Human societies Essay

In understanding human beings and human societies, no subject is more important than social stratification and its relationship with wages. A system of social stratification helps shape how people live, their opportunities for a better life, their mental health and how long they will live. Generally it is a system of social stratification has an important influence on events like wages, unemployment and inflation. Most people know that some people are rich and some are poor, but people in general are usually not aware of the systematic social forces that create the outcome of where they are placed on the ladder or why they are paid what they are. Most believe they take what they get. This type of belief is strong among the nonpoor and white of the United States and in recent times with immigration. Employers of immigrants will pay less, even less than minimum wages because of that person is illegal. Most people are unaware of the fact that some individuals have more influence than others that can shape the general social welfare. Those people usually are the least aware of how a system of stratification forms the basis for these influences and this is a possible factor in why wages follows social stratification differences. To begin we need to define the difference between social differential and social stratification. Social differential is a necessary precondition for social stratification. Social differential is the distinct individual qualities and social roles. This is very important when looking at reasons for unequal pay in American Society. People are differentiated by biological characteristics such as sex, size, strength, and agility. In every society they are differentiated by social roles, work tasks, or occupations. Some people do the hunting others chop wood and others care for children or gather plants. As societies become more complex technologically, the division of labor increases the number of tasks, occupations, and roles will grow too. An increased division of labor means more differentiation. Several arguments for unequal pay include the differences between men and women as reasons. It stated that women live longer than men so they should be paid less to balance this out. Another said that women were more likely to have tardiness and absences which added to labor cost and in order to balance this out women are paid less. Health care and medical insurance costs needs to become more balanced because women live longer and can become pregnant life (Barber, 1957). Social inequality is the condition that people have unequal access to valued resources, services and positions in the society. Such inequality can come in terms of wages and how individuals or groups are themselves ranked and evaluated by others most importantly; social inequality in wages is related to differing positions in a social structure. Social inequality often rises from social differentiation for two reasons. First because of the human capacity to apply meaning to events and things and to develop judgment of what is good or bad, social evaluation is often applied to differences. This could explain why the wages are unequal across the board. Individual characteristics and different positions or roles may be valued unequally or ranked from superior to inferior that is why social inequality is looked at in terms of prestige or honor for more pay. Inequality may rise from social differentiation because of some roles or social positions place some people in a position to acquire a greater share of valued goods, services and pay (Giddins & Held, 1982). Two of the most important types of inequality are inequalities of income and wealth. These two are of major importance because it is income and wealth that bring other valued goods and services, not to mention the basic necessities of life. Income and wealth are generalized commodities that depending upon the quantity and how they are used by bring power and influence. By income I mean money, wages and payments that are timely made and received as returns from a job or investment. Income is usually the means by which most Americans obtain the necessities and simple luxuries of life. A wage or salary, rather than investments, is what sustains the vast majority of people in this country. Wealth is accumulated assets in the form of various types of valued goods. Wealth is anything of economic value that is bought and sold. Most Americans have little or no wealth, whatever they have gotten in the form of wages and salaries cannot be saved because it must be used for immediate necessities. Income is distributed in a highly unequal manner in this country, but wealth is distributed even more unevenly (Liao, 2006). The majority of people in this country must depend upon some type of employment for their income and the occupational structure is of primary importance in creating this unequal distribution of income. Part of the inequity between men and women is due to simple sexism. The standard of living and real income of people in the United States have generally increased over the years. But the distribution of total income has remained stable since the middle 1940’s. There is data showing that income inequality was reduced somewhat during the 1930’s and early 1940’s due to Depression reforms and full employment during World War II. Among noncommunist industrial nations the United States can generally be ranked about midway in terms of income inequality. France is the highest amount of income inequality(Barber, 1957). The most commonly recognized class inequality is income. The usual assumption is that working class people receive below average incomes, the middle class receives average incomes, and the upper middle class professionals and managers receive above average to high incomes. The more traditional assumptions about class income inequalities are much closer to the truth. This is the belief that working class people have made substantial income gains relative to the middle class is incorrect because of two facts. That high working class incomes are not your typical income and also that even though some blue collar workers pay is high it is usually because of it being seasonal or insecure (Giddins & Held, 2006). There is no simple explanation between income and class position because of the many variables that help determine income attainment. The first problem has been that in the past occupational status or occupational skill level alone was assumed to indicate class position. There is no argument that much of the income inequality between men and women or whites and minorities can be explained by the historical conditions of racism and sexism in our society. But much of this race and sex discrimination operates through the established class system. Income inequality in general is related to positions within authority structures. So if we find sex and race differences in relation to these other factors affecting income inequality in general we have located other sources of sex and race inequality operating through the class system (Hulme & Toye, 2006). The main point is that race and sex income inequality is explained by class, although racism and sexism do play a part. Race and sex inequality are in large part class issues and operate through class divisions made up of occupational, authority, and property divisions in the overall system of stratification in this country. As with income the condition of work is stratified. Those on top are generally better off, while those in the middle can look down upon those at the bottom with a feeling that their own condition could be worse. Income inequalities, job satisfaction, conditions of work, and different amounts of political and economic power are the most important consequences of class in the United States (Rimashevskaia & Kislitsyna, 2006). A central belief in the conflict perspective of social stratification is that groups with strong common interests will work together to ensure that these common interests are attained and maintained. This is true for groups on the bottom as well as for those on top. But this is only true to the extent that a group with common interests is able to recognize its common interests, and has resources with which to gain it common interest. Those on the top of the stratification system are usually able to have both of what was mentioned. But those that are below the top are usually powerless, passive or non participants in the conflict process of reward distribution in the society (Barber, 1957). The global view of social stratification shows that it is in many ways similar to domestic systems of stratification. There are some differenced between the two types of systems. For one the phenomenon of nationalism can produce less international class unity and more of an overt class conflict between the core and the outside. It is more difficult to maintain the world stratification system through ideological justifications because of cultural differences and communication differences. But it can be seen as a property structure and occupational division of labor that stretches around the globe that isn’t related to bureaucratic authority structures. One should note that it isn’t the differences domestically and globally on social stratification it is the similarities that are surprising (Hulme & Toye, 2006). Works Cited: Barber, Bernard. Social Stratification a Comparative Analysis of Structure and Process, New York: Harcourt, (1957). Giddins, Anthony & Held, David. Classes, Power and Conflict: Classical and Contemporary debates. Berkeley: University of California Press, (1982). Hulme, David, & Toye, John. â€Å"The Case for Cross Disciplinary Social Science Research on Poverty, Inequality and well being. † Journal of Development Studies 42. 7 (October 2006): 1085-1107. Liao, Tim. â€Å"Measuring and Analyzing class Inequality with the Gini Index Informed by Model-Based Clustering. † Sociological Methodology 36. 1 (2006): 201-224. Rimashevskaia, N. M. & Kislitsyna, O. A. â€Å"Income Inequality and Health. † Sociological Research 45. 3 (May/June, 1006): 43-62.

Dumb Martian Essay Essay

This essay will discuss how the use of irony expresses the theme of revenge in the story â€Å"Dumb Martian† written by John Wyndham. This short story is categorized as science fiction, however John Wyndham classifies his series of short stories as logical fantasy. â€Å"Dumb Martian† was written after the Second World War, where John Wyndham served as a censor in the Ministry of Information. Mr. Wyndham was inspired by his brother’s success in the writing industry and resurrected his writing career in 1951, producing dozens of science fiction short stories as well as novels. â€Å"Dumb Martian† is the story of Duncan Weaver, a middle-aged Earthman, as he takes up the job of a â€Å"way-load station supervisor† on Jupiter IV/II, a sub-moon of Callisto (itself a moon of Jupiter), his home for the next 5 years. It is little more than a small asteroid, with featureless and formidable rocks and two domes. The larger dome was for living space, while the smaller dome was for storage. As a precaution against the possible insanity caused by the sheer isolation and loneliness of his 5-year stint, Duncan decides to take a Martian woman along with him. As well as â€Å"company- of a sort†, he wants someone to cook and deal with domestic chores. Duncan constantly moans about her inability to express emotions and her intellect, and soon turns violent towards her. Alan Whint, a scientist stationed on the same asteroid to conduct a geological survey over the period of 12 months, soon discovers Duncan’s behavior and quarrels for Lellie’s, the Martian and her rights. Duncan sabotages one of Alan’s excursions, leading to his death. But Ellie did not react to Alan’s death or suspect Duncan until the final days of the 5-year stint and avenges Alan’s death. Lellie’s revenge is a major plot twist in the story, accentuated by irony. Duncan had a feeble impression of Lellie, first shown when he offers a pathetic sum of 700 pounds for her services when â€Å"Marts† were priced lowest at 1500 pounds. Duncan also refers to her as â€Å"Dumb† and â€Å"the very look of her irritated him intensely†. Duncan clearly regards her as inferior; nothing but a possession, which he intends on selling for a high price at the end of his spell on Jupiter IV/II. The author captured Lellie’s revenge by making it remarkable, remarkable enough to cost a man’s life. Lellie endured much of Duncan’s abuse, both physically and verbally. â€Å"His hand slapped her face harder than he had intended† and â€Å"sent her sailing across the room in a spin of arms and legs† highlights the horrible treatment of Lellie by Duncan. This abusive behaviour of Duncan, together with the death of Alan Whint which the author had faintly mentioned how Duncan murdered him, sparked a change in Lellie. Lellie wanted to express her anger and prove that she was not dumb in the cruelest way. Lellie fooled Duncan into believing she forgot about Alan and that she did not know what caused his death, and left Duncan outside the dome to slowly die in the emptiness of space. She let him know about her suspicions after she locked him out of the dome by holding Alan’s book in her hands while Duncan stared at her from behind the impermeable membrane of the dome. The use of irony comes up when the reader finds that Lellie had a sharp contrast from Duncan’s views of her. Lellie seemed innocent, weak and dumb from Duncan and other’s point of views. She could not pronounce proper English and her eyes gave her a permanent â€Å"expression of innocence†. It would be easy to believe that Duncan’s perspective of her was true, making the plot twist astonish the reader as much as it had. The author manipulates us into believing Lellie was dumb by the frequent use of the word. Plus, most of the story is told from Duncan’s point of view so Lellie’s deep thoughts were not expressed at all in the story. All the descriptions of Lellie’s naà ¯ve personality lead up to the moment of revenge to create dramatic irony. The irony has a dramatic flair as it shows that at that moment when Duncan realized he was about o die, Lellie was portrayed not as his slave but the master of his faith. The use of dramatic irony emphasizes the extent of Lellie’s revenge on Duncan to create the theme of revenge.

How Does Knowledge of the Foundations and History of Nursing Provide a Context in Which to Understand Current Practice? Essay

Without an understanding of basic nursing there is no room for improvement. â€Å"By understanding the history and foundation of nursing nurses can develop a sense of professional identity and build a better future for the profession and the people they serve† (lc.gcumedia.com, 2013). We also have a better appreciation for the nursing profession and what it has evolved into today. Three trends that were demonstrated by the interactive timeline were: 1.Nursing was for the undesirables. â€Å"Ill individuals were taken care of by â€Å"sinners, saints, or mothers† â€Å"(lc.gcumedia.com, 2013). Florence Nightingale was born in a wealthy English family and had educational opportunities; however she would still often find herself wanting to help the poor. Soon after completion of nursing school she travelled to the Crimea War. There she suggested there were â€Å"five essential components to an optimal healing environment; pure air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanl iness and light† (Kelly, 2012, p. 2397). With those changes alone the mortality rate decreased and the meaning of nursing was forever changed into what we know today. 2.Nursing was predominately for males. Like every profession in the past, men would work while women stayed at home. During war men would act like nurses by treating injured soldiers and attempting to save others lives. Florence Nightingale once again changed nursing from the past to what we know today by walking on the battle fields rendering aid to those who were wounded. 3.The birth of the American Nurses Association. The American Nurse Association (ANA) was founded in 1896. The ANA has enabled nurses to achieve higher education and given them more opportunities by providing routes to become credentialed in certain specialties and â€Å"published a vast collection of material on nursing practice and the profession† (lc.gcumedia.com, 2013). These trends have influenced me by making me thankful to all who have made nursing what it has become. Today’s nurse has evolved from a profession of the â€Å"undesirable† to the â€Å"honorable†, changed from a profession that was predominately male to n ow include females and lastly grown from only an individual’s perspective to having a huge voice within a major organization (ANA). The nursing profession has come a long way and there is always room for improvement but without the knowledge of foundations and history it wouldn’t be where it is today. References http://lc.gcumedia.com/zwebassets/couseMaterialPages/nrs430v_timeline.php. Kelly, J. (2012). Editorial: What has Florence Nightingale ever done for clinical nurses?. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 21(17/18), 2397-2398. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03455.x

Criminal Justice Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal Justice Portfolio - Essay Example It may also encompass legal guarantees of access to information, protection of journalists, public’s limited access to the media and right of reply or correction†. Discussion: My position on the issue is that the press should be given complete freedom to function within its own framework of guidelines, and there should be restrictions only on careless or false reporting. My opinion is correct because the public has the right to the true facts of any information of significance, and transparency will ensure decline in corruption. According to the Final Annotated Survey of the State of the First Amendment (2005: p.2), the results show that 47% of the public felt that the amount of freedom the press enjoyed was â€Å"about right†, 39% felt that the press had too much freedom, too little freedom was the verdict of only 10%, and the remaining 4% did not know. The viewpoint of the majority is supported by McQuail (2003: p.54) who states that social responsibility theory became an essential point of reference in the growing trend towards the professionalization and self-regulation of the press. Conclusion: The small minority of the public who believe that the press should have less freedom should consider one important reason for freedom of the press: that those in high public office, in businesses or in responsible social posts will need to show results, and also keep free from wrongdoings. Introduction: According to Klay; Sewell (1996: p.241) development and application of criminal justice technology for the purpose of individual liberty is possible only in communities that share and perpetuate democratic norms. Emphasizing on â€Å"responsible use†, the democratic communitarian theory requres the use of technology to strengthen unity within the community, while exercising restraint and avoiding the creation of potentially threatening technologies. Discussion: My

Information technology Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Information technology - Term Paper Example The areas of responsibility of the IT Manager include but not limited to the IT Project Management, Computer Network and Server Administration, compliance of Information Technology and procedures, Information Security, moreover, the responsibility of automating a company by implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) including diverse departments (finance, sales & marketing, procurement, operations, inventory etc.) of a company. However, a lead IT Manager can also be responsible for the developing and implementing information technology policy, strategic direction and planning for implementing information technology standards in a company by utilizing human and technical resources. One of the known definitions of the management is â€Å"getting things done through other people† (The Big Geek, 2010). It would be a great opportunity for me to work as Lead Information Technology Manager in Magnum Enterprises. Keeping in view the diverse roles of the lead IT manager and the pu rpose of Magnum Enterprises for hiring me, I would like to discuss on integrating the software, hardware and business management capabilities. I believe that the role of IT Management includes: the research and development by understanding the IT requirements of the company and implementing software and deploying hardware so that the company should be able to enhance productivity. In order to achieve my objective, I need to work on developing the policies, action plans keeping in view the operations of the company. The IT policy and strategic plans should be in accordance to the company’s priorities so that the company would able to achieve its predefined goals. Actually, the IT is utilized to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the company’s business processes by developing and utilizing software applications / products so that the customer’s of the company should get quality services. Once the company would be able to achieve customer satisfaction, the company would ultimately get increase profitability and competitiveness. It is significant to know the goal, objectives and mission statement of the company before developing any strategy. Therefore, primarily I will review the company’s goals and objectives to keep myself informed of the priorities of the Magnum Enterprise. It will not only give me the right direction but also guide me to take informed decisions. It is important to investigate the business process of the Magnum Enterprises, moreover, the current IT infrastructure, provision of services to the customers, the prevailing IT standards and procedures. One of the important responsibilities of the lead IT manager is to communicate with all the stakeholders. Furthermore, I believe that the lead IT manager is a mediator between the company’s senior management and the team, therefore, it is equivalently significant that I should know the tools required for reporting to the senior management / Chief Information Officer (CIO) – Ms. Rachel Heigl. Furthermore, the current job roles of the team so that I could be able to assign the tasks to my team. It is primarily the responsibility of the lead IT manager to motivate, inform and utilize the team in an appropriate manner so that the team would be occupied to achieve the company’

Shaping Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shaping Behavior - Essay Example Skinner whose work with behavior modification earned him the moniker of Father of Behaviorism develop the theory of operant conditioning. The theory postulates that all behavior is essentially governed by the constant application of punishing and reinforcing stimuli. Behavior modification is designed to use a scheduled approach that consistently punishes undesirable behavior while rewarding desired behavior (Snowman, McCown & Biehler, 2012). . This concept as developed by Skinner is seen to be widely used in not only therapy, but also in a number of psychological settings. It can effectively be used in the treatment of a number of disorders including oppositional defiant disorder, autism and attention deficit disorder. In addition to this, the fundamentals of behavior modification can essentially be used to try and increase desired behavior in a given individual regardless of the person’s functional level. Reinforcement and punishment as based on the operant conditioning theory have been demonstrated to be effective in shaping behavior. In classical conditioning, organisms are trained to learn to associate a given new stimuli with biological and natural responses such as fear or salivation. The organism does not essentially learn something new, but instead is seen to being performing in what is an existing behavior in the presence of a given new signal. Operant conditioning takes a different approach as learning is based on the consequences of behavior and can at times involve the learning of new actions (Miltenberger, 2011). Punishment can be used to stop negative behavior among children. In operant conditioning, positive is seen to refer to the addition of a consequence that will serve to deter a child from repeating what is deemed to be negative behavior. Although positive punishment is essential in healthy discipline it

Comparing any variable, between any two cultures (either ones weve Research Paper

Comparing any variable, between any two cultures (either ones weve discussed in class, or preferably other cultures not dealt with in class - Research Paper Example Since the symbol has to be understood by the public in order to carry meaning but is still used to reinforce or question understandings, there is an interactive cause and effect relationship involved in each symbol. Using semiotic analysis on a single cultural symbol, such as the apple, can reveal how different worldviews can be shaped in different cultures. Semiotics can be defined as an examination of symbols to discover its meaning at various levels. â€Å"Semiology therefore aims to take in any system of signs, whatever their substance and limits; images, gestures, musical sounds, objects, and the complex associations of all these, which form the content of ritual, convention or public entertainment: these constitute, if not languages, at least systems of signification† (Barthes, 1964). The concept of semiotics considers how symbols combine to target a specific group and to convey meaning to them. Analysis breaks images down into signifiers, signified and sign. David Chandler (2006) defines the signifier as â€Å"the form which the sign takes† and the signified as â€Å"the concept it represents.† The ‘sign’ is the meaning that emerges. This meaning provides clues, in the form of denotation and connotation, as to the culture’s dominant worldview. It has been determined that for every symbol, there is some further meaning and often the possibility for multiple interpretations. Denotation and connotation communicate about the ideological myth behind the message. These ideas are best explored by analyzing a symbol such as the apple. Within a Christian-dominated culture, including the modern-day Greek culture, the symbol of the apple has an instant connotation of temptation, evil and destruction. These ideas are conveyed early through stories such as popular children’s shows. As is discussed by Trish Carden (2005), Disney’s production of

Hurricanes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hurricanes - Essay Example The latent heat release brings about temperature increase for the cooler atmosphere above through condensation and since this occurs in cycle, humidity of the warm ocean air augments and blends with the accumulating storm that eventually becomes the hurricane. Scientific studies also attribute the creation of a hurricane from elevated wind speed due to atmosphere at higher altitudes where high pressure exists as well. Global warming via greenhouse gases naturally impacts oceans, such as the North Atlantic and the northern Indian ocean, with rise in temperature, thereby contributing to the change which favors strengthening of storms with wind speeds that could reach the maximum. Under these circumstances, hurricanes may be produced significantly whenever the wind shear profile, not necessarily the water temperature, gains an advantage through the global warming which normally enhances to the huge quantity of energy exchanged between the ocean and the air on its top. Consequently, â€Å"As water warms, the ability of water to evaporate goes up, and a greater evaporation rate will produce a more intense hurricane† according to MIT meteorologist Kerry

Globalization and Cultural and Language Diversity Essay

Globalization and Cultural and Language Diversity - Essay Example Website. Frida Mujale-Manenji stated that the effect globalization has greatly affected the African culture immensely and it's culture is presently diverse. It had affected the African people's cultural behaviors in different ways. People have had to adopt by changing their living ways in order to survive. The advertisements of the famous Coca-Cola drinks can be heard across boundaries in towns, cities and townships and even in remote rural areas where drinking water is a problem to get. Globalization in Africa involves the opening up of its economies to trading with the global market forces, freely and widely. Globalization has forced countries like Africa to deregulate foreign investment, liberalized its imports, remove currency controls, emasculate the direct economic role of the state, and so on. The effect on culture and language is to further undermine the internal, national productive capacity, social security and democratic integrity of these countries Journal. Journal. Kenyatta (2002) stated that "More than 100 students, activists and scholars gathered recently at Columbia University's Teachers College to explore the effects of globalization and decentralization on education, health care and land reform in Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda." The Globalization has a big effect on the culture and language of Africa and the supernational organizations such as The World Bank, The IMF (International Monetary Fund), the WTO (World Trade Organization) have come to dominate prescriptions underpinning state strategies for economic recovery and growth of this continent. Dr. Gregory Anderson, assistant professor of higher and postsecondary education at Teachers College stated that "these global forces are increasingly hegemonic and, in the case of Africa, with its longstanding history of problems and dilemmas, globalization as an ideology is distinctly shaping the arenas of policy and the directions and scope of state reforms." Therefore, Africa must learn to adjust itself to survive globalization. For a continent where several thousand languages are spoken within its borders, language has long been viewed as a challenge to education and political development. As a result, colonial language policies of the past often forbade the use of African languages in official functions of the state. Today, the official languages as well as the languages of instruction and scholarship in most educational institutions continue to be English, French and Portuguese, despite the fact that far greater numbers speak other languages. Globalization has lowered the status of the local dialects as compared to French, English and Portuguese. Newspaper/Magazine. ABC news dated Jan 17 stated that First Lady Laura Bush went to meet with the President of Ghana this morning. The First Lady is continuing her travels through Africa today as she heads to Nigeria where she will meet with President Obasanjo tomorrow morning. Vice President Cheney travels in Egypt and Saudi Arabia today. He is scheduled to meet with President Mubarak in Cairo and King Abdullah in Riyadh. These are some of the scheduled meetings from his trip to the region in December which needed to be cut short so he could cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate. The

Definition of family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Definition of family - Essay Example It is sad that many have taken these aspects for granted and neglected their family members or lose family attachment. This paper aims at explaining the concept of family while shedding light on my experience. Nuclear Family The above photo depicts clearly what a family unit is comprised of the father, mother and their children. Essentially there are two types of families; nuclear and extended families where the former is comprised of just the parents and their children while the latter is comprised of the former together with grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws (Corbett 2004). An extended family is clearly depicted by the following two pictures where grandparents and their children take a photo shoot together. Extended Family (Grandparents, their children and grandchildren) Extended Family (Grandparents, their children, their children’s spouses and grandchildren) It is the duty of family members to offer assistance to those who depend on them. There should be mutual respect for all members such that one cannot intentionally do anything that can hurt another family member. People in doing this should also appreciate that there are many people in the world today who do not have anyone to count on in good and bad times. I have had numerous occasions where I needed a shoulder to cry on and as much as I have friends by my side, family consolation works best. In other occasions like my graduation and birthdays, I always feel whole when my family members are there to celebrate with me. There is this connection that goes beyond love that I have with my brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents and other people of the extended family. I am personally always ready to protect this bond no matter what the circumstances as difficult times also dawn on us that threaten to weaken it. Communication from my experience is quite crucial in maintaining strong family ties. Families for centuries have engaged in reunions and my fam ily is not an exception. In these reunions that happen once a year in my grandparents’ home or one of our uncles’, we tend to strengthen the bond we have. We usually engage in many fun activities like games and all that for the sake of all to interact and share previous year’s experiences. This form of interaction has also ensured that people keep in touch throughout the year and those who are able to visit one another, they can do so. I am mostly fascinated by the sharing of personal experiences for the past year i.e. since the last reunion. This is done in the evening under the moonlight in the backyard with everyone present while uncles prepare barbecues. At this time we mostly share funny moments where we laugh almost all night long. This happens on Saturday night and the following morning all depart to wait for another fascinating time together as one big happy family. There are certain fundamentals that are followed in all the family units within the exten ded family so as to ensure harmony of the bigger family. One is the appreciation by all children that their parents are the core in their families (Corbett 2004). They should be accorded maximum respect and admiration by all the children regardless of their status, financial or otherwise. They are the people who the children

Comparative Analysis Paper Essay Example for Free

Comparative Analysis Paper Essay For this assignment I have selected three poems to analyze the relationship between language and content in poetry. I want toattempt toanalyze the writting styles of three authors, whose work can be found from the book, The Art of Work. The three poems that I have selected are Share Croppers written by Langston Hughes, Factory Worker, written by Jim Daniels, and The Rope, written by Patricia Dobler. These are three poems that caught my eye and I became very interested in. The first poem I read for this assignment was Share-Croppers. This paticular poem seemed to have been written from the viewpoint of a slave who is captioning the hard work that had to be done as a sharecropper. Although this was a very short poem the expression by this author said a lot to capture any readers attention. For example the author gives you a picture as to how the sharecropper was left hungry and ragged afterr plowing away in fields. See more: analytical writing By reading this poem you are able to identify that Langston Hughes was very concerned about African American life through the use of certain dialect and terms. As you continue to read this poem over and over you are able to come to a conclusion that the era in which this poem was written goes back to a time after emancipation, when many blacks were forced to work as share croppers not being paid a dime,and where under the authority of white farm tenants. In this poem one starts to get a feelof what it was like to be a black share cropper unable to show any remores because this was a daily routine that took a toll over ever sharecropperss daily life. My next poem Factory Jungle seems to have been written from the viewpoint of a factory worker who is trying to enlighten the fact of being a determined ambitious worker, but also as one who is ready to end a long day at work. Just like many other authors. The author Jim Daniels has written a poem that uses many metaphors to paint a picture of a factory that gives off the idea of being a jungle. For example the author say, Id like to climb one of those ropes of light swing around the presses, welders etc. The language used by this author shows us a picture of a factory swinging freely amongst his work not having a care what so ever. These paticular terms of language enables us to get a physical picture of exactly what the factory worker is doing in the factory to change it into a jungle. Everyone  understand that there is no way you are able to climb rope of light or even fly out of factory gates. This only catches the readers attention just the poem sharecroppers did. Keeping the same theme and indentifying the factroy as being a jungle, the author also uses a made elephant to represent the largest presses in the plant and allows us to paint another picture showing us the harm that this big machine could cause if fallen on your hand. In this part of the poem we find that the mad elephant allows us to think about how heavy and dangerous things could be when working around heavy machinery in this paticular factory. The author is being very creative throughout this poem, careful not to bore the reader. Jim Daniels used the correlation of swinging through the plant, then rippping off his coveralls, safety glasses, and ear plugs then pounding his chest and yelling like Tarzan. This again gives us that feeling showing us that this factory worker is feeling very free. Yet and still another picture has beenpainted for us. In my final poem that I have selected, I became silightly thrown off as to what this poem was trying to generate to the reader. Unlike the other two poems I used, this poem hardly used any language and dialect to allow the readers attention to be caught at once. As I read over this poem I figured that the viewpoint of this poem had to be written by a man who was dwelling on things that he could not make of life for him or a loved one and those things were haunting him. I came to this conclusion because the author says, Their vocies still wake me as I woke for years with a rise and fall. The author is not specific as to what she wants or doesnt want us to know. This poem does not paint a picture for me letting me feel and realize what exactly is going on. So by reading these three amazing poem we find many authors use some of the same styles, literary techniques and genres to help relate to readers. While other authors may leave you slightly wondering, and can often open your mind to wonder which can be a very positive matter. I personally relate better to readings that paint a picture allowing me to be side by side to what the author has written. Also while reading Ive found that not  all poetic techniques were used but all three authors used something to help you understand the readings.

Philosophy of life Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of life Essay There is only one way to live and achieve a meaningful life, and can be acquired by looking inside yourself and determining what is the best things you can do in your life. There are endless suggestions on how to live a meaningful life; however, these are not necessary guides or the only way because each person is different. This means that there is no one way that is correct or no one way that is false because each person is unique in their own way and have varying perspectives of life. According to Jobs, life is about living to connect the dots. He says that you can only connect the dots by looking back at decisions and things that have happened and that you cannot connect the dots for the future. He also says that you tell yourself that to live to connect the dots and that what you’re doing is setting up a dot to be connected that is when you can go with heart. He went to college and dropped out after six months and started going to classes that he was interested in instead of going to classes that were demanded and he did not enjoy. One of the classes he went to was a calligraphy class. He says that if he had not dropped out and went to this class that he would not have been so successful with the Mac. Jobs stressed the idea that without the inspirations attained in calligraphy class that were used in the design of Macintosh all personal computers would be non-existent because Windows copied Macintosh. Jobs may have started Apple in his garage with his friend but within ten years it became a $2 billion company. Shortly after the ten years, contradicting visions led to the divergence of the company and the firing of Steve Jobs. In the fall of his old job Jobs created two new companies, NeXT and Pixar, which both became very well-known and successful companies. Pixar, now the most successful animation studio in the world, went on to create the first computer animated movie â€Å"Toy Story. † NeXT was bought by Apple leading to the return of Jobs and the technology he developed at NeXT is now the heart of Apple’s renaissance. He rounds out this speech with the idea everyone should strive for what makes them happy, doing the things they enjoy. He also rejoices in the fact that enjoying the things he loves now motivated his comeback and redeemed himself in the public eye. Wallace’s speech was focused on finding a personal, deeper meaning. He gives a variety of examples of frustrating moments, while providing insight on how we react. For example: he talks about a woman in line yelling at her kids. To most people they think that’s how she treats her kids all the time leading to some misinterpretation. Instead of thinking that way, he provides alternate cases she might be dealing with, such as, suffering from extreme stress due to her husbands’ bone cancer or maybe she extended an act of kindness at her work for an individual dealing with tough circumstances. He talks about the roughness of everyday adult life, explaining the need to not jump to conclusions and extending grace, making the situation a much happier one. Wallace is not trying to give moral advice or strict guidelines to follow because this can become difficult, he only wants to give noteworthy insight to a stressful situation. He then goes on to talk about worship. Wallace explains how, in his opinion, atheism does not exist due to the fact everyone worships something, demolishing the basis behind atheism. The only choice individuals get to decide is the things they worship. If one chooses to worship money then they will never have enough of it; if one chooses to worship their body then they will always think that they are ugly and will never be happy. He says that the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they are sinful, but rather they are unconscious default settings. This type of worship allows beings to slip into a more lax way of thinking causing them to be more selective without ever being fully aware of what they are doing. Jobs’ approach to a skilled life is finding something one is passionate about doing and doing it no matter the route one takes. He dropped out of college after six months and just dropped-in on classes that sounded interesting to him. He found something that he really enjoyed in calligraphy class leading him to design the Macintosh and which ultimately led to the creation of personal computers. He loves the adaptability of technology and discovering the next best thing. Also, he stresses that connecting the dots is big because it leads you to your hearts desires. So according to Jobs, finding something that you love doing and living to connect the dots is the key to a prosperous, fulfilling life. According to Wallace, the approach to a more prosperous life is to think things through in a deeper more educated meaning. He talks about moments in our lives where we may get frustrated and what we can do to prevent from getting so mad. So overall, they are trying to convey the same message which is: obtaining a skillful and prosperous life. To me, I feel as though what makes life meaningful is living it to the fullest and learning from mistakes. I do not necessarily agree or disagree with either Jobs or Wallace ideals because they are not the main things to achieve a prosperous life but they are good things to incorporate in life. Life is so much more than finding something that you enjoy doing because I enjoy playing Xbox but that is not going to get me anywhere in life. Also, it is more than just thinking deeply about situations when I am going to get frustrated. I say you should always take opportunities presented in your life, not allowing them to pass you by. Take opportunities the first time and don’t be impassive assuming there will be another. With these opportunities there is always the decision to side between right and wrong. Now, I hope that everyone has a strong enough will to be able to pick the good opportunities rather than the bad ones. If you have a chance to make a difference in someone’s life or can change the outcome of a situation then why be passive and not pursue it? Life is all about choices and decision making. These things also come with responsibility and the decisions you make will lead to positive or negative consequences. Everyone makes bad choices in their life because no one is perfect and we are fallen people. With this falleness comes sin and with sin comes destruction, but we are given the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and continue to grow through them. All of these life situations leads us to be a better person to ourselves, others, and God. In order to live a thriving life, one must make conscious decisions, learn from their mistakes, and thank the Lord for opportunities and learning experiences. There is no guide on how to live a meaningful life. It is all up to the individual and whatever they see fit for themselves and their life. Though I have this view, it does not mean that it is the only way to live a meaningful life, the same goes for Jobs’ and Wallace’s opinions. Each person has some ideals that everyone can draw from to make their life better and happier, but it is not necessarily the only way to achieve a meaningful life. The true way to achieve a meaningful life is to look deep inside oneself and decide how to accomplish one’s own meaning prosperous life.

Experiment on Amount of Dissolved Oxygen in Water

Experiment on Amount of Dissolved Oxygen in Water Research: Water covers 70 percent of the earth and made up of 55% to 78% of the human body; it is the most abundant compound on the planet. It’s exists in liquid, solid, and gaseous states in nature; at room temperature, it’s a tasteless, odorless and colorless liquid (Water structure and behaviour, 2014). Water in chemical formula is H2O, two hydrogen atoms each share one electron with the oxygen atom to form two covalent bonds and make a water molecule. The outer shell of oxygen is now full with 8 electrons and remains stable; thereby it won’t further react with other hydrogen or oxygen atoms (graph 1). One of the important features of water molecule is that it forms and angle with hydrogen atoms at the tips and the oxygen atom at the vertex. The angle formed by oxygen and hydrogen atoms isn’t a typical tetrahedral angle of 109 degrees, because the presence of two lone pairs on the oxygen molecule pushes the hydrogen molecules closer together away from the lone pa irs. This results in a smaller bond angle of 104.5 degree (Graph 2). The reason that water is primarily a liquid under standard condition is because that oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen; hydrogen is attracted strongly by oxygen results in the side of the oxygen atom is partial negative charge, while the hydrogen end is partially positive. This kind of molecule with a separation of electrical charges is called a dipole meaning two poles. The charge difference allows water molecules to be attracted to each other and difficult to be separated, forming one single body of liquid. Each water molecules bond to maximum of four other water molecules with two hydrogen atoms accepted and donates another two hydrogen atoms to others (Graph 3). This type of bond is identified as hydrogen bond occurs when hydrogen atom bonds with oxygen, fluorine or nitrogen atom. Hydrogen bonding functions as two magnets stick together due to the opposite pole attraction. It is stronger than normal dipole forces between molecules. The force is categorized as intermolecular force, a force act between neighboring particles (Hydrogen Bonding, 2013). The extensive hydrogen bonding between water molecules is responsible for physical properties in water, including property of high melting point, boiling point since more energy is required to break hydrogen bonds between molecules. Water will be in gas, if the intermolecular force (force that holds water molecules together) is less than the thermal force that pushing the molecules apart; while, the boiling point is determined as a point between behaving as a liquid and gas (Intramolecular Force, 2013). Another relevant property is that water has a very high specific heat capacity, due to the presence of extensive hydrogen bonding between water molecules; a large amount of energy (heat) is absorbed in breaking the bond (Specific Heat Capacity of Water, 2014). Water has a high solubility, due to its a polar molecule with both positive and negative charges. Dissolving occurs when water bonds and separates the anion and cation of a substance. Consider putting an ionic compound into water, the individual ions react with the opposite polarity regions of the water molecules with their ionic bonds broken. This process is called dissociation, where ions are formed with atoms breaking down from a molecule. The positively charged end of the water (H+) surrounds the negative ion of the ionic compound and the negatively charged end of the water (O2-) surrounds the positive ion of the ionic compound, this is called as a sphere of hydration, which separates the particles. This is the reason why water cannot dissolve non-polar molecule, because the polarity has no effect on a non-polar molecule (solubility, 2000). Abstract: In this experiment, potassium thiosulfate was used to titrate water sample collected in wetland at school; in order to simulate and determine the amount of oxygen dissolved in a normal river. The method used is called as Winkler Method, which involves iodometric titration; the amount of oxygen in the sample is determined indirectly via iodine. The method is considered to be the most reliable and precise method for DO analysis. DO presents in the river is relevant to the industry, river aquaculture, for the sake of keeping the oxygen level in a suitable range for aquatic animals to survive. There are a number of variables that affect DO presents in the river, temperature is the most crucial factor that should be taken into account. Since river’s temperature varies throughout the year with the change in the weathers or seasons. The temperature difference between summer and winter can be up to 10 degrees Celsius. Hence the experiment will focus on the effect of different temperat ures on the amount of DO in the water sample. Theoretically, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water is inversely proportional to the water temperature (table1). It’s clearly shown in the graph that as the temperature rises, the solubility of oxygen in the water decreases (graph 4). It’s recommended that DO analysis experiment should be done within the same day. DO level in the water source, where sample water is collected, may alter dramatically at different time. It then consequently becomes a factor that affects the final result. Introduction: Dissolved oxygen in water is defines as the amount of oxygen molecules that physically distributed in water. Notice that oxygen does not chemically react with water, since oxygen is a non-polar gas; the intermolecular force of hydrogen bond in water molecule itself is stronger than the induced dipole attraction between the polar bond in water and the nonpolar bond gas, oxygen. Water molecules will rather remain hydrogen bonded to each other, then to allow a non-polar molecule (oxygen) to come between them (Aquaculture, 2000). There are three ways that oxygen gets in the water. First of all, it’s the difference of the concentration of oxygen in the air and the concentration of oxygen in the water causes diffusion to occur. Oxygen flows from high concentration (air) to low concentration (water). Secondly, it’s the partial pressure and surface area that causes oxygen to shift through the water. For instance, in a river that flows rapidly, water turbulence increases the surface area of water for oxygen to diffuse across. Churning also allows air to hit water at a high pressure, allowing more oxygen to diffuse into the water. At last the presence of water plants produce oxygen in the water by doing the process of photosynthesis (How does oxygen get into the water?, 1999). Nowadays, commercial aquaculture is growing worldwide except in Africa. Fish and other aquatic organisms are a source of protein for human to intake. However, continues to harvest wild sources of fish will result in overfishing or even the loss of those aquatic species entirely. Aquaculture not only meets the human demand, but also allows wild species to breed and maintain the number of the wild aquatic species. There are a couple of aspects to look at in the aquaculture industry. The amount of dissolved oxygen in the water is relevant to maintain the water quality for fish and aquatic species to grow. Oxygen is important in respiration and metabolism processes in any animal. Particularly for fish, the metabolic rate is highly related to the oxygen concentration in water. For cold-water fish, the minimum DO requirement is 6mg per litre; for both tropical freshwater fish and tropical marine fish, it’s 5mg per litre. Once the level of DO is lower than the minimum requirement, fi sh may be affected by tissue hypoxia, their swimming activities will decrease and their immunity to diseases will also reduce (Aquaculture, 2000). It’s obvious that fish and aquatic species rely on the DO level in the water to survive. Fish farmers should realize all the factors that affect the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water; temperature is one of the main factors. The solubility of any gases is dependent on the temperature. At a high temperature, the solubility of a gas in the water is low, while at a lower temperature the gas solubility in the water is relatively higher (graph5) (The Effects of Temperature on the Solubility of Gases in the Universal Solvent (Water), 2009). As the temperature rises, the kinetic energy of the gas particles physically distributed in the water increases. This results in a more intensive gas particles’ motion, which allows intermolecular bonds between water molecules and gas molecules to be broken causing gas to escape into the atmosphere (Temperature and Pressure Effects on Solubility , 2003). The experiment consists of three parts, potassium iodate standardization, reagent blank determination and sample analysis. Begin with the KIO3 standardization, the exact concentration of potassium iodate is unknown, hence it’s titrated by sulfuric acid solution to determine it’s actual concentration. Reagent blank determination is done in order to minimize the error in the experiment. During the experiment, due to environment factors and contaminations, the result may be affected. Water is often used as a blank reagent and its responsible for determining the side effects on the final result. When doing the blank determination, water undergoes the same process as the sample. The value acquired is the blank value; it is then subtracted from the sample’s result. Once the processes of standardization and blank determination have been done, water sample can now be analyzed. The chemical reactions are as follows: 1) Manganese chloride reacts with sodium hydroxide to give a white perciptate of manganous hydroxide. MnCl2 + 2NaOH –> Mn(OH)2 + 2NaCl 2) The presence of oxygen in the water sample reacts with manganous hydroxide, manganic basic oxide is then formed. 2Mn(OH)2 + O2 –> 2 MnO(OH)2 3) Manganic basic oxide is dissolved by sulfuric acid, and immediately reacts with sodium iodide to yield iodine. 2MnO(OH)2 + 4 H2SO4 –> 2Mn(SO4)2 + 6H2O 2Mn(SO4)2 + 4 NaI –> 2Mn SO4 + 2Na2SO4 + 2I2 4) Sodium thiosulfate is used to titrate iodine with the indicator, starch, to the end point. 4Na2S2O3 + 2I2 ->2Na2S4O6 + 4NaI The titer determines the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water sample with one mole of O2 reacts with 4 moles of sodium thiosulfate. The amount of oxygen concentration can be calculated from the above analysis with the following formula: Dissolved oxygen = (mL/L) Notice that the unit is one milliliter of oxygen per litre of water, which can also be transferred into mg per litre. Hypothesis: It’s predicted that the lower temperature will result in a higher solubility of oxygen in water. Under the condition of high temperature, oxygen gas forms weak molecular bonds with the water molecules. As a result, oxygen molecules will rise towards the surface and escape to the atmosphere, consequently reducing the amount of oxygen gas dissolved in the water. The solubility of oxygen is compared between cold river water and heated river water within this experiment, whilst other variables are kept constant; including the size of the beaker, the location where river water is retrieved from and the solution used for titration. Materials: BOD bottle Deionised water Standard Potassium Iodate Sulfuric acid solution Sodium iodide-sodium hydroxide reagent Manganese chloride reagent Method: KIO3 Standardization (Titration) Label a BOD bottle with â€Å"KIO3 Standard† 15ml of deionised water added into the BOD bottle 10ml of standard potassium iodate with concentration of 0.00167M added into the BOD bottle with a pipette Swirl to mix 1 ml of 50% sulphuric acid solution added into the BOD bottle 1ml of sodium iodide-sodium hydroxide reagent added into the BOD bottle and swirl 1ml of manganese chloride reagent added into the BOD bottle and mix thoroughly Fill the BOD bottle with deionised water to the neck, and mix the solution by inverting the bottle a few times (BOD bottle now contains KIO3 standard solution, it’s identified as KIO3 standard bottle) Discard 50mL of KIO3 standard solution by using a 50mL volumetric pipette Add 50mL of KIO3 standard solution into a clean 100ml conical flask by using a 50mL volumetric pipette Set up the burette and fill it with sodium thiosulfate working solution Place a white tile under the burette with the conical flask that contains KIO3 standard solution on top Start titrating sodium thiosulfate into the conical flask until the solution turns a pale yellow colour, stop titrating Three drops of starch solution added to the flask, then continues to titrate until the solution turns colourless Volume of sodium thiosulfate added recorded Repeat the process until three readings within 0.05mL of each other acquired Reagent Blank determination – Titration Add 15mL of deionised water into a 250mL conical flask 1mL of KIO3 standard solution added to the conical flask 1mL of 50% sulphuric acid added to the flask 1mL of sodium iodide-sodium hydroxide added to the flask 1mL of manganese chloride reagent added to the flask Appendix Table1: (The Winkler Method Measuring Dissolved Oxygen, 2013) Graph 1: (Waters Influence on Temperature, 2013) Graph 2: (WATER: DESIGNED FOR LIFE, 2013) Graph 3: (Hydrogen bond, 2014) Graph4: (Lecture Water Chemistry Dissolved Gases Oxygen) Graph5: (Why oxygen dissolved in water is important , 1998)

Baptist Church Visit Essay -- Personal Narrative Church Essays

Baptist Church Visit I decided to go to a Baptist Church here in Miami. The reason that I chose Coral Park Baptist Church was because most Baptist Churches that I called here in Miami had the service in Spanish but Coral Park Baptist had an English service as well. I went to the eleven o’clock service on Sunday. The whole church itself was pretty big. There is the main temple that has the regular service in Spanish and then there is a whole other building that has separate classrooms where the English service is held and other Sunday school type classes are held.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were not as many people in the English service as there were in the Spanish service because the Spanish service is the focal point of the church. In the English service there were about 40 people present. Everyone that was there was dressed normal. Normal meaning a polo style shirt or a long sleeve shirt with nice pants for the men and the women were also dressed with semi-formal clothes. Even the preacher was dressed in semi-formal clothes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The image that I saw the most while my visit was the cross but the cross did not have Jesus on it. It was just the cross by itself. The scriptures that were read came from the bible. They provided me with a bible there so I could follow along with any of the passages that were read. There were no symbols on the bible. The title of the bible read, â€Å"The Holy Bible†. There weren’t a lot of images during the service that caught my eye. The only one that I...

Of Mice & Men :: essays research papers

Warren French writes, â€Å"The world just hasn’t been made right, so that dreams are the only things that can keep men going.† Agree or disagree with this statement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I remember a time in my life when I would always play with little children. At that point, at the age of six or seven, I decided to become a pediatrician or a kindergarten teacher. When I started high school, I started feeling stressed out because of the pressure that I was doing to myself to reach my goal of becoming a pediatrician. I could hardly focus on the topic we would have during class because I would be thinking about my future as a pediatrician. With the help of my friends, they helped me overcome the obstacles that I had. The more I thought about what profession I wanted to be, I thought about how much I loved working and dealing with computers. My friends and cousins told me that I should and can be what ever I wanted, and that helped me decide to major in computer engineering at San Jose State University. So you see when it comes down to life, dreams are not the only thing that can keep men going, friendships, pets and companionships can do the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel Of Mice and Men Lennie, George, and Candy demonstrate and prove that dreams are only one of the things that can keep men going. â€Å"Lennie, for God sakes don’t drink so much†¦.You gonna be sick like you was last night†¦.I ain’t sure its good water. Looks kinda scummy.† (page 3). George is so concerned with Lennie that he tells him to be careful of what he drinks because he does not know if it is good or contaminated. He tells him that so Lennie will not get sick and so that they can save up for their dream house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself, even if she was dead.† (page 13). After Lennie and George fight over the dead mouse, Lennie tells him that George would be better off if Lennie went to the mountains to live in a cave. George doesn’t let him. He tells him that he wants him to stay because not only did George somewhat promise Lennie’s dead Aunt Clara that he would take care of him, but he also learned how to live and adjust with the fact that Lennie has kind of a childish mind.

Group Dynamics Essay -- essays research papers

The characteristics of effective Groups Much can be learned about the art of building an effective group. We now understand many of the principles that create the proper environment in which groups can blossom and flourish. Yet we remain unable to "guarantee" that any given group will reach its goals or be anything more than modestly successful. However, even a group composed of "the very best people" has some probability of failure.( ) Groups can take on so much more risk than individuals and can attempt a level of greatness that is beyond the realistic hope of any individual. To unleash the full power of groups, members need to sort out for themselves where and how they can best make use of their group and what, for them, group work means. Below are characteristics of effective Groups. Clear Purpose The group members must agree on a clear purpose or goal and each team member is willing to work to achieve these goals. The team is aware of and interested in its own processes and examines norms operating within the team. The team identifies its own resources and uses them, depending on its needs. The team willingly accepts the influence and leadership of the members whose resources are relevant to the immediate task. Listening The team members continually listen to and clarify what is being said and show interest in others’ thoughts and feelings. Differences of opinion are encouraged and freely expressed. The team does not demand narrow conformity or ...

Nuclear Energy

As the need for electricity increases through time, it's important to find options for future complications. Nuclear power has both negative and positive attributes in producing electrical energy. Despite the negative, I believe it's a good choice to make for when we can no longer depend on other sources such as natural gas because it is cheaper and more â€Å"green†. Of course, there are other sources that could also be considered such as wind power, solar power, or coal. In my opinion, these are not as superior as nuclear power for several reasons. As global warming becomes a bigger concern, options such as natural gas and coal are eliminated because of environmental hazards. This leaves wind power, solar power, and nuclear power. Wind power and solar power are not bad options. In fact, they are probably the smartest and most â€Å"green† inventions for producing electricity. Like most things, however, they have a few flaws. For example, in a CNBC news article, â€Å"Primer: Nuclear Power† it stated that wind power and solar power produces the least amount of energy for the highest price. Another article, â€Å"Nuclear Power is Nuclear† said wind power is not only expensive but also dangerous to birds. The article said a proximately 75,000- 250,000 birds die each year by crashing into the spinning generator! With knowing that both wind power and solar power are cost-defective and knowing that coal and natural gas is harmful to the environment, what makes nuclear energy so great? Well, from an economic standpoint, nuclear energy is the cheapest to produce and produces the most. Nuclear plants now produce electricity for 1. 76 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 2. 47 cents for coal or 6. 78 cents for natural gas. † (Primer: Nuclear Power). As for the environment and people, it is a very safe process (in most cases) and does not produce global warming. Some people, like me, might have corresponded nuclear weapons to nuclear energy, which might have put you to look at nuclear energy from a negative perspective. But knowing and understanding how it works, shows that it is safer then you may expect. However, if an accident would occur it wouldn't be very good because of radiation poisoning that could spread and can cause a lot of cancers and other defects and diseases. Although the chances of this happening are very small and hopefully through time safety will progress. With these facts and statistics, nuclear power shows a cleaner and cheaper way for producing electricity in the future. With nuclear energy only being 20% of our power, hopefully nuclear plants would increase as well as their safety. Nuclear Energy Nuclear Energy is defined as the energy  that is released  when atomic nuclei either split or fuse. After a careful consideration of the amount of conventional fuels available and their consumption, it becomes very clear that nuclear energy will be used predominantly in the future. Moreover, it offers an attractive alternative to the conventional fuels that generally contribute to global warming.  In comparison to fossil fuels and hydroelectric power, nuclear energy provides a safer and cleaner option. Moreover, the quantity of uranium, which is used as nuclear fuel, is much more abundant than fossil fuels (Miller, 2004).Another advantage in using nuclear energy is that it is comparatively cheaper and environmentally safe, because the waste matter from such fuel is safely stored. In the United States of America, each and every nuclear power plant is controlled by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Moreover, these nuclear facilities have to strictly adhere to the safety standard s set by this regulatory body (Cabreza).A very important benefit of nuclear energy lies in the fact that it drastically reduces dependence on oil imports. Furthermore, this source of energy requires a lot of personnel, which helps to decrease unemployment. Nuclear energy is not only very efficient but also cost-effective, due to the minimal variance in the price of uranium, the optimal performance and frequent modernization of nuclear power plants. At present, a fifth of the total electricity needs of the U.S are catered to by nuclear (Cabreza).In comparison to nuclear energy, coal the conventional source of energy is much more dangerous. Coal releases a number of pollutants and carcinogens when burned. Further, the annual casualties amongst coal miners, due to accidents, are around a hundred. Nuclear power is far safer in comparison to coal or hydropower (Miller, 2004).  The nuclear fuel used in nuclear reactors is Uranium-235 and the mechanism by which nuclear fission energy is released is given by the equation:  10n + 235 92U —> 9236Kr + 14156 Ba +200 MeV+ 3 1 0n (3-3: Nuclear Fission).Uranium-235 releases 3.7 million times the amount of energy that coal can release. Due to the use of nuclear energy, two and a half billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are not released into the atmosphere every year (Why use Nuclear Power?, 2006).In view of the above facts, it is imperative for the world to adopt nuclear energy for all their energy requirements. Nuclear power is clean, cost-effective, reliable and safe power. No major nuclear accidents have taken place in the U.S.   In its entire history, only a single accident took place in 1979. In that incident there was a partial reactor core meltdown at Three Mile Island (Accident of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant).However, this accident served to illustrate the effectiveness of the various safety measures that had been adopted in nuclear power plants. Radiation from the core of the reactor could not come out of the reactor due to the highly effective walls and no member of the public or personnel of the facility sustained even an injury.  Moreover, with the amount of subsequent research that was conducted after this accident, the possibility of the recurrence of such an incident is very remote. Considerable attention has been paid to recycling spent fuel and thereby reducing the amount of nuclear waste. In view of these facts the day is not far off when nuclear fuel will completely replace fossil fuels.ReferencesWhy use Nuclear Power? (2006, October 22). Retrieved May 3, 2007, from The Virtual Nuclear Tourist: http://www.nucleartourist.com/basics/reasons1.htm Nuclear Energy As the need for electricity increases through time, it's important to find options for future complications. Nuclear power has both negative and positive attributes in producing electrical energy. Despite the negative, I believe it's a good choice to make for when we can no longer depend on other sources such as natural gas because it is cheaper and more â€Å"green†. Of course, there are other sources that could also be considered such as wind power, solar power, or coal. In my opinion, these are not as superior as nuclear power for several reasons. As global warming becomes a bigger concern, options such as natural gas and coal are eliminated because of environmental hazards. This leaves wind power, solar power, and nuclear power. Wind power and solar power are not bad options. In fact, they are probably the smartest and most â€Å"green† inventions for producing electricity. Like most things, however, they have a few flaws. For example, in a CNBC news article, â€Å"Primer: Nuclear Power† it stated that wind power and solar power produces the least amount of energy for the highest price. Another article, â€Å"Nuclear Power is Nuclear† said wind power is not only expensive but also dangerous to birds. The article said a proximately 75,000- 250,000 birds die each year by crashing into the spinning generator! With knowing that both wind power and solar power are cost-defective and knowing that coal and natural gas is harmful to the environment, what makes nuclear energy so great? Well, from an economic standpoint, nuclear energy is the cheapest to produce and produces the most. Nuclear plants now produce electricity for 1. 76 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 2. 47 cents for coal or 6. 78 cents for natural gas. † (Primer: Nuclear Power). As for the environment and people, it is a very safe process (in most cases) and does not produce global warming. Some people, like me, might have corresponded nuclear weapons to nuclear energy, which might have put you to look at nuclear energy from a negative perspective. But knowing and understanding how it works, shows that it is safer then you may expect. However, if an accident would occur it wouldn't be very good because of radiation poisoning that could spread and can cause a lot of cancers and other defects and diseases. Although the chances of this happening are very small and hopefully through time safety will progress. With these facts and statistics, nuclear power shows a cleaner and cheaper way for producing electricity in the future. With nuclear energy only being 20% of our power, hopefully nuclear plants would increase as well as their safety.

Ethical Issues with Termination

At-will employment means that the employee or employer has the right â€Å"to end the employment relationship at any time with or without notice or cause. † (FedEx Office: AllBusiness, 1999-2009) Involuntary termination is a touchy subject for employers and it can happen for numerous reasons: specific cause, such as stealing, poor performance, and layoffs due to lack of work. Even though most companies have an â€Å"at-will† relationship with their employees, it is still arguably illegal to terminate an employee for no reason.When it comes to termination, managers are faced with current moral and ethical issues. In a lot of companies, in addition to professional relationships, managers develop personal relationships with their employees. In most cases, employees spend a majority of their week (40+ hours) with their â€Å"work family. † Co-workers learn about each other's families, extra-curricular activities, and personal problems. Even if managers try to separat e themselves from their employees on a personal level, it is difficult to ignore new school pictures being displayed on their desks or avoid a discussion about a recent weekend vacation.When legitimate problems arise in a company which requires involuntary termination, the manager faces a dilemma. They must fire an employee because it is best for the company and ignore the thoughts of how it will affect their family and personal life. Often times, employees take the involuntary termination harder because they feel betrayed by someone they considered their â€Å"friend†. When an employee is terminated, in more cases than not, they feel blind-sided; most of them â€Å"never saw it coming†.It is essential that employers set and follow standard documentation procedures that will provide a timeline of disciplinary action and performance reviews that will serve as proof of legitimate termination if necessary. A disgruntled employee may question the validity of their terminat ion and in some cases seek legal counsel to help them determine if there was just cause. The current social issues in the United States may make it more difficult for a manager to terminate an employee while at the same time it is more than necessary.The financial state of the country is  causing businesses to struggle which results in less profits; less profits mean that a company's productions will be lowered so they cannot afford and do not need the same number of employees. In this case, an employee may not have given any cause for termination but managers must choose which employee they are willing to lose. They may choose the last hired, the highest paid, or the employee that is least valuable.Knowing that the rate of unemployment is at an all time high and the possibility of finding other employment may take longer than usual, the manager faces a tough a decision when thinking of how their decision will negatively each person they must terminate. Severance packages may be o ffered in exchange for â€Å"a full release of all claims† that may be filed against the company for wrongful termination. Tough economical times may cause disgruntled employees to take whatever measures necessary to generate income for their family. I have been a victim of wrongful termination.In 2002,  I started working as an assistant to the Office Manager  of a small financial company. There were only two other people above the Office Manager and that was a person in sales position and then the President of the company. I quickly caught on and was given more responsibilities as well as a pretty healthy increase in pay. Working in a small office allows for unconventional relationships between managers and employees; we shared the same interests, shared a similar sense of humor which resulted in a workplace friendship between all of us.Lunch trips and shopping breaks turned into personal Christmas party invitations and summer beach house vacations. We were all very clos e and business was increasing so more employees were hired to work under me. My supervisor and I became almost interchangeable. If she was not there, I took over and performed her duties, although she could not perform mine. I sensed animosity building and tension rising, but overall I knew I was there as her assistant and was careful to never overstep my boundaries.Business slowed and our sales structure changed, so cuts were being made. The sales person was let go and I think she felt that one of us would be next; even though she had been there longer I know she felt threatened that I could perform her job as well as mine. She started targeting me; purposefully changing my changing after my school schedule had been approved, moving my desk unnecessarily, and creating an overall hostile work environment by addressing everyone in a room except for me.I knew what she was doing; being a part of the â€Å"inside upper management†, I had witnessed her do it to others before. Her strategy was to make employees quit in order to avoid the expense of paying unemployment wages. One week, she called me into an office to discuss my work performance and stated that she was giving me a warning. I knew that she was now trying to create a paper trail of disciplinary problems, even though nothing had changed in my performance.The following week she requested another meeting and said that she was writing me up for personal internet usage. Previously, it was acceptable for us to check our personal email, and she and I would collectively read news and gossip and exchange stories across the room. I refused to sign the disciplinary notice because I had not been informed of any policy changes, so that was then considered insubordination. I was asked to leave; I immediately went to the Department of Labor to file for unemployment due to wrongful termination.I explained to them that my termination was not legitimate. I waited for them to contact my employer and of course they provided a copy of the form that I refused to sign. The Department of Labor declined my request for unemployment compensation, so I appealed their decision and wrote a very long letter explaining everything I knew about how my supervisor â€Å"set up† previous employees to keep them from receiving unemployment. I also requested a phone interview in which both I and my supervisor would be present with a Department of Labor representative.My supervisor declined the request; I assume because she knew she was wrong and did not want to be faced with questions regarding what I wrote. Nine months later, I was contacted by the President of the company stating that they had tried to hire several people to take my place and he realized that he should have never allowed her to terminate me. He offered me a large salary increase and a promise that my employment status will never be in her hands. She still works with me, and we are â€Å"friends† again, but I have definitely learne d to keep office friendships to a minimum.Today we are able to laugh at the situation; deep down I think she respects me for standing up for myself and she knows that I am a great asset to the company. Termination is not something that anyone ever looks forward to, be it the employee or the employer. Unfortunately it has to be done, and employers must take steps to protect themselves from lawsuits and disgruntled employees. Employees must learn that although there may be a â€Å"relationship† with their manager, the manager must first look out for the business's best interest and it may ot always include them as an employee.References Butler, B. (2009). Right-to-Work and At-Will Employee. Today’s Workplace: A Workplace Fairness Blog. Retrieved on December 7, 2009. Farr, . (2000,  November). Terminations Require Careful Study, Planning. Small Business, (), 15. FedEx Office: AllBusiness. (1999-2009). Decreasing the Legal Risks of Employee Termination.

Nike and International Labor Practice Essay

Problem Identification Established in the early 70’s Nike, Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon, USA faced a severe stream of criticism and experienced growing problems concerning their plants and employee treatment, mainly in Indonesia and Vietnam in 1988. Rising demand for Nike products, which almost doubled within a short period of time, led the company and its 350+ subcontractors to raise the production level. Series of labor problems and abuse such as cheap labor wages, poor working conditions, health and safety issues and underage workers exploitation, were the main issues Nike had to deal with. Furthermore, Nike, Inc. had to deal with managing the diversity of cultures and language barriers had to be overcome, while still be able to produce the high-quality product Nike is famous for. Throughout the 1990’s Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, Inc. and the company itself lost their superb corporate image in the eye of the world and it became an international incident. Causes of Problem After establishing a name in the world, Phil Knight, decided to manufacture Nike’s apparel in South Korea and Taiwan, and by 1982 already 86% of Nike’s sneakers came from these two countries. Realizing that Asian countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and China provide cheaper labor cost, better government support and higher profit, Nike moved their production lines there, with Indonesia becoming an important location. In 1991, the daily minimum wage was barely $1 in Indonesia, compared to a typical daily wage of $24.40 in South Korea and a US hourly wage of about $8 in athletic shoe manufacturing. Even that the Indonesian government raised the minimum wage from 2,100 Rupiah ($1.00/day) to 2,500 Rupiah ($1.25/day), the new wage was still underneath the workers’ living expenses. In 1992, these issues went outside of Indonesia and even hit Washington D.C., when President Clinton introduced the task force Apparel Industry Partnership (AIP) to develop and control labor st andards for foreign factories. Although Nike was the first one to join, they had trouble convincing people that everything went right in their plants in Asia. Ernst & Young was being hired to control and audit the factories, but soon voices became loud, that there was not a really  objective view at the problems, since Nike was paying them. It hit the peak in 1997/ 1998, when TV shows, newspapers and even a movie (The Big One) were talking about the bad conditions within Nike’s factories in Asia and publicly challenged Phil Knight to change the way workers were treated, compensated and how underage workers were employed. Adidas, Reebok and New Balance took advantage of Nike’s down slope and gained in competitive advantage. This led to diminishing sales number, earnings fell 69%, and for the first time in 13 years Nike, Inc. had a loss at the end of the year 1998. Alternatives 1.Government regulation of Nike Advantages: a)Local Government would have a closer look onto what is happening in its own country and with their people b)US Government could also have a closer look onto what Nike is doing abroad and would be able to intervene any illegal activity from the motherland c)Both governments would work closer together and it would open doors for other US companies to invest in the foreign country Disadvantages: a)As indicated in the case, some governments just see the money that is brought into the country, regardless what is happening within the company, or better said to its people. b)Ties between the US government and the foreign country might not be the best, due to political tensions, and makes it therefore tougher to work together. 2.Improve employee’s working and living standards Advantages: a)†A happy employee is a better worker† – improve the employees living standard by raising his wage, giving him more benefits (health insurance, vacation time), lessen his working hours, etc. b)Equal Opportunity – give chances to workers to move up the company ladder, and not only bring outside people in. Furthermore, adjust worker’s compensation, working hours and labor conditions to human standards. c)Extensive training and development for managers – All managers should learn foreign country’s language, living habits and adapt to culture. Training the workers on the job will also help to overcome workforce diversity and make the workplace a better place to be. Disadvantages: a)The changes will take time and will be cost effective. b)Adapt to western working habits, might be a huge change for Asian workforce and might not be adapted well 3.Documentation and Inspection Advantages: a)Factories will be supervised, by either the local government or organizations b)Inspections will lead to better working conditions c)Workers will have someone to talk to and will not be left alone Disadvantages: a)Again, organizations might be paid by Nike and not report the whole truth b)Reports from workers might be left alone and not brought up to people in charge Best Alternative The best alternative for Nike, Inc. is to undertake all three alternatives simultaneously. In order to gain back the market share and competitive advantage, their global view has to strengthen. They started off very well by implementing some of the above-mentioned ideas. These alternatives will just help them to become a stronger player in this fast growing and very competitive business world. Implementation Steps The actions, that Nike, Inc. should take are as followed: First they should work on getting their name back into the right spotlight, by implementing the alternatives. The governments will be more than willing to help them and since Nike is recognized all over the world, even the local governments/ countries are keen on keeping them in their country and employ their citizens. This might even bring countries like the USA and Indonesia closer together and more companies from the US will be ready to go to Indonesia and produce there. Secondly, the workers’ benefits, life standard and work habits are the most important of all of the alternatives. Nike, Inc. should invest most of their research and development in this field, since the wages are still not as they should be. An idea would be to start raising the wages to at least the country’s standard, so that people can live off their earnings a normal life. Nike started successfully the implementation of programs that involved increasing the workers’ living standard in the developing world, but still the compensation of the worker is the main problem that needs to be taken on right away. Secure working places, no lay-offs and safe working environments should be steps that must be taken immediately, only then we can see the difference and make a worker a happy  and productive employee. Last but not least, Nike should be watched, inspected and documented upon. It will not only help the factories in Vietnam or Indonesia, but also the company itself. Once outside organizations tell Nike where they need to improve on and do it after being told, then the company will also get into the positive spotlight, which will resume in higher sales and more profit. Nike will then be again the strongest contender in supporting and sponsoring universities, pro athletes and teams and most important a company that everybody wants to work for, regardless where.

Albert Bandura Theory Essay

Albert Bandura’s theory (The Bobo Doll Experiment) states that children learn aggressive behavior through the media, and by observing others and the environment. He stated that many individuals believed that aggression will produce reinforcements. â€Å"These reinforcements can formulate into reduction of tension, gaining financial rewards, or gaining the praise of others, or building self-esteem† (Siegel, 1992, p. 171). Bandura believes that this aggressive like behavior is stemmed from a process called aggressive modeling. I disagree with this theory because there are too many people in the world to base his theory on something that is not even factual. There are many factors when considering a child’s behavior. Does that child have a violent nature? Is that child a natural introvert? These variables play a huge part when considering if a child will respond to violence. An introvert child is a child who is better off being alone (Dictionary.com). They shelter within themselves. They draw energy and confidence from being alone and staying to themselves. A child like this tends to shy away from groups and group activities. Often times, violent crimes and aggressive behavior are spawned by a group or gang of likeminded people. Introverted children will more than likely not be involved with such gathering of behavior. According to an article, Children and TV Violence, Sarah Davis (2010) indicated that â€Å"While some children emulate the violence they see on the TV, more introverted children get scared instead† (www.livestrong.com). Sometimes, children just take a natural attraction to violent behavior. It does not necessarily have anything to do with the upbringing or environmental state. In some cases, the best parents have the worst children. No one is responsible for the outcome of that child’s behavior but the child itself. The child is the only beholder of what they decide to become in the future. For example, I know a set of twin boys who were both brought up in the same household. They attended the same school and were exposed to the same environment. Yet, the younger twin led a life of aggressive behavior and made a career of being out of being a criminal. However, the older twin chose a path of positivity. He graduated from high school and went to college. He also recently got engaged and is now working on a career in Business. However, his brother is currently serving a sentence for burglary and aggravated assault with the intent to do bodily harm. This simple comparison with these twin boys is called the Classical Choice Theory. The Classical Choice Theory has evolved into modern rational choice theory, which argues that criminals are rational decision makers: before choosing to commit crimes, criminals evaluate the benefits and costs of the contemplate criminal act; their choice is structured by the fear of punishment (Siegel, 2011, p. 13). This theory states that criminals or children who commit crimes have the rational choice to commit crimes without any influence of their environment, other people or the media. Others might not agree with me on the Albert Bandura Theory, stating that the media, other people and the environment are some reasons for negative behavior of a child. Parenting a child is not a science; it cannot be put into a scientific method and used to rear and develop a child. However, each child is different; therefore, each technique has to be executed accordingly to a child’s behavior. Unfortunately, some children live in low income societies and are exposed to violence. Nevertheless, if you rear a child with the proper guidance, that child still withholds his future in his hands. Each child has the ultimate say-so of what they will or will not do when it is time for them to make that dangerous choice. References (N/A) (N/D) Introvert Retrieved on July 31, 2012 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/introvert?s=t Davis, S.(2010). Children and tv violence. Retrieved August 6,2012, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/75671-children-tv-violence/#ixzz22mr0G2ui Rathus A. Spencer (2012). Psych. 51. Mason, Ohio: Wadsworth. Cengage Learning. Siegal, L. J. (2011). Criminology: The core (4th ed.). Florence, KY: Wadsworth Publishing.

Anti-Anxiety Medication and the Brain

Anti-Anxiety Medication and the Brain When one is bed-ridden with the flu, it only makes sense for that person to see a doctor to seek treatment. Such treatment could be in the form of medications. Much like a physical illness, the anxiety-ridden may even seek medicinal therapy. However, the underlying difference among the medications is their function and how they function. While one may answer those problems for the wide class of antibiotics, may we say the same for treating the ailments of the mind? In order to understand the advancements in modern medicine and technology, we must first look back to the primitive practices of treating anxiety disorders. In order to treat, psychologists and psychiatrists must be able to diagnose and classify. Before they were recognized by the American Psychological Association in the 1980’s, anxiety disorders were seen as normal bouts of stress (Tracy). As a type of neurosis, psychologists and psychiatrists questioned to validity of treatment for the individual. However, e ven decades before its official classification, anxiety was treated in varied, primitive, and even absurd, ways, including the use of essential oils and salves, applying severely cold or hot temperatures to the inflicted, and draining blood with the use of blood-sucking animals (Tracy). In more negative connotations, medieval doctors placed the blame on mild demonic possession and witchcraft. Following these types of remedies were electric shock therapy and institutionalization, quickly replaced with the invention of lobotomies (piercing the brain with an icepick through the patient’s eye), developed by Dr. Moniz and Dr. Walker Freeman in the 1940s. The shocking, unethical practice is abandoned for anti-psychotic therapies and medicines. With advancements in technology came advancements toward modern medicines, giving psychiatrists the ability to alter the brain’s wiring with the use of pills. Anxiety, in textbook definition, is the feeling of intense fear in respons e toward an unreal threat (Rathus). To treat mental illness such as anxiety, psychiatrists must know the inner workings of how the nervous system delivers messages. A message is received by the dendrites of a nerve cell, which travels through the cell’s body (Rathus). It then moves along the axon, protected by the myelin sheath (Rathus). The message’s final destination is the axon terminals, where it passes along the synapse and onto the dendrites of the next nerve cell (Rathus). This message, whatever it entails, continues this repetitive journey in one direction until it reaches its destination (Rathus). The most important part when looking at anxiety disorders is the axon terminals and the synapse, where chemicals containing these messages, neurotransmitters, are released (Rathus). With anxiety disorders, one’s body may be low on those â€Å"feel-good† neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters include serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and gamma-ami nobutyric acid (GABA) (Staff). Psychiatrists have also concluded that one’s with an anxiety disorder may have an excessive amount of the neurotransmitter cortisol, which invokes stress (Staff). Another offender lies right within the brain, the amygdala (Simon). This pea-sized site of the brain responds to fear, and those with anxiety disorders are found with amygdala hyperactivity (Simon). With this pertinent information in mind, psychiatrists can alter the brain’s behavior with the presence of these neurotransmitters. Much like antibiotics alters how the body’s immune system behaves, anti-anxiety medication can alter how the nervous system behaves. Anti-anxiety medication depresses brain activity, lowers vitals such as blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates, and decrease feelings of uneasiness and dread by modifying brain behavior (Association). While these medications cannot safely replenish levels of neurotransmitters, one method of controlling the bra in’s behavior is closing up the source of the neurotransmitter. This is the role of SSRIs, which stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (Staff). Serotonin is famously known as the â€Å"feel-good† neurotransmitter and the prime suspect of anxiety and depressive disorders. A problem with many anxiety sufferers is either the lack of serotonin or the quick reuptake of serotonin in their nervous systems (Staff). To remedy this obstacle, SSRIs block the reabsorption of serotonin, allowing the chemical to remain available (Staff). Some FDA approved SSRIs include citalopram (Celexa), citalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), and sertraline (Zoloft) (Staff). Remedies may have its drawbacks, for side effects of these medications include fatigue, dependency, restlessness, muscle tension, blankness, irritability, sleep problems, insomnia, and even its adverse effect, suicidal thoughts among children and teenagers (Staff). Withdrawal from S SRIs, especially sudden, may invoke more intense feelings of dread or uneasiness, nausea, gastrointestinal issues, and strange sensations in vision and touch (Tartagovsky). While these problems may arise, these medicinal therapies work well with those who experience chronic anxiety. Another approach a psychiatrist turns to is to open receptors to neurotransmitters. This class of medicines are known as benzodiazepines (or Benzos, for short) (Anderson). These medications are known as â€Å"tranquilizers† due to their functions (Anderson). A natural tranquilizer itself, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter which depresses the brain’s activity; this neurotransmitter has also been scarce in those suffering from anxiety disorders (Anderson). Benzodiazepines remedy this by opening the frequency of the GABA-A receptor responsible for reacting with GABA (Anderson). This allows more availability of GABA in the nervous system, inevitably calming the brain and bo dy. Some FDA approved benzodiazepines include clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), and oxazepam (Serax) (Anderson). Some benzodiazepines are found to have faster onset action than others (Anderson). Onset action is how fast the medicine acts and how long the treatment lasts. Since these medications are only for short-term usage, the only known side effects of benzodiazepines include drowsiness, forgetfulness, and unusual sleep patterns (WebMD). However, long-term usage of benzodiazepines can lead to dependency and addiction to the medication (WebMD). Abusers of the medication may experience drowsiness, confusion, dizziness, impaired vision, speech, and coordination, respiration difficulties, and even coma-like states and death (WebMD). When used responsibly, benzodiazepines aid in sufferers of acute anxiety and panic attacks. Just as pharmacologists and medical doctors have found ways to modify a body’s functions, pharmacologists and psychiatrists h ave also worked to modify the brain’s functions. For those suffering from anxiety disorders, psychiatrists prescribe medications to open and close synapses and receptors in the nervous system of the body, making these â€Å"feel-good† neurotransmitters more available and inevitably remedy the bed-ridden mind. References Anderson, L. Drugs.com . 4 May 2014. Web. 2 December 2016. Association, American Psychiatric. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Vol. V . Arlington, 2013. Print. Rathus, Spencer A. Psychology; Principles in Practice . Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003. Textbook. Simon, Harvey. New York Times . 11 March 2013. Web. 25 November 2016. Staff, MayoClinic. Mayoclinic . 24 June 2016. Web. 25 November 2016. Tartagovsky, Margarita. PsychCentral . n.d. Web. 25 November 2016. Tracy, Natasha. Healthy Place . 30 July 2016. Web. 2 December 2016. WebMD . n.d. Web. 2 December 2016.