Acids and Alkalis Lab Report Essay

An acid is a group of chemicals. Acids are positively charged ions, they are liquid and are solutions of pure compounds in water. If you want to know if something is an acid, you can test it by using litmus paper. Acids will turn litmus paper red, whilst alkalis will turn it blue. Alkalis are negatively charged ions and are usually solid. Aim:To find out how much of different acids is needed to neutralize 25mls of sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH). Hypothesis:The strongest alkali will need the smallest amount of an acid to cancel out and the weakest will need more acid. Variables: Control| Independent| Dependent| The indicator, NaOH| H2SO4 HClHNO3| The chemical reaction between the acids and alkali. | Materials / Apparatus: * H2SO4 * HCL * HNO3 * Alkali (NaOH) * Stand * Burette * Beaker * Funnel * Bunsen Burner * Crucible * Phenolphyalein Method: 1. Pour the 25 ml of NaOH into a beaker. 2. Drop three drops of phenolphyalein into the beaker. 3. The solution will now turn pink. . Through a funnel, pour the acid into the burette. Start dripping a few drops one by one into the beaker. 6. The solution will start getting a lighter shade of pink. 7. Stir the beaker around. 8. Once the solution turns clear, stop adding more acid. 9. Calculate the amount of acid used. 10. Take the solution and pour a bit of it into a crucible. 11. Light the Bunsen burner. 12. The salt solution will turn into salt crystals when it is heated. NaOH + HCl = NaCl + H2O NaOH + HNO3 = NaNO3 NaOH + H2SO4 = Na2SO4 + 2H2O Observations: Alkali| Acid| Moles| Observation| NaOH| HCL| 1 Mole| Took 4 ml to neutralize. No further experiment was made. | NaOH| HCL| 0. 1 Mole| Took 31 ml to neutralize. 2. 30 minutes until pink salt crystals were formed. | NaOH| HNO3| 1 Mole| Took 19. 2 ml to neutralize. 2 minutes until good white salt crystals were formed. | NaOH| H2SO4| 2 Moles| Took 1. 1 ml to neutralize. 2. 15 minutes until rings of white salt were formed. | Analysis: The weakest acid (HCl 0. 1 Mole) needed the most alkali to be made into salt and the strongest (H2SO4 2 Moles) needed the least. Different experiments made different salts. Conclusion: The strongest acid will work faster and you will need less. This is because it is a lot more reactive than the weaker acids and it will want to react much faster with the alkali. Evaluation: In my group, Zuzanna and I were the ones doing the experiment while everyone else observed and took notes on what happened. The first time, we dropped one too many drops of H2SO4 in the alkali so the alkali quickly turned pink again. We had to try it six times before we could get it right because we kept putting too much in or we would forget how much we put in. But after a few tries we finally got it to work and we got the correct solution. Therefore we could finally go on to the next step and heat up the solution. It took our salt around 2 minutes and 15 seconds to heat up, evaporate and leave us with small rings of white salt crystals. Our salt crystals did not turn out as the best, but they were successful.

Boys don’t play with dolls’ Essay

The Vietnam War is still the United States’ most famous (or infamous) war even if new conflicts have risen over the years. The numerous films made about the Vietnam War are a testament to its fame (or infamy). This paper would be a review of two internet sites reviewing the cause of conflict, social stratification, type of conflict, and how the war ended. According to vietnampix. com the war on Vietnam started because of the splitting of the country. The French used to dominate Vietnam but when they were defeated, the country was divided into two. Sometime between 1955 and 1960, the communist occupied North Vietnam tried to invade the Democratic South. Aided by two other communist countries China and Russia, the North was determined to conquer the whole country. Fearing the spread of communism, the US had to interfere. (The Vietnam War Background). Social Stratification had a big role in the war; in fact, it is part of the cause. Communism is based on a form of society where everybody else is equal, except for the officials. Democracy on the other hand believes in open opportunities for all. Not being able to agree on this divided the country which would eventually lead to the Vietnam War. The type of conflict of the Vietnam War is a mixture of different types. It was first a revolution against France which has ruled the country for a long time. And then it became a Civil War as the country was divided into two halves—the communist North and the democratic South led by Ngo Dinh Diem. (Vietnam. vassar. edu). It quickly became a feud of all sorts when America decided to take part in the war in order to stop the spread of communism in the world. On paper, the conflict was ended through the Paris Peace Agreement in January 1973 but hostilities between opposing forces were still happening. (Vietnam. vassar. edu). The result of the conflict were, a rare US loss, millions of lives gone, and a country devastated. References Vietnampix. com (n. d). The Vietnam War: Background. Retrieved June 25, 2009. from: http://www. vietnampix. com/intro. htm Vassar College (n. d). The Wars of Vietnam. Retrieved June 25, 2009. from: http://vietnam. vassar. edu/overview. html

Into the wild character comparison

Into the wild character comparison essay Into the wild is a story about a man named Christopher Mishandles. In this story we learn that he gives up almost everything he owns to take a dangerous Journey and live off the land. Along the way we learn about a man named Gene Roseland who has a similar but deferent story to Christopher. Although these two men have a lot In common, they also have many differences. Christopher Mishandles was a very Intelligent guy. He graduated from Emory university with honors and was an excellent athlete. Many people saw Christopher as one of them students that would most likely succeed In life.Ditching the Idea of going to law school, he decided to take a Journey throughout Alaska and some other places. He burned most of his money and only had a ten pound bag of rice for food, and a rifle for whatever he caught on the way. Gene Reselling was almost just like Christopher. He also excelled in academics. Carrying a grade point average of 4. 0 throughout high lights and college. He did not receive a degree though because he didn't see a point in it, and only studied for the sake of learning. After college he decided to do an anthropological experiment. Gene believed that he could live off the grid just as Christopher did.He saw that people could do without modern day technology and live life like it was in the Older days. Unlike Christopher, Gene carried enough supplies to last him months or even longer. He also was dressed more properly for the harsh weather. When Christopher set offer his Journey, he didn't tell anyone where he would be going. He simply left everything behind him like it was nothing. Getting lucky, Christopher found people to stay with and work under the table for. These jobs were only temporary for him as he would go from place to place often. Since he didn't bring a lot of food or supplies, it made it really hard on him to manage.Because he chose to not be more prepared like Gene, Christopher died of starvation. Alth ough many people believed Chris had died from eating bad berries, this theory has not been yet proven. On the other hand, Gene Reselling experiment lasted for about 30 years. Soon after he realized that this Idea of his was absolutely Impossible, he decided to re-evaluate his goals. Out of complete shock, Roseland had committed suicide with a knife through his heart lying face down. These were both tragic deaths that sparked many people In Alaska and even attracted hate. These two men play a very Important role In travel history and the book â€Å"Into theWild†. With their very similar situations and stories, both men were very good people and had the Intentions of proving the same point. Neither one of these people are exactly the same but, they wanted to show people that going Into the wild and living off the land isn't always impossible. It just takes a lot of skills and and hard work. Into the wild character comparison By Raven_16 live off the land. Along the way we learn about a man named Gene Reselling who has a similar but different story to Christopher. Although these two men have a lot in Christopher Mishandles was a very intelligent guy.He graduated from Emory University with honors and was an excellent athlete. Many people saw Christopher as one of them students that would most likely succeed in life. Ditching the idea of Gene Reselling was almost Just like Christopher. He also excelled in academics, believed that he could live off the grid Just as Christopher did. He saw that people Unlike Christopher, Gene carried enough supplies to last him months or even longer. When Christopher set off for his Journey, he didn't tell anyone where he would be Christopher found people to stay with and work under the table for.These Jobs were about 30 years. Soon after he realized that this idea of his was absolutely impossible, he decided to re-evaluate his goals. Out of complete shock, Reselling had committed that sparked many people in Alaska and even at tracted hate. These two men play a very important role in travel history and the book â€Å"Into the and had the intentions of proving the same point. Neither one of these people are exactly the same but, they wanted to show people that going into the wild and living off the land isn't always impossible. It Just takes a lot of skills and and hard work.

Gender role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gender role - Essay Example It is mostly practiced in the night. The restaurants offering nyotaimori in the western societies disinfect the ‘human tables’ and cover the private parts with banana leaves. The ‘human tables’ are also chilled to ensure that the fish doesn’t spoil. All these measures don’t make nyotaimori any less unhygienic. This article is about a children’s book, Hiromi’s Hands, authored by Lynne Barasch. It is about Hiromi. Hiromi is a girl, 27 at the time this article was published, whose father, a shushi chef, had emigrated to and settled in New York City. Her father stayed in New York for more thirty years, during which he met Hiromi’s mother and even opened a shushi restaurant. At 8, Hiromi developed interest in becoming a shushi chef. Her father took her to Fulton Fish Market to introduce her to the shushi basic. After three years of training, she could use the shushi knife and by 20, she had learnt everything about shushi. She takes over when her father makes his first trip to Japan in over three decades. The book has shushi-related illustrations, and some images of Japan and New

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

Film - Essay Example Claireese Precious Jones a.k.a. Precious (Precious), lives in the ghetto area with her unemployed mother, who only lives off of the government’s welfare assistance. On the other hand Michael Oher (The Blind Side) merely sleeps on the couch of one black maintenance guy who works at Wingate School since he was separated from his mom, who is a drug addict. Both of these main characters are also victims in their respective families – Precious was sexually abused by her father, and physically abused by her mother. Likewise, Michael or â€Å"Big Mike† has been a â€Å"ward of the government† because of his mom’s drug addiction, and her mother doesn’t even know who his father is. In the same way, Precious and Michael started off in the film as aloof or distant from everyone. For Precious, it was due to her mom’s penchant on calling her â€Å"stupid†, and telling her to â€Å"forget that school shit† because school will not give her anything. Her mom repeatedly drilled in Precious’ head the conservative notion that the woman’s existence is only to bear children and take care of the home. Similarly, from Michael’s standpoint, it was because of his fear of getting rejected since he had no family left to run to. Getting accepted into Wingate with the help of a friend was a blessing, but he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone so he isolated himself from most people. Both Precious and Big Mike grew up in environments which were not conducive to learning, hence their illiteracy at their age. The 2 characters are also somehow insecure of their looks because Precious was obese, and Michael was tall and bulky. In both cases, the school acted as a kind of a sanctuary where each of them was able to discover his/her true self-identity and to eventually find hope, new friends and achieve better lives. Precious and Michael were both able to rise above their past and turn over a new leaf. At t he film’s end, both characters are

Human Recourse Management and Personnel Issues Essay - 1

Human Recourse Management and Personnel Issues - Essay Example There are a number of occasions when assessment is done. Such as when a student is admitted into a high school, he is often required to take some test, likewise, during his educational, time to time, his educations is assessed under certain standards. Finally, when he wished to enter the professional life, there too, he is assessed for certain skills that the employer expects to be essentially present in an employee. Out of all these assessments, the pre-employment assessment is considered to be one of the crucial ones. This is so on the account of the fact that this test will enable him to enter into the professional life through the gate he wants. There is one complexity involved with the assessments. The complexity is that what factors should be tested in order to determine that who is the most deserving candidate is. This complexity is enhanced when it comes to the assessment for the recruitment. So far as the assessment for academic entry such as admission in masters is concerne d, it seems quite logical that you primarily test the academic skills and a bit of Intelligent Quotient etc. But, when we talk about employment, the purpose is to find the deserving candidate and what factors make a person a deserving candidate differs from person to person. From organization’s perspective too, it is also essential to filter the right person so as to make their organization run more effectively and efficiently.

The Punishment by Means of Death Sentence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Punishment by Means of Death Sentence - Essay Example Certain cultures and societies stand against it and others support it. In this paper we will be discussing that capital punishment is an ethical and moral way of punishing individuals who indulge in wrong doings. To support this view, the argument will be backed with the ethical theory of Utilitarianism and Kant’s Categorical Imperative. Discussion According to the Utilitarian perspective, actions should be considered as right or wrong on the basis of utility or benefits and costs those actions have to offer to the society (MacKinnon, 2009, p.38) . The view even suggests that those actions should be selected which have higher utility than cost for the society, as compared to any other actions that can be conducted. Death penalty, offers more benefits than costs to the society, therefore, it is considered as a morally and ethically correct action. The various benefits of death penalty include; death penalty is considered as a very harsh punishment, people fear death. This fear of death may stimulate other criminals from committing crimes in the future. Therefore, death sentence inflicts fear of death in criminals, and due to this fear, criminals might avoid committing future crimes. Another benefit of death penalty is that those criminals who are currently conducting crimes and will possibly commit future crimes will be removed from the society and the number of criminals currently existing in the system will decrease. Another advantage of the death sentence is the satisfaction that the society as well as the victim’s family receives from knowing that justice has been served, and the criminal has faced equal consequences and pain that the victim faced. Those who are not in the favor of death penalty argue that due to death penalty, those individuals have to experience death that might have not actually committed the crime and have been held responsible. Some contradictors of death penalty even state that there is no pure research stating that death penalty has really stopped criminals from committing crime and has stopped potential criminals from conducting future crimes. Contradictors argue that the level of suffering in case of death penalty is less than the suffering experienced in life imprisonment, thus life imprisonment should be considered as a better option than death penalty. Those who are not in the favor of death penalty even state that the monetary cost bared by the government for conducting a case of death penalty is higher than the cost of any other form of trial, thus the society ends up paying in the form of higher taxes. According to retributive justice, those individuals who have committed wrong, should pay the cost of their actions and should be held responsible (Hinman, 2009, p.245). Kant supports this view; Kant believes that equality and justice can only be served if a wrong doer is treated in accordance to his wrong doings. Kant supports the idea that an individual should be treated the same way he has treated others. This does not mean that a murderer should be murdered in the same way he has committed the murder. However, the murder should experience equal pain as the pain felt by the victim who was murdered. Secondly, Kant states that an individual should treat others in a particular way, if he/she is ready to accept the same treatment (Pojman, 2009, p.129).

FDA FELLOSHIP ADMISSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FDA FELLOSHIP ADMISSION - Essay Example at provided the impetus for my application for the Fellowship Program offered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in conjunction with both personal and professional goals. I share the same mission embodied in FDA’s mission statement, to wit: â€Å"The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our Nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health† (U.S. Food and Drug Adminisration (FDA), 2011, p. 1). The recognition for focusing my professional expertise in the field of public health was actually spurred from my previous volunteer works in HIV prevention and treatment in the city of Aneho in Lome (Togo, West Africa); in child and maternity health in the city of Tsievie in Lome (Togo, West Africa); in imm unization campaign in Aneho, Togo; and through servicing underserved segments of the population. Although sharing the same relevance in serving the needs of health compromised people in the private sector, the field of public health posed greater challenges in terms of trying to be an instrumental contributor to the betterment of the lives of a greater number of people. Likewise, I also realized that in putting my dedicated efforts in public health, I would be serving the needs, not only of my local community, but the medical breakthroughs are cumulatively applicable on a more global scale. I remember clearly that as a child, I had a fair trip in a local community in my country (Cameroon) where I witnessed poverty and need for high quality healthcare provider for the underserved population. The vivid memory nurtured my love

Politics&Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Politics&Society - Essay Example Historically, the father was the breadwinner and the primary responsibility of the mother or wife was ensuring that the domestic chores, as well as the domestic welfare of the husband and children were taken care of. With the introduction of new legislations and modern trends the position of that idea of family has been threatened, replacing it with different types of family structures. The gender role was intertwined with the different responsibility of the adult members. The father was seen as the aggressive member, expecting to hold certain jobs, while the woman was thought to be more submissive and docile. With numerous discoveries in science and technology and the improvement in modern medicine, the occurrence of extended families has become prevalent in many societies. Some writers contend that extended families are more common in agricultural societies than in urban situations (Sussman, Steinmetz and Peterson 99). There were some legal reforms in the 1960’s that led to greater diversity in family structures. In the United States for example, divorce was based on fault for a greater part of the twentieth century. In 1969, the state of California enacted The California Family Law Act which made it possible for couples to divorce based on irreconcilable differences. This eventually became possible in other states as well. The 1969 Divorce Reform Act of England also allowed for couples to divorce on a no fault basis. Although divorce is handled by religious institutions in many societies the legislative reforms in industrialized countries make it very easy for men and women to end their marriages. Compared to the beginning of the twentieth century divorce has become very popular. Currently, about fifty percent of all first marriages in the United States end in divorce (Erera 136). The sharp rise in divorce rates coincided with the legal reforms in the 1960s. This led to a transformation of marriages as well as families. These

Contemporary issues in management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Contemporary issues in management - Essay Example Gabriel (1995) posited that a terrain exists inside every organisation that is impossible to manage and it comprises employees as individuals and as groups engaged in various spontaneous and unsupervised activities. This gray area of an organisation is referred to unmanaged organisation. The author has described the unmanaged organisation as a dream world within an organisation where emotions, anxieties and desires are expressed in the form of heightened irrational constructs. The author discussed that the major influence in this regard is fantasy while stories, myths, nicknames, jokes, graffiti and gossip form various landmarks. Gabriel (1995) also pointed that unmanaged space within an organisation is multidimensional, affluent in terms of information. According to the author, besides being a privileged domain within the managed organisation, fantasy can be considered as a symbolic reorganising of various official practices of a firm in favour of aesthetic pleasure that allows mome ntary supremacy of sentiments over organisational rationality.Patient, Lawrence and Maitlis (2003) pointed that there are a number of reasons because of which researchers consider workplace as an ideal space for studying emotions as most individuals spend a lot of time and significant portion of their lives at workplace and integrate their energy and ambition therein. Frost and Robinson (1998) supported the authors by suggesting that contemporary workplaces are increasingly becoming stressful.

Germans children Essay Example for Free

Germans children Essay The children of the Jewish Holocaust during the Nazi era were placed under very unjust, cruel, and exacting circumstances. Education, a basic right of children in developed nations of that era, was denied to Jews in areas of Europe where Hitler’s rule and influence were adopted. During the time of transition during which the exclusion of Jewish children from schools was being implemented, non-Jewish children were formally taught that their Jewish counterparts were inferior. In order to do this, Jewish youth were used to demonstrate the appearance of inferiority by placing them in front of the class and pointing out their characteristic phenotypes as being undesirable. Occurrences like this placed severe limitations on the ability of Jews to learn in these schools, as they were constantly mistreated, neglected, and abused because of their race. Growing restrictions were also placed upon these children’s accessibility to the resources within the schools, until finally they were prevented altogether from attending schools, which were open now only to Germans children (FCIT). Fred Spiegel describes his first weeks of school (shul) in Dinslaken, Germany, where he had to attend a Jewish shul, as the German schools were no longer open to Jewish children (Spiegel 27, 29). The alternative Jewish schools were understaffed and unsupported by the state. Spiegel himself recalls his school’s having only one teacher (29). Later, Arnold Blum recalls an even more frightening occurrence in which his school was being burned before his very eyes (Blum, 20). He immortalizes this event in his memoir â€Å"Kristallnacht† (20). More than just restricting these Jewish children’s ability to attend state schools, they were being stripped of their right to any education at all in the burning of their Jewish school. The parks were also an area in which Jewish children felt the abuse of Nazism. German children, who were armed with the idea that Jews were inferior, played in the parks and discriminated against the Jews they found there. The Jewish children were called names, spat upon, and otherwise abused by non-Jewish children. Spiegel also describes his time spent in the park behind his house in Dinslaken. The last time he remembers going there, he was cursed and called a â€Å"Dirty Jew† by the other children (Spiegel, 28). His grandfather too was cursed by his friends. Kristallnacht, which occurred on November 9-10, 1938, ushered in the destruction of all that was Jewish. Beyond the burning of schools came the burning and destruction of Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues (Blum, 20). Fred Spiegel recalls the night he was forced to leave his home and the abuses even he as a child faced. He was already emotionally crippled by the sight of his community being gutted by fires. He further recalls being cursed and spit upon by the non-Jews as he and his family were being forced from their homes. Some Jews were evicted to concentration camps and ghettos. Others were turned out of the country altogether. Spiegel writes about the events he witnessed upon entering his home, which had been destroyed, for the last time as a child: â€Å"My mother, sister, and my Aunt Klara were standing on the balcony crying. My grandfather had been arrested and taken away by two policemen. [†¦] Soon the two policemen returned. We were told we could not stay in our apartment and had to go with them. On the way out we passed by the downstairs apartment that was empty because the Abosch-family, a Jewish family who had rented it from my mother, had been expelled to Poland a few weeks earlier. Their apartment too was totally destroyed† (Spiegel, 30). Children were also abused through the mandate that they live in the ghettos. Because the ghettos were sequestered from the rest of the German civilization and restrictions were placed on items that could be brought into the area, children often suffered hunger. Many of them were reduced to smuggling food into the ghettos in order to aid in the support of their families. While these were very risky actions, some Jewish children were left even more vulnerable as their parents were killed or taken away to concentration camps. These orphaned children were left alone in the ghettos to make a living under doubly cruel circumstances.

Pinkie and Evil Essay Example for Free

Pinkie and Evil Essay Graham Greene, a devote Catholic and author of Brighton Rock, centers his novel on the religious, metaphysical concepts of good verses evil. We, as readers, are overwhelmed with the presence of evil and its power to manipulate the good, as shown especially through the protagonist, Pinkie. It is ironic that Pinkie is Catholic, for he embodies everything that is evil, sinister, and hellish. Pinkie, a gang leader, a sociopath, and a teenage devil, exemplifies evil within the novel. The physical appearance of Pinkie shows how evilness is imbedded within his being. When we are first introduced to him, he is physically described as having a â€Å"face of starved intensity, a kind of hideous and unnatural pride† (Greene 5). This description is reminiscent of the lack of emotions Pinkie holds and his sociopathical intentions. It shows how he is hungry for something and holds an abnormally strong feeling of personal worth with a strong sense of arrogance. Greene continues on in saying that â€Å"his grey eyes had an effect of the heartlessness like an old man’s in which human feeling [have] died† (6). Grey is a bland, emotionless color often associated with mourning and mystery. Many believe that the eyes are, in fact, the windows to the soul. With Pinkie’s grey eyes, we gain an extension of his lack of feeling and are left wondering if there is a true soul buried in him. This lack of emotion aids to his inner evilness. Lastly, Greene characterizes Pinkie as a snake: â€Å"The Boy retorted with sudden venom† (53). The snake is the animal most associated with the Devil. They represent all that is evil, dangerous, and deceitful, characteristics reminiscent of Pinkie himself. Pinkie’s strong dislike of women shows his intolerance for other humans, therefore adding to his inner wickedness. The presence of a woman triggers a build up of anger within Pinkie, emphasizing his bigotry of others. For example, when he first hears Ida singing, he watches her with â€Å"an expression of furious distaste† (6). Although she is a beautiful, busty woman, Pinkie feels nothing but dissatisfaction and anger towards Ida. He eventually drops and shatters his glass in reaction to his irritation at Ida. Along with the mere presence of a female, Pinkie is disgusted by the idea of sexual contact and abhors sex itself. Upon looking at Rose and her skin, he can only react with â€Å"a prick of sexual desire [that] disturbed him like a sickness† (130). Observing a woman’s body only causes him to cringe and feel ill. Other than simply his distaste for a woman, this is partly triggered by the fact he saw his parents engaging in sexual activities as a child. Regardless, he is born of unloving circumstances, unable to feel or give love. Lacking the ability to engage in sexual activities or to love another sparks a nerve in the evilness that embodies Pinkie. He is often dominating and threatening towards female characters as a sort of defense mechanism. Just as his hatred for others adds to his evil nature, Pinkie’s fascination with pain and death does as well. In the beginning of the novel, Pinkie, himself, brutally murders Hale in revenge for Kite’s death. Being the leader of gang, Pinkie is constantly surrounded by death. In one instance, Pinkie inflicts pain on and kill an insect: â€Å"He pulled off the legs and wings one by one† (134). The drawn out description of picking off each leg one at a time emphasizes his ruthlessness. While he picks off the legs, he does so while saying â€Å"she loves me, she loves me not† (134). Most people would use flowers for this chant, thus emphasizing his diabolicalness and highlighting his evil nature. He only gains satisfaction out of things that cause pain, such as vitriol, a deadly acid. On the contrary to his indifference to sexual satisfaction, he even gains pleasure while alone with a bottle of vitriol: â€Å"†¦just as the faint sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (63). It is as if Pinkie is stroking an animal or pet. Pinkie gains pleasure in painful and deadly things, thus increasing his evil demeanor. Pinkie, a Roman-Catholic, believes hell is inevitable, and because of this knowledge, he chooses to befriend evil. Despite his religious upbringing, Pinkie radically changed into a more Atheist-prone attitude, stating â€Å"God couldn’t escape the evil mouth which chose to eat its own damnation† (259). He simply believed that the presence of a force like the devil could never be touched, even by God himself. Because he grew up in such unfathomable conditions, he has grown to view life as a living Hell; he has never experienced a slight sense of Heaven. He regards Hell as a â€Å"familiar room† (264), suggesting his familiarity to such dreadful, diabolical conditions. Succeeding Kite in the life of a gangster, he has come to be a more sadistic being, certain of his own damnation. â€Å"He spoke like a devil – he tempted her to virtue like a sin† (350). We see that Pinkie, embodying the Devil, chooses sin rather than virtue, tempting his peers with the same attitude. He influences Rose as far as suggesting she should kill herself, even offering her a gun to do so. Greene is effective in his use of characterization and imagery to create a character reminiscent of such evil. Pinkie epitomizes the evil in the novel. Greene epitomizes Pinkie’s evil nature like â€Å"poison twist[ing] in [his] veins† (121). Thus we see the evil instilled in him, yet he continuously allows it to contaminate himself like a disease. What Pinkie did not comprehend, and Greene’s main theme, was that no matter how evil or how seemingly damned one may be, you have the opportunity to redeem yourself.

Controlling System Within Unilever Commerce Essay

Controlling System Within Unilever Commerce Essay Unilever has an immovable control experience, which is agreed and frequently reviewed by the Boards. This incorporates risk management, internal control procedures and operations control which are planned to provide rational, but not complete, security that assets are refreshed, the risks facing the business are being addressed and all information required to be released is reported to the Groups senior management, including where appropriate the Group Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer, within the required timeframe. RISK MANAGEMENT: Unilever manages a variety of marketplace risks, including the effects of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, interest rates, and liquidity. It deals with the following risks: Treasury Risks Commodity Risks Procedure Risks Customer Relationship Risks Systems and information Risks External Risks TREASURY RISKS: Unilever has an interest rate management policy designed at enhancing net interest cost and decreasing instability. This is accomplished by adjusting the interest rate analysis of debt and cash places over the practice of interest rate switches. Fixed rate investments and borrowings give growth to a rational value interest rate risk. The fluctuating amounts give growth to a cash flow interest rates. Because of Unilevers wide operational reach, it is subject to risks from changes in foreign currency values that could move incomes. It is not possible to fully border these fluctuations.   Unilever does have a foreign exchange policy that needs operating companies to manage tradeoff and economic foreign exchange contacts within given limits. This is attained mostly through the use of forward foreign exchange contracts. Regional groups monitor compliance with this policy.  Unilever objects to decrease its foreign exchange contact in operating companies by borrowing in the local currency, except where introverted by local guidelines, shortage of local liquidity or local market conditions. In order to decrease the risk, Unilever border such investments and from time to time they reevaluate the currency. COMMODITY RISKS: Unilever sees risk where there is the potential for price instability in respect to the distinct commodities used in the production of the ultimate product. Commodity is the term used to describe a type of good which, while in demand, has no different variances when related to a rivals offering. Unilever feels that compelling a goods-based supply-chain perception helps to manage contact. In accumulation to the commodity risk focus, Unilever also borders risk by locking down contracts and using results. PROCEDURE RISKS: Procedure risk involves that theres a lack of formal procedures and lack of quality control system. Unilever always check their procedures and policies and they do have a check and balance over their control system. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP RISKS: To know the needs and taste of customer and building strong relationship is also a risk factor for Unilever because of the continuous innovations and developments the needs and taste of the customers are changing frequently. In order to know the needs of customer Unilever has set its customers sales and design outlets which enables them to find the new ways to satisfy customer needs. They monitor the progress on a regular basis. SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION RISKS: Unilever use IT systems to interact with their customers but on the other hand they have a threat of the misuse of their personal and sensitive information through unauthorized access. In order to prevent this risk they maintain the control system check the security settings on a regular basis. EXTERNAL RISKS: The external factors such as economic and political indicators and natural disasters can create a great amount of risk for Unilever. They regularly update themselves from the current business results and cash flows. They have been continuously designing plans for crisis management in the event of economic, political and natural disasters. INTERNAL CONTROL AND PROCEDURES: Unilever control framework is supported through a code of Business Principles which set values of efficiency. It needs that senior managers in each department controls the value of internal control because they are a key to huge risk factors. The Boards have individually all the responsibility for establishing procedure to check the effectiveness of internal control and reviewing and revaluating them their effectiveness. There is a day- to- day review of effectiveness of internal control system and Unilever monitor its risks with ongoing basis. OPERATIONS CONTROLS: Operations Controls is the control in which you make sure that operations activities are carried out as they were planned. Operations Controls include following controls: Financial Control Budget Control Inventory Control Maintenance Control Cost Control FINANCIAL CONTROL: Managers at Unilever put financial controls in order to trace performance and evaluate the performance to the attainment of financial goals. Unilever managers develop strategies to line the risk in a structured way. They follow a financial assessment process through which they evaluate that at what pace they are reaching their strategic financial goals. This assessment process requires the senior manager in each business unit to check effectiveness of financial controls. BUDGET CONTROL: Managers at Unilever put budget control in order to track that whether their income and expenditures are planned or not. They have a comprehensive budget system which is approved by all the stakeholders and board of directors, which is revised and restructured on a regular basis. The performances against the budget of Unilever are monitored through monthly and quarterly reporting routines. Then the updated report is distributed among the stakeholders. INVENTORY CONTROL: Unilever has a very proper system through which they control their inventory. They produce the goods according to the demands and tastes of their customers. A unique supply chain and warehouse capacity is bigger challenge for them. They had a very strong inventory control at their different distribution centers, where they control the supply and demand of their products. Unilever has also a proper warehouse management system in which they capacitated their inventories. MAINTENANCE CONTROL: Unilever has a proper maintenance control system. The maintenance manager at Unilever individually monitors the equipment on daily basis. After monitoring, they create a report on the history of this monitoring for future examination. Furthermore, they have a warning system alerts on their equipments which makes their controlling system more effective and efficient. COST CONTROL: COST control is the process of controlling cost and checking whether the costs are with the accordance to the budgeted cost. In Unilever cost control is an essential part because it determines business stability. Unilever controls cost to create more profit. They have a proper check and balance over the wastages of raw materials so that they might eliminate those raw materials which are inadequate for their production process. INSPECTION: Unilever has also an inspection system in which they hire inspectors. They check quality of products, machines and equipments, raw materials used for the production of goods, site inspection and location inspection where they conduct their research work. AUDIT AT UNILEVER: Unilevers internal audit plays an important role in the assurance of the value of risk management and other related control operations to both operations management and the Board. Unilever has an independent audit committee which is entirely composed of Non-Executive Directors. This Committee meets Chief Auditor and external auditors on a regular basis. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Unilever uses Information technology to provide managers with information which they need in their decision making. Unilever uses SAP software to monitor and control its business, which now used globally. The ERP system produces annual sustainability reports. SAP is working more with the business leadership and process leaders; it develops and support business strategy. The SAP system values it customers, meet its customers, started to listen its customer and take corrective actions for the needs of its customers. Mistakes can be controlled by SAP and they are rectified at the time they are detected by SAP. SAP: SAP stands for Systems Application and Products in Data Processing. It was developed by IBM engineers in 1970s as standard based software. SAP is used by organizations to manage their enterprise. This includes managing their day-to-day operations, inbound and outbound logistics, finances, HR etc. ERP: ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. It is implemented by various organizations to centralize the database systems and functions of every department in a single system. ERP is used by Unilever which helps them to decrease their losses and increase their profit.

Is Wal-mart Good for Overseas Workers? Essays -- supermarket industry,

When Wal-mart first entered the supermarket industry back in 1962, they were already off to a disadvantage as the industry during that time was already dominated by well-established and deeply experienced national chains such as Albertsons and Safeway. However, in a period of just ten years, Wal-mart had opened an average of seven supermarkets per month for 120 consecutive months, with a total of 888 supercenters. (Fisherman) By then, Wal-mart became the number one food retailer in the nation. What led Wal-mart from starting out as a rookie grocery market to becoming a dominating, world-wide supercenter? The answer is in their prices, which is generally 15 percent lower than their competitors’. (Fisherman) For this very reason, Wal-mart has changed the lives of many, including the spending habits of the shoppers and the working environments of the factory workers overseas who produces these low-priced products. Although Wal-mart’s slogan â€Å"Save money, live betterà ¢â‚¬  appeals to many of the customers, their actions are putting a burden on factory workers overseas as many are forced to work without the proper benefits and safety regulations. One of the many reasons why Wal-mart is able to manufacture cheap products is because of the ridiculously low wages and long hours given to the workers overseas. They receive little to no benefits, breaks, or vacations. Their working hours typically start before 8A.M. and lasts until 11P.M., seven days a week and they only have ten days off in a year (185). In â€Å"The Wal-mart effect† Robina Akther, a sixteen-year old sewing operator from a factory in Dhaka, discloses that she only earns 13 cents an hour for fourteen hours a day, which is about $26.98 a month (185). Akther also mentioned, â€Å"I clean ... ...e products. These injuries often go unreported since workers are afraid of being fired or punished, and they simply cannot afford to lose their jobs. Furthermore, most factory workers do not have the money to afford medical care and as a result, most do not treat their problems or go into debt trying to pay for medical attention. Once again, Wal-mart is shown to not care about workers’ safety, whether if it is providing them with insufficient safety equipment or blocking the fire escapes to prevent workers from taking breaks. One reason for this is the local labor laws that are unique to each country, such as the minimum wage and safety standards, allow factories to continue operation below the international standard. In addition, many factories operate under the table. Safety reports are faked or many things go unreported, and underage workers are allowed to work.

A Different Look at Flannery O’Connor Essay -- Flannery O’Connor

A Different Look at Flannery O’Connor A murdering messiah. A Bible-selling prosthesis thief. A corpse in full Confederate regalia waiting in line a Coca-Cola machine. One of the most haunting qualities about Flannery O'Connor's fiction is the often shocking but always memorable images adding intensity to her stories. Her violent comedy is a fusion of opposite realities--an explosive meeting between contradictory forces. She creates characters from the southern grandmothers, mothers, preachers, neighbors, and assorted "good country people" populating her world, using their traits, words and behaviors to give her fictional world life. And we are as familiar with them as she is. We know them; they could be people from our region, our town, our family. Just regular folks. But she pushes them beyond normal boundaries, beyond any reality we or they could imagine by introducing them to their opposite. The person on the other end of reality. For example, the grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" appears to b e the stereotypical grandmother busily involved in her fami...

Hinduism Essay -- Hindu Religion Papers

Hinduism Introduction Hinduism is a religion that originated in India and is still practiced by most of the Natives as well as the people who have migrated from India to other parts of the world. Statistically there are over seven hundred million Hindus, mainly in Bharat, India and Nepal. Eighty five percent of the population in India is Hindu. The word Hindu comes from an ancient Sanskrit term meaning "dwellers by the Indus River," referring to the location of India's earliest know civilization, the Pakistan. There is not much organization and hierarchy is nonexistent. The religion suggests commitment to or respect for an ideal way of life know as Dharma. Hinduism absorbs foreign ideas and beliefs making it have a wide variety of beliefs and practices. This has given it a character of social and doctrinal system that extends to every aspect of life. The Hindus own definition of their community is "those who believe in Vedas." History/Origin The practices and beliefs of Hinduism cannot be understood without knowing the background. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, it dates back more than 3,000 years. Hinduism is unique in the fact that it has no founder. Its origins are lost in a very distant past. In 1500 BC the Indo-Aryan tribes invaded India and took over the Mahenjo-daro. From the combination of these two tribes came the worship of goddesses. The Hindus started practices such as bathing in temple tanks and the postures of yoga. Soon gods of war started being created and worshipped. Sakas then began invading the Hindus and made a large impact on the religion. The sacred temples started to be built and the sacred laws were codified and myths and legends were preserved in the ... ... Brunk, Betsy and Kathleen Coleman. Prelude Music Therapy. Internet Available: http://home.- att.net/~bkbrunk/-music.html, 1997. Lindberg, Kathrine A. What is Music Therapy. Internet Available: http://members.aol.com/- kathysl/def.html, 1997. Lowenstein, Dr. Timothy J. Better Health, Better Life. Internet Available: http://www.cliving-. org/products.htm, 1997 Lowenstein, Dr. Timothy J. The Story of Holographic Music. Internet Available: http://www.- cliving.org/holograph.htm#benefit2, 1995 Martin, Bruce. Sound Therapy Works. Internet Available: htt://www.pacifier.com/- ~stwmt/stw.html, 1997 Michaud, George. Music For Your Health. Internet Available: http://www.harplandmusic.- com/health.html, 1997-98 White, Celeste. The Healing Power of Music. Internet Available: http://www.harplandmusic- .com/health.html, 1997-98

Langston Hughes “Salvation” Essay

â€Å"Salvation† is taking from the first of these , The Big Sea ( 1940 ), and written by Langston Hughes who was a brilliant author, poet who wrote fiction, history, autobiography, and he worked at various times as a journalist. You can clearly see in â€Å"Salvation† was taking time at South – country side. From the Title â€Å"Salvation† you can have a guess and you will be right if you were thinking about church, God and so on. -But not really saved? -To bring the young lambs to the fold? -When you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside -So I sat there calmly in the hot, crowded church, waiting for Jesus to come to me -The preacher preached a wonderful rhythmical sermon, all moans and shouts -Then he said: â€Å" Won’t you come? And the little girls cried. And some of them jumped up and went to Jesus right away. But most of us just sat there -Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened -Oh, Lamb of God! Why don’t you come? -I began to be ashamed of myself, holding everything up so long. -So I got up -Then joyous singing filled the room -I was really crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I deceived everybody in the church, that I hadn’t seen Jesus, and that now I didn’t believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn’t come to help me. Langston Hughes recalls how he was introduced to religion and the church. He goes to say that at thirteen years old he was brought to his Aunt Reed’s church and was told that he needed to be saved by Jesus Christ. At the ceremony, while all other children went up to accept Jesus, Langston and another child named Westley remained seated. At the congregation prayed and the priest sang psalms, Westley cracked under the pressure and went up to the altar, but Langston still sat. He had literally taken the phrase â€Å" you will see Jesus† and felt bad about lying to the church because, after all, he had still not seen Jesus but was anxious to meet him. Finally, Langston came to the decision that it was getting late and one little lie about seeing Jesus couldn’t hurt. He then went to the altar and accepted Jesus. That night his aunt heard him crying and assumed that it was because he had come to terms with God, But Langston was crying because he felt guilty having to lie to everyone about seeing Jesus and he was even more hurt that Jesus never came to help him. At first, the piece seems to be about naive boy who believes that Jesus would physically appear in front of him. In deeper sense, however, it dives into a questioning of faith. The story could be seen and a very common scenario among people having trouble with identifying there religious inclinations. Sometimes, there so much pressure put on people by their peers to choose a religion. These people often look for signs or aid from a higher power to help guide them. After receiving no signs or guidance, they renounce faith in God and Jesus and blame the higher being. In Langston case; his aunt, the priest, and the congregation put tremendous amount of pressure on him to become a member of the church, instead of explaining to him that â€Å"see† meant to â€Å"understand† and â€Å"accept† that Jesus died to save him and give him eternal life. His aunt could have helped him by explaining that not physically â€Å"see â€Å"Jesus that evening. Instead, he felt alienated possible because this way first that he had ever known of anything having to do with Jesus or the bible, and he was not helped to understand what was going on.

Kinship is better than friendship Essay

Nowadays, friendship usually appears to be good, but a kinship is always the best bond. A friendship can be a great connection in life, but it takes time to adapt to it and cultivate a good relationship. Kinship is more valuable than friendship because relatives give an unconditional support and accept their relative’s differences. First relationships between relatives are less superficial and more trustworthy than friend’s relationship. Relatives are in all rough times with their family. For example, my mother and I support each other in all aspects and hard situations. I help take care of my siblings at home when is necessary. Because my mother works long hours, I often help clean the house and I help prepare the food too. In times of economic crisis, I take responsibility to help my mom with expenses and other domestic tasks. Read more: Speech about friendship essay When other family members get ill or get depressed, my relatives and I try to help them physically and mentally. We help pay their medical expenses and we help them regenerate completely from their illness or depressive crisis. In addition, we always watch out for our relatives objectives. We often help them reach their goals and ambitions. Because we have an absolute support for our relatives, we always help encourage them and we teach them to be successful in life. In conclusion, a friend’s loyalty is not as trustworthy and supportive as a relative’s because relatives have known them since birth. Moreover, while friends expect their friends to have things in common, relatives accept their relatives as they are. Relatives respect their relative’s thoughts and feelings more than friends do. For instance, my parents make me feel comfortable because they never judge me for the way I am. They appreciate me even sometimes I act irresponsibly or immaturely.

Project Management Recommendation Paper Essay

According to Jacobs and Chase (2011), there are five different phases in which the Palomino will need to deliver: Project Conception and initiation: This project maintains medium amounts of risk for risk but this new line of products makes enhancements on past technologies helping reduce the thought of risk. Project Definition and Planning: Sticking to the produced production plan already in place and maintaining costs according to priorities and timelines in association to existing technology is critical. Project Launch or Execution: The project manager will be responsible for the above conceptions, initiations, and planning. Project performance and control: The above named â€Å"Project Manager† will be responsible for timely execution and lunch of product in 9 month production window through effective management techniques and leadership abilities. Project Close: At the completion of project and consumers are providing positive feedback on Palomino impact on their lives, a recap will be provided. This feedback will include notes on production process obstacles, success stories, and personal  feedback allowing for future organizational growth in innovation and creation. Through the table included below a break down on the costs associated with each project allow for you to see the project recommendation in quantitative figures. Risk Critical Path Cost Cost Per/Mo ROI Return Per/Mo Total Profit/ Per Month Juniper Low 6 Mos $325,000 $54,166.67 $250,000 2-3 yrs $20,833.33 (15.6 mos to B/E) $424,999.93 (20.4 mos @$20.833.33 Palomino Med 9 Mos $655,000 $72,777.78 $450,000 5 years $37,500 (17.46 mos to B/E) $1,595,250 (42.54 Mos @$37,000 Stargazer High ($450,000) +$125,000 =$535,000 $300K $550K $750K (5yrs) Tot:7 yrs The verdict on the Palomino project still gives Piper Industries Corporation some positive traction in developing a new line of widgets that have been formed off of existing technology. While the idea of continuing to spend on the new product line, Stargazer widgets comes with great reward, it is not without great risk. While sales and marketing teams have already had minor dialog with a few of your strategic customers, there are still far too many questions. Therefore proceed with the Palomino project and enjoy the deliverables projected including the growth of you widget line as well as the projected ROI of 5 years bringing great profitability over the 7 year projected life cycle. With the delivery of the Palomino project, Piper’s ability to move forward in developing new advancements on existing technology will give you greater insight into how further the Stargazer project further down the line. References: Jacobs, F.R., & Chase, R. (2011). Operations and Supply Chain Management (13th ed.). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC.aspx?assetid=1733965c-5941-4741- b1b3-2a6518a9897d&assetmetaid=564ca34f-cdef-4bba-9c2d-026be3a2b17f.

Early Childhood Literacy Proposal Essay

Abstract Research on early childhood literacy pinpoints the early childhood years as the foundational base period for developing the language and literacy skills that are fundamental to a young child’s long term developmental success in reading and writing. This study places theoretical attention on the essential components of literacy that promote and predict the essential emergent literacy development of a child. This efficacious aspect of learning acquisition is critically pertinent for the school readiness of a child in being well read. Findings support and highlight how the acquiring of skills in components of literacy such as phonological awareness, vocabulary and language knowledge, alphabet and sound recognition, print and text comprehension as well as the use of sound instructional practices and strategies among teachers will promote the optimal level of success in early literacy and beyond. Introduction Early childhood literacy is an emphatic, essential, and extensive branch of education that seeks to equip young children with the optimal skills that will cause them to emerge in reading and writing. These foundational skills are critical and predictive of one’s diagnosis of success within these parameters. Research notes that depending on where they start, their experiences in the home, and the curriculum being used in their classroom, many children will leave preschool with early literacy skills that put them on a trajectory to transition successfully to learning to read (Lonigan, Allan, & Lerner, 2011). To signify, the essence of these skills is manifested early in one’s life and is the predecessor of one’s future achievement in literacy. The developmental stage for the actual acquiring of these precursor skills begins in infancy and extends to the primary years. However, it is important to note that for the purpose of this study, early literacy skills will be based on those skills that occur at the preschool ages of 3-4. Then too, within this digest, it is important to note that effective preschool programs are the panels of early education that promote, support, and contribute to the child’s future reading and writing readiness. These factors characterize the role of early childhood programs in promoting children’s early literacy development for later achievement in reading. The acquisition of children’s reading skills was once thought to originate with the start of reading instruction in elementary school, but research now supports the idea that learning to read is a continuous developmental process that emerges early in life (Wilson & Longman, 2009). For this purpose, a study has been proposed to increase the focus on the early years of education as the precursor for later success in literacy and to discover those early literacy skills that foster success in literacy and inform of the assessments and strategies that are the best practices for providing this evidence. The following research question and hypotheses were made declarative or stated as a guide for this proposal: Research question: Does the acquisition of early literacy skills foster future success in literacy? Hypotheses: The acquisition of early literacy skills fosters future success in literacy. Subsequent Hypotheses: 1) Literacy rich environments or settings contribute to a child’s future success in reading. 2) Effective teaching strategies support a child’s development of literacy. These modes and mechanisms form the basis for providing children with an effective curriculum, strategies, techniques, and activities that will empower their knowledge and give them a sound foundation of emergent literacy. The very term emergent literacy is a relatively new one that evolved in response to evidence that literacy development occurs along a continuum that begins long before children actually start formal schooling and long before they acquire conventional literacy skills such as decoding, oral reading, reading comprehension, spelling and writing (Invernizzi, Landrum, Teichman, & Townsend, 2010). To note, the learning phase of literacy for children begins at birth and extends to the preschool phase and beyond. Infants begin to grasp books and take them to caregivers of parents to read. Around the age of two, children begin to recognize favorite books by cover and can memorize and restate some of the words. Between the ages of three and four, children are able to picture read and retell stories as well as manipulate letters and print. At the ages of five and six, children then begin to understand that words have meaning. The emergent skills and abilities that are strong predictors of future progression and succession in later reading and writing outcomes include the following: 1) Phonological Sensitivity- Children begin to hear and understand various sounds and patterns of spoken language. More specifically, these skills begin with listening to sounds and then noticing and discriminating rhyme and alliteration. Afterwards children begin to determine syllables in words by examining onset and rime. Phonological awareness skills generally graduate to advanced phonemic awareness skills and later lay the foundation for the gaining of phonics. They are further progressed and promoted as children sing songs; hear stories, and finger plays or rhymes (Heroman & Jones, 2010). Research has found phonological awareness skills in preschool to be one of the most robust predictors of early reading success in a child’s first few years of formal schooling† (Callaghan & Madelaine, 2012). 2) Print Knowledge- Children’s ability to organize and convey meaning of words through sounds, words, or sentences. The conventions of print that are modeled by teachers and learned by children and that eventually help to bring awareness to the functions of print include providing print rich environments, interacting during story times, watching adults write and read books. 3) Alphabet Knowledge-Children begin to recognize letters and their sounds to printed letters. A child’s knowledge of the alphabet is the single best predictor of first-year reading success (Elliot & Olliff, 2008). Children who are exposed to alphabetic activities and experiences such as reading books that display the alphabet, manipulating magnetic or textured alphabets, playing games that reference the alphabet, as well as singing and saying the alphabet have increased letter knowledge that will eventually promote reading and writing achievement. It was found that knowledge of letter names prior to kindergarten was predictive of reading ability in fifth and tenth grade (Wilson & Lonigan, 2008). 4) Comprehension-Children make meaning of text by being able to process stories they have heard read aloud. They are also provided with language rich activities, directions, and instructions as a way to understand and communicate knowledge. Teachers can promote listening and story comprehension skills by doing the following: * Talk with children frequently throughout the day * Use language that is easy for children to understand * Help children understand language by rephrasing it when necessary * Play listening games * Help children learn to follow and give directions * Read aloud to small groups of children * Prepare children for a reading by taking a â€Å"picture walk† * Show children the pictures as you read. * When reading to children, encourage them to ask questions, make predictions, talk about the story, and connect new ideas with what they already know * Facilitate story retellings (Heroman & Jones, 2010). Review of Related Literature A review of the research literature reveals how early childhood literacy and learning governs the academic research among young children. The use of early literacy assessments as evidence of directly measuring student’s knowledge is examined as the way to understand children’s development in literacy and ascertaining what counts as student learning. The early literacy instruction take the form of isolated activities and skills that could be easily documented, measured, quantified or qualified as the condition for evaluating the prerequisite skills for eventual success in formal reading and writing. Children are assessed on how many alphabets they know; how many sight words they can recognize; how they distinguish individual sounds or phonemes in spoken language; how they make connections between letters and sounds; and how they use language to tell stories and share information as the way to individualize or compare a student’s performance (Casbergue, 2010). Children who are at risk for later reading problems have weaker emergent literacy skills than children not at risk for later reading problems. Several studies examining the predictive validity between emergent literacy skills and later reading skills have found that emergent literacy skills are good indicators of whether a child will have trouble with reading in the early elementary grades. Therefore, it is helpful for teachers to be able to measure accurately those emergent skills to determine who is most at risk for later reading problems and implement  interventions geared toward improving emergent literacy skills with at risk children (Wilson & Lonigan, 2009). Research suggests several programs or assessments that will help teachers in identifying, guiding, and implementing those skills that will cause students to gain early responsiveness in literacy. The article, â€Å"Increased Implementation of Emergent Literacy Screening in Pre-Kindergarten focuses on the findings that emphasize how prekindergarten programs are prevalent for ensuring academic success in literacy. The findings suggest that children who attend a good Pre-K program will more than likely not have reading difficulties in later years. The use of emergent literacy assessments by teachers helps in discussing the specific information about literacy development that will assist the teacher in making informed decisions for meeting instructional goals and objectives. These assessments help the teachers to learn what the student knows or what they need to learn while also addressing the teacher’s instructional methods and modes. It was found that these assessments help in identifying a student’s strengths and targets their weaknesses for advanced instructional literacy needs. PALS-PreK which focuses on the alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, print concepts, and writing skills of students is the tool that measures the progress of students and helps teachers to assess the knowledge and mastery level of the students. This assessment was used to assess the emergent literacy skills of more than 21,000 students prior to Kindergarten as the way to target their performance. It is an easy to use system that is administered to children individually by the classroom teacher and does not rely on an allotted time for completing the assessment (Invernizzi, Landrum, Teichman, & Townsend, 2010). The Creative Curriculum is an ongoing assessment tool that assesses children using specific objective indicators and predictors of standards that pertain to school readiness and the success of children within the field of literacy. This tool requires that teachers write observations or records of children during naturalistic situations in the classroom or during group time as the most accurate way for measuring the literate success of the child. Children will be required to demonstrate phonological awareness, knowledge of the alphabet and sounds, knowledge of print and emerging writing skills as well as respond to books and other text and will be assessed and placed within a color coded mastery level and will  be assessed throughout the school year (Heroman & Jones, 2010). The article Assessment of Preschool Early Literacy Skills: Linking Children’s Educational Needs with Empirically Supported Instructional Activities, Longman, Allan, & Lerner describe preschool as the critical predictive phase of learning wherein children’s early literacy skills are detected, developed, and directed towards them becoming skilled readers and writers. Longman et al provide a research study that supports the crucial role of teachers in providing children with a strong literacy enriched foundational base wherein there is a rich curriculum that includes the necessary activities that will promote their proficiency in literacy. Substantial evidence points to children’s acquired skills in alphabet knowledge, print, phonology, and oral language attributes to the outgrowth and successful achievement levels in their evolving literacy skills. This article further discussed three methods for determining and evaluating the skills of preschool children. Primary forms of assessment which included informal assessments, screening/progress monitoring, and diagnostic assessments were further investigated as it related to the measurement of children’s developmental goals and gains in correlation to the effectiveness of the teacher’s guided instructions and activities. One valid and reliable assessment that is of particular focus is that of diagnostics assessments. Diagnostic assessments are reliable and valid in that they will identify a child’s strengths within a specific set of skills or discipline and expose mastery of it. Then too, these assessments will measure exactly what they are intended to measure. Longman et al contend, â€Å"The key advantage of diagnostic assessments include in depth examination of specific skill areas, generally high reliability, established validity of the measure, and the ability to compare a specific child’s performance with a known reference group† ( Lonigan, Allan, & Lerner, 2011). The authors provide accurate evidence of children’s progress wherein the tests within the above mentioned literacy areas provided high levels of internal consistency and test retest ability wherein the tests were error free and provided accurate scores. The tests also yielded multiple items within the measure that would further index the child’s developmental level within literacy. A further quasi-experimental research was conducted as to how teachers enhance the early literacy skills of preschool children. The research was conducted during the span of two years and across 20 Head start sites. 750 teachers were selected to participate as 370 classrooms conducted pre and posttest assessments. Student performances were examined in comparison of being taught by teachers with either 1 or 2 years of training and instructional experience. It was found that teachers who were more educated were more effective to the student’s overall achievement of early literacy skills (Landry, Swank, Smith, Assel, & Gunnwig). Even further within the research literature on early childhood literacy is the importance of preschool early intervention in literacy. Researchers have examined phonological awareness skills as being robust skills for later conventional literacy skills. The National Center for Family Literacy (NELP) conducted a meta-analysis of more than 299 studies on children between the ages of birth and five years and recognized phonological awareness as one of the most important determinants of early reading success (Callaghan & Madelaine, 2012). Then too, researchers detail the importance of phonological skills being initially taught in preschool due to the phonological sensitivity of children during this age period. It is estimated that preschool children who have a sound foundation of phonological skills will achieve reading skills during later years. Longitudinal studies have traced the performance early literacy skills of preschoolers and subsequent later grades and determined positive literacy outcomes. Research also places a significant amount of focus on the instructions and strategies that will influence the literacy development of preschoolers. Researchers suggested that preschoolers benefited more from shorter periods of intensive literacy instruction during small group settings within a play based curriculum as opposed to longer periods of instruction. The following chart lists the actual activities or skills that teachers use to promote literacy within the classroom. It lists the frequency of the skills as a way to inform the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the strategies. Language and Literacy Activities in Center-Based Early Childhood Settings (N = 180) | Variable| % Reporting Often or Always| % Reporting Sometimes| % Reporting Seldom or Never| M| SD| Language and Literacy Promotion Scale (23-items)| -| -| -| 4. 17| 0. 64| 1. Read aloud to children in a group setting. | 78. 3| 16. 7| 5. 0| 4. 24| 0. 90| 2. Read aloud to children individually. | 50. 0| 30. 6| 19. 4| 3. 44| 1. 07| 3. Set aside special time each day to read to children. | 75. 0| 19. 4| 5. 6| 4. 13| 0. 97| 4. Read aloud a variety of books. | 85. 6| 9. 4| 5. 0| 4. 34| 0. 87| 5. Reread favorite books. | 82. 8| 12. 8| 4. 4| 4. 28| 0. 90| 6. Talk about books read together. | 68. 9| 20. 6| 10. 6| 3. 95| 1. 11| 7. Ask children questions about the books. | 74. 4| 17. 8| 7. 8| 4. 10| 1. 06| 8. Provide opportunities for children to look at books and other printed materials on own. | 82. 2| 13. 3| 4. 4| 4. 31| 0. 90| 9. Teach children features of a book. | 58. 3| 21. 1| 20. 6| 3. 65| 1. 25| 10. Teach children that printed letters and words run from left to right and from top to bottom. | 63. 3| 19. 4| 17. 2| 3. 74| 1. 21| 11. Practice saying alphabet with the children. | 93. 3| 5. 0| 1. 7| 4. 60| 0. 68| 12. Teach children to recognize letters of alphabet. | 90. 0| 7. 8| 2. 2| 4. 54| 0. 80| 13. Teach children to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters. | 69. 4| 20. 6| 10. 0| 3. 98| 1. 19| 14. Help children learn the sounds each letter can represent. | 78. 9| 12. 2| 8. 9| 4. 23| 1. 09| 15. Teach children to write letters of alphabet. | 71. 7| 17. 2| 11. 1| 4. 05| 1. 15| 16. Help children to write their names. | 74. 4| 16. 1| 9. 4| 4. 10| 1. 13| 17. Help children identify different colors, shapes, and sizes. | 88. 3| 8. 3| 3. 3| 4. 57| 0. 80| 18. Help children learn opposites. | 81. 1| 16. 1| 2. 8| 4. 29| 0. 89| 19. Help children recognize numbers. | 87. 2| 8. 9| 3. 9| 4. 46| 0. 83| 20. Practice counting with the children. | 88. 9| 9. 4| 1. 7| 4. 57| 0. 75| 21. Choose books to read aloud that focus on sounds, rhyming, and alliteration. | 77. 2| 16. 7| 6. 1| 4. 16| 0. 93| 22. Have children sing or say a familiar nursery rhyme or song. | 85. 6| 12. 8| 1. 7| 4. 42| 0. 78| 23. Encourage children to make up new verses of familiar songs or rhymes by changing beginning sounds or words. (Green & Peterson, 2006). | 63. 9| 20. 6| 15. 6| 3. 85| 1. 17| Methodology The writer begins by selecting the type of research which will be conducted which is an evaluation research. Two emergent literacy screening tools for preschool age children are used as measureable tools for identifying the acquisition of children’s emergent literacy skills are the Get Ready to Read Tool (GRTR) and the Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDI). The GRTR test has 20 activities that strictly measure phonological and print skills. The children are shown a page with four pictures and asked a question that responds to one of the pictures. At the end of the test the scores are tallied for a final comprehensive score. Children master IGDI test by selecting picture cards that respond to questions about Alliteration and Rhyming, Picture Naming, and Phonological awareness skills. Children are given a flashcard within one of the domains and asked a question and prompted to point to the correct answer. The scores consist of the number of correct answers that were completed within a specified amount of time. Both of these tests were administered in July and October with the consent of the parents of the preschool age children and lasted about 40 minutes (Wilson & Lonigan, 2009). Participants For this study, 21 preschools in Florida participated. The children’s ages ranged from 42 to 55 months. There was an equal distribution of boys and girls. 70% of the children were Caucasian, 19% were African American and 11% were of another ethnicity. Conclusion/Recommendation The IGDI performance test scores were worse than those of the GRTR in terms of concurrent validity and reliability due to some of the children being unable to complete the tests. It was determined that the tests were difficult for the age group and therefore were unreliable. The GRTR was more reliable in that it was geared towards the age of the children. The results of the study were clear in that this screener was better for measuring the emergent literacy skills of preschool children as the evidence for later performance in reading. Researchers, educators, and policy makers are concerned with the quality of literacy programs, the effectiveness of literacy instruction, and the achievement of students with the field of literacy. Finding from this study support how early childhood programs promote language and literacy skills for future success in reading and literacy. References Bright From the Start: Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning. http://decal. ga. gov/documents/attachments/content_standards_full. pdf Callaghan, G. , & Madelaine, A. (2012). Leveling the Playing Field for Kindergarten entry: Research Implications for Preschool Early Literacy Instruction. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37, 13-23. Casbergue, R. M. (2010). Assessment and Instruction in Early Childhood Education: Early Literacy as a Microcosm of Shifting Perspectives. 13-20 Elliot, E. M. , & Oliff, C. B. (2008). Developmentally Appropriate Emergent Literacy Activities for Young Children: Adapting the Early Literacy and Learning Model. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35, 551-556. Green, S. D. , & Peterson, R. (2006). Language and Literacy Promotion in Early Childhood Setting: A Survey of Center Based Practices. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 14 (1) Heroman, C. , & Jones, C. (2010). The Creative Curriculum for Preschool: Literacy. Vol. 35, 537-567. Invernizzi, M. , Landrum, T. L. , Teichman, A. , & Townsend, M. (2010). Increased Implementation of Emergent Literacy Screening in Pre-Kindergarten. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37, 437-446. Landry, S. Swank, P. R. , Smith, K. E. , & Assel, M. A. (2006). Enhancing Early Literacy Skills for Preschool Children: Bringing a Professional Development Model to Scale. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39, 306-324. Longman, C. J. , Allan, N. P. , & Lerner, M. D. (2011). Assessment of Preschool Early Literacy Skills: Linking Children’s Educational Needs with Empirically Supported Instructional Activities. Psychology in the Schools, 48, 488-501.

Finance for Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Finance for Managers - Essay Example Based on the analysis of the finances a set of recommendations have been set down to assist the company make improvements. The paper also deals with the role of the finance manager, i.e. David Green, and the discussion includes a detailed analysis of his position in the company in relation to the planning, control, performance management and also financial decision making. Finally, the paper will deal with the sources of finance with a focus on loans. Here two alternatives will be provided which are most suitable for Jools. However before moving into the current financial position of the company, it is important to provide a brief overview of the company. Overview of Jools: The birth of Jools Furniture was in 1990 when Julius Smith – Brown invested in Huddersfield based Sandy Furniture. Then the company specialised in kitchen and bedroom furniture. However by 2005 the company went on to grow and offer as many as 150 different furniture products to the customers. The company wa s focused on providing various designs and also targeted the middle and higher income buyers. As time passed the company went on to develop several divisions which include the office supplies, and also the quality products divisions, the quality products development focusing on the high income groups. Presently the company has grown to have four main divisions, i.e. Kitchen, Bedroom, Quality and Office and the company employees over 500 people (Jools Furniture, 2011). The company follows the laissez-faire form of management, and the division controllers are given a free reign to manage with the only condition to aim at a target return of 10 % return on investments. Current Financial Position Quality Products Division: In order to completely comprehend the financial performance of the division, the financial ratios over the years are computed and presented in the table below: Quality Products Division Year 2009 2008 2007 Profitability          Net Profit Margin 3.36 % 1.98 % -9 .90 % Return on Equity 9.99 % 5.63 % -26.30 % Efficiency          Return on Assets 13.33 % 12.58 % 1.83 % Asset Turnover 1.03 1.00 0.87 Liquidity          Current Ratio 1.33x 1.09x 1.13x Acid Test Ratio 0.63x 0.47x 0.59x Stock Turnover 114 days 100 days 105 days Debtor Days 43 days 28 days 44 days Creditor Days 36 days 47 days n / a Financial Structure          Gearing 61.91 % 60.83 % 62.24 % Interest Cover 2.11x 1.53x -1.32x The division had acquired another business in 2004 and it was completely sourced by debt. Hence the gearing ratio has been relatively high over the three years. The company aims at constantly maintaining a 50 % gearing ratio, however this is much higher which in turn simply implies that the company is more risky. Moreover, the division also incurred a loss in 2007. This loss can be attributed to a number of factors, including reduced turnover (low return on assets – 1.83 %), high interest paid and increased expenses (Berman, Knight, & C ase, 2006). However the division has managed to turn

Gender Issues in Africca Expressed through Literature Term Paper

Gender Issues in Africca Expressed through Literature - Term Paper Example The rest of this essay will highlight, compare and contrast the gender issues discussed in these novels. In particular it will argue that the two books in question bring key insight, understanding and a message of hope to women’s issues in their respective countries. So Long a Letter (originally published in French as ‘Une si longue lettre’), gives voice to women of Senegal in particular and Western Africa in general. It is written by Mariama Ba and is semi-autobiographical in content. Ramatoulaye Fall is the protagonist and first-person narrator of this epistolary novel. Addressed to her close friend Aissatou Ba, the letter was prompted by the narrator’s recent and unexpected widowhood. Ramatoulaye recounts to Aissatou the circumstances and the shock accompanying her husband’s death due to heart-attack. But having adopted the novel form, the letter touches upon topics far and beyond that of her immediate grief. And through her forays into all aspect s of women’s social rules and restrictions the feminist voice of the author comes alive. (Ba-Curry et.al, 2008, p.112) Especially astute are Ba’s grasp of interpersonal equations and balance of power between the two genders: â€Å"A woman is like a ball; once a ball is thrown, no one can predict where it will bounce. You have no control over where it rolls, and even less over who gets it. Often it is grabbed by an unexpected hand...Whereas a woman draws from the passing years the force of her devotion, despite the ageing of her companion, a man, on the other hand, restricts his field of tenderness. His egoistic eye looks over his partner's shoulder. He compares what he had with  what  he no long has, what he has with what he could have. (Ba, 1980, p.42) The novel Everything Good Will Come by Sefi Atta has thematic similarities in that its protagonist also is a girl living in postcolonial Nigeria and England. But compared to Miriama Ba’s work, Atta’s novel is created in a much broader canvas, covering political developments, ethnic conflict, crime as well as interpersonal relationships. The chief character in the novel is that of Enitan, who is confronting in her life various issues that have engulfed postcolonial Nigeria. Some of the most realistic and poignant passages in the novel pertain to the ethnic strife between groups such as Youruba, Igbo (Biafrans) and Housas, which has stifled progress and development in sovereign Nigeria. (Olowonmi, 2008, p.55) Sefi Atta emphasizes ‘bonding’ as a mechanism for achieving communal bliss. Via bonding, key characters in the story are able to share their burden and fight bravely to resist their oppressors and seek freedom for their loved ones. Dismantling this cloak of disillusionment then becomes a text-type for the survival of democratic governance in her country. According to the United Nations’ Global Human Development Report (2002) governance in action includes i nstitutions, rules and political processes. And these factors determine if economies grow, children go to school, and whether human development moves forward or backward. Thus, this perspective â€Å"is in consonance with the writer's vision when he/she moves through enormous materials to organize and orchestrate in order to open a window to prospective horizons as his/her art reflects reality. And conclusively, the writer caves for the deepening of democratic governance in Nigeria to ensure that the use of power in public affairs gives premium to human

No Name Woman in Maxine Hong Kingston's Writing Essay

No Name Woman in Maxine Hong Kingston's Writing - Essay Example The family reacted by proclaiming, "Death is coming. Look what you've done. You've killed us". They were not saddened by the husband or the aunt's condition. They feared the wrath of the villagers and the gods. The aunt's suicide would be yet one more transgression of a Chinese taboo. As much as the pregnancy would bring anger from the gods, a suicide would bring embarrassment to the family. She would be punished for this by stripping her of her name, identity, and history. The author's expository essay paints a graphic picture of a woman who did not exist. Her visualization of the aunt's final hours brings the reader closer to the woman and generates empathy for her situation. By making the aunt human, Kingston has brought her to life and placed her punishment in contrast to her sin. By fictionally creating the story, the author has also minimized her own guilt built up from years of silence. Kingston confesses, "[...] they want me to participate in her punishment. And I have". By w riting this essay, she has undone the years of neglect the story has been subjected to. Kingston is making a statement in "No Name Woman" that illustrates the gender bias of the Chinese culture. She show's that even in her most innocent light, that of having been raped, the aunt is still an outcast and humiliating to the family.  Time and distance could not erase the uneasiness of the events. Yet, the perpetrator of the sin was never revealed as if the simple act of being a male could dissolve all responsibility. The author demonstrates this when she recounts, "The other man was not, after all, much different from her husband. They both gave orders: she followed.  

A Case Study Of A Small Business And A Reflection On A Program Of Essay

A Case Study Of A Small Business And A Reflection On A Program Of Reading I Have Implemented For The Course - Essay Example Simpson et al. (2011) noted that the use of internet technology is a fairly recent development in small business. They said further that in recent years, more and more small businesses are using internet technology. I tried to find a small business firm that appear to have acquired a wide global reach and yet continued to be a small business. I am interested to find out how a small business firm can do it and yet remain in the category of being a small business. For me such a case is important: the case can provide lessons on how one can have a global reach despite being small or despite being initially small. Towards the end of this work, I will be saying that being small is actually a business strategy for Marketii. Being small is a business decision and strategy that will allow her the greatest chances for survival and resilience in the competitive business world. This realization is an eye-opener that created in me a strong belief that the study of small business firms must reall y include the study of firms like Marketii: SMALL but the decision to be small is actually the result of a business strategy that will allow the firm to acquire the greatest profitability, chances of survival, resilience, and success. There are several ways of defining a small business. However, the way Marketii is being operated defies the expectations suggested from the definitions of Simpson et al. (2011) and D’Amboise & Muldowney (1988).... irms must really include the study of firms like Marketii: SMALL but the decision to be small is actually the result of a business strategy that will allow the firm to acquire the greatest profitability, chances of survival, resilience, and success. There are several ways of defining a small business. However, the way Marketii is being operated defies the expectations suggested from the definitions of Simpson et al. (2011) and D’Amboise & Muldowney (1988). Marketti’s small business structure may be a way of implementing downsizing as a business strategy (Appelbaum et al. 1999). 2. Study Method Because my means and resources are limited and also because I anticipated that business firms like Marketii would be strongly protecting its business secrets, I decided to employ a study method that would allow me to get a large amount of details on a firm by using records and data that are widely accessible to the public. In particular, I maximized the use of the internet for get ting data on Marketti. On hindsight, I believe I have not been wrong on my decision because the data that I have acquired on Marketii allowed me to have a very good and in-depth idea of how Marketii is being managed and on how firms like Marketii, small and yet conducting international operations, are being operated. The study method that I have employed is not inferior because in the process of studying Marketii by using data that are available to the public, I have obtained this important insight for small business: some of the small businesses that we actually see operating in the world of business are small not primarily because the business owners have capital constraints but they are small primarily because it is the business owner’s decision to keep their business small so it would be

Contemporary issues in conflict and security Essay

Contemporary issues in conflict and security - Essay Example Terrorism has severe social, economic, and psychological impacts on the targeted people. Analysis proves that terrorism often has a genuine grievance to fight for. Also, the strategies they adopt are not considerably crueler than the strategies adopted by many superpowers. Thirdly, it has become evident that terrorism is considerably more unethical because it often targets innocent third parties as the victims. The solution does not lie in armed suppression, but in adopting peaceful ways. Attention should be given to the reasons behind grievances and they should be removed. Also, free communication and liberty should be encouraged in every nation. Lastly, instead of revenge and martyrdom, values like peace and cooperation should be instilled in people. Introduction Terrorism has become one of the most complex and oft-changing phenomena in the international sphere. As a result, it has gained an important position in the agenda of most nations. The surprising fact is that terrorism is present in various forms and various structures, and they have various motivating factors behind them. The root causes of terrorism One can find innumerous reasons behind terrorism when one looks into the works of various scholars who already studied the various aspects of terrorism. As a result, as Crenshaw (1981) opines in the article ‘The causes of terrorism’, it is difficult to find general explanations for terrorism. However, the scholar manages to divide the causes into two categories; the preconditions which are known as root causes and the precipitants which are known as trigger causes. It is possible to further the root causes into enabling factors which mean the factors which offer an opportunity for terrorism to come up, and situations which are direct motivations for terrorist campaigns (ibid). According to Ross (1996), the causes can be divided into three categories, namely structural causes, psychological causes, and rational choice. Following this, Gupta (2004, p. 19) introduced the argument based on ethnicity, religion, and nationalism. According to his opinion, terrorism takes birth when a leading figure manages to give a proper direction to the frustration faced by a number of people and manage to formulate a feeling of collective identity; and also the feeling of ‘we’ versus ‘them’ is successfully developed along with this (ibid). The work by O’Brien (1996) looked into the reasons behind terrorism. According to the scholar, there is a link between the foreign policy of superpowers during the times of international crisis and international terrorism. In order to substantiate his view, the scholar provides the example of the United States and Iraq. Through the work, the scholar proves that the possibility of terrorism increases when one party feels victimized by the superpower (ibid). Another study by Krueger and Malenkov (2003) named ‘Education, poverty and terrorism: is there a casual conne ction?† looks into the impact of lack of education and poverty on people’s tendency to become terrorists. However, after a thorough study of the situation in Israel and Palestine, the scholars reach the conclusion that there is no direct link between education, poverty and terrorism (ibid). In fact, the study observed that the terrorists from those areas were generally better educated that others. Also, the study reveals that the

The pathology of Parkinson's disease, and how to counteract it Essay

The pathology of Parkinson's disease, and how to counteract it - Essay Example This research will begin with the definition of Parkinson’s disease commonly referred to as PD as one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. PD affects mostly the neurons located in the nervous system. The affected neurons located in the basal ganglia cavity get deteriorated affecting the normal functions of the nervous system resulting in rigidity, tremor, and bradykinesia. The resulting PD conditions get worse with age making it complicated to treat and control. More studies have to be conducted in an effort to come up with better strategies to counteract the disease. In order to identify different treatment methods, the pathology of the disease has to be understood which has also proved to be a complex process. Studies conducted earlier have failed to identify the main factors behind PD irregular form making it almost impossible to come up with a single method of treating the disease. Parkinson’s condition normally affects the dopaminergic cells located in th e substantial nigra region by altering their normal activity of secreting dopamine. Dopaminergic cells form part of the neural circuits and once the circuit inside the basal ganglia is affected, the process of regulating movement will be inhibited.   The movement regulation process involves both the indirect and direct pathways which are responsible for inhibiting and facilitating movement respectively. This implies that when the dopaminergic cells are lost, the disease condition will result in a movement disorder. PD results to the loss of more the 70% of the dopamine cells at its onset which is later followed by dopamine terminals asymmetric loss taking place in the striatum. When a patient is affected by PD, his or her circuitry balance in normally lost. Such loss comes about as a result of dopamine depletion. The parts that are affected in this case are the indirect and direct pathways whose nuclei are responsible for inhibiting the thalamus. When the activities of these nuclei found in the pathways increase, the inhibition process is consequently increased reducing the normal movement of a person. Another conditions resulting to the disease is the degeneration process that takes place in the presence of proteinaceous inclusions, which include; intracytoplasmic and Lewy bodies (LBs) (Blandini 1). The Lewy bodies are located in the brain cells and consist of different types of proteins which after degenerating they give rise to the PD conditions affecting the brain and the nervous system. The LBs can be easily identified when they affect the brain cells as they are spherical in shape with a core that is central and granular with a fibrillary halo surrounding it as shown in figure 1 bellow. The SNC activities are responsible for some of the PD symptoms including movement execution, tremors and muscle rigidity (Blandini 6). Figure 1 showing a Lewy body located in the brain cell (Cuerda 102). The death of Nigral cells is normally facilitated by the presence environmental toxins and the reduced number of Nigral cells consequently results in protein aggregation and mitochondrial defects (Blandini 1). The death of nigral cell is thus one of the main causes of neuron degeneration. Some of the factors leading to nigral cell death through abnormal apoptosis regulation include; impaired mitochondrial activities, proteasomal impairment or glutamate receptors excessive stimulation (Cuerda 102). Several methods of treating and controlling PD have been proposed. Among the many strategies is the L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) which is the oldest and the mostly commonly used (Schapira 102). L-DOPA treatment targets nervous system barrier between the brain and blood forming a reduced section of the brain as shown in the figure bellow. Once in the brain, L-DOPA is converted to the dopamine where it is broken down to form various systems of enzymes in the brain.