To what extent was China a Buddhist country from the third to the Essay

To what extent was China a Buddhist country from the third to the sixth centuries (200-600) - Essay Example However, it is interesting to note that Buddhism has been able to gain acceptance in China despite the age-old philosophies of Confucianism and Daoism. This paper discusses the influence of Buddhism in Chinese society during the third and fifth centuries and argues that Buddhism became a definite characteristic of Chinese society during the third and fifth centuries. The Introduction of Buddhism in China Buddhism entered China at a time when China was experiencing a new period of prosperity and wealth. During the early decades of the third century, the Han Empire was consolidating its grip over the Chinese mainland. Wright (p. 9) explains that during this period, the Han elite had established its rule over the north and south of China. A new social order was being created. An intellectual process was taking place where thinkers were building a rational structure of the political and social changes taking place during Han rule. Confucian principles and values were blended with experie nces from reality to create a code of life. However, the gradual decline of the Han Empire resulted in a loss o favour with Han Confucianism as well as Daoism. In such an environment, Buddhism found a receptive audience among monks searching for a simpler and unadulterated code of life. Buddhist Influence in China’s Intellectual and Spiritual Life Buddhism gradually accommodated itself into the intellectual and spiritual life of the Chinese elite during the fourth century (Zurcher, p. 3). Zurcher (p. 3) further explains that because of the linguistic barrier between the original Buddhist texts in Sanskrit and the Chinese language, Buddhism in China assumed a distinct form compared to Buddhism in India. He also states that Buddhism was initially the interest of monks in the southern parts of the country and also among the well-to-do common population. Zurcher’s (p. 3) argument also reveals that Buddhism was eventually assimilated into the Chinese intellectual sphere ins tead of replacing Confucianism or Daoism. This, however, does not mean that the interest in Buddhism was restricted to the south of China. While Buddhism was finding a receptive audience in Jin-ruled southern China, Buddhist thoughts were also making an influence among the non-Chinese rulers of northern China (p. 4). However, it is interesting to note that the Chinese tendency to assimilate rather than supplant philosophies with earlier ones was prevalent in the north as well as the south, although Buddhist thought took different forms in both regions. In fact, because of the external threats to China from the north and the northwest, the development of Buddhist though in the north was more dynamic than the evolution of Gentry Buddhism in southern China (Zurcher, p. 3). This form of Buddhism was developed by Chinese monks and was accepted by the gentry or nobility in southern China as a means to high culture. The evolution of Buddhism in the north after the collapse of the Han dynas ty assumed a distinct direction but remained in favour of its widespread acceptance. The most significant development in this process was the introduction of the idea of the emperor as the incarnation of the Buddha (Reat, p. 141). The non-Chinese rulers of the northern part of the country adopted Buddhism as a means of legitimizing their rule. The old order based on Confucianism was no longer valid and there was need for a new belief system to give

Evaluate the social, cultural and political context of the Beatle's Essay

Evaluate the social, cultural and political context of the Beatle's WHITE ALBUM - Essay Example The hairstyle they wore in the first part of their musical career is normally known as the ‘beatle-hairstyle’ (Hecl 2006, p. 5). They also wore round-rimmed glasses, which are referred to as ‘lenonky’ in Czech Republic. It is the type of glasses, which their famous leader, John Lennon, used to wear through the last part of the group’s career and also afterwards. Allusions to their lives and songs are normally replicated in films and TV series and most likely, a number of individuals, who have learned English, have misspelled the phrase ‘beetle’ with an ‘a’ (Hecl 2006, p. 5). The Beatles are considered to have transcended pop music, which became an element of cultural history of the world then and today. In this thesis, I will dwell upon this legendary group as not just a musical, but a cultural phenomenon, as well. The paper will evaluate the social, cultural and political context of the Beatles White Album. In order to make the reader understand the full influence of this album, this paper will also explain their rise to fame against the background of their era and to confirm that their music had an extensive effect on culture generally both in and outside England. The legacy of the 60s has been undeniably very significant for the growth of culture and society in what is usually referred to as ‘civilised nations,’ and the transformations society went through make the 60s one of the most essential parts of the 20th century, as well as a milestone people have to pass by when they endeavour to study the years that came after (Hecl 2006, p. 6). The 60s were in lots of respects ground-breaking. The changes influenced not only the civilised nations (particularly Europe and the United States) but less developed countries in South America and Africa, as well (Keith 2009, p. 15). This paper, however, will dwell on the former. Thus, it is clear that the late 50s and 60s led to significant

Violence in Mass Media

Violence in Mass Media The debates about the violence in mass media are being held for few decades, but there is still no definite answer. The main question is the influence of violence on people through the mass media: television, cinema, video games and even literature is just full of violent elements. The problem of media violence is not going away, focusing on the culture of violence, whether this is a normal part of our life, or its what causes more aggression in our society. During the day people spend a lot of time in the internet, near the TV screens, playing video games, so the result of this on people is evident mass media really has a great influence on us. Every day on TV we see images of violence: death, injury, pain, sufferings, misery, wars and conflicts it is just impossible to name everything. Daily news shows us wars and conflicts from all over the world. Films, both for adults and children, also are full of violence : fighting, murders, abuse and so on. Even books and magazines doesnt stay apart, the same situation is with the internet. That is why so many people, like scientists and just ordinary people who are not indifferent, raise the question: if media violence affect people behavior and can cause the increase of violence in real-life? There are 2 points of view: some people blame media for too much violence and want to censor violent content to protect people, and especially children from its influence. Another people think that mass media just reflects the real life as it is, and that doesnt cause violence in society. Another important aspect of this problem is the influence of violence in media on children, as children are very sensitive and very susceptible to this violence. Now, when children have an unlimited access to various forms of media, there is a great concern for how they perceive and think about the violence they see, read or hear. Some experts, like professor L. Rowell Huesmann from the University of Michigan, argue that exposure to media violence causes children to behave more aggressively and affects them as adults years later. Others, like Jonathan Freedman from the University of Toronto says that the scientific evidence simply does not show that watching violence either produces violence in people, or desensitizes them to it. (L. R. Huesmann, Laramie D Taylor) During the last 50 years there were a lot of special researches concerning the influence of media on children. They show that American children between 6 and 18 years of age spend from 2 to 6 hours each day using different kinds of media: television, video, movies, video games, radio, music, computer and the Internet. (James Steyer) This is more time than they spend on any other activity, so most of the information they perceive during the day is from mass media. A large proportion of this media acts of violence in different forms. It has been estimated that by age 18, the average young person will have viewed 200 000 acts of violence on television alone. (L. R. Huesmann, Laramie D Taylor) Prolonged access to such media shows results in increased acceptance of violence as an appropriate means of solving problems and achieving ones goals, and that television, movies, and music videos normalize using weapons and show them as a source of personal power. (J. L.Freedman). Research has associated violence in media with a variety of physical and mental health problems with children and adults: aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, fear, depression, nightmares and sleep disturbances. More than 3500 research studies have examined the connection between media violence and violent behavior, and practically 80% of them showed a real connection. (L. R. Huesmann, Laramie D Taylor) So should children be exposed to the media because of violence? And how can we protect children from violence showed in the media? Should the violence in media be censored or left free? THE PROS A lot of journalists speak about the protection of the right to free speech. Joanne Cantor argues: Censorship is not the answer, but the right to free speech is aggressively used to protect commercial interests at the same time that the free speech rights of child advocates are stifled. (Joanne Cantor, 2002) The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression lists a number of reasons to protect media violence as a form of free expression: censorship isnt likely to solve the problems of violence in society decision about what is acceptable or not is always a subjective opinion each person can choose what to see or to hear, can choose the appropriate for him variant of media information a lot of books and films with elements of violence existed in the past and now are considered to be a good classics. A lot of free expression defenders say that that mass media is only one of a number of variables that effect people behavior. Psychologist Melanie Moore says: Fear, greed, power-hunger, rage: these are aspects that we try not to experience in our lives but often want, even need, to experience vicariously through stories of others. Children need violent entertainment in order to explore the inescapable feelings that theyve been taught to deny, and to reintegrate those feelings into a more whole, more complex, more resilient selfhood. (J. Steyer) Another people say that violence in media is only a method of artistic expression and a mean of showing the life as it is. Researchers R. Hodge and D. Tripp, for example, argue that: Media violence is qualitatively different from real violence: it is a natural signifier of conflict and difference, and without representations of conflict, art of the past and present would be seriously impoverished. (D. Grossman, G. Degaetano) THE CONTRAS But still most people agree that today we have too much violence in the mass media. It cant help influencing us anyway, because at list it makes us understand that the life is not so good as we want and that the world around us is just so cruel. Violence in media makes people feel disappointed and not optimistic. Television, movies, and video games are full of acts of violence , deaths, crimes. When a child sees a violent act, he thinks it a game and may try to react it in real life. According to recent research at the University of Wake Forest, which results are presented at the conference Academy of Pediatrics, the frequency of viewing violence on television is directly related to the number of fights and other forms of destructive behavior. The results of this study are consistent with previous numerous studies of Dr. Durante, who found a significant correlation between the violence depicted and the real violence among children and adolescents. Even if some people dont believe in the results of research, in my opinion even the risk of that violence in media and real life aggression are connected is enough to convince public and government to take necessary actions, as this question is a public issue. And so the state and public organizations intervention is of great importance as concerns the censorship. Anyway media constructs reality, and influences our views on race, gender, politics, and body image, in not good way of course. Conclusion In my view, today, it seems appropriate to conduct new studies that demonstrate the influence of violence on human psyche, especially on children and adolescents, taking into account the impacts of all the kinds of media. These findings should be communicated to the public in order to protect the younger generation of excessive and unjustified demonstrations of cruelty. In this regard, so relevant is the question raised by Plato in the IV century BC: How can we so easily assume that children are listened to and perceived the soul of what horrible myths invented by just anyone and for the most part contrary to the truths that are we believe should be with them when they grow up? .

The Problem With Teaching Creationism in the Science Classroom Essay

The creation stories in Genesis, though they tackle similar themes, have different points of view and focuses as to the fundamentals of the creation process. The first story centers on the process by which God creates the universe as a whole. In essence, He imposes order upon chaos: â€Å"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep† (Genesis 1:2, King James Version). From this raw state, He delineates different aspects of the cosmos from the night and day all the way down to man and woman. The second, on the other hand, fixates on the particulars of creating a world for humans to inhabit. Unlike the first story, man is created early in God's process after which vegetation and animals are formed, the former of which for man to take care of and the latter as an aid to man. Later, the narrative turns to philosophical matters, such as introducing the concept of good and evil, in addition to explaining such things as work and pain du ring childbirth. Such ideas are not present in the first story, which, as mentioned, takes less of an interest in the specific impact of mankind's presence in the world and more of one at the cosmic level. These stories find their roots in the cultures that surrounded the Hebrews at the time of their writing. They share motifs with other creation stories of the Near East. The flood account in The Epic of Gilgamesh, when compared with the flood narrative in Genesis, is often cited as an example of such a similarity between Genesis and other Near Eastern texts. However, the creation stories of the first two chapters of Genesis find links with other Near Eastern creation myths. The Enuma elish is a Near Eastern creation myth that contains a god who creates the... ...the Board's ID Policy violates the Establishment Clause† and that â€Å"ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents† (Kitzmiller v. Dover). Leaving aside all personal opinions about religion and issues of biblical scholarship, creationism in the science classrooms of public schools is just not legal. Whether it is right or not, it has no place there; the Constitution guarantees that. It is not a scientific theory; it is a religious belief whether it pretends to be otherwise or not. It has a place in the social sciences if any place at all, not the natural sciences. Works Cited "Kitzmiller v. Dover: Intelligent Design on Trial". National Center for Science Education. October 17, 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2015. Gabel, John B. and Charles B. Wheeler. The Bible as Literature: An Introduction. New York: Oxford U P, 1986.

Branch and Palm Trees Essay

It was raining, I didn’t like rain. In fact, I didn’t like any kind of weather. That was why I only left my house when I had to. I was just heading to my bed so I could relax and finish the book that I was currently reading, it was about†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦wait, I forgot the name†¦..it was something about a girl who volunteered for her little sister to fight to the death†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.wait! It was called The Hunger Games! Then It was all a blackout and I was sound asleep. I woke up to the sound of crashing waves and the taste of salt and sand grains in my mouth. I opened my eyes, and at first I thought I was dreaming. Somehow, after a while, I could tell it wasn’t a dream. It was real. All I could see was blue salt water crashing on the sand shore in front of me. I stood up and touched the water, it felt fairly warm so I could tell I was somewhere besides California (where I lived at the time). I look over the horizon to see only blue skies. This worries me. I am still in my pajamas that are yellow with green palm trees. I turn around and see a fairly sized island with mostly all palm trees packed together into groups. I start walking to the palm trees, my feelings to what has just happened were kind of jumbled and I was confused. I’m halfway to the closest palm tree when I hear the bushes on my left side rustling. It could be my imagination or it could be the ocean breeze. I didn’t know which. To my surprise, it was neither. I push aside the bush only to see a huge lizard lumber out. I shook that off and continued walking towards the palm trees again. I reach the edge and start walking in. The farther I went in the darker it would get because of the dense vegetation. I had nothing else to do, so I continued walking farther and farther in. I tried carving lines into every tree trunk I passed so I could possibly find my way back. Eventually I gave up on that (It was to much work). The sun was going down and now all I was thinking about was where I was going to sleep. I came up with the idea to make a cushion of some kind and then put it up in a stable tree branch. I took the most comfortable looking leaves, stacked them on top of each other and hoped for the best. I woke up in the morning dazed and I could feel the sun rays beaming across the side of my face and my shoulders. The sun is out, but it’s still freezing. I started looking around for food because my stomach was growling, and to my surprise there was a pile of mangos piled neatly at the foot of a tree trunk. At the moment, I wasn’t thinking about how they got there like that, I was thinking about how delicious they looked. I reach over, grab the best looking one I can find, and shove almost half of it in my mouth and I dropped the second half. There was a haggard looking man walking toward me with a knife pointed toward me. At first he was yelling at me saying things, like it took him 3 days to get the mangos. Then he was questioning me, asking, How did you get here? Where are you from? and what do you want? I told him that I didn’t know how I got here, I was from California, and all I wanted was to go home. He told me that if I was hungry he could provide me with some, but very little food. I thought it was better than nothing so I followed him. He stopped in front of a fairly sized hut made out of palm tree branches and bamboo sticks. It sure did look a lot better then the leaf ‘†bed† I made. He pushes aside the seaweed curtain and proceeded to lead me in. There is no kind of furniture, but I am not surprised. I sit down around the fire he had going. He walks back to the fire with a dead, skinned monkey on a stick. Doesn’t look very appetizing but it’s better than nothing. He holds over the fire and slowly turns it until it is done cooking. He rips off a leg and hands it to me. I reach for it reluctantly. Right away he bites down into the monkey. He must have been very hungry, but so am I. I bite down into the thigh and it tastes a lot better than I thought it would. I am alarmed by the sounds of a helicopter. I rush out to see that helicopter landing on the open beach. Once it had landed I ran toward the window and started banging on it. All I wanted to do was return home. After a while of speaking to the men from the helicopter they told me they actually weren’t looking for me but for the haggard man I was with. He had been on that Island for 4 years! Then they tell me that they will only have room for him. They say that they will have to come back for me later. But how much later? Great.

Racism and imperialism Essay

Our new global â€Å"frontiers† or â€Å"contact zones† come into view more noticeably in the Black Atlantic that links African Americans with West Africans in W. E. B. Du Bois’s and Zora Neale Hurston’s twentieth-century narratives and thus far still proposes the boundaries separating Euro-American from African-American cultural traditions in the United States. W. E. B. DuBois’s The Souls of Black Folk All through his long career and its many different phases, W. E. B. Du Bois continually criticized the United States for following imperialist aims both at home and abroad. He as well is one of the few modern American thinkers to recognize U. S. imperialism to be different from earlier forms of Eurocolonialism and to antedate significantly the Spanish-American War. For Du Bois, U. S. imperialism initiates in slavery and depends on racism to legitimate colonial practices of territorial conquest, economic power, and psychological defeat. Du Bois understands U. S. slavery to be particularly modern, to the extent that it is footed on particular racial distinctions he argues were unknown in earlier forms of serfdom and enslavement. He may well agree regarding the persistence of human unkindness throughout history, however he sees it deployed in a different way in the modern period. In the modern work of colonial domination and its methodical, therefore imperial, application to peoples defined thereby as â€Å"other,† Du Bois judges the United States to have taken the lead. Du Bois’s theory of racial imperialism is intensely contemporary on the economic roots of all imperialisms. However Du Bois comes the closest of the American intellectuals critical of U. S. imperialism before World War II to understanding U. S. imperialism as a neoimperialism of the postmodern sort we at present relate with the political control of spheres of influence, the corporate manipulation of foreign cultures to create new markets, as well as the exportation of American lifestyles by way of such cultural products as literature and film. For the reason that Du Bois understood race and class to be the critically related fictions by which modern nations justified the unfair distribution of wealth and consequently power, he viewed with special lucidity the extent to which cultural work was indispensable to colonial hierarchies both at home and abroad. For this very reason, Du Bois as well understood the power of culture to combat imperialism by challenging such hierarchies and building influential coalitions of the oppressed to resist domination. As Du Bois grew older and angrier regarding the unrecognized involvement of the United States in colonial ventures around the world, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and at home, he authorized an increasingly rigid economic thesis that is both rudely Marxist and inquisitively blind to the enthusiastic imperialism of the Stalinism he espoused. This turn in Du Bois’s career has often distracted scholars from the delicacy of his earlier discussions of the United States as an imperial power and its novel use of culture to disguise and naturalize its practices of domination. Given the propensity of even America’s most energetic modern critics to localize its imperialism in such specific foreign ventures as the Spanish-American War and the general myopia of Americans until quite lately in regard to the imbrication of U. S. racism and imperialism, Du Bois is a precursor of contemporary cultural and postcolonial criticisms of the role culture has played in disguising the imperialist practices of the United States. Wrong as Du Bois was about Stalinism and in his predictions of the predictable victory of socialism in the twentieth century, his persistence on connecting cultural analyses to their economic consequences as well ought to be heard by contemporary cultural critics. Particularly in his writings before the mid-1930s, Du Bois as well experimented with a combination of literary, historical, sociological, and political discourses that might work together as a â€Å"counter-discourse† to the fantastic narrative of U. S. ideology. The multigeneric qualities of The Souls of Black Folk is methodically modern in its respective challenges to conventional modes of representation, this works as well involve an implicit critique of the privileged and intentionally inaccessible oratory. Determined to challenge hierarchies of race, class, and gender, Du Bois understood how powerfully social authority depended on forms of cultural capital traditionally unavailable to African Americans. Du Bois understood from his earliest works that African-American intellectuals and artists would have to offer alternative cultural resources to challenge such subjective however entrenched powers Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston’s criticism of racial and gender hierarchies in the United States and in our foreign policies toward other nations, particularly in the Caribbean, presents another variation on the cultural response to U. S. imperialism. Unlike W. E. B. Du Bois, Hurston does not constantly and rigidly condemn U. S. intervention in the economic, political, and social spheres of other nations, although she obviously connects domestic racism and sexism with neoimperialist foreign policies, particularly those directed at Third World countries. As well Hurston does not romanticize modern or historical Africa, although she argues constantly for the recognition of how African cultural influences have contributed considerably to the artistic, intellectual, as well as social achievements of African-Americans. In a similar manner, Hurston refuses to romanticize colonized peoples as solely victimized by their conquerors; she goes to substantial lengths to illustrate how the process of decolonization, in Haiti, for instance, has too often brought tyrants to power who have rationalized their injustices on grounds of national sovereignty plus strident anti-colonialism. Hurston condemns all the tyrannies she witnesses, and she therefore estranges herself from U. S. nationalists of various sorts, African nationalists, and Communist critics of U. S. imperialism. At the same time, Hurston often appears to universalize the thesis that â€Å"power corrupts. † in a way that trivializes concrete solutions to the problems she identifies in the United States and the Caribbean. Thus far behind Hurston’s contempt for arbitrary power, whether wielded by white or black tyrants, and her disrespect for those who render righteous their own victimization, there is Hurston’s strong commitment to democratic rule and her conviction that solidarity among different victimized peoples will both authorize them and effect appropriate social reforms. These reforms include for Hurston an end to racial and gender hierarchies and the extension of economic opportunities to underprivileged groups, both within the United States and internationally. The utopian model for such social reforms is a truly democratic society in the United States, in spite of Hurston’s consistent criticism of social inequalities in the United States footed on race and gender. On the one hand, Hurston alleged that Euro-American culture, society, and psychology had much to learn from African-American forms of knowledge and experience; in her utopian moments, she imagines white America transformed and redeemed by such knowledge. On the other hand, she implicit the prevalence of a white ideology that treated much of African-American knowledge as â€Å"backward,† â€Å"superstitious,† and â€Å"primitive,† while whites turned these very characteristics into aspects of an exoticized and fashionable â€Å"negritude. † What some critics have referred to as Hurston’s â€Å"coding† of her narratives must be understood as her primary mode of narration, whose intention is to transform attitudes and feelings, together with preconceived ideas, rather than only â€Å"hiding† her intentions to protect her benefaction. Learning to read the â€Å"double consciousness† of Hurston’s coded narratives is itself a way of transgressing the boundary separating African American from white American, even as it respects the social and historical differences of the racism that has yet to be overcome. â€Å"Mules and Men† is frequently treated together for generic reasons, for the reason that it is major instance of Hurston’s work as folklorist and anthropologist. This book is as well interpreted by some critics as using literary techniques that foresee Hurston’s major fiction. It is the premeditated forgetting of this history of tangled fates and therefore of cultural realities that Hurston condemns in the official histories of the United States and that we ought to class as an imperative aspect of U. S. cultural imperialism. Hurston did not reject firmly the idea of the United States as â€Å"global policeman† or the prospect of U. S. foreign policies, particularly in the Caribbean, contributing to democratic ends. In this regard, she was by no means unusual among majority and minority U. S. intellectuals in the 1930s and 1940s. Hurston understood the ongoing racism and sexism in the United States as forms of colonial domination, which needed strategies of resistance that at times, complement more open anti-colonial and post-colonial struggles around the world. Never did she puzzle the realism of social stratifications by race, class, and gender with her ideals for democratic social, legal, as well as human practices. Furthermore it is the conflict between Hurston’s strategies for enlightening and resisting such oppression at home and abroad and her ideals for the spread of democratic institutions, particularly as they are represented by the promise of U. S. democracy that often contributes to the opposing quality of her political judgments or the impression of her apolitical stance. Hurston’s politics are frequently bound up with her own personality as a progressive, â€Å"new Negro,† exemplifying urban sophistication and specialized education, who sought to connect the rural and Afro-Caribbean heritage of African Americans with their modern future. References: W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (Greenwich, Conn. , 1961), 42-43. Zora Neale Hurston, Mules and Men (NewYork: Harper-Collins, 1990), p. 294

Definition of Heterogeneous Mixture With Examples

Definition of Heterogeneous Mixture With Examples A heterogeneous mixture is a mixture having a non-uniform composition. The composition varies from one region to another, with at least two phases that remain separate from each other, with clearly identifiable properties. If you examine a sample of a heterogeneous mixture, you can see the separate components. In physical chemistry and materials science, the definition of a heterogeneous mixture is somewhat different. Here, a homogeneous mixture is one in which all components are in a single phase, while a heterogeneous mixture contains components in different phases. Examples of Heterogeneous Mixtures Concrete is a heterogeneous mixture of an aggregate, cement,  and water.Sugar and sand form a heterogeneous mixture. If you look closely, you can identify tiny sugar crystals and particles of sand.Ice cubes in cola form a heterogeneous mixture. The ice and the soda are two distinct phases of matter (solid and liquid).  Salt and pepper form a heterogeneous mixture.Chocolate chip cookies are a heterogeneous mixture. If you take a bite from a cookie, you may not get the same number of chips as you get in another bite.Soda is considered a heterogeneous mixture. It contains water, sugar, and carbon dioxide, which forms bubbles. While the sugar, water, and flavorings may form a chemical solution, the carbon dioxide bubbles are not uniformly distributed throughout the liquid. Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous Mixtures In a homogeneous mixture, the components are present in the same proportion, no matter where you take a sample. In contrast, samples taken from different parts of a heterogeneous mixture may contain different proportions of components. For example, if you take a handful of candy from a bag of green MMs, every candy you pick will be green. If you take another handful, once again all the candies will be green. That bag contains a homogeneous mixture. If you take a handful of candy from a regular bag of MMs, the proportion of colors you take might be different from what you get if you take a second handful. This is a heterogeneous mixture. However, most of the time, whether a mixture is heterogeneous or homogeneous depends on the scale of the sample. Using the candy example, while you may get a different sample of candy colors comparing handfuls from a single bag, the mixture may be homogeneous if you compare all the colors of candies from one bag to all the candies from another bag. If you compare the ratio of colors from 50 bags of candy to another 50 bags of candy, chances are good there will be no statistical difference between the ratio of colors. In chemistry, it is the same. On the macroscopic scale, a mixture may appear homogeneous, yet become heterogeneous as you compare the composition of smaller and smaller samples. Homogenization A heterogeneous mixture can be made into a homogeneous mixture via a process called homogenization. An example of homogenization is homogenized milk, which has been processed so that the milk components are stable and dont separate. In contrast, natural milk, while it might appear homogeneous when shaken, isnt stable and readily separates into different layers.

Free Essays on Personality Disorder

People with schizotypal personality disorder are often described as odd or eccentric. About 3% of the population has schizotypal personality disorder and it may be more common in men. Like all personality disorders, it is typically developed by early adulthood. Individuals with this disorder may be at risk of developing anxiety, depression, and other distressing moods. As many as 40 to 50% also suffer from a depressive disorder, which occasionally may cause the person to develop suicidal tendencies. Only a small number of people with this disorder ever develop full-fledged schizophrenia. The major features of schizotypal personality disorder are: Extreme discomfort in social relationships People with schizotypal personality disorders are extremely uncomfortable in close relationships, even with people who are familiar. They have no interest in forming friendships or sexual relationships. Their discomfort may be shown by the person acting cold and aloof when interacting with others. Few close relationships Individuals with this disorder form few, if any, close relationships. Odd appearance and thinking Their appearance and behavior is often characterized as odd or strange. A person with this disorder might complain of odd symptoms, such as pain in the blood or bones. Many believe they are clairvoyant, telepathic, or have a sixth sense. Suspicious or paranoid ideas People with schizotypal personality disorder are very suspicious and may believe that others are talking about them. They may perceive references to themselves in others' conversations. Treatment People with schizotypal personality disorder rarely seek treatment for the symptoms listed above. They are more likely to seek treatment for a depressive disorder, if they have one. The therapist often re-evaluates situations and challenges the person's paranoia and suspicion. People with this disorder may benefit from a cognitive-behavioral approach ca... Free Essays on Personality Disorder Free Essays on Personality Disorder People with schizotypal personality disorder are often described as odd or eccentric. About 3% of the population has schizotypal personality disorder and it may be more common in men. Like all personality disorders, it is typically developed by early adulthood. Individuals with this disorder may be at risk of developing anxiety, depression, and other distressing moods. As many as 40 to 50% also suffer from a depressive disorder, which occasionally may cause the person to develop suicidal tendencies. Only a small number of people with this disorder ever develop full-fledged schizophrenia. The major features of schizotypal personality disorder are: Extreme discomfort in social relationships People with schizotypal personality disorders are extremely uncomfortable in close relationships, even with people who are familiar. They have no interest in forming friendships or sexual relationships. Their discomfort may be shown by the person acting cold and aloof when interacting with others. Few close relationships Individuals with this disorder form few, if any, close relationships. Odd appearance and thinking Their appearance and behavior is often characterized as odd or strange. A person with this disorder might complain of odd symptoms, such as pain in the blood or bones. Many believe they are clairvoyant, telepathic, or have a sixth sense. Suspicious or paranoid ideas People with schizotypal personality disorder are very suspicious and may believe that others are talking about them. They may perceive references to themselves in others' conversations. Treatment People with schizotypal personality disorder rarely seek treatment for the symptoms listed above. They are more likely to seek treatment for a depressive disorder, if they have one. The therapist often re-evaluates situations and challenges the person's paranoia and suspicion. People with this disorder may benefit from a cognitive-behavioral approach ca...

How to Petition the Government Online

How to Petition the Government Online Got a gripe with the government? Exercise your rights. Congress is prohibited from restricting the right of American citizens to petition the government under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791. â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.† - The First Amendment, United States Constitution. The authors of the amendment surely had no idea just how easy it would become to petition the government in the age of the Internet more than 200 years later. President Barack Obama, whose White House was the first to use social media such as Twitter and Facebook, launched the first online tool allowing citizens to petition the government through the White House website in 2011. The program, called We the People, allows users to create and sign petitions on any topic. When he announced the program in September 2011, President Obama said, â€Å"When I ran for this office, I pledged to make government more open and accountable to its citizens. Thats what the new We the People feature on WhiteHouse.gov is all about - giving Americans a direct line to the White House on the issues and concerns that matter most to them.† The Obama White House often portrayed itself as one of the most transparent to the public in modern history. Obamas first executive order, for example, directed the Obama White House to shed more light on presidential records. Obama, however, eventually came under fire for operating behind closed doors. We the People Petitions Under President Trump When Republican President Donald Trump took over the White House in 2017, the future of the We the People online petition system looked doubtful. On January 20, 2017 - Inauguration Day - the Trump administration deactivated all existing petitions on the We the People website. While new petitions could be created, signatures to them were not being counted. While the website was later fixed and is currently fully functional, the Trump administration has not responded to any of the petitions. Under the Obama administration’s control, any petition that collected 100,000 signatures within 30 days was to receive an official response. Petitions that gathered 5,000 signatures would be sent to the â€Å"appropriate policymakers.†Ã‚   The Obama White House said any official response would be not only by emailed to all petition-signers but posted on its website as well.   While the 100,000 signature requirement and White House response promises remain the same under the Trump administration, as of November 7, 2017, the administration had not officially responded to any of the 13 petitions that had reached the 100,000 signature goal, nor has it stated that it  intends to respond in the future. How to Petition the Government Online No matter the White House’s response to them, if any, the We the People tool allows Americans over the age of 13 to create and sign petitions on www.whitehouse.gov asking the Trump administration to take action on a range of important issues facing our country. All that is required is a valid email address. People who wish to create a petition are required to create a free Whitehouse.gov account. To sign an existing petition, users need only enter their name and their email address. For identity verification, they will receive an email with a web link that they must click to confirm their signature. A Whitehouse.gov account is not needed to sign petitions. The We the People website calls creating or signing a petition as â€Å"just the first step,† suggesting that concerned citizens build support for a petition and gather even more signatures. â€Å"Use email, Facebook, Twitter and word of mouth to tell your friends, family and coworkers about the petitions you care about, the White House states. As was the case under the Obama administration, petitions involving ongoing criminal investigations or criminal justice court proceedings in the United States and certain other internal processes of the federal government are not subject to petitions created on the We the People website. What It Means to Petition the Government The right of Americans to petition the government is guaranteed under the Constitutions First Amendment. The Obama administration, acknowledging the importance of the right, said: Throughout our nations history, petitions have served as a way for Americans to organize around issues that matter to them, and tell their representatives in government where they stand. Petitions played important roles, for example, in ending slavery and guaranteeing women the right to vote. Other Ways to Petition the Government Though the Obama administration was the first to allow Americans to petition the government through an official U.S. government website, other countries had already allowed such activities online. The United Kingdom, for example, operates a similar system called e-petitions. That countrys system requires citizens to collect at least 100,000 signatures on their petition on their online petitions before they can be debated in the House of Commons. The major political parties in the United States also allow Internet users to submit suggestions that are directed to members of Congress. There are also many privately run website that allow Americans to sign petitions that are then forwarded to members of the House of Representatives and Senate. Of course, Americans can still write letters to their representatives in Congress, send them email or meet with them face-to-face. Updated by Robert Longley

The argument for net neutrality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The argument for net neutrality - Research Paper Example This method can be seen just as the current method of obtaining water from the utility company. The flow information, or data, can be seen as the flow water to a home. From that point the amount of water coming into a home can be increased by purchasing a larger inlet pipe from the provider. This is the same concept with Internet service providers. Once the water reaches a home it can be distributed and used around the home as much as needed up to the max flow that the pipes allow. This same concept is the same with the Internet. Information flow comes in to the home and distributed to devices until the â€Å"pipe† is full. Internet service providers now want to not only charge for the pipe coming into the home but also split up the types information within the flow into tiered charges as well. This is where the idea of net neutrality comes into play. Net neutrality states that the flow from the pipe is a stream of data just like the water is from the water company and should not be filtered to charge for certain types of data coming through. The Internet is a flow of information and should not be restricted based on the types of information coming through the pipes. Problems in the absence of neutral net services The issue of net neutrality received widespread media attention when some broadband service providers (BSPs) such as Verizon, Comcast, and AT &T proposed to charge popular online Web sites for priority delivery of the latter’s content to their residential and commercial customers. The proposal encountered stiff resistance from those who were supposed to be charged, and thus erstwhile competitors such as Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft were soon lobbying before the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would prevent the BSPs from carrying out their proposed plan and thereby maintain what was termed the â€Å"neutrality† of the Internet (Guo, et al, 2010, p.244) Commercialization is intruding virtually in every segments of human life and internet is also not an exception. When internet was introduced, people visualized or welcomed it as an ocean of free or unpaid knowledge. However, business people quickly realized the huge business potential of internet and quickly started their efforts to transform internet from a free service to a paid service. Many internet service providers in America like Verizon, Comcast, and AT &T, started to restrict their free internet services one way or other which resulted in the creation of the topic; net neutrality. Enforcing fees for using some kind of network services is just like restricting the natural right of people to get drinking water. Knowledge is a property which cannot be restricted or used for commercial purposes. It should be remembered that what would have happened, had our ancestors try to hide their knowledge instead of distributing it freely to the future generation. What would have happened if the inventor of electricity asked for patents or fees for his discov ery? Knowledge, technological advancements, discoveries and inventions should be used for the

Nutrition project 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nutrition project 1 - Essay Example Our mouth contains tongue and teeth which helps in mechanical digestion that is breaking down the food into particles, chewing and then swallowing. Next part is oesophagus which is very elastic as well as muscular and helps the food go downward by involuntary contractions of the muscles. Next is stomach, it secrets gastric juices it process the food churn further. Basically protein or fat parts of foods are chemically digested here. As 85% of rice is actually carbohydrate so its absorption is done in the small intestine. Carbohydrates are at first hydrolyzed to monosaccharide. Salivary alpha amylase and ptyalin begins the digestion of starch in mouth. Pancreatic amylase further digests it into small intestine. Starch than breaks down into alpha dextrin which then digested by gluco-amylase into maltose and maltotriose. Disaccharides are also hydrolyzing to monosaccharides by enzymes like maltose, isomaltase, sucrase and lactase which are present in brush boarder of the small intestine . The absorption occurs through the brush boarder epithelium covering villi. Chicken has highest level of protein in it. Where milk and rice also have some amount of protein.Protein digestion is mainly done in two organs of human body. It starts at stomach and end with accomplishment in small intestine. Proteins are made of with complex organic molecules such carbon, oxygen, sulphur, hydrogen, nitrogen and amino acids chain. Digestion initiates at stomach with the secretion of hydrochloric acid and enzyme called pepsin. It breaks protein bonds now individual protein digests by proteases and proteinases which called hydrolysis process. Protein molecule now transform into in its simplest form peptones and proteose. Now they leave the stomach and enter into small intestine. The output of stomach in called chime it is highly acidic in nature. It mixes with alkaline and become neutral in small intestine. Pancreatic digestive enzyme trypsin and chymotripsin

Why was Ulysses S. Grant so successful in finally ending the Civil War Research Paper

Why was Ulysses S. Grant so successful in finally ending the Civil War - Research Paper Example Some of them argued that the major issues of the conflict are related with the rights of the States, and others underlined the fact that quandary of slavery had paved the way of American Civil War. However, by the end of 1860s, one can find Ulysess S Grant making a personal mark in the history of American civil war, blowing a series of battles, conquering a Confederate army and earning the status of an antagonistic military general. Grant’s stubbornness and self reliance contributed stability in success and that helped him to mark his name in the history of American Civil War and the ultimate success is coined with Grant’s army. Grant’s idea of total war helped him to maintain consistency in the battlefield. It is a part of common knowledge is that a war place is filled with turmoil and sufferings. The haunting sounds of guns and the frustrated whispering of officials characterize the battlefield. A military general has the duty to stand lonely in the middle of t hese commotions with fear, anxiety, suspicion, and official responsibility. As an experienced military general who witnessed in the American Civil War at close quarters Ulysses S. Grant was better equipped to triumph over the barriers of the battlefield through his war policies and brilliant administrative tactics. Grant succeeded to gain the support from the President Lincoln, leaders of Republican Party, the Media and a significant number of common people in the United States. Grant’s efforts to use the federal army or legislation to preserve the rights of blacks paved the way for White’s aggression and opposition. However, political and material backgrounds during the time of 1860s paved the way for the success of Grant’s army. Thus, one can note that Grant’s domestic political transactions, foreign and domestic policies, professional tactics and his innate abilities were instrumental in his success in American Civil War. American civil war which is

Impact E-Commerce in business world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Impact E-Commerce in business world - Essay Example It saves time, offers freedom of choice and lower prices. E commerce has lately expanded to accommodate operations that include the sale and purchase of information along with the goods and services. In this paper, we shall see how to impact Electronic commerce in Business world. E-commerce has shown tremendous growth in products that make part of daily collection and consumers normally waste a lot of money on them. This is due to the proliferation of Internet stores and shopping, which is growing daily on the Internet. The possibilities are launching high efficiency and successful company linked in the work of electronic commerce on the Internet by adding a good promotion. E-Commerce refers to: business trading with other business on the internet (Dumitrache, 2010). In 2010, Dumitrache showed that E- Commerce can be categorized as: Business-to-consumer, in which E-Commerce concerns sales between supplier and retail customer Business-to-Business, in which E-commerce concerns sales be tween companies Business-to-government refers to sales between companies and government organizations Consumer-to-consumer refers to sales between private individuals or consumer. Other categories are business-to-employer and customer-to-business. The electronic commerce applications are mainly used because of such advantages as reduced transaction cost, increased flow of goods and services, improved level of customer service, close coordination enabled among manufacturers, suppliers, and customers and international market accessibility (Dumitrache, 2010). A lot of companies use internet to carry out business in which they sell or buy products and offer customer services. E-commerce, E-business and E-trading are teams that describe business on the internet. E-business provides companies with the opportunity to display their products and services to consumers all over the world. This offers the companies an opportunity to maximize their sales and hence profits. Electronic commerce ma intains effective communication with intermediary, collaborators and customers, which develops an effective way to exchange information with other firms. Electronic commerce is an excellent opportunity for companies that want to get advantage of the goods and services by other companies. The Internet provides users with a valuable means of communication and is a growing source of information that can help people make decisions (for example, where to find information and advice about running the business or the latest developments in technology and which products to buy) (Bauer, Nemcova, & Dvorak, 2010). E- Commerce Solutions (Bauer, Nemcova, & Dvorak, 2010). When any company or firm plans to develop the business using internet, it needs to do the following: Produce an e-business plan. Prepare to trade on the Internet. Monitor the success of the website and e-trading activities. Importance of these factors has grown with the global economic crisis as we know it now. You will need to gather information from many different places to develop your business using the Internet. This could include: Market research, customer and staff surveys, and the views of your suppliers Research into what similar businesses are doing with the Internet in the CZ and abroad Research into the laws relating to e-trading Information about how you currently sell and market the business and how this could be translated into a website Agreements with people and contracts for technical needs, following up enquiries and orders Advice from outside

Africans who lived in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Africans who lived in America - Essay Example The land of Cleveland was one of the main regions inhabited by the African-American people; this was after the survey by Moses Cleaveland, who toured the place, acquired it and sold it through his Land Company. The more the black population grew the more the racism grew as well. It reached a point where public institutions became segregated and the black were in most case the victims of injustice. They were not allowed in some hospitals, theatres, and churches. They therefore opted to form their own churches and that was when Black African churches were formed. Despite the fact that Africans were not allowed to access education, some like Booker Washington and Will DuBois managed to get educated. They later became the champions for the enlightenment of the blacks by agitating for their rights. Keywords: Cleveland, Africans, Americans, Blacks, Whites, Racism, Segregation, Moses Cleveland, Booker Washington, Will DuBois 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Explain,  in detail,  who was Moses Cleavela nd, what were his goals for the Western Reserve? Moses Cleaveland was born in the year 1754 in the city of Canterbury in the county of Windham (Wheeler, 2000). He went to Yale College and graduated as a lawyer in 1777, and soon after his graduation, he went on to practice law in Canterbury; his service as a lawyer took a period of about 30 years. He was a lieutenant during revolution in America; this was during his practice as a lawyer when he joined an army at the Valley Forge, in the year 1978. He was married to Esther Champion with whom they had four children (Wheeler, 2000). The following year, Moses Cleaveland who was still in the army, was promoted to the position of captain. He was also elected as a member of the Connecticut general assembly representing Canterbury (Wheeler, 2000). In 1796, he led the first voyage to Western Reserve; he is remembered for his relentless effort in championing the ratification of the US constitution. He is best known for his investment skills an d hard work while serving as an officer of Connecticut Land Company. He had a band of surveyors varying from men and women, as well as experts. Through his great leadership skills, he managed to lead the whole team of surveyors into discovering a city; they named it Cleveland in his honor. He was always a happy man who enjoyed success and appreciated the effort of team work; this attribute is seen when he organized a ceremony to mark his team’s success for having arrived at the new Connecticut. He declared Cleveland as the new city of Connecticut and wished it a long life. After the great mission, he went back to Canterbury in Connecticut and on November 16, 1806, General Moses Cleaveland passed on, leaving behind a lot of legacy. A statute was erected in the new Connecticut in his memory. Western Reserve was discovered, it was a great land with great potential for business activities. According to Miller (1997), â€Å"as Moravian missionary John Heckewelder noted in 1976, t he area had the best prospect of water communication from Lake Erie to the Ohio River† (p. 143). Despite all the hypes, early settlers in the region had to migrate due to the miasmic swamps, which often made them sick. The federal government had to make a decision on how to dispose off the land. Lucky enough, the Connecticut land company under the leadership of Moses Cleaveland, came in and bought the land from the federal authority. His reasons for buying the land were to use it for agriculture and commercial purposes. Cleaveland’s immediate goal was to utilize the available lakes and rivers for communication. He had men, food, and instruments that were used for surveying and he needed to transport them by the lake. It was while in this mission that he discovered the lake was long enough for commercial

Human Resources Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Resources - Assignment Example Human Resources By choosing random individuals who are completely unaware that they are participating in a study realistically has the greatest likelihood of providing the most natural and uninhibited responses and reactions. People who are being watched, often, behave much differently than those who do not. So that part is an agreeable means to attain information that is completely uninfluenced by the research. However, by having no in-depth or personal knowledge of the test subjects there is now way of knowing if there are extenuating circumstances or variables that may make them poor candidates for such study. For example, some people suffer from a psychological or medical issues or inability to use the restroom when others are present, this preexisting condition could contribute to the study’s intention in a negative way; there slow or complete inability to urinate may have nothing at all to do with arousal. â€Å"Although the parameters of these measures have not been extensively studied, the present study implies that they have some construct validity as indicators of arousal† (Middlemist, Knowles, and Matter 544-545). Here they already are attributing the results that they gained as indicative of validation of the hypothesis that arousal can occur from the nearness of other men when urinating in a public restroom. However, the results of their study do not, however, randomly the participants selected, are not representative of the whole of society. Researchers said, that â€Å"†¦during tests of the experimental procedures, none of the test subjects had any suspicions about the confederate's activity† (Middlemist, Knowles, and Matter 545). They repeat this point multiple times in the course of the article. That the lack of knowledge of the test subjects that somehow, again, speaks to the universality of their results, which there is no direct evidence of. In fact, re gardless of the â€Å"promising† results they recorded there is actually no guaranteeing evidence that men are, often, aroused when near to others while urinating at a public urinal; and whether or not the slowness to begin urination or the shortness of its duration has anything to do with arousal, since most men complain of discomfort and unpleasantness associated with personal space violations in public restrooms. †¢Did the authors have any other purposes for sampling besides trying to enable generalization to a population? If so, describe this (these) purpose(s) Well there is a duality in their overall efforts to begin with. Although this study is specifically geared to determining the potential arousal responses of men when urinating while their space is invaded, there are other accessory purposes mentioned. Firstly, are the greater studies being attributed to invasion of personal space. Most of those studies have already indicated that there may be biological reacti on that can occur that might interfere with the immediacy and duration of urination that can be

Africans who lived in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Africans who lived in America - Essay Example The land of Cleveland was one of the main regions inhabited by the African-American people; this was after the survey by Moses Cleaveland, who toured the place, acquired it and sold it through his Land Company. The more the black population grew the more the racism grew as well. It reached a point where public institutions became segregated and the black were in most case the victims of injustice. They were not allowed in some hospitals, theatres, and churches. They therefore opted to form their own churches and that was when Black African churches were formed. Despite the fact that Africans were not allowed to access education, some like Booker Washington and Will DuBois managed to get educated. They later became the champions for the enlightenment of the blacks by agitating for their rights. Keywords: Cleveland, Africans, Americans, Blacks, Whites, Racism, Segregation, Moses Cleveland, Booker Washington, Will DuBois 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Explain,  in detail,  who was Moses Cleavela nd, what were his goals for the Western Reserve? Moses Cleaveland was born in the year 1754 in the city of Canterbury in the county of Windham (Wheeler, 2000). He went to Yale College and graduated as a lawyer in 1777, and soon after his graduation, he went on to practice law in Canterbury; his service as a lawyer took a period of about 30 years. He was a lieutenant during revolution in America; this was during his practice as a lawyer when he joined an army at the Valley Forge, in the year 1978. He was married to Esther Champion with whom they had four children (Wheeler, 2000). The following year, Moses Cleaveland who was still in the army, was promoted to the position of captain. He was also elected as a member of the Connecticut general assembly representing Canterbury (Wheeler, 2000). In 1796, he led the first voyage to Western Reserve; he is remembered for his relentless effort in championing the ratification of the US constitution. He is best known for his investment skills an d hard work while serving as an officer of Connecticut Land Company. He had a band of surveyors varying from men and women, as well as experts. Through his great leadership skills, he managed to lead the whole team of surveyors into discovering a city; they named it Cleveland in his honor. He was always a happy man who enjoyed success and appreciated the effort of team work; this attribute is seen when he organized a ceremony to mark his team’s success for having arrived at the new Connecticut. He declared Cleveland as the new city of Connecticut and wished it a long life. After the great mission, he went back to Canterbury in Connecticut and on November 16, 1806, General Moses Cleaveland passed on, leaving behind a lot of legacy. A statute was erected in the new Connecticut in his memory. Western Reserve was discovered, it was a great land with great potential for business activities. According to Miller (1997), â€Å"as Moravian missionary John Heckewelder noted in 1976, t he area had the best prospect of water communication from Lake Erie to the Ohio River† (p. 143). Despite all the hypes, early settlers in the region had to migrate due to the miasmic swamps, which often made them sick. The federal government had to make a decision on how to dispose off the land. Lucky enough, the Connecticut land company under the leadership of Moses Cleaveland, came in and bought the land from the federal authority. His reasons for buying the land were to use it for agriculture and commercial purposes. Cleaveland’s immediate goal was to utilize the available lakes and rivers for communication. He had men, food, and instruments that were used for surveying and he needed to transport them by the lake. It was while in this mission that he discovered the lake was long enough for commercial

Riordan Manufacturing Financial State Essay Example for Free

Riordan Manufacturing Financial State Essay Riordan Manufacturing (RM) is a global organization that specializes in the manufacture of molded plastic products. With revenues in excess of $1 billion, RM employs 550 people and has projected annual earnings of $46 million. The organization operates three separate manufacturing facilities located in Albany, Georgia, Pontiac, Michigan, and a joint venture in Hangzhou, China. With such a broad base, the company faces some challenges with the current infrastructure of its accounting system. Its three distinct entities in Georgia, Michigan, and China employ their own independent finance and accounting systems providing input for consolidation at the corporate headquarters in San Jose. As a result of incompatibilities, the data format the home office receives requires time and effort for processing (Apollo Group Inc., 2011). RM can benefit from the integration of several of its financial and accounting subsystems into one ERP system. This system will provide the company with the capability to consolidate information from data sources in its three operating units and make it accessible in real-time company-wide In today’s business climate, staying on the cutting edge and at the forefront of information technology has become imperative. Integrated enterprise business systems have become the gold standard for successful businesses. Linking each functional vertical via enterprise software permits streamlined and consistent communication between business units in virtual companies. This paper summarizes Riordan Manufacturing’s financial state, and discusses major components of its financial and accounting system and modules. List of Accounting Software Modules (Collins) Core Modules 1. General Ledger 2. Accounts Payable 3. Accounts Receivable 4. Order Entry 5. Procurement 6. Sales and Purchasing History 7. Invoicing and Shipping 8. Payroll 9. Financial Reporting 10. EDI* (Electronic Data Interchange) 11. Bar Code Reading* 12. EDSS (Executive Decision Support System) (Apollo Group Inc., 2011). E-commerce Modules 1. Web Based Requisitioning (allows employees to order supplies via the web) 2. Web Commerce Catalog (allows company to publish a web catalog) 3. Web Customers (allows customers to log in to their account history via the web) 4. Web Employee (allows employees to maintain personal data investments via the web) 5. Web Financial Statements (allows executive to access financial statements via the web) 6. Web Orders (allows the company to accept orders via the web) 7. Web Tools (allows company to create web sites and integrate their data) 8. Web Portal (allows user to operate accounting system from remote locations via the web)

Person centred reviews in adult services

Person centred reviews in adult services The underlying principles for this assignment are to critically evaluate my professional development in a practice placement setting and record reflections for future learning. Within this essay, I will include my reflections on the social work process of assessment, planning, intervention and review, and will critically analyse what I feel was successful and unsuccessful in each process, with efforts to identify what could be changed to enhance future practice. I will also include my knowledge, skills and values incorporated into my practice with two service users and my group work, while explaining my efforts to promote anti-oppressive practice. Throughout my assignment I will endeavour to portray my learning journey from the beginning to the end of my placement and conclude with future learning needs, to enhance my practice as a social worker. Introduction: The practice placement I acquired was a Court Childrens Officer (CCO), based at the Belfast Family Proceedings Court. It forms part of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. My role as a CCO, formerly known as a Child Welfare Officer, was to use my training and experience to ascertain the wishes and feelings of children and their families in private law matters. The role falls within family and child care services and determines that the childs interests remain paramount in court proceedings. As a CCO my role was to deal with cases where assistance was needed to help parties focus on the needs of their children, as opposed to continuing the incriminations as to who was responsible for the breakdown of their relationship. As a CCO I was then asked to present the information to court in oral or written report format. The CCO is used if other efforts to get the parties to reach a decision in the interests of their children have failed. This is to prevent the court process itself cont ributing to a lengthy breach in contact before it reaches a decision. As a CCO I was also responsible to act as liaison officer between the court and HSS Trusts, or other agencies (e.g. NSPCC etc) in respect of the courts decisions. Although employed by the Trust, I was responsible to the court. Before commencement of this placement I had limited understanding of the court process, and the legislation involved in private law cases. I was excited about the prospect of the experience I would gain having undertaken law and court modules, and attended court for certain flexible learning days, but I was also anxious about identifying the social work role within such a specific placement. I feel nervous and uncomfortable. Im finding the role intimidating being surrounded by legal professionals and legislation (being just a student). Im worried about having to provide oral and written evidence to the court, and perhaps having to disagree with the legal representatives views in court. I feel deskilled and anxious (PPDW: 21/01/10). After this initial anxious stage I began researching private law and knowledge, and used my practice teacher and on site supervisor to ask questions. Having completed a practice placement last year I already knew of the benefits of using reflection as a crucial aspect of my practice and learning. Thompson (2005) explains that it is important that practitioners use not only established theories, but use their own knowledge and experience to meet the needs of service users. He claims that reflective practice should help us to acknowledge the important links between theory and practice and to appreciate the dangers of treating the two elements as if they were separate domains (Thompson, 2005: 147). I was anxious to identify the social work process within my placement, as it was not evident on commencement. I was already familiar with the process of assessing, planning, intervention and review having had a previous placement with adults with learning disabilities. Within a court, however, this was very different, as a direction of the court determined my involvement with service users. Schà ¶n (1987) identifies that more than a process is needed with service users practitioners need to incorporate experience, skills and intuition for outcomes to be successful. The knowledge and skills that I identified, within my Individual learning plan, were skills in working with children, assertiveness skills, report writing and presenting skills, organisational skills, and group facilitation skills. I also wanted to enhance my value base as my previous placement helped me challenge issues around learning disabilities and the current placement is a very different setting. I wanted to devel op my values around childrens feelings about parental separation, and also working in partnership with children to ascertain their wishes and feelings about contact issues. I have outlined below the three cases I intend to use that will help identify my professional development within my placement setting. I will use these to provide an analysis of how my knowledge, skills and values have been developed through the social work process. Family C: Polish origin Child C (Age 7) currently resides with her father. The parental relationship lasted for seven years. Mother (Ms C) moved out of the family home to gain alternative accommodation when the relationship broke down. Ms C and the childs contact have been very sporadic since. Contact has not taken place since December 2009. Mr C is concerned with Ms Cs new accommodation being unsuitable for the childs safety staying overnight claiming alcohol misuse and the child coming home smelling of smoke. Ms C requires an interpreter and is seeking a Contact Order. As directed by the court I carried out an assessment of Ms Cs home, and also used mediation and counselling when meeting with the parties to focus on the childs best interests. The childs wishes and feelings were also ascertained. Family E: Child E (14) currently resides with his father (Mr E). Mother (Ms E) is seeking a Residence Order. Father currently resides with the child in a family hostel provided by the Belfast Housing Executive, which Ms E is concerned about. Court direction stipulated me to ascertain the childs wishes and feelings about residence with his father and contact with his mother. In addition to this I used mediation as an intervention to try to help the parties reach agreement about the child. I concluded my work with the family using a Person Centred Review with Child E to determine if the plans implemented earlier in my practice were working, and what he would like to change when his case was due for review in court. Group Work: My group work consisted of working with teenage girls at a high school in North Belfast; they were aged 14/15. I worked alongside the Health for Youth through Peer Education (HYPE) team who regularly visit schools to promote sexual health awareness. I co-facilitated this group and worked to educate the group about sexual health and relationships. This was to promote the need for the provision of accurate information to prevent teenage pregnancies and STIs, which have been highlighted as statistically higher in this area of Northern Ireland. Preparation of placement As indicated above, to prepare for this placement, I began by developing my knowledge base around the court setting and private law, so that I could be accountable to the court and the Trust for my actions. Trevithick (2000:162) claims to be accountable denotes professionalism by using knowledge, skills and qualifications, and adhering to values and ethics when serving a client. I began to tune in to the placement setting using knowledge, skills and values, with legislation such as The Children (NI) Order 1995, The Family Law Act (NI) 2001 and The Human Rights Act 1998. I tuned into the court setting and the rights of the service users who used it. Article 3 of the Children (NI) Order 1995 claims that the court should act in the best interests of the child, and I was interested in seeing if this occurred or if parental interests were considered higher. I tuned into the effects that divorce and separation have on children, and focused on gaining knowledge on how to minimize the negative impact this may have on children. The issue of contact in private law proceedings is a complex subject which raises questions of rights, responsibilities and ownership of children (Kroll, 2000: 217). I was initially interested in researching if children knowing both parents were in their best interests, and why. Having had a placement with adults and learning disabilities last year I had reflected on the medical model versus the social model of disability, this placement was very different in that it would be the a legal context versus the social work role. I found this initially difficult as the legal obligations of the court over-shadowed the social work process. Court directions dictated the aspects of work to be done, which I found difficult as service user needs were not necessarily established and met. Assessment: Ms Cs assessment required me to meet with her, discuss issues regarding contact with her child, and investigate her living environment to determine if it was suitable for the child to have contact in. Prior to Ms Cs assessment it was necessary for me to tune in to contact disputes between parents. I recognised that there is significant animosity with both parties, but that having contact with both parents is in the childs best interests to promote for attachment, identity and positive relationships. To initiate Ms Cs assessment I had received court directions, a referral and met with her legal advisor. I was at this time I was informed that Ms C was Polish and required an interpreter. The Human Rights Act 1998 and the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 both stipulate that an interpreter should be provided for health services to promote anti-discriminative practice and equal opportunities. I was then required to make a referral to the Trust interpreting service, and they informed me that they would make initial contact with Ms C. I found this unnerving, as the interpreter would be making first contact with the service user, and I would have liked the opportunity to explain my role. Having carried out previous assessments, I knew that communication was essential for the assessment and central to the process of gathering information and empowering service users (Watson and West, 2006), therefore to not be able to make initial contact with a service user I found to be restrictive and stressful. On initial contact with Ms C (and the interpreter) communication was difficult to establish. I found that by communicating through an interpreter I was limited in gathering information. I found it difficult to concentrate on Ms C, especially observing body language and tone of voice; instead I focused on the interpreter and actively listening to her. Ms C came across as frustrated and disengaged, showing signs of closed body language. I felt empathetic to Ms C because of the court process she was involved in, and the fact that she had to go to court to gain contact with her child. I felt the initial meeting with Ms C was not as successful as I had hoped, I was not able to discuss the issues affecting her, and unable to establish an effective working relationship due to the barrier on an interpreter. I left the meeting feeling deskilled and questioning my practice. On reflection, I should have provided more time to Ms C due to the language obstacle and gathered more information on her issues. I should have focused on Ms C and not the interpreter, and used the interpreter more effectively to establish a relationship. For future learning I will endeavour to use these reflections. The next part of Ms Cs assessment was her home assessment. I was initially reluctant to carry out a home assessment, as I had no previous experience, and did not know what was classed as an unsafe environment for children. I began tuning in and identified that a home assessment required strong observational skills for child protection concerns. I also discussed the home assessment with my practice teacher and on site supervisor for aspects I should be concerned about within the home. It was indicated that a safe environment for a child did not have to be overly clean, just safe considering where the child sleeps, fire hazards, is there evidence of drug or alcohol use, or smelling of smoke (as Mr C alleges). On entering Ms Cs home, as the interpreter had not arrived yet, I was reluctant to try and converse with Ms C. Ms C spoke limited English, and I did not want to confuse or alarm her by trying to discuss the case issues. However, I did try to use body language and facial expressions to reach for feelings and try to build a rapport by asking general questions about weather and work etc. I feel this helped our relationship, and helped me empathise about how difficult it must be to not be able to communicate effectively. By the time the interpreter had arrived I felt more at ease with Ms C, and addressed her (as opposed to the interpreter) with non-verbal cues such as nodding and body language. I felt more comfortable talking with Ms C, I felt more able to understand her frustrations at the court process, her ex-partner and his allegations. Prior to the assessment of the home I had gained stereotypical perceptions about Ms Cs home. I thought that the house, as it was in a working class area, would be unclean and neglected. However, the assessment of the home, using observational skills, indicated no child protection concerns, a clean environment for a child, and Mr Cs allegations unfounded. On reflection of my perceptions I feel I was oppressive to Ms C having been so judgemental, and I felt guilty about my opinions having been class discriminatory. Throughout the assessment with Ms C I found that by using an interpreter Ms C was able to stay informed and in control over her situation (Watson and West, 2006). I feel that by working with Ms C has helped my challenge my future practice with individuals who are non-English speakers. It will help me consider the needs of the service user, before judging them solely on language or their country of origin to provide equal opportunities. I now feel interpreters are required for a balance of power between the worker and service user, and promote anti-discriminatory practice. Planning: According to Parker and Bradley (2008: 72) Planning as part of the social work process is a method of continually reviewing and assessing the needs of all individual service users. It is based upon the assessment and identifies what needs to be done and what the outcome may be if it is completed. Prior to the beginning of placement I had limited experience of planning, or group work. It was important for me understand the facilitation and communication skills needed for successful group work, and help to develop my understanding of group dynamics, group control, and peer pressure for this age group. The key purpose of planning the group was to enable the young people to develop their knowledge and skills to be able to make informed decisions and choices about personal relationships and sexual health. I began preparing for the planning stage of the social work process by meeting with the HYPE team and researching their work. I was interested in the sexual health training for young people at school, as my own experience at school showed that the information was often limited, and I was interesting in finding out if it had been challenged. I then began by tuning in to how I wanted to proceed through the planning process, and researching the topics of the different sessions as I considered I had limited knowledge on sexual health awareness. As I had to plan every week separately it was important to tune in to each and use knowledge, such as group work skills to inform my practice. During initial sessions I noted how group members were quiet and withdrawn, this was important to note as the subject of sexual relationships may have been embarrassing for them to discuss. I too felt uncomfortable discussing the material, as I had limited understanding of sexual health, but it was important for the group to overcome these anxieties and work through them together. I identified that ice breaking techniques were required to facilitate trust and partnership. As the sessions progressed, one of the main challenges found was that peer influence was a major issue, with some of the participants controlling other quieter members. I felt it was necessary to include all members and encouraged participation using games. However, it was important not to push individuals when they became uncomfortable, as this could cause them to withdraw and disengage, disempowering them. Another challenge was that despite time management of the sessions, inevitably there had to be flexibility. Some of the group monopolised more time than others and it was necessary to be able to alter the plans according to time restraints. I also needed to be aware of my own values when planning sexual health awareness training, as it is still regarded as a controversial issue, especially in Catholic schools with teenagers (www.famyouth.org.uk). I considered sexual health awareness to be a great benefit in schools, but obviously due to religious considerations many Catholic schools continue simply to teach abstinence as the only form of contraception. This was important to consider as the group was facilitated in a Catholic school and many of the members or their teachers could have had religious views and opinions on the sessions, creating tension or animosity. Reflecting on this parental consent had been provided for the group, but the group itself were required to take part during a free period. I consider this to be an ethical dilemma as the childrens views werent regarded as highly as their parents. If undertaking this group in future, I feel it would be necessary to ask the group if they wish to take part, and gi ve the opportunity to withdraw promoting anti-oppressive practice. Intervention: Prior to this practice placement I had limited experience using intervention methods. My previous placement focused on task centred work with service users, but in the court childrens service this could not be facilitated due to the time restrictions of the court. I had also previously used Rogerian person centred counselling which I found I could use some of the theory and apply it to this setting. After gathering a range of information from the court referral, C1 and other professionals, I began to tune in to Es case. I had been directed by the court to ascertain his wishes and feelings in regards to residence and contact arrangements, and mediate between his parents to find agreement about the childs residence. As Child E is fourteen, I felt it was necessary to research levels of development for this age group and understand, according to psychologists, what level Child E would be at emotionally, physically and psychologically. I found that Child E should be at a level of becoming more independent, having his own values, and being able to make informed choices. One of the most important issues, through mediation, was challenging my own values and becoming aware of my own stereotypical views on adults who have separated, and the effects on their children. I had to challenge the idea that Child E just wanted to reside with his father as he was the less disciplined parent, or that Child E would most likely be playing his parents off against each other to get his own way. However, by challenging these views, and working with the parties through mediation, I came to realise that E had strong views about living with his father and had a stronger attachment to him. By reflecting on my values I realised that it was oppressive to consider the child as manipulating and could have affected my work with him. I found that having to be a neutral third party in mediation was difficult, I found myself having a role as a witness, a referee and a peacekeeper trying to find common ground. Despite this I feel a third side was necessary to help the parties work through issues. I found the most difficult aspect of this role to be impartiality as I found myself empathizing more with the mother (as the child refused to live with her). However, I also understood the childs reasons behind his decision. During mediation, and in court, I also challenged my judgements on gender and the notion that the mother is the nurturer or primary care giver in the home (Posada and Jacobs, 2001). The child clearly stated that he wanted to reside with his father, and when using questioning skills to probe about this, he claimed he had a stronger bond with his father, and that his mother was continually ridiculing him. I found myself having to alter my views about attachment and mother being the primary care giver and focus on what the child wants. As the intervention progressed I used family mediation session to work through issues. I found that effective communication was principal in ascertaining Child Es wishes and feelings, and helping the parties consider his views, as opposed to their own relationship incriminations. This not only empowered E by promoting partnership, but also gave him the knowledge that the court would be considering the information he provided. Within the meeting I felt I could have paced the meeting better and made better use of silences with E, as I dominated the conversation. I consider mediation to be successful as it helped the parties focus on the needs of the child, and helped them realise that they had a childs feelings to consider instead of the adversarial relationship built from court. Review: Prior to the review process I had experience of carrying out person centred reviews (PCR) through my previous practice placement. I had previous training on PCRs and found them to be more effective than traditional reviews, due to the service user involvement. A PCR is an example of a person centred approach and the information from a review can be the foundation of a person centred plan (Bailey et al., 2009). Within the family proceedings court the purpose of reviews are to reassess interim plans, and either change them, or confirm they are working for the child(ren). In Child Es case a review was necessary to indicate if living with his father was working, and to discuss if he wanted to change anything about his interim plans, which were introduced three months earlier. Within the court childrens team a review is fundamental to consider what is in the childs best interests, assess what is working and what is not working, and how to progress (considering the childs wishes and feelings). Child centred preparatory work with Child E was fundamental to the review success as it established what was important to him (Smull and Sanderson, 2005). Reflecting on my person centred work last year; I recognised that it was important to have preparatory work with Child E as it promoted choice and options to explore. I had also recognised that the information gathered from the preparatory work could be the foundations of the review itself, especially if Child E felt embarrassed or shy speaking out in front of his family on the day of the review (Smull and Sanderson, 2005) I conducted the review with Child E and his parents present, but reflecting on this it could also have been useful including his school teacher or other friends to have a holistic approach. Throughout the review I feel I was able to engage the participants successfully using goals to focus on, and we were able to create a person centred plan for Child E. During the preparation for the review Child E had expressed that he felt he was having too much contact with his mother, and would like to limit this, he also expressed that this was an awkward subject to discuss with his mother present. I identified this in the review as child E did not wish to. I used skills such as facilitation and communication to show that Child E felt strongly about this issue, and both parents claimed they understood his view point. The review was also useful in presenting the information in court, as the child could not be present and I could advocate on his behalf. On reflection of Child Es review I feel it was a successful measure to determine what was working and not working since plans were implemented from the last court date. I had confidence in facilitating the review, but I did feel I perhaps dominated the conversation as both parents were hostile towards each other, and Child E was shy and unassertive about expressing his feelings. During future reviews I will endeavour to promote communication between parties, while empowering of the child. I will use better use of silences and encourage active involvement. Conclusion: No matter how skilled, experienced or effective we are, there are, of course, always lessons to be learned, improvements to be made and benefits to be gained from reflecting on our practice (Thompson, 2005: 146) I feel this PLO has provided me with learning opportunities and identified my learning needs. It has encouraged me to reflect on my knowledge, skills and values and ensured that I used my reflections to learn from my practice. At the beginning of placement I was concerned I would oppress the service users by having limited understanding of the court process, and unable to work effectively as a result. However, through training, help from my practice teacher and knowledge, I soon realised that the placement was about providing support, not being an expert. I feel I was able to establish a balance of the legal requirements of court and social work role, which has contributed to my learning experience and future knowledge. As my placement progressed I used tuning in and evaluations to analyse my practice, and use them to learn from. My placement has enabled me to improve my court report writing skills, presentations skills and legislation knowledge, which I consider to be invaluable for the future. In terms of future professional development, I will endeavour to challenge my stereotypical assumptions about service users, I will seek advice and guidance from more experienced members of staff, and I will use knowledge and theory to inform my practice prior to meeting service users. Future learning requires me to continue to develop skills in working with children, to use silence as a skill, as listen actively to what the service user wants. Having an opportunity to work within the court system has been invaluable, but I would also like the opportunity to have more experience working with children to enhance my knowledge, skills and values further. References: Bailey, G., Sanderson, H., Sweeney, C. and Heaney, B. (2008) Person Centred Reviews in Adult Services. Valuing People Support Team. Kroll, B. (2000) Milk Bottle, Messenger, Monitor, Spy: Childrens Experiences of Contact. Child Care in Practice: 6: 3 Parker, J., and Bradley, G. (2003) Social Work Practice: Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review. Learning Matters Ltd. Posada, G and Jacobs, A. (2001) Child-mother attachment relationships and culture. American Psychologist. 56(10), 821-822. Schà ¶n, D. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Smull, M and Sanderson, H. (2005) Essential Lifestyle Planning for Everyone. The USA: Learning Community Thompson, N. (2005) Understanding Social Work: Preparing for Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Trevithick, P. (2005) Social Work Skills: A Practice Handbook (2nd Ed). Buckingham: Open University Press. Watson, D and West, J (2006) Social Work Process and Practice: Approaches, Knowledge and Skills. Basingstoke; Palgrave Macmillan Williams, P (2006) Social Work with People with Learning Disabilities. Learning Matters Ltd Webpages: http://www.famyouth.org.uk/pdfs/CondomControversy.pdf accessed 24/4/10

The Transcontinental Railroads :: essays research papers

The Transcontinental Railroads The Transcontinental Railroad consisted of ten major railroads that together would span the distance between the East and West Coasts of the United States. The completion of these railroads brought change, both for good and bad, and had an enormous impact on the United States and other countries of the world. Without a doubt, each railroad played an important role in shaping America into the country it is today. The Great Northern Railroad was an 8,316-mile long railroad created in September 1889 by predecessor railroads in Minnesota. It went from Lake Superior to Washington, traveling through North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho. The line was the dream of James Jerome Hill who was known as the â€Å"Empire Builder† since he had the ability to bring prosperity to areas that were barren before his influence. This railroad provided service and helped build up the grain, potato, and sugar beet regions in North Dakota, Montana, and Eastern Washington. It also played a pivotal role in the prosperity of the cattle counties of Montana as well as the oil, copper, and lumber industries (http://www.gnrhs.org). The Northern Pacific Railroad originally started in 1864 by Josiah Perham; unfortunately, due to financing problems the project was stalled until 1869. The route stretched from Lake Superior to the Puget Sound in Washington. This railroad was unique since it received no government loans to assists in its financing. The Northern Pacific lines were vital in bringing immigrants to various cities along the routes through advertising at home and abroad. Their effort to attract settlers into these regions was directly responsible for Montana, Washington, North Dakota and South Dakota becoming states in 1889. This stimulated the economies in these regions (http://www.linecamp.com). The Union Pacific Railroad was created in 1862 by government grants. Construction began in late 1863 in Omaha, Nebraska. Over a period of six years it was run through Wyoming and on to Promontory Point, Utah. The Union Pacific routes later expanded to reach north to Washington and south to Texas, with numerous subsidiary lines in Colorado. In 1936, the railroad opened Sun Valley, Idaho Ski Resort, which became a model for other ski resorts to follow (http://www.linecamp.com). The Kansas Pacific was the southern branch of the Union Pacific. The building of the route began in 1863 with the intent to transport passengers (immigrants) westward through the Great Plains. The route ran from Kansas City to Denver. Towns sprung up along the different junctions providing economic booms in those areas.