Ethical Issue in Pharmacy

The ethical duty of a pharmacy is to promote a patient’s best interest. However, certain obvious ethical issues will arise. Within any business involved in bulk purchasing the issue of unconscious theft will also occur. The following paper focuses on the application of ethical theories that supports as well as argues the behavior within Chaguanas Drug Mart. Chaguanas Drug Mart was established in 2008 and is no ordinary pharmacy since it provides more than your medical needs such as beautiful unusual gifts. The store stocks a range of alternative products, including pet care items, comfort food, household appliances, paper products, diabetic foods and a cosmetic counter. It is located on 10 Chaguanas Main Road which is a central location that conveniently attracts customers. Chaguanas Drug Mart believes its greatest asset is loyal, hard-working people who cooperate in a spirit of teamwork to help the company grow and prosper. Ethics involves identifying, differentiating, and defending concepts of right and wrong. The following paper focuses on [1]ethical dilemmas which are also called an ethical paradox within a pharmaceutical business by focusing on the relationship between law and ethics and applying the key ethical theories which derive from normative ethical systems which are broken down into four categories which are deontological, teleological, utilitarianism and relativism. Dilemma 1- Pharmacy technicians’ and floor employees access to controlled substances The drugs prescribed by a qualified medical professional are known as prescription drugs. The explosion of prescribing and consuming legal narcotics and controlled drugs is known as drug diversion which has become an ethical dilemma within the pharmaceutical industry. Within Chaguanas Drug Mart, taking prescription drugs without the necessary doctor’s prescription has become a justifiable norm. However, whether it is obtained initially for a legitimate medical purpose, there are ethical implications. According to Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) deontological or duty-based ethics had an interesting theory that places special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human actions. This ethical theory is applied to the issue of filling prescriptions for narcotic analgesics or pain relievers; benzodiazepines or therapeutic tranquilizers; stimulants; and barbiturates or sedatives by the technicians within Chaguanas Drug Mart as unlawful. It is stated that prescription drug diversion involves the unlawful channelling of regulated pharmaceuticals from legal sources to the illicit marketplace, which according to the Kantian rule under categorical imperative human beings occupy a special place in creation, and morality can be summed up in one ultimate commandment of reason, or imperative, from which all duties and obligations derive such as a prescription drug may only be sold by a pharmacist when authorised by a written prescription from a medical practitioner. Pharmacist believe they are serving man kind by issuing life-saving drugs and ensuring that people who need their products have access to them and consequentialism supports this belief. Consequentialists are the view that normative properties depend only on consequences. Therefore an ethical analysis is only worthwhile if it ultimately leads to action and is simply a basis for making individual decisions, where the bottom line is â€Å"to each his own. Jeremy Bentham (1789), John Stuart Mill (1861), and Henry Sidgwick (1907) indicate Act Consequentialism is the claim that an act is morally right if and only if that act maximizes the good, that is, if and only if the total amount of good for all minus the total amount of bad for all is greater than this net amount for any incompatible act available to the agent on that occasion. The issuing of prescription drugs without the doctor’s permission is a good that has outweighed the risks since most patients cannot afford another vi sit or are still experiencing pain after the prescription has â€Å"run out†. Many customers are relatives or friends of the workers and are aware that the drugs are the only source to relief but do not go to the doctor for the necessary documents since there is easy access to the items such as antibiotics. Those who work in the medical field know that protecting patient safety is the ultimate ethical principle; therefore the argument is twofold where technicians face many ethical dilemmas because the total amount of good minuses the total the amount of bad however Kantian argues that the wrong thing regardless of how justifiable is till the wrong thing. The ethical dilemma is resolved however by placing inventory checks on all prescription drugs within the business which will manage the supply and movement of stock/Inventory. Although this may not completely solve the current issue, it will certainly limit the level of diversion. Dilemma 2- Employee monitoring in the work environment Employee monitoring has emerged as a necessity and is the act of watching and monitoring employees’ actions during working hours using employer equipment/property (Raposa & Mujtaba, 2003). Within the company, employees have disregarded the term staff discount by practicing in unethical behaviour which encompasses stealing the drugstore supplies as well as time theft. Although time theft can be a more subtle form of unethical behaviour, according to Aristotle’s perspective in applying moral absolutism to this dilemma, it is seen that any way you look at it, taking something that doesn’t belong to you is stealing. Moral absolutism is the ethical view that certain actions are absolutely right or wrong, regardless of other contexts such as their consequences or the intentions behind them which is also supported by Immanuel Kant’s deontology. Kant's argument that to act in the morally right way, one must act from duty begins with an argument that the highest good must be intrinsically good. However, moral absolutism can be debated with relativism which is subjective and includes concepts such as utilitarianism and idealism. Utilitarianism can be applied since it is the idea that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its outcome. Mill's (1806-1873) rule utilitarianism is much more relative in that he encourages people to do acts that are pleasurable to themselves as long as they are what he calls a â€Å"higher pleasure†. Moral Absolutism versus utilitarianism is two extreme ethical approaches to reality. While they are both valid and supported by facts, they are very contrasting in their views with regards to employee monitoring in the work environment. Most employees consider themselves a paragon of virtues – loyal, hard working and honest, however even minor pilfering from the office amounts to stealing and has become the norm, not the exception at Chaguanas Drug Mart. Most employee theft is as a result of an employee being dissatisfied with the job or circumstances within the job and this ethical dilemma could be resolved by speaking with the employees to gain awareness of job satisfaction and how to make the job more rewarding. Many companies, because of lack of controls and a casual attitude toward employee theft, provide an inviting opportunity for an employee who has a tendency to steal. In many cases, employees, provided with a wealth of opportunities to steal, consider company property as their own. Although (Murphy, 1993) indicated that The propensity for employees to steal seems to be related to the individual's need, opportunity, skills, and attitude toward committing an illegal act, a study performed by Deloitte & Touche USA Ethics & Workplace (2007) showed there is a strong relationship between ethics and work-life balance. In fact 91 percent of respondents stated they believe â€Å"workers are more likely to behave ethically at work when they have a work-life balance. † The moral development of individuals (Greenberg, 2002) concerning ethical maturity to choose right from wrong in ethical dilemmas was found to be inversely related to theft. Research on employee deviant behaviour has shown that workers model their behaviours on those of their co-workers or work group members (Robinson & O'Leary-Kelly 1998), and the ethical concepts applied the importance of employer to employee communication to instil what is wrong even though it may appear to be morally right as in the case of issuing prescription drugs without a prescription which is justifiable as doing the right thing. Since employee theft is a critical problem in many organizations (Murphy, 1993), any additional understanding of its causes and correlates assists in taking action to decrease theft rates.

Synthesis of Salicylic Acid and Potentiometric Determination of Its Purity and Dissociation Constant

Synthesis of Salicylic Acid and Potentiometric Determination of its Purity and Dissociation Constant ————————————————- Abstract The purpose of the study is to synthesize salicylic acid from the ester, methyl salicylate, and determine the acid’s dissociation constant and purity. The ester was converted to salicylic acid by base hydrolysis. The products were refluxed and recrystallized, to ensure maximum purity, and filtered, dried, and weighed. The melting point of the product was determined using a Fischer-Johns melting point apparatus. The acid then dissolved in separate beakers with 95% ethanol and water and titrated with 0. 050 M NaOH, previously standardized with potassium hydrogen phthalate, through potentiometric titration. The pH after addition of base was measured and plotted against the volume of titrant added using three different plots. Results show a 61. 0% yield and the melting point differed from the theoretical by a range of 3. 11-6. 83%. The pKa calculated was 2. 865, differing from the literature value of 2. 98, by 3. 86%. The theoretical purity of the sample was 100. 0%, which differed with the experimental one by 1. %; the experimental purity is 101. 7%. Potentiometric titration proves to be adequate in the determination of the acid dissociation constant and purity of a sample. Aside from that, the synthesis proved adequate given the high purity of the product. ————————————————- Keywords : acid dissociation constant purity melting point ester INTRODUCTION Potentiometric methods of analysis are based on measuring the potential of electrochemical cells without drawing much, appreciable current. For centuries, potentiometry has been used to locate the endpoint in most titration set-ups. Skoog, et al. , 2004). Potentiometric methods offer a myriad of advantages, its main advantage being its low operational costs. Voltmeters and electrodes are, generally, far cheaper than most modern scientific instruments. Models suitable for direct potentiometry in field work, away from the laboratory, are inexpensive, compact, and easy to use. Essentially nondestructive of the sample, i. e. , insertion of the electrode does not drastically change the composition of the test solution (except for the slight leakage of electrolytes from the reference electrode), electrodes are relatively free from interferences. Stable potential readings are attained fairly rapidly and voltages are easily recorded as functions of time. Finally, the wide range of analyte activities, over which some of the available indicator electrodes exhibit stable, nearly Nernstian responses, represents an important advantage (Day and Underwood, 1991). Potentiometric titrations involve measurement of the potential of a suitable indicator electrode as a function of titrant volume. This indicator electrode is speecific to the hydronium ion, H3O+. It offers adavantages over direct potentiometry in that it is not dependent on measuring absolute values of Ecell. This is due to having the measurement based on the titrant volume that causes a rapid change in potential near the equivalence point. This makes the process relatively free from the juction potential uncertainties as this potential remains approximately constant during the titration process. Instead, the titration results depend heavily on having a titrant with accurately known concentration. The instrument merely signals the endpoint and behaves like a regular chemical indicator. Aside from that, the reference electrode potential need not be known. Most importantly, ionic strength effects are not important in the titration procedure because the result is analyte concentration, even if the electrode responds to activities. The dissociation of a weak monoprotic acid is given by the equation HA – H+ + A– (1) [H+][A–] [HA] where HA is the monoprotic acid, and A– is its conjugate base. The corresponding equilibrium constant for this acid dissociation is defined as Ka = (2) Ka[HA] [A–] which, when seeking to find [H+], rearranges to [H+] = (3) Prior to the equivalence point, before any titrant was added and the analyte is the only species present in solution, the pH of the system is calculated from the concentration of that analyte and its dissociation constant. In the case where a weak monoprotic acid is being titrated with a strong base, subsequent addition of the titrant will cause a reaction to occur between the acid and the base. HA + OH– > H2O + A– (4) The presence of the acid and its conjugate base in solution will cause the formation of a buffer solution, which are solutions that resist a drastic change in pH, should a strong acid or base be added to the system. At these points, the slope of a constructed titration curve is at its minimum. This is the pre-equivalence point. There is a point during the pre-equivalence point region wherein both the acid and its conjugate base are present in equal amounts. This occurs when half of the acid has been neutralized, or when the titration is at the half-equivalence point. At this point, the buffering capacity of the system is at its maximum. Aside from that, simplifying Eq. 3 at this point by inspection, the [H+] is equal to that of the Ka. Taking the negative of the logarithm of both sides, one will be able to get the relation pH = pKa (Skoog, et al. , 2004). Thus, the dissociation constant may be computed through determining the pH at half-equivalence point. This experiment will use salicylic acid as the analyte. Salicylic acid, Fig. 1. Salicylic acid is a weak monoprotic acid, capable of releasing the acidic hydrogen connected to the –COOH group. The hydrogen of the phenol group is hard to release because the oxygen is stabilized by resonance. Salicylic acid is a naturally occuring substance, usually produced by plants. It is found mainly in the willow's leaves and bark. The pure acid possesses several useful medicinal properties. It is an antipyretic (fever reducer), analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-inflammatory (swelling reducer). However, pure salicylic acid makes for an extremely unpleasant medicine. Salicylic acid contains two acidic functional groups, the phenolic (C6H5OH) and the carboxylic acid (RCOOH) groups. These groups cause the acid to be an irritating substance that burns the delicate lining of the mouth, throat, and stomach, hence its esterification to acetylsalicylic acid or aspirin, before ingestion as analgesic (Reed College, 2009). Esterificaton is the process by which a carboxylic acid is transformed to an ester. Esters are organic compounds that are derived usually by reacting a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. The general formula for esters is with the RC=O group derived from the parent carboxylic acid, and the –OR’ group from the parent alcohol. The mechanism for the reaction of the alcohol and carboxylic acid to form the ester is as follows: Fig. 2. Mechanism of Esterification from a Carboxylic acid RCOOH and alcohol R’OH Esters may also be synthesized by reacting the carboxylic acid with other reagents such as SOCl2 to form the acyl chloride, which will then be treated with an alcohol in pyridine, to esterify it. Esters are among the most widespread of all naturally occuring compounds. Many esters are pleasant-smelling liquids that are responsible for the fragrant odor of fruits and flowers. For example, methyl butanoate is found n pineapple oil and isopentyl acetate is a constituent of banana oil. The ester linkage is also present in animal fats and other biologically important molecules. The chemical industry also uses esters for a variety of purposes. Ethyl acetate, for example, is commonly used as a solvent while many dialkyl phthalates are used as plasticizers to keep polymers from being brittle (McMurry, 2004) . Methyl salicylate is produced by many plants. It was first isolated from wintergreen leaves, Gaulthea procumbens, and is commonly known as oil of wintergreen. Fig. 3. Methyl salicylate An ester of salicylic acid and methanol, it masks one of the acidic hydrogens in salicylic acid by replacing it with a methyl (CH3–) group. Hence, it is a relatively unreactive compound that does not release salicylic acid efficiently into the body. It is, therefore, not an effective analgesic, or pain-killer. However, it is added to many products, notably for its fragrance, especially root beer and liniments. In order for it to be activated, methyl salicylate must be converted to salicylic acid by organic synthesis, specifically through saponification, a process not unlike that undergone by animal fats to become soaps (McMurry, 2004). In this experiment, salicylic acid will be synthesized from methyl salicylate by base hydrolysis. Its dissociation constant will also be measured through potentiometric titration. Likewise, the percentage of purity the salicylic acid used in the reaction will be likewise determined. METHODOLOGY In synthesizing salicylic acid, 1. 2 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were dissolved in 7 mL water in a round bottom flask.. Half of a milliliter (0. 5 mL) of methyl salicylate was added to this mixture. The mixture was then efluxed for 15 minutes and cooled to room temperature. One-milliliter increments of 3 M sulfuric acid (H2SO4) were added until the formation of a white precipitate, salicylic acid. Half of a milliliter (0. 5 mL) of the acid was added to ensure complete precipitation of the product. The mixture was then cooled in an ice water bath with a temperature of at most 5 °C for the reaction to subside. The product was then filtered and rinsed with cold water, and recrystallized in wat er. The solids were then filtered on a pre-weighed filter paper and air-dried in the locker. When dried, the solids, along with the filter paper, were weighed and the melting point determined. Two hundred and fifty milliliters (250 mL) of 0. 50 M stock sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution was then prepared. From this solution, 250 mL of 0. 050 M standard solution was prepared for the titration. This solution was then standardized with 0. 2000 g 99. 95% potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) and phenolphthalein as indicator to the pale pink endpoint. Two more trials were done. Three samples of pure salicylic acid were weighed at approximately 0. 000 g and placed in three separate 250-mL beakers. A minimum amount of 95% ethanol was then added to dissolve the acid, and was diluted with 50. 00 mL distilled water. The electrode was first calibrated such that it would relate the developed potential to the pH. At this point, the potential would be measured as pH when increments of the titrant are successively added. The base burette, pH meter, and magnetic stirrer were set up according to Fig. 6. Fig. 6. Potentiometric titration set-up A spin bar was place inside the beaker with the sample solution. The electrode was also positioned such that it would not get hit with the spin bar. The pH of the set-up was first measured prior to addition of base. For the first trial, 1. 00 mL of the titrant was added to the analyte and the pH recorded. This was done until the pH was 11. 50. From there, the equivalence point was approximated based on the volume of the titrant that caused a large change in pH. For the two succeeding trials, 1. 00 mL of the titrant was added to the analyte. At  ±5. 00 mL of the equivalence point, the volume of titrant added was reduced to 0. 0 mL increments. At  ±3. 00 mL and  ±2. 00 mL of the equivalence point, it was further reduced to 0. 20 mL and 0. 10 mL, respectively. The titration contnued beyond 5. 00 mL of the equivalence point using 0. 50 mL of titrant until the pH registered was 11. 00. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Methyl salicylate reacts with a strong base in the following manner: Fig. 4. Base hydrolysis of methyl salicylate The methoxy group of the e ster is substituted by the hydroxide ion through nucleophilic acyl substitution. The hydroxide attaches itself to the carboxylic carbon. A fast proton transfer from the hydroxide to the methoxy group occurs such that the methoxy gets protonated and leaves the substrate. The sodium ions stabilize the negative charge of the salicylate ion predominantly found near the two oxygens of the ion. The solution was then refluxed to prevent loss of material and to prevent the inclusion of impurities in the product. After cooling to room temperature, 1. 00 mL of 3M sulfuric acid (H2SO4) until salicylic acid starts precipitating as a white solid. To complete the precipitation, 0. 50 mL of the strong acid was added to the mixture. At this point, the salicylate ion is protonated and the final product, salicylic acid, forms through the reaction: Fig. 5. Protonation of the phenolate and carboxylate groups of the salicylate ion The flask containing the precipitate was then doused in cold water to stop the reaction. Cold water was used in rinsing the solid after filtration to wash out impurities that were insoluble in the solvent. The solid was recrystallized in hot water. Dissolving the solids in hot water generally increases the solubility of the substances, hence the solids dissolve along with the soluble impurities. The mixture was then allowed to cool slowly. As the solution cools, the solubility of the compound (and of the soluble impurities) decreases, the solution becomes saturated with the desired compound, and the compound begins to crystallize. Because formation of crystals is a highly selective process that usually excludes foreign molecules, only crystals of the desired compound form. Because the soluble impurities are present in smaller amounts, the solution never becomes saturated with the impurities, so the impurities remain in solution even after the solution has cooled. Removing the solution from the crystals thus removes the solvent and the soluble impurities from the desired crystals. A final rinse of minimum ice water ensures the displacement of the impurities still clinging on the surface of the product (â€Å"Recrystallization,† accessed 6 Sept 2010). After it was recystallized, the solid was filtered again in a pre-weighed filter paper. The filter paper used in filtering the solid weighed 1. 0349  ± 0. 0002 g. The mass of the dried product and the filter paper was 1. 3610  ± 0. 0002 g; this means that 0. 3261  ± 0. 0003 g was synthesized. Theoretically, with methyl salicylate as the limiting reagent, the mass of salicylic acid should be 0. 5400 g. Computing for the %yield, would give 61. 0%. In the determination of the melting point, the observed range of the melting point was 150-156 °C. Comparing with the theoretical value, 161 °C, the relative error lies within the range 3. 11-6. 83%. Therefore, the synthesized salicylic acid has a high purity as exhibited by the magnitude of the relative error. This could justify the %yield given that recrystallization might have caused a loss of material due to the increase of the number of steps involved. It should be noted that in organic synthesis, steps leading to the target molecule do not give 100% yield, hence, increasing the number of steps would decrease the %yield. Aside from that, the low yield could be attributed to the accidental rapid cooling that occurred during the recrystallization process. In a titration curve, there are three important regions: pre-equivalence point, equivalence point, and post-equivalence point. For the titration of salicylic acid with NaOH, the pre-equivalence point is characterized by the dependence of pH on the concentration of salicylic acid. Let salicylic acid be HA; prior to addition of the base, the pH can be calculated by the concentration of HA and its acid dissociation constant, Ka. When the base is added, HA reacts with the hydroxide ion (OH– ) according to the Eq. 4 stated above. Therefore, one has a buffer solution comprised of salicylic acid and salicylate. At equivalence point, all of the acid has been converted into its conjugate base. This base will hydrolyze with water through the reaction A– + H2O > HA + OH– (6) reforming a small portion of the acid. At the equivalence point, the slope of the titration curve is at its steepest. The pH at this point is dependent upon the conjugate base formed and its base dissociation constant, Kb. Beyond the equivalence point, the post-equivalence point, the pH is dependent on the concentration of the excess titrant added. This is because the contribution of the conjugate base is very small and, therefore, negligible compared to that of sodium hydroxide. However, salicylate is still the dominant species of salicylic acid present in solution. A distinction between equivalence point and endpoint should be established when titrating. Skoog, (2004), states that the equivalence point is the point in titration where the amount of titrant added is chemically equivalent to that of the analyte in solution. The endpoint is a point during titration wherein an observable change signals that the amount of titrant added is chemically equivalent with that of the analyte. The endpoint may not necessarily coincide with the equivalence point, especially in neutralization titrations. It may come earlier or later than the equivalence point, depending on the indicator used. This difference pf volume at equivalent and endpoint is known as titration error. In potentiometric titration, no chemical indicator is required. Instead, the endpoint is characterized by the drastic change in pX, measured by the electrode. X may be H3O+, OH–, a cation or anion, or any substance participating in the titrimetric reaction (Day and Underwood, 1991). In this case, the volume of titrant that contributes to the greatest change in pH is the volume required to completely titrate the salicylic acid in solution. Thus, the increments of addition of titrant are narrowed down as the equivalence point is reached because that way, the equivalence point will not be missed. Aside from that, the exact volume of titrant required for complete reaction of the analyte would be detected. Prior to titration and dilution with water, the salicylic acid was dissolved with a minimal amount of 95% ethanol. Salicylic acid is sparingly soluble in water, a polar solvent that can hydrogen-bond with solutes that can hydrogen-bond with its molecules. This is due to the acid having more than 6 carbons increasing its non-polarity, although it has oxygen that can form hydrogen bonds with water (McMurry, 2004). Adding ethanol reduces the polarity of the solvent, facilitating dissolution of the acid. It was noted that some of the acid reprecipitated upon addition of water. Thus, a minimum amount of 95% ethanol was again added to dissolve the acid. In the experiment, the electrode was also not lowered while the bar was spinning as air bubbles would adhere on its surface causing an error in the measurement of pH. Constant stirring is important in potentiometric titrations, as in other types of titrimetric analyses. Stirring is done because it will cause the titrant to react not just with the surface of the analyte where it dropped but with the entirety of the analyte solution. This way, the reaction will go to completion and minimal error will be observed. The volumes used for standardization of NaOH with KHP as primary standard are tabulated in Table 2 in the Appendix. Standardization of sodium hydroxide gave 0. 04633 M NaOH. This value was used in the determination of the percentage of purity (%purity) of the salicylic acid sample. For the determination of the equivalence point volume, three plots were done for each trial. The first plot is the graph between pH vs. volume of titrant. The second is the first derivative plot with which ? pH/? V was plotted against V’, where ? pH and ? V are the change in pH and the volume added between two consecutive readings, respectively, and V’ is the average volume between two consecutive readings. The third plot is the second derivative plot between ? 2pH/? V2 and V†. The ordinate of the graph, ? 2pH/? V2, was obtained by taking the quotient of the difference between two consecutive readings of ? pH/? V, and ? V, whereas V† is the average of the two consecutive readings of V’. Only two trials were done because of the inadequacy of the time. The graphs for the first trial are: a) (b) (c) Fig. 7. Titration Curves for the First Trial. (a) pH vs Vtitrant; (b) ? pH/? V vs V’; (c) ? 2pH/? V2 vs V† MNaOHVNaOH at eq ptFWsalicylic acid Gsample The graph for the second trial may be found at the Appendix. Either of the three graphs of Figs. 7 and 8 may be used in the determination of %purity for each trial. The equation used for determining the %pu rity, specifically for this experiment is %purity = x 100 (7) Thus, the volume of titrant used at equivalence point is required for the calculation. The interpolated values of the volume at equivalence point are tabulated in Table 3 in the Appendix. Calculation of the mean %purity is 101. 7%, having an error of 1. 7%, as the theoretical value is 100. 0%. The pKa is based on the pH at half-equivalence point by virtue of the derivation of Eq. 3. Onle Figs. 7a and 8a may be used for the determination of pKa as the other four do not directly give the pH at each point. The interpolated values for the pH at half-equivalence point is tabulated at Table 3 in the Appendix. The experimental pKa is 2. 865. Therefore, the Ka of the acid, given Ka = –log[Ka] (7) or Ka = 10–pKa (8) is 1. 3646 x 10–3. The theoretical pKa is equal to 2. 98. Thus, the pKa value gave rise to a 3. 86% error. Statistical analysis of the results shows the following results: Table 1. Statistical Analysis of the Results | Range| Standard Deviation| %purity| 15. 7%| 11. 1%| pKa| 0. 21| 0. 148| | Relative Standard Deviation (RSD), ppt| Confidence Int ervals (95% confidence)| %purity| 109. 1| 101. 7  ± 99. 7 %| pKa| 51. 8| 2. 865  ± 1. 334| The RSD of %purity is relatively large such that the values have low precision. Aside from that, the confidence intervals for the mean is also large such that it almost has the same order of magnitude as that of the mean. This means that the mean exhibits very low accuracy. With regards to the pKa, the RSD showed a low value, only 51. 8 ppt, implying high precision amongst the values. On the other hand, the mean value shows low accuracy because of the magnitude of the confidence intervals. These errors could be attributed to the number of trials. Due to inadequate time, the group was only able to do 2 trials, one less than the prescribed number of trials. CONCLUSIONS The experiment aimed at synthesizing salicylic acid from methyl salicylate and determining the acid dissociation constant Ka of the acid along with its purity. Organic synthesis provided a 61% yield of the acid, a relatively low yield. However, the purity of the acid can be classified as high due to the observed melting point range’s precision with the theoretical one; the %differenceis only 3. 11-6. 38%. The results of the potentiometric titration show that the salicylic acid used was 101. 7% pure, a value greater than the purity, which is 100%. The Ka, expressed as pKa, obtained was 2. 865, 0. 035 units less than the theoretical value, which is 2. 98. Though the %differences are low, the accuracy of the computed values is questionable given that the confidence intervals for the %purity and pKa are  ± 99. 7 and  ± 1. 334, respectively. These errors can be attributed to the number of trials done, which is two, due to the slow stabilization of the pH meter readings that resulted in a long period of titration. Thus, it can be concluded that potentiometric titration is an effective way of determining the acid dissociation constant of a sample. It is recommended that a better pH meter be used in the measurement of the pH and that solutions used be titrated immediately. REFERENCES [1] Day, R. A. and A. L. Underwood. (1991). Quantitative Analysis. Sixth Edition. Prentice Hall, Inc. , USA. [2] â€Å"Experiment 3: Synthesis of Salicylic Acid from Oil of Wintergreen (Methyl Salicylate). † Laboratory Reference Manual Chemistry 201/202. Reed College. Accessed 6 September 2010 ;http://academic. reed. edu/chemistry/alan/ 201_202/lab_manual/Expt_salicylic_acid/background. html; [3] McMurry, J. (2004). Organic Chemistry. Sixth Edition. Brooks/Cole – Thomson Learning, CA, USA. [4] †Recrystallization. † University of Massachussetts. Accessed 6 September 2010 ;http:// www. chem. umass. edu/~samal/269/ cryst1. pdf; [5] Skoog, D. A. , D. M. West, F. J. Holler, S. R. Crouch. (2004). Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry. Eighth Edition. Brooks/Cole – Thomson Learning, CA, USA. APPENDIX Gfilter paper = 1. 0349  ± 0. 0002 g Gfilter paper and dried product = 1. 3610  ± 0. 0002 g Gdried product = 0. 3261  ± 0. 0003 g %yield = 61. 0% Observed melting point range: 150-156 °C %difference = 3. 11-6. 83% 1 ° standard used;: potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) purity = 99. 95% Table 2. Standardization of NaOH Trial| Mass of KHP, g| Vtitrant, mL| Molarity, M| 1| 0. 2030| 21. 30| 0. 04664| 2| 0. 2175| 23. 00| 0. 04628| 3| 0. 2043| 21. 70| 0. 04608| Average Molarity, M| 0. 04633| Table 3. Sample Analysis Trial| Gsalicylic acid, g| Vtitrant at eq. pt. , mL| % purity| pH at half-eq. pt. (pKa)| 1| 0. 11 25| 16. 50| 93. 86| 2. 76| 2| 0. 1031| 17. 65| 109. 6| 2. 97| 3| -| -| -| -| Average pKa = 2. 865 Average %purity = 101. 7% Plot of the Second Trial: (a) (b) (c) Fig. 8. Titration Curves for the Second Trial. (a) pH vs Vtitrant; (b) ? pH/? V vs V’; (c) ? 2pH/? V2 vs V†

Explaining the American Renaissance Paper Essay

Explaining the American Renaissance Paper - Essay Example an appendage to Europe was too much to bear and Emerson in a belligerent Phi Beta Kappa Address at Harvard in 1837 boldly declared "We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds...† (Emerson, Aug 31, 1837) This clarion call for breaking the shackles opened the floodgates of American writing which for the first time transcended the boundaries of utilitarian, political, and spiritual writing (which had till then been the dominant nature of American output) and metamorphosed into true literature. All American writing however was not utilitarian, political or spiritual before the advent of Emerson and his group of Transcendentalists located at Concord, Massachusetts. American literary scene had eminently powerful exponents in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Lowell who in their own way were depicting the nuances of American psyche. But these gentlemen, and a few more similar to them, were steeped in European culture and what they were attempting was in effect to pour the American experience in a European mold to obtain something which had American flavor but European form. Lowell, in particular, in Harvard Commemoration Ode (1865) was at his creative best. The problem which these intellectuals faced was the absence of a European backdrop in American countryside. There were no Rolling Meadows or Lake Districts to foster creative juices of these authors, and above all, there were no legends or tales of grandeur, glory or tragedy that had formed the canvas of many a European masterpiece. This absence of a familiar environment perhaps forced Edgar Allen Poe to import an Italian backdrop to add necessary weight and flavor to one of his creations. A reaction to this overdependence on Europe divorced from the realities of America was waiting to happen and took shape in the form of American Renaissance. The credit of coining the term â€Å"American Renaissance† goes to F. O. Matthiessen who used this new

What are the problem with the Aral sea Research Paper

What are the problem with the Aral sea - Research Paper Example Aral is translated in Kazakh to mean â€Å"island†. These islands form one important highway referred as the Silk Road, which lead all the way from Asia to Europe (STONE, 1999). In the recent years, Aral has attracted the world attention following its great degradation, a factor that has been termed one of the worst man-made disasters of this age. Currently, this sea is ranked the eighth largest after dropping four steps down from its previous fourth position. The problems experienced today are traced back to moves made in the past that saw water from rivers Syrdarya and Amudarya diverted for use in irrigation. Consequently, the sea underwent serious shrinkage that altered the climate and thus livelihood of many people whom once dependent on these sea. General Problem Background The period marking 1960s experience a robust increase in irrigation activities, this in turn posed serious implications on Aral ecosystem. Such is the case that the Amudarya delta that is situated on t he southern side of the sea formed a significant irrigation area approximated to cover about 28,000 sq. km. This area was used in the production of cotton and rice considered the most lucrative crops in the region. Following the onset of cold war, this region was set apart by former U.S.S.R to serve as a land that would offer freedom from the west. Although considered less productive, the planners never considered the possible desertification occurrence. Today, the Aral Sea faces a risk of vanishing after it retreated more than 100 km from its initial boundaries. People visiting this place will come across fishing boats abandoned and other marine equipment scattered all over the place. In addition, the area is marked by dusty plains that were once covered with water (Pala, 2005). The area began experiencing the negative effects after the water quantity diminished significantly to cause a rise in salinity. Consequently, the highly saline environment proved toxic to fishes and other w ildlife living in the sea. The first case of this drastic rise in salinity was reported between 1970 and 1974, when it was insinuated to have risen from 12 – 14 percent. By early 1980s, the salinity level stroked a 23 percent mark, a factor that left close to 60, 0000 people jobless due to reduction in fish. This period marked the end of commercial fishing and many other related businesses. Further reports insinuate that 200 species of the known 500 species of birds existing in the region have perished in the last four decades. As it is now, waters from Syrdarya in the north and Amudarya in the south hardly reach the sea, thanks to the heavy diversions to cater for the many irrigation activities in the region. The period between 1960 and 1995 realized a great decrease in the sea’s surface area following a loss of about three quarters of the total water volume (Pala, 2006).This also marked a significant reduction in the water depth which is placed at 19 meters. Another significant damage relates to NE winds that are said to blow off salty dust from the sea to area close and far. This process has been linked to transfer of millions of tons of salt dust every year. Such is the case that aerosols are blown into higher layers forming the atmosphere, which later spread across the globe (Glantz, 1999).This is true, as evidence gathered from Antarctic penguin showed traces of pesticides used in the Aral region. This dust forms from mixtures of agricultural chemicals and the frequently used fertilizer considered toxic to both humans and animals. In this region, the salt and pesticide used find its way deep into the ground water, a

Students that Mixing Work and Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Students that Mixing Work and Study - Essay Example Different old studies have shown that part-time jobs have helped students in gaining independence and responsibility; it has enhanced their confidence and assisted in their personal development (Robinson, 1999). For some students, however, part-time jobs are nothing but a burden, under which they are bound to pay for enormous financial liabilities of college expenses and/or debts. With an enormously large, and at times unaffordable, amount of college expenses that are not merely limited to tuition fee, full-time students are bound to take on a part-time job. Where it is deemed to be a healthy experience for students to learn to square the conflicting demands of school and work, the accompanying stress and emotional burdens that this inevitable routine brings is a critical problem that many full-time students have to face these days. It is imperative that for this underlying problem, a feasible solution is designed by the state authorities, but more importantly by the colleges themselves, on an independent basis. According to the US Department of Education (2011), the net price of college has risen almost 6 per cent over the last decade after inflation. Arne Duncan, the US Secretary of Education has discussed, in an address to the annual Federal Student Aid conference, to contain the rising costs of college and lessen the load of student debt. While decisions on a state level are anticipated to take shape ‘in a while’, it is suggested to colleges to provide financial assistance: like tuition grants, college-sponsored student scholarships, and low-interest loans, to full-time students who are working part-time.

Database Implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Database Implementation - Essay Example Database is said to be normalized if only it is in 3NF. The following rules are followed when normalizing a table in the 1NF for an organized database. The first step involves the eliminating of the columns which are in the same table; the second step is to create a separate table for every group of the related data then identifies every row with the unique columns that is the primary key. The tables in Community library database have not met the requirement of the 1NF, 2NF, and 3 NF since different columns in the tables has been repeated. The columns of the table repeatedly include the column of the data type, length and descriptions. This table can be created as a one table as shown below; This step addresses a concept of removing data which are repeated in a given table. It has rules which must be followed during normalization. The first step is making sure that the requirements in the first normal form are met. Secondly, remove the subsets of data which multiples the rows of the table then place the data in different tables. The third step is creating the relationships between the tables as well as, predecessors by use of the foreign keys (Coronel, 2011). Data should always be organized properly in the database. It is done by creating tables as well as, establishing the relationships between the tables in regard to the rules designed to protect the data and to make database to be flexible by removing the redundancy as well as, inconsistent dependency. Redundant data is known to be wasting the disk space as well as, creating the maintenance problems. If the data which exists in many places must be changed, the data must be changed in precisely to the same way in all

Choose a recent IS security breach or service outage that has been in Essay

Choose a recent IS security breach or service outage that has been in the media - Essay Example As a result of this breach records of more than 40 million workers were stolen. Additionally, the significant influence of such cyber attack that stole data and information on the businesss Secur-ID verification tokens is yet being debated. According to the management of RSA, two separate hacker groups working in the organization with an overseas supervision to begin a set of spear phishing based security attacks beside RSA workers, demonstrating like people the workers relied, to infiltrate the businesss network. In this scenario, EMC stated that in last July it had used-up as a minimum $66 million on remediation. However, RSA administrative staff believes that there was no harm to clients networks. Additionally, the management of RSA has not supported the matter by initially being unclear regarding both the security based attack vector and (more notably) the information that was stolen (Armerding; Bell; Cate). In addition, it was simply a matter of time previous to following security based attacks on Lockheed-Martin, L3, and others happened, all of those are supposed to be particularly supported by RSA breach. In this scenario, many people believe that it is just a psychological damage. Without a doubt, this security breach was very harmful and critical just not simply because of the damage it caused, however as well in the scenario of the miserable danger that it drove into each CIO who misplaced the warm-and-fuzzy situation that the reliability of his/her enterprise verification model was undamaged (Armerding; Bell; Cate). Moreover, the bank had to face the loss of more than $100 to put back identification tokens that left their computers susceptible to spying. According to the management of RSA, clients have suggested them to follow a number of prevention practices. However, the bank is seriously considering the suggestions of their customers. And it is currently

Stages in the Model of Planned Organizational Change Essay

Stages in the Model of Planned Organizational Change - Essay Example Before going to discuss stages in the model of planned organizational change, let us get a better understanding of what organizational change actually is. Organizational change refers to those changes that occur in the organization due to the influence of various external and internal forces. Rasing (2010) states, â€Å"The key to organizational change and development lies in the understanding of people's requirements and work towards it†. External and internal forces of change not only affect organizational policies but also but also affect organizational structure. Organizational change is a very important process related to roles and cultural management of a company. It refers to the changes in overall behaviors and roles of the employees of a company for bringing improvement in the overall productivity of the company. There are four main activities involved in the model of planned organizational change, which include entering, diagnosing, planning and implementing change, and evaluating and institutionalizing change. Let us discuss all of these activities in order to know what role they play in bringing change in any specific organization. Stage 1: Entering and Contracting Entering and contracting is the first set of activities involved in the planned organizational change. In this stage, managers decide whether they need to enter into the activity of organizational change or not.

Christmas tree Essay Example for Free

Christmas tree Essay Art is an object or piece of work that brings one pleasure. Art is also something you see or feel and you cannot even begin to describe the ways you like it or how it makes you feel. Art is something that portrays beauty and happiness. Art lets you see the world through another person’s perspective. Most art seems to tell a story about where a person has been and the things they have encountered along the way. It lets you connect with the artist and see things through their eyes. Art is a way of expressing one’s self without words. When I think of art, I think of paintings, portraits, sketches, and sculptures. I know there are many other forms of art, but my favorite form is painting. I normally respond first to the mood of the art and the idea it brings to mind. I like art that makes me feel happy. Second I would say I respond to the colors in the art. I like warm and soothing colors. I prefer scenery in art work. I like paintings of autumn, filled with warm oranges and yellows in the trees, country roads covered with fallen leaves. Those kinds of paintings make me feel warm and happy. One of my favorite autumn scenes is by Robert A Tino, a local artist in Sevierville, TN. It is called Autumn Psalm. It is a small country church setting just off of a country road lined with trees. The trees in the painting are almost bare, and the beautiful autumn leaves are scattered on the ground. This painting gives me a sense of peace and happiness. The content of art is not quite as important to me as the way it makes me feel. I love works of art that portray a place that I have been or know. It is nice to see something you are familiar with from another person’s perspective. For instance, Harrisburg Holiday, another great work of art by Robert A Tino. It is a painting of a covered bridge that I am very familiar with, but he has painted it as he saw it in 1975. It is a beautiful winter scene. He paints the roads covered with snow and an old red Chevy truck hauling a Christmas tree. The scene has two snowmen at the entrance to the covered bridge. It fills your heart with warmth and holiday spirit just to look at it. Portraits to me are art in a different sense. Some of my favorite portraits are by Martin Waugh. It is what he calls Liquid Sculpture. He uses high speed photography to capture drops of liquid as the splash into lakes and other bodies of water. To me there is just something so soothing about his work. It is amazing how a tiny drop of liquid can create such a beautiful work of art. His work impresses me, because I never really thought of liquid as art before I saw one of his photos. The formal qualities of art work are somewhat important. I like paintings that flow smoothly with very fine brush strokes. I think some of the most beautiful art work is produced with a combination of canvas and oil paints. I like portraits that capture images I normally could not see otherwise. Portraits that capture the colors you can see when light reflects on a ripple of water amaze me. I do not know a great deal about art, but art seems to be much more opinion than fact.

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Response to Literature Essay Example for Free

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Response to Literature Essay Society is a judgmental and rejecting place. It only allows uniform individuals to be in this society which discards anyone’s individuality and pride. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, Nurse Ratched alienates the patients’ individualities which only allows them to never progress in their mental health. The society rejects the people who are not normal. In this case, the people are the ones with mental disorders. Kesey’s anti-establishment point of view against society portrays that the government misuses power to manipulate society which leads to the suppression of individuality through the literary devices analogy, metaphor, and symbolism. Ken Kesey conveys his theme by vividly explaining the â€Å"pecking party†. As one of the treatments, Nurse Ratched holds group therapy for the patients. During the group therapy session, McMurphy notices that the Nurse ignites all the conflict at first so he explains, â€Å"The flock gets sight of a spot of blood on some chicken and they all go to peckin’ at it† (Kesey 57). McMurphy is trying to explain the abusiveness of Nurse Ratched’s power. This analogy supports Kesey’s message of how society rejects and leads to the suppression of individuals. Kesey uses the chickens to represent the patients and the â€Å"first peck† would represent Nurse Ratched because she manipulates an individual which causes uneasiness to the patient which will never be the cure for one who is mental to get better. After McMurphy goes on about the pecking party, he says one more thing to Harding about the pecking party, â€Å"You want to know who pecks that first peck? † (58). McMurphy’s rhetorical question signifies his opinion even more. This allows not only Harding, but the rest of the patients to see how Nurse Ratched is just another person and how they should not let her take complete control over them. Kesey furthers his analogy after the pecking party image because it reveals and justifies who really does â€Å"peck that first peck†. This relates to the theme because Nurse Ratched represents the government while the patients represent society; concluding that the government continuously pecks at the individuals who feel that they are not a part of society. Overall, the pecking party is an analogy of how society suppresses one’s individuality because to be an individual one must â€Å"get better† like the patients attempt to do; but all they are doing are taking steps back due to Nurse Ratched. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey demonstrates his use of metaphors through machinery comparisons to portray the theme of suppression of an individual. When Bromden characterizes Nurse Ratched he says, â€Å"So she really lets herself go and her painted smile twists, stretches to an open snarl, and she blows up bigger and bigger, big as a tractor, so big I can smell the machinery inside the way you smell a motor pulling too big a load. † (5). Bromden sees Nurse Ratched as machinery and not as a human being. This supports the fact that the ward is like a factory, just waiting to make patients into â€Å"products†. Kesey uses metaphor to compare Nurse Ratched to machinery because this describes her persona perfectly. Like a machine, Nurse Ratched is very smooth and calm about things at first but like every machine there are flaws. When Nurse Ratched meets her flaws, that is when things begin to go haywire like a machine. It can either breakdown or malfunction but it is always repairable. When Bromden has the dream about Blastic, he thinks â€Å"†¦I was looking to see – just a shower of rust and ashes, and now and again a piece of wire or glass† (88). The significance of Bromden’s dream is that it represents how the ward is inhumane because â€Å"a shower of rust and ashes† fell out of Blastic’s body instead of human organs. Kesey exemplifies metaphor through Bromden’s dream by explaining how society’s standards of being â€Å"accepted† can transform one to be inhumane and to lose their individuality. Overall, these comparisons relate to the theme having the machines represent a form of government, standing in the way, or suppressing, the individual, or society. This can support the main theme that society abuses their power to manipulate and suppress the individuality of others. Fog is used by Kesey to demonstrate them and to symbolize the aloneness and individuality of a patient. Bromden describes the effects of fog when he thinks, â€Å"I don’t have to end up at that door if I stay still when the fog comes over me and just keep quiet† (132). This explains how much control Nurse Ratched had over the patients. It demonstrates how something like fog takes away their individuality be they â€Å"just keep quiet†. The fog symbolizes a safe zone and aloneness for the patients because Nurse Ratched had so much authority over the patients that it was like a crib holding them while she was out. Kesey’s theme is supported in this because society takes away individuality as well as fog does. One characteristic they both share is the way they manipulate and abuse their power. Bromden also thinks about fog when he said, â€Å"You had a choice: you could either strain and look at things that appeared in front of you in the fog, painful as it might be, or you could relax and lose yourself† (131). Bromden describes how the patients were almost forced to be in the fog because â€Å"you could relax and lose yourself† and that the time that is all the patients really want. The fog also symbolizes a scapegoat for the patients so they don’t have to face all the challenges ahead because â€Å"you had a choice†. A simple break from everything, especially Nurse Ratched. This furthers Kesey’s message of how the fog is another form of control from Nurse Ratched, in which she abuses her power by manipulating her patients so they cannot get better. Ken Kesey uses analogy, metaphor, and symbolism to demonstrate how society uses their power to manipulate others which leads to a suppressed individual. He uses examples from the ward to compare the real outside world with a mental asylum. This world and society focus too much on how to fit in and it has become more of a moral thing to fit in than to be one’s self. Kesey blames it on the establishment that people are suppressed of their individuality, but is that really true? It has become a custom rather than a rule and that needs to change; and it starts from being a leader and an individual rather than a follower. The real story of individuals is not within the establishment, but it is within a person. To express that is to depending on the person and that is the problem in our society, no one likes to be that person to step up and be the first to go. But if someone were to do it, our society would change instantly.

Impacts of World of Warcraft

Impacts of World of Warcraft With reference to -world of warcraft, analyze the popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games and the effects of this gaming phenomenon in the Asian region, and how Asian culture and identity has permeated into this gaming phenomenon. As video games become more complex, so too has the degree in which players have been able to use the internet to find competitors, teammates and communities for play. Of course, online gaming is not a new phenomenon; however it is an ever-present topic of discussion. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (mmorpg) in particular connect thousands of players in real time interaction and communication. The asian region is among those enamored by the gaming phenomenon and as a result, virtual game platforms such as world of warcraft have allowed for the emergence of complex social structures, reputation systems and even economies. Massively multiplayer games provide a three-dimensional environment for thousands of players to connect, interact and explore. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, commonly referred to as MMORPGs, provide a unique platform for developing social interactions on the Internet. MMORPGs allow for simultaneous text-based and graphical communication with others and provide well defined structures that encourage a variety of social interactions. While some forms of Internet use encourage two-way communication, MMORPGs often require high levels of social interaction and facilitate the adoption of new personas and styles of interaction. (reference) World of warcraft Since its release in 2004, the World of Warcraft has remained one of the most popular international videogames. As of December 2008, California-based gaming company Blizzard Entertainment Inc. announced that membership for its award-winning MMORPG World of Warcraft had reached 11.5 million worldwide and is continuing to climb (Blizzard Entertainment, 2008). In Europe it hosts more than 2 million subscribers, more than 2.5 million in North America and approximately 5.5 million in Asia (Reference). With such astonishing figures, it undoubtedly brings about questions of what makes World of Warcraft so attractive and in many cases, so addictive. People flock to these programs seeking refuge from the imperfect world around them. Multiplayer online role-playing games offer a social attribute that many games lack; the worlds provide unique opportunities to create an entire virtual life, control your destiny, command teams, gain power, status, and prestige all without risk. Gamers can be anything they want to be without worry about the potential permanent repercussions of their actions. Causes of its popularity http://www.journal.fibreculture.org/issue8/issue8_chan.html Effects of WoW in Asian region, addiction Being that World of Warcraft is one of the most popular massive multiplayer online role-playing games, it has drawn an especially notorious reputation for addiction. But, is this reputation really deserved? Teenagers are often typified as the mainstay of the gaming population. Yet, even in this environment it appears that MMORPGs are considered taboo. Are these negative reactions legitimately based on widespread issues that affect players or is this genre of game play grossly exaggerated through excessive media coverage and a lack of understanding? To completely understand the conclusions drawn from gameplay, it is important to realize the context surrounding the typical gaming experience. This environment revolves around the stereotypical -gamer. Although about 15% of the MMRPG audience is comprised of females, it is a role largely filled by males. What happens is that gamers are often forced into acting like addicts. Through excessive social pressure, gaming is often hidden from public view, family, and friends for fear of reprisal. Often people feel embarrassed when talking about gameplay with non-gamers or in a public environment. Playing becomes a guilty pleasure, only to be indulged to the extent that it might be acceptable by others and to hide played time that might be deemed otherwise. All of these emotions and external pressures combine to create the very connotation of addiction, even for players who are not obsessed with the game at all. Why, if so many people exhibit interested behavior in the game are they so afraid of it? I think the answer lies in the very answers to their interviews: addiction. They feel drawn into the game. This immersion is particularly noteworthy in World of Warcraft because, as Krzywinska has argued, the games worldness is so comprehensive. Her research has focused heavily on the complexity of virtually realistic worlds. People who do not play see the respite that gamers find in the virtual world and realize that, yes, it is fun. Then there is a withdrawal, some moment of reality hits them or they temporarily lose interest and become determined to refocus themselves on their previous activities. To complete their rejection they add in their negative opinions, which force the gamer to feel guilty for -chilling in the game world. This does not happen with TV or social video gaming Mario Kart for example because people are interacting with each other as opposed to virtual players. In June 2005, it was reported that a child had died due to neglect by her World of Warcraft-addicted parents in Korea (Gibson). Her parents had left her alone while going to an Internet cafà © to play. They were charged with her death and similar stories of extreme gaming appeared around the world. These cases of addiction, along with growing memberships, have prompted equally extreme reactions from organizations and even governments. In August of 2005, the government of the Peoples Republic of China proposed new rules to curb what they perceived to be social and financial costs brought on by the popularity of online games in general. The measure enforces a time limit on Chinas estimated total of 20 million gamers (BBC News). Citizens are allowed to play for five consecutive hours before their characters abilities become severely limited; only after a five hour break will the limitations be removed. Due to extreme cases such as murder, neglect, and sudden death, media coverage has c apitalized on the worlds newest addictive trend. It is true, computer games, massive multiplayer online role-playing games in particular, can cause certain levels of addiction. So can television, violent videogames, sex, drugs, sports, and work, but these are no longer new, hot topics in the market. Case study of WoW in Singapore/Malaysia/China, how has it permeated into Asian region, Players and Culture, Identity, Paradise Crashed: Rethinking of MMORGs and Other Virtual Worlds. An Introduction Robert Alan Brookey Critical Studies in Media Communication, Volume 26, Issue 2 June 2009 , pages 101 103 There is a strong tendency among many scholars of cyberspace to offer it up as a new utopia. Online communities have often been celebrated as spaces that allow for an unbound human experience, spaces in which individuals are able to form identities and express themselves without the constraints found in the -real world. With the emergence and growing popularity of massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), this celebration seems to have grown in intensity. We are here to crash the party. This special issue is a collection of articles that challenge the assumptions about the positive potential of cyberspace. In the first article, David Gunkel and Ann Hetzel Gunkel discuss the concept of the body in virtual space, and critically examine how this space is often offered as a -new frontier. They argue that the use of this metaphor to conceptualize cyberspace carries risks. More specifically, they warn if we do not remember the history associated with that term, we may repeat the mistakes that occurred when White Europeans settled the American frontier. After all, cyberspace is often regarded with the same optimism of opportunity that was once held for the New World. Yet, as we all know, this land of opportunity was not opened to everyone equalitibly. For example, while racial minorities provided labor to open up the American frontier, they did not always enjoy the full economic benefits of their labor. Lisa Nakamura proves this mistake has already been realized in the online game World of Warcraft (WoW). Nakamura investigates the practice of -gold farming in online games, a practice in which in-game resources are cultivated by certain players, and then sold to others for a profit using real world currencies. Unfortunately, some of the players cultivating these resources work for a nominal wage, and do not share in the profits of their labor. Some of these gold farmers are Chinese, consequently old racial prejudices have reemerged around the practice of gold farming. Indeed, players thought to be gold farmers are singled out for racial ridicule, and as nakamura shows this ridicule draws on Asian stereotypes.

How Divorce Effects Kids Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If two people love each other enough to get married, and together choose to form a lifelong commitment, why are so many of these marriages ending? What does marriage mean to people nowadays and why do people decide to get married? Records show us that people have been getting married for as long as the earliest recorded history. There are many benefits for couples who have a successful marriage. When a marriage begins to fail it is usually due to a couple's inability to communicate, lack of a common goal, or a trust vs. mistrust issue; therefore, more so than not, these types of situations will ultimately result in a divorce. The most frequently asked question over the last two decades has been, â€Å"Does divorce effect children and how so?† Studies have shown that divorce affects children in many ways: affects their self-esteem, feels as thought they "lose" a parent, and takes away their sense of family. The divorce rate has quadrupled from 4.3 million in 1970 to 18.3 million in 1996 (quoted form census bureau’s release about its marital status and living arrangements). "The number of children living with both parents declined from 85 to 68 percent between 1970 and 1996. The proportion of children living with one parent has grown from 12 percent to 28 percent during this same time span (Quoted from Census Bureau's release about its report on marital status and living arrangements)". A person's first marriage, if it were to end in divorce, will most likely end in the firs...

The Test :: Original Writing Personal Narrative

My eyelids drooped as I poured yet another cup of coffee, so that I might stay awake long enough to study the last thousand pages or so in my notebook. Maybe it was just too much caffeine, but it seemed to me that the coffee machine was laughing at me, as it seemed to say â€Å"you’re hopeless, go to bed.† I had been studying for so long now that the few things I did know for certain at the beginning were now beginning to baffle me. Facts and figures jumbled together in one huge pile in my mind, useless dates and numbers that meant absolutely nothing to me in my exhausted state. â€Å"Why don’t you go to bed now, honey?† my mother asked kindly when she found me studying in the dim light in the living room. â€Å"It’s really late, and you have to get up early.† I groaned. Thanks for reminding me! a little voice screamed inside my head. Only four more hours and I’d have to get up for school, and here I was, absolutely clueless despite my efforts of cramming. â€Å"No, not yet,† I pleaded. â€Å"I’ll go to bed soon, I promise. I just want to go over this last little section.† Mom sighed, but nodded, flicking on another lamp for me on her way back to bed. â€Å"You’re going to ruin your eyes studying in the dark,† I heard her mumble as she left the room. Ruin my eyes? As though that was all I had to worry about! After I wrote my exam tomorrow, my life was going to be ruined! My chances of getting accepted into a decent college were gone out the window. I’d never get a decent job, and there was not a chance that I’d ever get married or have children. Who wanted to marry a failure? Visions of myself in thirty years, alone and impoverished, popped into my head. I could already see myself, sitting in my tiny one room apartment, spooning Kraft dinner out of a worn pot. My clothes were in tatters, and my only companion was a skinny stray cat I’d sneaked into the apartment. My phone would never ring, and there’d never be any letters for me in the mail. My family would disown me, my friends would forget me . . . yes, I decided, my life was most certainly ruined. Although I tried most diligently to stay awake, my efforts were in vain.

Comparing Atticus to Jake Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird,? and Jake Brigance, the leading man of ? A Time to Kill,? are both brave, determined lawyers. Though they share some similar techniques in the way they defend their clients, overall their methods as lawyers are quite different. In the courtroom, Atticus? qualities are the same as they are in his everyday life. He takes being a lawyer seriously, and sees it as a calling, rather than a job. He is an experienced lawyer, and uses cross examination to discover that Bob Ewell was left handed, and that Tom Robinson? left arm was unusable ? both crucial pieces of evidence for his case. Jake, on the other hand, is young and inexperienced. Near the beginning of the case, Jake says to Carl Lee, ? We’re going to lose this case, Carl lee. There are no more points of law to argue here. I want to cop a plea, maybe Buckley will cop us a second degree murder and we can get you just life in prison.? He was given assistance by his mentor, Lucius, and used his methods, rath er than his own. However, as it came to the end of the film, Jake learned how to successfully defend Carl Lee on his own. He connected with the jury, realising what would help him win the case. ?Can you see her? Her raped, beaten, broken body soaked in their urine, soaked in their semen, soaked in her blood, left to die. Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl. Now imagine she’s white.? Atticus? characteristics remain generally constant throughout the book, but he was swayed a little by his sister? s input. He maintained his dignity, even when Bob Ewell spat in his face, saying, ? So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there.? This persecution is also an example of Atticus being linked to the theme of prejudice in the story. Jake develops dramatically throughout the film. Over time he learned to accept help from Ellen Roark, instead of being proud, and showed self control when tempted by her. He tried to create a true friendship with Carl Lee, and learned to find his own witnesses for the case, instead of relying on his mentor. Jake? family are the most important thing to him, and were the main reason he took the case. ?When I look at her though, I cannot help but think about Tonya,? he said of his young daughter; he didn? t want the same thing to happen to her. He also didn? t compromise his marriage when given the chance. He speaks of truth and from his heart, questioning the courtroom, ? What is it in us that seeks the truth? Is it our minds or is it our hearts Jake also believed in the death pena lty; therefore he was probably not a Christian. Atticus, however, was a brave Christian man with moral values. He was polite and humble, and saw everyone as equals. Scout said of her father, ? It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.? Atticus shows that he is above the people of Maycomb when he took Tom Robinson? s case, rather than sharing their racist feelings. However, he still respected their choice; ? They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions†¦ ut before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.? Even when he and his family were deemed as outcasts, he didn? t drop his case. He discouraged his children? s prejudiced attitude towards Boo and the other Radleys, because he chose not to believe the rumours that were spread around Maycomb. Jake opposed the rapists? racist and prejudiced attitude towards Negroes and women. He was not dispirited by the behaviours of the jury and injustice of the court system, or manipulated by the KKK. At the end of the film, Jake breaks through and forms a friendship with Carl Lee when he shows him that he cares by taking his family to Carl Lee? s house for a barbeque. Both Atticus and Jake show great character throughout ? To Kill a Mockingbird? and ? A Time to Kill.? While Jake develops significantly during the film, ? A Time to Kill,? Atticus does not develop much throughout ? To Kill a Mockingbird? ; however, he was already a humble, courageous man in the beginning of the story. Both men stick up for what they believe in, and are not swayed by the thoughts and opinions of the townspeople where they live. During his ordeal, Atticus shows greater character than Jake did, because he takes the case more seriously and with dignity. He remains calm, even when things are hard for him. Jake, on the other hand, feels the need to send his family away so that he doesn? t have to worry about them. The reason he took the case in the beginning was because for selfish reasons; because of his feeling of guilt, and not wanting the same thing to happen to his young daughter – rather than taking the case only out of the kindness of his heart, as Atticus did.

Management Structure of Boeing Essay

Considering how the Boeing Company has a strong presence worldwide and has employees and partnerships located in 70 countries, it has implemented a management structure to achieve maximum efficiency of the multi-billion dollar business. This structure is called a matrix structure, where this essentially allocates a Senior Vice President to each of the many department heads who oversee all movements the company makes as well as managing every employee within that division. These departments range from areas such as: Engineering & Technology to Law Department to Human Resources as well as Business Development and are all managed by the CEO, W. James McNerney. All of these divisions of Boeing run independently of one another, however they do collaborate together to ensure the company continues to be the achieve the most efficient and stable environment that it can. The matrix management structure is also advantageous to the Boeing Company since they are continuously filling out long-term contracts for various airlines around the globe and is in need of several functional organized departments. Since these departments collaborate together, various tasks of the project given are delegated between the necessary departments who then come together after completion of these given tasks and put together the prototype. Employees and resources are also allocated temporarily to other divisions of Boeing for various projects depending on the magnitude and the time given for project completion. However, there are some disadvantages to the matrix structure. There is a tendency to ‘lean’ towards one side of the matrix or the other, this can lead to problems such as project delays and extension requests by employees which inevitably cost the company time and money as seen by the delay of the 787 Dreamliner construction.

Korean Wave Being South Korea’s Economic Growth Booster Essay

Korean Wave is the growing aspiration to know more about South Korean culture. South Korea itself is an export-orientated country with a total trade volume of 884.2 billion in 2010, which makes South Korea the 7th largest exporter and 10th largest importer in the world. The cultural sector is the second biggest contributor after technological sector to the South Korea’s economic growth. The goods produced by the cultural sector are brought by the Korean Wave not only to the Asian but also to the American and Western markets. Korean Wave does give big contribution to South Korean’s economy through movies, pop music, tourism, and traditional arts. When we think of Korean Wave, we should mainly think of Korean drama and film industries. For example, the Korean wave took an extra boost with the popular TV dramas like â€Å"Winter Sonata† and â€Å"Jewel Palace†. For film, we can take â€Å"Old Boy† and â€Å"Bin Jip† as examples, which were extremely popular, even in Europe. The fact that importing a Korean dramas is a lot cheaper than having to purchase it from any other country can be a reason as well as the emotionally powerful plots they have. Besides Korean movies, Korean pop music also deserves a place on the list of exported Korean culture. K-Pop or Korean Pop is a musical genre originating in South Korea consisting of pop, dance, electropop, hip hop, rock, R&B, and electronic music. Let’s say Super Junior, 2NE1, SNSD, Wonder Girls, Big Bang, 2PM, JYP, IU, and many more, who does not know them? In 2011, these groups and singers have donated 35 trillion rupiah to South Korea’s GDP. These idols have a big impact on their fans’ culture, including food, fashion, make-up trends, and even plastic surgery. Leading talent agencies such as S.M. Entertainment Co. and YG Entertainment said recent concerts held by Korean entertainers in the United States and Europe have shown the potential for growth in markets outside of Asia. Korean big business is trying to transform those fans into consumers of Korean products and services. Korean Wave is exposing the â€Å"beauty attracts† that both of their celebrities and the places used by their popular movies have. The locations of the Korean movies took place has become a main destination for tourists. These tourists are mostly the fans who are willing to collect all their savings and travel to Korea just to see the place where their favorite scene in their movie took place, or even to watch their idols on a live show. The filming location of †Full House† in Shido Island, â€Å"Jewel in the Palace† in Daejanggeum Theme Park, Winter Sonata in Nami Island, and so on. Another tourism spots that people aim to visit in Korea are â€Å"Locks of Love† in Namsan Tower, a historic pagoda-style gateway Namdaemun, and another shopping places like Myeong-dong shopping area and Busan market. South Korea is also well-known as a hot spot for medical tourism, the country is expanding its one-stop plastic surgery centers to deal with the influx of foreigners flying in for surgical procedures. The government’s goal is to attract one million foreign patients by 2020. Thus, interest in flying to Korea is rising, so is the national income. There are also some Korean traditional arts that interest foreigners to visit Korea. They are like Hanok, Jeongjae, Buchaechum, Nongok, and Taepyeongmu. Hanok is Korean traditional house, whereas Jeongjae , Buchaechum, Nongok, and Taepyeongmu are Korean tradional dances. And don’t forget the Korean ceramics and Korean pottery, that most of them are went to Japan The road to Korean Wave is trodden everyday by new visitors who are warmly welcomed by Korean people and fascinated by the culture. The drive to know more about Korea stimulates Korean Wave to develop into more sophisticated cultural forms, which in turn, brings Korean Wave to a higher level. With this Korean Wave showing the advanced condition of South Korea itself, another countries’ awareness to invest in South Korea increases.

History of Media Effects

1. Consider the history of media effects presented in Chapter 3. Choose one historical media event that has occurred in the country of your choice. How has your chosen historical media event opened up a larger discourse about a social issue? Did the issue create conversion or reinforcement of public opinion about the social issue represented in the media event? Support your answer with reference from the text. With reference to the case of Mas Selamat Kastari who was believed to be involved in the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) group in plotting terrorism activities in Singapore such as crashing a plane into Changi Airport .He was Singapore’s most wanted fugitive for more than a year after escaping from detention on 27 February 2008. Since then, it was the  largest manhunt ever carried out in Singapore, furthermore daily local newspapers, TV news report, posters also tried to raise public awareness about Mas Selamat through repeated news coverage. Hence, with the aid of mass media, Ma s Selamat was certainly the hottest topic everywhere and eventually became the historical media event that opened up a larger discourse about terrorism which was a social issue ever since 1963.In the early 80s, the government had implemented a series of measures to counter terrorism in Singapore and after 1991 Singapore has not experience any terrorism therefore resulting in the citizens letting down their guard and eventually the issue on terrorism was taken lightly. With reference to agenda setting theory which explains the powerful influence mass media have in telling us what issues are important, the case of Mas Selamat involving the massive usage of mass media had successfully trigger the fear in the minds of the citizens and the issue on terrorism(security matters) became increasingly important during that period of time.Many citizens wrote in to Straits Times claiming that the government deserved to be blamed for the escape of Mas Selamat and if terrorism will to happen in Si ngapore. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew responded to the Straits Times: â€Å"Mas Selamat Kastari was ‘an escape artist' who had evaded arrest many times, and Singapore's security officers knew this, when you are complacent in handling a wily detainee, then you have been negligent. He also added that,† complacency sets in when people have not suffered any shock or setback for a long time and Singaporeans are being complacent when they believe that the Government will take care of all security matters. † PAP MP Lim Wee Kiak referred complacency as a ‘side-effect' of an overly successful Government and civil service. (â€Å"Straits Times†, 2008). From this historical media event, we can see the impact of media in creating conversion of the public opinion. The public’s attitude towards terrorism (security matters) changed from a dependent on the government to a self-dependent one after the escape of Mas Selamat .Furthermore, according to the public opinions on Singapore forum after the capture of Mas Selamat in 2009, although some were still debating on whether is the Government of Singapore doing enough to protect us from terrorism, but majority strongly believed that Singaporeans should not delude ourselves into thinking that our government is infallible as our government can only do so much-implementing counter terrorism measures, awareness posters and videos in train stations and public transports .Hence, the more relevant questions to ask ourselves – Are we Singaporeans doing enough to protect ourselves from terrorism? Are we coming together as one nation to do our national service in learning and protecting our country, life and property? The citizens of Singapore should not just solely rely on the government but also play our part in preventing the threat of terrorism.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica Costa Rica By: Micah Shibley Ever since I got home from my trip to Costa Rica I haven’t been able to take my mind off the amazing things I did there. Whenever I’m at school learning stuff I already now or stuff I have no idea what it means I just image myself snorkeling or taking a hike or watching animals in the wild that I normally have to go the zoo to see. I have decided that I am going to save all the money I get or make for when I’m older so I can go back.I know your probably thinking Micah your only 13 years old and you are already saving money for something you are probably not even gonna do. I just can’t get Costa Rica off my mind and I went 2 years ago!!!!!! So I’m gonna try to write some of my ideas for the future down. High school class ideas: * Spanish * Art * Theater * Language Arts * Math * Choir * Social Studies * English * ScienceThis is the trickiest thing I think because I can’t go to college in Costa Rica well I can only I don’t want to and I promised my best friend Tayah that we would share an apartment through are college years only what if I meet an amazing guy or get an awesome job So now I’m going to write some places I might go to college†¦ * Portland State University * Oregon State University * University of Portland * Lewis and Clark College * University of Oregon * University of Virginia * University of Idaho * Harvard University * University of New YorkOkay I also was thinking about once I go to Costa Rica how am I gonna make money to stay there? I have a couple good ideas but I don’t know†¦ * Yoga Instructor * Tour Guide * Waitress * Art Teacher * Therapist * Kid Doctor * Life Guard * Professional Soccer Player * Owner of a Gift Shop Now I’m going to write everything that I remember even the littlest details from that trip. Ok here it goes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ When we first touched down in Costa Rica (sorry can’t remember the c ity name) I will never forget the humidity and warmth!!!!

Home Schooling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Home Schooling - Essay Example Looking at the nature of homeschooling it can be noticed that it seriously needs regulation. The regulation comes with challenges. The regulation of homeschooling has over the years had various critics criticizing its necessity. As much as there are various points that successfully explain the lack of necessity for homeschooling, there are arguments with bigger intensity explaining the need for regulating homeschooling. The arguments mainly proves the necessity of regulation of homeschooling to ensure its productivity. Discussion One reason why home schooling should be regulated is because of the high rate at which its rising and the high possibility of it being abused. Some parents might take advantage of homeschooling to serve their own interests. This is a possibility in cases where parents are trying to hide some aspects of their current or past lives. For instance, violent parents might take advantage of homeschooling to hide the inhuman things that they do to their children. Th is way they will be able to hide the bruises that result from the mistreatment that they subject their children to. This will create a scenario where the children will be having their basic rights violated, but no one will come to their rescue because no one knows. This can also be used by parents with criminal records to serve their own interest (Kunzman, 2009). However, it is clearly evident that this can have very minimal effect on the overall effectiveness of the productivity of homeschooling. Homeschooling should also be regulated because of the quality of education that all individuals are entitled to. Researches have it that, without proper regulation, the quality of education given to homeschooling students can easily be compromised. As much as there is always a fixed curriculum to be followed by both homeschool and public school teachers, it is hard to tell whether the homeschool teachers effectively cover the curriculum. This will mean that, in the end, the students would not have attained the intellectual maturity that is expected of a student that has gone through the United States of America’s education system (McMullen, 2002). The ultimate result of this sub quality education is that the students will not be able to keep up with the students going through the standard type of education both at higher levels of education and in various professions. Students who have gone through homeschooling through their high school years are less expected to major in the natural sciences than the non-homeschooled students, and that more attention has to go to this because of the growing number of homeschooled students in the United States of America. Homeschooled students are not exposed to professional science teachers and labs and so do not have as many options, with their growing number this could be a threat the education system (Phillips, 2010). This will definitely call for regulation because the increase in the number of people being homeschooled will, therefore, mean that there is a significant decrease in the number of professionals in natural science, a factor that might affect the country economically, politically and socially. Taking a look at the motives that parents usually have when

Aristotle on property and family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aristotle on property and family - Essay Example According to the theories of Socrates, there should be no private property in the ideal community. Aristotle had a different point of view on this issue. He supposed that women and children belong to some male individuals and therefore can also be referred to as property. It is possible to imagine what will happen if all citizens would have the right to use the wives and children of each other. Aristotle has limited the sharing of property to several cases which would bring the benefits to the state. For example, he explained when the soil can be common (Lear 214-215): (1) the soil can be common and the products from it can be used for common consumption; (2) the soil can be common only if it is cultivated in common and the products are divided among the individuals for the private purposes. Aristotle has made one important point which makes it clear that common sharing of goods will not be beneficial for the state. When people share equally all of the benefits, those who labor much will always be dissatisfied with those who labor less but receive the same reward. As Aristotle has noted, it has been always very difficult for the men to have all human relations in common.

Entrepreneurship in the global evironment Essay

Entrepreneurship in the global evironment - Essay Example His entrepreneurial prowess is evident from his engineering work and being an inventor of dual cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, roles that have made him allegedly over 1 billion pound rich. Dyson’s idea of vacuum cleaners started back in 1970 when he innovated his first product named the sea truck and later he invented the ball barrow, which resembled a modified wheelbarrow. Dyson faced some challenges in marketing his product in the United Kingdom since no distributor was willing to distribute his product because of fear that his vacuum cleaners would overtake the replacement cleaner bags. He then opted to launch his product in Japan where he made profitable returns and even won the international design fair prize in Japan, in 1991. As a result of manufacturers failing to sell his product, Dyson decided to take that as a challenge and set up his own company in 1993 in a small town named Malmebury. Luckily, in 2005, Dyson’s vacuum cleaners were leading in sales in the Un ited States and employment had increased in Malmebury by 1,200. Indeed, Dyson was awarded with the Queen’s award for enterprise for the outstanding growth and success abroad (Loch, 2008, pp 119,120). According to BBC News (2006), after dyson received a Knighthood, he told BBC that he is an entrepreneur who produces things that people want to buy. He adds that he has failed 5,126 times and has learnt that success alone teaches one nothing, but failures teach someone everything, since when one makes a mistake, he/she learns from that mistake to better on the product. According to BBC News (2006), by then, the company had 1400 staff in the United Kingdom and 4,000 workers placed in Malaysia plants. Therefore, Dyson is the best choice of an entrepreneur, since he has come a long way by putting his innovation into practice, beaten all odds of marketing, and failed numerous times before achieving the best and being contented with his products. Why James Dyson is classified as an en trepreneur According to Bolton (2004, p. 134), â€Å"Dyson is another entrepreneur who has challenged the industry giants with a revolutionary of vacuum cleaner, since his dual cyclone cleaner has a UK market share in excess of 50% and his international sales are prospering.† The main admirable aspect of Dyson as an entrepreneur is that he is always innovative and creative, thus focuses on what the customers want, and he always desires to improve his products. Dyson has also proved to be a risk taker, since he invested his resources on his dream of appropriate vacuum cleaners. Finally, he succeeded and his returns tell it all. Dyson’s idea of a vacuum cleaner started back in 1979 when he was only 31 years of age. At that time, he needed a machine that would separate particles from air. He faced many challenges, one of them being that manufacturers rejected his idea, since they did not want his machine to interfere with the replacement dust bags market. In 2000, Dyson m anaged to launch the dual cyclone cleaner that used battery to operate. He later launched a washing machine with the ability to spin and almost dry clothes. These were some of his achievements after being rejected by other manufacturers (Bolton, 2004 pp 135, 136). Dyson portrays the spirit of a true entrepreneur, since entrepreneurship is about opportunities and risks in business. Successful entrepreneurs usually spot an opportunity especially where others

Policy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Policy Paper - Essay Example Al-Shabaab, actually the Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahidin, was the rebellious branch of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts. A major portion of the southern Somalia was taken over by this group during the last six months of the year 2006. The group has exercised control over the southern and central Somalia, at times temporary, otherwise sustained through recruiting local sub-tribes along with their armed force, even forcibly. Majority of the fighters within the group are concerned with fighting against Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The senior leadership of Al-Shabaab group is associated with al-Qa’ida and it is believed that a number of the terrorists within the group have received training and battled in Afghanistan. Ideology of Al-Shabaab The ideology of Al-Shabaab is another tread towards the vision of the global ‘jihadist’ movement. The group operates with the notion that the troubles of Somalia can only be eradicated through such governance that runs on religious values. They work with the notion that everything has to be in compliance with the laws of the Islam. According to a report written by Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, an American mujahid, a conference was boycotted by the Al-Shabaab group because it was violently against working with any non-Islamic group. Al-Shabaab’s ideology was that if they work with any group that does not value religious belief, the scope of political feeling within the group increases. The politics ultimately build up a path that gives rise to defeats and losses. Ideology of the group that is developed upon the God’s verses makes the terrorists’ group believe that they are ‘good Muslims’. This idea of the group bars them from realizing their mis deed through taking the lives of many (Gartenstein, â€Å"The Strategic Challenge of Somalia's Al-Shabaab†). Structure of Al-Shabaab The nominal leader of the Al-Shabaab group is Sheikh Mohamed Mukhtar Abdirahman. However, according to various experts, the group’s activities are guided by a number of senior leaders. Al-Shabaab group is classified into mainly three geographical locations. The locations are: the regions of Bay and Bokool where it is led by Mukhtar Roobow, Mogadishu with southern and central Somalia and Somaliland and Puntland. There is another unit whose leader is not a member of the Al-Shabaab group but is believed to have a strong association with the group. A report of the ‘December 2008 UN Monitoring Group’ revealed that the four regional units of the group operates separately and even passes through conflicts among themselves. There are carious estimates about the exact size of the group. However, it is according to the notions of analy sts that people believed the group to be consisted of thousands of fighters. A major portion of the group belongs to the Hawiye tribal community

Causes of Vietnam War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Causes of Vietnam War - Research Paper Example The aforementioned events included the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Berlin Blockade  from 1948 to 1949, the  Korean War that lasted for more than three years, the  Berlin Crisis in the year 1961, the  Vietnam War that continued for almost twenty five years, the  Cuban Missile Crisis, the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet forces  (1979–1989), and the  Able Archer  NATO exercises in November 1983† (Major Events of the Cold War n.d.)3. In the early 10th Century A.D, during the Tang Dynasty in ancient China, the dynasty’s economy and military’s gradient started to fall and over the time it weakened to such an extent that the Vietnamese population of the Red River Delta, an area invaded by the Chinese back in 100 BC, rebelled against their Chinese rulers and set up a traditional, native dynasty in the northern conurbation of Hanoi. Later in 1462, the emperor Le Loi got rid of all the remaining Chinese warlords in the region. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Mekong River delta got populated as the aforementioned Vietnamese population moved southwards. ... ld, as it was â€Å"close to the South China Sea and countries such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and southern China† (Meehan n.d.)4. Taking advantage of the vital geographically strategic position of Vietnam, the Portuguese made their entry into the country in the 16th century, followed by the French and the Dutch, however, after continuous fights over power and control, the French established Vietnam as their colony and gained control of the country. The French ruled Vietnam from the year 1887 to 1954. Vietnam was considered a major addition to the French Indochina Empire, however, the sixty seven year old rule of the French over Vietnam was considered as one of the harshest and the crudest times in the history. The French governance dripped of nepotism, discrimination – of all sorts and Vietnam was considered as a personal golden egg laying hen for the French, which was exploited for personal gains and benefits but was not paid back and credited, what it deserved. The production and sale of alcohol and salt was put under the statutory control of the government, which meant that it could not be sold or produced privately. This resulted in an economic outrage amongst the trader fraternity, which continued for years. Rice was exported from the French-owned plantations only, while many Vietnamese locals did not have enough to eat. The French imposed strict sanctions on the labor as well. The labor rights were violated and workers were imprisoned if they attempted at leaving their jobs. The majority of the laborers imprisoned were either mine workers or the ones who worked as farmers in the rubber plantations. Under the subject of economics, the government took no measures to control the inflation, yet multiplied the taxes. The