were lower than the rate of inflation of house prices, the real annual cost of purchasing a new home in Britain in either 1981 or 1983 was actually negative.

Estate Planning Paper Essay Example for Free

Estate Planning Paper Essay Last year, November 2011. The world lost Andy Rooney. Andy Rooney, the 60 Minutes commentator known to generations for his wry and humorous television essays died Friday in a hospital in New York City of complications following minor surgery. He was 92. A will for Rooney has been filed in surrogate court in New York City. The will leaves the entire estate, which is comprised of $8 million in stocks, bonds and cash and $1 million in real estate, to Mr. Rooneys four children, Brian Rooney of Los Angeles, identical twins Emily Rooney of Boston and Martha Fishel of Chevy Chase, MD, and Ellen Rooney of London. Mr. Rooneys wife, Marguerite Margie Rooney, died in 2004. They had been married for 62 years. Based on a statement from Mr. Rooney’s son Brian, apparently Mr. Rooney did not do any estate tax planning other than the will. In her article Julie Garber (Julie Ann Garber, Esq. is an experienced estate planning attorney a co-author of the book Estate Planning Strategies, Collective Wisdom, Proven Techniques Wealth Builders Press, (2009) state that, â€Å"Assuming that Mr. Rooney did not have many liabilities and no assets passed outside of his probate estate, then this means that his estate will owe approximately $1.4 million in federal estate taxes and $916,000 in New York estate taxes, leaving about $6.68 million for his children to split† The home Andy Rooney has gone on the market in the Rowayton section of Norwalk. The 2,474-square-foot, four-bedroom, one-bath Tudor-style home was built in 1882 and is situated atop a hill, within walking distance of the village and train station. Rooney held on to the house while also having an  apartment in New York It is currently listed by Prudential Connecticut Realty for $749,500. The Beginning In the first chapter of our reading on wills and estates we find that the law of wills are technical and differs from state to state it is risky to right a will because a layperson are usually not aware of legal terminology and could wind up risking the loss of valuables and money. Here Andy Rooney’s son states in the article by Julie Garber â€Å"When asked about his fathers estate, Brian Rooney said that his father lived frugally and wasnt into fancy estate planning. The aforementioned quote would probably denote that since Mr. Rooney was frugal and not into FANCY estate planning he probably did the will himself. While leaving a great deal of money he probably would have been able to leave substantially more than his children would have received had he perhaps done a better job at estate planning and consulted with an attorney. Estate Planning Andy Rooney had several homes according to the article 2 in NY and one in Conn. Rooney however was domiciled in NY as this is where he worked and was his main residence. In addition Mr. Rooney passed away In NY the probate court would then be the NY court with jurisdiction to administer the decedent’s estate. Rooney’s Wife had passed away leaving only the children as beneficiaries. It is more likely than not, that Rooney had not just probate property but also non-probate property to which his children are beneficiaries. Non-probate property would have been Mr. Rooney’s pension plan, Life insurance and IRA’s. There are no issues that involve the intestacy as Mr. Rooney died with a valid will. Mr. Rooney had no illegitimate children. Because the will was delivered and processed by the probate court in NY there were no witness, age, signature or revoking of the will issues. At the time of this article there the will has not been provided to the public. Therefore Payment of debts, clause are not made available the family will hold a private funeral service this week, with a CBS memorial at a later date, Emily said. Mr. Rooney will be buried in the family plot in Rensselaerville, N.Y., near his native Albany. Marguerite ‘Margie’ Rooney, his wife of 62 years, is also buried there. We assume that these were his funeral arraignments but not sure if these are covered in the will. Family Allowance Often the state will provide for the immediate support of the family when a breadwinner dies, state law generally contains a mechanism for immediate access to money from the decedents estate known as family allowance. In this instance Rooney has 4 children that survive him it is not clear that any of these children were being supported by their father to fall under the designation of breadwinner. Emily is the twin of Martha. Emily Rooney born 1950 is an American journalist, TV talk show and radio host and former news producer. Since 1997, Rooney has been the host, executive editor and creator of Greater Boston and the weekly Beat the Press on WGBH-TV, which are also later rebroadcast on the Boston-based WGBH radio station. As of 2010, she hosts the Emily Rooney Show on WGBH radio. She has an identical twin sister, Martha, who is Chief of the Public Services Division at the United States National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. Her brother Brian Rooney is a correspondent for ABC News. Rooney has one daughter, Alexis. Rooneys husband, WCVB-TV reporter Kirby Perkins, died suddenly of heart failure July 1997. Here it is not likely that a family allowance will be necessary. Exempt property New York Law grants the family of a decedent the right to exempt certain property from the decedents estate. The purpose is to award essential necessities for continuing the family unit. Since the purpose is to assist the surviving spouse and children under 21. Here this does not apply to any of the Rooney children since all of his children were born in the 1950’s. Trust Trust are special arraignments laid out by settlor to the trustee for keeping  to be disbursed to a beneficiary based on the terms of the trust agreement. The wording of the article didn’t specify the type of instructions of the will, however the words of the son â€Å" His father was not a stickler for fancy estate planning† gives up a picture that there was simply a will and not anything more like a trust. Personal representative Since the will is not yet available to the public knowing who the personal representative is however we do know that his duties are to collect and preserves the assets of the estate pay the debts taxes and the expenses of the administration. He/ she must inform the heirs and devisees of the of the appointment within 30 days file inventory of the weate within three months, take possession and control of the decedents property for protection and management. Probation of the will The will was filed with the probate court in the allotted time to the NY surrogate court. The personal representative then waits to hear from the court to the accuracy and official recognition of the will. Once the personal representative hear back from the court if the will checks out the court will give the appointment to the personal representative gives him the legal authority to collect and preserve the assets. One of the most important duties of the personal representative is to pay the taxes of the estate here is where the crux of the inheritance to the beneficiary is absorb as well. The personal representative must notify the internal revenue service, receive an EIN and then file the decedent final tax return. Mr. Rooney did create any more than a will so his assets are all taxable. This is why his son stated that if his father had been more careful with his estate planning that they would have had more money. The estate will have to pay out 1.4 million in federal taxes and $916,000 in New York estate taxes. Real estate According to the article Rooney left behind 3 different properties homes in  New York City, Rensselaerville, N.Y. and Rowayton, Conn. The article states that the property totals 1 million dollars. The article listed that the estate taxes would equal out to 916,000 however the property is being sold for $749,500 because there was no previous estate planning minus the will the estate will still need the property on the tax return. Stocks and bond The article says that Mr. Rooney had 8 million dollars in stocks and bonds all of these stocks individually will be reported on the federal return under a schedule B form. The stocks must be listed in detail including price per share and anything concerning that stock including the CUSIP number for identification. The fair market value of the stock and bonds must be listed. Mr. Rooney’s estate will have to pay taxes for the 8 million dollars in stocks and bonds due to improper estate planning. Taxes A federal tax return for Mr. Rooney must be filed within nine months after the date of his death if the gross estate is more than the amount prescribed for that year. The gross estate includes individually owned property. The taxable estate is the gross estate minus the obligations of Mr. Rooney. The net estate tax is computed by deducting the following from the gross estate tax: an applicable credit amount, state death taxes up to a certain limit, gift taxes paid before 1976 taxes paid on certain prior transfers and foreign death taxes. Conclusion: Mr. was a frugal man that lived thru the depression and was very careful how he made and spent his money. He loved his children very much and was a very simple man and very simple in his planning for the future although he amassed a small fortune for his heirs, his poor planning has allowed the government to come down and swoop in and take a nice percentage that could have been sheltered through trust or special tax shelters that shield his assets that he worked so hard for. If have learned anything is one that a will is vital to the communication of assets after death and that proper estate planning can protect your assets from being squander, lost or  misdirected. Bibliography Daily News Andy Rooney’s kids to split $9 million estate Monday, March 05, 2012, http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-03-05/news/31122336_1_andy-rooney-martha-fishel-million-estate Norwalk Citizen, Tuesday, July 31, 2012 – http://www.norwalkcitizenonline.com/news/article/Rooney-s-house-goes-on-market-3469747.php#photo-2797363 Gordon Brown (2009). Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates. (Fourth). Thomson/Delmar Learning.

The Great Gatsby and A Dolls House | Analysis

The Great Gatsby and A Dolls House | Analysis INTRODUCTION The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set in the Jazz Age of America in the 1920s, where the end of the Great War brought a period of peace and prosperity. Mass production allowed much wider access to new consumer goods, such as radios and cars. The women of this era wore short hair and short dresses, and in many Western countries they finally achieved the right to vote. The former restrictions that applied to women were replaced by a new feeling of freedom. The play A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen was first performed in 1879, and through the characters of Nora and Torvald Helmer it illustrates the subordinate and confining position of women in marriages of the late Nineteenth Century. Torvald Helmer would have been easily recognised by the audience as a representative depiction of the middle class male attitude. Gender roles are highly defined in this play; even with the legal limitations of women and expectation that women would remain in domestic situations. Attitudes to marriage and relationships are reflected powerfully in these two pieces of work, where both protagonists, although they share some similarities, have extremely differing perceptions of what they want in life, which includes the different outlook each has on their marital relationship. Each of these works can be considered as early contributors to the body of modern literature. Although both are intensively concerned with their specific characters, they allow the reader to come to an appreciation of attitudes towards matrimony and relationships. Both The Great Gatsby and A Dolls House have made their contribution into the collection of literature that have marked the 1800-1900s, and through their portrayal of interesting and uniquely developed characters they have allowed reflection on the society of their time. Both pieces of work are modern in the sense of dealing with challenging issues which face modern society. The women Daisy Buchanon from The Great Gatsby and Nora Helmer from A Dolls House have been specifically chosen, being the obedient and subordinate possessions of their husbands, who evidently mask their possible intellectual potential. Whilst Nora develops a dramatic character change throughout the drama by realising her duties to herself, Daisy remains and accepts the same person she was at the beginning of The Great Gatsby. In this essay, comparisons will be made concerning both Nora and Daisys relationships with their husbands and children, as well as a deeper analysis into their personalities, uncovering the ir secret beliefs and motivations. In Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, each character is noteworthy when establishing the confusions and complexities of social relationships. The novel is considered a representation of the golden age of jazz and all of its extremes. The parties that Gatsby would host demonstrated the extreme ostentation of this era: wealth, luxury and corruption. The novel begins with a verse quotation from Thomas Park DInvilliers to introduce it; Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her and this is suggesting that one must do all things possible to impress the woman whose love one seeks. The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, he is a persona adopted by the author and as a moral barometer the readers can value his insights and feel that he will be a reliable informant. Through his eyes and experiences we meet other characters and learn of all the relationships included in the novel. The chronology of the events of The Great Gatsby begins with the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, meeting and falling in love with a young Daisy while he is still a poor officer. When he is sent overseas, Daisy marries the very rich yet fierce Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald gives the readers a significant impression of Tom through the use of many descriptive adjectives. The first time the readers are introduced to him he is in riding clothes this accentuates his muscularity, and his high boots are an association with military authority, and the fact that he was standing with his legs apart indicates a stance of confidence and power. Daisy, who becomes Toms wife, is also introduced to the readers in an imposing way. She is described as charming, passionate and witty and the readers learn that she had a sad and lovely face. Fitzgerald shows her personality as appealing, attention seeking, seductive and captivating in the sense that when she talks one enjoys being in her presence. Tom and Daisy also have a three year old daughter. When the readers are introduced to these characters they also learn that the relationship between them is not a typical relationship that a married couple are expected to have. To add, when Gatsby learns that Tom and Daisy married he decides to pursue wealth endlessly until he becomes a self-made millionaire. Gatsby then moves to New York and occupies a great mansion, where he begins to host generous parties to which he is hopeful that Daisy will appear. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, lives next door to Gatsby and he is also Daisys cousin. When Gatsby learns this, he befriends Nick trusting that this will lead him to see Daisy again, which eventually does happen. The relationship between Gatsby and Daisy then is the rekindled, which introduces the readers to the central passion of the book as well as one of the most prominent relationships in the novel. Furthermore, the marital relationship between Daisy and Tom is a very unusual one due to the fact that Tom has a mistress in New York; Myrtle Wilson, who is also a married woman. The odd thing is Daisys attitude towards this relationship; Daisy continues to stay with Tom despite her knowledge of his unfaithfulness, and this is the thrust of the novel. This staggers Nick who does not understand why Daisy does not rush out of the house, child in arms, and also raises the central question, why does Daisy stay with Tom? Additionally, when Nick goes to visit Tom and Daisy at the beginning of the novel, Daisy confides in Nick, she calls herself cynical, and this is reflected in her negative approach to life and relationships. She also tells Nick that she cried when her daughter was born, the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. Daisy indicates that being a fool will protect a girl from the harsh truth of infidelity. Daisy cried when her daughter was born, sadness is fixed in her life. The readers can appreciate that Daisy is not a fool because if she were she wouldnt be concerned about Toms mistress, and Tom is not a caring husband because when his child was born he was not nearby which is known when Daisy tells Nick that Tom was God knows where when their daughter was less than an hour old. This goes to add to the bizarre fact that Daisy does not leave Tom, despite almost everything being wrong in their marriage. Also, the relationship between Myrtle and Tom is one that is clearly driven by wealth. Tom entertains Myrtle in an apartment in New York. She was young when she married her husband, George Wilson, and she thought that he was a gentleman; she had little knowledge that he was a simple soul who had borrowed a suit for his wedding. She loves the sense of wealth from Tom that George could never provide, and she stays with Tom because of this; as well as the status, prestige and ego-flattery that he provides her with. Myrtle enjoys the lifestyle with Tom, in a boasting tone she chatters about the things she intends to purchase. These items are cheap consumables of no financial consequence to Tom. Furthermore, Myrtle enjoys being a hostess; which is reflected in the confident manner she behaves in. She changes into an elaborate dress when they get to their apartment with Nick and smiles with pride whenever complemented. When Tom slaps her and breaks her nose at the apartment he has provided her with, he proclaims his power and sense of male authority because that is the type of man he is. This goes to display that this relationship offers Myrtle the wealth and status she would never be able to receive from George; only leading her to want it more from Tom. Additionally, when Gatsby invites Nick out for lunch he introduces him to Meyer Wolfsheim, who was reputed to be a gambler who fixed the World Series in 1919.This illegal act linked Gatsby with a shady and suspicious reputation. There is no proof that Gatsby was involved in this illegal act but there is a long-standing association between the men; this linkage soils Gatsby, which shows that the relationship between the two men is not a decent one. The readers know that Gatsby originated as a poor deprived man, who suddenly, driven by his love for Daisy, became wealthy and owned much more then people knew he could afford. This goes to show that the origin of Gatsbys wealth may have come illegally and so it is not guaranteed that he may have this wealth forever. Moreover, the play A Dolls House is a clear analysis of a character that goes through a great dynamic change only to find her true self and to remove the dishonest perception of herself in the eyes of those around her. This change lead the character to become fully aware of her life along with an understanding of what an insincere life she had mistakenly led, and this character is known as Nora Helmer. At the beginning of the play, Nora is portrayed as a childish and naive housewife with a talent for spending money. This view is conveyed through the parent child dialogue she has with her husband and his usual categorization of Nora as an expensive little person with a talent for melting his money in her hands. This evidently reveals Noras relationship with her husband to be very similar to that of a relationship between a spoiled child and his parents. Also, through the character of Nora, Ibsen shows us that a woman is expected to be little more than a child in her own marriage, incapable of taking on serious issues, and useful only for her ability to amuse her husband. During the course of the play, as Ibsen takes the reader through the climax of Noras controlled life, he shows how Nora develops into a wiser and more determined woman who learns to have her say. Noras development is highlighted and guided with her growing courage, her direct attempts to become more equal with her husband, and her decision at the end of the play conveys Ibsens idea that a woman has a duty to herself, and that the marriage she shared with Torvald was so confining to the extent where she could only fulfil her duty to herself by leaving her husband. However, Nora learns this through the experiences she undergoes while she was treated more like Torvalds child rather than his wife. The fact that she does not retreat at Torvalds comparison of her to minor creatures, but rather she even links herself into his terminology by saying things such as we skylarks and squirrels just proves how blind Nora was towards her husbands arrogance and superiority. A major theme of the play, deception or the gap between appearance and reality, is introduced in the very first word of the play; Hide. Nora wants to hide the Christmas tree so that the children dont see it before it is decorated. The theme is developed throughout the play until it is realized that Noras entire relationship with her husband is based on many layers of deception; one of these layers is that Nora was constantly aware of the need to flatter and protect Torvalds masculine ego. She disguises her anxiety over the repayment of the substantial loan in order to protect Torvald fro m his own somewhat exaggerated sensitivity. Another strange deception in the play is the macaroons, which are symbolic to their relationship. Torvald forbids them while Nora enjoys them secretly, which just shows that Nora is capable of lies and deception. But the fact that Torvald forbids them because they will spoil Noras teeth also adds to the way in which Nora has more of a father-daughter relationship with Torvald, rather than a husband and wife relationship, because that is a strange instruction to be given to an adult. The deceptive relationship between Torvald and Nora is contrasted with that between Dr Rank and Nora. With Dr Rank, Nora is able to be more truthful and drops the childish-flirtatious act she employs with Torvald, and she is able to have open conversations with him, which shows the audience a different side of Nora. Through the relationship she has with Dr Rank the audience are able to appreciate that Nora can be treated as a woman and handle different situations in a much stronger manner than Torvald. In A Dolls House, Ibsen explores his interest in the role of women in society. He raises questions about how much a woman has to compromise her own wishes and aims in order to fit into society. Mrs Linde has had to give up her true love, Krogstad, and marry a man she did not love in order to gain the financial security she needed to look after her mother and brothers. This is known when Nora asks Kristina why she married her husband and she replies My mother was still alive; she was bedridden and helpless, and I had my two younger brothers to look after I didnt feel I could refuse his offer. Therefore, because she let the relationship with her loved one go in order to have the wealth she needed to look after her family, which shows that her life has been one of self-sacrifice rather than self-fulfilment. The relationship between Kristina Linde and Krogstad constitutes the sub-plot. It is of less importance of that of the Helmers, but serves as a contrast to aid the understanding of the audience of the relationship between the protagonists. Krogstad and Kristina find the mutual need, they are open and truthful, and they move towards emotional love. Ibsen has employed Krogstad to provide a device to bring the play to a climax. He has also provided a different male paradigm to that of Torvald, and when he had fulfilled these tasks, he takes no further part in the play. Krogstad does not hold a grudge; he is not vindictive and is prepared to request the return of his letter from Torvald. However Kristina makes the decisive decision of the play, she wants Torvald to find out the truth of Noras secret; it was she who saved Torvalds life, she borrowed money and forged her fathers signature without his consent. The novel The Great Gatsby investigates the new incidents that women began take part in society throughout the 1920s. Throughout the novel, in contrast to life before the early 1900s, women were almost on equilibrium with men; they were allowed to dress and behave like them. They were also allowed to drink and act in an improper manner at parties, and they also began to express their views more openly. This dramatic change had a great affect on the new established place that they held in society. Daisy is a character who had the wealth and beauty that other girls would dream of, however she let Tom degrade her and philander with other women, which made her the inferior of their relationship. Eventually as the novel goes on, Daisy gives herself a sense of freedom when she has the affair with Gatsby, and this is known when Tom is on the telephone, and it is rumoured that he is talking to his girl. Daisy kisses Gatsby and tells him, You know I love you,which is followed by a firm statem ent to Jordan Baker I dont care, which displays Daisy reacting against Toms infidelity and proclaiming her own standing and independence. Whats more is that although Torvald may regard Nora as extremely inferior to him, he had never used physical violence against her, as Tom of The Great Gatsby did on his mistress. When Myrtle attempts to elevate herself by speaking about Daisy, Tom violently lashes out and breaks her nose. Although distressed, Myrlte accepts that she has been put in her place as inferior and submissive to Tom. To add, Tom would answer the calls of his mistress at dinner time; indicating that he did not have an ounce of concern for Daisys feelings whatsoever. On the other hand, Nora was Torvalds whole world, and he would not dream of hurting her. Therefore, when Daisy decides to stay with Tom while Nora decides to leave Torvald, the readers are left in a confused state. Daisy stays with Tom because despite everything they are from the same social status. Tom offered Daisy certainty of position, while Gatsby has an upstart, and there are suspicions about his money. Gatsby also has no reputation in the background of being socially acceptable. Daisy stays with the group of socially stable people, and even though Gatsby loves her, she finds her wealth and position in society more important. Furthermore, Noras ultimate decision of deciding to leave her husband and children may seem uncalled for, however she did have reasons which supported her decision. The relationship she shared with Torvald was that like a father-daughter relationship, it was dishonest as well as hypocritical. There was no love between them; she was Torvalds doll wife and when she realises this she tells Torvald I dont love you anymore. At the end of the play, Nora is aware of herself and the subordinate inferior position she held for so many years. She feels a strong sense of injustice, firstly by her father and the by her husband, and she accuses Torvald; Its your fault Ive made nothing of my life. When she states her intention I must try to educate myself Torvald is concerned only about appearance; you havent thought of what people will say and then pathetically says I could change followed by his plaintive suggestion couldnt we live here as brother and sister? Both these ideas were dismissed out o f hand by Nora. When Ibsen presented the Helmer family to his 19th century audience, he had a strong intention of using the dramatic situation to further the consideration of the need for the status of women to be reappraised. He rejected the traditional view of women as inferior appendages to men. Ibsen believed that marriage should be a mutual arrangement, and that women had the right to develop their potential through education and involvement in the commercial world. His strongly implied criticism of Torvald Helmer was a criticism of the traditional male paradigm. F. Scott Fitzgerald set out to present an impression of American life during the exuberant period of the early 1920s. Although it was a time when women rejected restrictive traditions, Fitzgerald presents more as a social commentator then crusader for change. The traditional bonds of status and security are what hold Daisys relationship with Tom together. Their marriage was far from perfect, but it was sustained; they werent happy and yet they werent unhappy either there was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together. CONCLUSION This essay examined the different attitudes to marriage and relationships that are evident in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the play A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, and in due course it was clearly evident that neither Ibsen nor Fitzgerald present marriage from the perspective of a romantic bond; there are other more practical considerations involved. Through F. Scott Fitzgerald, romance was presented through Jay Gatsby which was ultimately doomed due to the obsessive and irrational nature of it. Both literary works show the audience that marriage and relationships are impacted on by wider pressures of society in life; but whether a marriage is sustained seems to be up to individual preference. The apparent irony evident in the two pieces of literature is the fact that Nora leaves Torvald, despite the fact that he had never physically hurt her nor was he ever unfaithful to her; while Daisy stays with Tom and his violent and unfaithful nature. Daisy had more reason to leave Tom than Nora had to leave Torvald, but both characters ultimately made unexpected decisions which left its impact on the audience. Daisys attitude towards marriage is not based on infatuation or love; rather it is built on her status, both financial and social, and that is what she considers to be luxury. Noras regard for marriage was initially founded on what she thought was love; as she knew nothing more or less. However throughout the play she learns and develops into a woman able to make her own decisions; where her marriage becomes an obstacle to her individuality. Further exploration of these two works could be undertaken to explore the conflicting pressures that are faced by mothers in unhappy marriages and relationships. Catalonia: History of Independence Catalonia: History of Independence 1.0 Abstract Catalonia is a historically supressed region within Spain. After 1975, when the dictator Francisco Franco died it allowed for a new democratic Spain. This has resurfaced Catalan Nationalism. Most recently the Catalan region has called for a legal referendum in 2017, as the one held in 2014 was deemed illegal. Democracy takes priority within the region which has created increased tensions and potential for violence. The report showed there has been an increase in violence and that the governance and future threats are key concerns. The report highlights the grievances within the region, that have been accumulating. 2.0 Introduction   Europe is experiencing modern day separatism, with currently over 25 active separatist movements. Spain is the most divided ‘nation’ within Europe having experienced the most civil wars of any country. Catalonia is the most profitable region in the north west of Spain making around 20 billion a year (BBC news 2013). They have recently called for another referendum in 2017 after having achieved an attendance rate during the last referendum in 2014 from the population of 30% of the 7.5 million. The polls from 2014 gaged an opinion that is in favour of independence for the region. The poll was deemed illegal by the Spanish government, which resulted in Arthur mass, Catalonia’s president, being arrested and numerous other legal cases against the Catalan politicians (The Guardian 2016). The protests, so far, have been peaceful however it has been assumed that this may not continue as an emergence of separatism could continue as theorised based upon the past and become violent. Many other places such as Scotland, who are allied in methods with Catalonia, called for a referendum in 2014 with a concluding vote of no and to stay within the United Kingdom (The financial times 2014) Most recently with 2016 the United Kingdom parted with the European union, in an event termed Brexit. The votes for Brexit were broken up into regions, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay within the European union which has resurfacing a call for a referendum from Scotland to be held in 2017. Within Northern Ireland the vote has caused talks around a united Ireland or for Northern Ireland to become independent. With the success of Brexit, the European union is not being presented in a positively. Within this report the tern nation is going to be examined within theoretical and historical contexts to better understand the separatist movement within Catalonia. A field based analysis was conducted to gather the opinions of the Catalan population on the notion of independence and whether they think it will be obtained peacefully. 3.0 Research context To understand the current situation within Catalonia its place within theories must be examined. Nationalism is defined as a political programme. It consists of groups of people who define as nations who form territorial states that have a single language (Hobshawm and Kertzer, 1992). Renan in (1882) said within his speech that a nation was â€Å"a group of people united by a mistaken view about the past and a hatred of their neighbours†. This nation joins biographies to have one common historical narrative (Calhoun 1993).   Nations and nationalism can be a complex definition with many theories on how it happens. Benedict Anderson (1983) differs in views with many scholars by seeing nationalism as an â€Å"imaginary political community†. He states that Communities are to be distinguished, not by their falsity/genuineness, but by the style in which they are imagined Ernest Gellner (1983) said that â€Å"nationalism is primarily a political principle that holds the political and the national unit should be congruent†. Gellner believes that nationalism was something that the modern world needed sociologically and mainly focuses on modernisation and industrialisation. Anthony smith was a critic of Gellner saying that he had misread the relationship that is between industrialisation and nationalism (Smith 1989). Smith (1989) is quotes to say that â€Å"the modern world had become inconceivable and unintelligible without nations and nationalism† Bruielly (1982) shows more of an academic approach and states that when intellectuals or professionals miss out on important career opportunities this may lead to a rise in national ideology. Nationalism to him is portrayed through intellectuals as unsuccessful professionals. This is like Kedourie’s theory about indigenous intellectuals in colonial societies and how they too turned to nationalism. The abundance of intellectuals and inability for society to find them suitable roles may explain why they turn to nationalism. (Kedourie 1960)   Nairn (1977) however, approaches nationalism in a study from a Marxist perspective. He considers nationalism to be a bourgeois phenomenon which can be seen to be a product of the disparities within capitalism (Nairn 1977). The continuation of nationalism is linked with the interests of the bourgeois (Anderson 2006). Focusing on Europe, Woodrow Wilson’s had a large impact on the Versailles Peace Conference that began outside of Paris in 1919. He had a plan to divide Europe it into ethnic-linguistic territorial states. The project was impracticable as well as dangerous, the cost of this feat would have been mass expulsion and genocide (Hobshawm 1992). However, a nation cannot be born they’re made in response to international incentive and power policies (Fearon 2004). Nationalism has been the source of anxiety and conflict in European history (Coppieters 2010). Borgen (2010) states that there were currently twenty to twenty-five separatist movements across the continent. The movements may be based upon cultural and political issues and the majority are non-violent. Separatism is mainly linked to nationalism and their ideologies. There have been two consecutive waves of separatism. In the 1950’s the first separatist movement began with the decolonisation of the world, this questioned the legitimacy of boundaries that establish under colonialism. This was closely followed by the second which happened at the end of the cold war in the 1960s toward the beginning of democratisation in the 1980 and 1990’s. The second wave was surrounded by the suppression of people’s rights and liberties under the communist regimes (Schaeffer 1998, Agnew 2001). Recent separatist movements like that in Yugoslavia from 1991- 2001 were driven by the common notion of an economic disparity. This movement was against the state as they failed to deal with this, however there was also territorial divisions within the state that showed internal colonialism based upon ethnicity and nationality (Agnew 2001) Guibernau (2000) sees nation states as a cluster of institutions that are defined and governed by the state. Stateless nations can enjoy cultural or political autonomy based upon the state’s decision. In most cases within a region that is trying to be separate their nation, the political issues that have arisen are based upon previous governmental experiences of nation building. States and nations that are trying to establish are understood to be real communities with enduring collectivises. (Brubaker 1996) To establish social cohesion for a nation building project a common identity must be established, linguistic campaigns are a powerful tool in doing this. It allows for people to bring the communities fears together by reducing embarrassment about speaking a native language.   (Webber 1991; Trueta 2008) The Catalan region in the North West of Spain during the Franco regime (1939-1975) had languages and identities supressed along with other regions. This then meant that Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, had suffered neglect. His regime created tensions in the country’s political system. It believed that Spain consists of ethnically defined identities in several regions (Bylan 2014). When democracy was restored after 1975, there had been a shift towards expressing the regional identities. The Catalan region sees itself as an independent metropolis (Mellon,2008) In history by 1898, the nationalist movements of Catalonia and the Basque country had emerged in wanting their own identity, these sources of national identity threatened the hegemonic position of Spanish nationalism (Muro 2005; Pozo Andrà ©s and Braster 1999). Basque and Catalan nationalist movements however in more recent times within Spain have unified this Spanish nationalism again (Muro 2005).   Spain is not however a formal federation it is a unitary state that has given devolving power to seventeen autonomous communities and two autonomous cities in a system that is called the state of autonomies (Bylan 2014). This is consistent with the theory that contemporary separatism is the product of the rise in modern nationalism and that they are overcoming the previous nation building project. Today in Catalonia, the current project is to build true Catalan culture through language as this is the ultimate expression. (Illas, 2014). Catalonians also express this through rituals and festivities such as human towers (Castells) (Giner 1980). The separatist movement had been mainly led by linguistics and a traversed class with rallies in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 that have staged a transformation in separatism (Illas 2014). The modern-day disparities of the Catalan people are based upon their history. 4.0 Historical context To understand fully where Catalonia fits within the nation-building theories it is important to understand the common historical narrative within the state. Starting with the 14th century within Catalonia, there was political and economic decline, due to the successive waves of the great plague. By 1365 Catalonia has lost half a million people, and in the 15th century Barcelona had its lower ever population. (Giner 1980). During the 15th century the Catalan capital was gripped by the civil war. The maritime power that once existed there was starting to decline. (Giner 1980). Now, there was a transition from early medieval contractually to liberal societies who have more of an individualistic approach. Elliot (1963) mentions the revolt of the reappears between 1640- 1652, when the Catalan people united due to castile giving them harsh treatment. The war of succession in Spain happened between 1702 to 1714. Barcelona resisted unification and was besieged in march 1713 (Guibernau, 2000) Felipe V built a fort (the Ciutadella) so Barcelona could be watched. He banned writing and teaching in Catalan and distributed Catalonia’s possessions to great powers (Webber, 1991) This abolished Catalan rights and liberties and they were subject to regime occupation (Gibernau 2000; Gibernau 2014). The events that took place started the process of national integration and state-building within Catalonia (Moreno 1988) In the 18th century the Spanish economy was based around agriculture. The Napoleonic invasion devastated the country and lead to political instability (Patrick 2016). Catalonia made positive gains with the urban middle classes and created confidence. Barcelona was then transformed into the capital of a society that was industrialising and modernising (Webber 1991). Defeudalization was happening around this time. Spain was in the process of homogenisation under the bourbons. They forcibly generalised the Castilian law and the institutions, they were creating a modern centralised state and this was completed in 1812. (Giner,1980) The trade union movement after World War One was led by the Confederacià ³n Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) which had 80& of the cities workers. Between 1919 and 1920 there was a wave of strikes and union leaders were eliminated. Dictator General Miguel primo Rivera had conflicting views on the working-class radicalism (Giner 1980) Rivera’s repression ended in 1930, he did not successfully stop the unity in Catalonia. In 1931 the formation of a Spain’s republic this was driven by the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya. The leftist popular front in 1936 won genuine autonomy (Guibernau 2014; Illas 2014). The class system of the society at that time was a product of the successive waves of industrialisation and advances in urbanisation. (Giner 1980).   The genuine autonomy that was gained by the Catalonians was short lived as the result of the Spanish civil war between 1936-1939.After Francisco Franco’s Victory in the war he imposed a pro-fascist and militarised Spain, laying emphasize on Castile as the ‘ethnic core’ of the nation (Muro 2005). The Franco regime between 1939-1975 supressed the languages and identities of the Catalonian people (Webber 1991). During this time persecutions took place of Intellectuals and language speakers. The education system featured no Catalan and the street names were changed to Castilian Spanish (Marinzel 2014). Francoist propaganda changed the narrative of the civil war to be that of a crusade and associated leftists and anti-Spain figures as a ‘cancer’ of the nation that needed to be cured (Richards 1998) The Catalonian population increased with massive migrations from deprived areas in other parts of Spain during the 1960’s and 1970’s (Serrano 2013). During this time, Catalonian separatism was emerging again as a political opposition to the dictatorship. They rivalled in literature and the arts which moulded the Catalan identity (Muro 2005). After Franco’s death in 1975, a central part of the regional policy was to promote the Catalan language. In 1978 Catalonian was defined as a democratic state within the new Spanish constitution which had granted autonomy (Giberneau 2000). This allowed for the Catalan people to change the educational system and policies within the region. In 1975 online 60% of people in Catalonia spoke Catalan whereas in 2001, 76% of Catalonians spoke Catalan (Borgen 2010). Regional feelings for Catalan nationalism rose in the 1990s and early 2000s, with it being rated sixth amid Spanish autonomous communities (Moreno 2001). Patterns of similar relationships between identity and independence emerge (Muro 2005; Serreno 2013). 5.0 Discussion Nationalism changes all the rules; a nations existence is based upon the past experiences and it challenges historians to decide a nations existence. History however is not as clear as would believe and interpretations and narratives can be different (Marino 2002). Modern day nationalism may be overcoming the previous nation-building project. Catalonians hope to achieve this by assertion of their own culture (Illas 2014). The region has been suppression numerous times as mentioned and the clear territory and history that define it as a nation are evident (Smith 1998). In the fight for independence Catalonia is aware that that staying a part of the European union is important, as there are strong ties with Spain and the European single market. With the situation in Catalonia baring resemblance to that in Scotland and the Catalan foreign affairs minister recognises that it should too have the right to vote in a legal referendum as that would stay true to democracy and a constitution is a text that is written under certain circumstances, these circumstances can change. (The guardian 2016) Brexit in the UK isn’t good news as it questions the European project. An MP called Ciudadanos accused the separatist movement of removing the state out of the 21st century. Previously however other politicians such as Mr Fernandez would welcome an exit from the EU as he sees it as being ruled by capitalists. (The Independent 2015) The rise in separatism and the need for independence grows stronger as the Catalan government fight for responsibility for taxation and spending policy (Boylan 2015). Previous grievances have shaped Catalonia culture and the desire to return to being an autonomous region is still wanted. The Catalans may fall into Renan’s definition in 1882 of a nation â€Å"a group of people united by a mistaken view about the past and a hatred of their neighbours† as the public polls reflect a rise of opinion of violence in the region. Arthur Mas the former president hopes that his prosecution for the illegally deemed poll will also be a cry for the cause of independence from Spain (The Financial times 2017). 6.0 Field based analysis 6.1 Methodology   Ã‚  Ã‚   6.1.1 Day 1 Observational study of landscape Figure 1: The route that was taken on the first day during the streetscape observational exercise The streetscape of Barcelona needed to be understood. A transect of the area was carried out in small groups. These groups covered different areas all meeting back at the same point at the Sagrada Familia, the route can be seen in figure 1. The results of the small groups were combined to gain a large-scale view of the area. Along this route elements that are seen to represent the Catalan conflict were taken note of. The different types of flags, graffiti, street names and political posters and murals along with anything else that could be seen to potentially represent the conflict were recorded. Within a table format the route walked was recorded along with where the observation occurred and a small discussion was help to note the implications of what we had seen. The differences in areas we walked through was noted as the route lead to a tourist area however was through mainly residential streets. 6.1.2 Day 2 Historical Narrative A guided walk through the city was undertook to identify the monuments that may commemorate previous conflicts. Along the walk the date in which the monument was erected was taken down, along with what it was and what it is commemorating. The reason behind doing this was to analyse how culture and history is remembered within Barcelona. Certain aspects of the monuments were noted such as what way the history is shown and If the monument represents one side more. To gauge an idea of the historical narrative Barcelona was trying to perceive, 3 historical sites were visited. These were the Catalan museum, El Borne centre and memorial democratic. The sites were visited to understand the story they are telling. A similar study was undertaken by Breen et al (2016), and observations were noted such as, is there anything that is not present within the museum? Is there any important messages they are trying to highlight? Is there a main language? To see whether the people within the museum either working or visiting understood its role, a semi structured interview was carried out.   The questions asked recorded their understanding of the role, if heritage plays a role in Catalan separatism and whether any part of the centre was controversial. 6.1.3 Day 3- Semi- Structured Interviews A method of semi structured interviews was carried out to collect qualitative data on the publics perceptions of important issues with Catalonia whilst gathering information about the person in question. The questions that were asked were: Are you from this neighbourhood?What is your first language?Did you vote in the last referendum?Were you happy with the outcome?Do you think Catalonia will gain independence? Do you think this will be achieved peacefully? These questions were asked to gather information on, the nationality of the person, the language in which they see to be their language, their political participation, their views about the last referendum and views on future independence for the state along with how possible violence will be. Cohen and Crabtree (2006) have shown the benefits of using semi structured interviews as you will only get to speak with that person one time. They also highlight the importance of it being undertaken by small groups as they collect the same information to show the varied opinion over a large area. The results are comparable and the results are collated. With a large sample taken the results could be representative public opinion and could be compared with polls that have been previously taken. This will show how the opinions in the region have changed over time. The route that was taken can be seen in figure 2. Figure 2:   Route taken and main stops while conducting semi structured interviews. 6.1.4 Day 4- Quantitative Data A quantitative data collection in the form of a social vulnerability survey. Social vulnerability shows which elements of society are worrying the most. The survey had a scoring system included the value 1 meaning that they strongly agree with the statement and 5 representing strongly disagree. The statements represented the social, economic, environmental and political situations along with opinions on the future of Catalonia.   This type of survey was conducted in small groups again and allowed the results to be combined and numerically represented. The triangulation of multiple methods stated within Duffy’s (1987)’s papers shows that this method gives a complete collection approach. 7.2 Observations and Results 7.2.1 Street Observational Survey From the transect that was carried out general observations were made. The city has undergone times of suppression and conflict and from the observations generalities were made as things observed could be expressions of nation-hood. Hans Christian Andersen in 1862, commented on Barcelona by saying that the city was the â€Å"Paris of Spain†. The first notable feature was that of the layout of the streets, the city consists of grand octagonal blocks. Antoni Gaudi has a huge influence on the architecture of Barcelona, with many Catalan people they associate his work with a period called Renaixenà §a, which tried to show better times (Giner 1980). He has become a symbol of the city. The Flags that were on the residential buildings held much significance to how they stood politically. The flags that presented Catalonia were mainly flown on buildings that were residential with the souvenir shops that sold the flags only stocking Catalan related items. The flags within the residential area differed, from the slogan that was upon it to whether it had a star present. They can send a political message and are used in campaigns. It is a tool in which the Catalan people are not afraid to change, with a flag holding great significance to a group of people, they are willing to alter the flag to send a strong political message (Borgen, 2010). Alongside the Catalan flag EU flags were found, this says that the Catalan people are scared that with independence come an exit from the single market. This is a strong incentive to stay within the unified state of Spain (Patrick 2016). Scotland holds close parallels in situations with Catalonia. The British government has also driven nationalism in the last referendum with the fear of leaving the European Union. The Scottish flag was observed on the transect showing the close similarities. The Catalan flags declined in numbers when leaving the residential area heading towards the centre. The buildings in the centre had more Spanish flags as these were mainly political or service providing premises such as hotels (figure 3a). The Spanish flag should be flown on a Spanish building and if that place is not meant to have a political view, then both flags would be outside of the building. Both flags were observed on hotels and tourist areas.   In some areas both flags of region and state were also seen, this shows loyalty to an area. For example, a bacelonetta flag seen in figure 3b Figure 3: (A) Spanish flag being flown outside of the Military building in Las Ramblas. (B) Barcelonetta regional flag. The street names were in Catalan with many commemorating people who have been influences from Catalan (figure 4a). The Sagrada Familia has taken a century to complete, still not being finished. The architect of the building is Antoni Gaudi; it is a statement of the Catalan culture and is the most visited place within Spain.   Throughout the streetscape we encountered political graffiti that was around the city voiced the political opinions of people within the community who wanted that message to be shown (figure 4b). Figure 4: (A) street sign with dedication to a self-acclaimed Catalonian. (B) Graffiti that reads â€Å"Anti-Fascist Area†. 7.2.2 Monuments Monuments play an important role in who society idealises as symbols of culture. Barcelona has many monuments that were observed to understand their political message for an independent Catalonia. The plaza de Torro monumental is a bull fighting ring that existed in the 20th century. The building is influences by Islamic design replicating dà ©cor from the previous 8th century invasion from north Africa. The building today has been repurposed as a museum due to the recent ban from Catalonia in 2012 for bull fighting (The guardian 2011). This is extremely important as they had ended a 600-year-old tradition within Spain, stepping away from the culture. The Universal exhibition was held in Barcelona in 1888. The triomf was to symbolise victory and national pride. The Arc links Barcelona’s medieval past with its future. Beyond the arc lies the park, with the Catalan parliament building residing within the parks grounds. The park has a Zoo and an elaborate fountain which at the time was put in place to show how advanced the people of Barcelona were. Like many other cities have done in the past, such as Paris. The Main Cascada monument is a grand project that took place for the 1888 universal exposition and a small contributor to it was Antoni Gaudi. The grand waterfall features goddesses showing idealising women and sexism that existed at that time.   A band stand within the Cuitedella Park was dedicated in 1991 to a transgender teen who was killed. This emphasized the cities progressive attitudes to social problems. The Als Voluntaris Catalan statue in the Cuitedella park is dedicated to the volunteers of the first and second war. The monument was subject to violations during the Franco regime with its arms being cut off in 1952. The internal flame (Fossar de les Moreres) was observed within in gothic quarter and is a contested symbolism, as it is seen to be site of the graveyard for the fallen during the siege of Barcelona in 1714. This site for Catalonians is a reminder of the homage. On the 11th of September (ladeada) people gather to this space to remember the battle. The symbolism is contested but it is used to further the nation building project. 7.2.3 Museum overview To understand the historical narrative that was being projected upon the Catalan people, three institutions were visited to understand how they were representing the history of their culture. The first site visited was the Christopher Columbus statue. This statue was erected for the Universal expedition in Barcelona in 1888. Groups of anti-capitalist councillor in Barcelona however said that the city â€Å"should not be celebrating the explorers’ colonial legacy† (The Guardian 2016). The emphasises the Catalonians feelings toward colonialization and suppression. The second Museum that was visited was the Catalan museum, the levelled institution has 3 floors which displayed a different time within Catalan history, from the bottom floor up it contained the history from the roman times to the top flow having recent achievements from the 21st century. An observation made was the fact that within the Catalan museum the paint on the walls were red and black, the colours of the anarchists. This may not have been intentional but could be a subliminal message as within the museum the Catalan culture was celebrated. Franco is not liked within the museum. From the semi, structured interviews conducted a worker of the museum stated that Spanish people will say that the museum is a lie, however the intended audience is the Catalan people and the international community. A museum worker was quoted in saying that the museum â€Å"celebrated† his heritage and that it has influence in the separatist movement. Sympathetic language was used within the Catalan museum a phrase observed in the Franco dictatorship section said ‘the unmistakable aim of Francoism was to strip Catalonia of its nationhood’ strong language was focused upon within the museum. Descriptive words were mentioned in nearly every time that contained suppression of Catalonia’s identity. Another example of this read in the museum was â€Å"language was a slow and uneven process†. The Catalonian history is showing the notion of separatism by identifying themselves as different from the Spanish, A person at the museum was quoting in saying that the Spanish â€Å"believe that this is all made up† showing Spain’s undeniable unwillingness to accept Catalonia as a nation. Whereas museums are understood to be some of the key places that deliver the message of what a nation is (Ashworth et al 2007) The el born centre showcases the streetscape within Barcelona during the 18th century. This streetscape represents Barcelona in a time when they had independence from Spain, the archaeologists could have kept excavating and gotten to a roman street. They stopped on purpose to give a utopian image of a time of independence when it was a vibrant multicultural marketing town. This gave the visualisation that there were greenspaces with music and food in the once internationally trading town. This is a clear political message of culture and heritage used at the El Borne (Breen at al 2016) It has been argued that the visitor of a museum will connect to the personal account of the narrative that is being told (Fladmark 2015). People had been quoted in saying that the centre had been â€Å"controversial†. An exhibition was spoken about that featured Franco and his dictatorship, the Exhibition was meant to last for a couple of months however it took the Catalan 4 days from when it started to have it removed. The hostility and want to forget the dark period of Franco’s dictatorship is evident in their actions. The importance of these institutions is to promote culture. These centres could be understood to b a part of the nation-building narrative which are in line with the core set of grievances that are within Catalonia (Breen at al 2016) 7.2.4 Grievances Catalonia has a key set of grievances towards the Spanish state shown in Figure 5. A few of these issues are going to be discussed. Figure 5- grievance model visually showing the key set of grievances within Catalonia. A key issue in the region is how the money that the state produce is used. Economically Catalonian has had historical grievances with the state, first starting with the Catalan bourgeois and modern industrialisation in the 19th century. Spain believe that Catalonia are â€Å"financial parasites† that don’t provide enough for Spain. Catalonia today has a fiscal deficit of 9.76%, this is highest taxed region in Europe. The people of Catalonia feel exploited as they cannot control their own funding when new services are needed within the state. Barcelona is the most visited region within Spain. The media and television play a large part in left and right wing narratives. A nation state emphasize political views this way. Gellner stressed the importance of communication in societies, the power to control the media modifies culture and is necessary for the homogenisation of the state. (Gellner 1983) Sport is an important cultural event for Catalan people. The Barcelona football club during Francoism was a representation of the Catalan nationalism and resistance against the dictatorship (Giberneau 2000) Sport is a powerful means of expressing identity (Trueta 2008). At the 17th minute and 14th second, the crowd will stand and shout ‘Independence’ as this date is representative of the last year they were an autonomous state. Language is important when expressing culture and the use of a language can indicate your current feelings politically (Woolard 1984). The Catalan language as mentioned through the report has been supressed, driving the need for the language to be expressed and recognised internationally. 7.2.5 Survey results A qualitative survey method was undertaken to test the hypothesis of will Catalonia resort to violence to gain independence. The results of the surveys are below (Table 1) Table 1: Combined group results of qualitative survey. Table 1: Combined group results of qualitative survey. The results obtained from the combined groups matches those gathered from the Catalan government in their recent poll. With the representative sample size and closely comparable results the figures gathered are reliable. The survey was conducted in English however the fluency in Catalan and birthplace determined majorly their identity (Webber 1991) which would be closely linked with how they would feel about independence. The difference in percentage between the two opposing opinions (independence vs no independence) is not that high. The surprising figure is that of violence, with many key events happening in the last 12 months such as the arrest of Arthur Mas, change would be assumed. Triggers such as that would provoke a sense of undermining and this may increase the likely hood of violence. Historically within Catatonia has had such events. Figure 6 shows an ice berg model, which is a visual representation of some key events in Catalan history. From the results obtained the mediation stage was considered as the point of conflict Catalonia as both sides have not yet concluded what they want. Figure 6: Key moments in recent Catalan history that has led to a rise in separatism within the state, key events are symbolled.    5.2.6 Social Vulnerability Survey These results are those obtained from quantitative surveys (figure 7). The total number of respondents was 139. Figure 7: Social vulnerability pentagon, highlighting main worries. The closer the result is to the centre the more of an issue they feel as though it is. With the survey showing that people are worried about the governance, environment and future threats gives an idea of the key grievances today. The economy is not a worrying factor as there has been on the rise since 2008 after the recession. The social aspects of life are not worrying factors in society. In regards to the environment, water is not evenly dispersed across the region. The summer months also bring a lot of pollution as tourists leave litter, which was pointed out by a shop keeper during an interview. 5.3 Conclusion To conclude, Catalonia has been experiencing separatism for many generations. The conflict so far within the state has remaining non-violent however this figure could change. The rise in percentage of people who believe violence will start echoes the increasing political tensions however 15% is not enough to accept the hypothesis stated as 85% do not believe there will be a need to resort to violence. The politicians are becoming impatient waiting on a referendum when other democratic places such as Scotland have been allowed to do so, with them not being allowed it feels as though the Franco influences have not yet disappeared. This is reflected on the social vulnerability results with governance scoring low. 5.4 Recommendations The key recommendations for peace within the region are: Allowing the Catalan government, the ability to reinvest the budget which will help in improving infrastructure. The media needs to have an unbiased opinion. Fiscal deficit needs improved and there’s a lot of tension towards Spain and the uneven taxingGentrification of city centre, leaving the city centre inhabitable by people who would be working in the city. 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