Thursday, October 31, 2019

Family Relationships Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family Relationships - Essay Example Willy the protagonist is discussed to depict how his self deception and disillusionment have affected his family. He represents the dysfunctional family. Miller has designed a family, which is stretched to breaking point by pressures of a speedily varying environment. The way they relate among themselves determines their identity, what they aspire to be and their inability to reconcile the two. Strangely, his fixation with the exterior traits of charm and likeability is at probability with a grittier, more gratifying considerate of the American dream which recognizes the hard work without complaint as the key to success (1.243). The Loman family is based on false values that distort the American dream and Lead to an existence of a dysfunctional family. Willy’s life is symbolic of many family relationships. Miller depicts him as a salesperson but does not specify which products Willy deals with. This is so because Willy is nobody in particular but a representative of everyone i n society. Relationship between Willy and Linda The relationship of Willy and his wife Linda is not the most ideal of relationships. Linda seems to be more sensitive than her husband in viewing life challenges. Linda is loyal and devoted to her husband, but Willy succumbs to temptations and cheats on her. She tries hard to protect her husband but ends up causing him more harm than Help. It is because of her ineffective attempt to protect Willy that she allows his death. She neglects Willy as seen when he brags about the grosshe had in Boston and providence. As Linda calculates his commission but she does not confront him (2.188). Relationship between Willy and His Children Willy enjoyed a health and exciting relationship in the past with his sons but later on, the relationship deteriorates tremendously because of his lies and neglect of family. The father and child affiliation between Willy and his son Biff is edgy.this starts from an incident that happened years ago, when Biff disc overed him in a hotel room with a woman, which made Biff lose respect for his father. Biff and his father collide when biff seeks assistance from his father. Wily appears have been in an affair in a hotel room. When Biff shows up to see if his father will help him and finds another woman in his father’s room, his world is crashed, he feels destroyed and betrayed’ Biff is hurt and disappointed in his father’s infidelity that he chooses to leave schooling without graduating from college. In the incident, Willy becomes defensive and tries to convince Biff in vain that, nothing happened but it makes nothing better. In some way, Willy’s lies destroys Biffs’ future, as from then on Biff always changes jobs, but finds no success in any. Linda and Happy are not aware, and they do not understand the rift between them. This causes a further wedge in the family relationships. Another rift that strains the affiliation amid Biff and his father occurs because bi ff blames his father for the superiority complex he instilled in them while they were young. He tells his father that because he made him full of himself, it became had for him to take orders from others. Conversely, the rapport between Happy and father is neither badly off nor much better. In Willy’s life Happy has always been second in his affection. He constantly praises Biff before Happy and this seriously Affects Happy life and his family

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Effect of Immigration on New York City Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Effect of Immigration on New York City - Article Example Traditionally, immigrants to the city have been disproportionately from the Caribbean and South America relative to the nation, which has been more likely to get immigrants from Asia and Mexico. The Caribbean comprised 33 percent of the flow of immigrants to the city, but only 12 percent of the flow to the nation in the 2005-2009 periods. (Gelfand, 03) Similarly, while South Americans comprised twelve percent of the city's flow, their share of the nation's flow was only six percent. On the other hand, just one percent of the city's flow was comprised of Mexicans (Other North America), compared to thirteen percent of the nation's immigrant flow. Likewise, Asians were 26 percent of the city's flow but comprised 42 percent of entering immigrants to the nation. (Martin, 5) The 2000s marked a resurgence in European immigration to New York City, and a decline in the share of Caribbean flows. Immigration from Europe stood at 22 percent, more than twice the level of 9 percent in the 1990s. (Vecoli, 562) Caribbean immigration, which stood at 40 percent of the total in the 1990s, dropped 7 points in the 2000s. However, the share of the Hispanic Caribbean (primarily the Dominican Republic) actually increased while there was a decline in flows from non-Hispanic Caribbean nations such as Jamaica, Haiti, and Barbados. Flows from Guyana, an English-speaking South American nation with a heavy Caribbean influence, also declined. The number of African immigrants to the city, while small, has been increasing steadily over the past three decades and comprised just over two percent of entering immigrants.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Delaware Ecological and Economic Sustainability

Delaware Ecological and Economic Sustainability Title of Grant: Ecological and economic sustainability in water, energy, and food in Delawares changing coastal climate Theme Name: Social, Economic and Policy Dimensions. A) Status and overview. Overarching statement (2-3 lines; max five sentences) The social, economic, and policy dimension team propose research, educational, and outreach activities that seek to solve what has be called the last mile problem -whereby technological solutions are developed that seem promising, but unless coupled with ethical guidelines, guided by insights from behavioral science, and supported with empirical data from behavioral science and user-friendly decision support tools, an effective policy solution is never developed, and last mile is never crossed. To support these efforts we will measure peoples attitudes and willingness to pay (WTP) for improving water, energy, and food systems in a changing climate in the State of Delaware. This research will be complemented with interdisciplinary work with natural and physical scientist to develop an estimate of the costs associated with improving the States water quality and protecting its coastal recreational amenities, so that policy makers and stakeholders can develop cost-effective tools and app roaches to these problems. B) Research and Education program Measuring costs and benefits of improving water quality Solving the last mile problem requires information about the costs and benefits of alternative strategies to develop more sustainable water, energy, and food systems. Survey tools and experimental approaches will be used to measure both the costs and benefits of improving water quality while creating more resilient food and energy systems. For example, research has identified beneficial management practices (BMPs) for urban, suburban, and agricultural landscapes that improve water quality by reducing soil and nutrient loss, but improvements will only occur if people are willing to use these BMPs. To promote adoption of beneficial practices, financial incentives are commonly offered through environmental programs funded by federal and state agencies. Distributing scarce funds cost-effectively is often a priority for these agencies, but their ability to do so is frequently limited by a lack of data about the costs and benefits of alternative pollution abatement strategies. If these data are available, low participation from landowners can still limit cost-effectiveness of these programs. Measuring costs The social dimensions team will construct marginal cost curves for multiple strategies that could enhance water quality, including programs that promote the use of urban and suburban BMPs (e.g., use of green fertilizers, native grass restoration, septic tank repair) and agricultural BMPs (e.g., use of green fertilizers, cover crops, application of electro-chemical techniques to reduce nitrogen pollutions). The marginal cost curves will inform policymakers about the unit costs and total costs of abating nonpoint source pollution from lawns and farms using these practices. Results can inform policymakers about the relative cost-effectiveness of projects that improve water quality. Constructing the marginal cost curves will require data on the biophysical benefits of these practices as well as landowner willingness to use beneficial BMPs. Estimates about biophysical benefits, like the reduction of phosphorus and nitrogen export to nearby waterways, will be determined will be drawn from the literature. The social dimensions team will build upon two novel experimental designs developed by the Center for Experimental Applied Economics that quantifies the costs of BMP adoption and assesses landowners attitudes and willingness to adopt agricultural and lawn practices that can improve water quality. The Agricultural Values, Innovation and Stewardship Enhancement (AgVISE) project engages farmers in an auction in a field experiment setting that evaluates the attitudes and WTP to adopt new BMPs, such as new green fertilizers or removal of excess nutrients through novel phosphorus filters. The Homeowner Values, Innovation and Stewardship Enhancement (HomeVISE) project engages homeowners, renters, and residents of homeowner associations in nutrient management decisions and evaluates both the adoption and the dis-adoption of technologies designed to protect water. A survey tool will be distributed through the VISE programs to identify barriers and deterrents to adoption of BMPs, such as tran saction costs of participation, and to understand how environmental attitudes and beliefs affect participation in programs that offer financial incentives to promote BMP use. These VISE projects can be applied to assess a variety of technologies and educational messages in a wide range of settings throughout the state. Since costs of pollution abatement are a function of landowner and producer preferences, the proposed research will also analyze how programs can be designed using behavioral science to increase program participation by providing people with information that may change their knowledge or perceptions of environmental challenges. This information about the environmental challenges will be drawn from the other themes of this research. We will determine if information can change the marginal cost curves of BMP programs and generate more cost-effective program outcomes by affecting peoples willingness to participation in conservation programs and the incentive payments that they require to adopt new BMPs. Research into policy or behavioral nudges that work to improve people behavior and resolve critically important problems facing the state of Delaware will have meaning from a regional, national, and international perspective. Measuring benefits Several economic valuation projects will be conducted as part of this proposal. These studies would provide analyses needed to improve decision making over the states water resources and lead to balance in policy formation. First, we propose a statewide household survey to value water quality improvements on the states rivers, streams, ponds, and estuaries. This would follow conventional stated preference techniques and economic modeling to elicit willingness to pay for improvements in water quality for drinking, recreation and other uses. Household would learn about water resources in the state in the survey and be asked to vote in hypothetical referenda on water quality improvements. A second project would target recreation uses of Delawares Inland Bays such as fishing, crabbing, boating, swimming, etc. in a revealed preference survey. We would document the extent of the different recreation use of the bays and infer values for the different uses. In addition, we model how the uses might change with water quality improvements along with economic values associated with those changes. Economic benefits will also be tested using field experiments that explore consumers WTP purchase foods that provide direct water quality benefits such as oysters and edible seaweed. Despite its coastal nature and history, Delaware is the only coastal state that does not have an active oyster aquaculture industry. Funding will expand recent collaborative efforts between DSU and UD researchers to foster this industry. D) Seed Funding and emerging areas Consortium on Social Dimension Research Funding from this EPSCoR Rii4 proposal will enable the development of a novel consortium of amongst Wesley College, Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware State University, and the University of Delaware to foster undergraduate social dimension research related to this proposals water, energy, and food themes. The Center for Experimental Applied Economics (CEAE) to expand its novel work in behavioral and experimental experiments to undergraduate research in this consortium via the development of a novel one-year sequence of courses that will be taught yearly at the undergraduate level in application of experimental methods. The first semester will focus on the methods and application of behavioral and experimental economics to water, energy, and food themes. Experimental methods will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs are quickly becoming the gold standard of social science research and the cornerstone of evidence-based policy. The second semester will engage students in applying these methods explore to behavioral and policy issues related to water, energy, and food issues. Seed funding will be available to researchers and students to enable them to conduct initial experimental studies. Funded internships will be available for the most promising students (selected by competition) to continue their research during the subsequent summer. Seed funding is requested to build the internal research capacity of faculty at Wesley and DSU, to facilitate the coordination of undergraduate expertise, such as computer programming at DelTech, to support instruction at the University of Delaware, and to facilitate the project and develop a curriculum and partnership amongst the institutions to ensure the programs sustainability after the grant period expires. Policy Decision Support Tools[H1] Decision support tools will be developed to integrate knowledge generated by the natural, physical, and social science teams and the environmental sensors to inform policymakers and stakeholders about water, energy, and food systems in Delaware. Interactive geographic interfaces will provide stakeholders with information about the current status of these systems and predictions about how these conditions would change given different climate scenarios. Users will be able to toggle between multiple map layers to view biophysical, social, and economic data about water, energy, and food systems. This tool will help policymakers and stakeholders understand the various benefits, costs, and trade-offs that are involved with various actions and also help policy makers make cost-effective decisions that help them develop evidence-based policy. H) Partnerships (research competitiveness, commercialization, economic development) As described previously, we will develop a novel consortium of amongst Wesley College, Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware State University, and the University of Delaware to foster undergraduate social dimension research related to this proposals water, energy, and food themes. This consortium will be supported by the national Center for Behavioral Experimental Agri-Environmental Research (CBEAR) that is co-headquartered at the University of Delaware. CBEAR regularly engages with officials at the state, regional, national, and international level to facilitate behavioral and experimental economics research related to water, agriculture, and energy. The research will be valablue to the agricultural industry in the Delaware, estimated to be worth $8 billion each year, which is currently facing costly regulation due to water quality concerns that affect the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. By developing cost-effective mechanism to address these water quality concerns can help sustain the agricultural industry in the state for decades to come. The work will also foster the nascent industry in the production of green seafood such as oysters and edible seaweed, industries that offer increased food production, economic development, and enhanced environmental quality. F) Sustainability Plan The proposed educational partnership on behavioral and experimental economics will be sustained after the life of the grant through an integration of this program into the curriculums of the various institutions. This project will position Delaware well for securing future federal funding to support innovative research in the pre-proposals focus area. For instance, the emphasis on experimental methods for research is consistent with the Office of Management and Budgets Memorandum M-13-17 (2013) that outlines President Obamas evidence based policy agenda and encourages agency proposals that utilize randomized controlled trials or careful quasi-experimental techniques to measure the effect of interventions on important policy outcomes (p. 3). Additionally, in September 2015, President Obama made an Executive Order which encourages federal agencies to incorporate insights from the behavioral sciences to design better government programs. This emphasis has recently been supported by the development of bipartisan Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act sponsored by Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Patty Murry (D-WA) that was signed into law by President Obama in March, 2016. Furthermore, presidenti al candidate Hillary Clinton has indicated a desire to continue this emphasis on behavioral science and evidence-based policy, if elected in November 2016. The proposed research and one-year course sequence in behavioral and experimental economics will include seed money to support new research related to water, energy, and food issues. Promising results from these studies will be used to solicit larger, external grants. The Center for Experimental Applied Economics (CEAE) will help facilitate grants that catalyze the use of experimental economics methods in interdisciplinary research related to food, energy, and water. CEAE is skilled in this raising external funds. It has raised more than $18 million (not including the current EPSCoR Rii3 funds) over the past three years and developed two nationally-recognized USDA Centers of Excellence. [H1]The idea of developing Policy Decision Support Tools could be quite compelling from the perspective of pulling together the various themes of the project and making a broader impact on the State of Delaware. If we want to go in this direction, we will need to flush this out further and consider what new capacities can be added as part of this grant as, to my knowledge, we currently dont have all of this capacity inside the existing grouo.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Electronics :: essays research papers

Microsoft® Word Viewer 97, the newest member of the Word Viewer family, is a freeware product that allows you to view and print Microsoft Word 97 documents. Like previous versions of Word Viewer, the latest version can also open documents created with all previous versions of Word for Windows and version 4.x and above of Microsoft Word for Macintosh®. You cannot edit an open document in Word Viewer 97. However, if you have Word 97 installed, Word Viewer can open the document in Word. You can also copy text to the Clipboard to paste it in other applications. Microsoft encourages you to distribute Word Viewer 97 along with your Word 97 documents to people who do not have Microsoft Word 97. What’s New in Microsoft Word Viewer 97 Microsoft Word Viewer 97 is optimized for displaying Word documents inside Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.x and above. If you have Netscape Navigator 2.x or above, Word Viewer Setup will install a plug-in that allows Word Viewer 97 to display documents inside the Navigator window. Word Viewer 97 includes the following, market-leading Microsoft Word 97 features:  Online Layout View for easy reading of online documents, including those with background colors and textures  Document Map for point-and-click navigation through longer documents  Hyperlink navigation to open any hyperlink in a document with your installed browser System Requirements for Word Viewer 97  A personal computer with a 486 or higher processor  Microsoft Windows® 95 operating system or Microsoft Windows NT® Workstation operating system 3.51 or later  4 MB of memory for Windows 95 (8 MB recommended)  12 MB of memory for Windows NT Workstation  7 MB of hard disk space (9 MB free for installation only)  VGA or higher-resolution video adapter  Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device Ordering Microsoft Word 97 If you would like to order the retail version of Microsoft Word 97, contact the Microsoft Order Desk at (800) 360–7561 in the U.S., visit the Microsoft Online Shop, or contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft World Wide Offices Web site at:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/default.htm Contents To jump directly to any topic, click its page number in the table of contents below. Microsoft Word Viewer 97 for Windows 95 and Windows NT  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 What’s New in Microsoft Word Viewer 97  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 System Requirements for Word Viewer 97  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 Ordering Microsoft Word 97  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 Contents  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 Technical Support for Microsoft Word Viewer 97  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 Microsoft Knowledge Base  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 The World Wide Web  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 TechNet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 Microsoft FTP Site  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 Microsoft FastTips  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 Information on using Microsoft Word Viewer 97  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Role of Urbanization in the Aegean

The Aegean civilizations, the Assyrians, and the Israelites, though in the same hemisphere, were three distinct kingdoms. Each developed into its own kingdom with its own set of rules, beliefs, religion, and political concepts. Ultimately, each had its own culture. Yet, there was something that underlied these three cultures that connected them in a subtle manner. All three of these civilizations underwent urbanization. Though the specific cultures of each civilization developed differently, the role of urbanization affected each in roughly the same way.During this period of the Late Bronze Age, commerce and communication boomed exponentially. No longer would kingdoms maintain their isolationist beliefs. They had to trade and interact with other cultures in order to maximize opportunity cost and obtain as many foreign goods as possible. This inevitably resulted in shared cultures and assimilated beliefs. Along the Aegean Sea, the Minoans had widespread connections to Egypt, Syria, an d Mesopotamia. Similarly, Mycenaean Greece traded with many civilizations, including its neighbor the Minoans.The early Greeks were most likely influenced by Minoan architecture and pottery. Its sudden wealth also came from trade with Minoan. In the Assyrian kingdom, they also developed trade centers. They imported goods like metals, fine textiles, dyes, gems, ivory, and silver. Because of trade centers, specialization arose, creating jobs like artisans and merchants. In the Israel kingdom, King Solomon created alliances with the Phoenicians and thus developed a trading partner. Together, the Phoenicians and the Israelites explored the Red Sea to find any hidden treasures.The creation of urban centers helped facilitate this trade, and thus, expanded the perspectives of these cultures. Through interaction with other civilizations, cultures were shared and ideas, along with goods, were traded. Because of an influx of commerce and communication, a powerful military must also be kept. U rban centers helped control the military in order to facilitate trade. The Minoans and Mycenaeans developed strong seafaring skills and created wooden vessels to help them trade around the Mediterranean.They exported wine, olive oil, and textiles, and in return imported amber, ivory, and most importantly, metals. In the Assyrian kingdom, there was a superior military organization with professional soldiers. The Assyrians developed iron weapons, dug tunnels, and built mobile towers for archers. Not only did they develop military tactics for conquest, but they also used terror tactics to discourage resistance and rebellion and ultimately maintain control. As for the Israelites, David became the first king and he united the tribes into a monarchy.These urban centers established stronger royal authority and led to an army in order to expand borders in search of natural resources. Stronger militaries meant stronger civilizations, so urbanization helped strengthen the power of nobility an d expand borders. Last but not least, urbanization helped develop societal structures, religious ideals, and art and technology. Unlike other civilizations, Minoans did not have strong, aristocratic leaders. In Mycenaean Greece, an elite class did develop.Shaft graves, burial sites for the elite, were filled with gold, weapons, and utensils, revealing that the ancient Greeks believed in some form of afterlife. The cities also had fortification walls and palaces filled with paintings from war and daily life. In contrast, the Assyrians used terror to maintain order in society. The king was the center of the Assyrian universe. Everything he did was mandated by the god Ashur. Through government propaganda, royal inscriptions, and ruthless punishments, the king maintained power in the kingdom.The Library of Ashurbanipal gives insight into official documents and literary texts to help portray the daily life of the elite members of Assyrian society. As for the Israelites, monotheism became the crux of Israelite society. They built temples as sanctuaries in order to link religious and political power. Priests became a wealthy class, thus creating a gap between the urban and the rural, the rich and the poor. In families, there were also gender gaps. Male heirs were critical. While women were respected, they could not own property. As society urbanized, their roles became more and more limited and specialized.While these little bits and pieces of everyday life in these ancient civilizations may seem insignificant, they are like pieces of an infinitely large puzzle. If we can uncover as many pieces as we can and put them together, we can approximate a picture of what life was like in these ancient civilizations. We can figure out how urbanization was important to the development of these kingdoms, and use these cultural artifacts to uncover what daily life was like. After all, artifacts are the key to our past. Without them, our past would be an elusive enigma.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Assess the View Family Is Found in Every Society Essay

Assess the view that the family is found in every society. (24 marks) A family is a group of people that live together in the same household, they work together and pool their resources and to some extent they share domestic tasks and income. Families often reproduce and have children. They usually include an adult male and female who have a sexual relationship which is approved of by the wider society as it is often a marital relationship. This is Murdock’s definition of a family and is often considered to be a nuclear family. Murdock, a functionalist, based his definition on a sample of 250 societies which ranged from hunting and gathering bands to small-scale farming societies to large-scale industrial societies. He found a variety of family forms within his sample however each contained a basic nucleus consisting of a husband and a wife with one or more children, either their own or adopted. Murdock believed that the nuclear family is a universal social grouping as it is f ound in all societies. Aside from the nuclear family there are also extended families, these often contain relatives of kin either through blood or through marriage. This is often having aunties and uncles who become family through marriage and then have children to make the family bigger with cousins. These all stem off from the nuclear family. Families are also larger due to beanpoles, this is usually grandparents and grandchildren, and the family gets bigger due to different generations getting bigger. In the nuclear family it is usually a monogamous marriage that takes place, this is where a person only marries one person and this is considered the norm in many societies. In other societies polygamy is the norm. This is where a person is permitted to marry more than one person at a time for example in the Mormon society this is the norm. This often occurs in these societies as there is a shortage of men or women, due to the economic stability or to provide more children. In some societies, the nuclear family is not the norm. Felicity Edholm said that there was nothing normal or natural about the nuclear family. She states that family and kinship relationships are socially constructed as they are based on culture more than on biology. The links between husband and wife, and parent and child are constructed differently within different societies. The Lakker of Burma see there being no blood relationship between the mother and the child, the mother is simple a container for the child to grow in, therefore sexual relationships between the mother and the child are permitted due to no blood relationship so it is not seen as incest. This shows that in societies a nuclear family is not normal. The Nayer society in India is made up of men and women descended through the female line from a common ancestor. Brothers and sisters, women and children live together; the children are members of their mothers group and not their fathers. The Nayer girls marry a man before puberty and later on are permitted to as many lovers as they want. Her ‘husband’ may or may not be one of these lovers. The children are raised in their mother social group and ‘husbands’ and fathers so not share the same residence as their ‘wives’ and have little to do with their children. The brother of the mother raises the children like his own rather than the biological father and it is his job to look after them. This IK society is another society which doesn’t have a nuclear family. The IK societies face a daily struggle to survive in the face of draught, famine and starvation. Anyone who cannot look after themselves are regarded as useless burdens. Children are regarded as useless appendages the same as old people as they use up precious resources so they are often abandoned and left to die, sick and disabled children are also left to die. The IK mothers throw the children out of the village compound at three years old and they have to then fend for themselves. These examples of non-nuclear families are interactionalists idea’s and do show that the family is not universal as there are some societies without families such as the IK. The Marxists agree with the interactionalists in that families don’t appear in all societies, the Marxists believe that families only appear in societies with a private residence therefore making it non-universal. The feminists believe that the family only appears in families where the men dominate the women; it doesn’t have to be universal. The new rights think that there is a universal human tendency to live in families; however there are other universal tendencies too such as the desire for survival. In these cases the tendency for families to appear may be overridden. In modern western societies the family may be in decline because selfishness over-rides the natural tendency to form families.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Doublethink

are vague and cloudy as to the real issues at hand. Doublespeak has a way of making wrong seem right, and the bad seem good. The concept of doublespeak is related to ideology because it used by those in power to have maximum control over the public, while at the same time causing the most minimal amount of contriversy. Society would b... Free Essays on Doublethink Free Essays on Doublethink â€Å"Doublespeak† George Orwell’s concept of ‘doublethink’ refers to ones ability to accept at least two contradictory notions, and not experience cognitive dissonance. It has manifested itself in the English language as ‘Doublespeak’, a spoken and written language that conceals thoughts and truth without the writer or speaker being aware that it holds contradictions. The words considered ‘Doublespeak’ have an entirely different meaning than portrayed and comprehended. The terminology of ‘Doublespeak’ may be consciously used to deceive. One example of this concept would be the term war = murder for the peace of our country. Our media, government and army positively glorify horrible killings and bombardment. They claim that it’s necessary to maintain peace, when in actuality they are committing murder and plundering other countries without consent or warning. There are many other occurrences I have noticed in my own experiences. Another example of ‘Doublespeak’ is the word detained, which is used so frivolously by law enforcement personnel, media, and politicians. In reality, that word means stripped of your rights and freedom. In the news today, another phrase often heard is â€Å"sources say...† this phrase is very unclear and manipulative as to where this information is actually coming from. Use of doublespeak is easily seen and heard in political context. While listening to politicians talk, sometimes it seems like they have said nothing at all, and instead, have just ambiguously spoken around the proposed question or topic. It sometimes seems as if the words are vague and cloudy as to the real issues at hand. Doublespeak has a way of making wrong seem right, and the bad seem good. The concept of doublespeak is related to ideology because it used by those in power to have maximum control over the public, while at the same time causing the most minimal amount of contriversy. Society would b...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Romantic movement essays

Romantic movement essays Dr. George Boeree best describes the Romantic Movement in the following, Reason and the evidence of our senses were important no doubt but they mean nothing to us unless they touch our needs, our feelings, our emotions. Only then do they acquire meaning. This meaning is what the Romantic Movement is all about. There were many changes that made this movement. The Romantics turned to the poet before the scientist to harbor their convictions. They found that Science was too narrow-minded, and held no room for emotion or feelings. In England, there was a resurgence into Shakespearean drama, and numerous techniques and styles such as Sturm and Drang, a style of writing in Germany, and in art the title sublime to describe the power of natural disasters that developed in the Romantic period. The perception that the Enlightenment was destroying the natural human soul and substituting it with the mechanical, artificial heart was becoming prevalent across Europe. Also another thought that was at the wake of romanticism were the words of the French revolution emphasizing liberty, freedom, and individuality as well as the need in England to escape what the industrial revolution was doing to the country. There are many people and expressions either art, thought, or music that made the romantic period what is was. There are however key people who are involved in cementing certain expressions. Many writers such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, and George Gordan, Lord Bryant, classified the Romantic period. One writer however Johann Wolfgang von Goethe of Germany really expressed this movement with "The Sorrows of Young Werther", which epitomized what Romanticism stood for. His character expressed feelings from the heart and gave way to a new trend of expressing emotions through individuality as opposed to collectivism. He was also known for the Sturm and Drang style that was popular in Germany. This style wa...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Alice walker in search of the garden Essay Example for Free

Alice walker in search of the garden Essay Alice Walker (58) , Diaspora (5) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints lice Walker’s essay, In Search of Our Mother’s Garden, talks about her search of the African American women’s suppressed talent, of the artistic skills and talents that they lost because of slavery and a forced way of life. Walker builds up her arguments from historical events as well as the collective experiences of African Americans, including her own. She uses these experiences to back up her arguments formed from recollections of various African American characters and events. Walker points out that a great part of her mother’s and grandmothers’ lives have been suppressed because of their sad, dark pasts. But all of these are not lost because somehow, these are manifested in even the smallest things that they do, and that they were also able to pass it down to the very people that they loved. Our search of our mother’s garden may end back to ourselves. Walker builds up her argument by mentioning the experiences of other people in the essay. One of them is Jean Toomer, a poet in the early 1920s. He is a man who observed that Black women are unique because they possessed intense spirituality in them, even though their bodies endure every aspect of punishment in every single day of their lives. They were in the strictest sense Saints – crazy, pitiful saints. Walker points out that without a doubt, our mothers and grandmothers belong to this type of people. By building up on the observations of Toomer, she was somehow able to show how hard it was to be a mother or a grandmother or even just a woman at that time, one reason perhaps is that they are black. The mothers and grandmothers at that time endured all of this without any hope that tomorrow will be different, be better. Because of this, they were not able to fully express themselves. They were held back by their society. Another black character that she used to build her argument is Phillis Wheatley, a Black slave girl with a precarious health. Phillis is a poet and a writer at her own right, but unfortunately, she wasn’t able to do much with it because she was a slave. She didn’t have anything for herself, worse, she didn’t even own herself. Her futile attempts for self expression would be washed up by forced labor and pregnancies. She lost her health, and eventually her life without fully expressing herself through her gift for poetry. Alice Walker used the story of Phillis to establish the understanding that indeed, African American women at that time were not allowed or didn’t have the luxury of time to exercise their gifts, to hone their talents and abilities, and use them to fully express themselves. By doing so, Walker proves that our mothers and grandmothers lived a boxed life back then, with no way to channel to them emotions and thoughts other than hard labor and forced servitude. She pointed out that we wouldn’t know if anyone of them would’ve bloomed to be poets, singers, actresses, because they never really had the chance to know what they can do. By building up her argument using these two accounts, she is also presenting very strong evidence to her claim. These accounts were personal experiences of real African American people, and these are not just isolated cases. These are shared experiences not just by these two but by all of their people. Walker can confidently say that there is a lot of Phillis Wheatley in those times, perhaps including her mother and grandmothers. This is concrete evidence because it is not fictional, it is not imaginary, or something conceived out of Walker’s creativity. Slavery, forced pregnancies, poverty, and artistic suppression were the realities during the time of our grandmothers. No one can deny this, and no one can deny the existence of Phillis or the accounts of Jean Toomer. Considering Alice Walker’s authority in her arguments, she could be considered as an expert, a reliable source of information on the topic. First off, she is an African American woman, who had her fair share of poverty in her childhood. She was born and raised by hardworking parents, who really had to work day and night to provide for their family. Also, she witnesses first hand that even though her mother may not be a poet or a novelist; she was an artist in the truest sense. Her artistic side is manifested in her gardens and the beautiful flowers that she grows. Alice Walker witnessed all of this, experienced first hand what it was like to be poor and seemingly talentless. The accounts that Alice Walker used to prove her points and back up her arguments were African American history that she was all too familiar with. It may have been shared to her by her families, or simply a collective knowledge passed down from one generation to another. She is also well-educated, a wide reader, and an artist. She often cites Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, relating a white woman’s plight to a black woman’s hardships. She emphasizes that even though she recognizes Woolf’s point about society’s unfair treatment to women of her time, Walker still believes that black women suffered the most (Walker). There is simply nothing that could compare to the artistic suppression that her mother and grandmothers experienced. In this essay, she is appealing to a general audience, with no specific race or ethnicity. I think this essay was written to highlight the African American women of her mother and grandmother’s time, who were unable to express their talents and hone it to its full potential. This essay is written to inform anyone and everyone reading it about their stories, and of her discovery of her mother’s garden. She was glad to know that it is possible for African American women to express themselves even unknowingly, that it is up to us to discover these â€Å"gardens.† She is appealing to the readers in general that even though some people like our mothers and grandmothers seem talentless or artistically inferior, it doesn’t mean that they really lack the talent. It just means that were not looking hard enough to find it. Alice Walker’s method of using personal experience and historical accounts allow her to truthfully see and say what has really happened. She doesn’t have to make up hypothetical events because she already has a basis for her arguments. Jean Toomer’s recollections and Phillis Wheatley’s experiences are enough proof of her argument. If some people would disagree with what she’s saying, she can always go back to their experiences, to how Phillis suffered without fully using her gift, or what Toomer saw in the streets in the early Twenties. But because of this, I think Walker is somehow limited to the sad and pitiful stories of the past. Well, in reality, most of the stories of African Americans were really sad and pitiful, but still, Walker failed to mention of any successful artist who rose from the ranks of slaves to write her own story. It is either this kind of story really didn’t exist at that time, or Walker just didn’t mention it, since it wasn’t the focus of her essay. Alice Walker concluded her essay by saying that Phillis Wheatley’s mother was also an artist, and that the achievements of their daughters were in some way brought about by their mothers. Her conclusion states that the mother is somehow responsible in every achievement of their daughter. Any artistic output by a person is also a product of their mother. Indeed, their children are their best creations, their very own wonderful gardens. This conclusion is related to her method because it goes back to how Phillis Wheatley’s mother was somehow responsible for her daughter’s artistic sense, and that beyond the poverty and the hardships that our mothers and grandmothers experienced during their times, they were still able to artistically express themselves through their children, their very own wonderful gardens. Alice walker in search of the garden. (2016, May 13). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Colbert Show, Culture and Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Colbert Show, Culture and Politics - Essay Example Research by Amarasingam revealed that, numerous television programs follow the same format in reviewing top news stories as well as analyzing politicians and the media through satires (15).Symbolically, my document explores the effects of the Colbert show in today’s culture. In addition, the document highlights numerous ways in which the elite have used the show to sway people towards varied opinions and its impact on the views. Research by Schiller has postulated that, the Colbert show has profoundly influenced on people’s culture (Schiller 15). It asserts that, the Colbert show play two critical roles in communication. Research by Amarasingam postulated that, the Colbert show transmits information by objectively reporting news hence transmitting information to the masses without including external viewpoints. Significantly, the show disseminates information in packaged formats across vast distances. Notably, the show employs numerous ritualistic viewpoints of communic ation in presenting its message. Accordingly, it places its communication in a cultural context. Particularly, it subjectively report news in numerous ways in order to portray its information. Consequently, the Colbert show integrates numerous cultural viewpoints in its reporting of news. Therefore, it creates an element of a community amongst its audience. Additionally, the show creates change on the value views of the audience. For instance, the cheering of the audience during the report on the segments illuminates the community’s feelings. In addition, due its excitable attitudes in is reporting, the show creates numerous feeling of passion hence causing deeper emotional connections with its reporting news events. Moreover, the show pushes limits on journalism and gives the audience a critical look on prevalent affairs in the society. Jones’ research revealed that, Colbert comedy has significantly influenced our daily culture (Jones 115). For instance, it has mobili zed its viewers to participate in numerous activities such as voting; especially the time 100 online polls (Jones 117). Consequently, its impacts have significantly enhanced international markets. In response, numerous entrepreneurs have embraced the show for its intrinsic worth. It has also engaged its viewers in numerous projects that demonstrate figurative resistance and questioning the authorities. For instance, some people have created remixes of the Colbert’s show content, while others have propagated its neologisms. Moreover, numerous viewers have helped the Colbert in formulating new neologisms. Politically, the Colbert show has significantly altered numerous opinions of various people’s. Accordingly, various elite use it to sway the masses towards numerous opinions. For instance, its partisan message has profoundly influenced American politics. The Colbert support politicians regardless of their party allegiances. In addition, the character betrays his conserv ative ideologies for the sake of his personal achievements (Schiller, 21). Symbolically, he celebrated the victorious success of the Democrats during the 2006 elections. As an ultra-conservative, he should have been disappointed at the results, but instead, he celebrated. Significantly, this marks a turning point in American politics. Additionally, the show explores myriad ways on how people can restore sanity and fear.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Challenges and Opportunities for Immigrant Labour in Canada Essay

The Challenges and Opportunities for Immigrant Labour in Canada - Essay Example 1). Foreign workers who come to Canada get opportunities to earn more than what they earn in their own countries. They can fulfill their basic needs and raise the living standards of their families. They can use their farm skills and enhance them. They get opportunity of going abroad. They can afford higher education for their children back home guaranteeing better employment. (WPIRG 8). The Canada government needs to reformulate the immigration policy. It is facing huge shortage of manpower especially in the oilsands areas. In Ottawa, the immigration department has been going quite slow in processing work applications, particularly of construction workers. Alberta has been severally affected by shortage of skilled workers to help the state in linking oilsands with far-away aboriginal communities to fill the vacuum (Francis, â€Å"Immigration Policy Needs a Revamp,† par. 4). Immigrant labor faces challenges on unmet demands over immigrants’ right to employment insurance . The farm workers have not been awarded the right to claim employment insurance although they have been contributing in employment insurance fund program. ... 2). Another challenge to farm labor concerns fair and dignified treatment at the hands of employers and the government. There is no legislative support to meet the required labor parameters such as covering them under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, reasonable accommodation, right to be united through unions, and right to economic and social mobility in Canada (Encalada, â€Å"Our Main Demands,† par. 3). Another challenge to farm workers is related to working in bondage-like situations; they are not given the opportunity to present their side of the story when they complain of poor work and living conditions. They are repatriated back before time at their own expenses without given a chance to appeal as there is no such process of fair trial of resolving their complaints (Encalada, â€Å"Our Main Demands,† par. 4). Immigrants face challenges in job finding processes. Some of the critical obstacles to immigrant workers include lack of country experience, probl em in shifting of foreign credentials, and ignorance of official language skills. Immigrants’ unemployment rate when they enter Canada is higher until they are absorbed in the job market. This delay in absorbing them where they are acutely required is because of unsystematic working by the immigration department, not processing job applications well in-time. Immigrants face challenges related to transition because of prolonged under-utilization of unskilled and skilled workers. According to the 2001 Census, the unemployment rate of immigrants residing in Canada for nearly 5 months has been around 30 percent. The immigrants residing for the last 5 years in Canada have a greater unemployment rate than Canada’s

To What Extent did American Materialism Lead to the Soviet Union's Research Proposal

To What Extent did American Materialism Lead to the Soviet Union's Negative View of Western Capitalism during the 1970s and 1980s - Research Proposal Example to have a highly negative view of the United States in particular and Western Capitalism in general due to its opinion of American materialism as well as other factors detailed below. In many respects the Soviet Union’s negative view of Western Capitalism whether or not it was caused by American Materialism predated the 1970s and also the 1980s. The Soviet Union was supposed to represent the great communist alternative to Western Capitalism, and its alleged shortcomings including American Materialism and the suppression of the working masses. Reasons for the Soviet Union’s negative view of Western Capitalism were linked to the dislike of American Materialism and the other factors mentioned below as well. The communist ideology that formed the basis of the Soviet Union’s doctrines undoubtedly owed a great deal to the ideas and theories of Karl Marx, the co-author of the Communist Manifesto and sole author of the volumes Das Kapital. Both the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital demonstrated the strong link between Karl Marx and historical materialism in his attempts to promote the rise of the proletariat at the expense of the capitalist classes. Officially the Marxist – Leninist ideology of the Soviet Union always hated American Materialism and its Marxist worldview makes that easy to understand.1 Economic status, class positions, as well as material factors should be the only things, which actually mattered for communists on the road to the inevitable victory of the proletariat over their capitalist oppressors. Karl Marx stressed that historical materialism was the only valid method of understanding the past, the present, as well as the future of the human species. It was the key to a communist present as well as a communist future until the end of time. Karl Marx and historical materialism as the Soviet leadership pointed out officially stressed that the ultimate victory of the proletariat would mean the end of organised religion and poverty as

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Smart grid Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Smart grid - Research Paper Example Basically the smart grid is a set of technology that people are utilizing to get efficient electricity delivery systems into the current era of technology, by making use of information technology supported remote control and automation. Additionally, collaborative communication mode is used to make possible the computer processing that has been employed for decades in a number of other sectors. At the present, these technologies are being used on electricity networks, from wind farms all the way to the consumers of electricity in homes, the power plants and businesses. In fact, they present a wide variety of advantages and opportunities for services and end users and the majority of them are observed in huge improvements in energy effectiveness on the electricity network and in the energy users’ offices and homes. In this scenario, the term â€Å"grid† refers to the electricity networks that are used to transport electricity from the power plants where it is actually pr oduced for the end-users. Additionally, the grid encompasses a number of components such as substations, wires, switches, transformers, and much more. In short, the "smart grid" refers to an up-to-the-minute electrical power system that is demonstrated by the augmented consumption of information and communications technology in the current era, distribution and utilization of electrical energy (U.S. Department of Energy, 2012; IEEE, 2012). Many researchers and scientists believe that it is an incredible and a high-wire act. However, there is need ensuring almost perfect balance between electric supply and electric demand in order to offer proper functionality. In addition, there are many people who work in these centers all around the United States and they are there 24 hours, seven days a week in an attempt to confirm that takes place, as well as their responsibility is to work on a minute-by-minute basis. In this scenario, the smart grids are very helpful in maintaining that balan ce (Koerth-Baker, 2012). (U.S. Department of Energy, 2012) define smart grids by comparing it with a â€Å"smart† phone as they are known as a phone having a computer in it, in the same way smart grid is the process of â€Å"computerizing† or automating the electric utility grid. Basically, it can be accomplished by incorporating mutual digital communication technology to devices linked with the grid. In this scenario, each device that is the part of the grid can be assigned sensors to collect data (such as voltage sensors, power meters, fault detectors, etc.), and the incorporation of mutual digital communication between the devices connected to the grid and the service center’s network operations. In addition, the most important function of the smart grid is to provide the automation technology that allows the service center regulate and manage each and every device that is the part of the network or even millions of devices from a central position (U.S. Depar tment of Energy, 2012). According to (LaMonica, 2009) to a greater extend smart grid works similar to the Internet and the throughway road system. For this reason, they are believed to be huge investments in communications. In addition, it is not only a function in fact it is an objective to provide the electricity system a digital revolution in an attempt to make it more well-organized and consistent. Moreover, many governments and utilities all the way through the globe are spending billions of dollars to put down new communication sources and lines and ensure the electricity network function similar the computer networks we normally use in our daily life. Furthermore, huge technology vendors and thousands of new organizations are struggling for distinction and reputation in the smart grid (LaMonica, 2009). Security

The Cost of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cost of Justice - Essay Example (Collins English Dictionary2011) Defining cost answers the question what is the cost of justice? Cost is defined as something that is not free. If something has a value it can be bought. In terms of being bought, can justice be bought? Justice is something that is supposed to be free to everyone. Everyone deserves the right to justice. In America justice does not live up to its definition. Justice can be bought for a cost. The cost can be money, freedom, discipline, or losing something. Many states offer justice for a cost. Justice can be very expensive when dealing on a statewide level. The cost is great for states wanting to keep justice free and well disciplined. The cost for justice in most states can be very expensive. The state of Virginia spends a great deal of funds on different expenditures. These expenditures can range anywhere from $10.00 to tens of thousands of dollars. justice may have out of pocket expenses. Some seeking justice have no way of paying and are required to seek justice from the state. Although that justice may be free to the individual, it is not free to the state or federal. Justice comes from somewhere at a specific cost. To make sure justice is served, states like the state of Virginia have costs. In 2005, â€Å"the average prisoner in a Virginia prison costs $31,200 for the year.† (Stephan.) If there are 500 prisoners, the costs for one year are well over ten million dollars. That is a lot of money to spend on justice for one year. That amount is only for prison expenditures. There is much other state expenditure that provides justice. Justice does come at other costs. Punishing others and sentencing them to prison is only one way to provide justice at a cost. Health care for corrections has an even bigger costs then keeping a prisoner. The state of Virginia, â€Å"spends over 4,333 million in corrections healthcare costs†. The costs for corrections are huge. After looking over some of the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Organizational Issues and Trends Questions Essay

Organizational Issues and Trends Questions - Essay Example Most employees perceive orgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l politics Ð °s one of the most importÐ °nt fÐ °ctors which support positive climÐ °te Ð °nd morÐ °le. This dynÐ °mic interrelÐ °tionship provides one with the Ð °bility to tÐ °lk to oneself in terms of the community to which one belongs Ð °nd lÐ °y upon oneself the responsibilities thÐ °t belong to the community. OrgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l politics involves Ð °ll importÐ °nt issues which help the society Ð °nd the orgÐ °nizÐ °tion to sÐ °ve nÐ °turÐ °l environment tÐ °king into Ð °ccount morÐ °l duties Ð °nd responsibilities for current Ð °nd future generÐ °tions. This politics cÐ °n be interpreted Ð °s Ð ° philosophy of the industry Ð °nd its morÐ °l guide. OrgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l politics helps mÐ °nÐ °gement to creÐ °te positive Ð °ttitudes Ð °nd strong vÐ °lues, increÐ °se productivity Ð °nd improve performÐ °nce (Certo and Certo 2005). 2. MÐ °nÐ °gement of stress, Ð °n integrÐ °l pÐ °rt of orgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l behÐ °vior, hÐ °s Ð °ssumed Ð ° vitÐ °l strÐ °tegic role Ð °s orgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l Ð °ttempt to compete through people. The compÐ °ny creÐ °tes Ð ° competitive Ð °dvÐ °ntÐ °ge when it possesses or develops humÐ °n resources thÐ °t Ð °re psychologicÐ °lly strong, Ð °nd orgÐ °nized. My orgÐ °nizÐ °tion uses different techniques to help employees get out of stress. The most common techniques Ð °re identifying Ð °nd Ð °nÐ °lyzing the cÐ °uses of stress, etc. Ð  speciÐ °l Ð °ttention is pÐ °id to the seculÐ °r Ð °pproÐ °ch to stress mÐ °nÐ °gement. This Ð °pproÐ °ch is bÐ °sed on understÐ °nding the meÐ °ning Ð °nd purpose of live. In the field of orgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l behÐ °vior, the seculÐ °r Ð °pproÐ °ch helps to understÐ °nd significÐ °nce of the work Ð °nd personÐ °l vÐ °lue. Using this Ð °pproÐ °ch, employees cÐ °n Ð °void stressful situÐ °tions, or better to sÐ °y, they chÐ °nge their Ð °ttitude towÐ °rds unpleÐ °sÐ °nt events Ð °t the work plÐ °ce, Ð °nd leÐ °rn how to reÐ °ct to externÐ °l chÐ °llenges. If Ð °n employee hÐ °s strong personÐ °l beliefs it helps him to

The Cost of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cost of Justice - Essay Example (Collins English Dictionary2011) Defining cost answers the question what is the cost of justice? Cost is defined as something that is not free. If something has a value it can be bought. In terms of being bought, can justice be bought? Justice is something that is supposed to be free to everyone. Everyone deserves the right to justice. In America justice does not live up to its definition. Justice can be bought for a cost. The cost can be money, freedom, discipline, or losing something. Many states offer justice for a cost. Justice can be very expensive when dealing on a statewide level. The cost is great for states wanting to keep justice free and well disciplined. The cost for justice in most states can be very expensive. The state of Virginia spends a great deal of funds on different expenditures. These expenditures can range anywhere from $10.00 to tens of thousands of dollars. justice may have out of pocket expenses. Some seeking justice have no way of paying and are required to seek justice from the state. Although that justice may be free to the individual, it is not free to the state or federal. Justice comes from somewhere at a specific cost. To make sure justice is served, states like the state of Virginia have costs. In 2005, â€Å"the average prisoner in a Virginia prison costs $31,200 for the year.† (Stephan.) If there are 500 prisoners, the costs for one year are well over ten million dollars. That is a lot of money to spend on justice for one year. That amount is only for prison expenditures. There is much other state expenditure that provides justice. Justice does come at other costs. Punishing others and sentencing them to prison is only one way to provide justice at a cost. Health care for corrections has an even bigger costs then keeping a prisoner. The state of Virginia, â€Å"spends over 4,333 million in corrections healthcare costs†. The costs for corrections are huge. After looking over some of the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Hunting and dave Essay Example for Free

Hunting and dave Essay Kutchers Sporting Camp was built in 2009, In Sebec Maine. Dave Kutcher, and his father took hunting trips to Maine traditionally for several years. David , and his father decided they liked it so much that they wanted to build there own hunting camp. Thus, the founding of Kutchers Hunting Camp. The hunting camp provide a guided hunt for each seasonal hunting. This includes: Bear, dear, Duck, Moose, and muzzle loading. The camp ground has 400 acres of private land to hunt on, and 300 accessible acres. There are five cabins. Each cabin could sleep eight people; equipped with it’s own bathroom, and kitchen. Each meal was provided by the staff in the dining area. Breakfast was served at 4:00am, lunch at 11:00am, and dinner or â€Å"supper† at 6:00 pm. Kutchers Sporting Camp’s, was designed in a way to ensure that each person had a comfortable and enjoyable stay. Dave Kutcher ran into some trust issues with his original manager. When the hunting season was over, he went back to his home in New Hampshire. He left the responsibilities of his place into the hand of the wrong person. When he returned he found sixty pot plants growing a mile into his hunting grounds. The building also needed several repairs, from parties that were thrown there. Devastated , and enraged he fired his manager. I was bartending at Wildwoods, when I met Dave and his wife Lorraine. Completely oblivious to whom they were, I treated them with kindness and respect, as I would any costumer. I brought them everything they needed , and engaged in friendly conversation. Wildwoods was packed that night. Chatter, music and just all together noise filled the air. I have , and always had a strong work ethic; So it was normal to me, to pick up the slack on a busy night. Even though I was assigned to just bartend, I was taking out food, taking orders, bussing tables, and cooking. With all this going on, I would still manage to be attentive to my costumers at the bar. When things slowed down, I brought Dave and his wife Lorraine their bill. Lorraine looked up at me as if she was watching a really interesting YouTube video, then she said â€Å"holy cow women, I get tired watching you work†. Then Dave added â€Å"where do you get your work ethic? † feeling comfortable enough with them, after a few hours of serving them drinks, and exchanging jokes, I playfully responded â€Å" oh you know, I do lots of coke†. They instantly laughed then Dave said â€Å"would you like to work for me? † â€Å"Doing what? † , I asked. Then Dave began to tell me -in detail- about his business and the disaster with his pervious manager. what he was looking for in a worker, and the position. When Dave was done explaining, I responded by saying , â€Å"I don’t know, I’ve never held a position with that many responsibilities before†. when I was done explaining all the reasons why I was not fit for the job, Dave smiled and said â€Å"trust me you could handle yourself just fine. † â€Å"plus you’ll make about 1,300 a week† â€Å"were talking green. † He added. Still hesitant, but intrigued greatly by the comment on my weekly earnings there I said â€Å"maybe , that’s sound like a great opportunity , but I just wouldn’t want to mess up. † Lorraine cut in by saying â€Å"why don’t you come by the lodge and just watch for a day, see if you like it then let us know†. We exchanged numbers, and they gave me directions to the lodge. I got back to work, and on they’re way out they shouted to me at the bar, and said† we better see you tomorrow and bring some of that coke, you’ll need it. â€Å" I laughed and told them to have a good night. The next day I got in my car, and drove over Sebec. Sebec is about thirty minutes form where I lived. When I got to Kutchers’, Dave and Lorraine were out side surrounded by about ten or fifteen hunters in bright orange and camouflage outfits. Each of the hunters were equipped with their own riffle. To me looked like a tiny militia gearing up for battle with nature. As I got out of my car, Lorraine separated herself from the group and came up to me and said, â€Å" hey girlie, were glad you came, trust me you’ll do just fine here. † She then yelled to Dave and told him she would be taking me inside for a â€Å"briefing†. She lead me up the stairs to the lodge ,and all I can remember thinking was†¦ wow, if MTV did a north words expose’, this place would be featured. Everything in the lodge was beautiful. Cherry wood finishing all around , all the light fixtures were in different variety’s of antlers. , several genuine leather black seats –which would eventually be know as the fancy chairs- were carefully placed in a square formation, in the foyer. The smell of fire wood and pine filled the air. Lorraine and I made our way to the foyer by the fire. This must be what the other side  looks like. Lorraine Informed me that Dave would be joining us shortly. He had to take the hunters to there quadrants- designated hunting ground- for their afternoon hunt. Lorraine then began to tell me the specifics of my job, or â€Å"jobs† to be correct. I would be in charge of : setting up the cabin rotation chart, incoming client’s , out going client’s, meal coordination, cleaning, inventory, answering phones, payroll for my assistant, hiring an assistant, cooking, costumers needs, and â€Å"most importantly keeping Dave on track† Lorraine added with a laugh. Lorraine was the stand in manager for the time being , but she had to leave to go back to New Hampshire . Dave is as ex-military man, however, he maintained a business savvy facade. He was a very intellectually gifted man, but not self sufficient by any means. His wife Loraine’s’ main concern was leaving him alone. Dave could not cook, clean, or organize well what-so-ever. My boss Dave Kutcher was defiantly my definition of a â€Å"classical male†. He believe women belonged in the kitchen and Men belonged at work. So he could never find these duties â€Å"fitting† for a male. After casual conversation I found myself committing to the job. When Lorraine left everything was up to me, and my assistant. I hired my best friend- Alyssa Gray- to work with me there. Working at Kutcher’s involved staying at the lodge at all times. Literally, I had to live in the staff room. It was a 24/7 job. I woke up at four every morning and worked myself to the last minute of the day. At first everything seemed like a jumble. I had a very long list of things to do each day, and there never seemed to be enough time. My days consisted of the following: Have breakfast cooked and set on table by 4:30 am. Clean up breakfast, check with Dave on the coordinates of each hunter, recorded each hunters locations on the board , re charge dead hand-held communication devices lodge detail-vacuum, dust mop, windows, bathrooms, laundry. Clean: Dave’s room , staff room, kitchen walk way, man cave. check inventory, go shopping for groceries , at 11:00 am cook lunch/clean lunch. cabin rotation- Clean cabin, and restock them. Cook dinner/clean dinner. Briefing with dave, Sleep then wake up and do it again. It was a long three months, but I managed. At one point it became second nature and I was ahead of my own game. I never thought I had the organization skills, or the professionalism to run a place like Kutchers Sporting Camps. This place taught me so much about myself, that I never knew. I have never exposed to this type of demand In a work place. If I never experienced Kutchers’ sporting camp, I would never know just how efficient I can be. This was the culture experience of a life time. Not only did I get to learn management skills or what people did when they hunted, I got to learn how to adapt to what a situation demands. Being able to adapt to what a situation demands a skill that I believe will be useful in many different aspects of my life.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Cell-cell Interaction in Embryo Development

Cell-cell Interaction in Embryo Development The formation of vulva depends upon a second round of cell-cell interaction. The anchor cell (located in the gonad) and six precursor cells (located in the skin adjacent to the gonad) are involved in this interaction. The precursor cells are collectively called Pn.p cells, which contains cells named as P3.p to P8.p. The fate of these cells is determined by its position relative to the anchor cell. The developmental pathways of these cells are presented in Fig.11.8. During third larval stage, the lin-3 gene is activated in the anchor cell, and produces the signal protein LIN-3, which is related to vertebrate epidermal growth factor (EGF). The precursor cells express a receptor encoded by let-23 gene, which is homologous to the vertebrate EGF receptor. The binding of LIN-3 protein and LET-23 receptor, trigger a series of intracellular events that determines whether the precursor cells will form the primary vulval precursor cell or secondary vulval cells. Mutant let-23 gene sends no signal and thus Pn.p cells cannot act, and vulva is not formed. Usually, P6.p cell, the closest cell to the anchor cell, receives the strongest signal initiated by LIN-3 binding to LET-23. Expression of the Vulvaless (Vul) gene (a mutant phenotype) in P6.p is activated by this signal, and then divides three times to produce vulva cells. The P5.p and P7.p, the two neighbouring cells, receives lower amount of signal, and divide asymmetrically to form additional vulva cells. Thereafter, a third level of cell-cell interaction occurs, in which the primary vulval cell P6.p sends a signal that activates lin-12 gene in P5.p and P7.p cells. This signal prevents these cells from adopting the division pattern of the primary cell. Thus, cells in which both Vul and lin-12 are active cannot become primary vulva cells. On the other hand, P3.p, P4.p, and P8.p cells do not receive any signal from the anchor cell, but the Multivulva (Muv) gene is expressed. Muv gene product represses the expression of Vul gene and they develop as skin cells. Thus three levels of cell-cell interactions are involved in the developmental pathway leading to vulva formation in the nematode C. elegans. CELL-CELL INTERACTION IN DEVELOPMENT Cell-cell interaction is an important phenomenon in the development of the embryo in eukaryotic organisms. Animals use a number of signalling pathway to regulate development after organogenesis. Signal networks establish anterior-posterior polarity and body axis, coordinate pattern formation, and direct the differentiation of tissues and organs. One of the widely studied cell-cell interaction is Notch signalling pathway, named after the Drosophila mutants that were used to identify components of this pathway. The Notch gene encodes a transmembrane signal receptor (Fig.11.9). The signal itself is a transmembrane protein called â€Å"Delta†, and encoded by the gene Delta. The Notch signal system works only between adjacent cells. First the â€Å"Delta† protein binds to the Notch receptor, which triggers cleaving of the cytoplasmic tail of the Notch protein and then moves to the nucleus where it binds to a protein encoded by the Su(H) (suppressor of Hairless) gene. Following this a set of genes becomes activated that controls a specific developmental pathway directing cell fate. One of the roles of the Notch signal system is to specify the fate of equivalent cells in a population. Thus action of Notch signalling system may send signal to two neighbouring cells that are developmentally equivalent, towards different developmental pathways. Four members of the Notch family (Notch 1 to Notch 4) have been identified in humans. Several human developmental disorders have been related to mutations in these genes. These include: alagille syndrome (AGS), spondylocostal dysostosis (SD), and lymphoblastic leukemia. STEM CELLS AND DEVELOPMENT Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are capable to differentiate into different types of specialized cells. Stem cells are normally found in two main sources: in embryos which are at blastocyst stage of embryological development (embryonic stem cells), and in adult tissues (adult stem cells). These cells are generally characterized by their potential to differentiate into different cell types, for example muscle, blood, skin, bone etc. Human embryo that is in the blastocyst phase of development (4-5 days old) is the excellent source of embryonic stem cells. Formation of single cell zygote through fusion of male sperm with female’s egg is the beginning of sexual reproduction process. This is followed by a series of mitotic divisions in a single cell zygote which leads to the formation of a cell mass containing approximately 12-16 cells. This is known as blastocyst before it is implanted in uterus (4-6 days old). Blastocyst can be differentiated into an inner cell mass (embryoblast) and an outer cell mass (trophoblast). Trophoblast becomes the part of placenta and cells of embryoblast differentiate into all the structures of an adult organism. This embryoblast is the source of embryonic stem cells which are totipotent. During normal pregnancy, the blastocyst stage of embryo continues by the end of the tenth week of gestation. When embryonic stem cells are extracted from the blastocyst stage and placed onto a culture medium (a nutrient-rich broth) contained in culture vessels, they divide and replicate, but fail to differentiate. This happens, as necessary stimulation to differentiate (in the in vivo conditions) is lacking in the in-vitro conditions. However, they maintain their ability to differentiate into different type of cells in human body. Adult or somatic stem cells present throughout the body inside different type of tissues even after embryonic development. Tissues like, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, brain, skeleton muscle, skin and the liver are good source of adult stem cells. These cells remain in resting state for years until activated by disease or tissue injury. Adult stem cells have property of division and self renewal which enables them to regenerate entire organ. Earlier it was believed that adult stem cells have the potential to differentiate only to the cell type of their originating tissue or organ, but according to some recent evidence they can differentiate to other cell types as well. Embryonic stem cells are easier to grow under in-vitro conditions as compared to adult stem cells. For culturing of stem cells, they are extracted from either adult cells or from dividing zygotes. Once isolated, they can be cultured in culture dishes containing culture broth under controlled conditions. The nutrient broth allows them to divide and replicate, but prohibits them from further specializing or differentiating. Once proliferation of stem cells starts successfully, they are subcultured on fresh medium in order to enhance the growth rate. The collection of healthy, dividing, and undifferentiated stem cells, after first subculture, is called as stem cell line. Once under control, these stem cell lines can be stimulated to differentiate into specialized cells, a process known as directed differentiation. Based on their potential to differentiate into other types of cells, stem cells are classified into the following categories. Totipotent: those cells which are able to differentiate into all possible cell types. Example, few cells which are obtained through initial divisions of the zygote. Pluripotent: those cells which are able differentiate into almost all cell types. Example, embryonic stem cells which are derived from the endodermal, mesodermal, and ectodermal layers of blastocyst. Multipotent: those cells which are able to differentiate into closely related family of cells. Example, hematopoietic stem cells that has the potential to form red/white blood cells and platelets. Oligopotent: those cells which are able to differentiate into a few cells. Example, lymphoid and myeloid stem cells. Unipotent: those cells which are able to produce cells of their own type, but have the property of self-renewal. Example, adult mouse stem cell. For identification of stem cells, it is important to note that they are undifferentiated and capable of self-renewal. These two parameters are normally checked through laboratory tests for identification of stem cells. Bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are tested by transplanting these cells to an individual from which HSCs are removed. The production of new blood and immune cells in that individual indicates the self renewal potency of stem cells. Colonogenic assay (a laboratory procedure) is also used to test the potency of stem cells. Routine examination of chromosomal can also be done to check whether the cells are healthy and undifferentiated. Sometime spontaneous or induced differentiation of embryonic stem cells under cell culture conditions indicates their pluripotent nature. Other tests include administration of stem cells into an immunosupressed mouse and observe it for the formation of a teratoma, which is a benign tumour containing a mixture of differentiated cells. Applications of Stem Cells It is important to note that every cell and tissue in the body of an individual is develop and differentiate from initial few stem cells which form during early stages of embryological development. Therefore, embryonic stem cell can be induced to differentiate into any other type of cells. Due to this regeneration potential, stem cells have been used by researchers to regenerate damaged tissues and organs under the right conditions. Usually damaged organs are replaced by healthy organs donated by someone. But the demand far exceeds the supply of organs. Particular type of tissue or organ could potentially be developed from stem cells, if directed to differentiate in a certain way. For example, stem cells that present just beneath the skin tissue have been used to regenerate new skin tissue and then grafted on to burn victims successfully. Another potential application is replacement of cells and tissue for treatment of brain disease like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. If the damaged tissue can be replenished by specialized tissue derived from stem cells such diseases can be treated for recovery. In the near future it may be possible to transplant healthy heart cells developed in a laboratory from stem cells into the patients with heart disease, thereby repopulating the heart with healthy tissue. Similarly it may be possible to replace damaged pancreatic cells by insulin producing cells derived from stem cell, to treat type l diabetic patients. For the treatment of diseases like leukemia, sickle cell anemia and other immunodeficiencies, adult hematopoietic stem cells found in bone marrow and blood have been used. All type of blood cells (erythrocytes as well as leukocytes) can be developed from HSC. However it is difficult to isolate hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow. Alternatively, hematopoietic cells are also found in the umbilical cord and placenta, from which they can be isolated easily. Realizing its potential use, umbilical cord blood banks have been established to store these powerful cells for their future use. Therapeutic cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technique involves replacement of genetic material from a somatic cell (say from skin cell) into an unfertilized egg cell in order to develop patient specific stem cells. In this procedure, since sperms are not involved fertilization does not occur. Foetus is also not involved because the groups of cells from which the stem cells are obtained are not implanted in the uterus. Stem cells which are developed through SCNT technique have more potential for therapeutic applications. The chances of rejection by patient’s body are less because their genetic makeup is identical to patient’s genetic makeup. Through SCNT, disease specific cell lines can be developed which are used for in-vitro studies to understand the mechanism of disease development and mode of action of certain drugs which may be used to treat these diseases. Stem cell research is also useful for understanding development of human after formation of fertilized zygote. Undifferentiated stem cells eventually differentiate partly because of turning on or off of particular gene(s). Thus research on stem cell may help to clarify the role of specific genes that play in determining how specialized cells and tissues are formed. Stem cell research is also being pursued to develop new drugs. Healthy human tissues which are developed through stem cells can be used to evaluate the effect of new drug rather than using human volunteers. Table.11.1. Segmentation gene loci in Drosophila â€Å"Gap† genes â€Å"Pair-role† genes â€Å"Segment polarity† genes Giant Ever skipped Armadillo Huckebein Fushi tarazu Cubitis interruptus Hunchback Hairy Disheveled Kruppel Odd paired Engrailed Knirps Odd skipped Fused Tailless Runt Gooseberry Sloppy paired Hedgehog Naked Paired Patched Wingless Figure Captions Fig. 11.1. Early stages of embryonic development in Drosophila. A cascade of gene activation sets up theDrosophilabody plan. Thematernal-effect genes, named as bicoid and nanos, are active during oogenesis. The products of these genes are found in the egg at the time of fertilization, and form morphogen gradients. These proteins function as transcription factors that regulate the expression of gap genes. The gap genes are responsible for the differentiation of anterior-posterior axis on embryo along its length. Proteins which are encoded by gap genes also function as transcription factors and regulate the expression of the pair-rule genes. Thepair-rule genesare responsible for differentiation of pairs of segments on embryo. Transcription factors which are encoded by pair-rule genes regulate the expression of thesegment polarity genes. The expression of segment polarity genes leads the development of anterior/posterior axis of each segment. The gap genes, pair-rule genes, and segment polarity genes are collectively involved in segment patterning hence they are known as segmentation genes. Fig. 11.2. The hierarchy of genes involved in establishing the segmented body plan in Drosophila. Gene products from the maternal genes regulate the expression of the first three groups of zygotic genes (gap, pair-rule, and segment polarity, collectively called the segmentation genes), which in turn control the expression of the homeotic genes. Fig. 11.3. Progressive restriction of cell fate during development in Drosophila. Fig. 11.4. Overlapping of regions containing two different gene products can generate new patterns of gene expression. Transcription factors A and B are present in overlapping region 3, of expression. If both the transcription factors must bind to the promoter of a target gene to trigger expression, the gene will be active only in cells containing both factors (most likely in the zone of overlap). There shall be no transcription in individually in the region 1 and 2. Fig. 11.5. Cell arrangement in the floral meristem. (a) The four concentric rings, or whorls, labeled 1-4, influenced by genes A, B, and C in the manner shown, give rise to the sepals, petals, stamens and carpels, respectively, (b) The arrangement of these organs in the mature flower. Fig. 11.6. A truncated cell lineage chart for C. elegans, showing early divisions and the tissues and organs that eventually result. Each vertical line represents a cell division, and horizontal lines connect the two cells produced. Fig. 11.7. An adult Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite. Fig. 11.8. Cell lineage determination in C. elegans vulva formation. Fig. 11.9. Components of the Notch signalling pathway in Drosophila.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life :: essays research papers

Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life This chapter taught me the importance of understanding statistical data and how to evaluate it with common sense. Almost everyday we are subjected to statistical data in newspapers and on TV. My usual reaction was to accept those statistics as being valid. Which I think is a fair assessment for most people. However, reading this chapter opens my eyes to the fact that statistical data can be very misleading. It shows how data can be skewed to support a certain group’s agenda. Although most statistical data presented may not seem to affect us personally in our daily lives, it can however have an impact. For example, statistics can influence the way people vote on certain issues. In evaluating statistical data one thing to consider is the measure that is used. By understanding the different statistical measurement tools and how they differ from one another, it is possible to judge whether a statistical graph can be accepted at face value. A good example is using the mean to depict averages. This was demonstrated by using the mean as a measure of determining the distribution of incomes. The mean income depicted was, $70,000 per year. At face value, it looks as though the sample population enjoys a rather high income. However, upon seeing individual salaries, it becomes obvious that only a few salaries are responsible for the high average income as depicted by the mean. The majority of the salaries were well under the $70,000 average. Therefore, the mean distributed income of $70,000 was at best misleading. By also looking at the median and mode measures of the income distributions, one has a clearer picture of the actual income distributions. Because this data contained extreme values, a standard deviation curve would have given better representation of salary distribution and would have highlighted the salaries at the high level and how they skewed the mean value. Another important concept outlined in this chapter is the correlation coefficient. The importance of this is being able to understand to what extent two things actually relate to each other. By having this awareness, we are better able to understand and function in the world we live in. I learned some key factors in making the determination whether statistical data is reliable: Consider the population sample and if it is representative of the inferences that the data is claiming.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Three Solutions to Deforestation Essay -- environment green global war

Three Solutions to Deforestation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If a tree falls in the woods and no one's there to hear it, does it make a sound? Or rather, if a tree falls in the woods and no one's there to hear it, does anybody even care? This saying epitomizes the world's current view on deforestation, most notably in the Brazilian Amazon, which is known as 'The Lungs of the Earth.' Deforestation is defined as the long-term or permanent removal of forest cover, usually accompanied by burning, which is then converted to a non-forested land use. Deforestation doesn't just affect the indigenous people living in the Amazon or on a grander scale, the people of South America; rather, it arguably affects the entire world. More than 12 percent of the 2 million square miles of Brazilian Amazonian rainforest, which produces one-fifth of the earth's oxygen, has been deforested and converted to farmland or grazing for cattle (www.rainforest.org). This may not sound like that large of a problem, but as a result of deforestation, Brazil now accounts for nearly 10 percent of the world's greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere. "Tropical rainforests once covered more than 14 percent of the Earth?s land area? they now amount to less than 6 percent" (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996). Basically, if something isn't done soon, then the world won't have enough oxygen to support itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some would argue that there is nothing that they can do or that they?re only one person. But one person can save one tree, and that?s one more tree that won?t be cut down. Some also argue that there are no solutions to deforestation when in reality there are; people just don?t realize that they?re there. Here is a list of three possible solutions that could curtail any more careless logging of the Brazilian Amazon. First, people around the world could ?buy? acres of rainforest. The Adopt-An-Acre Program, which was started by The Nature Conservancy and Earth's Birthday Project in 1990, has combined their efforts to educate children all over the country about the conservation of rainforests. Because of their diligent efforts, $5 million has been raised and 150,000 acres of rainforest saved (www.savenature.org). These facts alone show that the adoption program works, but the downside is that many underprivileged children and schools won?t be able to finance this kind of endeavor. Many people also d... ...n Amazon had been deforested. By 2000 almost 15 percent had been destroyed. This means a forest area the size of France was lost in only thirty years? (www.greenpeace.org). This illustrates how dangerous and threatening deforestation to the Brazilian Amazon truly is. Until the United States and the rest of the world comes to their senses and realizes that in their haste for wood products they?re, in reality, reducing the amount of breathable oxygen that they have, then by the year 2050, that same oxygen will be cut by one-fifth. Deforestation is the second-hand smoke of the world. Within fifty years, how breathable will our air really be? Unless people everywhere start to realize how detrimental deforestation really is, then we will leave nothing to the next generation except a tainted, asphyxiated planet. Works Cited Effects and Solutions to Deforestation. www.greenpeace.org. 3 Nov. 2001. Effects of Deforestation in Brazil. www.rainforest.org. 2 Nov. 2001. Revington, John. ?Stopping Tropical Deforestation.? New Renaissance. November 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 3, 2001 http://www.ru.org/stopping-deforestation.htm. Adopt-An-Acre Program. www.savenature.org. 1 Nov. 2001.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Outline of Carbon and Molecular Diversity of Life

Chapter 4 Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life Lecture Outline Overview: Carbon – The Backbone of Biological Molecules * Although cells are 70–95% water, the rest consists mostly of carbon-based compounds. * Carbon is unparalleled in its ability to form large, complex, and diverse molecules. * Carbon accounts for the diversity of biological molecules and has made possible the great diversity of living things. * Proteins, DNA, carbohydrates, and other molecules that distinguish living matter from inorganic material are all composed of carbon atoms bonded to each other and to atoms of other elements. These other elements commonly include hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), and phosphorus (P). (CHONPS) Concept 4. 1 Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds * The study of carbon compounds, organic chemistry, deals with any compound with carbon (organic compounds). *Organic compounds can range from simple molecules, such as CO2 or CH4, to compl ex molecules such as proteins, which may weigh more than 100,000 daltons. * The overall percentages of the major elements of life (C, H, O, N, S, and P) are quite uniform from one organism to another. However, because of carbon’s versatility, these few elements can be combined to build an inexhaustible variety of organic molecules. * Variations in organic molecules can distinguish even between individuals of a single species. * The science of organic chemistry began in attempts to purify and improve the yield of products obtained from other organisms. * Initially, chemists learned to synthesize simple compounds in the laboratory, but had no success with more complex compounds.The Swedish chemist Jons Jacob Berzelius was the first to make a distinction between organic compounds that seemed to arise only in living organisms and inorganic compounds that were found in the nonliving world. * This led early organic chemists to propose vitalism, the belief that physical and chemical laws did not apply to living things. * Support for vitalism began to wane as organic chemists learned to synthesize complex organic compounds in the laboratory. * In the early 1800s, the German chemist Friedrich Wohler and his students were able to synthesize urea from totally inorganic materials.In 1953, Stanley Miller at the University of Chicago set up a laboratory simulation of chemical conditions on the primitive Earth and demonstrated the spontaneous synthesis of organic compounds. * Such spontaneous synthesis of organic compounds may have been an early stage in the origin of life. * Organic chemists finally rejected vitalism and embraced mechanism, accepting that the same physical and chemical laws govern all natural phenomena including the processes of life. * Organic chemistry was redefined as the study of carbon compounds regardless of their origin. Organisms do produce the majority of organic compounds. * The laws of chemistry apply to inorganic and organic compounds ali ke. Concept 4. 2 Carbon atoms can form diverse molecules by bonding to four other atoms *With a total of 6 electrons, a carbon atom has 2 in the first electron shell and 4 in the second shell. * Carbon has little tendency to form ionic bonds by losing or gaining 4 electrons to complete its valence shell. * Instead, carbon usually completes its valence shell by sharing electrons with other atoms in four covalent bonds. This tetravalence by carbon makes large, complex molecules possible. * When carbon forms covalent bonds with four other atoms, they are arranged at the corners of an imaginary tetrahedron with bond angles of 109. 5Â °. * In molecules with multiple carbons, every carbon bonded to four other atoms has a tetrahedral shape. * However, when two carbon atoms are joined by a double bond, all bonds around those carbons are in the same plane and have a flat, three-dimensional structure. * The three-dimensional shape of an organic molecule determines its function. The electron configuration of carbon makes it capable of forming covalent bonds with many different elements. * The valences of carbon and its partners can be viewed as the building code that governs the architecture of organic molecules. *In carbon dioxide, one carbon atom forms two double bonds with two different oxygen atoms. * In the structural formula, O=C=O, each line represents a pair of shared electrons. This arrangement completes the valence shells of all atoms in the molecule. * While CO2 can be classified as either organic or inorganic, its importance to the living world is clear. CO2 is the source of carbon for all organic molecules found in organisms. It is usually fixed into organic molecules by the process of photosynthesis. * Urea, CO(NH2)2, is another simple organic molecule in which each atom forms covalent bonds to complete its valence shell. Variation in carbon skeletons contributes to the diversity of organic molecules. * Carbon chains form the skeletons of most organic mole cules. * The skeletons vary in length and may be straight, branched, or arranged in closed rings. *The carbon skeletons may include double bonds. Atoms of other elements can be bonded to the atoms of the carbon skeleton. * Hydrocarbons are organic molecules that consist of only carbon and hydrogen atoms. * Hydrocarbons are the major component of petroleum, a fossil fuel that consists of the partially decomposed remains of organisms that lived millions of years ago. * Fats are biological molecules that have long hydrocarbon tails attached to a nonhydrocarbon component. * Petroleum and fat are hydrophobic compounds that cannot dissolve in water because of their many nonpolar carbon-to-hydrogen bonds. Isomers are compounds that have the same molecular formula but different structures and, therefore, different chemical properties. * For example, butane and isobutane have the same molecular formula, C4H10, but butane has a straight skeleton and isobutane has a branched skeleton. * The tw o butanes are structural isomers, molecules that have the same molecular formula but differ in the covalent arrangement of atoms. * Geometric isomers are compounds with the same covalent partnerships that differ in the spatial arrangement of atoms around a carbon–carbon double bond. The double bond does not allow atoms to rotate freely around the bond axis. *The biochemistry of vision involves a light-induced change in the structure of rhodopsin in the retina from one geometric isomer to another. * Enantiomers are molecules that are mirror images of each other. * Enantiomers are possible when four different atoms or groups of atoms are bonded to a carbon. * In this case, the four groups can be arranged in space in two different ways that are mirror images. * They are like left-handed and right-handed versions of the molecule. * Usually one is biologically active, while the other is inactive. Even subtle structural differences in two enantiomers have important functional signi ficance because of emergent properties from specific arrangements of atoms. * One enantiomer of the drug thalidomide reduced morning sickness, the desired effect, but the other isomer caused severe birth defects. *The L-dopa isomer is an effective treatment of Parkinson’s disease, but the D-dopa isomer is inactive. Concept 4. 3 Functional groups are the parts of molecules involved in chemical reactions * The components of organic molecules that are most commonly involved in chemical reactions are known as functional groups. If we consider hydrocarbons to be the simplest organic molecules, we can view functional groups as attachments that replace one or more of the hydrogen atoms bonded to the carbon skeleton of the hydrocarbon. * Each functional group behaves consistently from one organic molecule to another. * The number and arrangement of functional groups help give each molecule its unique properties. * As an example, the basic structure of testosterone (a male sex hormone ) and estradiol (a female sex hormone) is the same. *Both are steroids with four fused carbon rings, but they differ in the functional groups attached to the rings. These functional groups interact with different targets in the body. * There are six functional groups that are most important to the chemistry of life: hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino, sulfhydryl, and phosphate groups. * All are hydrophilic and increase the solubility of organic compounds in water. * In a hydroxyl group (—OH), a hydrogen atom forms a polar covalent bond with an oxygen atom, which forms a polar covalent bond to the carbon skeleton. * Because of these polar covalent bonds, hydroxyl groups increase the solubility of organic molecules. Organic compounds with hydroxyl groups are alcohols, and their names typically end in -ol. * A carbonyl group (>CO) consists of an oxygen atom joined to the carbon skeleton by a double bond.* If the carbonyl group is on the end of the skeleton, the compound is a n aldehyde. * If the carbonyl group is within the carbon skeleton, then the compound is a ketone. * Isomers with aldehydes versus ketones have different properties. * A carboxyl group (—COOH) consists of a carbon atom with a double bond to an oxygen atom and a single bond to the oxygen of a hydroxyl group. * Compounds with carboxyl groups are carboxylic acids. A carboxyl group acts as an acid because the combined electronegativities of the two adjacent oxygen atoms increase the dissociation of hydrogen as an ion (H+). * An amino group (—NH2) consists of a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms and the carbon skeleton. * Organic compounds with amino groups are amines. * The amino group acts as a base because the amino group can pick up a hydrogen ion (H+) from the solution. * Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, have amino and carboxyl groups. *A sulfhydryl group (—SH) consists of a sulfur atom bonded to a hydrogen atom and to the backbone. This grou p resembles a hydroxyl group in shape. * Organic molecules with sulfhydryl groups are thiols. * Two sulfhydryl groups can interact to help stabilize the structure of proteins. * A phosphate group (—OPO32? ) consists of a phosphorus atom bound to four oxygen atoms (three with single bonds and one with a double bond). * A phosphate group connects to the carbon backbone via one of its oxygen atoms. * Phosphate groups are anions with two negative charges, as two protons have dissociated from the oxygen atoms. * One function of phosphate groups is to transfer energy between organic molecules.Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is the primary energy-transferring molecule in living cells. These are the chemical elements of life. * Living matter consists mainly of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, with smaller amounts of sulfur and phosphorus. * These elements are linked by strong covalent bonds. * Carbon, with its four covalent bonds, is the basic building block in molecular archi tecture. * The great diversity of organic molecules with their special properties emerges from the unique arrangement of the carbon skeleton and the functional groups attached to the skeleton.