Oppisition Arguments Essay

Animals deserve the same rights as people because they can feel pain; therefore, everyone in the world should become vegetarians. Animals do not deserve the same rights as humans. If so then we should give plants and vegetables rights as well. We kill a lot more plants then we do animals, so I believe that everyone should eat strictly meat only. America should not act as a â€Å"World Policeman† because it has enough domestic issues of its own to deal with. Even though America has a lot bases throughout the world, this does not mean that we are the world Policeman. We are just helping our allies so we could keep trading with these countries for natural Resources. Immigration should be allowed without any caps because it brings in skilled workers and increases the cultural variety of American Society. If we decided to take the cap off on immigration then we can see a lot more businesses hiring cheaper labor which means the unemployment percentage will go up and cause us to have another great depression. Parents should never be held responsible for the crimes of their juvenile children because children should be held responsible for their own actions, even if it means trying them as an adult. Parents should be held responsible for their kids because it is their job to raise them and look after them. If they were watching their kids then their kids probably wouldn’t be committing crimes. Beauty pageants are a fantastic way for young girls to increase their self-esteem, practice public speaking and cultivate their talents. Beauty pageants are one of the worst places for young girls to increase self-esteem. You’re in a competition were all the contestants are trying to be the most beautiful of them all and will try to put you down to win.

An Investigation Into the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Among Veterans Essay

Introduction There are numerous issues facing American veterans returning home from war, both past and present. They are taught how to transform themselves into different people who are better adept at performing under severe war-zone stressors. They are prepared physically and sometimes mentally for what they will be entering into on foreign territory but not often enough for the challenge of re-entering civilian life. Soldiers are falling through the cracks in our system upon returning home, shown through an increase in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse among veterans. Two theories that I will be exploring in this paper are Conflict Theory and Phenomenology Theory. There is more conflict everyday over what our troops should be doing and why. Any doubt of following the path to become a soldier is critiqued as going against the protection of our country, yet once they come out the other end of this journey the supported soldier is gone and in its place is either the glorified hero or sympathized victim. The phenomena of PTSD can create confusion for everyone involved. There is rarely a great understanding of a soldier’s mind and how it interprets their experiences into reactions after war. These experiences have a real effect on their lives and how they care and handle themselves after war. The way society has constructed what a soldier should represent does not include asking for help and makes them appear weak when if they show vulnerability. This issue is important because even today with easier access to treatment, many veterans today won’t or can’t seek out help. To many it is easier to turn to substance abuse to self-medicate and erase confusion from past experiences. Book Examination In the book Fields of Combat, stories are told of how soldiers are trained to kill and understand that to be a true soldier you must accept you own death. Author Erin Finley describes what it is like for soldiers who came home and developed PTSD, and puts their experiences into a social and cultural perspective. She paints a portrait of PTSD to reveal to readers that there is no comprehensive way to understand or experience it. â€Å"As an anthropologist, I find the web of tangled arguments over PTSD fascinating because these conflicts are in many ways about the nature of war-related suffering itself† (Finley, 2011). She describes how to understand PTSD, we must listen to the experience and concerns of the veterans before we can begin to help them. Theory Exploration The Conflict Theory can be applied to many aspects of a veteran’s life, the individual, their families, communities, and organizations around them. These troops return home without knowing how to integrate back into society. The families who should be overjoyed about the safe return of one of their members are displaced without having proper resources to help their loved ones mental health. They are not given the same stress and trauma training the soldiers is given, nor do they know of the experiences causing change in the soldier. There is not often enough knowledge available to the family of what it will be like for the family to have a soldier return home and can be caught off guard by what the soldier will experience upon return. Communities are affected by having one of their members experiencing side effects of war form attempting to re-enter the work force to social events and even the death of such troops of veterans. There is much debate about how war is handled in t he United States. It is generally agreed upon that protection of American citizens is of importance, but from there on out there is little agreement among groups. When thinking about this debate I cannot help but recall driving up to an intersection in my hometown and seeing picketers on either side of the street. Pro-war protesters held signs on one hand that said â€Å"FREEDOM IS NOT FREE† while anti-war protesters fought back with signs that reminded drivers of the ever-growing death toll of soldiers and civilians. Each side questioning the motives behind the other, from wasting America’s resources to question one’s loyalty to America. While these groups have different interests about sending our troops off to war, they should be able to come together when the troops return in order to offer services to help return to a life as normal as possible. From a Marxist view, veterans can be seen as an exploitation of the government by using the troops to their advantage and profit. While the troops are deployed the government basically owns them, but when they return they must often fend for their own mental and physical well-being. Capitalism has created a class division in this case. The bourgeoisie of our government sit back passively and brush off the symptoms of PTSD as a common experience expected after war. The most common symptoms of PTSD for veterans are thoughts of suicide, domestic violence, substance abuse and panic attacks. These symptoms would cause concern from anyone else but they are brushed under the rug for veterans because it is simply assumed that war experiences will have these kid of severe affects on those exposed. To critique the theory that a small elite group is responsible for deploying troops, we must acknowledge that many groups with similar interests come together to enable war to take place. Propaganda is imposed among society from interest groups on either side of the fence on war. Troops do not simply decide to pack up and head overseas to kill people, nor are they currently forced into deployment; it is their choice to enlist. The people in higher government position who can declare war do not just wake up in that position, they are elected there by the people of this country knowing, for the most part, what views they stand behind. This theory is consistent with social works ethics because it represents the working class and wants to bring consciousness to those who hold power and how we can reduce conflict, ignorance, and inequality. Article Examination In the book, David Grossman tells readers how soldiers killing patterns have changed over time. During previous wars years ago soldiers were more reluctant to kill and fired their weapons more as a warning instead of a kill shot. The Army has since taken steps to increase the percentage of shorts fired to be directed at the actually enemy. Since it was shown to have be easier to get soldiers to kill from a distance instead of up close, machines were provided to allow for distance physically and mentally. The soldiers are basically be dehumanized to be better weapons to the government. He refers to this as Acquired Violence Immune Deficiency, where people have such a fear of what they are experience that their brain reverts to classical and operant condition, which the government has replaced by weakening the part of the soldier that does not want to kill and inserting the actions they prefer. Theory Exploration This action represents yet another way that higher ups are using soldiers as their own material resource, in context to the Conflict Theory. The exploitive subordination of soldiers allows the government to profit by actually influencing how the soldiers think. The government understands that changing the social behavior of a soldier will lead to more power over them and their actions. This theory would show clear winners being the government who benefits from soldiers subordination and the soldiers who suffer. In contrast, you cannot presume that every action the ruling government takes over soldiers is for their benefit alone. The actions, while not always moral, are taken to protect the entire country. Treatment is provided for returning soldiers, even if it is not know or easily accessible to all. The emphasis is not solely social control but consensus and conformity. To go to war is a decision made by different group, not only elites, and a general agreement must be reached before actions are taken with soldiers or deployment. Soldiers are not forced into employment; they conform to the position because their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors are similar to those around them in the Army. Article Examination In the article by David Zucchino, it tells about a soldier who opened fire from his home without warning because he felt he was under attack. This event took place after he received inadequate treatment for PTSD after being diagnosed at â€Å"high risk† for the disease. He was sent to a prison that did not offer him any further treatment for PTSD since they were not affiliated with the military. He is one of the many veterans that has not being given proper treatment after being diagnosed to be at rick for PTSD and ending up in civilian prison where they cannot access further help. He is now left in prison where his symptoms and condition will only worsen. Theory Exploration From the Phenomenology standpoint we would look at expectations of his experience to understand and describe this phenomena. Looking at what appears to be instead of reality, his subjective experiences show emotions he is not fully aware of. His actions, like those of other veterans, stem directly from past and present sensory experiences and cannot defined the same way for each person. The appearance of returning veterans is seen as this joyous moment where they step off a plane in to the loving arms of family and are then forgotten about by most of the culture. Families and communities are left to deal with the veteran’s actions without knowing the driving forces behind their appearance of their actions. The government sees what it wants to see and transfers that to the public. We are shown this ideal soldier who is deployed to protect us and comes home a hero, which our consciousness retained as a singular memory of a soldier. That is what society wants to believe about war because our consciousness does not want to identify killing, death, and destruction with our freedom or it would not be as easy to ship off members of our own community to their impending death. Once they return they are given a pat on the back for a job well done and turned over with the intention of re-entering a community as a normal member once again. We define the content of our consciousness as making this place, America, better by using an object, the soldier, to do so. â€Å"Central Prison has done a good job of treating Eisenhauer’s physical wounds† (Zucchino, 2012). We treat what we can see, but leave what we do not understand unattended. In this theory we can only see one side of the situation at a time, and we are stuck on this glorified soldier but cannot combine with him the vulnerability and confusion he returns home with. In critique to this theory, there are things outside of our memory and consciousness that do exist. Just because we cannot fully grasp what is happening to these veterans does not mean that it is not happening. They are sent essentially sent to another world to deal with hardships and are thrown back into reality without being reprogrammed. There are not always theoretical structures that will allow us to understand the phenomena of what the veterans will go through. References Carter, A. C., Capone , C., & Eaton Short, E. (2011). Co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorders in veteran populations. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 7(4), 285-299. Finley, E. P. (2011). Fields of combat: Understanding PTSD among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Grossman, D. (2009). On killing: The psychological cost of learning to kill in war and society. New York: Back Bay Books. Levinson, N. (2012). What really happened to america’s soldier, The Nation. Retrieved November 20, 2012 from http://www.thenation.com/article/168652/what-has-really-happened-americas-soldiers# Litz, B., & Orsillo, S. M. (2010). Iraq war clinician guide . (pp. 21-32). Department of Veteran Affairs. Retrieved December 1, 2012 from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/manuals/manual-pdf/iwcg/iraq_clinician_guide_ch_3.pdf Stecker, T. (2011). 5 Survivors: Personal stories of healing from PTSD and traumatic events. Center City: Hazelden Foundation. Zucchino, D. (2012, June 24). Accused soldier is a prisoner to ptsd; believing he was under attack by insurgents, he started firing from his home. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on December 1, 2012 from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.uvm.edu/docview/1021854523/13AE8FF837D23A623BE/7?accountid=14679

CheckPoint: Conflict

Conflict is an inevitable part of life whether it is in relationships, socially, or between nations. Most conflicts arise from differing points of view on actions or goals and how they are handled can lead to a ceasefire or the breakup of one’s relationships. Conflict resolution skills are needed when navigating the stormy waters of conflict. How one perceives the goals and intentions of others can lead to misconceptions. When an individual or group perceives another’s intentions are harmful conflict will arise. It is human nature to believe that one’s group is different or better than another group. Forming an â€Å"in-group bias† will lead one to look for evidence to support one’s negative opinions of others. Stereotyping is often behind negative opinions and misconceptions that lead to conflicts. Perceptions are the way a person thinks or views another so, perceptions would factor greatly into conflicts. A negative mirror-image perception will cause one to over exaggerate the differences often held by parties in conflict; for example, each party may view itself as ethical and peaceable and the other as wicked and hostile. Viewing others in this light will only inflame the controversy and lead to more conflict. Learning how to view conflict differently can bring about peaceable solutions. Certain methods must be employed for reconciliation to occur. Exposure and close proximity will lead to learning more about the other person. A better understanding helps to foster closeness and common interest. If one is around someone regularly, one will learn how to get along with the other person. When parties whom are at odds with each other work together on a common goal, they each learn to develop comradeship. Cooperation can facilitate in conflict resolution as well. Communicating effectively in conflict is huge in learning to resolve issues and have reconciliation. Negotiations when resolving conflicts should include bargaining, mediation and coming to an understanding with each other. If you cannot communicate with someone properly, this will lead to more conflict.

A Modest Proposal for holding Fathers Equally Essay

Traditionally, the concept of abortion, child-rearing, home management, prostitution and even pornography are all attributed to women – women as subject. In the issue of abortion, women are more likely judged as immoral or not good parent for either aborting or not aborting her child (for certain reasons). In Child-rearing, the mothers are the very ones who are blamed if it happened that her children grew rebellious and defiant. Home management is in all likelihood tagged as women’s function. In the issues of prostitution and pornography, women are the central subjects for judgment. They are more seen as immoral as compared to how men are treated. In short, there are still unresolved problems regarding gender roles and gender biased structure of society. This essay addresses the issue of making fathers or men also accountable for the occurrence of such societal conflicts. Traditional Gender Roles By tracing our history, we could arrive at an evaluation that women and the mothers were discriminated in the society. Having a patriarchal structure of society wherein men or the fathers are labeled as superior over women or the mothers. The traditional structure inside the house was that the father was regarded as the head of the house whom has the highest authority. He has the final say in all things concerning the family. His well-established role as father was providing the needs of the family. Consequently, given such structure inside the home, the community and even the whole society became attached to that particular belief that only men or the fathers have the right to be the head or the bearer of the highest authority otherwise conflict would arise. Because of this traditional conception women and mothers were viewed as the destroyers of order and peace in the society if they would insist themselves as equal as or higher than men and the fathers. Recommendation According to Katha Pollit, the fathers should also be accountable for all the conflicts that arise inside the house, in the community, and in the society. (Barnet & Bedau, 2004) They (the fathers) are not really attributed with perfect characteristics. They have also the predisposition of doing wrong things just like the mothers. When the marriage relationship failed, the mother should not the only one whom should be blamed. The father has also part in that failed relationship. When a child grew up as disobedient and rebellious, the mother is not the only one who is responsible for disciplining her child. The father, being also a parent of his child, has the responsibility of disciplining and molding his child’s attitude. In the case of abortion, mothers are not the only persons who make the problem. The father has also a responsibility towards the pregnancy of the mother. In this contemporary period, women are asserting and fighting for their equal rights with men. They are consistent with their campaign of establishing laws that would make them equal with men. In cases of parenting and marriage relationship, it is really unintelligible to say that only women have this responsibility of taking care and disciplining the children and working out their marriage life. The father has also such responsibilities toward his children and his wife. As a conclusion, all must be enlightened with the fact that everyone has a responsibility towards each other and towards the society. Men and the fathers are not exempted from this kind of responsibility. Women or the mothers cannot manage the home without the assistance and aid of her partner, the father or her husband. Both of them are responsible for molding and guiding their children. And truly, it takes two to tango. Reference: Barnet, S. , & Bedau, H. (2004). Current Issues and Enduring Questions (7th student ed. ). Bedford/St. Martin’s.

keisey report Essay

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter Results indicated that my personality type is that of the Guardian Provides (ESFJ) and my character type is Provider (ESFJ). My results indicated that my personality is the cornerstone of society and that I have a natural talent in managing goods and services-from supervision to maintenance and supply. It also said that I believe in law and order. I take pride in being dependable and trustworthy. I can also be counted on to get the job done. I honor customs and traditions, meticulous about schedules; I’m not comfortable with winging it or blazing new trails. My results also indicated that I am cautious about change and when it comes to changes. I prefer to go slow and look before I leap. When it comes to the needs of people, especially those close to me I approach tasks in organized and thoughtful matter. It also said that I am a keeper of traditions like holidays, and I go out of my way to make sure people are cared and provided for. I totally agree with the results of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, my results couldn’t have been more accurate. I am a person who cares about others, and I have always said that I was born to serve. When it comes to my professional life, no job is beneath me. I am very loyal, a team player, a hard worker and sympathetic to the needs of others. To my surprise the results were very accurate when it said that I am sensitive to the feelings of others. I love to entertain although I may not be the host. I often find myself talking to others, making sure that the needs of the guest are taken care of and making sure that they are involved. I don’t like taking risk nor do I like major changes .What I think can really help me is to have an open mind when it comes to change. I do not agree with the results regarding personal criticism nor am I able to speak with confidence. I can definitely use this information in my work environment such as keeping an open mind to changes, not being quick to judge, and being very cautious.

Media: Celebrities

Coming from a Latin word celeber, the word celebrity means a person widely recognised by the public and the media, person who through his command in the public creates media attention and is widely covered. One of prerequisite of a person being celebrity is fame, but that has to be associated with the media attention. Mass communication play a vital role in making someone celebrity as the person can be famous and well known but if the media is not piqued by that person, then the person cannot reach the celebrity level.People become celebrities in accordance to their professions, what they do to the public; this can be politicians or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of certain large organisations such as Bill Gates, who stepped out of it few months ago, but still a celebrity. Celebrities to be in that status with the help of media are being known across the world, meaning can be famous not only in their countries but even outside their countries, and this category caters especially to th e politicians and actors and actresses.Religious leaders example Bishop Desmond Tutu for his involvement in freedom fight in South Africa and cultural leaders such as Dalai Lama of China for his outstanding performance in fighting for the rights of Tibet people; these people can be famous not only in their countries but not abroad due to their extensive coverage in the media. Excellence in sports also can make people famous not only in their countries but even worldwide such as Serena and Venus Williams are known globally due to their excellent performance in Tennis sport.Apart from sports, some people become celebrated due to their nature of their professions especially the highly paid ones which make them in contact with the media in most of their work schedules. These include people in the media presenters who are highly paid and well respected due to their exceptional work to the public, interior decorators, movie producers and sports coaches to mention a few who have caught the media attention and have been covered in mass entertainment.Some people become celebrities due to their family backgrounds, especially if some member of family were and are celebrities. This is found mostly in families engaged in music and movies industries like Jacksons, Winans and Osbournes while for politician families we can say Bushes, Clinton and Kennedys in United States of America (USA).Nevertheless, in accordance with the definition of celebrity that is something that has to be commanded by a person both in public and through the media, most of people must asking themselves how these people have earned the celebrity title. Due to this some scholars did start studying this celebrity phenomenon, by looking at the celebrity characteristics, psychology and even the interaction with the members of public, which makes people sometimes get too carried away with the celebrity worship. In America the number of people worshipping celebrities keeps on going up which has even affected people psychologically. Famously the syndrome now is known as celebrity-worship syndrome (CWS), the term invented by media but psychologists call it Celebrity Worship Scale (WCS).This situation has made people to look closely to the whole issue of celebrity, its attachment with the society and how people are reacting to it. Why people acting they way they do to the point of stalking celebrities. In survey conducted in USA, more people are affected by CWS which has led to people seek psychological help as Kate Douglas portrayed in her article when you wish upon a star, â€Å"Psychologists are starting to suspect that worshipping celebrities is the top of a slippery slope that leads to depression, anxiety and psychosis.† (Douglas Kate, When you wish upon a star, 2003).The effect is not only to the celebrities themselves, but the public also get affected by the whole issue of celebrity. Most of people wishing to be stars so as to be treated like star especially due to the media coverage these people get. Studying celebrity academically can help the society understand both parts that means celebrities themselves and the public which is affected by the concept of celebrity.The effect is much grave especially to the adolescents who spend most of their time wishing to be star, having cuttings and pictures of stars in their rooms and things they possess. Yes teenagers can think about celebrities as it is bring sense of social attachment, but not that excessively which affect the way of thinking of these teenagers or even adult for that matter which sometimes experience difficulties when encountered with problems.The effect if not dealt with early leads to more effects such as disorder to the worshipers like stalking celebrities or disillusion stalker gets that celebrity is love with him/her. The situation apart from stalking stars and celebrities, some of fans are copying what these celebrities are doing even if are bad things. This condition has sparked a lot of academics into researching the issue of celebrity and looking deeply for its effects to the society.An example that can be used here is the case of John Warnock Hinckley, Jr. who stalked Judie Foster after watching the Taxi Driver movie. He was seeking Judie’s attention to the point of following her to another state, the situation led into Hinckley attempting to assassinate President Ronald Regan in 1981 so as to catch Judie’s attention. He was later charged but found not guilty on basis of insanity and admitted at Saint Elizabeth in Washington DC. With experience like this studying celebrity should be taken into account as to understand psychological effects that associate with celebrities.The effect does not end to the fans only, but celebrities too are affected by the whole idea of being celebrity. Celebrities sometimes are also affected with the way society take them, their image and sometimes they are supposed to do things which is not in their heart simply be cause they have to comply with public especially in maintaining good image. The good image does not necessarily be the star image but sometimes can be the image of the organisations they are representing. This notion tend to make celebrities pretend sometimes especially in front of members of media and photographers.In his book The Image (1961), historian Daniel Boorstin criticised the way American society was living where it was heading concerning public image. The image that keeps on being fabricated and staged by the influential people especially politicians, movie stars and other celebrities. â€Å"Just as there were now counterfeit events, so, he said, there were also counterfeit people – celebrities – whose identities were being staged and scripted, to create illusions that often had no relationship to any underlying reality.† (Boorstin Daniel, The Image, 1961). The tendency, which has forced some of celebrities to get depressed and frustrated, hence seeki ng medical help which has led to some psychologists researching into the matter.The good example here can be referred to an icon which has made history in Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe who died by overdose from drugs. Marilyn was under chronic depression which made be constant contact with psychologists but later she paid with her life. Though not most of celebrities in movie industry die by overdosing themselves, but most of them undergo depression, which later on lead into drug addictions.Not only movie superstars experience the other side of the coin, which is depression even politicians and other celebrities do. The good example being Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the President of America in 1800s has also underwent severe depression too which was claimed to be associated with a horse blow he got when he was 10 years of age, while it sometimes associated with the death of his first love and mother. The only therapy in those days was through churches in Christian moral treatment but L incoln managed to overcome his depression by engaging himself in politics which later on he become a well respected one.Despite the fact that movie icons get into addictions, not all celebrities are like that as there is difference between these two categories. Film star is the one that get his/her stardom due to the participation in movie industry but celebrities can be from any field apart from film industry. Taking examples of film stars the list is long from Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Judie Foster, Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage to mention a few.In conclusion, it is worthy studying celebrity issues, as it is the only way of understanding the interactions between celebrities and their surroundings, the people they mingle with, how they maintain their personalities and images to the public. Many celebrities are being used to advertise products such as David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and others like Christina Aguilera in Pepsi advert. This advertising involves media and through that people tend to question the authenticity of the products displayed, hence lead to more research on them.Apart from advertisements, studies can be done to the people around celebrities, how are they interacting with them and what effects do they get, but all in all it is worthy a study.Reference:Boorstin Daniel, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America, 1961Douglas Kate, When you wish upon a star, Newscientist, issue 2408, August 2003www.mindhacks.com/blog/2006/08/star_struck.html

Bush Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bush - Article Example t this program successfully, Bush directed the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set up the National Health Information Technology Coordinator (Thomson, 2014). In 2005, the HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt took initiative to establish American Health Information Community, a federally chartered commission, with intent to accomplish President Bush’s aim of having majority Americans using interoperable electronic health records within 10 years. Although this initiative started off strongly during the term of Bush, it has gradually fallen off for the recent years. As per Duane Morris report (2009), privacy and security concerns were the most potential barriers to the implementation of this initiative. Issues related to unauthorized access to records and privacy concerns prevented the implementation of technology. Some other security concerns include trespassing by an outsider, theft or loss of devices like laptop or mobile phone, or theft while transmitting information through a wireless network. In order to address the General Accounting Office’s concerns regarding information privacy, HHS initiated several projects including the commission that strategically determines the certification criteria for electronic medical records. According to GAO, it is essential â€Å"to establish the high degree of public confidence and trust needed to help ensure the success of a nationwide health information network† (Psych iatric news). In addition, unresolved debates over whether to employ an individual’s Social Security number hampered HIPAA implementation standards. Issues associated with general security practices also have weaken the scope of this policy. The higher costs related to this policy also became a barrier to the implementation of the proposed change. The concerned officials indicate that hardware and software maintenance throughout the organization involves higher costs. According to the Harvard researchers’ findings (cited in

Literacy in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay

Literacy in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - Essay Example The paper discusses the value of narrative. Douglass’s narrative is important since it debunks many of the theories that had currency during the period of slavery and it also, makes clear the importance of literacy in the movement against slavery. The ability to read is continually held up as the magic wand that would enable African-Americans to lead lives of dignity and respect. The instruction that Douglass received from the mistress of the household where he was a slave in the knowledge of language is a turning point in his life. He is able to expand his horizon of knowledge through reading. As is the case with education that was introduced in colonies by colonial powers, this education that Douglass receives makes him want to learn more. Moreover, the knowledge that he receives also awakens in him a thirst for freedom. It is literacy that impels him to question the ways of the world and the organizing structures of southern society that believed in the inherent inferiority of African Americans. The people of these parts were characterized by an urge to retain the structures of slavery even after it had been abolished in the north. This was for economic reasons, since the labor on the cotton plantations that sustained the economy of the old south was almost entirely black. The immense profitability of the plantations depended a great deal, on the almost free labor that was extracted from the black slaves who were also subjected o inhuman torture on the plantations. The need for documentation is what the production of the book stands for. A documentation of the sufferings of the black slaves of America was necessary for a solution to the problem to be found out. This was however, not in the best interests of the people who drew their livelihoods and their luxurious lifestyles by exploiting the poor slaves. This is the reason why Mr. Auld is always critical of the efforts that Mrs. Auld puts in into helping the education of Frederick Douglass. He fears that Douglass too would attempt to escape to the north in search of his freedom. This betrays an understanding of the cruel and exploitative nature of the institution of slavery on the part of white landowners who employed black slaves under conditions that were extremely inhumane. When Mr. Auld denies Douglass the permission to learn how to read, Douglass reflects, Whilst I was saddened by the thought of losing the aid of my kind mistress, I was gladdened by the invaluable instruction which, by the merest accident, I had gained from my master (Douglass, 45). The â€Å"invaluable instruction† of knowing the value of literacy and the associations of freedom that literacy carried changes the way in which Douglass looks at the manner in which he led his life. The knowledge sows in him the seeds of rebellion and makes him want to escape to the north. Behind this urge is the love for freedom which Douglass feels is a natural impulse on the part of any human being whose senses have not been deadened by the yoke of slavery for ages. This impulse leads him

Student debt and bondage Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Student debt and bondage - Coursework Example The increase is attributed to the high cost of education and that more and more students secure loan because they cannot afford it. This is also aggravated by the length of term of loans and the additional consolidation and refinancing that occur in the span of amortization. The author is of the opinion that this phenomenon defeats the purpose of education, especially the kind that the United States has. There is an implication that the American higher educational system is supposedly the ideal model because it is decentralized, has liberal admission requirements, low tuition and subject to freedom of expression. He supported this by citing that the higher education has opened to an expanding body of students. The author then proceeded on explaining how the growth of student debt is analogous to the creation of a system of bondage and indentured servitude not unlike the system that permeated during the colonial period, when slaves toiled for their freedom. He argued that this is the case, owing to several important points. First, the sheer number of indebted students (two-thirds of the college student population) would mean that majority of the new generation would be tied to paying off their debts, sacrificing their desires and opportunities to better their lives in the process. The prevalence typifies the old bondage regime. However valid or reasonable the reasons given by Williams on the issue on student debt, I would have to say that calling it bondage or tantamount to slavery is not fair, or, at least, premature considering the reasons that he was able to provide. Academic institutions in the US operate within the capitalistic system and that they are able to provide high quality of instruction because of their capability to do so. Criticizing the manner by which students were made to work longer hours for their tuition fees is a legitimate position. However, the option to get a loan is their choice. They are aware of the terms and this does not involve ba d faith on the part of academic institutions. It is not like they were coerced to get a loan or the school unilaterally modified the loan in the middle of the term for its own benefit. Students have numerous options available to them. For instance, if they cannot afford it or that they think they would not be able to bear the work that comes with the education they want, then, they could go elsewhere where the tuition is cheaper. Or that if they do not want to invest time and effort for education they could simply opt out of college. It is not right to just dole out a scholarship as if it is a privilege just because of one’s status in life. It is not, hence, indentured servitude because the relationship is economically legitimate and involves freedom of choices. What Williams want is a case of socialism that would reward non-performance. It is a case of reverse class privilege. In the US, we thrive and excel in the merit-based value wherein individuals are responsible for the ir own fates. To get something that one did not earn is un-American. The government cannot subsidize higher education for all. In this case, schools provide the opportunity for individuals to better their lives and earn higher income in the future. By allowing students to avail of debts and work to pay for it, an option is offered to those who cannot afford the tuition fees. In this issue, I would

Reviewing a link and writing about that Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reviewing a link and writing about that - Essay Example Fission – fusion social group is the social grouping in which chimpanzee likes to interact. This is because it allows better chances of food availability, copulation and regular association with other members. According to (Parsons.2011)â€Å" Members of the Hominidae family chimpanzees are the closest living relatives to human beings and like us, they have been found to experience emotions and retain memories† The physiology of Chimpanzee shows that full grown adult male chimpanzee can stand 1.2 meter tall and 70 kg in weight. In female it can be around 50 kg and height of 2 ft .The thumbs and big toes of chimpanzee are opposable and they walk on knuckles. Moreover Chimps have 8 wrist bones like human.The sexual behavior of chimpanzee is also worth mentioning. The sexual dimorphism of chimpanzee relates to the difference in their male and female species. Generally, the male chimpanzee is taller than female species and depict different characteristic. It is noticed that while playing, male and female chimp depicts different attitude due to their hormone differences. The male chimp carries a stick for hunting while female chimp carries stick as a doll. Chimpanzee lives in southern area of Congo River and is found to be a close relative of human being. Chimpanzees are primarily vegetarians and they eat mainly leaf, fruits, seeds and flowers. The Common Chimpanzee is both arboreal terrestrial and arboreal and they are quadrupeds which means they move with aid of leg and hands at the same time. When it comes to sexual dichromatic, the chimpanzees have mating season and they mate with their female counterpart which are shorter than them. However, human beings are the only species which has the sole aim of indulging in sex for the benefit of physical pleasure. In the case of Chimpanzee they have a patriarchal system where male chimpanzee dominate the female species. Generally, it is a fact that chimpanzee

Research on Sharia law Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

On Sharia law - Research Paper Example , the origins of Sharia laws derive from a combination of laws, like Roman laws, contents of the Holy Koran (qiyas), teachings of Prophet Mohammed and present day assimilations of ancient legal interpretations and treatises (ijmas). However, an interesting aspect of Shari has been that in their countries of acceptance and faith, different interpretations exist for these laws. Modernists, traditionalists and fundamentalists all hold different views of Sharia, as do adherents to different schools of Islamic thought and scholarship. Different countries and cultures have varying interpretations of Sharia as well. Thus, Sharia practices in African countries may be quite different from those in Arab countries. On the other hand, Muslim population in India may have different cultural and sociological interpretation of Sharia than what is being done in Indonesia, or Yemen, for that matter. Thus, what is important is the sociological background of these laws in the context of respective countries where these laws are followed. Moreover, it is also seen that Islam has two sub sects – Sunnis and Shias. It is now necessary to consider the differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims, which essentially finds the difference in religion but politics. This is primarily because it concerns leadership matters subsequent to the prophet’s era and what led to division of Muslim sect soon after the death Mohammed. When the question arose as to who would inherit the mantle of the Prophet, of one sect believed that leadership should be taken over by one of his worthy followers. But Shias believed th at leadership should move to the member of his own kith or kin, like his son- in- law, or nephew. Thus, major differences arose between Sunnis and Shias, such that the latter were not able to ever reconcile themselves to the fact that Ali’s descendants were not provided due leadership in the Muslim order after the lifetime of Prophet. Thus, they refused to accept the authority of Sunni

Career in Hospitality Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Career in Hospitality Industry - Essay Example The history of amusement parks dates back to the 16th century. These places were started in Medieval Europe with the name "Pleasure Gardens" and provided live entertainment, dancing, games, fireworks and few rides. Today, the oldest operating amusement park in one of those pleasure gardens named 'Bakken' which was started in the year 1583 in Copenhagen. Amusement parks started getting great popularity in the late 19th century. The world's first modern amusement park 'Paul Boynton's Water Chutes' was started in the year 1893. After that, a large number of theme parks were opened in Europe and United States and the industry flourished. The great depression of 1935 and second world was a great blow to the industry. By the end of the World War II, varieties of amusement parks have already started to boom. Today's theme parks enjoy a good popularity and are located throughout the world in almost all countries with diversified themes and features. This industry today is highly dependable on the technological development, which has provided various sophisticated rides and other entertainment options. The amusement park industry provides opportunity to interact with people of highly diversified cultures than any other. ... Exposure in diversified areas Good growth potential Good working condition Decent compensation package Exposure to diversified cultures The amusement park industry provides opportunity to interact with people of highly diversified cultures than any other. This exposure and learning will be asset that will accompany me throughout my career in this field. Dynamic Environment This industry is the most dynamic among all of the hospitality industries. It has to change according to the peoples interests and had always changes with the development in the field of Science & Technology. Since I have interest in learning new thing and hate a stagnated environment, I decided that the amusement park industry will be the best suited for my career and preferred his over the others. Exposure to other areas of Hospitality Industry Amusement parks also provide facilities such as restaurants, hotels, travel assistance, etc. One of the reasons for choosing this industry among the others in the hospitality industry is that working in amusement parks provides exposure also in the areas of ride operations, admissions, food services, retail, entertainment and guest relation. Exposure to High End Technology The major attraction in the amusement parks is the rides. Today's rides are intensely technology driven and highly sophisticated. Since I have interest in the field of Science & Technology, this industry became my first preference to make my career among the others. Based on all these aspects, I had decided to make my career in the Amusement park industry. To enter into any industry, it requires a good knowledge and understanding of the industry. And also a lot of work needs to be done

Computer Literacy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Computer Literacy - Coursework Example By means of comparison, it must also be understood that even though personal computing has taken on a life all its own throughout the past several decades, the uniformity of computing has not yet existed. This is of course due to the fact that rapid shifts in technology, growth in hardware, software, and the development of faster processors and lighter weight computing devices have slowly shifted the market away from tethered desktops and PCs towards the era of mobile computing. As a direct result of this shift, tablet computers, to include a litany of different manufacturers and operating systems, have begun to define the way in which personal computing and professional applications are run. As with any trend, the rate and extent to which businesses can integrate with the recent shifts in tablet use and employees with regards to business operations will have a direct effect with regards to the growth and relevance of whatever firm or entity pursue such a path. Accordingly, the follo wing analysis will engage the reader with an understanding of analyzing the benefits and risks of deploying tablet computers within organizations; specifically focusing upon issues related to productivity, accessibility, and compatibility. Is the further hope of this author that such a level of understanding will provide a more broad and nuanced level of appreciation for the way in which mobile computing is slowly but surely changing the face of the world with regards to the way in which business is conducted. Although no specific business will be held as a test case, the broad rationale for this is with regards to the fact that focusing upon any special business would necessarily reduce the applicability of the analysis with regards to any other firms might seek to utilize this information. Productivity Concerns: Firstly, it must be understood that the benefits of deploying tablet computers within organizations is necessarily the added benefit of providing rapidly accessible inform ation to the stakeholders in question (Baltzer, 2013). Even though it has thus far been determined that no specific industry will be analyzed, whether or not a given organization is performing a service industry or directly integrating products with the consumer, the ability to rapidly engage with information and presented, either in a sales or service type format, has a direct level of bearing with regards to the relevance and power of engagement that a given firm could display (Lowry, 2009). Rather than necessitated placing an individual in a queue while the customer service representative more stakeholder retrieves the information, the use of tablet computing would allow more rapid integration with this individual; thereby increasing representative would be able to handle a higher volume of inquiries and information on a daily basis (Choi et al., 2013). This of course has a direct level connotation with regards the overall volume of business and can be conducted in the overall le vel of profitability that the firm can seek to accrue during the course of normal business day. Accessibility Concerns: Further issue with regards to t

Gun control Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gun control - Research Paper Example Many also contend that the right to own handguns, specifically, has turned out to be a detriment to public safety which is opposed to the intentions of the Founding Fathers. According to The Second Amendment â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed† (â€Å"The Constitution†, 2006). Those who are against limited forms of gun control refuse to consider the important word â€Å"militia† within this Amendment. â€Å"The Second Amendment was intended solely to guard against suppression of state militias by the central government and therefore restricted in scope by that intent; or does not guarantee a right that is absolute, but one that can be limited by reasonable requirements† (Krouse, 2011). Advocates of gun control, by and large, desire the weapon that harms the most people, handguns, to not be legal anymore but are agreeable with compromising on s hotguns and rifles. In this way, the constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms is protected but so are the many thousands of people that are killed by handguns each year. When reading the actual wording of the Second Amendment it is clear that armed militias alone have the right to bear arms. However, given the present passionate emotions tied to this topic and the allure of guns for citizens of the country, a compromise can be the only solution. Philosophies are formed by a people’s innermost values, refined by many years of thought and fashioned by life’s many experiences. Therefore a philosophical debate causes people to be more emotional than any other type. Political philosophies are tightly and vigorously held and in politically tumultuous times, such as today in a post 9-11 world, are especially apparent. The war in Afghanistan, gay marriage, the Occupy Movement, global warming, health care, abortion, health care, stem cell research, the loss of ci vil liberties and numerous other politically inspiring subjects have provoked emotional philosophical battles. The right to own firearms ranks highly among these political philosophies and any attempt to outlaw any type of gun always make this point of view even stronger. To make the argument for upholding the largely voiced ‘right’ to keep and bear arms by permitting shotguns and rifles of a particular length while prohibiting assault rifles and handguns seems the rational answer and a battle that may possibly be won. This approach has proven effectual in other countries such as Japan and many European countries. Those nations that have ban handguns experience a much lower murder rate than America. The idea that ready access to handguns has a major impact on the murder rates in the U.S. is supported by overwhelming evidence. Approximately two thirds of all murders that occur in the U.S. involve a handgun. Yet, restricting handgun use by legal methods has proven to have little impact on homicide rates. This is not a surprising revelation given that most criminals do not get their guns from licensed sources (Cramer/Kopel, 2011). Each year, at least 3000 American children are killed by the use of handguns. America’s children are much more likely to die via handgun use than the children of all other developed countries combined. Compare the number of American children killed with England where fewer than two dozen minors are killed by handguns in a given year. In Japan, the number is

Outline the stages of specimen reception and initial processing, Essay

Outline the stages of specimen reception and initial processing, highlighting particular safety issues - Essay Example Once the primary specimen is received in the laboratory, a quick assessment is carried out regarding any clinical risk. Such risks include damage, leakage, missing request form, inadequate labeling, wrong sample sent for requested test or the clinical information does not match the blood sample. However, if a risk has been flagged, it will fall under the Clinical Risk Management guidelines. If there is no clinical risk to be dealt with, the specimen will proceed to the next stage. The sample and the request form have to show the patient demographics. Patient demographics refers to the information that identifies the patient and provides other data that is important to the clinician in coming up with a diagnosis. Demographics consists of the patient’s name, hospital number, and date of birth. Missing demographic data makes the specimen a clinical risk, and a request for a new sample is sent to the requestor. Other instances where the sample can be classified as inadequately labeled include those samples that are not accompanied by supporting paperwork, and those that are labeled differently from the request form in such cases, a request for a new sample is sent to the requestor If the details match the sample, the specimen will be taken for further assessment in the laboratory. Some exceptions can be made in certain situations, especially if there is a need to protect the identity of the one from whom the sample has been obtained. An example of such a s ituation is in the case of an unrelated bone marrow donor whose identity has been protected using an international code for identification based on the Patient International Data Protection. After the clinician has verified that the specimen identification matches the request form, the anticoagulant tube is then checked to ascertain that the correct sample has been sent to the laboratory. For HLA genotyping, an EDTA anticoagulant

Discussion 3, ch 16 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion 3, ch 16 - Assignment Example The advanced forms of machinery also ensured that production within industries was more effective because the machinery came to cater for deficiencies with manpower such as human errors and fatigue, which slowed down production (Weathers, 73). Labor was another factor that aided in the growth in wealth as labor accounts as an important input to production, meaning that the more labor there is, the more the level of production can be guaranteed. Earlier, industries spent so much on labor, making it impossible to employ a good number of laborers to man the industries and thus affecting production negatively. As there was being an improvement in the economic wealth of the country as informed by the industrialization, it was expected that employees who were behind this growth would also benefit accordingly. This however was not the situation as employees had a strong feeling that they were being used unfairly in working more than they were paid or remunerated with. As this happened, it became important that the employees make their voices and grievances heard by appropriate quarters and authorities who could address their issues. One way by which the employee force did this was to form national labor unions that represented the collective voice of the employee force (Kautsky, 34). Another way for the labor force, mostly through the unions available to stage strikes, which prevented them from giving off their expertise and skills all together so that their employers would be aware of their challenges and address these appropriately. These two approaches were generally positive and influent ial as the interests of the employees became generally represented through the approaches they used. 3. In the late 1800s in the United States, workers transitioned from mostly agricultural workers to mostly industrial workers, and you have read the history of that transition. Today, workers in the United States are transitioning from

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assignment - Essay Example Whenever a company starts the main operation in a particular region the initially grow steadily and then exponentially. However after a certain phase the company enters a stagnant phase, during this phase many companies realize the importance of approaching other geographical markets for growth. When the global recession had hit the US and Europe market many companies predominantly operating in those geographical area realized the importance of taking their products to growing market. The BRIC countries namely Brazil, Russia, India and China, have been recognized by many companies as markets which have lot of potential. Many of these countries have a substantial population of growing middle and upper middle class people. The increase in disposal income per family has made these countries, a lucrative target for many. In business globalisation denotes more market share, growth and profit making. The farther is the reach of a business the more customers and revenue it is bound to achie ve (Tandon, p.29). Technology has been an important element in facilitating the globalisation. Technological advances in Information Technology have helped companies to operate their global operations more efficiently. A company that has to set up an operation in a foreign geographical region has to initially relocate their strategic team to establish themselves in the foreign market. ... IT also enables these companies to operate globally by enabling them to handle their clients from distant location. IT companies themselves are biggest advocate of globalisation. Most IT companies work for businesses in various geographical areas growing their network globally. Technological development and advances have indeed made the world a smaller place. These technological advances make it possible for operations situated miles apart interact with each other have formal meetings within few minutes without physically relocating. Technological advancement in transportation also has made global operations easier for companies. Travelling from a location to another also has become easier for the managers. One manger is able to handle several geographical areas due to these technological advancements. Technology also helps in keeping the operations located in various locations have a common identity. One of the main aspects of globalisation has been to utlise the resources carefully and efficiently. Each geographical market has a unique resource quotient that gives a comparative advantage to that market. The companies try using these resources in such a way that maximum profit can be harnessed, this makes globalisation a rewarding option for companies also. Globalisation also enables consumers with the power to choose. The consumers are given wider option due to globalisation are in a position to demand better and efficient service (Ramos, p.1-30). One of the most complicated issues for companies opting for globalisation is planning resource management. Resource management is the back bone for any company. The operations will operate according to the plan only if the human resource planning is done in an intelligent way. Right person for the right

Tapit Wordlwide Professional Job Search System Essay

Tapit Wordlwide Professional Job Search System - Essay Example In fact, most of the online recruitment forms receive the information online. But, it has been seen that the information has not been used in a discreet manner. There has been a lot of leakage of the information to various sources. This has led to tremendous loss for the applicants. The consumers cannot be sure about the privacy of the supplied information. It has been observed that there have been a lot of instances of spamming in a number of areas. This has led to the blocking of the inbox by unwanted mails. There have been question marks over the credibility of the website over the data being supplied from multiple sources. So, the customers have not been provided with the necessary information about the legitimate job openings. There are instances in this case where the filled in jobs have not been removed from list of available jobs. This leads to a lot of instances to a lead that had not been active, but was still showing on the job boards. This was against the promise of the company that it was posting fresh jobs. It also created unnecessary problems for the job seekers by providing them with unnecessary type of information. It was also against the promises of the company. This was the factors that led to the negation of promises made by the company about the type of services being provided. Tapit Professional Worldwide job search system allows the upload of any resumes by the users. This leads to a two pronged problem. First, the users do not get access to the specified kind of jobs. Secondly, there is a lack of understanding of the proper kind of the applicants. There is also an issue being faced by the companies that had uploaded the requirements. It ends to overload the number of applications, leading to a number of false applications for any job. This also creates problems for the companies that have done the postings. So, it can be seen that Tapit Worldwide Professional Job

El Presidente Essay Example for Free

El Presidente Essay El Presidente was a film which portrays the happenings from the past when colonization of other country started while Emilio Aguinaldo was the president.  After watching the film, though we watched it bit by bit because of limited time, I can say it was still worth it, because it at least showed to us the events in the past with the creativity of the people behind it. The film was good. I enjoyed watching it, though in some parts of it were kind of confusing to me maybe because I don’t have enough knowledge of history. There are parts when Andres Bonifacio had been a traitor and had been punished to death because of him being a traitor, this confused me. Way back years ago, when I was in elementary and high school years, I can still remember that A. Bonifacio was one of the people I salute in the Philippine History, for being the Father of Katipunan and founder of it. But when I saw that film, I’m confused with what to think of him because of what he acted when someone kind of insult him for not having a higher level of education. He loses his patience and that led to his betrayal to the katipunan. I think if I was in his position, I wouldn’t do what he did, I would prove them wrong about what they think an uneducated or someone who has lower level of learning unworthy to lead, with that he should have proved himself worthy instead of being eaten by his anger. Also, there’s another thing of the film which I’m confused, its Emilio Aguinaldo. It seemed like E. Aguinaldo was a type of person who do not have any flaws in the film. Overall the film was worth watching. It gave me goose bumps in some part of it because of its intensity, and that hurt feeling seeing how our ancestors fight for our freedom that we’re having now because of their bravery even though they had risked their lives for it.

Modern technology today Essay Example for Free

Modern technology today Essay With the advent of more modern technology today, and the expansion of corporate markets, commercial transactions between industries grow by the day. As commerce, in its basic sense, pertains to the trading of something of economic value, be it goods or services, information, and most of all, money, it is required of an individual to know how to analyze the economic systems that guide every transaction and endeavor related to commerce. As an empowered individual, my enthusiasm and desire for learning the commerce of man is very strong, at the same time I possess the capability to initiate ideas and activities that help in conceptualizing products or services that may be â€Å"traded† for value. To further learn the intricacies of the field of commerce, I have decided to take up the Bachelor of Commerce program. I believe I will be successful in this field. When assessing basic market financial records in newspapers, I easily comprehend economic trends that I often imagine myself as a good financial analyst. Coupled with the fact that I have enough experience in dealing with different kinds of people in economic terms, I know that ill be successful in this field. The rise and fall of economies in every country influence events globally. I was intrigued with this issue that this pushed me to exert effort in realizing my dream of taking up Commerce as a course. At the micro-level, I am attentive in class, like to recite and debate on issues relating to economics and commerce. The pursuit of education is to be encouraged to better understand the world around us and to contribute to its development. In my own opinion, I can serve this purpose by learning things related to commerce, and with the qualities I possess, I can provide additional knowledge to the study of commerce.

Friendship A Deeper Look Into Relationships Sociology Essay

Friendship A Deeper Look Into Relationships Sociology Essay Like armor, good friends make us almost invincible, capable of warding off the blows life occasionally deals us. The need for social bonding and friendship is established at birth and evolves from then on. Although it is recognized and learned at a very young age, friendship can have a different meaning for everyone. You may choose your friends based on affection, disclosure, or shared values and interests. Since friendship is so common and natural, the variations and types of friendships as well as the different ways we interact within those friendships, are often over-looked and frequently not paid attention to. Within this paper I will examine the main types of friendships human-beings commonly experience, same-sex friendships and cross-sex friendships. I will also be examining how we interact within these friendships, the similarities and differences between them, and will be providing examples to help you gain a better insight on the topics. Since friendship is such a prevalent part of life, it is important to fully understand why we form the relationships we do and what makes these relationships work for us; because by being aware of how different friendships function may help your relationships be more successful in the future. Same-Sex Friendships Friendship in general has been the focus of a considerable amount of studies; however most of these studies have mainly focused on same-sex friendships. A same-sex friendship is a relationship where both individuals have the same sexual origin. This would constitute male-male and female-female friendships. This is the most common type of friendship women and men will usually experience and there are many similarities and differences discussed between the two types of relationships. Differences A variety of differences have been investigated within male-male and female-female friendships, but by far the most prominent difference studied would be that womens friendships tend to be more expressive, emotional, intimate, richer, and include more self-disclosure than mens; whereas mens tend to be more instrumental and are task, goal-, and activity-oriented (Wright Scalon, 1991; Monsour, 1992; Duck Wright, 1993; Brehm, 1992). Womens friendships are represented as intimate relationships in which sharing feelings and talking are the most prevalent activities. Mens friendships are represented as ones in which sharing activities such as sports or work dominate interaction (Walker, 1994). Womens friendships are face to face: they talk, cry together, share secrets, and that is what makes their friendship satisfying. Mens friendships are side by side and almost always revolve around some type of activity. For men, it is the doing, not the talking, that makes a friendship close (Floyd, 2009). The talking that does go on within female-female relationships compared to male-male relationships could not be more different. Women will almost always exchange feelings and talk about problems and men will discuss sports, work, or what is happening in their immediate lives. An important difference between same-sex friendships is that female ones tend to be more oriented towards emotional intimacy than male friendships (Dickens Perlman, 1981). Men will generally be less physically affectionate with other men (hugging, putting arms around each other, kissing) because they know that this behavior goes against cultural norms. While taking gender roles into consideration, women are technically raised to be more open and nurturing, whereas men are raised to be masculine and competitive. Movie Examples One example of media that displays how women interact within female friendships is the hit movie Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. This movie follows four best friends in Manhattan, who share their travels in life and love and their daily discussions of romance and sexuality. In the movie Sarah Jessica Parker plays Carrie Bradshaw, A New York writer who has a column on sex, love, and relationships. She is finally getting married to her on-again off-again boyfriend of years. When he stands her up the day of her wedding, its her three girlfriends who are left to console and support her, being there for her every step of the way through a long, dramatic recovery process. With the help of her girlfriends, Carries life eventually returns to normality. As they are sitting discussing their hardships and the importance of friendship, Samantha says, We made a deal ages ago. Men, babies, doesnt matter. Were soul mates! Another example of media that displays how men interact within male friendships is the movie Old School, starring Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Luke Wilson plays Mitch, a man with a good job, a house, and a healthy intimate relationship; or so he thinks. Until one day Mitch catches an early flight home to find out his girlfriend has not exactly been faithful over the years. When Mitch addresses his friends, Frank and Beanie, they discuss how they have all come to a crossroads in their lives. They can choose to be responsible adults with wives, families and steady jobs; or they can postpone adulthood in favor of returning to college and start a fraternity with all the fun and none of the education. Instead of the three friends addressing their problems head on or helping each other come to terms with the complications in their lives, they closet their feelings and do not find a proper solution. Now, the majority of their time is consumed in the activity of starting a fra ternity together, centered on drinking, women and living a carefree life. As you can see, these movies depict same-sex friendships between females and same-sex friendships between males very differently. Similarities Gender differences that exist between male-male friendships and female-female friendships have clearly been demonstrated in the literature but lately, scholars have questioned its magnitude (Fehr, 2000). Research emphasizes the fact that both men and women look for more or less the same things from their same-sex friendships, they just accomplish getting it in different ways. Male friendships are not inferior to female friendships. Men may not be physically or emotionally expressive, but they also derive great support from their friendships (Zaslow, 2010). The fact that womens and mens relationships differ does not mean that friendships are more important to one sex than the other. It is believed that because women share and express feelings more openly with each other, womens friendships are more satisfying than mens are. Research has demonstrated that women and men report equal levels of closeness in their same-sex friendships (Floyd, 1995). What do differ between the male-male and female-female relationships are simply the characteristics that make those specific friendships close. For women, the key characteristic is shared conversation; for men, its shared activity (Floyd, 2009). Movie Examples Two movies that express similar female-female friendships and male-male friendships is The Sandlot and Now and Then. The Sandlot, starring Tom Guiry as Scotty Smalls and Mike Vitar as Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez, is about the summer escapades of a group of local baseball buddies. These small town baseball players are young neighborhood friends who grew up together. They also all have one common interest that keeps their friendships thriving, their love of baseball, which is what their summer adventures are mainly focused around. These boys are all very different, and throughout the movie are not physically or emotionally expressive towards one another, but remain friends through the years simply because of the shared activities they enjoy doing with one another. Later on in the movie, after the boys made the transition into adulthood, Benny Rodriguez becomes a professional baseball player and Scotty Smalls is a sports commentator for one of his games. After Benny hits a home run ball to win the game he looks up at Scotty and gives him a wave and Scotty looks back at him smiling and nods with approval. These shows the men are still friends from childhood, and their friendship is still mainly focused around the shared activity and the memories they have playing together many years ago. The movie Now and Then, starring Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Gabby Hoffman and Ashley Aston Moore, is about four inseparable childhood friends who experience one of the most eventful and dramatic summers of their lives together. They are also neighborhood friends who grew up together in the same area. Their summer started out normal with attempting to save up money to buy a tree house and tell-all truth or dare sessions, and then suddenly their not-so-innocent world of childhood adventure was cracked by the reality of divorce and a death in one of their families. Although they are young, they are there for each other in overcoming these tragedies together and giving each other a shoulder to lean on through it all. Experiencing these hardships together makes their bonds stronger than ever and leads them to make a pact one summer day stating that they would always be there for each other, no matter what happened in life, all for one and one for all. They stayed true to their pact lat er in life, and remained in contact. They met back in their hometown whenever necessary to talk, to cry, or just share laughs and reminisce about old memories when they needed a friend. These girls remained friends later in life not because of the activities they shared together, but mainly because of the emotional bond they developed with one another. These two movies depict similar same-sex relationships because they are both focused on childhood friends in which a strong bond still remains throughout adulthood, but the reasons of why the bonds still remain later in life differ from the female friendships to the male friendships. Cross-Sex Friendships A cross-sex friendship is where one individual in the relationship is a man and one individual in the relationship is a woman. Cross-sex friendships are a relatively new concept and have only existed for about 100 years (Swain, 1992). Changes in our society have made the existence of cross-sex friendships possible. These friendships can be difficult to establish, and pose a number of different challenges than same-sex friendships. Problems Cross-sex friendships can be difficult at times. OMeara (1989) presented four challenges that occur at some point during a friendship between two individuals of the opposite sex. First, the individuals need to confront the emotional bond that exists between them. They need to address the bond, and clearly distinguish between each other what it is. The feelings that exist between two cross-sex friends can be confusing and hard to establish between romantic or non-romantic feelings. This is important to address in the beginning of your relationship due to the fact if it goes ignored, it can complicate your relationship in the future. The second challenge is the added concern of sexual attraction (OMeara 1989). Sexuality becomes an issue in cross-sex friendships. Added sexual dimension in a friendship can cause problems, for this reason many make the decision not to involve sexuality in their friendship in order to preserve the relationship. The third challenge that OMeara (1989) presents is inequality and power. He states that men are often seen as dominant in our society. This can often pose problems in cross-sex friendships because the tw o individuals must find a way to feel as though they are equal. The fourth challenge described by OMeara (1989) is public relationships. He states that cross-sex friends often have to deal with how they are viewed by others, which results in them often having to defend the status of their friendship. Many find it difficult to accept the fact that a man and woman can have a platonic relationship. Movie Example A movie that accurately describes some of the problems that arise from cross-sex friendships is My Best Friends Wedding, starring Julia Roberts, Dermont Mulroney and Cameron Diaz. In this film Julia Roberts plays Julianne Porter a New York food critic who has a longtime male friend Michael ONeil (Dermont Mulroney). They have remained friends since college and lead what seemed to be a very normal platonic relationship. They talked often about relationships, family, and enjoyed doing many of the same activities together. That all changed one day when Michael called Julianne to tell her he had recently become engaged. While taking this information in she realizes she loves Michael herself and sets out to sabotage his wedding with only days before the ceremony. Her tactics fail and Julianne finally has to accept she has lost her love and longtime friend to another woman. Successes There are also reasons that cross-sex friendships are successful and rewarding relationships for both parties, although it is not as common as the problems and challenges that can arise from these friendships. Some researchers have proposed that male individuals initiate cross-sex friendships to have access to sex and females initiate cross-sex friendships for protection (Bleske-Rechek Buss, 2001). Some cross-sex friends invite sexuality into the friendship. The added sexual dimension in a friendship can be a pleasant aspect within the relationship, but can also cause many problems if you are not careful. Cross-sex relationships are valued because they provide a chance for men to develop friendships with women because they are looking for more emotional and physical closeness. They may want to develop a friendship in search for more self-disclosure and more conversation about personal subjects. Chances are they do not experience this within their male friendships because they assume their male friends will be of little assistance or they fear seeming effeminate. Women, on the other hand, might be looking to form friendships with men in order to have a relationship that requires less intimacy, less personal talk, and more of an activity-based friendship. Movie Example Although I am sure examples of successful cross-sex friendships exist in reality, the majority of cross-sex friendships displayed in the media almost always end in a problematic situation. Usually one member of a platonic friendship ends up wanting to be romantically involved with the other. Therefore it was challenging to find a valid example of a successful cross-sex friendship, and I did not succeed in uncovering one. Conclusion After discussing the similarities and differences within same-sex friendships, as well as cross-sex friendships and how they can be rewarding or problematic; I hope that you have gained a broader understanding within the complicated subject of friendship. It is inevitable that we all need and strive for friendship, and by looking deeper into a certain area of friendship you may find it can actually answer many commonly asked questions or help resolve a problem you may be having within one of your own personal relationships. This should assist you in constructing your meaning of friendship as well as determining exactly how you are influenced by your friendships and how your friendships are influenced by you.

Effect of Peers and Gender on Risk Taking Decisions

Effect of Peers and Gender on Risk Taking Decisions The Effect of Peers and Gender on Risk Taking Decisions on Breaking the Rules of College Students Frances Mae H. Balandan Jaymie Aileen T. Huang Patricia Audrey D. Lansang Louie Belle M. Regente Dorothy Joy S. Sy Abstract Keywords: peers, genders, rules, risk-taking The researchers would like to know if clustering and gender affects the decision making of college students that involves risk. Clustering refers to the participants in whether they are classified in a group of friends or acting alone in a situation on making a risky behavior. The typical finding is that, on the average, subjects (group) shift toward greater risk; that is, the group will most likely decide on the risky option than an individual deciding on his or her own. This is the prototype of the group-induced shift toward risk, or simply the risky shift (Clark, 1973). There are theories, such as the social comparison theory, that emphasizes that people with in a group decides differently than people in isolation (Levinger and Schneider, 1969). In terms of gender differences, male participants are more probable to engage in risky behaviors than female participants. In social decision making, males perceive less risk and are more likely to engage in greater risk. Boys’ risk judgments were signià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cantly predicted by their ratings of injury severity (Harris, C. R. Jenkins, H., 2006). Female participants are less probable to engage in risk behaviors in the domains of health, gambling and recreational activities. Females judge the activities as less enjoyable than males (Harris, C. R. Jenkins, H., 2006). In terms of group differences, examples would be that couples on average are risk-averse in their choices, and that risk preferences are less diverse across groups than across individuals. Groups are more risk-averse in lotteries with low probabilities of winning the largest payoffs, but less risk-averse when these probabilities are high (He, H., Martinson. P., Sutter, M., 2011). The gender is a determinant on risky behaviors. Generally, males take more risks. But in some cases, females tend to make riskier decisions. A study showed that males tend to make riskier decision in terms of finances while females take more social risks (Menon, 2011). Risk attitudes expressed by groups and individuals dià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬er. In most choice problems involving a safe and a risky option groups tend to take more risk (â€Å"risky shifts†) (Stoner, 1960). Further studies have shown that men prefer their decisions to be implemented as decisions in the group, while women are less likely to so. Risk attitudes in the individual decision-making task have no significant effect on the females’ decision, but have a positive effect for males (Gurdal, M.Y., 2010). Other studies have also shown that adolescents are likely to do risky decision making as compared to adults, because they are prone to the influence of the peers and they tend to conform. They do not want to feel left out because they want to be part of the group, and adolescents are more easily convinced towards risky choices. This not applicable for adults, because they are more mature and self-reliant meaning they can do it independently without relying on the other’s help. (Gardner and Steinberg, 2005) The researchers would like to know the following: Does gender affect the risky decision making of an individual? Does clustering affect the risky decision making of an individual? In this research, the researchers generated four hypotheses: If a group of students are exposed to a risk-taking situation on breaking the rules, then the group consensus will be riskier than the average of the initial individual decisions. If an individual student is exposed to a risk-taking situation on breaking the rules, then s/he will take on a lower risk than the average of the group of students. If a male student is exposed to a risk-taking situation on breaking the rules, then he will take on a higher risk than female students whether be in group, pair or individual decision. If a female student is exposed to a risk-taking situation on breaking the rules, then he will take on a lower risk than male students whether be in group, pair or individual decision. The purpose of the study is to know if the inclusion of a person in a group would influence his/her making risky decisions and to know if the gender of a person matters in making risky decisions. This research will be a breakthrough for parents and counselors in dealing with their son/daughters and clients in terms of risk-taking decision making on breaking the rules. This research is specified to know how and when college students are more inclined to do riskier behaviors. This can help prevent the circumstances and unfortunate effects to take place. This research will also be helpful in terms of being a new discovery as it will be set in the Philippines. Most researches are conducted to study western participants and graduate students. In the group’s study, we will concentrate on college students. The possible difference may lay in the different religion and culture that we have from the western countries. The different concepts the Filipinos have as a community, the different beliefs and the different perceptions may influence the results of this experimental research. Methods Participants The sample consisted of 200 undergraduate Lasallian students, men and women of ages 18 and above. The participants will be chosen via random sampling by asking some students for a few minutes of their time to participate in this experiment. Those willing to participate will be asked to fill up the consent form and log-in sheet before starting the experiment. Research Design Between-subjects mixed design will be used. The independent variables are college students. The levels are individual, and group. The dependent variable is decision upon result of risk taking. Procedure Participants were gathered via random sampling and participated in the experiment It will conducted in a laboratory and done in individually A participant will be asked to read risky situations, and be asked what are the chances that they will do the risky behavior (breaking the rule). The participant will be randomly placed in a risky situation where s/he will is alone or with his/her peers. In this experiment, we will measure the difference of the participants’ decision on whether they will break the rule if they are hypothetically with their group or acting alone. References Clark, R. D., III, Crockett, W. H., Archer, R. L. Risk-as-value hypothesis: The relationship between perception of self, others and the risky shift. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,1971,20, 425-429. Gardner, M. Steinberg, L. (2005) Peer Influence on Risk Taking, Risk Preference, and Risky Decision Making in Adolescence and Adulthood: An Experimental Study. Developmental Psychology. Retrieved from http://uwf.edu/smathews/documents/peerroleinrisktakinggardnerandsteinberg.pdf Gurdal, M.Y.(2010) Deciding to Decide: Gender, Leadership and Risk-Taking in Groups. Retrieved from http://eaf.ku.edu.tr/sites/eaf.ku.edu.tr/files/erf_wp_1028.pdf Harris, C. R. Jenkins, H. (2006). Gender Differences in Risk Assessment: Why do Women Take Fewer Risks than Men? Judgment and Decision Making, 2006, 1(1), 48–63, Retrieved from http://journal.sjdm.org/jdm06016.pdf He, H., Martinson, P., Sutter, M. (2011).Group Decision Making Under Risk: An Experiment with Student Couples Retrieved from https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/28122/1/gupea_2077_28122_1.pdf He, H., Martinson. P., Sutter, M. (2011). The Influence of Religious Priming on Self-Control and Risk Taking http://archives.ubalt.edu/ub_archives/inspired_discoveries/pdf/ADAMDspFINAL.pdf Jiang F. X., Jiang, Z. Kim. K. A., Zhang, M. (2013). Family-firm risk-taking: does religion matter? http://www.lingnan.net/seminar/upload/file/20130922/20130922103555225522.pdf Levinger, G. and Scheinder, D. J. (1969): â€Å"Test of the †risk is value† hypothesis,† Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 11, 165-169 Menon, D. (2011, July 25). PRESS RELEASE. Association for Psychological Science RSS. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/who-takes-risks.html Stoner (1961): â€Å"A comparison of individual and group decisions under risk,† unpublished thesis, MIT School of Management. Instruments Individual: Instructions: Read each situation carefully. Rate yourself to how much you are willing to do the stated situation, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. 1. You noticed that your teacher in your math class rarely checks the attendance. Everyone also noticed that some of your classmates are usually absent and cutting their class because the professor’s style of teaching is mundane. You sometimes ditch class with your classmates, but you noticed that you already exceeded the maximum number of absences allowed. You cannot cut the class more than 5 times. You are still tempted to cut the class, because you know that the professor rarely checks attendance. The risk is that the professor might have a roll call, thus leading you to a failing grade at the end of the term. The chances are __ in 10 that I will cut that class. 012345678910 2. You are required to write a group research paper for an English class. The topic must be new and something relevant to your course. You must contribute to writing the research paper. The paper is almost finished except for one significant part of the paper. The deadline is fast approaching you only have until 10pm of that night to finish the paper. You are tempted to plagiarize a portion of someone else’s work by claiming the paragraph of the person’s paper as your own without citation. The risk here is with rise of sophisticated anti-plagiarism software free for use on the Internet, there will be a chance of being caught with the act of plagiarism that will merit a failing grade. The chances are __ in 10 that I will plagiarize, copy a portion of that person’s work and not cite this person’s work. 012345678910 3. You are a part of a cheating chain (a group of students who pass the answers of one to another during a quiz). There are ten of you in the cheating chain a class. The teacher normally sleeps during examination, but he records the class on his phone. After two quizzes of not getting caught cheating, despite the presence of the phone, on the third exam, one of your cheating buddies was caught through the recording camera of the phone. He was the only one who was caught, and only received a warning and a zero on the exam instead of failing the entire course with a disciplinary demerit. The fourth exam is in a few minutes, and the only way to pass is through cheating. You are in desperate need of a high grade. With the fact that out of three exams, one out of the ten of you was only caught cheating, and that the teacher may be stricter due to catching one. What are the chances of you still partaking in the group’s cheating activities or abstain from it? The chances are __ in 10 that I will partake in the cheating chain. 0 1 2345678910 Group: Instructions: Read each situation carefully. Rate yourself to how much you are willing to do the stated situation, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. 1. You and your four friends noticed that your teacher in your math class rarely checks the attendance. Everyone also noticed that some of your classmates are usually absent and cutting their class because the professor’s style of teaching is mundane. You sometimes ditch class with your classmates, but you noticed that you already exceeded the maximum number of absences allowed. You cannot cut the class more than 5 times. You and your four friends are still tempted to cut the class, because you know that the professor rarely checks attendance. The risk is that the professor might have a roll call, thus leading you to a failing grade at the end of the term. The chances are __ in 10 that I will cut that class. 012345678910 2. You and your seven friends are required to write a group research paper for an English class. The topic must be new and something relevant to your course. Each member of the group must contribute to writing the research paper. The paper is almost finished except for one significant part of the paper. The deadline is fast approaching you only have until 10pm of that night to finish the paper. Your group is tempted to plagiarize a portion of someone else’s work by claiming the paragraph of the person’s paper as your own without citation. The risk here is with rise of sophisticated anti-plagiarism software free for use on the Internet, there will be a chance of being caught with the act of plagiarism that will merit a failing grade. The chances are __ in 10 that I will plagiarize, copy a portion of that person’s work and not cite this person’s work. 012345678910 3. You are a part of a cheating chain (a group of students who pass the answers of one to another during a quiz). There are ten of you in the cheating chain a class. The teacher normally sleeps during examination, but he records the class on his phone. After two quizzes of not getting caught cheating, despite the presence of the phone, on the third exam, one of your cheating buddies was caught through the recording camera of the phone. He was the only one who was caught, and only received a warning and a zero on the exam instead of failing the entire course with a disciplinary demerit. The fourth exam is in a few minutes, and the only way to pass is through cheating. You are in desperate need of a high grade. With the fact that out of three exams, one out of the ten of you was only caught cheating, and that the teacher may be stricter due to catching one. Will the cheating chain be active during the fourth exam? The chances are __ in 10 that I will partake in the cheating chain. 0 1 2345678910

Acid rain

Acid rain An introduction to the Acid rain Acid rain is a major problem for our health and even our existence. Human started poisoning the atmosphere with acid gases since 1730, at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Although, it was first recognized in 1872, approximately one hundred years after the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when an English scientist, Robert Angus Smith (1817-1884), pointed out the problem. In 1962, the Swedish scientist Svante Oden brought the acid rain quandary to the attention of the press, instead of the less popular scientific journals. He compiled records from the 1950s indicating that acid rain came from air masses moving out of central and western Europe into Scandinavia. In 1984 it was reported that almost half of the trees in the famous black forest in Germany had been damaged by acid rain. In 1988 United nations agreed to reduce the emissions of these acids into the atmosphere. In 1990 changes to the Clean Air Act set rules to cut down the release of sulfur dioxide from power pl ants down to 10 million tonnes by January 1, 2000 The Meaning and Creation of Acid Rain Acid rain is a term that describes the fall of the quantity of acids, staying in the atmosphere. We can use the term â€Å"Acid deposition to be more specific. Acid deposition separates in two parts: wet and dry. Wet deposition refers to the acidic rain, fog, and snow. As the high-acidized water flows over and through the ground, affects badly most of the earths flora and fauna. The danger of this effect depends on many factors like the acidity of water, the capacity of the soil and the types of flora and fauna that depend on water. Dry deposition refers to the acidic gases and their particles. It is known, that most of these acidic gases falls from the atmosphere to the earth through this procession (dry deposition). After that, the wind blows these dangerous particles on trees, cars, buildings etc. Trees are also infected due to the rainstorms, because they absorb the water from the storm. When this fact happens the high-acidized water adds these acids to the acid rain, which makes it more acidic than the rain that already falls. Prevailing winds blow these chemical compounds, which cause both wet and dry deposition, across the lands (hundreds of miles). The most important and harmful compounds are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are created mostly from electric power generation made through the burning of fossil fuels like coal. The acidity of acid rain is made through the following reactions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides with the oxygen from the atmosphere and the water from the rains S + O 2 → SO 2 SO 2 + O 3 → SO 3 + O 2 SO 3 + H 2 O → H 2 SO 4 SO 2 + H 2 O → H 2 SO 3 2NO 2 + H 2 O → 2HNO 3 + NO2 NO + O 2 → 2NO2 Natural effects Nature also harms herself. Acid gases, produced by emissions from fires, volcanic eruptions, bacterial decomposition and lightening, are released in the atmosphere, increasing the amounts of nitrogen oxide. The major biological source of sulfur containing compounds is Dimethyl sulfide. Gas Phase chemistry Sulfur Sulfur dioxide reacts with the hydroxyl radical. Then the product reacts with the oxygen from the atmosphere and creates sulphur trioxide. Sulfur trioxide, when water is present, reacts and produces sulphuric acid. (See reaction table No1) Now, sulphur dioxide, like carbon dioxide, reacts with water, when clouds are present, through the procession of Hydrolysis. It dissolves in water in a series of equilibrium reactions (See reaction table No2) SO2 + OH · → HOSO2 HOSO2 · + O2 → HO2 · + SO3 SO3 (g) + H2O (l) → H2SO4 (l) NO2 + OH · → HNO3 SO2 (g) + H2O SO2 ·H2O SO2 ·H2O H+ + HSO3− HSO3− H+ + SO32− Nitrogen Oxide Nitrogen oxide reacts with OH to form nitric acid NO2 + OH · → HNO3 Oxidation There is a large amount of reactions where sulfur is oxidized from S(IV) to S(VI) that leads to the formation of sulphuric acid. The most important oxidation reactions are with ozone, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen (reactions with oxygen are catalyzed by iron and manganese in the cloud droplets). Measure and effects To measure the acidity of acid rain, we use the pH scale. Pure water has a pH of 7.0. Normal rain has a pH of 5.5 due to the dissolve of carbon oxide into it. The most acidic rain was fell in USA in the year 2000. It had a ph of 4.3 This acidity affects every living thing on the planet. The following tasks explain exactly this affection: 1st Effect: On Plant life Roots of flowers and trees are destroyed, such as nutricients, which are very important for their lives. Useful microorganisms, which release nutrients from decaying organic material, are killed. Acid rain also damages the waxy layer of the plants, which makes the plant vulnerable to diseases. Plants that survive are weak and without the ability to survive through tough conditions such as a short dry period, a heavy rainfall or a strong wind. The reproduction is also affected. 2nd Effect: On soil The decrease of pH damages or kills some microbes, which produce important enzymes. These enzymes, after the damage of microbes, change shape and lose the ability to function. Also cation exchange creates a serious problem. The ions of some metals (magnesium, potassium, and other metals) are attached to the clay and humus particles in the soil. The attractive forces of positive metal ions to the negatively charged clay particles are strong enough to hold the metal ions in the soil despite the passage of water through the soil. Hydronium ions from acid rain mobilize toxins like aluminium and leach away nutrients like magnesium. 3rd Effect: On animals, humans, and aquatic life Humans depend on food (animals, fishes). Fishes on the lakes and the seas are poisoned or infected by aluminium and mercury, that is leached from soil and rocks. Soil and water have the ability to neutralize the acidity of the rain water. But as the acidity becomes stronger, the pH goes lower. pH 5.5- Plankton population begins to die pH 5.0 Fish population begins to die pH lower than 5.0- All the fishes have died This effect is called ‘Acid Shock† and prevents also the reproduction of the population. Animals, like all the living organisms, interdependent on each other. The habitants that depend on plants and fishes begin to extinct. Other animals that depend on the animals, who depend on fishes and plants, begin to extinct. The food chain is affected dangerously. 4th Effect: Corrosion of buildings and sculptures. The sulfur dioxide reacts with limestone and marble. This reaction creates a black crust on buildings and sculptures, composed by gypsum. Gypsum is composed by the reactance of calcite, water and sulfuric acid. It may be white, but in the crystals of the network of its composition, dirt and pollutant are trapped, so it looks black CaCO3 (s) + H2SO4 (aq) CaSO4 (aq) + CO2 (g) + H2O Acid rain also increases the oxidation rate of metals, especially copper and bronze One good result Researches have resulted that Acid rain restricts global warming by reducing methane emissions from wetland areas. This study also showed that sulfur in the acid deposition limits global warming by counteracting the natural production of methane gases by microbes in wetland areas. Heating these microbes increases the speed of producing more methane, which is mitigating by the sulphur pollution from the industries. This fact is happening because of the sulphur-eating bacteria, which are living in wetlands, and compete the methane-eating microbes. Experiments have shown, that releasing the sulphur deposits causes decrease of methane by 30%, due to the activation of sulphur-eating bacteria Acid rain: Problems and solutions An important solution is the remove of sulphur from the stack gases, made from coal-burning power plants of the industries. This will be able to be done with the use of FGD (flue gas desulfurization). This plan is commonly uses in the U.S.A and many other countries. An example of FGD is the wet scrambler. Wet scrambler is a reaction tower equipped with a fan that extracts hot smoke stack gases from a power plant into the tower. Lime or limestone in slurry form is also injected into the tower to mix with the stack gases and combine with the sulfur dioxide present. The calcium carbonate of the limestone produces pH-neutral calcium sulfate that is physically removed from the scrubber. That is, the scrubber turns sulfur pollution into industrial sulfates. In some areas, where he purity of calcium sulphate is high, the sulfates are sold to chemical companies as a gypsum. In other areas they are placed in landfill. However, the effets of acid rain can last for generations, due to the change of the pH level. Chemicals continue leaching in water, killing off all the living organisms and blocking the restore of life. Another solution refers to the trading of emissions. Industries can then install pollution control equipment, and sell portions of their emissions allowances they no longer need for their own operations. This plan saves the economy and decreases the capital cost for these equipments. The intention is to give operators economic incentives to install pollution controls. Prevention Step 1 · Reduce emissions from mining, smelting and generating electrical power. Consumers can help by using fewer mined resources and reducing electrical power usage, as well as campaigning for government regulation of emissions in their area. Step 2 · Reduce emissions produced by oil operations and oil-fueled transportation. Consumers can help reduce emissions produced by oil operations by buying less oil, buying from companies with higher emissions regulations and driving cars with lower emission rates. Step 3 · Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides produced by reducing use of coal and wood burning as well as natural gas. Step 4 · Cut back on your use of products that produce chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Air conditioning, refrigeration and many aerosol products use or contain CFCs. Reduce the use of air conditioning by using fans and use a single, energy efficient refrigerator per household. Conserve cooled air by not leaving doors open when the air conditioning is on and by not leaving the refrigerator open for extended periods of time. Step 5 · Reduce production of sulfur dioxide by conserving paper. Sulfur dioxide is produced in paper production, so read newspapers online rather than buying a newspaper everyday, use the front and back of paper and use recycled paper. Step 6 · Reduce the emissions produced by your car by car pooling, planning ahead to combine long trips, biking or walking for short trips and keeping your car well maintained to be sure nothing is leaking. Step 7 · Increase energy efficiency in your home by using fluorescent lights, turning lights off when not in use, shutting down utilities when youre on vacation, closing off vents to rooms that are not in use and operating large appliances like dishwashers, washers and driers only when full. Step 8 · Reduce your use of manufactured materials such as packaging and other disposable products and recycle as much as you can. Producing new materials and disposing of waste materials are responsible for a large number of the pollutants that cause acid rain.