Adult Development – Summary

Adult Development Brian Carter West Georgia Technical College Adult Development ABSTRACT This paper explores and details the biological, cognitive, and social development of the author during the stages of infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. It will compare the author’s experiences and developmental milestones with the theories presented in the textbook.The combination of all of these factors, combined with the reactions and actions taken by the author in response to his environment and experiences, are what make him the person he is today. Adult Observation During an individual’s lifespan development, he passes through several developmental stages, each with its own physical, cognitive, and social milestones. Whether the individual is an infant, child, adolescent, or adult, he is continually developing in almost every aspect in response to life, environmental, and physical demands.It is how the individual reacts to these change s that determine the direction and quality of the individual’s life in the future. The way an individual participates in social activities, engages himself in educational opportunities, and takes time to self-reflect on his experiences all interact to form the direction the individual’s life take. The social, cognitive, and physical aspects of the author’s lifespan development thus far will be described and discussed in detail.The author is a thirty-five year old Caucasian male who lives in a suburb of Atlanta. He was born into and raised in a mostly suburban middle-class household in Louisiana, where he lived until age 23, when he moved to metropolitan Atlanta. He is currently married for the second time, and is expecting his first son to be born in the next week. He has one younger sister who is also grown and married with one stepson. The author’s parents were born and raised in rural West Virginia.His father is college educated. His mother attended co llege, but did not graduate. He is a college graduate, and his wife has a graduate degree in Education. Both are employed full-time. INFANCY The author was born an eight-pound, four-ounce baby in August of 1975. During the first months of his life, he followed the general outline described in the textbook for breastfeeding and his introduction to solid foods (Dacey 2009). He also developed normally, in physical, cognitive, and social aspects.Aside from a short stint of high fever as a baby, the author experienced no major physical ailments as an infant. EARLY CHILDHOOD As the author progressed into early childhood, he began to exhibit traits of increased intelligence. Thanks to highly involved parents and support group, he was always encouraged to participate in educational activities, rather than playing idly. REFERENCES Dacey, John S. , John F. Travers, and Lisa B. Fiore. Human Development across the Lifespan. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

Mandatory Sentencing

Many changes have occurred over the past three decades with regards to the sentencing systems from both the state and federal levels.   In 1975, all states and also the federal system principally relied on an indeterminate sentencing system that accorded judges wide discretion with respect to sentencing and gave parole boards practically unchecked discretion regarding the release of prisoners (Tonry & Hatlesad, 1997). All jurisdictions placed great emphasis on the philosophy of tailoring sentences to reflect offenders’ characteristics. This strategy represented an attempt to achieve the rehabilitation of the offender. That uniform response to sentencing has disappeared; in the year 2000, there is no common philosophy or common sentencing practices across jurisdictions in America (Tonry, 1999). All states, however, have adopted statutes requiring mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain violent, drug, and property offenders. The result has been increased sentence lengths (and numbers of admissions to custody) for a wide range of offenses. This, in turn, has led to overcrowded prisons across the country. Mandatory Sentencing Despite many legislative changes regarding specific crimes, 30 states still rely primarily on an indeterminate sentencing system which incorporates parole release (Tonry, 1999). Fourteen states have eliminated early release at the discretion of a parole board for all offenders, and many more states have substantially reduced â€Å"goodtime† credits, by which prisoners may earn their early release (Ditton and Wilson, 1999). Some jurisdictions have attempted to structure sentencing through the use of presumptive or voluntary sentencing guidelines. Several states have made a conscious effort to avoid populist punitive policies by requiring legislators to consider the impact of a law on criminal justice resources. For example, before approving legislation, Louisiana legislators must consider an impact statement on how a mandatory sentencing bill would affect jury trials, plea bargaining, overcrowding in prisons, and the corrections budget (DiMascio, 1997). In stark contrast to the federal sentencing guidelines, eight states have adopted â€Å"front-end resource matching†; the resources required for the implementation of a sentencing law must be approved before the sentencing law is enacted. This focus on resource matching may create more rational sentencing and allow legislators some breathing space in which to resist intense public pressure arising from high-profile cases (Frase, 1995, p. 179). These efforts, however, are infrequent, and policies reflecting penal populism still carry the day more often than not in contemporary America. Criminal Control Truly, the complexity of the criminal justice problem is such that issues like the etiology of crime and the impact of drug addiction on criminal behavior may never be completely understood. Because of this, there is much room for the purveyors of scientific snake off to sell their wares to an unsuspecting public. Proponents of the various programs that are engineered as solutions to such problems as recidivism and crime prevention are so diverse in their political philosophies and theoretical schools as to cause the head to reel. Still, the public demands that there be answers, and politicians have mandated that they be found – and they have been. Bureaucrats and academics, professional consultants and political activists, government commissions and high-powered think tanks have all been analyzing data and constructing better programs for the alleviation of crime. Each of the many camps that have sprung up around this industry has a particular theory to espouse and a specific agenda to promote. Most of them have budgets, jobs, and political turf to protect. And whether one is trying to deflect attention away from the failure of law enforcement and its allies or pursuing failure as a means of promoting a political agenda of scapegoating the poor, nothing will achieve the goal better than the latest and most fashionable pseudoscientific technique for reducing crime. Evaluating the Criminal Justice Policy Criminological research, just as any other body of scientific knowledge, can serve ideological or bureaucratic ends just as readily as it can serve the advancement of positive social goals. Indeed, this is the entire point of Jeffrey Reiman's Pyrrhic defeat theory. By selectively collecting and analyzing some data while ignoring others, one can frequently arrive at whatever conclusion will support the practitioner's or researcher's favorite theory. At the very heart of Reiman's assessment of the American system of justice is the contention that the police focus on street crime while ignoring white-collar and corporate crime. He notes, for example, that while 9,285 members of the work force lost their lives due to crime in 1972, 100,000 of them died as the result of occupational hazards (Reiman 1979, p. 66). It is Reiman's contention that many of the latter deaths were preventable, and thus were tantamount to negligent homicides. It is no wonder, then, he contends, that corporate interests use their influence to ensure that no legislation that would make such negligence prosecutable comes into being while, at the same time, supporting the aggressive pursuit of street gangs, burglars, and robbery suspects. Samuel Walker and the Criminal Justice Policy Samuel Walker does an excellent job of illustrating the impact of ideology on criminology and the American system of justice. In his book Sense and Nonsense About Crime and Drugs, he describes what he refers to as the conservative theology (pp. 17-19) and the liberal theology (pp. 19-20) of crime control: â€Å"Conservative crime control theology envisions a world of discipline and self-control; people exercise self-restraint and subordinate their personal passions to the common good. It is a place of limits and clear rules about human behavior. The problem with criminals is that they lack self-control† (p. 17). So goes Walker's account of the stance of the right. He goes on to asses the position of the left on issues of crime as well: â€Å"Liberal crime control theology views the world as a large and idealized school. It explains criminal behavior in terms of social influences. People do wrong because of bad influences in the family, the peer group, or the neighborhood, or because of broader social factors, such as discrimination and lack of economic opportunity. The liberals' solution to crime is to create a different set of influences. Rehabilitation involves shaping the offender in the direction of correct behavior† (p. 19). Samuel Walker and the Mandatory Sentencing Having set the stage, Walker goes on to explain that each of these camps has set upon a quest for its own brand of success. He describes the liberal push for reforms in the area of corrections as â€Å"the story of a continuing search for the Holy Grail of rehabilitation† (p. 19). As for the conservative tendency to equate deterrence with parental discipline, he tells us that â€Å"The real world, unfortunately, does not work like family discipline† (p. 18) Walker then supports these characterizations of the liberal and conservative schools of criminology by debunking several of the programs the two sides support and the claimed successes for each. One example used by Walker is that of the mandatory sentencing programs so near and dear to the hearts of law-and-order conservatives. The state of New York's 1973 drug law mandating lengthy prison terms is one of those examined. The law provided that convicted heroin dealers would serve minimum, mandatory prison terms ranging from one year to life for minor offenders, and fifteen years to life for major offenders (those who either sold an ounce of heroin or possessed two ounces of the substance). It was found, however, that between 1972 and 1976, â€Å"the overall percentage of arrests leading to conviction fell from 33.5 to 20 percent† (Walker 1994, p. 92). Walker points out that members of the â€Å"courtroom work group† (p. 48) (prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys) were able to evade the intent of the law by selectively charging and dismissing the offenders. Although he concedes that there was some modest success, in that the rate of incarceration did go up for those who were convicted, the effect of the law was essentially nullified (p. 92). The claim that mandatory sentencing program are, by and large, not successful is further supported by the experiences of both the state of Florida and the federal system. Even though Florida passed mandatory sentencing laws in 1975 and 1988, no significant impact on sentencing practices has resulted. Walker again points out that such factors as judicial discretion and â€Å"good time† reduction of prison terms effectively negated the laws' impact as an effective tool for reducing crime (pp. 87-88). The story for the federal system is similar, though it must be conceded that the length of prison terms for those convicted did increase. Walker points out that this served to greatly increase the prison population and add to overcrowding. At the same time, however, correctional officials employed a greater use of â€Å"good time† programs in an effort to ease these conditions. The result is that whatever benefit might have been realized has again been negated (p. 95). An example of how Samuel Walker explains the failure of the left to come up with the right answers to the question of how to control crime is found in his account of the Martinson Report. This 1974 criminological report by Robert Martinson resulted from a review of all of the evaluations of correctional programs that were available in English-language publications between 1945 and 1967. Walker informs us that most of this universe of data was eliminated as not bun scientifically valid, for the Martinson team found that they were lacking such vital research components as control groups or drew â€Å"questionable conclusions from the data† (p. 209). The upshot of the study was that although Martinson did find some positive results from correctional rehabilitation, he also stated that â€Å"with few and isolated exceptions, the rehabilitative efforts that have been reported so for have had no appreciable effect on rehabilitation† (pp. 208-209). Follow-up studies of the type conducted by Martinson, Walker indicates, have resulted in similar findings, fueling a long-term debate on the efficacy of rehabilitation programs. Samuel Walker makes it clear that practitioners and researchers alike are guilty of wishful thinking and of stacking the deck in favor of their individual arguments. Time and again he demonstrates that many of the so-called successes in rehabilitation have been invented rather than achieved. Closer attention to ethical decision making might have served to advance the state of criminology in these instances, just as it might aid in achieving a more effectively run police department. A brief look at two of Walker's examples will be illustrative. Diversion is one of the programs Walker examines, and he chooses the Manhattan Court Employment Project as an example (p. 212). In this program employment services were provided to underemployed and unemployed defendants-not facing homicide, rape, kidnapping, or arson changes. Such persons were granted a delay of prosecution and could have their cases dismissed if they secured stable employment. A program evaluation conducted shortly after the project was initiated gave it high marks, including a 48.2 percent success rate and a very low cost. Later, however, another study found that recidivism was not abated and that the cost figures were misleading. Walker explains that this was due to the â€Å"net-widening syndrome,† (p. 213) a situation in which low risk offenders who would otherwise have their cases dismissed were selected for inclusion in the diversion program. The result, of course, is a skewing of statistics and the incurring of a cost that would otherwise not have been necessary. â€Å"The net-widening phenomenon suggests that the ‘old' diversion did a better job,† writes Walker (p. 214). Walker notes that what he means by this is that district attorneys who declined to prosecute and police officers who elected not to arrest offenders for minor violations of the law did a far more cost-effective and less intrusive job of diversion than did the Manhattan Court Employment Project. Walker also takes a look at intensive probation supervision (IPS), another of the many fads to hit the rehabilitation scene. In IPS programs, probationers are closely supervised with a great number of contacts between the client and the probation officer, frequent testing of drugs, and generally much tighter restrictions on behavior and movements. Not all that surprisingly, Walker finds that such programs are not new. As evidence of this he cites the San Francisco Project, an IPS program that was put into place during the 1960s. The San Francisco Project, a federal program of intensive probation supervision, was subjected to systematic evaluation at the time. Control groups were set up, reports Walker, for the purpose of comparing the new intensive measures with more traditional and less restrictive ones. The evaluators learned that there was â€Å"no significant difference in the recidivism rates of offenders in the various groups† (p. 214). Walker points out that there are similar findings in studies of the newest wave of IPS programs. Evaluations recently conducted in California, New Jersey, and Georgia are equally disheartening. â€Å"IPS suffers from both confused goals and exaggerated promises,† he writes (p. 220). Conclusion After all, a question still remains as to what are we to make of all of these?   Confusion and a seemingly endless series of fits and starts appear to constitute our best effort at finding a solution to crime and violence.   Samuel Walker provides us with a very solid explanation in his book as he goes about the task of illustrating the significant issues that encompass the current criminal justice policy. References DiMascio, W. M. (1997). Seeking justice: Crime and punishment in America. New York: Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Ditton, P. M., and D. J. Wilson (1999). Truth in sentencing in state prisons. Bureau of Justice Statistics: Special Report (NCJ 170032). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice. Frase, R. S. (1995). State sentencing guidelines: Still going strong. Judicature. 78(4): 173–179. Reiman, Jeffrey (1979). The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Tonry, M., and K. Hatlestad, eds. (1997). Sentencing reform in overcrowded times: A comparative perspective. New York: Oxford University Press. Tonry, M. (1999). The fragmentation of sentencing and corrections in America. National Institute of Justice: Research in Brief. NCJ 175721. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Walker, Samuel (1994). Sense and Nonsense About Crime and Drugs: A Policy Guide. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.      

Poisonwood Bible Character Analysis Essay

In the book The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the narration is done by five of the main characters: Orleanna, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May Price. When analyzing the narrative led by Leah Price, a 14-year old tomboy, the reader may notice her progression from a young girl who idolizes her father and loves him more than anyone else, into a rebellious young woman who despises her father. Some of Leah’s more prominent characteristics are her compassion and devotion. These characteristics are portrayed from the very beginning when Leah follows her father around even saying that, â€Å"I know he must find me tiresome, yet I still like spending time with my father very much more than I like doing anything else† (Kingsolver 36). In that context, Leah is still a young girl, who basically worships her father and does everything he does, loves everything he loves, but he does not give her anywhere near that much love in return. This is also evident on pages 41-42; she goes on about how awesome her father is and how admirable he is, almost justifying her idolizing him. Also, Leah states that â€Å"His devotion to its progress, like his devotion to the church, was the anchoring force in my life throughout this past summer† (64). These things are very important because it shows just how much Leah’s persona is affected by her father, also how influential he is on her beliefs (with emphasis on religion). After one has read the book The Poisonwood Bible and begins analyzing the text, one may notice that in the first part, there are events between the females of the Price family, and the father. In Book One, Genesis, in Leah’s narrative, starting on page 64, she describes a situation where her and her sisters were accused of teaching Methuselah (their parrot) a bad word. Going on to page 68, it appears that the girls were not actually responsible, but the emotionally jarring part is in the second paragraph of that page when she says, â€Å"Once in a great while we just have to protect her,† and Leah goes on to explain how her mother is chastised by her father, for â€Å"sins of womanhood.† Consequently, it seems as though these happenings were just the flint and steel of a fire in the making, most apparently in Leah. The first notion of rebellion starts on page 101, Leah’s narrative, but the strike is on page 115 when she announces, â€Å"For the first time ever I felt a stirring of anger against my father for making me a white preacher’s child from Georgia.† This strike failed to start a sustainable fire, as obviously when she goes with her father to Leopoldville, and actually says upfront, that she and her father â€Å"have patched things up.† Also when she explains to Mrs. Underdown how her father knows what’s best â€Å"in the sight of the Lord,† and that they were all â€Å"privileged to serve.† In this case, it is two steps forward, away from her father, but one step back. Leah’s next big step forward comes in Book Three, The Judges, when she begins to truly doubt her father: If his decision to keep us here in the Congo wasn’t right, then what else might he be wrong about? It has opened up in my heart a sickening world of doubts and possibilities, where before I had only faith in my father and love for the Lord. Without that rock of certainty underfoot, the Congo is a fearsome place to have to sink or swim. (244) Kingsolver uses imagery, so the reader might begin to see what Leah is seeing, and relate to her statements; her doubtful mind of her father could be very easy for readers to understand, maybe not all are able, but those who are may create an attachment to this character. People might say that the world is a place full of lies, deceit, and pain. Others might say that truth, justice, and happiness are just as common, or need to be. Leah has a strong sense of justice, and she believes that her father provides just that, but then she starts asking, â€Å"What if he’s wrong?† and that opens her mind to imagine her father, who was everything she believed was good and right in the world, her idol, as someone who isn’t so great after all; he made a mistake. As a result of this, she rebels, and starts turning away from her father. â€Å"Leah is the cause of all our problems†¦Leah would rare up and talk back to Father straight to his face†¦Leah always had the uppermost respect for Father, but after†¦ they voted Father out, she just plumb stopped being polite† (335). That quote is from Rachel’s narrative in Book Four, Bel and the Serpent; she continues to explain how Leah’s rebellion against their father began when she tried to go hunting with the men. Eventually, Leah’s contempt toward her father caused her to leave behind everything she loved because he loved it, mainly her religion. She continued was always very intelligent, and she grew up and became a teacher, but she was still a tomboy at heart, and she was still devoted, not to her father, but to her husband instead. Leah Price, a 14-year old tomboy who once idolized her father completely, became a woman married to a man of Kilanga, who opposed her father; she no longer believed in the God of her father, she live d among the people of Africa and married an African man. She was no longer a duckling to her father, but her own complete person who had her own opinion and beliefs and independence.

Nurse Practitioner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nurse Practitioner - Essay Example This entails following up on my patients’ well being, as per the clinical guidelines (Hollier, A., & Hensley, 2011). This role will display the dedication I have towards health promotion, disease prevention and treatment, as working in a clinic setting is my passion. The type of organization I expect to practice my nursing profession is a clinical setting. A clinic setting is a health care facility that is focused on the health of patients, with intent of serving the community. The clinic provides a variety of health care services and treatment. It is essential to have clinical experience so as to work in a clinical organization. In order to obtain clinical experience, I have learnt that I have to be involved and dedicated in the health care center. My education as a nursing professional has sharpened my clinical skills, thus giving me a chance to practice clinical medicine; that is to help the doctor when examining a patient. As a registered FNP, I will perform duties like physical examinations to patients, obtain health histories, diagnosis, and to prescribe treatment aimed in improving the patients’ conditions. Moreover, I will also perform functional, development, and psychosocial assessment (Wyckoff et al., 2009). This means that at times I will work together with a doctor, and at other times completely independent of a doctor. As an Independent and advanced nurse practitioner, I purpose to come up with perfect solutions for my future workforce. Thus, I will promote the best health care practices and service (Ho llier & Hensley, 2011). The Florida Board of Nursing will support my role in the clinical setting that I expect to work. This is based on the fact that this board will license my nursing profession. The board will support my role of nursing in the clinical organization by ascertaining that I am a qualified medical practitioner with the appropriate skills that are required. It will

The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and How It Mirrors the United Essay

The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and How It Mirrors the United States - Essay Example Importantly, the rise of both Roman and American empires follow almost same trajectory of consolidation of ‘pockets of power’ to large scale annexation through combined constitutional, economic and military assaults. The American quagmire in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the growing fallacies of the American empire gives a sense that its doom too would follow the Roman course. The purpose of the paper is to give a glimpse at the rise and fall of Roman empire and see the parallels with the case of the America empire, by examining some of the constitutive features of both the political formations in a brief and concise manner. The Making and the Unmaking of the Empires From the ancient period to the present time, world has seen the rise and fall of many empires. Roman, Greek, ancient Egypt, Persian, British, and American empires are a few to name. The timeline of these empires varies from each other. The chances of survival of an empire in ancient times were more than the mode rn ones. However, a country has more chances to survive than an empire. Decline or fall of an empire is inevitable and only depended upon on time whereas a country can survive for longer period. When a country goes for territorial expansion and succeeds in it, the country then transforms itself into an empire. After acquiring a status of an empire, the nation precipitates the unavoidable decline and fall of the empire. This is the basic but generalized story both the Roman empire and the American empire tell to us. The fall of empire reflects the decaying of the society. After the disintegration of an empire, the society experiences too much hardships and the life of the people become miserable. Experiences of fall of the Roman, ancient Egyptian empire show that the lives of the citizens later were never as good as it was during empires’ height. Now itself, we can sense that America citizens’ hardships are growing day after day and it certainly sheds light into the wea kening core of the American empire. Roman Empire lasted around one thousand years whereas American empire started stumbling only after two hundred and twenty years. There are certain parallels between fall of Roman Empire and the contemporary scenario in the United States. Romans started up with a republic, later transformed it into an Empire. The twentieth century saw America metamorphosing from a nation into an empire. It is very interesting to see that how these two most sophisticated republics of their times ended up as being vicious empires! Importantly, cold war with the former Soviet Union and the subsequent triumph of an American new global order have many parallels between the Romans’ eternal tension with the Carthage. Same as in the case of American empire, the Roman empire was also fully constituted only with the complete disintegration of Carthage. America too became an empire with truly global capabilities only after the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991. It is im portant to remember that â€Å"the Roman Republic was an unabashed plutocracy; the citizen-body was carefully graded according to stringent property qualifications. In turn, this classification regulated voting rights: all adult male citizens were enfranchised, but a system of electoral colleges guaranteed that the rich, if united, would always be able to out-vote the poor. In addition, the heavy costs of electioneering and office-holding ensured that all who were most prominent in government were

Protest Movements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Protest Movements - Essay Example People usually relate protests with a lot of negativity, however, protest movement is a form of negotiation tactic that most people adapt to air out their views and makes their voices be heard. The most frequently used protest tactics during protest movements are strikes and mass demonstrations, and most states allow individuals to demonstrate more so they encourage peaceful demonstration as opposed to chaotic protests. The street protest participants should not involve themselves in activities like looting, steal, of commit other forms of crime. Peaceful demonstrations are in most cases successful. In most cases, inequality and discrimination in the society are some of the leading factors that trigger protest movements. Protest movements are very useful in the society and they enable people to talk about their feelings and address issues affecting them. However, protest movements can as well be very destructive especially chaotic demonstrations and interfere with the wellbeing of in dividuals in the society. Today, many states offer individuals with the freedom to protest or engage in protest movements as a way of sharing their views and feeling on certain issues affecting them and the society at large. Truly, freedom of expression is a constitutional right of every one in many nations today. This includes freedom of protest and demonstration among other social movements. For instance, In the United States, individuals’ right to free speech is outlined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution and so every American has the freedom to protest but without arms. Apart from being a constitutional right, protests are like democracy in action. In democratic nations, citizens have a right to share their opinions peacefully without any chaos involved. They are free to protest on different issues including unemployment and some government policies among others. Democracy does not only involving casting votes but also

Communicable Diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communicable Diseases - Essay Example â€Å"Infectious diseases† have affected man at every stage of his evolution, but it is only recently that he has begun to understand that these diseases are not the result of â€Å"invisible† enemies, but rather microscopic ones. Communicable diseases are a group of infectious diseases â€Å"that are capable of being spread directly (through contact with bodily secretions) or indirectly (through contact with inanimate objects) transmitted from person to person† (Ilyas, p. 520, 2007). Common diseases such as influenza, measles, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and AIDS come under this heading. Their prevalence in a community however depends on the degree of defensive power of the body against that infectious agent. Communicable diseases can be termed epidemic â€Å"if the number of susceptible individuals is very large in a community and the disease is likely to spread rapidly, or if it occurs for the first time in an area where it was not previously present† (Ilyas, p520, 2007). However, â€Å"if the immune and susceptible individuals are equal in a community, the disease continues to smolder and is always present in that community, it is said to prevail in an endemic formâ⠂¬  (Ilyas, p520, 2007). A pandemic form is one in which â€Å"the susceptibility of the whole world or a country is increased for a particular organism† (Ilyas, p520, 2007). Some communicable diseases have been known for centuries. For example, Tuberculosis has been mentioned in literature by the name of â€Å"phthisis† or â€Å"dried up† by Hippocrates around 460 B.C. (Hippocrates, n.d.). Some diseases however, have only recently surfaced, but in short time have led to major global health problems. For example, the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first discovered in 1981 in the US, when five homosexual men with a special type of pneumonia were tested

Preventive measures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Preventive measures - Assignment Example The company offers or provides the employees with adequate and quality training to enable them to transform their visions into reality. The company in question owns and also operates the Sizzler restaurants. The worldwide Restaurant Concept Inc was anciently known as Sizzler International Inc but later the name was changed to the worldwide Restaurant Concept Inc. However the worldwide concept inc. like many other companies around the globe has also been facing legal challenges due to a series of factors. There are main challenges that have become a menace to the World-wide restaurant concept Inc financial prosperity. The challenges are as follows. The main Legal issues/challenges facing the World-Wide Concepts, Inc. Company The first and the most head aching issue is the issue of disgruntled workers. This is greatly becoming a major head aching legal issues to the worldwide concept Inc. this is in the sense that, the employees have been granted by its law more freedom than in other c ompanies and business firms. The freedom in particular is in the form of; they are allowed to form unions the unions fight for wrongful termination from this company. This has made it very difficult for the employers to fire the underperforming individuals in the company in order to avoid facing the law. This is because of the stiff laws set to defend the employees. For example there is a law that states that, if an employer terminates or fires an employee, he/she should make sure that the employee has signed the regal documents which have been cautiously drafted by an attorney upon the termination of the employee to make the terms for termination very clear. If an employee is terminated without the signing of the document, it leaves the door open or rather paves away for a legal action against the employer in of the firm. The second and also one of the fears issue is the issue of discrimination and harassment cases. The company in question has been facing these challenges for a lon g period of time, it seems that the more the company ventures into different nations, the problems grows bigger and bigger. These discriminations of all kinds from the sex, age or even age and many others have lead to very serious legal problems. The company’s CEOs have been arrested due to such related cases and have also lead to loss of money through the court fines. The companies should make sure that their human resources and also the legal team is well prepared to be able to handle these issues if in any case they occur. For the period of the hiring procedure, the firm’s CEO should ensure that he/she is prepared for all applicants resumes incase discrimination cases arise, this is in order to make sure that they hire the best and also the most qualified individuals in regardless of their gender, their ethnicity or even their age. The sufferers of pestering and discrimination likely have drawn attention from the media which in turn have tarnishes the companies†™ reputation as well as draining their legal budgets. The third issue is the copyright and also the patent issue. This has greatly affected the designing field and partners of worldwide restaurant concept Inc who are based in Russia and India. The companies are often faced with aggressive patent legal action. This has lead to loss of m

Romanticism in The Lamb and London Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Romanticism in The Lamb and London - Essay Example The poem ' The Lamb' is very simple to understand but shows poet's immense faith and understanding of the nature and the almighty. The poem is the dialogue between the poet and the lamb. In the first few stanzas the poets asks lamb, "Does thou know who made thee." He wants to make it known to him that he is not made by any human being nor himself makes him, rather he is the part of the nature. Then he tells that he is made by the being that is also called by the same name as "The Lamb." Similarly he clarifies further that the other things, which he get, like the feed, soft woolen clothing and the tender voice, are also all given by the same person, who by nature is meek and mild. This being is also the child. Then the poet says he himself is also a child and he is also created by created by him as he says, "We are all called by his name." The poet feels that the lamb, his possessions and everybody else are the part of the nature and created by the almighty. He also says that we are p art of almighty, in that sense the nature and the almighty are one and the same thing. "London" is a very different type of poem. It reflects two things: one the prevailing atmosphere in London at that time and 2) the poets mood and attitude towards the life during that phase of life. It's a sorrowful poem. He begins by saying that not only the streets but also the river in London is chartered (not free to the ordinary people). He says whomever he comes across shows the marks of weakness and woes. And "every" man, infant is suffering; there is a voice of the cry, sorrow in the whole atmosphere. Then by giving the example of "chimney-sweepers" he says the church has failed to help the needy. Then the poet brings the woes of the soldiers who have no option but fight for the country and sacrifice them. Then there is sudden turn when poet brings out the fact that youth's mistake gives birth to illegitimate child who are abandoned by the society. The Lamb: Let us consider the various quotes: 1) Does thou know who made thee: There is general feeling in the society that "I' am" the creator of everything. Humans not only have the feeling of being creator of materialistic things but also of the natural things like the plants, the animals and even the human beings. This is what the poet wants to make the lamb aware of, as to who has made him and indirectly he also wants the humans to know who actually their real creator is. The lamb here is innocent animal that is unaware of the worldly facts. Similarly the humans are also considered by the poet to be innocent creatures who are unaware of the same facts. Now just as the good teacher would teach his pupil with full love and compassion similarly by giving the metaphor of the lamb the poet wants to teach the humans, as to who is their creator, creator of the world. All the fights that occur are due to the egos and the misunderstandings of "me" and "mine." He knows that when the humans will know who the real creator is their egos will dissolve and love amongst them will prevail. That's why the poet asks th e lamb "who made thee" so as to make aware the lamb and indirectly people to know who actually is the real creator. 2) Gave thee such tender voice: The little lamb has a soft tender voice. Now this innocent lamb may develop the feeling that it is his own or he may feel that he himself has made it and was supposed to use it only for the personal purposes. The poet wants to again make him aware that

Organizational Behavior Factors Affecting the Criminal Justice Essay

Organizational Behavior Factors Affecting the Criminal Justice - Essay Example When the upper management makes good decisions they ensure that the community has an effective justice system and also the lower managements are able to imitate their business behaviors, but a corrupt upper management system will negatively affect the lower management and the community. Culture may also be one of the biggest factors that affect the criminal justice system in the police department whereby diversity in the department reveals that there is less likelihood of disagreements between both the officers and the suspect or victims when there is a language barrier. Diversity in the police department has an advantage since individuals who may be witnesses or victims may feel more obliged to give information to the police officer. Law goes hand in hand with the criminal justice work place since the officers are expected to uphold the law at all times. However, there are officers who think that since they are the law enforcers they are above the law which is an issue, but in accor dance to the law when the officer commits an offence he or she should be treated in the same way as an individual who broke the law and was not an enforcement agent of the law. Stakeholders play an important role too as they determine how the internal and external relations of the system function. The influence of this factor in the criminal justice workplace mainly leadership creates a working pattern which ensures the accomplishment of the departments goals and objectives. There are three influential stakeholders’ namely political bodies, community groups and employees who affect the criminal justice system in the work place. Political bodies, who are external stakeholders, have more of a negative influence on the police department since they use it mostly to practice illegal acts unlike community groups, which may work with the police department to fight crime though community policing. They help combat crime by giving police lads to offenders, and this increases the effic iency of the criminal justice system in combating crime. Employees who may be officers are very influential stakeholders in the criminal justice system since when they adequately give information to their bosses on various issue in the organization and are accountable for the daily operations, and this implies that they increase the chances of finding solutions rather rapidly by working together to find the most viable solutions to existing problems. The system factor in the criminal justice work place is usually created by the management, which in regards to the police department determines whether the police force will be effective or not. A good and effective system will ensure that justice is served to all who need it since officers will do what   the system requires of them and also officers employed in the system will find it more comfortable working in the department. The structure in the police department determines each and every role played by an officer and their effect iveness in the department.

Populaur Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Populaur Culture - Essay Example According to Carroll and Buchholtz (8), pluralism refers to the â€Å"diffusion of power among society’s many groups and organizations.† Typically, it is characterized by â€Å"decentralization and diversity of power concentration† (ibid.). In the political scenario, the rise of the political parties implies the acceptance of pluralism. Likewise, in the education system, the abolition of racial segregation in schools has opened the system to diversity and multicultural education (Connolly 23). Similarly, the face of entertainment includes artists coming from different cultural backgrounds such as Jacky Chan, Jennifer Lopez, Psy, Charice Pempengco, and many others. Pluralism has given a voice to the minority, abolished racial discrimination, and opened better economic possibilities for the U.S. Given its advantages, pluralism should be cultivated further. Schools, being the most legitimate source of knowledge and values, should act as the main agent to promote plu ralism but is it doing its part to address problems of diversity at all levels? Looking at curriculum content, values and resources will definitely provide a view whether the school is doing its part in promoting pluralism. The absence of non-discriminatory content does not mean the teaching of pluralism. ... This direction illustrates the effort of developing awareness of other cultures. However, limiting the discussion to only two countries in Asia is not be enough to achieve pluralism. Readings and first-hand experiences with different cultures from different continents should be done to achieve awareness and acceptance of diversity. In the meantime, Florida’s Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies uphold diversity by leading students to understand different perspectives and cultures. Lesson objectives express this requirement; however, the reading selections mostly include American and British works. Indeed, there is a need to review the recommended readings and include works by authors from other continents in order to satisfy the requirement for diversity. In terms of values, schools that practice diversity should include an expression of means to accommodate diversity in their Core Values. Looking at different School Values cou ld give light to the issue. For instance, in the website of St. Joseph’s College, a school located in Rensselaer Indiana, the Mission/Vision expresses that â€Å"the College serves a diverse student body composed of men and women of all races, creeds, and socio-economic backgrounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This statement recognizes the diversity of students but is not enough to imply the effort of the school to promote pluralism. Further review of the core values illustrates the intent to hone attitudes towards Christian formation, particularly that which stems from â€Å"Judeo-Christian and Graeco-Roman traditions and from Vatican II inspiration.† In this regard, the Mission/Vision of the school implies the acceptance of students from diverse cultures but along

Environmental Science Essay Example for Free

Environmental Science Essay Our world looses 40,000 species a year, while ocean fisheries collapse and global warming threatens ecosystems from the coral reefs to the melting of the North Pole poles to the grain-producing mid-latitudes. There is a greater need than ever before to understand ecosystem processes, man’s impact on these processes, and the value systems that will determine our future interactions with our own ecosystem. Conservation is akin to problem solving, hence the emphasis on the art of solving problems and the critical-analytical approach toward understanding the underlying issues. Conserving nature is thus related to solving problems arising from human interference. It thus combines the complexity of nature with the human dimension, which is complicated to say the least. Hence the multitude of dimensions, confusion of ideas and the widespread involvement in all facets of daily life.Conservation is rooted in the belief that something can be done to prevent the loss of an endeared entity. When we saw native forests disappearing to shipbuilding and firewood, we began to protect them, goes the story. However, the truth follows a slightly different path. Forests were saved because people discovered coal, which was much more efficient to use. Instead of building ships from timber, steel proved to be a better choice. Instead of burning firewood for locomotives, coal proved more efficient. Thus coal and steel saved the remnants of native forests. Likewise it was fossil oil that saved the whales. If no economic replacement can be found, people will use the resource to the last little bit. Conservation in its early days, often happened by accident. However, today, people are using knowledge, foresight, labour and technology for proactive conservation. Soil conservation: soil has become threatened by human cultivation and climate change, resulting in loss of fertility, erosion and desertification. Water conservation: water is needed for food and industry, but in many nations a severe shortage is looming as humans use over 50% of fresh water that never reaches the sea. Atmosphere conservation: clean air is needed by all organisms on Earth. The atmosphere regulates the Earths temperature and protects it from harmful radiation. Global warming and ozone depletion threaten all organisms, including humans. Natural habitat conservation: wildlife needs natural habitat, Wildlife conservation: preventing extinctions, maintaining biodiversity. Mineral conservation: the mining of minerals rests almost exclusively in the hands of mining companies. Their business is to supply an ever hungrier market. Conservation of minerals can be done only at the consumers end, by reducing the need, reusing by-products and recycling wastes Energy conservation: energy is the main driving force behind industry and indeed our civilisation. Our entire standard of living depends on energy to the extent, that people in developed countries use the equivalent of 50 human slaves each, or more. Fossil fuel is going to run out and alternatives have to be found, as well as energy conserved. Urban conservation: in recent times, many cities have grown so rapidly that they have become unlivable due to overcrowding, traffic jams, inadequate public transportation systems, air and water pollution, noise, and lack of recreational parks. People flee the cities to live in suburbs, causing urban areas to sprawl, which exacerbates the transport-related problems. Urban conservation aims to make cities more livable, while halting urban sprawl. Marine conservation: the marine environment has its own rules. To do conservation for the benefit of nature is difficult enough, but because humans are involved in every step, the matter becomes very much more complicated. In fact, this aspect can become quite time-consuming and energy-sapping, often obscuring what the whole purpose of conservation is all about. Human society has become more complicated over time, and will continue to do so. People have occupied every bit of land, and have also been allowed to own it. By having an interest in an area planned for conservation, or an extractable species, human lives are affected and conflicts arise. People who have a claim to be considered, call themselves stakeholders. Dont be surprised that a stakeholder can live hundreds of kilometres away from the place of conflict. Here are the human interests that need to be considered along every step: economic: peoples incomes are affected. Countries with a Bill Of Rights, require such people to be compensated financially. It increases the cost of conservation. However, often new opportunities present themselves, and people can get better jobs through re-training. Where fishing is stopped, boat owners and skippers can learn to earn a living from eco-tourism. Park rangers are required, and those displaced from the area make good rangers due to their local knowledge. rights: over time, people have given themselves all kinds of rights. Their present predicament is seen as a right obtained through custom, and any change to it is seen as an infringement of such rights. tradition: people have been doing what they do for many generations, often passed down in families from father to son. Villages have a tradition, and so do areas. A conservation effort may upset such traditions. culture: every ethnic group has a different culture. Within a culture, specific rights and beliefs are held dearly. Conservation may infringe on such cultural values. spiritual: persons and groups may have spiritual values, arising from beliefs and superstitions. emotional value: people often value a place or a species emotionally. Such values cannot be measured but are real to the beholders. A large range of emotional values can be held. race: racial matters may dominate conservation efforts. Original People like the Maori in New Zealand, the Aborigines in Australia and the Indians in America and Canada, have lived in the area for a long time, and have cultural and spiritual ties with an area. However, often the race issue is used to gain power and income. Nevertheless, it seems that the three underlying causes, population growth, economic growth and material needs (standard of living) are too holy to be stemmed, or even discussed. So it happens that all our conservation efforts are directed at fixing problems, rather than preventing them. Worse still, the concept of sustainable development requires us to increase economic activity while also conserving the environment, two opposing goals. Conservationists now try to improve our quality of life, the need for a clean environment, such as clean air and water, uncluttered living areas, and unspoiled scenic lands. Only very recently has the concept of biodiversity entered the conservationists vocabulary. It requires healthy ecosystems, not just for the benefit of people but also for those other millions of species. The ecological crisis, as an outcome of human impact on nature, has reached a point that could threaten the very survival of humanity. In keeping with the economic interests of a small minority, new production forms be implemented faster and faster, with no prior evaluation of their ecological consequences. These minority interests also require maintaining production techniques recognized as harmful. This is going on while technological progress is increasing the possibility of acting upon nature, and hence upsetting or destroying it. Industry, transports and the breakdown of more or less durable consumer goods release a great variety of toxic substances into the air. The unbridled and apparently uncontrollable growth of motor vehicle traffic makes this the primary source of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, far ahead of household and industrial heating. Formic aldehyde, mercury and asbestos, for example, are industrial pollutants. These are also found to a very significant extent in everyday consumer products, such as building materials in the case of formaldehyde and asbestos, and mercury in batteries. Waste, of household, agricultural or industrial origin alike, is carried off in the worlds waters, turning them into gigantic sewers. Continental waters, rivers and lakes are the hardest-hit, but pollution is reaching the sea more and more, via rivers and coastal cities. The direct consequences are the accumulation of heavy metals; mercury, cadmium, etc, and highly toxic organic compounds, in sediment on the ocean floor, riverbeds and lakebeds. Above all, fertilizer build-up, involving nitrates and phosphates, has led to an unbridled proliferation of algae and water plants. Their breakdown then exhausts the oxygen dissolved in the water: resulting in a massive death of aquatic life. Among the most dramatic manifestations of the ecological crisis, the destruction of the worlds forests is among the most disturbing, because of the extent of its consequences. In 50 years, one third of the worlds woodlands has disappeared. This has hit tropical countries the hardest. In the industrialized countries, the wooded area has remained relatively stable, but forests are slowly dying from air, oil and soil pollution. However, in the Third World, deforestation is at the heart of the ecological crisis. Deforestation is the outcome of a vicious cycle of poverty and depletion of arable land. Another cause is the over-harvesting of tropical woods, with no concern for sustainable management. This destroys biodiversity the tropical forests are home to over 50% of the plant and animal species of our planet and the forest populations resources, in order to provide a cheaper product for Western building and furniture markets. In future, we must see our neighbours as partners and friends rather than as poachers and foes. This partnership can also extend to adjoining industries, farming enterprises and business ventures. It does, of course, mean that human attitudes and behaviour will have to change. We should all see ourselves as custodians of the environment and learn to live in harmony with it. Only then will we see light at the end of a dark tunnel. Worked Cite: Daniel B. Botkin, Edward A. Keller Published by Wiley Text Books (June 2002) Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet

Illegal Downloading: Good Or Bad?

Illegal Downloading: Good Or Bad? There have been many arguments on whether illegal downloading is a serious problem or not. Illegal downloading isnt that much of a problem if you take the time out to research into it. Sources have shown that illegal downloading actually promotes and helps artist more, it helps people become more diverse in music genres, artist illegally download music as well as their fans, and that there is zero to no evidence that free online music financially harms anyone. These and many more is just the tip iceberg on the arguments that are for illegal downloading, but for now where did illegal downloading all begin? The history of commercial music distribution is a recent one.(Miller, Web). Music distribution started up about the 1800s when the idea of sheet music was thought of. Later after that during the 1930s, people of the middle class had pianos. They would usually go to the local store, buy sheet music of their favorite artist during that time, and play it at their homes. Soon after there was the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Edison which enabled artist to widely distribute their music. The music was first created on wax cylinders and then vinyl discs. During this time there were about 150 companies creating records. Over time, the record industry evolved from 78 RPM discs to 45 RPM singles to 33 1/3 RPM long playing (LP) albums, and then to 8-track tapes (remember them?) And recorded audiocassette, and then to digital compact discs and finally to downloadable and streaming digital tracks.(Miller, Web). Quality had greatly increased with this evolution and so did the distribution. It was pretty obvious that these recordings could be duplicated, but it wasnt as easy back then. The only things that were known were home wire recorders and discs cutting machines. Not all people knew how to use these devices at the time though. What really started making things easy was the invention of the reel to reel tape recording in the 1950s and the audiocassette recorders in the 1960s. The only problems with these were that the audio grade of copied music was somewhat horrible. It wasnt until the digital era started that we could make extremely good copies of music due to CDs and your computer. Then when the internet came along downloading music became simple for anyone to be able to download any type music for free. (Miller, Web). Napster, which started in 1999, was the first hugely popular music file-sharing services. It was shut down by court order in 2001.(Hamilton, 90). Now a days most music downloading is done by college students. (Jambon, Web). One of the main arguments of the opposing side says that it harms artist by taking money from them, but this is the exact opposite. In a survey shown by opposing viewpoints there were only about 12 percent of artists thought that illegal downloading hurt them. Most of the artists were not convinced that illegal downloading is doing any economic harm. Whats worth noting is that higher educated artist in particular believed that file-sharing is doing them no harm.(Opposing Viewpoints). Also majority of the artist thought that illegal downloading helped promote them. About 50 percent of the artists believe strongly that illegal downloading helps get their work known better in public. There was only about 5 percent who thought the other way around. In particular the younger artists ( Illegal downloading also helps artist by helping people become more subjected to new genres of music. Having the easy accessibility of mp3s means that more people will be listening to different types of music that they havent heard before, and this informs them more on music as a whole. Artists really have nothing to worry about when it comes to losing money in the music industry. From research artist have also been known to download music illegally themselves. the Dutch Government announced plans to outlaw downloading of all copyrighted material and measures to make it easier to block websites that facilitate copyright infringement. An interesting, particularly since a survey they published on the same day shows that artists views on file-sharing are not all that negative.(Opposing Viewpoints). They began a huge survey in order to find out more about the view of artist on the topic of piracy, DRM the digital rights management: technologies that limit access to digital content), and similar opportunities and challenges they had faced in the digital era. The questions that were asked in the article were answered by about 4,000 artists of all ages, which included musicians, filmmakers, authors and photographers. When the results had come out, there was in unparalleled look into the state at which the artists stood on the subject. One of the results that stands o ut directly is that artist are pirates too.(Opposing Viewpoints). While not all of them were pirates, there was a good amount of them that were. About 22 percent of the surveyors responded saying that they had downloaded copyrighted works without the owners permission in the last 12 months. Another 71% told the researchers they hadnt downloaded anything without permission during this period, and the remaining 7% didnt know, or didnt want to answer the question.(Opposing Viewpoints). There was another question ask to the surveyors who had recently owned up to downloading other peoples copyrighted works. These results had shown that music was the most downloaded media type, with 80 percent from music, 40 percent for movies and 5 percent for e-books and games (Opposing Viewpoints). So as well the fans downloading illegally, the artist were no different. Lastly there really is zero to no evidence when it comes to financially harming artist. If you think about, the music industry should be rejoicing at this new technological advance. Heres a foolproof way to deliver music to millions who might otherwise never bought a CD in a store.(Aksomitis,16). There is an exceptional amount of cross-marketing. The cost is extremely low and there is no shipping. The RIAA may be right about their being a lot changes in the music industry, but at the same time there still are a good amount of labels left. Well turn into Microsoft if were not careful, folks, insisting that any household wanting an extra copy for the car, the kids, or the portable CD player, has to go out and license multiple copies.(Aksomitis, 16). People as artist are the ones who have the ear of the masses, and thats who should be trusted. Most of the shame should not be brought on the fans and the people, but on the bad state of the industry of recording companies, radio programmer s. There although is some good arguments that states the fans need to organize themselves in order to better their own lives and morals in illegal downloading. This is true but this is one of few true statements that fall under the cons of illegal downloading. In conclusion to this argument, there is some but not a lot of danger when it comes to illegal downloading its actually a good thing. Whether it be helping the artist, artists illegally downloading or any other reason. Illegal downloading is here to stay, and while there all no ways to completely stop it there are always ways to help it. Work Cited Jambon, Marc M., and Judith G. Smetana. College Students Moral Evaluations Of Illegal Music Downloading. Journal Of Applied Developmental Psychology 33.1 (2012): 31 39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. Miller, Michael. Downloading Pirated Music: Pros and Cons.Que.com. (2012): n. page. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. Sar, Ernesto Van Der. Copyright Violations Do Not Hurt Artist Income. The Music Industry. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Green haven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. From Artist Dont Think Piracy Hurts Them Financially, Study Shows. TorrentFreak.com. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2013 Aksomitis, Linda. Downloading Music. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Print. Hamilton, Jill. The Music Industry. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Print. Smith, Ethan. Listen to Music Free, but Pay to Carry. Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition 05 June 2007: B1+. Newspaper Source. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. Heigl, Alex. Five Ways to Justify Illegally Downloading Music. Nerve.com. (2011): n. page. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.

How certain characteristics are transmitted from one generation to another

How certain characteristics are transmitted from one generation to another Rules of Mendelian Genetics Mendels Law is the study about how a certain characteristics are transmitted from one generation to another in an organism. This study was derived from an Austrian monk, Gregor Mendel (1822 C 1884) who is considered as the father of genetics. He believed that natural laws such as those that govern inheritance could be explained as mathematical relationships. In his experiments, Mendel used ordinary pea plants to study the traits, he pair these pea plants with considering the control over each reproduction to prevent the pea plant from self fertilizing. The traits that are being observed are the colour of a plants flower, the location on the plant, the shape and colour of the pea pods, the shape and colour of the seeds and the length of the plant stems. Pea plants are used because they are easily available and can be manipulated in large amount within a short period of time. (Starr, Evers Starr, 2010) Mendels approach for his experiment was to transfer pollen from the stamen (which is the male reproductive organ that contains male sex cells) and to the pistil (the female sex cell which contain female reproductive organs) of another pea plant. In the first experiment, he took two pea plants with true breeding variant; one with round seed and another with wrinkled seed. The offspring that were produced in the first generation (F1 generation) had all round seeds. This shows that the pea plant will only take the dominant trait that is the round seeds. Next, Mendel crossed two of the F1 generation plant together, he obtained a result of 75% of the plant is round seeds whereas 25% of the pea plants are wrinkled seeds. Based on this result, a ratio of approximately 3:1 will be deduced for the traits in F2 generation. As a result of these experiments, Mendel was able to state three generalizations about the way characteristics are transmitted from one generation to the next in pea plants. (Science Clarified, 2010). From this pea plants experiment, Mendel derived 3 theories that support on genetic inheritance ? Mendels first principle of genetics, the law of segregation states that the sex cell of a plant or animal may contain one factor (allele) for different traits but not both factors needed to express the traits. Each offspring, however, would only display the characteristics of one parent and not a blend of the two different characteristics of the parents. ? Mendels second principle of genetics, the law of independent assortment states that characteristics are inherited independently from other characteristics. Any trait in a generation is independent of other traits if the parents of the generation have two or more traits that vary from each other. ? Mendels third principle, principle of dominance states that each inherited characteristic is determined by two heredity genes, one from each parent which determines whether a gene will be dominant or recessive. This means that the trait of one parent must be dominant over the trait of the other parent, and so the dominant trait would be displayed by the offspring. (Minnesota State University, 2010; Nigel, D. P.,2006 ). Introduction to traits of family There have been variations in different characteristic in my family genes. The variations of the genes are mainly caused by inheritance from my parents who carry a genotype of certain traits; this trait is passed on from one generation to another. The dominant allele of the traits of the genotype would be the phenotype of the offspring. I have chosen to look into the appearance of one-sided dimples and blood types in my family genes. Cheek dimples occur when the muscles underneath the surface of the skin are shorter than the skin on top, so when you smile, the muscle pulls the skin at its attachment point, thus folding the top skin as it is pulled back. Chin dimples are actually a cleft chin in which the bones do not fuse completely and the outer skin lies on top of the cleft bone, revealing the structure underneath. In most cases, facial dimples appear on the cheeks, and they are typically not visible until someone smiles. However, some people only have a dimple on one side; this physical trait can actually be rather endearing (Smith, S. E., 2010). The look of dimples can also vary; as an inherited trait, unusual dimples can be passed on through multiple generations of a family. Dimples occurrence can be relatively related to genetic inheritance, dimples are dominant trait that will be pass on from the parents (K-show, 2008). If you inherit the genes for dimples, there may be other factors during your developmen t that could lengthen the muscles, or allow full closure of the cleft chin. Next, all humans can be typed for the ABO blood group. There are four principal types: A, B, AB, and O. There are two antigens and two antibodies that are mostly responsible for the ABO types. The specific combination of these four components determines an individuals type in most cases (Dennis ONeil, 2010). Every individual inherits one blood type allele from each their biological mother and their biological father. Based on the alleles of a person, the blood group genotype of the person can be determined. The O allele is the recessive allele amongst the blood group alleles. A person with blood group A can have either IA IA or IA IO as their genotype. Type B blood is produced when an individual has either genotype IB IB or IB IO. Genotype IO IO results in type O blood while type AB blood results from genotype IA IB (Windelspecht, 2007). Analysis Based on the phenotype occurrence in my family, I have come out with a research based on the traits on genotypes in my family. In this research, Ive taken consideration of the variation in traits from my parents and siblings; my brother and sister. One-sided dimples In my family, my father carries the gene of one-sided dimple, my mother do not contain dimple, my sister contains one-sided dimple and my brother and me do not contain dimple. Based on the data I had collected, a pedigree chart is drawn to illustrate the traits in my family. Figure 1 : pedigree chart on one-sided dimple of my family Since one-sided dimple is considered to be an autosomal dominant traits. From this pedigree chart illustrated above, my father have a phenotype of one-sided dimples, he would be either be carrying a homozygous dominant (DD) or heterozygous dominant (Dd) genotypes. On the other hand, my mother would be carrying the homozygous recessive (dd) genotype. My sister also carries the one-sided dimple trait; therefore she also be either having the genotype of DD or Dd. My brother and I do not have dimples, therefore why we would have carried the dd trait. Since, allele of our genes cant be seen; therefore we could only predict which of the possibility outcome the genotype of each individual belongs to. Based on the different possible allele, I have built a Punnets square to list out all the possibility outcomes of the genotypes outcome of the offspring from my parents depending on which genotype my parent possesses. D d d Dd dd d Dd dd D D d Dd Dd d Dd Dd ( ii ) ( i ) ( ii ) Figure 2 : Punnet square based on parents genotype? Based on the Punnet square ( i ), the possibility of homozygous dominant allele is being used. From this point of view, the outcome of a mixture of DD and dd would result in a Dd gamete. Therefore, based on the result, the offspring produced would be heterozygous dominant (Dd). The probability of the offspring produce by my parents to be heterozygous dominant would takes up 100%, this means that there would not be any possibilities of any offspring not having one-sided dimples. In addition, no offspring would also me homozygous dominant to one-sided dimples. On the other hand, in Punnet square ( ii ), heterozygous dominant (Dd) allele is being used, the possibility outcome of allele from the combination of Dd and dd would result in a Dd or dd offspring. The probability of a heterozygous dominant (Dd) gamete would be 50%, whereas the probability of the homozygous recessive (dd) gamete would also be 50%. There would not be any homozygous dominant offspring with one-sided dimple being produced. After analysing both the Punnet square, I came to conclusion that that my family follows the genotype of Punnet square ( ii ). This is because in my family, among the siblings, we have a variation between having one-sided dimples and not having dimples. Therefore, from the possibility of Punnet square ( i ), all the offspring would have dimples. Nevertheless, in my family, my brother and I do not have dimples whereas my sister have one-sided dimple. So, it can be said that the possibilities in Punnet square ( ii ) would be much more accurate. It shows that there are variations between gametes which have and have not got one-sided dimples. This could clearly explains why the occurrence of one-sided dimples only on my sister. Blood type A blood test had been carried out to determine our blood type in my family. From the result, it is shown that my father is tested to be blood group O, my mother is tested to be blood group A, my brother is tested to be blood group O, my sister is tested to be blood group A and lastly I am tested to be blood group O. Based on the data I had collected, a pedigree chart is drawn to illustrate the traits in my family. Figure 3 : Pedigree chart of blood group in my family From the pedigree chart, my father has blood group O, the possible genotypes for his allele would be IoIo. This would also apply to my brother and I, we both also contain the possible genotype allele of IoIo. On the other hand, my mother has blood group A, the possible genotypes for her allele would be IAIA or IAIO. My sister also has blood group A, she would also have the possible genotypes for her allele is IAIA or IAIO. By sorting out the possible genotypes in the allele, the data will be analysed into a Punnet table for a clearer outlook on all the possibilities from the combination of both the genotypes from my parents. The Punnet square will show the different combination that will result in a variation of offspring. IO IO IA IOIA IOIA IO IOIO IOIO IO IO IA IOIA IOIA IA IOIA IOIA ( i ) ( ii ) Figure 4 : Punnet square based on parents genotype Based on the Punnet square ( i ), the genotypes of my fathers allele is IOIO , whereas my mothers possible genotype is stated as IAIA . The outcome of this mixture results in the possibility of an offspring with only IOIA, which is blood group A. The probability of the offspring becoming a blood group A would then be 100%. None of them would be of blood group O. In Punnet square ( ii ) the genotype of my fathers allele is IOIO, whereas my mothers possible genotype is IAIO . The possible genotypes of the offspring produced by this combination of alleles will be genotype IOIO and genotype IAIO. The offspring could have a variation of blood type O or blood type A. The possibility of getting blood type O is 50% and the possibility of getting blood type A is also 50%. After analysing both the Punnet square, I can conclude that my family follow the genotypes as stated in Punnet square ( ii ). This is because in my family, among the siblings, we have a variation between blood group A and blood group B. Therefore, from the possibility of Punnet square ( i ), all the offspring would result in having blood group O. Nevertheless, in my family, my sister has blood group A whereas my brother and I have blood group O. So, it can be said that the possibilities in Punnet square ( ii ) would be much more accurate. It shows that there are variations between gametes which have the different group type. This could clearly explain why the occurrence in variance of different blood type within different people. ? Conclusion The study of Mendels Law leads us to enhance more on our genetic inheritance. Knowing our inheritance may help us to study a large range of different traits; like hair colour, iris colour, dimples, and eyes. We will be able to notify and recognize the different genetic variation, which will also help in preventing certain disorder from spreading through reproduction. A few of the disorder that are genetically inheritance are like Downs syndrome, Turner syndrome, sickle-cell anemia, colour blindness and haemophilia. Prevention towards this kind of disorder will widely safe many misfortune life of infants. Mendels Law do not only emphasis on human trait, it is used in many agricultural field to improve the production of crops. The seeds of the corn plant is modified and paired genetically to improve its taste, colour, quantity and quality. These seed are being paired to obtain better traits from different types of fruits. The seasonal fruits can be planted all year round now, the fruits are mostly seedless; all these are from the discovery of genetic inheritance. Not only that, Mendels law had also helped me in this research regarding the genotype of different traits in my family. For one-sided dimples, Ive found out from the Punnet square that, my father is heterozygous dominant pairing with my mum with homozygous recessive that will result in a mixture of heterozygous dominant and homozygous recessive offspring. For the blood type, Ive found that my father is is IOIO, whereas my mothers possible genotype is IAIO. In conclusion, Mendels law can be used to illustrate inheritance traits; the Punnets square can help us visualize all the genotype of the traits. This enables us to learn our genotypes based on our phenotypes shown, that is the one-sided dimple and blood type. It is important for us to study and understand our patterns of inheritance.

Cold War Essay -- essays research papers

The Cold War, 1949-1963 25.1 American Commitment to Cold War: National Security Council Document 68 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How NSC-68 influenced America’s response to Communist North Korea’s invasion of South Korea in June 1950 and to Communist expansion in Southeast Asia in the 1960s. The NSC-68 called for military assistance programs that would meet the requirements of our allies. Since South Korea was an ally, we assisted them in repelling the invasion of another communist nation. This help for South Korea meant that a communist nation would be weakened and therefore possibly cripple a potential ally for the Soviet Union. Also, South Korea would then respond to a call for aid if the Soviet Union ever attacked America. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The implications of NSC-68 for military spending by the United States and its allies. The NSC-68 stated that â€Å"budgetary considerations will need to be subordinated to the stark fact that our very independence as a nation may be at stake.† This meant that no matter how much it cost to build up our military, it would be done in order to protect our nation. Also, the rebuilding of European economies and defenses in order to try and contain Russian expansion without armed conflict, lead to the help of European powers having to return the favor of having their economies rebuilt with helping the United States in the Cold War. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The implications of the call for â€Å"covert actions† in NSC-68. Covert actions in the NSC-68 implies that the United States was not ready for another war so soon after World War II. Also, the Soviet Union had developed atomic weapons, which meant that the Soviet Union could cause mass destruction in the United States. However, America was unwilling to allow the communist nation of the Soviet Union to expand and gain enough power to crush the United States. So the government decided to use covert operations which would hurt their economy and cause unrest in the Soviet Union. 25.2 American Public Opinion and the Korean War, 1950-1952 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What these responses reveal about attitudes toward American involvement in the Korean War. At the beginning, American opinion supported the war in Korea. However, as time went on, the American opinion changed because we no longer had a clear chance of winning the war. People then c... ...tution given rights were ignored as well. The Red Scare was therefore similar to McCarthyism in the 1950s because it was a movement against communism that many people had. The Smith Act was passed which prevented the teaching of overthrowing the government and forced all foreign residents over the age of 14 to register their occupation and political beliefs. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How successful were United States responses to the Soviet Union in the 1950s? Were there alternatives to these responses? Eisenhower did a brilliant job in his responses to the Soviet Union in the 1950s. He kept the Soviet Union from expanding by rebuilding the economies of the war struck countries in Europe. Had technology developed that would allow the United States to spy on other countries armaments and military actions without exposing ourselves to any risk. Entered nine treaties that would make attacking the United States bring down a multitude of other countries attacks. Eisenhower also developed a large amount of nuclear devices that would allow the United States to respond to any attack with powerful force. Eisenhower could not have developed a better strategy to hold back the Russians.

Whitney Ottos How to Make an American Quilt and Norman Macleans A River Runs Through It :: American Quilt Otto River Runs Through Essays

Whitney Otto's How to Make an American Quilt and Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It Many times when I write it is difficult to locate a general theme, or even a clear and precise point. Too often, my papers seem to deviate from the intentional purpose stated in the introduction. The topic and primary idea need to be effectively introduced at the beginning so that the reader knows what to look for and what to expect. Many times, my writing consists of a solid introduction with a good idea, but it wanes as it nears the ending and the conclusion is not effective so as to remain consistent with the proper sequence of the sentence (2-3-1). The reader of my work must distinguish the most important point of the work, understanding the general theme, while remaining captivated by a consistently interesting paper. If a primary point exists, it needs to be expanded, emphasized, or supported. The work needs to remain interesting and captivating throughout. For the reader to infer my opinion on the subject matter, I must show approval or disapproval of it in some way. The resul ts of this personal critique correlate to 101 Dalmatians, 7th Heaven, How to Make an American Quilt written by Whitney Otto, and A River Runs Through It written by Norman Maclean. Each of these works contains a main point, a theme, and this is expanded, emphasized, or supported throughout the plot. The reader is abruptly introduced to the four texts at the beginning. In A River Runs Through It, Maclean introduces the setting and background of the story more effectively, but he still jumps into the plot by beginning with "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing" (1). That first sentence serves as an introduction, yet it is not a typical beginning point. Otto, likewise, begins her novel with instructions; "You need a large wooden frame and enough space to accommodate it" (7). Even though these authors begin their stories by jumping into the plot, the authors do provide sufficient background serving to remove much of the abruptness. The prologues and introductions found in the books explain what is ahead in the plot; much the same way previews and commercials explain the direction of the plot in the television show and movie. The reader and viewer can anticipate the plot and its direction, making the first line a necessary bridge into the story ahea d.

A discussion of the symbolism of death in Edgar Allen Poe

Only   the   people   of   his   age   or   generation   oblique   in   opening   up   areas   of   human   experience   for   creative   handling   which   he   established.   The   reality   for   human   being   is   basically   very   deep   according   to   his   idea,   his   idea   also   states   that   human   being’s   reality   differs   to   outside   reality,   and   nature   is   intensely   unreasonable.As   the   telepathist   of   the   current   emotional   response,   symbolist   association   or   group   called   him   after   the   generation   gap   of   two.   Edgar   lost   his   mother   through   exploitation   and   father   through   neglecting   at   very   young   age   of   3   years;   he   has   only   older   brother   and   younger   sister.The   childr en   of   his   families   were   divided   up,   going   to   different   people   house   to   live.   Edgar   went   Virginia   that   is   home   of   Frances   Allan   and   John   which   gave   him   a   middle   name   Poe,   and   the   house   was   a   charitable   Richmond.The   connection   between   Poe’s   effort,   hard   work   and   his   terrifying   life   isn’t   tough.   Behind   a   show   of   sometimes   significant,   sometimes   reduced   â€Å"realism,†Ã‚   his   imaginary   work   looks   like   the   dreams   of   a   troubled   individual   who   keeps   coming   back,   night   after   night,   to   the   same   pattern   of   dream.At   that   period   he   traces   out   the   pattern   evenly,   at   other   times   in   a   â€Å"conside rate†Ã‚   humor,   but   normally   the   manner   is   terror.   He   finds   himself   downward,   into   a   basement,   a   wine   burial   chamber,   eddy,   always   falling.To   show   the   investigation   of   the   human   being,   an   example   was   given   to   his   opponent   by   Poe.   The   example   was   about   the   final   arrival   of   the   deep   privacy   of   his   internal   personality   for   himself   by   going   away   deep   into   himself   .According   to   the   investigation,   to   distinguish   much   of   20th-century   skill,   and   it   is   the   notable   success   of   Poe   as   an   performer   that   his   work   looks   ahead   with   such   amazing   accuracy   to   the   work   of   the   century   that   followed.  When   seei ng   the   building   at   first   sight,   his   courage   was   pervade,   seeing   the   unbearable   darkness,   he   was   not   knowing   how   it   happened   to   him.Before   him   he   looked   at   the   scene   of   the   walls   which   where   unwelcoming,   the   windows   which   were   vacant,   the   house   which   are   plain   or   measly,   and   the   straightforward   scenery   features   of   the   area,   he   also   looked   upon   a   small   number   of   grade   sedges,   the   trees   where   decomposed   and   had   white   trunks,   with   an   absolute   depression   of   soul   which   he   can   compare   to   no   possible   feeling   more   correctly   than   to   the   after,   in   everyday   life   there   is   sour   fall,   the   covering   was   too   dropping   and   ugly,   dream   of   the   reveller   upon   opium.Presently   there   was   coolness,   a   dipping;   an   illness   of   the   heart,   not   convert   dullness   of   thinking   which   not   make   of   the   imagination   might   suffer   into   aught   of   the   inspiring.   What   was   it   –   He   silenced   to   believe   –   what   was   it   that   so   scared   him   in   the   meditation   of   the   House   of   Usher?It   neither   was   an   inscrutability   every   one   unsolvable;   nor   can   He   struggle   by   way   of   the   obscure   imagine   that   packed   ahead   him   because   He   considered.He   was   required   to   drop   reverse   ahead   the   unacceptable   end,   that   at   the   same   time   as ,   further   than   uncertainty,   there   are   mixtures   of   extremely   straightforward   ordinary   substance   which   contain   the   control   of   therefore   touching   everyone,   unmoving   the   examination   of   this   authority   dishonesty   amongst   thoughts   away   from   the   deepness.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Work   cited   page:www.bookrags.com.   March   26,   2008.   http://www.bookrags.com/biography/edgar-allan-poe/.www.classic-literature.co.uk.   March   26,   2008.   http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/american-authors/19th-century/edgar-allan-poe/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher/www.classic-literature.co.uk.   March   26,   2008.   http:// www.classic-literature.co.uk/american-authors/19th-century/edgar-allan-poe/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher/book-page-02.asp   

Criminological research Essay

Longitudinal Approach to Chicago Crime Research The Project on Human Development in Chicago Research conducted a research regarding the historical origins of crime using the statistical longitudinal approach — eight-year-follow-up from 1993 to 2001 on 11,000 individuals with equal male to female ratio in nine different age groups selected at random from 70 different communities— and the developmental crime analysis using multi-field approaches from various related studies in criminology, sociology, psychology and biology. The Project is based at Harvard School of Public Health and is jointly sponsored by National Institute of Justice and MacArthur Foundation. The project attempted to explain the psychological and criminological determinants of the city in response to the mounting crime rates from the years 1960’s to current. In lieu with this, the project also aimed to find ‘solutions’ through the aforementioned multi-disciplinary analysis combined with therapeutic intervention analysis. Understanding criminal behavior entails identification of the source (from birth to adulthood), the developmental origin and environmental influences. Main areas for the study include individual differences, influences from family, school, peer and community, criminal careers, predictions of dangerousness. Data collection is by multistream STORI approach—self-reports tests and examinations, observational procedures (surveys and interviews), existing records, and informant reports. Community, as a determinant, is analyzed through systemic social observation. Changes in family structure is measured at several factors including the individual and/or mixed effect of household environment, care providers, key figures , presence of extended family, quality of upbringing, and the relationships within. The impact of racism on construction of identity of the samples was also considered. Gender-specific roles was also investigated–— why males tend to be more violent and the females more into sexual and property offenses  ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€ their differential response to developmental determinants, individuality, and social behavior with focus between adolescence-adulthood period. Antisocial behavior as exhibited by criminal behavior is evaluated at traumatic stress (and PTSD), abuse and child development; the coping mechanism and resilience and cycle of violence hypotheses is evaluated in line with this. Aside from exploring the history and patterns of anti-socialism, the project maimed at creating intervention programs at the following age group to prevent recidivism: 0-6 (improved social skills and cognitive stimulation); and young adolescents (modeling, peer leader and educ films); young adults (probation and diversion programs). Testing persistence-desistence hypothesis by using various theories [ (bio-psych development, social learning and control, social organization, network, rational choice and deterrence theory)] with focus on peer relations will also be included in the Project. The Project also aimed at creating a pragmatic, large-scale approach for crime prevention by testing their hypothesis on differential social organization, individual differences, peer groups and social networks. The Project’s scheme is rather ambitious considering that it requires an 8 year statistical analysis, only 200 field experts and one co-sponsor (aside from the federal). While it is true that ‘meta-analysis’ can be applicable for such types of study, there are problems in statistical method sampling especially if the test samples ‘migrated’ or ‘died’ before the end of the project. Would the Project resort to attrition analysis? The investigation may also be weak because it relies on questionnaires and interviews, and most criminals, in reality, rarely talk about their life. Technology should also be assessed for the study. Additionally, the methods used, although very extensive, may be very tiring to the staff. Although the objectives of the study are great, the methods require extensive staffing and careful management and (detached) association with the samples in the study. Reference Earls, F. J. and Reiss, A. J. (1994). Breaking the Cycle. NIJ Research Report. 91 pp.

Differences Between Ww1 & Ww2

Compare & Contrast Most people would agree that all wars are terrible and have great affects on everyone in its path. Some believe that all wars are the same, each war ending with deaths, casualties and destruction. Now, two very important wars, World War One and World War Two easily did just that. Both of these wars involved multiple countries to fight in it. These two wars were extremely great in size compared to most other wars. Although World War One and World War Two were both worldwide wars they are very different in a war tactics and women’s roles.World War One and World War Two were known for using major war tactics. Trench Warfare was invented by the Germans and was later discovered to be one of the worst war tactics. It was a tactic where trenches were dug underground for soldiers to live in and wait for battle. Military troops fought to break through enemy lines by attacking the suicide chargers who ran into machine gun fire. Machine guns were new in this time and w ere becoming a popular war weapon. While World War two used the tactic of Blitzkrieg which was very different approach compared to trench warfare.Blitzkrieg was a war tactic that involved suddenly and quickly attacking the enemy on land as well as in the air. Leaving the enemy blindsided by the sudden attack. Both of theses great wars also had different takes on women’s roles. In World War One women began to take on roles primarily meant for men. Such as post women, bus conductors, farming and plenty more. Women were not only taking on roles meant for men but the overall employment rate increased for even traditional women’s jobs.In this period in time, women were beginning to gain more respect for showing that they could work at various jobs. While World War Two is much like World War One when it comes to women roles, it does however have a major difference. Women during World War Two began to not only take on more jobs but they more specifically began to take part in indirect war roles. Like manufacturing ammunition for the war and working jobs like women snipers, machine gunners, tank drivers and just about everything else that was needed for the military.Despite the fact that World War One and World War Two are both world wars, they were very different in war tactics and women’s roles. From These differences show that over the years not only does time change, but also the growth of technology which can influence war tactics and the growth of the women’s movement continued to expand. It’s great to see the difference between these two great wars because they easily show the amazing changes in social and military growth. If anything World War One and World War Two are nothing alike.

Who Killed the Electric Car Analysis

IN 1996, ELECTRIC CARS BEGAN TO APPEAR ON ROADS ALL OVER CALIFORNIA. THEY WERE QUIET AND FAST, PRODUCED NO EXHAUST AND RAN WITHOUT GASOLINE. TEN YEARS LATER, THESE CARS WERE DESTROYED. TEACHER’S GUIDE â€Å"A QUIETLY SHOCKING INDICTMENT OF OUR GAS-GUZZLING AUTO COMPANIES AND THE PETRO-POLITICIANS WHO LOVE THEM. † –KAREN DURBIN, ELLE MAGAZINE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2006 †¢ TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2006 WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? NOTE TO THE TEACHER Who Killed the Electric Car? is a powerful tool pertinent to many academic disciplines and adaptable to a variety of abilities, learning styles, and classroom goals.This rich, self-contained film requires little or no additional research on the part of the instructor or the class, but can be used as the foundation for independent student research. The film divides neatly into two nearly equal and independent segments that can be shown on successive days or at different points in a unit. Both segments offer excellent discussion opportunities. The classroom experience of students taking courses on environmental science or offerings that include a unit on air quality or environmental concerns would be enriched by viewing Who Killed the Electric Car?.Courses that encourage interest in engineering and practical math applications would also benefit. The ethical and civic questions that the film explores offer a natural connection for teachers working in the area of civics, government, ethics, and business ethics. In many of these courses the film could be treated as a case study. The ethical questions raised are nearly unlimited and a large variety of higher-level-thinking activities can be developed from the film. Included in this packet are discussion prompts, class activities, and research suggestions. 1 FILM SUMMARY included, the General Motors electric vehicle is eatured. As this segment concludes, the success of the industry’s legal strategy is symbolized by a celebrity-studded funeral for the electric car. This segment is filled with factual analysis that examines conflicting claims about emissions, practicality, costs of various fuels, and consumer demand. Who Killed the Electric Car? is presented as a whodone-it mystery. Staying true to this genre, the film opens with necessary background information, describes the crime committed, answering all of the what, where, and when questions, and then in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gathers the suspects for lose scrutiny, coming to a conclusion on the guilt or innocence of each. The second half of Who Killed the Electric Car? is Sherlock Holmes at his best. The seven suspects identified in the first half of the film are scrutinized. One by one, consumers, batteries, oil companies, auto manufacturers, the U. S. government, the California Air Resources Board, and the newest villain, the hydrogen car, pass under the bare bulb in the inspector’s interrogation room in an attempt to answer the question asked in the film’s title: Who Killed the Electric Car? At the end of each segment the featured suspect is judged as guilty or innocent.Opening with a bit of automotive history that establishes the electric car as a competitive alternative to the internal combustion engine, Who Killed the Electric Car? takes the viewer back to the beginning of the twentieth century and the dawn of the automotive age. A straightforward explanation of why gasoline beats out electricity as the fuel of choice and how the internal combustion engine wins dominance concludes the broad overview. The film then moves to the recent past with the introduction of the California Air Resources Board and their 1990 decision to require that ten percent of all ars sold in California by each car manufacturer be zero-emission vehicles by the year 2003. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde response of automotive companies is revealed; production and marketing of zero-emission cars is detailed, a period during which the legal and political teams of the same manufacturers work to defeat the law that gave birth to modern electric vehicles. While several manufacturers are The film ends on a positive note, recognizing a grassroots movement that envisions cleaner air and energy independence. In a John Kennedy-style appeal, the film claims that those who solve our energy onundrum will be those that â€Å"change the world. † 2 SELECTED SCENES FOR CLASSROOM REVIEW 1:19 19:40 Two million new cars are sold in Television advertisement for G. M. ’s California each year. electric car. 2:55 21:21 Cheap oil supports the combustion Introduce Dr. Alan Lloyd of C. A. R. B. engine over the electric car. 3:35 22:10 Air quality in California: Manufacturer’s lawsuit to â€Å"Black cloud of death. † overturn emissions standards. 4:32 22:30 Each gallon of gasoline burned yields President Bush endorsing hydrogen 19 pounds of carbon dioxide. technology in the State of the Union. 4:55 22:43 Introduce S.Davi d Freeman. Hydrogen Hummer and the hydrogen highway. 7:40 23:20 Creating demand for electric cars. C. A. R. B. hearing on the emissions standards. 8:50 25:30 C. A. R. B. and California’s C. A. R. B. vote to kill the standards. zero-emission policy. 12:40 26:15 Cost to run an electric car equals Manufacturers start to collect gasoline when gas is 60 cents per gallon. the electric cars. 14:10 27:35 Californians Against Utility â€Å"Save the electric car† campaign, Company Abuse including the mock funeral. 16:10 29:30 G. M. claims to have built electric cars Last EV1 collected. according to demand. 19:10 31:20Marketing; How far, how fast, EV1s in a G. M. lot. how much? 3 33:20 50:36 G. M. spokesperson explains the Suspect: Car Manufacturers fate of the collected EV1s. 35:30 56:20 PBS at the car crusher. Suspect: Government 36:58 1:03:57 S. David Freeman, â€Å"We’re up against Suspect: C. A. R. B. most of the money in the world. † 37:15 1:07:02 Vigil for th e EV1s. Suspect: Hydrogen Fuel Cell 38:40 1:11:08 Would you buy one of these electric President Bush at a hydrogen cars? Display check for 1. 9 million filling station. dollars offered to G. M. 39:20 1:15:05 â€Å"Who controls the future? Last cars moved. He who has the biggest club. 1:18:52 39:34 1 Scene from Naked Gun 2 /2: Automotive Museum The Smell of Fear. 40:25 1:20:30 List of suspects. Verdicts. 40:58 1:22:32 Suspect: Consumers â€Å"The fight about the electric car was quite simply a fight about the future. † 43:20 1:23:58 Suspect: Batteries Introduce James Woolsey and Plug In America. 1:27:19 46:38 â€Å"The one group of people that steps Suspect: Oil Companies up to take it on is the group that will change the world. † 4 DISCUSSION PROMPTS These prompts can be used for full-class discussion, small group conversations, or adapted for use as writing assignments of varying length and detail. What compromises related to cars and transportation are you willing t o make to preserve and improve air quality? Brainstorm possibilities and then discuss each one, focusing on the average consumer. †¢ What one assertion in the film do you disagree with? Why? †¢ What one assertion in the film troubles you the most? Why? †¢ In your own words, explain why the car manufacturers collected and destroyed the electric vehicles. †¢ Did government serve the people in the case of electric cars? Why? †¢ Does government have the right to tell companies what to manufacture? Why? †¢ How important an issue is our nation’s dependence on oil?Explain. †¢ Do you agree that those who solve the energy question will change the world? Explain. †¢ Should the world oil supply be divided evenly according to population, given to those able to pay the highest price, or reserved for developing nations? Explain your opinion. †¢ Is it acceptable for a nation to use oil as a weapon? Why/why not? †¢ Would you characterize each of the following as a good citizen or a bad citizen? Why? -The oil companies -The automobile companies -U. S. consumers -Scientists researching hydrogen fuel -The citizens trying to save the electric car †¢ Is energy a national security issue?Why/how? Explain. †¢ How is the use of hydrogen as a fuel related to the reemergence of nuclear power? †¢ Does drilling for more oil in the pristine wilderness make sense? Why/why not? †¢ Given the information provided in the film, do you believe electric cars are a reasonable alternative to combustion engines? Why/why not? †¢ Given the information provided in the film, do you believe you will be able to buy a hydrogen-powered car in the next 10 years? 20 years? Ever? Why/why not? 5 MOCK COURT Choose defense and prosecution teams for each of the seven defendants identified in the film.Have the teams prepare for a mock trial using the information in the film and if desired, additional research. Stage a trial with a jury that has not seen the film. Roles: Judge: Acts as presiding officer maintaining order, resolving conflicts, and charging the jury. Prosecution team: Presents evidence against the named defendant using witnesses, charts, graphs, and physical evidence. The team would also cross-examine defense witnesses. The prosecution’s job is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the guilt of the defendant. Defense team: Presents evidence that rebuts the prosecution’s view and may suggest alternative perpetrators.The defense may use witnesses, charts, graphs, and physical evidence. The team would also cross-examine prosecution witnesses. The defense’s job is to create reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant. This activity can be used as an alternative assessment of student knowledge while also building critical thinking and oral presentation skills. 6 COMMON GOOD Open the activity by reading the paragraph below. Allow for a few minutes of general comment on the concept of the â€Å"common good† and the claim by then G. M. president Charles E. Wilson: What’s good for the country is good for General Motors and vice versa.The preamble to the United States Constitution opens with the words: â€Å"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. † These words imply a common interest that is shared by citizens and government, a concept often referred to as the â€Å"common good. † In 1953, the then president of General Motors, Charles E.Wilson, was nominated by President Dwight Eisenhower to serve as his Secretary of Defense. During Wilson’s confirmation hearings, senators were concerned that he would have difficulty making a decision that could hurt General Motors, a major defense contractor, even if the decision was in the best interest of the United States. When asked this question, Wilson assured senators that he could make such a decision but that he could not imagine such a situation, â€Å"because for years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa. † Student instructionWho Killed the Electric Car? implies that the â€Å"common good† is not being served by the decision to abandon electric vehicles and embrace hydrogen technology. Write your own definition of the â€Å"common good. † Make groups of 3 to 5 and share these definitions. Try to agree on a group definition. Evaluate General Motors’ decision to kill the electric car program in light of your group’s definition. Be ready to report your findings to the class. Do Mr. Wilson’s thoughts from 1953 reflect the General Motors Corporation that is presented in the film? If the Senate c alled the current president of G.M. to explain the death of the electric car, imagine what he might say that would be quoted more than 50 years later. 7 HIDDEN AGENDA Teacher introduction As a class, brainstorm about the term â€Å"hidden agenda. † When you get all the ideas on the board, make groups of 3 to 5. In groups, have the class discuss the ideas on the board and then write a definition of â€Å"hidden agenda† that the group can agree on. As a class, share these definitions and create one working definition for the whole class. Have students return to their groups and discuss what â€Å"hidden agenda(s)† the following may have had.To make a claim, the group must have at least one piece of solid evidence from the film. Each group should decide which three of their claims are the strongest and prepare to present them to the class. Present and discuss: Automobile companies: Hidden agenda: _____________________________________________________________________ ________________ Evidence: Oil companies: Hidden agenda: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Evidence: Filmmakers: Hidden agenda: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Evidence:Car companies: Hidden agenda: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Evidence: Federal government: Hidden agenda: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Evidence: Fans of the electric car: Hidden agenda: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Evidence: C. A. R. B. : Hidden agenda: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Evidence: 8 WHAT IS THE ROLE OF BUSINESS? What is the role of business in a democratic/capitalist society?The complex interaction between business, government, and consumers is presented as a case study in Who Kil led the Electric Car?. After viewing the film, clarify your own attitude toward the role of business, before any discussion, by using the prompts that follow. Prioritize the entire list from 1, most important, to 10, least important, and then write just a sentence or two that explains each ranking. Using your results, make groups that include individuals with different attitudes. While you discuss the movie, analyze how different views of business influence opinions about the film. ______ The role of business is to make a profit. _____ The role of business is to make a good product. ______ The role of business is to serve the consumer. ______ The role of business is to support government. ______ The role of business is to educate government. ______ The role of business is to educate consumers. ______ The role of business is to improve life. ______ The role of business is to protect the environment. ______ The role of business is to provide consumers with choice. ______ The role of b usiness is to invent solutions to society’s problems. 9 WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT? What is the role of government in a democratic/capitalist society?The complex interaction between business, government, and citizens is presented as a case study in Who Killed the Electric Car?. After viewing the film, clarify your own attitude toward the role of government, before any discussion, by using the prompts that follow. Prioritize the entire list from 1, most important, to 10, least important, and then write just a sentence or two that explains each ranking. Using your results, make groups that include individuals with different attitudes. While you discuss the movie, analyze how different views of government influence opinions about the film. ______The role of government is to defend the nation. ______ The role of government is to create a just society. ______ The role of government is to protect the consumer. ______ The role of government is to protect business. ______ The rol e of government is to regulate business. ______ The role of government is to educate consumers. ______ The role of government is to improve life for all citizens. ______ The role of government is to protect the environment. ______ The role of government is to provide consumers with choice. ______ The role of government is to invent solutions to society’s problems. 10 MAKING THE CASEIn the second half of Who Killed the Electric Car? , each of the suspects in this mystery is held up to scrutiny. Acting as an unbiased detective, develop a list of the evidence offered for guilt and the evidence that indicates innocence. In groups or as a class, use these evidence lists as the basis for a debate that leads to a vote on each suspect. The suspect___________________________________________________ Evidence to convict Evidence to acquit 11 BRIAN DANIELS teaches history and ethics at Hudson High School, Hudson, Massachusetts. He is the school facilitator for the democratic school initi ative atHudson High and an active member of the school’s First Amendment Schools team. He has been teaching for thirty years and holds bachelor’s degrees in history and psychology from Boston College and a master’s degree in critical and creative thinking from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. He will become the Curriculum Director for English and Social Studies grades 6-12 in the Hudson school district in the summer of 2006. He has been published several times in the Boston Globe and has an article slated for publication in October of 2006 in the National Social StudiesSupervisors Association magazine. A SONY PICTURES CLASSICS RELEASE ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS A DEAN DEVLIN/PLINYMINOR PRODUCTION A FILM BY CHRIS PAINE â€Å"WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? † NARRATED BY MARTIN SHEEN EDITED BY MICHAEL KOVALENKO CHRIS A. PETERSON DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY THADDEUS WADLEIGH ORIGINAL MUSIC BY MICHAEL BROOK CONSULTING PRODUCER ALEX GIBNEY EXECUTIVE PR ODUCERS DEAN DEVLIN TAVIN MARIN TITUS RICHARD D. TITUS PRODUCED BY JESSIE DEETER WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY CHRIS PAINE FOR BRIEF MILD LANGUAGE. WWW. WHOKILLEDTHEELECTRICCARMOVIE. COM WWW. SONYCLASSICS. COM