Jesus as an Imperialist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jesus as an Imperialist - Essay Example While considering the principles of Christianity for which he lived, an imperialistic approach has been adorned by him since his birth. He was looked for as king to be born in the dynasty of David who would free the Jews from the imperialism of the foreign governance and would establish the reign of God. The Jews believed that the promised man would appear on a Maundy Thursday and would take over as their king. However the consideration of Jesus as the king of Kings, involves a varied concept on imperialism. It never goes along with the conventional approaches of the worldly governing systems, but had a holy view adorning the power of Jesus as a king and the manifest destiny allied with his life and times. Zechariah 9: 9 says, â€Å"Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.†

Digital X-Ray Market Essay Example for Free

Digital X-Ray Market Essay

Western Influence on Japan Essay -- Geography

Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economical and social differences as a result of the western involvement. The involvement was initiated by the Japanese themselves, beginning during the Meiji Period1 through current times. As time increases, Japan is slowly becoming more 'westernized' because of western involvement. Western involvement is greatly affecting Japan. Western involvement began in Japan during the late 1800's. The Meiji dynasty helped to carry it through, seeing the importance of western ideas. "Learn all you can from the Europeans and Americans"2 was what Emperor Meiji was saying to the Japanese in 1867. During this period, Japan agreed to change it's hereditary authority and class barriers between its people.3 Japan also opened their ports during this period4 and sold fuel to other countries such as the Us.5 The Japanese language took a major turn, too, with the addition of borrowed words from all over the world.6 Japan borrowed the American education system of elementary, middle school and universities during this time.7 A new western style army and universal military conscription program were soon set up by General Yamagata Autamo as well.8 The Meiji period was an important part of Japan's changing western ways. After World War II, Japan changed forever. With the Atomic bomb physically destroying their cities, and their defeat destroying their imperialistic mentalities, Japan was deeply wounded. Japan lost the respect of the world during the war and few people felt sorry f... ...R. Japan. p.113. 22 Davidson, Judith. Japan - Where East Meets West, p.107. 23 Pitts, Forrest R. Japan. p.46. 24 Davidson, Judith. Japan - Where East Meets West, p.101. 25 p.94. 26 Miller, Richard J. and Katoh, Lynn. Japan, p.57-58. 27 Greene, Carol. Enchantment of the World, Japan, p.97. 28 Pitts, Forrest R. Japan. p.78. 29 Davidson, Judith. Japan - Where East Meets West, p.48. Works Cited: Davidson, Judith. Japan - Where East Meets West. Minnesota: Dillon Press Inc., 1983. Greene, Carol. Enchantment of the World, Japan. Chicago: Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises Inc., 1983. Miller, Richard J. and Katoh, Lynn. Japan. New York: Franklyn Watts Inc., 1969. Pitts, Forrest R. Japan. Canada: Fideler Company., 1974. Reischauer, Edwin O. The United States and Japan. Massachusettes: Harvard University Press, 1965.

Analysis of Hypocrisy in Adventures Essay

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, takes place in a time in age where the deficits of society are so intricately interwoven and ignored upon the individuals that make up that society. This results in hypocrisy that constantly plays a crucial part in how Mark Twain depicts the society that participates in such irrational activity. Characters, that Huck and Jim meet as they head for their freedom, which for Jim is slavery, and for Huck is the enslavement through civilization which is â€Å"practiced† by such a hypocrite society. Both are searching for freedom that is well defined in their own parameters; but are kept under constant hypocrisy in the pursuit to achieve their freedom. However, hypocrisy by a â€Å"civilized† society is as dominant in today’s society as it was in the time that Huck and Jim encountered it. Even though today’s, hypocrisies take a new shape and form and are interwoven with daily activities. They are given as much attention as any â€Å"civilized† society would. Although the hypocrisies that are evident in Huckleberry Finn might be in the form of the judge allowing Huck’s father, to keep him in custody, well knowing that he a drunkard would kill Huck to get his money. To the ignorance, of towns people and the nieces who were scammed by the duke and king. Everyone had taken so much self-esteem into the fact that the nieces had accepted the duke and king as their uncles that no one gave a second thought, even when it was publicly announced by Dr.  Robinson; as every â€Å"civilized† person who knew right from wrong sprang upon the doctor, trying to subdue him. As the greatest hypocrisy that took place in the book, was due to the time period itself; a time of white supremacy and racial prejudice, that took place everywhere, a time of slavery. These individuals who Huck ran away from to avoid being civilized, were themselves uncivilized due to the way they treated slaves who are non-other than human beings as well. Implying the fact that it is impossible for a society who owns and treats slaves as uncivilized people themselves can never be just. While, we see this constantly throughout our society today, as people call others fat, anorexic, sub-standard, not cool, not cute, irrational, and stupid; while they themselves have a bottomless pit of ignorance, leading to their own oblivion. Today’s society is actually worse than before in the sense that we are not only fed these things as a child; but we have to incorporate it into daily life through the influence of others, such as parents, media, and peers. Making our very existence, self-evident of such a paradox that can only derive from hypocrisy of a so called â€Å"civilized† society. As the time Mark Twain had written this novel, many social flaws existed within the fabrics of the community as a whole. The book played a major role within the cultural context of the era due to the fact that Jim, who was a slave and Huck a freeman were able to bond and have such an amazing journey together. Within this journey, Twain had interwoven several moments, that on the surface seemed like a norm at the time, but exploited several social flaws that would have otherwise been dismissed by ignorance. Resulting in a successful message from the author, hopefully allowing one to see at that time in age what horrid activities they take place in on a day to day basis, when viewed upon by another person’s spectacle.

Is it ethical to mask your true emotions in order to get along with others? Essay

Honesty is the best policy. Or is it not? As children, we were taught that honesty is telling the truth straightforward. We were told that it is being sincere, genuine, trustworthy, loyal, and fair. We were taught to tell the truth at all times, despite consequences. Our parents taught us to do our own homework, keep a friend’s secret, return stuff we found, and keep our promises. But as we grew older, the line between the truth and falsehood started to blur. We began to tell and accept half-truths. We began to resort to telling white lies to get out of potentially disastrous situations. We are confronted everyday by basic issues of honesty. If a man is forbidden by his wife to smoke, should he confess that he took a few sticks from his buddy’s pack when they were at the bar earlier that night? Is it really imperative that he do so when he only smoked two, maybe three, cigarettes? Does he have to be completely honest with his wife or can he get away with something that insignificant? If you are anti-Bush and attending a formal dinner where every single person at your table is pro-Bush, should you be completely honest and let everyone know your sentiment, at the risk of alienating yourself? Or should you save your Bush-bashing for another time and another place? Should you just go along with the conversation and act indifferent towards the topic? As Saki (1929) said, â€Å"A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation†. But is this ethical? Or must honesty always reign supreme? Some people, institutions, and dogmas bolster the virtue of being completely, straightforwardly honest. But is it not also true that sometimes people who are brutally honest find more satisfaction from being brutal than from being honest? The philosopher Immanuel Kant claimed that the telling of a truth is the â€Å"perfect duty†. He said that it cannot be superseded by other values – not even the concern for the life of a friend or the loyalty to someone we love. He insisted that the act of lying is always incorrect morally. However, many scholars have found Kant’s philosophy to be too extreme and self-serving. In the book â€Å"On Moral Grounds†, moral philosophers Daniel Maguire and A. Nicholas Fargnoli (1991) state, â€Å"Very simply, Kant would not be the man you would want to stand between you and someone intent on murdering you – at least if Kant knew where you were. † Furthermore, Maguire and Fargnoli (1991) refer to Kant’s stand on lying to explore the restrictions of universal moral principles. They write, â€Å"Universalization is an unrealistic and inaccurate abstraction that passes over the fact that there are exceptions to valid moral principles. † Also, â€Å"To protect other values, like the life of an intended victim or a legitimate secret, exceptions to truth-telling must be made. † In her book â€Å"Lying†, philosopher Sissela Bok (1978) says, â€Å"The failure to look at an entire practice rather than at their own isolated case often blinds liars to cumulative harm and expanding deceptive activities. Those who begin with white lies can come to resort to more frequent and more serious ones†¦ The aggregate harm from a large number of marginally harmful instances may, therefore, be highly undesirable in the end – for liars, those deceived, and honesty and trust more generally. † For the author, there is danger in all acts of lying because there is a possibility that the telling of even the smallest of lies may affect common discourse. She emphasizes that lies have a tendency to â€Å"spread†. Lies, even the most seemingly insignificant ones, can grow and affect other aspects of our lives. Nowadays, most people are utilitarians when it comes to the topic of honesty. White lies are okay because they probably don’t hurt anyone; but we avoid outright lies that have the possibility of offending or harming others. However, the utilitarian attitude to truthfulness has to have its limitations. As author Austin O’Malley said, â€Å"Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind†. Telling a white lie -like reassuring a sick person that he looks much better when, in fact, he doesn’t- is alright; but if it becomes a habit, there could be dire consequences. A person may lose credibility and respect from his partner, family or friends. Masking one’s true emotions to keep the peace in a certain situation or in order to get along with others can be ethical, but there are limits to how far you can go with faking how you really feel. There is a very fine line between truth and fiction, between lies and white lies. Even the Bible makes this distinction. The commandment does not say, â€Å"Thou shalt not lie†; instead, it says, â€Å"Thou shalt not bear false witness. † This means that lies that do not cause harm –for example, telling the hostess that a meal she made is really good when it was, in fact, absolutely horrible- is acceptable. In this instance, the lie is told to make the person feel better about herself and to show appreciation for her efforts. Here, the lie was actually made in attempt to do something good. However, a lie that could have grave consequences –such as when a person who has caused damages to his neighbor’s property does not admit that he did so to avoid having to pay for the cost of repairs- is a sin. To mask one’s true feelings in order to get along with others is fine as long as a person keeps to the boundaries and the motivation behind the lie or the masking of the truth is valid. Another consideration would be the frequency with which the person disguises his true opinions or feelings. If done too often, the person could risk losing his sense of self and authenticity. In â€Å"The Critic as Artist†, Oscar Wilde (1905) says that â€Å"a little bit of sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal†. For people in relationships, he may have a point. Honesty may not be the best policy when we are hiding aspects of ourselves from the other person, when we do not want to be revealed, to be known completely. Honesty may not be the best policy when we do not want to get into trouble or when we are avoiding conflict. Honesty may not be the best policy when we are trying to spare the other’s feelings, when we do not want the other to feel hurt or disappointed. In a relationship, people may tell lies because they believe that it is the kind thing to do. Robert Brault once said that, â€Å"Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for am I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. † Noble lies, which are intended for another’s benefit, are usually made under these kinds of circumstances. But while the motivation behind this type of lie may seem valid, there are still those who believe that the concept is flawed. Critics of utilitarianism say that â€Å"people often poorly estimate the consequences of their actions or specifically undervalue or ignore the harmful consequences to society (e. g. , mistrust) that their lies cause† (Mazur, 1993). Also, the concept of lying for the sake of a â€Å"greater good† may cause a further blurring of the line between moral justifications supporting the greater good and empty excuses.

Parents Guide to the Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

Parents Guide to the Pros and Cons of Homeschooling According to statisticbrain.com, more than 1.5 million children in the United States are homeschooled. Homeschooling is a highly debated school choice topic. Parents choose to homeschool their children for a myriad of reasons. Some of these reasons are based on religious beliefs, others are for medical reasons, and some just want complete control of their child’s education. It is important for parents to make an informed decision regarding homeschooling. Even advocates of homeschooling will tell you that it is not the right placement for every family and child. The pros and cons of homeschooling should be carefully weighed before making that decision. Parents must examine the entire process of homeschooling instead of focusing on the idea of homeschooling. Pros of Homeschooling Flexibility of Time Homeschooling allows children to learn on their own time. Parents control how much time each day and how often their children complete their lessons. They are not boxed into the typically 8:00-3:00, Monday-Friday time in which traditional schools operate. Parents can customize their child’s schooling around their own schedules, their child’s ideal learning time, and can take school with them anywhere. In essence, a homeschool student never misses classes because lessons can be completed at virtually any time. Lessons can be always be doubled up on a particular day if something arises that interferes with the regular schedule. Educational Control Homeschooling allows parents to have complete control over their child’s education. They control the content that is taught, the way that it is presented, and the pace at which it is taught. They may provide their child with a more narrowed focus on certain topics such as math or science. They may provide their child with a more broad focus and include subjects such as art, music, politics, religion, philosophy, etc. Parents may choose the omit subject matter that does not align with personal or religious beliefs. Educational control allows parents to make every decision when it comes to their child’s education. Closer Family Relationships Homeschooling allows families to spend more time with each other. This often results in an increased bond between parents and children and amongst siblings. They essentially rely on each other for everything. Learning and play time are shared amongst all members of the family. In families with multiple children, the older sibling(s) can help teach the younger sibling(s). Education and learning often become the focal point of a family who is homeschooling. When one child is academically successful, the entire family celebrates that success because each of them contributed to that success in some way. Exposed to Less A big benefit to homeschooling is that children are able to be sheltered from immoral or corruptible behaviors that occur in schools across the country. Inappropriate language, bullying, drugs, violence, sex, alcohol, and peer pressure are all issues that children in schools are exposed to on a daily basis. There is no denying that these things have a profound negative effect on young people. Children who are homeschooled may still be exposed to things through other avenues such as television, but parents can more readily choose when and how their children learn about these things. One on One Instruction Homeschooling allows parents to provide one on one individualized instruction to their child. There is no denying that this is advantageous for any child. Parents can better identify individual strengths and weaknesses and tailor lessons to meet their child’s specific needs. One on one instruction also minimizes distractions helping the child remained focused on the content being taught. It allows students to learn at a faster rate with more rigorous content. Cons of Homeschooling Time Consuming Homeschooling takes quite a bit of time for the parent responsible for providing the education. This time increases with each additional child. Parents must take the time to plan and research the content that they need to teach their children. Teaching the lessons, grading papers, and keeping track of each child’s progress also takes a considerable amount of time. Parents who homeschool have to give their children their undivided attention during learning time which limits what they are able to do around their house. Cost Money Homeschooling is expensive. It takes a lot of money to purchase the necessary curriculum and the homeschool supplies you need  to educate any child adequately. Integrating any form of technology into homeschooling including computers, iPads, educational software, etc. increases the cost significantly. In addition, one of the allures of homeschooling is the ability to regularly taking your children on educational outings or field trips whose costs add up quickly. Underlying operational costs for meals and transportation must also be taken into consideration. The lack of proper funding can significantly inhibit the education you provide to your child. No Break No matter how much love your children, it is always enjoyable to have some time alone. In homeschooling, you are both their teacher and their parent which limits the time you can spend away from them. You see each other and deal with each other all the time which can lead to an occasional conflict. It is essential that conflicts are quickly resolved, or it can have a profound effect on the schooling itself. The dual roles of parent and teacher can lead to stress. This makes it even more important for parents to have an outlet for stress relief. Limited Peer Interactions Homeschooling limits the amount of social interaction that children can have with other children their own age. Interacting with peers is a fundamental aspect of child development. While there are other avenues to ensure that the homeschooled child receives this beneficial interaction, the diverse interactions available at a regular school are difficult to simulate. Limiting a child’s interactions to parents and siblings can lead to social awkwardness later on in life. Lack of Expert Instruction There are parents who have a background and training in education who choose to homeschool. However, the majority of parents who homeschool do not have any training in this area. It is not realistic for any parent regardless of their education to be an expert on everything their child needs from kindergarten through twelfth grade. This is an issue that can be overcome, but being an effective teacher is difficult. It will take a lot of time and hard work to provide your child with a quality education. Parents who are not properly trained can harm their child academically if they do not spend the time to ensure that they are doing things the correct way.

Cloning essay Essay Example

Cloning essay Essay Example Cloning essay Paper Cloning essay Paper Essay Topic: Rebuttal Cloning The employment of cloning and human embryonic stem cells is of the most significant innovations in medicine (Wobus and Boheler, 2005).   The discovery of the ability to manipulate embryonic stem cells has created the fields of regenerative medicine and cellular therapy, which aim to treat debilitating and/or fatal conditions that were earlier acknowledged to be incurable (Taupin, 1996).   Unfortunately, this breakthrough has brought forth issues regarding the value of life.   Technically, cloning of embryonic stem cells involve collection of embryos that are ethically regarded at the earliest stages of human life (Brown, 2006).   Ethical arguments have arisen, questioning whether it is right to improve life by destroying another human life in the form of an embryo.   This paper will enumerate ethical arguments that renounce the use of the cloning technology and the use of spare embryos for biomedical research and therapeutics. Embryonic stem cells are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of 5 to 7-day old human embryos or blastocysts right before its implantation along the walls of the uterus (Bongso et al., 1994).   These stem cells are cultured in vitro over mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder cells supplied with growth serum.   Embryonic stem cells have the ability to infinitely self-renew and sustain their capacity to differentiate into any form of mature cell.   Depending on the kind of trigger stimuli introduced, these cultured cells may be controlled to differentiate into the cell type needed for research, experimentation and therapeutics. Stem cells are collected from four different (4) sources- from surplus embryos or by-products of in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratories, from â€Å"spare† embryos obtained from embryo donors at IVF clinics, from embryos created by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) or the removal of the nucleus from a body cell and reinsertion into an egg cell, and lastly, from aborted or terminated fetuses.   No matter which route is used to collect stem cells, the use of embryos for stem cell research has been the center of ethical debate since its conception.   The principle of ethics involves careful deliberation on the use of stem cells as related to human well-being and human freedom.   Several issues regarding this new technology have raised uproar and disagreements between the scientific community and ethics groups. One major ethical issue regarding the use of â€Å"spare† embryos is the lack of respect for the embryo.   The concern is associated to the possible future demand for embryos once this cellular technology is determined to be successfully therapeutic.   Embryos might later be treated as therapeutic materials or commodities instead of living beings at their initial stages.   There is also a risk for a devaluation of embryos, wherein the loss of human life may later in time be tolerated instead of prevented (Bobrow, 2005).   In addition, the acceptance of destruction of embryos may serve as a precedent for implementation of other controversial biomedical acts such as creation of embryo â€Å"factories†, cloned babies and mass production of â€Å"spare parts† from fetuses (Hug, 2005, 2006).   There is claim for the scientific community that employment of spare embryos may not automatically mean any disrespect towards embryos because the destruction of embry os in order to collect stem cells results in the provision of new therapeutics for specific medical disorders.   Certain scientists have actually claimed that it is more immoral to destroy embryos during in vitro fertilization because those embryos are not implanted or donated for further use but are actually discarded, unlike embryos that are destroyed for stem cell research which are cautiously propagated and ultimately designed to replace defective tissues and cells for medical therapeutics.   Such rebuttal from the scientific community is not good enough because they actually approach the issue of choosing between the lesser evil option. Another major issue that is being publicly scrutinized is whether the creation of embryos for research purposes is morally worse than using â€Å"spare† embryos from IVF cases for experiments.   Such issue reflects the intention of each act, and the idea of using leftover embryos from in vitro fertilization protocols is much more tolerable to society than the simple creation of research-oriented embryos because there is less guilt involved in using extra or spare embryos from IVF cases than creating embryos that could have been another human being but their chance to live has been taken away.   The scientific community has tried to explain that production and destruction of spare embryos is a normal physiological event during pregnancy, which enables a sibling embryo to complete the entire gestational range (Borge and Evers, 2003).   They claim that this kind of sacrifice is also necessary to promote life for the sibling embryo. After describing the pros and cons of two major ethical issues, I personally believe that the utilization of cloning techniques is unacceptable.   I think that the ethical questions raised against the technique shows that there is an urgent need to review and prevent the employment of such revolutionary technology, as well as promote the importance of human life and respect.   More effort should be given by both scientific and legislative communities to understand and disseminate any human rights that are violated by this technology, so that they would give more respect to life as all the rest of the society has shown over the last centuries. References Bobrow, J.C.   (2005):   The ethics and politics of stem cell research.   Trans. Am. Ophthalmol. Soc.   103:138-142. Bongso, A., Fong, C.Y., Ng, S.C. and Ratnam, S.   (1994):   Isolation and culture of inner cell mass cells from human blastocysts.   Hum. Reprod.   9:2110-2117. Borge, O.J. and Evers, K.   (2003):   Aspects on properties, use and ethical considerations of embryonic stem cells- A short review.   Cytotechnology   41:59-68. Brown T (2006):   Gene cloning and DNA analysis: An introduction.   Los Angeles: Blackwell Publishing Limited.   386 pages. Hug, K.   (2005):   Sources of human embryos for stem cell research:   Ethical problems and their possible solutions.   Medicina (Kaunas)   41(12):1002-1010. Hug, K.   (2006):   Therapeutic perspectives of human embryonic stem cell research versus the moral status of a human embryo- Does one have to be compromised for the other?   Medicina (Kaunas)   42(2):107-114. Taupin, P.   (2006):   Derivation of embryonic stem cells for cellular therapy:   Challenges and new strategies.   Med. Sci. Monit.   12(4):RA75-78. Wobus, A.M. and Boheler, K.R.   (2005):   Embryonic stem cells:   Prospects for developmental biology and cell therapy.   Physiol. Rev.   85:635-678.

Magnetism Science Fair Project Ideas and Demonstrations

Magnetism Science Fair Project Ideas and Demonstrations Do you like magnets? Science fair projects can examine magnetism or electromagnets. Here are some magnetism science fair project ideas. Magnetism Science Fair Project Ideas Make your own ferrofluid or liquid magnets.Is plant growth affected by the presence of an electromagnetic field?Is seed germination affected by a magnetic field?Do magnetic fields have an effect on eremosphaera algae cells?What is the strength of a manmade magnetic field given off by a computer? overhead power lines? wall current? etc.Build a sensor to detect the presence of a magnetic field.Can you detect any effect from a prolonged magnetic field on an organism? Examples might include fruit flies, mice, plants, daphnia, etc.Can you demonstrate the steelhead trout can detect magnetic fields? How would you test other organisms for the ability to sense a magnetic field?Is the orientation of bird embryos (e.g., chicks in eggs) affected by the orientation of a magnetic field?If you change magnetic field orientation, does it produce an effect on an organism? Examples might include mealworms, fruit flies, planaria, etc. More Science Fair Project Ideas

Experience with application of theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Experience with application of theory - Essay Example Indeed, it is known in psychology that most people believe in their own personal experience so much that they ignore findings of research, even if the underlying scientific evidence is very compelling (Knapp 1999, p.ix). But after all, this is not always a bad thing that we channel all events in our lives through our personal psychological filters, if we can use this term. What is important, though, that we do not lose the ability to see connections between our experiences and the strict psychological theories that attempt to structure and categorize different elements of our everyday goings-on. In this light, I will try to see how a real-life communication event that I have experienced can be interpreted and analyzed using such aspects of communication theory pertaining to interpersonal communication as the cognitive processing and mechanisms related to the psychological influence. The event that I am about to deal with is the story of friendship between me and my boyfriend Greg, and our friends Andrea and Dany, who have been themselves a couple. In fact, before we met with Greg, Dany had been his good friend, and I, in my turn, had been friends with Andrea. Perhaps it was not really surprising that after I and Greg started going out with each other, it was not long before Andrea and Dany also got acquainted. Soon, they became a couple too, and our friendship obtained a kind of a social symmetry, and perhaps due to that fact grew so that we were spending more time together that we had used to before. As I can clearly see now, by that moment our perception of each other changed and I stopped thinking of Andrea and Dany as of friends who were not completely fitting the lifestyle of me and Greg, for example because before I tended to be worried to let Greg and Dany go out together to some parties because I knew that Dany could be provoking Greg for, well, some ba chelor deeds. On the other hand, I suspect that when I wanted to spend some time with Andrea Greg could be a bit jealous that he was not always able to share the interest in topics which were of concern to us. Now, it does not mean that the mentioned factors completely disappeared after the relationship between Andrea and Dany started. But since that time I began to perceive Dany as a responsible person, and Greg, in his turn, became apparently much more easy about the time that I was spending without him with Andrea. The mentioned changes in attitudes that occurred in me, in my boyfriend, and in our friends already testify to the validity of one of the psychological mechanisms that acts during interpersonal communication and is described by the psychological approach termed constructivism. In general, constructivism belongs to the realm of study of cognitive processing that in psychology investigates information processing as a phenomenon underlying our psychological mechanisms and functions. In its turn, constructivism advances some concepts about the way people learn something and internalize new knowledge on basis of their experiences. One of the plausible mechanisms of learning is enabled by accommodation and assimilation. Assimilation takes place in situations when experiences of people coincide with their internal perception of the world, and therefore new experiences fit into our existing world views. Accommodation happens when there

Property Management and Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Property Management and Law - Essay Example The terms and conditions under said contract include full repairing obligation by the tenant and seven rent reviews for rent increases only. Brimsdown Spring pays its rents promptly and has abided by all terms and conditions, so far. The term is about to expire on 24 March 2011. In Smalls’ letter, he expressly requested for new tenancy that would include the same length of time as the existing one, but under more favourable terms to them: Landlord takes over responsibility over structure, roof and exterior of the building and; a reduction of the present rent of ?43,500 a year to ?37,500 a year. Mr Smalls also made mention of a newly constructed commercial estate nearby that leases units at ?37,500 a year. RECOMMENDATIONS The Landlord can answer the letter indicating his objection. Such exchanges of communication, however, are not official because they are not in the prescribed form. In the meantime, the landlord can wait for the tenant to formalise its request using the correc t form and oppose the application, or failing that, he can serve his own notice to quit and refuse a new tenancy before the end of 12 months following the expiration of the lease period. RATIONALE Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 generally grants security of tenure to leases whose terms go beyond 6 months as implied under s 43(3)(a) of said Act, but this can be opposed by the landlord on any of the grounds allowed by law. This implies that security of tenure is applicable to Brimsdown Spring as a lessor, which further means that despite the expiration of the lease terms it will still be entitled to occupy the premises and continue the lease. Such continuity of lease despite the expiration of the lease period exists until the landlord serves it a notice to quit under s 25 and it serves a counter-notice to renew the lease or it initiates an application to request a new lease. In that case, the court decides for or against any of the parties. The tenant may also initiate the process by a request to renew the lease and the landlord either accepts it or opposes by going to court on any of the grounds allowed by law. In the case of Brimsdown Spring, the letter requesting for a new tenancy does not have any effect. It was not sufficient to serve as a request for new tenancy under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 because s. 26(3) thereof expressly states that the request shall not be effective if not contained in the prescribed form setting out the details of the proposals of the tenant such as the new period, the rent and other conditions. Under Schedule 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, Part 2 (Notices) Regulations 2004, a request for new tenancy must be made using Form 3 in Schedule II of the aforesaid Regulations. It can be noted in Form 3 that the date of which the proposed new tenancy begins to take place must be indicated whilst a list of the proposed new terms and conditions must be attached to it. Since Brimsdown Spring’s letter had no effect as a request for new tenancy, the Landlord is therefore, free to initiate the termination of the contract under s. 25 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. The prescribed form for this is Form 2, or Landlord’s Notice Ending a Business Tenancy and Reasons for Refusing a New One,

The Life and Works of James Baldwin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Life and Works of James Baldwin - Essay Example James, who was exposed to the religiosity of his stepfather, learned the significance of faith and religion in his life. Although David was not a caring stepfather, his religiosity influenced James and his brothers in a way that David had instilled Catholic morals on the family. For one, James became a youth minister in a Pentecostal Church in Harlem even at the age of 14. With his conformity to religious standards and intellectual pursuits, James gained recognition and lasting impression from his teachers, as well as his neighbors. To the people in their locality, James was considered as intelligent and righteous. He carried these values along with him as he struggled for the Negro race through participating in political and social activities as a writer. The deep religious foundations of Baldwin’s morality were later shown in his writings, as well as his preference for non-violent activism over bloody riots. As a child, James loved to read, and, during his school years, he showed an inclination toward writing. Although James showed his exemplary writing ability even in high school, he was not able to pursue his college education and other plans due to financial constraints. As the eldest child, James had to put his dreams aside and support his mother in sending his seven younger brothers to school. Thus, in his own discretion, James struggled to find a job after he graduated in high school in 1942. While putting his dreams aside means compromising his passion and talent, James considered his family as the most important part of his life. Finding a sustainable job was difficult for James. The fact that the year during which he lived was dominated by prejudice and racial discrimination, James was frequently warded off by employe rs mainly because of his color. This situation made him take whatever job opportunities that came along his way. For instance, he took the job in the railroad in New Jersey from which he was again dismissed for no apparent reason. Another significant event in James’ life was the death of his stepfather on the 29th of July 1943. On this day, also, her mother gave birth to his eighth sibling. This means that their family had grown larger, which, in turn, means that he needed to earn more for his family. In 1945, James’ life took an unexpected turn. Although, he worked during the day, he still found time to write a novel during his spare hours. His passion to read and write offered opportunities that influenced the rest of his life. For instance, he had the chance to meet Richard Wright, a writer, who helped James found a fellowship that could publish his works and support his writing expenses. In those times also, James was able to publish his stories and essays with Com mentary, The Nation, and Partisan Review, three of the most popular national publications during that time. As James was able to gain an audience for his literary works, his popularity also grew, and he was able to visit different American cities with his writing colleagues. By the year 1948, James moved to Paris as he was able to find another fellowship there. James’ stay in Paris enabled him to observe America in a distance; he was able to analyze the American social and political situation critically especially in relation to the African Americans, his race. Considering the wide view by which James observed the socio-political status of America, he was able to evaluate the American system of government objectively. Additionally, he was able to see clearly where he began, which developed in him the sense of determined destination. Thus, James’ stay in France enabled him to see both his beginning and his purposive end. While in France, James was able t

Social Stratification, Race, and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Stratification, Race, and Gender - Essay Example For instance, I observed a couple laughing heartily when the elevator door opened but as soon as they go into the elevator the stopped laughing. Additionally, contrary to my earlier expectations, the female was standing quite close to the male which to me indicated a degree of comfort and intimacy. However, as soon as they got to the first floor (where they stepped off the elevator) they were laughing loudly again. This sudden break in laughter was one observed point which clarified to me that as soon as individuals get into an elevator their behavior changes in obvious ways. A second observation supports this idea since I was waiting for the elevator with a man who was listening to music through his MP3 player. As we were waiting I could observe him bobbin his head and tapping his feet (I presume it was done in time with the music) but as soon as the elevator doors opened he stopped his ‘dance’. In fact, while he and I were taking the elevator to go down, he did not resume dancing. I could not be sure of when he did resume the activity since he and I went our separate ways. Another thing which I observed was the way people deal with their appendages in an elevator. If a person is leaning against one of the walls of the elevator their legs would normally be crossed but only if the elevator is relatively empty. On the other hand, in a crowded elevator everyone stands up straight. Of course there is no rule for or against leaning with the wall but it is clear that the social norms which recommend that we make room for others are applicable in this case. Finally, I think there might be a gender difference in how people behave in elevators since I saw quite a few women fold their arms while taking an elevator ride. On the other hand, I frequently spotted men with their hands in their pockets as the elevator went up or down. I am not sure if

What is opera (with reference to Moses and Aron by Schoenberg) Essay

What is opera (with reference to Moses and Aron by Schoenberg) - Essay Example Snowman defines it in passing as â€Å"an art form that aspires to combine all the others†1 and goes on to chart the history of opera as a pastime of the elite which started in the Renaissance, reached its peak in the nineteenth century and began to decline in the twentieth century. This paper looks at the nature and purpose of opera in the twentieth century with specific reference to the unfinished masterpiece Moses and Aron which was written by classical composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) between 1930 and 1932. In the mediaeval period most people encountered formal music principally in religious settings but after the great turbulence of the Reformation, there came a time of gradual extension of musical performance into the salons of high society. Wealthy patrons of the Renaissance commissioned music to be written for special occasions such as weddings and coronations. In France the ballet form emerged, and in Italy genres such as the pastorale became popular: â€Å"The attraction of the pastorale consisted therefore, not in the plot but in the scenes and moods, the sensuous charm of the language, and the delicately voluptuous imagery, at which the Italian Renaissance poets excelled.†... tieth century new genres, and notably also technology such as gramophones and radio, extended the range of genres for musical production available and brought musical performances to still further sectors of the population. Schoenberg’s compositions were, however, unreservedly directed at the music-loving elites, and his choice of theme for his own modern opera harks back to the religious heritage of the Old Testament. Snowdon describes the changes that opera had undergone in the intervening centuries as a negative process: â€Å"opera has become at best a museum of art, a kind of old-fashioned religion re-enacted inside great temples before a dwindling audience of the devout.† 3 This description fits the more intellectual style of opera and it can be contrasted with what Snowman calls the â€Å"dumbing down of a once great art form to the point where any appeal it has beyond the narrow world of the cognoscenti is necessarily derived from the imposition of hype, shock and bogus sex appeal.†4 Schoenberg’s Moses and Aron is musically difficult, both to perform and to listen to, and it deals with ancient themes using heavy moral and religious overtones. It hardly seems likely to attract a wide audience, but for Schoenberg, the composition of both text and musical score seem to have meaning beyond the immediate context, serving to some extent as a life’s work, or a summing up of the most important elements in his own view of the world that he wants to leave for posterity. Schoenberg had a complex religious background, being born a Jew in Roman Catholic Austria, and then converting to Protestant Christianity before returning to his Jewish roots in later life.5 This return was provoked by the rising anti-Semitism that was gaining ground in central Europe in the early

Reading Comprehension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reading Comprehension - Essay Example Graphic organizers are a powerful tool to the students as it provides students with tools that they can use to show and examine the relationship between concepts in a text. The essay will delve in the teaching comprehension strategies and how the graphic organizers are used to enhance the learning of students. It will also focus on the benefits of using graphic organizers in teaching comprehension strategies. Teaching strategies are the tools that teachers use to enable students learn and understand whatever they are reading. To help students understand comprehension easily, graphic organizers are always used. Graphic organizers like semantic maps are used in self monitoring strategy. Semantic maps are devices that help students to derive explicit and implicit meanings from concepts, ideas and details that are in a text (Sewak & Lubin, 2007). This strategy is helpful to students as it increases their understanding and helps them to acquire, organize and maintain information. This str ategy can be used by providing students with semantic maps, which depict concepts from a passage and the key words (Adler, 2005). Students should read the passage and then find out the key words which they should link to those key words that are on the map. When semantic maps are used in teaching of comprehension, they make students put much focus on the concepts and main vocabularies which will enhance comprehension reading. For example, when a teacher is teaching on the concept of â€Å"whales†, the teacher can trigger the prior knowledge that the students have, by showing them a video and then allow them to point out the key words which relate to that topic. The metacognitive strategy can be enhanced by use of the concept diagrams. Concept diagram helps in comprehension skills and they show the relationship between concepts in a passage. Concept diagrams are graphics which describe the concepts in a passage, and their relationship from top to bottom (Boudah & Hagan-Burke, 2000). They also show how these concepts at the top support those at the bottom and they have lines that show the connections between concepts. The concept diagram makes students focus on concepts that enhance comprehension. When teaching comprehension and teachers are using concept diagrams, the teacher is to give an explanation about the different parts of the diagram. The teacher together with his students, they highlight the main concepts in a passage. Then the teacher provides a blank concept diagram and allows students to make their own connections (Sewak & Lubin, 2007). Hence this makes the students to be actively involved as they engage themselves in writing concepts of the diagram. Other graphic organizers that are useful when teaching comprehension are the story maps. The story maps are used by teachers to help the students to know the story structure. One way of using the story maps is when the teacher reads a story and stops at some points which are strategic to ask the students some questions. This strategy is necessary in understanding comprehension as it allows students to identify some important elements in the story such as the plot, characters and the setting (Adler, 2005). The story maps help to improve the literal, applied and interpretive comprehension skills of the students. In fact, it is a powerful tool for making students pay attention when

What is opera (with reference to Moses and Aron by Schoenberg) Essay

What is opera (with reference to Moses and Aron by Schoenberg) - Essay Example Snowman defines it in passing as â€Å"an art form that aspires to combine all the others†1 and goes on to chart the history of opera as a pastime of the elite which started in the Renaissance, reached its peak in the nineteenth century and began to decline in the twentieth century. This paper looks at the nature and purpose of opera in the twentieth century with specific reference to the unfinished masterpiece Moses and Aron which was written by classical composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) between 1930 and 1932. In the mediaeval period most people encountered formal music principally in religious settings but after the great turbulence of the Reformation, there came a time of gradual extension of musical performance into the salons of high society. Wealthy patrons of the Renaissance commissioned music to be written for special occasions such as weddings and coronations. In France the ballet form emerged, and in Italy genres such as the pastorale became popular: â€Å"The attraction of the pastorale consisted therefore, not in the plot but in the scenes and moods, the sensuous charm of the language, and the delicately voluptuous imagery, at which the Italian Renaissance poets excelled.†... tieth century new genres, and notably also technology such as gramophones and radio, extended the range of genres for musical production available and brought musical performances to still further sectors of the population. Schoenberg’s compositions were, however, unreservedly directed at the music-loving elites, and his choice of theme for his own modern opera harks back to the religious heritage of the Old Testament. Snowdon describes the changes that opera had undergone in the intervening centuries as a negative process: â€Å"opera has become at best a museum of art, a kind of old-fashioned religion re-enacted inside great temples before a dwindling audience of the devout.† 3 This description fits the more intellectual style of opera and it can be contrasted with what Snowman calls the â€Å"dumbing down of a once great art form to the point where any appeal it has beyond the narrow world of the cognoscenti is necessarily derived from the imposition of hype, shock and bogus sex appeal.†4 Schoenberg’s Moses and Aron is musically difficult, both to perform and to listen to, and it deals with ancient themes using heavy moral and religious overtones. It hardly seems likely to attract a wide audience, but for Schoenberg, the composition of both text and musical score seem to have meaning beyond the immediate context, serving to some extent as a life’s work, or a summing up of the most important elements in his own view of the world that he wants to leave for posterity. Schoenberg had a complex religious background, being born a Jew in Roman Catholic Austria, and then converting to Protestant Christianity before returning to his Jewish roots in later life.5 This return was provoked by the rising anti-Semitism that was gaining ground in central Europe in the early

Organizational Design of Microsoft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Design of Microsoft - Essay Example Ellis and Mayer (2001) state that, 'the extent to which an organisation aligns its strategy with the environment significantly influences the firm's ability to cope with threats and to take advantage of opportunities'. Microsoft is an international company with stakes in almost every nook and corner of the world. Therefore, the company requires having adequate representation in different regions depending upon the strategic nature of the operations and stakes involved. The process of organizing is essentially departmentalization of services and activities of the company. Department implies distinct area, division or branch of a company looking after the performance of specific jobs being looked after the appropriate levels of management. Another important aspect of organizational design is to put a limit to the number of workers or supervisors that a manager can look after effectively. The span of organization depends upon the size of the company and operating area. On the one hand a narrow span organization helps in close control of the activities and better interpersonal communication, it also results in taking away the freedom of the workers on the production floor, because in that case the sup ervisors are always found to be breathing down the neck. On the other hand a wide span organization functions effectively when a number of responsibilities are delegated to subordinates, who in turn try to pass on some freedom to the workers. But such an arrangement also runs the risk of losing control, if there is no control mechanism in place. Similarly, wider spans need to have a reliable mechanism for interdepartmental and interpersonal communication. The 'maintenance and after-sales services' too play an important role in today's market driven economy. Murthy et al. (2002) emphasize that effective maintenance management also requires a multidisciplinary approach where maintenance and customer care is viewed strategically from the overall business perspective. Therefore, while deciding about the design of the organization, companies are supposed to keep track of all such aspects. Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen when they developed an interpreter for Basic programming language at Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems. Subsequently the company started off its first international office in Japan as ASCII Microsoft in 1978 and thereafter moved to Washington in 1979. It operates mainly in five business segments namely; Client, Server & Tools, Online services business, Microsoft Business Division and Entertainment & Devices division. The Company coordinates its activities with the help of four key operation centres of the company are at; Dublin, Ireland which looks after the Licensing, Manufacturing, Operations and Logistics Humacao, Puerto Rico, USA which takes care of the manufacturing business of the company Reno, Nevada, USA works in close coordination with legal department of the government as it caters exclusively to the Licensing and operations divisions. In addition the company has its centre at Singapore which looks after the Operations and Logistics part It needs to be emphasized here that though Microsoft has operations in many countries around the world, but a cursory look at its

Mary Shelley Essay Example for Free

Mary Shelley Essay Do you agree? Frankenstein is one of the great novels of English literature, written in 1816 by a young Mary Shelley. The name Frankenstein is generally associated with the terrifying monster created in the many film adaptations of the book. But did Mary Shelley write only to frighten the reader? Or did she write in order to explore deeper issues of the evolving times she was living in? The basic plot of the novel is typical of a blood-curdling horror story: a mad scientist creates an inhuman monster, which subsequently goes on a murderous rampage, not resting until it has avenged itself. But Shelleys novel uses various other themes throughout the book, asks questions and expresses strong views on the changing balance between science and religion of the early 19th century. Through her monster she explores the themes of isolation, the relationship between God and man, the importance of respecting nature and the dangers of obsession. Shelleys novel has been extremely influential on horror stories since as it is one of the most famous gothic horror novels of all time. It is also the first to use the idea of fear of the unknown in the context of scientific research. It is one of the forerunners of later 20th century novels such as Brave New World, which warn of the dire consequences of unchecked scientific progress. The novel was written as part of a game or competition between herself, her husband, the poet Byron and his friend Polidori. They were spending time in Geneva when Byron suggested they should each write a ghost story and see who could write the best. That night Shelly had a terrifying nightmare in which she saw the story of Frankenstein. Shelleys parents appear to have been hugely influential on the novel. Her father was the writer and political journalist William Godwin, who became famous with his work An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice. Godwin had revolutionary attitudes to most social institutions, and as result she had been exposed to many modern radical ideas and had been to public shows where they stimulated the muscles of dead animals or humans to produce twitching. Perhaps it was this which gave birth in her mind to the famous creation scene of Frankenstein? Her mother had died in childbirth and she herself had lost children, which features heavily in the book. The novel is told through letters from Captain Walton to his sister Margaret in what is known as a Chinese box style. Walton talks about his own story and we get to know him, then we are introduced to another character, Victor, who Walton meets in the desolate landscape of the North Pole. Victor tells his story to Walton who relates it to his sister. Victor then tells us, through Walton, of how he met his creation, the monster, and tells Walton all that the creature told him which is then written down in the letters. In this way we get a first hand account from several different characters and we get a feeling of the depth of the story as we delve deeper in to the plot and see each side of the story. Chapter 5 is the beginning of any real horror in the novel. Of course, there have been some mysterious circumstances and the bleak and desolate setting of the North Pole, but nothing to really scare the reader. But the creation of the creature is Shelley unearthing her fears about the progression of modern science. To begin with Shelley creates tension, setting the scene, saying : it was on a dreary night of November and the rain pattered dismally both of these creating a sense of unease and darkness. Furthermore, she tells us how the candle was nearly burnt out by the glimmer of the half extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open, which again forms an image of a dark laboratory with flickering candle light, and creates tension, which have all become classic horror settings ever since.

Buy Essay Online: The Trials of Odysseus :: Odyssey essays

The Trials of Odysseus      Ã‚  Ã‚   Much of modern literature and beliefs can be found in The Odyssey. The epic stands as the basis for the adventure genre. Heroes, mystery, action, and bloodshed can all be found in Homer’s timeless classic. However, The Odyssey also contains one major concept that is a part of everyone’s life. Everyone must at one time or another prove themselves. And that is the foundation of Odysseus’ story. He, a warrior meant to die on the battleground at Troy, survived to set sail back to his home of Ithaca. For this the gods had him prove himself. Throughout The Odyssey it is constantly shown that in order for one to earn his right to live, he must first prove himself in the battle of life where his only weapons are his intellect, his sense of trust, and the strength of pure determination. Throughout The Odyssey, often times Odysseus is forced to call upon his intellect rather than his warrior instinct in order to pass another godly test. At one point in The Odyssey, Odysseus and his comrades are taken prisoner in the titanic cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops. A colossal boulder keeps Odysseus and his men from escaping. Rather than slaying the formidable adversary, Odysseus devises a plan more of a scholar than a relentless warrior. This becomes known as Odysseus recounts his story to the Phaecians, telling them that, â€Å" ‘I [Odysseus] formed the plan within my daring heart of closing on him [Polyphemus the Cyclops], drawing my sharp sword from my thigh, and stabbing him†¦ Yet second thoughts restrained me†¦ for we could never with our hands have pushed from the lofty door the enormous stone which he had set against it’ † (85). Odysseus’ strong intelligence outweighs those of his warrior comrades, who would have been quick to slay t he giant. Had Odysseus sent the Cyclops to Hades, he and his men would surely have followed. However, this was not to be, as Odysseus does not let the warrior in him direct his actions as a leader. Throughout his adventures, Odysseus must also rely on his intellect to rid of those who restrain him from reaching Ithaca. On the island of Ogygia, Odysseus is kept a reluctant guest at the halls of the goddess-nymph Calypso. Odysseus, who sees that he cannot escape by means of battle, turns to flattery. Buy Essay Online: The Trials of Odysseus :: Odyssey essays The Trials of Odysseus      Ã‚  Ã‚   Much of modern literature and beliefs can be found in The Odyssey. The epic stands as the basis for the adventure genre. Heroes, mystery, action, and bloodshed can all be found in Homer’s timeless classic. However, The Odyssey also contains one major concept that is a part of everyone’s life. Everyone must at one time or another prove themselves. And that is the foundation of Odysseus’ story. He, a warrior meant to die on the battleground at Troy, survived to set sail back to his home of Ithaca. For this the gods had him prove himself. Throughout The Odyssey it is constantly shown that in order for one to earn his right to live, he must first prove himself in the battle of life where his only weapons are his intellect, his sense of trust, and the strength of pure determination. Throughout The Odyssey, often times Odysseus is forced to call upon his intellect rather than his warrior instinct in order to pass another godly test. At one point in The Odyssey, Odysseus and his comrades are taken prisoner in the titanic cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops. A colossal boulder keeps Odysseus and his men from escaping. Rather than slaying the formidable adversary, Odysseus devises a plan more of a scholar than a relentless warrior. This becomes known as Odysseus recounts his story to the Phaecians, telling them that, â€Å" ‘I [Odysseus] formed the plan within my daring heart of closing on him [Polyphemus the Cyclops], drawing my sharp sword from my thigh, and stabbing him†¦ Yet second thoughts restrained me†¦ for we could never with our hands have pushed from the lofty door the enormous stone which he had set against it’ † (85). Odysseus’ strong intelligence outweighs those of his warrior comrades, who would have been quick to slay t he giant. Had Odysseus sent the Cyclops to Hades, he and his men would surely have followed. However, this was not to be, as Odysseus does not let the warrior in him direct his actions as a leader. Throughout his adventures, Odysseus must also rely on his intellect to rid of those who restrain him from reaching Ithaca. On the island of Ogygia, Odysseus is kept a reluctant guest at the halls of the goddess-nymph Calypso. Odysseus, who sees that he cannot escape by means of battle, turns to flattery.

Causes of the French Revolution Essay -- The French Revolution

â€Å"Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death; - the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!† -- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities Reflect upon your lifetime. Was there ever a moment where you felt mistreated, or unequally represented? Maybe it’s that your boss listens to your other coworkers and not you. Or that you feel like the government is listening to corporative powers and not the people. Inequality fosters resentment. How would you feel if your voice wasn’t heard? The concept of inequality is not exclusive to the French Revolution. In fact, these variations are seen within our modern relationships, social structures, and political structures—a few of which are outlined above. In regards to the French Revolution, the misrepresentation felt among the Third Estate at the end of the 18th century was a factor of the outbreak of the Revolution. However, this sentiment of unfairness alone was not the most influential in starting the Revolution, but rather it was the imbalances within the social population that had the greatest effect. While many historians focus on the discrimination of the Third Estate—frequently labeled as the commoners or peasantry of France—the social troubles within France were more extensive than those felt by the commoners. Although the Third Estate made up for over 2/3 of France’s population in the 1780s and focusing on the Third Estate shows how most of France’s population was reacting to pre-Revolution times, this perspective does not allow for a holistic perspective of social relations. Instead, by looking at the outbreak of the Revolution through a more wide-set scope, I believe that we can see that the French Revolution was a result of the under-represented population of the Third Estat... ...w York: H. Fertig, 1970. Print. Boutier, Jean. ‘Jacqueries en pays croquant, 1789-90’, Annales E.S.C., 34 (1979), pp. 774-5. Hodson, Christopher. "'In Praise Of The Third Estate': Religious And Social Imagery In The Early French Revolution." Eighteenth-Century Studies 34.3 (2001): 337. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Feb. 2015. Jones, Peter. "Rural France in the Eighteenth Century." The Peasantry in the French Revolution. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire: Cambridge UP, 1988. 1-29. Print. Lefebvre, Georges. The Coming of the French Revolution. Trans. R. R. Palmer. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1947. Print. "States-General." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2011): 1. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. "France : The Causes of the French Revolution." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Ernst Mach vs. Bertrand Russell

The purpose of this paper is to show that while Ernst Mach and Bertrand Russell share similar views on matter and knowledge, their end conclusions differ. Mach believes humans think in an economical manner where past experiences and knowledge are systematically reorganized to fit a pattern (Mach 211). Rather than analysing each experience in detail, humans refer to similar or related experiences as groups, which allows for the â€Å"least expenditure of thought† (Mach 197). In line with this mentality springs the concept of ‘things’ and ‘bodies’. Mach states that colours, sounds, temperatures, etc. re called sensations (Mach 208-209). When certain sensations are present repeatedly, they would fit into a pattern. To allow for future reference on this knowledge within the mind, the pattern receives a label. An example would be when a person sees an orange, bouncy, sphere object which has a mildly rough texture, the label ‘basketball’ spring s to mind. The ‘basketball’ would not be a physical object; it would simply be a â€Å"mental symbol† for the sensations and Mach states that â€Å"symbols do not exist outside of thought† (Mach 201). Russell believes that certain things, such as a table or a cat, consist of sense-data hich are colours, sounds, smells, etc. and that the immediate awareness of such things is known as a sensation (Russell 12). Also, the existence of an object is not necessarily associated with the sense-data as different people receive different sense-data when they are under the belief that they are viewing the same object (Russell 20). In addition, a person would only know the certainty of perceived sense-data rather than of the object since sense-data depends on the perception and relation of the object to the perceiver (Russell 16). Russell then states that although there is no proof of a physical world, the belief that there are objects corresponding to sense-data allows for the simplification people’s experiences. Therefore, believing in an external world is easier than thinking otherwise. Both Mach and Russell believe in the perception of colours, sounds, etc. but they label them differently; Mach calls them sensations and Russell calls them sense-data. Also, neither doubts the existence of these perceptions as they reside within the mind. Mach does not call into question the experience of sensations and Russell states that there is no doubt for the existence of sense-data (Russell 18). This indicates that both believe in physical causes that create such perceptions, but not necessarily believe in the existence of physical objects. In addition, both regard human knowledge to be built up from instinctive beliefs and the economic categorization of these beliefs form the basis of science and an organization of information (Mach 191; Russell 25). The two philosophers differ in views when regarding the existence of the physical world. Mach states that the idea of substance is a â€Å"crude notion† and that â€Å"bodies or things† do not exist in the external world (Mach 201, 203). In contrast, Russell asserts that it is instinctive belief to believe in an â€Å"independent external world† and since this belief â€Å"does not lead to any difficulties†, there is no reason to reject the belief (Russell 24). Mach’s overall view seems more sceptical relative to Russell since, even though he mentions that humans can easily believe that things other than sensations exist outside of thought, with no proof, he considers objects to be merely labels which only reside within the mind. This may be due to the reasoning that solid justification should support a notion for it to be a valid belief. Mach regards science in a negative light as he states it uses â€Å"lavish extravagance† and comments that, in the form of personification that â€Å"she needs [no] justification of her aims† (Mach 189). Russell, on the other hand, seems to believe that questioning the existence of the physical world and objects within it to be a difficult task and in turn states that believing such a simple, systematic notion of an external world would be a better solution. When he cites Descartes’ systematic method of doubt to be an attempt to deny the existence of everything but oneself, he inquires on the firmness of the theory in regards to â€Å"‘I think, therefore I am’â€Å"(Russell 19). By addressing a strong theory that questions the existence of everything, then indicating the flaws within the theory, Russell demonstrates the difficulty in creating a sound theory which denies the physical world. Almost similar in Descartes’ perspective in the belief of the existence of an Evil Genius, Russell takes the position that if there is no proof denying the existence of a physical world then the possibility of it allows for belief in physical objects and an external world (Russell 24-25). In conclusion, Mach and Russell have similarities in their theories, but their overall views greatly differ. Mach and Russell’s view on perceptions such as colour, sound, etc. are similar, although each has different labels for the ideas: sensations and sense-data, respectively. In addition, both believe in the simplicity or economy of knowledge. The philosophers then differ in the belief of an external world, where Mach denies the existence of physical objects, where Russell believes in such a notion. Russell’s acceptance of an external world seems more in line with the economical nature of knowledge as understanding the idea of an external world is easier and allows for better explanations for perceptions of colour, sound, etc. Both philosophers have sound theories but neither has evidence where anything is absolutely certain and as such the study of philosophy continues to address doubts which revolve around our reality. Works Cited Mach, Ernst. Popular Scientific Lectures. Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1898. Russell, Bertrand. The Problems of Philosophy. London: Oxford University Press, 1912.

Organic Food Nutrition Essay

Most grocery stores now sell food products labeled â€Å"organic† due to the increase of demand. Organic food became popular in the 1990’s and has since remained a trend. Although there are more and more supermarkets stocking organic food products on their shelves, non-organic food products seem to outnumber the amount of organic food products. Organic food products are labeled with a green and brown sticker that says USDA ORGANIC. When most Americans see this label they think that what they are buying is better than the average product. But do they have any proof that organic is better? For some reason all a product needs is a little sticker that says organic, and people automatically believe that it is healthier. No one ever stops to ask what this sticker means. Instead they just trust that organic is healthier than the produce that is being sprayed with chemicals. The rise of organic food has created an illusion that organic food is healthier and has nutritional benefits that exceed those of conventional food products. What is organic food? To understand this illusion that the government creates, the definition of organic must be addressed. According to Robert Paarlberg, the author of Food Politics, â€Å"organic foods are produced without any human-made (i. e. , synthetic) fertilizers or pesticides† instead â€Å"organic farmers use composted animal manure and plant cover crops they can later turn into soil† (Paarlberg, 139). This definition suggests that organic farming is not necessarily free of toxic chemicals, but that the chemicals used on organic farms are natural chemicals, or in other words, chemicals that appear in nature. Another definition of organic food is that it is â€Å"produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations† (Preface, 1). Most people who grow or buy organic products link it to being green and environmentally friendly. If organic farmers are not using fertilizers or pesticides then less toxic fumes are going into the air. Therefore, by buying organic products they are doing their part in creating a better place to live. Others, however, buy organic food because they think that organic is more nutritious. Healthier or Not? There is no evidence that organic food products are healthier than conventionally grown food. According to Samuel Fromartz, the author of Organic, Inc. , â€Å"ninety percent of ‘frequent’ organic buyers think that they’re buying better ‘health and nutrition’† (Organic, 1). Ninety percent of people believe this because this is what they are told from others around them. Like most things organic food has its limitations as well. In the book Controversies in Food and Nutrition, the authors state that organic foods â€Å"are not necessarily healthful or safe. A high-fat food that is made form organic products remains high in fat† (Goldstein &ump; Goldstein, 197). Being organic does not make a difference in how much fat a product contains. Although organic might mean that there are no non-natural chemicals used in the production it does not mean that it is healthy. Goldstein quotes Galleghar, the author of a magazine article in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, â€Å"you can buy organic chocolate bars, ice cream and cookies-all made with ingredients that are pesticide-, chemical-, antibiotic- and hormone-free- but they’ll be laden with fat, sugar and calories† (Galleghar, 81-82). Galleghar argues a strong point, because organic defines how the ingredient was grown or produced, not the amount of fat, sugar, or calories it has. Thus, organic food is not healthier than non-organic food. Organic food does not provide any remarkable nutritional benefit when compared to non-organic food. In the opinion of Dr. Alan Dangour, a doctor interviewed by Karen McVeigh, â€Å"‘there’s no good evidence that consumption of organic food is beneficial to health based on the nutrient content’†, he also states â€Å"that while small differences were found between organic and conventionally produced food, they were ‘unlikely to be of any public health relevance’† (McVeigh, 7). These quotations suggest that although there may be a slight difference between organic and conventional food products, it is not of any importance to society, therefore the government does not publish this information. The United States Department of Agriculture claims â€Å"organic produce will contain much lower levels of agrochemical residues than conventionally produced food† (www. nal. usda. gov). Lower levels of agrochemical residue sounds like a good thing. However, how much of a difference do these lower levels make? The website also states that â€Å"measured residues on most products, both organic and non-organic, do not exceed government-defined thresholds for safe consumption† (www. nal. usda. gov). Despite the fact that the residue on organic food may be less than the residue on nonorganic food neither of them exceed government regulations. However, the USDA might be conservative in their estimates of how much is safe due to pressures from the pesticide industry. The USDA seems to say that the only important aspect about the food we eat is that it has passed government regulations, therefore, we should not worry about the issue of safety any more. Local Farms? Another effect organic food has on society is the belief that organic food comes from small, local farms. In the article Paradise Sold: What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic? published in The New Yorker, Steven Shapin a Professor of science at Harvard states that, â€Å"much of the organic produce on the market comes from large farms turning a huge profit from the organic label† (Shapin, 1). Because of the increase in demand for organic food, big farming corporations grow organic produce in order to create more capital for themselves. It is important to know that organic does not mean local, and local food does not mean organic. For example, supermarkets like Whole Foods, or Trader Joe’s are very big businesses. In order to stock the shelves of a place like Whole foods a small local farm would not be able to carry out the job, instead big organic retailers need big organic suppliers such as Earthbound Farm. Earthbound is one of the nation’s largest growers of organic produce. Their greens â€Å"are produced on giant farms in six different counties in California, two in Arizona, on in Colorado, and in three Mexican states† (Organic, 1). When a company produce comes from more than one place the piece of produce can no longer be considered local. Thus, the illusion that organic food comes from neighborhood farms is entirely false. Escherichia coli Much like conventional food, organically grown foods can carry bacteria. Author Robert Paarlberg writes, â€Å"in 2006, bagged fresh spinach from a California farm in its final year of converting to organic certification was the source of E. coli infections in the United States that killed at least three and sickened hundreds† (Paarlberg, 145). Although organic food may have a special sticker, which makes consumers think that the product is safer to eat, there are examples of organic food not being safe to consume. Myrna and Mark Goldstein, the authors of Controversies in Food and Nutrition seem to agree with the above claim because they state that, â€Å"the manure that organic farmers may use could contain bacteria. ‘The only real difference between organic and nonorganic food is in the growing- and that’s not a big enough difference to protect your health from bacteria’† (Goldstein, 198). Due to the fact that the growing process is the only difference between organic and nonorganic foods, the risk for E. coli is not any different between the two products. Knowing the truth about where our food comes from is important because the food that goes into our bodies affects our health and well-being. The illusion created by the organic sticker only creates false hope that organic food is healthier and has nutritional benefits that exceed those of conventional food products. While many people continue to assume that the organic seal means that the produce is healthier and safer, one should remember that the seal only indicates how the product was produced.

A Message Without Words Essay

Select one (1) of the picture ads from the Benetton advertisement images document, located in the online course shell. Assume you are the project lead at Benetton. You and your team are tasked with revitalizing a social conscious campaign to address a world issue Benetton wants to draw attention to. Craft a message for this image and its appeal to the public on behalf of Benetton. The message selected for revitalizing a social conscious campaign to address a world issue that Benetton wants to draw attention to is, adoption and racial tolerance. Benetton wants people to realize that many children go without a real home or parents to love them and never get a real chance at childhood. They may have to live in orphanages, group homes or even worst, be placed from home to home in foster homes, because they never get adopted. The message is that love has no color, it is colorblind. It does not matter, what color the parents or the child are or what part of the world they come from, anyone can give the gift of love, by giving a child a home of their own. Define the goal of this campaign and the targeted audience with supporting rationale. The goal of Benetton’s communication and advertising is to target the global consumer and create a brand image and lifestyle. In past campaigns, Benetton has sought to create both a global dialogue about specific issues and make this part of its corporate culture. Benetton has used its advertising to champion social causes. Therefore, the goal of this campaign is to make people aware of the need for adoptions, the ease of adoption, bring attention to the beauty of adoption while combining racial tolerance, to promote colorless adoption. We want to shine the light on the colorblindness of adoption and that race, culture or creed should not matter, it is all about giving love. TARGET AUDIENCE – The target audience will be global consumers, men and women between the ages of 18 and 44, because according to J. Jones, PhD. with the National Center of Health Statistics, â€Å"†¦ about 2 percent of the adult population aged 18-44, or nearly 2 million persons, [have] adopted children (4). More than twice the percentage of men (2.3) had adopted a child compared with women (1.1). These percentages represent approximately 1.3 million men and 613,000 women. Higher percentages of people over age 30, who are currently or formerly married, who have given birth or fathered a child, or who have ever used infertility services have adopted children compared with people who are aged 18-29, never married, without biological children, or who have never used infertility services†. This audience was chosen because it represents the majority of the American adopting population and also follows the demographic of Benetton shoppers. Develop a model for the advertisement strategy you will use and briefly discuss each stage of the model. â€Å"Most adoption companies use an advertisement strategy that employs marketing techniques like advertising in local or national magazines. They may write articles, place personal ads or use advertorials in magazines† (Adoption Marketing, n.d.). â€Å"An advertorial is an advertisement in the form of an editorial† (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d.). This method is used because when used in printed publications, the advertisement is usually written in the form of an objective article and designed to look like a legitimate and independent news story. This method has gotten much attention for adoptions, but can be very costly. Other methods that are generally used for marketing adoption are running ads in newspapers or in the Yellow Pages. Because most adoption agencies are non-profit, a non-profit business cannot spend a whole lot of money on marketing. Even though some of these methods are inexpensive, these traditional methods are not very effective and really cost adoption agencies more money than the results, they receive. The reason for such poor results if the fact that newspaper and telephone book use are in decline. Personal ads though, are still somewhat effective. For these reasons, Benetton has decided to support this cause and use their bold, controversial ad campaign and social media network tools, to draw attention to such a worthy cause. Benetton also likes to stir controversy and believes that through this campaign they can address that adoption should be colorblind. This is the reason for this particular image to be used. It is strong and quite an attention getter. We want to use marketing techniques to reach single, young men and women, as well as, couples. The marketing campaign will need to work well and be effective enough to reach singles and couples, who want a baby and are unable to have one or want to add to their existing families. Because this campaign is for a nonprofit, instead of selling a product, we will be trying to get people to take action. We must translate the concepts of for-profit marketing for financial reward to nonprofit marketing or â€Å"social marketing†. â€Å"Social marketing is defined as using marketing concepts and techniques to achieve specific behavioral goals for social good† (Miller, 2010). This researcher believes that a marketing plan really is a set of questions that once answered reveal the actual integrated marketing communications package. The marketing plan is a made up of topics and then the questions to address each topic. The elements of our marketing plan are as follows: 1. Marketing Goals – in this phase we define what we need to do or want to accomplish. As stated above, through Benetton’s bold ads and their existing social media network, our goal is to bring awareness to adoption and that giving love is colorblind and we will do this by targeting the global shopper. We need to make people aware of the ease of adoption and how adoption makes the world better for all parties involved. We have to examine our existing advertising network, to determine if this message a proper fit for our current methods of advertising. Will this message work in our in the current magazines, billboard network (buildings, Times Square, etc., in transit stations, on trains and buses), in our stores and within our established social media network, already in place; which has been used in our other social cause promotions? Should this campaign be just domestic or global and include our international advertisi ng? 2. Environmental Analysis – the conditions under which we will operate. During this stage, a SWOT analysis will be performed, to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with matching adoption and the Benetton corporate image. Because we are operating within the framework of a retailer promoting their stores and products, as well as, this social cause, we will address each of the following conditions: a) What are the internal and external conditions under which this marketing program must operate? Internally, what is Benetton’s corporate governance policy and how have they handled their promotion of social causes in the past? Because much of Benetton’s social promotion has been so controversial, we will need to investigate this question carefully, because adoption involves children and is not strictly an adult issue. Also, are there any adverse corporate public relations issues of record which could arise, that would relate to the company supporting and endorsing adoption? Since Benetton is a global organization where will this promotion appear, in the United States, only or in international markets? Throughout our global market, what are the legal regulations and cultural differences regarding adoption,? Finally, what resources are available to promote this cause within the organization? Does Benetton already have resources in place to promote adoption or will there be the need for partnerships with others? If partnerships are necessary, which ones should be selected. b) What skills will we need to promote this cause and what ones do we have on staff now? c) What systems do we need in place for this IMC plan to succeed? Do we have the proper exposure and audience in place, to make the social media elements of the promotion successful? 3. Audience and Segmentation – Who must we reach and convince and what are their interests and values. (see Target Audience, p. 3 of this document). 4. Messaging – the specific message that will move the audience to action. The message is simple: Adopt!!! Love Is Colorblind. By showing the hand of a child of one race and the adult hand of another race, we wish to communicate that adopting any child is a great gift of love and race should not matter, racial tolerance. The message’s goal is to show that we can all love and share love with any child and make the world a better place, trough racial tolerance and coexistence. 5. Marketing Tactics – how will we deliver the messages? Because of the demographic of the Benetton shopper and the company’s past advertising for social causes, this researcher believes that that they have in place the distribution channels for this message. The methods selected are photographic ads in their current magazine relationships, open air billboards; and billboards in transit stations, on buses and trains and in their retail outlets. Benetton’s existing social media network channels will also be used as a part of this IMC mix. This will include the company website, an email banner and Twitter. 6. Budget and Staffing – the resources to implement the plan. In this phase, we outline the financial and staffing resources required to implement the plan. Questions that must be answered include: What will be the budget for this promotion? Do we have the skills, time, and talent on staff to produce this promotion? For this IMC program to succeed, do we have adequate knowledge about adoption, in house or do we need the support of partner? 7. Strategy Metrics – how will we measure progress against our goals? In a for-profit IMC program this is an extremely important step, but in promoting a social cause, this step is very different and very difficult to measure. Although we want more people to adopt, this is tangible. Getting people to look at others through colorblind eyes, becoming more loving and caring toward others and to increase racial tolerance, is not. Therefore, promoting this message and stirring up publicity and social consciousness about adoption, race issues and tolerance, are one way to measure the success of this social cause IMC program. Formulate an integrated marketing communications plan that communicates the message to the targeted groups. Within this plan, be sure to address: The technologies used along with expected benefits of each. How the message and goals will be promoted. The process of marketing occurs in five steps: Understanding the market and the company’s marketing strengths and weaknesses, developing a marketing strategy, building a marketing plan, implementing the plan, and monitoring the success of the plan. Now that we have formulated our integrated marketing communications plan, and identified our targeted group, we will address the technologies we intend to implement, as part of this IMC program. The technological methods we will use, will be the company website, an email banner and Twitter. The Internet offers innovative and cost effective methods for adoption marketing. Using the Benetton website, we will be able to focus on reaching more people, telling people what adopting means, to a child and to society as a whole. We will take the mystery out of the adoption process. An excellent method of using the website for social cause internet marketing is having a website blog chronicling true stories of happy events surrounding adoptio n, and the fact that this can be interactive and done in a matter of moments, will give Benetton an opportunity to gather consumer data. A good use of the email banner is pay-per-click advertising, this will lower the overall cost and give interested consumers a way to contact an actual adoption agency. It will give the agencies more traffic to their websites and help increase greater awareness. The use of Twitter to promote this cause, is an excellent choice, because the Benetton customer is young, international and upwardly mobile. Benetton has a reputation for being modern, young and on the edge, so this is a perfect fit. Twitter is mobile and â€Å"gives [the user] the ability to share 140-character thoughts in a split second, [Benetton] can easily share links to PR releases, [adoption success stories, positive race messages] and stories about [their] business†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lacey, 2010). Twitter can also be used to branch out into other social causes, keeping an eye on trending topics and using it to tweet, about more than just Benetton business. â€Å"Twitter gives [Benetton] the ability to take a single thought [or cause] and share it with millions of people. And [their] customer evangelists can spread [their] message, as well as their opinions about [the] company’s greatness to as many people as possible† (Lacy, 2010). Since Benetton has such a reputation for their involvement in social causes, this element of the IMC, is a perfect fit for the company and the cause. In fact, all three of these technologies fit perfectly with the Benetton consumer demographic and the company’s corporate image and culture. They will be effective, not only to bring attention to this campaign on adoption, but will work well with future social cause promotions. These internet marketing methods will even include search engine optimization, viral marketing and article marketing as well. Decipher and select at least two (2) types of individuals, groups, companies, etc., that you reach out to gain support for the campaign. Be sure to discuss the expected benefits that accompany each external partner you identified. Benetton wants to enhance its reputation and drive sales; and the nonprofit cause wishes to generate awareness of their mission. In this promotion we are drawing awareness to the Benetton brand, adoption and race tolerance. The first group that we will reach out to partner with and gain support for the campaign; will be adoption agencies and orphanages. Benetton has the brand name and the reputation that will get the public’s attention. They want to use and share this with the cause to promote adoption. This a great combination but, the company lacks the knowledge on adoption regulations, laws and the process. Adoption agencies and orphanages have this expertise. An adoption agency or orphanage must be well-versed in laws and regulations regarding adoption, because this industry is so strongly regulated. Each country and even within a country, each state may have a different set of rules, regulation and laws to follow. Adoption agencies and orphanages are also heavily licensed. Because of the stringent regulating and the involvement of children it is necessary to have a partner with this knowledge, to be successful in promoting this cause. For this reason, these organizations are obvious choices to be major partners in this ad campaign. To support the â€Å"colorblindness†/racial tolerance piece of this campaign, Benetton will partner with The Southern Poverty Law Center. This partner was selected because this organization â€Å"is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society†(Who We Are, 2012). The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr. and is internationally known for tracking and exposing the activities of hate groups. This partnership was selected because of the organization’s international reputation and their dedication to fighting race bigotry. Also, their attention to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society, one of which is children. They were also selected because they have a specific program aimed toward children of the world, which distributes, free of charge, documentary films, books, lesson plans and other mat erials that promote racial tolerance and respect. Once this IMC plan is implemented with these partners, Benetton will not only have a successful campaign on adoption and racial tolerance but, this IMC foundation can be used for future social cause promotions. References Adoption Marketing | Advertising Strategies for Agencies & Childrens Homes. (n.d.). Search Engine Positioning | Advertising, Marketing & Optimization. Retrieved December 9, 2012, from http://www.customermagnetism.com/adoption-marketing/ Advertorial – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Dictionary and Thesaurus – Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/advertorial Jones J. (2009). Who adopts? Characteristics of women and men who have adopted children. NCHS data brief, no 12. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Lacy, K. (2011). Twitter marketing. (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub.. Miller, K. (2010). The nonprofit marketing guide: high-impact, low-cost ways to build support for your good cause. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Who We Are | Southern Poverty Law Center. (n.d.). Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved December 17, 2012, from http://www.splcenter.or g/who-we-are

Toxicology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Toxicology - Essay Example He/she may have to identify and analyze evidence that are collected at the crime scene and symptoms that have been recorded by the crime scene investigation team. These evidences help in narrowing the investigation that is being conducted. Forensic toxicologists tend to ignore the legal outcome of an investigation and they give emphasis to the technological equipments and methods used for analyzing and acquiring of outcomes (McDavid 92). Forensic toxicology is conducted on several samples that are acquired from different individuals at the crime scene and the main task of the toxicologist is to determine the quantity of chemicals in the samples, kind of chemicals present and the impact of these chemicals. Sampling Forensic Toxicology is conducted on bodily fluids including urine, blood and other samples obtained from body, it is even conducted on body parts especially hair. Urine samples are mostly used in the case of testing individuals representing the field of sports and employees . It is one of the most commonly used sample in the case of criminal investigation and it is easy to extract from a subject who is alive. For example: employees as well as athletes’ urine samples may be tested for consumption of marijuana and this substance tends to remain active in human body for fourteen days from the day it was consumed. Tests results from urine samples can take approximately 8 hours of time before showing positive and negative results. Forensic Toxicology is even conducted on obtained blood samples. To conduct proper inspection of blood sample, a minimum of 10 cm3 of blood content is required (Biswas 47). A forensic toxicologist obtains important information from the blood sample, he may obtain a profile of the substance that has been consumed at and before the sample was obtained and blood samples are mostly used in order to identify the level of blood alcohol level. Blood alcohol levels are mostly checked in order to identify the amount of alcohol in th e sample provider’s blood at the time of incidences such as driving. A forensic toxicologist may use hair samples in order to identify the level of dosage of drugs consumed and the time period at which the drug was consumed. Consumed drugs tend to travel from blood streams to hair that is growing and the drugs may end up being stored in hair follicle which helps in determining and creating a timeline at which the drug was taken. An individual hair growth has been recorded at one to one and a half cm each month and the stored drugs in the follicle area may help in determining the date and time the drug was ingested. Organs of subjects as well as other bodily fluids are even used by forensic toxicologists especially while conducting autopsy. While conducting an autopsy, forensic toxicologists may use the contents of the gastric region and gastric fluids are mostly obtained from subjects that are no longer alive. This content can help in identifying liquid content or drug substa nces that may have been consumed by the deceased subject before dying. Ethical Issues in Forensic Toxicology Forensic toxicologists may face various ethical dilemmas; they may obtain different results from different set of samples. In the case of hair testing, hair testing cannot be recognized as a standard for detecting and analyzing drug content as a standard for the entire population as different set of hair can provide different results. The