How Nail Polish Works and What Its Made Of

Nail polish is a type of lacquer thats used to decorate fingernails and toenails. Because it has to be strong, flexible, and resist chipping and peeling, nail polish contains a number of chemicals. Heres a look at the chemical composition of nail polish and the function of each of the ingredients. Chemical Composition of Nail Polish Basic clear nail polish can be made from nitrocellulose dissolved in butyl acetate or ethyl acetate. The nitrocellulose forms a shiny film as the acetate solvent evaporates. However, most polishes contain an extensive list of ingredients. Solvents Solvents are liquids used to mix other ingredients in nail polish to yield a uniform product. Usually, the first ingredient(s) in nail polish are solvents. Once you apply the polish, the solvents evaporate away. The amount and type of solvent determine how thick a polish is and how long it will take to dry. Examples of solvents include ethyl acetate, butyl acetate,  and alcohol. Toluene, xylene,  and formalin or formaldehyde are toxic chemicals that were once common in nail polish but are rarely found now or found only in low concentrations. Film Formers Film formers are chemicals that form the smooth surface on a coat of nail polish. The most common film former is nitrocellulose. Resins Resins make the film adhere to the nail bed. Resins are ingredients that add depth, gloss,  and hardness to the film of nail polish. An example of a polymer used as a resin in nail polish is tosylamide-formaldehyde resin. Plasticizers While resins and film formers give polish strength and gloss, they produce a brittle lacquer. Plasticizers are chemicals that help keep polish flexible and reduce the chance that it will crack or chip, which they do by linking to polymer chains and increasing the distance between them. Camphor is a common plasticizer. Pigments Pigments are chemicals that add color to nail polish. An astonishing variety of chemicals may be used as nail polish pigments. Common pigments include iron oxides and other colorants, such as youd find in paint or varnish. Pearls Nail polish that has a shimmery or glittery effect may contain pearlescent minerals, such as titanium dioxide or ground mica. Some polishes may contain bits of plastic glitter or other additives that produce a special effect. Additional Ingredients Nail polishes may contain thickening agents, such as stearalkonium hectorite, to keep the other ingredients from separating and to make the polish easier to apply. Some polishes contain ultraviolet filters, such as benzophenone-1, which help prevent discoloration when the polish is exposed to sunlight or other forms of ultraviolet light.

Utilitarianism in Government - 1653 Words

In its political philosophy utilitarianism provides an alternative to theories of natural law and the social contract by basing the authority of government and the sanctity of individual rights upon their utility, or measure of happiness gained. As an egalitarian doctrine, where everyone’s happiness counts equally, the rational, relatively straightforward nature of utilitarianism offers an attractive model for democratic government. It offers practical methods for deciding the morally right course of action - â€Å"...an action is right as it tends to promote happiness, wrong as it tends to diminish it, for the party whose interests are in question† (Bentham, 1780). To discover what we should do in a given situation, we identify the various†¦show more content†¦One major point of contention, however, is that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to measure and compare the values of certain benefits and costs. How does one assign value to human life, or time , or artistic pleasures such as literature and music? Mills response was to introduce variables to pleasure. While Bentham concentrated on quantity (the pleasures duration, intensity, etc), Mill stressed quality. Adding the feature of quality to pleasure differentiates â€Å" higher†, intellectual pleasures from common, physical ones. He argues in his famous quote â€Å"It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is only because they only know their own side of the question†. This reasoning is not very satisfactory if we consider how subjective (and elitist) it can be. Who is to determine which activities are more high-brow or low-brow, and what makes a competent judge? Mill states it should be person who has experience of the activities in question, but a key aspect of utilitarianism it the requirement of making these judgemen ts impartially and impersonally. With the diversity of this world it is highly unlikely that the tastes and preferences will all align in accord. Even if we attempt to make our decisions based on how others would be affected, it is impossible for us to know or measure theShow MoreRelatedJeremy Bentham And Utilitarianism1461 Words   |  6 PagesJeremy Bentham was an English philosophy (1748-1632) who challenged the idea of the Social Contract theory, which states that the people create a social contract to agree to form of government. Bentham opposed the idea of natural rights and followed the idea of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the idea that political and moral decision should not be based on natural rights, but based on which choice produces the â€Å"greatest good for the greatest number†. For an example, this principle explains whetherRead MoreJohn Locke And Thomas Jefferson Essay1478 Words   |  6 Pagesaffect others (Costly 2016). Locke highlighted the government should exist exclusively for the protection of natural rights and enforcing its principles. It is assumed if these rights are protected, the people will trust the government and obey the law. Rebellion is justified by Locke if the government becomes corrupted and violates the rights of citizens. Locke accentuates the people have the rights to abolish and recommence their government if, it does not serve its purpose of protecting theirRead MoreCorporate Welfare And Utilitarianism : Utilitarianism And Kantian Ethics914 Words   |  4 PagesCorporate Welfare and Utilitarianism Case one proclaims that the American economy is failing millions of Americans. In today’s day in age, having a full time job does not guarantee an income above the poverty line. Currently, there are â€Å"80 government assistance programs† which provide working families the means to survive. It is important to note that these programs cost $153 billion annually, and these costs are covered by the government from the tax revenue they receive from hard working AmericansRead MorePolitical Philosophy: Is Utilitarianism the Best Way to Fight Discrimination?694 Words   |  3 PagesUtilitarianism states that the moral worth of an act is completely determined by its practicality in reducing negative service and exploiting utility as summed in every sentient being. The utility principle states that an act is right if it produces more pleasure of all people affected by and immoral if it doesnt. It is founded on the idea that happiness and pleasure are naturally treasured and suffering and pain are not, and that all else has value if it is generating pleasure and inhibiting happinessRead MoreUtilitarianism, Utilitarianism And Rule Utilitarianism1565 Words   |  7 PagesUtilitarianism has some positive aspects and some problems within the theory, like any theory. There are ways to try to improve it by creating act-utilitarianism and rule-utilitarianism. J.J.C. Smart of La Trobe University evaluates the difference between the two and their inevitability. He also inspects how consequentialism is going to hurt the theory of utilitarianism. Also, Rawls is going to propose a solution to this problem. His theory, Justice as Fairness, seeks to have everyone be seen asRead MoreJohn Stuart Mill s Utilitarianism1642 Words   |  7 Pagescontroversial sentiments of happiness on Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism, believing that goods are the means to greatest happiness for the greatest number of peoples. Epicurus, an Ancient Greek philosopher, who similarly encouraged people to follow his pleasure based philosophy to obtain happiness. Unlike Mill, Epicurus’ philosophy is based on individualistic hedonism, which often may seem more practical and acceptable. Although, Mill’s utilitarianism is indeed a form of social hedonism rather than individualRead MoreUtilitarianism Vs Libertarianism : Utilitarianism And Libertarianism1287 Words   |  6 Pagescurrently enrolled, â€Å"Social Justice† our class spend copious amount of days talking about Utilitarianism and Libertarianism. These are two important theory’s that have been discussed for a very long time. These are two philosophies that elaborates how the citizen pleases to live by. Utilitarianism and Libertarianism may have similar things in common but at the same time they are very distinguishable. The Utilitarianism theory tries to maximize the happiness of the community and minimize the pain over allRead MoreUtilitarianism : Theory And Contemporary Issues1 350 Words   |  6 Pagesof utilitarianism provides a solution to this but at what cost? What are the benefits and disadvantages of utilitarianism? Is utilitarianism an idea one should live by? What is utilitarianism? I plan on answering these questions within this paper and understand how they relate to everyday life. I will also look at arguments for and against utilitarianism. Then analyze the appealing and unappealing features to determine if utilitarianism should be followed as an absolute rule. Utilitarianism canRead MoreUtilitarians Ethic and Politics: What is the Purpose of Human Life?1655 Words   |  7 Pageswhile doing a barbecue in the park? Utilitarian ethic and philosophy can answer to Wonder Womans struggle. But first lets see what Utilitarianism is. -Utilitarianism The Utilitarianism is the theory which fund the morality on the utility, and affirms that the true utilitity for and individual cant not always get along with the general utility. The utilitarianism fixes as a starting point the thought which recognize that one of the condition of human nature is to think firstly about his own interests:Read MoreThe Act Utilitarianism And Social Contract Theory1057 Words   |  5 Pagesnature of Jean’s actions, his actions can be justified through numerous ethical arguments. These arguments include: Kantism, Act Utilitarianism, Rule Utilitarianism, and Social Contract Theory. These of these theories would be used to justify the actions in various ways from the categorical imperative of Kantism, to the balancing of benefits and harms with Act Utilitarianism. Immanuel Kant’s theory, Kantism, states that an action is good if it can pass the categorical imperative, that is to say that

Strategic Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Answer: Introduction: Yes, Google has implemented a strategy that serves all its stakeholders. Stakeholders are the entities that have an interest in the business operations of the company. The stakeholders of the company include advertisers, government, users, employees, investors and communities. The company provides an opportunity to its users to customize their searches for the purpose of searching information needed by them. Besides this, advertisers can also bid high to provide advertisement on the websites (Dettmer, 2003). This results in increasing the profits of the company and increases its shareholder value. Majority of the sales revenue of the company is generated by the advertisements on different products and services of the company. It also provides an opportunity to companies to display their advertisements as a sponsored links on their products. In addition to this, the company offers a shuttle system to its employees that run on biodiesel (Shankar, et al. 2012). Besides this, it also practiced sharing of the cars on the campus by the employees to roam around. In addition to this, the company has also provided bicycles to the employees to go from one department to other in the campus. In addition to this, it has also developed different tools that are required by non- profit organizations for the purpose of granting money. Users are the top priority stakeholders of the company. The company offers diversified range of products to its users in order to meet their customized needs and wants (Cooper and Edgett, 2009). The company designs its products and services by considering the needs and wants of the users. The company provides high salaries and incentives to its employees in order to retain them with the company. Human resources are considered valuable resource for the company (Aubin and Carlsen, 2008). Google has made efforts to bring changes in its privacy policy and identifies different methods for the purpose of protecting the personal information of the users. There is a heavy reliance on the tracking along with other activities carried out by the Google for the purpose of maintaining its profitability. It has regularly updating its privacy policies in order to comply with the needs and wants of the users related to the private and personal information shared with the company. In addition to this, in the year 2012, the company has combined all the information collected from different products and services provided by it to the users for the purpose of protecting the information provided by the users (Klosek, 2007). This step also helps in maintaining the confidentiality of the information provided by the users. Besides this, Google has provided the option of turning off some of the options that results in collecting the information regarding the users. The new privacy policy does not have any impact on the volume of data rather it facilitates in increasing the commitment of the company towards maintaining the privacy of the information provided by the user (Strandburg and Raicu, 2005). This new privacy policy facilitates in using the information provided by the users by all the products and services offered by the company in order to keep a track on the changing needs and wants of the customers which in turn results in an increase in the profitability of the company. Besides this, the company should provide a option to its users regarding the locking of the password which results in keeping the users information safe and protected. Besides this, the company should take consent of the users for the purpose of sharing of the private and personal information of users with third parties. This results in building trust and loyalty among the users of the Google products and services and results in maintaining the profitability of the company (Zheleva, Terzi and Getoor, 2012). Google is a multinational company that has expanded its operations in various countries around the globe. This is the reason that it has to abide by the rules and regulations as per the different laws and regulations practiced in different countries. There is a significant impact of the rules and regulations of the government on the operations of the Google. There is a presence of strict rules and regulations related to internet in China. There was a presence of great opportunity for Google in China but due to presence of many rules and regulations there is a negative impact on the business operations of Google. The government of China has blocked various sites that are offered by Google due to presence of problems in the search engine of the company (Trepte and Reinecke, 2011). These results in the exit of Google from the Chinese market due to presence of many hackers and shift it to Hong Kong. The other problem faced by Google is problems related to tracking and privacy violations. Google has scanned data related to the users through wireless networks. Besides this, in UK, the company has gathered private information of users through a special detection equipment fitted in vans for the purpose of location based services. The company has to make payment of all fines for the occurrence of the violations made by the company (Custers, et al. 2012). In addition to this, it is tedious task to understand all the rules and regulations of the countries by the company. There is a need of acquiring censorship to enter into a Chinese market and the search engine is blocked by the government in the nation. It also has a slow speed and inconsistent for the users due to which the company has lost its market in the country in a steady pace. Nowadays, companies has made their own industry standards in which the company provide do not track option to the users which results in limiting the information collected related to the personal and private information of the users (Solove, Rotenberg and Schwartz, 2006). References Aubin, D.D.S. and Carlsen, B.J. 2008. Attract, Engage Retain Top Talent: 50 Plus One Strategies Used by the Best. AuthorHouse. Cooper, R.G. and Edgett, S.J. 2009. Product Innovation and Technology Strategy. Stage-Gate International. Custers, B., et al. 2012. Discrimination and Privacy in the Information Society: Data Mining and Profiling in Large Databases. Springer Science Business Media. Dettmer, H.W. 2003. Strategic Navigation: A Systems Approach to Business Strategy. ASQ Quality Press. Klosek, J. 2007. The War on Privacy. Greenwood Publishing Group. Shankar, V., et al. 2012. Handbook of Marketing Strategy. Edward Elgar Publishing. Solove, D.J., Rotenberg, M. and Schwartz, P.M. 2006. Privacy, Information, and Technology. Aspen Publishers Online. Strandburg, K.J. and Raicu, D.S. 2005. Privacy and Technologies of Identity: A Cross-Disciplinary Conversation. Springer Science Business Media. Trepte, S. and Reinecke, L. 2011. Privacy Online: Perspectives on Privacy and Self-Disclosure in the Social Web. Springer Science Business Media. Zheleva, E., Terzi, E. and Getoor, L. 2012. Privacy in Social Networks. Morgan Claypool Publishers.

What is meant by fiscal policy

Economy is the sum total economic resources of a certain region which enable it to provide services and goods to its inhabitants. These resources may include: infrastructure, land, trade, labor, manufactured goods, capital, and medicine among others. Global Economy thus can be seen as the sum total of the world human and physical resources that enhance survival of its inhabitants.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What is meant by fiscal policy? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this century every country in the continent has seen an economic recession which basically affects the livelihoods of the people for instance increased food prices. This is one the reasons why countries develop policies that may enable them improve their economy. Policies such as fiscal policy, sustainable food production, green cities and sustainable housing for city dwellers have been developed. Michl (54) defines Fiscal policy as, â₠¬Å"the use of government expenditure and revenue collection (taxation) to influence the economy.† According to Dwivedi instruments of fiscal policy include the following, â€Å"Surplus budgeting, Government expenditure, Taxation, and Public borrowing (602). These instruments may have different effects on the economy.† For instance, surplus budgeting means reducing the government expenditure slightly below the revenue thus creating surplus. On the other hand government expenditure is the allocation of revenue to various areas of the economy for example education and health. Taxation is the collection of money from the citizens directly or indirectly in which they don’t expect direct returns and public borrowing is borrowing in the form of loans either from the public or external sources. The above instruments are adjusted in order to create a desired effect on the economy; as an illustration if the government increases expenditure in infrastructure development it expects that in the long run it will attract investors which in return create jobs and revenue in form of taxation. Depending on the economic state of a nation, the policy makers adjust each of the fiscal policy instruments so as to focus on the desired outcome. How fiscal policy can be used to aggregate demand An expansionary fiscal policy tends to increase the amount of liquid income that citizens have hence improving the purchasing power which implies more money will be disposed to the economy. According to Reuters (4), â€Å"The aggregate demand will increase and thus reduce the deflation gap which may be caused by growth or unemployment.† The figure below shows a the effect of fiscal policy on aggregate demand;Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Aggregate demand is dictated by investors and consumers of such goods and services from the investments. This means that the fiscal policy adopted mainly tends to increase the desire for investors to invest and the available market to have the power to purchase. Fiscal policy has a short term positive effect but on the long term if it is not checked it may cause undesired effects. How effective is the fiscal policy? Is a question that needs to be carefully studied if economies will have to continue using this policy as a measure to react to economic recession. Thomas R. Michl (81) notes that, â€Å"fiscal policy were unlikely to succeed in combating unemployment because the jobs gained through the government spending would be cancelled out by jobs lost in the investment goods industries by crowding out.† Thus fiscal policy may not be the best tool to use when economic recession is caused by natural economic factors. It is rather better to let the factors that contribute to the economy to regulate themselves naturally. For example, consumption may be affected by inflation by making consumers avo id unnecessary purchases and the desire to create more wealth thus having a positive effect on both investment and consumption which are the key instruments on aggregate demand. Furthermore, increasing taxation may not affect consumption because the goods in which taxation may be imposed may be a necessity whose consumption must remain the same. For example increasing the cost of transportation may not be affected by taxation as much because it is a necessity in wealth creation. Another undesired effect arises from the increase in government spending without increasing taxes; this might lead to a recession and undesired deflationary gap. Australian budget The following is the fiscal policy stance of the Australian government for the financial year 2010-2011. According to Australian Government Website, â€Å"The Australian government budget website describes the government’s fiscal stance to comprise of: achievable budget surpluses, on average, over the medium term, keep taxa tion as a share of GDP below the level for 2007-08 (23.5 per cent of GDP), on average, and improve the Government’s net financial worth over the medium term.† According to Marc (55), â€Å"The government will further allow the tax receipts to recover naturally as the economy improves and hold growth in spending to 2 percent a year until the budget returns to surplus.†Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What is meant by fiscal policy? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The government puts into consideration any physical calamities that may occur so as to mitigate its effects on the budget as fast as possible. The table below shows budget aggregates and their projections. According to a research done by the Melbourne Institute the Australian (8), â€Å"Inflation pressure is rising.† The report indicates that ‘inflation rates increased from 3.2 percent to 4.5 percent in the months of Ma rch and April respectively.’ As an assertion to the research report, Michael Chua, a research fellow at the Melbourne Institute said, â€Å"This month’s report indicates inflation pressure is mounting after a relatively stable period.† (8) This implies that the fiscal stance may have not been achieved as much in terms of inflation control. Australian inflationary measures The Australian high dollar rate has seen the mining industry gain whereas other areas of the economy like tourism and local imports have been affected negatively. Thus inflation has been experienced. The government though optimistic, has fears of the return of economic recession in America and the Europe. The current inflation pressures on the Australian government can be mitigated by disaster preparedness as one of the major effects of inflation. The Australian consumer is also expected to reduce expenditure so as to create a balance thus combat inflation. The Reserve Bank of Australia (9) sai d that, â€Å"It remained concerned about the outlook for domestic inflation and said it was too soon to know if demand would soften enough to restrain price pressures over time.† It also expressed its fears on the ‘unsettled global financial markets.’ The Australian government put in place a fiscal policy for the financial year 2010-2011; was the policy the most appropriate? According to the Australian, â€Å"these fiscal rules mean we are on track to return the budget to surplus.† The country expected to go back on track and achieve a 2 percent surplus on its budget. So far the government can only brag about a 1 percent surplus. This means that despite the government not hitting on its minimum target, it has brought back a surplus budget after the global economic recession.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The gains made are attributed to the tough spending measures the government imposed in its fiscal policy. The government further intends to retain the strict measures, which it argues will help it deliver a surplus within three years of the deficit peaking as a share of the economy. It further argues that this will be a smaller duration as compared to the four years it used in the 1980’s. Overall, the economy has improved slightly which may be attributed to the strong Australian dollar which has improved revenue from the mining industry. Michl (66) argues that â€Å"High interest rates discouraged the consumers from borrowing consequently less expenditures.† In one way or the other the government has achieved its goals; however, there are no air tight policies. The negative effects are the failure to mitigate inflation which is a major dissatisfaction on the citizens. In conclusion, fiscal policy is the control of government expenditures against taxation. There are fou r major instruments for implementing fiscal policy that include the following according to Michl (5), â€Å"Surplus budgeting, Government expenditure, Taxation, and Public borrowing.† Each of these instruments can be controlled in a particular way so as to achieve the expected results. The government would reduce tax rate thus it will enhance compliance and collect more taxes, increase the lending rate thus reduce purchasing power, reduce government expenditure which may cause unemployment or reduce public borrowing hence reducing the national debt margin. The fiscal policy adapted by the Australian government seems to have worked mainly through the stringent rules imposed on the stimulus package. Works Cited Australian Government Website. budget.gov.au, 2010. Web. Australian Government Website, Geoffrey. Business with The Wall Street Journal. theaustralian.com.au/business, 2011. Retrieved Dwivedi, D N. Macroeconomics: Theory and Practice. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill, 2010. P rint. Marc, Robinson. Medium Term Fiscal Policy Issues and Challenges in Australia, Melbourne: Queensland U of T, 2001. Print Michl, Thomas R. Macroeconomic Theory: a Short Course. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2002. Print. Reuters, CNBC First in Business World Wide. cnbc.com, 2011. Web. This essay on What is meant by fiscal policy? was written and submitted by user Julianna Mcdonald to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Positive vs. Normative Analysis

Positive vs. Normative Analysis While economics is largely an academic discipline, it is quite common for economists to act as business consultants, media analysts, and advisers on government policy. As a result, its very important to understand when economists are making objective, evidence-based statements about how the world works and when they are making value judgments about what policies should be enacted or what business decisions should be made. Positive Analysis Descriptive, factual statements about the world are referred to as positive statements by economists. The term positive isnt used to imply that economists always convey good news, of course, and economists often make very, well, negative-positive statements. Positive analysis, accordingly, uses scientific principles to arrive at objective, testable conclusions. Normative Analysis On the other hand, economists refer to prescriptive, value-based statements as normative statements. Normative statements usually use factual evidence as support, but they are not by themselves factual. Instead, they incorporate the opinions and underlying morals and standards of those people making the statements. Normative analysis refers to the process of making recommendations about what action should be taken or taking a particular viewpoint on a topic. Examples of Positive vs. Normative The distinction between positive and normative statements is easily shown via examples. The statement: The unemployment rate is currently at 9 percent. is a positive statement, since it conveys factual, testable information about the world. Statements such as: The unemployment rate is too high.The government must take action in order to reduce the unemployment rate. are normative statements, since they include value judgments and are of a prescriptive nature. Its important to understand that, despite the fact that the two normative statements above are intuitively related to the positive statement, they cannot be logically inferred from the objective information provided. (In other words, they dont have to be true given that the unemployment rate is at 9 percent.) How to Effectively Disagree With an Economist People seem to like disagreeing with economists (and, in fact, economists often seem to enjoy disagreeing with one another), so its important to understand the distinction between positive and normative in order to disagree effectively. To disagree with a positive statement, one must bring other facts to the table or question the economists methodology. In order to disagree with the positive statement about unemployment above, for example, one would have to make the case that the unemployment rate isnt actually 9 percent. One could do this either by providing different unemployment data or by performing different calculations on the original data. To disagree with a normative statement, one can either dispute the validity of the positive information used to reach the value judgment or can argue the merits of the normative conclusion itself. This becomes a more murky type of debate  since there is no objective right and wrong when it comes to normative statements. In a perfectly organized world, economists would be pure scientists who perform only positive analysis and exclusively convey factual, scientific conclusions, and policymakers and consultants would take the positive statements and develop normative recommendations. In reality, however, economists often play both of these roles, so its important to be able to distinguish fact from opinion, i.e. positive from normative.

The Medieval Chivalric Romance

The Medieval Chivalric Romance Chivalric romance is a type of prose or verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They typically describe the adventures of quest-seeking, legendary knights who are portrayed as having heroic qualities. Chivalric romances celebrate an idealized code of civilized behavior that combines loyalty, honor, and courtly love. Knights of the Round Table and Romance The most famous examples are the Arthurian romances recounting the adventures of Lancelot, Galahad, Gawain, and the other â€Å"Knights of the Round Table.† These include the Lancelot (late 12th century) of Chrà ©tien de Troyes, the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (late 14th century), and Thomas Malorys prose romance (1485). Popular literature also drew on themes of romance, but with ironic or satiric intent. Romances reworked legends, fairy tales, and history to suit the readers (or, more likely, the hearers) tastes, but by 1600 they were out of fashion, and Miguel de Cervantes famously burlesqued them in his novel Don Quixote. Languages of Love Originally, romance literature was written in Old French, Anglo-Norman and Occitan, later, in English and German. During the early 13th century, romances were increasingly written as prose. In later romances, particularly those of French origin, there is a marked tendency to emphasize themes of courtly love, such as faithfulness in adversity. During the Gothic Revival, from c. 1800 the connotations of romance moved from the magical and fantastic to somewhat eerie Gothic adventure narratives. Queste del Saint Graal (Unknown) The Lancelot–Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend written in French. It is a series of five prose volumes that tell the story of the quest for the Holy Grail and the romance of Lancelot and Guinevere.   The tales combine elements of the Old Testament with the birth of Merlin, whose magical origins are consistent with those told by Robert de Boron (Merlin as the son of a devil and a human mother who repents her sins and is baptized). The Vulgate Cycle was revised in the 13th century, much was left out and much was added. The resulting text, referred to as the Post-Vulgate Cycle, was an attempt to create greater unity in the material and to de-emphasize the secular love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere. This version of the cycle was one of the most important sources of Thomas Malorys Le Morte dArthur. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Unknown) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in Middle English in the late 14th-century and is one of the best known Arthurian stories. The â€Å"Green Knight† is interpreted by some as a representation of the â€Å"Green Man† of folklore and by others as an allusion to Christ. Written in stanzas of alliterative verse, it draws on Welsh, Irish and English stories, as well as the French chivalric tradition. It is an important poem in the romance genre and it remains popular to this day. Le Morte DArthur by Sir Thomas Malory Le Morte dArthur (the Death of Arthur) is a French compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of traditional tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table. Malory both interprets existing French and English stories about these figures and also adds original material. First published in 1485 by William Caxton, Le Morte dArthur is perhaps the best-known work of Arthurian literature in English. Many modern Arthurian writers, including T.H. White (The Once and Future King) and Alfred, Lord Tennyson (The Idylls of the King) have used Malory as their source. Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris (c. 1230) and Jean de Meun (c. 1275) The Roman de la Rose is a medieval French poem styled as an allegorical dream vision. It is a notable instance of courtly literature. The works stated purpose is to entertain and to teach others about the Art of Love. At various places in the poem, the Rose of the title is seen as the name of the lady and as a symbol of female sexuality. The other characters names function as ordinary names and also as abstractions illustrating the various factors that are involved in a love affair. The poem was written in two stages. The first 4,058 lines were written by Guillaume de Lorris circa 1230. They describe the attempts of a courtier to woo his beloved. This part of the story is set in a walled garden or locus amoenus, one of the traditional topoi of epic and chivalric literature. Around 1275, Jean de Meun composed an additional 17,724 lines. In this enormous coda, allegorical personages (Reason, Genius, etc.) hold forth on love. This is a typical rhetorical strategy employed by medieval writers. Sir Eglamour of Artois (Unknown) Sir Eglamour of Artois is a Middle English verse romance written c. 1350. It is a narrative poem of about 1300 lines. The fact that six manuscripts and five printed editions from the 15th and 16th centuries survive is evidence for the case that Sir Eglamour of Artois was likely quite popular in its time. The story is constructed from a large number of elements found in other medieval romances. Modern scholarly opinion is critical of the poem for this reason, but readers should note that â€Å"borrowing† material during the Middle Ages was quite common and even expected. Authors made use of the humility topos in order to translate or re-imagine already popular stories while acknowledging original authorship. If we view this poem from a 15th-century perspective as well as from a modern standpoint, we find, as Harriet Hudson argues, a romance [that] is carefully structured, the action highly unified, the narration lively† (Four Middle English Romances, 1996). The action of the story involves the hero fighting with a fifty-foot giant, a ferocious boar, and a dragon. The hero’s son is carried off by a griffin and the boy’s mother, like Geoffrey Chaucers heroine Constance, is carried in an open boat to a distant land.

The Evolution and Extinction of Mammoths Term Paper

The Evolution and Extinction of Mammoths - Term Paper Example Mammoths, belonging to the genus â€Å"Mammuthus†, were very gigantic in comparison to their taxonomic category of elephants. They reached heights up to thirteen feet and weighed around 5 to 6 tons. They had a significant appearance as they had woolly bodies and huge curvy tusks. They were fearless creatures of their era and lived dominantly on the planet until they suffered extinction. As stated earlier, mammoths suffered extinction around ten thousand years back, most of their characteristic features, physical appearance, art of living, and so forth are known by the scientists to a great extent as there are plenty of fossils preserved of these titans which are regularly discovered, studied and examined with scrutiny to know more about these prehistoric animals. Mammoths are not as old as dinosaurs, but the interesting analogy that they share is that both these creatures were gigantic, powerful and dominant in their respective eras, and unfortunately both the creatures were w iped out of the planet due to extinction. It is interesting to note that as mammoths came long after the dinosaurs, because of this their fossils still remain preserved, though not in a very large quantity but plenty enough for scientist to provide a logical explanation for the events, characteristics, and environmental changes prevailed in that era, providing scientists an edge to study and know more about mammoths. With the use of cutting-edge technology that contemporary field of science offers, scientist are able have an in-depth analysis of the skin, tusks, hair, etc to unveil the mystery of mammoths. Last of the mammoths lived in the era when humans were in the Stone Age, and only began their ascent to civilization; hence they both coexisted in the same age. Mammoths were mammals; they produced babies, fed them milk, and nurtured them like other mammals do. It is important to note that mammoths and modern elephants do look the same in terms of size, appearance, and other exter ior features, but reality is far different as mammoths were not the ancestors of elephants. Most type of mammoths wore a hairy cover over their bodies unlike elephants, as it provided mammoths a shelter against extremely harsh environment of the Ice Age. Both mammoths and elephants belong to the same family but were not the ancestors, instead they evolved from a different branch of the tree. Hence it would be more logical to call them as â€Å"close cousins†. Origins and evolving characteristics Major transformations through evolution include M. meridionalis (ancestral mammoth) into M. trogontherii (steppi mammoth), which later transformed into M. primigenius (woolly mammoth) and M. columbi (Columbian mammoth). All these transformations were a result of changes and adaptations to the Ice Age habitat. The origins of these titans date back to almost fifty-five million years ago. Their ancestry can be traced back to Africa where they first existed, later on they moved to Europe, Siberia and then reached North America. As the period of the Ice Age became harsher, it had greatly impacted the features of these creatures and caused them to undergo transformations that best suited to the climate and environment they lived in. In Europe first mammoths dwelled nearly one and a half million years back, in thickly forested areas of southern