Cher Essays - Cher, The Sonny Cher Comedy Hour, Sonny Bono, Believe

Cher Born Cherilyn LaPiere Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California. Cher met Sonny Bono, a recorder producer, in a coffee shop when she was sixteen. The two began performing together as a musical act, at one point billing themselves as "Caesar and Cleo." They married when Cher was eighteen and by 1965, Sonny and Cher were a popular act on the West Coast, renowned for their outrageous outfits. Their first big hit was "I Got You, Babe," (1965) which sold over four million copies. The couple had a daughter, Chastity Bono, in 1969. In the 1970s, they starred in their own top-rated television variety show: The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971-1974). The end of their show coincided with the collapse of their marriage. The couple divorced in 1974, but reunited professionally for The Sonny and Cher Show (1976-1977). Bono went on to become a Republican congressman before his death in a ski accident in 1998. Cher had a brief marriage to rock musician Gregg Allman in the late 1970s, which produced a son, Elijah Blue Allman. After a stint on the Las Vegas circuit in the late 1970s/early 1980s, Cher launched a successful film career. She received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Silkwood (1983), and a Best Actress Academy Award for Moonstruck (1987), in which she played an Italian widow. Her other notable movies include: Mask (1985), Suspect (1987), Witches of Eastwick (1987), Mermaids (1990), and Tea With Mussolini. In 1996, Cher made her directorial debut with one segment of HBO's three-part film, If These Walls Could Talk. She is the author of several beauty and fitness books, as well as an autobiographical work, The First Time (1998). Cher also released two "Cherfitness" videos, in 1991 and 1992. In 1999, Cher found success again on the pop-music charts with her album Believe, released in late 1998. Her smash single, a neo-disco anthem also titled "Believe" made her, at age 52, the oldest American woman ever to record a No. 1 hit. Her sold-out tour began in June 1999. In early 2000, Cher overwhelmed the competition at the Grammy Awards, beating out fellow divas Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, and Donna Summer for Best Dance Recording, and winning her first Grammy, for "Believe".

The Plight of the Impoverished essays

The Plight of the Impoverished essays When a historian analyzes the time period that spanned from after the Civil War to the turn of the century, numerous changes are observed. The greatest change that holds significance to the present day was the explosion of industrialization. America underwent a metamorphosis from a chiefly agrarian society to an urban metropolis, and the nation transformed into a major player in world affairs, rather than some backwoods land of frontiersmen. Consequently, the wealth of America began to climb upward, and the quality of life for many was steadily improving. However, there were many urban dwellers who suffered greatly during this time period. It was upon the backs of the working class citizens that the new America was built, and their squalor was looked upon as being necessary for progress. It was clear that progressive reform, something that was often previously looked upon as being radical and un-American (Jennings), was urgently needed, if only to preserve the American ideal of an egalitarian society, so that it should not become only an empty assertion with no basis on reality. Working conditions were often appalling, with many factory workers laboring six days a week, with twelve hour shifts. Steel workers could expect as much as eighty-four hours a week in the steel mill - which is over twice as much as the forty-hour work week that is the norm for today. Not only were the wages low, but many factories worked seasonally, and would shut down for months at a time, with all the workers left without a paycheck until factory was reopened. (Jennings) Obviously, such circumstances were Especially alarming was the use of child labor. Child laborers were mentally, emotionally, and physically stunted because they were starved of the normal affection and recreation that a child should enjoy. Many of the jobs performed by children were quite dangerous. When one looks at pictures of &qu...

Microfinance provides both opportunities and challenges for women Essay

Microfinance provides both opportunities and challenges for women. Critically discuss with reference to at least one case study - Essay Example Land titling, it is believed, gives the poor a way out of poverty and integrating them into the markets. But many land titling programs as development projects do not take into account gender inequalities. Land lies at the heart of agrarian economies; which includes much of the developing world. Traditionally it has formed the basis of power, social status and is a vital productive resource. For rural women, however, the unequal ownership and control of this valued asset has become a critical factor that has created and reinforced gender inequality. World wide, in many rural societies women, like men, are active farmers and play substantial roles in primary agriculture production. Yet, they own very little land and are instead dependent upon social and customary provisions for indirect use as daughters, wives, mothers and community members (Agrawal, 1996). These rights are linked primarily to access, which do not grant security when traditional family structures dissolve in the case of divorce, desertion, widowhood and separation (Agrawal, 1989). This is especially relevant in todays context which is characterized by globalization, land commoditization, HIV/AIDs epidemic and increased feminization of agriculture (Agrawal, 1996, Whitehead and Tsikata, 2003, Razavi, 2009). According to Agrawal (1996), the idea of male bread-winner underlies the justification of men as legitimate owners of land; as it is assumed that sons will take care of mothers, while husbands and brothers will take care of wives and sisters respectively. Drawing upon the existing feminist literature, the paper seeks to draw out the arguments for womens land rights as a development intervention paradigm which maintain that it will lead to equality, empowerment, welfare and efficiency; followed by the discussions on the difficulties of its enforcement and consequences given existing cultural norms. The paper then discusses two case studies to highlight the benefits that have accrued

Pricing strategy of ipos and what are the reason behind failure in Essay

Pricing strategy of ipos and what are the reason behind failure in ipos in india - Essay Example I am aware of the policy on plagiarism and can understand its implications. I can produce a hard copy of this assignment as when demanded by the University. The Dissertation entitled Under Pricing and After Market Performance- a Study on Indian Initial Public Offering is the outcome of my sole effort with the advice and help of many. First I am grateful to the Almighty for the endless help and enthusiasm extended to me completing the work in time. I am also thankful to my Professor (Name here) for his/her valuable supervision and advice for producing a quality work. Next, I am indebted to each and every friend of mine for the help and enthusiasm they extended to me for completing the work without much difficulty. I am also grateful to University (Name of the university) for the help and learning environment extended to me for studying and preparing a dissertation on finance. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for the warm influence and love which ha been a source of inspiration for me for the successful completion of the work. The work entitled under pricing and after market performance- A study on Indian Initial Public Offering is an attempt to examine the important determinants of under pricing and analyse the behaviour of initial public offering return and after market performance in Indian context. The researcher takes a sample of 20 Indian Initial Public Offering listed on both Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE). The samples are selected on a certain conditions to ensure the authenticity of the data collected and the generalisations arrived at after the completion of the work. Many research studies have been undertaken in the field of market under pricing and long rum market performance. Many of them came out with results that under pricing are a common phenomenon in the stock market IPO and the long term performance of common stock is exactly in

Company law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Company law - Essay Example The committee must also make sure that remuneration arrangements strictly abide by the regulatory bodies’ requirements and meet the expectations of shareholders as well as the wider employee population (ibid). Earlier, controversial director remuneration increases in the United Kingdom were widely criticised and as a result, the UK government framed a set of regulations to control executive director remuneration. According to the Code of Best Practice suggested by the Greenbury committee, the remuneration committee must be comprised of non executive directors. The Greenbury committee also directs to completely disclose the remuneration policy as well as directors’ individual remuneration package. The UK Corporate Governance Code 2010 or simply the Code, which is a set of some good corporate principles, describes various procedures involved in setting executive director remuneration in public limited companies. Section D.1 of the UK Corporate Governance Code 2010 states that the level of remuneration should be sufficient enough to attract, motivate, and retain executive directors and thereby run the company successfully. At the same time, the level of executive remuneration must not be more than necessary. The section D.1 specifically says that â€Å"a significant proportion of executive directors’ remuneration should be structured so as to link rewards to corporate and individual performance† (The UK Corporate Governance Code, 2010). The Code continues that elements of performance-based executive remuneration must focus on the company’s long term success. In addition, the remuneration committee has to decide whether to structure their remuneration policy relative to other companies; however, the committee must consider the risk of higher levels of remuneration with no corresponding performance improvement. The committee should also consider pay and employment conditions while making decisions on annual salary increases. The Se ction D.2 deals with procedures involved in setting executive directors’ remuneration. According to this section, â€Å"there should be a formal and transparent procedure for developing policy on executive remuneration and for fixing the remuneration packages of individual directors† (The UK corporate governance code (The UK Corporate Governance Code, 2010). Referring to Main principles of the UK corporate governance code (genius methods, 2010) section D.2 clearly tells that no executive director must not be allowed to involve in setting his/her own remuneration (ibid). The remuneration committee has the obligation to confer with the chairman and/or chief executive regarding the effectiveness of the proposal framework structured on the executive director remuneration. The committee also has the responsibility to appoint consultants in order to effectively set a potential executive director remuneration policy. If there is an involvement from the part of executive direc tors of top management in advising or assisting the remuneration committee, due care must be exercised to timely identify and avoid conflicts of interest. It is the duty of the board chairman to ensure that the company effectively communicates to its shareholders regarding various aspects of the remuneration proposal. The section D.2.1 of the Code tells that there should be at least three (it can be two in case of smaller

Gene Therapy for Haemophiliacs

Gene Therapy for Haemophiliacs Introduction The main goal of gene therapy is to replace a mutating gene that causes disease, with a healthy copy of the gene or inserting a new gene into the body to help fight the particular disease. In addition, gene therapy is a promising treatment option for a number of diseases such as inherited disorders, different types of cancer and viral diseases. (Samuel Murphy, 2008) Nonetheless, the technique is still under tests, for the reason that it stays risky. According to Professor Nathwani, there is no confirmation of any side effects in patients who already have been treated with gene therapy, still, long-term-follow-up for the adults patients is required before the therapy can be approved for children. Gene therapy is currently only being tested for untreatable diseases. The most challenging one for the gene therapy is Haemophilia. It is yet not accomplished, however there is a significant progress of improvement. (National Library of Medicine, 2016). Haemophilia is a bleeding disorder resulted from low functional blood levels which slow down the blood thickening (clotting). Individuals with this condition experience prolonged bleeding during surgery, after a bad injury or even after they had a tooth pulled out. In very few cases of Haemophilia, prolonged bleeding occurs after minor trauma or in absence of any. In situations like this, bleeding into the brain, joints, or other internal organs could cause serious complications (National Library of Medicine, 2012). Haemophilia overview, diagnosis and treatment options There are two principle types of Haemophilia A and B. Haemophilia A, additionally called, factor VIII, is a hereditary disorder caused by the absent or defective factor VIII (clotting protein). (National Haemophilia Foundation, no date). Haemophilia B, likewise, called factor IX (Christmas disease) is a hereditary disorder caused by the absent or defective factor IX (also a clotting protein), approximately 1/3 of the cases, in both types, are caused by a spontaneous change in a gene. The X and Y chromosomes are called sex chromosomes. The haemophilia gene is carried in the X chromosome. Males have XY chromosomes, X from their mother and Y from their father. Females have two X chromosomes, one from their mother and one from their father. In this case, if a boy has haemophilia gene in his X chromosome from his mother, he will have haemophilia. However, fathers cannot pass haemophilia to their sons. At the point when a female has haemophilia gene on only one of her X chromosomes, impli es as a carrier and can only pass the disease to her children. (National Haemophilia Foundation, no date). Haemophilia is more common in males than females. Nowadays, 1 in 5000 males worldwide are born each year with Haemophilia A and approximately 1 in 20 000 with Haemophilia B.(National Library of Medicine, 2012). The most convenient way to diagnose Haemophilia is to find out if the disease is in the family history, then it would be very possible for the new-born to be infected as well. The other ways to diagnose the disease is to do blood tests to determine any missing clotting factors or low levels, and which ones are causing the problem, and DNA test, which is looking for mutations who cause the haemophilia and eventually compare it to the carrier (parents). The main treatment for haemophilia is called replacement therapy (gene therapy), involves injecting missing clotting factor proteins into the affected persons bloodstream. These proteins help to repair normal blood clotting but often the therapy must be repeated frequently (Hemophilia Federation of America, no date). Gene therapys future Over the past 15 years an empowering data from successful trials on animals and humans have finally resulted incredible accomplishment in patients with severe Haemophilia A and B. Researches from the University College London and St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital organised a team to investigate a potential gene therapy improvement. The investigation was focused on 6 males with severe Haemophilia B. All patients received one-time intravenous infusions of the gene vector at different doses. As indicated by the review, the men were producing clotting factor IX at less than 1% of normal levels. After the gene therapy each patient was tested and the result showed a significant improvement factor IX at between 2% and 11% of normal levels. According to the scientists, gene therapy would enhance the outcomes significantly more after proceeded regular therapy. (National Institutes of Health, 2011). Most recently in 2016 another experiment took place, made by BioMarin. The case included 8 patients with severe form of Haemophilia A. The released information was demonstrated that 2 high dose patients had an increased levels of Factor VIII above 50 percent. Every one of the patients received a single dose of BMN 270 (new investigational drug), 6 of whom have been treated at the highest dose of 61013 vg/kg. The full treatment lasted up to four months. After the last observation, according to the researchers, the highest dose levels of experienced increasing Factor VIII ranged between 4 and 60 percent. All high dose patients had a significant improvement. Also, according to the World Federation of Haemophilia, factor levels were variating in the normal ranges. However, there was a slight problem with some of the patients. BioMarin noticed that some patients had expanded liver enzyme levels (because of the long period of the therapy), prophylactic corticosteroid therapy was given and according to the company, the enzyme levels dropped back to normal. (Ben Adams, 2016). Third significant test included clinical trials managed by Professor Amit Nathwani of University College London and demonstrated an actual hope for haemophilia B patients. In this experiment, each patient received one of three doses of a gene therapy vector to deliver the genetic material for making Factor IX. Factor IX levels increased in all individuals with severe haemophilia B, the following gene therapy remained stable and lasted for more than 4 years. Amazing results and incredible improvement. Moreover, the six patients who received the highest gene therapy dose, remained high blood-clotting protein levels from less than one percent of normal to five or more, which reduced the spontaneous bleeding to 90 percent. According to Professor Nathwani, the unimaginable outcomes permitted the patients to live ordinary life and eventually practice their favourite sport without the need for Factor IX replacement therapy or any daily medication. (New England Journal of Medicine, 2011). Th e following graphs are showing the gained results from the experiment: Figure 1. Factor IX activity after gene transfer (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2014) Figure 2. Number of annual bleeding episodes (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2014)         Ã‚   Both of the graphs are demonstrating the improvement in each patient. Scientists do numerous trials, experiments and researches each day to develop the gene therapy technique. Many evidences of clinical efficacy are currently observed, more work is accomplished and more researches are made. Gene therapy has guaranteed the advantage to those who suffer from Haemophilia, however, this advantage has not been acknowledged yet due to the fact that this field is still young. Although, the majority of the taken experiments and their results are quite encouraging and for the past twenty years numerous trials demonstrated significant improvement in the patients (Christopher Doeing, 2009). Besides, the possibility of gene therapy treatment holds great hopes and has been successfully used to cure some diseases, however, the technique is still under research to make sure it will be safe and effective in the future with no life threatening side effects. It is believed that the gene therapy will l ead to patients having rare bleeding episodes or even begin producing their own clotting factor. Therefore, more experiments have to be done and researches should take care for future side effects or inherited disorders (Mark Derewicz, 2015). All the recent examples of severe haemophilia and the incredible improved process toward a cure showed how much potential this technique has. Is it going to be the next treatment of choice? In my opinion, yes. The ability to insert a foreign gene into the body, and make it possible to approach a new treatment or the ability to control one of the most dangerous human diseases, is one of the first steps to complete success. According to Jack McCain, in 1990 Dr. Anderson carried the first gene therapy trial and cured a hereditary disease of the immune system in a 4-year-old-girl. Today, the patient is still alive and doing very well. This medical case along with the analyses stated above, prove that gene therapy one day can become a staple of 21st century medicine (Jack McCain, 2005). Conclusion According to Graham Templeton, gene therapy researchers have invested decades to develop this amazing technique. Nowadays, gene therapy can be life-changing for many people around the world. For the past 50 years new technologies have been used to control bleeding disorders, however gene therapy offers the possibility of a cure. As stated, gene therapy might be the next sensational discovery for a treatment not only for haemophilia but cancer, other inherited disorders or even HIV (Graham Templeton, 2016). For the past few decades scientists had some successful developments such as: discovering new treatments, inventing new techniques to investigate particular diseases, however the most important one is to be able to treat untreatable diseases, and according to all the experiments stated above, gene therapy is a promising technique, not only for correcting defects, but also for treating cancer and other harmful diseases. More work needs to be done before gene therapy can become a tre atment of choice and this may take another decade until scientists are completely sure that there will be no harmful effects by choosing this technique as a possible cure of Haemophilia.

Psychology of Homer Simpson Essay -- essays research papers

Homer Jay Simpson, the patriarch of the Simpson household on the Fox series â€Å"The Simpsons† is a childish, lazy man, whose hobbies include eating donuts, drinking Duff Beer, watching television, and sleeping. A victim of the â€Å"Simpsons gene† which allows for only Simpson women to possess the trait of intelligence, Homer is unfortunately as â€Å"dumb as a chimp† according to his father, Abe Simpson. However, it is mainly through the analysis of his simplistic thoughts and nature, that one can gain a real perspective on Homer’s complex personality. Spending most of his time in high school smoking, drinking beer, and getting into trouble, (He even met his wife, Marge, while serving detention.) Homer’s lack of motivation for achievement grew with him into adulthood. The fat, balding character ends up working in Sector 7G of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, where he holds the record for most years worked at an entry level position. Even in the opening credits of the show, he is seen negligently tossing aside radioactive waste as the whistle blows to end the workday. In addition to his laziness at work, his sloth is also displayed in his free time where he is seen either lounging on his couch while indulging in donuts and watching anything that comes on television or drinking at Moe’s Tavern with his lifelong friends, Barney, Carl, Lenny, and Moe. Homer’s mind operates in terms of Freud’s â€Å"pleasure principle†, seeking instant gratification of desires, regardless of the consequences....