Examples of Indentation in Compositions

Major Concerns Of Othello By William Shakespeare Essay

Major Concerns of Othello Overshadowed by Race Othello speaks to Iago in Act Three of the play saying, â€Å"certain, men should be what they seem† (3.3.131). This excerpt provides a foundation for Othello to later question the actions and morality of Cassio and Desdemona established in lieu of Iago’s scheme. This is a very important concept to showcase because Othello devoutly loved Desdemona and trusted Cassio until conniving language from Iago caused him to think otherwise. In this essay, I will present textual evidence from multiple sources examining the central concerns of the play, which include identity, revenge, and color. One major grievance that is apparent from the play’s open and continues to escalate throughout the play is identity, not in the sense of race, but mainly in the sense of reputation. Cassio and Othello share many similarities, revealed within acts two and three of the play. Both of these character rely heavily on their reputations. For O thello, his reputation is a sole concern because he is so different. Frequently throughout the play he is mentioned as Moor, but disregarding this word to pertain to race as we define it today, he is primarily referred to as the â€Å"outsider† to everyone he encounters. To be an outsider for Othello meant that he had to be superhuman, behaving and presenting himself in a near flawless manner. From the beginning of the play, the audience is plagued with understanding who Iago really is. In her chapter onShow MoreRelatedLove and Desdemona2800 Words   |  12 Pagesothello was a tradgic play. it shows many different types of feeling inWithout Trust, Love Cannot Prevail Trust can be defined as assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something (Websters 1246). In life many people are faced with the decision on who or who not to trust, especially in the realm of love. Trust is one of the main factors needed to determine a healthy, loving relationship. In William Shakespeares Othello, the main character Othello is unableRead MoreReputation and Image in William Shakespeare ´s Othello862 Words   |  4 Pages Othello Explication In William Shakespeare’s Othello, unspoken fears of being an outsider and concerns about his public image contribute to the downfall of a tragic hero named Othello. Othello, a general in the Venetian army’s, final monologue reflects the importance of reputation and the conformity needed to fit his surroundings. He is seen as an outsider of the Venetian culture; he is frequently referred to as â€Å"the Moor† and is called an abundance of racial slurs by the Venice born natives.Read MoreOthello Is Essentially an Noble Character, Flawed by Insecurity and a Nature That Is Naive and Unsophisticated1070 Words   |  5 PagesOthello is essentially an noble character, flawed by insecurity and a nature that is naive and unsophisticated. Looking at William Shakespeares Othello The Moor Of Venice, the central character, Othello is revered as the tragic hero. He is a character of high stature that is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His dest ruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not aRead More Racism in William Shakespeare’s Othello Essay2606 Words   |  11 PagesRacism in William Shakespeare’s Othello    In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello racism is featured throughout, not only by Iago in his despicable animalistic remarks about Othello’s marriage, but also by other characters. Let us in this essay analyze the racial references and their degrees of implicit racism. Racism persists from the opening scene till the closing scene in this play. In â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello† Valerie Wayne comments on the racism inherent inRead More Redemption in Death in Othello Essay1562 Words   |  7 PagesRedemption in Death in Othello      Ã‚   The brilliance of a tragedy lies in its ability to maintain its moral and the values it explores even in the tragic ending or in the downfall of its heroes. William Shakespeare does just this Othello, so quintessentially that the deaths in the end do not only refrain from undermining or canceling out the virtues of the play, but they actually restore them to the deceased, who have died because they have lost them.   In this play, love, loyalty, and honestyRead More Shakespeares Othello: Jealousy Sexual in Nature Essay2214 Words   |  9 PagesOthello: Jealousy Sexual in Nature  Ã‚        Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello manifests a lot of activity motivated by a variety of passions, some good and others not so. Let’s analyze what many critics consider to be the dominant passion on the part of the protagonist’s most significant actions.    A. C. Bradley, in his book of literary criticism, Shakespearean Tragedy, describes the dominant motivating passion in Othello:    In the second place, there is no subject more excitingRead More Shakespeares Othello: Is Jealousy the Cause? Essays1928 Words   |  8 PagesThe hero in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello is guided to murder by his passions. Which passions? Jealousy? Sexual jealousy? In this paper let us look into these questions. In the volume Shakespeare and Tragedy John Bayley denies that jealousy is a major causative factor in the play: The play eludes with ease any attempt to pin it down to a solution: why it happened, what caused it, what weakness in Othello was involved? Even jealousy as such is not the reason. Jealousy is a long-term affairRead MoreHow the Sub-Plot Mirrors the Main Plot in King Lear by William Shakespeare895 Words   |  4 PagesHow the Sub-Plot Mirrors the Main Plot in King Lear by William Shakespeare One can say that the sub plot does mirror the main plot to some extent. Some are in subtle ways and some are in the more obvious ways. Shakespeare has two plots in order to intensify the main theme of tragedy that runs throughout this play. The main plot is in which King Lear is the tragic hero however it is clear that just by misfortune he is deprived of something very valuable to him by error ofRead MoreDegrees of Guilt in Othello2649 Words   |  11 PagesAlthough the degrees of their guilt greatly vary, every major character in Shakespeares Othello contributes to the deadly chain of events that transpire. There are seven major characters in the play: Othello, Iago, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, Roderigo, and Bianca. Though some may seem to have greater roles than others in the tragedy, each one can be considered a major character because their specific actions are factors in the catastrophic ending. It is obvious that only a few of them have deviousRead MoreThe Beautiful Character of Desdemona in Shakespeares Othello2743 Words   |  11 PagesOthello and the Beautiful Character of Desdemona  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The good character of Desdemona in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello meets a wretched end because of the sinister treachery of an ancient. In this essay let us analyze the beautiful character of Desdemona.    Valerie Wayne in â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello† comments on the proper manner of interpreting Desdemona’s body as referred to by an irate Othello:    Desdemona’s body before her supposed adultery

Effectiveness of Woolworths Organisation-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Describe the theory of Effectiveness using an Organisation. Answer: Woolworths is one of the leading supermarkets in Australia and its major goal is to fulfill the needs of the customers. The company has set up certain standards in providing quality service to the customers and also improving its area of operation. Wools worth satisfies millions of Australian customers everyday and it performs very well in the retail sector. The quality of service affects the customers, share holders and the supply chain of the company (Beneke et al, 2015). According to me, effectiveness of an organization can be measured by analyzing the different criterias such as profit, growth, stability, turnover and cohesion. Many companies focus on the productivity, quality and efficiency as a means to measure the effectiveness of the company. The criterias for the effectiveness of the organization varies according to the time. For evaluating the effectiveness of an organization, the criteria must be chosen and then the work must be carried out accordingly. The organization has to set our certain standards and criteria to measure the effectiveness (Cobiac et al., 2017). I also think the effectiveness of an organization will help the company to increase the satisfaction of the employees, maximize the productivity level and also reduce the employees turnover. The effectiveness of the organization helps the organization in tough times. I would select the profitability of Wools worth for selecting the effectiveness of the organization (Wardle Chang, 2015). The growth results of the company and the ability of the company to satisfy the customers are also the different criteria for selecting the efficiency of an organization. I think Woolworths must adapt to the dynamic environment in order to improve the organizational performance. I have selected these criteria to measure the effectiveness of Woolworths because this will help me in analyzing the performance of the company in comparison with the other supermarkets of Australia. It will help me to know the key financial performance indicators of Woolworths and also help the company to improve its performance in comparison with the other companies (Ball, Mouchacca Jackson, 2014). Woolworths tries to satisfy the customers and this helps the company in the betterment of their profile and catalogue. I think the company must keep a close monitoring of the satisfaction of their customers in the entire business mechanism. The company has about 3.8 million customers and this will help the company to improve the segmentation model. According to me, I think the company has developed various strategies to bring awareness among the employees and also the customers. The shareholders and the owners are affected by the profitability of Woolworth. There are several strategies which are taken for the business expansion of Woolworths (Shehada Alkhaldi). According to me, I think the owners must decide to expand its area of operation from food to hardware and petrol. Thus, the company is improving its area of effectiveness. Woolworths has also responded very well to the customers. The company has supported the concept of seasonality and thus the demand for the product has also increased. The employees must have a proper understanding of the business programme and thus they can also check the annual report to check the effectiveness of the company. The company is also trying to quantify the enthusiasm and innovation of the employees in the integration of the business and also to maintain sustainability in business. Woolworths is also trying to grow and maintain properly with its shareholders and to invest much more for the betterment of the community. Effectiveness of Woolworths can also be maintained by a thorough analysis of the various strategies and performance. I have found that Woolworths needs to constantly encourage their employees and managers for taking the responsibility for the development of their company. The company must try to develop a proper strategy for the employees and they also need to develop such a plan which can help the junior employees to learn from the senior employees. I also think that it is important to identify the gaps in the performance and goals of the employees. I think Woolworths must increase its competition and should improve the quality and price of the product (Baatjies et al, 2014). The customer loyalty programme must be introduced by the company so that it will improve the effectiveness of the company. I think Woolworths must be on the right track to improve its effectiveness. The company must try to invest more in the research and developmental works. This will help the company to drive away the losses. I think Woolworths must also try to change the pricing strategy. The company is also trying to impro ve its business in online and technological methods. This will help Woolworths to increase the profitability level. The company must also try to improve its market share and try to expand its delivery network. It has been found that the sales of Woolworths in many countries are falling drastically compared to the other supermarket industries (Escaron et al, 2013). I think Woolworths must also improve its product which wills attract the customers for the purchase of goods. The company must also try to improve its effectiveness in utilitarian benefits and the expression based benefits. According to me, Woolworths must also try to improve its sales promotion and other services which will improve the effectiveness of the company. Wools worth must also try to improve its effectiveness in various consumer promotion schemes and this will motivate the customers to purchase their products. According to me, the promotional effectiveness of the company will also improve the effectiveness of the company. There are various assumptions which are made regarding a particular promotion (Ausker Rothman, 2015). I think Woolworths must try to create more effective promotional schemes and this will help in enhancing the knowledge base of the employees. I think the effectiveness of Woolworths can also be attained through proper segmentation and proper targeting of the varied customer base. The availability of various customer base information will also help Woolworths to improve its area of effectiveness. Reference List Ausker, R., Rothman, T. (2015). Researching the Effectiveness of Skills Development Programmes: Methodological difficulties and recommendations. Baatjies, R., Meijster, T., Heederik, D., Sander, I., Jeebhay, M. F. (2014). Effectiveness of interventions to reduce flour dust exposures in supermarket bakeries in South Africa.Occup Environ Med, oemed-2013. Ball, K., Mouchacca, J., Jackson, M. (2014). The feasibility and appeal of mobile apps for supporting healthy food purchasing and consumption among socioeconomically disadvantaged women: a pilot study.Health promotion journal of Australia,25(2), 79-82. Beneke, J., Blampied, S., Cumming, R., Parkfelt, J. (2015). Scrutinising the effectiveness of customer loyalty programmes: A study of two large supermarket chains in South Africa.African Journal of Business Management,9(5), 212-222. Cobiac, L. J., Tam, K., Veerman, L., Blakely, T. (2017). Taxes and subsidies for improving diet and population health in Australia: a cost-effectiveness modelling study.PLoS medicine,14(2), e1002232. Escaron, A. L., Meinen, A. M., Nitzke, S. A., Martinez-Donate, A. P. (2013). Peer reviewed: supermarket and grocery storebased interventions to promote healthful food choices and eating practices: a systematic review.Preventing chronic disease,10. Pattiarachchige, B. D. (2014).The effect of retailers' business activities influence on wholesalers' effectiveness in Gaborone(Doctoral dissertation). Shehada, M., Alkhaldi, F. (2015). Measuring The Efficiency And Effectiveness Of The Human Resources Training Function At Orange Jordan.International Journal Of Quantitative And Qualitative Research Method,3. Wardle, J. L., Chang, S. (2015). Cross?promotional alcohol discounting in Australia's grocery sector: a barrier to initiatives to curb excessive alcohol consumption?.Australian and New Zealand journal of public health,39(2), 124-128.

La metodologia del diseno y los cursos de accion d Essays - Fit

La metodologia del diseno y los cursos de accion de la GUC Introduccion "Nuestro conocimiento de las circunstancias se ha incrementado, pero nuestra incertidumbre, en lugar de haber disminuido, ha aumentado. La razon de esto es que no ganamos todas nuestras experiencias a la vez sino poco a poco". La metodologia del diseno del ejercito (MDE) es una herramienta de planeamiento que impulsa el desarrollo del planeamiento conceptual y que permite determinar que cosas debo hacer para poder hacer frente a un problema en ese sentido esta parte de la metodologia se enlaza con el desarrollo del procedimiento militar de toma de decisiones (PMTD) la cual es responsable de hacer posible el que hacer, en los diferentes textos encontramos que la guerra es arte y ciencia y considerando ello podemos afirmar que en esta parte es donde se manifiesta en que lugar es arte, en el MDE, y en que lugar es ciencia, en el PMTD, los cuales son interdependientes ninguno es mejor que el otro, sino mas bien coexisten de una manera armonica es decir como lo haria una fami lia en la vida rea l y como se fusionan en armonia las notas musicales. En donde el comandante es el hombre que es el principal encargado de realizar el MDE y su EM el PMTD sin ser exclusivos de ambos dado que los algunos miembros del EM pueden participar en el MDE y el comandante participa del PMTD, por ejemplo, el comandante es como Leonard Bernstein, el ex director de la filarmonica del New York es cual es el encargado de hacer que toda aquella orquesta filarmonica funcione como un todo reproduciendo las mas bellas notas musicales. Pero como hace ello posible? Como llega a suceder ello? Aqui pues radica la importancia del MDE puesto que impulsa el desarrollo de los COAS impulsando el que hacer? Para determinar bien el Como hacer? El planeamiento conceptual impulsa los detalles determina las dimensiones del tablero de ajedrez, crea el entendimiento mutuo, establece el norte de las operaciones y demas que son inherentes a este tipo de planeamiento que ta mbien podemos llamar el arte de comandar. Puedo afirmar que esto se hace posible a traves de la integracion del mando y control, el adecuado desarrollo de la MDE en todo su desarrollo, del adecuado conocimiento de la amenaza y del tipo de actitud que debemos adoptar . Por lo que en definitiva puedo decir que la metodologia del diseno impulsa el desarrollo de COAS de GUC y que tienen exito en operaciones reales contr a fuerzas de la VI DE de Negro, adicional a lo antes mencionado puedo decir que para lograr esto depende de la actitud de los que planean y ejecutan las operaciones porque con una buena actitud te das cuenta que en cada problema se encuentra una oportunidad que puede ser explotada es mas la historia nos dice que en los diferentes problemas existentes las personas superaron ello porque encontraron una oportunidad en ese problema , tal es el caso del My Andres Razuri en la batalla de Junin ve una oportunidad de atacar a los realistas y comunica un a orden contraria al Crl Isidoro Suarez cambiando el resultado de la batalla, porque "la actitud es una pequena cosa que marca una gran diferencia". Desarrollo La MDE ayuda al entendimiento del ambiente operacional, la definicion del problema y a realizar el enfoque operacional pero adicional ello si miramos de forma reflectiva esta metodologia esta totalmente alineada a las competencias que desarrolla nuestra casa de estudio dado que se explota el pensamiento creativo y el razonamiento analitico ; y esto es lo que desarrollan los comandantes y estados mayores a traves del proceso de las operaciones y que actualmente es una de las capacidades que se desarrollan en las diferentes asignaturas de la Maestria en Ciencias Militares (MCM) lo que esta permitiendo el adecuado desarrollo de competencias del oficial permitiendonos ser competitivos en relacion a otras profesiones. Ademas, la MDE a traves del entendimiento del ambiente operacional en sus variables operacionales permite saber que todo aquello que nos rodea en el desarrollo de las operaciones comprendiendo diverso s campos de la actividad humana p or lo que ten emos que entender que

Best Guess on the Year ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Was Written

Best Guess on the Year ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Was Written Although there is no record of when Shakespeare actually wrote Romeo and Juliet, it was first performed in 1594 or 1595. It is likely that Shakespeare wrote the play shortly before its premiere performance. But while  Romeo and Juliet  is one of Shakespeares most famous plays, the storyline is not entirely his own. So, who wrote the original Romeo and Juliet and when?   Italian Origins The origins of Romeo and Juliet are convoluted, but many people trace it back to an old Italian tale based on the lives of two lovers who tragically died for each other in Verona, Italy in 1303. Some say the lovers, although not from the Capulet and Montague families, were real people.   While this may as well be true, there is no clear record of such a tragedy occurring in Verona in 1303. Tracing it back, the year seems to be proposed by the City of Verona Tourist Site, most likely in order to boost touristic appeal.   Capulet and Montague Families The Capulet and Montague families were most likely based on the Cappelletti and Montecchi families, which did exist in Italy during the 14th century. While the term family is used, Cappelletti and Montecchi were not the names of private families but rather local political bands. In modern terms, perhaps the word clan or faction is more accurate. The Montecchi was a merchant family that competed with other families for power and influence in Verona. But there is no record of a rivalry between them and the Cappelletti. Actually, the Cappelletti family was based in Cremona. Early Text Versions of Romeo and Juliet In 1476, the Italian poet, Masuccio Salernitano, wrote a story titled Mariotto e Gianozza. The story takes place in Siena and centers around two lovers who are secretly married against the wishes of their families and end up dying for each other due to a tragic miscommunication. In 1530, Luigi da Porta published Giulietta e Romeo,  which was based on Salernitanos story. Every aspect of the plot is the same. The only differences are that Porta changed the names of the lovers and the setting location, Verona rather than Siena. Also, Porta added the ball scene in the beginning, where Giulietta and Romeo meet and has Giuletta  commit suicide by stabbing herself with a dagger rather than wasting away like in Salernitanos version. English Translations Portas Italian story was translated in 1562 by Arthur Brooke, who published the English version under the title The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet. William Painter retold the story in prose in his 1567 publication, Palace of Pleasure. It is most likely that William Shakespeare read these English versions of the story and was thus inspired to pen Romeo and Juliet.

Description of a Person Yao Ming, Indomitable Energy of Life

Description of a Person Yao Ming, Indomitable Energy of Life There are so many people to talk about and present my own admiration about them, this is why it is not that easy to choose one person only and describe his/her best and remarkable qualities. However, there is one person, who inspires me all the time and helps to pick out the best ideas and follow my dreams even without a direct participation in my life; this person has lots of own interests and desires and does not afraid to share his ideas with people. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Description of a Person: Yao Ming, Indomitable Energy of Life specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His interviews and autobiography, his participation in numerous competitions and behavior during the games, his personal appearance and style – all this causes so much respect from my side; and if I could get a chance to meet any famous person, talk to him/her, or have a dinner, I would choose this very celebrity without any doubts. T his indomitable person in my life, who inspires me to take significant steps and never regret about them, is Yao Ming, a Chinese basketball player from the National Basketball Association. My admiration of Yao Ming has lots of reasons, and one of them is his indomitability in games and in his life. It is not that easy to live this life without making mistakes and analyze them. However, all those steps, Ming takes in his life and career, have reasons and cause certain respect. First of all, his pleasant appearance during all the games deserves attention. He always has well-groomed air: his short-cut hair does not disturb him during the game and allows noticing the moves of his opponents. Telling the truth, good looking and proper behavior help to build a good career and have proper conditions for living, and all this is not easy for a foreign basketball player. It is necessary to improve your abilities and your personality day by day, think about the consequences and about the new ways to achieve the desirable goals. To my mind, each person should remember about his/her responsibility and weigh own abilities to succeed. This is the major principle of Yao Ming’s life, and it deserves attention. Yao’s personal life is also one more example of how indomitable Yao Ming is. His wife Ye Li, a great basketball player as well, did not want to pay her attention to this young man for a certain period of time, and Yao decided to win her with the help of some not ordinary ideas: he presented his favorite collection of pins, which he gathered during the 2000 Summer Olympics. Advertising Looking for essay on biography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Li was impressed, and Yao demonstrated his imagination and desire to win. His kind attitude to each member of his family, his attention, and his love help to realize how a real son and husband should look like. Sometimes, it is enough to look in h is kind eyes and see unbelievable understanding and support. His sensitivity and availability to help make him a real supported in his family. One more point that proves his indomitability is his personality and attitude to the things going around. It touches about each thing in this man: his smell gives no sign of fear or doubt, his look is always sure and reliable, and his smile always promotes support and understanding. Talks with this person may be of different kinds: educative, when he uses all his skills to prove something and explain; flirting, when he wants to attract people’s attention, using his charms and appearance; helpful, when his hands touch the body and make any person be in safe. His words cannot leave indifferent any person: â€Å"this is who I am. If I succeed, I feel that saying what I wanted to do helped me. And if I fail, I will feel that it brought me down† (Ming Bucher, 16). These words help us comprehend the true nature of this person: he i s not afraid of mistakes; he realizes that, one day, he may fail, and it will be his fault, but still, he is ready for it. If I got a chance to ask him a question, I would like to wonder how he finds more powers to become more and more famous in many countries and still be a good person, a kind husband, and a caring son. I hope to hear really worthy words to improve my own life, to see his smile and realize that he knows me and knows what is want, and to shake his hand in order to feel that power. Yao’s movements during the games, his respectful attitude to each player on the field, his attention to his family, and his participation in the cultural life of his country – all this evoke only pleasant emotions. Fire and ice, black and white, hot and cold – all these words about Yao; his prudence in work and care in family, his desire to help and desire to win – they are gathered in one person and make him really noticeable in this word. He achieves the desir able goals by means of fair competitions and notable actions. To my mind, this personality may be compared to a strong tree that is able to use the sun ray in order to live and be helpful for other people to shelter from rain or sun. Yao Ming is a kind traffic sign that may show the necessary way in the most unpredictable difficulties. This is why Yao Ming and his attitude to this life, his career, and other people may serve as a good example to follow and not to regret about everything.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Description of a Person: Yao Ming, Indomitable Energy of Life specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ming, Yao and Bucher, Ric. YAO: A Life in Two Worlds. Miramax, 2004.

If you had to recommend either a presidential or a parliament system Essay

If you had to recommend either a presidential or a parliament system for a new democracy which would you choose and why - Essay Example However, Spain’s transition into democracy is not the only case where in a parliamentary system has proven its value and strength. In fact, according to Von Mettenheim (1997), most of the strong democratic regimes across the globe at present are parliamentary systems, where executive rule is made by law-making majorities and relies on these majorities for continued existence. On the contrary, the United States is the sole presidential democratic regime with an extensive history of constitutional stability. Besides the United States, Chile is the only country that has a record of a lengthy, fairly uninterrupted constitutional stability under the system of presidentialism, but Chile’s democratic regime collapsed in the 1970s (Cheibub, 2007). Thus this essay recommends a parliament system, instead of a presidential regime, for a new democracy. This argument is substantiated by an analysis of Angola’s case, a country struggling to finally establish a true democratic government. The Merits of Parliamentarism Parliamentarism is a system where in the sole democratically constitutional body is parliament. Within a parliamentary system, the power of the state is totally subjected to the confidence of the parliamentary. Parliamentary regimes may consist of presidents who are chosen through direct popular election, but they generally do not have the capacity to vie forcefully for authority with the Prime Minister (Diamond, Plattner, & Costopoulos, 2010). By contrast, in presidentialism an executive or president with extensive constitutional powers is directly elected by the public and free from parliamentary confidence votes. The president is not just the executive but the symbolic head of state as well and can be overthrown through impeachment (Diamond et al., 2010). In reality, presidentialism may be relatively reliant on the support of the legislative branch; the harmony or symmetry between the legislative and executive branch in these systems can hence differ greatly. Historically, the superiority of parliamentary democratic regimes over presidentialism is not unexpected. A thorough comparative analysis of presidentialism and parliamentarism reveals that, all things considered, the latter is more advantageous to established democracy than the former. This is true specifically for countries with several political parties and entrenched political rifts, like Angola; for these nations, a parliamentary system is usually more effective in strengthening democracy. Therefore, the question is what are the justifications for arguing that the parliamentary system, when totally executed, is better than the presidential system? A particular advantage of a parliamentary system is that it puts into practice the separation of powers, even though merely partially. Parliamentarism takes the judiciary apart from the legislative and executive branches, but it assures that the executive is subjected to the legislature through a specific machine ry of trust between the government and the parliament. A parliamentary system also stresses the function of the legislature according to the principle of legislative dominance (Cheibub, 2007). Provided that the parliament is chosen in a democratic voting system, a parliamentary system provides a strong safeguard for democracy by highlighting the popular

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

Multimedia - Essay Example These differences are highlighted below: (i) Face-to-face traditional class: In the physical class, the nursing instructor is the main visible authority, and he or she may use a chalk board, white board, overhead projector and an/or handouts to let the students understand his or her lessons (McKeachie, 2010; Billings and Halstead, 2008). In recent years, advanced technologies have increased the number of teaching tools utilized in the traditional nursing classes—these include but are limited to the use of video clips, demonstrative videos, powerpoint presentations and ELMO (Electricity Light Machine Organization), which is a document camera. Initially, researches have shown that face-to-face learning has become redundant, passive and uninteresting to the students. The use of these multimedia will surely bring some spark and energy into the lessons in as much as the nursing instructors have been duly trained about how to use them (Billings and Halstead, 2008). More importantly, the instructors must be able to elicit some active responses from their students while using the teaching multimedia. If not, it would appear that the nursing instructor was only entertaining the students with modern technologies and not passing across the right messages (McKeachie, 2010). (ii) Virtual Class: One of the beauties of modern technology is that it allows people to study online irrespective of their present location; so far there is an Internet connection (Jairath and Mills, 2006). Some of the useful tools employed in online nursing education include but not restricted to computers, video clips, text (both on-screen and short-messaging), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications that allow students to hold one-on-one conversation with their peers and tutors, activity-based tools like simulated interactive discourses, hypermedia software that can elaborate more on themes of studies, skill labs and Internet

Peer Pressure Essay Example for Free

Peer Pressure Essay According to Took (2007), making decisions on your own is hard enough, but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder. People who are your age, like your classmates, are called peers. When they try to influence how you act, to get you to do something, its called Peer Pressure. Its something everyone has to deal with even adults. Peer Pressure is one thing that all teens have in common. You cant escape it; it is everywhere. No matter how popular you are, how well liked you may be or how together you feel, sooner or later you will have to face peer pressure. Whether it is pressure to conform to a group norm or pressure to act a certain way. People are influenced by peers because they want to fit in, be like peers they admire, do what others are doing, or have what others have. Mueller states that, â€Å"The ugly reality is that Peer Pressure reaches its greatest intensity at just the age when kids tend to be most insensitive and cruel. † Every Peer group has its own identity and which greatly depends on the personality of its members. Feller (1995), has stated that despite the differences between groups, the group members always try and influence each other. They have some conformity to common set of rules and norms, which a member must not break without being forced to leave the group. Also Peer Pressure can be either positive or negative. Pressure exerted in a positive way can help motivate you on to be the best you can be. Keeping up with the schoolwork or being more articipative in class are the traits of positive Peer Pressure exerted on you by the group. Negative Peer Pressure can make you do things you don’t want to do, like having early sex or taking drugs. It can make you feel depressed and de-motivated. â€Å"Responding to Peer Pressure is part of human nature — but some people are more likely to give in, and others are better able to resist and stand their ground. People who are low on confidence and those who tend to follow rather than lead could be more likely to seek their peers pproval by giving in to a risky challenge or suggestion. People who are unsure of themselves, new to the group, or inexperienced with peer pressure may also be more likely to give in,† (Lyness, 2006). Also Feller (1995), in his study, states that Peer Pressure can be very subtle-you may not realize its happening. Some groups use Peer Pressure as a tool to gain power over members, whereas other don’t intend to exert the pressure, they just do that naturally. According to Hardcastle, there are certain personality traits or risk factors that make you ore prone to give in to pressure. Some kids give in to Peer Pressure because of low self esteem and lack of confidence, whereas others give in to pressure because they want to be liked, to fit in, or because they feel that others would make fun of them if they don’t go along with the group. Messier, states that, â€Å"The only pressure Im under is the pressure Ive put on myself. † The idea that everyones doing it may influence some kids to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind.

Knute Rockne - Coach And Legend Of Notre Dame Essay -- essays research

Knute Rockne - Coach and Legend of Notre Dame Knute Kenneth Rockne was born on March 4, 1888 in Voss, Norway. He first moved to Chicago at the age of 5. Nobody liked him there, and he was in many fights. Before football or even baseball, Knute discovered skiing.   He loved it, and went skiing every chance he got during the winter. Knute was a natural athlete, and excelled in all of the sports he tried. He excelled in track, making a name for himself later on. Although he was always one of the shortest guys around, Knute was one of the toughest. The only protective gear he ever wore was adhesive tape that he stuck to his ears to prevent them from being torn off. Knute often said "Show me a good and gracious loser and I'll show you a failure." Knute discovered the great game of football at the age of 7. He played in games against other teams his age. The team he played on was called the Tricky Tigers. All of the teams were "sandlot" teams. Knute could not get enough of the sport. He praticed every chance he got. In fact, the other boys thought him crazy for practicing so much. This obsession almost got him an education. Knute never made the starting team until he was a senior, so he played on the scrubs team. At the same time, Knute tried playing many other sports. His school attendance slipped and his grades became mediocre. Persistence paid off, and after 3 years on the scrubs, Knute finally made it to the starting football team. After this successful senior football season, it was time for him to leave high school. It was a wonder that he got into Notre Dame with his high school record. At the age of 22, Rockne decided that he wanted to fulfill a dream. That dream was to become a pharmacist and to eventually own his own drug store. Two of Knute's friends gained acceptance to a small college in South Bend, Indiana called Notre Dame.   Knute decided to try to get into this same school, although his high school grades were dismal. He was accepted, but his parents were not fond of the idea of him going to a Catholic school, as they themselves were practicing Lutherans. However, they did not forbid him to go. Interestingly, Notre Dame was not Rockney's first college choice. For years he had saved and planned to go to the University of Illinois. Knute had not even planned on playing football in college. That decision would have resulted i... ...! Practice makes perfect and perfect practice makes a winning team." One of his most innovative ideas was the Notre Dame Shift'. This was when the entire backfield would move all to oneside of the ball before the ball was snapped. This really screwed up the defenders and it worked a lot for ND. "Knute was the most innovative and charismic coaches of his era." The Cleavland Press called him "the Buffalo Bill of his generation." In his last game as coach he defied his doctors   orders and went to the field. The players looked on in horror when the man they thought might die in front of them told them to win or watch him die. Rockne ended his career with the greatest all time % of .881: 105 wins,12 losses, 5 ties, 6 national championships and 5 undefeated seasons. Rokne tragically died in a plane crash a the age of 43. Studebaker named a car after him and the U.S. government named a ship after him. Will Rogers put it best when he said, " It takes a big calamity to shock a country all at once, but Knute, you did it. You died one of our national heroes. Notre Dame was your address, but every gridiron in america was your home."(needs to be proofread)

Understanding the Rise of the Environmental Movement Through

Understanding the rise of the Environmental Movement through the use of Max Weber’s 4 types of ‘Social Action’ Sociology 101 – Laura Meehan Historically, while industrialization and production have flourished, there has been little concern regarding the environment’s well being. However, now more than ever, there has been a growing awareness and acceptance of environmentalism, as people begin to realize that the large-scale environmental destruction we have caused, cannot be mended or manipulated by technological fixes.This somewhat ‘new’ movement to enter into the political arena claims it is necessity that the foundations of modern industrial society have to be challenged and restructured, as well that we must transform our social actions in order for it to succeed. Through the use of Max Weber’s 4 types of ‘social action’, we are able to better understand and analyze the reasons for change, progress, and setbacks w ithin the environmental movement. To begin with, in sociology, ‘social action’ refers to â€Å"all human behavior when and in so far as the acting individual attaches a subjective meaning to it† (Anderson, Karen L. 2012), â€Å"Thinking About Sociology: A Critical Introduction† (p. 155). ) Additionally, as defined by Weber himself, social actions â€Å"[are] interpreting the meanings which men give to their actions and so understand the actions themselves. † (Matthews, Eric (1978), â€Å"Selections In Translation† (p. 7). ) Point in fact, there are four types of ‘social actions’: 1. Goal rational: social action motivated by specific goals, 2. Value rational: social action motivated by weighing goal and how it is achieved, 3. Affectual action: social action motivated by emotions, and 3. Traditional action: action motivated by a tradition or custom.Therefore with specific regards to the environmental movement, value rational and af fectual actions are the most relevant social actions. Generally speaking, value rational is the absolute essence of this movement as it strives for more ethical approaches to consumption, while focusing not only on the goal, rather how it is achieved. A perfect example to compliment this is to take a glance at how companies are turning to ‘fair trade’ products, which are organized to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote environmental sustainability.Pursuing this further, another ideal example of how the environmental movement encompasses a value rational action is the ‘100km diet’. This ‘diet’ refers to only eating food grown or produced within 100 kilometers of your locale, and amongst other goals, promotes environmental sustainability. The diet reduces the amount of â€Å"food miles†-which is the distance food is transported from the producer to the store, including the emissions created-tha t each person's meal goes through. It undoubtedly captures the principle of value rational action, as it is entirely focuses on how ‘the goal’ is achieved.Consequently, the environmental movement also clearly demonstrates social actions motivated by emotions, or therefore, affectual action. Many parents have joined the movement in hopes that they will be able to give their children, grandchildren, and future families the same or better quality of life in which they’ve experienced in their lifetime. This action is directly driven by their emotions; the very thought of their children suffering in the future’s daunting changing environments pulls on their heart strings, and they join the movement to avoid a negative future.However in contrast, without allude to the less pertinent role of ‘goal action’ as well as ‘traditional action’, we would not be able to fully comprehend the restrictions as well as the difficulties the movement is faced with. First off, the issue regarding the restriction of the movement’s progress is owing to the fact that a large portion of post-industrial society is still focused on the capitalist mode of production. More specifically, they are focused on increasing production and feeding the starving mouths of consumerism.Capitalism urges surplus production, which can leave devastation destruction to the land in which it occupies; deforestation, toxic waste and pollution, oil spills, and much more. Pursuing this further, this portrays how the very basis of capitalism, is goal rational; governments or corporations have a set economic goal in mind, and will essentially put their ethics on a shelf, in order to achieve their goal. This can stunt or sometimes bring the movement’s progress to a halt, as it can be a very grueling change as the environmental movement tries to hift the social action from a goal rational society to a value rational society. Similarly, the changes in which occupy the environmental movement are also limited by a multiplicity of people whom are reluctant to alter their lifestyles, as they are comfortable with the way they’ve always done things. This would clearly outline an individual, or group of individuals, in which fall under traditional action. They are comfortable with the lifestyle and traditions they have, and they are not willing to change, with the reason that it is ‘the way things have always been done’.This has been a great restriction for the movement, and may partially be driven by the fear of change and what will come. In final analysis, Weber’s four types of social action are useful conceptual tools for explaining and understanding contemporary social reality, as they allow us to analyze particular patterns that constitute the institutions, organizations, structures, and norms of society. â€Å"Social action (which includes failure to act and being acted upon) can be related to the past, present or anticipated future behavior of other people. (Matthews, Eric (1978), â€Å"Selections In Translation† (p. 26). ) Attempting to understand an individual or group’s actions and the results, is necessary to formulate an explanation of how society works, as well as how social change transpires. It can give insight on why a group or individual acted in a certain way, or predict how they may react in any future or hypothetical situations. In the same way, the more precise the ideal type, the more useful it is to devise classifications of groups or individuals and to produce hypotheses regarding the implication of their social actions. The more radically these ultimate values diverge from our own, the more difficult it is for us to understand them be re-living them through an act of empathetic imagination. † (Matthews, Eric (1978), â€Å"Selections In Translation† (p. 11). ) What is being outlined by Weber, is that social actions are not only useful i n an analytical sense, however they allow us to reason another’s actions from a different standpoint than that of our own.Consequently, another feature of these conceptual tools is to note how the actions of individuals must be analyzed to determine their consequences, since there may be unintended consequences to individual or group social action, or of the combined effects of each of these actions, which in turn can assist us in explaining contemporary social reality. In conclusion, social actions allow us to see a different perspective and understand why a group or individual acts the way they do, what motivates them, and how it can influence their social reality.Through the use of Max Weber’s 4 types of ‘social action’, we are able to clearly comprehend, analyze and predict reasons for change, progress, and setbacks within the environmental movement. Bibliography Matthews, Eric. â€Å"The Nature of Social Action. † Weber: Selections In Translati on. 1st ed. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1978. Pg. 7, 11 & 25. Print. Anderson, Karen L. â€Å"Chapter 6. † Thinking About Sociology: A Critical Introduction. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press Canada, 2012. Pg. 155. Print.

Bang bang banh

List three civil rights events that Lorraine (or the Hansberry family) was involved with: 1 . Her parents were both active in the black community of Chicago as well as social change work. 2. She was involved in the Hansberry vs. Lee case because her family was being forced to desegregate their white neighborhood with a restrictive covenant. Despite violent protest they didn't move until the court ordered them to. 3. One of her brothers dodged the draft because of segregation and discrimination in the military Use the following website to answer the following questions. http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Restrictive_covenant 4.In your own words, what are â€Å"restrictive covenants†? A sort of agreement, which limits what the owner of the land or lease can do with it. 5. How have they been used in segregation? Used to keep blacks from â€Å"invading† white neighborhoods The title A Raisin in the Sun comes from Langston Hughes' poem entitled â€Å"Harlem. † Read the poe m at the following website: http://www. teachingamericanhistory. org/library/index. asp? document=640 Use the following website to learn more about the poem. http://poetry. suitel 01 . com/article. cfm/hughes_harlem_a_dream_deferred According to this website, what is the theme ot â€Å"Harlem†? A dream deterred 7. Do you think this theme fits with the poem? Why or why not? Yes it explains what happens when a dream is postponed. 8. List two literary elements that can be found in the poem and give an example of each (copy and paste line): Literary element: rhetorical questions Example: What happens toa dream deferred? Literary element: simile Example: Does it stink like rotten meat? 9. Read through the commentary and tell what you think most likely happens to a â€Å"dream deferred† and explain why. When a dream is deferred it is lost, sense you no onger are able to fulfill it.It becomes a waste of time and a disappointment. In Act II, Scene Two, a character refers to Bo oker T. Washington as one of our â€Å"great men,† but another character disagrees and calls him a fool. Learn some facts about Mr. Washington to help you arrive at your own conclusion. Use the following websites to find three facts that support that he was a â€Å"great† man and three facts that may have lead the other character to believe he was a fool. http://www. nps. gov/archive/bowa/btwbio. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Booker_T. _Washington http://northbysouth. enyon. edu/1998. edu/home/btw. htm Great Man 10.First African American man to be invited to the white house 1 1 . First African American man to receive an honorary degree from Harvard 12. He was born a slave and had no early education, yet he still became America's foremost black educator Fool 13. His Atlanta compromise was known as a betrayal to the black community because it accepted segregation.

Remembering Life - Creating Wholeness from Loss

Remembering Life - Creating Wholeness from Loss It’s Memorial Day and I am remembering. Remembering those who have passed in various ways throughout the years. Those who have touched me personally. Remembering, etymologically, is a putting back together of parts. When someone is torn from us, we naturally perform this reconstruction through our thoughts. The most recent lost in my life was my friend Nikk, who died unexpectedly two weeks ago. He was 33. His family has chosen not to request an autopsy, so we don’t know how he died, whether it was an aneurysm or a tumor or a heart attack. I have a compulsion to understand, to know the reason. His family, understandably, believes that the final result is the same so why put their son’s body through invasive procedures? What’s important is not how it happened but how we choose to remember. And so we remember. The music, the love, the funny things he said and did. The contribution he made. In Memory of Nikk C. These are the sorts of things we are called upon to piece together about all our loved ones who have passed on. I remember these things about my father who died of pneumonia at age 57; my college roommate who was killed in a car accident in the prime of her life; and my grandmother who lived to a ripe old age. What of my high school classmate who was hit by a bus? Or the professor who was going to be my thesis advisor until he was in an accident on his way home one night? We experience painful loss, and in the same transaction we are gifted with memories that repair the rift. What will we choose to remember? And what can we learn from those memories about how best to live our lives? I asked some of Nikk’s friends what message they thought he would want to send to the world. Some words and phrases that came up were were joy, spontaneity, embracing who you are, connecting closely with others, believing in others even when they don’t believe in themselves, and being a force for positivity, inspiration and love. Recently he had completed a huge web development project for the Rainbird Foundation, whose mission is to end child abuse. He definitely made his mark. The pieces come together. I had a brush with possible death when I was in a car accident four weeks ago, and I have been called to consider what people will remember about me. I want to be thought of for the creativity I have put into the world, for the ways I have expanded and progressed other people’s lives, for my spirit and my contributions. I hope that many people’s lives have been made better because I have touched them. Celebrating Life The phrase â€Å"Memorial Service† has rather somber connotations, and so Nikk’s family gathered people together for a â€Å"Celebration of Life.† Whatever the title, what we all did there was scroll through our memories. We experienced joy, we connected with each other, and we appreciated all that Nikk had created. We say â€Å"Rest in Peace,† and we want the souls of our loved ones to be at peace if that is our belief. I believe that with that phrase we are seeking peace and wholeness in ourselves as we adjust to life without the person who passed. I also believe it’s the remembering, and the inspiration that springs from it, that will get us there. Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinMay 28, 2013 1 Comment Andrea says: May 28, 2013 at 2:54 pm Hi Brenda Im sorry for your loss. Nikk must have been touched by the joy in your life, too. He sounds like he was such a special guy. Log in to Reply

The 4 Stages of Adlerian Therapy

The 4 Stages of Adlerian Therapy Individual therapy, or Adlerian therapy, is an approach in which a therapist works with a client to identify obstacles and create effective strategies for working towards their goals. Adlerians believe that, by gaining insight into challenges, people can overcome feelings of inferiority. Moreover, Adlerians believe that people are most fulfilled when they are working towards the social interest; that is, when they are doing things that are beneficial for society as a whole. Key Takeaways: Adlerian Therapy Adlerian therapy, also known as individual therapy, emphasizes the individual’s ability to bring about positive change in his or her own life.Adlerian therapy consists of four stages: engagement, assessment, insight, and reorientation.In Adler’s theory, individuals work to overcome feelings of inferiority and to act in ways that benefit the social interest. Four Stages of Adlerian Therapy In Adler’s approach to therapy, termed individual psychology or Adlerian psychology, therapy progresses through a series of four stages: Engagement. The client and therapist begin to establish the therapeutic relationship. The relationship should consist of collaboration towards addressing the clients problems. The therapist should offer support and encouragement.Assessment. The therapist works to learn more about the clients background, including early memories and family dynamics. In this part of therapy, the therapist attempts to understand how the client may have developed certain styles of thinking that are no longer helpful or adaptive for them.Insight. The therapist offers an interpretation of the client’s situation. The therapist suggests theories about how past experiences may have contributed to issues the client is currently experiencing; importantly, the therapist leaves it up to the client to decide whether these theories are accurate and useful.Reorientation. The therapist helps the client to develop new strategies that the client can use in daily life. Feelings of Inferiority One of Adler’s most well known ideas is that everyone experiences feelings of inferiority (i.e. worries that one is not achieving enough). Among psychologically healthy individuals, these feelings of inferiority encourage the pursuit of goals, providing motivation to strive towards self-improvement. In other words, by developing positive ways of coping with feelings of inferiority, individuals can end up achieving great things and making a positive contribution to society as a whole. However, some individuals have difficulty coping with feelings of inferiority, which leads them to feel discouraged. Other individuals may cope with feelings of inferiority in unproductive ways, like behaving selfishly in order to feel superior to others. In Adlerian therapy, the therapist works to provide the client the support and encouragement they need in order to cope more effectively with feelings of inferiority and to develop healthy ways of overcoming these feelings. Social Interest One of Adler’s other key ideas was the concept of the social interest. According to this idea, people are at their best- their psychologically healthiest and most fulfilled- when they act in ways that benefit society. For example, a person high in social interest might go out of their way to help others, while a person with lower levels of social interest may bully others or act in antisocial ways. Importantly, levels of social interest can change over time. A therapist can help their client increase his or her levels of social interest. Alfred Adlers Life and Legacy Alfred Adler was born in the suburbs outside of Vienna, Austria in 1870. He studied medicine at the University of Vienna, graduating in 1895. After medical school, Adler first worked as an ophthalmologist, but later decided to study psychiatry. He was initially a colleague of Sigmund Freud, with whom he cofounded the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. However, he later split with Freud and went on to develop his own ideas about psychiatry. Adler developed the approach to therapy known as individual psychology, and in 1912, he founded the Society of Individual Psychology. Today, Adler’s influence can be found in numerous areas of psychology. Many his ideas have found support in the burgeoning field of positive psychology, and his emphasis on the individual’s social context (e.g. family setting and larger culture) is supported in many branches of contemporary psychology. Sources â€Å"About Alfred Adler.† Adler University. https://www.adler.edu/page/about/history/about-alfred-adlerâ€Å"Adlerian Principles.† Adler University. https://www.adler.edu/page/community-engagement/center-for-adlerian-practice-and-scholarship/history/adlerian-principlesâ€Å"Adlerian Psychology / Psychotherapy.† GoodTherapy.org (2016, Oct. 4). https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/adlerian-psychologyâ€Å"Adlerian Therapy.† Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/adlerian-therapyâ€Å"Alfred Adler.† North American Society of Adlerian Psychology. https://www.alfredadler.org/alfred-adlerâ€Å"Alfred Adler (1870-1937).† GoodTherapy.org (2018, Mar. 2). https://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/alfred-adler.htmlClark, Arthur J. â€Å"What the World Needs More: Social Interest.† Psychology Today Blog (2017, Sep. 4). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dawn-memories/201709/what-the-world-n eeds-more-social-interestWatts, Richard E. â€Å"Adlerian Counseling.†Ã‚  The Handbook of Educational Theories  (2013): 459-472. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard_Watts8/publication/265161122_Adlerian_counseling What Is an Adlerian?† North American Society of Adlerian Psychology. https://www.alfredadler.org/what-is-an-adlerian

Employee Benefits and Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Employee Benefits and Services - Essay Example The reason behind this is that he/she enters the country with an aim to attain financial stability through struggle and hard work . Therefore, they work hard to gain opportunities and occasionally become successfull eventually as a good entrepreneur. There has been a continuous debate on whether a Citizen or Non-Citizen should receive the same employee benefits working for the same organization or country (United States). One view point is that if a person who is not a citizen, but has been working in US legally, is entitled to Social Security Number and subsequently, he can receive benefits almost equivalent to a native US Citizen. This provision was passed on January 1, 2004 that a non-citizen can be granted SSN if he stays in the country and works legally. A non-citizen is also entitled to unemployment benefit if an organization terminates his contract without any valid reason and after he has received SSN. (U.S. Social Security

How one of the exhibit of California Academy of science relates to Essay

How one of the exhibit of California Academy of science relates to anthropology - Essay Example s very crowded as this is the place, which provides great entertainment to the whole family, as well as, great source of information regarding different things. The subjects of the exhibits range from nature to science. As there are many interesting exhibits, I visited the academy’s most popular past Earthquake exhibit, which was an amazing and immersive experience. It will not be incorrect to state that the exhibit was greatly related to anthropology (Jurmain, Kilgore and Trevathan). There were a number of art pieces that allowed the visitors to understand the anthropology of the region. In addition, some of the pieces included the walking earth, which reflected upon the message of human’s treatment of planet earth, and the reaction that the earth undertakes, as a result, such as earthquake. The most interesting dimension of the exhibit was the window view of Victorian era, which shows the visitors about impact that the earthquake had on the environment. There was a list of precautions that was provided in the ancient times in order to survive the earthquake. Thus, in such a way, the visitors can actually become aware of feelings and experiences of ancient era dividing time duration between the two earthquakes (calacademy.org). The Earthquake exhibit let me experience the continuous tremor of the city’s two major earthquakes by traveling back in the time when earthquakes hit the San Francisco and Loma Prieta. In 1906 great earthquake, which was noted 7.9-magnitude on the rector scale, wrecked San Francisco and the many aftershocks also struck the city after that earthquake. This Earthquake was the worst natural disaster of that century in the California’s history. Similarly, the Loma Prieta earthquake, which is normally known as Quake of ‘89 struck the San Francisco Bay Area, was also a big disaster for the city. The 6.9 magnitude on the rector scale earthquake was noted in the Loma Prietsa (Prentice). It should be noted that the major aim of the

The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks - Essay Example The poem provides an insight into what a mother actually experiences after an abortion and the extent of love that a mother has for her children despite the fact that she never gave birth to them. Gwendolyn Brooks marks the theme of the poem in its very first line which states that an abortion for a mother is an experience of her life that she can never get over with. The first stanza deals with the emotions of the mother in which a mother is explaining about the things that she would never be able to do since she does not have children. The women is presenting with motherly activities that she is longing to perform but would never be able to do that. This can be seen in these lines, â€Å"You will never neglect or beat them, or silence or buy with a sweet.† She is clearly presenting that she would not be able to nurture children due to the abortion which includes looking after them, feeding them and being with them all the time. This shows her remorse over her incapability of performing all the activities with a child that is the desire of every mother. In the next stanza she explains that she understands that she has actually stolen away the rights of children who would have been like other beings in this world and performed all the worldly activities. They would have enjoyed this world and would have started their journey of life like other people which begins with being a helpless child till the time that he grows up and gets engaged in a relationship up to the end of his life when he reaches his deathbed. She knows that she has killed a human life which would have actually developed emotions, feelings and sensations if they had been given the chance to do so. But with all regret she tries to provide an explanation that at that point of her life she had no other choice. She justifies herself with these words, â€Å"Believe that even in my

Home School or School House Essay Example for Free

Home School or School House Essay What do George Washington and the Hanson brothers have in common? Do you give up? Well, the answer is that both of them were educated in their homes. Queen Elizabeth, Thomas Edison, and Theodore Roosevelt were also educated at home. According to the Home Education Research Institute, 1. 5 million students are staying home for class today. This number is five times more than ten years ago (Kantrow and Wingert 66). This trend leads to many questions. Does home school education work? Do students receive a proper education? How does a home school students education compare to that of public school student? Does home schooling isolate a child socially? These questions are concerns of parents, educators, and politicians alike. The future of America rests on the academic and social education of our youth, and home school education should be considered as an effective alternative to public school education. In the past, parents mainly chose to educate their children at home because of religious preference. These parents viewed the public school system as a source of negative influence on children. Violence, sex, drugs, and peer pressure were influences these parents sought to avoid. However, today parents have other reasons for home school education, which primarily all point to a lackluster public school system. Other reasons include a desire to build a strong family closeness, safety, and a handful of parents chose home school for their children because of special needs such as disabilities or special talents. However, no matter how good the reasons, the home school education system must prove to be an acceptable alternative to public schools. There are many advantages to giving a student a home school education. First, parents can make direct decisions concerning what their children are taught. According to the Home School Statistics and Reports in 1997, written by founder and President Dr. Brian D. Ray, seventy-one percent of the parents who educate their children hand pick the curriculum from a variety of books, videos, and educational manuals. Another twenty-three percent order entire cirriculum packages (Ray 14). With the technology of today, parents have an unlimited source for information via the Internet, which can be easily integrated in home school education. The study also shows the education level of the parent supervising and administering the curriculum has little or no effect on the  quality of education received by a student. Home-educated students whose parents did not have college degrees scored equally high on tests compared to students whose parents had college degrees(Ray 56). In addition to students own parents teaching them, groups are formed among home school families. These groups allow students to be taught a variety of subjects by different parents that have a better understanding of subjects such as algebra, chemistry, and biology. These groups also take field trips, participate in sports, and do volunteer projects together. Another advantage of home schooling is the quality of education received by the student. How do home school students compare with public school students? This is a very important question to answer, but the answer can never be a concrete one. However all of the research I did shows that students educated in their homes have an equal or higher level of academic skills compared to the public school students. In the 1997 and 1998 ACT test scores, home school students averaged a score of 23; meanwhile the public school students averaged a score of 21(Farris 8). Also, on nationally standardized achievement exams home students again outscored public school students by at least thirty percentile points(Ray 7). While these numbers cant truly reflect the comparison, an equal percentage of students from both groups seek college education(Ray 9). The government on all levels faces problems concerning the public school system. Funding for schools tops the problem list; local school boards and city governments are continuously fighting for tax proposals, meanwhile students in the schools suffer because of poor facilities and low salaries for teachers. The cost for taxpayers to send one student to a public school for one year is approximately $5325, while a home school student costs a parent $546 per year (Ray 11). Could an increase in home schools cut taxes? Could the money allotted for education now be used more effectively if there were fewer students? Maybe or maybe not, but if fewer students were in public schools, the chances of giving the public school student a better educational environment would increase. Many people who oppose home school programs claim interactions with other children at school are vital to their education. However, this argument usually does not work because parents who home school do not want to release their children into the negative influences that infect the public school system. After an interview with Beverly Decateau, a mother who taught her children at home for over seven years; I found that home school students participate in equally as many or more activities than public school students do. Her children and many others she knew of were active in church groups, Four-H groups, sports teams, and dance squads. All of these activities can be considered social interactions. I dont believe the public school system has a responsibility to socialize students; that job belongs to parents. In a public school system, some students can be pinpointed and teased, and these images can damage children for life. Despite the several advantages of the home school system, many people still oppose home schooling. Home school students may not miss interactions with other students, but they will miss the experience. Certain experiences at school are considered an important part of the American way of life. Public school students will never forget experiencing homeroom parties, pep rallies, and finding classes on the first day of high school. Can a home school students experience compare? Probably not, but to what importance these experiences play in the education and socialization skills of a student depends on each individual student. Home school education can cause problems among children and parents. Children who have parents constantly looking over their shoulders may have difficulty breaking away from home to attend college or enter the workplace. Children might also have trouble respecting their own parent as an educator, and this lack of respect may have a negative effect on the students education. In order for home school education to work, the parents must be willing to sacrifice time and patience above and beyond the average parents. The parents must also be willing to give up their own careers for the future of their children. Furthermore, not all children can be successful home school students. The children must be able to make friends in informal settings, and see home school education as a way of exploring different avenues of learning. Not everyone can educate their children at home, but the more students who can receive a solid education at home would improve the education given to students at public schools. Fewer students would lead to smaller classrooms where higher paid teachers could give more attention to public school students. Funds and taxes could be used more effectively because there would be fewer students to accommodate. In the future we should support home school programs and public school education to interact with each other for the benefit of all students. Regardless of where the education of Americas youth takes place, it is vital that parents have a major role in the education of their children in order to build strong families and a strong America. WORKS CITED Decateau, Beverly. Personal interview. 2 NOV 1998. Farris, Micheal. Home Schooling Today. The Washington Times 27 OCT 1998: E8. Kantrowitz, Barbara, and Pat Wingert. Learning At Home: Does It Pass The Test? Newsweek 5 OCT. 1998: 64-70. Ray, Brian D. Home School Statistics and Reports Home School Legal Defense HomePage. Dec 1997 http://www. hsdla. org//.

Thomas Edison Essay -- essays research papers

Thomas Alva Edison is considered one of the greatest inventors in history. He was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847 and died in 1931. During his life he patented 1,093 inventions. Many of these inventions are in use today and changed the world forever. Some of his inventions include telegraphy, phonography, electric lighting and photography. His most famous inventions were the phonograph and the incandescent light bulb. Edison did some of his greatest work at Menlo Park. While experimenting on an underwater cable for the automatic telegraph, he found that the electrical resistance and conductivity of carbon varied accordingly to the pressure it was under. This was a major theoretical discovery, which enabled Edison to invent a "pressure relay" using carbon rather than magnets, which was the usual way to vary and balance electrical currents. In February of 1877 Edison began experiments designed to produce a pressure relay that would amplify and improve the audibility of the telephone, a device that Edison and others had studied but which Alexander Graham Bell was the first to patent, in 1876. By the end of 1877 Edison had developed the carbon-button transmitter that is still used today in telephone speakers and microphones. Many of Thomas Edison’s inventions including the carbon transmitter were in response to demands for new products and improvements. In 1877, he achieved his most unique discovery, the phonograph. During the summer of 1877 Edison was attempting to devise for the automatic telegraph a machine that would transcribe a signals as they were received into a form of the human voice so that they could then be delivered as telegraph messages. Some researchers had theorized that each sound, if it could be graphically recorded, would produce a distinct shape resembling short hand, or phonography, as it was known then. Edison hoped to make this concept real by employing a stylus-tipped carbon transmitter to make impressions on a strip of paraffined paper. To his amazement, the barley visible indentations generated a vague sound when the paper was pulled back beneath the stylus. In December 1877 Edison unveiled the tinfoil phonograph, which replaced the strip of paper wrapped in tinfoil. Many people would not believe what they were hearing including a leading French scientist who declared it to be a trick device of a ventri... ...ed whether something might be done, only how. Edison’s career, the fulfillment of the American dream of rags-to-riches through hard work and intelligence, made him a folk hero to his countrymen. In temperament he was an uninhibited egotist, at once a tyrant to his employees and their most entertaining companion, so that there was never a dull moment with him. He was charismatic and courted publicity, but he had difficulty socializing and neglected his family. His shafts at the expense of the "long-haired" fraternity of theorists sometimes led formally trained scientists to depreciate him as anti-intellectual; yet he employed as his aides, at various times a number of eminent mathematical physicists, such as Nicole Tesla and A.E. Kennelly. The contradictory nature of his forceful personality, as well as such eccentricities as his ability to catnap anywhere, contributed to his legendary status. By the time he was in his middle 30s Edison was said to be the best-known American in the world. When he died he was the venerated and mourned as the man who, more than any other, had laid the basis for the technological and social revolution of the modern electrical world.

Harry Harlow

Compare and contrast research by Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth on understanding attachment This essay is looking at the similarities of two researchers into attachment. The aim is to present their work so as to compare and contrast the different approaches and techniques used by both Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth. Even though they both had their different techniques in carrying out their experiments, the conclusion of their findings was very similar and this essay will be showing these findings by contrast.Both psychologists wanted to find out the underlying mechanics of attachment of mothers and their young. Firstly an American psychologist namely Harry Harlow who almost by accident started the most influential work in understanding attachment, fortunately discovered he was unable to carry out his original study regarding intelligence in rats, so he turned to the abilities of monkeys after seeing strange behaviour portrayed by the monkeys as he cleaned their cages. Subsequently he realised the fuss was being made from the extraction of the soft sanitary towels that were used in lining their cages.With this in mind he set out to prove the affection these monkey had for the sanitary towels was in fact â€Å"contact comfort† seeing as all their other needs were catered for and there was only adverse behaviour on the removal of the towels. He used rhesus macaques a medium sized monkey, which shares 94% DNA with humans â€Å"yet one must not be very careful how one interprets this genetic similarity. We share 50 per cent of our DNA with a banana†(Discovering Psychology, p. 204,2010). Harlow constructed two surrogate mothers for these babies to show affection or need. wire cylinder that provided milk, also in the cage was a structure made of wood covered in foam with a layer of towelling(also known as terry cloth in America). On viewing the action of the baby monkeys Harry Harlow confirmed his theory of â€Å"contact comfort†. He witnessed t he baby clinging on to the terry cloth mother for comfort and only reaching for the wire surrogate for food then returning back to the terry cloth mother. â€Å"In another experiment he showed that the babies treated the terry cloth mother as a â€Å"safe base† (Discovering psychology, p. 07,2010) On displacement of the mothers the only distressing reaction came about on removal of the terry cloth mother with no reaction to the removal of the wire mother which produced food. Upon this observation â€Å"Harlow hypothesised that the tactile qualities of stimuli were more important for infant monkeys bonding then the provision of food†(Discovering psychology, p202,2010) So the previous assumption of the cupboard love theory was superseded by Harlows observation of contact comfort.However this conclusion was reach in monkeys and does not automatically prove the same in humans but does give a basis for the t In looking at Marry Ainswoth's work on attachment it is seen ther e is a great difference in the subject and in the condition surrounding the research. Unlike Harlow who conducted his experiments in the controlled conditions of a laboratory, Ainsworth observed young babies from Ugandan families where she moved with her husband in 1953. Through the observation of the babies over â€Å"two hours every fortnight over a period of nine month†(Discovering Psychology, p. 16,2010) She witnessed that upon the mothers showing comfort to their young, the affection that was shown calmed them and stopped them crying, Ainsworth arrived at the conclusion similar to Harlow that the babies needed tactile stimuli or â€Å"contact comfort† the findings she reached coincided with the work of Harlow. She discovered that the displays witnessed and the validation of contact comfort showed infants became more confident to explore as long as the mothers were present, acting as a safe base in the same way the monkeys reacted to the terry cloth mother.This was shown through Harlows placing the monkey in an unfamiliar playroom, using both surrogate mothers. The positive reaction only came when the terry cloth mother was present, acting as a safe base â€Å"allowing infants to go off and explore or play, but also to rush back to if they felt threatened† (Discovering psychology,p. 207,2010) In comparison to Harlow's work Ainsworth because of ethics could not separate the baby from its mother due to the damage to their emotional and psychological well being.So upon which she used the technique of observation to seemingly reach the same result as Harlow in that attachment is based on â€Å"contact comfort†. Also realising in her study the importance of a â€Å"safe base† to infants, as in the observation research carried out on the Uganda families â€Å"if the mothers were unresponsive and emotionally detached, their infants seem to cry a lot more and often seemed clingy or insecure†(Discovering psychology, p. 216, 2010). We see the advantages of Ainsworh's study in wanting to find out about attachment in humans, by studying humans.As well as showing more credibility into the mechanics of human attachment it also provided Ainsworth with the opportunity to develop a highly influential procedure called the strange situation because of the complexity of humans. This procedure consisted of a series of seven episodes involving three participants, namely mother, baby and a stranger. Page 3 personal identifier: C3257246On completion of the procedure in the highly controlled environment (which limited the amount of emotional upset to the child on encountering and being left alone with the stranger that was constructed in one of the episodes) Ainsworth identified four different types of attachment in the infants used in the observation. While benefiting from the conclusion reached it was only on the basis of a single observation and did not take into account important factors such as the mood of the in fants and how well they slept.The study also produced a further problem when the research was carried out in different countries revealing a great difference in the four types of attachment witnessed in her strange situation. This begs the question of ecological validity and how a controlled observation with a set of episodes is not the same for mothers and infants where these circumstances never arise, as in Japan the strange situation procedure never took place as it seemed to be inappropriate since â€Å"those mothers never left their babies in a room alone with a stranger† (Discovering psychology, p. 20,2010). However Harlow had his advantages too. The behaviour in non-human animals that Harlow used can be easier to interpret and to explain the results as unequivocal. Like Ainsworth Harlow carried out further experiments to strengthen the theory of a safe base now that contact comfort was established. In one of the further experiments â€Å"Harlow found that when the bab ies were placed in a large room full of toys they would curl up in a terrified ball if there was no mother or just the wire surrogate present†(Discovering Psychology, p. 07,2010) So even though we cannot be sure of the degree of findings on non humans and how applicable they are to humans, we see that the findings of at least â€Å"contact comfort† are shared with the observations of Mary Ainsworth. In contrast to the different approaches taken by both the physiologists we understand that ethics plays a major role. In the case of Mary Ainsworth we see the question of ethics need not be approached, even In her later research the strange situation. ll necessary procedures were put in place so not to cause suffering to the infants. The view on ethics taken by Harlow was quite inadequate and became cruel and inhumane which was not a surprising as Harlow did not have too much love for animals. He once said that all he cared about was â€Å"whether a monkey will turn out pro perly I can publish. I don't have any love for them. I never have† (Discovering Psychology, p. 212, 2010)unlike Ainsworth who morally complied and stopped her experiment immediately when the infant showed any sign of distress.Although there was not any ethical guidelines in place upon Harlow carrying out his research, the British psychological society states that â€Å"psychologists must be able to demonstrate that the benefits of a study justify the cost to the animal in terms of suffering†(Discovering Psychology, p. 211,2010) So the influential work carried out by Harlow could be argued â€Å"the suffering was justified because human society benefits greatly from the knowledge†. (Discovering Psychology, p. 212,2010)In conclusion this essay has shown the different approaches both psychologists took, By doing so the essay showed the similarity and differences of both studies. The essay showed that the main underlying issue in the two studies was of ethics and bec ause of this the approaches were very different. However the influential work of Harry Harlow proved that â€Å"contact comfort† was the mechanism for attachment by showing systematically â€Å"that contact comfort was more important than food in the formation of attachment†. Discovering Psychology, p. 206, 2010) This essay also found the similarity in Mary Ainsworth's studies without approaching the question of ethics, and like Harlow came to a similar conclusion of â€Å"contact comfort†,Also appreciating the safe base theory Finally this essay appreciates the discoveries made by both Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth on producing relevant information through there respective studies. Word count 1518 References: Brace, n. and Byford, j. (eds)Discovering Psycology(2010), Milton Keynes, The Open University. *

Pakistan Earthquake

On October 8, 2005 the history of Pakistan turned a new page when a massive earthquake hit the northern part of the country. It was said to be the most powerful quake in the last 100 years. It had a magnitude of 7. 6 and was accompanied by more than 60 aftershocks. It killed and injured more than thousands of people and caused massive destruction in the northern part. It was early in the morning when the earth shattering quake jolted the residents out of their beds. Those who were already up and about ready to go, or were at work and school rushed out of their buildings into the open air as the earth shook violently beneath them. They started praying. Still many were trapped as the buildings come down on them. Most of the students lost their lives, as they were completely unaware that they would be buried alive under the ruins of their school building. My family and I had moved to Islamabad (northern part of the country) just two days ago. Our part of the city was not as affected compared to the other parts and because of that we felt lucky. The Margalla Towers, an apartment complex collapsed and killed most of the residents living there. Many of our relatives and family friends lived in that area. Mom tried to call them but the communication systems were disrupted by the quake. This added to the anxiety of the people who could not call their relatives in the affected areas. Many of them were injured and lost most of their family members to the quake. However the most disturbing news was that my aunt lost her husband and her six months old son. The quake affected millions of people directly and indirectly. The official death toll was 87,000 and more than 100,000 people were injured. Many dead bodies were pulled, from the rubble with missing limbs or completely crushed by the rescue teams. But also there had been a handful of incredible stories of survival. Rescue teams worked against insurmountable odd, and succeeded in pulling victims alive from the rubble. A six year old boy became one of the last to be pulled alive from the earthquake’s devastation. After 200 hours, Ahmad had remained conscious but trapped eneath the layers of rubble, which was all that remained of his family’s apartment. â€Å"I was playing with my truck, then I fell†, he said, recounting what had happened. The rest of the family was not as lucky. There were other amazing stories, a ninety year old woman was found alive while other members of her family were lying dead around her, with exception of her three year old grandson. She was left to raise him at this old age. A mother was recovered de ad and she was shielding two children under her. One had died but the other lived. The quake affected millions of people, ordinary people come in thousands to help in relief efforts. Volunteers answered the calls for blood donations and brought food, water and other goods for the victims. Muzaffarabad and its surrounding areas were badly affected. Most of the villages were completely wiped out, and roads were blocked by heavy rocks from the Himalaya Mountains. The Pakistan Air Force helicopters that were well equipped to perform relief activities waved their way through the mountains and flew over the affected areas. But landing in some areas was impossible. The clock ticked by, and despite the hard work of the rescue teams, many bodies were trapped inside the heavy rubble, with an acute smell of human flesh coming from them. Nature continued to be needlessly cruel. There was rain and hail, many people without shelter died. In less than two months, the Himalaya Mountains got their first snowfall and the temperature was below zero. Aid came from around the world. But still it’s too little and often the wrong kind. There were not enough tents, blankets and warm clothe to go around. Hundreds of tents had been provided but thousands of families remain out under the sky. They face rain and hail with dread in their hearts. They have lost everything even their hope to live. Imagine yourself buried under the heavy rubble alive, with no food, no water and constantly bleeding and weighting for your only killer†¦ â€Å"time†. The devastating earthquake shocked the nation, but brought out the best as they rose up to the occasion to help the victims.

Laurels and What One Does With Them

Laurels and What One Does With Them Laurels and What One Does With Them Laurels and What One Does With Them By Maeve Maddox I heard a newscastersports I thinksay that someone was waiting on the laurels of someone. Sometimes I feel like an ancient Roman watching Latin turn into French. What did the newscaster mean? He had a vague recollection of having heard something about laurels and an -ing verb. The expression he was reaching for is resting on ones laurels. To rest upon ones laurels is to expend less effort, to give up striving for new victories, to rely on past success to cover up current failures. In classical times, winners of athletic contests and poetry slams were crowned with laurel wreaths because the laurel wreath was an attribute of the god Apollo, deity of music, poetry, and the arts. NOTE: art didnt mean the same to the ancients as it does in modern usage. For the Greeks, athletics belonged to the category of art. To the major arts, according to Cicero, belonged political and military arts; to the second class belonged purely intellectual arts, i.e., sciences, but also poetry and eloquence; to the third class belonged painting, sculpture, music, acting, athletics. Dictionary of the History of Ideas From this custom of crowning the best poets with a laurel wreath comes the term poet laureate, an official versifier appointed by a government to write poems for special occasions. Roman custom extended the use of the laurel wreath to crown victorious generals. During the Roman Republic, the second highest military honor was the Civic Crown, a wreath made of oak leaves. It was awarded to a Roman who had saved the life of fellow citizens by slaying an enemy on a spot not further held by the enemy that same day. Wikipedia The highest military honor was the Grass Crown, awarded to a general who broke a blockade around a threatened legion or army, saving it from annihilation. This one wasnt awarded too often. The association of oak leaves with military achievement survives to modern times. Certain miltary decorations make use of oakleaf clusters. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?35 Genres and Other Varieties of FictionHow to Write a Proposal

All The Presidents Men Critic essays

All The Presidents Men Critic essays All The Presidents Men Critic All the Presidents Men is the story of the role of the press and Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the Watergate scandal that forced Richard Nixon from his Presidential office. In the run-up to the 1972 election, Bob Woodward covers what at first appears to be a third rate break-in at the Democratic Party National headquarters located in the Watergate Complex. Five men in business suits, four of whom were Cubans, were caught attempting to electronically bug the office of Mr. OBrien, a Democrat. He is surprised to find top lawyers already on the defense case, and the discovery of names and addresses of Republican fund organizers in the address book belonging to one of the burglars further arouses his suspicions. The editor of the Post, Benjamin C. Bradlee, is prepared to run with the story and assigns Woodward and Carl Bernstein to work on the developments together. The two begin making phone calls and discover that there was a secret security fund collect ed in Maurice H. Stans safe for the purpose of illegal activities by the Committee to Re-elect the President. Woodwards anonymous high-level source called Deep Throat would meet him in a dark parking garage in the middle of the night, and through him, the reporters find the trail leading higher and higher in the Republican Party, and eventually into the White House itself. The ruthless committee hired hundreds of people to sabotage democratic activities and even go as far as ruining the campaign of Edmund Muskie through the Canuck Letter, written by the Deputy Director of Communications in the White House, Kenneth W. Clawson. The reporters attempted to interview the Grand Jury from the previous trials with Liddy and McCord but the members had alerted prosecutors so Judge Sirica called them to court and anonymously condemned their actions and gave them a speech o...

What Reverse Osmosis Is and How It Works

What Reverse Osmosis Is and How It Works Reverse osmosis or RO is a filtration method that is used to remove ions and molecules from a solution by applying pressure to the solution on one side of a semipermeable or selective membrane. Large molecules (solute) cant cross the membrane, so they remain on one side. Water (solvent) can cross the membrane. The result is that solute molecules become more concentrated on one side of the membrane, while the opposite side becomes more dilute. How Reverse Osmosis Works In order to understand reverse osmosis, it helps to first understand how mass is transported via diffusion and regular osmosis.  Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion in which the molecules are water and the concentration gradient occurs across a semipermeable membrane. The semipermeable membrane allows the passage of water, but notions (e.g., Na, Ca2, Cl-) or larger molecules (e.g., glucose, urea, bacteria). Diffusion and osmosis are thermodynamically favorable and will continue until equilibrium is reached. Osmosis can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed if sufficient pressure is applied to the membrane from the concentrated side of the membrane. Reverse osmosis occurs when the water is moved across the membrane against the concentration gradient, from lower concentration to higher concentration. To illustrate, imagine a semipermeable membrane with fresh water on one side and a concentrated aqueous solution on the other side. If normal osmosis takes place, the fresh water will cross the membrane to dilute the concentrated solution. In reverse osmosis, pressure is exerted on the side with the concentrated solution to force the water molecules through the membrane to the freshwater side. There are different pore sizes of membranes used for reverse osmosis. While a small pore size does a better job of filtration, it takes longer to move water. Its sort of like trying to pour water through a strainer (large holes or pores) compared to trying to pour it through a paper towel (smaller holes). However, reverse osmosis is different from simple membrane filtration because it involves diffusion and is affected by flow rate and pressure. Uses of Reverse Osmosis Reverse osmosis is often used in commercial and residential water filtration. It is also one of the methods used to desalinate seawater. Reverse osmosis not only reduces salt, but can also filter out metals, organic contaminants, and pathogens. Sometimes reverse osmosis is used to purify liquids in which water is an undesirable impurity. For example, reverse osmosis can be used to purify ethanol or grain alcohol to increase its proof. History of Reverse Osmosis Reverse osmosis is not a new purification technique. The first examples of osmosis through semipermeable membranes was described by Jean-Antoine Nollet in 1748. While the process was known in laboratories, it wasnt used for desalination of seawater until 1950 at the University of California in Los Angeles. Multiple researchers refined methods of using reverse osmosis to purify water, but the process was so slow that it wasnt practical on a commercial scale. New polymers allowed for the production of more efficient membranes. By the beginning of the 21st century, desalination plants became capable of desalinating water at the rate of 15 million gallons per day, with around 15,000 plants in operation or planned.