Green Buildings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Green Buildings - Essay Example Rapid industrialization and increase in demand of fuels have increase pollution all over the world. The increase in carbon dioxide in the environment is damaging the ozone layer surrounding the earth’s atmosphere. This is damaging the environment and increasing the temperature of the world. Oceans are melting and seal levels are increasing. This phenomenon is known as global warming. The dangerous consequences of such climatic change are forcing the world to come up with techniques that are environmental friendly. Green building is one such technique that preserves our environment. The cost of these buildings far exceeds the benefits of green buildings. It is important to understand the benefits of green buildings and their structure to prove that this technique worth its costs. A cost benefit analysis will show clearly that green buildings should be used more often in order to protect the environment. Benefits of Green Building One of the most significant benefits of green bu ildings is that they help save energy. These buildings save electricity and in turn decrease our dependent on fuels. Electricity is produced by many ways and oil is also used to produce electricity. Green buildings are designed in such a manner that they allow the residents sunlight and natural air. In this way energy consumption is decreased greatly. Air conditioning and lights use most of the electricity in homes and by reducing this electricity environment can benefit a lot. In green buildings trees and plants are used in order to provide shade and cooling (Simpson, J. 2002). Plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen in daytime. This gives freshness and coolness in daytime in the house. Another benefit of green buildings is the increased productivity of the people living in green buildings. People who live in green buildings are found to work long hours. They also have less stress and they can stay fresh for long hours. This is mainly because occupants get exposure to sun light and fresh air. Air conditioning is no substitute of fresh air. Fresh air soothes residents of green building and this is why they feel less stressed then residents of normal houses and buildings. A study reported that absenteeism was reduced by 40 percent in buildings that were green (Lallanilla, M. 2011). This is the effect of plants and natural air and sunlight. The benefits of green buildings include less sickness as well. This may be because of less pollution and harmful gases. People who live near road sides are exposed to pollution. In green buildings a proper mechanism deals with pollution as discussed before. Also greenery attracts employees to offices. Water efficiency is another benefit of green building. The design of building is such that it allows water to be reused. Water is recycled in greenhouses houses. It is purified and reused in flushes. In this way throughout the life of the green building flush water is not wasted but is used and reused over and over agai n. This is a great benefit of green buildings because it can save gallons of water. A house has a life of at least 30 to 40 years. Throughout this period all the water used in flush will remain the same. Also water is saved by using low flow of water in flushes and showers. Even this can help reduce water consumption of households greatly. Toilet paper is also not used in washrooms and that protects tress. All in all a simple technique of water recycling a great amount of water can be saved. Also material used in green buildings is environmental friendly. The wood used for making green buildings is made of plants like bamboo that grow faster. Rare plants and trees are not used in the making of green buildings. Industrial goods used in making homes are also recyclable and are environmental friendly. Stones and other materials used in houses can be reused again. Energy costs are decreased as a result of green building

The market for Cancer vaccines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The market for Cancer vaccines - Essay Example Geography is also a decisive factor in the case of market characteristics of cancer vaccines as the demand is global and the producing countries are few which results in geographical constraints as the importing cost is involved. The key obstacle to enter this market includes the likes of authoritarian problem, compensation related matters, high cost implicated in manufacturing an oncology product, and government cost repression measures. Also, fear over the effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine of cancer is appearing to be the barrier in the growth of cancer vaccine market (Findlay, â€Å"Cancer vaccine - A giant leap in cancer treatment†). Incentives as such depend on the country where it is being produced. The research and development work related to the cancer vaccine is very expensive which calls for government subsidies and the incentives are correlated with these. Gears to help authorize cancer patients to assess research studies for which they may be entitled which includes the OncoLink/EmergingMed Clinical Trials Matching Service, which persuades patients to look for and consider medical test for the treatment of cancer. A channel to help one to navigate the territory of corresponding and substituting medicine with instructions and warnings on treatments such as vitamins, herbals, chemicals, acupuncture, diet, meditation and body-mind therapy. It comprises that the preliminary information relating to photodynamic therapy (PDT); an original cancer treatment which works by revealing a photosensitizing medicine to precise wavelength of light to kill cancer cells. Proton therapy is a highly developed form of radiation therapy that is at present in use at a limited number of centers worldwide. Protons are different from straight radiation because the beam can significantly diminish normal tissue revelation to surplus radiation. In today’s world, medical science has come of ages and quite a

A Strong Corporate Brand Communications Essay

A Strong Corporate Brand Communications Essay 3. Explain how you might involve stakeholders in the development of a corporate brand, drawing on at least two instrumental approaches to stakeholder management and incorporatingunderstandings of authenticity in your answer. How would you evaluate the success of their involvement? â€Å"A strong corporate brand acts as a focal point for the attention, interest and activity stakeholders bring to a corporation† (Hatch and Schultz, 2001, P 1046). This essay will suggest that strategies to develop strong and sustainable relationships with stakeholders should at the heart of a brand development strategy that is focussed on enhancing reputation and ultimately the sustainability of a company. It will explain how analysis of stakeholder groups is critical to the success of this process. Two instrumental stakeholder tools will then be used to illustrate how such information may be gathered. The essay will then go on to explain that the information garnered from such an analysis could be used to inform stakeholder engagement strategies and the overall brand development strategy. The essay will conclude with a discussion about how issues with authenticity could jeopardise the development of these relationships and how, in the light of such problems, you can measur e the success and strength of such relationships in order to inform future efforts. Although this is not an essay exploring theories around the process of brand development, it is however important to begin by defining what is meant by a corporate brand if we are to understand how relationships with stakeholders can help in its development. My understanding of corporate branding is highly influenced by the work of Hatch and Schultz (2001) and (2003) and Schultz (2005) who describe a brand as a mindset that captures the essence of an organisations identity and what it stands for. They promote the idea that the focus of building a successful brand should be on developing relationships with all stakeholders, engaging them in defining who the organisation is and what it aspires to be( Hatch, 2005). Corporate branding can be best described as the process of creating, nurturing and sustaining mutually rewarding relationships between company, its employees and external stakeholders (Hatch and Schultz, 2001 and Schultz, 2005).By developing these relationships an organisatio n will be able to understand any incoherent parts of the brand that are weakening development efforts to achieve business goals (Hatch and Schultz, 2003). â€Å"When corporate branding works, it is because it expresses the values and /or sources of desire that attract key stakeholders to the organisation and encourage them to feel as sense of belonging to it. It is this attraction and sense of belonging that affects the decisions and behaviours on which a company is built. A strong corporate brand taps into attractive force and offers symbols that help stakeholders experience and express their value and thereby keep them active† (Hatch and Schultz , 2003, p.P1046). It not just theorists such as Hatch and Schultz (2001) that believe stakeholder relationship building activity is key is achieving a strong corporate identity. In the field of Corporate Communications Cornelissen (2004) stated that developing strong and sustainable stakeholder relationships can establish favourable corporate images and reputations will get these groups to behave in a way that furthers the organisations businesses objectives, such as getting customers to make a purchase or successfully convincing investors to grant financial resources. This essay draws on the research above as a foundation for arguing that the development of relationships with stakeholders should be at the very heart of any successful brand strategy. But how should one begin developing these relationships? The start of constructing any strategy involving the development of relationships with stakeholders should begin with an analysis of who they are, the nature of their stake and the values and beliefs underlying their own decision-making processes (Friedman and Miles, 2006). â€Å"In particular, the compatibility or incompatibility of values, identities, and belief systems between managers in focal organizations and stakeholder decisions-makers, and between different stakeholder groups† (Friedman and Miles, 2006, p.133). Starting from the point that the characteristics of stakeholders need be ascertained before any strategies for engagement pursued it is important to find the tools that allow us to do this. Cornelissen (2004) suggests two possible tools to help with this process: stakeholder mapping and reputation research. These not only uncover the identity of stakeholder groups and their relationships with the organisation but are able to display primary relationships and the patterns of interdependence between them (Cornelissen, 2004). Let us first look at stakeholder mapping. This is an area explored by instrumental stakeholder theory, which suggests how managers should act towards stakeholders if they want to further the interests of an organisation, which can be described as profit maximization and the maximisation of stockholder value( Friedman and Miles, 2006).This type of theorising supports the ideas espoused by Hatch and Schultz (2001), Hatch and Schultz (2003) and Hatch (2005) at the beginning of the essay and for this reason we will look in depth at how two specific instrumental stakeholder theories, developed by Mitchell Angle and Wood (1997) and Frooman (1999), can help organisations get to know more about their stakeholders and how to approach them. I would like to begin with the model developed by Mitchell Agle and Wood (1999) which suggests that different strategic responses to stakeholders can be chosen based on an analysis of the characteristics that these groups exhibit. The major contribution of this theory is its explanation of who stakeholders are and who they arent and why relationships with certain stakeholders should be prioritised over others (Friedman and Miles, 2006). Mitchell, Agle and Wood (1999) rate stakeholder groups using three criteria, power, legitimacy and urgency and the unique combination of these attributes then leads them to create seven different types of stakeholders, which vary in their level of importance to the organisation and therefore brand development strategy. Frooman (1999) supplements this work by looking at what might happen when there is conflict between a stakeholder group and an organisation and his models explains the strategies employed by stakeholders who want to change corporate policy (Friedman and Miles, 2006). Frooman (1999) suggests that during conflict power is the dominant attribute that will decide the outcome of any conflict, especially when an organisation is unwilling to compromise.   However, he does not define power in the same as Mitchell, Agle and Wood (1999). Instead of power through coercive, utilitarian or economic means (Mitchell, Agle and Wood, 1999), he believes power is defined by resource dependency theory (Frooman, 1999), as made famous by Pfeffer (1972) and Salancik (1979).   Pfeffer (1972) and Salancik (1979), cited in Friedman and Miles (2006), suggest that that it is a companies dependence of external stakeholders for resources that will determine stakeholders power and how they will use it to force their claims to be addressed. Using this as the basis of his thinking Frooman (1999) created a four way model of usage (continues to provide a resource but with strings) or withholding (where a stakeholder group withholds a resource) strategies, which can be executed directly or indirectly, when dependency of the stakeholder resources is low. Using both these two models you could start to create a picture of the identity of stakeholders, the nature of their stake, how to prioritise them and how they would behave when in conflict with the firm. But according to Cornelissen (2004) what is equally important to do at this analysis stage is to identify what reputation the organisation has with the groups you have identified. Although he doesnt present a theoretical model to achieve this he does suggest using practical quantitative and qualitative research techniques, such as focus groups. The result of this work will give the organisation a good idea of what stakeholders think of the organisation and how this matches with the organisations own views of its identity (Cornelissen, 2004). This would then suggest that an organisation uses the knowledge gained during the entire analysis phase to inform the development of focused stakeholder relationship programmes and the brand development strategy as a whole. Cornelissen (2004) suggests that the stakeholder analysis will help organisations understand whether current strategy is capable of dealing with the needs of current stakeholders and, if so, if the suggested direction proposed will deliver the desired results. From here the organisation can decide which stakeholders to address and develop engagement strategies that either change or consolidate their present position with them, according to any mismatches found. A similar process can be used in relation to the brand strategy. Hatch and Schultz (2001) explain that the images stakeholders have of who a company is and what it stands for can become part of what they can the strategic envisioning process. They suggest that the present views, behaviour, values and identi ties of stakeholders are likely to effect the direction of desired change and strategic vision of the organisation. Whether the results of the stakeholder analysis support the organisations current identity can have serious effects on any subsequent strategy as without such alignment efforts could be perceived as inauthentic Hatch and Schultz, 2003). At this point I would like to highlight how the issue of authenticity can affect an organisations assessment of its strategic options. ‘To be authentic commercially is to tap into the ‘geist of a particular group of people so that you, or the claims you make are accepted, trusted, and the consumers you appeal to are convinced (Fachet, 2009). Therefore, stakeholders ‘geist, which should have been identified during the stakeholder analysis, needs to be reflected in the core elements of a brand development strategy if stakeholders are going to engage with the organisation and carry out the desired behaviours needed by the organisation. Authenticity is the opposite to counterfeit and in an increasing unreal world consumers purchase based on how genuine they perceive an offering to be (Gilmore and Pine, 2007). Without this alignment between stakeholder expectations and the brand strategy, efforts are likely to be seen as inauthentic and therefore desired behaviours not o ccur. There is also a second but equally important aspect of authenticity that should be discussed at this stage within the planning process and that is whether the brand development strategy and the values promoted within it match the experience the stakeholder will have of the product, the service or the culture within the organisation. Edwards (2009) explains that authenticity is both communicated by an organisation as well as attributed by the consumers who digest this communication. Therefore, if the brand promise doesnt match reality then an organisation may be danger of being seen as inauthentic. Representation is likely to result in communications and products and the symbols that represent them that arent connected to their original context and by definition inauthentic (Goldman and Papson, 1998, cited in Edwards, 2009). To give an example, if a product or service is positioned as specialist when in reality it is not and the staff are presented as specialists when in fact their kn owledge is just around average then incompatibilities occur and the brand could be perceived as inauthentic. A perceived lack of authenticity is just one of the issues that could affect a brand and therefore it is important that all stakeholder relationships and brand development strategies are continually assessed to determine their impact. Cornelisson (2004) states that tracking and evaluation should be the final element of any strategy, showing how efforts have progressed the organisations goals. In light of what has been discussed in this essay the suggestion is that this should be done in two parts; a brand audit to find out what the brand actually stands for and an analysis of the extent and quality of stakeholder relationships. Keller (2008) developed a model for a brand audit which takes place in two parts; a brand inventory and the brand exploratory. The brand inventory is basically research into what a brand says it is and the exploratory finds out what stakeholders say it is. His model brings these elements together to show the difference between current brand experience and brand promise, if there is any. But equally important is an assessment of the quality of the relationships an organisation has with its key stakeholders. Many theorists have developed criteria by which to assess quality and extent of stakeholder relations, including Strong, Ringer and Taylor (2001), Zoller (1999) and Zadek and Raynard (2002).   However this essay would like to look at unusual approaches that arent covered by the theorists above; the principles developed by the Clarkson Center for Business Ethics (1999) and the Ladder of Stakeholder Engagement (Friedman and Miles, 2006). Firstly to the principles set out by the Clarkson Center for Business Ethics (1999). Researchers at this centre developed a list of seven principles of good stakeholder relations, beginning with recognising stakeholders and ending with acknowledging conflicts between their roles as corporate stakeholders and their legal and moral responsibilities to stakeholders. These principles are highly respected within literature on the subject and could therefore provide a useful guidance document for businesses (Friedman and Miles, 2006). It is for this reason that this essay suggests they would be a useful day to day tool to assess quality of engagement, offering guidance for how organisations can continue to improve practice. In contrast (Friedman and Miles, 2006) developed a 12 rung ladder of engagement that looks at the quality of stakeholder relationships from a stakeholder perspective. On the very bottom of the ladder is manipulation and at the very top is stakeholder control. â€Å"This can be used as a guide to match intention and what approach to use as well as moderating intention with the degree of influence that stakeholders have†. (Friedman and Miles, 2006). As demonstrated in this essay strong and sustainable relationships with stakeholders should be at the core of a brand development strategy. Their views and interests should be taken into account throughout every phase of the brand development strategy process; including the analysis, goal setting, and evaluation. Such consideration and engagement will help the brand to successfully enhance its reputation with these groups increasing the likehood of them carrying out the actions desired by the company. References Cornelissen, J. (2004) Corporate Communications: Theory and Practice. London. Sage Publications Ltd. Clarkson Center for Business Ethics (1999/2002) Principles of Stakeholder Management. Toronto: University of Toronto. Reproduced in 2002, Business Ethics Quarterly, 12/1: 256-64. Fachet, N (2009,) Authentic communications: Breaking the halo of distrust [Internet blog].Available from: http://text100.com/hypertext/2009/06/authentic-communications-breaking-the-halo-of-distrust/> [Accessed December 2009]. Friedman, A. and Miles, S. (2006) Stakeholders: Theory and Practice. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Frooman, J. (1999) Stakeholder influence strategies. Academy of Management Review, 24(2): pp.191-205. Gilmore, J.H. and Pine II, B. J. (2007) Authenticity: What consumers really want. Boston, MA. Harvard Business School Press. Cited in: Edwards L. (2009) Authenticity in Organisational Context: Fragmentation, Contradiction and Loss of Control.   In: Proceedings of the 59th Annual International Communications Association Conference, May 21-25, 2009, Chicago, USA , Ill, pp 1-15. Schultz, M. (2005) A cross disciplinary perspective of corporate branding. In: Schultz, M., Antorini, Y.M. and Csaba, F.F.   (2005) Corporate Branding: purposes, people, processes: towards the second wave of corporate branding. Denmark. Copenhagen Business School Press, pp. 23-57. Hatch, M. and Schultz, M. (2001) Are the strategic stars aligned for your corporate brand? Harvard Business Review, February, pp. 128-134. Hatch, M and Schultz, M (2003) Bringing the corporation into corporate branding. European Journal of Marketing, 37(7/8), pp.1041-1064 Keller, K.L. (2003) Strategic Brand Management-Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity. 2nd ed, New Jersey. Prentice Hall. Mitchell, R.K., Agle, B.R., and Wood, D.J. (1997) Towards a theory of Stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts. Academy of Management Review, 22(4), pp. 853-86. Pfeffer, J. (1972). Interorganizational Influence and Managerial Attitudes. Academy of Management Journal, 15, pp. 775-790. Salancik, G.R. (1979). Interorganizational Dependence and Responsiveness to Affirmative Action; The Case of Women and Defense Contractors. Academy of Management Journal, 22/2, pp. 375-394. Strong, K.C., Ringer, R.C. and Taylor, S.A. (2001)THE* Rules of Stakeholder Satisfaction (*Timeliness, Honesty and Empathy). Journal of Business Ethics, 32/3. Pp. 219-230. Van Riel, C (1995), Principles of Corporate Communication. Hertfordshire. Prentice Hall. Zadek, S. and Raynard, P. (2002) Stakeholder Engagement: Measuring and Communicating the Quality. Accountability Quarterly, 19, pp.8-17. Zoller, K. (1999) Growing Credibility Through Dialogue: Experiences in Germany and the USA. In: Charter, M. and Polonsky, M.J. (eds.), Greener Marketing: A Global Perspective on Greening Marketing Practice. Sheffield. Greenleaf Publishing, pp.196-206.

Mattel Inc. Stock :: essays research papers fc

Mattel Inc. (MAT) The Mattel Company, best known for its Barbie dolls, is the world's largest toy maker. In March 1997, it acquired Tyco toys the third largest U.S.-based toy maker. Its product lines include Fisher-Price and Sesame Street preschool items, Disney-related products and Hot Wheel miniature vehicles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They type of industry Mattel is located under, is dolls and stuffed toys, although they have other types of products such as Hot Wheels. This company is under monopolistic competition. They sell their products in many stores, such as Toys ‘R Us, KB Toys, K-Mart, Walmart, and others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of Mattel’s competitors include Marvel Enterprises Inc. and Hasbro Inc. Marvel Enterprises (formerly Toy Biz) publishes comics based on more than 3,500 characters including Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men. The company, North America's top comic publisher through its Marvel Entertainment subsidiary, also makes action figures, games, and puzzles based primarily on its Marvel characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hasbro is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys, games, interactive software, puzzles and infant products. Included in its offerings are games, traditional board and card, hand-held electronic and interactive CD-ROM, and puzzles, preschool, boys' action and girls' toys, dolls, plush products and infant products.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The company’s business activities include many things. The standards address a wide spectrum of issues, ranging from on-the-job concerns, such as factory lighting, air quality and health care facilities, to acceptable parameters for dormitories and recommendations for recreational programs. They serve as the principles by which Mattel's internal and independent monitoring programs are measured around the world. While the development of a code of conduct/manufacturing principles is essential to success, enforcement of the code is equally as important. Mattel has initiated an extensive three-stage auditing process, which is overseen by an independent monitoring council, to thoroughly inspect both the company's owned-and-operated facilities around the world, as well as those of all core contractors. If a contractor facility is either unable or unwilling to work with Mattel in order to meet and maintain its standards, however, Mattel will discontinue the workin g relationship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think that the stock price rose due to the company flourishing. Mattel has many extraordinary products that have been around for years, and many more to come. This company seems very stable. They keep their customers happy and keep them coming back for more. Now that the holidays are coming near, I predict that the company will do very well and the stock will go up once again.

Domestic Violence Essay

The Negative Results of Childhood Exposure to Domestic Violence The phrase â€Å"domestic violence† typically refers to violence between adult intimate partners. It has been estimated that every year there are about 3.3 to 10 million children exposed to domestic violence in the confines of their own home (Moylan, Herrenkohl, Sousa et al. 2009). According to research conducted by John W. Fantuzzo and Wanda K. Mohr(1999): â€Å"[e]xposure to domestic violence can include watching or hearing the violent events, direct involvement (for example, trying to intervene or calling the police), or experiencing the aftermath (for example, seeing bruises or observing maternal depression)† (Fantuzzo &ump; Mohr, 22). The effects of exposure can vary from direct effects such as behavioral and developmental issues to interpersonal relationships, all of which lead to detrimental prospects on the child’s development. This paper will explore those effects and how it affects children . Exposure to violence in the first years of life brings about helplessness and terror which can be attributed to the lack of protection received by the parent. The child can no longer trust their parent as a protector (Lieberman 2007). This lack of trust early in life can bring about serious problems later in life, as there is no resolution to the first psychosocial crisis, trust vs. mistrust. For these children exposed to domestic violence, the imaginary monsters that children perceive are not only symbolic representations or a dream. The monsters that children who witness domestic violence have to deal with carry the reflection of their parents. Children who witness domestic violence face a dilemma because the children’s parents are at their most frightening exactly when the child needs them the most. The security of the child is shattered as their protector becomes the attacker in reality and the child has nowhere to turn for help (Lieberman 2007). â€Å"Exposure to family and community violence is linked with aggressive behavior. One of the theoretical perspectives that explains this link is social learning theory, according to which children learn from the aggressive models in their environments. Additionally, victimization may compromise children’s ability to regulate their emotions, and as a result they may act out aggressively† (Margolin &ump; Gordis 2004, 153). â€Å"Posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are important consequences of exposure to violence because they can impair social and behavioral functioning† (Margolin &ump; Gordis 2004, 153). Research has shown that children exposed to domestic violence demonstrate impaired ability to concentrate, difficulty with schoolwork, and significantly lower scores when their verbal, motor, and cognitive skills were being tested (Fantuzzo &ump; Mohr). It seems as if the academic and cognitive difficulties from exposure affec t the child possibly through its impact on psychological functioning. For example, PTSD and depression may hinder with learning and the ability to perform well in the classroom (Margolin &ump; Gordis 2004). Researchers have found a positive correlation between externalizing (aggression) and internalizing (lowered self esteem, depression, anxiety) and domestic violence exposed children. Children exposed to domestic violence have been found to be four times more likely to develop internalizing or externalizing behavior problems than children who are not exposed to violence. The disruption of the development of basic competencies harms the child’s ability to manage emotions effectively and increases internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Martinez-Torteya et. al., 2009). This is particularly problematic for preschool aged children as younger children display more intense externalizing and internalizing behavioral responses to parental conflict than older children do (Ybarra, Wilkens, &ump; Lieberman 2007). These responses are due in part to less mature cognitive skills. Because these skills have not advanced yet, there is an increase in the likelihood of the child expressing psychological vulnerabilities following the conflict because of cognitive errors. Exposure to domestic violence compromises interpersonal relationships that are the foundation of children’s daily lives in addition to having direct effects. â€Å"Social support is a key buffer against the negative effects of violence. Because parents are key sources of social support, the disrupted parenting associated with family violence may exacerbate negative effects of exposure to violence. More generally, children exposed to violence may be sensitized to hostile interactions and may have difficulty negotiating peer conflicts. These interpersonal difficulties can rob children of social support and increase their risk for associating with deviant peers† (Margolin &ump; Gordis 2004, 154). In a study conducted by C. McGee, it was reported that many children found it difficult to develop friendships for reasons such as holding back from others as well as fear of inviting others to their home (Adams 2006). In conclusion, it is clearly shown that domestic violence has a negative effect on the children who witness it. An expanding body of research suggests that childhood trauma and adverse experiences can lead to a variety of negative health outcomes (Anda &ump; Chapman &ump; Dube &ump; Felitti &ump; Giles &ump; Williamson, 2001, p.1). In fact, childhood stressors such as witnessing domestic violence and other household dysfunctions are highly interrelated and have a graded relationship to numerous health and social problems (Anda &ump; Chapman &ump; Dube &ump; Felitti &ump; Giles &ump; Williamson, 2001, p.2). It is obvious and clearly shown that the children who witness domestic abuse have serious long term mental effects.

Golkonda Fort Essay

The 13th century Golconda Fort was built by the Kakatiya kings. In the 16th century, Golkonda was the capital and fortress city of the Qutb Shahi kingdom, near Hyderabad. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates in the region and was the center of a flourishing diamond trade. Golkonda was located 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad. According to a legend, the fort derives its name from Golla Konda, which is a Telugu word for Shepherd’s Hill. It is believed that a shepherdboy came across an idol on the hill. This led to the construction of a mud fort by the then Kakatiya dynasty ruler of the kingdom around the site. The city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters (400 ft) high and is surrounded by massive crenelated ramparts. The beginnings of the fort date to 1143, when the Hindu Kakatiya dynasty ruled the area. The Kakatiya dynasty were followed by the state ofWarangal, which was later conquered by the Islamic Bahmani Sultanat. The fort became the capital of a major province in the Sultanate and after its collapse the capital of the Qutb Shahi kings. The fort finally fell into ruins after a siege and its fall to Mughal emperor Aurangazeb. After the collapse of the Bahmani Sultanat, Golkonda rose to prominence as the seat of the Qutb Shahi dynasty around 1507. Over a period of 62 years the mud fort was expanded by the first three Qutb Shahi kings into a massive fort of granite, extending around 5 km incircumference. It remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1590 when the capital was shifted to Hyderabad. The Qutb Shahis expanded the fort, whose 7 km outer wall enclosed the city. The state became a focal point for Shia Islam in India, for instance in the 17th century Bahraini clerics, Sheikh Ja`far bin Kamal al-Din and Sheikh Salih Al-Karzakani both emigrated to Golkonda.[4] The Qutb Shahi sultanate lasted until its conquest by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1687. The fortress held out against Aurangzeb for nine months, falling to the Mughals through treachery. Kancharla Gopanna, popularly known as Bhaktha Ramadaasu, a devout Hindu who constructed Bhadrachalm temple without informing the sultan at that time Tana Shah, was kept in a jail located inside the fort. Golkonda consists of four distinct forts with a 10 km long outer wall with 87 semicircular bastions (some still mounted with cannons), eight gateways, and four drawbridges, with a number of royal apartments & halls, temples, mosques, magazines, stables, etc. inside. The lowest of these is the outermost enclosure into which we enter by the â€Å"Fateh Darwaza† studded with giant iron spikes near the south-eastern corner. At Fateh Darwaza can be experienced a fantastic acoustic effect, characteristic of he engineering marvels at Golkonda. A hand clap at a certain point below the dome at the entrance reverberates and can be heard clearly at the ‘Bala Hisar’ pavilion, the highest point almost a kilometre away. This worked as a warning note to the royals in case of an attack. The whole of the Golconda Fort complex and its surrounding spreads across 11 km of total area, and discovering its every nook is an arduous task. A visit to the fort reveals the architectural beauty in many of the pavilions, gates, entrances and domes. Divided into four district forts, the architectural valour still gleams in each of the apartments, halls, temples, mosques, and even stables. The graceful gardens of the fort may have lost their fragrance, for which they were known 400 years ago Bala Hissar Gate is the main entrance to the fort located on the eastern side. It has a pointed arch bordered by rows of scroll work. The spandrels have yalis and decorated roundels. The area above the door has peacocks with ornate tails flanking an ornamental arched niche. The granite block lintel below has sculpted yalis flanking a disc. The design of peacocks and lions is a blend of Hindu – Muslim architecture. Toli Masjid, situated at Karwan, about 2 km from the Golkonda fort, was built in 1671 by Mir Musa Khan Mahaldar, royal architect of Abdullah Qutb Shah. The facade consists of five arches, each with lotus medallions in the spandrels. The central arch is slightly wider and more ornate. The mosque inside is divided into two halls, a transverse outer hall and an inner hall entered through triple arches. Much thought went in to building this gate. A few feet in front of the gate is a large wall. This prevented elephants and soldiers (during enemy attacks) from having a proper ramp to run and break the gate. The fort of Golconda is known for its magical acoustic system. The highest point of the fort is the â€Å"Bala Hissar†, which is located a kilometer away. The palaces, factories, water supply system and the famous â€Å"Rahban† cannon, within the fort are some of the major attractions. It is believed that there is a secret underground tunnel that leads from the â€Å"Durbar Hall† and ends in one of the palaces at the foot of the hill. The fort also contains the tombs of the Qutub Shahi kings. These tombs have Islamic architecture and are located about 1 km north of the outer wall of Golconda. They are encircled by beautiful gardens and numerous exquisitely carved stones. It is also believed that there was a secret tunnel to Charminar. The two individual pavilions on the outer side of Golconda are also major attractions of the fort. It is built on a point which is quite rocky. The â€Å"Kala Mandir† is also located in the fort. It can be seen from the king’s durbar (king’s court) which was on top of the Golconda Fort. The wonderful acoustic system of Golconda fort speaks volumes about the architecture of the fort. This majestic structure has beautiful palaces and an ingenious water supply system. Sadly, the unique architecture of the fort is now losing its charm. The ventilation of the fort is absolutely fabulous having exotic designs. They were so intricately designed that cool breeze could reach the interiors of the fort, providing a respite from the heat of summer.

Coming up with Ideas

Coming up with Ideas Based on the work of Klofsten (2005) which examined the innovations and strategies implemented by entrepreneurs, it was seen that the most successful individuals focused on developing business ideas that served a particular need and fit into a specific market niche (Klofsten, 2005: 105s of this particular type of idea creation can be seen in the current popularity of food trucks in not only the U.S. but in some areas of the U.K. as well which serve a variety of restaurant quality dishes. By selling a product which is readily available at any restaurant but by making it more easily accessible and affordable this results in a considerable level of business success for any enterprising entrepreneur.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Coming up with Ideas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Acs, Z, Audretsch, D, Braunerhjelm, P, Carlsson, B 2012, Growth and entrepreneurship, Small Business Economics, 39, 2, pp . 289-300. Retrieved from www.EBSCOhost.com Heinonen, J, Hytti, U, Stenholm, P 2011, The role of creativity in opportunity search and business idea creation, Education + Training, 53, 8/9, pp. 659-672. Retrieved from www.EBSCOhost.com Klofsten, M 2005, New venture ideas: an analysis of their origin and early development, Technology Analysis Strategic Management, 17, 1, pp. 105-119. Retrieved from www.EBSCOhost.com Popovich, M, Buss, T 1990, 101 ideas for stimulating rural entrepreneurship and new business development, Economic Development Review, 8, 4, p. 26. Retrieved from www.EBSCOhost.com Riese, H 2011, Enacting entrepreneurship education: The interaction of personal and professional interests in mini-enterprises, Cambridge Journal Of Education, 41, 4, pp. 445-460. Retrieved from www.EBSCOhost.com Rubenstein, AH 1994, At the front end of the RD/Innovation process: Idea development and entrepreneurship, International Journal Of Technology Management, 9, 5-7, p. 652. Retrieved f rom www.EBSCOhost.com

Wooden Houses Vs Concrete houses in Saudi Arabia

Wooden Houses Vs Concrete houses in Saudi Arabia Introduction The choice of housing is usually determined by different factors. Climatic and weather conditions include some of the elements that inform potential homeowners. Observably, a cost benefit analysis of diverse housing alternatives must be conducted. Presently, people have recognized the need to erect different kinds of buildings. Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Wooden Houses Vs Concrete houses in Saudi Arabia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These include both the concrete and wooden houses. However, it is crucial to note that the costs involved are an important factor in informing this decision. This essay compares the choice between wooden or concrete houses in Saudi Arabia. Some of the issues discussed include cost, compatibility and sustainability with the country and weather conditions, time efficiency and environmental friendliness. 1st Point: Cost There are obvious disparities between the wooden a nd concrete houses in Saudi Arabia. Homeowners consider the cost effectiveness of various architectural designs for their houses. Cost considerations play significant roles in the decision for proper housing. Observably, this also includes the basic materials to be applied in the construction process. Saudi Arabia is located within a desert. This area has a lot of sand and other natural material for concrete building. These materials are exploited and used directly or indirectly. It is apparent that it is easier to obtain the materials for constructing concrete buildings. Ideally, a desert environment lacks the natural capacity to support the practice of forestry. Therefore, forests are less likely to develop within the desert area. It is imperative that Saudi Arabia has no sufficient wood sources. Building a wooden house in Saudi Arabia would prove very expensive for most people. This is unlike the concrete buildings. There is a very high cost of importing timber for construction into Saudi Arabia. Notably, very few neighboring countries or states have the potential to produce enough timber for exports. This makes it hard and expensive for people to construct wooden houses. Sand is readily available within Saudi Arabia. This means that people can locally extract sand and use it for the preparation of concrete material. The people have applied locally available technology to initiate these processes. Apart from sand, there are other concrete materials such as stones and processed cement. Consequently, several cement-processing plants are located within different regions of the country. All these factors play a significant role in lowering the cost of constructing the concrete houses. The wooden houses lack adequate resiliency and resistance to last for a long period. Generally, they are more susceptible to abrasion, breakage and destruction. Majorly, these emanate from the harsh environmental conditions within the desert in Saudi Arabia. However, the concret e houses prove to be more resistant. Advertising Looking for report on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They are very resistant to abrasion and other destructive occurrences that might emanate from the desert environment. It is, therefore, deductable that there are negligible or lower maintenance costs involved. This is unlike the case of wooden houses that require a lot of attention, surveillance and maintenance initiatives. These elements might also increase the general expenses involved in the design and operation of wooden houses in Saudi Arabia. There might be limited or lack of adequate labor for the construction of wooden houses. The condition emerges because the desert faces a great level of timber scarcity. The scarcity of human resource increases the expenses used for hiring labor. Contrarily, the masons involved in the construction of concrete houses are readily available. This trend remains o bservable across the entire Saudi Arabia. There is minimal labor costs involved in the process. This makes the concrete houses cheaper to construct than the wooden houses. 2nd Point: Compatibility and Sustainability with the Country and Weather Conditions Saudi Arabia has variable weather conditions. There are different seasons within a year. These variable weather conditions affect physical structures in different ways. It is important to note that the country and weather conditions might affect the sustainability of the houses. Evidently, the concrete houses prove to be more durable and resistant to all weather conditions. Agreeably, they last longer and serve their basic purpose in an effective manner. However, this situation is not applicable for the case of the wooden houses. These variable weather conditions make the wooden houses more vulnerable to rapid destruction. The concrete houses are more compatible and sustainable to the country and weather conditions. Wooden houses are more likely to be destroyed through various processes. These processes originate from different weather and environmental factors. Physical processes cause breakages and destructions in the wooden houses. In addition, other notable chemical process might lead to gradual destruction of the wooden houses. Principally, these emanate from different environmental changes causing weather alterations and interactions. These factors make the owners of such houses to incur additional and high maintenance expenditures. Indicatively, this is not the case for the concrete houses. The composition of concrete is more durable and resistant to these weather changes. They can be occupied even during periods of adverse weather. Additionally, they are also suitable in Saudi Arabia because they help to prevent excess heat and cold from reaching the occupants. There are many weather-generated agents with negative impacts on the wooden houses. Certain animals such as ants, insects and rodents occupy human habitats. Wooden houses are mostly targeted in this aspect. Perhaps, unlike the concrete houses, wooden ones provide a readily available source of food for these ants. Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Wooden Houses Vs Concrete houses in Saudi Arabia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They are more susceptible to destruction from the action of such animals. It is notable that the concrete houses are very sustainable within the desert conditions. The hard concrete surface acts as a critical guard and protection against the harsh weather conditions that prevail from the outside desert environment. Excessive and strong winds predominant within the Saudi Arabia desert environment might have detrimental implications on the wooden houses. There is a high probability of the wooden house being swept away by wind. This is majorly because the wooden house foundations might not be as strong and firm as the concrete ones. Foundations made from concrete material are very strong, firm and remain rooted to the ground. In this regard, they are most suitable for desert conditions that experience extensive and huge wind flows during all periods. Building wooden houses within such places would be dangerous to the life of occupants. Generally, the concrete houses are more appropriate within desert areas like Saudi Arabia. The wooden houses are not sustainable within such areas. 3rd Point: Time Efficiency There are many challenges associated with building wooden houses in Saudi Arabia. These challenges lead to the development of major inefficiencies. These might relate to the habitats and other processes taking place within the houses. Apparently, the concrete houses built within Saudi Arabia have limited cases of inefficiency as compared to other wooden ones. The wooden houses require a lot of time and concentration. These must be undertaken during the construction and maintenance stages. Normally, the hou se owner might need to utilize the services of an expert during the construction process. These initiatives always result into longer durations of consulting and hiring the appropriate personnel to complete the construction activities. Unlike the case of the concrete houses, the trained personnel are easily accessible. It is crucial to note that one might not even require integrating or outsourcing for the services of building experts. This saves a lot of time in the construction of these concrete buildings. As compared to the concrete houses, the wooden ones are easy to clean and maintain in a sanitary manner. In fact, the wooden one just needs to be wiped in order for the house to be clean and sanitary. Depending on the type of the concrete finish of a specific surface, it may be challenging to sanitize the concrete house. From these observations, it is noteworthy that the wooden houses are important and leading in times of time saving.Advertising Looking for report on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, this is only true during the cleaning operations. The concrete houses would need a lot of water to clean or sanitize. These also require several personnel and energy input. These factors combine to influence the length of time spent in attaining the maximum level of sanitation within these houses. The materials for constructing concrete houses are readily accessible within the country. This means that a lot of time is saved during the procurement and construction procedures. The building contractors do not have to travel for longer distances to search for these materials. There are also minimal cases or instances of imports. The overall implication is that it is more time saving and efficient to develop a concrete house in the Saudi Arabia. Nonetheless, this is the opposite case for the wooden houses within this region. Timber meant for construction of these houses must be imported into Saudi Arabia. This means that there must be adequate periods allocated for identificati on, invoicing and negotiation initiatives. These also involve the normal procedures undertaken in procurement, including the clearance schedules within the customs duty departments. Therefore, sufficient time must be slotted for all these operations to be achieved. These usually lead to the realization of gross time inefficiencies. 4th Point: Environment Friendly Wooden houses prove to be more environment friendly as compared to the concrete houses. However, this argument only serves certain aspects of the wooden houses. For instance, they help to cushion the occupants or inhabitants from the harsh climatic and weather conditions within the desert. Most people consent that it is usually more comfortable to reside within the wooden houses. Particularly, this relates to specific places with poor environmental conditions such as the deserts of the Saudi Arabia. The concrete houses are more prone to negative climatic situations. These houses usually make the occupants more vulnerable t o these harsh conditions within their external environments. There have been negative arguments from most environmental conservationists about these wooden houses. According to these conservationists, wooden houses are made from timber. This practice results into massive deforestation that leads to the development of severe environmental impacts. Some of the impacts already noted and highlighted include the increased rates of global warming and ozone depletion. In this context, it is notable that the wooden houses are not environmentally friendly. In this regard, the concrete houses appear to be more environmentally friendly. Conclusion It is evident that the concrete houses do not encourage or propagate the impacts of global warming. Since man is part of the larger environment, the wooden houses provide a very conducive and moderated environment for habitation. The concrete houses are usually sensitive to the weather changes that emanate from the external environment. In most cir cumstances, they are not as environment friendly as the wooden houses. Notably the concrete houses have several advantages as compared to the wooden houses constructed within Saudi Arabia. In summary, it is better to construct the concrete houses in Saudi Arabia rather than the wooden houses.

About in katherine mansfield’s miss brill

About in katherine mansfields miss brill In Katherine Mansfield’s â€Å"Miss Brill† the reader is given a glimpse into the life of an old English teacher living in France. Miss Brill is an old woman living in exile who enjoys going out every Sunday to listen to the band play in the park and eavesdrop into people’s conversations. Through the use of literary components such as limited 3rd person point of view and characterization, Mansfield explores how one’s self-perspective can be skewed and results in alienation. These literary components make the epiphany at the end of the story more effective. The limited 3rd person point of view is defined as a method of storytelling in which the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single character, while other characters are presented only externally. This point of view is important to the story so that as the reader will not engage in sympathy with Miss Brill but instead observe her actions as she feigns the happiness in her life. If this story were told in 1st person, the reader would be experiencing the mind of Miss Brill as she leads herself through her fantasy life. For example, the reader would not be able to fully understand that she is viewing the world as an illusion instead of reality. At the beginning of the story, the author introduces a symbol to the readers, Miss Brill’s fur. â€Å"She had taken it out of this box that afternoon, shaken out the moth-powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes† â€Å"What has been happening to me?† said the sad little eyes.†(p.84). This fur symbolizes a companionship that is obvious Miss Brill hasn’t had in a very long time. Miss Brill can be described as a dynamic round character. A Dynamic character also know as a round character is a specific type of character or fictional or imagined person in a literary text. A dynamic character is usually one of the main characters, is presented in a complex a nd detailed manner and usually undergoes a significant change in response to the events or circumstances described in the plot. In this story the main character is Miss Brill and the author presents the reader with an indirect description of the main character. Again this is supported by the limited third person point of view. Throughout the story we are given insight into how Miss Brill lives out her lonely life by going to the park every Sunday to eavesdrop into other people’s lives as though she is trying to live vicariously through them. Through this type of description the reader can see that she lives in this world through her own fantasies. Miss Brill does not live in this reality; she lives in the world that she has seemed to have made up on her own. In the paragraph that talks about her reading to the old man â€Å"But suddenly he knew he was having the paper read to him by an actress! â€Å"An actress!† Miss Brill responds by saying â€Å"Yes, I have been a n actress for a long time.†(p.86) so the reader sees she is not actually an actress, but she is trying to create her own reality. In order to be a dynamic character it is important that the character undergoes a dramatic change in response to events. This leads to the next important literary element†¦epiphany.

Mobile phone technology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Mobile phone technology - Case Study Example (Language, Learning & Technology, 2002, 6) Furthermore, according to Kodama (2005, 22) 'technological innovation and changes in market structures are extremely swift in high-tech fields such as IT, multimedia, and biotechnology; the question of what sort of strategies or organization corporations should adopt in this rapidly changing environment is a major topic of research and practical study. In particular, for various large, leading-edge businesses like ICT (Information and Communication Technology), recent years have brought increasingly intense pressure to leverage the strategic community (SC) through partnership-based inter-organizational collaboration for the purpose of developing strategic enterprises, expanding the market shares of their products and services, and creating new businesses'. It should be noticed here that the new 3G technology is 'just the latest in a series of developments since the first generation of phones became available in the 1980s, but it is certainly one of the most hyped; With more bandwidth than earlier services, 3G can handle more information, faster, and is thus able to offer its users a richer experience through a plethora of new gadgets and features; Instead of just text-messaging and voice calls, 3G makes it possible to take and receive live video, to watch recorded video and live TV images, and to access the internet, all without wires' (Sheridan, 2003, 28). It is estimated that there are 'about 60 3G networks in 25 countries around the world. In Asia, Europe and the USA, telecommunication companies use WCDMA technology with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks' [5] II. Vodafone - Company Overview Vodafone is the 'largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world, with equity interests in 27 countries and Partner Networks in a further 33 countries. At 30 June 2006, Vodafone had approximately 186.8 million proportionate customers worldwide'[1] Although the company has achieved a high performance the previous years, the amount of money spent in the research sector is really impressive showing that the continuous development and the customer satisfaction are among the priorities of the company. In recent years, one of the most significant developments of the firm has been the introduction and the application of the 3G technology which is based on the use of advanced electronic systems in order to offer very high speeds on the transfer of voice, text and image. III. 3G technology - Description and advantages IIIa. 3G technology and the mobile industry 3G (or 3-G) is 'short for third-generation technology. It is usually used in the context of cell phones; The services associated with 3G provide the ability to transfer both voice data (a telephone call) and non-voice data (such as downloading information, exchanging email, and instant messaging); The first country which introduced 3G on a large commercial scale was Japan. In 2005

How do the Memorial Day Massacre and the UAW sit-down strikes compare Essay - 1

How do the Memorial Day Massacre and the UAW sit-down strikes compare - Essay Example twentieth century; however, the same violence erupted between the workers and the state/private police from the nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. During the nineteenth centuries, Homestead Strikes, Haymarket Affair, 1902 Coal Strike, and Ludlow Massacre occurred and showed that the companies and local government worked closely to stifle labor organizations’ freedom of speech and assembly. On May 1886, the workers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. in Chicago staged a strike, as they demanded a shorter work day. On May 3, police were used to defend strikebreakers and a fight took place; one person was killed and several others were injured. On May 4, some 20,000 demonstrators were expected to show up at Haymarket Square, but rain and cold lowered the numbers down to around 1,500. The gathering was nonviolent until a police official sent a dispersal unit. Someone threw a pipe bomb into the police ranks, which instantly killed four policemen and sixty civilians. The police fired back and killed several workers. The Homestead strikes featured a greater degree of violence, as the company used private militia to respond to workers on strike. In 1892, the Homestead lodges of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company, Limited conflicted during the negotiations for several months and what happened next was The Homestead Strike. Union and non-union workers united and supported their leader Hugh ODonnell. Henry Clay Frick from the company made arrangements with Pinkertons National Detective Agency of New York, so that 300 strike-breaking detectives, called the â€Å"Pinkertons,† would break the strike. Workers sounded alarms when the Pinkertons were seen. No one could say who started the gun shooting, but the detectives fired on the workers and wounded some of the latter. Six days after this, the National Guard of Pennsylvania arrived in Homestead, as ordered by Governor Robert E. Pattison. The company then threw

The Children Act 2004 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Children Act 2004 - Essay Example It would be convenient to talk about the background of Children Act 2004 before moving forward towards its analysis. The primary aim of this Act was to make provisions for instituting a Children’s Commissioner. The main idea behind this move was to appoint person with appropriate authority who could efficiently handle matters related to children’s social protection. After that the Act concentrated on making more efficient procedures for the protection that local authorities provide ‘to’ and ‘for’ children. It was also aimed at family proceedings, child minding, private fostering, adoption of review panels, day care, child safety order, reasonable punishment, publication of material containing inappropriate child content and disclosure by the Inland Review of Information to provide better care for children of Wales. In September 2003, the nation witnessed the tragic news of the death of Victoria Climbià ©. As this heart-breaking news got national attention, the government put out the Every Child Matters green paper besides a formal reply to Lord Laming, who was investigating the matter of the poor child’s tragic death. Lord Laming’s report was an eye opener for many authorities. The report pointed out so many gaps in child protection system that shouldn’t have been there. The more significant aspect of the report was the lack of ‘joined-up reporting’, which was the reason that even the professionals were unable to get an insight to the child’s life. The green paper recommended some crucial reformations that enjoyed full support of the legislation. Lord Laming’s report highlighted crucial failures in the health, social services and the police departments that on12 occasions, Victoria had a chance to live but that chance couldn’t be avail because there was privation of information sharing. That is why the

Domestic Terrorism Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Domestic Terrorism Final - Essay Example In addition, ethnic refugees such as Cuban and Puerto Rican, support local movements that support independence or regime change. One of the main attractions for foreign terrorists in the US is the ability to raise money. While this somewhat distorts the technical definition of 'domestic terrorist', it does indicate the level of cooperation, even when the goals are self-serving. According to Ehrenfeld and Lappen (2007), "A major funding source for terrorist and criminals is the trade in illegal drugs". It has been well publicized that "Islamic extremist organizations, primarily Hizballah, and, to a lesser extent, the Sunni extremist" groups have been cooperating with international terrorists in South America, such as FARC, to raise funds through the drug trade (Hudson, 2003, p.14). These drugs are then marketed through US groups, and according to John Sullivan of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, "organized crime groups in Los Angeles County are supporting international terrorists" (qtd. in Ehrenfeld and Lappen, 2007). 2.) The Internet has become a powerful tool because of its capability to communicate around the globe instantaneously. As with all other technology, it is not the technology that creates the problem. It is the user. Freedom of speech and the right to privacy hold conflicting roles when we examine private communication that incites violence. The public display of speech or information that incites or advocates violence or illegal activity is already illegal in the US (Finkleman, 2006, p.178). A web site that calls for the destruction of property or lives should be taken down by law enforcement and the perpetrators pursued. However, private communication should be considered as a separate issue. E-mails and private messages that travel across the Internet should be treated no differently than printed material. The US has a long tradition of constitutional guaranteed freedoms that included freedom of speech. Most intelligent people also understand that with this freedom comes a responsibility. We are not free to say anything, anywhere. However, private conversations are given extreme consideration, and electronic correspondence should be considered private conversation. I would object to the government intrusion. Though I have nothing to hide, there is the potential for government officials to use their authority to pursue or oppress their political opponents. There is the fear that the label 'terrorist' could be applied to well intentioned social movements, or people who plan to engage in the time honored protest of civil disobedience. Removing freedom of speech from private conversations is a step down a slippery slope that should not be taken. 3.) By definition, 'domestic terrorism' must involve a criminal act. According to the US criminal code Title 18, Part I, Chapter 113B, 2331 (5A), the activity must "involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State" (US Code Collection, n.d.). However, there is a significant difference between disturbing the peace by blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic and the burning of a business, such as the vandalism that did over $1 million damage to the U.S. Forestry Science Laboratory in Rhinelander, Wisconsin that was blamed on the Environmental Liberation Front (ELF) (Terrorism 2000/2001, 2004). The difference is

Drugs and Crime - Neurotransmitters Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drugs and Crime - Neurotransmitters - Assignment Example The brain as an entry of the CNS is the centre of control in the body that has three main components; brainstem, forebrain and the hindbrain. The forebrain’s responsibility is stretched several functions such as thinking, understanding, perceiving, reception and sensory information processing among others. Some of the structures forming it include thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebrum and the cerebral cortex (Nieuwenhuys, 2008). The hind and midbrain from the brainstem. Visual and auditory responses are carried out in the midbrain. About the hindbrain, it stretches from the spinal cord. It holds structures that build it such as the cerebellum and the pons. This region is vital for the maintenance of equilibrium and balance, coordination and conducting the sensory information. The medulla oblongata is also in the hindbrain, responsible for automated functions such as heart rate, digestion and breathing. The spinal cord is also a structure in the central nervous system; it takes a cylindrical form of bundled nerve fibres that are connected to the brain, running in the protective column that extends from the neck. Its nerves relay external stimuli to and from the brain. Body cells contain neurons and are the basic units of the CNS, they hold nerve processes which consist of dendrites and axons to transmit and conduct signals. Axons ferry signals outside the cell body, while dendrites do the reverse (Nieuwenhuys, 2008). Neurons are further classified as sensory or motor, inter-neurons. The motor neurons transport information from the CNS to glands, muscles and organs while the sensory neurons carry information to the CNS from external or internal stimuli. Signals between the sensory and motor are relayed by the inter-neurons The synapse is the gap between the axon and dendrites that holds the synapse fluid where axon releases the neurotransmitters.  Neurotransmitters are mostly associated with dopamine and schizophrenia.     

The Impact of Rising Healthcare Cost on Employer Benefits Essay

The Impact of Rising Healthcare Cost on Employer Benefits - Essay Example One of the most strongly affected employee benefits due to increasing healthcare costs have been retirement benefits. The most common retirement benefits that employers provide to their employees are pension, gratuity fund, healthcare and provident fund. These benefits help in ensuring that the retired employees either have a consistent stream of income or a reasonable amount available to them once they have left the organization. Although the number of benefits offered to employees varies from employer to employer, yet on a larger scale the trend in the industry has been affected negatively. The relationship between healthcare costs and retirement benefits has been inversely proportional. The rise in the former has lead to a decrement in the latter. In many cases the impact has been so grave that employers have had to completely cut down on certain benefits like entitlement to healthcare after retirement, pension and gratuity fund. During interviews with managers and employees at different organizations, it was observed that the inflation in the cost of healthcare has lead to immense dissatisfaction among employees. ... Statement of the Nature of the Issue and its Origins The burgeoning cost of healthcare has affected employers' healthcare coverage plans and other benefit policies. Of all the benefits issues the most severely affected and neglected one has been that of retirement plans. In the past companies used to provide full coverage of employee retirement benefits but now an increasing number of employees have to bear the burden themselves. Employees are spending more time at work to earn more in order to meet the demands of the current life style. Improvements in living standards have caused an increase in expenditure on the whole. Owing to this, retirement benefits play an important role in enabling retirees to maintain life styles as they used to lead during employment. In the past, employers assumed all the risks which came with the benefit plans they offered to their employees. They also made significantly large contributions to these plans. However, with the passage of time, they have been shifting the risks on their employees and minimizing the contributions as well. Over the past 10 years the inflation in healthcare costs has been unacceptably huge. Pension fund which was already facing a continuous decline was hit hard by this. A pension fund is a sum of money paid regularly as a retirement benefit. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the impact of rising healthcare costs on the decline in the provision of retirement benefits by employers. It primarily emphasizes the cut down in pension funds to which the employee was initially entitled. Literature Review By several measures, health care spending continues to rise at the fastest rate in history. In 2005 (the latest year data are available), total

Drugs and Crime - Neurotransmitters Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drugs and Crime - Neurotransmitters - Assignment Example The brain as an entry of the CNS is the centre of control in the body that has three main components; brainstem, forebrain and the hindbrain. The forebrain’s responsibility is stretched several functions such as thinking, understanding, perceiving, reception and sensory information processing among others. Some of the structures forming it include thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebrum and the cerebral cortex (Nieuwenhuys, 2008). The hind and midbrain from the brainstem. Visual and auditory responses are carried out in the midbrain. About the hindbrain, it stretches from the spinal cord. It holds structures that build it such as the cerebellum and the pons. This region is vital for the maintenance of equilibrium and balance, coordination and conducting the sensory information. The medulla oblongata is also in the hindbrain, responsible for automated functions such as heart rate, digestion and breathing. The spinal cord is also a structure in the central nervous system; it takes a cylindrical form of bundled nerve fibres that are connected to the brain, running in the protective column that extends from the neck. Its nerves relay external stimuli to and from the brain. Body cells contain neurons and are the basic units of the CNS, they hold nerve processes which consist of dendrites and axons to transmit and conduct signals. Axons ferry signals outside the cell body, while dendrites do the reverse (Nieuwenhuys, 2008). Neurons are further classified as sensory or motor, inter-neurons. The motor neurons transport information from the CNS to glands, muscles and organs while the sensory neurons carry information to the CNS from external or internal stimuli. Signals between the sensory and motor are relayed by the inter-neurons The synapse is the gap between the axon and dendrites that holds the synapse fluid where axon releases the neurotransmitters.  Neurotransmitters are mostly associated with dopamine and schizophrenia.     

Population Control Essay Example for Free

Population Control Essay INTRODUCTION The myth of overpopulation is one of the most pervasive myths in Western society, so deeply ingrained in the culture that it profoundly shapes the cultures world view. The myth is compelling because of its simplicity. More people equal fewer resources and more hunger, poverty, environmental degradation, and political instability. This equation helps explain away the troubling human suffering in that ‘other’ world beyond the neat borders of affluence. By procreating, the poor create their own poverty. We are absolved of responsibility and freed from complexity. The population issue is complex. Hartmann (1995) asserts that to put it into proper perspective requires exploring many realms of human experience and addressing difficult philosophical and ethical questions. It entails making connections between fields of thought that have become disconnected as the result of narrow academic specialization. It demands the sharpening of critical facilities and clearing the mind of received orthodoxies. And above all, it involves transcending the alienation embodied in the very terms ‘population bomb’ and ‘population explosion’. Such metaphors suggest destructive technological processes outside human control. But the population issue is about living people, not abstract statistics. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH POPULATION CONTROL The myth of overpopulation is destructive because it prevents constructive thinking and action on reproductive issues. Instead of clarifying our understanding of these issues, it obfuscates our vision and limits-our ability to see the real problems and find workable solutions. Worst of all, it breeds racism and turns womens bodies into a political battlefield. It is a philosophy based on fear, not understanding. Now this picture both the population predictions and the social predictions are challenged by those who argue especially against compulsory population controls. It is argued that we do not have accurate figures showing the number of people now existing in the world, that we have no reliable way of forecasting future population growth, that there is no acceptable standard prescribing optimum population size, and that although the pressures of population may contribute to some social ills, they are not the primary cause of them. Those who respond to the population problem in this way point the finger in other causal directions to account for environmental decay to our economic system, which encourages environmental destruction, to our technology which is responsible for high-polluting individualized transportation, and to our minimal emphasis on public or mass transit and so on. They also point to the fact that some nutrition experts give us assurance that food resources exist which would permit the feeding of the worlds population even if it doubled. ALLEVIATING SOCIAL ILLS THROUGH POPULATION CONTROL The point is, this argument continues, that a number of voluntary moves can be undertaken to mitigate whatever causal influences population growth has on our social ills. We can produce more food, redistribute people, provide meaningful jobs for women outside the home, provide family planning programs, contraceptive information and services, early abortions, voluntary sterilization, and so on. Anything short of government coercion. Anything short of violating or overriding what is taken to be a fundamental moral and constitutional right the right to procreate and to have as many children as one wants. Gordon (2002) relates in her book that population control measures would alleviate certain local pockets of poverty, as population excess was relative, not just to the means of subsistence, but also to the system of control over the means of subsistence. In the same light, population control has always been closely associated with economic, moral and feminist issues in the United States. Many had also become aware that development by itself was not a magical solution to rapid population growth. The idea of social reform in early twentieth-century America was embedded in the larger understanding that scientific principles could and should be applied in an effort to alleviate social ills. The great social ills we face today: poverty, war, hunger, disease and ecological degradation are clearly rooted from the sheer effects of population excess to the global situation, which is why the direct solution to the problem, which is population control, is the first and most potent step to take towards lessening the evil impacts of said social ills to the global community. Although many critics claim that overpopulation has been the famous scapegoat for society’s ills, the fact that population could be controlled to a manageable degree could and would facilitate a general ease in the social inequalities being experienced by the world over due to the scarcity of resources available to the privileged few who has the means and the power to be in charge of the distribution or even the consumption of such scant resources. The growth of population very rapid in the less-developed countries, but not negligible in most developed countries, either will continue to compound the predicament by increasing pressure on resources, on the environment, and on human institutions. Rapid expansion of old technologies and the hasty deployment of new ones, stimulated by the pressure of more people wanting more goods and services per person, will surely lead to some major mistakes actions whose environmental or social impacts erode well-being far more than their economic results enhance it. This gloomy prognosis, to which a growing number of scholars and other observers reluctantly subscribes, has motivated a host of proposals for organized evasive action: population control, limitation of material consumption, redistribution of wealth, transitions to technologies that are environmentally and socially less disruptive than todays, and movement toward some kind of world government, among others. Implementation of such action would itself have some significant economic and social costs, and it would require an unprecedented international consensus and exercise of public will to succeed. Throughout its history, the emphasis and primary concern of the population control movement has been the welfare of the family; it has stressed the economic, educational, and health advantages of well-spaced, limited numbers of children. Population control cannot be achieved in a social or economic vacuum, of course. To formulate effective population control measures, much greater understanding is needed about all peoples attitudes toward reproduction, and how these attitudes are affected by various living conditions, including some that seem virtually intolerable to people in developed countries. Even more, it is essential to know what influences and conditions will lead to changes in attitudes in favor of smaller families. OUTLINE INTRODUCTION PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH POPULATION CONTROL ALLEVIATING SOCIAL ILLS THROUGH POPULATION CONTROL WORKS CITED Hartmann, B. (1995). Reproductive Rights and Wrongs: The Global Politics of Population Control. Boston, Massachusetts: South End Press. Gordon, L. (2002). The Moral Property of Women: The History of Birth Control Politics in America. Chicago, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.

Techniques for the Identification of Unknown Microorganisms

Techniques for the Identification of Unknown Microorganisms Identification of Unknown Microorganisms For years and years, we have been trying to classify and understand microorganisms, and in doing so, we learned of certain techniques to identify them based on what they look like, where they live, and what they eat. We used this knowledge to derive simple tests to run, and we used a key to narrow down our choices, all in an effort to identify a microorganism. Beginning in the earliest labs with the earliest microbiologists, the most common way to identify an organism is to look at it and look at what it does. In microbiology of bacteria, is it round (cocci) or rod-shaped (bacilli)? Does it stain purple (gram +) or red (gram -)? Does it use lactose as food, while creating an acidic product that can be observed? These tests based on the physiology/morphology and biochemistry fall under what is known as classic identification  [1]. Classic techniques focus on the ability of a bacterium to grow and reproduce in certain conditions, such as the fact that bile salts can interact unfavora bly with the peptidoglycan cell walls of gram positive bacteria, therefore selecting against their growth. Most tests are used to specifically select for or differentiate between the species, this in conjunction with a dichotomous key helps narrow down the choices until one is satisfactory. In contrast, modern methods of identification are based on the technological advances of recent years, namely, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genetics. The use of PCR to identify bacteria is rooted in the study of genetic coding, in particular, RNA. Every bacterium has strands of RNA that is used to bind the mRNA for translation: the 16s ribosomal RNA (rRNA)  [2]. This sequence is conserved in all bacteria and can be used to identify species after amplification through the PCR process. Since every species has a different genetic make-up, it is simply a matter of time for identification. But for most purposes, getting samples to a PCR and running them takes quite some effort, and a lot of m oney, thus the simpler and more efficient method is the classical testing. At one point or another, we all have gotten the sore throat and cough. These symptoms are sometimes caused by microbes in the pharynx that shouldnt be there. Bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumonia, Haemophilus influenza, and Moraxella catarrhalis can infect the area and cause this sore feeling. A more serious offender, Streptococcus pyogenes, causes what is commonly known as strep throat. These bacteria make the pharynx sore by harvesting erythrocytes and breaking them down as sources of food, in turn, destroying the lining and causing the all familiar sore feeling1. A simple test on a blood supplemented agar helps reveal what source of pathogen is causing the sickness. The agar is inoculated and incubated until growth is seen, and the plate will show a pattern of hemolysis if caused by one of the bacterial pathogens. Beta hemolysis is the ability to fully metabolize the cell and hemoglobin and will produce a clear halo around the colonies. Alpha hemolysis is the partial breakdowns of hemoglobin into billiverdin, making the halo appear yellow/green. Gamma hemolysis is the absence of halo, as it means the organism cannot lyse erythrocytes1. Procedures: Respiratory swab: Take a sterile cotton swab and swab the tonsilary region Inoculate blood agar by rolling the cotton tip in a streak plate method After the initial line, discard the swab in biohazard bin, and continue with a flamed inoculation loop Second swab: Take a sterile cotton swab and swab the tonsilary region Place the swab in a test tube Dilute to 10-3 and 10-4 Make a pour plate with nutrient agar Unknown identification: To start to identify any unknown organism by classical methods, it is necessary to create an appropriate dichotomous key to accompany the tests. The first step to any key is the gram stain; this essentially splits the number of possible organisms in half, gram positive and negative. Further tests based on morphology and biochemistry will select and differentiate between common characteristics of species until one organism stands out. At the start of every lab day, fresh streak plates and broths are prepared to keep the organism isolated and fresh. Take a single colony and prepare streak plates, one for 37 °C and one for 25 °C Prepare broths aseptically in similar fashion Dichotomous key: The dichotomous key was prepared using only the organisms on the list provided by Dr. Maxwell. Gram stain: The gram stain separates bacteria into two main groups, gram positive and gram negative. The peptidoglycan cell walls of gram positive organisms will absorb the crystal violet stain and appear purple under microscope inspection. The gram negative bacteria lose their outer membrane during the decolorization step and will absorb the safranin stain, appearing red. Prepare specimen by taking an isolated colony and heat fixing on a slide Apply crystal violet stain for 60 sec Wash with water Apply iodine fixer for 45 sec Wash with water Rinse with decolorizer for exactly 8-10 sec Wash with water Apply safranin for 60 sec If gram positive, the next step in my dichotomous key is to differentiate based on morphology: is it a cocci or bacilli? This step will split the organisms by shape, essentially cutting the number in half. Using the gram stain slide, look at the shape of the specimen under 100x oil immersion Bacilli are rod-shaped cocci are round If bacilli, run the catalase test. The catalase test will reveal if the organism has catalase, an enzyme used to breakdown harmful oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide, which could be made as a result of metabolism. A drop of hydrogen peroxide is added to the specimen placed on a slide. A positive result will cause bubbles to form, indicating presence of catalase. Put a colony on a slide Add hydrogen peroxide Observe bubbles/no bubbles If catalase negative, as in no bubbles formed, the organism is Lactobacillus acidophilus. The bacteria are part of healthy normal flora and aids in digestion  [3]  . If catalase positive, the endospore stain must be used for further classification. The endospore is a tough spore formed by some bacteria during harsh environments. The spore will be dyed green in contrast to a cell dyed red. Prepare a specimen by heat fixing on slide Cover the slide with bibulous paper Add methylene blue Place slide on steamer over a Bunsen burner Steam for 7-10 minutes, applying additional methylene blue to prevent the paper from drying out Remove slide and paper Cool for no more than 30 seconds and rinse Counterstain with safranin for 1 minute Rinse and blot dry If endospore positive, the bacteria is Bacillus subtilis. The organism is found readily in the soil and can form a tough endospore when conditions become unfavorable. Bacillus is also a great model organism for gram positive studies  [4]  . If endospore negative, the organism is Corynebacterium diphtheriae. This bacterium is the cause of diphtheria, a respiratory infection. If the organism observed is cocci, run the catalase test. The catalase test will reveal if the organism has catalase, an enzyme used to breakdown harmful oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide, which could be made as a result of metabolism. A drop of hydrogen peroxide is added to the specimen placed on a slide. A positive result will cause bubbles to form, indicating presence of catalase. Put a colony on a slide Add hydrogen peroxide Observe bubbles/no bubbles If catalase negative, the organism is Enterococcus faecalis. It is commonly found in the digestive tract of humans and is considered part of the normal flora. It does not produce catalase. If catalase positive, the use of mannitol salt agar is used to differentiate between the staphylococcus and micrococcus bacteria. Mannitol salt agar is used to select for staphylococcus. Staphylococcus aureus will produce a yellow halo. Inoculate the MSA plate with a isolated colony Incubate at 37 °C for 48 hours Observe growth If a yellow colored halo around the colony is observed, it is either S. aureus white or S. aureus gold. The way to differentiate between the two is the color of the colony itself, which respectively is, white or golden (yellow). S. aureus is part of the normal flora and what is the usually cause of infections and pimples. If the MSA plate shows no yellow halo, then it is either Micrococcus roseus or Staphylococcus epidermis. The way to differentiate between them is the color of the colony itself. Micrococcus will appear red in color due to a pigment it secretes  [5]  , while S. epidermis will be a white color. Both are normal skin flora. If the organism is gram negative, the first test to run is the lactose supplement phenol red broth. The purpose of this test is to indicate whether or not the organism can use lactose as a food source. Fermenting lactose will produce an acidic waste and cause the phenol red to change color. A positive test will turn yellow. Inoculate a tube with an isolated colony Incubate at 37 °C for 48 hours Observe color change If the organism cannot utilize lactose, then perhaps it can use glucose as a food source. The glucose phenol red broth tests for a similar metabolic process as the lactose one. Inoculate a tube with an isolated colony Incubate at 37o C for 48 hours Observe color change If the bacteria are glucose negative, then it is either Pseudomonas (Burkeholderia) cepacia or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The two can be differentiated by the pigment of the colonies. P. cepacia will appear a light purple color while P. aeruginosa will be white, and also produce a green pigment known as pyocyanin  [6]  . If glucose positive, a citrate slant must be prepared. The citrate slant tests for the ability to use citrate as a carbon source. A positive result will turn the green slant blue. Inoculate the slant with an isolated colony Incubate Observe color If citrate negative, the bacteria is Proteus vulgaris. It is a bacterium that normally inhabits the intestines of humans and in certain cases can cause infections, albeit in most cases of immunocompromised individuals. If citrate positive, the organism is Serratia marcescens. It also produces a red pigment that can be used to identify it. The bacteria are found throughout environments and can be observed upon bathtubs that dont get washed often  [7]  . If the organism can ferment lactose, then the citrate test is prepared. The citrate slant tests for the ability to use citrate as a carbon source. A positive result will turn the green slant blue. Inoculate the slant with an isolated colony Incubate Observe color If citrate negative, the bacteria is E. coli. This is one of the most used model organisms for gram negative studies in labs. The rod shaped bacteria can cause some food poisoning if ingested. But the best use of it is in the labs, as it is easy to care for, replicates fast, and genetically simple, allowing for genetic research  [8]  . If citrate positive, the bacteria could be either Enterococcus or Citrobacter. The test to differentiate between the two is a Methyl red à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Voges Proskauer media. The MR-VP is used to differentiate bacteria based on the ability to hydrolyze dextrose and create stable organic acids during fermentation. The MR-VP test combines the two separate tests. The positive result for the methyl red test is a red color when the methyl red indicator is added to the media. The positive result for the Voges Proskauer test is a red color. Inoculate two MR-VPs Incubate Add the MR reagent to one tube and observe any color change every 10 mins Look for any color change for the VP test before addition of reagent If MR-VP positive, the organism is Enterobacter. E. aerogenes can cause infections and is considered pathogenic; however it still does exist as part of the normal flora of the human intestines. If MR-VP negative, the organism is Citrobacter. They are ubiquitous in the environment and also inhabit the intestines. Results: Respiratory swabs: The streak plate to identify organisms with hemolytic abilities showed growth of many different bacteria morphologies. Green and white colonies were observed to be growing on top of the plate. The media remained red throughout; no indication of any white spots. The pour plates for were both too numerous to count. Unknown organisms: The organisms were isolated using a streak plate. Two isolations were obtained at two temperatures, 25 ­o C and 37o C. the plate at room temperature showed red pigmented colonies (B), while the body temperature plate showed thick white colonies (A). A third unknown was given pre-inoculated (C). Three biochemical tests and two morphological tests were used to identify the first unknown organism after isolation. A gram stain revealed that the organism was gram positive; being violet under the 100x oil immersion lens. Also while under the microscope, it was revealed that organism A was cocci. A catalase test was done and organism A was determined to be catalase positive, producing bubbles after addition of hydrogen peroxide. The unknown bacteria were inoculated on a mannitol salt agar, which showed the halo, a positive result. To identify between the two staphylococci aureus, the pigment of the colonies was used: white. A gram stain revealed that organism B was gram negative; red under the 100x oil immersion lens. A lactose and glucose tube was inoculated in the same period to identify the ability to utilize those sugars. The organism was not able to metabolize lactose and was able to use glucose. A citrate slant was inoculated, after 48 hours the butt and slant of the citrate slant was turned blue; positive result. The third unknown was tested to be gram positive. A catalase test came out negative, producing no bubbles. Conclusions: Respiratory swab: Because no halo or clearing of any kind was observed in the media around the colonies, it can be safely said that none of the organisms in our throat swabs contained bacteria capable of hemolysis. This lack of hemolytic ability is known has gamma hemolysis. The pour plates were TNTC. This is probably because the dilutions performed were not enough; too many organisms were taken per tonsil swab. At the time, both participants were mildly sick and had seasonal allergies, possibly contributing to the amount of organisms per swab. Unknown organisms: Three unknown organisms were presented for identification. Organism A was successfully identified as Staphylococcus aureus white. What lead to that identification is that S. aureus is a gram positive cocci that produces catalase and is able to use mannitol and grow on the mannitol salt agar and produce the halo; it was determined that the color of the colonies was white as opposed to gold. S. aureus is a common bacteria found on the skin and part of human normal flora. The bacteria can cause minor infections of the skin and can sometimes cause serious diseases and infection if it reaches the systemic circuit  [i]  . Organism B was identified as Serratia marcescens. It is a gram negative rod that can ferment glucose and citrate, but not lactose. It is a common environmental bacterium that can sometimes cause infections in skin and the urinary tract. S. marcescens is part of the family enterobacteriaceae and produces a red pigment that can be found on bathtubs and tiles, feeding on soap residues  [ii]  . Organism C was identified to be Lactobacillus acidophilus. It is a gram positive rod that does not produce any catalase for hydrogen peroxide breakdown. The bacteria are part of Lactobacillus which ferments sugars into lactic acids. This bacterium is used often for the production of many dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. L. acidophilus is part of normal human flora and can be found on the skin or gut. Sometimes it is used as a probiotic supplement. It also prevents Candida from overgrowing in the female vagina  [iii]  . All three organisms were identified successfully with the use of classic techniques.

Evaluation of Writing :: Education Educational Writer Writing Essays

Evaluation of Writing Works Cited Missing "We need to recognize that composition is probably going to remain the stepchild of rather unwilling English departments, that research in teaching and learning to write will continue to scrape by on the edges of several disciplines, and that few of those who will teach writing in American schools and universities will get much training or background as part of their regular education." -E. White (Teaching and Assessing Writing) In retrospect, I fail to remember consistent writing practices or writing assignments in English class (or otherwise) as a student in middle or secondary school. Luckily my love for and skill at creative and critical writing was encouraged by my parents and has remained at the heart of what I have chosen to pursue as a career. However, students whose writing is not only discouraged but is not treated fairly and properly in terms of evaluation have few options: to begin to regard writing as frivolous and unimportant; to remain underdeveloped in the areas of mechanics let alone harnessing of creativity and stylistic technique. Evaluation, as does actual instruction of writing, remains underdeveloped as well. Tension lingers between teachers who either are intimidated by evaluation processes or reject too rigidly structured models and the necessary aspect of not only teaching students how to write but teaching writing as a process which, in the end, requires assessment. Ultimately what has been absent in the past and is lacking still is agreed upon (by teachers, administrators, and test practitioners) theory and practice of sound writing programs and evaluation measures. Two major components, whose relationships fuel the tension that inhibits a consensus, are the contrasts between holistic and analytic approaches to evaluation and hence writing as process or a mix of isolated skills. It is with interest that I research what has historically been found to work and not work with regards to practical and purposeful evaluation procedures that, in and of themselves, should reflect thoroughness but also serve as an integral component of good writing. The Whole Picture versus Isolated Elements Surely on opposite ends of the English education spectrum are the camps who advocate subjectivity and overall quality of writing and those who approach writing with analytic reductionism. Holistic proponents value writing in terms of its ultimate expression while reductionists believe that the whole is merely a sum of its parts (White, 18). Holistic assessment contradicts the notions of not only evaluating writing as a series of independent skills but also multiple choice testing as a means of determining writing ability (testing which requires the labeling of sentence components).