Technical analysis of Jeera - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2632 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? CHAPTER 8 TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF JEERA 8.1 INTRODUCTION Jeera or cumin seed is a dark coloured, oblong shaped and sharp flavoured aromatic spice. It is dried fruit of an annual, thin-stemmed cumin plant, scientifically known as Cuminum cyminum, belonging to the parsley family. It is an annual herbaceous plant. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Technical analysis of Jeera" essay for you Create order The plant has a height of 30-50cms. The plant has white to red coloured flowers which produce the fruits for the plant. These fruits are consumed as a flavouring agent in whole or grounded form all over the world. The seeds come as paired or separate carpels and are 3-6mm long. They have a striped pattern of nine ridges and oil canals. They are oblong-shaped, brownish in colour, hairy, tapering at each extremity, with tiny stalks attached. They resemble caraway seeds. However, they are lighter in colour and have minute bristles which are hardly visible to the naked eye. They are available dried, or ground to a brownish-green powder. The cumin seeds are nutty, pungent, slightly bitter and hot. Jeera has been used since historic times dating back to 200 BC. It was originally grown in Egypt, India, Iran and the Mediterranean region. Jeera has significant demand as a spice all around the globe, especially in the countries where spicy food is preferred. It is an essential component of the recipes in various cultures. Next to pepper, Jeera is considered to be the most important spice in the world. For heightened aroma, the whole seeds are roasted for a couple of minutes in a dry skillet or toaster oven before grinding. Jeera in grounded form forms part of various spicy mixtures, the most important being à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Garam masalaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (extensively used throughout South Asia), which are again used to add pungency to dishes and cuisines. It is used in chilli and curry powder blends, fish, lamb, pickling, sausages; Middle Eastern, Asian and Mediterranean recipes. Jeera is also known for its medicinal characteristics and hence, it is used in many Herbal and Ayurvedic medicines. Jeera is antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diuretic, emmenagogic, stimulant and stomachic. It is useful in diarrhoea, dyspepsia and hoarseness, and may relieve colic and flatulence. In the West, it is mainly used in veterinary medicine, as a carminative, but it remains a traditional herbal remedy in the East. It is supposed to increase lactation and reduce nausea in pregnancy. Used in a poultice, it relieves swelling of the breasts or the testicles. Smoke in a pipe with ghee, it is taken to relieve the hiccups. Jeera also stimulates the appetite. 8.2 JEERA CULTIVATION Jeera plant basically thrives in a hot, tropical or semi-tropical climate, but can also be cultivated in the cooler regions in a green house. Jeera crop can be produced on almost all soil types but the best soil for this crop, is a well-drained, fertile sandy soil. Jeera plant has a good tap root system that makes it a drought resistant plant. Temperature range of about 25-30 ºC is best for its growth. It requires minimum of 3 to 4 months of duration period after which it is harvested. Jeera is grown from seeds and is vulnerable to frost damage at flowering and early seed formation stages. To safeguard from frost damage, measures such as spray of sulphur dust and sulphu ric acid (0.1%), creating early morning smoke cover, irrigating crop before frost and setting up of windbreaks are used. About 5-6 kg per acre of seeds is required for optimal production. The plant is also susceptible to pest attacks and requires proper use of pesticides for seeds to grow well. In India, the Jeera plant is grown as a rabi crop, i.e., it is sown in the winters in the months of October to December and is harvested in the months of February, March and April. In other Jeera cultivating countries in the Middle East, the crop is planted in the months of late November to January and is harvested in the months of June and July. The plant becomes mature and ready to harvest when it turns yellowish brown. After the crop gets harvested, the cumin seeds are cleaned up through the winnowing process. 8.3 JEERA CYCLE Months Nov-Dec Jan-Feb Mar-Apr May Arrivals Sowing Growth Peak Arrivals Lean Arrivals 8.4 JEERA PRODUCTION Jeera is cultivated in the regions in North Africa, southern parts of the North American continent and Southern Asia. The major Jeera producing countries are India, Turkey, Syria, China, United States of America, Iran, Indonesia, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Libya. India being the world leader in the context of spice production, it is also the largest producer of Jeera in the world. The country produces 80% of the world production and consumes 90% of its own production. The other major producers are Syria 7%, Turkey and Iran 6% each and other countries remaining 11%. India is the major producer also possesses the maximum area in the cultivation of the spice. Though Syria, Turkey and Iran have a much lesser level of production as compared to India, but these countries have a significant influence in the determination of world Jeera prices, as they export most of their production, while in India, most of the production is consumed in the country itse lf. 8.4.1 Production of Jeera in India Gujarat is the largest Jeera producing state in the country. It contributes around 70% of the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s production and also has the maximum area under Jeera cultivation i.e. around 4 5 lakh hectares. Rajasthan is the second largest cumin seed producer in India. Rajasthan and Gujarat contribute to approximately 99% of the production in the country. Jeera consumption has been almost consistent in the country for past few years. The major districts that are indulged in the production of this crop are Ajmer, Barmer, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali, Sikar, Sirohi and Tonk in Rajasthan; Amreli, Banaskantha, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagarh, Fig 8.1 shows the Jeera producing states of India with their percentage share. Fig 8.1: Jeera Producing States in India with their percentage share Table 8.1 shows the annual acreage, production and per acre yield of Jeera in India Table 8.1: Acre age, Production Per Acre Yield of Jeera Year Area (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢000 hectares) Production (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢000 tons) Yield (Kg/hectare) 2000-01 315.78 139.36 441 2001-02 526.63 206.41 392 2002-03 521.25 134.75 259 2003-04 413.03 215.38 522 2004-05 367.68 176.07 479 2005-06 403.03 199.85 496 2006-07 408.65 185.00 453 2007-08 477.94 264.86 554 2008-09 527.13 283.00 537 2009-10 517.13 303.94 588 2010-11 625.08 403.74 646 2011-12 842.56 461.16 547 2012-13 593.98 394.33 664 Source: Spice Board Mehsana, Patan, Sabarkantha, Rajkot and Surendranagar in Gujarat; Mandsaur and Nimach in Madhya Pradesh. Indiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s production sums up to 2 4 lakh tons of Jeera per year which makes it the leading producer in the world. The country also has the largest area allotted towards Jeera production i.e. around 5 6 lakh hectares. The level of production and the total area under Jeera cultivation has significantly increased during the last few years. 8.5 JEERA MARKETS CONSUMPTION India is the largest consumer of Jeera in the world. The major trading centres or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"mandisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ of Jeera in India are Rajkot and Unjha in Gujarat; Bhawani Mandi, Jaipur, Jhalarapatan, Jodhpur, Kekri, Kota, Nagaur, Nimbahera, Niwai, Pali, Pratapgarh, Ramganj Mandi and Rani in Rajasthan; and Delhi. The domestic consumption demand of the spice in the country is around 2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 2.5 lakh tons and the rest of the production is used for export purposes. The by-products of cumin seeds like oleoresins of cumin seeds and cumin oil are also exported from India. Most of the demand for cumin seeds comes from the food and food processing industry and the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s total demand except Indiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s demand sum up to a mere 50 thousand tons. The major Jeera consuming countries of the world include India, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, China, Japan, Netherlands, France and Morocco. Fig 8.2 depicts the Jeera importing countries along with their % share. The world market structure regarding Jeera is very much concentrated as bulk of the production is performed by a fewer countries and only those countries are able to export this spice to the rest of the world. The major cumin seed exporting countries are India, Turkey and Iran. India was the primary exporter of cumin seeds and cumin oil in the world since few years but comparatively new entrants in the market like Turkey and Iran are providing sti ff competition to now. These countries are able to provide the spice at much cheaper prices than India and hence are gaining advantage over it. Most of the cumin seeds are exported to the countries that do not produce Jeera themselves and make huge markets for the spice. Fig 8.2: Jeera Importing Countries with percentage share These countries are United States of America, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil and Singapore. Table 8.2 shows the annual export quantity and value of Jeera to various countries. Table 8.2: Export Quantity Value of Jeera Year Export Quantity (in MT) Export Value (in Rs. Crore) 2007-08 28000 291.50 2008-09 52550 544.00 2009-10 49750 548.25 2010-11 32500 395.98 2011-12 45500 644.40 2012-13 79900 1093.8 Source: Spice Board 8.6 USES OF JEERA Jeera has high nutritive value as it contains fat, carbohydrates, proteins, fibre vitamins and essential minerals. Jeera is used as a spice for its distinctive flavour and aroma. It is an essential ingredient in most cuisines in South Asia, Latin America and Northern Africa. Jeera is known to possess anti-diabetic, anti-epileptic, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-tumor and Immunologic properties. Jeera is used for medicinal purposes in Ayurvedic medicines in India. The dried Jeera seeds are used in various forms for internal and external usage. Jeera is used for its qualities of enhancing appetite, digestion, lactation, strength, taste perception and vision. It is used for treating diseases like abdominal distension, diarrhea, edema, fever, loss of appetite, puerperal disorders and vomiting. Jeera Water, prepared by boiling cumin seeds in water is beneficial for chronic fever, heart disease, poor digestion, swellings, ta stelessness and vomiting. 8.7 MARKET INFLUENCING FACTORS Seasonal variations Broad range demand Weather fluctuations Structure of the market Flow of information 8.6 CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS FOR JEERA FUTURES Table 8.3: NCDEX Contract Specifications for Jeera Futures (Applicable for contracts expiring upto May 2014) Type of Contract Futures Contract Name of Commodity Jeera Ticker symbol JEERAUNJHA Trading System NCDEX Trading System Basis Ex- warehouse Jodhpur, inclusive of Sales Tax/VAT Unit of trading 3 MT Delivery unit 3 MT Maximum Order Size 150 MT Quotation/base value Rs per Quintal Initial Margin 10% Tick size Rs 2.50 Quality Specification Jeera of Indian origin with the following specifications. Jeera to be necessarily machine cleaned Foreign Matter 1.0 % basis Seeds with Stalks 8.0 % max Damaged, Discolored, Shriveled Immature seeds 2.0% basis Insect damaged Matter Should not be more than 0.5% Test Weight (on count basis) Maximum 300 seeds per gram Moisture 9% max *Foreign matter includes anything other than Jeera seeds e.g. sand, silica, pebbles, and other edible/non edible seeds. Quantity Variation +/- 2% Delivery Centre At the accredited warehouse(s) in Unjha (up to the radius of 50 Km from the municipal limits) Additional Delivery Centres At the accredited warehouse(s) in Delhi (within municipal limits), Jaipur and Jodhpur (up to the radius of 50 Km from the municipal limits) with location wise premium/discount as announced by the Exchange prior to launch of contract Trading Hours As per directions of the Forward Markets Commission from time to time currently à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Mondays through Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. Saturdays 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. The Exchange may vary the above timing with due notice Delivery Logic Compulsory delivery No. of Active Contracts As per launch calendar Opening of Contracts Trading in any contract month will open on the 1st day of the month. If the 1st day happens to be a non-trading day, contracts would open on the next trading day. Tender Period Tender Date à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"T Tender Period: The tender period shall start on 11th of every month in which the contract is due to expire. In case 11th happens to be a Saturday, a Sunday or a holiday at the Exchange, the tender period would start from the next working day. Pay-in and Pay-out: On a T+2 basis. If the tender date is T, then pay-in and pay-out would happen on T+2 day. If such a T+2 day happens to be a Saturday, a Sunday or a holiday at the Exchange, clearing banks or any of the service providers, pay-in and pay-out would be effected on the next working day. Closing of Contract Clearing and settlement of contracts will commence with the commencement of Tender Period by compulsory delivery of each open position tendered by the seller on T + 2 to the corresponding buyer matched by the process put in place by the Exchange. Upon the expiry of the contract all the outstanding open position shall result in compulsory delivery Due Date/Expiry Date Expiry date of the contract: 20th day of the delivery month. If 20th happens to be a holiday, a Saturday or a Sunday then the due date shall be the immediately preceding trading day of the Exchange, which is other than a Saturday. The settlement of contract would be by a staggered system of Pay-in and Pay-out including the Last Pay- in and Pay-out which would be the Final Settlement of the contract. Delivery Specification Upon expiry of the contracts all the outstanding open positions shall result in compulsory delivery. During the Tender period, if any delivery is tendered by seller, the corresponding buyer having open position and matched as per process put in place by the Exchange, shall be bound to settle by taking delivery on T + 2 day from the delivery centre where the seller has delivered same. The penalty structure for failure to meet delivery obligations will be as per circular no. NCDEX/ TRADING-086/2008/216 dated September 16, 2008. Price Band Daily price fluctuation limit is (+/-) 3%. If the trade hits the prescribed daily price limit there will be a cooling off period for 15 minutes. Trade will be allowed during this cooling off period within the price band. Thereafter, the price band would be raised by (+/-) 1% and trade will be resumed. If the price hits the revised price band (4%) again during the day, trade will only be allowed within the revised price band. No trade/order shall be permitted during the day beyond the revised limit of (+/-) 4%. Position Limits Member: 12000 MT or 15% of Market Open Interest whichever is higher. Client: 2,400 MT The above limits will not apply to bona fide hedgers. For bona fide hedgers, the Exchange will, on a case to case basis, decide the hedge limits. Please refer to Circular No. NCDEX/TRADING-100/2005/219 dated October 20, 2005. For near month contracts: The following limits would be applicable from 1st of every month in which the contract is due to expire. If 1st happens to be a non-trading day, the near month limits would start from the next trading day. Member: Maximum up to 1000 MT or 15% of the market-wide near month open position, whichever is higher. Client: Maximum up to 200 MT Quality Allowance Foreign Matter 1% basis acceptable up to 1.5 % with a discount of 1:1 Damaged, Discolored, Shriveled and Immature seeds 2% basis Acceptable up to 4.5% with discount as under: Above 2% and up to 4% with 1:0.5 discount Above 4% and up to 4.5% with 1:1 discount bove 4.5% rejected Special Margins In case of additional volatility, a special margin at such other percentage, as deemed fit, will be imposed in respect of outstanding positions, which will remain in force as long as the volatility exists, after which the special margin may be relaxed. Final Settlement Price The Final Settlement Price (FSP) shall be arrived at by taking the simple average of the last polled spot prices of the last three trading days viz., E0 (expiry day), E-1 and E-2. In the event of the spot prices for any one of the E-1 and E-2 is not available, the spot price of E-3 would be used for arriving at the average. In case the spot prices are not available for both E-1 and E-2, then the average of E0 and E-3 (two days) would be taken. If all the three daysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ prices viz., E-1, E-2 and E-3 are not available, then only one dayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s price viz., E0 will be taken as the FSP. Minimum Initial Margin 5%

The Interpretation of “Let Them Call It Jazz” by Jean Rhys.

The interpretation of â€Å"Let Them Call It Jazz† by Jean Rhys. Jean Rhys is famous for her â€Å"prequel† to Charlotte Brontà «s â€Å"Jane Eyre† called â€Å"Wide Sargasso Sea†, however, it should be said that she was writing mainly novels. Her work are characteristic for using topics concerning the immigrants’ position in the West culture. The fact that she was born in West Indies influences deeply on her later publications in which she frequently presents her reflection on the problems that the strangers have to deal with. It seems that the portrait of Selina Davies, in her novel â€Å"Let Them Call It Jazz†, perfectly conveys Rhys’ experiences as a white Creole woman, as â€Å"the story is presented as a quintessential of the immigrant woman’s position in urban†¦show more content†¦She frequently sings in the wrong time and place, hence the constant arguments with her neighbors who are unwilling and reluctant to understand her behavior. Finally, after another fight Selena again feel s like an outsider, â€Å"and you tell me what you’re doing here at all, this is respectable neighborhood†, and cannot stand the couple’s insults so, with an anger, she smashes their window, â€Å"I pick up a stone and bam! through the window. Not the one they were standing at but the next, which is of colored glass, green and purple and yellow†. After this incident Selina starts to sing â€Å"Don’t Trouble Me Now† what clearly shows that instead of facing the problems she is trying to blur them. After this incident Selina was sentenced to prison where she heard a woman who was singing a magnificent song; namely, the Holloway Song. She believes that she is the only listener of this song, â€Å"she sing to me and she sing for me†. She associates the Holloway Song with the voice of freedom, â€Å"seems to me it could jump the gates of the jail easy and travel far, and nobody could stop it†. After some time when she finds

Sports Science Essay Sample free essay sample

Many people are still either incognizant or confused what athleticss scientific discipline is or about the function of athleticss scientific discipline can play within the athletics that you are in particularly in our university. Many say. athleticss scientific discipline is merely a fun class. they thought. in athleticss scientific discipline. you will merely play and play different sorts of athleticss. Peoples wonder why we took athleticss scientific discipline. what we do in athleticss scientific discipline. They don’t know that athleticss scientific discipline is non merely a class. It has a large function in our life particularly to high degree jocks like varsity participants. professional jocks and besides to those people who are wellness witting. It helps them to analyse human public presentation. It is non merely about playing athleticss or merely holding fun in our class but we besides study about understanding the theory of exercising physiology. skill acquisition an d even psychology about athleticss interrelate to act upon featuring public presentation. We will write a custom essay sample on Sports Science Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sports scientific discipline has a batch of effects in our mundane life. With athleticss scientific discipline you can better yourself even a simple exercising like jogging. running. etc. Now. what is athleticss scientific discipline? Sports scientific discipline is a multi-disciplinary field in which applies the sub-disciplines of general scientific discipline like physiology. biomechanics. psychological science and sociology to featuring state of affairss. to help jocks and performing artists improve their ability during preparation and competition. This theoretical class has been designed to let pupils to develop their accomplishments. cognition and apprehension of issues related to high degree jocks developing and public presentation. Besides. athleticss scientific discipline includes other subjects such as nutrition and diet and athleticss engineering. Sports scientific discipline focuses on how our organic structure works and travel. Human motion is a related scientific subject that surveies human motion in all contexts including that of athletics. Now. what is a athleticss scientist? A athletics scientist is an person who has studied the topic. They may hold understand a class covering each subject so that they gain a basic apprehension of each or focused on one specific country in greater item. Sport scientists and public presentation advisers are turning in demand and employment Numberss. with the ever-increasing focal point within the clean universe on accomplishing the best consequences possible. Through the survey of scientific discipline and athletics. research workers have developed a greater understanding on how the human organic structure reacts to exert. preparation. different environments and many other stimulations. A athletics scientist can either set about a practical or theoretical based function. On the practical side of things they could assist plan and implement plan for an single participant. squad or nine. With the purpose to construct upon any failings they may be sing with their public presentation. Some illustrations of the sorts of plans that a qualified person can use can change from developing techniques to avoid hurt. executing better under force per unit area. bettering squad coherence and bettering a player’s anaerobiotic capacity. On the theoretical side. research is conducted to assist set up replies to unexplained happenings. such as why playing at place is an advantage ( and at times a disadvantage ) or societal facilitation. It besides has the function to oppugn taken-for-granted constructs that are continually employed with no existent grounds of effectivity. for illustration is inactive stretching truly the best signifier of readying for musculuss before featuring activity. particularly when compared to dynamic stretching. Therefore. the athleticss scientist will be required to transport out research and cod information to seek and get at a decision that can so be used to cut down or extinguish the impact of such factors on public presentation Higher-education grades in athleticss scientific discipline or human physiology are besides going progressively popular with many universities now offering both undergraduate and postgraduate grades in the subject. Opportunities for alumnuss in these Fieldss employment as a physical instruction instructor. dietician or nutritionist. public presentation analyst. athleticss manager. athleticss healer. fittingness centre director. athleticss decision maker. strength and conditioning specializer or retail director of a athleticss shop. Alumnuss may besides be good positioned to set about farther preparation to go an commissioned physical therapist. exercising physiologist or clinical exercising adviser. As an jock and as a pupil taking Sports scientific discipline. I realized how athleticss scientific discipline of import to us particularly to me. Sports scientific discipline helps me to better more to my game and my attitude in games. It helps me to forestall any hurts. readying before preparation and before competitions like proper stretching. proper warming up and proper plan in our preparation. Remember. athleticss scientific discipline is non merely a class. It has a batch of things to make about us.

Treating Stakeholders as Ends Rather than Means free essay sample

An examination of the Kant approach to business ethics. This paper examines how corporations deal with their stakeholders. The writer contends that, along with Norman Bowie, there is a moral imperative for corporations to treat stakeholders as ends rather than means. Moreover, the writer states that the best prospect for achieving this movement in stakeholder theory will be found in Immanuel Kants moral theory. Contrary to popular belief, one of the fundamental principles underpinning capitalism is one of respect for persons. It is our disposition to treat other agents as free and rational individuals deserving of particular rights and duties that establishes certain principles and rules concerning how we ought to treat each other in the organization and function of business practices and institutions. The everyday conduct of business is not simply, I contend, a hedonistic pursuit of profit at all cost. In addition to the economic imperatives that certainly do drive corporations, there is also a concomitant moral imperative that governs how we fulfill our economic activities. We will write a custom essay sample on Treating Stakeholders as Ends Rather than Means or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Shylock From the Merchant of Venice Character Analysis

Shylock From the Merchant of Venice Character Analysis A  Shylock character analysis can tell us a lot about The Merchant of Venice. Shylock, the Jewish moneylender is the villain of the play and the audience response  depends on how he is portrayed in performance. An actor will hopefully be able to extract sympathy for Shylock from the audience, despite his vengeful bloodthirsty and greedy proclivities. Shylock  the Jew His position as a Jew is made much of in the play and in Shakespeare’s Britain some might argue, that this would have positioned him as a baddy, however, the Christian characters in the play are also open to criticism and as such Shakespeare is not necessarily judging him for his religious belief but demonstrating intolerance in both religions. Shylock refuses to eat with the Christians: Yes, to smell pork, to eat of the habitation which your prophet the Nazerite conjured the devil into! I will buy with you, sell with you, talk to you, walk with you, and so following, but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. He also questions the Christians for their treatment of others: ...what these Christians are, Whose own hard dealings teaches them to suspect the thoughts of others! Could Shakespeare be commenting here on the way Christians converted the world to their religion or on the way that they treat other religions? Having said this, there are a lot of insults leveled at Shylock merely based on his being a Jew, many suggesting that he is akin to the devil: A modern audience may find these lines insulting. A modern audience would surely consider his religion to be of no consequence in terms of his status as a villain, he could be considered a reprehensible character who also happens to be a Jewish man. Must Jessica convert to Christianity in order to be accepted by Lorenzo and his friends? This is the implication. That the Christian characters are considered the goodies in this narrative and the Jewish character the baddy of the piece, suggests some judgment against being Jewish. However, Shylock is permitted to give as good as he gets against Christianity and is able to level similar insults as he receives. Shylock  the Victim To an extent, we feel sorry for Shylock’s victimization based solely on his Jewishness. Apart from Jessica who converts to Christianity, he is the only Jewish character and it feels he is somewhat ganged up on by all of the other characters. Had he just have been ‘Shylock’ without the religion, almost certainly one could argue a modern audience would have less sympathy for him? As a result of this assumption, would Shakespeare’s audience have had less sympathy for him because of his status as a Jew? Shylock  the Villain? Shylock’s position as a villain per se is possible to debate. Shylock is sticking to his bond to his word. He is true to his own code of conduct. Antonio signed that bond and promised that money, Shylock has been wronged; he has had his money stolen from him by his daughter and Lorenzo. However, Shylock is offered three times his money back and he still demands his pound of flesh; this moves him into the realms of villainy. It depends on his portrayal as to how much an audience has sympathy for his position and character as to how much he is judged at the end of the play. He is certainly left at the end of the play with very little to his name, although at least he is able to keep his property until his death. I think it would be difficult not to feel some sympathy for Shylock as all the characters celebrate at the end while he is all alone. It would be interesting to revisit Shylock in the years following and find out what he did next. â€Å"The devil can cite scripture for his purpose† (Act 1 Scene 3)â€Å"Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnation;† (Act 2 Scene 2)

The Nature-Culture Divide

The Nature-Culture Divide Nature and culture are often seen as opposite ideas- what belongs to nature cannot be the result of human intervention and, on the other hand, cultural development is achieved against nature. However, this is by far not the only take on the relationship between nature and culture. Studies in the evolutionary development of humans suggest that culture is part and parcel of the ecological niche within which our species thrived, thus rendering culture a chapter in the biological development of a species. An Effort Against Nature Several modern authors- such as Rousseau- saw the process of education as a struggle against the most eradicated tendencies of human nature. Humans are born with wild dispositions, such as the one of using violence to achieve one’s own goals, to eat and behave in a disorganized fashion, and/or to act egotistically. Education is that process which uses culture as an antidote against our wildest natural tendencies; it is thanks to culture that the human species could progress and elevate itself above and beyond other species. A Natural Effort Over the past century and a half, however, studies in the history of human development have clarified how the formation of what we refer to as culture in an anthropological sense is part of the biological adaptation of our ancestors to the environmental conditions in which they came to live.Consider, for example, hunting. Such an activity seems an adaptation, which allowed hominids to move from the forest into the savannah some millions of year ago, opening up the opportunity to change diet and living habits. At the same time, the invention of weapons is directly related to that adaptation- but from weapons descend also a whole series of skill sets characterizing our cultural profile, from butchering tools to ethical rules relating to the proper use of weapons (e.g., should they be turned against other human beings or against uncooperative species?). Hunting also seems responsible for a whole set of bodily abilities, such as balancing on one foot as humans are the only primates that can do that. Now, think of how this very simple thing is crucially connected to dance, a key expression of human culture. It is then clear that our biological development is closely tied to our cultural development. Culture as an Ecological Niche The view that came to be most plausible over the past decades seems to be that culture is part of the ecological niche within which humans live. Just as snails carry their shell, so do we bring along our culture. Now, the transmission of culture seems not to be directly related to the transmission of genetic information. Certainly the significant overlap between the genetic makeup of humans is a premise for the development of a common culture that can be passed along from one generation to the next. However, cultural transmission is also horizontal among individuals within the same generation or among individuals belonging to different populations. You can learn how to make lasagna even if you were born from Korean parents in Kentucky just as you can learn how to speak Tagalog even if none of your immediate family or friends speak that language. Further Readings on Nature and Culture The online sources on the nature-culture divide are scarce. Luckily, there are a number of good bibliographical resources that can help out. Here is a list of few of the more recent ones, from which older takes on the topic can be recovered: Peter Watson, The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New, Harper, 2012.Alan H. Goodman, Deborah Heat, and Susan M. Lindee, Genetic Nature/Culture: Anthropology and Science Beyond the Two-Culture Divide, University of California Press, 2003.Rodney James Giblett, The Body of Nature and Culture, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Written Business Communication (Original Posting #2) Assignment

Written Business Communication (Original Posting #2) - Assignment Example ve and decode a written work and writer’s ability to address the needs and offer solutions or hope and strategies for obtaining solutions facilitate this motivator role. It is also important to visualize the audience because this helps to identify characteristics of the audience that can facilitate or hinder communication. A writer can then major on identified strengths and manage weaknesses for effective communication. Understanding individual aspects such as physiological, psychological, and cognitive factors is an example of visualization and help in planning approach to writing. The audience’s external environment such as effects of culture is another factor whose understanding empowers a writer’s communication potentials (Youssef, 2005). Applying an open approach to communication can facilitate visualization if a writer does not know the audience. Targeting a larger audience base in terms of age, gender, educational background, and work orientation is an example because it assumes a wider general knowledge of the audience and increases possibility of identifying with people’s needs or interests (Ghosh, 2012). Being sensitive is another way through which a writer can achieve audience visualization, without knowing the audience, because it only needs identification of the targeted population segment and the different traits towards effective communication can be