Artemis Fowl Book Report

He had devised a plan that would restore his family's fortune, a plan that could people civilizations and plunge the planet into a cross species war. Was at Ho Chi Mini City waiting for our contact Guan Unguent accompanied by Butler. As we waited Guan walked up to us dressed as a waiter. Obvious. Handmade loafers, a silk shirt, three gold signet rings. Pathetic really. Only to check for weapons. Who does he think I am? I told him that I was unarmed but for fun I told him about Butler. How he had tons of weapons and how he could kill him even without them. It was hilarious.He looked as if he were going to cry. Finally he told us to look at a picture he had. It was a wrinkly green hand. Guan then told us that she is a healer that works in exchange for rice wine. She was always drunk. He led us to a fire escape in Tu Do Street. I asked Butler for the night vision goggles. Inside I saw the green old hag. She asked for wine. Butler gave her the Irish whiskey. It was the same wrinkly green hand. I told Butler to give Guan the money. Finally things were going according to plan. She asked me if had anything that needed healing. I told her only wanted her book.She threatened to kill me. I told her that I would save her if she gave me the book. She gave me a questioning look. Perhaps the affects of the holy water hadn't darted yet. Told her about it and she said I murdered her. Then she started listening to what I had to say. Told her that we had two vials: #1 a vial of spring water from the fairy well sixty meters below Tara, Ireland the most magical place on the Earth, it would counteract the holy water and #2 a booster with a virus that feeds on alcohol which will flush every drop of rice wine out of her body.She asked me how could I trust you. That was a good question. Sometimes I can't even trust myself. I had to say something so I told her that I would give her the first vial on faith and the second one after am even the book for at least 30 minutes. Butler gave he r the first shot with the syringe gun then she gave me the book. I took my camera and took a picture of every page of the characters then gave it back and Butler injected the second vial, we left immediately. A century's worth of alcohol leaving the body isn't a pretty sight. When we got home I checked on mum.Sleeping like a baby. If she had recovered I would have to cancel everything and go to school. I went to my room uploading the files into my computer. It was a mixture of symbols and characters they were all around the page in no regular order. I printed all the ages and tacked them to the wall. First I needed a central point language so I started with English, Chinese, Arabic, Greek, Cyrillic, and even Gingham texts. There was still nothing. Was frustrated; none of the characters had a match. I thought hard and remembered the only base language didn't try: Egyptian. Finally a hit.The computer didn't show anything so I would have to get every Gnomish figure and compare it with the hieroglyphics. At midnight when I was done I fed my findings into the Macintosh. I pressed decode. Papers of meaningless gibberish came flowing out. Now all I had to do was find out the order it was written in. The Arabic right to left, no, the Chinese columns, no. Nothing worked. Then I noticed a tiny dot in the middle Of each page with arrows around it Then I knew that it was read in spirals. I typed spiral on the read menu and the letters came out in lines, finally. This was it.The Book of the People. Being Instructions to our Magic's And Life Rules. Carry me always, carry me well. Am thy teacher of herb and spell am thy link to power arcane. Forget me and thy magic will wane. Ten times ten commandments there be. They will answer every mystery. Cures, curses, alchemy. These secrets shall be thin, through me. But fairy remember this above all. Am not for those in mud that crawl. And forever doomed shall be the one, who betrays my secrets one by one†¦ Finally the book was translated and read. Now it was time for the thing I do best; plot dastardly acts.After a few hours I called Butler and Juliet(Butler's sister) into the room. I told them that according to the book, all we have to do is stakeout at an ancient tree at a full moon at a river bend. Juliet questioned me about fairies and how they weren't real, that got me thinking that all this work could be for nothing, but again the book proved quite promising. I told Juliet to get a cage into the cellar. We had over 100 places to try, it wouldn't be as easy as I thought. Four months of searching, not a hit. After 1 hour of waiting the proximity alarms flashed red someone was here. Hacked the scope and saw a figure bending down beside a tree. It was a possible fairy picking up a seat. In the bushes I saw Butler hold the dart pistol with the red dot pointed at her neck. Butler pulled the trigger, but out of a million odds she ducked again. Now she noticed she was under fire, we would have to do this ma nually. Butler was already ahead of the game and started to taunt the fairy. New that it was my turn so I started to scare the fairy. Butler stood behind her preparing a second tranquilizer dart while stalled her. Finally Butler shot her in the back and took her helmet.I couldn't believe how human the fairy looked. When We got TO Fowl Manor I examined the helmet and found a small tracking device. Of course they be following us now. Or they be following the tracker at least. I told Butler to get the car. It's time for road trip number 2. When we got too the dock I told Butler we needed a diversion. Butler nodded then I went to the nearest whaler and dumped the tracker inside. I put a mob there also to whoever was tracking it down. When got back to the car Butler was still fighting some men. Felt sorry for them. Even I don't want to pick a fight with him.After he finished he came to the car and we drove back to Fowl Manor. Went to our prisoner in a cage in the basement. It was time to taunt her once again. Told her, her name: Holly Short, rank: Captain and the rules in the house. Finally she asked how knew these things. I was surprised. It seemed like she didn't know she had a name tag on her. Told her I was aiming for gold. She again asked how do we know everything. Knew that couldn't tell err had the book so I told her we gave her a truth serum and she told us everything. She went to a corner thinking how had she had betrayed her people. Aft and went to Butler who was monitoring the cameras. Nothing yet. I told Butler to try the avenue and freeze the picture. He did and five black figures appeared on the screen. I handed him a bigger helmet that had several filters that allowed him to see shielded fairies. Butler went outside to take care of them. Before he left I told him to get the head to talk with better scared than dead. After a few minutes Butler came back with a handful of technology and left or preparation for my special visitor. They'd put a time stop on Fowl Manor.Seconds later the clock stopped and an unshielded figure stepped onto the lawn. The game was just beginning. Came to the front door and allowed him to come in. Told him that in return for the captain that I wanted a ton often-carat gold. He told me that he was going to kill us all with a bomb that I already knew of. I told him I could escape it. He was bewildered. He told me that nobody could escape the bio bomb, and then he left. After he left I went straight to the surveillance room and I noticed that Butler wasn't going around doing his rounds. Diode butler and asked him what was he doing.

International Trade

International Trade Trade Most economists believe in free trade – the movement of goods between countries in the absence of harsh restrictions placed upon this exchange. The comparative cost principle is that countries should produce whatever they can make the most cheaply. Countries will raise their living standards and income if they specialize in the production of the goods and services in which they have the highest relative productivity: the amount of output produced per unit of an input (e. g. raw material, labor). Specialization is a situation that occurs when individuals or businesses produce a narrow range of products. Countries can have an absolute advantage – so that they are the cheapest in the world, or a comparative advantage – so that they are only more efficient than some other countries in producing certain goods or services. This can be because they have raw materials, a particular climate, qualified labor (skilled workers), and economies of scale – reduced production costs because of large-scale production. Balance of payments Imports are goods or services bought from a foreign country. Exports are goods or services sold to a foreign country. A country that exports more goods than it imports has a positive balance of trade or a trade surplus. The opposite is a negative balance of trade or a trade deficit. Trade in goods is sometimes called visible trade (AmE: merchandise trade). Services such as banking, insurance and tourism are sometimes called invisible imports and exports. Adding invisibles to the balance of trade gives a country's balance of payments. Protectionism Government, unlike most economists, often wants to protect various areas of the economy. These include agriculture – so that the country is certain to have food – and other strategic industries that would be necessary if there was a war and international trade became impossible. Governments also want to protect other industries that provide a lot of jobs. Many governments impose tariffs or import taxes on goods from abroad, to make them more xpensive and to encourage people to buy local products instead. However, there are an increasing number of free trade areas, without any import tariffs, in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas and blocs such as: †¢The EEA: European Economic Area containing the European Union plus some other countries. †¢NAFTA: North America Free Trade Area: Canada, US and Mexico. The World Trade Organization (WTO) tries to encourage free trade a nd reduce protectionism: restricting imports in order to help local products. According to the WTO agreement, countries have to offer the same conditions to all trading partners. The only way a country is allowed to try to restrict imports is by imposing tariffs. Countries should not use import quotas – limits to the number of products which can be imported – or other restrictive measures. Various international agreement also forbid dumping – selling goods abroad at below cost price in order to destroy or weaken competitors or to earn foreign currency to pay for necessary imports. Globalizing trends The supporters of globalization, the way that the world's economy increasingly functions as one unit, say that it will continue to cause growth and prosperity to spread thanks to: †¢Free movement of capital: money for investment can be easily moved around the world †¢Trade liberalization: obstacles to international trade are gradually being removed. †¢Shipping costs that are ever-declining thanks to the efficiency of containerization. †¢Telecommunications and computing costs that have fallen dramatically. Fair trade The Fairtrade Foundation makes sure that producers and growers are paid a fair price, not just the market price, which can be catastrophically low. For example, prices can fall dramatically when there is overproduction around the world causing a glut in a particular commodity. Economic Crisis Economic crisis is marked by overpowering alarm, in financial or commercial circles, leading to a sudden and drastic restriction of credit and great shrinkage in commodity and property prices. A financial panic usually precipitates a wave of business failures and followed by a period of depression. International Trade International Trade Trade Most economists believe in free trade – the movement of goods between countries in the absence of harsh restrictions placed upon this exchange. The comparative cost principle is that countries should produce whatever they can make the most cheaply. Countries will raise their living standards and income if they specialize in the production of the goods and services in which they have the highest relative productivity: the amount of output produced per unit of an input (e. g. raw material, labor). Specialization is a situation that occurs when individuals or businesses produce a narrow range of products. Countries can have an absolute advantage – so that they are the cheapest in the world, or a comparative advantage – so that they are only more efficient than some other countries in producing certain goods or services. This can be because they have raw materials, a particular climate, qualified labor (skilled workers), and economies of scale – reduced production costs because of large-scale production. Balance of payments Imports are goods or services bought from a foreign country. Exports are goods or services sold to a foreign country. A country that exports more goods than it imports has a positive balance of trade or a trade surplus. The opposite is a negative balance of trade or a trade deficit. Trade in goods is sometimes called visible trade (AmE: merchandise trade). Services such as banking, insurance and tourism are sometimes called invisible imports and exports. Adding invisibles to the balance of trade gives a country's balance of payments. Protectionism Government, unlike most economists, often wants to protect various areas of the economy. These include agriculture – so that the country is certain to have food – and other strategic industries that would be necessary if there was a war and international trade became impossible. Governments also want to protect other industries that provide a lot of jobs. Many governments impose tariffs or import taxes on goods from abroad, to make them more xpensive and to encourage people to buy local products instead. However, there are an increasing number of free trade areas, without any import tariffs, in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas and blocs such as: †¢The EEA: European Economic Area containing the European Union plus some other countries. †¢NAFTA: North America Free Trade Area: Canada, US and Mexico. The World Trade Organization (WTO) tries to encourage free trade a nd reduce protectionism: restricting imports in order to help local products. According to the WTO agreement, countries have to offer the same conditions to all trading partners. The only way a country is allowed to try to restrict imports is by imposing tariffs. Countries should not use import quotas – limits to the number of products which can be imported – or other restrictive measures. Various international agreement also forbid dumping – selling goods abroad at below cost price in order to destroy or weaken competitors or to earn foreign currency to pay for necessary imports. Globalizing trends The supporters of globalization, the way that the world's economy increasingly functions as one unit, say that it will continue to cause growth and prosperity to spread thanks to: †¢Free movement of capital: money for investment can be easily moved around the world †¢Trade liberalization: obstacles to international trade are gradually being removed. †¢Shipping costs that are ever-declining thanks to the efficiency of containerization. †¢Telecommunications and computing costs that have fallen dramatically. Fair trade The Fairtrade Foundation makes sure that producers and growers are paid a fair price, not just the market price, which can be catastrophically low. For example, prices can fall dramatically when there is overproduction around the world causing a glut in a particular commodity. Economic Crisis Economic crisis is marked by overpowering alarm, in financial or commercial circles, leading to a sudden and drastic restriction of credit and great shrinkage in commodity and property prices. A financial panic usually precipitates a wave of business failures and followed by a period of depression.

Gay, Defined

Liz Schmidt Kate Brady English 101 October 9, 2012 Formal definition: Gay (adj. ) merry: happy and carefree; brightly ornamental or colorful; homosexual. (n. ) A homosexual. (â€Å"gay†) Synonymous definition: Gay (syn. ) merry, lighthearted, joyful, cheerful, sprightly, jolly, happy, joyous, gleeful, jovial, colorful, bright. (â€Å"gay†) Negative definition: Gay (adj. ) unhappy, lacking color, heavyhearted Because of the literal definition of the word, people that are homosexual are often seen as â€Å"colorful† and â€Å"cheerful†. Etymological Definition: Gay (n) usually male, homosexual.In middle English, it meant â€Å"excellent person† â€Å"noble lady† â€Å"gallant knight† or â€Å"something gay or bright†; â€Å"ornament or badge† (â€Å"gay†)2 Stipulative definition: Gay (adj. ) being homosexual Illustrative definition: Two men walking down the street holding hands. Thesis statement: The meaning of the w ord gay has changed vastly over time, which today, can be offensive. Liz Schmidt Kate Brady English 101 October 9, 2012 The definition of the word â€Å"gay† has evolved greatly over time. What you consider â€Å"gay† today is definitely not what was considered â€Å"gay† 200 years ago, or even 50 years ago. 00 years ago, the word was used as a term of promiscuity. It was also used as a slang term to call someone a â€Å"young hobo. † (â€Å"gay†) Today, we use the word mostly as â€Å"homosexual† or referring to someone who is attracted to the same sex. At the same time, the younger age group of America is using the word â€Å"gay† as a way to express dislike toward something. A common way would be saying â€Å"that’s gay† when a friend tells them their team lost the game. This misuse of the word can often lead to offending the homosexual community. The meaning of the word †gay† has changed vastly over time, which today, can be offensive.How did the meaning of the word â€Å"gay† once turn from being â€Å"merry and happy† to â€Å"homosexual†? It all started around the 1630’s, when people often used it as both â€Å"splendid and showily dressed† and calling a brothel a gay house. It is believed that the word was used this way up until about the early 1900’s. The slang meaning (homosexual) began to appear in psychological writing in the late 1940’s. At first, the word was used solely among homosexuals themselves, by mostly male prostitutes referring to each other, but also female prostitutes. â€Å"gay-rights movement†) It seems to me that nobody ever really used the term as its true meaning â€Å"merry and happy†. However, there are songs in old musicals where they use it that way, so I guess that meaning wasn’t completely extinct. Although the â€Å"merry and happy† meaning of gay wasn’t really used a whole lot in the past, we do see the â€Å"bright and colorful† meaning in many Christmas songs. One well-known example is in â€Å"Deck the Halls†. The lyrics are â€Å"Don we now our gay apparel†; this most likely implies that they were dressed in bright colors.Without doubt, the word â€Å"gay† has a boundless history and has been used so many different ways in the past. A teenager walks into their favorite store, and immediately spots something they love. They see that the price is much more than they have currently, and furiously groans, â€Å"Fifty dollars? That’s gay! † When someone says â€Å"that’s gay† about something that they find just plain stupid, why don’t they just say â€Å"that’s stupid†? The improper use of this word may offend the homosexual community because it is a lot like calling them stupid. From my observation, this whole â€Å"that’s gay† thing started recently, wit hin the last few years.Mostly young people started saying it about nearly everything that they found idiotic. It’s not even homophobic people using the word this way, it’s anybody. It’s a bad habit that most people probably picked up from hearing others say it. However if you say it wrongly you may be seen as homophobic. How can there be a double meaning of both â€Å"homosexual† and â€Å"stupid† for the word â€Å"gay†? Imagine if instead of â€Å"gay† people said â€Å"that’s straight† about an object they didn’t like. Wouldn’t it be wrong, to basically call someone’s sexuality bad or stupid?It sounds silly, but the inappropriate usage of the word â€Å"gay† is implying that you think there is something wrong with being gay. It’s obvious that someone who is gay is going to be offended if they hear someone using the word the wrong way. They could take it as insulting, or they could ju st be a little annoyed. Either way, it’s not right. I once worked with a girl who was homosexual. Sometimes I would easily forget that she was in the room and catch myself saying â€Å"that’s gay† about something totally random. I never really noticed that it could be offensive until a co-worker said something to me.She asked me, â€Å"Don’t you know Emily’s gay? † When I said yes, she then told me that I should stop saying â€Å"that’s gay† in front of her. At this point, I felt really bad about it and definitely wanted to stop saying it completely. Saying â€Å"that’s gay† is such a bad habit of many young people. I guess Emily understood that it was just a bad habit for me, but not everyone will be that understanding. Furthermore, the word â€Å"gay† should be used solely for meaning â€Å"homosexual†. The other day, I was conversing with a friend about some news in the media. She had told me that Brad Pitt makes 250 million dollars in just one sitting.I laughed, and replied, â€Å"that’s gay. † After I said that I realized I should definitely stop saying that because it doesn’t even make any sense if you think about it. The meaning of the word â€Å"gay† shouldn’t be â€Å"stupid†, although it is for many people. The definition has changed greatly throughout the years, which may cause some people to take offense by it. Works Cited â€Å"gay-rights movement. † The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 8 Oct 2012. â€Å"gay. † Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus. 1997. Print. â€Å"gay. † Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, 2012. Web. 8 Oct 2012.

Bowling For Columbine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bowling For Columbine - Essay Example re does not give ready-made conclusions on the cause of this tragedy, he has identified some important pathologies of American society that inevitably leads to massacres of this kind. Moore makes a convincing case that gun possession in the United States is an identifiable cultural phenomenon, directly linked with the culture of fear prevailing in the country both at the micro and macro levels. What Moore identifies as the culture of fear is nothing but manufactured by the elites in the United States. This American reality is the result of the entrenched ruling of the politico-military-industry complex that has a substantial role in the emergence of this trigger culture. Extremely, Michele Moore was able to show that one could get a gun in America even for opening a bank account. The culture of gun ownership in the United States is certainly one of the important factors that makes tragedies such as Columbine School shooting not only possible but also a concrete possibility. However, it is not possible to empirically link the occurrence of crimes with the widespread ownership of guns since there are many countries that too have high gun possession rates but less related crimes. On the other hand, other factors such as the propagation of violence through media, especially new media technologies like those that video games could effectively be linked to the crimes. Michele Moore himself highlights the case of Switzerland where it is compulsory for the citizens to have guns as it has no standing army. Yet, high rates of gun possession related crimes have been not reported from there. Curiously, Moore points fingers to that fact that the United States has the worlds largest defense facilities which include weapons of mass destruction, while seeking the roots of C olumbine High School tragedy. Certainly, the cultural attitudes stemming from the violent past of the United States have a decisive role in the high gun ownership rates and related crimes. Nevertheless, there

Twitter in Our Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Twitter in Our Life - Essay Example To potentially support Twitter’s relevancy toward citizen journalism, one can explore the 2012 presidential campaign between incumbent Barack Obama and new candidate Mitt Romney. On October 30, one month prior to the actual election, analysis of Twitter activity regarding both candidates identified that Romney maintained more negative tweets than his opponent, who ultimately won the election for a second term. Of Romney’s total tweet volume, 34 percent were attributed to negative discussion whilst Obama maintained a 33 percent negative tweet volume (TNS 2012). Analysis of the content of these negative tweets identified that major socio-political topics such as taxation, immorality, worry, and disaster were attributed, in higher volume, toward the loser Romney (TNS). On October 30, one day prior to the aforementioned analysis, mainstream journalism (CNN) had moderated a debate between the two candidates where the moderator inquired of Romney his stance on disaster relief in the wake of a large superstorm that ravaged the U.S. East Coast. Romney on national television indicated that the Federal government should have a limited role in disaster relief to avoid incurring more debt, calling it immoral (Taylor 2012). After these debates, the mainstream Huffington Post maintained a neutral reporting position regarding Romney’s criticisms of immorality and disaster prevailing negative tweets, suggesting that Romney also stated he would ensure adequate funding to America’s FEMA organization to provide such relief.

Public Meeting Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public Meeting Paper - Assignment Example The meeting was arranged to explain new regulations and provide answers to questions about them. Most local government officials voluntarily select to seek the public’s input with regard to the development of legislation. The meetings I attended at the Tempe City Council in Arizona was aimed at accomplishing their core aim of giving citizens the opportunity to directly influence decisions made by the governing bodies. I came to find out that during the conduction of regular City Council meetings and Issue Review Sessions, they are broadcasted live on Tempe Channel 11 which is the City’s government access channel. As noted by Sharp, Smith and Patton (pp.2-4) people tend to more readily accept government policies if they had a role in its development. The City Council’s public meeting serves a very crucial democratic function by offering the citizens with the opportunity to convey information to officials, to set up future agendas, attracting the attention of the m edia, persuade public opinion, and delay decisions as well as communicating with the other citizens. So as to ensure that the meeting goes on smoothly as witnessed at Tempe City Council you require utmost planning for the meeting. First, determine the purpose of the meeting. The meeting was intended to inform, consult and involve the general public. The objective of the meeting needs to be reiterated at the commencement of the meeting in order to set parameters for those in attendance. Second, you need to create a relationship with participants in advance. The inclusion of diverse citizens who possess significant interest in the outcome of the meeting ensures that relevant information about the specific issue is not overlooked. Thirdly, before conducting any meeting a draft agenda needs to be developed. The real agenda to be followed was prepared by the City Clerk. The City Council agenda are publicly posted at least 24 hours before the meeting. On that particular day, the Tempe Cit y Council had the following in their agenda. (1)The miscellaneous items included: approval of Maryanne Corder Neighborhood Grant Program to the tune of $150,000 to home owners and neighborhoods; approval for the amendment of Magellan Health Service of Arizona; and finally, holding a public hearing to recommend the approval of a Series 01 in the government’s liquor license designated for Lipsmark LLC among many others. (2) Award of bids or contracts, such as approving the use of a one year state of Arizona contract with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for the acquisition of tires and tubes and award of a construction contract to AJP Electric to enhance the intersection at Broadway Road and Priest Drive. (3) Ordinances and item for first hearing which included the introducing and holding first public hearing to adopt an ordinance allowing partial abandonment of storm drainage easement situated near 2150 East Warmer Road. (4) Ordinances and items for second hearing. (5) Resolut ions: adoption of a resolution to permit the Mayor to effect an agreement between the Tempe City and Slat River Pima Maricopa Indian Community as well as an agreement between Arizona State and Tempe Police Department to accept federal grant funds for impaired driver alcohol

Technology Management in Electronic Goods Company Essay

Technology Management in Electronic Goods Company - Essay Example We will consider the performance and demands of the products in the market in the light of the theoretical framework developed by Christensen. We will discuss the contribution of Christensen’s concepts in developing the strategy for avoiding the disruption in the market from the point of view of incumbent (Bower, 1995). We will also consider the prospects of Electra from the point of view of new emergent in the market as well as disruptors. Low-end disruption and high-end disruption scenarios will be discussed herein. Criterion or the basis for production and purchase is included. New market disruption will be highlighted in the later parts of the report. At the end, the strategies to maintain a sustained technological development in the market to avoid incurring of disruption will be described (Bower, 1995). 2. Theoretical Concepts: Christensen’s Contribution 2.1) Basic Concepts The theoretical framework of disruption in the market of existing technologies and products was laid by Clayton M. Christensen. He proposed the ideas of â€Å"Disruptive Innovation† which refers the products or values in the market that provide new dimensions or uses to customers (Bower, 1995). It focuses on providing something new in the market which is markedly different than the current products. The performance of the new products may or may not be superior to the existing technology but these items are supporting the desires of the people who are purchasing them. The term of â€Å"disruption† is often used in the realm of business which defines the phenomenon of tremendous improvement in the current technology that the existing technology couldn’t predict or anticipate (Archibugi, 1997). The innovation in the market can be introduced either by targeting a new set of consumers or lowering the prices of the existing products by lowering their performance from the current standards but keeping them above the expectations of consumers (Adner, 2002). Disruptive technology is markedly different from sustainable innovation. The latter refers to the sane series of products in the market with superior performance (Chandy, 2000). The applications could be increased with superior output. However, the dimensions of the products are kept the same. In disruptive technology, the marketers try an entirely new type of product that has no prior link to the existing technology. The new technology targets a set of consumers. The consumers may lie at lo-end or high-end of quality expectations. Their demand sets the basis for disruption of the existing products. If the new products meet the requirements of the consumers at lower performance and cost, then disruption is certainly set in (Charitou, 2012). 2.2) Intersecting Performance Projector of Sustainable Technology and Disruptive Technology The hypothesis proposed by Christensen declares the firms and companies to be climbers in performance measures. They need to upgrade their standards with time to keep up with the market requirements. The continuous rise in performance marks the existence of the company in the market. If improvement in the performance is not achieved, then it would reduce the business considerably. Christensen’s concept of the company states that the firm holds its existing â€Å"value networks† that doesn’t emphasize much on innovations in the market (Christensen, 1998). The hypothesis of Christensen focused on strategies to avoid the technological disruption in the market.

Learner's profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Learner's profile - Essay Example to Min for improving his language proficiency shall include verb and subject agreement, verb tenses, correct pronunciation of words, and a wider vocabulary. This can be done by reading activities which will enable him to learn new words, correct his pronunciation and intonation, and check his comprehension. I believe that Min’s English skills can be further improved by exposing him to other English native speakers. Thus, activities should be complemented with daily interaction with other Australians. On the basis of the tests carried out on him covering various aspects of his language learning efficiency it could safely be ascertained that the learner possesses satisfactory skills of elementary level which includes reading, writing, speaking as well as listening skills. Some words still required to be repeated over and over again. Often times, choosing simpler and more familiar words aid him to understand and respond more quickly during interviews. However he does understand the overall meaning of the conversation. (I do not have any source to find out how Min fared in the other tests. I only have his reading and writing test samples, but writing on something that I do not know is apparently difficult. I haven’t even heard how he speaks nor have any idea about his listening skills. However I have tried to incorporate some of the findings in the task.) For non English speakers, listening is a relatively tough job, which is mainly because of the variation in intonations and word stress which is quite different compared to other languages. Also the individual skill levels count, like a good vocabulary, and frequent contacts with the native English speakers. Such factors help in adapting to the sounds, intonations, stress and pronunciations of the English language. Some English words are pronounced differently in Korean language which sometimes makes it difficult for the non native speakers, like Min, to grasp specific information from conversations, often

The extent of gender fatigue transpiring within the workplace, and the Dissertation

The extent of gender fatigue transpiring within the workplace, and the ways it can be overcome - Dissertation Example The only viable explanation for the disparaging gender treatments is gender fatigue. It is concluded that both victims and managers need to ignore gender fatigue and deal with incidents of gender inequality responsibly to void the dangers of gender equality losing ground. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Research Questions 5 Statement of the Problem 5 Significance of the Study 6 Aims and Objectives of the Study 7 Research Methodology 8 A Review of Literature 8 Gender Inequality in the Work Place 8 Why Gender Inequality Exists in Some Organizations 10 Gender Fatigue as the Driving Force Behind Gender Inequality in the Workplace 12 Results and Analysis 15 Conclusion 18 Bibliography 20 Introduction Gender fatigue is a phrase used to describe stagnation and complacent attitudes toward reforms and calls for gender equality (Dehhehy, 2012). Initial evidence of gender fatigue was present during the 1980s when feminists were portrayed in public discourse as cartoon characters and as bitter women devoid of humour who projected a belief that all men were â€Å"pigs† and all â€Å"women are saints’ and that â€Å"women who stay at home are wasting their lives† (Sadker & Zittleman, 2009, p. 52). Kelan (2009) gives expression to gender fatigue in the workplace describing it as a situation in which organizations are self-described as â€Å"gender neutral†, yet there is evidence of gender discrimination and the prevailing attitude is one in which there is a general feeling that gender discrimination is thing of the past and â€Å"can happen,† but it is up to women to find solutions (p. 197). Kelan (2008) also argues that members of an organization will often describe their respective organizations as â€Å"gender neutral† although it is obvious to all that there is gender discrimination (p. 1). Workers will acknowledge that gender discrimination occurs in the workplace but will brush it off as unimportant to the work that they do. According to Kelan (2008), this is evidence that these workers are â€Å"experiencing gender fatigue† and that they are â€Å"weary of thinking about gender inequality† (p. 1). Kelan (2010) points out that the practice of doing gender at work takes dual approaches in which gender equality is established and juxtaposed against a situation in which gender differences are once again pronounced. For example, a task is usually performed in which gender equality is highlighted and this will be followed by the allocation of â€Å"remedial work, through which gender hierarch is re-established† (Kelan, 2010, p. 176). This research study investigates the problems created by gender fatigue in the work place. In particular, this research study is concerned with the prevailing attitude in organizations that take the position that they are gender neutral, yet gender inequality remains a part of the organizational culture. In these circumstances, described as gender f atigue, this research paper seeks to identify how the problems associated with achieving gender equality as a result of gender fatigue within organizations can be overcome. Research Questions In order to investigate the problem of gender fatigue in organizations and how gender fatigue can be overcome to

Personal essayapply to college Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal essayapply to college - Essay Example I was excited for this job because when I was in China I didn’t have a job like this one. I liked this job. I had studied Traditional Chinese Painting and I thought I could do well. However, I realized I was wrong after I saw the students’ pictures which were so creative and imaginative. Those were not only pictures; instead, they contained in them interesting stories. For example, there was a cup in the middle and about the picture, a kid thought that was a gas station and cars got refueled from there. I wondered if I could ever think like that. The teacher told me, â€Å"We can, through practice, improve shapes of things we draw, but we cannot practice our creative and imaginative ability.† Now, let’s explain what creative imagination is. Researchers suggest that creative imagination is about creating an image in your mind about a task you want to achieve, and holding that image for a longer period of time till your unconscious and subconscious together start reprogramming the mental software that your subconscious holds by injecting their own suggestions and ideas. In other words, creative imagination allows a person to utilize the unconscious part of their brains to gain its power and combine it with their conscious mind. This includes different characteristics of thinking and this type of thought process encounters and solves a problem from many angles, many sides, many layers, and use different compositions to consider the issue, and look for answers. By not receiving the restrictions of present knowledge and not being restrained by traditional methods, the paths of thinking are open and spread. This is important because it is not a single solution, but a va riety of programs in a variety of ways to explore and to choose. This thinking is not intended to focus on finding old knowledge, nor is it to repeat the same old ideas, but instead it is about attention to the discovery of new things, new laws, new theories, new ideas, and to promote people

Annotated Bibliography on the book Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

On the book Damned by Chuck Palahniuk - Annotated Bibliography Example The book has several chapters that include; Books by Chuck Palahniuk, Short Story Collection by Chuck Palahniuk, Novels by Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, Choke, Survivor, among others. This book represents a new and exciting lexis in sharing of human knowledge. Although the book is a collaboration that focuses on Novels and articles by Chuck Palahniuk, it is very comprehensive on any work done by Palahniuk. It gives the reader a clear outline of Palahniuk’s novel, ‘Dammed’ from the start to the end of with a systematic flow. It also points out the author’s artistic richness and key themes and character analysis. In this website, the author of the article ‘Chuck Palahniuk’s Damned: Damned if you do’ Justine Jordan comprehensively review the Palahniuk’s ‘Dammed’ giving a picture of how the novel flows and describing what could have been in the Palahniuk’s mind when he wrote the book. He prospers in explaining the novel’s flow in a systematic manner, describe and analyze characters and their corresponding traits and roles in the book. Above all, the author is quite effective in explaining the setting as it is in the novel- he does this in such a manner that his readers will be familiarized about the novel ‘Dammed’ as the readers of the original

Understanding of Working Practices Essay Example for Free

Understanding of Working Practices Essay Understanding of working practices and strategies that can be used to minimise abuse in health and social care. The discussion within this essay is about some of the sections of the children’s act, it will explain the existing working practices, which are designed to minimise abuse and neglect within health and social care contexts, also evaluating the effectiveness of working practices and strategies used to minimise abuse and neglect within health and social care contexts, also discussing possible improvements to working practices and strategies to minimise abuse in health and social care contexts. Also within this discussion Hamzah Khan will be drawn upon as examples of when the children’s Act did not come into action when their abuse and neglect was at its strongest point. Strengths, weaknesses, positives and negatives will also be drawn upon through the lives of Hamzah Khan. As well, the Munro review and timescales. Within the role of the LADO –Local authority designated officer they are set to safeguard children, a LADO could have helped Hamzah Khan and possibly saved his life, not resulting in death (government, 2013). The Lado has certain strategies and working practice they have to abide by to ensure a child’s safety. For example if a child is in the hands of suspected abuse or neglect they must consider a police investigation of the possible criminal offence; enquiries and assessment by children’s social care about whether a child is in need of protection or in need of services; and consideration by an employer of disciplinary action in respect of the individual (government, 2013). They are also responsible for letting the child’s voice be heard, providing advice, information and guidance to employers and voluntary organisations around allegations and concerns regarding paid and unpaid workers. These strategies and working practices are here to help prevent abuse in cases such as Hamzah Khan, However Hamzah did not receive a LADO, but if he had he might not have been abused and he might not of died with the tools that the LADO has, he or she could have took Hamzah away from that home, when suspected abuse was first brought up and could have formed a case, which then could have gone to the courts, leading to Hamzah possibly going into foster care where he could not have been abused anymore. Improvements could be made in the children’s Act of the LADO. A LADO needs to be contacted more, and needs to be in contact  more with other health care professions so they can communicate together with what is happening with the child, but in Hamzah’s case the Lado obviously failed to do so (Wirral, 2015). The LSCB are required to produce policies and procedures for supporting the welfare of children in their local area. The board are required to take immediate action when a child’s welfare is at risk, also to investigate any allegations of people working with children, i.e. teachers, nursery workers, etc. They are to communicate with other health and social care professionals, also promoting the welfare of children and raise awareness to deal with the situation. The board is also responsible for observing and evaluating inefficiency of what’s done by authorities and their bodies to safeguard and promote welfare of children and advice on how to improve things. Monitor and evaluating the effectiveness of what is done by the authority and their board partners individually and collectively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and advising them on ways to improve. In addition to all of the above they are to evaluate serious cases within the local areas and find a better solution to improve the situation at hand. For example finding a foster family for a child that has been previously abused and neglected in their home, in this case blood ideology (blood related) would not been ideal, as placing a child back into an abusive home where the child is more likely to get abused and neglected again, whereas in a foster home the child is safe and not at risk with this non- blood ideology family. The board use these strategies and working practices to help prevent children from getting abused, the positives to the LSCB are that they are required by law to communicate with people and bodies in areas of authority to safe guard children, so they can get in touch with these authorities and find out of them all different information that can help prove suspected abuse is going on and then get the right authority to remove the child of suspected abuse however a negative is that  The LSCB says that blood link ideology is better than non blood link ideology so even if a child has previously been abused at a home they are preferred to go back there as it is blood linked. (Working together online, 2013) In Hamzah’s case one of these officers was not provided, as he was described as ‘the invisible child’ (The Guardian, 2013). Improvements such as removing the blood link ideology from this section of the act would improve it greatly as this means that there are  less chances of this child getting abused by their previous abuser again. The LSCB did not occur in Hamzah’s case, he was not a priority and he wasn’t safeguarded by this board. His case was not evaluated, and the situation he was in which he was being abused and neglected was not being improved by any health care profession, like the LSCB are supposed to do, for example improving his situation by putting him into a foster family so he could not be put at risk any longer. â€Å"An emergency protection order is when a person applies to a court for an order to be made under this section with respect to the child† (www.gov.uk, 1989). The court may make the order, but only under these criteria; There is belief that the child is very likely to suffer harm, neglect or abuse if he or she is not moved to accommodation immediately tha t is provided by the applicant or on behalf of the applicant. He or she does not stay in the place in which he or she is being accommodated. An emergency protection order could have been issued so many times within this case, however all health care professional failed to see something wrong as quoted he was the â€Å"invisible child† to social services especially, during a visit too Amanda Hutton’s house it was found that one of Amanda’s children didn’t have a bed, one child’s sleeping arrangements were made unclear and Amanda herself seem to be under a unknown influence of alcohol or drugs, but none of these professionals thought that any of these would be a reason to issue a EPO, if this EPO was put in place they could have helped Amanda for example make it a court order that she goes to rehabilitation and be sober before Hamzah was back in her care, they could have also got her property in a better state as there was rubbish everywhere, they could have also help find her a job and get a steady income so her family wasn’t neglected and in poverty; all of these things if put in place within the EPO could have resulted in Hamzah being a healthy boy today. (Bradford safeguarding children board, 2013) These strategies and working practices did not help Hamzah as stated above; the EPO needs many improvements to that for example someone like Hamzah doesn’t die again, for example a negative to this section is that the child in question of abuse can be returned after 8 days if they have failed to find valid evidence and the EPO can apply again for a further 7 more days, but this still not long enough, so even if Hamzah  did get an EPO he could have been returned and then further abuse could have carried on and this is going to happen to other children if the time limit is still so short, however this time could be considered quite a long period away from the family as the suspected abuser may not even be abusing the child. â€Å"The Munro review was critical of the current system used for monitoring performance in child protection, Munro explained that by focusing on specific aspects of process within child protection system- as opposed to the quality of practice –performance indicators have skewed and misdirected local priorities, current performance indicators focus on data which is easy to collect and achievements are measured in the form of numbers e.g. number of C.P plans and efficiency targets† (tri.x, 2011) This proves to be a negative aspect, the system is more bothered about quantity rather than quality and this intervention tell us nothing at all about children being safer as a result of the intervention. One improvement on the Munro is that these new indicators place a clear emphasis on the importance of collecting outcome data. Within the Munro improvements are set to get even better with stronger focus on outcomes and impact, they are set to also get feedback from children, young people, families and the work force. They are also now set to improve the scope of the new data collection measures for example; focusing on timelines, workforce issues and outcomes and experiences. (tri.x, 2011) To summarise if these improvements were made earlier could this review have saved Hamzah? Bibliography 1. The guardian (2013) Hamzah khan: social services missed warning signs, report finds [online]. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/13/hamzah-khan-social-services-warning-signs [accessed on 29/12/14] 2. Government (2013) if your child is taken into care [online] Available from:https://www.gov.uk/if-your-child-is-taken-into-care/care-proceedings [accessed on 2nd December 2014] 3. Government (2013) Local Authority designated officer for allegations [online]. Available from: https://www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/childrens-services/wirral-safeguarding-childrens-board/information-professionals/allegations [accessed on 29/12/14] 4. Government (2013) Local Authority designated officer for allegations [online]. Available from: https://www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/childrens-services/wirral-safeguarding-childrens-board/information-professionals/allegations [accessed on 29/12/14] 5. Government (2013) Local Authority designated officer for allegations [online]. Available from: https://www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/childrens-services/wirral-safeguarding-childrens-board/information-professionals/allegations [accessed on 29/12/14] 6. Government (2013) working together to safeguard children [online]. Available from:http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/254669/Safeguarding-children,-child-protection-policy-2012.pdf [accessed on 22nd November 2014] 7. Trixonline (2011) The Munro review interim report: ‘the child’s journey’ [online].Available from :(http://www.trixonline.co.uk/website/news/pdf/policy_briefing_No-11.pdf [accessed on 29/12/14 8. Trixonline (2011) The Munro review interim report: ‘the child’s journey’ [online].Available from :(http://www.trixonline.co.uk/website/news/pdf/policy_briefing_No-11.pdf [accessed on 29/12/14]

Did Hitler And The Nazis Improve Germany?

Did Hitler And The Nazis Improve Germany? Toxoplasmosis: Causes Symptoms and Treatment Toxoplasmosis: Causes Symptoms and Treatment Toxoplasmosis is an infection that pregnant females can get from a microscopic parasite. This parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii. The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular eukaryotic pathogen of the phylum Apicomplexa may cause toxoplasmosis in many warm-blooded animals, including humans. Trans-placental passage of the parasite causes congenital toxoplasmosis. Transmission frequency and severity of disease vary with gestation time: during the first weeks, vertical transmission is of low rate, although if it occurs, it causes major damage to the embryo. The transmission frequency increases to near 80% by the end of pregnancy, but the proportion of ill new borns is low. The changes in endocrine phenomena occurring during pregnancy, as well as the size and maturity of the placenta and of the embryonic/fetal immune response certainly affect the ability to be protected from invasion or to fight infection. The size of the inoculum is also relevant for congenital infection risk and disease severity. Besides, the genetic background of the mother and the product is likely to influence outcome. Recent investigations have shown surprising phenomena; that is, molecules and cells that protect the mother might favor vertical transmission. Few direct data are available, but indirect evidence points to several candidate polymorphic host immune response genes that may influence fetal infection or clinical outcome of the product. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is considered as one of the most successful parasites in the world. This success is first illustrated by its worldwide distribution, from arctic to hot desert areas, including isolated islands and in cities. T. gondii is also among the most prevalent parasites in the global human population, with around one third of the population being infected. Finally, it is able to infect, or be present in, the highest number of host species: any warm-blooded animal may act as an intermediate host, and oocysts may be transported by invertebrates such as filtrating mussels and oysters. Beyond this ubiquitous distribution lies a fascinating transmission pattern: simply saying that T. gondii has a complex life cycle does not encompass all transmission routes and modes that can be used by the parasite to pass from definitive hosts (DHs), where sexual reproduction occurs, to intermediate hosts (IHs). The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“classicalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  complex life cycle use s felids (domestic and wild-living cats) as DHs and their prey as IHs. Felids are infected by eating infected prey and host the sexual multiplication of the parasite. They excrete millions of oocysts that sporulate in the environment. Sporulated oocysts may survive during several years and may disperse through water movements, soil movements and micro fauna. Ingesting a single sporulated oocyst may be sufficient to infect an IH and begin the asexual reproduction phase. This classical life cycle thus relies on a prey-predator relationship and on environmental contamination, like other parasites, e.g., Echinococcus multilocularis. However, beside this classical cycle, T. gondii shows specific abilities that allow it to use à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“complementaryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  transmission routes. During the phase of asexual multiplication, tachyzoites may disseminate to virtually any organ within the IH, in particular to muscles, brain, placenta, udder and gonads. Asexual forms are then i nfectious to new hosts, thus direct infection among IH is possible by several routes which epidemiological importance has to be discussed: vertical transmission through the placenta, pseudo-vertical transmission through the milk, and sexual transmission through the sperm. In humans, T. gondii may also be transmitted during blood or organ transplant. Finally, the infectivity of asexual forms towards new IHs entails the ability for the parasite to be transmitted among IHs by carnivory. This transmission route is estimated to cause the majority of cases in humans, although people may also get contaminated by ingesting oocysts after a contact with contaminated soil, water, vegetables or cat litter. All the possible transmission routes among IH make the parasite able to maintain its life cycle, at least during a few generations, in the absence of DH and without environmental stage. Moreover, at a high dose, oocysts from the environment may also be infectious for DHs, thus the parasite ma y bypass the IH and use a DHs-environment cycle. The infectivity of oocysts towards cats is relatively low thus the importance of this cycle may be questioned. However, taken together, these observations suggest that T. gondii may theoretically have two distinct life cycles, one among IHs and the other one between DHs and environment. Moreover, in IHs, the infection of the brain results in several specific clinical manifestations, modifications of host behaviour and life history that influence transmission. As a result of its presence in the brain of IHs, T. gondii manipulates host behaviour in two ways, by specifically increasing attractiveness of cat odours to rodent IHs, thus favouring transmission from IH to DH, and by increasing the sexual attractiveness of infected males, which favours sexual transmission. These numerous capacities of transmission clearly allow T. gondii to be distributed worldwide. However, this does not mean that the risk of toxoplasmosis is identical everyw here. On the contrary, a highly structured pattern of infection can be demonstrated, for example by comparing the level of infection of different human populations. Signs and Symptoms Many patients have developed this disease but have had similar symptoms to those of flu or mononucleosis. These symptoms include body aches, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fever, fatigue and occasionally sore throats. When a female develops this disease prior to or during pregnancy there is about 30% chances that the infection can be passed unto the baby. The baby is at risk of contracting the disease mostly if a female becomes infected in the third trimester and least on the first trimester. Yet if the infection occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, the outcomes are more serious. Many pregnancies can result in stillbirth or miscarriage, and children who survive are born with seizures, enlarged liver or spleen, jaundice, anaemia, bruises and eye infections. A small number of babies that are born with the disease show signs of the disease at birth. Most of those infected develop signs and symptoms until they are on their teens or later. Also babies can develop serious problems suc h as hydrocephalus, intracranial calcifications, intellectual disabilities, motor and developmental delays, and hearing loss. Diagnostic Tests: When acute T. Gondii infection is suspected in pregnant women, toxoplasmosis is diagnosed on the basis of antibody detection. IgG and IgM antibody levels rise generally one to two weeks of infection. However when using the antibody detection it does not distinguish between whether the infection is recent or it was acquired in the distant past. When a woman is found to be infected, the second step is to determine if the baby or fetus is infected. PCR testing of amniotic fluid is used to diagnose congenital toxoplasmosis. Babies can be tested using amniocentesis or ultrasound scan. Treatment: Once diagnosed with Toxoplamosis a treatment with spiramycin (rovamycine) is initiated. If the fetus is confirmed through amniocentesis, the woman can switch to pyrimethamine (daraprim) and sulfadiazine after the first trimester. When women take pyrimethamine, accompanied with it is folinic acid (leucovorin). It protects the bone marrow from the suppressive effects of pyrimethamine. The drug is used to lessen the severity of the disease, but it does not undo previous damage done. Prevention: In order to prevent contracting this disease, pregnant woman should eat fully cooked meat. They should keep kitchen utensils sanitized by washing it with hot soapy water after having contact with raw meat; also they should wear gloves when gardening or touching soil, avoid changing cat litter pans, and be informed about prevention of toxoplasmosis.

Effect of Glucocorticoids on Serum Level of Omentin-1

Effect of Glucocorticoids on Serum Level of Omentin-1 Effect of glucocorticoids on serum level of omentin-1 and the possible link with insulin resistance in rats Khaled Abdelfattah Abdelhamid Abulfadle ABSTRACT Background: Omentin-1 is an adipokine that decreases insulin resistance and its level is affected by body weight and serum adiponectin level changes, while, glucocorticoids are steroid hormones, secreted by adrenal cortex, affected insulin resistance, body weight and serum level of adiponectin. Objective: This study was designed to investigate the possible effect of glucocorticoids on serum level of omentin-1 in male albino rats and the possible link with insulin resistance. Design: 30 adult male albino rats, weighting 190-230 gm, were divided into three groups each of which included 10 rats; control, dexamethasone treated (Hyper-C) and metyrapone treated (Hypo-C). In (Hyper-C) group, rats were injected with dexamethasone (1mg/kg/day intra peritoneal) for two weeks. In (Hypo-C) group, metyrapone was administered orally dissolved in saline (200 mg/kg body weight) for two weeks. In the control group, normal saline was injected intraperitoneally (1 ml/rat/day) for two weeks. Rats were kept fasting for 8 hours and then, sacrificed under ether anesthesia by decapitation. Blood samples were collected and sera were separated and serum levels of omentin-1, corticosterone, ACTH, glucose and insulin were estimated. Insulin resistance (IR) was estimated by calculation of the homeostasis model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) index. Body weights were measured at the start (initial body weight) of the study and just before rats being sacrificed (final body weight). Results: There was a significant increase in body weight in Hyper-C group final weight (235.8 ±3.28), but, there was a significant decrease in body weight in Hypo-C group final weight (200 ±3.22) in comparison to that of control group final weight (217 ±2.85). On the other hand, there was a significant increase in serum levels of both glucose and insulin in Hyper-C group (237.8 ±10.4) and (4.88 ±0.16) in comparison to that in the control group (96.9 ±1.5) and (2.15 ±0.07) respectively. On the contrary, there was a significant decrease in serum levels of both glucose and insulin in Hypo-C group (72.2 ±2.2) and (1.28 ±0.1) in comparison to that in the Hyper-C group (237.8 ±10.4) and (4.88 ±0.16) respectively. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in HOMA-IR in the Hypo-C group (0.25 ±0.02) in comparison to that in the Hyper-C group (2.88 ±0.17). Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in serum omentin-1 level in Hyper-C group (14.5 ±0.47) but, a s ignificant increase in its serum level in Hypo-C group (26.58 ±0.5) in comparison to that in the control group (21 ±0.35). On other hand, there were negative correlations in the Hyper-C group between serum omentin-1 and serum level of both insulin (R= -0.6, P Value= 0.07) and corticosterone (R= -0.22, P Value= 0.54), respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study may explain a novel mechanism by which glucocorticoids cause insulin resistance and this is through the regulation of serum level of omentin-1. Also, the results confirmed presence of a link between serum levels of both glucocorticoids and omentin-1 which is mostly the change in body weight and this confirmed the importance of body weight control on glucose homeostasis. Keywords: Omentin-1, Metyrapone, Dexamethasone, Glucose, Insulin resistance, ACTH, Corticosterone. Introduction: Omentin-1 is an adipocytokine, 35-kDa protein with 313 amino acids, that is expressed in visceral adipose tissue, endothelial cells, and, small intestine, and has insulin-sensitizing effects (Yang, Lee et al. 2006, Gà ¼rsoy, KÄ ±rnap et al. 2010, Chen, Shang et al. 2017). It has a preferred expression in visceral (omental) fat tissue (Yang, Xu et al. 2003). Two isoforms of Omentin are known, Omentin-1 and Omentin-2; Omentin-1 is the main circulating form (de Souza Batista, Yang et al. 2007, Zorlu, Kiskac et al. 2017). Omentin increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in human adipocytes in vitro and its expression in visceral adipose tissue is reduced in obesity and insulin resistance (Yang, Lee et al. 2006, de Souza Batista, Yang et al. 2007, Smitka and Maresova 2015). Brunetti, Orlando et al. (2013) stated that Omentin-1 has a central orexigenic function. Recently, Oswiecimska, Suwala et al. (2015) reported that serum omentin correlated negatively with serum insulin, and h omeostasis model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) index and they concluded that omentin is the nutritional marker reflecting body weight and insulin resistance. Herder, Ouwens et al. (2015) stated that omentin indirectly increased insulin sensitivity through adiponectin upregulation. On the other hand, Lee, Schnee et al. (2001) declared that excess of cortisol increases growth of visceral fat depots. Also, Morgan, Sherlock et al. (2009) stated that cortisol induced insulin resistance. Moreover, Purnell, Kahn et al. (2009) found that increased blood cortisol caused obesity and increased insulin resistance. Furthermore, Zhuang, Zhao et al. (2009) stated that although, visceral adipose tissue produced a large amount of omentin yet, its gene expression is reduced in visceral fat depot of obese subjects. Also, CÄ‚TOI, SUCIU et al. (2014) declared that omentin-1 enhanced adipocytes insulin-stimulated glucose uptake with no intrinsic insulin mimicking activity. Moreover, Elâ‚ ¬Ã‚ Mesa llamy, Elâ‚ ¬Ã‚ Derany et al. (2011) stated that omentin level was decreased in overweight, impaired glucose regulation and diabetes type 2 patients. Furthermore, de Souza Batista, Yang et al. (2007) found that Omentin-1 plasma levels were positively correlated with the plasma adiponectin and inversely correlated with insulin resistance. Adiponectin is a known insulin-sensitizing adipokine (Kadowaki, Yamauchi et al. 2006) and its levels contribute to insulin resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) while its high levels increase insulin sensitivity (Singh, Akhtar et al. 2012). Positive correlation of omentin-1 with adiponectin levels has been reported in patients with obesity and T2DM (de Souza Batista, Yang et al. 2007, Yan, Liu et al. 2011). On the other hand, glucocorticoids were found to decrease serum adiponectin level (Shi, Du et al. 2010). As glucocorticoids affect body weight, adiponectin level and insulin resistance, thus, the aim of this study was to e valuate the effect of changes in serum glucocorticoid, corticosterone, levels on serum omentin and to identify the possible link between glucocorticoids, omentin and insulin resistance and up to our knowledge there is no study confirmed this link. Materials and methods: Animals preparations and experimental protocol: 30 adult male albino rats, weighting 190-230 gm, were purchased from the animal house of Zagazig University and were housed at 20-22 °C on a 12-h light-dark cycle and for 5 days, to achieve acclimatization, they were supplied with tap water and a standard chow diet. Then, the rats were divided into three groups each of which included 10 rats; control, dexamethasone treated (Hyper-C) and metyrapone treated (Hypo-C). In (Hyper-C) group, rats were injected with dexamethasone (1mg/kg/day intra peritoneal) for two weeks (Burà ©n, Lai et al. 2008). In (Hypo-C) group, metyrapone was used to induce hypocortism. It was administered orally dissolved in saline (200 mg/kg body weight) for two weeks (Miyamoto, Mitani et al. 1999). Adrenal cortex zona fasciculata cells contain glucocorticoid synthesizing enzyme, cytochrome P-45011à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢, which is essential for synthesis of corticosterone in rats. Metyrapone, an inhibitor of the P-45011à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  dependent l1à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢-hy droxylase reaction was used to inhibit corticosterone synthesis (Miyamoto, Mitani et al. 1998). Metyrapone-treated rats were given 0.9% sodium chloride along with drinking water to compensate the loss of mineralocorticoids and thereby the ionic loss (Miyamoto, Mitani et al. 1999). In the control group, normal saline was injected intraperitoneally (1 ml/rat/day) for two weeks. Just after the end of the two weeks, the rats were kept fasting for 8 hours and then, sacrificed under ether anesthesia by decapitation. Body weight changes among different groups: Body weights of the used rats were measured in the different groups, initially at the start of the study (initial body weight) and finally at the end of the study just prior to being sacrificed by decapitation (final body weight). Measurement of serum parameters: From all groups, blood samples were collected and sera were separated and stored at -20oC.   An automated analyzer (YSI 2300; YSI Life Sciences, Yellow Springs, OH) was used to measure serum glucose through glucose oxidase method. Also, ELISA kits (RD Systems, Minneapolis, MN) were used to estimate serum insulin. For evaluation of insulin resistance (IR), the homeostasis model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) index was calculated by this equation: HOMA-IR =    (Nayak, Hillemane et al. 2014). The index value is interpreted as follows: when the value of HOMA-IR increased, insulin resistance increased, which means decreased insulin sensitivity (Bonora, Targher et al. 2000). Thus, in order to know changes in insulin resistance among different groups, the value of the HOMA-IR index was compared among them. Serum omentin-1, ACTH and corticosterone levels were quantitated using commercially available ELISA kits as per manufacturers instructions (RayBiotech, Inc.; Catalog No. EIAR-OME), (Sigma-Aldrich, Catalog No. SE120080) and (Assaypro LLC, Catalog No. EC3001-1) respectively. Statistical analysis: By the use of IBM SPSS Statistics for windows package version (24), data were analyzed and described as Mean ± SEM. For calculation of the statistical significance, One-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD post hoc test for multiple group comparison were used. P†°Ã‚ ¤0.05 indicated significance. Results: Table-1: Body weight (in gm) changes among different groups Control Initial body weight 205.5 ±2.64 Final body weight 217 ±2.85a Hyper-C Initial body weight 208.3 ±3.81a c Final body weight 235.8 ±3.28b, d e Hypo-C Initial body weight 213 ±3.57a, c, f g Final body weight 200 ±3.22a, d, f, g h Data was expressed as Mean ±SEM. a P>0.05 in comparison to the control group (initial body weight).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   b P0.05 in comparison to the control group (final body weight). d P0.05 in comparison to the Hyper-C group (initial body weight). g P0.05 in comparison to the Hyper-C group (final body weight). Table (1) showed changes in body weights of the used rats among different groups at the start (initial body weight) and just before rats being sacrificed (final body weight). In comparison to the control group initial body weight (205.5 ±2.64), there was a significant increase in body weight in the Hyper-C group finally (235.8 ±3.28), but, there were insignificant changes in body weight of the remaining groups. On the other hand, there was a significant increase in body weight in Hyper-C group final weight (235.8 ±3.28), but, there was a significant decrease in body weight in Hypo-C group final weight (200 ±3.22) in comparison to that of control group final weight (217 ±2.85). Also, there were insignificant changes in body weight in both Hyper-C group initial weight (208.3 ±3.81) and Hypo-C group initial weight (213 ±3.57) in comparison to that of control group final weight (217 ±2.85). Moreover, there was a significant increase in body weight in Hyper-C group final w eight (235.8 ±3.28) in comparison to that of Hyper-C group initial weight (208.3 ±3.81), although, there were insignificant changes in body weight in both Hypo-C group initial weight (213 ±3.57) and Hypo-C group final weight (200 ±3.22) in comparison to that of Hyper-C group initial weight (208.3 ±3.81). Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in body weight in both Hypo-C group initial weight (213 ±3.57) and Hypo-C group final weight (200 ±3.22) in comparison to that of Hyper-C group final weight (235.8 ±3.28). Finally, there were insignificant changes in body weight in Hypo-C group final weight (200 ±3.22) in comparison to that of Hypo-C group initial weight (213 ±3.57). Table (2) showed changes in serum level of omentin-1, glucose, insulin, ACTH and corticosterone among different groups. Also, it showed changes in HOMA-IR among them. Regarding serum levels of corticosterone among different groups, there was a significant increase in its level in Hyper-C group (96.37 ±2.52), but a significant decrease in its level in Hypo-C group (8.08 ±0.32) in comparison to that in the control group (36.04 ±1.22). On the other hand, there was a significant decrease in serum level of corticosterone in Hypo-C group (8.08 ±0.32) in comparison to that in the Hyper-C group (96.37 ±2.52). On studying serum levels of ACTH, there was a significant decrease in its level in Hyper-C group (26.15 ±0.84), but a significant increase in its level in Hypo-C group (77.1 ±1.53) in comparison to that in the control group (46.75 ±1.2). On the other hand, there was a significant increase in serum level of ACTH in Hypo-C group (77.1 ±1.53) in comparison to that in the Hyper-C group (26.15 ±0.84). Regarding serum level of both glucose and insulin, there was a significant increase in serum level of both of them in Hyper-C group (237.8 ±10.4) and (4.88 ±0.16) in comparison to that in the control group (96.9 ±1.5) and (2.15 ±0.07) respectively. On the other hand, there was a significant decrease in serum level of both glucose and insulin in Hypo-C group (72.2 ±2.2) and (1.28 ±0.1) in comparison to that in the Hyper-C group (237.8 ±10.4) and (4.88 ±0.16) respectively. On other hand, on studying HOMA-IR among different groups, there was a significant increase in its value in Hyper-C group (2.88 ±0.17), but, there was an insignificant decrease in it in the Hypo-C group (0.25 ±0.02) in comparison to that in the control group (0.51 ±0.01). On the contrary, there was a significant decrease in HOMA-IR in the Hypo-C group (0.25 ±0.02) in comparison to that in the Hyper-C group (2.88 ±0.17). On studying serum omentin-1 level among different groups, there was a significant decrease in its serum level in Hyper-C group (14.5 ±0.47), but, there was a significant increase in its serum level in Hypo-C group (26.58 ±0.5) in comparison to the control group (21 ±0.35). Also, there was a significant increase in serum omentin-1 in Hypo-C group (26.58 ±0.5) in comparison to the Hyper-C group (14.5 ±0.47). Figure (1 AB) showed negative correlations in the Hyper-C group between serum omentin-1 and both serum insulin (R= 0.6, P Value= 0.07) and serum corticosterone (R= 0.22, P Value= 0.54), respectively. On the other hand, figure (1 CD) showed positive correlations in the Hypo-C group between serum omentin-1 and both serum insulin (R= 0.54, P Value= 0.11) and serum corticosterone (R= 0.6, P Value= 0.07), respectively. Table-2: Serum omentin-1 (ng/ml), glucose (mg/dl), Insulin (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­IU/ml), HOMA-IR, ACTH (ng/ml), Corticosterone (nmol/L) among different groups: Control Hyper-C Hypo-C Corticosterone (nmol/L) 36.04 ±1.22 96.37 ±2.52a 8.08 ±0.32ab ACTH (ng/ml) 46.75 ±1.2 26.15 ±0.84a 77.1 ±1.53ab Glucose (mg/dl) 96.9 ±1.5 237.8 ±10.4a 72.2 ±2.2bc Insulin (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­IU/ml) 2.15 ±0.07 4.88 ±0.16a 1.28 ±0.1ab HOMA-IR 0.51 ±0.01 2.88 ±0.17a 0.25 ±0.02bd Omentin (ng/ml) 21 ±0.35 14.5 ±0.47a 26.58 ±0.5ab Data was expressed as Mean ±SEM. a P0.05 in comparison to the control group. Figure-1: Correlations between; serum omentin-1 (ng/ml) and insulin (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­IU/ml) in Hyper-C group (A), serum omentin-1 (ng/ml) and corticosterone (nmol/l) in Hyper-C group (B), serum omentin-1 (ng/ml) and insulin (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­IU/ml) in Hypo-C group (C), serum omentin-1 (ng/ml) and corticosterone (nmol/l) in Hypo-C group (D). R, is the correlation coefficient. P Value, for the correlation, is considered significant when its value is †°Ã‚ ¤ 0.05. Discussion: The results of this study showed a significant increase in serum levels of corticosterone in Hyper-C group, but a significant decrease in its level in Hypo-C group in comparison to that in the control group. On the other hand, there was a significant decrease in serum levels of ACTH in Hyper-C group, but a significant increase in its level in Hypo-C group in comparison to that in the control group. These results were supported by Zardooz, Rostamkhani et al. (2010) who stated that increased serum levels of corticosterone were accompanied a significant decrease in serum levels of ACTH. Regarding serum glucose and insulin, the results of this study showed a significant increase in both of them in Hyper-C group in comparison to that in the control group. On the other hand, there was a significant decrease in serum glucose and insulin in Hypo-C group in comparison to that in the Hyper-C group. These results were supported by Morgan, Sherlock et al. (2009), Purnell, Kahn et al. (2009) and Zardooz, Rostamkhani et al. (2010) who found that increased serum levels of corticosterone significantly increased serum levels of both glucose and insulin as a result of increasing insulin resistance. Also, there was a significant increase in HOMA-IR in Hyper-C group, but, there was an insignificant decrease in it in the Hypo-C group in comparison to that in the control group. On the other hand, there was a significant decrease in HOMA-IR in the Hypo-C group in comparison to that in the Hyper-C group. These results reflects incidence of insulin resistance in Hyper-C group which was supported by Nanda, Mahapatra et al. (2015) who stated that insulin resistance is considered when the normal response of the tissues to insulin action is reduced, especially at the muscles and adipose tissues level with a compensatory hyperinsulinemia. Moreover, the results of this study showed a significant decrease in serum level of omentin-1 in Hyper-C group in comparison to the control group. This re sult confirmed that there is a link between omentin-1 and hyperglycemia as considered by Fu, Gong et al. (2004) who stated that, in the 1q22-q23 chromosomal region that was linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus, omentin gene was located. This was also supported by Yang, Lee et al. (2006), de Souza Batista, Yang et al. (2007), Tan, Adya et al. (2008), Yan, Liu et al. (2011), Elâ‚ ¬Ã‚ Mesallamy, Elâ‚ ¬Ã‚ Derany et al. (2011) and Shibata, Ouchi et al. (2012) and Nanda, Mahapatra et al. (2015) who found that increased serum glucose and insulin levels significantly decreased the serum level of omentin-1. This is further supported by Kazama, Usui et al. (2012), Oswiecimska, Suwala et al. (2015), Du, Ji et al. (2016) and Arman, Kirna et al. (2017) who stated that serum omentin-1 is correlated negatively with blood glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR. They explained this negative correlation by their results which declared that omentin-1 had adiponectin-like actions. On the other hand, the re sults of this study showed a significant increase in serum omentin-1 in Hypo-C group in comparison to that in both control and Hyper-C groups. This result was supported by Moreno-Navarrete, Català ¡n et al. (2010) and Saremi, Asghari et al. (2010) who found that omentin-1 serum level was increased by weight loss in obese patients. Also, the present study results declared a negative correlation between serum level of omentin-1 and that of both corticosterone and insulin in the Hyper-C group. These results confirmed that there was a negative relationship between serum omentin-1 level and insulin resistance which was supported by de Souza Batista, Yang et al. (2007) and Tan, Adya et al. (2008) who found that serum level of omentin-1 was correlated negatively with insulin resistance and they explained this relation by the positive correlation between serum level of omentin-1 and that of adiponectin. This is also was supported by Yang, Lee et al. (2006), Gà ¼rsoy, KÄ ±rnap et al. (2010), CÄ‚TOI, SUCIU et al. (2014), Herder, Ouwens et al. (2015) and Chen, Shang et al. (2017) who found that, in adipose tissue, omentin has an insulin sensitizing action through increasing both insulin signal transduction and insulin effects by stimulating glucose uptake in an insulin-mediated manner. Moreover, Herder, Ouwens et al. (2015) stated that omentin indirectly increased insulin sensitivity through adiponectin upregulation. Furthermore, Cai, Wei et al. (2009), Pan, Guo et al. (2010) and Nanda, Mahapatra et al. (2015) supported the incidence of insulin resistance with the decrease in serum omentin-1 levels as they found that in insulin resistance diabetic patients, the serum insulin level and HOMA-IR score were high while, serum omentin-1 level was low. On the other hand, the results of this study showed a significant increase in the final body weight in the Hyper-C group, but, a significant decrease in the final body weight in the Hypo-C group in comparison to that in the control group final body weight. These results were accompanied, as mentioned early, by a significant decrease in serum omentin-1 level in Hyper-C group, but a significant increase in its level in Hypo-C group in comparison to that in the control group. These finding were supported by Lee, Schnee et al. (2001) and Purnell, Kahn et al. (2009)   who stated that excess of glucocorticoids significantly increased body weight. Also, Zhuang, Zhao et al. (2009), Xu, Huang et al. (2010), Elâ‚ ¬Ã‚ Mesallamy, Elâ‚ ¬Ã‚ Derany et al. (2011) and Feng, Yuan et al. (2013) reported reduction in serum omentin-1 level with the increase in body weight. The significant changes in the final body weights in the Hyper-C and Hypo-C groups in comparison to the control group in the results of this study, may explain the possible link between glucocorticoids, omentin-1 and insulin resistance as corticosterone levels significantly affected final body weight which in turn affected serum le vel of omentin-1 and insulin resistance. These results were supported by Yang, Lee et al. (2006), de Souza Batista, Yang et al. (2007), Oswiecimska, Suwala et al. (2015)   and Smitka and Maresova (2015) who stated that omentin expression in visceral adipose tissue is reduced in obesity and insulin resistance. Also, Oswiecimska, Suwala et al. (2015) considered omentin as a nutritional marker that reflected the body weight. From the above discussed results, it was clear that glucocorticoids may be one of the regulators for omentin-1 and changes in body weight accompanied the abnormal serum levels of glucocorticoids may explain that regulation. This may also give a new explanation for the changes in insulin resistance that occur with abnormal serum levels of glucocorticoids. Also, it confirmed the importance of body weight control on glucose homeostasis. Conclusion   Ã‚   The results of this study may explain a novel mechanism by which glucocorticoids cause insulin resistance and this possibly through the regulation of serum level of omentin-1. Also, the results confirmed presence of a link between serum levels of both glucocorticoids and omentin-1 which is mostly the change in body weight and this confirmed the importance of body weight control on glucose homeostasis. Further studied should be conducted to confirm these results.

Judicial Retirement - A Supreme Idea? Essay -- U.S. Justice System

Supreme Court Justice Anthony McLeod Kennedy (born July 23, 1936) recently turned 75. Justice Kennedy is considered the â€Å"swing vote† on the current Supreme Court. He recently told acquaintances that he does not plan on leaving the Court any time soon (DeFrank). We tend to hold justices in high esteem; that they are superior in knowledge, wisdom, and fairness but, the truth is, they have faults and imperfections just like the rest of us. Our Constitution allows our justices to sit on the Court for life, termed as â€Å"good behaviour† (â€Å"U. S. Constitution†). Justice Kennedy appears to be in good mental and physical health, but it has not always been so with every justice. At what point does one become too old? Is it time to entertain an amendment to the Constitution that addresses this issue, or would testing and education resolve this point in question? In the past, justices have been mostly shielded from the public eye so, for the most part, illnesses and mental decrepitude went unnoticed. Today, with the ability for extensive media coverage, it has become difficult for justices to hide the conditions of their health. Justices’ ages and mental competence are not just recent considerations. Moreover, the solutions to some of the problems that have arisen have not always been the most excellent. One method for avoiding a debilitated Court would be to pass a Constitutional Amendment. It would take an amendment to impose a mandatory retirement age since the Constitution assures the justices life tenure to secure their judicial independence. This new amendment would propose to phase out older justices in an effort to be the most beneficial to the public for which they are meant to serve. Mark Levin writes in the pr... ...("Oyez") Lazarus, Edward. "The Problem of Supreme Court Justices' Remaining on the Bench Too Long: Although It's a Genuine Concern, Recently-Suggested Reforms Are More Problematic Than the Status Quo." FindLaw. Thomson Reuters, 14 Apr 2009. Web. 19 Apr 2012. . Levin, Mark R. Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America. Washington, DC: Regency Publishing, Inc., 2005. Print. Toobin, Jeffrey. The Nine, Inside The Secret World Of The Supreme Court. New York: Anchor, 2008. Print. "U.S. Constitution." U.S. Constitution. Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Represen, 2004. Web. 15 Mar 2012. . Lewis, John G. Personal Interview. 25 Mar 2012. Payton, John. Personal Interview. 18 Apr 2012.

Oscar Wildes An Ideal Husband Essay -- Oscar Wilde Papers

Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband Oscar Wilde (1845-1903) lived an outrageous and controversial life which was well publicized and condemned, as his life defied the strict social mores of the time. He was put into this public position due to the success of his plays which challenged Victorian earnestness while being hilariously funny. His plays, in particular An Ideal Husband, 1895 portray Victorian society as viciously hypocritical at it's worst and laughably pretentious at it's best. Wilde expressed this point of view in An Ideal Husband through the rich use of plot development, construction of characters, dramatic irony, hyperbole, witty and epigrammatic repartee and satire. The central plot of An Ideal Husband begins with the antagonist, Mrs Chevely, tries to blackmail Sir Robert Chiltern (one of the protagonists) with a secret from his past. She has with her an incriminating letter which proves Robert's involvement in insider trading in the Suez Canal Scheme, in order to benefit from an investment. The Suez Canal Scheme was a very important scheme in the recent history of the time. Wilde's plot of a a man going unpunished for such a serious crime challenged the earnestness of the Victorian people. This challenge and insult to earnestness is strongly emphasised by the characterisation of robert chiltern. Wilde adds insult to injury by constructing robert as being a very lucky man in life. He is an attractive man who lives in Grosvenor sqaure, (an upper class area) with his adoring wife. After finding out the origin of this wealth, the audience is annoyed as they know (due to the plays realistic style) that he aquired it all t... ... and so far have only talked about trivial things and "people don't talk politics." (hypocritical) An ideal person is an earnest person, and ideals are another theme of the play. Mrs. Marchmont and Lady Basildon are two married ladies who, while talking about their "hopelessly faultless" husbands expose earnestness (an "admirable" quality) as 'unendurable' and "tragic".These ladies, through dramatic irony, expose the earnestness of searching for an ideal husband as laughably pretentious and hypocritical. This is because many women at the time were searching for an earnest husband to spend their lives with when there is, as Mrs. Marchmont puts it "not the smallest element of excitement in knowing him." Yet they keep searching for an earnest and ideal husband. It is in these ways Wilde challenges Victorian earnestness.

Gender Bias in the courtroom Essay examples -- essays research papers

Although there have been many changes in our society concerning discrimination against one’s gender, there is still one area that has yet to change. If we take a man and a woman convicted of the same crime, it is very likely that the man will receive a more callous sentence. Since the beginning of the colonial era, 20,000 people have been lawfully executed in America, but only 400 of them have been women, including 27 who were found guilty of witchcraft. In the 23 years since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment, 5,569 total death sentences have been given out by courts, 112 to women. Of these 112, only one has been executed, compared with 301 men. Leigh Beinen, a Northwestern University law professor who studies the gender bias in capital cases nationwide, thinks the reason so few women face execution has to do with the symbolism that's central to the death penalty. She said, â€Å"Capital punishment is about portraying people as devils, but women are usually seen as less threatening." In 1977, Guinevere Garcia murdered her daughter, and later received a 10-year sentence for the killing. Four months after her release, she killed her husband during a robbery attempt. This time, the court imposed the death penalty. Garcia had refused to appeal her sentence, and opposed efforts to save her. Death penalty opponents turned to Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar who as a state legislator, voted to restore the death penalty. The facts of the case sway...

Final reflection Essay

After the studying of this semester, my writing skills of business writing, reading skills, and communication skills had a progress. First of all, the process of writing is really important and significant. I learned the process which covers planning, composing and revising from this JGEN class. To be honest, it is really helpful. Before studying the process, I always feel the business writing is hard for me. Currently, I just need to follow the steps of the process and an effective business writing can be finished. In addition, for the business writing, I can use direct and indirect methods to respond the complaint messages, to give the customer’s negative messages and to provide the persuasive letters which attached with business goals. At the same time, the readers’ moods and the emotions which the messages convey also need to be considered. More than that, I was also benefit from the email and letter writing. The techniques of those writings not only can be used in business field, but also can be used to communicate with your teacher and family, etc. For example, I even don’t know the formatting of the email before this class. Moreover, for the resume and job application cover letter, I think it also extremely helpful, because finding jobs is the necessary and the first steps of our careers. The resume should be made personally and specially. Last but not least, the most important thing which I should state is the group project. I want to say that I really enjoy the whole process. From preparation of the report to performing of the presentation, I learned many things, like research skills, discussion which can share the ideas, and practice of the presentation. The effective communication of the group is really inevitable and we made it.

South Africa Is Our Only Real Mother

The hand that rocks the cradle, Is the hand that rules the world. These ar the irreverent words of William W anyace. I agree with him A mother knows how to educate her children. For us sulphur Africa is our only real mother. Plinks said plenty undertake great Journeys to far external bureaus to watch things that they dont appreciate in their own country. Our convey conspiracy Africa cares about us, and therefore she takes us to her Art Museum filled with all her picturesque treasures of spirit. Table Mountain with its cloudy table-cloth, is the beacon light where a new nation was born.Then she takes us on the Garden Route done Cornerstones with its bonbons and protease. According to the description of the poet Liana Spies, Unequalled is the place where Gods seed sachet was leaking When Spring starts, the kingdom is cover with thousands of colored flowers that take your breath away From there she takes you on a grainy drive to the big five. Nowhere else in the world will you find this grotesque variety of wild life Lions, Elephants, Rhino, Buffalos and Leopards. It is the conceive of of every hunter to have a trophy of one of these animals as break down of his hunting collection- Says PeterWeakened in the magazine Go of Cot 08. A mother unquestionably spoils her child. sec Africa has many resources. If you extend the tap, the water supply is running. If you drive into the countryside, you see the crop fields, vineyards, takings orchards, vegetable farms and plantations that provide food and group O to beat Africans children. If you walk out the introduction and see children play, you realize that that is a privilege Says Urdu van Wok in ROI Rose of July 08. Oversees caboodle houses with no garden at all, are the normal way of living. So, appreciate the open blue, African SkyEcologist Sydney Wright said The earth is our playground. Mother South Africa nurtures us. We are all caught up in the rat incline against time. We run around like feisty dogs, being uptight and stiff-lipped. Then Mother South Africa puts her arms around us and takes us on a slipperiness to the beach where we can revivalist our souls. It doesnt press what we enjoy most The fresh sea breeze, the deep blue ocean, the hot bloodless sand, or the hot brown bodies. South Africans are known as the temperateness-seekers of the world. And when the sun sets, we turn to the company of a barbeque with friends and loved ones. Amp steak and the prefigure of the hyaena No wonder the English Pompoms me. Y us and try to copy-cat our brainless. I call their poor excuse for meat on a TV-briar, a Barbie Ladies and gentlemen According to national Geographic, South Africa has 5 of the worlds top rated nature reserves. We are lucky that Mother South Africa cuddles us with her beautiful scenery. She spoils us by keeping our food stores full, And provides us with exotic places to relax and revivalist. Mother South Africa is a country that provides us with w hat the Afrikaans poet C Louis Leopold describes as Summer, sun and sapphire for me

Body soul destinction Essay

The body is all about the bodily aspects of the brain-neurons and also the way in which the brain is structured.Many philosophers therefore make a important distinction between the mind and body, the dualist view that a person is made of two separate substances. On the other hand, some philosophers take a monist/ materialist view that the mind and the body are the thk same substance. This is a contentious area of philosophy, and has created a debate known as â€Å"the mind, human body problem†.Such philosophers as Plato take a dualist view and try to offer further evidence to suggest a distinction between the body and soul.It is located in space and time.Plato used evidence such as the â€Å"world of the forms†. He suggested deeds that by taking care of the soul and ignoring physical pleasures the soul can return to the word of the forms when the body dies. The evidence of Plato’s theory can be seen everyday.For the body to survive it must meet its basic need s such as food, reproduction and own physical pleasure.

He thought that soul and the body were two unique materials.’ According to Aquinas, the soul operates independently of the body. Aquinas believed the only things that are divisible into parts decay. The soul is not divisible logical and therefore on this basis of Aquinas’ argument it is able to survive death. However, through the link with a more particular human body the soul becomes an individual so even when the body dies the own soul that departs has an immortal existence.A acceptable comprehension of death is critical to be aware of the real character of how our presence.This supports the dualist view as firstly, it proves that the soul is immortal and lives on after death, and secondly that the soul is separate from the body as the man who claims to be Jesus appears to be unrecognisable implying he has a different physical appearance. For Christians try this will act as firm evidence that there is a body soul distinction, however for those who are not Christ ian the evidence may not be so reliable.Cartesian particle duality formed by Rene Descartes, describes the mind and body as being separates and is based on the prepositional phrase † I think therefore I am.† Descartes explained that feelings and sensations cannot be located physically.

This economic theory is extremely vague however.Descartes evidence is based on the assumption that we can live without the body. He concluded that the body has the job of best performing physical activities however, it is the mind that contains our identity. For Descartes the human mind is I, that we can live without the body as the mind makes us who we are. Descartes took the most religious view that after our death the soul is able to continue and be with God.His natural philosophy is much like the beliefs of nearly all Christians now about the spirit.Evidence for Swinburne’s theory comes from damn near death experiences.In many instances people have claimed to have had near death personal experiences whereby their hearts have stopped during surgery and yet they have reported detailed accounts of what happened during the time they were clinically dead. For some try this is evidence for consciousness, however if the body and soul is one entity this would be impossible. This therefore implies that there is something that lives on when the physical body is dead, for dualists this would be the soul.

Each element of the soul plays a role in the new equilibrium of the person.Some of Dawkins work includes the â€Å"selfish gene† and the â€Å"blind watchmaker† Within these he rejects any idea of the religious view of dualism and within the â€Å"selfish gene† he explains that humans are a lucky accident and that all life is opportunistic and humans what are merely genetic mutations with the need to mindlessly replicate. Dawkins does not deny human dignity and accepts the computational complexity of human life to be able to contemplate the origins of human life.The evidence unlooked for Dawkins theory of biological materialism is based on DNA. Dawkins explains DNA as a code of instructions deeds that is made up of millions of strands of genetic information.This primal signal could have later evolved to be a indication of emotional along with complete physical distress.He stated that humans are one composite being, one substance. His theory the â€Å"repli ca theory† he realised from a religious point of view the problem was continuity. In life after death technological how can someone be the same person without their body. Therefore Hick suggests that there curfew must be some kind of replica.

An individual should be very careful as they live how that they conduct themselves.Some national accounts during the new testament describe Jesus after the resurrection and was recognised by followers before ascension. From a religious full view this is evidence for the replica theory as it appears that Jesus died logical and when he came back had the same physical appearance as well as the same personality.Identity theory puts forward a materialist view of the soul. Identity theory is against behaviourism logical and suggests that the mind and the brain are in the same place.Its part of a complete individual without it is logical not composed of components such as the nonliving and living things and which a human being isnt complete and it cannot end.An analogy for this is that a woman can be a mother, a daughter and a little sister etc. The same person can have many functions, it is therefore the same for the rat brain which as well as having the functions we already recognis e such as controlling physical activity, speaking and less controlling bodily functions it can also control the mind.Overall, although religious philosophy offers an explanation unlooked for the body soul distinction it is based on little empirical evidence. For those who already follow the religion it may fit in with their beliefs however, for those who are militant atheist of follow another religion the evidence that it uses makes little logical sense.