The Importance of Protecting Rain Forests

Explain the Importance of Maintaining the Biodiversity of Tropical Rain Forests Biodiversity is the variation of plant and animal life in a certain habitat, in other words it is the variation of life forms within a particular ecosystem. All the living species depend on each other and this is where biodiversity comes into play. According to some research 90 percent of all plant and insect and animal species exists in the tropical rain forests. Biodiversity in tropical rain forests is vital since the large amount of species found there are so signi? cant.Biodiversity helps maintain the ecological balance between species in the rain forests. Tropical rain forests such as the Amazon and the Congo Basin, are home to some 500 million people. These people are some of the least privileged groups in our international society. The locals depend on the forests for many important products and environmental services. The native and indigenous peoples rely on the rain forests for their way of life . They do not only meet their economic requirements for food and shelter but also form an integral part of the culture and spiritual traditions.Tropical rain forests have a huge impact on the global climate. They moderate the daily range of air temperatures and maintain the atmospheric humidity levels. Tropical rain forests have been called the lungs of our planet. Forests absorb atmospheric carbon and refresh the oxygen in the air we humans breath daily. The Amazon produces a large 20% of the worlds oxygen. Additionally tropical rain forests provide timber as well as many products from animals such as varieties of meat and hides. Forests are also an important source of new pharmaceuticals used to ? ght cancer, AIDS, and other serious human diseases.Lastly the Rain forests rich and unique biodiversity makes it a popular tourist destination. The tropical rainforest are being destroyed daily and at a fast rate. Different factors contribute to the wreckage of the worlds endangered fore sts. Large mining companies are causing serious environmental damage through releasing toxic waste products into the rain forests and its rivers. These wastes are not only threatening the forests themselves but also the health of the locals living there. Additionally tropical rain forests are disappearing quickly through deforestation. Humans clear the natural forests o make room for farms, to harvest timber, for construction, fuels, and global sales. Deforestation in the Amazon and other rain forests across the world has a devastating effect including the extinction of rare plants and animals, social con? ict and climate change. Lastly large oil companies such as the American company Texaco, now Chevron, are a huge contributor to the destruction of tropical rain forests. The oil extraction process results in the release of toxic byproducts from oil drilling into the local rivers and broken pipelines and leakage are the results of regular oil spills.It is obvious that the great vari ety of forests products is important by economic standard, such as the rubber industry. The Amazon rainforest is one of the most signi? cant producers of natural rubber in the world. Thus making the Amazon rainforest among others a great economic importance. ! Worldwide the destruction of tropical rain forests accounts for more greenhouse gas emission than all the worlds planes, trains, and cars combined. It is crucial for the tropical rain forests to be conserved to stop climate change from getting even worse and to ensure that we can endure the impacts of global warming.Tropical rain forests absorb and stock extensive quantities of carbon, thus helping to regulate temperature and to produce rain. When the forests are destroyed the carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Additionally they ? ght erosion and shield the underground water reserves. Keeping the rain forests standing is a critical factor in ? ghting climate change and modifying to a warmer world. Biodiversity plays an important role in our global eco system and our very existence. It has an immense value that is worth protecting regardless of its value to the human race.The different varieties of species play an important role in the global ecological system. Different forms of live depend on each other for food and sustainability. An example would be snakes eat frogs, frogs eat insects, insects eat plants. This relationship is called the food chain and is extremely vital to stabilize our global eco system. If one species is terminated from the cycle, it will result in the collapse of other living species that depend on one another for their source of food.Conserving biodiversity can also have other bene? ts. Many varieties of biodiversity species have the possibility to become a source of new pharmaceuticals or to provide protection against diseases. Biodiversity and a healthy natural eco-system are crucial for long term sustainability and for the reduction of the effects of climate change. E ssay word count: 793 Works Cited 1900s, By The. â€Å"Rainforests – Explore the Rainforests of the World. † The Nature Conservancy Protecting Nature, Preserving Life. Web. 04 Nov. 2010.

Boston Bombing: Summary Essay

On Monday April 15 2013, which was Patriot Day, an atrocity happened in Boston, United States. As everyone already knew, it was the Boston Marathon Bombing. The annual Boston Marathon bombing started just like other years, without any clue of the calamity. The marathon began as usual and horde of crowds gather along the sidewalk, cheering for their families and friends. The contestants endured the tiredness and headed towards the finish line. A spontaneous chant of â€Å"Go, Go!† bursted out as the runners moved closer and closer towards the ending. But just then, a bomb was released on Boylston Street, near the finish line. Many people screamed, and the air was filled with dirt and gases. 13 minutes later, another bomb went off also on Boylston Street, but few blocks further. Debris from the building along the side walk was blown over into pieces, flying over in the air. Some runners collapsed on the ground, failing to stand up. They tried to combat the bomb but unfortunately, they couldn’t. The air was so polluted and you hardly could see anything. 3 people died, and 264 were injured. A exciting and interesting event turned into one that was a totally disaster and grievous. But fortunately, rescue workers came as soon as possible. According to FBI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the weapons that took part in the bombing were pressure cooker bombs that was especially made for this marathon. These types of bomb was intended to damage the runner’s limb, making them unable to run. Most of the victims suffered severe leg injuries and wounds. This event was globally significant because it had caused a lot of reactions from people all over the world. In the united states, a moment of silence were observed on the day after the bombing to show respects towards the victims. President Obama ordered the flags lowered to half- staff, also to show a kind of respect. In China, people posted message on social websites to give comment about the death of a Chinese contestant, who was attending collage in Boston. People were aware of her death since many Chinese wanted to send their children overseas for collage. People all around the world will learn from this event and be more cautious.

Problems

Chapter 3 Problems 1. Dental Delights has two divisions. Division A has a profit of $200,000 on sales of $4,000,000. Division B is only able to make $30,000 on sales of $480,000. Based on the profit margins (returns on sales), which division is superior? 3-1. Solution: Dental Delights Division ADivision B [pic] Division B is superior 3. Bass Chemical, Inc. , is considering expanding into a new product line. Assets to support this expansion will cost $1,200,000. Bass estimates that it can generate $2 million in annual sales, with a 5 percent profit margin. What would net income and return on assets (investment) be for the year? -3. Solution:Bass Chemical, Inc. [pic] 4. Franklin Mint and Candy Shop can open a new store that will do an annual sales volume of $750,000. It will turn over its assets 2. 5 times per year. The profit margin on sales will be 6 percent. What would net income and return on assets (investment) be for the year? 3-4. Solution: Franklin Mint and Candy Shop [pic] 8. Sharpe Razor Company has total assets of $2,500,000 and current assets of $1,000,000. It turns over its fixed assets 5 times a year and has $700,000 of debt. Its return on sales is 3 percent. What is Sharpe’s return on stockholders’ equity? -8. Solution: Sharpe Razor Company total assets$2,500,000 – current assets 1,000,000 Fixed assets$1,500,000 [pic] total assets$2,500,000 –debt 700,000 Stockholders’ equity$1,800,000 [pic] [pic] 11. Acme Transportation Company has the following ratios compared to its industry for 2009. | |Acme Transportation |Industry | |Return on assets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ | 9% | 6% | |Return on equity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |12% |24% |Explain why the return-on-equity ratio is so much less favorable than the return-on-assets ratio compared to the industry. No numbers are necessary; a one-sentence answer is all that is required. 3-11. Solution: Acme Transportation Company Acme Transportation has a lowe r debt/total assets ratio than the industry. For those who did a calculation, Acme’s debt to assets were 25% vs 75% for the industry. 14. Jerry Rice and Grain Stores has $4,000,000 in yearly sales. The firm earns 3. 5 percent on each dollar of sales and turns over its assets 2. 5 times per year. It has $100,000 in current liabilities and $300,000 in long-term liabilities. . What is its return on stockholders’ equity? b. If the asset base remains the same as computed in part a, but total asset turnover goes up to 3, what will be the new return on stockholders’ equity? Assume that the profit margin stays the same as do current and long-term liabilities. 3-14. Solution: Jerry Rice and Grain Stores a. [pic] [pic] [pic] 3-14. (Continued) b. The new level of sales will be: [pic] [pic] [pic] 25. Calloway Products has the following data. Industry information is also shown. Industry Data on Net YearNet IncomeTotal AssetsIncome/Total Assets 2006$360,000$3,000,00011% 00738 0,0003,400,0008 2008380,0003,800,0005 Industry Data on YearDebtTotal AssetsDebt/Total Assets 2006$1,600,000$3,000,00052% 20071,750,0003,400,00040 20081,900,0003,800,00031 As an industry analyst comparing the firm to the industry, are you likely to praise or criticize the firm in terms of: a. Net income/Total assets? b. Debt/Total assets? 3-25. Solution: Calloway Products a. Net income/total assets |Year |Calloway Ratio |Industry Ratio | |2006 |12. % |11. 0% | |2007 |11. 18% |8. 0% | |2008 |10. 0% |5. 0% | Although the company has shown a declining return on assets since 2006, it has performed much better than the industry. Praise may be more appropriate than criticism. 3-25. (Continued) b. Debt/total assets Year |Calloway Ratio |Industry Ratio | |2006 |53. 33% |52. 0% | |2007 |51. 47% |40. 0% | |2008 |50. 0% |31. 0% |While the company’s debt ratio is improving, it is not improving nearly as rapidly as the industry ratio. Criticism may be more appropriate than praise. 26. J odie Foster Care Homes, Inc. , shows the following data: YearNet IncomeTotal AssetsStockholders’ EquityTotal Debt 2005$118,000$1,900,000$ 700,000$1,200,000 2006131,0001,950,000950,0001,000,000 2007148,0002,010,0001,100,000910,000 2008175,7002,050,0001,420,000630,000 a. Compute the ratio of net income to total assets for each year and comment on the trend. b. Compute the ratio of net income to stockholders’ equity and comment on the trend.Explain why there may be a difference in the trends between parts a and b. 3-26. Solution: Jodie Foster Care Homes, Inc. a. [pic] 2005 $118,000/$1,900,000 = 6. 21% 2006 $131,000/$1,950,000 = 6. 72% 2007 $148,000/$2,010,000 = 7. 36% 2008 $175,700/$2,050,000 = 8. 57% Comment: There is a strong upward movement in return on assets over the four year period. 3-26. (Continued) b. [pic] 2005 $118,000/$700,000= 16. 86% 2006 $131,000/$950,000= 13. 79% 2007 $148,000/$1,100,000= 13. 45% 2008 $175,700/$1,420,000= 12. 37% Comment: The return on sto ckholders’ equity ratio is going down each year.The difference in trends between a and b is due to the larger portion of assets that are financed by stockholders’ equity as opposed to debt. Optional: This can be confirmed by computing total debt to total assets for each year. [pic] 200563. 2% 200651. 3% 200745. 3% 200830. 7% 31. The Griggs Corporation has credit sales of $1,200,000. Given the following ratios, fill in the balance sheet below. Total assets turnover 2. 4 times Cash to total assets 2. 0% Accounts receivable turnover 8. 0 times Inventory turnover10. 0 times Current ratio 2. 0 times Debt to total assets61. 0% GRIGGS CORPORATIONBalance Sheet 2008 AssetsLiabilities and Stockholders’ Equity Cash _____Current debt_____ Accounts receivable_____Long-term debt_____ Inventory_____ Total debt_____ Total current assets _____Equity_____ Fixed assets _____ Total assets _____ Total debt and stockholders’ equity_____ 3-31. Solution: Griggs Corporation Sales /total assets= 2. 4 times Total assets= $1,200,000/2. 4 Total assets= $500,000 Cash= 2% of total assets Cash= 2% ? $500,000 Cash= $10,000 Sales/accounts receivable= 8 times Accounts receivable= $1,200,000/8 Accounts receivable= $150,000 Sales/inventory= 10 timesInventory= $1,200,000/10 Inventory= $120,000 3-31. (Continued) Fixed assets= Total assets – current assets Current asset= $10,000 + $150,000 + $120,000 = $280,000 Fixed assets= $500,000 – $280,000 = $220,000 Current assets/current debt= 2 Current debt= Current assets/2 Current debt= $280,000/2 Current debt= $140,000 Total debt/total assets= 61% Total debt= . 61 ? $500,000 Total debt= $305,000 Long-term debt= Total debt – current debt Long-term debt= $305,000 – 140,000 Long-term debt= $165,000 Equity= Total assets – total debt Equity= $500,000 – $305,000 Equity= $195,000 Griggs Corporation Balance Sheet 2008 Cash |$ 10,000 |Current debt |$140,000 | |A/R |150,000 |Long-term debt | 165,0 00 | |Inventory |$120,000 |Total debt |$305,000 | |Total current assets |280,000 | | | |Fixed assets | 220,000 |Equity | 195,000 | |Total assets |$500,000 |Total debt and |$500,000 | | | |stockholders’ | | | | |equity | | 35. Given the following financial statements for Jones Corporation and Smith Corporation: a. To which company would you, as credit manager for a supplier, approve the extension of (short-term) trade credit? Why? Compute all ratios before answering. b. In which one would you buy stock? Why? JONES CORPORATION | |Current Assets |Liabilities | |Cash |$ 20,000 |Accounts payable |$100,000 | |Accounts receivable |80,000 |Bonds payable (long-term) |80,000 | |Inventory |50,000 | | | |Long-Term Assets |Stockholders’ Equity | |Fixed assets |$500,000 |Common stock |$150,000 | |Less: Accumulated | (150,000) |Paid-in capital |70,000 | |depreciation | |Retained earnings |100,000 | |*Net fixed assets | 350,000 | | | |Total assets |$500,000 |Total liabilities and equity |$500,000 | Sales (on credit) |$1,250,000 | |Cost of goods sold | 750,000 | |Gross profit |500,000 | |† Selling and administrative expense |257,000 | |Less: Depreciation expense | 50,000 | |Operating profit |193,000 | |Interest expense | 8,000 | |Earnings before taxes |185,000 | |Tax expense | 92,500 | |Net income |$ 92,500 | *Use net fixed assets in computing fixed asset turnover. † Includes $7,000 in lease payments. | | |SMITH CORPORATION | |Current Assets |Liabilities | |Cash |$ 35,000 |Accounts payable |$ 75,000 | Marketable securities |7,500 |Bonds payable (long-term) |210,000 | |Accounts receivable |70,000 | | | |Inventory |75,000 | | | |Long-Term Assets |Stockholders’ Equity | |Fixed assets |$500,000 |Common stock |$ 75,000 | |Less: Accumulated |(250,000) |Paid-in capital |30,000 | |depreciation | |Retained earnings |47,500 | |*Net fixed assets | 250,000 | | | |Total assets |$437,500 | Total liabilities and equity |$437,500 | Sales (on credit) | $1,000,000 | |Cost of goods sold | 600,000 | |Gross profit |400,000 | |† Selling and administrative expense |224,000 | |Less: Depreciation expense | 50,000 | |Operating profit |126,000 | |Interest expense | 21,000 | |Earnings before taxes |105,000 | |Tax expense | 52,500 | |Net income |$ 52,500 | *Use net fixed assets in computing fixed asset turnover. † Includes $7,000 in lease payments. 3-35. Solution: Jones and Smith Comparison One way of analyzing the situation for each company is to compare the respective ratios for each on, examining those ratios which would be most important to a supplier or short-term lender and a stockholder. | |Jones Corp. |Smith Corp. | |Profit margin |7. 4% |5. 5% | |Return on assets (investments) |18. 5% |12. 00% | |Return on equity |28. 9% |34. 4% | |Receivable turnover |15. 63x |14. 29x | |Average collection period |23. 04 days |25. 2 days | |Inventory turnover |25x |13. 3x | |Fixed asset turnover |3. 7x |4x | |Total asset turnover |2 . 5x |2. 29x | |Current ratio |1. 5x |2. 5x | |Quick ratio |1. 0x |1. 5x | |Debt to total assets |36% |65. 1% | |Times interest earned |24. 13x |6x | |Fixed charge coverage |13. 3x |4. 75x | |Fixed charge coverage calculation |(200/15) |(133/28) | a. Since suppliers and short-term lenders are most concerned with liquidity ratios, Smith Corporation would get the nod as having the best ratios in this category. One could argue, however, that Smith had benefited from having its debt primarily long term rather than short term. Nevertheless, it appears to have better liquidity ratios. 3-35. (Continued) b. Stockholders are most concerned with profitability. In this category, Jones has much better ratios than Smith.Smith does have a higher return on equity than Jones, but this is due to its much larger use of debt. Its return on equity is higher than Jones’ because it has taken more financial risk. In terms of other ratios, Jones has its interest and fixed charges well covered and in general its long-term ratios and outlook are better than Smith’s. Jones has asset utilization ratios equal to or better than Smith and its lower liquidity ratios could reflect better short-term asset management, and that point was covered in part a. Note: Remember that to make actual financial decisions more than one year’s comparative data is usually required. Industry comparisons should also be made.

Management and Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management and Business - Essay Example So the hue and cry by environmentalists to create such regulations does not seem too environment-friendly, after all [Bhagwati (2004), p.137]. The infant food manufacturers, of these Nestle was specifically targeted by social organizations, contributed to the death of infants from less developed countries (LDCs). They sold their products to people incapable of using them properly. The charges were that many third world nations have contaminated water supply and parents dilute the formula to stretch the supply. The defence by nestle stated that it has never advertised to substitute breast feeding with bottle feeding and that It had actually promoted formula as supplement to aid nutrition. Since mothers in poor nations have deficiencies or their work schedule does not permit them timely feeding. However, despite strong protests against the infant formula controversy, these multinationals are still strongly holding their place in LDCs [Auscampus (2009)]. When government reprimands a fac tory, through its regulations, for dumping hazardous waste into river or destroying environment by its activities, the company can obey the government by cleaning up environment or upgrading its processes. Alternatively it may move over to some other country, the LDC, for its operation. The LDC requires revenue generated by the company but does not use any high tech environment protection rules [VEXEN Crabtree (2006), pars. 2-3]. Are multinationals getting more powerful than state governments The answer could be obtained by evaluating the financial strength and extent of employment generated by these. If the revenue of General Motors and Ford put together, it would supersede the GDP for all of sub-Saharan Africa. The car multinationals are directly providing employment to more than 20 million people and to a lot more in the associated industries. Today these are in position to decide the fate of government. The ownership and power is same with other industries also. Today two corporations control 80 percent of the coffee production of world; merely four corporations account for 87 percent of the world's tobacco industry, and two corporations--Boeing and Airbus have almost monopoly over civilian airplane production by having a share of 95 percent. The top 200 firms now control one fourth of the world's monetary activity. Among the top 100 of these, increase in total assets has been extraordinary. Their assets have gone up to USD 4.2 trillion in 1995 from USD 0.5 trillion i n1980. For example, the wealth of the food and retail multinational Wal-Mart, after buying Asda in Britain, has become more than 161 countries including Israel, Poland and Greece. General Motors is bigger than Denmark while Ford is bigger than South Africa [Morgan (2000), pars.3-5]. These multinationals are better organized than the states where they invest their money. It gives them power to negotiate and manipulate deals particularly in weak and developing nations [Kehl (2009), p.2]. The globalization is not only changing the powers of state, it is also changing the territories of the states. Ohmae [1993 as cited in Axtmann (1996), p.119-120] explained that global economy is

ECO202 - CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ECO202 - CA - Essay Example 4. Compare the four countries regarding the Labor Market (Unemployment Rate). The analysis should only cover the period from the beginning of 2008 to the present, and make sure the most recent 2010 changes are addressed. This is a difficult part because instead of reporting and ranking the indicators you must look at them as a whole, in an analytic manner to arrive at conclusions: 5. After reviewing the recent economic indicators for these countries, which is the country that currently has the strongest economic recovery at the present time. Make certain you confine your choice to only one country. 6. What is your prediction about the economic health of the United States over the next 3 to 5 year period? Please confine your comments only to the US economy. The purpose of this paper is to provide an examination and analysis on economic indicators pertaining to United States, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The format that this paper will utilize is to answer the six questions t hat this paper outlined on the title page through analyzing the nations and then providing insight into the grand picture. 1) The purpose of this question is to provide a comparison of four countries based on output and growth (Real GDP) from the period of 2008 to the present. ... On the other side of the spectrum it could be argued that Japan spent the most amount of time as the lowest performer of the pack of nations, by being at the overall average lowest and reaching the most extreme negative points. Moreover the United Kingdom and the United States both seemed to spend the majority of the time somewhere in the middle (Never spending much time as the highest performer and lowest performers respectively). What can be stated that is that the economic downturn of the 2008-2010 season held a devastating effect on all of the nations with arguably Japan being the most strongly affected and Canada was left performing the best of all the nations. It should also be noted that Japan rebounded to the highest levels of all the nations but this seems to represent an over rebound and the nation has been quickly plummeting over the past year. 2) The purpose of this question is to examine the productivity (Output per worker) of the four nations. Upon early examination it is clear that all the nations seem to follow the same pattern, insofar as when there seems to be a significant tradeoff between which nation seems to hold the highest position. Every single nation held this position at least a few times, and what could be concluded from this is that no one nation seemed to have any sort of competitive advantage over another. However it is also the case that Japan recognized the most significant drop during the economic downturn. What this could arguably translate to is the idea that Japanese industries were more exposed to the effects of a significant depression. It could be that the industries that employed the most people in Japan produced goods or provided services that would

Politics short answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Politics short answers - Essay Example The Afghan government sought to reassert its position. The second level is similar to the first since it states the parties involved. The parties involved were the Taliban and the American forces. The Taliban is an Islamic extremist outfit that perpetuated terror. The American forces were the forces to crush the extremist outfit. The third level is the system. There are two systems in this conflict. The first system is the Taliban system. This is an extremist system that operates based on religious values. The extremist believe that their attacks are sacred hence; they are not bound by moral values. The American forces seem as agents of democracy. They are out to deliver Afghanistan from the bondage of a terrorist outfit. An ethnic group is a community that have the same religion, language or culture while a nation is a large community that contain people of diverse racial background, language and culture. Nations are recognized internationally while ethnic groups are constituents of nations. The diverse people integrate to form a state, although the cultural and ethnic differences may affect a country significantly. A security dilemma is a situation where a nation is reluctant to undertake certain action since they are cautious of the consequences. This result in a period of indecision in which the possible outcomes are evaluated

Green Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Green Technology - Research Paper Example With the rapidly decreasing natural resources replete, people are concerned if one Earth would be sufficient to meet the needs of humans in the near future. There is obviously no choice as this Earth is all we have to manage our resources in. Therefore, people all over the world are being encouraged to live green. Living green means adopting all ways and means in everyday life that would make minimum use of the natural resources and would be environment friendly. In order to facilitate people, the contemporary research and development is largely directed at developing green technology. â€Å"The field of "green technology" encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods and materials, from techniques for generating energy to non-toxic cleaning products† (Green Technology, 2010). This paper aims at discussing some of the most significant elements of green technology. Renewable energy sources Renewable energy is a kind of energy which is retrieved from such natural sources as geothermal heat, sunlight, wind, rain, and tides. Most of the times, projects of renewable energy are executed on a grand scale but renewable energy is equally usable in rural and backward areas. Kenya, a small country that has the largest rate of solar ownership for residential communities in the whole world sells as many as 30,000 units of solar power that have a capacity between 20 and 100 watts per annum (Renewable Solar Energy, 2011). Although some technologies that produce renewable energy are deemed unreliable, yet the growth in the market of renewable energy is steady. There are several forms of renewable energy that include but are not limited to wind power. Wind has been employed as a source of energy for a long period of time. Chinese have been making use of wind for watering their crops almost for over 4000 years. Sailors have also used wind to make journeys. Wind energy can be captured w ith the help of a tower that has a big propeller top that stands at considerable height from the sea level. The propeller’s circular motion because of wind generates electricity. Magnitude of electricity produced can be increased manifolds by building several towers and using them simultaneously. Open fields, coastal regions, hill tops and any areas with frequent and large air currents are the most appropriate areas for the construction of wind turbines. Electric vehicles Electric vehicles or electric cars do not use gasoline engines unlike the regular cars. A controller provides the electric motor with the energy for regulating the power according to the way driver manipulates the accelerator pedal. The batteries of electric vehicles are rechargeable. Common domestic electricity available in the houses can be used to charge these batteries. Electric motors are employed to drive electric vehicles. Rechargeable battery packs are used to run the electric motors. Electric motors offer considerable benefits in comparison to the internal combustion engines (ICEs). To power the wheels, as much as 75 per cent of the chemical energy stored in the batteries is converted by the electric motors. This percentage of conversion of chemical energy into gasoline is reduced to 20 when internal combustion engines (ICEs) are employed as converters instead of electric motors. Electric vehicles are friendly to the environment in that they do not emit any pollutants from the tailpipe, though some pollutants may be emitted from the power plant that generates the electricity. No air pollution whatsoever is produced by the electricity generated from the wind powered plants, hydro powered plants, solar powered plants and nuclear powered plants. The operation of

Problem Solving Retail Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Problem Solving Retail Industry - Case Study Example These lift good market forces are enhanced. Though retailing considered profitable, there are very many challenges that attached to it. Some of these challenges are based on the employee-customer relation. Quality of the products is also vital in retailing being that there is a lot of competition. Clients will only search for companies or businesses that offer quality services. This paper focuses a retail business that tends to face challenges in marketing their produce. The name of the company is ‘Lambton Road Cash and Carry’. Various problems need to be sorted in this franchise retail store for it to conform and achieve good performance in the market. The problem facing this business is based on gross income and cost of the advertisement. ‘Lambton Road Cash and Carry’ is one of the retail business situated in Sarnia, Ontario. Mr. Don Barlow as the manager heads this organization. He has conducted enough research on the business profitability strategy, therefore, wanted to build a Beaver outlet (Nystrom, 33). This was to ensure that all the business finances were well spent. Being that the Lambton road retail business was established in the year 1972, and since then, it has succeeded through all kinds of challenges to date. This was due to good management practice. Dorn Barlow as the manager changed the Lambton’s type of business activity to meet some of their long-term goals in the year 1991. ‘Lambton Road Cash’ started offering outlet services to obtain good market forces and increase trading profit. This also created space for diversification and relieved customers of the tedious process of service or stock purchase. Previously before the change, the business faced one big challenge when it came to goods order and delivery process. Some customers were used to ordering small commodities hence subjecting the company to partial lose.

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Operations Management - Essay Example Operations Management Macro operations are the aggregate variables addressing the state of the whole university. In the micro-operations each component of the system is considered for its effects on the system owing to certain properties. The micro-theorists make constraining assumptions about behaviors and their possible outcomes to allow the desired degree of mathematical precision. On the other hand in the Macro operation links between the theory and any description of agents or institutions are more tenuous and contrived. The macro operations deal with major policy matters. Some examples: Ð ³niversities or for that matter any organisation, while undertaking the exercise of developing budgets (Macro level operation) generally make use of some standard budget development system. Such a system is used by every department to present their own budget requirements for the upcoming financial year (Micro level operation). This budget may include both salary and non-salary related elements, critical to the un iversity's operations. An operations manager is supposed to carry out all such tasks with the helps of the reporting, planning, and control functions, being done by other supportive departments. Therefore an operations manager should be concerned with the entire network as he has to take input from different nodes of the network to arrive at the overall objective. From the operations manager’s perspective, the overall objective of the operations subsystem is to provide capabilities for meeting the organisation’s goals and strategy... For a bigger organisation having a multinational presence, the market of one particular segment, state, nation form the micro level parameters while the consolidated economics make up for macro level factors. Micro level operations keep track of operations at an individual, resource, process and structure level, while macro level operations are concerned with only the system approach. Ans2 Operations manager has a multifaceted job profile. He's concerned with providing a strategic direction to the organisation. He is supposed to1; Improve the efficiency of the operation Improve control of service levels and quality Set service level agreements for end-user applications and for services provided Improve relationships with end-user departments Develop staff potential An operations manager is supposed to carry out all such tasks with the helps of the reporting, planning, and control functions, being done by other supportive departments. Therefore an operations manager should be concerned with the entire network as he has to take input from different nodes of the network to arrive at the overall objective. From the operations manager's perspective, the overall objective of the operations subsystem is to provide capabilities for meeting the organisation's goals and strategy. The subgoals of the operations subsystem can be attained through the decisions that are made in various operations areas. Each decision involves important tradeoffs between choices about product and process versus choices about quality, efficiency, schedule and adaptability. In fact the role of operations manager has been on an increase with increasing

Should Polygyamy be against the Law Research Paper

Should Polygyamy be against the Law - Research Paper Example This paper explores the legality of polygamy marriages, and whether the practice, should be tolerated in the society. History of Polygamy in the American society Gibson (2006) avers polygamy practices have formed a significant part of the American culture for almost three centuries. The practice is believed to have started among the ancient participants of the Church, which at the time was being led by Joseph Smith, who helped found the ministry in the early 1800s. Historians consider that Church adherents started polygamy around 1835 (Bradley, Saunders & William, 2005. The practice was initially shrouded in secrecy, before it became widespread in the society immediately after. Decades after the killing of Smith in late 1880s, the second in command of the ministry, Brigham Young, started speaking publicly about the practice during the mid-1850s. Nevertheless, participation was technically restricted by strong cultural norms, with less than a fifth of the church adherents engaging in the practice during its climax years of the 1850s (Ross, 2011). In early 1862, Congress ratified the initial of several legislations systematically geared at bringing to an end the trend by outlawing polygamy. These developments dealt the church a major financial blow, and even denying women of their voting rights in Utah. Almost two decades later, an adherent of the ministry challenged the legality of anti-polygamy legislations on religious justifications; however, the Supreme Court maintained that the unconstitutionality of polygamy was beyond doubt, and that the various government agencies could work to limit religious rights and privileges of the adherents. The congressional decrees were largely effective in terminating polygamy. This forced the Church to abandon the clamor for polygamy practices on September 25, 1890. At the same time, Church President Wilford Woodruff made public a formal statement referred to as â€Å"the Manifesto† (Bradley, Saunders & William, 2005). In 1894, Congress approved the Utah Enabling Act, which allowed Utah to begin processes aimed at acquiring the position of statehood, based upon the government constitution providing for an irrevocable decree outlawing polygamy. United States Congress approved Utah statehood two years later, a development that led to the implementation of the state constitution, which permanently outlawed polygamy practices within its jurisdiction. Additionally, polygamy was also classified as a crime by decree. After â€Å"the Manifesto,† was made public, the religious group stopped polygamy practices and started to detach polygamists from its flock. Eventually, religious factions resented the new development leading to the formation of â€Å"Fundamentalists† groups (Groleau, 2008). Bradley, Saunders and William (2005) indicate fundamentalists backed away to remote communities in an attempt to shun what they believed to be mass maltreatment. Since then, the state authorities have car ried out episodic mass apprehending and questionings on communities practicing polygamy. For instance, mass apprehending was implemented in 1935, and during the end of World War II. Arizona on its part carried out the largest crackdown yet on the community in 1953 (Cole, 2011). Although, the infamous Short Creek Raid led to the apprehending and arraignment

Change managemaent models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Change managemaent models - Essay Example The integral competent of every organization is to choose effectively change management models which can help to stay vibrant and gain competitive advantage over other rivals in the market. Three important change management models that organization must adopt are Bridge transition Model, Kotter 8 Step of Change management and Lewin change Management Model. The transition model of Bridge provides a solution for understanding the changes undergoing in an organization. The three phases of transition model are ending, neutral zone and new beginning. Ending phase process is to identify the reasons behind the changes and acknowledge openly the losses arising in an organization. The neutral zone phase is to reduce the deteriorating of motivation on individuals within the workplace. The neutral phase is the process of treating employees to fell as a part of change management process. The new beginning phase is to motivate and effectively communicate with the employees to make them understand about the purpose of implementation of change management process in organization. Change management model by Kotter suggests that the momentum of the change adopted in an organization must be maintained to maintain continuous cycle. First step is to increase the sense of urgency. Next step is to form a guiding and powerful team to resist the change in the workplace (Green, 2012). Next is to create strategy and vision for change. Then communicate the vision and strategy for change. Empower staff and remove the obstacles for application of change management. Next step is to create short term goals for organization. Then unite the gains and stay tenacious. Final step is to anchor the change which can help to make the change permanent. Change management model of Lewin is preferred by most of the companies to enact the changes in an organization due to its simplicity and easy to use. Three stages of the model are unfreezing, change and

Graffiti Art Essay Example for Free

Graffiti Art Essay In the late 1960s’s, another art genre was recognized and developed although its lack of form and other basic aesthetic elements has been once a topic of debates as regard its acceptance in the artistic world. Obviously, it differs from the works of art found in museums and galleries and its kind are not found in those elite locations because its location is specific. The location of graffiti art has been actually a subject of oppositions as well as its bold, unexpected and unconventional presentation. Although still, its location, may it be illegal, does not disqualify it as art. Thus, graffiti art is a form of art despite criticisms on its legality, coherence and presentation. It is also argued that graffiti art is a form of vandalism, but this is true only if they appeared on private or public property without permission. Graffiti art is indeed another genre of visual masterpiece. Graffiti comes from â€Å"grafficar†, an Italian word for drawings, markings, patterns, scribbles, or messages that are painted, written, or carved on a wall or surface. Graffiti is the plural of grafficar. Grafficar also signifies a process meaning to scratch. Examples of which are different wall writings ranging from cave paintings, bathroom scribbles, or any message that is scratched on walls. In the ancient Egypt and Rome, in particular, graffiti has been visible in monuments and building walls which are now being explored. It is originally used to term inscriptions, figure drawings, and other carvings found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins. Examples are the Catacombs, or those found at Pompeii. (Whitford, 1992. pp. 137) In the modern era, present day graffiti is also associated to any unsolicited markings on a private or public property, usually considered to be vandalism. In the early 1970s young New Yorkers has started to adopt tags, signatures and signs using aerosol sprays and markers in public places. The youngsters, belonging to the black and Puerto Rican communities have initiated the tagging which eventually developed and soon covered the citys walls, buses and obviously in subway trains. Tags even cover the entire train. Some may contain screen names or reflections of the writer, comes in subtle and often cryptic messages. Taki, an artist of Greek-American descent, was the first modern identified tagger in New York. He signed himself Taki 183, the number probably derived from the number in his apartment block. Some names also made their appearances in some real urban murals painted with spray-paint. Tags such as Futura 2000, Dust and Pink gained fame and recognition in the world of hip-hops. There were also Basquiat and Haring who also started to work in the street and the subway but their works swiftly spread beyond the works of graffiti. Their works attracted the attention of influential dealers which put them in great demand although their works were considered one of the rare forms of graffiti art. (Graffiti†¦ 2007, p. 1) Tagging and graffiti differs from each other although arguments about this difference still arise. Tagging is associated negatively as gang-motivated and illegal because it is usually meant as vandalism. It is also viewed as too vulgar or controversial to have public value. On the other hand, graffiti can be viewed as creative expression, not to mention its usual link to politics. Main Types of Graffiti Art The main types of graffiti fall into different categories and have their own names which are recognized in cities all over the world. First is â€Å"Hip Hop Graffiti†. This is characterized by ‘pieces’ which hip hop graffitists create by aerosol spray paints. They are large and colorful works, usually including either a complex mix of letters or a cartoon-style picture. This type of graffiti often lacks much thought and planning in design and usually takes an extended period of time. Second is the â€Å"Opportunistic Graffiti† which location is selected impulsively, on the basis of low risk and low natural surveillance. Graffitists of this type usually use tags or scrawling to mark their territory. Third type is the â€Å"Gang Graffiti†. Gang graffiti is not art work but a sophisticated communication to publicize gang power, status, and territory. This type is somehow related to opportunistic graffitists because they also use tags or scrawling to mark territory. But in addition to this, gangs use graffiti to create notoriety or show off their defiance of the law and society, and as a mode of marking their presence. The fourth, the â€Å"Political Social Graffiti† is obviously of racial or political motivation. This is uncommonly regarded as part of the graffiti subculture, although it is recognized as damaging to property. The last type is the â€Å"Commercial Graffiti† which is an emerging civic problem. This involves huge compensations paid by private organizations to graffitists to spray advertising logos onto walkways and buildings for promotions of their products. This type is an illegal form of advertising that avoids normal planning laws. (Stowers 1997, pp. 1-2) Gang Graffiti: The Most Dangerous Graffiti The gang graffiti is the most controversial not just because of the characters of its writings but because of its social impact in the neighborhood. Gang graffiti is an indication of gang presence in the community. Gangs use graffiti as their newspapers, thus they usually call it â€Å"newspaper in the wall† as gangs use them to send messages. This is their way of marking boundaries and warning rival gangs. Graffiti may also be an instrument to advertise drug market or, as a memorial to a killed gang member. Symbols and cryptic writing style is exclusive in each gang. Death warrants and beat downs are known to be posted in graffiti. Upside down or crossed out graffiti generally means a put down or threat to a rival gang or person. (Bland and Read 2000) According to Michael Carlie (2002), graffiti is the most common method of gang communication and a major symbolism of their gang affiliation. Jonathan Kellerman (1994) as cited by Carlie referred to graffiti as â€Å"the hieroglyphics of rage† because of the violence associated with it. On the surface, a person who is not familiar with it might think of graffiti as a simple nonsense painting on the wall or in poles or elsewhere, or just a plain vandal. Carlie adds that among other things, graffiti communicates the â€Å"role call† or the roster of gang members, or the hierarchy of gang members. It also implies whos around, whos with who, whos disrespecting who, which gangs are claiming what territory and which areas are in dispute. It may be an announcement of current gang activities and whos getting ready to attack who, or whos already been killed. A familiar language, for example, is the â€Å"X† which if marked on a member’s name means he is the likely target for an attack or murder. (Carlie 2002, pp. 2) An important not on gang graffiti is, in many ways, it is a code and codes in general are subjects to analysis. Deciphering gang graffiti requires the understanding of the symbols, abbreviations, structure, that composes the gang language. In the United States, gang graffiti is usually based on two dominant styles the L. A. and Chicago styles which vary greatly and influence to some degree across the country. Some gangs use an exclusive style while others use a combination. For example, the Gangster Disciples originated in south-side of Chicago might combine L. A. style gang lettering with Chicago Folks Nation symbols. In New York, Latin Kings might use Chicago Latin King symbols but with New York tagger style graffiti lettering. (Graffiti 2010) These styles and some of the variations are seen throughout the country and a person who understands both styles is more likely to understand most, if not all, gang graffiti. Characters of gang related graffiti has sharp, angular stick letters, or mostly contains religious, even â€Å"satanic† imagery, or is done in one color of paint. Most of the times they are very simple and flat-out which make them easy to figure out. But no matter how simple they appear, it still requires some basic code-breaking skills. (Deciphering Gang†¦2010. p. 1) Figure 1: WS 18 St, HGS West Side Eighteenth Street (gang), Hoover Gangsters (a clique of 18th Street) Two-digit numbers, especially â€Å"13? , â€Å"14? , or â€Å"18? , signifies graffiti for a hispanic gang while three digits, especially if they are the area code of your neighborhood, it’s almost certainly not a hispanic gang, but a typical prison or street sort. Exception to this is numbers followed by â€Å"K† which means a threat from a rival gang. â€Å"WS18? (figure 1) is a tag for the (hispanic) West Side 18th Street gang out of California. â€Å"WS18K† means a threat towards 18th Street by a local gang. Note that â€Å"K† is short for â€Å"Kill†. If there are two digits, see if they’re prefixed by â€Å"N†, â€Å"S†, â€Å"E†, or â€Å"W† (or â€Å"NS†, â€Å"SS†, â€Å"ES†, or â€Å"WS†) which relate to the cardinal directions, and form part of the gang’s identity. Hispanic gangs more often use 13 and 14 the 13th letter of the alphabet is â€Å"M†, which generally stands for â€Å"Mexico† or â€Å"La Eme†, the Mexican Mafia and the 14th letter â€Å"N† generally means â€Å"North† that symbolizes which end of California the gang originated from. It is a division as gangstas from the north and south parts of California frequently clash. Figure 2: Lil Capone WS VSLC, crossed out BK, Crossed out PBGK Lil Capone (name of gang member) West Side Venice Shoreline Crips, Blood Killer, Playboy Gangster Killer (disrespect to rival gangs) Certain patterns appear without the numbers. As always, â€Å"K† is a threat to â€Å"(K)ill†, as are any crossed-out letters. â€Å"A† as in â€Å"Almighty† â€Å"N†, that virtually stands for â€Å"Nation† can be safely ignored. When seen together, which usually occurs, it show up that the gangs used to calling themselves the Almighty Whatever Nation. Figure 3: GD around Star of David with number six inside the star, pitchfork extending from the D Gangsters Disciples with six point star representing GDs and Folks. Pitchford represents GDs and Folks Gangs which are known in the country carry a finite code which makes them easy to identify. â€Å"GD† is the Gangster Disciples and â€Å"VL† are the Vice Lords. â€Å"LK† are the Latin Kings, and â€Å"LQ† the Latin Queens; sometimes when they’re getting along, they’re the LKQ Latin Kings and Queens. Crossed-out letters in gang graffiti usually mean a threat. Letters â€Å"B†, â€Å"C†, â€Å"F†, â€Å"P†, or â€Å"S† crossed-out in a piece of gang graffiti, it signifies a threat towards a gang whose name, â€Å"nation†, or nickname begins with that crossed out letter. In the Vice Lord tag, the letter â€Å"C† is not crossed out which tells you the local Vice Lords don’t have complaints with the (C)rips. Gangs should write very carefully because all too often, little slights in graffiti like crossing out letters, or painting over rival gangs’ tags, are a sure warning sign of impending gang war. Figure 4: CVLN Conservative Vice Lords Nation. Cane extending from the L is a CVL symbol. Upside down pitchfork shows disrespect towards Fold Nation gangs. Knowledge in deciphering gang graffiti introduced you to a neighborhood of gangs. In (figure 4) the â€Å"C† is short for â€Å"Conservative†. The â€Å"Conservative Vice Lords† are one of several dozen larger Vice Lord â€Å"sets† around United States. Some communities have taken a massive campaign against graffiti and also intensifies gang reduction. In Florida, the Florida Department of Corrections website posts information to help educate the public in reducing gang activities, which imposes threat to the community. Some gangs, the website says, even use graffiti as Death warrants to authorities specifically to police officers. Community awareness program in most part of America uses the 4 Rs of graffiti to intensify campaign against gangs and gang graffiti. The slogan says, â€Å"READ IT, RECORD IT, REPORT IT REMOVE IT†. (Deciphering Gang†¦2010, p. 1) Thus, citizens should read it and report it to police, and police will record it and then remove it. These steps are important but the removal of the graffiti is the most risky. Removal of graffiti manifests the neighborhoods refusal to be dominated or intimidated by gangs which is a language most gang members understand. Neighborhood residents who ignore graffiti and bother not to remove them are viewed as frightened and weak by the gangs who made them. At the worst, there are instances that gang members attack people who attempt to remove or cover their graffiti. Gang graffiti is the most dangerous of all graffiti and can usually be found around community rail stations. It marks territory and rival gangs usually challenge for territory by crossing out another gangs graffiti. It imposes real and great danger to the residents. Messages in graffiti are taken seriously by gangsters and the longer graffiti is, the greater the risk that the threats will be acted on. Graffiti is a gateway crime and membership in gangs certainly guarantees a criminal record. Since juvenile of minor age receives more lenience when it comes to punishment, the minors are the usual target of recruitment and the doer of crimes. Residents Against Graffiti Everywhere (RAGE) is a community group that looks at social issues and works with local councils and Governments towards promoting a zero tolerance policy on graffiti. (Bland and Read 2000, p. 179) By legal definition, graffiti is vandalism. It is the unauthorized application of markings on someone else’s property, especially without permission. Therefore, legality wise it is a crime. The manner that graffiti is regularly produced as illegal detracts it from the concept to be considered an art form. Very unfortunately that graffiti is responded with outrage over the abuse of someone’s property. This negative connotation may take away the value or impact of the artist’s original message. Perhaps, it would be better to get permission from the owner of the â€Å"canvas† to display the art. Yet, graffiti still elicits emotional response even in its illegal state. Furthermore, it is composed of lines, shapes, color, tones, and forms in a display that conveys a certain message and elicits an emotion. Therefore, it is safe to say that graffiti is indeed an art. As George Stowers (1997) presented four criteria as basis that some forms of graffiti become a work of art. First, the artists intention to produce a work of art separates graffiti art from everyday graffiti markings. Second, graffiti art established a history of development in style and technique. Third, the art world has already recognized graffiti as an art form. Fourth is the public response to graffiti art indicates that it is art. Regardless of the message it conveys, the fact that graffiti carry the aesthetic and creative symbolism and expression, public agrees that graffiti is a form of art. Like other art forms, graffiti art is a definite art when both the artist and the audience agree on the works ability to provide maximal aesthetic satisfaction. Graffiti is presently known as spray can art which is a form indeed recognized as art. It has form, color, and other base properties as any other art pieces. It also has as an arrangement of these elements into structures that qualify it aesthetically as being art. However, something that is done with spray paint might make it graffiti, but not necessarily qualify as art or graffiti art. Location and presentation still are the factors that hinder the general acceptance of graffiti art. However, the instances that the art world’s acceptance of graffiti art shows that conventional methods of presentation are not all that matters in determining graffiti as an art. Graffiti in the form of spray can art is art like any other work that might be found in a gallery or a museum. References Bland, N. Read, T. (2000). Policing Anti-social Behaviour. Police Research Series 123, Policing and Reducing Crime, British Home Office, London, UK. Carlie, Michael. (2002) Graffiti and Other Gang Identifiers. (Into the Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs) Retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://faculty. missouristate. edu/m/MichaelCarlie/what_I_learned_about/GANGS/graffiti _and_other_identifiers. htm. Deciphering Gang Graffiti (2008). The Slugsite. com. Retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://www. slugsite. com/archives/825. Graffiti. (2007) The Huntfor. com retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://www. huntfor. com/arthistory/C20th/graffiti. htm.

Roles and Functions of Social Workers in England and Wales

Roles and Functions of Social Workers in England and Wales Introduction The definition of social work is very complex and controversial. There is no generally accepted definition of what social work is. Social work sits within the broader range of the social care sphere. (Horner, 2003, p.2) There are three views of social work. The first is the reflexive-therapeutic views. This view sees social work as seeking the best possible well being for individuals, groups and communities in society. (Payne, 1997, p.4) The other view is the socialist-collectivist views; this view sees social work as seeking cooperation and mutual support in society so that oppressed and disadvantaged people can gain power over their own lives. (Payne, 1997, p.4) The last view is the individualist-reformist views. This view sees social work as an aspect of welfare services to individuals in society. (Payne, 1997, p.4) There is a general consensus amongst writers that the three different views are present within the social work discourse. (Payne, 1997, p.6) The International Association of Schools of Social Work and the International Federation of Social Workers defined social work as a profession that, ‘’promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well beingsocial work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environment. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work ’’. (Citied in Horner, 2003, p.2) Another definition of social work that was propounded by the former minister for health, Jacqui Smith is as follows, ‘’social work is a very practical job. It is about protecting people and changing their lives, not about being able to give a fluent and theoretical explanation of why they got in to difficulties in the first place .New degree courses must ensure that theory and research directly informs and supports practice. The requirements for social training work set out the minimum standards for entry to social work degree courses and for the teaching and assessment that social work students must receive ’’. (Horner, 2003, p.2) The major difference between these two definitions is that the first definition fails to emphasise the control element of social work practice, which involves the use of legislation by the state to intervene and protect vulnerable children and young people who are at risk, to enforce mental health treatment and services and to pr otect vulnerable older people. (Horner, 2003, p.3) The second definition focuses on social work as a ‘rational technical activity and its inherent anti-intellectualism’. (Horner, 2003, p.3) This essay will examine the current roles and functions of social workers in England and Wales. Key roles and skills of social workers A lot is expected from social workers. Society expects social workers to protect and care for citizens deemed in need of protection and care and at the same time to care and protect the community as a whole. (Horner, 2003, p.5) A social worker is employed by the local authority, on behalf of the state and has to work within the confines and constraints of the law. (Horner, 2003, p.4) A social worker must at all times been conversant with relevant legislation and procedure and must abide to them. The social worker is always faced with balancing the rights of vulnerable individuals to fulfil their wishes, whilst at the same time carrying out the state’s need to protect all vulnerable people, sometimes by restricting rights and liberty of others. (Horner, 2003, p.4) Generally, a social worker is there to give help and support to people who are going through a difficult patch in their lives. A social worker has to ensure that the rights of service users are identified and promoted. (Lymbery and Postle, 2007, p.23) A social worker is a paid professional, ‘’who aims to assist people in overcoming serious difficulties in their lives by providing care, protection or counselling or through social support, advocacy and community work’’. (Collins, 2006, p.516) The role of a social worker is to assist people who are socially excluded from society and are experiencing difficulties in their lives, to get back on their feet. The process of social exclusion revolves around five components: poverty and low income; lack of access to the job market; lack of social support and networks; the overall condition of the local neighbourhood; and exclusion from services. (Collins, 2006, p.505) The role of the social worker is to tackle social exclusion and promote social inclusion. The social worker needs to address approach to practice that will effectively strengthen social networks, maximise options for income and ensure that services are more accessible. (Collins, 2006, p.505) Social workers have specific legal duties that distinguish them from other groups. A social worker investigates allegations of child abuse. A social worker can apply where necessary and appropriate for a person to be detained in hospital, when his or her mental state presents a risk of harm to self or to other members of the public. A social worker also supervises children in care of the local authority. (Thompson, 2000, p.2) A social worker requires skills in making assessments personally or jointly with service users and their families in order to discover the strengths, needs and preferred need for each particular service user. The social worker needs to treat each service user as a unique individual and accord the service user the respect he or she deserves. A social worker should be skilled and knowledgeable on how to handle hostile and aggressive situations, without putting her safety or the service user at risk. Most importantly, knowledge of the law, policies and regulations affecting social work practice must be mastered by the social worker. A social worker is charged with caring for the entire community by protecting and promoting the welfare of the community as well as that of the individual. This might mean enforcing some elements of control over an individual. This at times leads to conflicts and tensions as the social worker is caught in between the community and the individual. (Thompson, 2000, p.3) Social workers work with young people and their families as well as the elderly. Social work is divided in to adult services and Children services. Adult services includes, working with people with mental health problems or learning disability. Adult services can also include working with people in residential care, working with offenders in the community or working with the elderly. Children and family social work, is a branch of social work, where the social worker provides assistance and advice to keep families together. It can also involve work in children’s home or providing support to younger people leaving care. I will focus on children and families social work. Social work with children and families spans a wide range of activities primarily directed at protecting the child. (Cree and Davis, 2007, p.15) It is often a very controversial and volatile area because of the state interference with family life. The government has introduced a lot of policy and organisational changes in children and family services in recent years that have greatly changed the terrain of children and family social work. The 1989 and 2004 Children Acts as well as key policy document such as Department for Education and Skills 2003, Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills 2004 and Secretary of State for Health 2003, have all combined to create a role for social workers which combines contributing to the assessment of the needs of children and young people, protecting them from harm and consulting with other relevant agencies to deliver services that promotes the children’s well being and s afety in partnership with the social workers and their families. (Cree and Davis, 2007, p.15) Social work within the social policy frame work Collins defined social policy as, ‘’government policy in the area of welfare, and the academic study of its development, implementation and impact’’ (Collins, 2006, p.507) Modern social work is no longer based on the poor law parish structure, but is governed by legislation and delivered through local government structures, however, some voluntary sector organisations, many of which have their origins in the established and non-conformist churches still provide some services for those that are socially excluded. (Horner, 2003, p.17) Contemporary social work can be seen to play a crucial role in relation to current social problems, concerns about wide spread substance abuse and problems of social disintegration among others. (Horner, 2003, p.26) Social work deteriorated in the 1980s and 1990s in Britain under the Conservative government. There was little direct political concern with social services during the Conservative, Thatcher administration. (Payne, 2005, p.97)The reasons for the deterioration were: ‘’service failures, particularly in the area of child protection; a professional attack, both from the right wing and the left wing on its social policing role and a political attack on its role in the welfare state’’. (Payne, 2005, p.94) The Labour government under Tony Blair came in to power in 1997. According to Payne, ‘while social care was not a major plank of policy, it was affected by general government policies and priorities, which focused on education and health’’. (Payne, 2005, p.103) The government initiated a modernization agenda which focused on effective delivery of services; including cooperation amongst the multi-agencies and involving service users’ ow n priorities. The government laid a lot of emphasis on improved care for children and the mentally ill. However, most of the labour government’s policy were slowing building on past policies and did not take a new direction. (Payne, 2005, p.103) The labour government introduced the quality improvement projects. The labour government also brought about increased legislation in to the realm of social work. The General Social Care Council was also set up to take over responsibility for regulating social work education. Mental health social work has seen a lot of changes in recent years. The 1980s and 1990s saw the closure of the many long stay Victorian asylums and the development of community based alternatives. (Cree and Davis, 2007, p.60) The Mental Health Act 1983 was a land mark legislation in many respects. Section 114 of the Act requires local authorities to provide an approved social worker for mental health service users. The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 provided a frame work for the organisation and delivery of services under existing legislation. The Act tried to alter the balance of care in four fundamental directions: ‘’ from institutional care to community based care; from public sector to independent sector provision; from NHS to local government responsibilities and from supply led services to needs led services’’. (Horner, 2003, p.76) The social worker had a key role to play in identifying the range and location of services. (Horner, 2003, p.77) The Children’s Act 1989 reformed the law relating to children. Contemporary social work practice with children, young people and their families is largely governed by the Children’s Act of 1989. (Horner, 2003, p.46) The Children’s Act 2004 provides the legal basis on how social workers, collaborate with other agencies to ensure that the best interest of the child is protected and achieved at all times. The Human Rights Act 1988, incorporated in to English laws, the European Convention on Human Rights. It gives individuals the power to challenge gross abuses of civil liberties and it also requires legal an administrative action to take account of human rights in the course of any action they under take. (Payne, 2005, p.104) The future of social work in England and Wales appear to lie in a range of roles in diverse services, heavily regulated by the government and the development of multi professional work, where the social worker interacts with other professions roles. (Payne, 2005, p.105) Professional principles and values of social work Social work is a highly regulated profession these days. It is a very difficult and complex profession and any one coming in to the profession will need to exhibit the right temperament. You will need to be in control of your emotions at all times and also avoid being judgemental or stereotyping people. There are professional principles and values social workers must exhibit. A social worker at all times must maintain the dignity and worth of service users. The social worker should always bear in mind, that she is there to help the service user get back on his feet and not to control him or run his life. A social worker ought to be aware and value the rights and duties of individuals, their families, groups and the entire community at all times. A social worker must believe in the principle of social justice. This includes ‘’fair access to public services and benefits to achieve human potentials; social development and environmental management in the interests of present and future human welfare’’. (Horner, 2003, p.135) A social worker will need to treat all service users with respect and without any bias based on their sex, colour, or creed. For example, a social worker should have an open mind when working with a paedophile or some one that is mentally unwell. A social worker’s primary objective is the promotion of social justice. The social worker has as one of his fundamental goals, to meet the personal and social needs of service users in order to help them meet and develop their potentials. One core value of the social worker is confidentiality. A social worker must maintain absolute confidentiality when dealing with a service user. The social worker should not divulge any information without first obtaining the consent of the service user. This also goes to show that the case worker respects the service user. A social worker must possess integrity. This comprises all the elements of honesty, reliability, openness, equity, and fairness. A social worker needs to be competent in the discharge of her duties. This entails keeping abreast with new laws and legislations in the field of social work. A social worker needs to address at all times, injustice in the system and explore ways of eliminating them. The social worker should also expose any bad policies that contribute to hardship and social exclusion in society. The social worker should also at all time up hold the civil and political rights of service users as well as their economic and social rights. Conclusion Social work has a long way. The profession of social worker is highly regulated today in England and Wales. The work of the social worker is to help vulnerable people in the society, within the constraints of legislations, so that they can get back on to their feet and get on with their lives. A lot of professional principles and values are expected to be imbibed by the modern social worker. Despite the very complex nature of social work and countless policies and legislation, the value of the social worker in our society today can not be overemphasised. Social workers today are highly trained professionals who despite their challenging and demanding jobs continue to ensure that vulnerable people and those that are socially excluded are given all the protection and support they need in order for them to take back control of their lives. Bibliography Collins (2002) Internet based dictionary of social work, Harper Collins, Glasgow Cree, V.E and Davis, A (2002) Social work, voice from the inside, Routledge, Oxon Horner, N (2003) What is Social work? Context and Perspectives, Learning Matters, Exeter Koprowska, J (2008) Communications and interpersonal skills in social work, 2nd Edition, Learning Matters, Exeter Lymbery, M and Postle, K (2007) Social work: A companion to learning, SAGE, London Payne, M (1997) Modern social work theory, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke Payne, M (2005) The origins of social work, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke Shardlow, S and Payne, M (1998) Contemporary issues in social work: Western Europe, Arena, Aldershot Thompson, N (2000) Understanding social work, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke

Nationalism and the French Revolution

Nationalism and the French Revolution The French Revolution is synonymous with nationalism. In fact, there can be little doubt that the concept of a nationalist revolution was born from the discord that built up in and around the periphery of France during the 1780’s. There was, however, little cohesion or malice aforethought with regards to events that took place after the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Rather than being a planned experiment in nationalism, the French Revolution should instead be interpreted as the result of pent up forces and frustrated political ambitions that had been fermenting in France and throughout Europe for the previous one hundred years. The nationalism of the revolution era was thus rare; a total kind of nationalist ideology that in theory was concerned with furthering the ambitions of ‘la patrie’ (the nation) but which in reality was too dynamic for its own good. The various modes of political office that dominated France over the forthcoming decades were wholly unpre cedented and unable to be contained within the national borders of France alone. As Bouloiseau declares, â€Å"the regime’s intentions were pure, but it lacked the means to put them into practice.†[1] For the purpose of perspective, the following examination of the role that nationalism played in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars must adopt a chronological approach, attempting first to trace the genesis and subsequent evolution of the nationalist uprising before attempting to draw a definitive conclusion as to why the nature of the revolution was far too complex to be explained in simple ideological terms. First, however, a definition of nationalism within the specific historical context in which it was formed must be ascertained in order to establish a conceptual framework for the remainder of the discussion. Nationalism could not have emerged as a populist form of political ideology without there first having been the introduction of the paradigm of the ‘nation‑state’, which was first institutionalised after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. France, Spain, Prussia, Switzerland, Holland and Sweden all signed treaties during the course of 1648 bringing to an end a variety of international conflicts that had beset the European continent for the previous eighty years. The treaty acknowledged the political legitimacy of states on the European mainland, giving rise in the process to the idea of international relations – the foundation of modern foreign policy. This was an important break with the past where relations between countries had been conducted via the historical continental monarchies and the ‘ancien regime’ that had governed feudal, pre‑industrial Europe for centuries. After 1648 the watershed notion had been implanted which suggested th at the rule of the old continental monarchies was coming to an end and that it would be the nation‑state that would become the determining factor in political affairs in Europe in the future. It is a significant point and one that should be borne in mind throughout the remainder of the discussion: without the Peace of Westphalia there could not have been a nationalist revolution, neither in France or anywhere else. Before it, it is difficult to conceive of nationalism in the modern form that is talked of today. The revolution itself was the result of a century of frustration that had built up around the inability to turn this new concept of the nation‑state into a political reality. For instance, despite the increasing urbanisation and industrialisation of the country the monarchy, nobility, aristocracy and the landowners continued to economically and politically dominate France throughout the opening decades of the eighteenth century. Moreover, as was the case with the last days of the Roman Empire, the behaviour of the traditional elite in France appeared to get more lavish and decadent with each passing year so that, by July 1789, France was absolutely ripe to experience what Marxists would understand as a ‘revolution from below’. The intellectuals and the bourgeoisie were able to use a variety of oratorical and politically inflammatory means of inciting the disaffected French masses into open rebellion at this time. One of these means was nationalism. By constantly c laiming that the monarchy and the nobility were destroying the cultural fabric of France, the leaders of the revolution (bourgeois men such as Maximilian Robespierre) were able to quickly turn a large‑scale riot into a wholesale nationalist revolution. In this sense, the dictatorship of Robespierre and The Terror that took effect from July 1793 to July 1794 should be seen as marking the birth of political modernity. â€Å"Robespierre is not so much the heir of Enlightenment as the product of the new system called Jacobinism, the beginning of modern politics.†[2] Modern politics in this instance is a pseudonym for nationalism, which after the French Revolution became the defining concept in European politics until the end of World War Two and the destruction of the Nazi State in 1945. Indeed, the link between the revolution, nationalism and what the twentieth century would come to understand as fascism must at this point be underscored. Fascism, much like the political dictators of the French Revolution, was only able to come to power via a protracted period of liberal decadence having taken place beforehand. Thus in much the same way as the leaders of the French Revolution right wing fascist leaders used nationalism as a means of highlighting the need to undergo a revolutionary national re‑birth; to attempt to form a phoenix from what they perceived as the ashes of political ineptitude and cultural decadence. â€Å"Fascism is a genus of political ideology whose mythic core in its various permutations is a palingenetic form of populist ultra-nationalism.†[3] The association with fascism is also useful for the way in which it spreads light on how the revolution was unable to be contained with the sovereign national borders of France alone. Like Nazism, nationalism in the context of the French Revolution was a highly unstable ideological solution to a long-term socio‑political problem. The revolution likewise required an external enemy in order to maintain popular support and political legitimacy. Thus, war became the lifeblood of the revolution as, during the course of the 1790’s the leaders of the French Revolution decided that it was no longer enough to have successfully removed from power the former political elite from France; rather, an expansion of the ideology and the means of putting that ideology into practice abroad became the raison d’à ªtre of the regime. â€Å"During the 1790’s the policies pursued by France undoubtedly contributed to mass political mobilisation elsewhere in Europe.†[4] The Napoleonic Wars which followed should be seen as the wars of nationalism which raged across the European continent over the following two decades. Yet there was a tangible sense of a faà §ade appearing whereby the French claimed to be conquering foreign territory in order to transfer the libertarian, enlightened principles of the revolution to lands that had hitherto not been afforded such a valuable political and social insight when in fact the struggles that Napoleon embarked upon across the continent were simply a means of affirming the French nationalists’ belief that they alone were the superior European race. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the invasion of Russia – again a move that strikes immediate comparisons with Hitler and Nazi Germany. By crossing the Urals and moving into the realms of Russian authority, Napoleon finally discarded the mask of the revolution that he had so far been sporting. In no way could the take over of Russia be seen as anything other than the expression of nationalism over political theory. Russia at the time was still an almost entirely feudal country with no industrialisation to speak of even in the major towns and cities such as St. Petersburg. In addition, there was no sophisticated social class system to speak of which could have proved to be a launch pad for a nationalist revolution taking place in Russia on anything like the same scale that had happened in France. Therefore, the invasion was, in the final analysis, simply due to the will of Napoleon and the nationalistic French to increase the revolutionary empire by overcoming the historical pariah of European politics. Furthermore, just like all the other nationalist leaders who went before and came after him, Napoleon was ultimately proved to be incorrect: nationalism (as manifested by the Tsar and the Russian civilian population) was a force that was just as capable of defending a sovereign border territory as it was of invading and con quering it. Nationalism was clearly a double‑edged sword so far as France and Napoleon were concerned. Essentially, the more land the French army seized, the more the Prussians and the English revelled in their own forms of nationalism which were ignited in the first place by French aggression and sustained by the military ambitions of its dictatorial leader. It remains within the realms of conjecture as to whether or not the British Empire would have been established as rapidly and successfully as it was without the experience of the Napoleonic Wars to both inspire as well as crystallise it. There can be little doubt that the rivalry of the two (which had been meted out in the colonial wars that took place at the same time in North America and Canada) had been the result of a growing sense of tension due to the nascent nationalism of both countries. The French Revolution proved to be the catalyst behind the ultimate expression of this nationalistic warfare between the United Kingdom and France – a potent political concoction whose reside is still very much in evidence in the modern era. Mention at this point must be made of the ideological and philosophical impetus behind the French Revolution in order to manufacture an argument against the idea that the uprising was solely the revolt of nationalistic fervour, which it clearly was not. No seizure of power by a people over a ruling government can be anything other than the combination of a number of highly complex social, cultural, economic and political processes. The build up to the storming of the Bastille has been described as the golden age of Enlightenment – an epoch that oversaw the signing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man in America (July 1776), which signalled the notion of all men being born equal and of human beings having been born with certain rights that must be upheld by national and international law. This vision of liberalism that was sweeping across the early modern western world was not initially a vision that was inspired solely by nationalism. Certainly in the United States it is not possible to speak of a nationalist revolution simply because the thirteen colonies at that time consisted of such a mixture of European immigrants as to make the concept of a nation‑state wholly inadequate for the newly conceived ‘Americans.’ The ideal was, rather, a child of ideological and philosophical writings that emanated predominantly from France via contemporary cultural commentators such as Rousseau an d Voltaire. Again, these ideals did not accentuate the nationalism inherent within Enlightenment. Instead they promulgated an essentially socialist view of a new European order that was designed upon a kind of meritocracy rather than values pertaining to inheritance; where ability was seen as more important than historical connection. â€Å"Anyone who excels in something is always sure to be sought after, opportunities will present themselves and merit will do the rest.†[5] This inexorably socialist, libertarian seed that was first planted in what would become the French Revolution is a vital tool for understanding how nationalism alone cannot be seen as responsible for the events of 1789 and the ensuing wars which followed. The ideological impetus behind the revolution was one that genuinely envisaged a utopian new world order that would not be dictated by corrupt and inadequate people the likes of which had conspired to ruin France since the Middle Ages. The reasons as to why this ideal of a revolution from below turned into a large scale international war is entirely due to the make up of mankind, which is especially inclined to be corrupted by power and to look towards routes of making profit out of the conquer and subjugation of alien races. The point has been made before and it must be made again: this kind of overt nationalism that took control of France during the late eighteen and early nineteenth century was the driving force behind all interc ontinental relations over the following one hundred and fifty years. The French Revolution thus oversaw the beginnings of the reign of realpolitik when military might became the only means of maintaining dominance in a Europe increasingly influenced by cultural intolerance and overt political nationalism. Conclusion â€Å"1789 meant a revolution in ideas, in institutions and individual opportunities, which a quarter of a century of upheaval and war made irreversible.†[6] As the above quotation suggests, the revolution that took France by storm during the final years of the eighteenth century was an extremely potent political process that seemed to gather intensity as the success first of the bourgeois dictatorship of The Terror and second of the military dictatorship of Napoleon cemented the ideals of the Enlightenment upon the European mainland. However, although this process might have began as an expression of egalitarian views pertaining to the freedom of all men, the reality of the revolution was one that spoke volumes about the essentially violent nature of the human condition and the extent of the socio‑political frustrations that had been steadily rising since the middle of the previous century. The greatest beneficiary of this volatile mixture was without doubt nationalism – the only ideological force that was able to hold together the disparate aims and ideals that conspired to make up the French Revolution. Nationalism and th e defence of la patrie were used as rallying cries by the petty bourgeoisie, the revolutionary instigators of the Terror and the imperial machinations of the Napoleonic war machine. To what extent these people were successful in their aims of inciting a nationalist revolution remains an issue that still resides predominantly within the realms of conjecture. There certainly appears to be a major schism between the nationalism that gripped the streets of Paris and the other chief urban centres of France and the relative tranquillity of the rural areas of the country that largely retained their bonds both to the nobility and to the ancien regime in the years that immediately followed the revolution[7]. In the final analysis, the concept of la patrie meant very little to the uneducated proletariat working on the rural estates in the agrarian parts of the country where economic necessity took precedence over revolutionary rhetoric and nationalistic uprisings. This then suggests that nationalism is inexorably tied to industrialisation, urbanisation and the ability to wage mobile industrial warfare across a large land mass. This is exactly what happened one hundred and fifty years after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo when the distorted vision of nationalism that inspired the French Revolution came back to haunt Europe and the world on an unimaginable scale. BIBLIOGRAPHY Andress, D. (2005) The Terror: Civil War in the French Revolution London: Little, Brown Co. Bouloiseau, M. (1983) (translated by J. Mandelbaum), The Jacobin Republic, 1792‑1794 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Dann, O. and Dinwiddy, J.R. (1988) Nationalism in the Age of the French Revolution London: Continuum Furet, F. (1981) (translated by E. Forster), Interpreting the French Revolution Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Griffin, R. (1991) The Nature of Fascism London: Pinter Merriman, J. (2004) A History of Modern Europe Volume 2: From the French Revolution to the Present London: W.W. Norton Co. Pilbeam, P.M. (1995) Republicanism in Nineteenth Century France, 1814-1871 Basingstoke: Macmillan Rousseau, J-J (1971) (introduction and translated by J.M. Cohen) The Confessions London: Penguin Voltaire (1964) (introduction and translated by J. Butt) Zandig London: Penguin Zeldin, T. (1980) France 1848-1945: Intellect and Pride Oxford: Oxford University Press Selected Articles Biddis, M. (October 1994) Nationalism and the Moulding of Europe, in, Journal of the Historical Association, Volume 79, No. 257 London: Blackwell Footnotes [1] Bouloiseau, M. (1983) (translated by J. Mandelbaum), The Jacobin Republic, 1792‑1794 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.227‑8 [2] Furet, F. (1981) (translated by E. Forster), Interpreting the French Revolution Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p.204 [3] Griffin, R. (1991) The Nature of Fascism London: Pinter, p.26 [4] Biddis, M. (October 1994) Nationalism and the Moulding of Europe, in, Journal of the Historical Association, Volume 79, No. 257 London: Blackwell, p.416 [5] Rousseau, J-J (1971) (introduction and translated by J.M. Cohen), The Confessions London: Penguin, p.271 [6] Pilbeam, P.M. (1995) Republicanism in Nineteenth Century France, 1814-1871 Basingstoke: Macmillan, p.267 [7] Zeldin, T. (1980) France 1848-1945: Intellect and Pride Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.2-5

Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez :: essays research papers

â€Å"Zoot Suit† Luis Valdez made a great contribution to Chicano theater when he created a Chicano musical a form of theater that was more common for white America. As I read Zoot Suit I could not stop wondering how the play would look once it was on stage. I could not picture a play that included singing and dancing one which does not compare to the other plays written by Luis Valdez and the Teatro Campesino. I only wish that I had been lucky enough to watch the play live. However, I do feel that if the play was to be re-enacted it would not have the same effect on it’s viewers of today as it might have then. Unfortunately I feel that might be its only downfall. I was still really amazed that this play made it to Broadway and I feel it was just as worthy of it as other plays have been. It is also very interesting to note that it was his longest running play in Los Angeles however; I am assuming that has to do with the large number of Mexican and Mexican-Americans living in LA during that tim e.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I found the play very interesting and could not stop reading especially because I knew that the play was based on a true story a crime that actually took place against Chicanos. I did not know much about the sleepy lagoon case before I read the play. Having an interest on the subject helped me stay focus on the story and kept me reading. However, I kept wanting a stage visual of the play so that I could stay alert. As I watched the movie for the first time I felt great and yet, a bit bewildered to see so many brown faces on stage at the same time but ultimately I truly loved the feeling of it. I only wish that more plays or even movies would include Latinos onto the stage. I feel that the fact that Luis Valdez created a more American type of play made it more possible to be seen by many more people. If Zoot Suit would have been kept as an acto its audience would have been selective and minimal.

Online Communities Essay -- Technology, Media

Throughout history a debate has raged on whether sense of community, and more broadly community itself, is crumbling. [INSERT two quotes from early and late doomists] What I see in arguments both for and against the ability for sense of community to persevere is a tangled mess of media. Media play varying roles in arguments both for and against the survival of sense of community, but their presence should not be ignored. In some cases media are blamed for declines in sense of community. In others new media technologies are seen as saviors that can bring about a sense of community rebirth. More broadly, media are central to communities—their formation, purposes, and means of connecting. Newspapers inform small and large communities of what is going on—and simultaneously create an imagined community of news-readers who are spread out but engaged and linked through the stories they read. Towns send text messages notifying residents of weather or emergency situations. Online gamers meet up in cafes with their guild members, or teammates, to socialize. Yet these criss-crossing community interactions are often overlooked in discussions of community. Of all the research I have read, it is funny that the work that resonates with me the most is something I mostly disagree with. Turkle’s (1995) exploration of MUD (Multi-User Dungeons)—online social or gaming spaces connecting multiple users—communities for the most part concentrates on the ability of individuals to experiment with new identities, an assumption that is increasingly argued to be a false starting point (Leander, 2008). However, her concept of â€Å"synthetic† reality struck me as the perfect explanation for all of the discord in comparing online and offline communities. If all o... ...e of community has most popularly been brought to the public’s attention through Robert Putnam’s (Putnam, 2000; Putnam & Feldstein, 2003) research on social capital. The best-selling book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community not only attracted the attention of the general population but also led to governmental involvement in the re-engagement of community based on Putnam’s finding that civic engagement was declining (Putnam, 2000). Although Putnam’s analysis showed that participation in civic life was declining, it also revealed a desire for greater emphasis on community (Putnam, 2000). Links between community and mental health, physical health, and economic prosperity point to some of the reasons why there is so much interest in understanding the bonds of community and concern about reviving community (Putnam, 2000; Shinn & Toohey, 2002)

What is the importance of the description of Alison in the Context of t

In â€Å"The Miller’s Tale†, the poet Chaucer depicts the tale of a â€Å"hende† man and his attempt to tempt the â€Å"primerole† Alisoun to commit adultery and therefore render her husband, John a â€Å"cokewold†. The Miller’s Tale is just one story amongst a collection of greater works known collectively as â€Å"The Canterbury Tales†. The placing of this tale is significant becomes it comes directly after the Knight’s Tale revolving around nobility and chivalry and forms a direct contrast due to the fact it is bawdy, lewd and highly inappropriate. The tale is a fabliau, a versified short story designed to make you laugh; concerned usually with sexual or excretory functions. The plot often involves members of the clergy, and is usually in the form of a practical joke carried out for love or revenge and fabliaux are often viewed as a lower class genre. One of the central characters in the poem is that of Alison, a woman who is married to an older man called John the carpenter, â€Å"this carpenter hadde wedded newe a wyf†. Alison's attractions are suggested primarily by animal similes and she is described as radiant â€Å"ful brighter was the shining of hir hewe†. Alison’s beauty cannot be separated from her animation and vitality. This, with a hint of naivety, is suggested by the comparisons to "kide or calf" and (twice) to a colt. Alison is soft as a â€Å"wether's wolle† and her voice is like the swallow's. A supple, sinuous quality of her figure is suggested in the sim...

Thermochemistry Laboratory Report Essay

Abstract The purposes of these three experiments are to determine the heat capacity of a calorimeter and with that data, confirm Hess’s Law and observe enthalpy changes within reactions. By measuring the change in temperature that occurs with the interaction of two different reactants, we were able to determine both the calorimeter constant and the change in enthalpy of a given reaction. The results were rather mixed, as some numbers more closely resembled the theoretical values than others did. Introduction The first experiment is devoted to finding the calorimeter constant for a polystyrene cup. Whenever a reaction takes place inside a calorimeter, some heat is lost to the calorimeter and its surroundings. In order to achieve maximum accuracy, we must know exactly how much heat will be lost, so that the results of the next two experiments will be as correct as possible. The equation used to determine it is a simple manipulation of the overall heat of the reaction equation, which is: Overall Heat = – [(Sp.Ht. hotwater * Mass of water * Change in temperature) + (Sp.Ht. coolwater * Mass of water * Change in temperature) + (Cp calorimeter * Change in temperature)] Since an error is bound to happen during the experimental process, three calculations were done to find an average. This experiment is vital to the success of the following two thermochemistry experiments. The second experiment, entitled Hess’s Law, is a simple confirmation of said law. To do so, we take three reactions, where one of them is the same as the other two, and measure the heats of reaction for each of them. Hess’s Law states that the heat of reaction of the one reaction should equal to the sum of the heats of reaction for the other two. The three reactions used in this experiment are: (1) NaOH(s) ïÆ'   Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) (2) NaOH(s) + H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) ïÆ'   H2O(l) + Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq) (3) Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) + H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) ïÆ'   H2O(l) + Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq) In order to find the heat released by each reaction, we used a variant of the overall heat of a reaction equation, which was q = – [Sp.Ht. * m * Change in temp.]. In  addition to finding the change in enthalpy, change in entropy was also calculated using theoretical values in given reference tables. Finally, the overall free energy released was calculated using the equation: Change in free energy = Change in enthalpy – (Temperature * Change in entropy). All of this is then used to verify Hess’s Law by calculating the percent error involved in the experiment. The third experiment, called Thermochemistry: Acid + Base, combines the concepts of the previous two experiments. The main concept is to observe the change in enthalpy that results from the various reactions between strong and weak acids and bases. There were four reactions used in this experiment, and they are: (1) HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq) ïÆ'   NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) (2) HCl(aq) +NH3(aq) ïÆ'   NH4Cl(aq) (3) HC2H3O2(aq) + NaOH(aq) ïÆ'   NaC2H3O2(aq) + H2O(l) (4) HC2H3O2(aq) + NH3(aq) ïÆ'   NH4C2H3O2(aq) By monitoring the change in temperature that results from the reaction of an acid and a base, it is possible to calculate the overall energy for each reaction, also known as ∆H rxn/mole of limiting reactant. This experimental value can be compared with the theoretical to determine how accurate the experiment was. The lower the percent error, the more accurate we were at calculating the energy involved in each reaction. Experimental In order to do any calculation for energy, we first had to find the calorimeter constant. In order to do that, we first took and weighed a polystyrene cup (our calorimeter) and added approximately 100 g of warm water to it. The actual measurements are recorded in Table 1-1. The mass of the cup with the water in it were recorded to find the exact mass of the water added. Next, a cylinder was weighed, like the cup, and about 48 mL of cool water was added. The total was weighed and recorded in the same table. Afterwards, temperature sensors connected through a LabPro device were suspended in the two containers and the calculator’s DataMate program was used to record temperature over a 90 second time interval. After a few seconds of data collection from the separate liquids, they were mixed  together and stirred with the sensors until there was no time left. By using Graphical Analysis, a graph of the data was printed, displaying temperature vs. time. Tangent lines were drawn on the graph in order to determine the initial and final temperatures of the two liquids. The above procedure was repeated two more times for the sake of precision. Finally, we calculated the calorimeter constant using the formula listed in the Introduction section. Even though we conducted an experiment to find the heat capacity of a calorimeter, we were given a new value for the constant for experiment 2, due to inaccuracy in our results. For the lab called Hess’s Law, we first started by setting up the calculator to collect temperature data again. The procedure is the same as the one used in the last experiment, except that the time interval is set to 4 minutes. Next, we obtain a polystyrene cup to use as our calorimeter and fill it with 100 g of water. The cup is placed within a 250-mL beaker to keep it in a sustained environment. A temperature sensor is placed in the water and is stabilized. Then, we obtained solid NaOH and weighed about 2 grams to the nearest thousandth decimal point. This value is recorded, along with all other data in Table 2-1. Afterwards, data collection begins and after about 15 seconds, the NaOH is added to the water. The resulting solution is stirred for the duration of the time interval and by using Graphica l Analysis a graph is produced. This procedure is repeated twice more for 0.5 M HCl in place of water for one trial, and then 1.0 M HCl and 1.0 M NaOH solution for the third trial. All of the measurements are recorded in the table mentioned above. For the final experiment, the procedure is very similar to its predecessors. We began by initializing the LabPro and DataMate to collect temperature data over time (this time it is a 180 second interval). First, we measure as close as we can to 50 g of a base of our choice in a 100-mL graduated cylinder. A temperature sensor is placed in the cylinder. Next, we weighed 100 g of a chosen acid in the calorimeter. The calorimeter is placed in a 1000-mL beaker for stability and a temperature sensor is submerged in the acid. After the sensors have a chance to equilibrate, we started to collect data. When about 15 seconds have passed, we poured the base into the  calorimeter with the acid and stirred for the duration of the time with both sensors. Then, when time was up, we used Graphical Analysis to print the resulting temperature vs. time graph. This processed is repeated three more times until every combination of strong and weak acids and bases is used. Analysis The data we recorded for the first experiment appears to be accurate, though drawing tangent lines to find final and initial points has its inherent inaccuracy. Using the formula discussed in the introduction, our equation turned out like the following: 0 = – [(47.166 g * 4.184 J/g °C * 16.561  °C) + (98.874 g * 4.184 J/g °C * -9.4139  °C) + (Cp calorimeter * -9.4139  °C)] Cp calorimeter = -66.522 J/ °C The average of the three obtained values is as simple as adding them all together and dividing by three, the number of values, which looked like this: (-66.522 + 348.619 + 225.669)/3 = 169.255 J/ °C. This number is much higher than the default value we were given for the next lab, which was only 15.0 J/ °C. For the Hess’s Law experiment, the numbers looked much better. The first thing we did with the data was solve for the change in temperature, which was just final temperature minus initial temperature. The result gave us something like this: 23.9  °C – 19  °C = 4.9  °C. Second, we calculated the heat released by each equation, which is shown as this: q = – [Sp.Ht. * m * ∆t] q = – [4.18 J/g °C * 99.524 g * 4.9  °C] q = -2.038 kJ Then, the heat lost to the calorimeter was calculated using the formula q = – [Cp * ∆t]. From that, we found that q = – [15.0 J/ °C * 4.9  °C] = -0.0735 kJ. Next, the total ∆H was found by adding both values of q above, which just equals -2.1115 kJ. In order to find ∆H/mol NaOH, we had to find how many moles were used in each reaction based on the mass of NaOH weighed and recorded in Table 2-1. The format for finding the number of moles looked  like the following: 2.0810 g NaOH * (1 mol NaOH / 40 g NaOH) = 0.052 mol NaOH. This value is used to divide the ∆H to find the ∆H/mol NaOH value, which equaled -40.606 kJ/mol. Using the ∆H of Reaction 2 as the theoretical value, and the combined ∆H values of Reactions 1 and 3, we can find out our percent error, which is shown below as: % error = abs ((theoretical – experimental) / theoretical) * 100 % error = abs ((79.56 – 94.87) / 79.56) * 100 % error = 19.24 % The above values can all be found on Table 2-1. The above process was repeated with data collected from the whole class, which yielded a 14.47 % error. Finally, using theoretical numbers, we calculated ∆H, ∆S, and ∆G for reaction 2. For the first two, a similar equation of sum of products minus sum of reactants equals ∆H and ∆S respectively. ∆G is calculated using the formula in the introduction, which looked like ∆G = -98.8 – 298(0.0580) = -116.062 kJ/mol. With the data collected in the third experiment a multitude of calculations were carried out. All of the following data can be found in Table 3-1. First, we solved for ∆H rxn, which is the same as the overall heat equation described in the introduction. The calculation looked liked the following: ∆H rxn = – [(4.184 J/g °C * 98.781 g * 4.35  °C) + (4.184 J/g °C * 48.5133 g * 4.0  °C) + (15.0 J/ °C * 4.35  °C) ∆H rxn = -2.68 kJ Next, we needed to calculate the limiting reactant for each reaction, which was just the reactant that yielded the least product. The method for determining it is like so: 98.781 g HCl * (1 mol HCl / 36 g HCl) * (1 mol NaCl / 1 mol HCl) * (1 g NaCl / 1 mol NaCl) = 2.744 g NaCl 48.5153 g NaOH * (1 mol NaOH / 40 g NaOH) * (1mol NaCl / 1 mol NaOH) * (1 g NaCl / 1 mol NaCl) = 1.213 g NaCl Then, we take the ∆H rxn above and divide it by the moles of limiting reactant, which we discovered above (since each solution is 1.0 M, the moles used is the number of grams divided by 1000). This new ∆H rxn / moles of limiting reactant is the experimental value to be compared to the theoretical value obtained with given numbers. Comparing these two values using the % error equation above, the % error of one of the reactions comes out to be just 1.25%. The rest of the numbers can be observed in Table 3-2. This concludes all of the calculations that were involved in all of the experiments. Conclusion The results of this experiment were a mix of both very accurate and nowhere close. For the first experiment, the values for the calorimeter constant were very imprecise, ranging from negative values to ten times greater than the theoretical 15.0 J/ °C. This is most likely due to a series of miscalculations and human error. In experiment two, the numbers were far more favorable, with a 19.24 % error for our data and a 14.47 % error for the entire class. This number still seems too high to justify the verification of Hess’s Law and should probably be redone with more care in consistently measuring reactants, but other than that, the experiment was completed well enough. The results for the final experiment are also quite mixed. While some experimental values had only a 1.25 % error, others were grossly erroneous with about 65.1 % error. The most inaccurate data was the ones collected for the reaction of a weak acid and a strong base, which yielded an obviously flawed 300 % err or. For the results that were inaccurate, the source of error was most likely to due a miscalculation on my part, possibly in the calculation of the theoretical values, or the experimental for that matter. Much more care must be taken when repeating this lab, for the possible errors are numerous. The purpose of these three labs were to observe the nature of heat and reactions, which the experiments do rather nicely. The procedures described do an excellent job describing the purpose of each step, though they are easy to do incorrectly. In the end, the experiments yielded mediocre results, a mixed bag of incredibly accurate to just very wrong. Thermochemistry is indeed a rather elusive topic, but these experiments make it much more tangible.