The Ugly American Complexity of International Affairs Essay Example

The Ugly American: Complexity of International Affairs Essay The Ugly American showed the reasons why American diplomacy was failing in Southeast Asia in the 1950s and the reasons why communism was succeeding. . Its lessons seem startlingly urgent today in light of the turmoil in Central America and in the Middle East. Whether the foreign policy errors this book dramatizes have been corrected is an important question, and one that can be usefully debated in the classroom. As a harbinger of the United States failure in Vietnam, The Ugly American seems a terribly prophetic book. How could the warnings Lederer and Burdick sounded have gone unheeded? An examination of their book shows us precisely how, for in The Ugly American knowledgeable and skillful executors of American foreign policy (those who believe that the things we do must be done in the real interest of the people whose friendship we neednot just in the interest of propaganda) are routinely replaced by those who know less, care less, and are eminently less qualified to serve those interests. The novel opens with one such individualthe Honorable Louis Sears, ambassador to the fictitious country of Sarkhan, a small underdeveloped nation in which communist and American interests are vying for supremacy. Sears has assumed his post as a political stopgap. Between three terms in the Senate and an anticipated federal judgeship with a long tenure, hes simply filling time in a cushy job with a large entertainment budget and lavish living conditions, in a country he had never heard of, serving people he thinks of as little monkeys. A caricature depicting Sears as a braying mule has appeared in a local Sarkhanese newspaper, making clear just how the American ambassador is perceived: Sears is the prototype of the ugly American. In contrast, the following chapter presents the Russian ambassador to Sarkhan, Louis Krupitzyn, a thorough professional whose two-year training period has included instruction in the language and the customs of the nation he has been sent to serve in. His en tire staff is fluent in Sarkhanese and in the cultural nuances which distinguish the Sarkhanese people. The Soviet ambassador molds himself into this pattern of the ideal Sarkhan. We will write a custom essay sample on The Ugly American: Complexity of International Affairs specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Ugly American: Complexity of International Affairs specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Ugly American: Complexity of International Affairs specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He diets, losing forty pounds; he studies ballet, reads Sarkhanese literature and drama, and becomes a skillful nose flute playerall as a prelude to effective diplomacy. Equipped with his countrys long-range political goals for Sarkhan and a clear strategy, the ambassador is able to take actions designed to promote the communist interest in Sarkhan in many ways, not the least of which are the small ways, which include educating the population by degrees. In addition, Krupitzyn instigates deliberate acts of espionage designed to further strengthen the communist position. For example, a Russian informer planted at an American embassy as translator supplies key information about an American rice shipment which the Russians are able to use for their own political advantage. Where the American ambassador is crude and bumbling, the Russian is refined and skillful. This theme is echoed over and over in The Ugly American in reference to Burma, Ceylon, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippinesall the countries the novel examines. Still, there are individuals who do not fall into the model of the ugly American. These are tough, hardworking Americans with a strong sense of human decency and an innate understanding of how to help people. These individuals are able to win friends for America at the same time that they help improve the living conditions of those who desperately need it. It is not the infusion of big American dollars and the establishment of big American projects that these nations need, the authors examples assert, but individuals who contribute their skills to help the citizens of underdeveloped nations with problems they themselves have identified. In the book these individuals include: Father Finian, the Jesuit priest who enables the anticommunist groups of Burma to understand and to counter the tactics of those communists who are threatening to take control of their land John Cowlin, the American dairy farmer who sees how the introduction of milk into the economy of Sarkhan can turn its failures around Edward Hillandale, the Air Force colonel whose enthusiasm for all things Filipino convince the people of a small province that Americans are not all crude and contemptuous and rich, thereby influencing a crucial election Tom Knox, an American economic consultant and assionate chicken farmer who shows the Cambodians how to turn scrawny chickens into fat, lucrative ones Homer Atkins, field engineer in Vietnam whose ingenious water pump serves as the basis as a small nonprofit industry for the struggling farmers in the dry provinces. The lesson is clear. These decent Americans who remain close to the people of the countries they a re working in are also Americas best ambassadors. In fact, three years after this books initial publication, John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps, whose philosophy and methods closely parallel the model of small-scale, people-oriented assistance Lederer and Burdick depict in The Ugly American. But individual Americans cannot match the communist effort to dominate in underdeveloped nations, the book warns. All the good they do is easily undermined by the failures of high-level diplomats and the absence of a clear strategy for dealing with the problems these nations face. If the blundering Ambassador Sears and his counterpart and eventual successor in Sarkhan, Joe Bing, create hostility rather than friendship for America, Ambassador MacWhite, who serves between them, is an example of a man who can reverse this process through genuine concern for the population and a set of coherent principles designed to address Sarkhans most pressing problemsunderdevelopment, poverty, and the threat of communism. In MacWhite we have the example of the ideal ambassador: respectful of the culture and customs of his country, sensitive to the need for training on the part of all diplomatic personnel, learned in communist literature and the methodology which underlies the communist attempts to gain power in poor nations. In order to help prevent similar situations in his country, MacWhite goes to observe firsthand the mistakes of the French military in Vietnam. He dissects the failures they made at the battle for Dien Bien Phu and studies communist strategy and Vietnamese terrain in order to understand these mistakes. Then he reports his findings to the senior French military command and their American advisors. Since December of 1946 the French have been fighting a war which has been maneuvered by the Communists precisely along the lines which Mao outlined in this pamphlet. You are a military manyou will please excuse my bluntnessbut you made every mistake Mao wanted you to. You ignored his every lesson for fighting on this type of terrain. You neglected to get the political and economic cooperation of the Vietnamese, even though Mao proved long ago that Asians will not fight otherwise The French commander replies: If you are suggesting, Ambassador MacWhite, that the nation which produced Napoleon now has to go to a primitive Chinese for military instruction, I can tell you that you are not only making a mistake, youre being insulting. A report submitted to the United States Senate is similarly handled. The report is contradicted by the testimony of an American senator who has spent a brief week touring Vietnam. The authors describe the weeks tour as being carefully orchestrated by American embassy officials determined not to allow the senator to see how badly things are going both militarily and in terms of the French and American attempt to win friends in Vietnam for the West. The Senates dismissal of MacWhites report on conditions in Vietnam and the Foreign Office dismissal of MacWhite himself as ambassador to Sarkhan point to American foreign policy failures as serious as the absence of careful selection and training of its diplomatic personnel. In the end, another ugly American replaces MacWhite in Sarkhan. As for the failure of America to learn from the mistakes of the French, that is not fiction; it is history. By exposing the ineptitude of those who shape foreign policy, Lederer and Burdick point out the way costly mistakes are madecostly in terms of United Sates influence in the world, even more costly in terms of the fate of the citizens whose lives and well-being are at stake. This is a book that is certain to deepen students understanding of the complexity of international affairs. Its terse, episodic style and its many portraits of individuals engaged in the process of diplomacy give readers an important sense of the dimensions of the problems which receive such cursory treatment on the nightly news. The Ugly American is mandatory reading for the citizens of a participatory democracy, in terms of understanding the mistake of the past and in order to prevent their repetition in the future.

Navigating Amazonland

Navigating Amazonland So, you want to sell your books on Amazon? There is no magic to it, just hard work. Before you bother trying to figure out the secret handshake, Ill tell you what most authors will tell you: First, write a darn good book. If youre an indie author, the next thing you should do is hire a darn good editor, then a professional cover designer, then write an amazing book blurb. Write the kind of blurb that will grab the readers For indies, its all about free. You can create a FaceBook page for your book to build excitement, list your book on Goodreads, make a book trailer and then advertise it on indietrailers.wordpress.com. All of these things are free. Keep getting your name out there. You can make an About me page. Get on Twitter. Run contests or give aways on your FB page and on Goodreads. Coax your local papers into running press releases. Chat it up on Kindle Boards. Run an ad inBookbub, or on EReader News Today. All of these ideas will work in your favor, some free, some not. But lets talk free promotion on Amazon. First go to Author Central, a free webpage you can create on the Amazon site. Show the world who you are. Here, readers can see your latest tweet, read your

South Africa's Criminal Justice System Research Paper

South Africa's Criminal Justice System - Research Paper Example After this, the study discusses the positives and shortcomings of the South African criminal justice system. A contrast of South Africa’s legal system with the US criminal justice system then precedes the conclusion to the study. The Characteristics of the South African Criminal Justice System At the general level, South Africa has a hybrid criminal justice system, promoting legal pluralism as the country’s legal system developed. According to Mireku (2010), common law in South Africa comprises of a mixture of Dutch-Roman variant of civil law and English common law. The Roman-Dutch influences are traced from the 17th century colonization of South Africa by Holland, while the English influence results from English settlers later in the country’s historical account. The Roman-Dutch aspect of South African criminal law concerns the private law subjects including contractual agreements and family law as well as criminal law. Meanwhile, the English aspect involves the law of evidence and a number of other subjects in public law. Besides the two, South Africa also incorporates customary law within its legal system. Customary law is used where applicable and subject to the Constitution, especially operating in traditional/rural communities. Such communities use a combination of customary, civil/common law to regulate issues including marital issues and inheritance. Other than this, South African law is not codified and follows a similar pattern to the English system where interpretation is sought based on court decisions/precedents and individual statutes (Schwikkard, 2009). Another aspect of the characteristics of the South African legal system is its upholding constitutional supremacy and Universal Bill of Rights. Whereas the Apartheid regime was constructed on a parliamentary sovereignty, the contemporary South African criminal justice system is a constitutional democracy. This is underpinned through entrenching the Bill of Rights in law and a specialized supreme constitutional court. This court occupies the highest position in the judicial hierarchy and solely deals with constitutional maters and decisions interconnected with the constitution (Mireku, 2010). Substantive law in South Africa stems from the influence of the English legal system. According to Barratt and Snyman (2002), the British maintained the Royal-Dutch legal system instead of formally introducing their substantive law upon establishing colonial influence in South Africa early in the 19th century. However, the British figured that the Roman-Dutch system would not adequately cater for modern society requirements which led to innovative laws based on English Acts and using English precedents for interpretation. English procedural law was adopted, which were observed to influence substantive provisions. Moreover, the superior court judges and advocates received their training in England and, thus, tended towards English treatises. One of the aspects in whic h substantive law is exhibited is in the Bill of Rights, where 27 substantive provisions are provided for. Such provisions revolve around rights such as the right to life and the right to human dignity. Van der Merwe (2004) discusses procedural law in the South African criminal justice system, stating that it traces its roots to the influence of British occupation of South Africa in the 20th century. The colonial master introduced procedural law in all South African territories through

Problems and differences with gender in business accounting Research Paper

Problems and differences with gender in business accounting - Research Paper Example The glass ceiling barriers are evident even among students who exhibit the interest of pursuing a career in accounting. This paper will discuss gender differences and problems in the accounting field. Business accounting is a field that was saturated by men initially, with few women taking up the career. Many people considered it a career designated for men because it is highly demanding, and patriarchal attitudes dictated that only men had the resilience to hold such pressure. Although women have ventured into this career in the recent past, research reveals that gender differences still exist in this career (Shalhoub 1). Although women have proven their resilience and breaking the first layer of the glass ceiling barriers placed before them in this career, it is evident that they have multiple barriers resulting from the remaining composite glass ceiling. Although women have gained entry into this career, and have excelled in different certifications of accounting, gender issues st ill pose a barrier. Evidently, the competition in the business world has served to raise the bar for many people who intend to adopt a career progression in accounting (Tsamenyi and Uddin 123). Many women have advanced education in this accounting exhibiting the potential of competing with men in academic qualifications. However, despite having the academic qualifications and making efforts to advance their education after gaining entry into the career, it proves difficult for women to receive promotions. Evidently, many senior accountants are men, with organizations preferring to reserve that post for males. Although they have the relevant qualifications, gender stereotypes prevent women from progressing faster in their career. Such stereotypes motivate male employers to hire make accountants, and if women are hired, they are placed in the lower ranks in the accounting department (Riahi-Belkaoui 87). This has made it difficult for women to break the glass ceiling barriers completel y. In comparison to male accountants, women are likely to register longer time before they receive a promotion. In other cases, women with similar academic backgrounds to men may be placed at a lower rank than the men. Men exhibit negative attitudes that serve to limit women because of the technicality of the accounting job. This presents a problem when women receive promotions because the men may work towards proving that women lack the required competence for the job. Instead of offering the right kind of support, men may serve to make the responsibilities of the women tougher. In reaction to the negative attitudes, some women often embark on proving that they have fit for the job instead of promoting organizational financial goals. The accounting department often works closely with other departments, and may face the compulsion to make critical decisions that can pose serious consequences for the organization. This is one of the aspects that has contributed to the development of stereotypes that prevent female accountants from being considered for promotions. Many men believe that women lack the capacity to make such critical decisions (Kuersten 67). In cases where women hold the office of senior accounting, and exhibit the competence of making such decisions, men are likely to feel inferior. Such factors often trigger problems

Can the ethos of equity as offering a remedy for the over-generality Essay

Can the ethos of equity as offering a remedy for the over-generality of the law be reconciled with the formality requirements of sec. 53 (LPA) - Essay Example efoucauld V Boustead [1897], where the defendant had property sold and the proceeds transferred to him, without the fair consideration that the plaintiff had equal interest in the property, which the defendant had transferred unfairly (Bar, Drobnig & Alpa, 2004 p511). The judge of the trial court had held that the estates had been transferred to the defendant, not as a trustee, but as a beneficial owner of the estates. However, the trial judge held that the existence of a trust relationship could be established. It is this generality that the ethos of equity seeks to address, and it is therefore possible to reconcile the provisions of the ethos of equity with the formality requirements of sec. 53 (LPA), since section 53 (1) (c) requires that a disposition of an equitable or trust that exists at the time of the disposition, be in writing and signed by the party disposing the property (McFarlane, Hopkins & Nield, 2012 p373). This provision safeguards against the unfair transfer without having involved the consent of the interested parties, which is also the objective of the ethos of equity. Therefore, the ethos of equity and formality requirements of sec. 53 (LPA) can be

Determination of Alcohol Content Using Gas Chromatography

Determination of Alcohol Content Using Gas Chromatography 1.0  TITLE Determination of alcohol content in Tapai by using gas chromatography technique 2.0  INTRODUCTION Alcohol is an organic compound which contain hydroxyl functional group (-OH) that bonded to saturated carbon (C) atom. For centuries, alcohol has been used for many purposes for examples as fuels, to make drinks, as a solvent and as an industrial feedstock. Alcohol can give us many benefits if we use it in the right way but it also can give bad effects to us if we misuse it. Alcohol can be produced normally by using fermentation process. Fermentation process is a process which uses yeast as the catalyst to break down sugar or glucose into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Ethanol is the most common type of alcohol present from the process of fermentation. Yeast + glucose alcohol + carbon dioxide Tapai is one of the most general dessert or fermented food that can be found easily in East- and Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. Tapai can be made from different main ingredient such as glutinous rice, white rice and cassava. During preparation of Tapai, the ingredients are cleaned and washed before cooked. Cooked glutinous rice is then left to cool down at temperature 30oC. To produce a matured and good quality Tapai, it has to undergo fermentation for 3-4 days. Gas chromatography technique has been selected in this study to determine the amount of ethanol content in Tapai. A few aspects have been considered in choosing the right technique to be used. Since Tapai contains alcohol, the Halal issue has been rise in Muslim community whether it is allowed to be consumed or prohibited because of some of the similarities between Tapai and alcoholic beverages. 3.0  LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1  Fermentation Fermentation is a process of conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acid by using yeast or bacteria as the catalysts. The yeast works to break down the carbohydrates or sugar. Fermentation refers to the chemical conversion of sugars to ethanol. It is a process which is commonly used in order to produce alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine. Besides that, fermentation process is very useful for preservation of food. It produces lactic acids which can make the food can be used in a long period of time. For an example, it is found in such sour foods and pickled cucumber, yogurt and kimchi. Yeast + glucose alcohol + carbon dioxide In Malaysia, fermented glutinous rice also known as Tapai is one of the most popular dessert among the Malaysian consumers. Tapai is a sweet or sour alcoholic taste and can be used as a dessert or traditional recipes. Tapai can be made from various types of carbohydrate sources, but commonly from cassava, glutinous rice and white rice. Yeast and sugar are used in the procedure to make Tapai. Fermented foods generally produce pleasant aroma, texture and have a good keeping quality under ambient environment. Fermented foods are prepared from raw materials. Yeast fermentation generally is an alcoholic fermentation which involves the production of ethanol. Southeast Asia produces 150 million tones of paddy annually. Rice wine is one of the most popular sources to make alcoholic beverages in Asian country. In Malaysia and Indonesia, cassava tubers commonly used as fermented foods because of the high carbohydrates content in it. To make Tapai, the first step is soaked the rice in a gallon of water and left overnight. Then, the soaked rice is steamed for 45 minutes. Cool the steamed rice to body temperature. After that, the Tape Starter is sprinkled on the rice and mixed for a minute to distribute uniformly. The starter and rice have to be mixed well to prevent the spoilage. Half cup of sugar is mixed with water. The rice is packed in layers into a jar and every layer is sprinkle with some sugar water. This step is taken to help the fermentation process to start. The rice is left for fermentation process to take place for 2-4 days. When the rice already produces a bit of liquid at the bottom of the container or jar and distinctive smell is produced, the fermentation process is complete. There are 3 stages of fermentation which are Initial Stage (Lag Phase), Middle Stage (Log to Stationary Phases) and Latter Stage (Death Phase). Initial stage is important to make natto bacilli grow sufficiently. The temperature is set at body temperature 37-40oC. This temperature is an optimum temperature for the bacteria to grow. During the log phase, natto bacilli release a great deal of heat produced by the fermentation process. Sufficient oxygen must be supplied during this phase to make the process runs smoothly. After the stationary phase, the natto bacilli reach the death phase. It undergoes autolysis gradually. 11% of glutamic acid is deliberated 16 hours after the fermentation process started. Organic acids are synthesized in this phase. Theoretically, fermented food is not considered fully safe since they are prepared under uncontrolled conditions. Nevertheless, natural processes have been related with a few documented cases of food induced disease. Natural processed food has been known to cause serious food poisoning compared to prepared packed food because the production of prepared packed food is been done in a factory with a regular monitoring from the quality control unit. Figure 1:Process of making Tapai 3.2  Comparison between Tapai and alcoholic beverages The process of Tapai production is more likely to alcoholic beverages production where both of these productions have to go through the fermentation process. Both processes use yeast in order to produce alcohol. There might be some differences for alcohol content in wine and Tapai since the other processes except fermentation which are used for alcoholic beverages but not in Tapai production. For Tapai production, the process takes place naturally while for alcoholic beverages production requires temperature control where there are hot fermentation and cool fermentation. Cronk et al. Went and Geerligs were the first person reported to segregate and identify the essential microorganisms for the fermentation of Tapai in 1895. In order to produce a good Tapai, a mixture of Candida oryzae and Endomycopsis burtonii with 17% of reducing sugar and 2.7% of ethanol are needed. For wine and grapes, the healthy properties can be achieved due to the presence of antioxidants like polyphenols. From a chapter entitled â€Å"Tapai processing in Malaysia: A technology in Transition† by Zahara Marican and Yeoh Quee Lan in a book edited by KH Steinkraus entitle â€Å"Industrialization of indigenous fermented foods†, the authors write about the making of Tapai in Malaysia. There are some points that can be considered as useful information from the quote on page 252 â€Å"Tapai fermentation is not an anaerobic process and this partly accounts for the low alcohol content. Furthermore the fermentation is normally arrested before all of the sugars are fermented, as the desired end product should not be alcoholic if it is to be consumed by those opposed to alcohol consumption for religious or other reasons†. There is some information gained where Tapai fermentation is not an anaerobic. In the beginning, the enzymes are release to breakdown the sugars by the process of enzyme hydrolysis. This explained why Tapai tasted sweet. Besides that, Tapai production might be a little different compared to the wine or beer fermentation even though alcohol is produced and sugar is used. For Tapai fermentation, the theory of solid substrate fermentation is involved. Each of the white rice or glutinous rice is coated with a thin layer of sticky liquid to make it difficult for oxygen to diffuse or penetrate. The reaction of the sugar molecules and the liquid caused the Tapai sticky or viscous by the interaction of hydrogen bond between the water molecules and sugar molecules. Furthermore, the low alcohol content in Tapai is caused by the slightly open or not an air tight packing and high room temperature which resulting in the vaporization of alcohol and the alcohols are escaped to the environment. The alcohols as the fermentation product have a short chain and gave a lower evaporation point and boiling point. Alcoholic beverages contain high amount of ethanol compared to Tapai. Beer contains approximately 6% of ethanol, wine contains 7 to 24% v/v of ethanol, whisky contains 35% of ethanol and Tapai contains only about 5% of ethanol. Besides ethanol, alcoholic beverages contain another chemical composition such as water, glycerine, pestins, acids, polyphenols and some flavours. The least amount of ethanol contained in Tapai is caused by the volatilities of ethanol from the fermented rice due to non-air tight container. Figure 2:Production of alcoholic beverages 3.3  Analysis of ethanol in fragmented rice using many techniques Recently, many researches have been made in order to determine ethanol content in fragmented food such as wine and Tapai. Various types of techniques can be used for ethanol determination such as enzymatic method, biosensor, high liquid performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and flow injection analysis. 3.3.1  High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to quantify the presence of individual phenolic compounds using an HPLC system consisting of a Shimadzu Prominence LC – 20A, with an LC-20AT quaternary pump, a SIL 20 auto sampler– A, a DGU-20A5 on-line degasser, a CBM-20A integrator and a SPD-20AV DAD detector. HPLC technique has been designed to determine the amount of ethanol produced and amount of unwanted byproducts produced during the fermentation process. HPLC can produce the shortest analysis time and maintaining enough resolution between components for proper quantification and identification. By using this technique, all components can be analyzed less than 10 minutes. 3.3.2  Short wave-near infrared (SW-NIR) Short wave-near infrared (SW-NIR) is one of the type of NIR. SW-NIR is one of the techniques that can be used to detect alcohol content in beverages and food products. The region of SW-NIR is between 700 to 1100 nm (Fu et al., 2012). The SW-NIR is suitable for non-destructive or non-invasive analysis of biological and biomedical materials (Ozaki et al., 1992; Ã…  aÃ… ¡iĆ¡ Ozaki, 2001; Sato et al., 2000). The SW-NIR can penetrate more intensely into a sample with less heating effect compared than long-wave NIR and the obstruction arising from the intense water bands can be diminished (Reeves III, 1994). Tungsten lamps, LEDs or the sunlight can be utilized as the SW-NIR light source and the light can be transmitted through glass optical fibers (Fu et al., 2012). In order to determine the content of alcohol in aqueous samples, temperature factor needs to be emphasized (Wà ¼lfert et al., 1998; Barboza Poppi, 2003). It is because temperature can cause a change in the vibratio n spectra (Fu et al., 2012). Figure 2 below shows the schematic diagram of the multichannel SW-NIR spectrometer module. Figure 2:Schematic diagram of the multichannel SW-NIR spectrometer module 3.3.3  Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) In determination of alcohol, FTIR had been used for the quality control of alcoholic drinks such as spirit drinks and beer. FTIR with combination of multivariate data analysis can determine the essential compound quantitatively (Lachenmeier, 2007). Apart from that, Vonach et al. (1998) also stated that the combination of HPLC-FTIR can be used to determine the components of wine such as acetic, fructose, succinic, glycerol, ethanol, glucose, citric, lactic, malic and tartaric acid directly when used a real wine as a sample. By using FTIR, to obtain the information about the product, for example the chemical composition, possibly we can make it within in a short time. Liquid Fourier transform-middle infrared spectrometry can be used to analyze wine in a 90 s (Patz et al., 2004). Nowadays FTIR can give us advantages in order to determine and analyze the beverages because it can help us to reduce the time cost, and at the same time, it is also contribute for a good precision and accuracy when dealing with the parameters (Moreira et al., 2004). Furthermore, according to Lachenmeier (2007), a simple sample preparation is needed when dealing with FTIR spectroscopy compared to the other analytical methods. 3.3.4  Other spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy is not a preferable technique in determining ethanol content in Tapai due to the expensive instrument required. As HPLC method is low sensitivity but accurate weighing process and the sample distillation are required, HPLC is not a good technique in this study. NIR spectroscopy is time consuming in establishing calibration curves and has low accuracy. It can be disturbed by other alcohol in the sample (Wang et al., 2003). 3.4  Determination of ethanol in Tapai by using Gas Chromatography Gas-liquid chromatography is one of the most sophisticated analytical techniques in spectroscopy. Gas chromatography becomes more preferable because of its utilization of electronic digital data-processing equipment for accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis. Traditional ethanol analysis methods are distillation and mass determination. These methods include small accuracies because it can be interfere by other component in the sample. In order to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the gas-liquid chromatography, the ethanol standards and typical Tapai samples are necessary to be analyzed (B.Stackler and E.N.Christensen., 1974) To analyze ethanol contents in alcoholic beverages, Bouthilet et al. had made a packed GC method. Yet, the method needs at least 100mL of sample and distillation as the pretreatment process. These official gas liquid chromatography methods can be adjusted with different sample preparation procedures when dealing with different samples. These samples require distillation or dilution as the pretreatment process. By using packed column, lower resolution and interference by other alcohols in alcoholic beverages still exist. When capillary gas chromatography is used for determining the ethanol contents in alcoholic samples, time-consuming pretreatment procedures are still required. The capillary GC method is one of the most important techniques because of its advantage of high resolution and sensitivity (Wang et al., 2003). Wang et al. (2004) has studied the gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) to detect the ethanol content in alcoholic beverages. A selected column used is mega-pore capillary column (CP-Wax 58 CB). Acetonitrile was chosen as the internal standard for ethanol and, 2-pentanol is used for methanol. This selection is due to the water solubility of acetonitrile is more rather than 2-pentanol. Direct injection GC coupling with dual internal standards was used to determine ethanol and methanol content can be obtained less than 12 min. Due to the success in the previous study, Brill and Wagner (2012) have performed the new method using GC-MS in order to detect the alcohol content that has been adapted by Wang et al.’s (2004) experiment that used capillary gas chromatography together with FDI detector. This further study is quite costly, but it is worth since the accuracy is high. The column in this study was replaced by polar capillary column instead of mega-pore column in the previous study. 0.2  µL splitless injections were chosen to directly inject the samples to the GC-MS. Helium set at pressure set at 7.35 psi and 1mL/min of flow rate acted as the carrier gas in GC-MS. The polar VF-WAXms selected was the reliable because the samples could be run in 15 minute intervals. Capillary gas chromatography is a simple and rapid method that developed to determine ethanol content in alcoholic beverages using megapore polar column (CPWax58 CB, 30 m  ¥ 0.53 mm) with direct injection gas chromatography. Contrary to packed GLC method, distillation or stepwise dilution of samples were not necessary by the method developed in this study. In conclusion, gas chromatography method is the most suitable and quick method for determination of ethanol contents in alcoholic beverages with complex alcohol contents and small sample amount. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a non-harmful environmentally pre-concentration technique which is clean, selective, rapid, efficient, simple and solvent-free. The derivation of polyphenols allowed non-volatile compounds to be converted into volatile derivatives, thus improving the separation, selectivity or sensitivity of SPME–GC determination. This step can be performed in the sample solution prior to sampling, on the SPME fibre coating or during desorption in the GC injection port. For on-fibre derivation, the chemical agent has to be loaded on the fibre prior to or after analyte extraction. Commonly, the analytes are first extracted and then the fiber is exposed to the vapour of the derivatizing agent. The coupling of GC and SPME has been used to determine resveratrol isomers and the total free resveratro was also determined by direct-exposure-probe positive-ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry. However, no references have been found to the use of the hyphenated technique SPME–GC–MS for the determination of polyphenol mixtures (Pilar Vinas et al., 2009). 4.0  PROBLEM STATEMENTS The purpose of this study is to determine the most suitable and appropriate method for alcohol determination in the sample used which is fermented rice or commonly called as Tapai. Tapai is a traditional dessert or fermented food frequently found in East and Southeast Asia. Nowadays, Tapai has been established and being promoted to many countries. Determination of ethanol perhaps is the most important analysis in the fermentation industry for the quality control. It is necessary for the industry to use the most accurate and easiest method in order to check the alcohol composition in the products manufactured before sending them to the markets. Besides that, this study is fundamental in order to determine the Halal limits for alcohol content in the sample. The consumption of Tapai had raised the Halal issue to Muslim community since it has similar alcohol content with beer which is 5%. So, the study should offer the method that can give the short period for the detection and the easiest way to handle the experiment or the test include the easy sample preparation with the accurate results. 5.0  OBJECTIVES These are few objectives that have been identified in order to deal up with the problem statement and carried out the research on determination of alcohol content in Tapai by using gas chromatography spectroscopy. To develop gas chromatography method with the best accuracy compared to other methods for alcohol detection in the sample. To determine the lower limit of detection (LOD) of alcohol. To identify the amount of ethanol content in the sample.

Life Without N Sync - A Satirical Essay :: essays research papers

Life without N’Sync: A soon-to-be reality, or a teenaged girl’s worst nightmare? I would hate to even suggest that we might soon exist in a world without N’Sync. Their songs inspire us, as well as being very morally sound. Their creative and innovative fashions and tunes gives us the much needed variety that keeps us interested about the next aptly-titled CD they put out. They are great role models for every aspiring ‘teen dream’, and give teenaged boys something to aspire to. N’Sync is a positive contributor to our society. N’Sync’s writers have written some very memorable songs in the past, including ‘Digital Getdown’ and ‘That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You’. These songs are filled with inspiring lyrics such as, â€Å"Don’t wanna be the reason for your love no more† and â€Å"Baby, baby get nasty, nasty and we can get freaky deaky.† These lyrics teach the 8 year old fans just what girls are good for, and make them feel loved and respected; at the same time they teaching them some interesting vocabulary that they can use in everyday life. I like the consistency of the song titles, because consistency is very important. A large portion of their titles include the word ‘you’, or ‘me’, which definitely showcases their creativity. The fact that they let talented musicians do the instrumental sections proves that they care about how their music sounds. N’Sync’s songs are a positive influence on to day’s youth. It’s a definite relief to know that Justin Timberlake is having a good hair day, and that Chris Kirkpatrick had a good photo shoot. I am glad to know that their latest CD has gone multi-platinum and they have made lots of money, because their happiness is very important to me. One can never get tired of their adorable puppy-dog faces and their cute plays on words that have been carefully scripted. Their intelligence, ingenuity and creativity has led me to believe that they are very positive role models for their fans, and they are who every teenaged boy should strive to be. The things I like most about N’Sync are the fact that they went from having no talent and no money to having no talent and lots of money. It’s good that magazine publishers have made entire series of magazines all about them. I enjoy reading the countless articles and interviews about them, because I say â€Å"The more, the better!!† Without N’Sync, many teenaged girls wouldn’t have music to listen to, or any pictures to put on their walls.