Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Buyer behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Buyer behavior - Essay Example This refers to a relationship between individual and the collectivity prevailing in a certain society (Hirchman, 1983, 197).   It is exhibited by the manner in which people live together and are intimately linked to the norms of the society. The concepts of individualism explain societies where their loose ties between people. In such a society, everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and/or the immediate family. The concept of collectivism refers to societies where people are integrated into strong groups in which people protect each other in exchange for unquestionable loyalty.The consumers behaviors attributed to individualism-collectivism pertains to the behavior of persons in a given group, relationships with others and perception of themselves vis a vis others. These consumer behaviors are the influence by reference groups, self-concept, and information sharing, ethnocentrism and opinion leadership.Reference Groups A reference group takes the form of an actual o r imaginary group or individual born of the existence of significant relevance upon individuals’ aspirations, evaluation and behavior (Park and Lessig). Witt (1970) defines reference group as a group taken as a frame by an individual in evaluating himself/herself and formation of attitude. Three means are known through which behavior can be influenced; value expressive, informational and utilitarian (Park and Lessig 1977).The reference group extent depends on a group’s behavior and identity. It is reasonable to think of a possibility.... m and Collectivism and their Consumer Behaviors effects This refers to a relationship between individual and the collectivity prevailing in a certain society (Hirchman, 1983, 197). It is exhibited by the manner in which people live together and are intimately linked to the norms of the society. The concepts of individualism explain societies where their loose ties between people. In such a society, everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and/or the immediate family. The concept of collectivism refers to societies where people are integrated into strong groups in which people protect each other in exchange for unquestionable loyalty. The consumers behaviors attributed to individualism-collectivism pertains to the behavior of persons in a given group, relationships with others and perception of themselves vis a vis others. These consumer behaviors are the influence by reference groups, self-concept, and information sharing, ethnocentrism and opinion leadership. Reference Groups A reference group takes the form of an actual or imaginary group or individual born of the existence of significant relevance upon individuals’ aspirations, evaluation and behavior (Park and Lessig). Witt (1970) defines reference group as a group taken as a frame by an individual in evaluating himself/herself and formation of attitude. Three means are known through which behavior can be influenced; value expressive, informational and utilitarian (Park and Lessig 1977). The reference group extent depends on a group’s behavior and identity. It is reasonable to think of a possibility of the existence of interpersonal influence brought about by individualism and collectivism, on the consumption behavior. A study by Shaw (1971) on the effects of individual interactions and

Monday, October 28, 2019

Features of conformity and obedience Essay Example for Free

Features of conformity and obedience Essay Describe the main features of conformity and obedience analyse two conformity and obedience studies and evaluate their application in the public services.  Conformity:  Debra Gray defines conformity as A change in behaviour in response to real or imagined group pressure when there is neither direct request to comply with the group nor any reason to justify the behaviour change. Conformity is the degree to which members of a group will change their behaviour, views and attitudes to fit the views of the group. The group can influence members via unconscious processes or via overt social pressure on individuals. Influence by peers: People have the need to fit in with the society not many people dare to be different. Psychologists have discovered that even the most independent-minded of us will conform to social pressure when we are with a group of people  Emphasis on importance: People see being accepted by others and the sense of belonging as something much more important than actually being right or wrong in a situation. It can sometimes be easier for somebody to be wrong but like everyone else than being right but different to others. I personally believe that this is wrong though, I would rather express my views on something regardless of the controversy they may cause. Regulates behaviour: The fact that people want to be alike and to be able to relate to others makes it easier for their personal views to be manipulated by the group norm, sometimes, a look of disapproval can be enough for someone to keep their viewpoints quiet and decide to agree with the majority. This is a worrying thought as if we loose our individuality we will never grow as much as we could as if we let our own thoughts be heard, we would end up in a very narrow minded society where a few people with stronger personalities and that dare to speak their mind will most probably gain control over us all, and society will follow this leader who may not necessarily be the most adequate like a flock of sheep would not questioning the situation or making a difference. Behaviour similarities to peers: Often with people within the same social section, such as of the same age, gender, race, or religion, tend to act like and behaviour by a member of these social groups that doesnt fit in with the tendencies it would be frowned upon within their social group.  Psychological need to be accepted: If someone persistently refuses to agree with the group, he or she is frequently rejected and ignored. Humans have the need to be in groups and have people to relate to, we all need some form or companionship, and for this reason most of us tend to tweak our attitudes slightly if these cause people to not want to be around us. Psychologists have been carrying out studies to investigate this since the 1930s to investigate how this occurs and what affects these behaviours.  Conformity:  The main experiment carried out to analyse the way in which people conform was the one carried out by Solomon Asch first carried out in 1951; this experiment was put in place to investigate how people follow the group norm even though they know that the group was obviously in the wrong this is how the experiment took place: The participants were given with an unmistakable task, a line judgement task. Participants were presented with two cards. One had on it a standard line: on the other were three comparison lines. They were asked to judge which of the comparison lines were equal in length to the standard line.  Below I have included the image they where presented.  This was done with a control group of 37 people, where the pressure to conform was removed. It was also done with an experimental group containing 6-8 confederates and 1 participant, who was second to last to answer. At first the confederates gave the correct answer, and then they changed to giving the same agreed wrong answer. The results where that, in the control group 35 of the participants made no errors, 1 made a single error. Only 0.7% of the judgements were incorrect.  In the experimental groups 37% of the judgements were incorrect. Of the 125 participants, only 25% gave the correct answer every time, compared to the 95% result from the control group.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Cynicism in Dorothy Allisons Short Story, This Is Our World :: Our World

Cynicism in Dorothy Allison's Short Story, This Is Our World Is â€Å"The world is meaner than we admit† (Allison 159)? In the short story, â€Å"This Is Our World,† Dorothy Allison asks this question, and her response startled me. I disagree with her way of thinking. Allison says that the world is a cruel, mean place. I think that the cruelty is balanced out with the goodness in the world. I was surprised to read her negative examples of how bad of a place it is that we live in and call â€Å"home.† This story was written with reference to events and occurrences that I have never experienced and things I have never seen. I found it difficult to relate to these events. The minister, the narrator, and her mother walked around the building where the narrator’s mother was to be baptized. Then they looked at the baptismal font. Allison states, â€Å"Watching baptisms in that tank was like watching movies at a drive-in† (155). I was glad to read that the narrator was not the one being baptized, because I feel she did not understand the true significance of the baptism ritual. She spoke of the Jesus painting as being, â€Å"rouged and pale and pout as Elvis Presley† (155). She was also trying not to giggle at the other little boys that were being baptized that day, â€Å"He looked as if he hoped someone would rescue him. It was too much for me. I began to giggle helplessly† (156). The narrator was too young to understand fully what it meant to be baptized. I believe that it is one of the reasons that Allison has such a negative attitude towards life. Maybe she did not agree or understand the meaning of a baptism, or religion as a whole. This could stem from a broken home life and no strong father figure. Although I have been fortunate enough to have a father and mother who love me a great deal, I still think the world can be cruel and mean. But meaner than we think? Every day we hear of some new tragedy that she speaks of, â€Å"the woman who drowned her children, the man who shot first the babies in her arms and then his wife, the teenage boys who led the three-year-old away along the train track, the homeless family recovering from frostbite with their eyes glazed and indifferent while the doctor scowled over their shoulders† (159), but every day we also hear of the good things.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Cultures of Pakistan Essay

Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Culture may be defined as behavior peculiar to human beings, together with material objects used. Culture consists of language, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institution, tools, techniques, works of arts, ceremonies and so on. According to Allama Iqbal: â€Å"Culture encompasses all the mental, Spiritual and Physical activities of a Nation. It includes the basic beliefs and faith, values and literature, art and architecture, music and mode of dress, manners and customs prevalent in a given Society.† PAKISTANI CULTURE IS A ISLAMIC CULTURE Pakistan is an ideological Islamic State. Its very existence is due to Islam, so the Pakistani culture is primarily based on the Islamic way of life. All other ingredients of culture are inspired by Islam. Pakistani culture is highlighted by its grandeur, simplicity, firm convictions and noble deeds and ideas. If we study the cultures of Pakistan there are four different types of cultures at provincial level. They are different from each other in some aspects and similar in some aspects. Punjab People: Punjabi people are very warm hearted and fun loving. Punjabis are heterogeneous group comprising of different tribes, clans, communities and are known to celebrate each and every tradition of their culture. Some popular casts of Punjabi’s are; Jats, Maliks, Mughals, Arains, Gujjars, Awans, Rajputs, Gakhars, Khokhars, Sheikhs, Aheers, Kambohs, Niazis, Legharis, Khosas, Dogars, Thaheem, Mirani, Qureshis, and Syeds. Languages: Punjabi is the provincial language of Punjab. It is spoken as the first language by majority people in Punjab, even spoken and understood in areas beyond the confines of Punjab. Facts and figures show that Punjabi language is spoken as first language by 44% of Pakistanis. Urdu language is also commonly spoken in this region. Key Punjabi languages/dialects are: Dresses: Costumes of Punjab are an indication of the bright and vibrant culture and lifestyle of the people. The costumes are a mix of colours, comfort and beauty and Punjab is well known for the use of phulkari(embroidery) in its costumes. In most of the villages of Punjab men wear Pagri(turban), dhoti/lacha, kurta, khusa. Women wear gharara, or choridar pajama or colorful shalwar kameez, paranda, choli/duppata, khusa, kola puri chappal or tillay wali jutti. Whereas in urban areas of Punjab men and women follow latest trends and fashion, generally they wear different styles of shalwar kameez. Cuisine: The extensive cuisine of Punjab can be vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Most Punjabi food is eaten with either rice or roti. There are some dishes that are exclusive to Punjab such as Mah Di Dal, Paratha, Makai ki rotti, Saron Da Saag, and in cities Choley, Haleem, Baryani and other spicy dishes are popular. In beverages, tea is consumed in all seasons and as a custom most of Punjabis serve tea to their guests. Punjabis are also fond of Zarda, Gulab-Jamuns, Kheer, Jalaibi,Samosy, Pakorey etc. During summers people drink lassi, doodh-soda, aloo bokharey ka sharbat, lemonade etc. Sports: Punjabi people have fanatical interest in sports. Punjabi’s are fond of kabaddi, and wrestling. Other games being played in Punjab region include Gilli-Danda, Khoo-Khoo, Yassu-Panju, Pitho-Garam, Ludo, Chuppan-Chupai, Baraf-Panni, Kanchy and some major sports include cricket, boxing, horse-racing, hockey and football. Cultural Festivals: There are numerous festivals which are celebrated by Punjabi people including some religious festivals such as Eid-Milad-Un-Nabi, Jumu’ah, Laylat-ul-Qadr etc. Urcs (devotional fairs),which are held at the shirnes of sufi saints, Melas and Nomaish (exhibitions). Lahori’s are famous all over the country for their celebrations particularly for Basant festival (kite flying) in the spring season. Dance and Music: Bhangra is most commonly known Punjabi music genre and dance style. Punjabis passionately love folk songs/music, Qawali and Punjabi music  is recognized throughout the world. The Tabla, Dhol, Dholki, Chimta, Flute and Sitar are all common instruments of this delightful culture. Different forms of dance in Punjab are: Loddi, Dhamal, Sammi, Kikli, Gatka, Bhangra, Giddha and Dandiya. Customs and Rituals: Some of the customs followed in Punjab have no foundation in Islam. However, the Punjabi culture has adopted those ceremonies and traditions from Hindu culture. Birth Rituals: Punjabis celebrate birth of their child with great enthusiasm. Grandfather or grandmother or some respected elder member from the family puts honey with their index finger in child’s mouth called Ghutii. Sweets are distributed among friends and relatives and people bring gifts for the child and mother. Generally on 7thday child’s head is shaven and Aqiqa ceremony is held, also sheep/goat is slaughtered. Punjabi Weddings: Punjabi weddings are based on traditions and are conducted with strong reflection of the Punjabi culture followed by several pre-wedding customs and rituals (dholki,mayun,ubtan etc.) Traditional customs and the ceremony generally lasts for 3days, Mehndi, Barat (Nikkah+Ruksati) and Walima, followed by Chauti (bringing the bride back to her parents’ home the next day). Funeral Rituals: At funerals after namaz-e-janaza it is customary to offer lunch to people who came for condolence. On 3rdday of the funeral, Qul is held and every following thursday the Quran is recited (jumah-e-raat) followed by prayers for deceased and after 40days the chaliswaan is held. Literature: Punjab is very rich with literature and Sufis adds more in its literature. Punjabi poetry is renowned for its extremely deep meaning, beautiful and hopeful use of words. The large number of Punjabi poetry is being translated throughout the world into many languages. Some famous poets of Punjabi are Sultan Bahu, Mia Mohammad Baksh, Baba Farid, Shah Hussain, Anwar Masood etc. Waris Shah, whose contribution to Punjabi literature is best-known for his seminal work in Heer Ranjha, known as Shakespeare of  Punjabi language. Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and a philosopher. The verse from Bulleh Shah primarily employed is called the Kafi, a style of Punjabi. Some other popular folk tales of Punjab include Sassi-Punnu, Sohni Mahiwal etc. that are passing through generations. Arts and Crafts: Punjab is the major manufacturing industry in Pakistan’s economy and here each art enjoys a place of its own. The main crafts created in the highlands and other rural areas of Punjab are basketry, pottery, bone work, textile, cloth woven on handlooms, cotton, silk etc. embroidery, weaving, carpets, stone craft, jewelry, metal work along with truck art and other wood works. Baluchistan Baloch culture is opposite to the general perception about it. Though Balochistan is an area of barren lands, deserts and mountains, the Baloch culture is full of traditions, arts and crafts. Balochi embroidery is one of the most popular arts and crafts which are done by the females. Baluchistan is also known for its tribes and festivals. Another distinct feature of Baloch culture is the storytelling tradition. Poets and story tellers are highly respected in Baloch culture. Language: The people belonging to Baloch tribe speak balochi language. Marriages: In Baloch culture marriages are different and unique than in the other provinces of the country. The marriages are according to Islamic principles in presence of a Mullana along with the presence of witnesses. Every member of the family takes part in the marriage; they express their joy and happiness by following the traditions of their culture. Usually the marriages are done in young ages (teenage) but are arranged in early childhood or at birth. Dressing : Like all the other provinces of Pakistan the national dress shalwar kameez with distinct additions and modifications are worn in Baloch culture. Turban is the common headwear of Bloch men along with wide loose shalwar along with knee-long shirts. Females dress consists of a shirt  having a big pocket and embroidery and embedded round mirror work in front. A big Dupatta/ Chaddar is taken to cover the head and shoulders. Festivals : Both religious and social festivals are celebrated by Baloch people. The religious festivals are same as across the country like Eid-ul-Azha and Eid-ul-Fiter. Baloch culture is full of many social festivals like Sibi festival which has folk music performance, cultural dances, handicrafts stalls, cattle shows and a number of other entertaining activities showing the colorful side of Baloch people. Music: Baloch culture is rich in folk music dances and songs. Famous wedding songs of Baloch culture are Nazenk and Salonk. The instruments used are mainly a flute, locally called Nal, Tamboora and Soroz. A common Baloch folk dance is known as Dochaap. Women also move in a circle clapping their hands on certain occasions. Other dances include the Lewa, Latti and Hambo. Food: Usually Baloch people have meals in morning and evening. Men and women eat separately. Wheat, millet and rice are part of the Baloch meal. Meat is also an important part; â€Å"Sajji† is the favorite dish of most people. Sajji is the food eaten with knife other than that Baloch people usually eat with hands. Milk, butter and vegetables are also part of Baloch cuisine. Sports: Popular games include chauk, and Ji. Also games like wrestling, horse racing, shooting and hunting pastimes among the wealthier people of tribes. Card games and gambling are also popular among groups of some tribes. Sindh Sindh is one of the four provinces in Pakistan located at the Southern border. The province of Sindh has been named after the famous River Indus. In Sanskrit, the province was dubbed Sindhu meaning an ocean. Language: Sindhi language is an ancient language spoken in Pakistan and many other parts of the world. Government of Pakistan issues National Identity Cards to its citizens only in two languages; Sindhi and Urdu. Festivals: The people of Sind love their religion and the two festivals of Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr are celebrated with zeal and enthusiasm.  Different domestic festivals are arranged by the local people to provide people with new things they buy on Eid’s occasion. On different occasions, the Folk dance of Bhagat is also performed by professionals to entertain the visiting people. Hence, a Sindhi Cultural Festival is a compound of folk dances, music and cheap entertainment for local people. Lifestyle: People of Sindh are more inclined towards an agricultural based lifestyle. The fertile Indus Plains provide a valuable source of income for the local people who practice farming on these lands. Inland fishing is also practiced along the Indus River in Upper Sind providing further opportunities for local people. Itinerant way of lifestyle is commonly seen in the desertic regions of Thar where people move from place to place in search for drinking water sources along with their animals. Arts and Music: Sindhi society is dominated by great Sufis, the mystics and the martyrs. It has always been the land of peace, love, romance, and great cultural and artistic values. There were the great theologians of the Naqsh bandi order in Thatta who translated the fundamentals of the religion of Islam into their mother tongue. There were the great Sufi (mystic) poets like Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai who was the cherisher of truth and spent all his life in its propagation, pursuit and quest. Bhitai was also an excellent musician. He invented a new type of musical instrument, Tambura (drone instrument), which till today, is a primary source of music in rural Sindh. The beauty of Shah’s verses is enhanced by his blending of traditional Indian rag with the Sindhi folk songs and music. Cultural character:The ancient Sindhi civilization was the place, where the aesthetic utilization of leisure was freely indulged. There has been evidence, that the excavations of sites dating back to 3000 B.C. (all over Sindh) is also true, around 1200 years ago when Jaina Dakshiniya Chihna (778 A.D.) described the distinguished features of Sindhi’s in this way: â€Å"Elegant, with a lovely, soft and slow gait, they are fond of the art of harvas (that is, songs, music and dancing) and full affection towards their country.† Sindhi’s celebrate Sindh Cultural day worldwide on 6th December by wearing Ajrak & Sindhi Topi on that time. Pashtun The history and the origins of Pathans has been a controversial debate however not much of a consensus could be formed . There were theories ranging from Pakhtuns having an Aryan, Jewish, Arab or mixed origin. None was convincing enough to form a conclusion. Patahns are extremely obsessed and curious to know about their origin of their race, however it might not be a major concern for many other races. Holidays , special events and Traditions: Gham khadi,Wada Koidana,Topak tamacha,hujra,kat bistara along with those is the arrival of Sparlay or Spring, known as Nava Wroz (New Day), is also celebrated by some Pashtuns. It is an ancient annual Pashtun festival which celebrates both the beginning of spring and the New Year. Amongst some Pashtuns, Sheshbeeyeh, a prelude festival to Nava Wroz is also celebrated. Food: One of the most famous dishes includes tikkah,serge,sugi ka halwa,kawa,chapali kabab,kabala palao,special long naans. And many more Poetry: Pathan are very famous for their poetry ,they are very passionate and patriotic which is obvious from their poetry. Some of the famous poets are include Amir Kror Suri, Khushal Khan Khattak, Rahman Baba and many others. Dances Attan: In this dance, the dancers perform to the music.This dance is performed by both the genders involving 2-5 steps, ending with a clap given while facing the center, after which the process is repeated again. This dance is typically performed with the musician dictating the duration and speed. Khattak dance: The Khattak Dance is performed by the Khattak tribe. Mahsud dance: A unique dance routine using rifles performed by the Mahsud tribe of Pashtuns. Originally it was used to dance at the time of war, but later on became a cultural dance. The dancers dance empty handed and require only large drums. Nowadays though it is danced with the guns in the dancers hand. Waziri dance: Two drummers and a flute player play a particular tune. Two persons leave the circle; go dancing towards the drummers, and come back  dancing in the same manner. During performing both the persons turn around two times at a time once towards each other facing face to face and once keeping faces in opposite direction. After doing this separately they march while dancing to the assembled crowd. Clothing: Pashtun men usually wear a Partoog-Korteh in Pashto(salwar kameez is Urdu)with a pakul (Pashtun hat). In the Kandahar region young men usually wear different type of hat similar to a topi and in the Peshawar region they wear white kufis instead. Leaders or tribal chiefs sometimes wear a karakul hat, like Hamid Karzai and others. Women and girls wear traditional long dresses with a light piece of cloth used to cover their hair.They also wear beautiful hand made jewellery. And beautiful pakhtoon frocks. Sports: Some Pashtuns participate in buzkashi, which is a sport introduced in the region during the Mughal era.. The word â€Å"buz† means â€Å"goat† and â€Å"kashi† means â€Å"dragging† or â€Å"pulling†. Not a team sport, it is every man for himself and that becomes apparent as soon as the game starts. Although buskashi is primarily an individual sport, alliances are built up between various players. Between the alliances, the strongest players finally take control .This is very similar to polo. Football is another sports very enjoyablely played by pathans of Khyber pahktoonwar.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Clean, Well-Lighted Place tone and style

Hemingway has a distinct writing style in a sense that he chooses his words carefully. He is economic in his word choice, so readers must take into consideration the adjectives and adverbs he uses, as he deploys them rarely. His style is simple and laconic, yet effective. Through his use of simple words and short sentences, he delivers the message powerfully and point on rather than employing descriptive, flowery language (as what his Victorian predecessors used).He is also said to be the aster of dialogue, using this mode to characterize and narrate most of the story, as was evident in â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place†. Aside from the style and dialogue, another thing to take note about the story is that his tone is dispassionate and unemotional. The writer himself does not even comment on or Judge his characters at all. In the line â€Å"†You should have killed yourself last week,† he [the waiter] said to the deaf man. Hemingway did not add any additional adject ives or adverbs for momentary like for example instead of writing, â€Å"he said harshly' or â€Å"he said cruelly he Just used a simple â€Å"he said†. The tone also adds to the theme of facing nothingness with dignity. The narrator is talking about oblivion in a detached, apathetic way which gives the reader the Impression that the nothingness affects the waiter enough for him to mention it, but his tone suggests he is bold enough to face the issue in dignified, dismissive way; I. E. After all, he said to himself, It's probably only insomnia.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Euthyphro essays

Euthyphro essays Socrates encounters Euthyphro outside the court of Athens. Socrates has been called to court on charges of impiety by Meletus, and Euthyphro has come to prosecute his own father for having unintentionally killed a murderous hired hand. Socrates flatters Euthyphro, suggesting that Euthyphro must be a great expert in religious matters if he is willing to prosecute his own father on so questionable a charge. Euthyphro concurs that he does indeed know all there is to be known about what is holy. Socrates urges Euthyphro to instruct him and to teach him what holiness is, since Euthyphro's teaching might help Socrates in his trial against Meletus. First, Euthyphro suggests that holiness is persecuting religious offenders. Socrates finds this definition unsatisfying, since there are many holy deeds aside from that of persecuting offenders. He asks Euthyphro instead to give him a general definition that identifies that one feature that all holy deeds share in common. Euthyphro suggests that what is holy is what is agreeable to the gods, in response to which Socrates points out that the gods often quarrel, so what is agreeable to one might not be agreeable to all. Euthyphro's most important attempt to define holiness comes with his suggestion that what is holy is what is approved of by all the gods. Socrates sets up a rather elaborate argument to show that the two cannot be equivalent. What is holy gets approved of by the gods because it is holy, so what is holy determines what gets approved of by the gods. And what gets approved of by the gods in turn determines what is approved of by the gods. It follows from this reasoning that what is holy cannot be the same thing as what is approved of by the gods, since one of these two determines what gets approved of by the gods and the other is determined by what gets approved of by the gods. Euthyphro is next led to suggest that holiness is a kind of justice, specifically, that kind which is...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Understanding Congestive Heart Failure essays

Understanding Congestive Heart Failure essays Congestive heart failure is the most common health problem with the elderly. Some health organizations believe that men are more prone to congestive heart failure than women. In a study performed on 3,000 men, it was determined that men can inherit heart disease from their fathers through the Y chromosome, but, as to which gene causes this problem, it is not known yet. Dr. Maciej Tomaszewki states, "We are very excited about these findings as they put the Y chromosome on the map of genetic susceptibility to coronary heart disease." In an earlier inquiry it was stated that heart disease is the number one killer in females, which is true, but it is also a problem for men. Males are more likely to experience heart disease earlier in their lives than females. Dr. Virginia Miller, a heart disease researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,Minn. noted that this finding, "This sheds a new light on heart disease concerning men." We all know men who have not taken care of their health and who have lived with the effects of heart disease. Counter-intuitively, at the same time, we all know men who have not smoked, or drank, or ate poorly but who, instead, have lived healthy, active lifestyles, yet who have died from a heart attack, just the same. Dr. Thekkoott Deepak of the Cardiovascular Institute of the South discusses how family history plays a vital part in heart disease. Also, the lifestyle that you lead does have a strong impact upon how healthful you will be. Smoking, drinking, partying, not getting enough rest, all come into focus when it comes to predicting a person's health and longevity. Uncontrolled high blood pressure,obesity and diabetes also play a major part in heart disease. Everyone choices to make in life about how they are going to conduct their lives. Living a healthy lifestyle should be paramount. People of African decent are at a higher risk of congestive heart failure and are more li...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Biography of Atlanta Mass Murderer Mark Orrin Barton

Biography of Atlanta Mass Murderer Mark Orrin Barton Known as being one the largest mass murderers in Atlantas history, day-trader Mark Barton, 44, went on a killing spree on July 29, 1999, at two Atlanta-based trading firms: All-Tech Investment Group and Momentum Securities. Upset over seven weeks of big losses in day trading, which had brought him to financial ruin, Bartons killing spree resulted in 12 people killed and 13 injured at the two companies. After a daylong manhunt and surrounded by police, Barton committed suicide by shooting himself at an Acworth, Georgia, gas station when his capture became imminent. The Killing Spree At around 2:30 p.m. on July 29, 1999, Barton entered Momentum Securities. He was a familiar face around there and just like any other day, he began chatting with the other day traders about the stock market. Dow Jones was showing a dramatic drop of about 200 points adding to a week of disappointing numbers. Smiling, Barton turned to the group and said, Its a bad trading day, and its about to get worse. He then took out two handguns, a 9mm Glock and a .45 caliber Colt, and began firing. He fatally shot four people and injured several others. He then went across the street to All-Tec and began shooting, leaving five dead. According to reports, Barton had lost an estimated $105,000 in about seven weeks. More Murders After the shooting, investigators went to Bartons home and discovered the bodies of his second wife, Leigh Ann Vandiver Barton, and Bartons two children, Matthew David Barton, 12, and Mychelle Elizabeth Barton, 10. According to one of the four letters left by Barton, Leigh Ann was murdered the night of July 27, and the children were murdered on July 28, the night before the shooting spree at the trading firms. In one of the letters, he wrote that he did not want his children to suffer without having a mother or father and that his son was already showing signs of the fears that he had suffered with throughout his life. Barton also wrote that he killed Leigh Ann because she was partly to blame for his demise. He then went on to describe the method he used to kill his family. There was little pain. All of them were dead in less than five minutes. I hit them with the hammer in their sleep and then put them face-down in the bathtub to make sure they did not wake up in pain, to make sure they were dead. The body of his wife was found under a blanket in a closet and the childrens bodies were found in their bed. Prime Suspect in Another Murder As the investigation into Barton continued, it was revealed that he had been the prime suspect in the 1993 murders of his first wife and her mother. Debra Spivey Barton, 36, and her mother, Eloise, 59, both of Lithia Springs, Georgia, went camping on Labor Day weekend. Their bodies were found inside their camper van. They had been bludgeoned to death with a sharp object. There was no sign of forced entry and although some jewelry was missing, other valuables and money had been left behind, leading investigators to put Barton on top of the list of suspects. A Lifetime of Trouble Mark Barton seemed to make bad decisions most of his life. In high school, he showed great academic potential in math and science, but started using drugs and ended up in hospitals and rehabilitation centers after overdosing several times. Despite his drug background, he got into Clemson University and, in his first year, he was arrested and charged with burglary. He was placed on probation, but that did not deter his drug use and he ended up leaving Clemson after suffering a breakdown. Barton then managed to get into the University of South Carolina, where he earned a degree in chemistry in 1979. His life seemed to level out some after college, although his drug use continued. He married Debra Spivey and in 1998 their first child, Matthew, was born. Bartons next brush with the law happened in Arkansas, where the family had relocated to due to his employment. There he began to show signs of severe paranoia and often accused Debra of infidelity. As time went on, he became increasingly controlling over Debras activities and exhibited strange behavior at work. In 1990 he was fired. Furious by the firing, Barton retaliated by breaking into the company and downloading sensitive files and secret chemical formulas. He was arrested and charged with felony burglary but got out of it after agreeing to a settlement with the company. The family moved back to Georgia where Barton got a new job in sales at a chemical company. His relationship with Debra continued to deteriorate and he began having an affair with Leigh Ann (later to become his second wife), who he had met through his work. In 1991, Mychelle was born. Despite the birth of a new child, Barton continued seeing Leigh Ann. The affair was no secret to Debra, who, for unknown reasons, decided not to confront Barton. Eighteen months later, Debra and her mother were found dead. Murder Investigation From the start, Barton was the prime suspect in the murders of his wife and mother-in-law. The police learned of his affair with Leigh Ann and that he had taken out a $600,000 life insurance policy on Debra. However, Leigh Ann told the police that Barton was with her over Labor Day weekend, which left investigators without evidence and a lot of speculation. Unable to charge Barton with the murders, the case was left unsolved, but the investigation was never closed. Due to the murders being unsolved, the insurance company refused to pay Barton, but later lost a lawsuit Barton filed and he ended up getting the $600,000. New Beginnings, Old Habits It was not long after the murders that Leigh Ann and Barton moved in together and in 1995 the couple married. However, just like what happened with Debra, Barton soon began showing signs of paranoia and distrust towards Leigh Ann. He also began losing money as a day-trader, big money. The financial pressures and Bartons paranoia took a toll on the marriage and Leigh Ann, along with the two children, left and moved into an apartment. Later the two reconciled and Barton rejoined the family. Within months of the reconciliation, Leigh Ann and the children would be dead. Warning Signs From interviews with those who knew Barton, there were no obvious signs that he was going to flip out, murder his family, and go on a shooting spree. However, he had earned the nickname Rocket at work because of his explosive behavior while day trading. This type of behavior was not all that unusual among this group of traders. It is a fast, high-risk game, where gains and losses can happen quickly. Barton did not talk much about his personal life with his fellow day traders, but many of them were aware of his financial loses. All-Tech had stopped allowing him to trade until he put money in his account to cover his losses. Unable to come up with the money, he turned to other day-traders for loans. But still, none of them had any idea that Barton was harboring resentment and about to explode. Witnesses later told police that Barton seemed to purposely seek out and shoot some of the people who had loaned him money. In one of the four letters he left in his home, he wrote about hating this life and having no hope and being terrified each time he woke up. He said that he did not expect to live much longer, just long enough to kill as many of the people that greedily sought my destruction. He also denied killing his first wife and her mother, although he admitted that there were similarities between how they were killed and how he killed his current wife and children. He ended the letter with, You should kill me if you can. As it turned out, he took care of that himself, but not before ending the lives of many others.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Middle east and international relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Middle east and international relations - Essay Example On the other hand, Efraim and Karsh comment that the debate regarding Arab nationalism as a model of homogenous states bound by common language, religion and history has â€Å"dominated Middle Eastern political discourse for the most part of this century† (1996). However, they highlight that regardless of the concept of Arab nationalism in academic rhetoric; Arab nationalism has not succeeded in achieving the goal of unifying the â€Å"Arab† nation under a model of pan-Arabism. Moreover, Biersteker and Weber highlight that in terms of Arab nationalism the central issue in Arab states is â€Å"whether Arab nationalism was or was not consistent with state sovereignty and the territorial legacy† (1996, p149). Additionally, Biersteker and Weber refer to the argument that 1967’s turning point led to Arab recognition of state sovereignty, thereby dispelling pan-Arabism and replacing the state versus nation conflict (1996,p.149). In turn, the fragmentation of various ethno-cultural groups within these states has led to a dichotomy between political state identity and national identity. For example, Rinawi refers to the example of Operation Iraqi Freedom as crystallising the distinction between sovereignty and pan Arabism, whereby with â€Å"this event the divide between the pan-Arabic and specific localised Arab agendas became apparent† (2006, p.xxi). This is further evidenced by the growing role and influence of Iran in the area as a result of the destabilisation of Iraq under Operation Iraqi Freedom, which has been of increasing concern to the US and Europe (Potemski, 2007). Accordingly, it is submitted that the central issues relating to the Middle East in context of the contemporary framework of international relations is the complex relationship between nationalism and identity in the Arab states, the terrorism phenomenon and the growing influence of Iran in the area.

Harassment and Bullying when using Email, SMS, Facebook in Workplace Research Paper

Harassment and Bullying when using Email, SMS, Facebook in Workplace - Research Paper Example This study also denotes employers’ inadequate capacity to deal with cyber bullying due to constant evolution of communication platforms and sensitivity of intertwined political and personal issues, particularly in regard to social networking and instant texting. Nevertheless, the paper denotes measures, guidelines and standards that can be adopted in a work environment to curb cyber bullying and bolster a firm’s productivity. Bullying at the work environment is not a new phenomenon. However, following the continued advancement of technology, and particularly in digital communication, bullying is adopting new platforms. For instance, employees if not properly managed can easily convey negative messages about their co-workers via email, short message service (SMS) and other social media conduits like Twitter and Facebook. With the current levels of development, malevolent gossip regarding an employee can be transmitted to others across the internet within an instant, thus reaching a broad audience not just within the organization, but to external targets as well. Such hurtful, and most often false rumors, can adversely affect the subject’s working capability, reputation and even his or her future career. It is also crucial to note that any person can post the negative comments online and once this is done, it is difficult to dispute the information or even remove it. Another noteworthy aspect is that, cyber bullying is not limited to conventional working places and work hours. This is because of the rise in number of laptops and other mobile communication gadgets, such as internet enabled phones and computer tablets (Privitera and Campbell, 2009, pp. 398-400). As a result, cyber bullying traverses the physical and time limitations of an ordinary workplace, and workers can post negative messages even in the comfort of their homes. Failure to address cyber bullying at the workplace would lead to the unnecessary loss of productive employees, hen ce inability to utilize social media to foster the organization’s performance. Cyber Bullying Incidences The conveyance of negative information within or outside the workplace, by employees with malign intent has led to the increasingly worrying cases of cyber bullying (Hinduja and Patchin, 2007). Outlined herein are some of the most common forms of employee harassment via the internet and other contemporary communications channels: Conveyance of spiteful or intimidating SMS communications or emails to a certain worker’s cellular phone or computer address, respectively. Electronic or mobile communications, which are characterized by unpleasant content like explicit pictures, comments or jokes that seek to mock an individual’s religion, sexual preference or ethnicity. Mobile or electronic messages which seek to provide feedback or propose correction to a certain person, with the sole aim of demeaning the individual or shaming him or her publicly. Malevolent or me nacing comments regarding a particular person put up on social sites of blogs. Distribution of offensive and embarrassing videos or photographs of a person, which in most cases may be falsely acquired through manipulation. Displaying desktop wallpapers or screen savers that feature offensive content, with the aim of shaming a specific person. Even though cyber bullying bears numerous similarities with the conventional modes of harassment, it has the capability to escalate faster and with elevated aggression. This is because perpetrators of the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Overview of Immanuel Kants Grounding for the metaphysics of morals Essay

Overview of Immanuel Kants Grounding for the metaphysics of morals - Essay Example Kant uses Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals to help people obtain a better grasp at what moral principles really are. Kant provides a description of some of the general principles surrounding moral duties. He states that actions can only be considered moral if they are undergone for the sole purpose of being moral and without an underlying purpose. The next principle is that the quality of an action is judged for its morality based on the motive that produced the action, as opposed to the consequence of the action. The final principle declares that actions are only considered to be moral if they are undergone purely out of respect for the law of morality. These three principles reveal that to be considered an act of morality, everything must be done for the purpose of being moral. As there are many situations and circumstances to be taken into consideration, but cannot be due to their quantity, Kant points out that there must be a universal formula that can be applied to every situation to determine if what was undergone was done purely out of morality. This formula is as follows: â€Å"we must be able to will that a maxim of our action should be a universal law.† While this law may be considered intuition to most people, Kant still found it important to remind people of its existence and its purpose.

The Health Care Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Health Care Dilemma - Essay Example Essentially, it nationalized health care, reformed the American private health insurance sector and will work to provide universal coverage for all Americans through the â€Å"individual mandate† concept, which rules all Americans to buy insurance otherwise they will face a fine. This federal legislation is a flawed policy that needs to be repealed or amended, at the least. The fact is that it is unconstitutional, un-American and half-baked piece of legislation that has been passed in order to save President’s Obama’s face in his drive to deliver an election campaign promise. Un-American Universal coverage or the mandate for everyone to buy insurance is against American values. The United States has thrived and prospered through the freedom by which its enterprises and its citizens conducted their affairs. With the nationalized health care, the government would be encroaching on the rights of individuals to choose and decide what is best for themselves. In addition, the government is taking more responsibility for welfare than what is necessary. The country has trudged on and has actually grown in the past decades, with the government taking a laissez faire attitude and giving free rein to enterprises and nurturing capitalism. The nationalized health care law is pandering to the people through its mantra of social justice but the fact is that it is against the American ethos that defines poverty and how individuals are responsible for their own fates. Elaborate welfare systems such as the Obamacare, are inherently misguided because, instead of the social justice or a ddressing inequality, they are more prone to breed social ills simply by promoting the rejection of individual responsibility. Obamacare is against the American individualism and liberal policies that has worked for the American experience and the country to its current economic status and to sacrifice it just to satisfy some presidential rhetoric is tantamount to eroding the American economic fabric and social fabrics. Constitutional Question The Obama administration, with all its policies that advances welfare and big government is ensuring an American transition towards socialism. This development cannot proceed without sacrificing certain of civil liberties. This is already being demonstrated in the nationalized health care. The legislature has taken upon itself sweeping powers in order to curtail certain constitutional rights in order to pass the Obamacare legislation. With the law, the federal government is, in effect, forcing Americans to qualify under health coverage require ments, threatening them with punishments in the process. For many legal experts, this is unconstitutional. The state of Virginia, for instance, has already filed a lawsuit against the healthcare law, arguing that there is a legal precedence outlawing such an act. Particularly, it stated: Regulation of non-economic activity under the Commerce Clause is possible only through the Necessary and Proper Clause... The Necessary and Proper Clause confers supplemental authority only when the means adopted to accomplish an enumerated power are 'appropriate', are 'plainly adapted to that end', and are 'consistent with the letter and spirit of the constitution.' Requiring citizen-to-citizen subsidy or redistribution is contrary to the foundational assumptions of the constitutional compact (5-6). The above ruling explicitly cites how the nationalized health care is unconstitutional by virtue of its mandatory redistribution of service and wealth with the subsidy to the entire

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Evaluation of the educational needs of 3rd and 4th year medical Essay

Evaluation of the educational needs of 3rd and 4th year medical imaging students for fostering specialized radiographers - Essay Example The initial search terms that were used were medical imaging, radiography, and students. At this time, the search was limited to these words, to see what articles could be found. As I was interested in the evolution of medical image teaching, in that my interest is in what techniques have been used within the last 30 years, the articles that I reviewed and researched were from 1979 to present. The articles were narrowed down to 50 articles by eliminating articles and studies that essentially duplicated other, very similar studies. If a study did not provide a strategy that was novel, it was eliminated. The goal was to find diverse articles that represented slightly different aspects of the issues. Also, in the interest of diversity, articles that examined medical imaging in the context of medical student education were examined as well. Of interest were the most innovative strategies for teaching medical imaging students, including those who are in medical or dental schools, along wi th those seeking a 4 year degree. Also of interest were articles that focused on radiographers, and the kind of training that makes specialty radiographers competent and well-versed. I was also interested in finding articles that provided a comprehensive look at some of the basics that need to be understood, as well as articles that speak on policy issues surrounding medical imaging education. Combining the focus of these lines of inquiry came up with the best overall view of the question at hand. The articles that were selected were global. Thus, the articles are representative of global strategies. Of interest was whether certain countries are using techniques that are effective and might not be as well-known in this country, and whether these techniques can be imported to this country or whether the techniques would work best because of the culture of the country from where the study originated. When choosing the five articles that

Dolphins Facts and Information Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dolphins Facts and Information - Article Example They are also believed to have once lived on land some ten million years ago. According to scientists, dolphins’ skeleton shows that its front flippers are a modified form of hands and the two unattached bones behind its ribcage are pelvic girdles, to which hind limbs once attached (MacGillivray, 2000). Interestingly, dolphins are known for its complex communication which consists of their call ranges, cognitive skills, and ability to modify signals through vocal learning. A study by Janik (2000) revealed how bottlenose dolphin uses whistles that could reach over 580 meters to interact one another. Aside from this, dolphins are known to communicate through sonar which interests auditory researchers, acoustical physics, and even military scientists. In his book â€Å"The Sonar of Dolphins†, Au (1993) documented the abilities to echolocate which means it can explore the depths of the ocean through echo and with little use of sight. With almost forty species, dolphins are known to reach sexual maturity for about six to ten years and copulate from belly to belly through a gestation period which takes up to 11-17 months. After this period, mother dolphins nurse her baby for about a year as female dolphins give birth to one calf every two years. Moreover, when it comes to its sleeping behavior, it is known that dolphins suffocate in full deep sleep and so, they only sleep one half of their brain at a time for about 8 hours a day (Ridgway, 1990). With this, their lifespan could reach a maximum of 40 up to 50 years. Dolphins have long been a fascination for human civilization since the ancient Greek period. These marine mammals are said to have always been friendly to the boaters and bathers at the ancient city of Greece.  

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Evaluation of the educational needs of 3rd and 4th year medical Essay

Evaluation of the educational needs of 3rd and 4th year medical imaging students for fostering specialized radiographers - Essay Example The initial search terms that were used were medical imaging, radiography, and students. At this time, the search was limited to these words, to see what articles could be found. As I was interested in the evolution of medical image teaching, in that my interest is in what techniques have been used within the last 30 years, the articles that I reviewed and researched were from 1979 to present. The articles were narrowed down to 50 articles by eliminating articles and studies that essentially duplicated other, very similar studies. If a study did not provide a strategy that was novel, it was eliminated. The goal was to find diverse articles that represented slightly different aspects of the issues. Also, in the interest of diversity, articles that examined medical imaging in the context of medical student education were examined as well. Of interest were the most innovative strategies for teaching medical imaging students, including those who are in medical or dental schools, along wi th those seeking a 4 year degree. Also of interest were articles that focused on radiographers, and the kind of training that makes specialty radiographers competent and well-versed. I was also interested in finding articles that provided a comprehensive look at some of the basics that need to be understood, as well as articles that speak on policy issues surrounding medical imaging education. Combining the focus of these lines of inquiry came up with the best overall view of the question at hand. The articles that were selected were global. Thus, the articles are representative of global strategies. Of interest was whether certain countries are using techniques that are effective and might not be as well-known in this country, and whether these techniques can be imported to this country or whether the techniques would work best because of the culture of the country from where the study originated. When choosing the five articles that

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The Classical Symphony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Classical Symphony - Essay Example Symphony has evolved since the middle of the eighteenth century, as stated by Dorak. His study stated that the Bohemian Stamitz first established a new form in the orchestra. In my research, another study made by Think Quest indicated that the history of the symphony was traced to the Baroque period. It was during this time there were musical performances in concert halls. Accordingly, these musical performances gradually evolved into the development of the â€Å"sonata† where composers realized that eventually lead to the beginning of the symphony. The classical orchestra is composed of four sections: the string section, the woodwind section, the brass section and the percussion section. In a study of the Sections of the Orchestra, it was detailed that the string sections are divided into four parts. These parts are the: first violins, second violins, violas, and cellos and double basses. The woodwind section is composed of two oboes, two flutes, two bassoons, and two clarine ts. The brass section, on the other hand, consists of two trumpets, four horns, three trombones, and a tuba. Finally, the percussion section is composed of pair of timpani (kettledrums), a side drum (snare drum), a bass drum, cymbals, and a triangle. These are the basic groups of instruments used in an orchestra. It is interesting to note that as revealed in the same study on the Sections of the Orchestra, most orchestras today have a piano and a harp to complement the other instruments, as needed.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Environmental Hazards Essay Example for Free

Environmental Hazards Essay If someone was to ask you, â€Å"What is an open dump? † What would you say? Would you know what to tell them? An open dump is abandoned piles of household garbage, bags of yard waste, appliances, old barrels, used tires, and demolition debris can threaten the health of wildlife, the environment, and humans. They can cause such health, environmental, and safety issues as fires or explosions, the inhalation of toxic gases, injuries to children playing in or around the dumpsites (I have personal experience of cutting my foot on broken glass as a child playing in an open dump), diseases carried by flies, rodents and mosquitos, and other hazards. Open Dumps, 1996 – 2011). Early Landfill Believe it or not, landfills go way back in history. Of course, back then they were called â€Å"garbage dumps. † For instance, early American settlers used to deal with their garbage by dumping it over the back fence, burying it in their back yards, or dumping it in rivers. They also would burn their garbage. (Amsel, 2005 – 2013). We can go even further back in history with this subject. Case in point: Did you know the cause of the bubonic plague (14th century) was too much garbage in the streets? Allow me to explain. The bubonic plague, also called, the â€Å"black death,† spread through Africa, Asia, nd Europe, killing 75 million people. What these people did not know at the time was they had too much garbage in their streets. There was so much it was in piles. These piles of garbage in turn attracted rats. The rats had fleas. The fleas carried the disease. With rats carrying the disease from place to place, the lack of sanitation made it the worst epidemic in human history. (Amsel, 2005 – 2013). Many of the early landfills were made in wetlands. These wetlands were thought to be wasteland at that time. These landfills leaked into lakes and rivers and built up gases, such as methane. As garbage rots, it gives off a flammable gas, called methane. Because of this many garbage dumps would catch fire or explode! The first garbage burning plant was built in 1885 in New York on Governor’s Island. It was called an â€Å"incinerator. † There were 300 incinerators burning garbage in the U. S. by 1914. (Amsel, 2005 – 2013). Leachate – The most serious problem with landfills is groundwater contamination. As water percolates through the ground (like water does in a coffeemaker), chemicals can be released in the ground and get carried along in a process called leaching. The resulting water with the various pollutants is called leachate. As the water percolates through Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), a noxious leachate is generated that consists of residues various decomposing organic matter mixed with various metals from rusting items in the landfills. This can funnel directly into the groundwater without correct precautionary measures. (Wright, 2011). Methane – Municipal Solid Waste is about 2/3 organic material. Because of this, it is subject to natural decomposition. Buried wastes are anaerobic, meaning they decompose without oxygen. A major by-product of this process produces a combination of about 2/3 methane and 1/3 hydrogen and carbon dioxide, called biogas. This is a highly flammable mixture. This has caused homes to explode at up to 1000 feet away and has caused some deaths. Also, gases seeping up to the surface have killed vegetation by poisoning their roots. (Wright, 2011). Incomplete Decomposition – Commonly used plastics resist natural decomposition because of their molecular structure. Microbes are unable to digest them because they are polymers of petroleum-based compounds. There have been biodegradable plastic polymers developed from other sources, such as cornstarch, lactic acid, cellulose, and soybean protein, as well as petroleum. Wright, 2011). Settling – Finally, as waste compacts and decomposes, it settles. This problem was recognized from the beginning and there have been no buildings built on landfills. Settling creates shallow depressions that collect and hold water. These can also be deep holes. This can be addressed by continuous monitoring and filling to restore it to a level surface. (Wright, 2011). Modern Landfill Modern landfills are designed to address the previous mentioned issues. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has upgraded requirements for landfill siting. New landfills are to be sited well above the water table on high ground. The floor is contoured so water drains into a tile leachate collection system. The sides and floor are covered with a plastic liner and at least two feet of compacted soil. This allows any percolating leachate to drain into the leachate collection system and be treated as necessary. Layers of refuse are positioned so the fill is built up in the shape of a pyramid. It is then with at least 18 inches of earthen material and then seeded. This cap and the pyramid shape help the landfill in shedding water. The entire landfill site is surrounded by groundwater monitoring wells and periodically checked. This checking must go on indefinitely. (Wright, 2011). Mariannhill Landfill, South Africa I chose the Mariannhill Landfill, South Africa for innovative practices in making it more productive and reducing its environmental impact. In reading the description of this landfill, it seemed more like a recreation area and less like a landfill. I could tell a lot of thought and planning went into this. This landfill contains several â€Å"cells† to hold waste. Soil from the landfill area is removed and put in storage. The resulting hole is the cell. Once the cell is full the soil is replaced. Vegetation is also removed and placed in a large holding nursery on the site. This is called Plant Rescue Unit or PRUNIT. There is a barrier system in each cell to prevent harmful waste by-products from seeping into the environment. Leachate is treated on site. This is done by a biological primary treatment with sludge followed by a â€Å"polishing treatment† by a reed bed. The Mariannhill site treats landfill water to reduce leachate until the water is reusable. Mariannhill has also set up a landfill gas extraction scheme. It has been operational for four years as of 2008. It also has a bird hide and conservation area with nature trails that link up with existing green space in the metro. (Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy, 2008). This has been a truly eye-opening assignment. Little did I realize as a child that some of the areas I was playing in were so dangerous. I’m not sure if my parents knew, but they always told me to stay away from places like that. I am so thankful these places (older landfills and â€Å"dumps†) are practically figments of the imagination now. We need to take better care of our planet! Let’s all chip in!

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The DJ Booth Essay examples -- essays research papers

The DJ Booth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even while standing inside a DJ booth can be loud and obnoxious, the excitement of playing music and controlling a huge crowd sends and unexplainable feeling through your body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I first step into a DJ booth at Club Centers, located in the heart of Rochester, New York, my nerves start going crazy and butterflies hit my stomach so fast it feels like I have to puke. Just the sight of three turntables and an eight-channel mixer in front of my face is like sending a little kid into a candy store. While standing in front of my tables, I look to my right and I see my soundboard. This high-tech, silver plated sound machine stands about seven feet tall with about three hundred switches and knobs that control high pitches, low pitches, medium pitches and all of the digital effects. This soundboard is used when I put a shiny new record on one of the turntables. This will distort the sound quality of the song. The music sounds like a fire alarm, starting with a deep sound then rising to a high pitch screaming noise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I look to my left, you see my beautiful blonde light girl working my light board. While the music is playing really loud, she will hit certain buttons that will make multi-colored lasers go in different directions and make many different shapes. Also, while the music is jammin...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Ian Burumas Behind the Mask :: Ian Buruma Behind the Mask

Ian Buruma's Behind the Mask Ian Buruma was born in the Netherlands in 1951. He went to school in both Holland and Japan, and he has spent a great deal of time in Japan. Ian Buruma is an author, journalist and a professor at Bard College in New York. He sometimes writes for the New York Review of Books, the New York Times Magazine, the New Republic, the New Yorker, and the Guardian. The book, Behind the Mask, was a very interesting one. This book is filled with lots of Japans history that most people know nothing about. Much of the content in Behind the Mask is focused on sexuality and violence. The book has thirteen chapters each dealing with a different topic. It starts out with a kind of mythology about the origins of Japan. It is then followed by chapters on mothers in Japan and marriage. Some of the other topics focus on women, geisha, and yakuza. Behind the Mask is a great book explaining a great deal of the sexuality related to the culture and religion of Japan. To the Japanese, sex is a part of nature; it is not considered a sin. The worst thing that can happen to an individual in Japan is to be socially shamed or dishonored. The Japanese do believe in a sort of â€Å"pollution† though. They fear being unclean, death, and blood, among other things. Purification is a big deal in Japan. Ian Buruma, the author, not only explains in great detail much of the history and practices of the Japanese, but he also writes much about significant people and places dealing with the topic. There were many significant people who contributed a great deal to the practices in Japan. He also describes many of the important places where certain events occurred. He explains what the kabuki theaters looked like and also the famous strip clubs. The Washington Post Book World writes, â€Å"A fascinating exploration of Japanese culture: the fantasy life of the Japanese. It fishes its insights from the rich and muddy river of popular culture that the Foreign Ministry has always tried to screen from foreign view. Through skillfully chosen subjects – sex, gender, the mother – we find a comprehensible (if sometimes surprising) fantasy persona behind the inscrutable mask†¦fascinating, imaginative, highly polished, entertaining.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Forensic Science Questions

Review Questions1. What are club drugs? What are some of the factors that support the use of club drugs? â€Å"Club Drugs† are drugs that are usually used at a club, nightclub, raves, and such. It is synthetic drugs, but they are used to â€Å"enhance† the experience. The type of factor that supports club drugs would be either environment and/or development. 2. What are screening tests? Why are they used?The screening tests are a type of test that can identify any substance that someone has used. This helps forensic scientists rule out any possibilities of certain types of drugs being used. 3. What are color tests? Why are these tests used?Color tests are used by introducing a chemical reagent to the drug, then you observe and examine if the material changes colors. The color tests are mainly used with trying to find drugs at a crime scene. 4. What are microcrystalline tests? What information do they provide? Microcrystalline tests use the same method as the color test, but the reagent also helps examine the morphology of the crystals that form, as well as the shape of it.This test is more accurate and more specific than the color test, it is also much faster and you do not need to separate the substance from other substances it’s with. 5. What is spectrophotometry? How can this be useful in identifying drugs? The Spectrophotometry is useful by identifying drugs. Like the color test, it cannot point out a specific drug, but it is very useful for determining if a drug is present. The spectrophotometry uses UV and infrared light and is tested to see how the light reflects or absorbs the light.Critical Thinking Questions1. Why are forensic scientists an important part of drug cases? Forensic scientists are an important part of drug cases because they have different types of tests that they can use to help find and identify drugs. Because of forensic scientists, I bet a lot more drugs have been discovered at crime scenes.2. If you were a forens ic scientist and you were called to a crime scene to see if drugs were present, what would you do to determine this? As  a forensic scientist, I would use all of the tests to be able to find if any drugs are present, and if so, where and what kind.3. Why is it important for forensic scientists to have as much information as possible about the place where a possible drug substance was found? It is important for forensic scientists to have as much information as possible about the place where a possible drug substance was found because the location can help you track other substances, and it may help discover what happened and who used drugs.4. What are some of the difficulties in identifying particular drugs? Why is it important for forensic scientists to be able to identify particular drugs? The difficult part of identifying a particular drug is that some people may mix substances with other substances, legal or illegal. Some people use items in their houses to try and hind their drugs the best that they can, which will make it hard for you to find it and identify it. It’s important for forensic scientists to be able to identify particular drugs because there’s a lot of crime scenes that involve drugs and there will be court cases and charges for drugs that are found, and forensic scientists and other investigators will have to identify the drug(s) to be able to prove that it’s that drug and not any other type of substance.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Memorandum – for Hospitality

Memorandum To: Kitchen Operations Staff From: Human Resources Date: 30th February 2013 Subject: Prevention of food poisoning. This memo is intended to inform and update employees on the work practices in the kitchen that are important in the prevention of food poisoning. Employees are expected to have a clear understanding of The Food Act 2003(NSW) and Food Regulations 2004(NSW). A copy of the Act is available with your supervisor for reference. Food handlers are legally obliged to follow these requirements. Please ensure a HACCP process is followed during the production of food.Periodic checks and audits from internal and external teams are necessary to ascertain proper HACCP processes are followed. (It should be noted that HACCP process is a legal obligation for food handlers). Employees must maintain proper personal hygiene. This is inclusive of some golden rules such as good personal grooming, treating cuts and wounds and washing hands regularly. Personal health issues that pose a risk in the workplace (food borne/airborne diseases, illnesses such as influenza or infections from open cuts/wounds) should be treated as soon as possible.Food preparation procedures include proper maintenance of the food preparation areas and food service areas. Particular care must be taken to the correct hand washing technique and the usage of gloves when handling food. Safe food storage is a legal obligation. Goods should be stored according to the manufacturer’s instruction, temperature controlled , properly packed and labelled, checked for expiration, follow stock rotation, avoid storing chemicals in old containers and store substances in separate well-lit and ventilated storerooms.Ensure that the bins are sanitised and emptied regularly. Be sure to categorise the waste storage area so that waste and recyclable items are separated. Objects and areas such as work benches , utensils , dinnerware and glassware should be cleaned and sanitised thoroughly to prevent contam ination. Regular checks to be done on temperature controlled equipment. Maintaining temperature is an important aspect of food preservation.Any malfunction of these equipment should be immediately reported and rectified. All of the above if not followed can cause food contamination which could possibly lead to Food poisoning which broadly falls under Chemical (caused by the presence of chemicals – such as cleaning agents ), Biological (harmful bacteria that is formed on food due to food spoilage from incorrect preservation of food) or Physical ( caused by glass fragments or metal shavings from incorrect preparation process) food poisoning.Signed, General Manager Human Resources Riya Jude __________________________________________________________________________________ All employees must read this memo and sign the declaration below: I read and understood the work practices in the kitchen that are important in the prevention of food poisoning. Name:| Signature:| Date:| | | | | | | | | |

Informative Speech: Media And You Essay

Speaker: Specific Purpose: At the end of my speech, the audience will be able to take steps to ensure they and their loved ones are using social networking sites to their full advantage. Central Idea: Time is money and a huge aspect in our lives which we cannot rewind so we must use it wisely and efficiently especially in regards to the time spent on social networking sites to have a positive impact on our lives. Introduction: According to the Nielsen Company survey back in August 2009 social networking and blogging sites accounted for 17% (about one in every six minutes) of all time spent on the internet. That statistic is three years old, as of today that percentage has increased rapidly due to the almost one billion members on Facebook alone, while Twitter is growing at an increasing rate. In the wise words of the great Jim Morrison â€Å"Whoever controls the media, controls the mind,† are extremely valid because everything we talk about in our daily lives has been influenced by another person whether it be reading a newspaper, listening to the radio, or watching television. In the ensuing few minutes I will be discussing the positives, and negatives of social networking while also how we can incorporate the benefits into our lives to make social networking a huge advantage in our lives. Body: I. Disadvantages of Social Networking A. Privacy Issues 1) Stalkers and complete strangers can view your pictures and information such as telephone number, email address, and also residing location. 2) Hackers can hack into one’s account gain valuable and personal information which can lead to identity theft and fraud. B. Could Lead to Bad Reputation 1) Your Facebook or Twitter profile is the essence of you and a digital page which represents you, but if someone posts information or other inappropriate comments on your page it leads to bad reputation. 2) The consequences of a bad reputation online could lead to hard time finding a  job or being fired by your current employer. C. Makes Relationships Impersonal 1) Any relationship you have could be family and boyfriend or girlfriend is impacted by social networking sites. 2) Digital Communication is replacing personal communication because we are messaging each other or chatting one another instead of face to face conversations or phone conversations. 3) Digital Communication is impersonal and with time lowers the quality of the relationship. D. UNPRODUCTIVITY & WASTE OF TIME 1) Social Networking leads to procrastination and being unproductive. 2) Social Networking sites take away time from the more important things in life and in reality and therefore sets you back in scheduled routines and goals. II. Advantages of Social Networking A. Allows to Reconnect with Family and Friends 1) Eases communication with anyone all over the world. B. Allows one to share their thoughts and Opinions 1) By posting statuses and posts you are spreading your ideas and thoughts. 2) Social Networking Sites allow you to become familiar with people that have several similarities with you and your interests. C. Allows for increased Business opportunities and helps the business advertise. D. Eases of Communication 1) You can spread knowledge and information to millions of members on social networking sites easily and conveniently. III. How to make Social Networking beneficial for yourself A. Put a time limit on how long you will be using any social networking site so it allows you to communicate but does not lead to unproductivity and waste of time. B. Make sure to set your profile on private so it can only be viewed by friends that you have accepted and not complete strangers. C. Do not put any private information on the internet. D. BE ALERT!!! Conclusion: So today, we looked at the disadvantages and advantages of social networking while also learning about how we can make social networking beneficial for us. We are a new generation obsessed with technology and spend so much time on the internet so it is our responsibility to use it wisely and knowledgably. â€Å"The Way of the World Is Meeting People Through Other People,† which is why social networking is a positive and effective factor in our lives.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Should both parents assume equal responsibility in raising children Essay

Should both parents assume equal responsibility in raising children - Essay Example Although this may be different to previous years, it seems that this direction is much fairer for women and gives men more interaction with their offspring. In this paper, I will be exploring the reasons behind this move towards equal parenting and whether it is right that both parents are assuming equal responsibilities for their children and how they are raised. I argue that it is fairer for women and better for children that parenting responsibles are equal. One of the main reasons why parents should assume equal responsibility in raising children is so that these children know their mother and father equally and have a good relationship with both parents, something which is important in lives. In previous years, it has been hard for children to get to know their father because he is always at work, earning money, whilst their relationship with their mother was usually good. Having a male and a female influence in the home is important for increasing harmony within the household and making the children feel as though they are loved by both parents and are valued. Another one of the main reasons that both parents should assume equal responsibilities for raising the children is that it is fairer for the women. In previous years, it has been that the woman has done all the housework and raised the kids alone, whilst the man of the home went to earn money. Although both parents worked hard, a lot of women came to feel that their talents were being wasted, particularly if they had a college education and they were fairly smart. From an outside perspective it does seem unfair that the man can have a career whilst the women is doing menial tasks and continually looking after the children. Another reason why this shared responsibility is fairer for the women is that it can be quite difficult for a women to balance all the childcare, a social life and a job, which means that she usually has to give one of

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

CULTURAL MINORITY GROUPS ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CULTURAL MINORITY GROUPS - Assignment Example tes, and language use) provide constricted measures of acculturation, the rare use of multidimensional acculturation measures and models has inhibited a more comprehensive understanding of the association between specific components of acculturation and particular health outcomes. A public health perspective that incorporates the roles of structural and cultural forces in acculturation may help identify mechanisms underlying links between acculturation and health among Latinos. BECAUSE OF ITS ORIENTATION in and emphasis on health disparities, the field of public health should pay particular attention to the impact of acculturation on the health of Latinos. Latinos are currently the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, numbering 35.3 million persons and comprising 12.5% of the country’s population.1 Although the percentage varies across the different Latino groups, more than two thirds (65.2%) of Latinos (excluding Puerto Ricans) living in the United States are foreign-born.2 This large proportion of immigrants illustrates, in part, the importance of considering acculturation in research on the health of Latinos. Although definitions vary, acculturation is broadly described as the process by which individuals adopt the attitudes, values, customs, beliefs, and behaviors of another culture.3,4 The process of acculturation presents numerous challenges and life changes that could potentially benefit or adversely affect the health of immigrants as well as subsequent US-born generations. Therefore, it is important to consider acculturation processes when studying the health of all Latinos in the United States. In the social and behavioral sciences, there is a rich theoretical literature on acculturation; however, models from this literature have not been applied to much public health research. Theoretically grounded studies of acculturation could provide effective analytic tools for current efforts to address health disparities among Latinos. Because

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Computer Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computer Science - Essay Example This often attacks the routers, servers, and firewall processing resources and thus limiting them. Normally, this type of DDoS attacks sent a lot of data which leads to an overload making the network bandwidth to be depleted. There is a reduction in the quality of service when there is an overload attack in a system. This is because the normal access is tempered with. This kind of attacks often sent large traffic attacks in form of TCP, UDP and other ICPM.Often people use technology forgery to escape the system monitoring. When the attacks are mixed with the malware exploitation, they cause leaking of the information and this may be dangerous. This illegal activity of information leakage will occur while fighting the DDoc attacks. This is vital as it is used in the financial institutions to prevent breaches and leakages of the information. Though the attackers may not be many, this attack is taken for specific roles such as canceling fraudulent transactions or accesses a vital database. (Chai, 2013)This often involves targeting application layer of OSI model.Normally, application layer data is sent to the attackers to disable their functions. Here, there is the involvement of a machine which in most cases are the agents. When the orders are received from the master machine which is controlled by the attacker, this agent will be involved in remitting the packets to a host who is a victim of the attack. The agents and master will then generate an actual attack message instructing the modus operandi to attack the network victim.

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Application of Theories in Firms Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Application of Theories in Firms - Assignment Example Companies use penetration marketing to gain market share and retain their customers Method Various literature and information were evaluated as regards the culture of employee empowerment theory. Empowerment as a social theory is traceable to Freire, an educator and humanitarian of Brazilian origin who espoused a plant for liberating the oppressed in the world using education. The idea of empowerment was mostly associated with alternative approaches to social or psychological development. The theory of employee empowerment suggests that employees will undertake their duties and responsibilities in a more responsible, efficient, and effective manner if they are allowed to behave in a less encumbered way and are better informed (Hur, 2006). Employee understanding of the mission, objectives, vision, and goals of the company will enable them demonstrate greater initiative, risk-taking and responsibility when they are effectively trained, accorded an environment that is relatively free of castigatory consequences and they have some authority in making decisions. It involves delegating authority up to the lowest level within the organization where decision making is allowed. Over the past twenty years, the theory of employee empowerment has been tried and proven to yield considerable predictive value (Towns, 2010). Employee empowerment culture gives employees the leeway to make decisions by themselves and this gives a lot of room for creativity, and entails principles of shared leadership and is a shift from the traditional hierarchical leadership method. It incorporates an approach that is motivational where not much independent power and authority is accorded to employees. The other approach is relational that entails a lot of power decentralization (Towns, 2010). Question Two The theory of penetration pricing is a strategy that entails giving customers a markedly low price (compared to average market price) at the early stages of the business enterprise with the b elief that over time due to experience and increased efficiency, costs of production will go down for instance due to economies of scale. This ultimately leads to the enterprise becoming profitable (Rao, 2009). It is suitable when a completely new product is being introduced, the market has customers that are price sensitive, a threat of a competitor entering the market exists, and continuous innovation is expected. Question three This memo reviews Google and Wal-Mart as two companies in the USA that practice employee empowerment and penetration pricing; respectively. Most traditional companies condition their employees to rely and depend upon leaders whom they really have no intrinsic connection to as the means for company progress. Employees are just not trusted to make the right decisions on matters affecting the company on their own (Llopis, 2010). Google has shown leadership and ‘breaking away’ from the pack by empowering their employees to make decisions and explo re their creativity. Google employees are empowered to use 20 percent of the time they spend at work daily to pursue personal projects that are not related to Google as a company and remarkably enough, this presently accounts for half of Google’

Friday, October 4, 2019

Dissertation proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Proposal - Dissertation Example (Department of Trade and Industry, 2002) Considerable awareness is there on these concepts of social enterprises, but the problem is in reality the numbers of social enterprises are significantly lower in relation to normal profit-making companies. This kind of observation simply leads to the question as to whether this situation is taking place because there is scarcity of required finance that is essential for providing support to the growth of these organizations or whether people are less interested in setting up a social enterprise on account of the challenges it faces. (Shortall, 2009) From the perspective of a lender, particularly of a banker, the flow of cash and the capability of repaying all the debts are the important factors and criteria for judging the application in the area of financing. This is indeed a challenge for the managers of the organizations like social enterprises service where the key funding sources are donations and grants. (Gates, 1998; Shortall, 2009) S ubsidies provided by Government and donations offered by various public and private organizations or individuals are not dependable sources of revenue in any of the traditional lending system, consequently social enterprises shall necessitate adequate amount of collateral for compensating for that. Cash flow on a regular basis is a very important thing for any traditional lending organization like banks to take into account at the time of lending any firm. It is generally found that banks are not as much interested in extending loans to social enterprises as in doing the same for other normal profit-making institutions. The bankers actually perceive the business and operational modes of social enterprises in a different way. (Brown, 2004; Department of Trade and Industry, 2002) In this background, it would be quite interesting to examine the environment of finance in this special type of enterprises, namely social enterprises. The proposed research aims at conducting a thorough revi ew of bankers’ actual awareness regarding business and operational modes of social enterprises, their attitudes towards social enterprises’ business modes and social enterprises’ ability to attract funds from traditional lenders like banks. Given the goals and nature of operation of these institutions, it seems that bankers would not be much likely to lend them funds. In this scenario, it would be interesting to examine the extent to which bankers are reluctant of giving funds to social enterprises and why they are reluctant. For the purpose of the present research, the social enterprises of London will be taken into account. A significant number of social enterprises operate in different industrial sectors of London and a number commercial banks operating in London will be considered. Research Objectives: Given the research aim discussed in the earlier section, the research objectives of the study can be stated as follows: To build an enhanced understanding of awareness of bankers regarding the nature of operation of social enterprises. To identify the bankers’ attitude towards lending social enterprises and to find out the sources of having the attitude they have built. To examine the ability of social enterprises in attracting funds from traditional lending organizations like banks. Research Questions: On the basis of the research obje

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Current coal burning policy in U.S.A Essay Example for Free

Current coal burning policy in U.S.A Essay Coal is the largest power producer in America. Recently, the International Energy Agency said that until the year 2030, it will remain to be the worlds largest source of power. However, we have to face the consequences of using coal, because of all fuels; it produces the most carbon dioxide, the number one cause of global warming. Research has shown that American coal burning power plants produce up to two billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. (Nao Nakanishi, 2008) Coal is produced from fossil fuels, which come from plants that decayed millions of years ago. When these fossils are burnt, carbon, nitrous oxide, methane and fluorocarbons are emitted. Carbon combines with oxygen when it is released to the atmosphere, to form carbon dioxide. In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, together with the other gases like nitrous oxide, methane and fluorocarbons form the green house gases. Carbon dioxide forms 76% of the total green house gases. These gases hang in the atmosphere, such that when the sun’s rays hit the earth and reflect back, some are unable to pass through the green house gases. These rays remain in the atmosphere and cause the earth to be 33 degrees Celsius warmer than it should be. The change in the climate causes global warming. The effects of global warming are evident today; increase in diseases like malaria, drought, increased floods to mention just a few. (Hopwood N. etal, 2008) Questions like why coal has to be used as the major electricity producer world wide have been asked many times. The most common answer to this question is that it is found in abundance and is a reliable source of electricity. In addition, it is quite affordable and above all cheapest to produce. However, its demand has become more than its supply so the manufacturers will have too continue manufacturing more of the product. Besides the facts that it has become the back bone of Americas economy, in that if the coal industry failed, there would be a power shortage in the other industries. This explains that economic factors have resulted to coal being a cause for global warming. The diagram below shows the consumption of coal, and the predictions for the future years. (Fueling the future, 2000) It is very sad to know that the American courts have denied the common citizen his right to file for charges against the polluters. This decision has been based on the fact that the common citizen is not harmed by the core emissions to the extent that the harm caused provides sufficient ground for them to file charges. This incident happened a few years ago ion Alabama, where core mines are found. Such an incident is enough proof that even the authorities are now involved in the corruption that comes with core mining. The politicians have not also been left out in the contribution of coal as a cause of global warming. The Bush’s government was a big supporter of coal production. Obama’s government too has not done much to support the use of an alternate source of energy that is not so hazardous. Even after the historic spill of the coal ash in Tennessee, the coal industry has continued to receive support from the members of the Obama government, who have said that they intend to maintain coal as the major source of energy all over America. The government can come up with other ways of producing electricity like the wind power, the hydro electric power or the solar energy. (Power Stephen etal, 2009). Coal mining imposes threats to human life, at both the external and the internal level. At the internal level, coal affects the health of the workers at the mine fields. They breathe the gas when they are mining, and this can lead to serious problems like diseases such as black chest, which is caused by accumulation of the gases on the chest of the miners. The external effects of global warming due to the coal pollution can be seen in the increased environmental degradation. For example, the open pit method of mining the coal leads to land degradation. There are also the deformities that are seen in children born by mothers who were exposed to the gases found in coal. For example, there is mercury, which may cause the children born to be deformed, or may cause them death. The Tennessee coal ash spill, which occurred late, last year shows the ignorance being displayed by the coal manufacturers. More than fifteen homes were destroyed, while the ones that were nearby were exposed to very hazardous conditions. Studies by scientists showed that the ashes contained heavy metals like lead, arenic among others; which could cause neurological problems and diseases like cancer. The ash spill made brought back a debate that had died a few years ago, whether the government should declare the ash from coal as a toxic and hazardous substance. Officials from the coal mining company said that the ash was ’clean coal’. However, environmentalist are warning that there is nothing as clean coal, which is true because if the ash was clean, then they would not be storing it in the first place, but would be releasing it to the atmosphere. (Shaila Dewan, 12/25/2008). The history of coal The first ever coal to be mined in America was in 1748, and it weighed 50 tons, but today, more than one billion tonnes are produced every year. In 1762, people whom settled in the Wyoming Valley discovered the deposits of coal. By then, Pennsylvania was a flat, moist but hot plain and was mostly covered in swamps. It was estimated that 16 billion tons of coal lied beneath the service, and an estimated 7. 5 billion tons of the coal could be mined. In 1768, the coal was first mined, and the mine was located near Pittston. Between 1776 and 1780, the coal that was discovered at the Wilkes- Berre area was mined. It was then used as an industrial product in 1788, to heat the metals that were used to make iron nails. After the first mining and use of coal in the industries, other uses were also discovered. From then, coal became a major boost to the industrial revolution, and it continues to be used in the industries up to date. A total of 38 states have coal deposits and each has been mined one time or another. Coal mining is one of the reasons for the development of these states since the early 1800s. The uses of coal have improved as the years pass. At first, coal was used for the manufacture of the gas lights. In the 1950s, illuminating gas that was commonly used in Britain was also made from coal. In general, coal was in the past used for the steam engines, as a domestic heat provide and as a fuel for rail roads. Efforts to stop global warming by coal There are environmentalists such as Al Gore, have tried to come up with solutions to reduce global warming by coal. There are such as the use of alternative sources of energy like the solar and the wind power, which do not contribute to global warming. They have argued that the energy sources would be important in the conservation of the environment and the effect of global warming would definitely decrease. There is also the on going research on how the coal gases can be cleaned before they are released to the atmosphere to reduce the level of pollution that they cause. President Obama has supported this move, saying that since he supports the use of coal as the major source of electricity for all of America, then clean coal, free from any toxins would be a good idea to reduce global warming. Review of the research This research has been done through the use of secondary sources. The sources are reliable, some of them on statistical data. However, more research needs to be done on the use of coal as the major source of electricity in America. There, is a need to join the environmentalists in the campaign against the use of coal, and to come up with other methods that are friendlier to the environment. We all have a role to play in the reducing the effects of global warming. Works cited 1) Beacon Theater, January 15, 2004, Al Gore Speaks on Global Warming and the Environment, New York, retrieved on 1/27/2009 from: http://civic. moveon. org/gore3//speech. html 2) Dewan Shaila, 12/25/2008, Tennessee coal ash spill revives issue of its hazards: Herald tribune Retrieved on 1/27/2009 from http://www. iht. com/articles/2008/12/25/america/25sludge. php? page=1 3) District 1 Coal Mine Safety and Health History of Anthracite Coal Mining: United States department of labor, retrieved on 1/27/2009 from http://www. msha. gov/district/dist_01/history/history. htm 4) Fueling the future: American gas foundation, 2000, retrieved on 1/27/2009 from: http://www. fuelingthefuture. org/contents/Graphs. asp 5) History of core use: fossil oils. org 14/19/2004, retrieved on 1/27/2009 from http://www. bydesign. com/fossilfuels/links/index. html 6) Hopwood Nick, Cohen Jordan, (2008), Green house gases and society, retrieved on 1/27/2009 from http://www. umich. edu/~gs265/society/greenhouse. htm 7) John Stuart Richards, 2002, Early Coal Mining in the Anthracite Region, New York, Arcadia Publishing, 2002 8) Kutcha David, 2003, Pennsylvania coal mine history, retrieved on 1/27/1009 from http://www. tccweb. org/penncoal. htm 9) Nakanishi Nao, 11/14/2008. Coal to remain worlds top power source: Energy plan USA, Research and comment, retrieved on 1/27/2009 from: http://www. reuters. com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4AD3CQ20081114? sp=true