Radon Gas Case Study Essay

OBJECTIVE: Build a simple ionization chamber that is capable of detecting fairly low levels of radiation BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Radon is a cancer-causing gas. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. These radioactive materials â€Å"decay† into lighter elements, emitting energetic sub-atomic particles in the process, and one of those lighter elements is Radon. Since radon is a noble gas, it is chemically inert and doesn’t stay bound in the solid the way it’s parent did. It diffuses right through solids and ends up floating freely in the air. Being a noble gas, radon is fairly harmless, itself. You breathe in some radon with every breath but then you breathe it right back out, since it isn’t chemically active or electrically charged. But radon has a short half-life of only about four days, meaning that about half of it will decay within four days, producing new, even lighter radioactive isotopes of other elements like polonium, lead, and bismuth. Those isotopes keep decaying, until a stable isotope of lead is reached. These radon â€Å"daughters† are not noble gasses like radon, they are usually ionized when they are produced, and they will readily stick to anything nearby, like healthy lung tissue. They typically have an even shorter half-life than radon and quickly decay inside the lung, kicking out energetic alpha and beta particles that can cause tissue damage and potentially trigger lung cancer. This unfortunate chain of events is due to the decay chain including a noble gas. Radon gas is considered to be the second leading cause of lung cancer. It can get into any type of building — homes, offices, and schools — and result in a high indoor radon level. But, we are most likely to get your greatest exposure at home, where we spend most of our time. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Any home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements. These are examples where you can find the noble gas: 1. Cracks in solid floors 2. Construction Joints 3. Cracks in walls 4. Gaps in suspended floors 5. Water supply It breaks down into solid radioactive elements called radon progeny. Radon progeny can attach to dust and other particles and can be breathed into the lungs. As radon and radon progeny in the air break down, they give off alpha particles, a form of high-energy radiation that can damage our health. Radon daughters will stick to just about anything they encounter, so they are easily collected by drawing air through a dusting cloth with an ordinary fan. After collecting the daughters for about an hour or two, the radiation being emitted from the cloth due to the further decay of the collected radioactive isotopes can be measured with a simple ionization chamber made from an empty coffee can, a single Darlington transistor, and a digital voltmeter. The deceivingly simple ion chamber is quite sensitive and can detect radon daughters in buildings with radon concentrations below the â€Å"action level† recommended by health authorities. A simple ionization chamber is nothing more than a metal can with a wire inside. When a radioactive particle passes through the air in the chamber, many of the molecules of air are ionized, having electrons knocked loose from the outer atomic shells. Applying a positive voltage on the outer can relative to the internal wire, causes these ions to be attracted to the wire and the free electrons to be attracted to the interior wall of the can. This movement of charge is a tiny current that may be amplified to detect the rate at which ions are being generated, and thereby the rate that radioactive particles are passing through the can. The chamber will be detecting mostly beta  particles. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Copper is an essential element for all known living organisms, including humans. You need a small amount of copper in your diet to stay healthy. On average, most people will eat and drink about 1,000 micrograms ( ÃŽ ¼g) of copper per day—drinking water normally contributes approximately 150 ÃŽ ¼g per day. Levels of copper found naturally in ground water and surface water are typically very low—about 4 ÃŽ ¼g of copper in one liter (L) of water or less—however, drinking water may contain higher levels of copper, usually as a result of flowing through copper pipes. High levels of copper can occur if water that is corrosive comes in contact with copper plumbing and copper-containing fixtures. Many factors can make water corrosive for copper pipes: dissolved salts and minerals, bacteria, and suspended solids, such as sand, sediment, and rust. The level of copper in drinking water increases with the corrosivity of the water and the length of time it remains in contact with the plumbing. If the copper level gets too high, the water may have a metallic taste and you might notice blue or blue-green stains around sinks and plumbing fixtures. It will be highest in the morning because the water will have been exposed to the pipes overnight. If you are being served by a public water system, the owner of the utility will have results of  copper sampling, which is a process that has been done in parts of the water-distribution system. In this chemistry science fair project, you will investigate another possible factor in making water corrosive for copper — the pH of the water. You will test the theory that acidic water is more corrosive for copper pipes than non-acidic water. In the procedure, dingy copper pennies will be placed in either plain water or in water with acetic acid (vinegar). You may know that newly minted pennies have bright, shinny copper but over time the copper and air react and the pennies build up a layer of copper oxide on them. The copper oxide is the dull, dark coloration on well-used pennies. In this experiment, if the water is corrosive enough to strip off the copper oxide then you will see the progress of the reaction by watching the pennies go from dull and dingy to bright and shiny. The pennies get shiny because the copper oxide is being stripped off by a reaction, which results in increasing levels of copper in the liquid. Unfortunately, water that is corrosive slowly eats away at the pure copper, as well as at the copper oxide. For houses with corrosive water systems, this can result in elevated levels of copper in the drinking water. On a purely practical level, houses with corrosive water systems might find that their copper pipes are springing leaks, and that the whole house needs to be re-piped with plastic pipes! To measure the amount of copper present in the solutions that are used to clean the pennies, you will perform a color-based chemical test. The chemicals for the test are contained in a small tablet, which is dissolved in water. When the tablet is dissolved, the solution turns reddish-orange. If no copper (or very small amounts of copper) is present, the solution remains reddish-orange. If copper is present, the solution will turn blue.

Arête (‘Virtue’) Theme in Homer’s Iliad Essay

Why was arà ªte (‘virtue’) an important theme in Homer’s Iliad? Select two characters with which to make your points. Virtue or arà ªte was an important quality in Homeric society and one which features very heavily in the Iliad. Arà ªte is achieved by one’s actions, generally in battle and is a combination of qualities such as courage, honour (‘time’) and sacrifice.([good] Homeric heroes possessed these qualities and they were recognised by the audience of the epics.( Outwardly, the heroes of the Iliad and the ones who possess arà ªte in the greatest quantities are Achilles and Hector, equal heroes on each side of the Trojan war. In equal measure, although slightly less predominantly, is the arà ªte displayed by Nestor and Priam, King of Troy.( Achilles was born to an immortal goddess and his fate determined that his was to be a short, albeit glorious life. He had been warned that the war in Troy would spell his doom; however, seeking glory and honour the mighty Achilles went to war and was a force to be reckoned with. His honour is exhibited best by two main instances in this poem: the first, in regards to the war itself. [I think that you are confusing ‘honour/time’ with ‘arete’ ] Achilles had been offended by Agamemnon who had taken Achilles’ prize (the slave-girl, Briseis) from him; this had offended Achilles because, in a sense, by taking Briseis Agamemnon had also taken [change to ‘insulted’] his honour.([good] In retaliation for this attack on his honour, Achilles refused to rejoin the war for the Greek army. [you could indicate the extent of Achilles’ anger by referring to ‘Iliad’1.407-412 where he begs his mother to ask Zeus to help the Trojans against the Greeks because of Agamemnon’s actions] However, when Achilles saw that the Trojans were gaining headway in the war and gaining ground, he felt that a suitable substitute would be to allow his comrade, Patroclus to don his armour and rejoin the fight to give the Greeks the moral boost they desperately needed and also as an attempt to intimidate the Trojan army.( During the course of the battle which ensued, as a result of Patroclus imitating Achilles, Patroclus is killed by Hector, hero of Troy. When Achilles hears that his beloved comrade and friend has perished at the hands of Hector, he rejoins the fight and in his rage kills Trojans indiscriminately and mercilessly including the Trojan hero, Hector. Achilles mourns for his friend and believes it is important that he receive the proper funeral rights [spelling ‘rites’]. The funeral rights [‘rites’] are an important part of Greek and Homeric culture and it is important that those who are killed, particularly in battle, are accorded the proper rights [‘rites’] to enable them to enter the world of Hades.(The funeral pyre and rights [‘rites’] are important not merely for religious reasons but they also ensured that the hero who has perished is honoured accordingly. Achilles shows that he is respectful and honourable by ensuring that Patroclus receives the rights and respect that he deserves as a hero. Achilles also displays his greatness for a second time in a very gracious manner when Priam, King of Troy comes to his tent to bargain for the return of the body of his beloved son Hector, whom Achilles has killed in battle. Priam comes to bargain for the body of his son in order to ensure he receives the appropriate funeral rights [‘rites’] and therefore, receive the honour he deserves as a hero. By bargaining for the body of Hector using gifts of â€Å"gold, goblets and linens†, Priam is ensuring that Achilles is not robbed of his prize and, therefore, his honour.([true because the hero’s image and status in the eyes of everyone was of the utmost importance] Priam strikes close to Achilles’ heart by bargaining for Hector’s body to ensure it is accorded the funeral rights [‘rites’], especially so close after the death of Patroclus. Priam acknowledges that Achilles is a strong and brave man and Achilles in turn acknowledges the bravery of the King. Achilles, however, as well as displaying greatness, bravery and hospitality is also an angry man, so angry in fact that after he had killed Hector he had taken his body and dragged it round the funeral mound of Patroclus. [Yes, he was doing this from intense anger but his anger was really directed at himself; he was trying to expiate his own feelings of guilt over the death of Patroclus] Priam is a proud man and rightly so. He is the ruler of Troy and has led his kingdom to victory in many battles and has many sons who have fought in these wars and are brave warriors, none more so than Hector, breaker of horses. Despite his pride Priam also displays a very humble nature and it is this quality that takes him to Achilles to bargain for the body of his beloved son, Hector. Priam is visited by a divine messenger who promises that he will be protected if he is to go to the Achaeans. Priam believes in the gods and believes that what the gods have said will be done. He is a faithful and religious man and has provided many sacrifices to the gods, particularly to the god Apollo who favours the Trojans. Priam takes the advice of the messenger and gathers items with which he can bargain for Hector. This example is a symbol of the arà ªte which is possessed by Priam. This is further shown when Priam goes to the tent of Achilles and instead of speaking to him as one would an enemy, Priam converses with Achilles with respect and dignity and almost as one would speak to a son. Priam even goes so far as to describe what he is going through to what Achilles’ own father would experience should Achilles perish. This experience shows Priam’s qualities at their very best.[I agree that this scene shows both men at their very best but ‘arete’ is not one of those qualities on show here; more like humility and courage on the part of Priam and maturity and compassion on the part of Achilles ] These two men are both respected in their own circles and are both extremely honourable men in their own ways, Achilles as a brave warrior and Priam as a noble and righteous King. They are each individually respected because of the qualities they exhibit and by, not only, how they treat other people but by how they behave when faced with difficult situations. Priam displays great courage by going to the tent of Achilles and is faced with the possibility that Achilles could kill him.( It is a testament to how much Priam loves his son and the strength of his religious views that he braves this journey to ensure Hector receives his funeral rights [‘rites’]. We can also see from this encounter the qualities of Achilles. Rather than  treating Priam like his enemy he treats Priam simply like a human being. â€Å"Achilles appears to go beyond the conventional idea of friend and enemy seeing Priam and himself simply as fellow human beings living in the same world of sorrows b estowed by the gods.† (Homer and the Greek dark age, page 61).

Bookstore Inventory System

Table of Contents Introduction Statement of the Problem Theoretical Framework Conceptual Framework Significance of the Study Scope and Delimitation of the Study Definition of Terms Introduction Information Technology has brought different changes in the environment especially in the growth of advanced technology. Modern technology is used by many companies and other business establishment either private / public in order to benefit the advantages that it brings to businesses. They use a computer as one of the devices to work easier and faster. It is one of the aspects considered in order to gain success in the competitive world of business. Information Communication Technology or ICT is used as a general term for all kinds of technology which enable users to create access and manipulate information. ICT is a combination of information technology and communications technology. In an increasingly interconnected world, the interactions among devices, systems, and people are growing rapidly. Businesses need to meet the demands of their employees and customers to allow for greater access to systems and information. All of these communications needs must be delivered in a unified way. By offering a scalable infrastructure, cloud computing models enable companies to work smarter through more agile and cost-effective access to technology and information. This unified platform reduces costs and boosts productivity across business. Part of an information and communications technology roadmap should involve consolidating infrastructures, while providing added benefits to users in collaboration, messaging, calendaring, instant messaging, audio, video, and web conferencing. Cloud computing is driving more efficient IT consumption and delivery and taking ICT to the next level. The importance of having an efficient and robust Bookstore Inventory and Sales System cannot be understated. As technology continues to evolve, customers are demanding streamlined customer service and instant access to easier transaction process. Bookstore Inventory and Sales System generates customer service processes, increases efficiency and improves technological factors. Statement of the Problem This system aims to handle transactions and to have a success in customer interaction presents. 1. How can the customer view the details of a certain item they need. 2. How can the administrator view all the records of the entire customer. 3. How can the administrator compute the bills of the customer. 4. How the administrators can add and delete customer’s record. 5. How can the administrator manage the customers. Theoretical Framework Bookstore Inventory and Sales System provides the easiest way in customer service. At this point, our system is one whom we designed for the purpose. First, a user can register either an administrator or a clerk provided the questions and requirements asked as he go through the process then if successful, he will be automatically registered in the logs. If registered as administrator, he can do all changes in every transaction on sales and records for the authority is in that position. He can delete, edit, or add in the records available. He can also view all the stocks and the total sales in a certain date. On the other hand, clerk, he can only do things that only a clerk can do such as do transactions with the customer purchasing in a certain date and record it accordingly. Conceptual Framework Significance of the Study This system will be able to lessen the difficulty of service providers in finding and locating the book/s the customer want to buy. With corresponding details and price of each book, the clerk can be able to automatically inform the customer. This system will also help them know the quantity of books and stocks available. This will also function as a sales inventory for all the transactions recorded accordingly. This system will be able to lessen the time – consuming processes for clerk and customers, create a quick and easy ambiance for all transactions, to develop a customer – clerk interaction with a good atmosphere, and especially to increase the number of sales because of the good services it provides. Scope and Delimitation From manual system to automated system is a very hard job to do but for an easier way it is designed to make the work faster. This inventory system can keep all the information and transactions in the computer. The admin can do change if the customers can’t achieve his/her needs. Admin/Clerk can compute the bills of the customers in an easiest way. This system can display all the customers’ information and needs. The customers can have his/her record in the computer and can have his/her service in details as he/she has requested. Definition of Terms 1. Inventory The act or process of making a complete list of the things that are in a place. 2. Sales The total amount of money that a business receives from selling goods or services. 3. Transaction A business deal: an occurrence in which goods, services, or money are passed from one person, account, company to another. 4. Bill An itemized statement of money owed for goods shipped or services rendered. 5. Clerk A person whose job is to keep track of records and documents for a business or office. 6. Administrator A person who controls the use of something (such as property or money).

International criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International criminal law - Essay Example that has broken out in Asterixia since 1999, there is evidence existing that gross human rights violations have taken place - â€Å"crimes against humanity†6 or crimes committed within the context of a war situation. In assessing the criminal liability that will accrue upon the state of Asterixia, the provisions of various international conventions must be considered while criminal liability of President Killinger and General Nipochet could arise under the ICTY which has clearly spelt out the liabilities of a Commander for atrocities committed by subordinates and be adjudicated through the ICC. The term â€Å"crimes against humanity† was first coined after the massacre of the Armenians by the Turks in 19157 however all such diplomatic initiatives after World War I to â€Å"act on behalf of humanity† proved inconclusive8. The International Military tribunal at Nuremberg was criticized on the basis of it being equivalent to implement of justice by the victor9 however it was the first step to the setting up of an international forum to question State immunity in the case of international crimes.10 But as deGuzman points out, it was only after the establishment of the ad hoc tribunals at Yugoslavia in 1993 and Rwanda in 1994 that international justice has been activated11. The ICTY12 was authorized to bring to justice and prosecute those persons accused of crimes against humanity â€Å"when †¦.directed against any civilian population.†13 The ICTR on the other hand, came into being to tackle the heinous criminal activity generated by the Rwandan conflict13a – however both these tribunals have made it possible to try individuals for their crimes in an international criminal forum. The International criminal Court which came into being in 2002, has jurisdiction over nationals for crimes occurring on the territory of all states that have ratified the Rome Statute.14 Article 98(2) of the Rome Statute is specifically meant to protect against the ICC being used as a basis

Managing the Employment Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managing the Employment Relationship - Essay Example However, regardless of the size of the organisation, it is advisable for employers to have effective systems for providing information and consultations with employees on a periodic basis (ACAS, 2005). This is particularly critical for small companies that are growing at a fast rate and need to have systems in place for employee engagement as is the case with the company under consideration. One form of employee representation is trade unions. Trade unions are associations of employees. Trade union is â€Å"an organization of workers that aims to protect and advance the interests of its members† (BIS, 2009). Their objective is to sustain and enhance the terms and conditions of work for their members. This is done through collective bargaining with employers. Recognition of the trade union by the company is very important for collective bargaining. Collective bargaining takes place when the trade union negotiates with the employer on behalf of the employees on matters regarding pay and other terms and conditions of employment. Trade unions are of four types: company union, general/industrial union, craft union and white collar union (Cole, 2003). Company union represent the employees in a single company. General or Industrial union represents employees from several companies belonging to the same industry. Craft union represents skilled workers in a specific field . White collar union represent white collar employees e.g., teachers and professors. Trade unions are set up to protect and promote the interests of employees. The existence of a trade union reduces the possibilities of industrial conflict (Dillon, 2009). Trade unions play a vital role in effective communication between management and employees. They provide the support system to ensure that the differences of opinion do not turn into major conflicts. Trade unions play an

An Analysis of a Consequentialist Claim in the Dalai Lama Essay

An Analysis of a Consequentialist Claim in the Dalai Lama - Essay Example Issues to do with the rise in population and the advancement of technology are affecting the nature. He says that the environmental disasters being witnessed are due to our irresponsible behavior. Lama gives a case example of Tibet where he grew up and the changes in environment that have undergone in the past years and its consequences (Gyatso 1). According to Lama, Tibet was once a wildlife paradise. The wildlife in Tibet was rarely hunted and hunting only occurred in the remote areas where crops could not be planted. It was a custom for the government officials to make a proclamation on protecting wildlife. He claims that there were no provisions to harm the animals whether on land or in water, in fact, the only animals allowed to do so were the wolves and rats. However, the contribution of hunting in the loss of wildlife is not significant (Gyatso 1). He offers a vivid picture of Tibet when he was young. During his travelling at that time, he used to see a number of species on the way. These species range from mammals to birds. He recalls how he interacted with the animals and other forms of nature (Gyatso 1). The wildlife is long gone and this is due to the loss of habitat and partly due to hunting. Only a small fraction of the habitat remains in Tibet. The forests in Tibet are also gone; he compares the present state of Tibet forest with a clean shaven monk’s head. He says that the solutions lie within us and there is need to fix our behaviors not the environment; technology does not offer most of the solutions (Gyatso 1). The argument of Dalai Lama is valid to some extent. The source of environmental destruction is from the human beings. This is true because most of the activities done by human beings including industrialization affect the environment negatively. Most of the environmental disasters like floods are due to deforestation and the destruction of habitats. Thus, his claim that environmental disasters are due to our irresponsible

Walmarts Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Walmarts Ethics - Essay Example Walmart is indeed a large organization with thousands of stores in the US and other parts of the world as well. It has employed millions of employees and hence increasing its fame. However, in a bid to maintain its leading retail position, Walmart has had to engage in unethical buyer power where those suffering are its employees, the suppliers as well as other businesses which Walmart has taken businesses from in a bid to continue with its reputation for lower prices. The employees’ medical benefits among other benefits are not offered to all employees even though they work excess hours without much compensation which is an indication of Walmart’s injustice and unfairness to their hard working employees. When the business continues to lower its prices and reduce the purchasing power of the suppliers in a bid to make more profit, it goes against the ethical principle of beneficence and makes small businesses close and moves the business from Americans. This is an indicat ion therefore that when Walmart uses its buyer power and reduces prices; it only benefits its stockholders but harms the rest of the people. If Walmart is to be ethical in using its buying power to reduce its prices, the profits from the reduced prices in their numerous stores would lead to the stores engaging in non-maleficence and more beneficence. It would also be fairer to the suppliers by compensating them for their efforts as well as exercising justice in the workplace about employee’s benefits and be truthful about it.

Warfighting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Warfighting - Essay Example The military operation plan has to correlate with the security cooperation and contingency planning guidelines of the Guidance for Employment of the Force (GEF) [Sweeney, pg.64]. As the US is not supporting the claim of present Moroccan government with respect to their sovereignty over Western Sahara, and is of the position that the UN-mediated ceasefire of 1991 be respected by all parties and a peaceful resolution of the conflict be sought, the mission will try to accomplish the same under a wider perspective. In this matter US forces envisage to work in cooperation with a UN peacekeeping force and will try to accomplish in long term, a permanent ceasefire, reduction of Moroccan military presence in the region, ensuring Moroccan and Polisario militaries keep to their assigned territories, release from Moroccan jails of all Western Saharan political prisoners and also exchange of pows, implementation of a UN-led repatriation program for refugees, registration of all qualified voters, and a free and fair referendum. Under the short term objectives of the mission, will come another set of conflict resolution and humanitarian aid providing steps. The immediate step in this sequence of action will be to try to prevent more people from marching in into the cities and also finding solution to the humanitarian crisis caused by the already happened influx of people. It would be a matter of priority to help the women and children who have entered the city as part of the protesting groups as they are the most vulnerable elements to a humanitarian tragedy. Food, potable water and medical support will have to be arranged for all those who are in need of them. In view of the US policy to have a peaceful solution to the crisis, our mission will also be primarily to avert the exercise of force that can lead to violence or physical repression.

Multi-Layer Machine Learning Approach to FOREX Thesis Proposal

Multi-Layer Machine Learning Approach to FOREX - Thesis Proposal Example According to Gearman and Freund, the ADT approach helps to select the best combination of rules derived from well known technical analysis indicators and we shall be in a position to select the best parameters of the technical indicators. The online learning layer will combine the output of several ADTs incorporated into the system and may eventually suggest a position that will be either short or long. We shall also have a risk management layer that will responsible for the validation of the trading signals at the instance it exceeds a predetermined specific non-zero threshold. The FOREX market is now having most of its transactions being conducted electronically therefore transforming it into a typical electronic market. Many of their customers within the currency exchange market who seek its services are now relying on automated trading systems in order to process large amounts of information and make instantaneous investment decisions regardless of where they are within the global. Performance of technical trading strategies may try to exploit statistical measurable short term market opportunities such as trend spotting and momentum in the foreign currency exchange. Lo, Mamasky, and Wang in their study, used non parametric regressions in order to recognize the technical patterns of large stocks in the trade market. Their findings were that technical indicators usually provide increased information for investors enabling them to compare the unconditional empirical distribution of daily stock returns to the conditional distribution on specific technical indicators. This plays a big role in helping them make informed decisions based on the identified market trends. M. Dempster, T. W. Payne, Y. Romahi, and G. Thompson (2001) in their study did a comparison of some four methods that are applicable in foreign exchange trading which included reinforcement learning, genetic algorithms,

Diversity and Belief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity and Belief - Essay Example The first aspect that Chaves discusses is ‘belief,’ the current trend towards belief is very different. Few Americans today are not enthusiast on a particular literal reading of the Bible as they did few years ago. And many are opting a diffusion of spirituality. One of the attribute that Chaves has described as the cause of lowering literal bible reading is due to education. Education system has been formulated with a very rigid curriculum that has cast aside the literal bible reading. The weakening in religion can also be attributed to the gradual drop of religious meetings, elderly congregation and less cohesive. In today’s world there is an increase of televangelists who are characterized with unending scandals and other disgraces that have surrounded a church like catholic. Most of the Churches that are likely to suffer this is the congregations that are more liberal, those that are conservatives seems to be affected in a minimal way. Chaves indicated that lo wer membership in liberal churches is not as a result of liberalizing ideas, on the contrary more people are to the opinion of liberal idea. A puzzling question regarding this thought is, are the liberal ideas religious or humanistic? One of the most amazing trend of American religion since 1970s is that conservatism and religiosity are embedded together. This a false sign that most people perceived since they thought that the force of religion was developing which was not the case. Another phenomenon that was perceived as a reason to dictate that religion was growing was the introduction of Mega churches, which focuses on crowds and programs. Many churches are not concerned about religious belief, they want to be perceived as huge churches with numerous followers.it is due to such reason that suggests that religion was developing gives untrue perception since only more people are

My own communication and interpersonal skills Essay Example for Free

My own communication and interpersonal skills Essay I will be assessing my own communication and interpersonal skills in relation to each interaction. Verbal Communication My placement is at a pre-school, I have good verbal communication as I interact well with the children when I am speaking to them I listen to what their saying when they are speaking to me, I keep an open mind and concentrate on the main direction of the children’s message to me, I avoid distractions to make sure I am effectively listening to them at all times, usually the children speak to me about the toys they are playing with and they tell me about the activities they are doing. For example the in my last one to one interaction I was talking a girl in the nursery about her pets at home and if she looks after them, even though I don’t have any pets I listened to the girl and gave her appropriate feedback and questions. I make sure I am in a comfortable environment so I can hear the children effectively so it’s not noisy; I am always prepared to listen to everything the children say to me. In a one to one interaction I find it easier to communicate verbally as I’m only speaking to one child so I can stay focused on that particular child and what they’re saying to me to make sure I am actively listening to the child, this is an area I communicate well with and many skills in this area improve every time I go. Whereas in group interaction I find verbal communication harder so I need to improve on this, I find it hard to speak to more than one child at a time because they are children they are all speaking at the same time so I am getting a lot of information at the same time I try my best to effectively listen to them but with a lot of information being told to me it’s hard to process the information, I need to improve on this by making sure the children are taking turns so I can listen to them without getting bored. For example in my last group interaction I was making a puzzle with the three children and they were all asking me questions at the same time to I found it hard to listen to all the questions. I also need to improve on the questions I ask the children to make a conversation with them; I ask them questions but then I run out of questions to ask them so then the conversation stops, I should ask more questions that interest the children so my communication skills improve. In a group interaction I am better, so I am good at asking questions as there are more children with more questions to ask me so the  conversation run more better and information is shared quicker and more effectively, compared to a one to one interaction I run out of questions to ask the child as I do not obtain information well. I need to improve on this skill to I can communicate better with a single child to give them more involvement in the conversation. I can respond to questions more effectively as I find it easier to understand the question they have asked me because they are children and the questions are quite simple. I let the children tell me what they want to say to me so I can clarify my info rmation. Reflective speaking I think this skill is something I need to improve on; I do try my best to give the best feedback to the children in both types of interactions. In a one to one interaction I find it easier to communicate as I can understand the child’s message clearly and I am able to give feedback as the how the message is received, however sometimes I struggle to speak back to them if I haven’t understood what they are saying, this skill is vital and I need to improve on it every time I go to placement. In a group I interaction it’s the same with the listening as lots of children are speaking to me at the same time I need more time to process and give feedback but as they are children they get impatient waiting for me, I do have an interest in what the children are saying it’s just a matter of finding balance in my communication and interpersonal skills. Even though I am good at speaking to them effectively but I can’t give them feedback or start a conversation if I struggle to make a conversation but I can speak to the children and make sure they understand what I am saying to them. For example I was speaking to a child about her family and what jobs her mum and dad does but I couldn’t think of what to respond back to her so she got confused even though I did try my best. Non-verbal communication skills My non-verbal communication skills could do with some improvement, when I am communicating one to one my body movements can sometimes show to the child that I am not enjoying a conversation with them I try and show as much interest in possible but sometimes things like my posture if I am slumped while talking to a child it can communicate to them that I have a negative attitude to the conversation. In both types of interaction I struggle to  make eye contact it’s something I need to improve on I often don’t look at the children, in a group interaction I can’t keep eye contact with every child but I try my best to make them realise that I am going to talk to them and to let them know when it is their turn to speak to me, in a one to one I only have one child to focus one so I find this easier to do, however I am still nervous and this is why I struggle to keep eye contact , I think with more confidence I will be able to keep eye contact with the children when I am speaking to them. My closeness towards the children is a thing that I am doing well I make sure I give the appropriate space for the children to feel relaxed and for me to also to feel relaxed to effectively communicate with them. I thing I think I am good at in both type of interactions is my facial expression I always make sure i am smiling at the children to make it seem like I am interested in what they are saying to me so it then makes them realise that I am interested in what they have to say to me it makes sure that my communication with the children is effective. I am also good at gestures I do gestures a lot to express to the children what I am feelings, if I am speaking to them about something exciting I use my hand gestures to show them that I am interested in what they are saying to me. In my one to one to interactions I can focus more on what a child Is saying to me so my hand gestures express to them how I am feelings about what they or saying or what I am saying to them, this is the same with group interactions as I am able to use gestures to what all the children or saying as they are often talking about near enough the same things. However, I need to improve on negotiating with the children, a s they often argue with each other and I find it hard to stop the argument and reach an agreement. I need to make sure a negotiation is best for themselves, this is in a one to one interaction I do not need to negotiate but in a group I need to find common interests so they don’t argue. I need to improve on ending the conversation as I often don’t end the conversation so then the children might still have something they want to say to me, I should tell the children that I am going to go elsewhere so that they know the conversation is over or make it aware by body language or my facial expressions. One of the main things I need to improve on is my communication with the staff; I don’t communicate with the staff much. When they ask me to do something like helping the children wash their hands, I listen effectively and give appropriate feedback this is  something I can do well. But I need to speak to them more if I am unsure of things, but it is the children who I communicate with every time I go, the staffs are busy doing other things and they communicate with me when it is needed. I don’t really need to improve on this but I can talk to the staff and communicate with them if I need to for the benefit of the children. Overall I have more things I need to improve on for my communication and interpersonal skills. I find it easier to communicate in a one to one interaction as it is only one child and I can speak to them better as I am able to process my information faster and give the correct feedback to the child in order for them to understand. In a group interaction there is more than one children speaking to me and sometimes too much information is given to me at once and I can then not give feedback to the children, this is something I need to improve on and this can be done through effective turn taking so the children understand that they need to take turns in communication this will then make my skills better so I will be able to communicate more effective. I am able to stay calm and stay focused when communicating with both the staff and the children this is my main skill that I can do well, but my main skill that I need to improve on is my non-verbal communication skills as this is where I often find myself communicating that I am bored to the children because they can go on for a while and I do get bored of what they are saying so I can fold my arms and yawn portraying bad body language , this is why I need to make sure I am listening to what they are saying, I could ask different questions to change the subject of the conversation to something that I understand better. Good communication and interpersonal skills are vital when I am in my placement setting as I need to communicate well with service user to develop a good relationship with them so they understand what I am saying and for me to give them feedback to them. As I now know the things I need to improve on every time I go to placement I can improve my communication skills with the children and adults in order for my communication and interpersonal skills to be effective. I am going to be evaluating factors that influenced the effectiveness of both the one to one and group interaction. (D1) Effective Factors in one to one interactions Having good confidence– In my one to one interactions I have more confidence  as I am only talking to one child, I felt like I had more control over the conversation as I only had to deliver information to and from the person. Only talking to one child made me less anxious and nervous and I was speaking clearly and calmly as my nerves weren’t making me stumble on my words so this meant that the child could understand what I was saying so she was able to give me good feedback and I was able to respond without feeling anxious that I was going to mess up. My good confidence influenced my communication to make it better because I felt like I was enjoying the conversation instead of it being all over the place this enabled the conversation to run more smoothly and fun. Only having one child to speak to doesn’t overwhelm me with information so as I said earlier I had more control over what I was saying to the child and what I would respond so it made me feel better a bout the communication I was saying so I could then think of more questions to ask so the conversation between me and the child would last longer. It also helped that the child I was speaking to had good confidence she’s outgoing and she always has something to say to me so this influenced the effectiveness of the interactions because she wasn’t quiet and this helped me to speak to her so it didn’t effect my nerves as she kept asking me questions so it made the conversation more enjoyable. Knowing the child well– In my one to one interactions I speak to a child I know best, a child that I feel more comfortable speaking to because I speak to them a lot compared to the other children. It helps me because if I know the child then I have more things that I know about them e.g. favourite singers or their favourite foods, so I can then speak to them about a specific thing that they like to talk about then that child speaks to me a lot about that, so I am then able to respond better as I already know things about the child from previous conversations. The conversation is influenced by this as my confidence is better when I speaking to them because I know them better and I know how they interact with me so this then enables me to be more engaged with that child. As I know more things about them I can ask them questions related to something they like so they feel happier speaking to me about it as it excites them to tell me more about it so I more information is given and the conversations runs more effectively. When I child knows me better it helps as they then feel more comfortable speaking me as they know who I am so when I’m having a conversation with the child like in my last one to one  interactions we are happier speaking to each other so we are more likely to find common interests and make the communication more effective as we can listen better to each other and respond better. Environmental factors good amount of space- In my one to one interactions I have more space a around me as I am only talking to one child compared to several in a group interaction. Having more space around me made me more relaxed and comfortable to talk to the child as I don’t feel like I am consumed to one area, this makes me more less nervous when I’m speaking to a child as I know that I have more space around me to express how I’m feeling in a conversations through gestures and this can make a conversation more funnier. Having personal space around me means I can move around while I’m speaking to a child and I can do some actions to get the child more involved. Space influenced the effectiveness in my one to one interactions as when I have a good amount of personal space around me I can think my thoughts through better without getting paranoid that I don’t have enough space this enables me to deliver my information clearly and effectively so the child understand what I am saying to them. The amount of space I have is always at a reasonable amount as there is only one child, so this means I can effectively respond to what the child’s saying to me without getting panicked and I can then think of more questions to ask so this means that the communication is effective. Also this meant that the child had space to talk to me effectively so she didn’t get panicked that she didn’t have enough space to move around like through her gestures, so we were able to speak to each other clearly and all these reasons enabled me to communicate effectively with the child. Environmental, Good noise level When I’m having my one to one interaction with a child the room has some background noise but its fairly quiet and it makes sure I am able to concentrate on the children without getting distracted by other noises that the staff or children could be making, I can listen to them effectively to them as the noise is at a respectable level, as I am listening to them effectively the conversation runs faster and more smoothly. Being able to hear everything the child is saying helped them to understand what I was saying to them therefore I gave them appropriate feedback. It also allowed me not to misunderstand anything the child said to me so I didn’t make mistakes in what I said back to them so this influenced the effectiveness of my  communication between the child as it helped me to have full concentration on everything the child was saying, as the room was at a good noise level and the information to be delivered effectively and me and the child was able to carry on the conversation without the noise level being to loud, as it was just one child I could understand what she was saying to me as she was close to me so the noise levels were good so I was relaxed and so was the child so it made our communication effective as we were ab le to talk more freely. Group interactions Questions being planned out – In my group interaction there was four children in the group and all of them were confident and they each had lots of questions to ask me and each other. On child asked a question to me and I was able to answer it effectively as the questions were straightforward and every child on the table understood them so they were able to effectively listen to the question and they all responded well, this allowed the conversation to run smoothly without any arguments happening as the children all agreed on the questions and they were interested in them so it made the conversation more enjoyable so it was effective as all children participated because they were interested in the questions being asked or explained. Having the questions being planed out before hand allowed me to have some kind of structure to what I was going to ask so I had a basic idea of how the children would respond and how I would respond to them, I looked at what children was in the gro up and what type of questions they would enjoy answering to help the communication be effective, this then made sure no-one was left not knowing what to say as I always had a back up question. Once one child asked a question all the rest of the children thought of a question to ask as it related to the first question, so they all took turns and asked their questions it influenced the effectiveness of the interaction as questions were being asked so more information was being shared and the communication was effectively being listened and responded to. I had some good questions to ask the children and they were all interested in them so they listened to what I was saying and if a child got stuck on a question I aided them along. Having good and relatable question effectively helped the conversation as the more information was being responded to, as the children understood and were interested in what was being asked the listen nicely to  other children’s answers, I was listening to the children and giving good feedback and the overall conversation was enjoyable and fun and all the children were interacting well with me and each other from the questions said. Me bein g the group leader – As I was talking to a small group I was in charge of the conversation as I was the oldest and the most responsible in the group. Having a group leader helped me to have control of the conversation as I was able to help the children if they were struggling with the activity I was doing to I guided them through step by step so they understood what they had to do. When we had a group discussion I guided the group and made sure that everyone was having a turn so it was a fair conversation and it gave chance for other children to think of something to say. I had control over the conversation so when the children started disagreeing with each other I can stop them from arguing so this made sure that the conversation was running smoothly and calmly without arguments. I made sure that the if a child wasn’t speaking much I prompted them to speak so everything was fair and in order, and when the children went of topic I could ask a question to that was related to what we were previously speaking to, me being their made sure that the communication was effective as it could make sure that the children were listenin g to each other and responding to each effectively so I could make the group function better without the children getting frustrated. For example, I was making sparkles with my group and I talked them through step by step and made sure that they were sharing out the equipment fairly without them arguing with each other so I could effectively communicate and that they could listen and respond with each other, all these reasons helped me to effectively guide the group conversation so the communication was effective, so I was effectively interacting, listening and speaking to them as a group leader and that they were effectively listening and speaking to me. As a group leader me smiling and being open armed encouraged the children to participate with me as I was the group leader so they were looking up to me. Having a good amount of time to speak – In my group interactions I have a good amount of time to listen to what the children are saying to me, having a good amount of time to listen to the children allows to think through what I am saying and what I will say to them without being rushed by other things tha t are happening. I also allows the children to have enough time to listen to what I am saying  so they didn’t misunderstand what I was saying to them, this influenced the effectiveness of the conversation as having time to communicate made things not rushed so I was more relaxed when speaking to the children. I could then speak to the group of children without feeling that I had to rush things with them so I was speaking clearly, as it was a group and there was more then one person having an effective time to communicate helped me to speak to all of the children and it made sure everyone had a turn so there was no arguing. I was able to clarify my information so it was correct and it helped me and the children as I wasn’t anxious about what I was saying, my body language showed that I was relaxed and I was interacting well with the children, having enough time to do the discussion/activity with the children helped me to not rush things and it influenced the communication as it was pla nned out well and everyone was listening and responding well to each other. Having common interests – In my group interaction, picked a group of children that were all doing the same activity which was playing with the dinosaurs, I then went over and started to talk to the children and asked them questions like ‘what is your favourite dinosaurs’ and ‘what shall we call this dinosaur’, this influenced the communication as they were all doing the same thing so all the children were interested in what I was asking them, so this helped the conversation to flow better as more information was being delivered from each child. As I was interested in what they were playing with so I listened well to the children and then I responded well to them to keep the interested, having common interests helped the effectiveness of my group interaction as everyone was interested in the topic of the conversation so it made me and the children more relaxed. My good confidence, knowing the child well, having a good amount of space and it not being noisy influenced the effectiveness of my one to one interactions they each helped in different ways and they allowed me to have good listening and speaking skills as well as portraying good non-verbal communication skills. They helped me to understand the child better and to give good feedback to him/her. Questions, common interests, having enough time and me being a group leader all influenced the effectiveness of my interactions with four children in different ways, having more children to speak and listen helped me in some ways compared to my one to one interactions, but all these factors helped me to communicate  better with the children and for them to communicate with me. References Sheet given in class on what to do for the tasks (Accessed 08/12/14) PowerPoint on learning box – ‘Barriers to effective communication’ (Accessed 08/12/14)

The Prader-Willi syndrome

The Prader-Willi syndrome Prader-Willi Syndrome is a serious genetic disorder that begins at birth with no known cure ; causing mental retardation,short stature,low muscle tone,incomplete sexual development,and its main charecteristic,the desire to eat everything and anything in sight. Prader-Willi syndrome was first known as Prader-Labhart-Willi Syndrome after three Swiss doctors who first described the disorder in 1956. The doctors described a small group of kids with obesity, short stature and mental deficiency , neonatal hypotonia (floppiness) and a desire to constantly eat because they are always hungry. Many other features of PWS have since been described, but extreme obesity and the health problems associated with being fat are the most prominent features. Individuals with PWS have some but not all of the same features and symptoms. PWS is a birth defect. A defect in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain, is suspected to be the cause.The hypothalamus determines hunger and satiety.They cant fell satiety,so they always have a urge to eat.Some PWS cases are so out of control thay will eat bottlecaps,glass,pencils,garbage,bugs,dogfood, and anything else they can stuff in their mouths. The ingenuity and determination of PWS children in surreptitiously obtaining edibles is almost legendary and belies their cognitive defects. Serial weighing may be the only way to discover whether such a child is, in fact, stealing food(Finey,1983). PWS occurs in about l in 10,000 births. It occurs in both males and females equally and is found in people of all races and all nations.It is one of the ten most common conditions seen in genetics clinics. Young people with PWS resemble each other very much.Most of the time, they look like brother and sister. Most of PWS people have almond shaped eyes, narrow foreheads, downturned mouth, thin upper lip and a small chin. Other common features are : obesity , they may be short; they have small hands and feet; have a skin picking habit, thick and sticky saliiva,incomplete sexual development, a curved spine (scoliosis),and chronic sleepiness. PWS patients also have similar personalities: talkative, friendly,extreme attempts towards getting food,arguementivness,repetitve thoughts and behavior, stubbornness, frequent temper tantrums, and sometimes sudden acts of violence. Most people with PWS have some degree of mental deficiency. The average IQ of people with PWS is 65 ,and it ranges from 20 to 90. 41% of PWS people have IQs in the normal or borderline range.Specific academic weakness in math and writing are common, but reading and art are considered strengths.A delay in getting to early developmental milestones is common in PWS. The average IQ testing shows that people with PWS are mildly retarded, the range is from severely retarded to not retarded, with 40% having borderline retardation or just a low normal intelligence. Most affected children, besides their IQ scores, will have many, severe learning disabilities,and will show poor academic performance no matter what their IQ shows to their mental abilities. There are many signs and symptoms of PWS that show up before birth.some are decreased fetal movement in 80-90% and having an abnormal delivery in 20-30% due to having a really floppy baby. There are two distinct clinical stages of PWS. Stage 1 Babys with PWS are called floppy babies a lot. Thats because they have weak muscles, officially it is known as hypotonia. This hypotonia,which almost always occurs, could be mild to severe. Neonatal hypotonia makes sucking difficult, and a special feeding method called a gavage is used.A gavage the placing of a tube into the stomach through the mouth.They use it during the first days of life a lot.. Decreased caloric intake from the special feeding difficulties may lead to failure to gain weight. To keep the babys weight under control supervision by a professional nutritionist or a specialist who understands the syndrome might be necessary. Physical therapy is strongly recommended to improve muscle tone. When the muscle tone improves enough, an increased appetite and weight gain starts.The beginning of the second stage has begun. This hypotonia does not progress and begins to improve between 8 and 11 months of age in most cases.It improves,but it is never completly normal. Stage 2 Stage 2 occurs between one and two years of age and is characterized by an appetite that can not be satisfied whic causes excessive weight gain. Speech problems, sleepiness, decreased pain sensitivity, skin picking habits and decreased growth are also characteristics of the second stage of PWS. The personality problems develop between ages 3 and 5 years also. Most parents who have a kid with PWS do not have another kid affected with PWS. The cases of PWS are thought by scientist to have occured by chance in isolated flukes of nature. But, there have been reports of families with more than one kid with PWS, but it is not common. Fewer than a dozen families with more than one affected offspring have ever been reported. A blood sample for high resolution chromosome analysis is drawn on anyone who is though to have PWS.This will check out the chromosones. Chromosomes are packages of information found in the cells of our bodies. Each cell has a set of 46 chromosomes, which come in pairs numbered from 1 to 23. Parents contribute with one chromosome from each pair.Okay,now Prader-Willi Syndrome is caused by the absence of some genes on one of the chromosones that affect the functionimg of the hypothalamus.Many laboratories around the world are researching this. About three-fourths of people with PWS have a tiny piece missing from one member of the pair of chromosone fifteens (the one inherited by the father).The other one fourth are missing the dads contribution to this part of the chromosone by missing all of the fathers chromosone fifteen and having two copies the mothers chromosone fifteen.The genes in this region are not functional and noone understands why. As soon an the kid has improved muscle tone, and has increased its appetite, and is old enough to get move on the floor,than any food that can be easily gotten must be moved to a safer,out-of-reach place. To make inappropriate food unavailable to the kid with PWS, parents must learn special patterns of food storage and handling Sleepiness during the day and napping a lot are some of the common features of PWS. Recently, studies have show that there is a strong link between this and sleep quality. Some of the types of sleep disorders that have been described in PWS affected people are: disturbance to the sleep wake cycle, obstructive sleep apnea, hypoventilation syndromes and narcolepsy. Although patients with PWS fall asleep very quickly, their sleep period is significantly disrupted with frequent awakenings and abnormal patterns of rapid eye movements sleep (rems). Obstructive sleep apnea occurs with increased upper airways resistance, either from enlarged tonsils , relaxation of the upper airway musculature, or from structural airway anomalies. Sometimes actual pauses in breathing during sleep can occur.. Narcolepsy, which involves sleep attacks and occasional loss of muscle tone, Short stature is also a common feature of almost all PWS affected people (80- 100%), but birth height is usually normal. The average adult height is 59 inches in women and 61 inches in men. Abnormal growth hormone response suggests a possible dysfunction of the hypothalamus and, growth hormone deficiency as a contributing factor in short stature. Improvement in growth rate and decreased rate of weight gain have recently been demonstrated in several growth hormone- deficient children with PWS after six months of growth hormone treatment Other significant actions of growth hormone that have been reported is an improvement of muscle mass, muscle strength, energy expenditure, bone mineralization ,sexual development ,and also a decrease in fat mass ,have led to further investigations in people with PWS. Children with PWS have distinct behavioral abnormalities because of all the frustrations associated with the syndrome. These behaviors may begin as early as two years of age. They will get a variety of different eating behaviors like foraging for food, secretly eating large amounts of food, and other attempts to continue eating. Other problems include verbally and physically aggressive behaviors such as lying, stealing, scratching and skin picking. Tantrums and unprovoked outbursts are common among children and youths with PWS. People with mild cases of PWS can do many things their normal peers can do,such as go to school,get jobs,and sometimes even move away from home.However they need a lot of help.Kids going to school would need to be enrolled in special education programs(Otherwise theyd be eating their pencil and paper).They need to be constantly supervised.

Counter Terrorism Measures For Global Safety

Counter Terrorism Measures For Global Safety Terrorism has inflicted fear and panic on almost every corner of the globe. Due to the pain that it inflicts on people indiscriminately, the United Nations has taken the threat of terrorism seriously and is actively engaging all member nations to participate in counterterrorism efforts (United Nations [UN], 2008). The counterterrorism agenda is a priority one for the UN for many years now. Countering terrorism has been a difficult pursuit because it is immediately laden with ethical and moral issues. Due to terrorism targeting even innocent women and children and random civilians located at the wrong place and at the wrong time, many are tempted to pursue counterterrorism through the eye for an eye approach. However, doing this would make the counterterrorism efforts no less evil than the terrorists, so engaging in acts to combat terrorism must adhere to democratic principles (Steven Gunaratna, 2007). While terrorism has been a scourge for many decades now, the United States was for ced to combat terror more aggressively in the advent of the September 11 attacks which claimed the lives of thousands. Measures have been promulgated using various anti-terror approaches in order to protect civilians and to defend the world against terrorism (Bater, 2010). However, combating terrorism has become more difficult because the US is forced to deal not only with terrorists from overseas but even homegrown terrorists such as 19-year old Osban Muhamud who allegedly planted a bomb in a Christmas tree (Thomas, Goldman Ryan, 2010). Nine years after 9/11, the terror threat has not waned and resolving the threat of terror at home and abroad is far from over. Models and Measures of Counterterrorism There are three general models to combat terrorism. The first model, the criminal justice model (CJM), aims to combat terrorism while at the same time preserving fundamental human rights and democratic principles. The second model, the war model (WM), emphasizes on restraining terrorism itself than preserving democratic rights and places the state in a war-fighting mode to counter terrorism effectively. The third model integrates the previous two, called the expanded criminal justice model to provide greater flexibility in counterterrorism efforts (Steven Gunaratna, 2004). These models also reflect current counterterrorism measures recommended by the UN and its member nations, chiefly the United States (Department of Homeland Security [DHS], 2008). Due to the fact that terrorists operate at various levels, whether political, legal, economic, military, and through the media, efforts to combat terrorism also encompass these areas (UN, 2008). Political Measures: Political strategies in combating terrorism require that states address the root causes of terrorism in their respective countries. Terrorists legitimize their violent acts as a response to poverty, unemployment, and other socio-political programs. Political measures to counter terror require that states negotiate with terror groups and making small concessions with them. The danger with this strategy is that it gives terrorist groups legitimacy and may even encourage other groups to resort to terrorism in order to achieve their political goals and demands. Nonetheless, some governments have addressed terrorism by using poverty-reduction programs, employment and livelihood activities, land redistribution, and offering amnesties (UN, 2008). Punitive Measures: Punitive measures are aimed at severing a terrorist groups lifeline by cutting off its finances and other resource-generating capabilities (DHS, 2008). This involves banning fund-raising initiatives of known front organizations of terrorist groups. Other punitive measures that are used in many include freezing assets of known front organizations or of key leaders, boycotting countries found to harbor terrorists, and placing economic sanctions, as in the case of Iran and Iraq. Judicial Measures: Judicial measures consider international human rights law and enact legal measures to prevent terrorism. This includes ratification of international conventions or regional agreements relating to the extradition, prosecution, and mutual legal assistance to facilitate the capture of terrorists. Although this measure is the most democratic form of counterterrorism, it presents many problems such as the possibility of nations refusing to cooperate where the legal systems are not compatible and the refusal to prosecute suspected terrorists out of fear of retaliation. Legally, prosecuting terrorists is a challenge given the non-uniform definition of terrorism among countries (Steven Gunaratna, 2004). Intelligence gathering: The lapses of 9/11 brought several measures to strengthen intelligence in the United States. One of the earliest measures undertaken was the passage of the controversial Patriot Act which reduced the limitations that law enforcement agencies were subject to in terms of searching email, telephone, medical, financial, and professional records (The Investigative Project on Terrorism, 2008). The Act also reduced the restrictions of the US when gathering information on other countries. The law also amended the definition of terrorism to encompass domestic terrorism, thus, expanding the powers of law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism. The law came under fire from civil rights groups and enhanced fears regarding breach of privacy and increasing surveillance powers of the government (Bater, 2010). Military Response: The use of military for retaliatory response is an application of the war model whereby civilian legal systems are temporarily suspended in favor of martial law (UN, 2008). The military response is a controversial measure in terms of international law. It poses the likelihood of alienating the public and giving the terrorists hero status; moreover, military response can be interpreted acts of aggression and heighten anti-US sentiment, making the capture of terrorists more difficult (The Investigative Project on Terrorism, 2008). Conclusion Different models and approaches to counterterrorism have been applied by the United States and members of the United Nations. While each have its advantages in zeroing in on terrorists and preventing the further loss of life, certain democratic rights and ethical issues make such measures precarious and difficult. This is because any effort to weed out terrorism must be balanced against international norms on human rights and democratic freedoms.

Living Together Before Marriage Essay -- essays research papers

Living Together Before Marriage As the rate of divorce soars and as increasing numbers of marriages disintegrate, living together has become the popular alternative to many people in north America. Expersts estimate that "roughly 2.2 million people are currently sharing bed and board in a live-in arrangement, this is approximately 1% of the total population."("Family." Comptoms Encyclopedia. 1992 ed.) Living together, more formally known as non marital cohabitation, is an emerging lifestyle. In fact, "More than one fourth of all unmarried couples living together in the early 1980's were between 25 and 34 years old, and an additional 19 percent were 45 and over."("Today's Families."Detroit Free Press 18 October 1995: B17.) Although living together is not a recent invention, the relationship has yet to be legitimized with a respectable name. Existing terms such as "shacking up" or "living in sin" are just some of the crude names being tagged to people living together. Living together can be valuable a substitute for marriage, a cur e-all for marital problems, and a solution to the problem of frequent divorce.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A popular rationale for living together is that it is an ideal way to have a "try out." This trial marriage is a result of the ever increasing divorce rate. Many couples are afraid of marriage and decide to live together with the intention to persue marriage if the temporary arrangement is successful. The couples hope to "minimize their chances of a potential disastrous marriage; any conflicting attitudes toward social activities, economic arrangements, or domestic chores will be discovered and hopefully resolved while the couple live together." (Carter, Sharon. "Trial Marriage". Ladies' Home Journal 14 (May 1993): 12-13.) If an unsolveable conflict arises, the couple can cancel their wedding plans and escape the painful exercise of divorce. Living together ultimately can test the couple's compatibility and have them really get to know each other. Although evidence suggests that "couples who live together do not necessarily have more or less successful marriages than couples who don't live together before the wedding, studies show that non-marital cohabitors are more realistic about their demands and expectations of marriage.("Ross, Eshleman J. The Family: An Introduction. 5th ed. Detroit: Allyn,1988) Living toge... ...of divided energies among dating, career development, and economical survival. The burden of living can bee shared as the couple persue personal goal and ambitions. Living together, for example, can provide a harried student with emotional, physical, and sometimes economic support from a sympathetic partner. (Pearce, Jack M. Modern Day Marriages. New York: Abel- Hils,1990.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, more and more are turning to the idea of living together as the emotional, physical, social, economic, and legal benefits are much better alternative than the consequences that can arise from a failed marriage. Certainly, "not all couples choose to include living together as a temporary stage in their courtship, yet the option to cohabit is becoming increasingly popular."(Groode, Williams J. "Marriage" Comptoms Interactive Encyclopedia. (1996 ed.) The freedom associated with living together is an important aspect, because after a period of time the couple may decide to marry, to end the relationship, or simple continue living together. As future trends continue, and more marriages fail, the number of couples who live together are going to increase due to the valuable benefits.

JRR Tolkiens The Hobbit Essay -- Essays Papers

JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit The Hobbit tells the story of a comfortable, friendly creature named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo, like most hobbits, is similar to a human, but about half the size, and much more nible because they have leathery soles on thier feet, and not nearly as loud. Bilbo gets caught up in mysterious affairs much greater than his own hobbit-life affairs when, at the recommendation of a mysterious old wizard named Gandalf, he is hired as a "burglar" by a group of dwarves. These dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, son of Throror, son of Thrain are going to the Lonely Mountain in the East to reclaim their family's massive treasure from the great dragon Smaug who lives deep in the bowls of the lonely mountain. Along the way, the company gets into trouble with goblins who live in the misty mountains, spiders who live in Mirkwood forest, and other destructive and harmful creatures, and they often escape only because of the assistance of Gandalf and other good creatures they meet. Bilbo proves himself essential to the quest, saving the dwarves on many occasions with his valor and skill. His success is partly due to a magic ring that he takes from a strange, dark creature named Gollum, who lives in the dank, dark caves below the Misty Mountains. Gollum is clammy and slimy and he refers to his ring as my precious. Bilbo even manages to discover Smaug's weak spot, the bare area under his ear, which allows the dragon to be killed and the treasure divided. However, the ...

The Comparative Advantage of Sexual Divisions of Labor Essay -- Econom

Historical Perspectives on the Comparative Advantage of Sexual Divisions of Labor In modern microeconomic models of the household, one commonly sees a division of labor between the husband and wife predicated on a comparative advantage in the market or the household respectively. The idea is that women are somehow less fit for work in the marketplace while they are innately superior at the domestic tasks of cooking, cleaning, and childrearing. There are two prevailing perspectives on the mechanics of this comparative advantage. The first argues that women are somehow biologically fitted to domestic tasks. This was true for Adam Smith who saw the social structures of society arising out of a biological necessity. Malthus, on the other hand, saw the same biological necessity as operating in opposition to the social structures that arose to keep the pressures of population in check. The second perspective argues that a comparative advantage is a socially constructed idea and not rooted in the biological history of the race. Martineau in her story â€Å"Cousi n Marshall† delineated the life of what she saw as a virtuous and noble woman. Virginia Woolf, however, decried what she saw as the deplorable poverty of women in A Room of One’s Own. Her solution, however, only served to further separate the spheres of men and women. Finally, Charlotte Perkins Gilman similarly objected to the state of women in Women and Economics and ultimately proposed a society that abolished any division of labor along sexual lines. None of these authors seem to contest the presence of a comparative advantage in the division of labor as their societies stand. However this does not imply that all the authors agreed on the exact features of this... ...here there were no gendered distinctions in defense of women. One could argue that our modern society is a point along the way to attaining Gilman’s utopian solution. More likely, however, we have made little progress and Gilman’s solutions still feel innovative and strange. References Gilman, C (1998). Women and Economics: A Study of the Economic Relation Between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution. Berkeley: University of California Press. Malthus, Thomas R (1798). Essay on the Principle of Population [Electronic Version]. Retrieved September 19, 2003, from http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/ public/MalPopu.html Martineau, H (1832). Illustrations of Political Economy No. VIII. London: Charles Fox. Smith, A (1766). Lectures on Jurisprudence. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Woolf, V (1929). A Room of One’s Own. London: Harcourt.

Product Placement in the Film Industry Essay

Introduction Product placement in Movies Product placement is a kind of advertisements, where products or services are placed in a context normally devoid of ads, such as films, TV episodes, or news. Product placement can reach a niche audience, and there are strong reasons for investors to expect that film product placement will increase consumer awareness of a particular brand. However, the movie studio must analyze if the product fits with the image of the film. A star may draw more attention than a product. Therefore this becomes a separate point of negotiation within his contract in many cases. Brand placements are for increasing brand familiarity and sales. Also, there are some other advantages of brand placements in Movies. 1. People would not change the channel or leave room when a brand appears in a movie like they might for TV ads 2. Brand placements often involve an endorsement by the celebrity using the brand which appears to have an influence on attitudes toward the brand. 3. Brand placement allows advertisers to target very specific people. 4. Brand placements have a longer life than traditional advertisements. When a film is released as DVD, the brand placement is still present. 5. Audiences might like brand placements because they improve the realism of a movie or TV show. Literature review: Some examples Product placement is not a recent phenomenon as commonly believed, but dates back to the earliest days of cinema. It originated more than a century ago in â€Å"soap opera† radio broadcasts, a significant means of popular entertainment at the time which often mentioned various soap products within the storyline in exchange for financial support. Here we have some classic examples of product placement in movies. They are all famous films with successful product. Ray Ban: Top Gun Screen shot of the movie: Top Gun(1986) Top Gun had a huge impact on some generations. The movie had a handsome and fearless main character. He not only defeated enemies in the air, but also won the heart of a beautiful lady. He was dressed in jeans, wore a leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses. In Top Gun, Tom Cruise and his Navy colleagues wore Aviators by Ray Ban. The result: the sales of Aviator sunglasses rose by 40 percent in the seven months following the release of the movie. FedEx and Wilson: Cast away Screen shots of the movie: Cast Away (2000) Tom Hanks played Chuck in the movie Cast Away. Chuck is a FedEx employee who is stranded on an island after FedEx’s plane crashes. The film shows his attempts to survive on the island using what was left of his plane’s cargo. He eventual escapes and returns to society, with one lost parcel delivered with a very long delay. When Chuck crashed on the island, he was there alone. But somehow he got company from the resource left. When he opened boxes he found Wilson volleyball. That ball became â€Å"Wilson†, Chuck’s only friend on the island. This product placement is very special: product was not just â€Å"used†, and Chuck didn’t just speak about it – the product becomes a character. Chuck and Wilson’s relationship was great and audiences perceived Wilson as a character, not some brand product. Chevrolet Camaro: Transformers Screen shot of the movie: Transformers (2007) Chevrolet Camaro is a very interesting placement in the Transformers. Camaro played Bumblebee in all the Transformers movies. The fifth generation of this vehicle went on sale in the beginning of 2009. In 2007, when the movie was released, people could not buy this car. It was a long wait but the movie created a buzz and helped building the expectations. Successful and failure attempts of product placement A successful product placement should have 2 sides of success: The product is good for the movie: The used product should be a main character in the film. It should be â€Å"needed† in the film, not â€Å"planted†. The movie is good for the product: The movie is good for showing the product. The product and the brand value is showed properly in the films. The product for the movie Is the product good for the movie? Why this is on the screen? The product or brand showed in the films should be very important for the movie. Audiences try to keep a story coherent while watching it. However, because of limited attention, information in the center activates the highest [1].This is quite easy to understand. We are watching a movie with the story. Anything happened in this story would be noticed. The product in the story and in the center of the screen gets the highest attention. On the other hand, all the objects outside the story are being ignored if they don’t try to get any attention. Audiences might be confused if something unrelated suddenly showed in the center of the screen, or make some noise when audience are watching a film. Here are two examples for the good side and the bad side. Example of success: Mini cooper and the Italian job In the movie, the robbers need to drive into the metro station, block the train and go through the tunnels. The use of Minis seemed absolutely normal for a robbery, since Mini Cooper is a very compact and mobile car. The audiences are expecting some vehicle accomplish the job, and here comes the minis. The car is tiny, fast and reliable. The product is going well with the story, so we can enjoy the movie with starring performance of the product-Mini Cooper. Screen shots of the movie: the Italian Job (2003) The Italian Job original movie is released in 1969 with. Gary Gray directed an American remake with Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton and Charlize Theron in 2003. The movies are very similar from the product placements points of view: they both use Minis. Product placement is apparently very successful.it is reported that sales of Minis in 2003 had increased more than 20 percent over the year before. Example of failure: China Mobile and the Cellphone With the title of this movie, we can imagine that it is a perfect opportunity for a communication company such as China Mobile to do a product placement in it. However, the shameless attempt made audience feel bad when watching such a wonderful movie. Screen shot of the movie: the Cellphone (Shou Ji) (2003) The main character YAN Shouyi’s wife received a phone call from Shouyi’s cousin. She found that Shouyi was cheating on her. This is the moment she hang up the phone. Normally we need some music with anger or helpless or sad music. Silence is also a good choice we may expect. However, after she hang up the phone and walked away, the television (left side of the picture) is showing the commercial advertisement of China mobile. The audience could hear nothing but the slogan of China Mobile. We got confused: why we are listening to this? Screen shot of the movie: the Cellphone (Shou Ji) (2003) Another screen shot of the movie the Cellphone. Two wives are checking their husband’s calling records. We could find the logo of China mobile in the center of the screen, but we cannot notice it because the logo is outside the story. This is a very bad try of product placement: the product has nothing to do with the story. Screen shot of the movie: the Cellphone (Shou Ji) (2003) China mobile tried very hard to place its logo everywhere in this movie. But most of the attempts have no advisement effect. In the beginning of the movie, the cast list is showed on a cellphone. The Chinese character of China Mobile is showed at the bottom of the cellphone. Normally, the communication operator showed at the up corner of the cellphone. We could say that this try is not a product placement, but an advertisement. The movie for the product Marketing, including the product placement, is a process of communicating product value to the people. So in the product placement the company need also choose the right movie for its products. The movie has to be a platform for the company’s brand value. The brand behavior or the brand value is needed to be showed in the scene. So the main problem becomes how to choose the partner. Here we have another example to find out how to show the brand value in a movie. In 2001 and 2002, BMW made a series of eight short films with about 10 minutes each. The series is called the Hire. All the eight films are made by popular directors from all over the world, starring Clive Owen as the â€Å"Driver†, and with the performance of various BMW cars. At first, here is the official brand value of BMW: Brand value of BMW The main value of BMW â€Å"joy† and dynamic, challenging, cultured is showed everywhere in these films. We discuss how the films describe BMW with the 8 short films. Here we present 2 of the short films to show the how BMW did the films. Chosen Chosen, Ang Lee 2001 The Driver protects a holy child that was brought to America by boat. The child gives the Driver a gift but says that he is supposed to open it after. After being pursued by many armed men, and being grazed in the ear, he delivers the boy to another holy man. The Boy however signals silently to the Driver that the man is not actually a monk, indicated by his footwear. The Driver defeats the impostor holy man and rescues the boy. When he leaves the Driver opens the gift which is revealed to be a bandage for his bleeding ear. Beat the Devil Beat the devil (2002), Tony Scott The Driver is employed by an old man. He is going to meet the Devil to negotiate the deal as a young man in 1954 to trade his soul for fame and fortune. He proposes a new wager, for the stakes of the Driver’s soul against another fifty years for him, betting on the Driver racing against the Devil at dawn. The race ends with the Driver passes around a train while the Devil’s car crashes and explodes. All the films show great respect to the product value of BMW. The core is â€Å"joy†, which is shown perfectly by all the famous directors. Also we could find the value of dynamic, challenging and cultured from these films. The series is a perfect exhibition for the BMW products. And we may say this is the right movie for the product. Conclusion There are many advantages of product placement in the movies. We have seen both successful and fail examples of product placement from Hollywood and China. When they are done correctly, the placement could greatly benefit both the movie and the brand. It can secure the film production budget, cover promotion budgets and get additional exposure for the movie with the stars, and also make the movies more realistic. A good product placement is the same as a normal advertisement. It required to be placed with the right product, in the right movie and at the accurate moment. The product itself should be one part of the story. Also, in the movie, the brand value should be shown very clearly to make a good placement. The product is good for the movie: The used product should be a main character in the film. It should be â€Å"needed† in the film, not â€Å"planted†. The movie is good for the product: The movie is good for showing the product. The product and the brand value are showed properly in the films. This is the same as typical advertisement. So it should be treated the same as other marketing methods with the similar theories. It is important to carefully integrate products into movie in order to minimize the risk of aggressive advertising which might lead to negative results. Bibliography: [1]. Wikipedia: product placement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_placement [2]. Wikipedia: marketing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/marketing [3]. Product Placement in Film, Viki Antonopoulou, Geogia National Film Center June 2010 [4]. Top Gun (1986), Director: Tony Scott [5]. Cast away (2000), Director: Robert Zemeckis [6]. Transformers (2007), Director: Michael Bay [7]. the Italian Job (2003) Director: F. Gary Gray [8]. the Cellphone (2001) Director: FENG Xiaogang [9]. BMW Brand Behavior Training, Ruud Rabenberg, Laura Wang, BMW China, Automotive Trading, Ltd. 2007 [10]. Chosen (2001), Director Ang Lee [11]. Beat the Devil (2002), Director Tony Scott [12].The Effectiveness of Brand Placements in the Movies: Levels of Placements, Explicit and Implicit Memory, and Brand-Choice Behavior, Moonhee Yang, David R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, Journal of Communication 57 (2007)

Comparisons of war poems Essay

In exploring the portrayal of war in the poetry of Wilfred Owen and Shakespeare one can see the contrasting attitudes and realities of war. In before Agincourt set in 1415 composed by Shakespeare, he portrays the glory and honour in war, whilst Anthem for doomed youth composed by Wilford Own set in 1914 is expressing the meaningless and realistic thoughts of view. In the first stanza which Shakespeare has composed in the poem before Agincourt. He uses manipulating concepts that convey the message that war is a great adventure and that you should die for your country. Whilst Anthem for Doomed youth is doing the exact opposite and tries to convince the reader that war is a horrific ordeal. As the two poems where written in an interval of five hundred years it shows us very clearly the different point of few people had in their perspective time about war. Before Agincourt is a very patriotic and heroic poem. In the first stanza Shakespeare uses a courageous tone. He uses emotional adjectives and verbs to make the reader feel the same as he does. He also uses a lot of positive nouns to create this affect e.g. â€Å"greater share of honour’ â€Å"Gods will†. There is not much alliteration or any form of onomatopoeia in the first stanza. The second stanza uses a lot of emphasised words and longer pauses before the next line he also uses repetition of words starting with M. In the last stanza of the poem he does not use any assonance, onomatopoeia and alliteration technics to emphasize his poem. He only uses strong punctuation and pauses to create a very positive approach on war. This poem could be used as a propaganda device. Anthem for Doomed Youth composed by Wilford Owen. In the title of this poem Wilford is expressing that war is negative. â€Å"Doom† is a simile to convey inevitability of death, Doom also uses assonance with the double O’s. It has an affect of being scary and threatening. The first stanza uses repetition to add rhythm and onomatopoeias to create a more realistic approach on war. The second stanza uses a lot of repetition and emphasised words. e.g. â€Å"No mockeries†, â€Å"no prayers nor bells†. No mockeries is implying no more joy and that they can’t be mocked any more because they have perished. The â€Å"No† is also emphasised to give the poem more rhythm. No prayers nor bells. Is repetition, it also has a sad motive. The tone goes up to give the poem more negativity and sadness by elongating some words. The third stanza uses a rhetorical question to start off with. The mood is a lot softer. This is created by the poet using a softer tone to shorten the â€Å"S’s, P’s and R’s†. He uses repetition to try and enhances the reader’s sadness and visual imagery. There are also a lot of similes and metaphors used. E.g. pallor, paleness, brows, forehead. In the last stanza there is a vast amount of imagery of death. There is an ethical custom to conclude his poem. â€Å"Drawing down of blind† this is what people at home did when a close relative died. Comparing these two poems reveals that Shakespeare’s before Agincourt uses a lot less alliteration and repetition making the poem more joyful and honourable for war. In conclusion Shakespeare is totally glorifying war while Wilford more realistically looking at war as a horrifying killer concept. Style wise I prefer Shakespeare poem having a nice ring to its rhythm but the content of his poem is out dated and modern man would find it hard to agree with his idealistic point of views. Personally I can understand Wilford’s Owens point of view better then Shakespears. War is a horrifying non justifiable matter and should not be promoted.

Moral Reflection

Everyday in our lives we are forced into making moral decisions about anything under the sun. There are situations that make such process difficult, and there are situations where the answer appears to be just right in front of our faces. I believe it would be difficult for anyone to decide on any ethical dilemma if he has no clear idea of morality.Personally, I am aware that of at least two ethical principles that guide me in my everyday ethical decision-making. These are utilitarianism and Kantian moral philosophy. utilitarianism holds that a person’s action would be considered morally right if it tends to promote happiness for the greatest number of people. Thus, utilitarianism as a moral philosophy places emphasis on the consequences of human action, rather than on the motives behind such action (West).On the other hand, Kantian moral philosophy, or more popularly known as the categorical imperative, is based on notions of obligation, necessity and reason. Kant believed th at morality consists in the choosing and doing proper conduct, and the proper action is dictated solely by rational considerations. Thus, Kant holds that subjective considerations, including emotions, should not be considered in moral decision-making (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy).I believe in both these theories and I use them both when I decide everyday ethical dilemmas. There are times when. I believe purely rational considerations should prevail, but there are times that I also consider subjective factors like emotions. I believe that both theories guide my actions and decisions, and both allow me to weigh various considerations in my mind.Nevertheless, I believe that Kant’s method in determining the right conduct is a better decision-making process, because Kant provded clear criteria for choosing. Kant provided this rule, thus:â€Å"So act, that the rule on which thou actest would admit of being adopted as a law   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   by all rational b eings. (Kant).†This rule is easier to follow since it does not fluctuate depending on my mood or subjective predilection, which could change in any day. It serves as a â€Å"true north,† which teaches all men how to think and decide moral dilemmas.One moral issue that deeply concerns me is euthanasia, or mercy killing. Euthanasia is defined as an act characterized by â€Å"the intentional ending of a patient's life by a physician, usually by lethal injection (Religion Facts).†Ã‚   Euthanasia is always being raised as an option where a person is with a terminal illness and slim chances of recovering. It is an important issue for me because I could easily imagine myself in the position of the sick person’s family, and I could imagine subjective feelings that would dictate either euthanasia or maintaining life support. In these kinds of situations, utilitarianism could support either position, as the decision would depend on the consequences of an action. On the other hand, Kantian philosophy could provide a more definitive answer, but such answer would definitely not consider emotions, because these are subjective factors that are not based on reason.Works CitedKant, I. The Metaphysics of Ethics. 1886.MacDonald, Chris. â€Å"Moral Decision Making — An Analysis.† 2002. 14 Feb. 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .Religion Facts. â€Å"Facts and Statistics on Euthanasia.† 14 Feb. 2008.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ;http://www.religionfacts.com/euthanasia/stats.htm;.The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. â€Å"The Categorical Imperative.† 2001. 14 Feb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008.;http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/categorical-imperative.html;.West, Henry R. â€Å"Utilitarianism.† Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 14 Feb. 2008.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ;http://www.utilitarianism.com/utilitarianism.html;.