Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Media - Essay Example To emphasize this theme of darkness from the beginning, Conrad’s narration took place in the Thames tidal estuary. Marlow recounted that London in ancient times was itself a dark place from the point of view of the Romans. This theme of darkness lurking beneath the surface would appear often as Conrad described the character of Kurtz and through his narrator with his passing sense of understanding with the Africans. In a paragraph, for instance, Marlow said: I tried to break the spell [Marlow says] – the heavy, mute spell of the wilderness – that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breast by the awakening of forgotten and brutal instincts, by the memory of gratified and monstrous passions. This alone I was convinced, had driven him out of the edge of the forest, to the bush, toward the gleam of fires, the throb of drums, the drone of weird incantations†¦ He had kicked himself loose of the earth†¦ His soul was mad. (p. 183) The darkness theme can also be found in other themes in the novella such as the naivetà © of Europeans regarding the various forms of darkness in Congo, the European colonialists’ abuse and exploitation of the Africans and the human nature’s tendency of duplicity. The Heart of Darkness has at least 10 film or television adaptations after its publication.. A problem in regard to adapting this work of fiction is how to translate the first person narrative first, in the radio adaption; and, second, in film adaptations later on. Marguerite Rippy cited the approach of substituting the eye of the camera for â€Å"I† of Conrad’s narrator. (p. 30) Here, the camera would become Marlow, whose voice would be heard offscreen. This has been implemented in Orson Welles’ adaptation of the novella. He successfully adapted the material in 1938 and that he was eager to reproduce the material on film. Film adaptations of the Heart of Darkness have focused on different interpretations. For example,

Glass beaker Essay Example for Free

Glass beaker Essay Our experiment will be repeated three times, and we will use the same stopwatch. We will place the candle onto the safety mat and light it. Carefully, one of us will cover the lit candle with the beaker, whilst the other shall start the stopwatch. As soon as the candle goes out the stopwatch shall be stopped, measured and the result will be recorded into the results table. This shall be repeated two more times for the same beaker and the results will also be recorded into the results table. We will carry out this method four more times for the measured beakers, and then we will do the same with the Gas Jar. The difference in method between the Gas Jar and the other beakers is that we know the volumes of the other beakers, but the volume of the Gas Jar is unknown. For the Gas Jar, we will put a candle onto a safety mat, light it, and then cover it with the Gas Jar. We will start the stopwatch and record how many seconds the candle is lit for. As soon as the candle goes out, the stopwatch will be stopped. We will record the amount of time the candle is lit for, into the results table. Then I will find the average result of the three tests for each beaker. I will find this by using this formula. This average will then be recorded into my results table. Then I will draw my graph. On my graph, the seconds will be on the y axis and the volumes of the beakers will be on the x axis. I will plot all of my results onto my graph and measure a line of best fit. On the line of best fit will be all of the approximate results of the seconds the candle is lit for, for all volumes of beakers. To find the volume of the gas jar, I will plot the time that the candle was lit for on the line of best fit. Then I will follow my finger from the line, horizontally, to the y axis, and see what the approximate volume of the Gas Jar is. Results TIME CANDLE IS LIT FOR (s) Volume of Glass Beaker (cm 3) Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 AVERAGEAnalysis From my results I have found out the Gas Jar has an approximate volume of 200 cm cubed. I conclude that it is possible to find out the volume of a beaker when all you know is how long a candle burns for when it is placed underneath. The graph proves my prediction to be correct. I said that the larger the beaker, the longer the candle will burn for, which would then give my graph a positive correlation. This is what happened. When the size of the beaker went up, so did the amount of time the candle beneath it. There was a relationship between the variables I was measuring The larger the Beaker, the longer the candle will burn for. I proved that there is more oxygen in a large beaker than a small beaker, as the small beakers candle did not stay lit for as long as a larger beakers candle. Evaluation I have achieved the aim that I wrote at the beginning of my experiment. I have found out whether it is the candle or the size of the beaker that determines how long the candle burns for. I have also found out that you can determine the volume of a gas jar, just by timing how long the candle burns for when placed underneath. My plan was quite good. I have achieved all that I wanted to achieve, and found out all that I wanted to find out. I have gained everything from my experiment that I had aimed to gain, and without any problems. I dont think that I could have changed anything to make it better, except to maybe do more tests to get my average from, because they will, of course, be more accurate. I didnt change anything to make anything work better, it already worked perfectly fine. My results were very good, all of my results were consistent as they were quite close to each other. Also they followed my prediction perfectly, I had no problems. From my results I have calculated that the Gas Jar had an approximate volume of 200 cm cubed. The actual volume of the gas jar is 210 cm cubed. This result is extremely close to my approximation, which means that my results were very accurate. I also believe that my experiment was a very fair test, we followed our method exactly and had no reason to change anything. I think that my results were pretty reliable. There was an obvious line of best fit in which many of the results fitted in with. I did have one anomalous reading though, but it was not far off track. An Anomalous reading is a reading that didnt follow the same pattern as the others. This might have occurred because of a number of reasons. For example, We couldve made an error in taking measurements or we might not have filled up the gaps in the beaker enough etc. I think, that by carrying out a further experiment, we would extend our knowledge by changing the experiment a little, by maybe changing a different variable or by having more tests. Either way, we would learn a lot more on this specific subject. Katrina Farrant 10HA Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section.

The Promise of Sociology Essays -- C. Wright Mills Sociological Imagin

According to C. Wright Mills, what occurs in any one individual's life is interrelated with society as a whole. The sociological imagination gives us the ability to understand the correlation of one's biography, history, and traditions along with the knowledge of the social and historical impact and/or influence society may have on that person or group of people. Mills' notion compels us to investigate into an individual's biography and lifestyles, and place their findings within the surrounding circumstances in which events occur in order to perceive the whole picture of the society in which the individual lives. Mills says to understand this "imagination" would be to see the connection between personal troubles and public issues. Personal troubles meaning, problems that are felt personally which are caused by occurrences or feelings in an individual's life; and public issues meaning, issues that affect a group or mass of people with their roots interwoven within an organization or institution and history of a society. A person can become homeless for many reasons: a family member throws them out of their home because they do not contribute financially, or they become incapable of caring for themselves due to mental illness, or they become addicted to drugs and lose their home trying to support their habit. These are a few examples of personal troubles which most would think are brought about by the individual alone and therefore can be solved by them. But, when using sociological imagination, one can see that homelessness is also a social problem. Unemployment rates are high and public assistances rates being low could leave a person unable to sufficiently contribute financially, therefore being forced to leave... ...ety in this period?." Whereas, taking into consideration the interaction between individuals and their societies, sociology sees where people and groups of people are products of whole societies in which they live. In studying Mills however briefly, I am beginning to see where my life and the lives of others are interrelated with biography, history, and traditions. We are all just a part of a whole, which is now beginning to make a great deal of sense to me. I am beginning to ask questions in order to understand clearly what shapes our lives. It seems to me Mills gave sociologists a format to open the doors to a better understanding of the whole picture. As Mills indicated, humans have the capacity to change the social structures around them; I believe seeking knowledge gives one the wisdom to change and make changes which in turn affects us all.

A Critical Discussion of Blaise Pascals The Wager Essay -- Pascal Go

A Critical Discussion of Blaise Pascal's The Wager   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the gambling world bets are made based on odds, the probability or likelihood that something would happen. In the court of law, cases are decided upon by the weight of evidence presented by the respective parties. The common link between these general scenarios is that decisions are made based on some outside evidential factor. The more probable something is likely to happen, or the more evidence presented in favor or opposed to something, the greater the tendency that a decision will coincide with that probability or evidence. This kind of logic has also been used when arguing about the existence of God. It has been argued that God’s existence is necessary based on the logic that it is neither contingent not impossible and therefore must exist; it has also been argued that the presence of evil in the world is evidence enough that God, or at least God as we make Him out to be, does not exist. The decisions that people a make about their personal relationship with the being that has been dubbed â€Å"God† is usually based on this kind of criteria. But what if someone were to make a decision concerning God’s existence without having any evidence to sway us, how would that someone choose? This problem is addressed by Blaise Pascal in his essay entitled The Wager. Pascal argues that the only rational choice to make about the existence of God with no evidence would be to believe that He does. The following pages of this essay will be a critical analysis and also critique of Pascal’s argument, for it is the argument of the author of this paper that a sincere decision would be impossible under these circumstances and without evidence we would not be able to make a rational choice concerning the issue of God’s existence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before the discussion is started let me first clarify some terminology is order to make my argument more clear. In my thesis statement I offered the premise that when given to the criteria put forth by Pascal that a sincere decision about belief in God would be impossible. By sincere decision I mean a decision that you can evaluate and reevaluate against anything that claims the opposite and still be able to hold to it. If you have a belief based on a decision that stems from no evidence then you have nothing to evaluate it by, so that belief cannot be sincere, it is merely a blind ch... ... of someone else. If you choose to change your actions, you will only change in a way that still lets you hold to your belief, a belief that has shown to be beneficial based on evidence not on some yet to be seen reward.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To close this paper and stop the what could be a continuous rant against Pascal, it is pretty obvious that the issue of God, his existence, and whether or not we should believe will forever be a perennial issue. Pascal, Aquinas, James, or even myself can write essays until we run out of paper and printer ink, but the only thing that would accomplish is further add to the already ample confusion and conflict on this issue. Although Pascal offers a very simple reason of why we should believe in God, it is all to simple. And while I offer nothing but criticisms for his argument, I cannot myself offer a more sound argument that would less susceptible to the same kinds of criticisms I just wrote concerning The Wager. Works Cited 1. Pascal, Blaise. â€Å"The Wager: Philosophy of Religion Selected Readings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oxford University Press, 1996: New York, New York. 2. Holy Bible. Book of James Chapter 1, Verse 12; First Corinthians Chapter 10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Verse 13.

Media Is Playing a Constructive Role to the Society. Discuss Essay

Because of the extremely fast development of modern technology, people’s living condition has been changed entirely throughout the past decade. Instead of focusing on the material goods such as food and garments, we tend to strive for mental enjoyment; therefore, media has become an essential part of our daily life. When it comes to this issue, perspectives, apparently, may vary from individual to individual. Many people hold the opinion that media is positive to the society because of the large amount of information it brings to us. However, as far as I am concerned, Media is destructive to the society because of its negative influence, too much freedom, and over expose. My reasons are as follow. It is always top of my arguments that media is having the tendency of spreading negative influence towards the teenagers and young adults. For example, Hollywood produces thousands of movies every year, with the fact that more than half of them have the content of sex and violence. This will cause the effect that more than half of the movies that this generation watch is about the negative content, which can influence them toward these kinds of manner also. Apart from this, they may also have the possibility of using them in the real life. For instance, there are always scenes of smoking in the movies. Whenever they see these, they will have a desire of trying by them. Thus, Media is being extremely destructive to the society and human beings. Another equally essential factor, which brings about people’s attention, is that Media is giving too much freedom to the users so that they tend to abuse it negatively. Recently, there was an online fight between all the netizens and Facebook users towards the Muslim race. Instead of having Internet harmony, the netizens choose to post and write something against social harmony, which can also cause the disagreement towards some certain issues that should have been solved quietly and easily. Only if the Internet is banned can this these kinds of fight and argument be eliminated; therefore, media is not having constructive effect on the modern society  which indicates that media is playing a destructive role on it. However, many people hold the opinion that media has provided us with an open platform to get to know and understand the information all around the world. They consider that media is the only material that motivate and stimulate the process of modernization and globalization. Instead of a negative influence towards the society, the media is playing a positive and constructive role and it makes our society progressing in a positive manner. However, in my opinion, although media may have these advantages mentioned above, they are just the byproduct of the negative effect that media brought to us. As far as I am concerned, whenever media is connecting everyone closer and closer, it also produces a high chance of loosing personal privacy. As long as there is information on Internet, there will also be rumors and leaking of personal information. Media is giving out our own property instead of protecting us. Judging from this, media is playing a destructive role instead of affecting our so ciety positively. In conclusion, based on the evidence mentioned above, I personally consider that media is playing a destructive role in the society because it has brought about negative behaviors that may be copied by the teenagers and young adults, and it has created too much freedom and uncertainty for the media users to carryout unacceptable or illegal activities and programs.

Qué es e-verify y cómo afecta el trabajo de inmigrantes

Quà © es e-verify y cà ³mo afecta el trabajo de inmigrantes El programa  e-verify es una herramienta gratuita en Internet del Gobierno federal que permite a empresas y empleadores individuales verificar, en el momento de una nueva contratacià ³n, si la persona que pretenden  emplear est autorizada para trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. E-verify utiliza la informacià ³n sobre el potencial empleado que cada empresa registra  en la planilla que se conoce como I-9 y que el empleador introduce en el programa para compararla con informacià ³n de las bases de datos del Departamento de Seguridad Interna (DHS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y de la Administracià ³n de la Seguridad Social. En apenas unos segundos se obtiene la respuesta confirmando que el potencial trabajador est autorizado o, por el contrario, que no lo est. La respuesta negativa se seà ±ala con una nota conocida como no confirmacià ³n tentativa (TNC, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y que equivale a una no autorizacià ³n. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre el funcionamiento de este programa, quà © empresas estn obligadas a utilizarlo, quà © hacer cuando e-verify no confirma que una persona est autorizada para trabajar y, finalmente, cà ³mo cualquier persona puede comprobar quà © informacià ³n tiene  este programa sobre ella. Cà ³mo funciona e-verify Las empresas o los empleadores individuales pueden darse de alta y registrarse gratuitamente en la pgina oficial del Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Necesitan tener a mano el EIN, que es el nà ºmero federal que identifica a la empresa o al empresario. La pgina de inscripcià ³n  brinda cuatro formas de acceso, que dependen de las circunstancias de la empresa. Es importante seguir las instrucciones y darse de alta en la opcià ³n correcta. Precisamente porque puede ser confuso,  muchas empresas prefieren utilizar los servicios de compaà ±Ãƒ ­as privadas que actà ºan como agentes de e-verify. En todo caso, las empresas deben firmar electrà ³nicamente un contrato que se conoce por las iniciales de MOU (Memorndum de Entendimiento, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y que regula el uso que se puede hacer de e-verify. Por à ºltimo, cabe destacar que e-verify solamente se puede utilizar para verificar informacià ³n sobre nuevos empleados,  nunca sobre personas que ya estn trabajando para una empresa. Quà © empresas estn obligadas a utilizar e-verify En este punto la respuesta no es fcil ni à ºnica, ya que la obligatoriedad o no de e-verify est regulada por leyes federales y estatales, lo cual tiene como una de sus consecuencias que se producen enormes diferencias entre estados. En todo caso, en la actualidad ms de un millà ³n de empresas utilizan este programa. En primer lugar,  todas las empresas pueden libre y gratuitamente utilizar el servicio de e-verify, si asà ­ lo desean, para asegurarse de que todos los empleados que contratan tienen papeles para trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. Esto aplica a los 50 estados de la Unià ³n y tambià ©n a sus territorios, como por ejemplo Puerto Rico, aunque en este punto hay excepciones, como el caso de la Samoa americana. En cuanto a la obligacià ³n de registrarse y utilizar e-verify de acuerdo a las leyes federales, aplican varios supuestos, siendo el ms comà ºn  el que afecta a las empresas que contratan con el gobierno federal o alguna de sus agencias. En este caso, la regla general es que todas las empresas estn obligadas, a menos que aplique algunas de las excepciones, como es el caso de que el contrato entre el gobierno y la compaà ±Ãƒ ­a se extienda por menos de 120 dà ­as, o el monto de la obra o servicio sea inferior a $150.000 o que el trabajo se desarrolle en su totalidad fuera de los Estados Unidos. Asimismo, esa regla aplica en los casos de subcontrataciones y empresas afiliadas, si bien la ley permite excepciones. Pero adems existen otras reglas federales menos conocidas que  tambià ©n imponen el obligado cumplimiento de este programa. Por ejemplo, es imperativo registrase y utilizar e-verify cuando se contrata a estudiantes internacionales con visa F-1 para el programa OPT en su modalidad de extensià ³n para carreras STEM (Ciencias, Tecnologà ­a, Ingenierà ­a y Matemticas, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). En cuanto a los estados, se producen situaciones extremadamente diversas que van desde la prohibicià ³n de utilizar e-verify a nivel estatal a la obligatoriedad de utilizarlo para agencias y contratistas de los gobiernos estatales y locales, y tambià ©n para la mayorà ­a de empresas privadas, incluso en el caso de que carezcan de  relacià ³n de negocios con las administraciones pà ºblicas. Debido a la gran variedad legislativa se recomienda verificar la ley que aplica en cada estado. Este artà ­culo se limita a mencionar la situacià ³n en los siete  estados con ms poblacià ³n inmigrante y en cuyos territorios residen el 70 por ciento de los migrantes presentes en la actualidad en Estados Unidos.   Asà ­, en aplicacià ³n de la Ley de Aceleracià ³n del Empleo de 2011, en California est prohibido que las agencias estatales, las ciudades o los condados exijan a las empresas privadas el uso de e-verify. Adems, desde 2016 las empresas que utilicen e-verify pueden ser multadas con un mximo de $10.000 si utilizan la informacià ³n obtenida a travà ©s de ese sistema para una finalidad distinta a la de verificar autorizacià ³n para trabajar de una persona. En Florida, en aplicacià ³n de la Orden Ejecutiva 11-02, estn obligados a utilizar e-verify todas las empresas que presten servicios o vendan productos a agencias estatales. En Illinois la ley HB1743 permite el uso de e-verify por parte de empresas privadas pero penaliza el mal uso de la informacià ³n obtenida. Adems, la ley SB11 prohibe a agencias estatales o locales exigir el empleo de e-verify. En Nueva Jersey y en Nueva York no existen leyes ni à ³rdenes ejecutivas regulando el empleo de e-verify, por lo tanto su aplicacià ³n a nivel estatal es voluntario. En Pennsylvania, la ley SB625 requiere el uso de e-verify para todos los contratistas y subcontratistas de obras pà ºblicas por un importe superior a $25.000. En Texas, por orden ejecutiva RP-80, estn obligados a utilizar e-verify las agencias estatales y los contratistas con el estado. Adems, en aplicacià ³n de la ley SB374 las instituciones de educacià ³n superior, como por ejemplo universidades, estn obligadas a usar este sistema. Quà © hacer si e-verify emite una no confirmacià ³n tentativa (TNC) El sistema puede fallar por  contener informacià ³n errà ³nea o no actualizada. Es por ello que, ante  esa situacià ³n, el empleado tiene dos opciones. En primer lugar, aceptar la negativa, en cuyo caso el empleador dar por terminada la relacià ³n entre ambas partes. Pero, en segundo lugar, puede apelar esa decisià ³n del sistema e-verify. En este caso el empleador no puede posponer el inicio del trabajo o del entrenamiento, ni tampoco puede suspenderlo o aplazarlo si ya ha comenzado. Adems, el empleado debe contactar o bien con  el DHS o bien con la Administracià ³n de la Seguridad Social. La opcià ³n depende de lo que diga el sistema de e-verify cuando notifica la negativa. Si se debe contactar con el DHS,  el telà ©fono para marcar es el  888-897-7781  y debe hacerse dentro de los ocho dà ­as laborales siguientes a la decisià ³n de no confirmacià ³n tentativa. Deben tenerse a mano todos los datos generados por la TNC, como por ejemplo el nà ºmero de caso. Adems, debe esperarse preguntas relacionadas con cambios de estatus migratorios y las fechas en los que tuvieron lugar. Por el contrario, si se debe contactar la Administracià ³n de la Seguridad Social,  en ese caso se tiene que acudir en persona  a una de las oficinas locales dentro de los ocho dà ­as laborales siguientes a recibir la TNC. Entre los documentos que deben llevarse destacan la notificacià ³n de la no confirmacià ³n tentativa, una identificacià ³n  que muestre nombre, apellidos y edad, acreditacià ³n de la ciudadanà ­a americana, si se tiene, o de la tarjeta de residencia permanente, si ese es el caso. E-verify self-check Cualquier persona mayor de 16 aà ±os puede utilizar e-verify para comprobar  si, segà ºn las bases de datos del gobierno federal, est autorizado para trabajar en Estados Unidos. Esta opcià ³n, que se conoce popularmente como self-check y est disponible en espaà ±ol, permite corregir posibles errores que puedan aparecer en ese programa antes de solicitar empleo en una empresa por primera vez.   Documentos que permiten trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos Para finalizar, recuerda  que los documentos que permiten acreditar que se est autorizado para trabajar son cualquiera de los siguientes: Los que prueben la ciudadanà ­a estadounidenseLa tarjeta de residencia permanente, conocida tambià ©n como green cardEl permiso de trabajo (EAD, por sus siglas en inglà ©s)Una visa vigente de trabajo o de intercambio, en estos dos à ºltimos casos respetando siempre las condiciones especà ­ficas de cada visa. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

The Populist Vision by Charles Postel

The Populist Vision by Charles Postel Introduction Charles Postel’s book, The Populist Vision, has provided an exhaustive explanation of the American populism during the late nineteenth century. The Populist Vision still stands out as the most convincing and gripping examination of the populist movement of all the time. After reading the book, one wonders how a writer could have the power to alter the restraints that governed a key historiographical contest.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on â€Å"The Populist Vision† by Charles Postel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By referring to previous works of Richard Hofstadter and Lawrence Goodwyn, the author develops a new account of populism where proponents of agrarianism reacted to politics surrounding the growth of international trade in a reasonable and comprehensible way. Postel (7) disputes the thought that populists were upright democratic intellects. He views them as individuals mold ed by their own generation with the aim of providing contemporary solutions to economic challenges whilst promoting classical ideas of the social ladder. The Populist Vision The narration provided by Charles Postel in The Populist Vision draws support from a vast volume of research comprised of newspapers, leaflets, and reports. The author begins his narration by explaining the origins of the Populist Movements, which according to his research, was stirred by the Farmers’ Alliance in the Midwest and southern region during the 1870s and 1880s. After going through the speeches made by influential populists such as Charles W. Macune, Postel (13) notes that the desire of most supporters and leaders of the Farmer’s Alliance in the late nineteenth century was to promote technological development and a business organizational structure that would increase agricultural yields. He appreciates the effort of farmers to device means of resolving the modern economic issues. For exa mple, he observes that in the South and West, farmers recommended that the state should subsidize products to increase the agricultural sales in the global market (Postel 45). Postel (276) explains why farmers were steadfast in preaching the need for education as well as vocational training during the agrarian age by arguing that it would lead to a more contemporary and industrious life. As per his observation, the farmers were aware of the importance of transforming their independent Farmer’s Alliance to a Populist Party that could speak to a greater population on the need for a just as well as lucrative agricultural competition by introducing brilliant federal policies to govern the economy. Moreover, Postel (83) asserts that the populist thinkers discreetly preached the need for state reforms on certain issues such as currency and railroad development through Christian messages, whilst their corporate political character was still evident.Advertising Looking for bo ok review on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The greater half of the book analyses the Populist politics. The author asserts that the movement aspired to create a platform where politics would be used to establish reasonable, unbiased, and businesslike leadership (Postel 169). Corruption had become the norm for most political parties and parties had failed to usher in the American people into the modern age, which established poverty. In line with the aforementioned arguments, attempts to introduce sub-treasury plans and government-licensed paper painted Populists as the pacesetters in their generation (Postel 45). Reading through the chapters narrating issues pertaining to gender and race coupled with how they affected the Populist Movement is interesting. Postel (53) admits that women often disagreed with the Populist Movement’s position with regard to women rights. For example, women opposed th e Populist Movement’s approach on suffrage, but always supported the perception that women had the right to join and participate proactively in movements. Since populists supported most of the male farmers’ issues in relation to the economy, they got high-profile positions in the movement. A special observation by Postel (185) is that although the movement was gender biased, it was evident that they were racially biased. As one approaches the last chapters of the book, it is apparent how Postel (227) continues with his ambitious explanation of the numerous urbanites, workers, and other groups who united with the Populist Movement to help achieve their goals. The Populist Party played a huge role in representing the interests of labor and urban activists through speaking to a broader population particularly those barred from the influential business positions (Postel 109). His last chapter creates a platform to discuss the advocates of Populist Movement, which could be enlarged even to a book. However, it is worth noting how Postel escapes the rural stereotypes and urban discrimination that prompted some interpreters to develop outrageous perceptions and inference. Nonetheless, certain issues emerge as one reads on, which raises some questions. For instance, one fails to understand how the locals received the Populists’ ambitions and how they responded to their contemporary ideas.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on â€Å"The Populist Vision† by Charles Postel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Secondly, there is no detailed explanation of how political life of the Populist evolved as they tried to transform their ambitions into electoral veracity. Though the author has supported his writings with a huge volume of research, some of the materials are not mentioned in the bibliography. Furthermore, the author focuses his historiography on the populists, but gives littl e attention to contemporary works. Conclusion The little shortcomings of the book cannot negate its brilliant work. After reading this book, it emerges as the most essential writing on Populism in the contemporary times. Armed with adequate research collected from secondary and primary sources, Postel writes a book that ranks him among the best American political historians. He provides a new, legible, and insightful study of the broad history of Populism in the nineteenth century. Postel, Charles. The Populist Vision, New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.

Hotel Cavendish Company Analysis

Hotel Cavendish Company Analysis Hotel Cavendish is located in the dynamic center of Bloomsbury in UK. A PESTEL examination is an essential tool which helps in analyzing the political, economic, social, technical, environmental and legislative pressures which may affect an institution (Institute of leadership and management 2007, p. 23). These external pressures that have an effect on Hotel Cavendish ought to be vigilantly taken into account by the hotel administration.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Hotel Cavendish Company Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The hotel’s strategic fundamental position in the capital makes it susceptible to PESTEL pressures. This is evident in the existence of new rules in the city that need acquiescence. Demographic changes may lead to the diminution of market size and a fresh technology may be introduced (Institute of leadership and management 2007, p. 23). This requires new advertising and end user approval alternatives that need clear exemplification. In a social context, London has an assortment of religion and cultures. Hundreds of languages are spoken in its environs and the employment of more trained staff that is multi-lingual is necessary for the 4-star hotel. Around 2 million visitors from all over the globe visit the center every month either for business purposes or leisurely as tourists. Demographic trends evident in the changes in the populace age, composition along with the entry of new cultures and race in the area make it appropriate for the hotel to identify its potential clients. The capital is an economic center and countless intercontinental businesses are carried out here. Large business moguls arrive in the city of London to transact huge business deals. There ought to be additional options of spacious conference rooms for delegates, aside from the present ones which host 2-80 people (Cavendish hotel, 2010). The hotel administration should endeavor to sust ain regular businessmen who may want urgent accommodation in the hotel or referred to alternative areas. Even though it is required to reserve in advance, there can be exceptional reservations for a number of regulars. There are hundreds of overseas banks and offices for thousands of companies in London, and the employees and officials may need making urgent reservations. The effect of recession and change in stock exchange market fluctuations must be strictly monitored. Trends in economic indicators like the cost of raw materials and the level of income of its clients are essential information in knowing the visiting trends of clients.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Environmental issues from time to time control the social decisions and purchasing options that clients make in the selection of new services being offered in the hotel. Use of solar technology to pr oduce energy and having breezy areas of shady plants are a benefit in selection of whether one will make reservations for the hotel or select a different option. Out-of-doors landscaping with appropriate foliage at the lounge and entrance can take account of areas for dining. The hotel is a non-smoking zone. This course of action will successfully draw more non-smokers (Cavendish hotel, 2010). Those who smoke have to use alternative hotels, hence loss of clients. An effective way of pleasing both is by having rooms in a section for smokers. Some delegates may either be smokers or non-smokers and may desire to be accommodated in the same place. It is not forgotten that technology is intensifying at an extraordinarily rapid pace. Sources of power and information systems are undergoing modification thus the need for the hotel to be very adaptive to these changes. Available options for publicity should be employed in an aggressive edge (Institute of leadership and management 2007, p. 23 ). The government on numerous occasions initiates changes in bylaws and rules which may stabilize or weaken the hotels functionality. Such changes are directly related to politics consequently affecting the number of visitors into the country and the hotel. The operations in Cavendish hotel is affected by different forms of pressure that are best illustrated by the Pestle criterion. It is imperative to acknowledge that the success of the venture is wholly reliant on the manner in which it manipulates the environment as portrayed by the political, economic, social, technical, environmental and legislative concepts (Institute of leadership and management 2007, p. 23) Reference List Cavendish hotel, 2010, Hotel Cavendish, 12th may 2010, www.hotelcavendish.com Institute of leadership and management, 2007, marketing for managers, Massachusetts, Elsevier. Pp. 23Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Hotel Cavendish Company Analysis specifically for you for only $16 .05 $11/page Learn More

Impact of stigma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Impact of stigma - Essay Example They react in severely distorted manner, not because of their illness but because of the society's reaction towards their illness. The outlook of the patient changes once they witness their discrimination from rest of the individuals in the social circle. Symptomatic treatment could be alleviated by means of numerous measures encompassing medicines, exercises, physiotherapy, recreational means but the stigma linked with the mental illness may continue for complete life span (Corrigan, 2002). If not treated in a psychological manner, the stigma could culminate into a typecasting, disbelieve, terror or dodging behaviour and be able to pessimistically impact tracking down of treatment, job status and earnings, self-image and relations with those in the family and also with the society. Thus their personalities are projected as feeble willed and capricious. These features retreat patients from their close ones. Individuals with mental illness display an abnormal behaviour and distinguish ing socio-economic status. Education and awareness of parents could control the situation of the child to a greater extent. It is observed that in childhood years if appropriate and timely care is given symptoms could be diminished to a greater extent. ... On one hand they are being bothered about their disease and symptoms and on the other hand they are facing the misunderstandings about themselves, prevailing in their social circle. Accumulating these features provide them a feeling of being stripped off from numerous prospects that classify the excellence of life encompassing high-quality jobs, secure shelter, reasonable health care and association with a varied group of people (Corrigan, 2002). Research studies conducted to understand the impact of psychology, reveals that there are two kinds of stigma that a mentally ill patient views; self-stigma and social or public stigma. Public stigma finds its relation with the kind of cultural atmosphere of the individual. In some countries especially in Asian and African countries, stigma is not very imperative while in Islamic societies, stigma does not finds any place. In western world, public stigma is weighed extremely high. In western countries people have a great terror of being excl uded from their communities. The public stigma seizes the authority of the patient, i.e. the patient is thought to be highly irresponsible in all his/ her actions and pursuits. This takes away his individuality as all the decisions are taken by associates about him and the patient is deprived of taking any decision. Moreover, mentally ill individuals behave like a child due to lack of brain development. The brain of such individuals is just like a child that needs tremendous care, in certain cases they are pampered by those associated with the patient, further deteriorating their development (Lai, 2000). It is observed that people with physical disabilities are accepted in the social set-up as normal individual but those suffering with mental illness are not

Stereotypes in Gertrude Stein's Three Lives Essay

Stereotypes in Gertrude Stein's Three Lives - Essay Example Hejinian’s says that Stein’s â€Å"dependency on names (nouns) tends to obscure experience by replacing what we experience with a reestablished concept.† This concept has been seen through Stein’s repetition throughout the novel. It is through the repetition of these norms, prejudices, and racism that Stein brings forth the absurdity of what the lower class and women are expected to be. The columniation of all these women in death shows that they all lead a life of suffering and pain despite being good, and that maybe norms should be reconsidered. In Melanctha we see how Dr. Campbell continues to have the same conversation with Melanctha over and over and through his repetition we see a dependency on adjectives and how they are subjective. Dr. Campbell continually uses the term â€Å"excited† to show how he expects colored people to act. He doesn’t feel that colored people should be acting all excited. His expectation of how colored people an d the lower class should behave is seen when he says, â€Å"I certainly do like everything to be good and quiet, and I certainly do think that it is the best way for us colored people.† This stereotype can be generalized to how all the lower class and middle class should act. ... For example, Dr, Campbell originally thinks that Melanctha is not good but thinks that Rose is good even though she is an alcoholic. He relates being good with not being excited but Rose gets excited from drinking. Therefore, he doesn’t really understand these norms that he is trying to follow, and the repetition of this word â€Å"excited† that he is not really sure about coincides with the fact that the reader should question norms because they don’t make sense and people often contradict themselves just as Dr. Campbell does. Other than the use of repetition, another way that the novel challenges stereotypes is by representing them in a realist perspective. It’s not trying to paint an idealistic picture of how life is at the time. Rather it is painting a very real picture of everyday life for three women. This picture is of their mundane everyday life. A major stereotype during the times of this novel (and even now) is that women should be responsible fo r taking care of the home and stay in shape. In the story of The Good Anna we see this stereotype is represented and talked about in a very realist way. The stereotype is strengthened by the good Anna believing that this is how it must be done, â€Å"A girl was a girl and should act always like a girl, both as to give all respect and as to what she had to eat.† There is a repetition throughout this story of the â€Å"right way for a girl to do.† Here the author plays on our preconceived idea about what is right for a girl and makes us question this stereotype not by idealizing it or playing it down, but by showing it to us in the light of what is really is. One can see that Stein, in her novellas, reproduces the typical feminine roles which are assigned to them by the

William Hill Plc acquired 624 betting shops of Stanley Leisure an Coursework

William Hill Plc acquired 624 betting shops of Stanley Leisure an Evaluation - Coursework Example The researcher states that there are different forms of growth approaches that companies generally follow. Typically if a company wants to make growth, then in such circumstances the company has two choices whether to go for an organic growth or to go for acquisition or a combination of both. For organic growth, the companies generally expand their business operations by opening up new branches, adding up new product lines etc. On the other hand, for acquisitions, the companies generally purchase an existing business such that the company owns that business and in this way it brings expansion in its existing business operations. Capital budgeting is a tool which is used to evaluate the financial viability of the projects whether in the form of organic growth or in acquisitions. In this technique the future cash flows are estimated including both the outflows and the inflows pertaining to that project after which net cash flows are computed. Those net cash flows are discounted by a re levant cost of capital of the company to arrive at the present values of all the net cash flows. Those net cash flows are then summed up to obtain the Net Present Value of the project. The NPV is then used as a tool to decide whether a project is feasible or not such that if the NPV figure is positive, then the project should be accepted and if it comes as a negative figure, then that project is advised as not to be accepted. Capital budgeting also has some other related criteria for checking the viability of the projects. ... The NPV is then used as a tool to decide whether a project is feasible or not such that if the NPV figure is positive, then the project should be accepted and if it comes as a negative figure, then that project is advised as not to be accepted. Capital budgeting also has some other related criteria for checking the viability of the projects. Those criteria include Internal Rate of Return, Profitability Index, Discounted Payback and other similar techniques. Most of these techniques work on the basic principle of discounted cash flows. These financial projections and the computation of NPV are generally prepared by the finance departments of the companies and they are used for internal reporting purposes. Those kinds of information are not disclosed to the general public because these valuations can certainly influence the share price of the company as there are likelihoods that investors may welcome those valuations and in this way share prices can be increased. If the valuations are not consistent with shareholders’ expectations, then there comes a decline in the share prices. If the projects are not likely to influence the existing operations and financial results of the company, then the shareholders might remain indifferent as to which way they should react. In case of acquisitions, generally when the terms and conditions of the purchase are settled, then some of the details of the proposed acquisitions are disclosed to the shareholders. The company does not provide them the comprehensive financial prospects and projections of the acquisition deal, rather it provides the necessary information to the shareholders such as purchase price, amount of goodwill, total amount of synergies that can be obtained from the acquisition, the capital

The differences between Western and Chinas education Essay

The differences between Western and Chinas education - Essay Example The same is related to teachers. Their salary, unlike salary of Western teachers, depends on how well their students study. Another difference is that in China children do not choose subject they can study. They have to study all the subjects the school teaches. Only in high school children are allowed to choose some subjects. In Western education children can choose more subjects – they have more freedom in choosing certain specialization. Grades for each subject in China depend mostly on results of tests. While in the Western system assignments completed during each week add to the final grade, tasks that Chinese children do at school do not count to the final grade. The final grade depends on exams. Besides, grades for tests and exams are shown to everybody. As a result every student knows what grades have other students. A teacher then praises students that have good grades and criticized bad students, ties to encourage them to study better. Also the best students get rewards for their excellent grades, even money from school. On contrast, Western schools disclose to a student only his or her grades. In China children spend most of the day at school and evening at extracurricular classes. So those that want to enter a university come home at 9 in the evening. At the same time, western children spend less time studying and have more free

Applied Strategic Management Speech or Presentation

Applied Strategic Management - Speech or Presentation Example It is alleged that the main problem was complacency in the area of management and absurd demands from the UAW, for instance, the Jobs Bank paid workers around 95% of their previous wages until the organization found them a job and the management was reluctant to solve the problems (Ingrassia 87). It is alleged that one thing that the General Motors did right was to lead Detroit in establishing a joint venture with the Japanese companies that helped Ford and Chrysler to equally engage into partnerships. Consequently, they were able to see first hand how the Japanese worked to ensure a competitive advantage. During this period, they learned that the Japanese registered higher profits because they kept their inventories lean, did not keep the store weeks’ worth of parts at great costs unlike the Detroit, and practiced just in time delivery to ensure timely supply of the materials. Moreover, unlike Detroit, the Japanese motivated their workers by rewarding them. Consequently, this gave them a competitive edge (Ingrassia 78-79). Despite what the three big companies learnt from the Japanese, they failed miserably during the recession period that saw competition heighten. Between 1979 and 1982, Chrysler and Ford lost around $ 5billion, while the General Motors lost $763 million. Consequently, other people were affected, like in the case of the employees whereby, around 250,000 of them got fired (Ingrassia 80) It is argued that people panic when gas prices go up to an extent of vowing to drive less and to purchase vehicles with better mileage. However, when the gas prices go down, the people go back to their old behavior as well as the actions that had initially created a market for big trucks and SUV’S. For instance in the 1980s, when the gas prices started to drop, Americans started buying the big cars just like before (Ingrassia 85). It is claimed that organizations end up selling their jets during unstable economic times and even buy better models onc e the risks are over. Additionally, the unions end up giving wage benefits and hikes only to realize that the management has heightened their bonuses and the retirement figures (Ingrassia 88-92). Consequently, this creates conflicts and long term hatred; hence, destroying all efforts to have a collaborative partnership that is required to have an effective and a successful organization. Various reasons have been linked to the challenges that faced the ‘big three’. For instance, after the US engaged in the Persian Gulf War, the economic recession heightened as the sale of cars dropped. During this period, General Motors lost around $2 billion. Instead of correcting the situation, the company ended up coming up with rigorous management strategies such as layoffs followed by plant closings. Subsequently, the company went into bankruptcy following the poor management by the CEO, Stempel. As a result of poor management and lack of rational changes, GM, Chrysler, and Ford con tinued to record more losses. The companies tried to reorganize, diversify and form joint ventures with no success. The Japanese companies such as Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, on the other hand, continued to expand and register higher profits than that of Detroit as they launched new brands such as Acura and Lexus

The differences between Western and Chinas education Essay

The differences between Western and Chinas education - Essay Example The same is related to teachers. Their salary, unlike salary of Western teachers, depends on how well their students study. Another difference is that in China children do not choose subject they can study. They have to study all the subjects the school teaches. Only in high school children are allowed to choose some subjects. In Western education children can choose more subjects – they have more freedom in choosing certain specialization. Grades for each subject in China depend mostly on results of tests. While in the Western system assignments completed during each week add to the final grade, tasks that Chinese children do at school do not count to the final grade. The final grade depends on exams. Besides, grades for tests and exams are shown to everybody. As a result every student knows what grades have other students. A teacher then praises students that have good grades and criticized bad students, ties to encourage them to study better. Also the best students get rewards for their excellent grades, even money from school. On contrast, Western schools disclose to a student only his or her grades. In China children spend most of the day at school and evening at extracurricular classes. So those that want to enter a university come home at 9 in the evening. At the same time, western children spend less time studying and have more free

Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Education - Research Paper Example However, there exist some issues or problems related to this field which need to be resolved in order to end all concerns about education. Benefits of Education Education brings both personal and professional benefits for a person. Some of the most considerable benefits that education brings for a person include development of increase in self-confidence, development of a good personality, development of peer relationships, increased awareness of various social and political issues, and increased awareness of different professional fields of life. Along with these benefits, some professional benefits of education include increased number of job opportunities, career evolution, attractive salary package, increased opportunities to excel in professional life, and improved ability to raise knowledge-based. Current Issues in Education Education is a vast field related to family and consumer science. It gives light to a number of issues that need a proper resolution. Authorities related t o the field of education need to examine both sides of those issues in order to find proper solutions. Some of the current issues related to education include discipline and security, single language or bilingual education, use of technology to enhance students’ learning, use of social networking websites, race and equality, religion based studies, use of zero tolerance policy for students, private versus public education, teasing and bullying, and use of standardized testing system in education. Moreover, use of effective teaching strategies is also one of the key educational issues. Concept learning can be used in combination with deep learning to promote effective learning (Buntting, 2006). Education of undocumented immigrants is also becoming a major issue for most of the developed countries (Connor, 2011). Although all of the above-mentioned issues are of critical importance from the educational perspective, but some of them are a little more significant and need a quick resolution. Those issues include use of technology to enhance students’ learning, need for bilingual educations systems because of increasing cultural diversity, and private vs. public educational systems. Future Research Areas in Education Apart from current issues, there are some educational issues that need advanced research. Some of those issues include evolution of online educational system, use of proper grading mechanisms to assess special students’ performances, and allowing or restricting sex education for young students. Online Educational System As the world has become a global village, education has also become accessible to people at their doorsteps. An online learning environment is one in which there is a distance between teachers and students and they interact with each other mainly through the internet. In a dissertation, Ivankova (2002) found that distance education has become a possible alternative to the traditional form of higher education in many parts of the world. However, online education also gives rise to some complex issues, such as, less interaction between teachers and students and difficulty in understanding the concepts. In a dissertation, Gallogly (2005) found that online students usually do not feel satisfied with the timeliness of instructional feedback as compared to traditional classroom students. Grading Mechanisms for Assessing Special Students’

Business Types of Ownership Essay Example for Free

Business Types of Ownership Essay

Tests of Significance: Uses and Limitations

Tests of Significance: Uses and Limitations Abstract Statistical tools are undoubtedly important in decision making. The use of these tools in everyday problems has led to a number of discoveries, conclusions and enhancement of knowledge. This ranges from direct calculations using general statistical formulas to formulas integrated in Statistical software to fasten the process of decision making. Statistical tools for testing hypothesis, significance tests are strong but only if used correctly and in good understanding of their concepts and limitations. Some researchers have indulged into wrong usage of this tests leading to wrong conclusions. This paper looks at the different significance tests (both parametric and non-parametric tests) their uses, when to be used and their limitations. It also evaluates the use of Statistical Significance tests in Information Retrieval and then proceeds to check the different significant tests used by researchers in the papers submitted to Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval (SIGR) in the period 2006, 2007 and 2008. For the combined period 2006-2008, including the years 2006 and 2008, of the papers submitted had statistical tests used and of these tests were used wrongly. Key Words: Significance Test, Information Retrieval, Parametric Tests, Non-parametric Tests, Hypothesis Testing Chapter One 1.0 Introduction Statistical methods play a very important role in all aspects of research, ranging from data collection, recording, analysis, to making conclusions and inferences. The credibility of the research results and conclusions will depend on each and every step mentioned above; any fault made in these steps can render a research carried out for several years, spending millions of shillings to be worthless. This does not mean carrying any test and mincing figures shows that statistics has been used in the given research; the researcher should be able support why he or she used that specific test or method. Misuse of significance test is not new in the world of science. According to Campbell (1974), there are different types of statistical misuse: Discarding unfavorable portion of data This occurs when the researcher selects only a portion of data which produces the results that he/she requires perfectly while discarding the other portion. After a well done research, the researcher might get values that are not consistent to what he/she was expecting. This researcher might decide to ignore this section of data during the analysis so as to get the â€Å"expected results†. This is a wrong take since the inconsistent data could give very new thoughts in that particular field that is if these irregularities are checked and explained why they occurred, more ideas abut that area can be explored.. Overgeneralization Sometimes the conclusions from a research can only work on that particular research problem but the researcher might blindly generalize the results obtained to other kinds of research similar or dissimilar. Overgeneralization is a common mistake in current research activities. A researcher after successfully completing a research on a particular field, he/she might be tempted to make generalizations reached in this research to other fields of study without regarding the different orientations of these different populations and assumptions in them. Non representative sample This arises when the researcher selects a sample which produces results geared towards his/her liking. Sample selected for a particular study should be one that truly represents the entire population. The procedure of selecting the sample units to be used in the study should be done in an unbiased manner. Consciously manipulating data Occurs when a researcher consciously changes the collected data in order to reach a particular conclusion. This is mainly noticed when the researcher knows exactly what the customers aim are, so the researcher changes part of the data so that the aim of that research is covered strongly. For example if a researcher is carrying out a regression analysis and does a scatter plot, if he/she sees that there are many out liers,the researcher might decide to change some values so that the scatter plot appears as a straight line or something very close to that. This act leads to results which are appealing to the customer and the eyes of other user but in real sense does not give a clear indicator of what is really happening in the population at large. 1.0.5 False correlation This is observed when the researcher claims that one factor causes the other while in real sense both two factors are caused by another hidden factor which was not identified during the study. Correlation researches are common in social sciences and sometimes they are not adequately approached, this leads to wanting results. In correlation studies say to check if variable X causes variable Y, in real sense there are four possible things. The first one is that X causes Y,secondly Y causes X, third is X and Y are both caused by another unidentified variable say Z and lastly the correlation between X and Y occurred purely by sheer luck. All these possibilities should be checked while doing these kinds of study to avoid rushing into wrong conclusions. False causality can be eliminated in studies by using two groups for the same experiment that is the â€Å"control group (the one receiving a placebo)† and the â€Å"treatment group (the one receiving the treatment)† . Even though this method is efficient, implementing it raises very many challenges. There are ethical issues like when one patient is given a placebo (effect less drug) without his/her conscious and the other group given the right drug. One question comes to mind; is it ethical to do this to the first group? Carrying out the experiment in parallel for two different groups can also prove to be very expensive. 1.0.6 Overloaded questions. The questions used in survey can really affect the outcome of the survey. The structure of questions in a questionnaires and the method of formulating and asking the questions can influence the manner in which the respondent answers the questions. Long wordy questions in a questionnaire can be too boring to a respondent and he/she might just fill the questionnaire in a hurry so that he/she finishes it but does not really care about the answers that he/she has provided. The framing of questions can also yield leading questions. Some questions will just lead the respondent on what to answer for example â€Å"The government is not offering security to its citizens, do you agree to this? (Yes or No)† Use of statistical significance has been with us for more than 300 years (Huberty, 1993).Despite being used for a long time, this field of decision making is cornered by criticism from all directions, which has led to many researchers writing materials digging into the problems of statistical significance testing. Harlow et. al (1997), discussed the controversy in significance testing in depth. Carver (1993) expressed dislike of significance tests and clearly advocated researchers to stop using them. In his book, How to Lie with Statistics, Huff (1954) outlined errors both intentional and unintentional and misinterpretations made in statistical analyses in depth. Some journals e.g. American Psychological Association (APA) recommended minimum use of statistical significance test by researchers submitting papers for publications (APA, 1996), though not revoking the use of the tests. With the relentless criticism, other researchers have not given up on using statistical significance testing but have clearly encourage users of the tests to have good knowledge in them before making conclusions using them. Mohr (1990) discussed the use of these tests and supported their use but warning researchers to know the limitations of each tests and correct application of the tests so as to make a correct inferences and conclusions. In his paper, Burr (1960) supported the use of statistical significance test but requested researchers to make allowances for existence of statistical errors in the data. Amidst these controversies, statistical significance testing has been applied to many areas of research and remarkable achievements have been recorded. One such area is the information retrieval (IR). Significant tests have been used to compare different algorithms in information retrieval. 1.1.0 Information retrieval Information retrieval is defined as the science of searching databases, World Wide Web and other documents looking for information on a particular subject. In order to get information, the user is required to enter keywords which are to be used for searching, a combination of objects containing the keywords are usually returned from which the user looking for information can single out and pick one which gives him or her the much required information. The user usually progressively refines the search by narrowing down and using specific words. Information retrieval has developed as a highly dynamic and empirical discipline, requiring careful and thorough evaluation to show the superior performance of different new techniques on representative document collections. There are many algorithms for Information Retrieval .It is usually important to measure the performance of different information retrieval systems so as to know which one gives the required information faster. In order to measure information retrieval effectiveness, three test items are required; (i) A collection of documents on which the different retrieval methods will be run on and compared. (ii) A test collection of information needs which are expressible in terms of queries (iii)A collection of â€Å"relevance judgment† that will distinguish on whether the results returned are relevant to the person doing the search or they are irrelevant. A question might arise on which collection of objects to be used in testing different systems. There are several standard test collections used universally, these include; (i) Text Retrieval Conference (TREC). – This a standard collection comprising 6 CDs containing 1.89 million documents (mainly, but not exclusively, newswire articles) and relevance judgments for 450 information needs, which are called topics and specified in detailed text passages. Individual test collections are defined over different subsets of this data. (ii)GOV2-This was developed by The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).It is a 25 paged collection of web pages. (iii) NII Test Collections for IR Systems (NTCIR)-This is also a large test collection focusing mainly on East Asian language and cross-language information retrieval, where queries are made in one language over a document collection containing documents in one or more other languages. (iii) Cross Language Evaluation Forum (CLEF). This Test collection is mainly focused on European languages and cross-language information retrieval. (iv) 20 Newsgroups. This text collection was collected by Ken Lang. It consists of 1000 articles from each of 20 Usenet newsgroups (the newsgroup name being regarded as the category). After the removal of duplicate articles, as it is usually used, it contains 18941 articles. (v) The Cranfield collection. This is the oldest test collection in allowing precise quantitative measures of information retrieval effectiveness, but is nowadays too small for anything but the most elementary pilot experiments. It was collected in the United Kingdom starting in the late 1950s and it contains 1398 abstracts of aerodynamics journal articles, a set of 225 queries, and exhaustive relevance judgments of all (query, document) pairs. There exist several methods of measuring the performance of retrieval systems namely; Precision, Recall, Fall-Out, E-measure and F-measure just to mention a few since researchers are coming up with other new methods. A brief description of each method will shade some light. 1.1.1 Recall Recall in information retrieval is defined as the number of relevant documents returned from a search divided by the total number of documents that can be retrieved from a database. Recall can also be looked at as evaluating how well the method that is being used to retrieve information gets the required information. Letbe the set of all retrieved objects andbe the set of all relevant objects then, Recall(1.1) As an example, if a database contains 500 documents, out of which 100 contain relevant information required by a researcher, the complement ,number of documents not required = 400. If the researcher uses a system to search for the documents in this database and it return 100 documents of which all of them are relevant to the researcher, then the recall is given by: Recall Supposed that out of 120 returned documents, 30 are irrelevant, then the recall would be given by Recall 1.1.2 Precision Precision is defined as the number of relevant documents retrieved from the system over the total number of documents retrieved in that search. It valuates how well the method being used to retrieve information filters the unwanted information. Letbe the set of all retrieved objects andbe the set of all relevant objects then, Precision(1.2) As an example, if a database contains 500 documents, out of which 100 contain relevant information required by a researcher, the complement ,number of documents not required = 400. If the researcher uses a system to search for the documents in this database and it returns 100 documents of which all of them are relevant to the researcher, then the precision is given by: Precision Supposed that out of 120 returned documents, 30 are irrelevant, then the precision would be given by Precision Both precision and recall are based on one term; Relevance Oxford dictionary defines relevance as â€Å"connected to the issue being discussed†. Yolanda Jones (2004) identified three types of relevance, namely; Subject relevance which is the connection between the subject submitted via a query and subject covered by returned texts. Situational relevance: connection between the situation being considered and texts returned by database system. Motivational relevance: connection between the motivations of a researcher and texts returned by database system. There are two measures of relevance; Novelty Ratio: This refers to the proportion of items returned from a search and acknowledged by the user as being relevant, of which they were previously unaware of. Coverage Ratio: This refers to the proportion of items returned from a search out of the total relevant documents that the user was aware of before he/she started the search. Precision and recall affect each other i.e. increase in recall value decreases precision value. If one increases a system’s ability to retrieve more documents, this implies increasing recall, this will have a drawback since the system will also be retrieving more irrelevant documents hence reducing the precision of that system. This means that a trade-off is required in these two measures so as to ensure better search results. Precision and recall measures make use of the following assumptions They make the assumption that either a system returns a document or doesn’t. They make the assumption that either the document is relevant or not relevant, nothing in between. New methods are being introduced by researchers which rank the degree of relevance of the documents. 1.1. 3 Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) Curve This is the plot of the true positive rate or sensitivity against the false positive rate or (1 − specificity).Sensitivity is just another term for recall. The false positive rate is given by. An ROC curve always goes from the bottom left to the top right of the graph. For a good system, the graph climbs steeply on the left side. For unranked result sets, specificity, given bywas not seen as a very useful idea. Because the set of true negatives is always so large, its value would be almost 1 for all information needs (and, correspondingly, the value of the false positive rate would be almost 0). 1.1.4 F-measure and E-measure This is defined as the weighted harmonic mean of the recall and precision. Numerically, it is defined as (1.3) Whereis the weight. Ifis assumed to be 1, then (1.4) The E-measure is given by(1.5) E –measure has a maximum value of 1.0, 1.0 being the best. 1.1.5 Fall-Out This is defined as the proportion of irrelevant documents that are returned in a search out of all the possible irrelevant documents. Fall out(1.6) It can also be defined as the probability of a system retrieving an irrelevant document. These are just a few methods of measuring performance of search systems. Then after looking after one system, there arise a problem of comparing two systems or algorithms, that is, is this system better than the other one? To answer this question, scientist in Information retrieval use statistical significance tests to do the comparisons in order to establish if the difference in systems performance are not by chance. These tests are used to confirm beyond doubt that one system is better than another. Statement of the problem Statistical inference tools like statistical significance tests are important in decision making. Their use has been on the rise in different areas of research. With their rise, novel users make use of these tools but in questionable manners. There are many researchers who do not understand the basic concepts in statistics leading to misuse of the tools. Any conclusions reached from a research might be termed bogus if the statistical tests used in it are shoddy. More light needs to be shade in this area of research to ensure correct use of these tests. Researchers in Information Retrieval also use these tests to compare systems and algorithms, are the conclusions from these tests truly correct? Are there any other ways of comparison which minimize the use of statistical tests? Objectives of the study The objectives of this study are: Investigate use and misuse of statistical significance tests in scientific papers submitted by researchers to SIGIR. Shade light on different statistical significance tests their use, assumptions and limitations. Identify the most important statistical concepts that can provide solutions to the problems of statistical significance in scientific papers submitted by researchers to SIGIR. Investigate the reality of the problems of statistical significance in scientific papers submitted by researchers to SIGIR. Investigate the use of statistical significant tests used by researchers in Information Retrieval Discover the availability of statistical concepts and methods that can provide solutions to the problems of statistical significance in scientific papers submitted by researchers to SIGIR Chapter Two This section of this paper has been divided into three major parts, the sample selection and sample size choosing which will discusses methods of selecting a sample and the size of the sample to be used in a given research, the second part deals with statistical analysis methods and procedures, mainly in significance testing and the third part discusses other statistical methods that can be used in place of statistical significance test. 2.0 Sample Selection and Sample Size 2.0.1 Sample selection Sampling plays a major role in research, according to Cochran (1977), sampling is the process of selecting a portion of the population and using the information derived from this portion to make inferences about the entire population. Sampling has several advantages, namely; (i)Reduced cost For example it is very expensive to carry out a census than just collecting information from a small portion of the population. This is because only a small number of measures will be made so only a few people will be hired to do the job compared to complete census which will require a large labor force. (ii)Greater speed during the process(less time) Since only a few people will be used or rather only a few items will be measured, the time for doing the measurement will be reduced and also summarization of the data will be quick as opposed to when measures are taken for the whole population. (iii)Greater accuracy Since only a few people will be considered in the process, the researchers will be very thorough as compared to the entire population which will see the researchers get tired in the middle of the process leading to lousy collection of data and shoddy analysis. The choice of the sampling units in a given research may affect the credibility of the whole research. The researcher must make sure that the sample being used is not biased, that is it represents the whole population. There are several methods of selecting samples to be used in a study. A researcher should always make sure that the sample drawn is large enough to be a representative of the population as a whole and at the same time manageable. In this section the two major types of sampling, random and non-random, will be examined. 2.0.1.1 Random sampling In random sampling, all the items or individuals in the population have equal chances of being selected into the sample. This procedure ensures that no bias is introduced during the selection of sample units since a n items selection will be only by chance and will not depend on the person assigned with the duty of coming up with the sample. There exist five major random sampling techniques, namely; simple random sampling, multi-stage sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling and systematic sampling. The following section discusses each of these. 2.0.1.1.1 Simple random sampling In simple random sampling, each item in the population has the same and equal chance of being included in the sample. Usually each sampling unit is assigned a unique number and then numbers are generated using a random number generator and a sampling unit is included in the sample if its corresponding number is generated from the random number generator. One advantage attributed to simple random sampling is its simplicity and ease in application when dealing with small populations. Every entity in the population has to be enlisted and given a unique number then their respective random numbers be read. This makes this method of sampling very tedious and cumbersome especially where large populations are involved. 2.0.1.1.2 Stratified sampling In stratified random sampling, the entire population is first divided into N disjoint subpopulations .Each sampling unit belongs to one and only one sub population. These sub populations are called strata, they might be of different sizes and they are homogenous within the strata and each stratum completely differs with the other strata. It is from these strata that samples are drawn for a particular study. Examples of strata that are commonly used include States, provinces, Age and Sex, religion, academic ability or marital status etc. Stratification is most useful when the stratifying variables are simple to work with, easy to observe and closely related to the topic of the survey (Sheskin, 1997). Stratification can be used to select more of one group than another. This may be done if it is felt that the responses obtained vary in one group than another. So, if the researcher knows that every entity in each group has much the same value, he/she will only need a small sample to get information for that group; whereas in another group, the values may differ widely and a bigger sample is needed. If you want to combine group level information to get an answer for the whole population, you have to take account of what proportion you selected from each group. This method is mainly used when information is required for only a particular subdivision of the population, administrative convenience is an issue and the sampling problems differ greatly in different portions of the population of study. 2.0.1.1.3 Systematic sampling Systematic sampling is quite different from the other methods of sampling, supposed the population contains N units and a sample of n units is required, a random number is generated using the random number generator, call it k, then a unit(represented as a number) is drown from the sample then the researcher picks every kth unit thereafter. Consider the example that k is 20 and the first unit that is drawn is 5, the subsequent units will be 25,45,65,85 and so on. The implication of this method is that the selection of the whole sample will be determined by only the first item since the rest will be obtained sequentially. This type is called an every kth systematic sample. This technique can also be used when questioning people in a sample survey. A researcher might select every 15th person who enters a particular store, after selecting a person at random as a starting point; or interview the shopkeepers of every 3rd shop in a street, after selecting a starting shop at random. It may be that a researcher wants to select a fixed size sample. In this case, it is first necessary to know the whole population size from which the sample is being selected. The appropriate sampling interval, I, is then calculated by dividing population size, N, by required sample size, n. This method is advantageous since it is easy and it is more precise than simple random sampling. Also it is simpler in systematic sampling to select one random number and then every kth member on the list, than to select as many random numbers as sample size. It also gives a good spread right across the population. A disadvantage is that the researcher may be forced to have a starting list if he/she wishes to know the sample size and calculate the sampling interval. 2.0.1.1.4 Cluster sampling The Austarlian Bureau of Statistics insinuates that cluster sampling divides the population into groups, or clusters. A number of clusters are selected randomly to represent the population, and then all units within selected clusters are included in the sample. No units from non-selected clusters are included in the sample. They are represented by those from selected clusters. This differs from stratified sampling, where some units are selected from each group. The clusters are heterogeneous within each cluster (that is the sampling units inside a cluster vary from each other completely) and each cluster looks alike with the other clusters. Cluster sampling has several advantages which include reduced costs, simplified field work and administration is more convenient. Instead of having a sample scattered over the entire coverage region, the sample is more concentrated in relatively few collection points (clusters). Cluster sampling provides results that are less accurate compared to stratified random sampling. 2.0.1.1.5 Multi-stage sampling Multi-stage sampling is like cluster sampling, but involves selecting a sample within each chosen cluster, rather than including all units in the cluster. The Australian Bureau of Statistics postulates that multi-stage sampling involves selecting a sample in at least two stages. In the first stage, large groups or clusters are selected. These clusters are designed to contain more population units than are required for the final sample. In the second stage, population units are chosen from selected clusters to derive a final sample. If more than two stages are used, the process of choosing population units within clusters continues until the final sample is achieved. If two stages are used then it will be called a two stage sampling, if three stages are used it will be called a three stage sampling and so on. 2.0.2 Determination of sample size to be used 2.1 Statistical Analysis In this section, different statistical tests are discussed in details in their general form, then move to discussed how each of them(the ones used in IR) are applied to information retrieval. Only some of these tests are used to compare systems or/and algorithms. In this paper we look at three sections of statistical analysis, namely: (i) Summarizing data using a single value. (ii) Summarizing variability. (iii) Summarizing data using an interval (no specific value) In the first case, we have the mean, mode, median etc and in the second case, we look at variability in the data and in the third case we look at the confidence intervals, parametric and nonparametric tests of hypothesis testing 2.1.1 Summarizing data using a single value In this case, the data being analyzed is represented by a single value, example for this scenario are discussed below: 2.1.1.1 Mean There are three different kinds of mean: (i)Arithmetic mean (ii)Geometric Mean (iii)Harmonic mean (i) Arithmetic mean This is computed by summing all the observations then dividing by the number of observations that you have collected. Letbe n observations of a random variable X. The arithmetic mean is defined as Arithmetic mean When to use the arithmetic mean The arithmetic mean is used when: When the collected data is a numeric observation. When the data has only one mode (uni-modal) When the data is not skewed i.e. not concentrated to extreme values. When the data does not have many outliers (very extreme values) The arithmetic mean is not used when: You have categorical data When the data is extremely skewed. (ii) Geometric mean This is defined as the product of the observations, everything raised to power of, usually n. Letbe n observations of a random variable X. The geometric mean is defined as Geometric mean The Geometric mean is used when: The observations are numeric. The item that we are interested in is the product of the observations. (iii) Harmonic mean This is defined as the number of observations divide be the sum of reciprocals of the observations. Letbe n observations of a random variable X. The harmonic mean is defined as Harmonic mean The Harmonic mean is used when: The average can be justified for the reciprocal of the observations. 2.1.1.2 Median This is defined as the middle value of the observations. The observations are first arranged in ascending or descending order then the middle value is taken as the median. The median is used when: When the observations are skewed. The observations have a single mode. The observations are numerical. The median is not used when: We are interested in the total value. 2.1.1.3 Mode This is defined as the largest value in the given dataset or the value that has the highest frequency of occurrence. The mode is used when: The dataset is categorical. The dataset is both numeric and multimodal. 2.1.2 Summarizing variability Variability in a data can be summarized using the following measures: 2.1.2.1 Sample variance Letbe n observations of a random variable X, then the Sample variance, is given by The standard deviation is used when: The data is normally distributed. 2.1.2.2 The C

the way the media influence our lives Essay -- essays research papers

Are we influenced by the media, if yes how much? Sociologist and Psychologist contemplate that question often. The media has been accused of causing violent behavior, negative racial stereotyping and negative body perceptions mostly among young girls. No one can deny that the media has an effect on society, but is the media just giving society what he or she wants? Has the media taken away our ability to think for ourselves critically? We are constantly feed information from the newspapers, television news and weekly news magazines most of us believing without question because we believe the source credible. â€Å"In 1989 while jogging in central park a women was brutally attacked raped and beaten.† I remember the incident well because it was all over the news, in papers and magazines for months. Five teens Hispanic and African American were accused of the crime. I remember the newspaper articles and reporters on television referring to the teens as an angry wolf pack. The word allegedly was absent form all conversation over the incident. The media convicted the teens before the trail began. I believe because of all the negative exposure from the media the teens didn’t have a snowballs chance in hell. All five of the boy were convicted and served time for the attack on the central park jogger. Thirteen years later, a man named Matias Reyes who was not related to the crime at all is now coming forward from behind bars and saying, â€Å"you know what, by the way, I’m the one who did it. And the five teenagers who served time, they didn’t do it.† And the DNA that was taken from the victim’s body at the time of the attack matches Reyes. Reyes also confessed to an identical crime two days earlier in the same area of the park. The lawyers who defended the teenagers are now saying â€Å"we were never told about a lone, Predatory rapist prowling that same area of the park just days before the jogger was attacked.† The police and the prosecutors may have withheld that information so that they could expedite the conviction of the teens as they sometimes do. I still believe that the media despite of the limited evidence help in the conviction of five youth. The media depicted the teens, as angry mobs and wolf packs constantly to the public this is n ot an isolated incident the media does all the time. In fact judges and attorneys are blaming the media for destroying a person’s righ... ...lated study of emotions. In this study, research assistants acted abusively toward some of the subjects. Later, when they were put in apposition to retaliate, both those who had been provoked and those who had been exposed to violent films (but not provoked) showed an increase in hostile behavior. Although men were more aggressive than women overall, exposure to violent films influenced the behavior of both sexes equally. (Miller, Michael Craig). Although some research can link violent behavior directly to the media our society crave violence in movies music and in newspapers. Should the media be more responsible when entertaining the public? As for the movies television and music the argument can always be if you don’t like it don’t go to see it or simply change the channel. That would set well with adult’s argument, but how about children. The media often states that parents should regulate what their children are watching on television and what music they are listening to. In and age where there are more single parent households and latchkey kids I believe the media also has to be more responsible as to what type of programming is assessable to children between certain hours.

Analysing the Portrayal of Eddie Carbone as a Tragic Hero Essay

Analysing the Portrayal of Eddie Carbone as a Tragic Hero A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller is a dramatically tense tragedy that presents the story of the downfall of an ordinary man. The play examines the tragic consequences of Eddie Carbone's inability to understand himself and his actions. This predominantly takes the form of his prejudice towards his cousin and his inappropriate attraction to his niece. It is set in the 1950s and was written while Miller had become interested in the lives and work of Brooklyn's dockworkers and longshoremen. Miller uses the character of Eddie to express his viewpoint that the tragedy of the ruined life of an ordinary workingman is just as significant a subject for tragedy as that of any ancient king, God or "Caesar from Syracuse or Calabria". He presents Eddie as an equally valid antihero. Antiheroes, or Tragic heroes, are as Aristotle wrote neither wholly good nor wholly evil but a mixture of both. Eddie is not an evil man, but he acts selfishly, inappropriately and recklessly. Antiheros, unlike heroes, have fatal flaws. These enable a contemporary audience to empathise and identify with his fatally flawed relationships and disastrous choices. Being able to relate to Eddie will let the audience feel the dramatic tension of the situations he is placed in. According to Aristotle a traditional tragic hero is a person who finds himself in a situation where he seems deprived of all outward help and is forced to rely entirely on himself. A View from the Bridge is recognisable as a tragedy because Eddie is a tragic hero even though he is a stereotypical 1950s ordinary American. He is tragic because he refuses to take the help and advice offered by his lawyer, Alf... ...f instead of trying to gain control of the other characters, he would have perhaps succeeded rather than causing complete destruction. By the end of the play, Eddie cannot see any view from the bridges of Brooklyn; he only has eyes for Catherine. Unfortunately, Catherine, like Rodolpho, sees all number of possibilities and dreams that lie ahead of her. Although bridges connect things, they are also a symbol of the way things are divided. Catherine needs to move across these bridges, but Eddie dies fighting to hold onto her. Eddies story is a tragedy because it is about how he handles his hubristic character, the result of his disastrous choices and his drastic change in fortune. It takes the audience on a roller coaster of dramatic tension, ending up with his unfortunate and unnecessary death, leaving the audience in mourning for such a tragic hero.

Are Gmos Good for Our Health Essay

So, its been a long day, your exhausted, really hungry, and don’t think too much about what you want to eat. You just know that you will go for anything tasty that is fast and easy to make. Choosing what we we want to eat in this way should be familiar to all of us, its the American way: We want it and we want it now, and it always has to be better, faster, and last longer. Due to our forever growing population this demand only gets stronger and stronger; alas our creation of genetically modified organisms. The dominating corporate in charge called Monsanto promised to create this ‘miracle’ food that will feed countries around the world, last longer, and make our diets healthier. After finding out that these genetically modified foods can cause health problems and aren’t provided enough for the malnourished, third world countries, can we really say that the creation of GMOs are living up to what Monsanto is telling us? One of the main defenses for GMOs is to help out third world countries; places where starvation and malnutrition hit the hardest. An article for Times magazine titled Grains of Hope illustrates all the excitement and hope that GMOs will solve world hunger. Reporting that the new GM strain in rice creates a new species of rice called Golden Rice. â€Å"This new rice produces beta-carotene, which the human body converts into Vitamin A. † â€Å" Nearly a million children die every year because they are weakened by Vitamin A deficiency and an additional 350,000 go blind† (Robbins, 2012, pg 1). You would think that this golden rice would be the answer to all malnutrition problems, but unfortunately it is not. According to a New York Times article titled Can GMOs Help End world Hunger? , â€Å"golden rice will not grow in the kinds of soil that it must to feed the hungry. To grow properly, it requires heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides. For the poor, developing countries it is unaffordable. Plus the heavy amounts of pesticides could travel into the bloodstreams of people and make them resistant to essential antibiotics. Research shows that â€Å"an eleven year old boy would have to eat twenty-seven bowls of golden rice a day in order to satisfy his minimum requirement for the vitamin† (Robbins, 2012, pg 2). The Monsanto Corporation and other biotechnology companies have invested billions of dollars to gain control over what we eat. Their main goal is not to feed the world but to retrieve maximum profit. Part of how their doing so is by ‘monopolizing’ farmers. They do so by creating a Technology Protection System. This system creates â€Å"terminator seeds. †These seeds are altered so that they are sterile. Meaning that after the crop grows, it will not produce more seeds for farmers to harvest and grow next season. Instead, they have to buy more seeds over and over again. Due to the corporate patenting and monopolization of GM seeds, farmers also have to use excessive amounts of chemicals on their crops. â€Å"It is frequently argued that the high debt incurred by Indian farmers and resultant farmer suicides (over 250,000 since 1997) have largely resulted from the need to purchase costly pesticides and expensive seeds each year because they contain a ‘terminator’ gene† (Todhunter,2012). In the earlier times of GMOs, many farmers couldn’t wait to try out these products because the World Health Organization came out and said that they benefited agriculture productivity, human health and revived infertile crops. The World Health Organization stated in their article, Weighing in the GMO Arguments: For, â€Å"Genetically engineered resistance to pests and diseases could greatly reduce the chemicals needed for crop protection. Farmers are already growing maize cotton and potatoes that no longer have to be sprayed with bacterial insecticide. They also included that removing lignin found in trees will get rid of toxic chemicals in paper and wood made products, being healthier for people and the environment. WHO also goes on to add that â€Å"Genetic modification to become more tolerant of salt [found in infertile soil] and drought. † An article I found to support these findings called GM crops ‘aid plant neighbours’ talks about a study done in ch ina where they modified strains of cotton DNA so that the crops could make their own insecticide and solve pest problems. The results were positive, the insecticide Bacillus Thuringiensis, caused a reduction in the use of insecticide because it got rid of the cotton bollworm, a major pest to cotton. The newly engineered cotton also created greater biodiversity by attracting more lady bugs, causing the population of aphids, another cotton pest, to decrease. In the article, an advocate for organic farming shares that she agrees with the modified cotton because â€Å"organic farmers avoid pesticides by using natural processes to encourage beneficial predators. Getting rid of pests by introducing predators and reducing the use of pesticides is very similar to organic processes. † The new pest resistant crop may have been beneficial for a little while but as time went on they are began to build up in our bloodstreams. A recent study done by researchers from the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in Quebec, Canada found that ninety-three percent of maternal blood and eighty percent of fetal cord blood test positive for the Bt toxin Cry1ab, Proving that transgenic materials are not effectively broken down and eliminated during digestion. Another harmful chemical 3-MMPA, showed up in 100 percent of pregnant women’s bloodstreams. The chemical 3-MMPA is produced when our bodies metabolize gluphosinate, also found in GMOs. A study done in Europe found that gluphosinate can cause cancer, DNA damaged, and reproductive toxicity. Another recent study done by European researchers found that after feeding rats a diet of GM corn through out their lifetime have developed tumors all over their body and died prematurely. One thing Monsanto might try to tell you is that there are no long term affects to genetically modified products. Truth is, over years and years of Americans eating meat been changed overtime so that it is plumper and lasts longer has caused a growing epidemic that especially effects children. The additives we have been consuming were designed to have longer shelf lives, but the chemicals added also mimic human hormones that have estrogenic qualities and anabolic steroids. Because of these increased uses in poultry production children are starting puberty earlier and earlier. The article, Additives and Hormones in Our Food: A Growing Epidemic that effects Our Children, Includes a table showing how the trend of the onset age for puberty decreasing; showing that in 1970 the onset age for puberty was 12. 6 years old. In 2000, that number decreased to 9. 8 years old. Another growing the epidemic that is not only effecting America’s children but America as a whole is obesity. And guess what, chemicals added to our food are linked to that too. Based off of what Stephen Perrine, author of New American Diet, â€Å"We have all sorts of chemicals put into our newly, genetically engineered foods. † The Pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones that make our food more resistant to diseases and environmental stress contain obesogens. According to Perrine, â€Å"obesogens can cause heart disease,diabetes,obesity and high cholesterol. Most of the obesogens come from pesticides, non-organic produce, and GM corn-fed beef and chicken. For many years, GMOs seemed to be a great idea because they benefited agriculture productivity, human health and revived infertile crops. The whole intention for the creation of GMOs are great, they have proven to last longer and get rid of major pests and all but the fact that these modified organisms have caused major health problems to our people and haven’t benefited our poorer countries as they were suppose to, the invention of genetically modified organisms have done more bad than good. With that, people should be more careful about what they choose to eat. So, the next time you head out to go grocery shopping, look for labels for 100 percent organic foods, or go to the farmer’s market where everything is locally grown.