tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29106517590073980252024-03-12T18:36:08.048-07:00Descriptive essay thesis statementJanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-75244647973382725182020-08-27T11:39:00.001-07:002020-08-27T11:39:05.751-07:00Gendered MediaArticle 7 Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender Julia T. Wood Department of Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill times more regularly than ones about ladies (ââ¬Å"Study Reports Sex Bias,â⬠1989), media distort genuine extents of people in the populace. This steady contortion entices us to accept that there truly are a bigger number of men than ladies and, further, that men are the social norm. Topics IN MEDIA Of the numerous impacts on how we see people, media are the most inescapable and one of the most powerful.Woven all through our day by day lives, media imply their messages into our cognizance every step of the way. All types of media impart pictures of the genders, a considerable lot of which sustain unreasonable, cliché, and restricting discernments. Three subjects portray how media speak to sexual orientation. To start with, ladies are underrepresented, which erroneously infers that men are the social norm and ladies are immat erial or undetectable. Second, people are depicted in cliché ways that reflect and continue socially supported perspectives on gender.Third, delineations of connections among people stress conventional jobs and standardize brutality against ladies. We will think about every one of these subjects in this segment. Underrepresentation of Women An essential manner by which media misshape the truth is in underrepresenting ladies. Regardless of whether it is prime-time TV, in which there are three fold the number of white men as ladies (Basow, 1992 p. 159), or childrenââ¬â¢s programming, in which guys dwarf females by two to one, or broadcasts, in which ladies make up 16% of anchorpersons and in which anecdotes about men are incorporated 10 MEDIAââ¬â¢S MISREPRESENTATION OF AMERICAN LIFEThe media present a misshaped form of social life in our nation. As indicated by media depictions: White guys make up 66% of the populace. The ladies are less in number, maybe in light of the fact th at less than 10% live past 35. The individuals who do, similar to their more youthful and male partners, are about all white and hetero. Notwithstanding being youthful, most of ladies are excellent, dainty, uninvolved, and basically worried about connections and getting rings out of collars and cabinets. There are a couple of terrible, disagreeable ladies, and they are not all that lovely, not all that subordinate, and not all that mindful as the great women.Most of the awful ones work outside of the home, which is most likely why they are solidified and unfortunate. The more impressive, yearning men possess themselves with significant business bargains, energizing undertakings, and saving ward females, whom they frequently then attack explicitly. From Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender, and Culture by Julie T. Wood, Chapter 9, pp. 231-244. 0 1994. Reproduced with authorization of Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Thomson Learning. Fax 800-730-2215. 31 T LI Y IIYC~ WI I H MEDIA Other fantasies about what is standard are correspondingly sustained by correspondence in media.Minorities are even less noticeable than ladies, with African-Americans showing up just once in a while (Gray, 1986; Stroman, 1989) and other ethnic minorities being for all intents and purposes nonexistent. In childrenââ¬â¢s programming when African-Americans do show up, perpetually they show up in supporting jobs as opposed to as fundamental characters (Oââ¬â¢Connor, 1989). While progressively African-Americans are showing up in prime-time TV, they are time after time cast in cliché jobs. In the 1992 season, for example, 12 of the 74 arrangement on business systems included huge African-American throws, yet most highlighted them in cliché roles.Black men are introduced as sluggish and unfit to deal with power as licentious, as well as unlawful, while females are depicted as oppressive or as sex objects (ââ¬Å"Sights Sounds, and Stereotypes,â⬠1992). Writing in 1993, David Evans (1993, p. 10) reprimanded TV for generalizing dark guys as competitors and performers. These jobs composed Evans, delude youthful dark male watchers in& thinking achievement ââ¬Å"is just a spill or move step awayâ⬠and daze them to other, progressively practical aspirations. &panics and Asians are almost missing, and when they are introduced it is for the most part as scalawags or crooks (Lichter, Lichter, Rothman, and Amundson, 1987). Likewise under-spoke to is the single quickest developing we are maturing so individuals more than 60 make up a significant piece of our populace; inside this gathering, ladies fundamentally dwarf men (Wood, 1993~). More established individuals not exclusively are under-spoken to in media yet additionally are spoken to erroneously rather than segment real factors, media reliably show less more established ladies than men, probably in light of the fact that our way of life adores youth and excellence in women.Further, old people a re much of the time depicted as debilitated, needy, bumbling and latent, pictures not borne out, in actuality. Distirted portrayals of more established individuals and particularly more seasoned ladies in media, be that as it may, can deceive us into speculation they are a little, debilitated, and immaterial piece of our populace. gathering of Americans-more seasoned individuals. As a nation, Stereotypical Portrayals of Women and Men by and large, media keep on introducing the two ladies and men in generalized manners that limit our impression of human possibilities.Typically men are depicted as dynamic, daring, incredible, explicitly forceful and to a great extent uninvolved in human connections. Just asââ¬â¢ predictable with social perspectives on sexual orientation are delineations of ladies as sex objects who are typically youthful, meager excellent, latent, subordinate, and frequently inept and stupid. Female characters commit their essential energies to improving their appe arances and dealing with homes and individuals. Since media plague our lives, the manners in which they distort sexes may twist how we see ourselves and what we see as ordinary and alluring for men and women.Stereotypical depictions of men. As per J. A. Doyle (1989, p. sick), whose exploration centers around manliness childrenââ¬â¢s TV ordinarily shows guys as ââ¬Å"aggressive, predominant, and occupied with energizing exercises from which they get awards from others for their ââ¬Ëmasculineââ¬â¢ achievements. â⬠Relatedly, late examinations uncover that most of men on prime-time TV are free, forceful, and in control (McCauley Thangavelu, and Rozin, 1988). TV programming foi all ages excessively delineates men as genuine certain, capable, owerful, and in high-status ââ¬Ëpositions. Delicacy in men, which was quickly apparent during the 197Os, has subsided as built up male characters are redrawn to be progressively extreme and removed from others (Bayer, 1986). Profou ndly well known movies, for example, LethaI Weapon, Predator, Days of Thunder, Total Recall, Robocop Die Hard, and Die Harder star men who epitomize The absence of ladies in the media is resembled by the shortage of ladies accountable for media. Just about 5% of TV scholars, officials, and makers are ladies (Lichter, Lichter, and Rothman, 1986).Ironically, while twothirds of reporting graduates are ladies, they make up under 2% of those in corporate administration of papers and just about 5% of paper distributers (ââ¬Å"Women in Media,â⬠1988). Female movie chiefs are even rnonz-scant, as are officials accountable for MTV It is most likely not unintentional that not many ladies are in the background of an industry that so reliably depicts ladies adversely Some media experts (Mills 1988) accept that if more ladies had positions o; authority at official levels, media would offer progressively positive depictions of ladies. tereotype of extraordinary manliness Media, at that poin t strengthen long-standing social standards of masculinity:ââ¬â¢ Men are introduced as hard, intense, autonomous, explicitly forceful, unafraid, brutal, absolutely in charge everything being equal, and-most importantly not the slightest bit ladylike. Similarly fascinating is the manner by which guys are not introduced. J. D. Earthy colored and K. Campbell (1986) report that men are only from time to time indicated doing housework. Doyle (1989) takes note of that young men and men are once in a while introduced thinking about others. B.Horovitz (1989) calls attention to they are normally spoken to as uninterested in and clumsy at homemaking, cooking, and youngster care. Each seasonââ¬â¢s new advertisements for cooking and cleaning supplies incorporate a few that cartoon men as inept clowns, who are clumsy people in the kitchen and no better at dealing with kids. While childrenââ¬â¢s books have made a constrained endeavor to portray ladies occupied with exercises outside of t he home there has been minimal equal exertion to show men involbed in family and home life. At the point when somebody is demonstrated dealing with a youngster , ââ¬Ët is normally the mother, not the dad. ââ¬â¢ This propagates a negative generalization of men as wanton and uninvolved in family life. Cliché depictions of ladies. Mediaââ¬â¢s pictures of ladies additionally reflect social generalizations that withdraw notably from reality As we have just observed, young ladies and 7. Gendered Media JILL I recall when I was little I used to peruse books from the boysââ¬â¢ segment of the library since they were all the more intriguing. Young men did the great stuff and the energizing things. My mom continued attempting to get me to peruse girlsââ¬â¢ books, however I just couldnââ¬â¢t get into them.Why canââ¬â¢t anecdotes about young ladies be loaded with experience and dauntlessness? I know when Iââ¬â¢m a mother, I need any little girls of mine to comprehend that energy isnââ¬â¢t only for young men. ladies are drastically underrepresented. In prime-time TV in 1987, completely 66% of the talking parts were for men. Ladies are depicted as altogether more youthful and more slender than ladies in the populace all in all, and most are portrayed as detached, subject to men, and enmeshed seeing someone or housework (Davis, 1990). The prerequisites of youth and eauty in ladies even impact news appears, where female reporters are required to be more youthful, all the more genuinely appealing, and less blunt than guys (Craft, 1988; Sanders and Rock, 1988). De Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-70344207487734801262020-08-22T11:45:00.001-07:002020-08-22T11:45:38.268-07:00Black Holes: The Power Source for Future Space Travel? :: Space Exploration Essays Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-3356727499109426252020-08-21T09:27:00.001-07:002020-08-21T09:27:23.219-07:00Essay For 5th Grade Topics - How to Organize Your WritingEssay For 5th Grade Topics - How to Organize Your WritingWhen writing an essay for 5th grade topics, you must have some basic idea of what exactly will be covered. Remember that this is an essay that will be read by the teachers and the students of that class. Therefore, this is a good opportunity to practice your writing skills and develop a good composition.As you read and learn more about different topics, you will find that some of them are similar to those on the student exams. Then again, there are some interesting and much easier ways of writing. You will learn that if you plan for a time when there will be a lot of questions, then there will be no problem answering all the questions asked by the students. You can also write an essay without thinking too much about it and by just letting your ideas flow and allow your thoughts to flow freely.Articles are often used in essay for 5th grade topics. You can also write your own essays, but you will find that this is not always easy . However, you can write your own articles and you can present it as your opinion and create more interest to it when you will explain why you have come up with that opinion.In order to know what will be covered, you need to know how to organize your writing, which means you should know where to begin and you should know how to end your essay. The main point that you should be able to know is to know how to organize your sentences. This means that you should know how to follow a structure in order to make your essay flow well.There are many ways to organize your article, but the most common and most important is to keep your key points in one column and to separate the topic and the argument from each other in another column. In this way, it will be easier for you to focus on the main subject of your essay. It will also make the article easier to read.You can also use notes to organize your essay. You can keep track of things such as the different ways you can compare the topic and the argument. You should also be able to put things together that you already know, such as the importance of the main subject or the key facts of the argument. Also, you can make notes of some key words and also phrases that can help you make the essay more clear and concise.Good paper will require a lot of planning. You should know how to bring the right information and evidence into your essay. You should also know how to make the most of your time, which means you should be able to spend time on the important topics of your essay. This can be done with the help of brainstorming.As an example, think about the benefits of being a part of the chorus in a music group. During this discussion, you will be discussing how a group should interact with each other, how each member can contribute and also how they can work together. Thus, you should come up with ideas that you can add to the discussion, and then you should write them down. Then, when you finish writing your essay, you can n ow add more ideas in order to give your essay more depth and quality. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-19096501185412012142020-05-25T17:18:00.001-07:002020-05-25T17:18:04.600-07:00Obama Pardons - 70 People Pardoned by Barack Obama Here is an up-to-date list ofà theà 70 people pardoned by President Barack Obama and the offenses they were convicted of, according to the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House. Khosrow Afghahi, who was indicted in 2015 for allegedlyà facilitating the illegal export of high-tech microelectronics, uninterruptible power supplies and other commodities to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.William Ricardo Alvarez ofà Marietta, Ga., who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin andà conspiracy to import heroin. He was sentenced in 1997 to nine months ofà imprisonment andà four years ofà supervised release.Roy Norman Auvil of Illinois, who was convicted in 1964 withà possessing an unregistered distilling apparatus.James Bernard Banksà ofà Liberty, Utah, who was convicted ofà illegal possession of government property and sentenced in 1972 toà two years of probation.Robert Leroy Bebeeà ofà Rockville, Maryland, who was convicted of misprision of a felony and was sentenced toà two years probation.à Lesley Claywood Berry Jr.à ofà Loretto, Kentucky, who was convicted ofà conspiracy to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute, and distribute marijuana and was sentenced toà three years in prison.James Anthony Bordinaroà ofà Gloucester, Mass., who was convicted toà conspiracy to restrain, suppress, and eliminate competition in violation of the Sherman Act andà conspiracy to submit false statements and was sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment andà three years supervised release and a $55,000 fine.à Bernard Bryan Bulcourf, who was convicted in Florida in 1988 of counterfeiting money.Dennis George Bulinà ofà Wesley Chapel, Fla., who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of 1,000 pounds of marijuana and was sentenced toà five years of probation and a $20,000 fine.Steve Charlie Calamars, who was convicted in Texas in 1989 of possession of phenyl-2-propanone with intent to manufacture a quantity of methamphetamine.Ricky Dale Collettà ofà Annville, Kentucky, who was convicted ofà aiding an d abetting in the manufacture of 61 marijuana plants and sentenced in 2002 toà one year of probation conditioned on 60 days of home detention.Kelli Elisabeth Collinsà ofà Harrison, Arkansas, who was convicted ofà aiding and abetting a wire fraud and sentenced toà five years probation.Charlie Lee Davis, Jr. ofà Wetumpka, Ala., who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base andà use of a minor to distribute cocaine base. He was sentenced in 1995 toà 87 months ofà imprisonment andà five years supervised release.Diane Mary DeBarri, who was convicted in in Pennsylvania in 1984 of distribution of methamphetamine.Russell James Dixon of Clayton, Ga., who was convicted of a felony liquor law violation and sentenced in 1960à to two years of probation.Laurens Dorseyà ofà Syracuse, N.Y., who was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States by making false statements to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She was sentenced toà five y ears of probation and $71,000 restitution.Randy Eugene Dyer, who was convicted of conspiracy to import marijuana (hashish), andà conspiracy to remove baggage from the custody and control of the U.S. Customs Service and convey false information concerning an attempt to damage a civil aircraft.Donnie Keith Ellison, who was convicted in Kentucky in 1995 of manufacturing marijuana.Tooraj Faridi, whoà was indicted in 2015 for allegedly facilitating the illegal export of high-tech microelectronics, uninterruptible power supplies and other commodities to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers ActRonald Lee Fosterà ofà Beaver Falls, Pa., was convicted of mutilation of coins and sentenced toà one year of probation and $20 fine.John Marshall French, who was convicted in South Carolina in 1993 of conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle in interstate commerce.Edwin Hardy Futch, Jr.à ofà Pembroke, Georgia, who was convicted ofà theft from an inter state shipment andà sentenced to five years probation andà $2,399.72 restitution.Timothy James Gallagherà ofà Navasota, Texas, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced toà three years of probation.Jon Dylan Girard, who was convicted of counterfeit in Ohio of 2002.Nima Golestaneh, who pleaded guilty in Vermont in 2015 toà wire fraud and his involvement in the October 2012 hacking of a Vermont-based engineering consulting and software company.à Ronald Eugene Greenwood ofà Crane, Mo., who was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act. He was sentenced in 1996 to three years probation, six months home confinement, 100 hours community service, $5,000 restitution and aà $1,000 fine.Cindy Marie Griffithà ofà Moyock, North Carolina, who was convicted of distribution of satellite cable television decryption devices and sentenced toà two years probation with 100 hours of community service .à Roy Eugene Grimes, Sr.à ofà Athens, Tenn., who was convicted ofà falsely altering a United States postal money order and passing,à uttering, and publishing a forged and altered money order with intent to defraud. He was sentenced to 18 months probation.Joe Hatch ofà Lake Placid, Fla., who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was sentenced in 1990 toà 60 months ofà imprisonment andà four years ofà supervised release.Martin Alan Hatcher ofà Foley, Ala., who was convicted of distribution and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was sentenced in 1992 to five years ofà probation.Roxane Kay Hettingerà ofà Powder Springs, Ga., who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and sentenced in 1986 toà 30 days in jail followed by three years of probation.Melody Eileen Homa, who was convicted aiding and abetting bank fraud in Virginia in 1991.Martin Kaprelianà ofà Park Ridge, Ill., who was convicted ofà c onspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce; transporting stolen property in interstate commerce; and concealing stolen property that was transported in interstate commerce. He was sentenced in 1984 toà nine years in prison andà five years of probation.Jon Christopher Kozeliski ofà Decatur, Ill., who was convicted of conspiracy to traffic counterfeit goods andà sentenced toà one year of probation with six months of home confinement and aà $10,000 fine.Edgar Leopold Kranz Jr.à ofà Minot, N.D., who was convicted of wrongful use of cocaine, adultery and writing three insufficient fund checks. He wasà court-martialed and discharged from the military forà bad conduct discharge (suspended), and sentenced to 24 months of confinement and reduction to pay grade E-1.à à à Derek James Laliberte ofà Auburn, Maine, who was convicted to money laundering. He was sentenced in 1993 toà 18 months in prison and 2 years ofà supervised release.Floretta L eavyà ofà Rockford, Ill., who was convicted of distribution of cocaine, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. She was sentenced inà 1984 toà one year and one day in prison and three years of special parole.Thomas Paul Ledfordà ofà Jonesborough, Tenn., who was convicted ofà conducting and directing an illegal gambling business.à He was sentenced in 1995 toà one year of probation conditioned on performance of 100 hours of community service.Danny Alonzo Levitz, who was convicted of conspiracy.Ricardo Marcial Lomedico Sr., who was convicted in Washington in in 1969 of misappropriation of bank funds.Alfred J. Mack ofà Manassas, Va., who was convicted to unlawful distribution of heroin and sentenced in 1982 toà 18 to 54 months ofà imprisonment.à David Raymond Mannix, a U.S. Marine who was convicted in 1989 of conspiracy to commit larcenyà and theft of military pr operty.Jimmy Ray Mattisonà ofà Anderson, S.C., who was convicted ofà conspiracy to transport and cause the transportation of altered securities inà interstate commerce, transporting and causing the transportationà of altered securities in interstate commerce. He was sentenced toà three years probation.Bahram Mechanic, who was indicted on charges ofà violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act forà allegedly shipping millions of dollars in technology to their company in Iran.David Neil Mercer, who was convicted in Utah in 1997 of violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act violation.à According to published reports, Mercerà damaged American Indian remnants on federal land.Scoey Lathaniel Morrisà ofà Crosby, Texas, who was convicted ofà passing counterfeit obligations or securities and sentenced in 1999 toà three years of probation and $1,200 restitution, jointly and severally.Claire Holbrook Mulford, who was convicted in Texas in 19 93 of using a residence to distribute methamphetamine.Michael Ray Neal, who was convicted of manufacture, assembly, modification and distribution of equipment for unauthorized decryption of satellite cable programming,Edwin Alan North, who was convicted of transfer of a firearm without payment of transfer tax.An Na Pengà ofà Honolulu, Hawaii, who was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the Immigration and Naturalization Service and sentenced to two years probation and aà $2,000 fine.Allen Edward Peratt, Sr., who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.Michael John Petrià ofà Montrose, South Dakota, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlledà substance. He was sentenced toà five years imprisonmentà and three years supervised release.Karen Alicia Rageeà ofà Decatur, Ill., who was convicted ofà conspiracy to traffic counterfeit goods and sentenced to one year of probation with six months o f home confinement and aà $2,500 fine.Christine Marie Rossiter, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana.Jamari Sallehà ofà Alexandria, Va., who was convicted ofà false claims upon and against the United States and sentenced to four years probation, a $5,000 fine andà $5,900 restitution.Robert Andrew Schindler ofà Goshen, Va., who was convicted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and sentenced in 1986 to three years ofà probation, four months ofà home confinement, and $10,000 restitution.Alfor Sharkeyà ofà Omaha, Nebraska, who was convicted ofà unauthorized acquisition of food stamps and sentenced to three years probation with 100 hours of community service andà $2,750 restitution.Willie Shaw, Jr. ofà Myrtle Beach, S.C., who was convicted to armed bank robbery and sentenced in 1974 to 15à years imprisonment.Donald Barrie Simon, Jr.à ofà Chattanooga, Tenn., who was convicted of aiding and abetting in the theft of an interstate shipment and sentenced to two years imprisonment andà three years probation.Brian Edward Sledz, who was convicted of wire fraud in Illinois in 1993.Lynn Marie Stanek ofà Tualatin, Oregon, who was convicted ofà unlawful use of a communication facility to distribute cocaine and sentenced to six months in jail, five years probation conditioned on residence in aà community treatment center for a period not to exceed one year.Albert Byron Stork, who was convicted of filing a false tax return in Colorado in 1987.Kimberly Lynn Stout ofà Bassett, Va., who was convicted to bank embezzlement andà false entries in the books of a lending institution. She was sentenced in 1993 to one day imprisonment, three years supervised release including five months home confinement.Bernard Anthony Sutton, Jr. ofà Norfolk, Va., who was convicted of theft of personal property and sentenced in 1989 to three years probation,à $825 restitution and aà $500 fine.Chri s Deann Switzer ofà Omaha, Nebraska, who was convicted to conspiracy to violate narcotics laws and sentenced in 1996 to four years probation, six months home confinement, drug and alcohol treatment, and 200 hours community service.Larry Wayne Thorntonà ofà Forsyth, Georgia, who was convicted ofà possession of an unregistered firearm andà possession ofà a firearm without a serial number, and was sentenced to four years probation.Patricia Ann Weinzatl, who was convicted of structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements.Bobby Gerald Wilson, who was convicted ofà Aiding and abetting the possession and sale of illegal American alligator hides.Miles Thomas Wilson ofà Williamsburg, Ohio, who was convicted of mail fraud and sentenced in 1981 to three years supervised release.Donna Kaye Wright ofà Friendship, Tenn., who was. convicted ofà embezzlement and misapplication of bank funds, and sentenced to 54 days imprisonment, three years probation conditioned on pe rformance of six hours of community service per week. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-11416190483554825822020-05-14T23:35:00.001-07:002020-05-14T23:35:06.752-07:00The World s Largest Man - 1035 Words The World s Largest Man Harrison Scott Key 331 Pages Character Identification Harrison, he is the author. His dad who is kinda a angry and violent man. His mom who is quiet and unassuming. He has a brother named bird, who is the course of the book comes out that he is a half brother. His wife is stunningly beautiful. Plot Summary This is a story of his life. He is an artsy crafty guy, an artist and his dad is a devoted hunter who is always trying to turn him around and make him kill something. I think the dad is afraid that the boy mgit be gay, which he is not. It tells a story of him growing up, trying to break free of his dad s, which includes hiding in trees with a gun instead of shooting something. While hisâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦4.â⬠â⬠Some glad morning when this life is over, i ll fly away, we sang, the message of this song was that you could leave Mississippi, but you had to die firstâ⬠Pg170à ¶2 He is afraid he will never be able to leave Mississippi 5.â⬠I knew though, even if I had no arms, Pop would have found a way for me to huntâ⬠Pg68à ¶6 This is his dad trying to get him to go hunting. 6.â⬠Pop showed me how to peel the deer like a banana.â⬠Like taking off a wet sock,â⬠He said ââ¬Å"Sure,â⬠I thought if you had been born with a sock attached to you body.Pg 76à ¶8 It shows his hate of hunting. 7.â⬠It was that day when I finally stopped trying to be like my father and my brother and be a different kind of man, who was more like a womenâ⬠Pg92à ¶4 When he finally acpets that he is not going to be a hunter 8.â⬠He hit me hard, so hard, hard as I have ever seen him do.â⬠Pgà ¶This is when the dada realizes the boy is too big for him to beat. 9.â⬠You people are crazyâ⬠Pg183à ¶6 This is when his new wife meets his family. 10.â⬠She had some hocks on herâ⬠Pg 187à ¶7 This is dad always making comments about ladies body parts. 11.â⬠What really makes you alive is love.â⬠Pg246à ¶4 This is the author talking about his family 12.â⬠This gun right here can kill a grown manâ⬠This is him getting a gu for his tenth birthday. 13.â⬠It took many years before I Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-17965750936584411582020-05-06T15:51:00.001-07:002020-05-06T15:51:35.313-07:00Personal Reflection Paper on Health Dimension Goals Health Dimension When observing my goals I noticed how two out of the six dimensions of health where incorporated in both goals. Each goal had one dimension, Psychological and Physical, without out even deliberating about it. My goal one was time manage/stress, which was a Psychological health dimension, and goal two sleeping more hours which was Physical. Emotional wellness another word for Psychological wellness, implies to the ability to be aware of and accept our feelings, coping with stress in a healthy way, and enjoy life despite its occasional disappointments and frustrations. My path to emotion wellness involved learning to be more aware of my thoughts and feelings. Understanding my body along with my mind when I was over workedâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Goals (ADD MORE) One of my S.M.A.R.T goals was to improve my stress management by creating lists to help me maintain a better timely schedule, and to also involving myself in daily relaxing activities to lower my stress level throughout the semester. By the end of the semester I should have been able to create a proper daily and weekly schedule that not only involve my academics, but as well as my personal life. My daily/weekly planner has demonstrated how I have not only managed my academic time wisely, but how I have also incorporate meditation breathing, yoga, and things I like to do to relax, it has helped me remember theres time for everything. Its just all about taking one step at a time. My second S.M.A.R.T goal was improve my sleeping habits by at least sleeping 6-7 hours every school night. By the end of the semester I should have been able to sleep those hours without any problems. This goal correlated with goal one so it wasnââ¬â¢t a big problem. I now have a full nightââ¬â¢s rests and have gained some great time management/stress release skills. Progress Creating this progress throughout the semester wasnââ¬â¢t difficult till around mid-semester and concluding the semester. Because, of the amount of final papers, exams, and projects all within the same due date. The weekly planner helped me a great deal on managing my stress, and ending my procrastination because I finish everything a week to a few day before theShow MoreRelatedPersonal Development and Learning Essay example897 Words à |à 4 PagesThe Personal Development Reflective Essay Assignment The reflective essay will become the primary component of the senior portfolio a few years from now, but the process begins here in PDP 150 as students learn to apply their new reflective skills in developing of an effective portfolio. The reflective essay provides the opportunity to describe and document oneââ¬â¢s growth as a person during this time in a studentââ¬â¢s life, and the key to understanding the task is to emphasize the term ââ¬Å"reflectiveRead MoreReflection On Self Reflection809 Words à |à 4 PagesSelf-Reflection The purpose of this paper is to explain how I will plan to implement effective choices in improving a change in personal behavior and the improvement tours my fitness attitude. Wellness has a broader definition, than health, which itââ¬â¢s definition is the absence of disease and wellness is defined as the optimal health and vitality to living a healthy and fulfilling life. Also, is a process in which we become aware and we make choices to a better lifestyle. Maintaining an excellentRead MoreThe Dissection Of A Poorly Defined Concept1648 Words à |à 7 PagesIn searching for understanding in nursing, the dissection of a poorly defined concept often results in subsequent reflection and action toward comprehension (Bousso, Poles, De Almeida Lopes Monteiro Da Cruz, 2014). Greater nursing knowledge is gained through the clarification of ambiguous concepts by exhaustive examination of particularly clinically relevant phenomenon. This knowledge can then be later extrapolated to dev elop new theories or simply be reformulated to refine concepts (Bousso etRead MoreGenuine Reflection Paper1050 Words à |à 5 PagesReflection is more than considering how we carried out a nursing action. Genuine reflection requires us not just to provide justifications for our behaviors, but to continue to study and appraise ourselves and own personal development including how we communicate and interact with others. Self-reflection ensures we carry out our nursing obligations according to the requirements of our practice and that we connect and consider our patients and coworkers in a caring way (Jacobs, 2016). Nurses alsoRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Nursing At Lehman College1110 Words à |à 5 Pagesoptimized the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, communities, and populations through care, regardless of age, race, sex, diagnosis, financial stability, and abilities or disabilities. As time progressed, nursing has been regarded as a human science, in which it not only r equires one to be knowledgeable and skilful in the field of health care, but they must also possess a strong desire and passion to care and help patients who are in their most vulnerable states. The primary goal of nursingRead MoreNursing Philosophy Essay : My Personal Philosophy Of Nursing903 Words à |à 4 Pages Personal Philosophy Paper Ndeye Ndack Gueye University of Central Oklahoma NURS 1221 December 1, 2017 Personal Philosophy Paper Nursing is a worthy career that allows the specialized nurse to improve healthcare. I believe that nursing is not only caring for the sick and injured, but also making the patients your priority. They should be treated with care, kindness, dignity, respect and compensation and not judged. In return, they should be able to trust you and be comfortableRead MoreA Theory That Individuals Can Live With Better Health1280 Words à |à 6 PagesMatuska Christiansen (2008) proposed a theory that individuals can live with better health, less stress, more satisfaction, and have a balanced lifestyle through particular lifestyle configurations. Ultimately, the lifestyle balance is what can lead to a better quality of life with higher satisfaction and health because it contains compatibility of actual and desired occupation patterns based on an individualââ¬â¢s environment. The model recognizes that people have different physical, social, and culturalRead MoreThe Ethical Dimension Of The Demis e Of Enron Corporation1474 Words à |à 6 PagesThis paper explores the ethical dimension of the demise of Enron Corporation an reflection of author, placed in hypothetical situations. Accounting Fraud and Management philosophy will be the main discussion topics, along with the motivations of fraud. The fall of Enron can be directly attributed to a violation of ethical standards in business. This makes Enron unique in corporate history for the same actions that made Enron on of the fastest growing and most profitable corporations, at the turnRead MoreCommunication And Verbal And Non Verbal Communication Essay1500 Words à |à 6 Pagesverbal communication. Verbal and non-verbal communication: Verbal communication is the use of language and sounds to convey a message clearly. There are two types of verbal communication: written and oral. Written communication is the use of pens and paper, emails, texting and any other form of contact using language and not speech. Oral communication is the use of speech either face-to-face or via the phone or any form of communication where spoken words are being used to convey a message. Non-verbalRead MoreChallenges And Strategies For Personal Success1243 Words à |à 5 Pagesand strategies for personal success Name Course Tutor Date Outline 1. Introduction 2. Personal and professional goals 3. Reasons for pursuing graduate studies 4. Challenges 5. Strategies to overcome the challenges 6. Milestones 7. Analysis of strengths and weaknesses 8. Improving communication 9. Conclusion 10. References Introduction Graduate school enhances the opportunity for an individual to achieve his or her personal and professional goals. The skills and knowledge Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-29071234317527814502020-05-05T18:09:00.001-07:002020-05-05T18:09:17.368-07:00Questions About Human Service free essay sample Anyway, the worker is keeping a clear line between boundaries but the client is trying to cross them, and that makes the worker feel uneasy. This is can hinder the workers environment and not want to see the client anymore. However, the client may feel as if the worker is being rude or whatever it may be and the client may not want to see the worker anymore. It is best to state to your client in the beginning that this is a professional relationship and to keep the personal things to a minimum. What do you think the author meant by titling his book about disturbed children, Love Is Not Enough? I think it means that you cannot help your childââ¬â¢s disorder by just giving them love. As a parent you need to research and get information about their disorder. Do your research on the best doctors, or facilities to take your child too. We will write a custom essay sample on Questions About Human Service or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Get your child the help he or she deserves. The love you have for them will make you want to help them. As a parent, you need to use all the resources you have to help your child live a better life. Why do you think the workers at Sanctuary House state that it is critical to engage the young people in their program before they have been on the streets for too long a period of time? I think they say this because if you get the young people in the program before they end up the streets for a long time then it is going to help change their mind easier. If the streets are all you have known for most of your life then you are not going to listen to someone who is trying to help you. It take a long time for someone who is on the streets to trust anyone, meaning it would take a long time for leaders to help these young people. Also these young people may not want to change and act out in disrespectful manners. It makes is extremely hard for the leaders to help them if they do not want help. These young people are so use to doing things on their own, that their independence is their ego. They feel nobody can tell them what to do, they are their own boss and they know what is best for them. What is the difference between sympathy and empathy? Why is empathy so important in the human services? Sympathy is where you feel pity for the person. There is nothing you can do but feel bad for what they are going through because you do not really know the extent of their pain. Empathy is where you can relate to their pain, you put yourself in their shoes. With empathy, you know how the person generally is feeling. Having empathy in human services will help you have a better relationship with your clients. It will help you feel more connected to them and want you to help them a lot more. There is not always going to be a situations where you can have empathy because you really donââ¬â¢t know what they are going through. However there will be situations where empathy comes into play. If you the worker has been through a situation similar to the clients then helping them will be a little easier because you, yourself have already been through something like it. How might self-awareness help one to be a better human service worker? Give an example. Self-awareness can better help a human service worker respond better to negative talk. Once you have high levels of self-awareness then you will be able to manage self-talk such as black humor. Black humor is way for human service workers to release stress by taking their clients problems and making them humorous. If you develop self-awareness then you will be able to find better ways to reduce stress and managing your personal needs. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-74003736762591864592020-04-11T14:38:00.001-07:002020-04-11T14:38:02.485-07:00Reconsidering the History Holocaust Denial. The XXI Century Prospects Introduction: The Price of Holocaust. When a Murder Is Justified Whenever one thinks of the most dreadful events of the past, the history stages at which the humankind became so cruel and unreasonable that from the retrospective of our times it seems almost unbelievable, such event as the Holocaust is bound to come to oneââ¬â¢s mind.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reconsidering the History: Holocaust Denial. The XXI Century Prospects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Because of the scale and the violence of the event, it cannot be erased from the memory of the world, ad is never to be forgotten as one of the most dreadful acts of segregation against the other race. However, according to the recent statements, the denial of the Holocaust events is currently one of the world major tendencies, which offers certain arguments concerning the reasonability of the movement and its controversy. Despite the fact that Ho locaust was one of the hideous crimes against the humanity that is never to occur again, some tend to represent the tragic event as the stage of the history that people should not pay such attention to, which creates the air of considerable controversy and presupposes debates concerning the significance of the event and its meaning for the modern humankind. Therefore, it cannot be doubted that such phenomenon as Holocaust denial is to be discussed and its absurdity must be proven. The Wind of Changes Is Blowing: When Holocaust Is not a Crime There is no doubt that Holocaust is one of the most dreadful events in the world history. However, once trying to find a suitable definition for the event, one inevitably faces certain problem ââ¬â as a matter of fact, there is no actual definition of the issue, as the phenomenon cannot be classified according to the existing standards. As Landau (1998) says, ââ¬Å"What was the Nazi Holocaust? So uncomprehended and incomprehensible is the d read event still, a whole generation after, that in this brief space we can answer this question only with a series of negationsâ⬠(p. 13). According to the author, Holocaust was not a war, neither was it a war crime or a part of the war, or a case of genocide, or racism. Therefore, in the light of the abovementioned, one should agree that Holocaust as it is does not have a suitable definition. However, one can supposedly explain the given issue by the uniqueness of the phenomenon. It is quite peculiar, though, that the Holocaust denial does have certain definition, which can be interpreted as ââ¬Å"an Anti-Semitic propaganda movement active in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe that seeks to deny the reality of the Nazi regimeââ¬â¢s systematic mass murder of six million Jews during World War II,â⬠according to Anti-Defamation League (2001). Hence, it can be concluded that, generally, the Holocaust denial is posed as a negative concept.Advertising Looki ng for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Reasons to Reconsider the History: Mayerââ¬â¢s Case Since the outcomes of the World War II were unanimously considered by all states of the world as the act of utter inhumanity, the roots of Holocaust denial mood are rather essential issue which offers plunging into the complexity of the interracial and international relationships. Despite the fact that the origins of the given movement are rather vague, one still can spot the starting point of the Holocaust denial ideas development. According to the recent statement of historians, the Holocaust denial originated from the assumptions of Mayer, which were further on critiqued by Browning (2011), which means that the ideas of the latter are to be reconsidered. It is important that Browning dies give credit to Mayerââ¬â¢s assumptions. According to browning, Holocaust does not need reassessment, since Mayerââ¬â¢s att empt to reconsider the course of history seems rather futile: Mayer does indeed attempt to set the ââ¬ËJudocideââ¬â¢ (a term he prefers to Holocaust) within various comparative frameworks, as the subtitle promises. But as the book progresses, the real thrust of Mayerââ¬â¢s argument becomes apparent. He is not so much placing the ââ¬ËFinal Solutionââ¬â¢ in a wider historical context as he is redefining it. (p. 77) Therefore, it should be admitted that the idea of Holocaust as the event that did to have the significance that people believed it to have first originated due to Mayer. However, despite the fact that Mayerââ¬â¢s objections to the significance of Holocaust are quite debatable and were offered quite a while ago, the Holocaust denial movement is currently gaining momentum. Reinventing Peopleââ¬â¢s Perception of Truth It is evident that there is considerable change of peopleââ¬â¢s perception of the Holocaust all over the world, as Jewish Virtual Library says. The latter belittles the importance of the fact that millions of Jews were killed in the course of the WWII, thus, diminishing the role of Jews in the WWII; on the other hand, reinforcing the idea of Holocaust denial and offering it to the population, the latter make people think carefully over the events of the tragedy and, hence, spurs the discussion. According to what Holocaust Denial (2011) claims, the phenomenon of Holocaust denial is supposed to diminish the role of Jews in the WWII and spread anti-Semitic ideas all over the world: One of the most notable anti-Semitic propaganda movements [â⬠¦] has been known in recent years primarily through the publication of editorial-style advertisements in college campus newspapers. The first of these ads claimed to call for ââ¬Å"open debate on the Holocaustâ⬠; it purported to question not the fact of Nazi anti-Semitism, but merely whether this hatred resulted in an organized killing program. (Holocaust Denial, 2011)Adve rtising We will write a custom essay sample on Reconsidering the History: Holocaust Denial. The XXI Century Prospects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hence, it should be concluded that the Holocaust Denial movement is aimed at belittling the Jewsââ¬â¢ assistance and suffer in the WWII, as well as convince the world in the necessity to follow the anti-Semitic ideas. However, Holocaust denial movement is rather efficient. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the Holocaust denial ideas and compare them to the ones that support the fact of Holocaust. Hence, one will be able to see if the Holocaust denial ideas have some grounds to base on. Consider the Ideas of Anti-Holocaust: Lost inâ⬠¦ Interpretation However, even though most people might consider the ideas of anti-Holocaust movement hideous, it is necessary to consider the major points of the Holocaust Denial theory. Once envisioning the main concepts of the Holocaust de nial theory, one is most likely to confront it successfully. Therefore, the major ideas concerning the Holocaust denial are to be viewed. According to what Raul Hilberg says, Jones Icke (2009) claim, one of the greatest mistakes of the people who learn the issue of Holocaust is the attempt to see the entire picture from the every beginning, skipping a number of essential details, and, thus, being an easy prey for those who can lure the public into believing the futility of Holocaust.. According to the researcher, it is important to consider the niceties of the Holocaust first before trying to see the whole picture: In all of my work I have never begun by asking the big question, because I was always afraid that I would come up with small answers, and I have preferred, therefore, to address these things which are minutiae, or detail, in order that I might then be able to put together in detail a picture which, if not an explanation, is at least a description, a more full description [â⬠¦] (Jones, Icke, 2009). Thus, it is necessary to consider the details of the event without trying to embrace the whole concept of Holocaust, the scientist claims. However, the given idea offers considerable complexities as well, since it does not allow to consider the entire concept if Holocaust and, thus, leaves much room for the Holocaust Denial ideas, which is quite undesirable. Once the Holocaust denial supporters are able to manipulate the concept of Holocaust and peopleââ¬â¢s vision of the latter, the change of the attitudes towards the historical event is inevitable. Concerning the Motifs and the Ideas: The New Concept It is essential to mark that in the given case, when the ideas of tolerance and the political correctness can intertwine to be used a shield for the Nazi-like behavior, one should consider the concept of the Holocaust denial movement closer. According to the recent news, the issue is currently getting out of control. As Sandy Allan (2011) report, F riends of a high-flying Tory MP are ââ¬Ëfacing prosecutionââ¬â¢ for chanting offensive Nazi slogans in a crowded restaurant at a French ski resort ââ¬â where one of the party dressed in an SS uniform.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Aidan Burley, MP for Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, was with 12 friends, some of whom chanted ââ¬ËHitler, Hitler, Hitlerââ¬â¢. One toasted the ââ¬ËThird Reichââ¬â¢ and one taunted a waiter for being French. (Sandy Allan, 2011) Judging by the above-mentioned example, the motifs of the movement adepts can be hardly viewed as another attempt at restoring the Nazi regime. The given trend is rather a tendency to conduct the policy of political correctness and forgiveness. However, it is worth mentioning that the given policy allows and actually promotes the idea that the tortures of millions of people were insignificant. Hence, the Holocaust denial is the concept that does not have the right to exist. The Argumentation of the Holocaust Rejecters: Lame Excuses Among the most essential proofs that support the fact that Holocaust could not have taken place the way in which it is described nowadays, the ideas offered by the U.S. forensic expert concern the opposite side of the conflict, namely, the way in which the mass extermination of Jews took place. As a result of the research conducted by Fred A. Leuchter, it became evident that the capital punishment tools used in the WWII by the Nazi were not designed for conducting mass executions and, hence, could not be used as the weapons of the Holocaust as it was depicted in a number of sources. As Leuchter explained, his discovery was an utter surprise for him as well: One by one I determined that this state equipment was not functional, this state equipment was not functional; and suddenly, one day I said, ââ¬Å"None of the equipment is functional!â⬠Many of the electric chairs were built by inmates and electricians who had no idea of what they were building. They took a picture of another stateââ¬â¢s electric chair and they made something that was looked like it. (Leuchter, 2006) Therefore, it can be suggested that in some of the cases, mass manslaughter did not take place in the course of the Hol ocaust. Though the fact that the data concerning the Holocaust victims was imprecise or exaggerated has not been stated yet, there are certain reasons to think that the number of Jews who have suffered death for their nationality I the course of the WWII and the Holocaust is much smaller than it is estimated, Leuchter thinks. However, it still must be admitted that the observations offered by Leuchter are not precise calculations, but merely suppositions and the researcher does not have the sufficient evidence to prove his point, having only the circumstantial one at his disposal. Bringing Back the Ideas of the Past: No More Misunderstandings Despite the fact that the ideas offered by Leuchter do contain certain evidence which can be used as a proof for the reasonability of the Holocaust Denial, it is still obvious that denying the fact of mass slaughter of the Jews is completely absurd. Taking into account the existing evidence concerning the concentration camps, the anti-Semitic i deas that the Nazi proclaimed, and the attitude towards the Jewish people in the epoch of the WWII, one can still observe the violent treatment of Jews, which confirms the fact that Holocaust did take place. As Lipstad (1999) explained, the fact that the fact of the Holocaust can be denied is one of the most outrageous ideas of the XXI century. According to the authorââ¬â¢s own words, When I turned to the topic of Holocaust denial, I knew that I was dealing with extremist anti-Semites who have increasingly managed, under the guide of scholarship, to camouflage their hateful ideology. However, I did not then fully grasp the degree to which I would be dealing with a phenomenon far more unbelievable than was my previous topic. (p. 12) Hence, there can be no possible doubt that the idea of Holocaust denial is absurd. Defying the Jewish people several years of fighting for justice and the acknowledgement of their nationality is one of the crimes of the XXI century. With the help of ef ficient evidence, one can easily prove that the Holocaust did take place in the distant 1939-1745. The Analysis: When the Obvious Needs to Be Proven Comparing the two existing viewpoints, one must admit that, no matter how absurd the fact that the Holocaust did not take place could seem to the humankind, there are certain proofs that the theory offered by Raul Hilberg is quite worth believing. Since restoring the historical facts does not seem possible, one is supposed to rely on the evidence remaining since the end of the WWII, which might have failed to pass the time testing. Therefore, there are certain concerns as for the veracity of both theories. It is worth mentioning that the Holocaust denial theory offers sufficient proofs that can be considered worth taking a closer look at. Providing profound scientific basis for the ideas that Raul Hilberg conveyed with his observations of the German weapons of mass destruction and the Nazi concentration camps, the followers of the theor y create the environment that favors the development of the Holocaust denial ideas. It is essential to emphasize that at present, specific techniques of Holocaust denial are suggested for faking the results of the independent researches concerning the Holocaust issue. As Stein (n.d.) explains, these are aimed at creating the impression that the Jews were not as oppressed in the WWII as they claim and, hence, undermine the trust in the Jewish nationality: One thing ââ¬Å"scientificâ⬠Holocaust deniers like Berg and Fred Leuchter count on is the fact that many non-scientists canââ¬â¢t follow scientific debates, and assume that if it is dressed up in scientific terms, it must be right. But there are many other scientific debates we see today ââ¬â pollution, cancer, global warming, etc. ââ¬â which enter into the political arena. Some of these arguments are made to support a hidden ideological agenda, and the science is dishonest. Therefore, it cannot be doubted that the research results are faked. Noting the tiniest discrepancies in Bergââ¬â¢s conclusions, Stein (n.d.) explains that the Holocaust denial is actually another attempt at conducting anti-Semitic policy. Be Upstanding in Court: Passing the Judgement Even with the evidence presented so far on the issue of Holocaust denial, there can be no possible doubt that the Holocaust did take place, taking away the lives of millions of Jews. Taking into account the stories that have been told, the things that have been seen and the issues that were documented on the subject of the Nazi concentration camps, one must admit that the Holocaust as a phenomenon of utter violence and incredible cruelty did take place, which means that the assumptions of those who support the Holocaust denial are completely wrong. Even though there is a considerable lack of the documented evidence of the genocide of the Jews, as Shermer Grobman (2009) explain, it is still worth keeping in mind that the facts of tortures and murders are still evident. Thus, it can be deduced that the Holocaust denial does not have enough sufficient ground to base on and is an abuse for the Jewish people. Conclusion: When There Is Nothing to Find. The Holocaust as It Is Judging from the afore-mentioned facts, it can be concluded that the Holocaust did exist. Moreover, it I necessary to admit that people must not forget the Holocaust; nor may they pretend that the given event had no significance in the course of the WWII. Hence, the situation concerning the attitude towards the Holocaust is slowly getting out of control and becoming increasingly controversial. However, the situation can still be changed. Once offering sufficient proof of the inconsistency of the Holocaust denial ideas, one is likely to restore the self-esteem of the Jewish nation and the relationship of the latter with the rest of the states. In the given situation, it is crucial that people should not follow the false leads and be confused into misc onceptions by the half-baked claims. Only with the help of the mutual respect and careful consideration of the historical facts, one is likely to find out the truth. Reference List Anti-Defamation League (2001). What is Holocaust denial. ADL. Web. Browning, C. R. (1995).à The path to genocide: Essays on launching the final solution. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Holocaust denial (2011). Jewish Virtual Library. Web. Jones, A., Icke, D. (2009). One third of the Holocaust ââ¬â conspiracy. Nazi, Hitler, Israel, Zionism, Jews. Google Video. Web. Landau, R. S. (1998). Studying the Holocaust : Issues, readings, and documents.à New York City, NY: Routledge. Leuchter, F. A. Jr., et al. (2006). Mr. Death. The rise and fall of Fred A. Leuchter Jr.à Google Video. Web. Lipstad, D. E. (1999). The growing assault of truth and memory. With a new prefaceà by the author. New York City, NY: Plume. Sandy, M., Allen, P. (2011). ââ¬ËA toast to the Third Reich!ââ¬â¢ Oxford -educated louts ââ¬Ëface prosecutionââ¬â¢ for dressing as Nazi and taunting French waiterâ⬠¦ while Tory MP looked on. Daily Mail. Web. Shermer, M., Grobman, A. (2009). Denying history: Who says the Holocaust neverà happened and why they say that? Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Stein, M. P. Deceit misrepresentation. The techniques of holocaust denial.à The Nizkor Project. Web. This essay on Reconsidering the History: Holocaust Denial. The XXI Century Prospects was written and submitted by user Omari Diaz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-42414315721708235712020-03-10T08:22:00.001-07:002020-03-10T08:22:02.569-07:00Water Scorpions, Family NepidaeWater Scorpions, Family Nepidae Water scorpions arent scorpions at all, of course, but their front legs do bear a passing resemblance to scorpion pedipalps. The family name, Nepidae, derives from the Latin nepa, meaning scorpion or crab. You dont need to worry about being stung by a water scorpion ââ¬â it has no stinger. Description Water scorpions vary in shape within the family. Some, like those in the genus Ranatra, are long and slender. These are often described as looking like aquatic walkingsticks. Others, such as those in the genus Nepa, have large, oval bodies, and look like smaller versions of giant water bugs. Water scorpions breathe by means of a caudal respiratory tube formed from two long cerci that extend to the waters surface. So regardless of the body shape, you can recognize a water scorpion by this long tail. Inclusive of these respiratory filaments, water scorpions range in size from 1-4 inches long. Water scorpions capture prey with their raptorial front legs. As in all true bugs, they have piercing, sucking mouthparts, hidden by a rostrum that folds under the head (much like you see in assassin bugs or plant bugs). The water scorpions head is narrow, with large side-facing eyes. Although they do have antennae, its difficult to see them, as theyre quite small and located beneath the eyes. Adult water scorpions do have developed wings, which overlap when at rest, but dont often fly. Nymphs look much like adult water scorpions, though smaller, of course. The respiratory tube of the nymph is considerably shorter than in the adult, particularly in early stages of molting. Each water scorpion egg bears two horns, which are actually spiracles that extend to the waters surface and provides oxygen to the developing embryo. Classification Kingdom ââ¬â AnimaliaPhylum ââ¬â ArthropodaClass ââ¬â InsectaOrder ââ¬â HemipteraFamily - Nepidae Diet Water scorpions ambush their prey, which includes other aquatic insects, small crustaceans, tadpoles, and even small fish. The water scorpion grasps vegetation with its second and third pairs of legs, just below the waters surface. It sits and waits for a potential meal to swim by, at which point it straightens out its hind legs, pushes itself forward, and grasps the animal tightly with its front legs. The water scorpion pierces its prey with its beak or rostrum, injecting it with digestive enzymes, and then sucks up the meal. Life Cycle Water scorpions, like other true bugs, undergo simple or incomplete metamorphosis with just three life stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Typically, the mated female attaches her eggs to aquatic vegetation in the spring. The nymphs emerge in early summer and undergo five molts before reaching adulthood. Special Adaptations and Behaviors The water scorpion breathes surface air but does so in an unusual way. Tiny water-repellent hairs under the forewing trap a bubble of air against the abdomen. The caudal filaments also bear these tiny hairs, which repel water and hold air between the paired cerci. This allows oxygen to flow from the waters surface to the air bubble, as long as the breathing tube is not submerged. Because the water scorpion breathes air from the surface, it prefers to stay in shallow waters. Water scorpions regulate their depth using three pairs of special sensors on their bellies. Sometimes referred to as false spiracles, these oval sensors are attached to air sacs, which are in turn connected to nerves. Any SCUBA diver can tell you that an air sac will be compressed as you dive deeper, thanks to the forces of water pressure which are amplified at depth. As the water scorpion dives, the air sacs become distorted under pressure, and nerve signals send this information to the insects brain. The water scorpion can then correct its course if it inadvertently dives too deep. Range and Distribution Water scorpions can be found in slow moving streams or ponds throughout the world, particularly in warmer regions. Globally, scientists have described 270 species of water scorpions. Just a dozen species inhabit the U.S. and Canada, most of which belong to the genus Ranatra. Sources Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.Lecture notes, Entomology for Teachers course, Dr. Art Evans, Virginia Commonwealth University.Water Scorpions, Northern State University. Accessed February 19, 2013.Water Bugs and Water Scorpions, Fact Sheet, Queensland Museum. Accessed online February 19, 2013.Family Nepidae - Water scorpions, BugGuide.Net. Accessed February 19, 2013.Guide to Aquatic Insects and Crustaceans, Izaak Walton League of America. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-41970726513075389922020-02-22T22:46:00.001-08:002020-02-22T22:46:02.999-08:00Sub-Problems in Decision Making of Business Management Literature reviewSub-Problems in Decision Making of Business Management - Literature review Example Researchers emphasize on the fact that decision making is simply a rational process or ideology that takes place within any organization. Many studies however, fail to emphasize on the fact that taking a decision involves various stages where formulating a particular decision can take time and effort, and can have multiple variables involved as well. Theorists have developed mathematical models based on averages and probabilities through which alternatives can be evaluated before taking a final decision. These models have been utilized in several industries and in various areas in order to evaluate various alternatives at hand in order to make a decision. In this context, it must be noted that even though these models allow for rational decision making in a scenario where all other variables are constant, environment plays a critical role in how businesses take their decisions. For instance, organizations where dynamism is lacking and munificence is low, it may be noted that decision s may not be as rational as dictated by the mathematical models. ... In this context, this research will particularly emphasize on some problems that are related to decision making within organizations, and evaluate why organizations face these particular problems at hand. In addition to that, the research will aim to identify various ways through which organizations can improve their decision making ability based on the answers ascertained through this research for the hypotheses formulated below. Sub-Problems in Decision Making of Business Management 1. The time and place to use programmed or non-programmed decision making is always a problem in business management. 2. Lack of dynamism affects the decision making and becomes a major problem in business management. 3. Lack of munificence negatively affects the ability of the managers to take risk. Thus affects the decision making in business management. Hypothesis Based on the fact that each organization requires a certain level of decision making at each layer within the hierarchy, following problem s have been identified in general, pertaining to decision making: 1. Mathematical models for decision making are only useful when undertaking rational decision making. 2. Decision making will not be rational if dynamism within an organization is not present. 3. Risk taking within organizations is reduced when munificence is not present within organizations. This leads to lack of rational decision making at each step within the organization. These hypotheses will be tested within the research, after conducting a detailed primary and secondary research, including review of literature and conducting quantitative research as well. Literature Review Decision Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-63608726513292187612020-02-06T15:33:00.001-08:002020-02-06T15:33:03.921-08:00Motivation and Retention of Adult Online Sophomore Students Research Proposal - 1Motivation and Retention of Adult Online Sophomore Students - Research Proposal Example The purpose of the study is to find out ââ¬Å"Why the level of adult online dropout is increasing and how to motivate and retain the adult online sophomore students?â⬠Various issues that may lead to an online dropout may vary from issue of isolation, disconnectedness to technological problems. According to an online survey conducted to understand the various reasons of online dropouts of sophomore students, reasons are varied and unique to each individual dropout. Although there are very less literature work as well as national statistics on online adult sophomore dropouts, a recent report published in ââ¬Å"Chronicle of Higher Educationâ⬠indicates that ââ¬Å"Institutions report dropout rates ranging from 20 to 50 percent for online learners and administrators of online courses agree that dropout rates are often 10 to 20 percentage points higher in online offerings than in their face-to-face counterpartsâ⬠(Frankola, n.d.). The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), in a research report conducted in the 1999, on the effectiveness of online learning, found that there are higher rate of sophomore dropouts in online learning than the traditional institutions. There are two theories which may provide an outline on dropout of online adult sophomore students. Tintoââ¬â¢s Student Integration Model and Beanââ¬â¢s Model of Student Departure are the two theories. The ââ¬Å"Tintoââ¬â¢s Student Integration Model theory theorizes how well the individualââ¬â¢s motivation and academic ability match the institutionââ¬â¢s academic and social characteristics. This match shapes a personââ¬â¢s commitment to completing college and commitment to the institution. The second theory, Beanââ¬â¢s Model of Student Departure, predicts persistence based on behavioral intentionâ⬠(Willging & Johnson, 2004, p. 104). According to the US Census Bureau (2000), ââ¬Å"one in every three Americans is a sophomore dropoutâ⬠. It is becoming a Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-65846720617841844752020-01-28T22:06:00.001-08:002020-01-28T22:06:02.764-08:00Great deal of documentation Essay Example for Free Great deal of documentation Essay These two documents need to be completed by the company and sent off to the companies of house where they will assess if the organisation meets the requirements to trade under the name PLC. The companies of house will provide the organisation of a certificate of incorporation which gives them the legal right to start trading. Apart from the legal requirements the formation of a public limited company is a very expensive process compared to a sole trader or partnership and requires a great deal of documentation. The company also needs to have at leastà 50,000 of share available before it can become a PLC. Another disadvantage is that the founder(s) of the company can end up losing total control of the organisation due to the company shares being readily available for sale on the stock exchange. Large organisations such as Tesco can become difficult to manage efficiently due to the size and capacity of the organisation which often results in staff feeling ignored by a remote management and the decision making can be difficult and take a great deal of time to be able to reach a conclusion. Also detailed financial accounts of the organisation must be published each year, which provides valuable information on how the company is performing to competitors and prospective take-over companies. OBJECTIVES OF TESCO PLC Tesco is already the number one food retailer in Britain and one of the top three in the world, but the organisations wants to improve in stature and minimise the chances of potential competitors catching up. Tesco PLC has one main aims which it expects to achieve in order to continue it success in the competitive UK retail market against such competitors as Sainsbury and Asda. To increase value for customers continually and to earn their lifetime loyalty For this specific aim, they have also set themselves several objectives to increase their chances of achieving the aim such as: 1. To understand our customers better than any of our competitors do. This objective was set so that the customer service provided and the understanding of customers by Tesco PLC is the best in the market and to ensure their closest competitors are not capable of competing. 2. To earn the respect of our staff for these values and to appreciate their contribution to achieving them. Tesco PLC not only wants to appreciate the contribution of their external customers but also the internal one. Tesco want to show that it cares for the needs and expectations of it staff. 3. To recognise that we have brilliant people working for us and to use this strength to make our customers shopping enjoyable in a way that no competitor can. Tesco PLC want to appreciate what their staff are doing for them and that will increase the staff moral and motivate them to continue with the work so potential competitors are kept at bay. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-65842773177071805662020-01-20T18:30:00.001-08:002020-01-20T18:30:02.589-08:00Spain Political Analysis :: essays research papers The kingdom of Spain is roughly about 504,750 sq. km., including the Balearic and Canary islands (CIA). This land mass is roughly double the size of our state of Oregon. The country is located in Western Europe and borders the countries of; Andorra, France, Gibraltar, Portugal and Morocco (Ceuta and Melilla) (CIA). The country has roughly about 30% arable land and exports much of its agricultural products. The Spanish population is about 40.1 million people with about 1% growth rate (CIA). The population mix is mainly that of Mediterranean and Nordic heritage. The Kingdom of Spain is less populated than most of its European counterparts with the majority of the population living in main cities. à à à à à The government of the Kingdom of Spain is a Parliamentary Monarch. The Chief of State is Juan Carlos I was coordinated in November of 1975. Juan Carlos was the immediate successor of the dictator Gen. Franco (NTDB). The head of the government is President Jose Maria Aznar Lopez. Aznar is a member of the Popular Party, and won both the popular vote and the designated votes. The ruling body of Spain is a bicameral legislation with a National Assembly, Senate, and Congress. In addition the government also supports a standing military to include; Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy, Cost Guard, National Police, and Civil Guard (NTDB). The military currently has 300,000 active duty men and woman. The current political outlook on Spain is stable. However, Spain is the only country in the EU that has a recognized separatist group known as the ETA. The ETA stands for Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna meaning Basque Fatherland and Freedom. This movement was started in 1959, and aim was to gain sovereignty for a small area in northern Spain near France. The ETA has accepted responsibility for over 800 deaths and an estimated 1,600 terrorist attacks (CNN) However, in the ETAââ¬â¢s defense these attacks were strategically aimed at government officials, and were never intended for innocent bystanders. The ETA have been involved in peace negotiations and resulted in a 14 Month cease-fire in 1998 (BBC). However that ceasefire ended when peace negotiations did not end in the favor of the ETAââ¬â¢s Plan in Zurich Switzerland. It was not until the September 11 attacks that the United States recognized the need for a global effort against terrorism and all its allies. In February of this year, t he United States in cooperation with the Spanish government ceased several millions of dollars in ETA and ETA supportersââ¬â¢ assets in the US and protectorates. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-75573262162048510182020-01-12T14:53:00.001-08:002020-01-12T14:53:05.968-08:00Turning Around Malaysia Airlines12 Nur Ain Binti Muhammad Yusuf Turning Around Malaysia Airlines Turning Around Malaysia Airlines Table of Content NO| TITLE| PAGE| 1. 0| Executive Summary| 1| 2. 0| Introduction to Case Study| 1| 3. 0| BTP1 Assessment| 1| 3. 1| Financial Analysis| 1| 3. 2| SWOT Analysis (BTP1)| 2| 3. 3| BTP1 Turnaround Analysis| 2| 4. 0| BTP2 Assessment| 3| 5. 0| Bottlenecks & Recommendation| 3| 6. 0| References| 4| 7. 0| Appendices| 5| 1. 0 Executive Summary Malaysia Airlines (abbreviated MAS), is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia.Due to fuel price hiking, inefficient management, global economic crisis, government intervention and low load factor, MAS suffers substantial loss which peaks during 2005. Afterward, Tan Sri Idris Jala was brought into MAS strategizing for turnaround program to bring MAS back to profit. The main target for Business Turnaround 1 (BTP1) is for profit turnaround of 1. 1 Billion improvements in 2006 Exhibit 1. 1. MAS proposes plan to tackle on the financial aspec t, as well as non financial aspect such as operational, enriching stakeholders bonding, increasing customers value as well as for people.Several decision made includes selling off headquarters, increasing fares, cutting-off unprofitable routes (Exhibit 1. 9) and Mutual Separation Scheme to enhance its financial. Firefly and MasWings are launched to cater domestic flights. BTP1 proved to be a success and subsequently, BTP2 follows. BTP2 focuses on detailed project and procedure to carry on the success of BTP 1. 2. 0Introduction to Case Study This report will discuss and analyze the positioning of Malaysia Airlines.The key objectives are to identify the current market situation as well as analyzing the Business Turnaround Plan 1 and Business Turnaround Plan 2 and its success or failure as well as providing some recommendation for future sustainability. 3. 0Assessment on Business Turnaround Plan 1 (BTP1) 3. 1Financial Analysis During the implementation of BTP1 (2006 &2007), the operati ng profit recorded high. Based on the computation of MASââ¬â¢ ratio as shown in Exhibit 1. 2, BTP1 period shows a favorable ratio as compared to other year. Based on efficiency ratio, there is remarkable increase in the ratio in 2006.It measures how effectively the firm is managing its assets in generating the sales, and it is due to increase in operating profit. The gearing ratio as per Exhibit 1. 5 show a slight dipped in 2006, however recovers in 2007 due to sale of the headquarters building. Exhibit 1. 7 favors greatly to MAS as the cash flows increase in 2006 and 2007 show near 4 million of cash flows due to issues of shares and selling off the building. Overall, financial analysis during BTP1 period shows favorable impact financially to MAS, however does not improves continuously during period in which BTP2 commence. . 2SWOT Analysis (BTP1) Strength By initiating Mutual Separation Scheme, it emphasis on increasing staff efficiency, cutting down routes leads to a focus on se rvices and network structures that were profitable. The intention to diversify with MasWings and Firefly promotes larger scope for market. Weaknesses The BTP1 initiative focuses on the financial aspect, since they have to recover from massive losses previously. The extreme cost reduction might impact the service indirectly, or being too financial-focus, BTP1 merely recognized the non financial aspect.The decision also largely attributed to gaining quick cash to solve the liquidity problems; ie; from the selling off the building. Whilst it can become their advantage, but by diversifying, because MAS itself in a shaky state, thus by diversifying, it lack focus as well as imposing larger operating cost for MAS as a whole. Opportunity Connell (2006) comments that medical tourism has been a success in Asia especially and has prompted global interest, with the increasing in GDP worldwide including Malaysia, as well as emerging worldwide fascination with travelling, thus it can be taken as a tool for Malaysia Airlines to expand their customer.This BTP1 plan can become the turnaround aspect financially and non-financially. Threat Even AirAsia is seen as Mas biggest threat, however, seeing that how both of these airlines promotes entirely different packages and offerings, Mas deemed these few obstacles as their main threat, which is the volatility of fuel price due to Iraq invasion by US, staff resistance of given plan and government intervention in setting up boundaries for the CEO to act accordingly to what they thinks fit. 3. 3BTP1 Turnaround AnalysisBTP1 Turnaround Analysis will be done based on the core strategies in which BTP1 proposed (in which two important aspects are further elaborated). First is by financing and aligning the business on the Income Statement. As per financial analysis above mentioned, MAS shows remarkable transformation during this phase. Based on Exhibit 1. 1 the actual performance supersedes the projected plan projected a year ahead of time . This is a success due to fares increment, elimination of unprofitable routes and increase in efficiency.Other core strategy is flying to win customer and by observing and studying the non-financial aspect during the implementation of BTP1, they succeed in maintaining the customersââ¬â¢ value. This resulted in MAS receiving 11 non financial-awards during this phase including 5-Star Airline Award, 2006 and 2007 from Skytrax, Best Airline to Asia, 2006, Travel Weekly Globe Award and numerous cabin service awards from Skytrax, Readers Digest and so on. They also encourage mastering operational excellence by increasing employeesââ¬â¢ value and efficiency, Unleashing Talents & Capabilities and winning coalition.While it is based on value judgment and rather subjective, however it is proven to be a success referring to relevant articles, audited financial statement and to some extent word of mouth by former and existing employee. The efficiency increases as well and can be observed by some of the decision made by Tan Sri Idris Jala which by reducing unprofitable routes, selling of the building in Jalan Raja Chulan, and drastic cost reduction scheme. 4. 0Assessment on Business Turnaround Plan 2 (BTP2)As per financial analysis, most analysis shows an unfavorable financial state during the implementation of BTP2. BTP2 is a more comprehensive, step to step planning in conjunction with the success of BTP1. Referring to Exhibit 1. 10, BTP2 strategize on Breaking New Ground (BNG), Gaining New Business (GNB) and Making The Most (MTM). With the current state of Malaysia Airlines and from the analysis gathered financially and non-financially, BTP2 make slight downturn from the success of its previous predecessor. 5. 0Bottlenecks & RecommendationThere are many bottlenecks that lead to diminution of momentum for BTP2 including competition with AirAsia, stepping down of Tan Sri Idris Jala as CEO, the diversification effects, MAS internal culture and strategies gone awry. In order to gain sustainability, the first is how to capture customer. MAS has been underperform financially due to stagnant and average load factor which in turns affect RRPK & RASK; example exhibit 1. 8. Thus, in order to capture the market, MAS have to strategically plan for its marketing approach to attract broader customer and thus larger scale promotion need to be made.They also should assess the manpower requirement and sell unnecessary asset. 6. 0Reference 1. ââ¬Å"Malaysia Airlines Business Turnaround Planâ⬠(PDF). Malaysia Airlines 2. ââ¬Å"Malaysia Airlines Business Transformation Plan: Project Mosaicâ⬠. (PDF) Malaysia Airlines. 3. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines 4. http://www. flightglobal. com/news/articles/idris-jala-transforming-malaysia-airlines-222296/ 5. http://sakmongkol. blogspot. com/2011/08/mas-turnaround-was-real-debate. html 7. 0Appendices Exhibit 1. 1Projected Profits: BTP1 Exhibit 1. 2Table of Ratio from 2003- 2008 | 2003| 2004| 2005| 2006| 2007| 2008|Current ratio| 1. 04| 1. 18| 0. 81| 0. 74| 1. 42| 1. 38| Acid-test ratio| 0. 92| 1. 08| 0. 70| 0. 67| 1. 35| 1. 31| Fixed assets turnover| 3. 53| 3. 59| 3. 09| 4. 03| 5. 59| 4. 55| Debt ratio| 0. 55| 0. 54| 0. 68| 0. 73| 0. 61| 0. 49| Gross profit margin| -0. 0067| 0. 0003| -0. 1670| -0. 0486| 0. 0186| -0. 0108| Operating profit margin| 0. 056| 0. 041| -0. 143| -0. 003| 0. 061| 0. 022| Net profit margin| 0. 039| 0. 054| -0. 143| -0. 010| 0. 006| 0. 016| Exhibit 1. 3Liquidity Ratio Exhibit 1. 4Efficiency Ratio Exhibit 1. 5Debt Ratio Exhibit 1. 6Profitability Ratio Exhibit 1. 7Cash Flow Analysis Exhibit 1. 8Performance Analysis Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-76034508240566011492020-01-04T11:17:00.001-08:002020-01-04T11:17:03.486-08:002008 Financial Crisis Icelands Then Now Essay examples I) Causes of the Crisis On September 15, 2008, the American bank Lehman Brothers, with holdings over 600 billion USD, filed bankruptcy. This was by far the biggest bankruptcy in U.S history and it marked the beginning and the largest financial crisis ever. How can one of the biggest banks in the world fail? How can a bankruptcy in US make someone on the other side of the world unemployed? The answer is Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) and it all started by new innovations in the financial sector combined with deregulations on the financial market. Many mathematicians and physicists started to work in the financial market and created new financial products called derivatives after the Cold War. These products made it possible forâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦could not afford their loans anymore. Thus, they started to sell their houses. The housing prices went down and when the value of the houses were lower than the value of the initial loan, people left the houses to the banks. Instead of owning CDOs consisting with positive cash flows, the banks now owned CDOs consisting of houses with decreasing values (See appendix). The CDOs sold all over the world and combined in both banks and private peoples investments were now almost worthless. Lehman Brothers had an immense amount of investments in CDOs, and as they went bankrupt, one of the worldââ¬â¢s worst financial meltdown had thus begun. II) Critical Examination on How the Crisis Affected Iceland Before the financial crisis in 2008, Icelandââ¬â¢s stock market had increased with over 900 percent since the middle of the 90th century (Graph 3). During 2000-2008, unemployment rate remained between 2-4% and Iceland had grown from one of Europeââ¬â¢s poorest country to one of the wealthiest during the last decades. The Guardian wrote an article, ââ¬Å"No wonder Iceland has the happiest people on earthâ⬠in May 2008. However, on October 10, 2008 the headlines had changed - Bloomberg Businessweek announced that ââ¬Å"Iceland goes bankruptâ⬠was a catastrophic fact. Concrete definition of bankruptcy for a country is both hard to define and explain, but simply put, it means that a country is not able to pay back its external/foreign debts. Icelandââ¬â¢s government debt increasedShow MoreRelatedShould Iceland Adopt Canadian Dollar?1387 Words à |à 6 Pages The Abstract Iceland is now having financial crisis because of its unhealthy banking system and monetary policies. Its currency becomes an unwanted dollar due to its fluctuating exchange rate. To regain the confident and rebuild its financial system, a sound currency is crucial. Canada, one of the strongest economies in OECD, has a healthy banking system and conservative monetary policies. Its currency is greatly approved and accepted by world financial institutions and investors. Even thoughRead MoreIreland s Financial Disaster1371 Words à |à 6 Pagesââ¬Å"Irelandââ¬â¢s financial disaster shared some things in common with Icelandââ¬â¢s. It was created by sort of men who ignore their wives suggestions that maybe they should stop and ask for directions. But while the Icelandic male used foreign money to conquer foreign places (trophy companies in Britain, chunks of Scandinavia etc.) ââ¬â the Irish male used foreign money to conquer Ireland. Left alone in a dark room with a pile of mo ney, the Irish decided what they really wanted to do with it was buy Ireland.Read MoreIs the banking industry responsible for the economic disaster in Iceland?1759 Words à |à 8 Pagesthe major economic and commercial activities had been liberalized, with the advent of the principles of free trade in goods and services and the free movement of capital, which covered the structure of the European Economic Community. Icelands economic crisis shares a common bond with those that have infected other developed economies recently: all have banking systems heavily engaged in the practice of maturity mismatching. In other words, Icelandic banks issued short-term liabilities in orderRead MoreIceland s Economic Outlook Report1974 Words à |à 8 PagesWorld Economic Outlook report in January 2016, Icelandââ¬â¢s Gross Domestic Product grew at 4.8% in 2015 (IMF, 2016). This is in stark contrast to the -4.6% decline in 2009, and -3.5% the following year. Icelandââ¬â¢s central bank and its government have used many different policy tools, both Fiscal and Monetary to enable the economy to recover not only as quickly as it did, the overall economy grew at just over 1% in 2011, but as strongly as it is doing now. Recent projections from the IMF WEO indicate thatRead MoreInside Job2973 Words à |à 12 Pagesfinance. 2)Iceland was stable ââ¬â low crime, strong education, strong stability in social and financial systems. 3)Multinational corporations such as Alcoa were then allowed to come into Iceland and install their business thereby disrupting the integrity of the system. 4)Three of their largest banks were privatised and in only five years, they combined to borrow a sum equal more than 10 times Icelandââ¬â¢s total GDP. Reckless borrowing and lax lending became commonplace. 5)A businessman named Jon AsgeirRead MoreInside Job Movie Review1111 Words à |à 5 Pagesconsequences of the global financial crisis of 2008. This movie is basically related to recession that was caused by the inefficiency of the industry and the unfavourable banking practices. The director has conducted several interviews and has exposed some hidden realities. The movie clearly shows that this crisis was not accidental, and that there were many people, including regulators, politicians, businessmen, who were actively involved in this destruction. These people and large financial institutions knewRead MoreU.s. Subprime Mortgage Crisis1702 Words à |à 7 PagesThe U.S. subprime mortgage crisis was a catastrophe affecting both real and financial sectors of the global economy. It was estimated that 2.5 million borrowers had lost their homes due to foreclosures from 2007 to 2009 and whilst another 5.7 million homeowners were at pending risk of foreclosure in the aftermath of the crisi s (Williams, 2012). The failures and bailed out of large banking and financial institutions in the US, the UK, Europe and others such as Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, NorthernRead MoreThe Anti Eu Stance On The Icelandic Population Essay1898 Words à |à 8 PagesIn the aftermath of the 2008 banking crisis in Iceland, the Nordic country in July 2009 applied for membership of the European Union (EU). Yet public support for this move has always been marginal and in March 2015 Icelandââ¬â¢s government requested that the country should no longer be regarded as a candidate country. This paper seeks to find out what the main reasons are behind the anti-EU stance in the Icelandic population. Thanks to an extensive online survey carried out by the author, it could beRead MoreMichael Lewis, The Big Short, And Boomerang1507 Words à |à 7 PagesMichael Lewis is the author of many published books on various subjects, and many of them are New York Times best sellers. His most recent work has as main subject 2008 global financial crisis and includes following books: ââ¬Å"Flash Boysâ⬠, ââ¬Å"The Big Shortâ⬠, and ââ¬Å"Boomerangâ⬠. Michael Lewis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He received a BA in art history from Princeton University and an MSc in economics from the London School of Economics. He worked for three years as an investment banker for SalomonRead MoreIceland : A Small Island Country1945 Words à |à 8 Pageswealthier from 2003 to 2006, and all three of Icelandââ¬â¢s major banks which are Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir had developed from tiny saving banks in the 1990s to become the worldââ¬â¢s top 300 banks a decade later (Gunnlaugsson, 2012). Iceland became the best places for living in this period of time. However, the 2008 world economic crisis sudden started in Iceland and became a national issue, and these three major banks crushed within a few days in October of 2008 (Boyes, 2009; Vaiman, 2011). After this Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-63462354099646214072019-12-27T07:43:00.001-08:002019-12-27T07:43:02.910-08:00Benefits of the Second Amendment Essay - 850 Words After a long, exhausting, painful war for independence from Great Britain, the United States became its own nation, a nation of choice and rights, a nation of voice and strong opinion, a nation with freedom handed to humans by God. The birth of this glorious new state brought forth a new era of revolution throughout the world. Countries took Americaââ¬â¢s victory to heart, overthrowing their monarchial governments and establishing governments run by popular sovereignty. The existence of the United States, perhaps, led to the global fight for self-government. However, though all our grandeur, this great nation was naà ¯ve at birth. The establishment of the first constitution nearly brought an end to the triumphant title of the United States.â⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Yet as the nation expanded, a formidable Army was assembled, and the formation of a Militia became unfathomable. Over two centuries after recognizing this as law, this Amendment now taking fire. Weapons are used f or various reasons, be it hunting, sport, or defense. Many politicians, however, are challenging that the benefits of firearms are overcast by the dangers. Is this new take on weaponry accurate? After all, weapons are designed to injure, to kill. Any weapon in the wrong hands can result in devastation. They can be used in robberies, homicides, suicides, and in the ever-growing threat of terrorism. At the same time, weapons can protect from crime. Police are equipped with guns. The military uses rifles and explosives to ââ¬Å"secure the blessings of liberty.â⬠And yes, weapons can be used to defend oneââ¬â¢s self in their own home. The castle doctrine, more commonly known as the ââ¬Å"Make My Dayâ⬠law, states that if someone is attacked on their property, they may use deadly force to defend themselves. There was a road rage case in Florida where castle doctrine was used. A couple was driving and got into a minor car accident. The passengers of the other vehicle started to beat the womanââ¬â¢s boyfriend, and she stabbed them both in self-defense. Some witnesses declared that if the woman had not acted, her boyfriend would have been killed. In a perfect world, weapons would not exist.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Article The Constitution 948 Words à |à 4 Pagesthis is a violation of his Second Amendment, but he is also stating that it violates the Relig ious Freedom Restoration Act (Moyer, 2015). Hertzler argues taking a photo goes against his religious beliefs as well as right to humanity. He currently has a state identification card; however, it does not have a photo id. In this article there are two major issues. First there is the issue of the Second Amendment. Hertzler is entitled to bear arms under the Second Amendment. However, firearm laws requireRead MorePersuasive Essay On The Second Amendment1250 Words à |à 5 Pages Americaââ¬â¢s Second Amendment The second amendment, not only a right in the United States but today it is also a huge topic of debate. A large majority of citizens want to enforce gun control and another majority want to exercise their second amendment with no boundaries. This right has its positive and negative views due to the way people decide to use their weapons. Some individuals immediately think of violence when hearing the word ââ¬Å"gunâ⬠. Guns and violence have a lot in relation and thatRead MoreThe Welfare System Within New Zealand1626 Words à |à 7 Pagesto a welfare dependency which they then become more reliant on benefits and tend to pass this easy knowledge on to the next generation and so on. Thus, the welfare system within New Zealand has had a negative impact on health, social and economic consequences for benefit recipients and their families. A social development and youth affairs minister, Paula Bennett, from the National Party and New Zealand Politician, wrote an Amendment Bill on this issue of the welfare system. This essay will firstlyRead MoreGun Control And The Second Amendment1179 Words à |à 5 Pages13 colonies. The Second Amendment has been up for many debates, especially in the recent light of mass shootings in the US. But does the entire removal and ban of firearms really work? Gun control and the second amendment has been a never ending conflict between politicians. As we look further into g un control there are more draw backs for the citizens than benefits. The Second Amendment was ratified to the US Constitution on December 17, 1791 by Congress. The Second Amendment states ââ¬Å"A well-regulatedRead MoreDonald Trump Is The Best Chance America1484 Words à |à 6 PagesJune of 2015, the Trump Campaign has swept its way across America, gaining advocates and citizens who blatantly detest the leading Republican candidate. Supporters respect the straightforward stance Trump takes on topics such as immigration, the Second Amendment, international affairs, and America s current ObamaCare system. Compared to other candidates like Ted Cruz, who also focuses on some of the same issues, Mr. Trump is the leader with laid out processes assuring that he can complete his missionRead MoreWhat Is The Issues And Contributions In The Amendment Act?804 Words à |à 4 PagesCertain other recommendations made in the LCR could have been expressly codified and included in the Amendment Act. For instance, the question of arbitrability of disputes relating t o fraud. Another significant suggestion of LCR which has been ignored by the legislators is the encouragement of institutional Arbitration most importantly it does not take into consideration the fact that there is a need to actively encourage institutional arbitration across India as also the establishment of a specialRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control1086 Words à |à 5 Pagesof criminals who commit violent crimes. The Second Amendment to the Constitution gives all citizens the right to bear arms, yet perhaps the true meaning of freedom is being misunderstood in modern time. Other countries have benefitted from restrictive gun laws, significantly reducing firearms deaths. Therefore, it is important for the United States to pass and enforce stricter gun control laws for the protection of its people. First, the Second Amendment must be understood through the eyes of thoseRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Ownership1502 Words à |à 7 Pages Despite the harms associated with handguns, the Second Amendment, which states that ââ¬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 infringedâ⬠, protects the private ownership of them. The Supreme Court has consistently ruled against gun bans or regulations as violating the 2nd amendment. In the landmark ruling Heller vs. District of Columbia in 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that a thirty-two year ban on theRead MoreThe Debate Over Stricter Gun Control Laws924 Words à |à 4 PagesStates for quite some time now. Individuals who oppose stricter gun control laws argue that the second amendment to the constitution of the United States constitute part of the bill of rights that protect the right of American citizens to bear arms, and any attempt to set up laws for gun control will be a direct violation of this (Hofstadter 10). They argue that the primary purpose of the amendment was to ensure that American Citizens had the capability to protect themselves against criminal activitiesRead MoreThe Government s Debate On Gun Violence1256 Words à |à 6 Pagesrights because the second amendment gives us the right to bear arms and to protect ourselves and those that we love. The U.S. constitution was modeled after some of the earlier colonies in the 1600s. The Constitution was created in 1787, generally known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments of the Constitution. Though the Constitution has a degree of continuity but was built with a mechanism for change. Either both houses of Congress must pass an amendment by a two-thirds Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-23467651159802309042019-12-19T03:32:00.001-08:002019-12-19T03:32:03.410-08:00Wgu C212 Marketing Vvt2 Task 1 Essay - 1849 Words EdgeMark New Services and Marketing Marketing C212 February 2nd, 2015 EdgeMark New Services and Marketing EdgeMark Cinemas are a chain of movie theaters located in 37 states with 475 theaters in those states covering the west coast, east coast, and Midwest. EdgeMarkââ¬â¢s profits, like other cinemas, have been in a small but constant decline over the last 12 years. Industry Wide Average of 2.05% ticket sales decline per year for the last 12 years also, when adjusted for inflation, revenue has dropped an average of 1% a year for the past 12 years (Domestic Movie Theatrical Market Summary, 2015). The chain is currently looking to increase ticket sales, loyal customers, and profits by adding additional products and services.â⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Premium Membership The first new service is aimed at rewarding loyal customers by offering them a selection of memberships that would make their regular movie going experiences more pleasurable and inviting. The membership would consist of four tiers consisting of silver, gold, platinum, and diamond. The benefits inferred upon mem bership into the various tiers will include: ââ" ª VIP access for ticket sales for premieres ââ" ª Front of line for premieres and other lines ââ" ª 10% Discount on food and beverages ââ" ª Access to special premium seating when available ââ" ª Discount tickets at specific screenings, matinee, special screenings etc. ââ" ª Special screenings with access to a premium food and beverage menu for VIPs only Currently there are no major regular cinemas in the United States which offer such membership or perks, giving EdgeMark Cinemas a competitive advantage. Only luxury cinemas and foreign cinemas currently offer membership and premium services. As certain memberships confer a privlidge to bypass many unpleasant parts of the movie going experience, customer would be drawn to EdgeMark versus competitors. Special Viewings The second service targets the enticement of new customers while also catering to loyal customers. This service would consist of Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-36042542511374635142019-12-11T00:14:00.001-08:002019-12-11T00:14:05.074-08:00Ethics of Robots and Technique Question: Discuss about the Ethics of Robots and Technique. Answer: In this article Devlin (2016), have presented the recent development regarding the ethics in robots. The ethics of the robots have been formulated by the British Standards Institute,' which comes after the basic guidelines that have been formulated by Isaac Asimov. The document presented in dry language discusses the undesirable scenarios that might pop up due to the usage of the robot in regular lives, such as the deception, addiction and other factors that may be induced by robots. Whats going on? The introduction of the automated machines in the human life has eased many aspects, and this has resulted in the latest innovation in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) (Devlin, 2016). The author here has presented the latest trends in innovation and the ethical standards that have to be incorporated to make the system more human-friendly, to ensure that no harm is done while using the robots. The standards set for the robots aims for transparency that might help in reduction of the contingencies to the user of the robots. What are the facts? The implementations of the robots in human life have become widespread which can be seen in the area of the healthcare, in transportation in the form of autonomous vehicles, etc. so it can be easily understood that we are just a few steps away from robots in normal human life which will take care of every aspect of human needs. And the formulation of the standards for the operation and the ethics of the robots is just the confirmation of the fact (Russell, 2016). Hence robotics is the next big step in the automation of various human actions. What are the issues? It is a known fact that the robots cannot think on their own and are programmed to serve in a specific way. But with the previous programming techniques the responses of the robots were not up to the mark, which gave birth to the advanced techniques such as AI and ANN (Artificial Neural Networks). These provided a mechanism to make the robots learn on their own based on the tasks and the optimal path, which was independent of the programming of the robots, which couldnt predict the behavior of the complicated robots (Devlin, 2016). Who are affected? The application of the automated robots is widespread which ranges from the surgery robots to autonomous cars which will drive the cars instead of the human beings. The robots have to take a complicated decision to sort out the various complications based on the various environmental variables and decide the fate of the patient or the passenger (Katz Halpern, 2014). So anyone who buys the technology or is dependent on the robot will be affected, which is a large mass of people. And will result in unemployment of a large section of people which could lead to unrest o in society (Martin, 2016). What are the ethical issues and their implication? The loss of life or the harm created due to the robotic action is a serious issue and should be treated seriously. Hence the developers have a very difficult constraint of designing something which will take a decision like a human being but cannot harm the human being. The worst part of the latest programming techniques like deep learning,' is the programming is done based on the environment and the outcome and the response to unknown variables is not known which could be disastrous (Sparrow, 2015). It has also been noted that the facial recognition program cant effectively recognize the darker faces thus creating a racial discrimination. What could have been done about it? Automation has become a part of the human life. With the latest machines that have been installed at various locations, life has been simplified. The development of the robots is the net obvious step. The software modeling has been done to rectify the defects of the previous systems but has not succeeded as planned (Sharkey Sharkey, 2012). So the programming and the modeling techniques are evolving every day to make the system more versatile. What are the options? The available options for tackling the situation are: Robots should be totally eliminated from the human life Making robots more intelligent so that the tasks can be well performed Critical decision should be taken away from robots Which option is best and why? The best option among the three is making the robots more intelligent so that the various tasks that are assigned to them are taken care of in an efficient way. This could result in the increased unemployment in the traditional sector but staffs can be trained to take up the other sector based on the needs and will also ensure that the world moves towards a better future. References Devlin, H. (2016). Do no harm, don't discriminate: official guidance issued on robot ethics. The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/18/official-guidance-robot-ethics-british-standards-institute Katz, J. E., Halpern, D. (2014). Attitudes towards robots suitability for various jobs as affected robot appearance.Behaviour Information Technology,33(9), 941-953. Martin, S. (2016). UN warns that robots will put MILLIONS out of work. Express.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2016, from https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/731282/UN-robots-MILLIONS-out-of-work-unemployed-artificial-intelligence Russell, B. (2016).The impact of science on society. Routledge. Sharkey, A., Sharkey, N. (2012). Granny and the robots: ethical issues in robot care for the elderly.Ethics and Information Technology,14(1), 27-40. Sparrow, R. (2015). Killer Robots: Ethical Issues in the Design of Unmanned Systems for Military Applications. InHandbook of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(pp. 2965-2983). Springer Netherlands. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-79967619521655416752019-12-03T11:56:00.001-08:002019-12-03T11:56:03.700-08:00Joesph Cambell Four Functions of a Mtyh free essay sample Seyed Maghloubi (Historical Mythology) Joseph Campbell explains the following four functions of a myth. Its metaphysical function is to awaken us to the mystery and wonder of creation, to open our minds and our senses to an awareness of the mystical ground of being, the source of all phenomena. Its cosmological function is to describe the shape of the cosmos, the universe, our total world, so that the cosmos and all contained within it become vivid and alive for us, infused with meaning and significance; every corner, every rock, hill, stone, and flower has its place and its meaning in the cosmological scheme which the myth provides. Its sociological function is to pass down the law, the moral and ethical codes for people of that culture to follow, and which help define that culture and its prevailing social structure. Its pedagogical function is to lead us through particular rites of passage that define the various significant stages of our lives-from dependency to maturity to old age, and finally, to our deaths, the final passage. We will write a custom essay sample on Joesph Cambell Four Functions of a Mtyh or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The rites of passage bring us into harmony with the ground of being and allow us to make the journey from one stage to another with a sense of comfort and purpose. The mystical experience, the core spiritual journey that envisions God, has always been a tough experience to communicate. Some would say its impossible to communicate. Others would say that this is the primary function of myth-to find a way to communicate whatever mystical insight has been gained on the journey: an understanding of the mysteries that underlie the universe; an appreciation of its wonders; the sense of awe or rapture experienced. Since these things cant be communicated by direct means, myth speaks in a language of metaphors, of symbols, and symbolic narratives that arent bound by objective reality. Some believe that the mystical experience is what gives birth to metaphoric language, metaphoric thinking. In our post-Enlightenment western world, we have decidedly turned to science to tell us what the shape of the world is. Originally, however, myth performed this function, explaining the cultural history, religion, class structure, origin, even the origin of the geographical features in the surrounding landscape. A myth describes the shape of the world, and infuses each part of that world with meaning and significance. And though a mythic tale may seem literally false in our world today, it was once considered true, and it still expresses a metaphorical truth. Campbell explains that the sociological function of myth is to support and validate a particular social order. The myth will make it clear who is in charge, what ethical code is appropriate, what the institutional rituals will be. The problem is that these codes are fixed, like the natural order, for all time; they are not subject to change. Our myths, according to Campbell, are seriously outdated. Changing time require new myths, and since our times are changing so very rapidly, the myth-making function cant keep up. As a result, we are practically myth-less. Campbell felt we needed to expand into much more than we presently have. This is the aspect of myth that teaches us how to pass into and live all the differing stages of our lives. Our myths (as religion) give us rituals to live by, rites of passage to accomplish. We learn how to look at the world, at ourselves, from birth till death. Because he felt they were all true, Campbell believed myth could teach us important lessons about how to live. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-75174508611548554342019-11-27T14:38:00.001-08:002019-11-27T14:38:03.279-08:00Symbolisms in ââ¬ËStopping by the Woods on a Snowy Eveningââ¬â¢ Essay ExampleSymbolisms in ââ¬ËStopping by the Woods on a Snowy Eveningââ¬â¢ Paper Lots of symbolism has used by Robert Frost in this poem. Although the poem itself is written on a very typical, iambic and rhythmic approach using simple language that can easily be understand, there are lots of hidden messages enclosed on every words, lines, stanzas and even to its title itself which has to be interpreted in order for the poem as well as the poet to be understood. Thus, his symbolism, which adds more spice to the poem, has been a help in analyzing its meaning. The title ââ¬ËStopping by the Woods on a Snowy Eveningââ¬â¢ was a thought-provoking message which could predict that someone has saying goodbye to his life when he was undergoing through the worst time. Perhaps, the life that he was trying to saying goodbye with or to have its stopping period was a life that is full of misery and agony. The first stanza alone covered four symbolisms in which after interpreting those them could help identify the real meaning of the poem. Firstly, the woods here suggest life. The speaker in this poem tried to figure out whom life it was after all, although he said he thinks he knew who it was. We will write a custom essay sample on Symbolisms in ââ¬ËStopping by the Woods on a Snowy Eveningââ¬â¢ specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Symbolisms in ââ¬ËStopping by the Woods on a Snowy Eveningââ¬â¢ specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Symbolisms in ââ¬ËStopping by the Woods on a Snowy Eveningââ¬â¢ specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Life may have different meanings, and that was the very reason why Robert Frost wanted to write it in plural form ââ¬âwoods. Secondly, the house of the woodsââ¬â¢ owner might depict God or the giver of life. The tone of speaker offered the connotation that God doesnââ¬â¢t see him while he was staring at the life he provided. Thirdly, it was the village. Probably, village was the representation of heaven. Frost did not mention that the village was snowy or freezing as well as the house. God in heaven, as everybody believes, would never experience such upheaval. The last symbol was the snow. The snow represented storm or blizzard, a cold natural phenomenon, or perhaps an unpredicted but anticipated natural catastrophe that can freeze oneââ¬â¢s life. Again on the second stanza laid four symbolisms, the little horse, farmhouse, frozen lake, and the darkest evening of the year. To the little horse, it might speak as a voice of the speakerââ¬â¢s conscience. It was written as little because oneââ¬â¢s conscience never took proud over the consciousness but not as littlest because it would never be littlest to the point that one could see it as insignificant. The farmhouse suggested point of recognition to the presence of the speakerââ¬â¢s conscience, probably located in his heart where the speaker does not always referring to. Frozen lake might offer a clear picture of death. Lake with its deep and wide characteristic is as frightening as death. Frozen can also be seen literally as lifeless or immovable. The darkest evening of the year although it was written figuratively indicated hopelessness, helplessness and powerlessness. At certain moment, the speaker confidently admitted that he was undergoing through his roughest time. Third stanza covered symbolisms formed on different sounds such as harness bells, easy wind, and downy flake. The harness bell of the horse denoted murmuring of the conscience. Itââ¬â¢s as if the shaking sound of the bell tried to awaken the speaker about the stopping thinking in the midst of such heavy snowfall. Easy wind offered calmness and lightness of the speakerââ¬â¢ burden in his heart or perhaps denoted a peace of mind while downy flake suggests tears falling. Such peace of mind might be experience only if one lets his tears flow because it is the best way to lighten up the heartââ¬â¢s load. In the first two lines of the last stanza, which said that ââ¬Ëthe woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep,ââ¬â¢ (Frost, 1011) one could predict that the tone of the speaker here tried to figure out the bad and the good memories collected all through his whole existence. Those memories might be though some were somewhat upsetting, all of it could be meaningful and hard to forget. However, he still has no option but to do what he has to do just like performing the promise that he once said. Two last two stanza was identical. Robert Frost made this very ending as dramatic as it looked like. Having that style would make the readers think that the speaker still followed his heartââ¬â¢s desire to just do the stopping by the woods on a snowy evening which means to pause for quite sometime with the life he is living while it still on its darkest and gloomiest period. The speaker here realized not to just cut his journey as he has so many miles to go before he went asleep. Lastly, the poem although can be perceived its tone as very depressing all throughout just like a suicide note, the ending still portrayed a positive outcome and contentment. R E F E R E N C E S Ciardi, John. ââ¬Å"Robert Frost: The Way to the Poem. â⬠Robert Frost: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. James M. Cox. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1962. 21-30. Frost, Robert. ââ¬Å" Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening. â⬠Literature and Its Writers. A compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 4th Ed. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. 2007. 1010-1011. Jeffers, Susan, and Robert Frost. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. New York: Penguin, 2001. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-33127149298923271622019-11-23T22:12:00.001-08:002019-11-23T22:12:03.243-08:00Agency cost and ownership structure in aim traded companies The WritePass JournalAgency cost and ownership structure in aim traded companies Introduction Agency cost and ownership structure in aim traded companies IntroductionOverview of Alternative Investment MarketCorporate governance in AIM companies The causes of agency problemThe measurement of agency costConclusion ReferencesRelated Introduction The aim of this chapter is to explain and discuss a number of prior researches that have been developed in relation with agency cost. The literatures are grouped into four parts based on their different research area. The first part gives the overview of Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Subsequently, the issue of corporate governance in AIM companies will be discussed. The next part will focus on the causes of agency problem. Both direct and indirect measurement of agency cost, include asset utilisation, operating expense and the firmââ¬â¢s performance, will be detailed analysed in the final part. Overview of Alternative Investment Market Alternative Investment Market (AIM) is the worldââ¬â¢s leading market for smaller and growing companies. It helps them to raise new capital and allowing their shares to be traded widely. Since it was launched in 1995, over 3000 companiesà from across the world have joined AIM and a large proportion of them are in oil and gas industry. Its admission requirement and on-going rules are less onerous. For example, there is no requirement on prior trading, minimum public float or market capitalization. In fact, to be admitted to AIM, a firm is only required to have the support from a nominated advisor (Nomad). Subsequently, the only disclosure obligation for the firm is the general duty of disclosure requiring information which is reasonably considered to be necessary by the issuer which will enable investors to have a full understanding of the applicantââ¬â¢s financial position. AIM membership roles were thus kept simpler for encouraging a wide variety of companies to join, keepin g capital rising and reducing membership cost. However, a SEC commissioner, Roel Campos likened AIM as a casino, and he stated that 30% of the issuers that list on AIM are gone within one year (Bawden Waller, 2007). This comment has aroused great amount of abjections and London Stock Exchange (LSE) claimed that the only 2% companies go into liquidation each year. Corporate governance in AIM companies AIM is crucial for investorââ¬â¢s confidence to the market and companiesââ¬â¢ significant failures on AIM market would have a negative effect on the overall confidence in the UK market. A consequence of the deliberately light regulatory burden placed in AIM companies means that they are not obliged to abide the UKââ¬â¢s Combined Code (2006). However, based on the UKââ¬â¢s Combined Code, the Guidelines on the Quoted Corporate Governance for AIM companies have been produced by Companies Alliance (QCA). According to the wide range of interviews and detailed analysis of the corporate governance statements in the annual report and accounts, Mallin and Kean (2008) found the majority of their sample AIM companies disclose some basic elements of good governance practice, such as including a corporate statement, identifying the directors and their responsibilities, and splitting the role of chairman and the CEO, and the presence of board sub-committees. However, their sample of AI M companies did not disclose as much corporate governance practice as they were expected by the QCA Guidelinesââ¬â¢ recommendations. Some interesting results were given by the regression of the firm and market related factors on the disclosure score. Firstly, the young AIM companies tend to disclose more of their governance practices than the older ones. Secondly, larger companies disclose more than smaller ones. Thirdly, by the presence of the institutional investors has influence on the disclosure levels. Subsequently, the higher gearing ratio of the company, the lower disclosure level there will be. It also suggested that the AIM companies with no long-term debt may be required better governance structures to protect the claims of equity investors, because there are no debt holders to monitor the companies. In addition, the board size has positive impact on the reporting of governance practice and the companies with small board are less likely to obey to the QCA Guidelines. Th erefore, the efficiency of corporate governance in AIM companies is related to the age of companies, size, gearing ratio, debt, as well as board size. The causes of agency problem When discussing the ownership of an organization, ââ¬Ëagency problemââ¬â¢ is an inevitable vocabulary. According to Jensen and Meckling (1976), the agency relationship is defined as a contract between the principal(s) and the agent who is given some decision making authority to run the firm on the behalf of principal(s). In fact, for majority of companies, both agent and principals are utility maximizes. Consequently, the agent will not always act in the interest of principal. To mitigate the conflict in interest between both parties is a big issue in corporate governance. Besides establishing appropriate incentives for the agent, monitoring cost will be designed to limit the aberrant activities of the agent. In some situations, the agent needs to pay to expend resources (bonding costs) to guarantee he/she will not take the actions that will harm the principalââ¬â¢s interest or to ensure that the principal will be compensated if the agent does take such actions. Additionally, there will be some divergence between the agentââ¬â¢s decisions and those decisions which would maximize the principalââ¬â¢s welfare. The reduction in the principalââ¬â¢s welfare caused by thus divergence is also a cost of agency relationship which is referred by Jensen et al. (1976) as ââ¬Ëresidual lossââ¬â¢. They also stated that the costs of deviation from value-maximization decline as the management ownership rises. As their stakes rise, managers pay a larger part of these costs and are less likely to squander corporate wealth. However, limited direct evidence exists on the magnitude and extent of the actual costs with the agency problem. The measurement of agency cost Direct measurement Ang et al. (2000) analyzed the how agency cost is affected by the firmââ¬â¢s ownership structure, number of outsider managers and non-manger shareholders and external monitoring by banks. They measured firmââ¬â¢s agency cost with two measures, sales to asset ratio and expense to sales ratio. They argued that agency cost can be directly measured by assets-to-sales ratio as it measures the efficiency with which management uses the firmââ¬â¢s assets to generate sales. A high ratio reflects that the assets are generating significant sales and therefore indicates low agency cost. Conversely, a low ratio shows that manager makes poor investment decisions, exerts insufficient effort, resulting in low revenues, and consumes excessive unproductive assets, such as automobiles, fancy office space and resort properties. The expense ratio is the operating expense scaled by annual sales. It is a measure of how effectively the firmââ¬â¢s manager controls operating cost, including excess ive perquisite consumption and other direct agency cost. In contrast to the sales-to-asset ratio, agency cost is in line with the expense ratio. Banks usually require managers to report results regularly and honestly; consequently, managers may be forced to run the business efficiently. Thus, bank monitoring complements the monitoring of managers by shareholders, thereby reducing owner-manager agency cost indirectly. Ang et al. (2000) utilized a sample of 1708 small corporate from the National Survey of Small Business Finances (NSSBF) database and found agency costs are significantly higher when an outside manager manages the firm and when there are more non-manager shareholders. In this situation, managersââ¬â¢ ownership share and monitoring by banks may be a helpful corporate control mechanism that can decrease agency costs. Singh and Davidson (2003) adopted the approach used by Ang, Cole, and Lin to study large firms and sales, general, and administrative expenses were applied to measure agency cost instead of total operating expenses. Moreover, they analysed the role of corporate leverage in influencing the agency cost experienced by the large corporations instead of the banking relationship because large firms have larger access to the public debt market and therefore less depend on bank financing. They found that higher managerial ownership does positively influence asset utilization efficiency which was in line with result of Ang, Cole, and Lin. However, excessive discretionary expenses cannot be decreased by such ownership. Additionally, larger board size and outside block ownership does not improve the efficiency of a large corporation. However, this measure has three potential drawbacks. As McKnight and Weir (2009) suggested, sales may not actually come from profitable activities so sales may not be consistent with shareholders welfare. Secondly, cash flows that generated by the sales may being expropriated instead of being distributed to shareholders. Thirdly, as Coles et al. (2005) stated, productivity can vary even between firms within the same industry. Generally speaking, Ang et al. (2000) and Singh and Davidson (2003) provided a useful indicator of agency costs. Jacky Yuk-Chow So (2005) noticed that in Ang, Cole, and Linââ¬â¢s study, ownership variables and external monitoring variables are highly significant statistically when a single regression is applied. However, some of these variables, such as family ownership and a banking relationship become insignificant when they are regressors of the multiple regressions. Therefore, he focused on the combined effect of expense ratio and asset-to sale ratio to measure agency cost using the NSSBF database from 1993 survey. This combined effect was analysed using both internal and external control variables. Debt-to-asset ratio and ownership variables were applied to study the impact of internal corporate control and the firmââ¬â¢s relationship to its bank was as proxies for external corporate control. Additionally, a dummy variable was also employed to capture the industry effect. Jacky Yuk-Chow So proposed that, the ââ¬Ëcombined effectââ¬â¢ approach implies that cash flow is a more app ropriate measure of managerial performance since it captures not only efficiency, but also leverage, which is measured by the debt-to-asset ratio. The ordinary least squares (OLS) method and seemingly uncorrelated regression (SUR) were used to test his hypotheses and found out firms in manufacturing industry tend to have the highest agency cost; family ownership more appropriately resolves the agency problem; cash flow reflect the joint impact of agency cost and efficiency; agency cost increases when there are more non-shareholder managers; the number of banks involves and the length of the bank relationship do not have significant impact to the agency cost. Indirectly measurement Jensen (1986) paid attention to the conflicts of interest between shareholders and managers over payout policies when the organization generates large free cash flow, which is the cash flow in excess of that requires to fund all projects that have positive net present value when discounted at the relevant coat of capital. He stated that agency costs will increase when high free cash flows are combined with poor growth opportunities and hence large free cash flows suggest greater managerial discretion and higher agency costs. Therefore, motivating managers to disgorge the cash rather than investing in low-return project or wasting it on organization inefficiencies is a puzzle of many firms. This theory explains the benefits of debt in reducing agency cost of free cash flows and how debt can substitute for dividends. Managers may increase dividends or repurchase stock or even announce a ââ¬Ëpermanentââ¬â¢ increase in dividend to control the use of free cash flow. However, such pr omises are weak since the dividends can be reduced in the future. In fact, the organization will be punished if dividend is cut with significant stock price reduction is consistent with the agency of free cash flow. Debt enables managers effectively bond their promise to pay out future cash flows. Thus debt reduces the agency cost of free cash flow by reducing the cash flow available for spending at the discretion of managers and can be an effective substitute for dividends. The interaction of free cash flow and growth prospects are used to measure of agency cost in many previous literatures. Opler and Titman (1993) stated that firms that have good growth prospects are more likely to be better managed. They are also less likely to have excess free cash flows because the available cash will be spent on positive net present value projects. Thus, as Jenson (1986), Doukas, Kim, and Pantzalis (2000) argued, agency costs may be regarded as a function of the interaction of growth opportunities and free cash flow. Firms that combine high free cash flow and low growth prospects can be regarded as suffering from high agency costs. Therefore, control function of debt is more important in thus organizations. Acquisitions are one way in which funds can be spent by managers rather than distributed to shareholders. Free cash flow theory (Jensen, 1986) predicts acquisitions decrease, rather than increase, shareholder wealth, particularly from the perspective of the acquirerââ¬â¢s shareholders. There is a significant literature which is in consistent with this theory. Servaes (1991) and Houston, James and Ryngaert (2001) have found significant negative short run returns to acquirers. Agrawal, Jaffe Mandelker (1992) undertook a thorough analysis of the post-merger performance of acquiring firms, measured by the stock market performance of a large number of acquiring firms over a long period of time. They concluded there is a strong evidence of long term underperformance following merger and this result is supported by Kohers and Kohers (2001). Accounting studies such as Sharma and Ho (2002) also show poorer post-acquisition performance. Finally, the survey done by Kelly, Cook, and Spitzer (1999) provide evidence that 53% of acquisitions were believed to have destroyed value. Given the extensive evidence that indicates a lack of positive returns to acquiring firmsââ¬â¢ shareholders, it can be concluded that acquisitions can represent agency costs as directors use funds on negative net present value projects. Demsetz (1983) recognized, when a manager owns a small stake, market discipline may still force him toward value maximization. In contrast, a manager who controls a substantial fraction of the firms equity may have enough voting power or influence more generally to guarantee his employment with the firm at an attractive salary. In this case, manager may indulge his preference for non-value-maximizing behaviour. This Entrenchment hypothesis predicts the agency may increase and corporate assets can be less valuable when managed by an individual free from checks on his control. Morck et al. (1988) investigated the relationship between management ownership and the market value of the firm which is measured by Tobinââ¬â¢s Q. They found that Tobinââ¬â¢s Q increases as the board ownership increases from 0% to 5%, declines as the ownership rises further to 25%, and then continues to rise slowly when the board ownership rises beyond 25%. The increase of Tobinââ¬â¢s Q with ownership can be explained the convergence of interests between managers and shareholders, while the decline reflects entrenchment of the management team. The results confirm the conclusion that imposing a linear relationship between profit and the ownership by large shareholders is not appropriate. They also found that the presence of the founding family adversely affects Tobinââ¬â¢s Q in older firms, where the entrepreneurial of the founder might be less valuable. Conclusion The perspective of the development of AIM is optimistic. Mitigating the agency cost is a core part in corporate governance. Based on previous study, agency costs are higher when an outside manager manages the firm and when there are more non-manager shareholders. Managersââ¬â¢ ownership share and monitoring by banks may be a helpful corporate control mechanism that can decrease agency costs. However, imposing a linear relationship between profit and the ownership by large shareholders is not appropriate. The decrease of free cash flow will also decrease the agency cost. References Agrawal, A., Jaffe, J.F. Mandelker, G.N., 1992. The Post-Merger Performance of Acquiring Firms: A Re-Examination of an Anomaly. Journal of Finance, 47, 1605-1621. Ang, J., Cole, R., Lin, J., 2000. Agency Costs and Ownership Structure. The Journal of Finance, 55(1), 81ââ¬â106. Bawden, T. Waller, M., 2007. London vs. New York: top US regulator attacks AIM ââ¬Ëcasinoââ¬â¢. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article1490202.ece (accessed: 14 Jan 2011). Coles, J., Lemmon, M., Mescke, J., 2005. Structural Models and Endogeneity in Corporate Finance: The link between managerial ownership and corporate performance. Arizona State University working paper. Demsete, H., 1983, The Structure of Ownership and the Theory of the Firm. Journal of Law and Economics, 26, 375-390. Doukas, J., Kim, C., Pantzalis, C., 2000. Security Analysts, Agency Costs, and Company Characteristics. Financial Analysts Journal, 56(6), 54ââ¬â63. Houston, J., James, C., Ryngaert, M., 2001. Where do merger gains come from? Bank mergers from the perspective of insiders and outsiders. Journal of Financial Economics, 60, 285ââ¬â311. Jacky Yuk-Chow So, 2005. Agency Costs and Ownership Structure: Evidence from the Small Business Finance Survey Data Base. Texas AM International University working paper. Jensen, M., Meckling, W, 1976. Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behaviour, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3, 305ââ¬â360. Jensen, M. C., 1986. Agency Costs of Free Cash Flow, Corporate Finance and Takeovers. American Economics Review, 76, 323ââ¬â339. Jensen, M. C., 1993. The Modern Industrial Revolution, Exit, and the Failure of Internal Control Systems. Journal of Finance, 43(3), 831ââ¬â880. Kohers, N., Kohers, T., 2001. Takeovers of technology firms: Expectations vs. reality. Financial Management, 30, 35ââ¬â54. Kelly, J., Cook, C., Spitzer, D., 1999. Unlocking Shareholder Value: The Keys to Success. New York: KPMG LLP. McKnight, P. J. Weir, C., 2009. Agency Costs, Corporate Governance Mechanisms and Ownership Structure in Large UK Publicly Quoted Companies: A Panel Data Analysis. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 49, 139ââ¬â158. Opler, T., Titman, S., 1993. The Determinants of Leveraged Buyout Activity: Free Cash Flow vs. Financial Distress Costs. Journal of Finance, 48, 1985ââ¬â1999. Servaes, H., 1991. Tobinââ¬â¢s Q and the gains from takeovers. Journal of Finance, 46, 409ââ¬â41. Sharma, D., Ho, J., 2002. The Impact of Acquisitions on Operating Performance: Some Australian Evidence. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 29, 155ââ¬â200. Singh, M., Davidson, W. A., 2003. Agency Costs, Ownership Structures and Corporate Governance Mechanisms. Journal of Banking and Finance, 27, 793ââ¬â816. Morck, R., Shleifer, A. Vishny, R. W., 1988, Management Ownership and Market Valuation. Journal of Financial Economics, 20, 293-315. Mallin, C. Kean Ow-Yong, 2008. Corporate Governance in Alternative Investment Market. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-2776734575670750422019-11-21T05:57:00.001-08:002019-11-21T05:57:06.641-08:00Priciples of Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 wordsPriciples of Managment - Essay Example Introduction We come across teams almost everywhere that we look- from the football field to the office, from the community center to the entertainment club that we belong to. It seems that teams and teamwork are an established part of modern life. If teams and teamwork is so important, it is clear that there should be much attention given to their makeup, strength and functioning so that they continue contributing to the goals of the organization or meet the purposes that they have been set up for. This paper will focus on what is the difference betweeen groups and teams, what makes a team come together, what are the obstacles usually encoutnered in the formation of teams and how can a team be made to contribute most effectively towards group and organizational goals. What are Teams? A team may be defined as a group of people that come together or have been brought together to accomplish some common goal. The essence of a team is a unified effort towards achieving a common purpose, in which each member has a defined role or specific tasks to perform in order that the team objective may be reached. This is where a team differs from a group of people. For example there may be a group of people at the office having lunch together because of proximity or seating next to one another, but if it is decided to make a team consisting of some people from Accounting and Administration to control an excess of office expenses, this can convert people from the same or different groups into a specific team with a now common purpose. A team usually reports to a team leader, and it is expected that the productivity of a team would be greater than the sum of its members due to synergistic benefits. The Difference between Groups and Teams We have seen from the above the difference between groups and teams. A group can be seen as an informal gathering of people in the same organization or community, but when they have a defined common purpose with deadlines and tasks and roles to perform, that is what converts them into a team. Team theory and its development has been a part of 20th century management theory, where it was thought that such a defined and cohesive effort would speed up the achievement of planned objectives. The work of Meredith Belbin in the UK and Bruce Tuckman in the USA has been quite influential in this regard. How to Convert a Group into a Self Managed Team The conversion of a group into a self managed team is a challenging process and puts a lot of responsibility on the team leader. The first step is to develop common goals and a vision. One should also work towards harnessing the value of diversity rather than belittling those with different perspectives. The last step is to foster effective communication. Bringing cohesion among team members is a slow process and is more easily said than done. We have to find out the barriers to change and discover how best to approach the change aspects so that these barriers are crossed or eliminate d. Changing team member attitudes is admittedly one of the most difficult steps in the change management process (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2007) but experts have whittled it down to a series of steps, which if carefully managed can bring about the desired change in the least time possible, with a minimum of fuss. Quite simply, the steps involved in the team building process are (1) clarifying the team goals; (2) identifying the issues that are preventing the team from reaching its goals; and (3) addressing these issues, removing the inhibitors and enabling goal achievement. The team leader may also act as facilitator or mentor to those having difficulties, thereby ensuring that all the resources and support is available to members as needed. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-63010451813104821342019-11-20T05:11:00.001-08:002019-11-20T05:11:03.111-08:00Mission, Vision, and Stakeholders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 wordsMission, Vision, and Stakeholders - Essay Example This same view was earlier aired by Raynor (1988) where the researcher refers to mission and vision statement as an organisation cornerstone that guide and provide actions, directions and aspirations for the future. Vision statement refers to the desirable (O'Brien & Meadows 2001). In other words, a vision is the articulated goal for the organisation. Unlike mission statement, vision statement is a core goal. Once this is achieved, a direction will be set for the next vision (Soyer & Asan 2007, O'Brien & Meadows 2001, Thomas et.al., 1993). Forman & Camponovo (2004:1) referred to mission statement "as the most basic embodiment of business strategy.. for mission statement is often at the heart of strategy formulation for successful organisation. Raynor (1998) further outlined the role of vision and mission statement which include In addition, Mission and vision statement by defining an organisations' boundaries draw demarcation between one organisation and the other by exhibiting the organisations salient features (Soyer & Asan 2007, O'Brien & Meadows 2001, Forman & Componova 2004). In all, in an organisation the creation of its mission and vision is an important first step in the development of modern, strategic management (Forman & Componova 2004). ... t some carefully crafted and publicly promulgated statement of an organization' s mission, purpose, values, goals, and vision" (Forman & Componova 2004:10) In Wal-mart, the mission and vision statements are defined within five core business principles which include, outstanding customer service, effective and efficient operations, strong capital and liquidity, prudent lending policy and strict expense discipline. However, vision and mission statement are frequently abused by the people trusted to implement it. According to Fama & Jensen (1983) managers of organisations will always act at the expense of the institution because of their personal interest. This is true because bonuses have become a thing of the past (Forman & Componova 2004). Mission and vision statements message must be communicated in precise simple and clear language supported through out the organisation. In today's organisation, this is not often the case due to misalignments; the mission and vision were overstated. Forman & Componova (2004) argued that misuse of this statement is so common and over time hard work is necessary for revival. They caution that, "Unless mission and vision reflect the core values, capabilities, and goals of individual organisations, they cannot shape current and future operations and therefore soon become clichs" (Forman & Componova 2004:7) References Fama, F.E., & Jensen, C.M. (1983). Separation of Ownership and Control. Forman, P.H., & Componovo, J. E. (2004). The business Radiology and the Mission Statement. Journal of American college of Radiology. Volume1, Issue 2, Feb. 2004 Pp.108-112 O'Brien, F., & Meadows, M. (2001). How to develop visions: A literature review, and a revised CHOICES approach for an uncertain world, Journal Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-68659549918972783452019-11-17T17:41:00.001-08:002019-11-17T17:41:04.039-08:00Angry Men Essay Example for Free Angry Men Essay The character in this movie that was the most effective critical thinker was juror 8(Henry Fonda). The types of characteristics that Fonda, exemplify is provisionalism, creativity, and critical thinking. By doing this he is uncover new ways of interpreting evidence, turns to certainty and shortsightedness when arriving at conclusions. For example, Fonda commented on how the boy had been slapped around all his life and was treated poorly. This kind of thinking leads to more external attributionsââ¬âit was the way the boy was treated in life, not something inherent about the boy or his character. Next Fonda asks the jurors to consider the larger picture: the defendants background, the witnesses credibility, and the defending attorneys motives. He then shakes up the room by presenting a knife identical to the murder weapona weapon that the jurors were certain was unique. At this point, he has them wavering about reasonable doubt. Fonda was clearly self-confident. He had complete conviction in what he was doing and saying which instilled confidence in other members of the jury who were leaning in that direction a guilty verdict. The character that is the least effective critical thinker is juror 3 (Lee J. Cobb). Cobb made more internal attributions for the boyââ¬â¢s behavior. He agreed with the slum kid idea, but also focused on the notion that kids today donââ¬â¢t have any respect or sense of morality. He is basing this decision on his own life situation because of his poor relationship with his son. Cobb categorizes the defendant as a rebellious kid and wants to persecute him. Another example is when Henry Fonda insulted Lee Cobb by calling him a sadist and that due to his own beliefs. Cobb got mad and said: ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m gonna kill ya. â⬠Thus, when Cobb said it, it was just the situation that provoked this expression, but when the boy said it, it was an indication of his murderous rage. So this is an example of Cobb is view as bias. The other jurors are shocked that he seems to have forgotten the sure and certain facts of the case that prove the defendants guilt. Now these are facts, you cant refute facts as stated by Cobb. The barriers that prevented three other jurors were racist, baseball fan, advertisement. Ed Begley was racist this become a barrier when thinking ritically because he is so ingrained in the way of his life. He is not simply accepting information at face value in a non-critical or non-evaluating way. He feel that because the boy as a slum kid this is stereotypes which lead to a biased way of interpreting the evidence. He relayed the idea that thereââ¬â¢s something about slum kids who belong to certain ethnic groups that makes them i nherently rotten. These are internal attributions which lead to more of a guilty verdict. Jack Ward barrier was that he wants to conform with the majority in order to quickly end the deliberations so he can attend a ballgame. He was selfish and inconsiderate that another person life was at stack. He also stated the he had enough of all the talking and wasnââ¬â¢t going to say nothing. But when was asked why he could not response why. Webber was continually strays off course with advertising stories and slogans. His job was getting in the way of his decision. Not staying focus on what is going on can lead to the wrong decision. Towards the middle of the movie Sweeny, Marshall, and Voskovec all become critical thinkers. Sweeny initially conformed in the public vote, but switched when it was privateââ¬âsuggesting that he went along with the crowd. But then later he remembers information that the eye witness stated. Sweeny did not accuse either of the eye witnesses of lying but question the information. He said that these people believed they saw the boy commit the crime. In other words, they somehow misremembered what they saw and heard. Thus, they probably witnessed an ambiguous event and filled in the missing information with details that were prescribed by their own stereotypes of slum kids. In addition, the police officers and lawyers who interviewed the witnesses may have planted false memories in them by asking leading questions. In either case, these people probably believed that they saw the boy at the scene of the crimeââ¬âbut this was probably due to the misinformation effect. With Marshall at first he refuses to budge until he is presented with sound reasons for changing his mind. He went by the boys alibi was that he was at the movies when the murder took place. Marshall said that because the boy couldnââ¬â¢t remember the names of the films and who played in them when he was interviewed by the police then he obviously was lying but he remembers that the boy was under conditions of high emotional stress. Thus Marshall failed to consider how the stress of the situation could have affected the boyââ¬âand just made an internal attribution that he is a liar. However, when Marshall was asked to remember the films he saw last weekend, he couldnââ¬â¢t fully remember themââ¬âeven without emotional stress. Marshall also eventually changed his vote based on informational influence. He was convinced that the female eye witness had poor eyesight and therefore couldnââ¬â¢t make a positive identification. This was less of a superficial change. Voskovec became a critical thinker because throughout the trail he took down information that he felt was important. Then when it was time to deliberate him then took down more information that each juror had to say. By this his was gathering important information to base his decision on whether the boy is guilty or not. The four types of logical fallacies that are present in the jurors thinking process are flaws in thinking, illogical sequences of thought, stereotyping, obfuscation, and other typical critical thinking errors displayed in the movie as the characters move through the stages of critical thinking development. Fonda and Cobb revealed an emotional argument: The whole debate in which one character called the other a sadist. A scuffle occurred afterward. Ed Begley revealed unqualified generalization: he was a racist who hated slum-kid such as the defendant. He went on a rant in which he claimed not a one of them are any good. Sweeny showed false analogy: When he mentions how the one of the witnesses in the trial just made a up a story to get attention. The character said that he knew because he would have done the same thing, were he as lonely as the witness. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910651759007398025.post-58118302708984970062019-11-15T06:12:00.001-08:002019-11-15T06:12:14.965-08:00Enantioselective Disposition of MDMA and its MetabolitesEnantioselective Disposition of MDMA and its Metabolites INTRODUCTION Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are a group of drugs, mostly synthetic in origin, that are structurally derived from à ²-phenethylamine (Figure 1). Amphetamine (AMP, Speed) was initially synthesized in Berlin in 1887 as 1-methyl-2-phenethylamine. It was the first of several chemicals, including methamphetamine (MET, Ice) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy), which have similar structures and biological properties, and are referred to collectively as amphetamines (Cody, 2005). Since 1887, amphetamine was thought to be a human invention (Berman et al., 2009), but the compound was found in 1997, along with methamphetamine, nicotine and mescaline, within two species of Texas acacia bushes (Clement, Goff and Forbes, 1998). AMP and MET are most commonly abused drugs. They have asymmetric centre and exists as one of the two possible enantiomers (see Figure 2) (Cody, 2005). In attempt to maintain anorexic activity while limiting undesirable side effects, substitutions have been made to amphetamine and methamphetamine. Others have been made to enhance the stimulatory activity or to avoid legal restrictions on the manufacture and use of the drugs (Cody, 2005). The related groups of amphetamine derivatives are shown in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 5 shows another group of precursor drugs that is metabolized by the body into AMP and MET. Administration and neurotoxicity of amphetamines Amphetamines are generally administered as oral capsules. This route results in a gradual increase in drug concentration, which peaks in around an hour and maintains effective drug levels for 8 ââ¬â 12 hours. Amphetamines can also be injected into the circulation (Parrott et al., 2004). Amphetamines readily cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the sites (Berman et al., 2009) of action in the brain. The acute administration of amphetamines produce a wide range of dose-dependent behavioral changes, including increased arousal or wakefulness, anorexia, hyperactivity, perseverative movements, and, in particular, a state of pleasurable affect, elation, and euphoria, which can lead to the abuse of the drug (Berman, 2009). This causes amphetamines to be associated with acts of violence. Acute drug abusers will develop tolerance, where the same dose of drug has diminishing physiological and psychological effects. They need to increase their dosage if they wish to generate the same stre ngth of effect. Cross-tolerance will also occur as tolerance to one drug affects another drug with similar neurochemical profile. As a result, drug abusers will seek for another class of drug and become polydrug users (Parrott et al., 2004). Chronic drug abusers usually take in amphetamines through injection or smoking ice amphetamines. These abusers suffer many health problems and a reduced life expectancy. They are more susceptible to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), AIDS (acquired immunity deficiency syndrome) and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) (Parrott at al., 2004). Clinical uses In accordance with the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, amphetamines are enlisted as narcotic compounds in the List of psychotropic substances under international control. The list is prepared by the International Narcotics Control Board. These compounds are prohibited to be imported and exported in countries like Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand and etc (International Narcotics Control Board, 2003). Amphetamines and related compounds are clinically used for narcolepsy (sudden day-time onset sleep) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in young children. It was formerly used as a short-term slimming agent, as an antidepressant and to boost athletic performance (Parrott et al., 2004). 3,4-METHYLENEDIOXYMETHAMPHETAMINE (MDMA, ECSTASY) History of MDMA abuse MDMA, also known as ecstasy, ETC, or Adam, is one of the most commonly abused amphetamine derivatives that was re-synthesised by Alexander Shulgin during his research career at the Dow Chemical Company in 1970s. Soon MDMA was being synthesised in illicit laboratories, and became popular as recreational drug since then. As MDMA does not have any clinical/medical use, it is scheduled as Class I illicit drug by the American Drug Enforcement Agency in 1985 (Parrott et al., 2005). Also, MDMA other ring-substituted phenylethylamines were generically classified under the Misuse of Drugs Act as Class A drugs, in United Kingdom (Wikipedia, 2009). Chemical Properties of MDMA The methylenedioxy analogues of amphetamine (see Figure 3) are series of compounds referred to designer drugs. They include methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) and MDMA (Hensley and Cody, 1999). The synthesis of N-alkyl-MDA derivatives only produces (à ±) racemic mixtures. As a results, only racemic forms of (capsules, loose powder or tablets) the compounds are sold in the illicit market and abused (Matsushima, Nagai and Kamiyama, 1998; Fallon et al., 1999). MDMA is chiral, possessing two enantiomers, S-(+)-MDMA and R-(-)-MDMA (see Figure 6), with S-(+)-MDMA is more potent than R-(-)-MDMA (Lyon, Glannon and Titeller, 1986; Shulgin 1986). The basic structure of MDMA is ?-phenylisopropylamine group (see Figure 6), with a methylenedioxy group forming a 5-membered ring including C-3 and C-4 of the benzene ring (Cho and Segal, 1994). The empirical formula of MDMA is C11H15NO2 (Shulgin, 1986). MDMA is a phenylisopopylamine derived from safrole, aromatic oil found in sassafras, nutmeg, and other plants. The methyl group on à ±-carbon (R2) (see Figure 6) of MDMA confers resistance to oxidative deamination of this compound and, therefore, increased its metabolic half-life (Cho and Segal, 1994). According to Cone and his colleague Huestis (2009), S(+) isomer of MDMA is responsible for its psychostimulant and empathic effects and the R(-) isomer for its hallucinogenic properties. Uptake, absorption, metabolism and elimination of MDMA in human body MDMA is usually formulated in tablets of its racemate (1:1 mixture of its enantiomers) in doses ranging from 50 to 200 mg (Pizarro et al., 2004), which is most commonly sold in batches of 3ââ¬â5 for ?10 (Wikipedia, 2009). MDMA powder is also found in the market at a higher price, indicating that it has higher purity. MDMA powder is not usually insufflated (snorted) as it causes sneezing, pain and nosebleeds. MDMA cannot be smoked and is very rarely injected intravenously (AMCD, 2008). MDMA is absorbed into the blood streams and distributed in body. Postmortem analysis by Letter et al. (2002) shows that MDMA is distributed in cardiac muscle, both lungs, liver, both kidneys, spleen, the four brain lobes, cerebellum and brainstem, adipose tissue, serum, vitreous humor, urine, hair and bile upon administration. Rapid distribution of MDMA in body is mainly due to its basic property of pKa around 9.9 and low plasma protein binding, MDMA can diffuse across biological matrices that is more acidic than blood (Pichini, 2005). After an oral administration of MDMA, the plasma concentration peaks in within 1.5 to 2 hours (Cone and Huestis, 2009). MDMA is metabolized by multiple pathways (see Figure 7), primarily involving N-demethylation and O-demethylenation. The enzymes involved in the pathway are a group of cytochrome P450 isoenzymes, including CYP1A2, CYP3A4, and CYP2B6. Firstly, MDMA is O-demethylenated to 3,4-dihydroxymethamphetamine (HHMA) followed by O-methylation to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA). The enzymes involved in the metabolic process are CYP2D6 and catechol-methyltransferase respectively. At a lower rate, MDMA is N-demethylated to 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) (a reaction regulated by CYP2B6), which is further metabolized to the catechol intermediate (3,4-dihydroxyamphetamine) and finally O-methylated to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HMA). In the reactions, the à ±-carbon responsible for stereochemical properties of MDMA is not affected and all the metabolites are chiral compounds that may be presented as a mixture of their enantiomers. In addition to these major compounds, some other minor metabolites derived from the activity of monoamine oxidase on the amine residue are also formed (Kolbrich et al., 2008; Pizarro et al., 2004). N-demethylation of MDMA yields 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), an active metabolite exhibiting similar pharmacological properties as the parent drug. A further O-demethylenation of MDA produces 3,4-dihydroxyamphetamine (HHA) which is mainly regulated by CYP2D6. Additional metabolites are formed by O-methylation of HHMA to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA) and of HHA to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HMA), deamination, and conjugation (Cone and Huestis, 2009). The metabolic pathway mainly happens in the liver. Some people with reduced CYP2D6 shows lower metabolic rate of MDMA and thus are more susceptible to MDMA toxicity (ODonohoe et al., 1998; Schwab et al., 1999). Physiological and psychological effects of MDMA Berman et al. (2009), Hensley and Cody (1999) and Piper (2008) reported an increased alertness and euphoria, increased heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and body temperature upon administration of MDMA. United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (2006) conveys that chronic amphetamines abuse causes agitation, tremors, hypertension, memory loss, hallucinations, psychotic episodes, paranoid delusions, and violent behavior. Withdrawal from high doses of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) could result in severe depression. MDMA impairs the temperature control by hypothalamus. This causes MDMA users to die of hyperthermia (Piper, 2008) and some die from hyponatraemia, i.e. the dilution of blood due to excessive fluids taken to counteract heat exhaustion (Parrott et al., 2004). Neurotoxicity of MDMA Nichols (1986) and Vollenweider et al. (1998) categorize MDMA as entactogens, a special class of drug that produce changes in mood, social interactions or feelings of interpersonal closeness and changes in perception. MDMA shares some of the pharmacological effects of stimulants and serotonergic hallucinogens (Cami et al. 2000; Gouzoulis-Mayfrank et al. 1999; Liechti Gamma and Vollenweider, 2001; Tancer and Johanson 2003). MDMA acts an agonists on various neurotransmitters action especially serotonin. Boost in serotonin turnover induced by MDMA tends to generate feelings of contentment, elation, liveliness and intense emotional closeness to others. This causes people to enjoy themselves without their normal concerns and inhibitions. MDMA is classified as neurotoxin. Studies have found evidence for dopaminergic nerve destruction in higher brain regions. As shown in Table 2, the higher brain function such as memory, information processing and storage, complex stimulus analysis and decision making of MDMA users are impaired. CHIRAL DRUG ANALYSIS Chirality Chirality is formally defined as the geometric property of a rigid object (like a molecule or drug) of not being superimposable with its mirror image (McConathy and Owen, 2003). Achiral molecules can be superimposed on their mirror images. Molecules that are not superimposable with their mirror images are said to be chiral. Each chiral molecule will have at least one chirality centre or stereogenic centre (Leffingwell, 2003). Chirality centre of an organic molecule is usually a carbon atom, bonded to four different groups of atoms. Chiral molecules with one chirality centre exist in two enantiomeric forms (see Figure 8). The two mirror images are termed enantiomers. Both molecules of an enantiomer pair have the same chemical formulae and can be drawn the same way in 2 dimensions but in chiral environments such as the receptors and enzymes in the body, they will behave differently. Enantiomers are identical in all physical properties except for their optical activity, or direction in which they rotate plane-polarized light (McMurry, 2004). Some optically active molecules rotate polarized light to the left (levorotatory) while others to the right (dextrorotatory) (Baker, Prior and Coutts, 2002). A racemate (often called a racemic mixture) is a mixture of 1:1 amount of both enantiomers of (+) and (-) enantiomers and is optically inactive. The optical inactivity results from the rotation caused by one enantiomer canceling out that produced by its complementary enantiomer (Beesley and Scott, 1998). The absolute configuration at a chirality center is designated as R or S to unambiguously describe the 3-dim ensional structure of the molecule. R is from the Latin rectus and means to the right or clockwise, and S is from the Latin sinister for to the left or counterclockwise (McConathy and Owen, 2003; Baker, Prior and Coutts, 2002). Pharmacological aspect of chiral drugs In pharmacology, chirality is an important factor in drug efficacy. About 56% of the drugs currently in use are chiral compounds, and about 88% of these chiral synthetic drugs are used therapeutically as racemates (Leffingwell, 2003). As previously mentioned, MDMA is a chiral drug that exists in two enantiomeric forms as shown in Figure 6. Chemical modification at the positions R1 to R9 (refer to Figure 9) of MDMA results in unlimited number of pharmacologically active compounds, some of which are more potent stimulants than others. Although there are several possibilities for side chain modification, substitution on the aromatic ring contributes the most to substantial qualitative differences in pharmacological effects. Hence, it is important to discriminate between the enantiomers present in the drugs administrated as both the enantiomers of a chiral drug may differ significantly in their bioavailability, rate of metabolism, metabolites, excretion, potency and selectivity for receptors, transporters and/or enzymes, and toxicity (McConathy and Owen, 2003). The difference in interaction between a chiral drug and its chiral binding site is illustrated in Figure 10. The different domain of a drug molecule has different binding affinity towards the active site of biochemical molecules in the body. As shown in Figure 10, it is obvious that the active enantiomer has a 3-dimensional structure that allows drug domain A to interact with binding site domain a, B to interact with b, and C to interact with c. In contrast, the inactive enantiomer cannot be aligned to bind the same 3 sites simultaneously. Due to the difference in 3-dimensional structure, binding of the active enantiomer exerts a biological effect, while the inactive enantiomer does not possess any (McConathy and Owen, 2003). The hypothetical interaction of drug enantiomers is supported by the studies done by Matsushima, Nagai and Kamiyama (1998) and Kolbrich et al. (2008) shows that stereoselective cellular transport of MDMA allows the drug to accumulate at different extent in biological matrices. According to ODonohoe et al. (1998) and Schwab et al. (1999), stereoselectivity also affects genetic differences in the expression of metabolic enzymes that are responsible to metabolize MDMA in the body. For example, CYP2D6 is expressed as 2 phenotypes; one being extensive and another as poor metabolizers. Thus, it is obvious that the stereospecificity of a chiral drug can alter absorption, elimination and cellular transport of the drug itself. Analytical aspect of chiral drugs Approximately 50% of marketed drugs are chiral, and of these approximately 50% are racemix mixtures of enantiomers rather than single enantiomers (McConathy and Owen, 2003). Differences in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic activities of the enantiomers of drugs administered as racemates are increasingly appreciated (Porter, 1991). Thus, quantification and qualification of drugs of abuse play important roles in the prediction of and protection from the risk to human health (Nakashima, 2006). Two main approaches to chiral drug analysis have been taken. In the indirect approach, the drug enantiomers are derivatized with an optically pure chiral reagent to form a pair of diastereomers, which may then have sufficiently different physical properties for separation to occur on conventional chromatographic columns (UNODC, 2006; Porter, 1991). In the direct approach, the enantiomers form transient rather than covalent diastereomeric complexes with a chiral selector present either in the mobile or the stationary chromatographic phase (Porter, 1991). Each of these analytical approaches has advantages and disadvantages prevail, depending upon factors such as time, purity, chemical processing, and inherent side reactions (Carvalho et al., 2006). Indirect chiral drug analysis In order to successfully resolve the enantiomers, a stable, optically pure chiral derivatizing reagent (CDR) has to be available for the covalent formation of diastereomeric derivatives (Porter, 1991). Diastereoisomers of amphetamine-type stimulants can be prepared using different reagents such as acylchlorides, alkylsulphonates, isothiocyanates, chloroformates. Moshers acid [R(+) or S(-)-methoxy(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetic acid], Moshers acid chloride, and N-trifluoroacetyl-1-prolyl chloride (TPC, also known as TFAP-Cl) are the most popularly used chiral derivatizing agents (UNODC, 2006). The reaction scheme may be illustrated as follows: The purity of the chiral derivatizing agent is vital in the process of separation of the racemic mixture. The resolution of a racemic drug by the R-enantiomer of a CDR contaminated with its S-enantiomer causes an additional pair of diastereoisomers to be formed, each of which is the enantiomer of one of the first pair (Porter, 1991), as shown in Figure 12. As a result, the enantiomers R-R, S-S and S-R, R-S would coelute in conventional chromatographic systems due to their similar physical properties. Racemization during the reaction would bring about analytical error especially when attempting to quantitate small quantities of one enantiomer in the presence of a large excess of its antipode (Porter, 1991). Methods using chiral derivatization are essentially less expensive and do not require specialized equipment or columns. The use of normal, achiral columns allows easy integration of chiral separations into routine analysis schemes (UNODC, 2006). Thus, considerable flexibility in chromatographic conditions is available to achieve the desired resolution and to eliminate interferences from metabolites and endogenous substances. Moreover, a reasonably good selection of chemically and optically pure CDRs is available for derivatizing various functional groups (Porter, 1991). Direct chiral analysis Chiral gas chromatography (GC), High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) or Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) are popular methods in direct analysis of illicit drugs (UNODC, 2006). Direct analysis does not require a CDR for covalent diastereomeric complexation. Instead, separation of chiral drugs occurs via the interaction between the enantiomers and a chiral selector. The chiral selector is an optically active compound that may be present in the mobile phase for use with conventional HPLC columns or it may be incorporated into the stationary phase to provide specialized chiral stationary phases (Porter, 1991). Calvalho (2006) lists the most successful chiral packing materials i.e. amylose, Pirkle type stationary phase, cyclodextrin, proteins, and cellulose ester and carbamate derivatives used in GC. Sometimes, derivitization may be carried out with a nonchiral reagent, in order for appropriate molecular interactions with the chiral discriminator to occur and/or to impart requisite spectral or fluorescent properties to the molecule (Porter, 1991). HPLC with fluorescence detection method is done by Al-Dirbashi et al. (1999) in attempt for the determination of methamphetamine in human hair. Nakashima (2006) claimed that the use of a chiral stationary phase in GC to separate pairs of enantiomers after suitable derivatization with an achiral reagent is able to achieve a powerful separation. Recently CE has become a highly competitive tool for chiral analysis of many compounds since it allows for the highly efficient separation of enantiomers without derivatization and specialty columns (capillaries) (Porter, 1991; Ramseier, Caslavska and Thormann, 1999). For the separation of amphetamine-type stimulant using CE, chiral additives such as hydroxyl-propyl beta-cyclodextrin are added in the running buffer. This eliminates the need of derivatization in analysis of chiral drugs commonly used (Iio et al., 2005; Ramseier, Caslavska and Thormann, 1999). Separation of chiral drugs using gas chromatography UNODC (2006), Pirnay, Abraham and Huestis (2006) and Rouen, Dolan and Kimber (2001) agree that gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is the most common instrumental technique for analysis of amphetamines and derivatives. However, GC/MS still has its limitations. Chiral gas chromatography is selected as the separation technique if the materials are volatile and stable at elevated temperatures. In addition, if the solutes can be derivatized to form a sufficiently volatile product without racemizing the enantiomers, or changing their racemic proportion, then GC may be the choice. GC offers much higher efficiencies, much higher peak capacities and significantly higher sensitivities than LC. It follows, that GC can easily contend with multicomponent mixtures, especially mixtures from biological samples. In addition, the columns have short equilibrium times, trace impurities are easily assayed, and the analyses are shorter providing much faster sample throughput (Beesley and Scott, 1998). Prior to analysis by GC, compounds containing functional groups with active hydrogens such as COOH, OH, NH, and SH have to be derivatized. This is because these compounds tend to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds, hence reducing volatility of the compounds in the machine. They are also thermally unstable and can interact with either fused silica or the stationary phase, causing peak broadening (Danielson, Gallgher and Bao, 2000). Most underivatized amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) have fragment ions of low m/z ratio, low intensity, and only one fragment ion of higher abundance (base peak). Derivatized ATS usually produces fragment ions of higher m/z ratio and higher abundance. Molecular ions with greater molecular mass have greater diagnostic value, due to the reason that they are not affected by interfering background ions such as column bleed or other contaminants (UNODC, 2006). Capillary electrophoresis as a complementary method in the analysis of MDMA According to Meng et al. (2006), capillary electrophoresis (CE) can be used to complement GC and HPLC methods of amphetamines analysis due to their high efficiency, accuracy, very high resolution, and tolerance to biological matrices. Capillary electrophoresis utilizes the electrical nature of charged molecules and enables the separation of molecules based on charged in an applied electrical field (Landers, 1995). MDMA is an organic compound and so its enantiomers are not charged. Hence, for the separation of enantiomers of MDMA, micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is utilized (Beesley and Scott, 1998). This is a modified electrophoresis system in which the chiral selector is added to the electrolyte as additives, or be immobilized on the capillary tube surface as a traditional type of stationary phase (Beesley and Scott, 1998). The applied voltage causes the analytes to migrate through the capillary and being separated (Landers, 1995). Figure 13 shows the instrument used for micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). As seen in the figure, during sample separation, the individual analytes are driven in the appropriate direction by their inherent electrophoretic mobility (neutral species are static, anionic species move towards the anode, and cationic species move towards the cathode) with a magnitude represented by the arrows. Concurrently, the EOF of buffer towards the cathode, with a magnitude greater than the individual electrophoretic mobilitles, results in electrophoretic zone formation as all analytes (neutral, positive, and negative) are swept past the detector (Landers, 1995). The detector produces an electropherogram that is almost the same as the one obtained from the gas chromatography (see Figure 14). The chiral selector used in micellar electrokinetic chromatography is usually beta cyclodextrin. Cyclodextrin is an oligosaccharide with an external hydrophilic surface and a hydrophobic cavity, in which they can include other compounds by hydrophobic interaction (Tagliaro, Turrina and Smith, 1996). This allow for the separation of molecules with different sizes, charges and polarity. The aim of this literature review is to investigate the effectiveness of GC/MS and CE in the analysis of MDMA enantiomers. Not only that, the enantioselective disposition of MDMA in hair and urine is also reviewed. The use of hair and urine as a medium for drug detection is also explored. CASE STUDY Urine analysis Urine is the most widely used biological specimen for the analysis of illicit drugs (Nakashima, 2006; Rouen, Dolan and Kimber, 2001). According to Ramseier, Caslavska and Thormann (1999), urinary screening of drugs of abuse is usually performed with immunoassay, whereas GC/MS is the standard approach employed for confirmation of the presence and absence of a specific drug or metabolite. The goal of urine drug testing may be stated as the reliable demonstration of the presence, or absence, of specified drugs or metabolites in the specimen (Chiang and Hawks, 1986). Despite a number of persistent shortcomings, such as its susceptibility to tampering, urinalysis is a well-researched technology in which most of the problems have been identified and addressed, if not resolved. It offers an intermediate window of detection making test scheduling an important issue in many situations (Rouen, Dolan and Kimber, 2001). The Physiology of Urine Production Blood is drained through the kidney in the rate of 1.5 litres per minute. Ultrafiltration of blood that occurs at the kidney leads to the production of urine continuously. During urine production the kidneys reabsorb essential substances. Excess water and waste products, such as urea, organic substances and inorganic substances, are eliminated from the body. The daily amount and composition of urine varies widely depending upon many factors such as fluid intake, diet, health, drug effects and environmental conditions. The volume of urine produced by a healthy adult ranges from 1-2 litres in a 24 hour period but normal values outside these limits are frequently reported (Rouen, Dolan and Kimber, 2001; Pichini, 2005). Incorporation of Drugs into Urine The possible ways of drug disposition in the human body is shown in Figure 15. When a drug is smoked or injected, absorption is nearly instant and excretion in urine begins almost immediately. According to Pichini (2005), 80% of the drug is metabolized by the liver, leaving 20% of the drug to be excreted unaltered. However, absorption is slower when a drug is orally administered and excretion may be delayed for several hours. Generally, a urine specimen will contain the highest concentration of parent drug and metabolite within 6 hours of administration. As for MDMA, the peak concentration is reached after 2 hours of administration (Cone and Huestis, 2009). As drug elimination usually occurs at an exponential rate, for most illicit drugs a dose will be eliminated almost completely within 48 hours. A number of factors influence the detection times of drugs in urine including the quantity of drug administered, parent drug and its metabolite half-life, cut-off level used, and a number of physiological factors. Fallon et al. (1999) reported that the plasma half-life in humans of (R)-MDMA (5.8 à ± 2.2 h) was significantly longer than that of (S)-MDMA (3.6 à ± 0.9 h). It is also noted that for many of drugs, frequent, multiple dosing over extended periods of time can cause the drug to accumulate in the body resulting in significantly extended detection times, and leads to the possibility of hair analysis which will be discussed in the later part. The detection times in urine are significantly greater than the detection times in blood because most drugs are rapidly eliminated from blood both by the bodys metabolic system and by excretion into urine (DuPont and Baumgartner, 1995). As the bladder is emptied only a few times during the day, the urine becomes a reservoir of drugs and metabolites (AIC Research and Public Policy, 2003). According to DuPont and Baumgartner (1995), most abused drugs, including their metabolites, fall to low levels in the blood within a few hours of last drug use and so urine samples generally have a short surveillance window (SW) of about l-3 days (see Table 3). AIC Research (2003) also reported that longer detection time of drugs is due to high doses and high urine pH. Despite of its small detection time, urine testing is still a reliable and convenient way of investigating whether a person has abused drugs in the past few days. The comparison between commonly used specimens for drug analysis is shown in Table 3. Case Study One: Stereochemical Analysis Of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine And Its Main Metabolites In Human Samples Including The Catechol-Type Metabolite (3,4-Dihydroxymethamphetamine) Objectives This case study aims to determine the enantioselective disposition of MDMA and its major metabolites, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-dihydroxymethamphetamine (HHMA) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA) in human urine. The R versus S enantiomer of MDMA and its metabolites in urine samples after administration of known amount of MDMA is also calculated. Other than that, the use of indirect method in determining concentration of MDMA and its metabolites by chemical derivatization is also illustrated. Results and Discussion Urine samples were obtained from seven healthy recreational users of MDMA. They were given a single 100-mg oral dose of (R,S)-MDMAà ·HCl (Pizarro et al., 2004). Participants were phenotyped with dextromethorphan for CYP2D6 enzyme activity and all were categorized as extensive metabolizers (Schmid et al., 1985). Urine samples were collected before and after drug administration at 0 to 2, 2 to 6, 6 to 12, 12 to 24, 24 to 48 and 48 to 72 hour time periods, acidified with HCl, and stored at around 20à °C until analysis (Pizarro et al., 2004). The samples and standard solutions were analyzed by GC/MS using achiral column with 5% phenyl 95% dimethylpolysiloxane cross link (15 m Ãâ" 0.25 mm Ãâ" 0.25 à µm film thickness) before and after a chiral derivatization. MDMA in the urine sample was derivatized using (R)-(-)-à ±-methoxy-à ±-trifluoromethylphenylacetyl chloride (Figure 16) in ethyl acetate/hexane (50:50) that contained 0.015% triethylamine as described by Pizarro et al. (2003). Derivatization step functions to induce volatility to the sample for GC analysis (Beesley and Scott, 1998). A baseline enantiomeric separation was obtained for all the studied compounds in a single run. Chiral analysis of plasma and urine samples was carried out by combining the extraction procedure developed for the high performance liquid chromatography analysis method for HHMA quantification (Segura et al., 2002) and derivatization steps developed for GC/MS determination of enantiomers of MDMA, MDA, HMMA, and HMA (Pizarro et al., 2003). Extraction and derivatization coupling was not achieved easily because chemical properties of extracted samples make it impossible for the target compounds to be derivatized. The presence of considerable amounts of HCl in t he elution mixture was responsible for the formation of the corresponding amine chlorhydrate salts making amine reaction unfeasible. An attempt using evaporation of extracts to eliminate HCl be Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17216216715476674636noreply@blogger.com0