Wounded Platoon

REACTION PAPER THE WOUNDED PLATOON Kevin Shields, a 24-year old Army Soldier, went out drinking with three Army buddies on November 30, 2007, from Fort Carson, Colorado, a base close to Colorado Springs. A few hours later, he was dead. He was shot twice in the head at close range and left by the side of the road by his army buddies. Shields' violent murder accentuated one of many violent attacks committed by the three Army buddies, who are now serving time in prison for Shield’s death and other crimes as well.Since the Iraq war began, a total of 18 soldiers from Fort Carson have been charged with or convicted of murder, manslaughter or attempted murder committed at home in the United States, and 36 Army soldiers have committed suicide. In the movie The Wounded Platoon, FRONTLINE investigate a single Fort Carson platoon of infantrymen, the 3rd Platoon, â€Å"Charlie Company† 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, and finds that after a long period time away from home, serving th eir country, a group of young men changed by the war in Iraq and suffering from a range of psychiatric disorders that many blame for their violent and self-destructive behaviors.Since returning from Iraq, three members of the 3rd Platoon have been convicted on murder or attempted murder charges; one was jailed for drunk driving and another for assaulting his spouse; and the other one has attempted suicide. They could not stop bragging about the amount of innocent people they have murdered and they have gotten away with it. â€Å"There's a whole bunch of people in the unit that killed people they weren't supposed to,† according to Bruce Bastien, who, along with Louis Bressler and Kenny Eastridge, is now serving time for the murder of Kevin Shields.In a stunning confession recorded by police interviewers and shown for the first time on television, Mr. Bastien admits to his role in the murder of two U. S. soldiers and the stabbing of a young woman during a robbery in Colorado Sp rings, thefts and murders are being committed in our own backyard by our own Army soldiers whose work is to protect us and our country. Mr. Bastien also makes claims about more murders committed in Iraq during the surge. â€Å"It's easy to get away with that kind of s**t over there. You can just do it and be like, ‘Oh, he had a gun,' and nobody really looks into it. ‘F*** it, it's just another deadHaji. ‘† But that excuse did not go too well for them here. While the Army has concluded that there is no evidence to back up Bastien's allegations of soldiers killing innocent Iraqis, PBS, Fontline also speaks with platoon member Jose Barco, who makes a similar claim. â€Å"We were pretty trigger-happy,† he says of the soldiers' time in Iraq. â€Å"We'd open up on anything. We usually rolled three or four trucks, and if one of them got hit and there was any males around, we'd open up, and we'd shoot at them. They even didn't have to be armed. † They have extended their behaviors here at home and even turned on their own Army buddies.ScienceDaily (Sept. 15, 209) The Veterans’ Administration should expect a high volume of Iraq veterans seeking treatment of post traumatic stress disorder, with researchers anticipating that the rate among armed forces will be as high as 35%, according to the Management Insights feature in the current issue of Management Science, the flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS ®). 35% of our soldiers suffer from PTSD. The VA system which is already experiencing significant delays for PTSD treatment provision, urgently needs to vamp up its mental health resource capacity.Our soldiers are becoming mass murderers abroad and at home. Is it PTSD, boredom or just because they can get away with it? Anything less than manditory PTSD therapy upon return should be considered less than acceptable to the American public. We ask these personnel to put t heir ordinary lives on hold, commit unspeakable acts of valor and return to America without support and understanding. We can not begin to imagine the horrors these people have witnessed or experienced. With manitory treatment by psychotherapists, the stigma would be removed and maybe they would have a regained sense of morality. Being from N.C. and witnessing the struggles of returning military personnel from wartime, we need to do so much more for them. This was an excellent film and is exactly what I expected from Frontline. No opinions or hidden agendas. Just the facts and the room for us to interpret. I think we need to step back and remove the original problem, which is waging illegal wars in other countries. We are sending our people in there to be damaged, then trying to â€Å"fix† them, most of the time so they can become functional enough to go back on a deployment and do violence upon others and be re-traumatized. That is insanity.Did you notice how the assistant c hief of staff to the army talks about the soldiers as though they are products or commodities to be shipped to the front based on â€Å"supply and demand? † That is, indeed, exactly what they are. Just another pair of boots on the ground, just like any iraqi is â€Å"just another haji, like cattle or a dog. † These soldiers are de-humanized in the same way they have de-humanized the alleged â€Å"enemy† and that may be the moral lesson for them all. This should give any person a lot of pause before they voluntarily (and remember everyone, it is voluntary) signs up for this irrational, cowardly work. This should give any person a lot of pause before they voluntarily (and remember everyone, it is voluntary) signs up for this irrational,cowardly work. † You need to jump back with your bad self,you and like minded others are as much to blame as the incompetent system I've had to deal with because of my own issues,you reek of the snide arrogant sort who spend t he day blaming America for every wrong in the world before going home to sleep at night under that blanket of safety provided by better men than you,the same men you call cowards.You're not fit to lick the mud off any of my brother's boots What ‘blanket of safety' did the War in Iraq provide for anyone? It was and is a complete disaster that has cost us over 4,000 soldiers lives and $1 trillion to US taxpayers. It was waged based on lies by ‘chicken hawks', men like Dick Cheney who got 5 deferments when it was his turn to fight in Vietnam yet has no problem sending young American men and women to die for ‘weapons of mass destruction and liberating the Iraqi people. What a joke. The ‘support the troops' campaign is nothing but a Pentagon marketing strategy to take the onus off of the government's awful policies. If you really want to support the troops, look at the policies themselves and the terrible decision making that when into waging them and make sure it never happens again. We can support the troops by avoiding the needless deaths of 4,000 soldiers and the countless wounded. Thats real patriotism, saving American lives from needless death.I’m sure many Americans are scared of the same thing happening to their soldiers coming home in their hometown who are now in Afghanistan. So far our media has not really made any connections between crimes at home and PTSD. It will only be time. I’m also sure that our Military is keeping quiet. Sending our young men into combat result to PTSD, Madness, and violence backhome. The VA will ne er have enough resources to take care of the broken minds and bodies that wars have created.

Evaluate the idea that gender and sexuality are socially constructed Essay

In recent years sociologists have been studying the great extent to which gender roles are learned. Many behaviors that have traditionally been thought to be genetically determined male or female behaviors turn out to be learned behaviors and therefore subject to change in future generations. In a summary of gender role socialization studies, David Shaffer (1979) points out that by the age of two, children have generally learned to recognize â€Å"maleness† and â€Å"femaleness† on the basis of clothing and hair styles. By the age of three, children usually have learned to prefer sex-typed toys and recognize that girls become â€Å"mommies† and boys become â€Å"daddies†. By school-age, children realized that they are expected to engage in appropriate gender behavior and if they do not, they will meet with disapproval from other children and adults. Many sociologists have personally questioned the value of such early gender-role learning and raised questions about how this learning can inhibit later opportunities in terms of education and career selection (Howe, 1979). To understand how gender and sexuality are socially constructed we must look at the adaptive and functional nature of socialization. One can look at the content of socialization as adaptive for the individual and functional for the society. As adaptive for the individual, the content of socialization involves knowledge necessary for individual to adapt to the changing situation of their daily lives, while, as a function for society, the content of socialization involves the knowledge necessary for its members to maintain a society as an ongoing entity. Knowledge of social rules, appropriate emotional behavior, social situations, technical knowledge, one’s self-identity, and communicative abilities give individuals an ability to adjust their behaviors to one another in the different groups and situations in which they encounter each other. Such adjustments are necessary for the ongoing existence of a society. Only people know how to adjust their behaviors to each other can the group activities and relationships which make up a society be maintained. Only with a socialized adult population can anything such as a society be said to exist. The particular content of socialization becomes highly important in terms of the make-up of the society that one is observing. If the content of socialization were to change, people’s activities and motivations would change, and clearly the society would change. So, on a sociological quest the content of socialization is something to which the sociologist should and must pay attention (O’Brien, 2001). Charles H. Cooley (1964), a pioneer of American socialization studies, referred to an individual’s self-concept as a â€Å"looking-glass self†. Cooley implied that our self-conceptions reflect our interpretation of the relations to our behavior of those around us with whom we interact. According to Cooley, we not how others respond to our actions, which produces in us a feeling about ourselves, which influences how we perceive ourselves. For instance a person who drops something and overhears another’s remark about how clumsy he is, may come to think of himself as a clumsy individual. We come to think of ourselves in terms of our understanding of how others think about us. It is through interaction that we come to apply to ourselves such labels as â€Å"kind† or â€Å"mean†, â€Å"awkward† or â€Å"graceful†. To see oneself as beautiful is to interact with persons who see you as meeting the criteria of beauty. Whether one sees oneself as an ugly duckling or a beautiful swan depends upon the flock with which one swims. As a naturalistic and empirical quest for understanding the various aspects of social reality is that everyone both influences and is influenced by society, sociology is ultimately a quest for self understanding. Humans beings are not isolated entities; we are not hermits who live apart uninfluenced by one another. Rather, we are social beings who can only be fully understood when the social context of our actions are taken into account and carefully studied. In order to carry out the quest for sociological knowledge it is necessary to have an understanding of the types, uses and limitations of the various sociological tools or methods. The sociological quest can be the appropriate sociological map or theory (Shaffer, 1979). Now I want to look at social life as a process and structure in the social construction of gender and sexuality. Social life involves processes of socialization, culture, and deviance. Learning how to act in society via socialization, developing and sharing of orientations toward social life via culture, and the negative sanctioning of inappropriate behaviors via the labeling process of deviance are universal processes, which are necessary to social life, and found in all societies. Although their particular make-up will vary from society to society, these three processes exist in all human societies. But, in addition to these processes, there also exists in all societies some relatively permanent patterns of organized social life that sociologists refer to as social structures. It is within and through social structures that the processes of socialization, culture and deviance take place. Just as the processes of human life take place in the structure of the human body so, too, the processes of society take place within and are influenced by social structures (Macionis, 1997). The most basic social structure around and through which social life takes place are groups; groups range in size from relatively small informal groups such as families, to large bureaucracies and formal organizations such as businesses and governmental agencies. All groups are composed of members who have met certain criteria for membership, who play certain understood roles in the group, and who have a sense of group belonging, which is sometimes termed a â€Å"we-feeling† or a â€Å"consciousness-of –kind†. Groups, related to one another in terms of their performing similar social activities, together from the social structures called social institutions. For example all the groups primarily involved in educational activities together form a society’s educational institution. It is through and in groups, and the institutions that they compose that the basic social processes of a society take place. It is in social groups that the learning of socialization takes place that cultural roles are shared and acted upon, and that deviance is ascertained and punished. People know how to perform roles in groups because they have knowledge of how to act which they developed in the process of socialization, because they share cultural understandings with other group members with whom they interact, because they have an understanding of what is considered deviant and unacceptable behavior in the various groups to which they belong (O’Brien, 2001). When we consider how females and males differ, the first thing that usually comes to mind is sex, the biological characteristics that distinguish males and females. Primary sex characteristics consist of a vagina or a penis and other organs related to reproduction, secondary sex characteristics are the physical distinctions between males and females that are not directly connected with reproduction. Secondary sex characteristics become clearly evident at puberty, when males develop more muscles, a lower voice, and more hair and height while females form more fatty tissue, broader hips, and larger breasts. Gender is a social and not a biological characteristic. Gender consists of whatever traits a group considers proper for its males and females. This is what makes gender vary from one society to another. Sex refers to male or female, gender refers to masculinity or femininity, so sex you inherit and you learn your gender as you are socialized into specific behaviors and attitudes (Gilmore, 1990). The sociological significance of gender is that it is a device by which society controls its members. Gender sorts us on the basis of sex, into different life experiences. It open and closes doors to power, property, and even prestige. Like social class, gender is a structural feature of society. Biology plays a significant role in our lives. Each of us begins as a fertilized egg. The egg, or ovum, is contributed by our mother, the sperm that fertilizes the egg by our father. At the very moment the egg is fertilized, our sex is determined. Each of us receives twenty-three pairs of chromosomes from the ovum and twenty-three from the sperm. The egg has an X chromosome. If the sperm that fertilized the egg also has an X chromosome, we become female. If the sperm has a Y chromosome we become male. That’s the biology. Now the sociological question is, does this biological difference control our behavior? Does it make females more nurturing and submissive and males more aggressive and domineering? (Macionis, 1997) Almost all sociologists take the side of â€Å"nurture† in this â€Å"nature vs. nurture† controversy. The dominant sociological position is represented by the symbolic interactionists. They stress that the visible differences of sex do not come with meanings built into them. Rather each human group determines what these physical differences mean for them and on that basis assigns males and females to separate groups. It is here that people learn what is expected of them and are given different access to their society’s privileges. Most sociologists find compelling argument that if biology were the principal factor in human behavior all around the world we would find women to be one sort of person and men another. In fact, ideals of gender vary greatly from one culture to another and as a result, so do male-female behaviors. For example the Tahitians in the South Pacific show a remarkable contrast to our usual expectations of gender. They don’t give their children names that are identifiable as male or female, and they don’t divide their labor on the basis of gender. They expect both men and women to be passive, yielding and to ignore slights. Neither male nor females are competitive in trying to attain material possessions (Gilmore, 1990). Society also channels our behavior through gender socialization. By expecting different attitudes and behaviors from us because we are male or female, the human group nudges boys and girls in separate directions in life. This foundation of contrasting attitudes and behaviors is so thorough that, as adults most of us think, act and even feel according to our culture’s guidelines of what is appropriate for our sex. Our parents are the first significant others who teaches us our part in this symbolic division of the world. Their own gender orientations are so firmly established that they do much of this teaching without even being aware of what they are doing. This is illustrated by a classic study done by psychologists Susan Goldberg and Michael Lewis (1969). They asked mothers to bring their 6 month old infants into their laboratory to supposedly observe the infant’s development. Secretly these researchers also observed the mothers. They found that the mothers kept their daughters closer to them. They also touch and spoke more to their daughters. By the time the children were 13 months old, the girls stayed closer to their mothers during play, and they returned to them sooner and more often than did the boys. When they set up barriers to separate the children from their mothers, who were hiding toys, the girls were more likely to cry and motion for help, the boys ere likely to try to climb over the barrier. Goldberg and Lewis (1969) were able to conclude that in our society mothers unconsciously reward their daughters for being passive and dependent, their sons for being active and independent. These lessons continue throughout childhood. On the basis of their sex, children are given different kinds of toys. Preschool boys are allowed to roam farther from home than their preschool sisters, and they are subtly encouraged to participate in more rough and tumble play. Even get dirtier and to me more defiant. Such experiences in socialization lie at the heart of the sociological explanation of male/female differences (O’Brien, 2001). In today’s society mass media plays a vital role in gender and sexuality roles. Sociologist stress how this sorting process that begins in the family is reinforced as the child is exposed to other aspects of society. Especially important today are the mass media, forms of communication that are directed to large audiences. Powerful images of both sexes on television, music and the internet reinforce society’s expectation of gender. Television reinforces stereotypes of the sexes. On prime time television, male characters outnumber female characters by two to one. They also are more likely to be portrayed in higher status positions. Viewers get the message, for the more television that people watch; the more they tend to have restrictive ideas about women’s role in society. The expectations to the stereotypes are notable and a sign of changing times. Video games have some youths spending countless hours playing games. Even college students, especially males, relieve stress by escaping into video games. But more studies into the affect of these games on the ideas of gender are needed. Because the games are the cutting edge of society, they sometimes also reflect cutting edge changes in sex roles (Macionis, 1997). As women change their roles in society, the mass media reflects those changes. Although media images of women are passive, subordinate, or as mere background objects remain and still predominate, a new image has broken through. Exaggerating changes in society, this new image nonetheless reflects a changing role of women, from passive to active in life outside the home, from acquiescent to dominate in social relations. Books, magazines, DVD’s and video games are made available to a mass audience. And with new digital advances they have crossed the line form what we traditionally think of as games to something that more closely resembles interactive movies. Sociologically, what is significant is that the content of video games socializes their users. Gamers are exposed not only to action, but also to ideas as they play. Especially significant are gender images that communicate powerful messages, just as they do in other forms of mass media (O’Brien, 2001). Lara Croft, an adventure seeking archeologist and star of Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider 2, is the essence of the new gender image. Lara is smart, strong, and able to utterly vanquish foes. With both guns blazing, she is the cowboy of the twenty-first century, the term cowboy being purposely chosen, as Lara breaks gender roles and assumes what previously was the domain of men. The old remains powerfully encapsulated in the new. Lara is a fantasy girl for young men of the digital generation. No matter her foe, no matter her predicament, Lara always is outfitted in form fitting outfits, which reflect the mental images of the men who created this digital character. Their efforts have been so successful that boys and young men have bombarded corporate headquarters with questions about Lara’s personal life. Lara had caught young men’s fancy to such an extent that more than 100 web sites are devoted to her. The final reward of the game is to see Lara in a nightie one can question that regardless of tough girl images just how far stereotypes have been left behind (Macionis, 1997). Gender stratification gives males and females unequal access to power and prestige and property on the basis of sex. It is closely associated with class and caste stratification and is a related phenomenon of gender stratification. Some but not all societies have men and women as unequal with the latter being more seen. Sexual in equality is characteristic of societies that are stratified in other ways as well. Women have historically occupied a position of inferiority to men in the class structured societies of the Western world. Sexual inequality may sometimes be seen in societies that are not otherwise stratified, in such instances men and women are always physically as well as conceptually separated from one another. The rise of gender stratification often seems to be associated with the development of strongly centralized states. Because social stratification of any kind tends to make life oppressive for large segments of a population, the lower classes are usually placated by means of religion, which promises them a better existence in the hereafter. Gender inequality is not some accident; instead it is the institutions of each society that work together to maintain the group’s particular forms of inequality. Customs throughout history both justify and maintain these arrangements. Although men have resisted sharing their privileged positions with women, change has come (O’Brien, 2001). By playing a fuller role in the decision making processes of our social institutions, women are going against the stereotypes and role models that lock males into exclusively male activities and push females into roles that re considered feminine. As structural barriers fall and more activities are engendered, both males and females will be free to pursue activities that are more compatible with their abilities and desires as individuals. As they develop a new consciousness of themselves and their own potential, relationships between females and males will change. Certainly distinctions between the sexes will not disappear. There is no reason for biological differences to be translated into social inequalities. The reasonable goal is appreciation of sexual differences coupled with equality of opportunity which may lead to a transformed society.

Analysis of Surrealism

You will have every lesson for the next two weeks to complete this SAC. Your final piece of work is to be submitted, along with any hand-written notes you have taken, no later than Friday June 10th. PART 1: The Surrealist Movement Using the knowledge you have gained in class, as well as your own further research, discuss the historical context in which the Surrealist movement emerged and flourished. (hint. Analyses the relationship between The Surrealist Movement and the political, social and economic developments of the period.Examine and discuss the work (in general) of The Surrealist Movement. Describe the aims, methods and achievements of the Surrealists throughout the early twentieth century. PART 2: A surrealist Artist Choose ONE (and only ONE) Surrealist Artist and profile them. How did they and their work personally contribute to The Surrealist Movement? Consider the response to or the effect of their work at the time it was produced. What impact did this work have on the soc iety in which it was produced?Are their works still significant today? Examine and discuss the work (in general) of your chosen Surrealist Artist. Describe the aims, methods and achievements of this artist throughout the early twentieth century. Identify to what extent the themes of disillusionment, loss of confidence, anxiety or a celebration of the modern or of a political belief are present in these works. PART 3: surrealist Art Choose ONE (and only ONE) piece of art (painting, sculpture etc. ) from your chosen Surrealist Artist. Into – include a copy of this piece, as well as the title, artist, materials (egg. Oil on canvas, iron sculpture etc. ) and year it was created. Give a detailed analysis of the subject of the piece of art. What statement was your chosen artist making by producing this work? How was it received by society at the time it was produced? Is it viewed differently today than what it was when it was first produced? Why/how? What impact did this work have on the society in which it was produced? Is the piece still significant today? Why/why not?

Identifying a problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Identifying a problem - Assignment Example According to various research based articles that describes qualitative, descriptive as well as longitudinal analysis of obesity problem, the major causes of obesity include heavy smoking, poor eating habits and lack of body weight management strategies (Marchiondo, 2014). A number of statistical information also indicates that obesity is one of the leading disorders resulting into many death cases in many communities in the United States (Weiss, Weisser, & Salario, 2014). This is due to the fact that, one of the major problems affecting older nurses currently is the problem of obesity. Despite this, there are various interventions that can help in reducing the problem among the nurses (Marchiondo, 2014). A number of research studies also indicate that nurse’s proper regular exercise and healthy living lifestyle practices are very effective in controlling, reducing as well as preventing obesity and overweight cases among patients (Marchiondo, 2014). In that sense, those who involve in regular exercise are less likely to be affected by overweight as compared to those who lacked the motivation to involve in regular exercises and healthy living styles (Marchiondo, 2014). It is also important that those who are affected by obesity to involve in proper sleeping habits as well as healthy eating habits reduce the chances of obesity and overweight among them (Newman, 2009). Therefore, this paper will mainly discuss the problem of obesity increase and overweight challenges in various clinical conditions and environments in health care system industry in United States. The paper will also provide various impacts of obesity in relation to patient’s health care safety system. Finally, the paper will discuss a number of solutions that can be used to reduce the problem of obesity among health workers such as nurses in clinical institutions in the United States. The problem of obesity and overweight mainly originates from poor healthy habits resulting

Plastic Pollution in oceans (marine Life) due to human activity Term Paper

Plastic Pollution in oceans (marine Life) due to human activity. Research - Term Paper Example The pollution caused due to plastic is increasing at a very fast pace and that is because the demand for products produced through plastic is increasing day by day. According to Andrady 80 million tons of plastic and plastic waste is found in the marine regions throughout the globe (Andrady 1). There are various causes as well as harmful effects of plastic pollution in marine life, but at the same time several steps can be taken to solve the issue of oceanic regions being polluted due to plastic. There are various causes due to which plastic pollution in oceans is experienced. One of these causes is that plastic enters the oceans and water in an indirect manner. There are many ways through which plastic can enter the water in an indirect manner. One of the most common ways is that plastic based garbage is left on the coastal areas by those individuals who are recognized as beachgoers. The problem is that water reaches the coastal areas and absorbs the plastic waste and travels back into the sea area along with plastic products. Another method through which plastic waste reaches the oceans is recognized as land runoff. This event takes place when huge amount of rain water moves plastic waste from the land area to the sea area. A third method through which plastic debris reaches the ocean is through the route of sewage. This means that plastic waste travels to the oceans when that waste is dumped in sewage and rivers which carries the waste to the sea. A fourth method through which plastic waste reaches oceans is through the heavy winds that blow plastic debris from land area to oceans (Andrady 1). According to Andrady, around 80% of the plastic waste or debris that is found in the oceans is caused due to the plastic waste that enters the oceans through indirect means such as littering of the coastal regions by those who are beachgoers (Andrady 1). Other than indirect transfer of plastic

Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Health care - Essay Example Since, they deem politicians or administrators lack adequate medical experience useful in devising policies meant to upgrade medical field as necessitated (Williams & Torrens, 2008). The assuming of administrative roles by medical professionals is of great importance (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Since, they do possess adequate knowhow regarding their sector besides varied experiences, which they do posses. Therefore, while in the top, they will devise and execute policies as per their knowledge regarding various issues, which entail quick response, or undertaking (Williams & Torrens, 2008). This is contrary to the politicians or elected administrators who in most cases end up devising or implementing irrelevant policies. Since, they do not align with what may be of great essence at a particular period (Holmes, 2010). Mainly, these mistakes adversely affect service delivery thus extending to the patients and even practitioners (Williams & Torrens, 2008). The issue’s concern via the assistance of health professionals will improve medical field’s operations. Since, the field’s experts will be in a position to offer advice to politicians and ensu re certain essentials are in place. These essentials not only ease service delivery but also ensure that practitioners’ working conditions are secure (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Besides, the assuming of administrative roles by health professionals will aid in linking other related sectors effectively, which a politician could not have thought about them. For instance, suppliers, accrediting agencies besides devising policies meant to ensure suitable service delivery especially by varied health organizations (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Both the topic and issue of concern bear critical roles of ensuring HMO operations run smoothly (Williams & Torrens, 2008). This is because

The Violence currently facing Colombia's dispossessed Essay

The Violence currently facing Colombia's dispossessed - Essay Example Thousands of people have lost their lives and millions are being put out of place. Large number of ingenious people, Afro-Columbians and farmers were forced to leave their relatives and native lands because of violence. Growing conflicts and calamities among the armed forces and guerrilla groups changed the land into dispossessed status and it indicates that the country could soon experience a revolution such as one impacting Mexico during 1910s. Studies and researches have recognized that the underlying cause of this crisis is related with U.S policies which promote the killing of millions of common people in Columbia. News reports about the dispossessed reveals the story that thousands of Columbians were relocated by years of war and state-backed terrorism. Analyzing the history, one can see that existing policies of the United States paved the way for a revolution. Therefore, one feel comfort to agree the statement that â€Å"The violence currently facing Colombia’s  "dispossessed† is indicative that the country could soon experience a revolution such as the one impacting Mexico during the 1910s†.The root cause of the crisis in Columbia lie its weak state, a divided ruling class, and two party political system which strictly prevented any kind of participation or voice from the common people. Periodic party competition between the Liberals and Conservatives led the country to armed conflicts. Things became worst, when the Liberal government passed measures for protecting social security and workers’ right of the same kind to Roosevelt’s New Deal. The emerging of Second World War collapsed reforms activities and President Alfonzo Lopez Pumarejo forced to face strong opposition from inside and the outside of his party. The assassination of Jorge Eliecr Gaitan, the leader of rebels paved the way for unending violence and conflicts. In 1986 election, fighting armed forces and guerillas faced general election as the result o f Government’s invitation. But after the election government and the armed Right go back on their promises. The election procedures false down and more than 3000 people were murdered. All armed forces came back to their own previous status, especially the guerillas returned to the hills and took arms. Existing armed conflicts and outrage violence in Columbia, indicates the emergence of a revolution. The book entitled, The dispossessed: chronicles of the Desterrados of Colombia by Alfredo Molano describes the conflicts took place in Columbia .Author clearly mentions about the U.S policies and its political supports towards the Columbian government indirectly acts as a catalyst in the process of spreading violence. From the very beginning, Alfredo Molano reveals the cause and effects of current war between military force and the guerillas. Author explores the real cause of conflict by saying; â€Å"Neoliberal policies forcing competition between small Columbian farmers and int ernational agribusiness drove more than five million farmers off their lands in the 1990s† (Molano, 2005, p.21). The arriving of the drug cartels and the paramilitaries in to the warfront changed the nation in to a land of political anarchism. Conflicts between the international agribusiness groups and small Columbian farmers promoted economic stagnation and food problem all over the country. As a result of political, ideological, and military polarizations guerilla

What Problems do UEL Student Expect to have in their Future Essay

What Problems do UEL Student Expect to have in their Future Professional Careers and what are their plan to over come it - Essay Example It will gather data from UEL student and analyse it in more depth. The above question analyses two parts of the research. The first part analyses the data generated from the small scale. The second part includes a personal development plan showing how and to what extent studying for the degree has been beneficial to me as a student. The reason for this is because by being in the corporate market students will be capable to link their responsibilities at work with what they will be learn during their degree course. Today’s technology is significantly changing the way Universities teach and how students learn. There are great possibilities for the academic institutions with change in equipping graduates in competing in knowledge economy. Witte &Steijn (245–264.) describes that; students who want to do Master studies should have work experience before doing so. Dale et al.(1998) shows the other reason is that working before taking on degree builds student’s self con fidence and determination for them to take up the studies in order to improve their working skills. In certain areas of work, using a more practical approach and having acquired work experience enables one to have a competitive edge in the job market. Andrea (2010) shows having a working experience is necessary because it is true that some skills may never be taught in a classroom but are acquired though working experience. Methodology In my research I have decided to choose interview and questionnaire. Questionnaires method is one of the most popular concepts of conducting research because it’s easily filled and straightforward. However interview is more complex to analysis as it’s challenging to code and produce graph and chart to display the results. This type of method focuses on conversation between both the interviewee and the interviewer. (Rosemary 2009) quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interview research are the selected data collection methods. The d ifference between both methods is information to be collected in-depth and the other generated statistics. The questionnaire was simple and it started with few closed questions. The questionnaire was designed in a simplistic fashion. It consists of multiple questions in order to reflect the main aspects, which are; retrieving the demographics and the prospect of student aspect, the problems student would encounter in the future and finally plans and measures student would undertake to improve the chance of employability and reduce risks. The questionnaire was given out to student in my seminar and also in the library of UEL. To analyse the data gathered from the questionnaire will be coded and inputted into Microsoft Excel (Kothari 2001). Consequently the data will be integrated into graphs, tables and charts in order to assess and compare against each other. Interview was conducted after the quantitative data collection in order to gain more qualitative insight the issue. The inter view process was subjected to trial to prevent any issue up rising. In order to exclude this, a passive interview method was executed. One to one method of research will be conducted where both interview and the interviewee exclusively focus on the topic being researched (Kahn and Cannel, 1957). The interview was conducted at the same manner as the questionnaire. The reason for using this method is because it’s informal, it also takes less time to process data and it is flexible to use. Holliday (2007) puts it that this method is also effective as there is no moderation or control of data collection environment. Interview is also effective as it provided interactive features if the interviewer had appropriate technology. Personal interaction with the respondent is also beneficial as they feel more relaxed and candid to

Health education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health education - Essay Example Morrie had begun to hide his real emotions, when his father married another woman, and he had stipulated to desist in uttering about his late mother. His stepmother was able to fill-in the missing piece he all had ever wanted, but his father remained inexpressive to him. His father wanted to sustain the secrecy of his wife’s death with his youngest son, Morrie’s little brother. All Morrie’s had to prove the existence of their mother was the telegram letter that their mother sent them when she was diagnosed and died. From then on, young Morrie had to hide everything about his mother and kept his sorrow and affliction on his own self (â€Å"Tuesdays with Morrie: Plot overview,† n.d.). The significant thing that this system emphasizes is that Morrie’s emotions that he had been keeping all throughout his childhood have caused him intense isolation. The death of Morrie’s father. The death of his father seemed to be unimportant for the young Morrie. As per time, he was a teenager when his father died. His father was walking down the street when a guy attempted to block his way and showed him a gun. Morrie’s father immediately picked up his wallet from his pocket and began to run. His father seemed to be so scared, and it was last to his belief that he had heart problems, which caused him to death. The moment he saw his father, he felt nothing but hatred. He could not forgive his father, and to cry for his death was not even an option for him. Such a feeling had led him to stay away from his family and lived with friends (â€Å"Tuesdays with Morrie,† 2008). The importance of this system signifies Morrie’s sense of hatred that rooted from his father. The emergence of ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Life was going well for the old Morrie until he discovered his deteriorating illness. He was diagnosed with ALS, or commonly termed as Lou Gehrigs disease, which is deadly and incurable (Felice, White, & Chow, 1998). Morrie commenced to desist doing usual

Domestic Crime Rate and the Right to Bear Arms Research Paper

Domestic Crime Rate and the Right to Bear Arms - Research Paper Example Furthermore, in Unites States v Cruikshank and Presser v Illinois, the court held that the Second Amendment restricted only the federal government. Several of the state laws relating to the ownership of guns have been upheld on the basis of these decisions (Vernick , Rutkow , Webster , & Teret , 2011, p. 2022). Main Body The Gun Control Act of 1968, provides that no convicted felon should possess firearms. This has been amended by the Lautenberg Amendment, which extends the preclusion of firearms possession to individuals convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. This amendment was aimed at preventing the convicted perpetrators of domestic violence from carrying firearms (Guns and domestic violence, 2008, p. B4). In addition, armed domestic abusers pose a very great risk. In fact, around 67% of the females who are killed by firearms have been shot by their intimate partner. The weapon of choice in intimate partner homicide is the firearm. There is a five – fold inc rease of risk of homicide for females, when firearms are present in the home. These are indeed disquieting figures, and such data induced Congress to amend the Gun Control Act on several occasions. For instance, in 1994, an amendment was made to this Act, which precluded any individual subject to a domestic violence protective order, from possessing a firearm. This was followed, in the year 1996, by the Lautenberg Amendment, which prohibited any individual convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing a firearm (Wilkinson & Meisner, 2011). However, in the absence of the necessary level of regulation and supervision over entities that could make substantial profits by evading the laws, an effective gun control mechanism cannot be implemented. To its discredit, Congress... The Second Amendment Rights to bear firearms is not an exclusive right granted by the constitution. It does have limitations to provide a restraint on bearing firearms under certain circumstances. The federal law and the laws of many states do not permit an individual who has been convicted of a misdemeanor of domestic violence or who is under a restraining order to possess a firearm. However, there are several shortcomings, when it comes to implementing these laws. There is considerable scope for improving the situation, and there should be proactive initiatives to confiscate weapons from the prohibited intimate partner violence offenders. All the same, laws that preclude the possession of firearms by such individuals, actually bring down instances of domestic homicide. Reckless act of violence could be significantly reduced by having tougher gun control law in place. It would indeed be very helpful, if a license had to be obtained by every purchaser of a handgun. In addition, the l icense should be provided only after the purchaser had completed a course on the responsible use of firearms.

Fast food restaurant Essay Example for Free

Fast food restaurant Essay Introduction Fast food is very common in Hong Kong. We can find at least one fast-food restaurant nearby. McDonald, KFC, Burger King, Triple O’s, Cafe de Carol can be found everywhere in Hong Kong. Fast food means that the food can be prepared and served very quickly. It can save us time and is convenient. [pic][pic][pic] The aim of this report is to investigate fast food culture in Hong Kong nowadays. Firstly, trend of fast food culture in Hong Kong would be given in order to get further understanding of fast food. Secondly, negative impacts of fast food would be discussed. Thirdly, despite the fact that Hong Kong people are more aware of their health, fast food restaurants have emerged. Lastly, comparison between fast food shops and fast-service shops would be mentioned to find out how these two types of shops affect customers’ choice of catering. Mr. Victor Chan, the Managing Director of the Triple O’s, Hong Kong franchise, was interviewed to find out the answer. Current situation [pic]Fig. 1 Top 10 Global Markets for weekly Fast Food. According to the survey from ACNielsen (Refer to figure1), Hong Kong has the highest percentage of eating fast food in the world, with 61 per cent of people eating fast food at least once a week. The survey was conducted in October 2004 over the internet in 28 countries and regions across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US. It showed that more and more people are obsessed with fast food. Nine per cent of Hong Kong people visited fast-food restaurants at least once a day; 86 per cent of people visited at least twice a month. In the first nine months of this 2004, Hong Kong people visited fast-food restaurants on average seven times a month and spent $ 160. The survey revealed fast food has become a part of Hong Kong people’s lives. Hong Kong people are in fast pace of life. People have less time to eat and are busy to work. It makes fast food become more and more popular because it is convenient and comfortable. It replaces the position of traditional restaurants and these fast food shops have dominated our society gradually. Negative impacts of traditional fast food There are thousands of fast food shops in Hong Kong. They have totally changed eating habit and daily life of Hong Kong people. Albeit fast food is delicious and tasty, it brings several health problems. Fast food contains lots of fats and high calories. For example, McDonald’s provides a Big Mac, large fries and a large Coca-Cola drink which have 1430 calories. In fact, 2000 calories is the maximum amount a person needs in each day. Big Macs in Hong Kong contains more fat and cholesterol than those in the world. According to nutritional information on the companys website, each Hong Kong burger weighed 560 calories but 80 calories is more than Australia, 67 calories more than Britain and 60 calories more than the Middle East. Obviously, fast food leads to obesity and diabetes, and increases the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Apparently, fast food contains high calories and lack in nutrition. Fast food is not proper meal that people can eat every day. Besides this, facing the influence of mass media and the trend in Hong Kong, slim body figures are encouraged. Therefore, Hong Kong people realize the importance of health. They are willing to eat healthy food with low calories and fats. In order to meet the demand of healthy and higher nutritional food from Hong Kong people, fast food shops start to provide healthy food to customers. For example, McDonald’s try to give more choice to customers by providing healthier food, likes fresh salad and low fat yogurt. Fast food culture in Hong Kong has changed. Emergence of Fast-service food shops in Hong Kong Interview with Triple O’s – White Spot Because of the rise in living standard and change in eating habits of Hong Kong customers, traditional fast food shops, such as McDonald’s and KFC, can no longer meet the demands of customers. The emergence of a brand new type of catering choice – fast-service food shops, introduces a new dining experience to Hong Kong customers, thus, bringing a positive and striking impact to the catering industry. One of the most successful fast-service food shops in Hong Kong is Triple O’s – White Spot, which was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1928, best known for its hamburgers In 2003, Triple O’s expanded its business to Hong Kong, setting up the first shop in the Great food hall in the basement of Pacific Place, Admiralty. Until 2010, there are already 5 Triple O’s established throughout Hong Kong, in which the franchises each record more than twice as many sales as the average location in BC. In order to know more about fast-service food shops, an interview has been conducted with the managing director of the Triple O’s, Hong Kong franchise, Mr. Victor Chan. [pic] [pic] Triple O’s – White Spot aims to provide high quality, home-made and healthy fast food and family-friendly services to create a new kind of dining experience to customers. According to Mr. Chan, Triple O’s’ in Hong Kong have to follow strictly the menu and ingredients set by the Canadian headquarters to ensure its high food quality. For instance, unlike traditional fast food shops that only focus in lowering their production cost, Triple O’s’ milkshakes are made of fresh milk and premium ice-cream. Burger beef is from Australia, delivered fresh to Triple O’s in Hong Kong, not frozen. Mr. Chan added that Triple O’s’ menu will not change in order to suit the appetite of Hong Kong customers, therefore resulting in a limited choices of food in their menu compared to other fast food shops. In order to provide freshly made burgers, it usually takes up to 5 to complete a whole meal set. That is why customer-friendly service is provided in Triple O’s. Instead of ‘self-help’ service in traditional fast food shops, waiters will deliver meals to customers in person, offering customers efficient dining services. Besides that, because of the insistence of high quality ingredients, price of food is again higher than that of fast food shops. Yet, it does not affect customer’s choice of catering since they are now enjoying a higher living standard, willing to spend more for the return of good food and nice service. Triple O’s’ success is also a result of change in eating habits and perceptions of Hong Kong customers. The idea of ‘thin is in’ is widely spread by the mass media, people are getting more conscious about their physique and health, leading to the rise of a new kind of eating habit – healthy eating. Believing that traditional fast food shops’ only provision of deep-fried food, customers tend to look for healthy, yet, delicious fast food for substitution. Triple O’s hit the exact demand of customers. ‘Food in Triple O’s is generally low in fat and that no preservatives and artificial flavours are added in. Vegetarian burgers and lots of vegetables are included in every meal set in order for customers to achieve a balance diet,’ said Mr. Chan, ‘healthy cooking methods are also used, such as roasting and grilling of burger beef and chicken stripes with refined olive oil rather than deep-frying. Fries with potato skins are again intended to provide dietary fibre for better digestion of customers. † Customers are free to choose according to their personal preference, having a custom-made burger in any way they want, like whether to add in any dressing in their burgers. Another special feature of Triple O’s is that there is no advertisement about it at all. â€Å"We rather spend our money in purchasing high quality ingredients than wasting them on advertising. We believe that with our food and service, reputation can be build up in no time. Once again, we prove ourselves right! † said Mr. Chan. Marketing is clearly not the major concern of Triple O’s. â€Å"From the fast food shops’ point of view, we (fast-service food shops) have become a huge competitor to the traditional fast-service shops. Like McDonald’s, they are, in fact, following our way in preparing food and provision of service. However, since there is vast difference between us and traditional fast food shops, we don’t treat them as a direct competitor. Our aim is not only to provide fast food to customers, but a new dining experience, which makes us unique in the catering industry. † Mr. Chan concluded by the end of the interview. Comparison between Fast food shops and Fast-service food shops Fast food shops have always been one of the dominating choices of catering. Yet, in recent years, there are a definite increasing number of fast-service food shops in Hong Kong, which result in an intense competition between the two. In the following table, we use the example of McDonald’s (fast food shops) and Triple O’s (fast-service food shops) to show the major differences between fast food shops and fast-service food shops, which affect customers’ choice of catering. [pic] [pic] |Differences |Fast food shops (McDonald’s) |Fast-service food shops (Triple O’s) | |Quality of food |Low |High | |Ingredients used |Use of low quality ingredients to cut off production cost| Strictly follow the Canadian headquarters’ use of high | | |e. g. |quality ingredients e. g. | ||milkshakes – milk, water, and milk |milkshakes – fresh milk and premium | | |powder |ice-cream | | |burger meat – organ meat mixed with |Burger meat – Australian imported, | | |bread crumbs and onion |pure beef | |Method of cooking |Deep-frying |Grilling and Roasting | |Health consciousness |Less |More | | |- lack of vegetables and fruits in the menu |- inclusion of vegetarian food choices | | |- unhealthy cooking method used |- healthier cooking methods used | | Flexibility of ordered food |Standardized food |Immediate, Custom-made e.g. | | |- Burgers are pre-made for purchase, which follow a |- Customers may add in more vegetables in their burgers or | | |uniform standard. |choose not to add any dressings at all. | |Food choices |Wide variety |Limited as it must follow the menu of their headquarters in | | |- Burgers, fries, ice-cream, different types of |Canada | | |fried-food, soft drinks, pies†¦ |- burgers, fries, onion rings, chicken stripes, milkshakes | |Characteristics |Fast, convenient | High quality of food, | | | |brand new type of dining experience | |No.of shops in HK |More |Less | |Cost |Low |High due to the high quality of ingredients used | |Services |Less |More | | |- provides only ordering services in the cashier |- provides not only ordering and packing up services, but | | | |also delivery of meals to customers like restaurants | |Advertisements |More |None | | |- wide coverage via the mass media (e. g. TV ads, the |- building up reputation by customers’ word of mouth | | |Internet, newspaper) |- money used in quality ingredients rather than in | | | |advertisements | From the above comparison, we can see that fast-service food shops introduces a brand new kind of catering experience to Hong Kong by providing high quality of food and efficient, customer-friendly services. As customers are being more health conscious, fast-service food shops seem to have hit the market, drawing enormous attention from customers of other types of catering choices, especially those of fast-food shops. Customers also enjoyed the idea of ‘immediate and custom-made’. Customers are able to order in according with their preferences. Burgers are freshly made with A-grade ingredients immediately upon order, which freshness of food can be completely guaranteed. Together with the efficient and friendly service provided, fast-service food shops seem to fulfill and satisfy the demands of picky customers. The success of a few fast-service shops in Hong Kong is inevitably bringing in a competitor to traditional fast-food shops. Conclusion In the past two decades, Hong Kong has inevitably been an international city under the great influence of fast food culture. As the only demand for food is efficiency, the mere provision of fast and convenient food could already satisfy the demands of most customers. Yet, with the improvement in economic level, living standard and change in eating habits of customers, fast food shop could no longer provide them with what they want. Customers are more willing to enjoy quality and healthy food and nice service when dining, thereby, leading to the introduction of fast-service food shops to Hong Kong. Fast-service food shops bring in huge impacts and brand new ideas to the fast food world. Not only efficiency, quality of food, provision of service and health consciousness should be brought into considerations in order to fulfill the demands of customers. The emergence of fast-service food shops provides a new choice of catering for customers, which leads to intense competition between fast food shops and them. Competition between the two definitely brings positive impacts to the catering industry. Traditional fast food shops seem to realize their shortcomings and need of change, now even McDonald’s follow the way of fast-service food shops by providing immediate-made burgers instead of pre-made ones. Because of the vast difference between fast food shops and fast-service food shops, it is difficult to determine at this stage that which one of them can dominate the fast food industry. The only thing for sure is that customers are, always and forever, the winner in this match, having to enjoy the great food! Reference OWikipedia OOfficial homepage of Triple Os Hong Kong OSouth China Morning Post OHong Kong Yahoo OACNielsen OHKUSPACE [pic] [pic] [pic] Vocabulary Sheet – Fast Food Culture |Word (parts of speech) |Meaning | |Dietician (n) |a person who is an expert in nutrition or dietetics | |Fast-food addict (n) |a person who is addicted to fast-food | |Americanization (n) |assimilate to the customs and institutions of the U. S. | |Delicacies (n) |something delightful or pleasing, esp. a choice food considered | | |with regard to its rarity, costliness | |Sedentary (adj) |characterized by or requiring a sitting posture | |Coronary (adj) |of or pertaining to the human heart, with respect to health | |Superficial (adj) |shallow; not profound or thorough | |Standardize (v) |to bring to or make of an established standard size, weight, | | |quality, strength | |Unpalatable (adj) |not palatable; unpleasant to the taste | |Franchise (n) |the right or license granted by a company to an individual or group| | |to market its products or services in a specific territory | |Variant (adj) |tending to change or alter; exhibiting variety or diversity | | Proliferate (v) |to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively | |prominent (adj) |standing out so as to be seen easily; conspicuous; particularly | | |noticeable | |Prevalent (n) |widespread; of wide extent or occurrence; in general use or | | |acceptance | |Ubiquity (n) |the state or capacity of being everywhere, esp. at the same time | |Detrimental (adj) |causing detriment; damaging; harmful | |Umpteen (adj) |innumerable; many | |Flavor-enhancing (adj) |enhancing the flavor of food | |Paramount (adj) |chief in importance or impact; supreme; preeminent | |Consumer-friendliness (n) |products of non-harmful elements to consumers |

Professional Development Plan Essay Example for Free

Professional Development Plan Essay The group members of Learning Team D 3 took a DISC assessment test to determine their personality styles, strengths and weaknesses, and areas that need enhancement. The group members are (Antonia, Brenda, Matthew, Robin, Steven). The Professional Development Plan will give a description of the strengths, and weaknesses each personality styles, individualities each styles share, and characteristics that may cause conflict, and how each styles can work together for the betterment of the organization. As well as to show how I, the manager can improve my abilities to lead from each team member. The DISC assessment generated two personality types within the group: Cautious, and Dominance. Three out of the five members of the group including my-self are labeled as Cautious. The Cautious strengths entails independence, dependable, good listeners, ask numerous questions over critical information, and are good at follow-through, they want perfection, and tend to be tense with themselves and others when under pressure, they have a natural curiosity about people, and are concerned about what people expect, think, and feel, they have strong affections to their personal interests, undervaluing the time required to complete tasks, being intuitive and observant about situations and people, they tend to associate their self-worth with their work accomplishments, and are intrigued by concepts, ideas and processes. They are known for being assessors and tend to have strong opinions about people and groups with whom they do not agree or identify. Their weaknesses of Cautious are they tend to work at a slow pace, unlike The Dominance personality types who are goal-oriented, fast-paced, take authority, and willing to challenge outdated thinking and ideas. Dominance weaknesses are what make them stand out from Cautious personality type. Dominance is not afraid to bend the rules; they become annoyed with delays, and prefer to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission to make certain decision on assignments. In order for each group member to work together as a team; it is important to first understand each member’s strengths and weaknesses and utilize them as a tool for the group  to accomplish their goal. Evaluating the different personality types I’ve come to the conclusion that Dominance and Cautious types are similar in personality traits, they are both problem solvers, efficien t, productive, independent, and have the same sense of irritations. The only differences between these two types are the pace in which they choose to work. The Cautious style prefers to work at a slower pace whilst, the Dominance style prefers to work at faster pace. Subsequently, understanding each personality styles, the characteristics of each member, and what each group has in common. We now need to utilize each of these characteristics and use them as a tool to accomplish our goals. For example, if our group was working for a financial organization, the Cautious types would be best place in a Human Resources position or even in the Marketing department. Those positions require individuals that possess such traits as being detail oriented, independent workers, and follow-through on certain types of assignments. Dominance type would be greater in managerial positions, for they like to take charge, and are comfortable in a fast paced environment; they are willing to take on challenges head on, and don’t mind taking risks. In order for the organization to run smoothly all these positions need each other in order to become succes sful, and to work as a team. Even though my personality style is Cautious I feel a good leader is usually passionate about the organization and his or her work, exudes confidence in his or her abilities, can organizes and makes sense of complex situations, maintains high standards and inspires others to do the same, can motivate and inspire employees, and is generally looked up to as a person of vision (Hill, 2009). This is a quote I feel strongly about and would want to base my leadership style on. I agree with the whole statement it expresses, and feel I can be inspirational with my group and motivate them to accomplish our goals. As a leader, I look forward to learning the skills that are required in order to become a better leader/manager. The DISC assessment has shown the different characteristics each personality styles possess. There are numerous traits each type shared, and a few that could cause conflicts, we must learn that we are all different individuals who have different learning styles and traits, as a result, we much learn from each other in order to grow and become better individuals, and need to help each other to be better individuals whether in work or educational environment. It is imperative  that each group member have an understanding on how to rely on each other even though there is discomfort with the various types of personalities. My capability to lead the team will be based on my willingness to learn from each team member and to understand that we should work as a team and not as an independent person on a project. All of the information provided above plan will be supervised closely, with periodic meetings organized in order to allow employees to give their views, opinion and concerns about various topics, that way it will help to ensure that full compliance is being achieved. I believe it is imperative that regular (weekly) monitoring is performed to make sure that the organization stays on track on all assignments, and concerns are being discussed, this will help ensure the long term success of the organization, and recognizing each individual’s style, as well as their strengths, and weaknesses will permit a more personal and individualized approach taken in regards to team dynamics and goal achievement. Reference Alessandra, Tony, Ph.D., and Michael J. O’Connor, Ph.D. 1996. The Platinum Rule ®. New York, NY: Warner Books. DISC Test and DISC Assessment: Explained. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.discinsights.com/whatisdisc#.VBMXGGOEzSg Hill, C. (2009). NY Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/2.1353/ effective-leader-article-1.372028 Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational Behavior (15th ed.). : Pearson. University of Phoenix. (2014). DISC Assessments [Multimedia]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, LDR531 website.

Central Giant Cell Granuloma (CGCG) Case Study

Central Giant Cell Granuloma (CGCG) Case Study ABSTRACT: Central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) is an intraosseous lesion which occurs as an uncommon benign condition in jaws. WHO defines this intraosseous lesions as â€Å"a lesion that contains multiple foci of haemorrhage, consisting of cellular fibrous tissue and there is trabeculae of woven bone. It may become aggressive leading to expansion and perforation of the cortex. Mobility and displacement of the involved teeth and root resorption are often observed. Here is a case report of an 18 year old female patient who is diagnosed with an aggressive type of CGCG. KEYWORDS: Central giant cell granuloma, granuloma, giant cell granuloma, giant cell lesions. Introduction Central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) is a benign proliferation of fibroblasts and multinucleated giants cells that almost exclusively occurs within the jaw. It commonly occurs in young adults showing a female predilection.1 CGCG rarely occurs in areas elsewhere other than the jaws, like maxillary sinus, temporal bone, cranial vault and other bones of the craniofacial complex.2 It was thought that CGCG is a reparative lesion as it develops in response to intrabony hemorrhage and inflammation secondary to trauma. However, it can be considered as an aggressive lesion because of its aggressive behaviour as seen in the present case. Case report A 18 year old female patient, presented with a painful swelling over the lower border of mandible of 3 months duration. The patient had a history of trauma 6 months back with fractured 31. On extra oral examination, gross asymmetry of face was seen with a diffuse swelling of approximately 34 cm size on chin. Lymph nodes were not palpable. Local examination revealed a diffuse swelling extending mentolabial sulcus, inferiorly below the lower border of mandible and antero-posteriorly extending from the midline to the level of corner of mouth both side extending 1.5cm size. Colour over the surface appeared normal; no ulceration or discharge from the swelling was seen. Surface of the swelling was smooth, consistency was hard. The swelling was non – fluctuant; No rise in temperature, no pulsations were felt. The swelling was tender on palpation. On intraoral examination, tenderness on palpation was evident in relation to left mandibular canine and first premolar. No lingual expansio n. Based on the history given by the patient and the clinical examination, a provisional diagnosis of traumatic bone cyst in relation to anterior lower border of mandible was given. However, radiographic examination was suggested to confirm the provisional diagnosis. Orthopantomographs demonstrated normal anatomic hard tissue structures with a diffuse radiolucency seen in the mandibular anterior region crossing the midline , measuring approximately 3 cm x 3.5 cm, extending medio-laterally from 34 to 44 and supero-inferiorly from the apex of mandibular anterior extending to 1.5 cm below the level of inferior border of mandible suggestive of expansion of inferior border of mandible with sclerotic border on superior aspect and no sclerotic border inferiorly. Based on the clinical and the radiographic examination, differential diagnosis of odontogenic keratocyst, ameloblastoma, osteosarcoma and central giant cell granuloma were considered. Histopathological evaluation of the excisional biopsy specimen showed the presence of connective stroma containing numerous young fibroblasts as well as multinucleated giant cells. Trabeculae of osteoid and woven bone were also seen in the periphery. Numerous extravasated RBCs were present within the connective tissue stoma. These findings are suggestive of CGCG, but in order to differentiate this from brown tumor of hyperparathyroidism, we carried out blood investigation, to find the serum calcium, serum phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels, which are found within normal limits. Based on the above histological and investigational findings, a diagnosis of CGCG was given. Discussion Central giant cell granuloma is a benign intraosseous lesion of the jaws. Jaffe in the year 1953, described this intraosseous lesion as â€Å"central giant cell reparative granuloma†.1 Since there is not reparative process, the name â€Å"reparative giant cell granuloma† was denominated. The etiology and pathogenesis of CGCG is unknown, but the granulomatous process is induced by an exacerbated reparative process due to trauma and haemorrhage.3 Giant cell granuloma is considered as a benign proliferation of fibroblasts and multinucleated giant cells that occurs almost exclusively within the jaws. It is seen in all age groups ranging from 2 to 80 years, but more than 60% of the cases occurs under the age of 30 years.5 Although Sex distribution varies in different reviews, CGCG show female predilection with a prevalence of almost twice that of males.4 It commonly occurs in mandible ,anterior to the first molar ,often crossing the midline. It occurs in the short tubular b ones of hands and feet and also in the other bones of facial skeleton and cranial vault but rarely occurs in craniofacial bones. 6 It may be peripheral or central. The peripheral lesions occur as pedunculated or sessile lesions where the central lesion is endosteal. Females, children and young adults have more predilection since the female male ratio is 2:1.7, 8 The main etiological factor for this lesion is trauma. The lesion progresses by accumulation of tissue which due to slow and continuous haemorrhage of multicentric nature as a result of trauma and defect in the capillaries. 9 Though the CGCG is a benign lesion, it occurs as aggressive and non-aggressive types. The aggressive type shows painful and rapid growth occurs in younger patients and often involves cortical perforation and root resorption and may recur. The non-aggressive type is of slow growing, asymptomatic, without any resorption or perforation of the involved teeth and it never recurs.10 The signs of CGCG are a painless swelling, which causes facial asymmetry, where the radiological investigations reveals that there is unilocular or multilocular radiolucency, which is well or ill-defined with variable expansion along with destruction of cortical plate. Since the radiological appearance of this lesion is not pathognomonic, it is usually confused with the other lesions of the jaws. But the final diagnosis is based on its histopathology, though the clinical and radiological features are not specific.11 Histopathological features reveal that it is comprised of dense proliferation of oval or spindle shaped cells with varying number of multinucleated giant cells containing 20 nuclei. There is a deposition of hemosiderin, extravasted RBC’s, foci of osteoid material dystrophic calcification around the periphery of the lesion.12 Though multinucleated giant cells are in more in number, they cannot be considered as proliferative cells, since the macrophages, mesenchymal cells and fibroblasts are accountable for the growth of the lesion. Hence these cells release cytokines that stimulate the proliferation and recruitment of blood monocytes to become osteoclast like cells.13 The multinucleated giant cells may be large or small in number and they may be irregular or round cells that contains more than twenty nuclei which are responsible for bone resorption and local progression of lesion.14 The giant cells containing more nuclei and dese cellular stroma are found to be more aggressive and may relapse after surgical treatment.13 Some studies reveal a significant difference in the number of giant cells in aggressive and non-aggressive lesions where other studies reveal only few differences in the cell size in histomorphic analysis. Some of them found that the aggressive lesions show the higher number of giant cells with more irregular shape, where the giant cells are larger. There is a an increase in the mitotic activity along with a difference in histomorphic analysis which indicates increase in the fusion of resident macrophages and recruitment of monocytes and also there is higher metabolic activity of multinucleated giant cells that shows an aggressive clinical behavior.15 According to the differential diagnosis of the central giant cell granuloma , based on radiological investigation, being a small unilocular lesions it may be confused with granulomas and periapical cyst and the large multilocular lesions it may be ameloblastoma or lesions the resemble PGCL ,aneurysmal bone cyst, central odontogenic fibr oma, brown tumor of hyperthyroidism, giant cell tumor. The CGCG and brown tumor of hyperparathyroidism resembles each other histologically, in having an intense endogenous brownish pigmentation of hemosiderin. The additional test that help in diagnosis are serum calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone and alkaline phosphatase levels which are normal in CGCG, but increased in brown tumor of hyperparathyroidism. The CGCG usually occurs in both maxilla and mandible but the giant cell tumour more commonly occurs in the epiphyses of long bones. But both the lesions appear as osteolytic defects radiographically but can be differentiated histologically. Evidence reveals that the giant cells are larger, numerous and more round in giant cell tumor in CGCG, with a higher number of nuclei and eventually dispersed. There is fewer foci of osteoid material, areas of haemorrhage and there is deposition of hemosiderin and fibrosis and the stroma contains large and oval cells. The aneurysmal bone cyst can be differentiated from CGCG in having a network of multiple cystic cavities fill with blood within thin walls. Depending on the clinical and radiographic findings, if there is a well-defined lesion, curettage can be done where there is low recurrence, but if it is extensive lesion with perforated cortex, the radical excision is mandatory. Sometimes even partial maxillectomy or mandibulectomy and jaw reconstruction plates or placement of bone grafts can be done. Conclusion Based on the clinical, radiological, histopathological features, it is considered as an aggressive variant of CGCG, which is rare in occurrence. More clarification is needed regarding the pathogenesis and nature of giant cell lesions.

Why Some Small Businesses Fail Essay -- Economics Business Management

Why Some Small Businesses Fail It is hard to measure the size of a business. According to The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), an SME can be described as a business that employs between 0-49 people. However a company such as a Chemical Plant may employ less than 49 people but have a turnover of  £20 million. So according to the number of employees, the DTI would class it as a small business. However, according to the level of turnover it could be classed as a large business. The size of the firm is generally measured by the amount employed1. The amount of SME’s is forever increasing. There are many reasons for the increase, such as; improved technology, ability to sub-contract part of business and public sector being encouraged to become smaller. There is also Push and Pull factors that help people come to the decision to be self-employed. â€Å"Push factors† include people who are unemployed or made redundant decide to venture on their own. This may be simply starting their own window cleaning service. Another â€Å"push factor† is the â€Å"Pratt factor† this is when an employee finds himself working for someone else less talented and wonders ‘why am I working for you?’ so decides to start up on his own. The amount of SME’s is forever increasing. There are many reasons for the increase, such as; improved technology, ability to sub-contract part of business and public sector being encouraged to become smaller. There is also Push and Pull factors that help people come to the decision to be self-employed. â€Å"Push factors† include people who are unemployed or made redundant decide to venture on their own. This may be simply starting their own window cleaning service. Another â€Å"push factor† is the â€Å"Pratt factor† this is when an employee finds himself working for someone else less talented and wonders ‘why am I working for you?’ so decides to start up on his own. â€Å"Pull factors† include peoples increasing desires to exploit an opportunity, turning their hobby into a business, the motivation to work independently and when people become older they sometimes inherit money; they sometimes put this money into a business venture they perhaps previously couldn’t afford. The failure rate for small businesses is very high. The probability that your new business will make it past the third year is less than 25%. In other words, over three-... ...elves in a whole too deep to dig themselves out of. It was now too late for them to ask for advice and the shop closed down. My advice to my friend was to learn by his mistakes and try again. It is inevitable that small businesses will carry on failing. Sometimes the reason behind the failure cant be helped. However from reading this essay you should gather that the majority of the times, failure could have been prevented. In fact 82% of the time when businesses fail, the owners really could have done something differently to stop it from happening. REFERENCES 1 Business Studies by Dave Hall, Rob Jones, Carlo Raffo. Edited by Ian Chambers.(1996) 2 www.compulink.co.uk 3 www.bcentral.com 4 The Business Environment (second edition) by Ian Worthington and Chris Britton. Published 1997 by pitman publishings JOURNALS USED  ¹ Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol 9, Issue 1.Learning the hard way: the lessons of owner-managers who have closed their businesses. By David Stokes and Robert Blackburn.  ² Journal of Management Development, Vol 13, Issue 7. Managerial Competences in Small Firms. By Graham Martin and Harry Staines.

Bartleby, the Scrivener :: Bartleby Scrivener Essays

Bartleby, the Scrivener Bartleby, the Scrivener was a most interesting story. The characters were very interesting to the intuitive reader. The narrator is an interesting man who is difficult to completely understand. The narrator's thoughts seem unclear even to himself. The narrator seems to have a sincere wish to help Bartleby in whatever way he can. His sincerity, though, is questionable. Every time the narrator tries to assist Bartleby, he seems to do it only to gratify himself. After the narrator informs Bartleby that the office must be vacated, he says to himself, "As I walked home in a pensive mood, my vanity got the better of my pity." The narrator is glad to have gotten rid of Bartleby, but only it seems, because he gave Bartleby money. This quasi- sincerity does seem to take a turn, however, towards the end of the story. After all the trivial attempts to help Bartleby, the narrator seems to have an instant of true feeling for Bartleby. After moving, and being rid of Bartleby, someone comes to him on Bartleby's behalf. The narrator goes to the prison to check on Bartleby only because he cares and knows that nobody else does. He knows that if he does not check on Bartleby's well- being, no one will. This shows that he is truly beginning to care. This man, the narrator, is also a very weak willed man. He seems to put up with nearly everything. He tolerates the tempers of both Turkey and Nippers day after day. Both these men appear to be alcoholics, as for instance, when Turkey returns from lunch he is not able to write without blotting the paper. When the narrator suggests that the two scriveners work only half a day, they refuse. And so, the narrator allows the behavior to continue. Also, when Bartleby first starts work, the narrator says that he placed him behind a screen so that he, ' Might entirely isolate Bartleby from my sight, though not to remove him from my voice." This wall served no real purpose other than to set himself apart from the scriveners, that is, to make hi mself feel more important. Also, when the narrator asked Bartleby to do something, Bartleby said simply that he, "would prefer not to." The narrator allowed this behavior and offered no discipline. Bartleby did whatever he felt like doing. Again later, Bartleby quit working altogether. Bartleby, the Scrivener :: Bartleby Scrivener Essays Bartleby, the Scrivener Bartleby, the Scrivener was a most interesting story. The characters were very interesting to the intuitive reader. The narrator is an interesting man who is difficult to completely understand. The narrator's thoughts seem unclear even to himself. The narrator seems to have a sincere wish to help Bartleby in whatever way he can. His sincerity, though, is questionable. Every time the narrator tries to assist Bartleby, he seems to do it only to gratify himself. After the narrator informs Bartleby that the office must be vacated, he says to himself, "As I walked home in a pensive mood, my vanity got the better of my pity." The narrator is glad to have gotten rid of Bartleby, but only it seems, because he gave Bartleby money. This quasi- sincerity does seem to take a turn, however, towards the end of the story. After all the trivial attempts to help Bartleby, the narrator seems to have an instant of true feeling for Bartleby. After moving, and being rid of Bartleby, someone comes to him on Bartleby's behalf. The narrator goes to the prison to check on Bartleby only because he cares and knows that nobody else does. He knows that if he does not check on Bartleby's well- being, no one will. This shows that he is truly beginning to care. This man, the narrator, is also a very weak willed man. He seems to put up with nearly everything. He tolerates the tempers of both Turkey and Nippers day after day. Both these men appear to be alcoholics, as for instance, when Turkey returns from lunch he is not able to write without blotting the paper. When the narrator suggests that the two scriveners work only half a day, they refuse. And so, the narrator allows the behavior to continue. Also, when Bartleby first starts work, the narrator says that he placed him behind a screen so that he, ' Might entirely isolate Bartleby from my sight, though not to remove him from my voice." This wall served no real purpose other than to set himself apart from the scriveners, that is, to make hi mself feel more important. Also, when the narrator asked Bartleby to do something, Bartleby said simply that he, "would prefer not to." The narrator allowed this behavior and offered no discipline. Bartleby did whatever he felt like doing. Again later, Bartleby quit working altogether.

To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: Great Courage -- Kill Mockingbird essays

Courage in To Kill A Mockingbird Courage is shown within the characters of To Kill A Mockingbird in several situations. The characters are challenged to face danger or pain without fear. The courage they display gives them strength and deepens their self-understanding as the novel progresses. Early in the novel, Scout illustrates the courage she embodies. On her first day of school, Scout acts as an ambassador for the entire class. She takes the duty of informing Miss Caroline of Walter Cunningham's situation. Miss Caroline had just scolded Scout for her ability to read, however, Scout still feels the classes' need for leadership. Most children at her age would fear speaking to the teacher is such a bold fashion. Scout shows advanced maturity for her age, and this allows her to successfully act upon her courage, rather than suppressing its existence. Walter Cunningham, himself, was shy and fearful of speaking to the teacher. Scout over came the petty fears that plagued the remainder of the class, and acted out of Walter's best interest. Her courage spoke in Walter's absence, and inability to express his monetary situation. Jem is faced with a courageous situation in regards to the Radley house. His courage stems from fear of receiving a whipping from Atticus, and more important, his disapproval. Jem is willing to risk his life in order to save his father from showing disappointment. The threat of Mr. Radley waiting for the intruder with his gun instils fear within Jem. However, Jem overcomes this fear in order to sustain Atticus' faith. Being the only and eldest son places pressure upon Jem to set an e... ...re you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." (112). Within all the examples of courage there is not a situation when the courage did not stem from a need within the character. Courage is the inner desire to succeed and to do what is righteous, no matter what humiliation or consequences that plague you because of your decision. Scout, Jem, Atticus, Calpurnia and Mrs. Dubose understood the risks they faced but continued with their actions because it was moral. They did not all enter their personal situation expecting to win. Scout still faced further scolding from Miss Caroline. Jem eventually told his father what he had done to the Radley's. There were winners and losers but they do not regret the courage they showed for the sake of good intentions.

Phidias & Associates Essay

In the best interest of the productivity and success of Phidias & Associates, I’d like to suggest the adoption of a corporate strategy already in use by NASA and other leading countries across the world. Corporate napping is an exceptionally cost-effective and efficient way to improve the accuracy, alertness, and speed of workers by as much as 34%. The conversion of Phidias & Associates to a nap friendly zone would enhance the experience of around 92% of employees. Immediate improvements in energy, creativity, problem-solving, and job satisfaction would be in the bright future of this company. The first step to realizing the reality of this advancement is the addition of a nap room to the offices of Phidias & Associates. What other room in our building can offer such impressive gains for our country? A nap room doesn’t need to be elaborate. Many companies utilize a sound proof room, several couches, and a dimmer switch to provide a place for employees to recharge and renew. Rather than rearranging the office space, I’ve discovered an even easier alternative for the company to immediately begin reaping the benefits of corporate napping. The company MetroNaps rents and sells individualized EnergyPods to high-paced future-thinking organizations like Phidias & Associates. For only $12,485, we could purchase an EnergyPod. There’s also the option to rent EnergyPods for only $10/per employee/per month. A productivity boom is only a small investment away! In addition to a place to nap, our employees will require one other change to fully embrace this advancement. In America, a strong negative stigma surrounds the concept of napping in the workforce. This judgment is holding back our country’s and company’s potential for success. Other countries, like Japan, and some of our own country’s top leaders, like Thomas Edison and John Kennedy, utilized napping for its purpose-the restore energy. A few brief informative meetings and distribution of educational materials could change the mindset of Phidias & Associates to view napping as a tool for our company’s growth. Ten and twenty years ago, large and successful companies modernized their facilities by adding fitness centers. Realizing that physical and mental health extends beyond the benefits of exercise, corporate napping is what’s missing from our organization. By becoming a leader in the industry, we can harness the secret gains of this largely unknown trick to boosting productivity. Nap rooms benefit the executives, the employees, and the advancement of Phidias & Associates. Please consider the lofty paybacks of installing a nap room and e-mail me your reply.

Victim Blaming

According to the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, victim blaming can be defined as â€Å"a devaluing act that occurs when the victim(s) of a crime or an accident is held responsible — in whole or in part — for the crimes that have been committed against them†. It can appear in forms of negative social response from authoritative organizations (lawyers, police, etc. ) or from the victim’s social circle (friends, family, school, etc. ) towards the crime that has occurred. In our case, the crime that has occurred-or, more accurately, might occur-is rape.The exam question subtextually sends this message: â€Å"If you do not want to be raped, do not behave this way. If you do not behave this way, rape will not happen. † If we want to stop rape, should we not, instead, teach rapists about the wrongness of nonconsensual sex (sexual intercourse while under the influence of alcohol does NOT count as consensual sex, explained in the next paragra ph)? If we keep telling our women to cover up and avoid ‘trouble’, we are making no attempt to stop the assaulter. We cannot constantly tell women to run away when we are making no, or little, attempt to educate the men.We constantly give conditions to rape: if she was drunk, walking around alone at night, wearing clothing deemed ‘provocative’, etc. then it is not rape. In some cases, the victim is in a drunken state and therefore is unable to give proper consent. This is when they are taken advantage of and are raped. However, when someone is drunk they are unaware of their surroundings and therefore unaware of their actions. We cannot blame someone for getting raped while drunk. I agree that they should not get drunk in the first place, but they are not responsible for another individual’s actions.

Religions: Key Elements Essay

The importance of religions related to their spiritual and ethical messages is held to a high degree of importance. The importance of religions related to their cultural contributions to the arts and the humanities is also held to a high degree of importance. The importance of religions related to their alliances with political and economic institutions is held to a high degree of importance because the authority and power of the ruler and of the priest reinforced one another and religion reinforced the powers of legislation as well as those of administration. The difference between studying a religion and studying about a religion is that when someone studies a religion, they believe in the beliefs and values of that religion and are studying it to become a better person in that religion. When someone studies about a religion, they don’t necessarily follow that religion and are studying about it to strictly get information. That compares to the difference between theologians and of historians by being the same. Hinduism is especially related to the land of India by almost all Hindus living in India or are of Indian descent, and places visited by gods and by saints, as well as places of great natural sanctity in India have become shrines and pilgrim destinations. The key turning points in the evolution of Buddhism were having a founder, renouncing the hereditary caste system, and renouncing the supremacy of the brahmin priests. The key elements in the competition between Hinduism and Buddhism are the Hindus believing in the caste system and brahmin priests, Buddhism having a founder, a set of originating scriptures, and an order of monks. Both religions and governments have been historically interdependent. The geographical distributions of Hindus is across the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia. The geographical distributions of Buddhists is from Buddha’s home region in the Himalayan foothills throughout India and in most of east and southeast Asia. The relationship between Buddhism and Confucianism in China and Japan is that they have differences, but the two world perspectives seem to have reached a mutual accommodation. The Judaism of the prophets differed form the Judaism of the Torah by the prophets telling of things that happened later and the Torah being about older events. They are similar because of the overall message they taught. Exile forced the Jewish people to restructure their religion in order to survive by them establishing the principal contours of Jewish diaspora. The reasons for Christians and Muslims to treat their Jewish minorities respectfully were because it was what they believed and they were also trying to convert them to their religion. Their reason for being spiteful toward their Jewish minority were that the Jewish people would not convert to their religion. The elements from Judaism that were incorporated into Christianity were the belief of a monotheistic God and the TaNaKh as the Old Testament in the Bible. The elements from Judaism that were not incorporated into Christianity were the diaspora and minority concepts. St. Paul took the original teachings and organization created by Jesus and built them into the Christian Church by formulating a new concept of â€Å"original sin† and redemption from it. According to Paul, those who believed in Jesus Christ and accepted membership into the new Christian community would be forgiven of their sins by God and would be â€Å"saved. † Christianity began in Judaea and became the dominant religion in Europe. The key steps in making and consolidating that geographical move was the missionary journeys of Jesus himself and of his prophets.

Outline of the Final Lab Report Essay

*This template will provide you with the details necessary to begin a quality Final Lab Report. Utilize this template to complete the Week 3 Outline of the Final Lab Report and ensure that you are providing all of the necessary information and proper format for the assignment. Before you begin, please note the following important information: 1. Carefully review the Final Lab Report instructions before you begin this assignment 2. The Final Lab Report should cover all 3 experiments from your Week Two Lab 3. As you plan your final paper, think about how you can combine these laboratories to tell a fact-based story about water quality. For example, consider how your experiments can be linked to issues at water treatment plants or the amount of bottled water people purchase. 4. For further help see the Sample Final Lab Report for an example of a final product on a different topic. 5. You may simply replace the text following the bold terms with the appropriate outline information to complete this assignment. Make sure to pay close attention to the information called for and provide all necessary material. Title Introduction Body Paragraph #1 – Background: All flourishing, healthy and thriving communities all have one thing in common and that is clean water, free of harmful contaminants because our bodies depend on clean, pure water to survive. As maintained in Mishra, S., & Nandeshwar, S. (2013), â€Å"Water is crucial for the well-being of people. Due to industrialization, growing  population , illiteracy the provision of safe drinking water will undergo global indust in near future†(pg. 599, para 5). In view of the fact that many diseases and viruses can be transmitted though water, dirty/contaminated water is extremely hazardous and it negatively impacts our health and the health of all living things. Water quality is influenced naturally with climate changes for instance, and by our actions. Unfortunately we don’t clearly see the immense damages that our negligent behavior is causing. In turn it leads us to falsely assume that water must be resistant to pollution damage and th at we have an everlasting supply of clean, drinkable water at our disposal. This is why we should all try to create awareness on water contamination, educate ourselves and others in our community to recognize and accept the fact that water contamination threatens our health, our lives and consequently our existence. Water quality research is very important to our society because it gives us insight on contamination issues, brings up awareness and allows us to learn preventative measures. As stated in Broderick, K. (2008), â€Å"The importance of process and participation for adaptive management suggests that success can be judged in terms of learning outcomes† (pg. 303, para 1). Our drinking water can be contaminated and we might not even realize it, because of all the contaminants that are transported through water regular evaluation of septic systems should be required in all towns/counties around the country. As stated in Gunnarsdottir, M. J., Gardarsson, S. M., & Andradottir, H. O. (2013), â€Å"Drinking water contamination, leading to waterborne diseases, is a recurrent event worldwide. A recent study established that more than one out of every three water borne outbreaks in affluent nations was caused by sewage contamination in ground water† (pg. 1114, para 2-3). In this study, drinking water was tested and indeed it did show signs of contamination testing positive for norovirus. Therefore demanding periodic septic systems evaluations in every town should be mandated. Body Paragraph # 2 – Objective: How do we know if our drinking water is in fact contaminated? What can we do to prevent our water from harming our family members? These are just a couple of concerns and questions that you may ask yourself. The purpose is to inform society of the importance of having a supply of clean, free of contaminants running water in their community. Additionally, to be able to recognize the significance of raising awareness on water, for  instance to be aware of what helps maintain or improve the quality of water and what environmental and human behaviors puts the quality of our water at risk for contamination. In view of the fact that we depend on water for survival, water pollution is an environmental issue that shouldn’t be looked over. Body Paragraph # 3 – Hypotheses: Hypotheses Experiment #1: Oil hypothesis = the water would probably change consistency, probably thicken up and change color Vinegar hypothesis = the water would probably stay the same color if the vinegar is white but there will be a change in smell Laundry detergent hypothesis = the water will change in consistency and would probably have suds/bubbles, smell and color (if detergent is colored) would also be altered. Hypotheses Experiment #2: When I tried to filtrate the water to remove the contaminants, I am not completely successful because the water is not 100% contaminant free since the water has a rancid smell. Hypotheses Experiment #3: If bottled water is supposed to be free of contaminants, then bottled water should contain significantly less contaminants than tap water because that is why bottled water is sold to the public. Materials and Methods Body Paragraph # 1: Experiment #1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination In order to know if soil is capable of actually removing contaminants from our drinking water I used three ordinary items that one way or another end up dissolving and polluting our water supply they are oil, vinegar and laundry detergent. Aside from using the three pollutants I used a permanent marker for labeling, soil, a funnel, cheesecloths and of course water. First I labeled a total of eight beakers and divided them into two groups of four. I filled four beakers (#1-4) with 100 ml of water then I added to beakers #2-4 with 10 ml, oil, vinegar and detergent, after mixing what I incorporated into the water I watched to see if any physical changes  occurred and smelled the solution. I noted what I observed for each beaker and proceeded with the experiment. Next I lined the funnel with cheesecloth and placed 60 ml of soil in it. I took beaker #5 and poured the contents of beaker #1 into the cheesecloth lined and soil covered funnel and I let it stand for about one minute and obse rved what happened to the water after it was filtered. I performed this same process for the rest of the beakers. Experiment #2: Water Treatment To determine if a filtering method is as effective as it is believe to be. The essential materials that I used in this experiment were potting soil, sand activated charcoal, gravel, alum, funnel, cheesecloth, bleach, and a stopwatch. First I made a solution of 100 ml soil and 200 ml water and this was labeled as the contaminated water of which 10 ml was set aside. I let the solution sit and lined a funnel with cheesecloth and poured some sand, activated charcoal, and gravel. Next I poured in some clean water for a number of four times and this is how I solidified the filter. I poured in some of the contaminated water into the filter after five minutes it was considered as filtered water and a couple of drops of bleach were added to the water as well. Now it was time to make a comparison between the water that I just manually filtered with the 10 ml of contaminated water I had set aside and noted the differences. Experiment #3: Drinking Water Quality In this experiment I tested the water quality of two different types of bottled water and water from the tap. I used Dasani and Fiji brands as my bottled water and water from the tap. Ammonia, chloride, 4 in 1 test strips, phosphate and iron test strips and most importantly a stopwatch. I used all of the test strips I was provided with in the different types of water and recorded my findings. Some of the strips I used tested for ammonia, chloride, phosphate and iron in both bottled and tap waters. Body Paragraph # 1: 0 mg/L ammonia and chloride were found in both bottled and tap water. In the 4 in 1 test strips tap water had a ph of 2, alkalinity 0,2 mg/L, chlorine 40 mg/L, hardness of 0 mg/L, phosphate 0 ppm and iron 0 ppm. Dasani bottled water had a ph level of 1, alkalinity, chlorine and hardness all measured 0 mg/L and phosphate and iron both measured 0 mg/L. Fiji bottled water had a ph of 8, alkalinity measured 10.0 mg/L, chlorine measured 40 mg/L, hardness 120 mg/L, phosphate measured 50 mg/L and iron 0 mg/L. Discussion Body Paragraph #1 – Hypotheses: The hypothesis in experiment #1 was confirmed because after all of my observations the water mixed with the contaminants did react the way I envisioned they would. Changes in smell, color and composition occurred when I mixed water with each of the three contaminants and even after filtration contamination was still present. Disposing of contaminants such as oil should be done so correctly. Hypothesis #2 was confirmed because I predicted correctly when I stated that the water was going to have traces of contamination even if it was filtered. However, I’m going to have to deny hypothesis #3, I was wrong when I thought that bottled water was more likely to be less contaminated then tap water. When bottled water Fiji showed to have more contaminants then tap water with a higher phosphate, ph, alkalinity, hardness and the same amount of chlorine as tap water I knew that my hypotheses was wrong. Body Paragraph # 2 – Context: The billion dollar bottled water industry suggests that bottled water is the best option however in my personal opinion and after performing experiment #3 I don’t think it’s worth it to buy bottled water. Considering that there isn’t much of a a difference between bottled water Dasani and tap water, plus bottled water Fiji even showed to have higher contaminants than tap water. For example, it had phosphate 50 ppm while tap water had 0 ppm. As stated in Potera, C. (2002), â€Å"Over half of Americans drink bottled water spending 240-10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than they do for tap water, a trend largely fueled by the belief that bottled water is safer and healthier than tap water. Is the cost worth it? Controversial reports from the World Wide Fund for Natrure (WWF) in Gland, Switzerland, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Washington, DC, say no† (pg. 76, para 1). Body Paragraph #3 – Variables and Future Experiments: In Experiment #1 Effects of Groundwater Contamination the possible factors that could have possibly affected my results would be the timing. For instance, if I had waited a little bit more instead of smelling and observing immediately when I mixed the water with the detergent, oil and vinegar could it have made a difference? I could control this by waiting the ideal time and carefully timing everything with a stopwatch. I can also test this by doing the experiment and waiting at different times, for instance I can wait one minute, three minutes and five minutes. With experiment #1 I was able to recognize that contaminants that seep into the water are capable of causing consequences that can possibly affect our health. In Experiment #2 Water Treatment, the outcome indicated that filtered water isn’t 100% free of contaminants. Perhaps if I extended the filtration process the contaminated water might have been clearer. Some possible factors that might’ve affected the final result would be how contaminated the tap water in my area is and the state of health that I was in. For instance, if I had a cold my sense of smell would not be as potent as they would be if I were cold-free. I could control this in the future by first investigating if my town’s tap water isn’t extremely contaminated. Also, if I was sick I could ask someone else to smell the solution to get more accurate results. In Experiment #3 we were able to determine that bottled water isn’t as safe and healthy as it is perceived to be. The possible factor that could’ve affected the accuracy of the results is the  timing, if I went over/under the time that was indicated to check the strip for the end result. I could control this by being attentive and careful and making use of the stopwatch that was provided. We know that contaminants are present in our water, so we consume it daily. Is it harmful or irrelevant? We can test this by giving groups of people the same water (tap water from their town) for a predetermined amount of time and then evaluate them. Does one group have more energy than the other? Is anyone experiencing any discomfort? dIf so, how could you control for these in the future? You should also propose some new questions that have arisen from your results and what kind of experiment might be proposed to answer these questions. Conclusions Body Paragraph #1: The key point of experiment #1 is that we should be more cautious with the way we discard our food and products because they can be contaminating our drinking water. In experiment #2 the key point is there is a big difference between contaminated and treated water, the filtration process is five steps long and even then contaminants may still be present. In experiment #3 the key point for me was that tap water isn’t as bad and unsafe as it is perceived to be, the bottled water franchise is definitely deceiving. The main message that I would like people to have from this report is that they can make a difference and that by simply changing one of their behaviors and making it more â€Å"greener†, this possibly can make a difference in their water quality. References Broderick, K. (2008). Adaptive Management for Water Quality Improvement in the Great Barrier Reef Catchments: Learning on the Edge. Geographical Research, 46(3), 303-313. doi:10.1111/j.1745-5871.2008.00525.x Gunnarsdottir, M. J., Gardarsson, S. M., & Andradottir, H. O. (2013). Microbial contamination in groundwater supply in a cold climate and coarse soil: case study of norovirus outbreak at Lake Mà ½vatn, Iceland. Hydrology Research, 44(6), 1114-1128. doi:10.2166/nh.2013.076 Mishra, S., & Nandeshwar, S. (2013). A study to assess water source sanitation, water quality and water related practices at household level in rural Madhya Pradesh. National Journal Of Community Medicine, 4(4), 599-602. Potera, C. (2002). The Price of Bottled Water. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110(2), A 76. SCI207.W2.LabReportingForm