The Cold War and the Concept of American Citizenship Essay

The Cold War and the Concept of American Citizenship - Essay Example At the same time, the growth in power of the Stalinist USSR and the concerns with respect to the future of the world order after the decline of old European powers (Britain included) led the U.S. to intervene much more actively in the internal affairs of their partner (and satellite) states, contributing to the rise of anti-imperialist and anti-militarist mentality among the wide sectors of the American population. These two developments led directly to the transformation of the concept of American citizenship, which was now considered to be both a sign of super-power entitlement and a stigma connected with the U.S. ‘imperialist’ designs. In general, the end of WWII was met with immense jubilation by the U.S. public, as it was believed that the end of hostilities would bring about the new prosperity. However, already in 1946, the Fulton Speech by British statesmen Winston Churchill signified that the Western powers were to confront the Soviet opposition in the post-WWII settlement of the globe. Thus a picture of the new global rift emerged that pitted the USA against the allegedly ‘merciless’ Soviet communists. This generally Manichean worldview found its most visible expression in the McCarthyist campaign of anti-communist hysteria that was accompanied with veritable persecution of all alleged supporters of the Communist Party of the USA. Within a McCarthyist discourse, such individuals were regarded as traitors to not only the U.S. Federal government, but to a very ‘American Way of Life’ that was to be considered sacrosanct by all citizens. This inherently conservative interpretation focused on such symbols as private property, freedom of religion and free enterprise to rally the opponents of Soviet Communism around the visage of the American national identity. In this way, the American civic patriotism became increasingly associated with the notions of economic liberalism and social and political conservatism, which wer e now to co-exist in a potentially uneasy synthesis. It is characteristic that McCarthyist paid specific attention to the notions of citizenship, as disloyal elements, potentially of European migrant descent, were to be deprived of their American citizenship, if considered ‘un-American’. The activities of a famed House Committee for Un-American Activities (HUAC) may be considered an epitome of McCarthyist efforts to bring about such an outcome for their ideological opponents. Nevertheless, the McCarthyist project for the revamping of the American cultural and civic identity, with the subsequent de-liberalization of the American political culture, was bound to failure, as the significant segments of the American political elite were loath to allow the conservatives to monopolize the political agenda of the nation. The dismissal of McCarthy and the discrediting of his supporters meant that the U.S. elite were to move in direction of the socially liberal policies that were tried in the New Deal period. Both Eisenhower and Kennedy may be regarded as the consistent promoters of such a course, notwithstanding all understandable differences in their internal and foreign policies. The late 1950s saw the gradual de-emphasizing of the geo-political confrontation with the USSR, as the level of anxiety and concern with the Soviet threat began to subside after the death of Stalin and especially after the effective end of the Korean War. These two developments, together with the end of the post-WWII economic reconstruction and the definite beginning of an era of consumer spending and individual prosperity that was not seen and even imaginable in previous decades, helped re-define the concept of American citizens

Martin Luther King Jr Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay

Martin Luther King Jr Letter from Birmingham Jail - Essay Example The letter begins with King’s address to his â€Å"dear† clergymen, a group of white moderate preachers who had denounced the activist’s most recent protests – the ones which had landed him in jail – as â€Å"unwise and untimely.† The fact that King deigns to respond to these men, particularly as he goes on to explain that he is inundated with criticism daily, shows several things: primarily that he is not so passionate about his cause as to be blindly angry against those who do not entirely understand it, and who therefore may be converted. King is patient and reasoned, even though (as he explains later in the letter) he has reason enough to be outraged. This politeness extends through what is otherwise a rousing and accusatory epistle. Rather than denouncing the white clergymen for their role in hindering black rights, King refers to them as his friends, and couches his arguments for nonviolent protesting in indirect and passive language: for example, â€Å"Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.† King understands that the white clergymen expect savagery from him, and responds with a civility which is far more likely to win their minds to the cause of black rights.

Electricity Reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Electricity Reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina During the conflict between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, huge number of transmission and distribution network was damaged. This resulted in a minimum electricity supply that was barely maintained. Thanks to a large number of donations, a major reconstruction occurred post-war of most of generation. Electricity as not the only sector affected by the war, coal, engineering and many other have suffered badly in during the 1992-1995 span. This has not been sufficiently monitored by the public sector due to weak and fragmented administrations. This has become a major barrier for the development and enforcement of electricity reforms to improve the overall performance of companies and to create effective markets. Both, the electricity demand and supply has greatly recovered and reached beyond the pre-war levels but the industrial consumption is low and still suffering, concentrated in a few large consumers. The main reason behind the household demand inflation is due to the excess use of electrical heating. Without an industrial recovery or development of new medium-sized, the likely trend in the medium term is for a reduction in household electricity heating consumption (with the expansion of the natural gas network) and a leveling of energy intensity of domestic electricity demand. Prior to electricity reforms, the electricity market in BiH was characterised by disintegration. All the power of the sector was controlled by Governments (Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Affairs, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Industry) This affected and visibly slowed down the process of the reforms having a biggest impact on adopting of uniform laws that were the base for creating key institutions. Because of the unique situation in BiH with three entities, presidents, etc., there are three independent non-profit regulators as well, the state and two entity ones. Each one of them has clearly divided responsibilities which do not interfere in each others work. The commission of State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) consists of three members who manage SERC according to the principle of annual rotation. It consists out of three members, two from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the third one from Republika Srpska. While the members from FBiH are proposed by the Parliament of FBiH while the member from RS is proposed by the National Assembly of RS. Currently, the Regulator has 26 employees which include commission members. These two gather money through different ways, while the financing of RERS is provided by the Law on Energy of RS, SERC gathers money from regulatory fees paid by licensed companies. FERK on the other hand operates in the way that it submits the budger proposal to the Parliament of FBiH and then the Parliament itself adopts the budget. FERK is financed by the Law on Energy of FBiH from compensations and taxes of companies. The institutional reform of the electricity power sector BiH has proved to be pretty sucessful and is consistent with good results and continuos improvement. But the electricity sector is still a long way off being stable and in good shape and form. Many deficiencies are still present as for example problems often occur in the distribution of profits and investments or for example a bigger and more serious problem, BiH does not have legislation on the energy efficiency at the state level although that should be obligatory according to Energy Community Treaty and many other signed documents in accordance to the EU legislation. Electricity Regulation and Reforms The power sector reform in BiH officially began with the adoption of the entity laws on electricity, though which a number of important institutions in the energy sector have been made. Bosnia and Herzegovina still relies on several important agreements which are closely related to the reform as they aim to join and keep coming closer to the EU. Due to their ambition to enter the EU as soon as possible, it is obvious that they would have to adapt to the single electricity market of the Union. Three main documents have been signed by the authorities in BiH which have been crucial for its improvement and movement towards the single market in electricity. These are: Energy Community Treaty Treaty establishing the Energy Community of South East Europe Agreement of Stabilisation and Association The first, Energy Community Treaty (ECT), is considered as one of the most important agreements that Bosnia and Herzegovina has ever signed in the energy sector. According to this agreement, the stable regulatory framework, single regulatory space, security of supply, energy efficiency, competition and use of renewable energy should all be visible and present in the energy sector of BiH. Through this agreement, BiH has forced itself to meeting certain obligations and goals which have been agreed upon the ECT. The Energy Community Treaty was also the base for creating the road map for such market openness. It clearly prescribes guidelines and dynamics of key reforms in five key areas. The fact that BiH had only one real customer in Aluminij Mostar until 2012 speaks for itself about the market openness in the electricity sector. But an encouraging fact was that from 2008 all tariff customers, not including households, had the opportunity and freedom to choose their own suppliers and become eligible customers. When comparing BiH to the EU countries, there is an obvious and large distinction in the market openness of the electricity sector. From 2009, almost all EU countries bar a few were fully opened to competition. Two main reasons for low-market openness in BiH: Electricity prices for industrial customers in BiH are the lowest when comparing to EU countries. Electricity prices are equal to the prices at which they are supplied as tariff customers. The Electricity Policy Statement was adopted in 2000. The main reason and objective behind this policy was to establish and achieve in producing a competitive electricity market in Bosnia and Herzegovina which would enable all customers to have a choice between more electricity suppliers. The main goal of this reform plan was ensuring a long-term sustainable and a high-performing sector while introducing EU regulations which would be visible through effective competition. In this effort, the following laws were adopted at the State level: Æ’ Law on transmission, regulator and system operator of electricity (2002); Æ’ Law on establishing the Transmission Company, Elektroprenos BIH (2004); and Æ’ Law on establishing Independent System Operator, NOS BIH (2004) At the entity level, two separate laws on electricity generation and distribution were adopted by FBiH (2002, 2005) and RS (2002, 2003). DERK, as the State regulator, is responsible for electricity transmission while FERC and REERS, the entity regulators, cover generation and distribution in FBiH and RS, respectively. Further to the unbundling of the transmission grid, the restructuring of the vertically integrated state-owned electricity companies has been based on the â€Å"Harmonised Action Plans for the Restructuring of the power sector† adopted in 2003 in Republika Srpska and in 2005 in FBiH. The main stages of this Plan included the reallocation of assets into a joint stock company, the commercialisation and the unbundling of generation and distribution by 2008. While the state-owned electricity companies have been transformed into joint-stock companies (JSC), to date the other stages of the Plan have not been achieved, in particular the creation of a distribution system operator (DSO), a requirement of the Energy Community Treaty. On a positive note, corporate performance, in particular accounting transparency, has progressed. As of 2008, the opening of electricity markets in Bosnia and Herzegovina to domestic and foreign competition has focused on setting eligibility consumption thresholds and connecting directly to the network, as well as third party access to the transmission network as described by DERK’s â€Å"Rule on third party access† (2006). Third party access to 6 distribution networks is monitored by the entity regulators. To date, however, no supplier switch has been reported. Significant progress has been achieved at the national level in adopting a single regulation for transmission and merging national transmission ownership and operation under one regulator. As recently established bodies, the TSO and ISO need to strengthen their capacity and power. However, regulation and oversight for generation and distribution remains separated at the entity level. Furthermore, three (four with Bckro) separate companies operate a very fragmented distribution network over the territory (see map above), raising operational, efficiency and economic issues. The unbundling of these services has not advanced significantly, raising concerns about effective third party access to the respective distribution networks. While regulators set tariffs and prices, most of expenses for an adequate maintenance and replacement of facilities as well as for non-wage obligations (pensions) are not covered. The price structure still subsidises households and large industries (e.g. aluminium). There is a clear need to analyse the costs and benefits of this indirect support system and, if justified, to set up a transparent direct subsidy scheme. Although the TSO is responsible for the country’s transmission development plan and the ISO prepares an indicative generation development plan based on elements provided by the entity administrations and companies, the coordination and coherence of the system is inadequate and ineffective. For instance, the announced investment projects which would see a tripling of domestic installed capacity, with a focus on export markets, is not feasible within the context of the current grid and interconnection capacities. This will require major investments in the transmission network, extremely difficult to finance under the current tariff structure. These projects need to be assessed under a consolidated least cost plan with a more detailed analysis of domestic and export markets, in a context of high volatility. Also in the context of fragmented and weak regulation and administration, major investments by powerful foreign investors could lead to imbalances in the investment and operat ional oversight process and to a strong dependency. The recent decisions (2007) by entities to award concessions without open and transparent tenders to private investors have raised concerns over transparency and the effectiveness of economic benefits at the local and national level. This risks fragmenting the sector still further. At the 4th World Bank Poverty Reduction Strategies Forum it was â€Å"recommended urgent[ly] to develop, adopt and enforce a state-wide, uniform and transparent procedure for the construction of new generation plants in compliance with EU regulation†. A national least-cost electricity supply plan should provide a ranking of the most viable rehabilitation and construction projects and be coordinated with generation and transmission planning of the grid operators. The electricity sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina still faces the challenge of completing its rehabilitation, diversifying the power generation mix and complying with EU environmental standards, in particular the Large Combustion Plants (LCP) Directive. It also needs to improve overall technical and managerial performance, diversify the power mix notably with CHP, small hydropower and biomass in order to compete on export markets and prepare for effective domestic and regional market opening. At the company level, this will require sustained effort to reach EU corporate governance standards. At the ministry and regulator level, there is a clear need to strengthen ownership rights and oversight over the sector as well as to consolidate and coordinate the state and entity levels. The administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to develop an overall, coordinated and coherent national policy and action plan backed by economic tools, in particular independent least cost plans and demand projections. An integrated supply and demand least cost plan would help prioritise refurbishment projects and reduce grid losses. In this respect, the World Bank’s energy study should provide crucial elements and tools to be further developed and used by the administration in coordination with electricity companies. Persistent fragmentation of the electricity sector structure and regulation is not sustainable in the longer term and will risk the sector’s marginalisation in the region. Key issues: Infrastructure rehabilitation, grid losses, non-cost reflective prices, system and regulation fragmentation These reforms had the aim and strived for the electricity sector to: Perform more efficiently, both technically and commercially; Enables efficient and effective competition (most important); Meet international standards in terms of cost effectiveness, quality of service, security of the system and the environment; Allows companies to recover their full costs including a reasonable return on investment; Has a universal service obligation; Attracts private capital to the sector; -Complies with EU rules for the internal electricity market in the medium term. Regulation of network prices All consumers in BiH with the exception of Aluminij-Mostar are captive consumers of their local utilities and have no freedom of choice when it comes to their suppliers. There are also no cases of contracting the supply outside local utility borders and the problem with importing electricity in BiH is that All consumers in Bosnia and Herzegovina except Aluminij–Mostar (8% of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s consumption in 2013) are captive customers of their local incumbent utilities. There are no cases of contracting the supply outside the local utility borders. The incumbent local suppliers were appointed as â€Å"reserve suppliers† in the transitional period before 2015 and â€Å"suppliers of last resort† by the regulatory authorities in all jurisdictions, and are likely to delay market opening in the future. Wholesale market opening suffers from the absence of liquid trading platforms. Trading takes place through bilateral transfers between dominant utilities and registered traders, including exports and transits. In terms of price regulation, the Law on Electricity in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina allows for access to regulated supply for all eligible customers, including large ones and without limitations. This violates Article 3 of Directive 2003/5 4/EC. Even worse, the price of generation for the supply of customers supplied at regulated prices (i.e. the wholesale price) is also regulated. The Law on Electricity in Republika Srpska makes electricity supply at regulated prices by subsidiaries of EP RS available to all customers. This exceeds what is allowed under Article 3 of the Directive. The Law similarly supports price regulation for production by EP RS sold to local utilities and Komunalno Brcko. The Electricity Law in Brcko District also misinterprets the concept of public service in providing regulated supply of all captive customers. This prevents supplier switching in practice. All three regulatory authorities have adopted rules for supplier switching and price methodologies for supply services available to eligible customers in the transition period before 1 January 2015, and to households and small customers as last resort supply. As the electricity market is very specific and almost unique, the market must be regulated in order for the network fees to be reasonable. The reason behind this is that the competition in this market in BiH is almost non-existent what then creates monopolistic tendencies by the authorities in BiH. For instance, FERK and RERS are entity regulators which adopted and developed separated Rules of Tariff Methodology and Tariff Proceeding regarding the distribution tariffs. In the other hand meanwhile, SERC is occupied with approving prices for transmission network that are the same for all participants in BiH. Quality regulation One of the most important parts of the electricity market which needs to be regulated and closely observed is most definitely the quality in the electricity supply. It is perhaps the most essential indicator of successful business of electric power companies. It is crucial for the customers to have a freedom of choice when it comes to the selection of the electricity suppliers, and as the competitiveness increases, so does the quality and service in the electricity market. If companies do not proceed to adapt and improve in order to be competitive in the market, they will soon lose out all their customers and the funds which are necessary in order for their company to operate and exist on the market. Competition As mentioned previously, the competition is the healthiest way to improve and motivate companies to continue improving their supply, quality, decrease costs and many other factors which would satisfy the customers further more and be positive for the country in the long run. Also, EU regulations emphasizes competitiveness as a step forward to meeting their standards and achieving one goal more towards entering the EU market. Recommendations: Reorganize and reinforce the way in which the regulators operate. Emphasizing the unity of the three regulators into one single structure with more entity branches and dividing the power and duties by those branches; Unify regulation for generation and distribution in line with EU requirements, ensure cost-reflective tariffs and reduce cross-subsidies; if justified, set up a transparent direct subsidy scheme for large industries; Proceed with improving the restructuring of electricity companies towards European standards Adopt a national least-cost supply plan, generation planning and demand forecast under the supervision of the national regulator and ISO. Sources: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/epr/experts/BosniaAndHerzegovina/UNDP/UNDP_Bosnia.pdf Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems, Volume 1 edited by N.H. Afgan, R. Della Morte https://www.energy-community.org/portal/page/portal/ENC_HOME/AREAS_OF_WORK/Implementation/Bosnia_Herzegovina/Electricity http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/epr/experts/BosniaAndHerzegovina/UNDP/UNDP_Bosnia.pdf http://fipa.gov.ba/doc/brosure/Energy%20sector.pdf http://www.elektroprivreda.ba/eng/page/general-information

Pre-history :: essays research papers

Pre-History Anthropologists: Anthropologists study the skeletal remains of prehistoric life. Two examples of famous anthropologists are Mary Leaky and Donald Johanson. Donald Johanson was the anthropologist who discovered â€Å"Lucy†. â€Å"Lucy†is the first known sign of humanity. The technical name for â€Å"Lucy† is Australopithecus. The odd thing about â€Å"Lucy† is that she was both modern and pre-historic, having arms longer that her legs, and being bipedal was a strange combination for a creature said to be three million years old. Anthropologists study all over the world, but â€Å"Lucy† was found in Africa. Radiocarbon Dating: Radio Carbon dating is a dating method in which the amount of carbon14 in an object is measured. The bodies carbons start to decay at death so they measure how old something is by measuring it’s amount of carbon. There are two major problems with this method though. 1) The specimen can only date back about 100,000 years. 2) If the original amount of carbon was distorted for any reason that will mess up the date given. For those reasons scientists developed other methods that help date things more accurately. These methods include the stardust theory and the river delta theory. Ice Age: Glaciers; large, slowly moving masses of snow and ice. Each of the four cold weather periods lasted from 10,000 to 50,000 years ago. The Ice Age. Scientists believe that the age we live in started after the 4th period Ice Age sone25,000 years ago. Today 1/2 the earth is covered in ice. During the third period 1/3 of the world was covered in ice. The ice age made animals either migrate or disappear entirely. (Saber Tooth Tiger, Woolly Mammoth) It also shaped the continents we live on today. There were also land bridges in the Ice age. Paleolithic Age: Paleolithic means â€Å"old stone† we called it the stone age. 1974 Ethiopia Donald Johanson a well known anthropologist discovered female skeletal remains that might have been as old as 3 million years. Cro-Magnon People: When neanders disappeared cro’s appeared in Europe. Better tools and weapons were made, the 1st spear and paintings were made in this age.

Recrystallization of Acetanilide Using Water as Solvent Essay

Abstract Recrystallization is a technique used to purify organic solids. This method involves dissolving of a solute in a solvent and inciting the solute to produce a precipitate from a solution. In this experiment, acetic anhydride was added to the mixture of 2mL aniline and 20mL of distilled water. The mixture was cooled in an ice bath and filtered through filter paper resulting to the crude acetanilide. The pure acetanilide was then produced by the filtered solution of crude acetanilide and recrystallizing solvent. Choosing of the recrystallizing solvent was done by placing a small amount of pure acetanilide in three test tubes, each containing: water, 95% ethanol and hexane. The final weight produced by the pure acetanilide is 1.1g contrary to the weight of the crude of the acetanilide which is 0.5g. Quantitative analysis showed that the pure acetanilide produced 37.04% percentage yield. Introduction Recrystallization is a process of purifying organic compounds obtained from nature that contain soluble, insoluble and colored impurities. This is based on the premise that solubility increases on the increase of temperature while solubility decreases on the decrease of temperature. This is the process behind the formation of crystals. Recrystallization can be broken down into several steps. A suitable solvent is chosen followed by the compound being dissolved in a minimum solvent. Insoluble impurities are removed and crystallization follows upon cooling. The crystals are collected and dried. Choosing the best recrystallizing solvent would lead to the solubility of the impure substances in the compound. The boiling point of the recrystallizing solvent should be lower than the compound to be recrystallized. There are several criteria in determining the best recrystallizing solvent. The compound being purified must be insoluble in the solvent at room temperature. It should be insoluble in the solvent at high temperature. Upon low temperature, it should be soluble. Acetanilide can be obtained by acetylation of aniline undergone by nitration at low temperature. For acetylation of anilines, acetic anhydride is commonly used. Also called acetic acid anilide, acetanilide is an odorless, white crystalline powder which is soluble in hot water, alcohol, ether, chloroform, acetone, glycerol and benzene. It has a melting point of 114  °C and boiling point of 314 °C. It is a combustible solid. When digested, it is moderately toxic. Exposure to body tissues would lead to irritation. For the production of rubber accelerators, dyes and camphor, acetanilide is used as an intermediate. It also used in penicillin synthesis and other pharmaceuticals like painkillers and intermediates. It is incompatible with strong alkalis and oxidizers but remains stable under normal conditions. Also, it is an amide. This experiment aims to purify crude acetanilide water, the best recrystallizing solvent, which is determined by the solubility of the solid compound, to produce pure acetanilide and to calculate the percentage yield of the weight of the pure acetanilide. Also, it aims to prove the process of recrystallization in purifying compounds. Materials and Methods The materials used were test tubes, Erlenmeyer flask, Bunsen burner, tripod, wire gauze, beaker, filter paper, aniline compound, hexane compound, acetic anhydride and methanol. The experiment began on the choosing of the recrystallizing solvent. Three test tubes that individually contained 1mL water, 95% ethanol and hexane were added a corn grain amount of pure acetanilide. Water was the chosen  recrystallizing solvent. In an Erlenmeyer flask, 2mL of aniline and 20mL of distilled water were mixed to be followed by the slow addition of 3mL acetic anhydride. This produced the crude acetanilide. The crude acetanilide was weighed. 20mL of recrystallizing solvent was added to the crude acetanilide. The solution was heated in the water bath until the solid dissolves. Activated charcoal is added to produce a colorless solution. While still hot, the solution was filtered through the filter paper. The crystals produced are collected, washed with distilled water and dried between filter papers. The resulting pure acetanilide is weighed Results and Discussion Choosing the recrystallizing solvent 3 test tubes containing 1mL water, 95% ethanol and hexane were subjected to different temperatures for 1-5 minutes in order to test the solubility of the pure acetanilide. In room temperature, water and hexane were insoluble; whereas, 95% ethanol was soluble. In high temperature or during heating, water and 95% ethanol are soluble while hexane was insoluble. In low temperature of upon cooling, water and 95% ethanol are both insoluble while hexane remained insoluble. Table 1 shows the result of the solubility of pure acetanilide in different temperatures provided. Table 1: Summary of the Solubility of Pure Acetanilide in Different Solvents of Varying Temperatures Solvent| At room temperature| During heating| Upon cooling| Water| Insoluble| Soluble | Insoluble| 95% ethanol| Soluble| Soluble| Soluble| Hexane| Inoluble| Insoluble| Insoluble| In order to attain the best recrystallizing solvent, this table explains that the compound should be very soluble in high temperatures and insoluble in  room temperature. The difference in hot and cold temperatures is essential for the process of recrystallization. It would not dissolve if at high temperatures the compound in the chosen solvent is insoluble. It would not crystallize in pure form if the compound in the solvent is soluble. The desired compound may be lost during recrystallization that is why the solvent should not react with the compound being purified. Unwanted impurities should be either very soluble in room temperature of insoluble in hot temperature. After the solution cools, the desired compound crystallizes and the remaining impurities will remain dissolved. After the compound has crystallized, the solvent should be volatile enough to be removed from the solvent after the compound. Easy and rapid drying of the solid compound after it has been isolated follows. Table 2 shows the weight of the crude acetanilide and the pure acetanilide. Table 2: Summary of the Weight of Crude and Pure Acetanilide Acetanilide| Weight (g)| Crude| 6.5| Pure| 1.2| Crude acetanilide was formed from the synthesis of acetanilide. Pure acetanilide was collected after recrystallizing the crude acetanilide. Quantitative Analysis of Acetanilide thru Determination of Percentage Yield The percentage recovery of pure acetanilide was computed using the formula: %Yield=Actual YieldTheoretical Yield x 100 Substituting the values: %Yield=1.1g2.97gx 100 Therefore, the percentage yield of pure acetanilide is 37.04%. Percentage yield is used in cases where chemical transformation occurs. In calculating the percentage yield, the following is needed: 1. The molar ratio of product to starting material 2. The molecular weights of product and starting material 3. Limiting Reagent Determination of Theoretical Yield 2mL Aniline (C6H5NH2) x 1.0271 mole x 1 mole93.13g x 102.09 g1 mole = 2.24g 3mL Acetic Anhydride (C4H6O3) x 1.0821 mole x 1 mole102.09g x 93.13g1 mole = 2.97g The limiting reagent is Aniline since 2.97g was needed to make 3 milliliters of Acetic Anhydride. REFERENCES: From The Internet: (1) http://www.chem.umass.edu/~samal/269/cryst1.pdf. Recrystallization. Electronic References (2) http://www.chemistry.sc.chula.ac.th/bsac/Org%20Chem%20Lab_2012/Exp.2[1].pdf. Purification by Recrystallization (3) http://www.chemicalbook.com/ChemicalProductProperty_EN_CB9444812.htm. Chemical Book (4) http://www.epcc.edu/OfficeofRiskManagement/Documents/EPCC%20MSDS/Acetanilide.pdf. Flinn Scientific Inc. (2001) (5) http://sites.psu.edu/lburns/files/2013/04/ch.6-formal-report.pdf. Bortiatynski, Jackie, M’Mechan, J.C.

How Sports Affect Academics

Narator: This Reflective Piece consists of three persons who are John, Rodney and Paul. Narrator: Week before Cape results are out John: So fellas, cape results coming out? Feel allyuh do good? Rodney: I hope so, I put in enough time and study because I was behind and I wanted to prove that I could do what nobody expected of me and excel. Paul: Hahaha, Rodney why you studied? You are still going to fail? Rodney: No, I stopped basketball to study and I made some good sacrifices. Paul: Stopped basketball? Make me stop football na?I’m going to do excellent in Cape and get a scholarship just for football. John: Well like you, Paul, I continue to play cricket but I was also focusing on my studies and putting in meh extra work. I balanced my academics with my extra-curricular activities. Rodney: Well, we will see which one of the three techniques worked the best. John: Yes we will see, but I pray to God I succeed. Paul: Ok den, we will see how good I’ve done. Narrator: Walkin g in school to collect their results John: Ok fellas, now today is the big day.Rodney: Yes it is, we will find out what our future is and what our next step in life is. Paul: Who wanna pray? Rodney: Pray na Paul. Paul: Please Lord, let us get the required grades needed to further our education in what we will like to do and be proud in Jesus name, Amen! Rodney: When you serious, you serious boy Paul but why you couldn’t be serious like that for your school work as you were for football or for this prayer? Paul: I was! Allyuh was just getting fooled. John: Let us just go quickly and get our grades please!Narrator: After receiving the Cape Results Rodney: Yesss! Da wa we talkin bout! John: Dun kno, I do rel good dan. Paul: Hmmm, I did ok, could have done better. Rodney: John and Paul how allyuh do? John: I did great, I got four distinctions and there’s even a bigger surprise. Guess? Paul: Wa is da boy? John: Ok, I also geh an open science schol. Rodney: Weyzz, you did be ast, I geh four ones and got an additional mathematics schol. Narrator: A moment of silence grew upon the three friends John: Well, Paul wa you geh? Paul: Orr ok uhmm I got three fours and a five.Five is a pass in Cape so at least I pass all my subjects. Narrator: John and Rodney laughed loudly Rodney: I thought you were going to get a scholarship because of football Paul? What causing that? Paul: Well honestly, I think it is because I did not rely focus a whole lot on my school work and did not manage my time the way I should have done. John: Although I did not quit or take a pause in my extra-curricular activity, I worked harder in pursuing my education and striving for excellence and cricket maybe one ah d reason why I geh an Open Schol too.Rodney: I put my sport on a hold for a while until my Cape Exam pass because I was not one of the brightest students so I could not of balance both basketball and academics. In making my decision I studied hard and made quality sacrifices to g eh my Maths Schol. Narrator: Making decisions in further education John: So what allyuh going to do to now? Paul: I think I going to S. A. M and settle down because I realize this life thing rel serious. I wa be an accountant. Rodney: I am going UWI and further my studies in maths. I am going to do a Major in Maths and a Minor in Actuarial Science.I wa be an Actuarial Scientist. John: Well, I am going Harvard and further my studies in sciences, mostly Chemistry. I wa be a Chemist. Rodney: We set our life goals deh eno, so we making up we mind to achieve eh and doe slack off. We wuh stay in touch. John: Yes of course and I hope allyuh excel in allyuh education and Paul, focus this time because I know you could do it. Paul: First, I am praying I get into SAM, but if I do, I will take a different approach in my school work and be serious cuz I wa my life run smoothly after and be proud of myself.John: Yea, later deh. I gone. Rodney: Yea I bussin deh too. Paul: Word, we wuh catch up in d long run. Narrator: The three persons excelled at their different goals and be what they wanted to be. One can surely realize that sports has a good and a bad effect on education but it is in yourself to take it serious and prove you can do it in whatever aspect of sports you are doing and career. In concluding this piece I think one should always â€Å"Strive for Excellence†.

Muttaburrasaurus - Facts and Figures

Muttaburrasaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Muttaburrasaurus (Greek for Muttaburra lizard); pronounced MOO-tah-BUH-ruh-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of Australia Historical Period: Middle Cretaceous (110-100 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and  three tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Streamlined torso; occasional bipedal posture; powerful jaws About Muttaburrasaurus It takes only one look at Muttaburrasaurus to see that this dinosaur was closely related to Iguanodon: both of these plant-eaters shared the slender, low-slung, stiff-tailed posture characteristic of the two-legged, herbivorous dinosaurs known as ornithopods. Thanks to the discovery of a near-complete skeleton in northeastern Australia, in 1963, paleontologists know more about the head of Muttaburrasaurus than that of any other iguanodont; this dinosaur was equipped with powerful jaws and teeth, adaptations to its tough vegetable diet, and its strange muzzle may have been used to create honking sounds (a trait common to the descendants of the ornithopods, the hadrosaurs, or duck-billed dinosaurs). One odd fact about Muttaburrasaurusand about iguanodonts in generalis that this 30-foot-long, three-ton dinosaur was capable of running on its hind legs when startled or pursued by predators, though it doubtless spent most of its day munching low-lying vegetation peacefully on all fours. As you might expect, the middle Cretaceous Muttaburrasaurus has an especially high profile in Australia, since (along with Minmi, a small ankylosaur) its one of the few near-complete dinosaur skeletons to be unearthed Down Under; you can see its reconstructed skeleton at both the Queensland Museum in Brisbane and the National Dinosaur Museum in Canberra.

Free Essays on Technology In The Classroom

Technology in the Classroom The best method for improving educational standards is to utilize every tool available, including state-of-the-art technology. The effects of implementing technology in education would be extremely beneficial and crucial in today’s growing technological world. Such effects would include expanding the way information is delivered, providing distance education, and new educational programs. Computers and the Internet have expanded the way in which information can be delivered to the students of today. Today's networking technologies provide a valuable opportunity to practice new learning techniques. In effect, educators are discovering that computers are facilitating learning. Computer based communications, or telecommunications, can offer many educational opportunities; therefore, educators will need to adapt current teaching methods to incorporate this new media into the classroom. Computers have made a fundamental impact in most industries, providing a competitive advantage that has come to be essential to many businesses. Therefore, schools must also use technology to improve the educational process. School systems often consider purchasing a computer network, and justify its purchase by applying it to routine administrative tasks, such as attendance records and grading. While these tasks are very important, they only show a small part of what technology can do for a school. The effects of technology must go further than simply keeping attendance; it must focus on keeping students interested and productive. Since computers and the Internet have expanded in such a way in which education can be delivered to students, it is currently possible to engage in "distance education through the Internet. Distance education involves audio and video links between teachers and students in remote areas. Video conferencing allows groups to communicate with each ot... Free Essays on Technology In The Classroom Free Essays on Technology In The Classroom Technology in the Classroom The best method for improving educational standards is to utilize every tool available, including state-of-the-art technology. The effects of implementing technology in education would be extremely beneficial and crucial in today’s growing technological world. Such effects would include expanding the way information is delivered, providing distance education, and new educational programs. Computers and the Internet have expanded the way in which information can be delivered to the students of today. Today's networking technologies provide a valuable opportunity to practice new learning techniques. In effect, educators are discovering that computers are facilitating learning. Computer based communications, or telecommunications, can offer many educational opportunities; therefore, educators will need to adapt current teaching methods to incorporate this new media into the classroom. Computers have made a fundamental impact in most industries, providing a competitive advantage that has come to be essential to many businesses. Therefore, schools must also use technology to improve the educational process. School systems often consider purchasing a computer network, and justify its purchase by applying it to routine administrative tasks, such as attendance records and grading. While these tasks are very important, they only show a small part of what technology can do for a school. The effects of technology must go further than simply keeping attendance; it must focus on keeping students interested and productive. Since computers and the Internet have expanded in such a way in which education can be delivered to students, it is currently possible to engage in "distance education through the Internet. Distance education involves audio and video links between teachers and students in remote areas. Video conferencing allows groups to communicate with each ot...

LinkedIn says the 2011 most overused professional buzzwords in the United States are “creative,” “organizational” and “effective”

LinkedIn says the 2011 most overused professional buzzwords in the United States are â€Å"creative,† â€Å"organizational† and â€Å"effective† On December 13, 2011, LinkedIn released its â€Å"most overused† buzzwords list for 2011.   Here is the list of the top 10, with â€Å"creative† reigning at the top.   When a particular country or countries stood out for overuse of a term, the country name(s) are listed in parentheses: Creative (Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States) Organizational Effective (India) Extensive experience Track record (Singapore) Motivated (Ireland) Innovative Problem solving (Italy) Communication skills Dynamic (France) The good news?   Some people heeded last year’s list and stopped overusing at least some of the following 2010 Overused Buzzwords: Extensive experience Innovative Motivated Results-oriented Dynamic Proven track record Team player Fast-paced Problem solver Entrepreneurial The four exact matches between 2010 and 2011 years are â€Å"motivated,† dynamic, innovative and extensive experience. There are also some near matches with â€Å"problem solving† vs. â€Å"problem solver† and proven track record vs. track record (I personally have tired of all of these terms). I believe job seekers and career professionals have done some good work changing the landscape four of the terms on the list have changed, and all of them have changed rank.    Lets face it:   There will be overused words every year.   I’m just glad to see we’re learning lessons along the way. How Creative are You? This year’s primary lesson:   Don’t say you are â€Å"creative† – demonstrate your creativity!   Design and upload a PowerPoint presentation to SlideShare and post it to your LinkedIn profile.   Give examples of marketing strategies you devised.   Include your artistic portfolio in your profile.   And don’t use the same words everyone else is using!   We now know that asserting you are â€Å"creative† is a sure way to prove that you are not. Met or Exceeded Organizational Goals? â€Å"Organizational† is a bit tougher.   How do you say you met organizational goals without saying you met organizational goals?   One thing to keep in mind is that of course you are going to strive for and meet organizational goals!   What other goals would you possibly want to report?   I admit I will be a little sad to let this term go, but I see the point of finding alternatives.   â€Å"Meet targeted goals† would be just as effective (oh did I say â€Å"effective†?   Send me to India where I’ll be in good company!)   Or perhaps a chart of goals vs. accomplishments would obviate the need for the term organizational.   I predict that next year â€Å"goal(s)† and â€Å"target(s)† will top this list. Devise an Effective Strategy Lately? Thankfully there are a multitude of ways to convey the concept of â€Å"effective.†   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Successful† is the clearest alternative, followed by â€Å"winning,† â€Å"profitable,† â€Å"lucrative,† â€Å"productive,† â€Å"fruitful,† â€Å"targeted† and even â€Å"efficacious† (I don’t love that last one as a resume/profile adjective).   Take your pick or find another way to say what you mean!   (Sometimes you can just leave out the adjective completely, as I did by avoiding â€Å"find another effective way† in that last sentence.) As for extensive experience and track record, these terms are like nails on a blackboard to me.   I see them a lot and make short work of them on my resumes. How many of these top 10 overused words show up in your profile?   Please share below. And   if you want expert assistance to craft a LinkedIn profile that stands out in a sea of 135 million LinkedIn users, contact The Essay Expert through our Web Form or at 608-467-0067. Like this article?   You might also enjoy Ten Buzzwords to Take Off Your LinkedIn Profile Now published by Time Newsfeed. Category:Archived ArticlesBy Brenda BernsteinDecember 19, 2011 2 Comments Kent V says: December 20, 2011 at 12:02 pm How did they miss sustainable? A particularly awful one since it has so many connotations: 1) environmentally friendly 2) doing something positive that sticks 3) keeping the business alive 4) not hogging or wasting resources (or not getting caught doing it) 5) from the old green revolution, when green meant crop based, not clean: using local, renewable stuff, rather than paying a big company for a remedy 6) an admirable word to put in the annual report or PR release to mean you operate responsibly, whatever that is. and on and on Some years back I would have added leverage as a verb. Too late, it stuck. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: December 20, 2011 at 12:31 pm Thanks for the suggested addition! Im sure this one is overused in certain sectors, though not universally enough to make it onto the list. Maybe this world would be a better place if sustainable were on the top of the list! Log in to Reply

Classroom Management and Discipline for a Diverse Student Population Research Paper

Classroom Management and Discipline for a Diverse Student Population - Research Paper Example Three diversities of learner needs have been considered. These diversities are in the areas of learner achievement levels, socio-cultural background of learners and health needs of learners. Reasons why it is important for the teacher to ensure that there is an environment to cater for diversities in all the three areas of learner needs have been elaborated. Again, the research suggests specific approaches to be used by teachers to ensure accommodation and adaptation for differences in all three areas of learner diversity. The research closes by examining how the teacher can also cater for different learner behaviours to foster discipline in the class. Three theories have been reviewed and corresponded to how they can solve three persistent classroom related undisciplined behaviours that a teacher encounters on a regular basis. The behaviours looked at are absenteeism, inattentiveness in class and bullying. Having the managerial skills to tackle all forms of learner behaviour is very important to ensure that the classroom lives up to a desired learning atmosphere and that all learners leave the classroom each day with fulfilled dreams of going to school. Overview Day in an out, the face of teaching as a profession keeps changing; becoming more and challenging to meet the changing learning needs of students. Years past, learning was seen as the responsibility of the student. The teacher was therefore seen as a conveyer of information for the student to learn – by whatever means the student could make himself understand what the teacher teaches. Because of this, teachers went about teaching in a whole-class approach, leaving the responsibility of understanding lessons to the student. In that era, examinations were put in place to test which students learnt what the teacher taught and which students did not learn. Today, that is no more. The teacher is now seen as part of the child’s learning process with the responsibility of ensuring that his teach ing meets the learning needs of the student. Today, the teacher is seen as a facilitator who is to ensure that the student understands his teaching – by whatever means the teacher could make himself understood. Examination has therefore become a test of which teacher could meet learning needs of students. In order to meet the individual needs of the classroom population, teachers are putting away whole-class teaching approaches for diversity approached. Teachers are now required to adopt diversity approach to meet the learning needs of all learners in the classroom. According to Crawley (2006), A â€Å"diversity approach aims to recognize, value and manage difference to enable all learners to contribute and realize their full potential.† It is the aim of this research paper therefore, to investigate into various learning theories to find out how they support the concept of diversity approach in classroom situations. This will be done by delving into what diversity is, areas of classroom experiences the teacher is likely to meet diversity and the importance of catering for diversity in the classroom. There shall then be analyzes of best practices for effective classroom management to minimize disruptive behavior and increase learning in the diverse

Religious Study Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religious Study Exam - Assignment Example Meat offered to idols: meat that had been sacrificed to pagan deities and offered in the Greco-Roman world where polytheism was the main religious practice. The gods were appeased through the animal sacrifices and in turn they protected the empire. Definition B: His letter to his nephew, commonly known as Tacitus. The letters made him to make friendship with Emperor Vespasian and his letters contributed to the letters the Romans wrote to Christ’s disciples. 2. TERM: Manumission Definition A: The technical term for freeing a slave, mainly by paying the owner. Christ Hymn (in Phillipians): the passage found in Phil 2:6-11 that may have originally been a hymn sung to (or about) Christ, who gave up his divine rights to become human, lowering himself to die on a cross before God exalted him even higher than he had before. Definition B: The feelings of benevolence help us in learning how Roman slaves paid wages and bought themselves hence liberation. 3. TERM: Paidagogos Definition A : A Greek word sometimes translated as "custodian" which refers to a slave in charge of the children of a household, who was expected to watch over their care and to keep them in line Definition B: This term helps us in learning about how the Roman in the New Testament were charged with supervising the boys belonging to the better class. 4. TERM: Partition Theory Definition A: Theories of literary composition that indicate a book is comprised of several sources or texts that have been spliced together (e.g. 2 Corinthians or Phillipians) Definition B: The partition theory helps us in understanding the chronological events that have happened in the New Testament 5. TERM: Christ Hymn Definition A: A six verse that is a collection from the bible and it is mainly used as a song. Christ Hymn (in Phillipians): the passage found in Phil 2:6-11 that may have originally been a hymn sung to (or about) Christ, who gave up his divine rights to become human, lowering himself to die on a cross bef ore God exalted him even higher than he had before. Definition B: Christ hymns are used in the New Testament as songs, which are not aimed to imitate the Christ but a call to believers to act in the ways that favors the lord. PART II: PAUL’S PARTICULARS. Short essay. Write a 4-paragraph essay that answers the following questions (10 points each; 40 points total): 1. What do we know about Paul before his call to be an apostle of Jesus Christ? 2. From what key New Testament texts do we learn biographical/autobiographical information about Paul (the names of the books will suffice)? 3. What compelled Paul to become an adherent of the Jesus movement? 4. As a â€Å"servant of Jesus Christ,† does Paul still think of himself as a Jew? To what texts would you appeal in answering this question? Your essay should be no longer than ONE, double-spaced, page (200-250 words)! Paul was known as Saul before his conversion. He used to persecute anybody that preached and talked about Ch rist. Not anybody found preaching about Christ like the disciples escaped Paul’s wrath and this compelled Christ to convert Saul into Paul and that is when he began to do God’s work. The book of Galatians gives us a detailed information about Paul. Paul devotes two chapters to an autobiographical account, including his conversion, which is meant to confirm the reliability of his gospel. He underwent

Research paper for art ( advertising ) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

For art ( advertising ) - Research Paper Example The essay deconstructs advertising, as it investigates the gap between what is promised and what is actually communicated and provided, using several print advertisements. These advertisements appropriate ideas from High Art and culture by intertextuality, specifically, through using cultural symbols and associations where products do not have denotations alone to represent the actual needs that they can satisfy, but more than that, they connote the fulfillment of various human desires, especially for sex and power. Corporate interests want to use these sexual and violent images to engender that their products are more than things to be consumed, but are signifiers of identities and lifestyles. Advertising mediates meaning by acting on people and framing their attitudes and behaviors. Advertisements act on people by using objects or images that have influence on their emotions and/or cognitions. An example is the Budweiser print ad shown below (Figure 1). The ad contains three, evidently, young women, who may even be considered as under-aged, surrounded with Budweiser beer cans and with Budweiser brand and logo plastered on their swimsuit-wearing bodies and the mat they are on. The youth of these models means that the advertisers target the youth, even when they know that many countries ban drinking alcohol for teenagers. The use of pocket books and CDs also underscore the youth’s interests, as well as their middle-class lifestyle. Jean Kilbourne, in â€Å"Forget the Rules! Enjoy the Wine,† provides other beer and alcohol ads that attract the younger market through familiar animal icons and through appealing to their sense of rebellion and demand for freedom (164). Kilbourne argues that advertisers sell beer by selling rebellion, including women, to target female drinkers. Figure 1 affirms the sense of rebellion in these young women drinking beer as if it is something they can do every

FMLA and Its Impacts on Organization Term Paper

FMLA and Its Impacts on Organization - Term Paper Example The law does give the employee time off but the time given is not paid by his or her organization. The passing of the law has since covered the time which uses to be given to pregnant mothers before. Conversely, some employers have not been happy with the law since they see that they are losing some part of the working force in the company. Employers conclude that the law collides with other unforeseen happenings to employees which might need time off when they are sick. They have also realized that the law is not in line with working schedule of the firm, in addition the firm has had to increase the financial status of their companies so as to train or recruit the best human resource to deal with issues of FMLA (Bovee, 2001). Paid Sick Leave and its Impact on the Organization Paid sick leave is the compensation to an employee by an organization when they take time off to be with their family when either he or she is sick or one of the family members is sick. Paid sick leave is not p assed as a law like the FMLA, it has gained value since consideration by organization because it seen to be related to the economic growth of the country (Earle and Heymann, 2006). In addition, it is also a pillar to the human rights of an employee since the organization values the health of an employee. ... Impacts on the economy could be due to the health condition of the worker which could contribute to a smaller number of forces working in a firm or sick working force. For example, the workers in the USA had to work when they were sick, which made their health condition and the health of others worse due to a combination of the work force who were sick and the ones who were not sick; this increased the spread of the H1N1 virus among employees. The impact on the economy was that sick workers contributed to low productivity (Watkins, 2011). The impact of using the Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) The law has positive impacts on the organization if employers are informed early. The organization will have time to plan well on how it will do with the small number or without the number of some employees who have taken the FMLA leave. The advance notice has also seen to help the firms know the number of the employees who are to go for FMLA hence will give them time to balance the financial s tatus of the company due to the low productivity they would have to incur when the workers go for leave. The issues of the workers not giving enough information about the conditions would be solved. This is because, an individual who has to apply for FMLA has to present all the information to the firm about the need for FMLA leave, for example, the time of needed and the reason for taking leave, from there the organization will consider the case (Silverman, 2010). The impact of advance Notice of FMLA leave According to Hayes & Ninemeier (2009) the FMLA leave regulations binds the employer to give information to the employees 30 days before leave is granted and the workers are also warranted to give information about the day they would like

Willingness to Pay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Willingness to Pay - Essay Example On the other hand, for a park or a green space to remain in good and attractive condition, regular maintenance, and improvements are mandatory. Costs are incurred in order for these services to be effectively provided to the public, hence necessary to charge the public a relatively small sums of money in order to meet the costs. Nevertheless, it is important to consult the public about the amount they are willing to pay for the services, amenity, or a resource hence the term â€Å"willingness to pay†. A good example of willingness to pay scenario is the residents of Boulder Colo in USA. The people of this area were willing to pay up to $234 per home in order to keep a five and a half acres of land preserved for public usage (Americantrials, 2014). This land had not been developed for long hence the community decided to be contributing the large sums of money in order for them to be using it as a park. Their decision could however be termed as highly brilliant since presence of this land as a park made the value of the surrounding properties to dramatically hike in price. Other recreational benefits that were accrued from the existence of the park included travelling costs incurred while visiting the park. Within a period of four years (1995-1999), the property price premiums were summing up to $140.2 million. There was also a net entertaining value of over $7.6 million (Americantrials, 2014). In conclusion, provision of opportunities for physical activities such as establishment of recreational areas like parks or provision of service may have so much economic benefit to the local government, private developers, and the to the residents of that the neighboring areas. Facilities like parks; availability of quality water among others raises the value of the properties and homes in the nearby area. Moreover, the cost incurred in maintaining such recreational facilities and resources is by far much lower than

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 58

Journal - Essay Example 91). In Journal 3, I talked about something I learned from tutorial 25. Tutorial mainly introduces prepositions and prepositional phrases to us. I have made mistakes while practicing the preposition usage. I always perceived it to be difficult. Preposition usage includes the recognition of prepositions and usage within sentences in individual writing. I learned from the book that there are three different uses of prepositional phrases. The first is the single word preposition. At, as, and about depict some of the examples (Ferris 2014, p. 94). The use is to connect words. The second kind is two-word preposition inclusive of, in addition, on average, of course, and so on. These phrases are the preposition with a noun, and they are used to make two sentences more consistent. The third kind is a three-word preposition. It means that the phrases comprise three words like in order to, as a result, by the way among others. In journal 4, I talked about something I learned from tutorial 13. I learned many concepts relating language use, academic writing, formality, and poverty issues. Among the most confused words included poverty and informal language usage. During the informal language lesson, I learned that it is not appropriate to term language usage as informal because it is applicable to many contexts. Regarding the levels of formality quotes should be reproduced exactly as they are while taking care on the first and second person pronouns in the academic writing work. In addition, it is proper to avoid the first person references to create a great impression on the readers. Moreover, when using emails, memos, and business letters, the recipients’ title needs consideration. In the context of professional and academic writing, specific writing styles prefer particular and consistent ways of writing references. Individuals, who are unable to reference correctly, should regularly refer to the conventions provided for in reference guiding manuals (Ferris 2014,

Willingness to Pay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Willingness to Pay - Essay Example On the other hand, for a park or a green space to remain in good and attractive condition, regular maintenance, and improvements are mandatory. Costs are incurred in order for these services to be effectively provided to the public, hence necessary to charge the public a relatively small sums of money in order to meet the costs. Nevertheless, it is important to consult the public about the amount they are willing to pay for the services, amenity, or a resource hence the term â€Å"willingness to pay†. A good example of willingness to pay scenario is the residents of Boulder Colo in USA. The people of this area were willing to pay up to $234 per home in order to keep a five and a half acres of land preserved for public usage (Americantrials, 2014). This land had not been developed for long hence the community decided to be contributing the large sums of money in order for them to be using it as a park. Their decision could however be termed as highly brilliant since presence of this land as a park made the value of the surrounding properties to dramatically hike in price. Other recreational benefits that were accrued from the existence of the park included travelling costs incurred while visiting the park. Within a period of four years (1995-1999), the property price premiums were summing up to $140.2 million. There was also a net entertaining value of over $7.6 million (Americantrials, 2014). In conclusion, provision of opportunities for physical activities such as establishment of recreational areas like parks or provision of service may have so much economic benefit to the local government, private developers, and the to the residents of that the neighboring areas. Facilities like parks; availability of quality water among others raises the value of the properties and homes in the nearby area. Moreover, the cost incurred in maintaining such recreational facilities and resources is by far much lower than

Product Mix and New Product Development Strategies Essay Example for Free

Product Mix and New Product Development Strategies Essay The Coca-Cola versus Pepsi competition is perhaps the most well known rivalry in the history of marketing. Coke has long enjoyed the home field advantage, having become entrenched as the most popular and identifiable cola throughout the world. Although it has carved itself a substantial portion of the market, Pepsi has struggled to match the sales revenue of Coca-Cola; until recently. Although Pepsi has never come close to equaling Coke cola market share, they have become more aggressive and adept than Coke in cornering the non-carbonated beverage market. It is in this market that Pepsi is seeking to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage over Coke. It their quest to acquire and develop new products, will the use of the PTSTP method help Pepsi develop new products in order to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage?A product is defined in three levels; core, actual, and augmented. The core of the product is the benefit it offers the consumer. For the example of colas, it could be refreshment, energy (sugar and caffeine), alertness, or just pleasure. The soda itself is the actual product. The augmented product for a cola could be the recognition and status gains perceived by drinking that particular brand. Or it could even be the weight loss from sticking to diet colas. For the development of new products, we first need to identify what consists of a new product. There are six categories of new products:1.New-To-The-World. This is a product that has no like product offered elsewhere. For example, when the first personal computer was offered to the public, this would be a new product. 2.New Product Lines. This is when similar products exist, possibly even under the same brand, but a new line of the product offers some tangible difference to those products already offered. For example, offering diet colas in addition to regular colas under the same brand. 3.Product Line Additions. This is the addition of a product that is directly related to one offered. For example, offering Vanilla Coke for sale alongside Coke. 4.Improvements/Revisions. This is a product which has already been offered,  but some change or revision has been made to the products properties. For example: New Coke, or anything labeled new and improved.5.Repositioned Products. The same product offered in a new market or directed towards a new target market. For example Pepsi bringing Sabritas chips into the US to target the Hispanic market. 6.Lower-Priced Products. This is simply reducing the price of an existing product to stimulate sales. New products affect the product mix of a company. Product mix is generally defined as the total composite of products offered by a particular organization. The product mix includes both individual products and product lines. A product line is a group of products which are closely related by function, customer base, distribution, or price range. To use Pepsi as an example, Pepsis product mix includes beverages and potato chips. The beverage product line consists of carbonated, non-carbonated, and water. Pepsi, Gatorade, and Aquafina all are individual products. PTSTP is a mnemonic for the five step process underlying Target Marketing and Positioning. The five steps are as follows:1.Identify competitive Products. 2.Define the Target market. 3.Determine the basis for Segmentation. 4.Determine if any Target markets are underserved. 5.Develop a Product for the underserved market. By using this method, a company can identify a gap in a particular market segment. This gap may be present because there is no product to fill it, or because the current product is reaching the end of its life-cycle, thus creating an opportunity for new growth. To answer the previous question, we will contrast the PTSTP method to Coca-Cola and Pespis development of the non-carbonated beverage market. Pepsi has continually struggled to match Cokes market share in colas and other carbonated beverages. Coke enjoys a 44% slice of the market compared to Pepsis 32%. During their 108 year rivalry, Pepsi has never come close to selling as much soda as Coke. Much of this is due to Cokes brand recognition. Although in 2006 Pepsi, for the first time, beat Coke in beverages sold. This was due to Pepsis embracement of the non-carbonated beverage market, where it led the market with a 24% share over Cokes 16%. Pepsi was able to recognize and take advantage of the growing non-carbonized market much earlier than Coca-Cola. Although cola sales have recently stagnated to less than 1% growth, non-carbonated beverages grew 8% in 2004. Much of the failure of Coke to expand into this market can be traced back to the stubbornness of Coke executives to expand beyond the soda market. Coke had an opportunity to acquire Quaker Oats in the 1990s, but passed on the opportunity. Instead, Pepsi acquired Quaker Oats in 2001. Among Quaker Oats assets were Gatorade and Snapple, both leaders in their markets. Although these product lines were already established, they represented new products to Pepsi, as they represented Pepsis introduction into the non-carbonated beverage market. As a result, Pepsi owns a commanding lead in the sports drink market, with Gatorade holding an 80% share to Cokes Powerade at 15%. Until 2001, Coca-Cola had been reluctant to embrace new products. They were not willing to extend their company and take the chance in the non-carbonated market, until they saw the success Pepsi was having. In addition to passing up on Quaker Oats, Coke lost a bidding war for the Sobe line of enhanced juices, and their bid for the Planet Java line of coffees and teas was not embraced by their independent bottlers. However, since 2000 Coke has been actively seeking new products in this market, including the acquisition of the successful Minute Maid juice line. The difference in philosophy has made the difference for Pepsi. In fact, losing the cola wars may have been the best thing for Pepsi. This forced Pepsi to look outside the soda realm in order to increase profits. As Pepsis CEO, Steven Reinemund believes that his companys growth is due to their constant quest for change, that Innovation is what consumers are  looking for, particularly in the small, routine things of their life. Pepsis willingness to embrace new product lines has given them the edge over Coke for the first time in history. Their offerings of Quaker Oats beverages, Sobe, and Aquafina have all been firsts for a soda company. As a result, they have gained the brand recognition over Cokes subsequent offerings, leading to an increased market share. In order for Pepsi to maintain their competitive advantage over Coke, they need to follow the advice of Reinemund, by remaining innovative. PTSTP can help them sustain this advantage. By identifying potential markets, and developing products for these markets, they can continue to capture new market shares. The beverage market is saturated with options for the consumer, with new products appearing everyday. Many of these products are variations on existing products. For example, energy drinks have become very popular in the past few years. As a result the market has become flooded with options. It will become increasingly difficult to introduce new products in this category. By using PTSTP, Pepsi can identify a new niche in this market, or a different market to exploit. Using the energy drinks as an example, the competitors range from Fuze, Red Bull, and many others. By defining the target market, they can identify that the same demographics both tend to buy sodas and energy drinks. Pepsi can then segment the market into young males (18-30). They then determine that the target market of combined soda energy drinks is underserved. They then develop a product to serve this market. Thus Pepsi Max is born. By using PTSTP, Pepsi has created a new product in soda energy drinks, Pepsi Max. It is this type of creativity and innovation that is embraced by Reinemund, and will serve to keep Pepsi with a sustained competitive advantage over Coke. Only by using a method such as PTSTP, can underserved markets be identified and exploited. References 1. http://business.enotes.com/business-finance-encyclopedia/product-mix2. Brady, Diane (). A Thousand and One Noshes: How Pepsi deftly adapts products to changing consumer tastes. Business Week. 14 Jun 20043. Foust, Dean. Things Go Better With Juice: Cokes new CEO will have to move quickly to catch up in noncarbonated drinks. Business Week. 17 May 20044. Brooker, Katrina. How Pepsi outgunned Coke: Losing the cola wars was the best thing that ever happened to Pepsi while Coke was celebrating, PEP took over a much larger market. FORTUNE 1 Feb 2006http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/01/news/companies/pepsi_fortune/index.htm5. http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_three_levels_of_a_product.htm

Changes in Family Structure in Contemporary Britain

Changes in Family Structure in Contemporary Britain Describe the changes in the family structure since the nineteenth century with reference to appropriate research and the apparent decline of the extended family. Demonstrate knowledge of the diversity of families in contemporary Britain. In order to answer this question it is necessary to address the assumptions regarding the structure of the family pre and post industrialisation, focussing upon the research of historians and social scientists such as Laslett, Anderson, Young and Willmott. Sociologist Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) put forth the view that prior to industrialisation families were extended and lived a rural life with democratic gender relations. After industrialisation, society consisted of nuclear families who lived urbanised lives with women financially depended upon men. He describes post-industrial family units as ‘isolated’ as they are not â€Å"part of a wider system of kinship relationships† (Haralambos at al, 1995, pg335). He states that the decline of the extended family was due to industrialisation, as the requirements of skilled labour demanded geographical mobility (Abercrombie et al, 1995). Parsons’ theorizing has since been proven incorrect. The historian Peter Laslett actually found that between 1564 and 1821, only 10 percent of households contained members beyond their immediate family. He states that when couples married it was only a matter of a few years before both their parents died, which implies that there simply not enough members of a family to create an extended unit. He claims â€Å"There is no sign of the large, extended co-residential family group giving way to the small, nuclear, conjugal, household of modern industrial society† (Haralambos at al, 1995, pg338). Michael Anderson’s research also discredits the assumption of the rise of modern nuclear families during industrialisation and the death of the extended family. Anderson conducted an 1851 census of Preston and found that â€Å"23 percent of households contained kin other than the nuclear family† (Haralambos at al, 1995, pg339). He stated that the families worked as a support network with Grandparents looking after siblings whilst both parents worked. It also meant support during periods of ill health or unemployment and it produced a lower share of rent paid. It was what Haralmbos et al describe as a â€Å"mutual aid organisation† (1995, pg339). In the 1950’s, Young and Willmott’s study of Bethnal Green found that two out of three couples lived within three miles of their parents. They also discovered that close ties existed between female members of the family such as mother and daughter, with a â€Å"constant exchange of services such as washing, shopping and babysitting, between female relatives† (Haralambos at al, 1995, pg341). Young and Willmott described many families as â€Å"a combination of families who to some degree form one domestic unit† (Quoted in Haralambos at al, 1995, pg341). During Willmott and Young’s surveys and historical research, they produced three stages of the family based on their findings. The first stage is Pre-industrial, where the family acted as a ‘unit of production’ with everyone working together, in agriculture for example. This unit is similar to that of Parsons’ pre-industrial family, however it does not appear to be extended. This family structure is still seen in modern society, such as within rural farming areas. The second stage is the Early-industrial family which was extended, and acted as a support network similar to the families studied by Anderson. This is also inclusive of Willmott and Young’s Bethnal Green families in the 1950’s. The third stage is the Symmetrical Family, which is nuclear, home centred, with a shared responsibility concerning housework Willmott went on to carry out research in 1980’s London. He found a nuclear family, which is reliant upon kin for support but i s still an independent family unit. This greatly contradicts Parsons’ view of an isolated nuclear family for modern society (Abercrombie et al, 1995, pg304). Robert and Rhona Rapoport however, state their research illustrates how the family structure is still evolving. Twenty percent of families in 1978 were married parents with one main breadwinner. The number of single-parent households has increased from 2.5 percent in 1961 to 10.1 percent in 1992 (Haralambos at al, 1995, pg348). Many factors could contribute to the cause of such a radical change in family structure. Legislation is one factor, as since the 1960’s it is easier to get a divorce, have an abortion, homosexuality is legal and the contraceptive pill is widely available. Women are much more financially independent, which means financial security is not the only reason for marriage. The fact that people are leaving it later to get married and cohabiting for longer periods suggests a higher expectation of marriage. Burgoyne and Clark found examples of couples in this situation in their study of Sheffield. They state that these individuals often view themselves as ‘ pioneers of an alternative lifestyle’ (Quoted in Haralambos at al, 1995, pg347). Returning to the rise of single parenthood, the General Household Survey in 1990 found that their was not only a rise in single mothers who had divorced, but a rise from 16 percent to 34 percent of mothers who had never married (Haralambos at al, 1995, pg348). There are numerous arguments as to why this is the case, Haralmbos et al suggest many by Politicians such as John Selwyn Gummer, Peter Lilley and John Redwood who all stated a concern regarding the welfare state and the possibility of it encouraging single parent families (1995, pg349). To conclude, changes in family structure since the nineteenth century have been subtle. The assumptions that prior to the Industrial Revolution families were large and lived together as one egalitarian unit has been discredited. Even though it is safe to say that modern society consists of mainly nuclear families and single parent families, these units depend on their extended kin network for support, which live in close proximity. Bibliography: Abercrombie, N. and Alan Warde et al. 1995. Contemporary British Society: A New Introduction to Sociology. Second Edition. Cambridge: Polity Press. Haralambos, M. and Martin Holborn et al, 1995. Sociology Themes and Perspectives. Third Edition. London: Collins Educational. McRae, S. 1999. Changing Britain Families and Households. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Interview Essay - Regina McArthur -- Interview Essays

Regina McArthur was born on December 16, 1929. She is a proud mother of five children, and is also a proud grandmother. She says that her greatest love, after her family, is teaching. Regina is a retired school teacher and she currently works informally at a local museum. She says that religion plays a big part in her life, and she describes herself as a real church goer. She is continually trying to develop new skills with all the wonderful things that are out there to learn. Regina is a very curious person and believes that everyone should be too! She said, "There is so much in life that is free, we should take advantage of it." Regina raised her five children by herself, and did what she had to do to survive. She has always enjoyed investigating new ideas. Spending time with her fa... Interview Essay - Regina McArthur -- Interview Essays Regina McArthur was born on December 16, 1929. She is a proud mother of five children, and is also a proud grandmother. She says that her greatest love, after her family, is teaching. Regina is a retired school teacher and she currently works informally at a local museum. She says that religion plays a big part in her life, and she describes herself as a real church goer. She is continually trying to develop new skills with all the wonderful things that are out there to learn. Regina is a very curious person and believes that everyone should be too! She said, "There is so much in life that is free, we should take advantage of it." Regina raised her five children by herself, and did what she had to do to survive. She has always enjoyed investigating new ideas. Spending time with her fa...

The Disorder Of Self :: essays research papers

The disorder of self Everyday liven down in the burrows and sorrows of suburbia has driven this man to be driven in circles. A mad boredom and dreams of aristocracy silently sought against him in a weather of falsehood and bored imagination sought to find meaning it what’s not. Slews of meaningless words thrown around to envision ideals of a better place farther than the boundaries of outlying sidewalks and imaginary fences built around gardens keeping menacing things away. People paired up to dream twice as hard and reach twice as far as ever hoped before. Grown madness sickening the air with boundless fret and ever-growing anticipation of the unknown. Just a few steps away from the halfway point to turn around and give up, walked with hope as if there was ever an end. Finding meaning in the walk of sorrow, bringing a skewed voice of satisfaction in accepting the endless perils too great to accept. Hopelessness breeding an autonomy of hope when fallen so far it is the highs that are low and lows high. Moral satisfaction brought in the god that is the common misunderstanding and brotherhood sought to complete the circle of confusion. Loving those who are dreamers and quitters like the common self helps giving up the fact that there is no end, so if why not quit, than quit hoping to be happy and crush the inner-self sought for self-preservation? This dream brought mysteriously and thoughts lay on a field so easy to play that there are no rules. Suppression breeds violence like suppression of violence, and the circle continues. The average middle child thrown into a madness of confusion and trouble to speak his voice clearly to repent parents’ shame put on themselves. A stepping-stone of wishes, an undergarment of confusion, a tornado of torment and masochistic wishes omitted only to withdraw part of the sorrow burying all daily lives. A need to be human, or human like only a human would call itself, and understanding the transverse thinking of thinking forward in time and time is a thought. The sudden realization that it is real, or not real, and there was no realization, so there was confusion yet no confusion, only a thought, still a thought of the envisioned madness of what a thought is. Pure rejection of all that is misunderstood to understand, and be sane to ignore and accept what everyone cannot accept.

African American Women and Aids Essay

In the United States one of the leading causes of death for African American women is HIV/AIDS. This paper is on the African American women living in the United States with HIV/AIDS, how the health care policy affects them and the different stakeholders that are being affected by the health care policy. â€Å"HIV is the virus that causes AIDS† (2010). The virus weakens the body’s defense system, this makes it hard on the body to fight off other health problems and as time goes by the body becomes less able to fight off diseases. In the United States there was one in four new cases, which women account for and two in three are African American women who got HIV from unprotected sex with a man. African Americans women in 2009 accounted for 30% of the estimated new HIV infections among all African Americans. African American women were 15 time as high as the rate for white women for new HIV infections, and more than three times higher as that of Latina women (â€Å"HIV among African Americans,† 2011). Sexually transmitted infection (STIs) is another way that HIV is most commonly spread to women through sexual contact. African American women are known to have higher rates of STIs than any other race. Many African American women are known to have had sex with an African American man that was incarcerated at one time or another. These African American men in the community are known to cycle in and out of prison and have become risk factors for passing HIV on to African American woman. Other cases are African American men â€Å"on the down low† these are men who have sex with men and women. Many African American women are not aware of them because they do not identify themselves as gay or bisexual African American women that become pregnant also spread HIV to their unborn infant if they do not receive earlier in pregnancy treatments and prenatal care. A person can feel healthy and have HIV. There are steps to take for protection to stop the spread of HIV. This is by using latex condoms every time you have any type of sex. Also if you inject drugs do not share needles, syringes, or anything to inject the drug into you with anyone. By following these steps you can make the different in stopping the spread of HIV.

Analyse and comment on the success Essay

Analyse and comment on the success of the title sequence of Baz Luhrmann’s 1997 film adaptation of ‘Romeo & Juliet’Â  The 1997 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by Baz Luhrmann was attempting to reach out to a younger audience by modernising the old play with new ideas, even though the old text was kept. Set in modern times with modern things that a young audience could relate to, Luhrmann successfully hauled Shakespeare’s text from 16th century Verona, Italy to late 20th century Miami, USA. The purpose of this essay is to review, analyse and comment on the use of Luhrmann’s background to help him in making the movie, the success of the film but most importantly the cinematic success of the title scene. The location was specifically chosen to represent modern times. America was the most modern country available. Although Luhrmann wanted to shoot the film in Miami, it was seen by the mayor of Miami as unrealistic to put the city on hold while they shot the movie; Mexico’s capital city, Mexico City was used instead. It had everything the crew needed, it had a typical city milieu; it was perfect. As the movie was going to be originally set in Miami, the characters had to at least look like they were from Miami. The Montague household wore very casual Hawaiian t-shirts, which were not buttoned up but hung loosely on the wearer. The Capulets wore very serious, cool clothes, mostly dark colours like black and grey. The choices of clothes used were to symbolise gangsters and mob mentality. ‘from ancient grudge break to new mutiny’ were being portrayed by Luhrmann, as two rival gangs. Casting was very much a big thing in Luhrmann’s version. He had to pick actors that young people could relate to. It was hard finding such actors, as the young and popular ones had problems reading Shakespeare’s diverse and complicated old English text. Luhrmann knew that Leonardo Di Caprio would be perfect for Romeo, as he was a heartthrob worldwide, and would bring in the young girls, who adored him. Throughout the movie we are shown images of power. These images are more abundant in the opening title scene. Images of guns, violence and police are shown to create an atmosphere of chaos and anarchy. The guns are used, again to create a modernised version of the old play. The guns represent the swords used by the people in the sixteenth century, and they are referred to as swords by the actors, ‘put up thy swords.’ Religion is one of the main themes in the play, and Luhrmann uses many powerful images to show this in the opening title scene. Two statues of Jesus are filmed round about either side of the city. The statues are opposite each other with their faces facing inwards, as if looking over the people of ‘Verona’ and keeping guard. Also the Christian crucifix is used to replace some of the Ts in the scripture which occasionally flash between the montage of images of police, violent riots and arrests; the scripture is repeating the important parts of the sonnet that opens the play. Cinematography is used to great effect in the opening scene. Zooming and panning left and right all help to create the effect of disorder and chaos. Before the title of the movie is actually shown there is a montage of images; each clip lasts only for a split second. Each clip is taken from the movie to show the audience that it isn’t an old fashioned soppy love story, but a violent, tragic blockbuster. Using the scenes of gun fights and violence the montage really creates an adrenalin rush. The music and the backing track for the title scene really goes with the visual picture on the screen. Fast tempo gets the blood pumping and again it helps to cause chaos. It has real power as it builds up towards the end of the title scene; during the montage of images it speeds up and the power of it envelops you. Then finally we see the title of the movie and the music stops after a few seconds after the title falls into view and the audience is left in silence. In conclusion, considering all the areas of the title scene, Baz Luhrmann has successfully given birth to a fantastic opening to Romeo and Juliet. The title scene underlines key aspects of the sonnet which opens the play, to help the people in the audience who don’t understand Shakespeare and even the ones who do. He introduces the principle characters, again to stop the audience from getting confused. The use of exciting images, such as the gun and the images of police and violence makes certain people in the audience stay and not walk out because they may believe it to be boring; many teenagers would believe Shakespeare to be boring. The opening scene had a very strong effect on me personally. It really made me want to see the movie again, even though I had already seen it about three times. The scene gripped me and not many title scenes have done that to me. Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet was a complete success.

Memory Skills Essay

Memory refers to a mental process that is used to gain, gather, and recover information. The information that is stored in our memory with the help of our senses will be processed by numerous systems all through our brain, and it will be accumulated for later use (Mason, 2003-2006). Gordon and Berger (2003) said that there are two basic kinds of memory: ordinary and intelligent memory. Ordinary memory is remembering specific names of people, time, place, locations of certain things, and things to be done. It is comparatively fragile for it stores information for a few minutes, and that information will soon be forgotten. Thus, it is what fails when we can’t remember something. We are able to recognize it when it works and when it doesn’t because it is a conscious process. On the contrary, intelligent memory is remembering how to do things. It serves as an aid for us to make everyday decisions, and it is the memory that makes us think critically. It enables us to solve p roblems, to enjoy a good joke, and to boost our creativity. Unlike ordinary memory, intelligent memory is an unconscious process that is why most of us find it hard to use and develop it. (Gordon & Berger, 2003; Radford, 2003) Why do we forget things? Forgetting important and useful stuffs is indeed disappointing. Although our brain can store vast number of memories, we still tend to forget things and find them difficult to retrieve. For instance, sometimes we can’t remember the names of people we just met. Perhaps, this is because we are not paying attention. A lack of focus on something important is probably the reason why we fail to store information into our brain. If we really concentrate on something, forgetting will not happen. (Turkington, 2003) Moreover, we fail to remember information because of memory interventions. Sometimes, the acquired information doesn’t just vanish; it can become deteriorated. The memories that are similar can interfere with each other. For example, the memories of two events that happened in the same place become combined together; as a result, our brain become bewildered, and we tend to have memory lapses. Additionally, as we get older, losing brain cells and connections will happen. The specific cells, where numerous memories are stored, will eventually die as part of aging; and thus, the stored memories will be lost and forgotten. (Eastaway, 2004) Can we make our memory stronger? Having bad or weak memory skills is perhaps one of the major problems that we encounter in our daily lives. In fact, it is absolutely frustrating to have memory lapses and not having to recall certain things. Nonetheless, there are memory aids and techniques that can strengthen our memory skill, and they can help us to have a better and healthy memory. Despite the fact that memory lapses is inescapable, memory treatments and methods can somehow sharpen our memory skills. Some of us might think that these memory-boosting techniques are not accurate and are not effective, but it is. They find it that way maybe because they are really not into deep-learning, and they do not focus on what they’re trying to learn. As a matter of fact, remembering is a learned skill, and it can be improved whenever we want to. Since practicing, exerting efforts, and being patient are part of learning, it is substantial for us to do these techniques for a betterment of our memory. (Turnkington, 2003; Eastaway, 2004) To strengthen and sharpen our memory skills, we must pay attention, associate, visualize, and be physically and mentally fit. If we learn all of these techniques, we will certainly make our brain healthy and build a stronger memory. (Turnkington, 2003; Eastaway, 2004) MEMORY IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES Pay Attention Turkington (2003) stated that paying attention is actually one of the most important things in our lives, and it is a great help in improving our memory skills. Each and every one of us has the ability to pay attention to one thing; it’s just that, some of us fail to stay away from distractions. As part of this strategy, we have to determine first what our priorities are. It is essential to distinguish which things are worth giving attention to and which can be get rid of. Distractions are everywhere, and they prevent us from doing the things that need to be done. So we must avoid distractions and ignore all unimportant things in order to complete a certain task and to avoid forgetting. With this in mind, we shouldn’t be disturbed by irrelevant things around us because with fewer distractions, it is easier for our mind to focus and work faster. In enhancing our ability to pay attention, we really need to focus consciously. If we can’t focus, we will not remember what we are trying to learn. Moreover, we tend to procrastinate which is not good. For this reason, we need to do the important things now while we still have plenty of time. It’s simple, if we can avoid procrastinating, we won’t forget anything. In addition to that, we can only concentrate on one thing at any time. Even though we can multi-task, it is still impossible for us to handle different tasks at the same time especially when they both require mental process. Absolutely, we can’t give our full attention to those; as a result, we absorb nothing. Another way that hinders our ability to pay attention is being absent-minded. For instance, when we are about to go to specific place to get something, we suddenly forget what is it that we want to get in the first place. It is commonly happening to us because we sometimes are absent-minded. To cure absentmindedness, we have to be aware of what we are doing. Once we are aware of it, the next thing that we have to do is concentrate on what we are doing. Of course, we need to focus our mind on our task and be alert all the time. Also, finding motivation and getting inspired help us to sustain our concentration. Being motivated gives us enough energy to accomplish our tasks. It helps us to make our brain work properly. Also, it will broaden our mental perspective if we focus on the positive things that motivate us. With an inspiration, we can easily manage distractions, and we can be able to stay focused. Keep in mind that paying attention is a conscious part of our lives (Turkington, 2003; Eastaway, 2004; Gordon & Berger; 2003). Associate In order to enhance our ability to pay attention and to remember, we need to create mental connections between our sensations, ideas, and memories. Meaning, we have to make associations for us to remember properly. We all know that memorizing huge amount of information can be a nerve-wracking task. The tendency to forget that information is very high because our brain doesn’t work well at recalling huge amount of information. We cannot deny the fact that the names of certain people, places, and things are hard to recall. However, there are strategies that we can do for us to be able to remember. Using some mnemonic devices like acrostic, acronym, and method of Loci can help us to improve our attention and memory skills as well. (Eastaway, 2004; Turkington, 2003; Levy, 2006; Smith & Robinson; 2012; Buzan, 2003) Turkington (2003) mentioned that when using acrostics, we can make a sentence in which the first letter of each word serves as an antecedent of what we want to remember. For instance, we use the sentence â€Å"My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos† to remember the eight planets such as Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. With this sentence, it is easier for us to remember the planets in a chronological order. Another device that we can use is acronym wherein we can make a word from the first letters of the words that we need to remember. In detail, we use â€Å"ROY G. BIV† to memorize the sequence of colors in the light spectrum such as Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. We can also use the acronym â€Å"MCL† for us to remember the school of Malayan Colleges Laguna easily. Also, placing what we want to retrieve in a familiar location can help us to remember well. This is called method of loci. If we want to recall specific items or people, we have to associate them with places that we know well. It is easier for us to remember things when our memories are associated with places. For example, we may need to buy the list of items that we need in our houses. To remember them, first, we need to visualize our own house (which is very familiar to us), after that, we imagine ourselves walking through the rooms and examining each of them. As we walk through them, we begin to recall the things that we lack of. With this, we can easily remember the items that we need to buy. Notice that in this technique, it has always something to do with places. This method is more effective for kinesthetic learners. These mnemonic devices help to increase our memory and ability to recall information. Since most of our work involves memorization, it makes sense to use these mnemonic devices so that it will be easy for us to recall information when we need it. It is important for us to know that our ability to remember varies. Some of us think that using acrostics is easier to remember. Some think it is better to use acronyms. This proves that we have different style in terms of recalling information. The only key to using mnemonics is to choose a type of mnemonic that is best for us. (Eastaway, 2004; Turkington, 2003; Levy, 2006; Smith & Robinson; 2012) Visualize After making associations, the next thing we have to do is to improve it. We can develop our ability to associate by visualizing. Turkington (2003) claimed that visualization is a way of making mental picture of things. We create pictures in our mind to see their colors, shapes, and form. It is often referred to as a clear and deep imagining. Each and every one of us has a gift of creative imagination. The only problem is, some of us don’t know how to use and improve it properly. We need to widen our imagination for us to focus and associate consciously. To be able to do this, it is important for us to accept new challenges, to ask questions, and to develop our interests. It would be better for our brain to explore new ideas especially when it challenges us to think critically. That is to say, we have to look into something that is strange to us. Exploring different new ideas will help us to have a creative imagination. It lets us use our whole brain, and that’s good. If we refuse to try something new, and if we choose to do something that we’ve already know, it will not exercise our brain. We won’t be able to develop our creative mind if we keep on focusing on the same activity that is already familiar to us. Whereas when we accept new challenges that takes some mental effort, it will expand our knowledge and develop a good memory. As we explore new ideas, it is substantial to involve ourselves in our reading. Visualization must always be present in our reading. As we read, we should imagine ourselves in the place we are reading about or imagine ourselves doing what we are studying. In this way, it is easier for us to make inferences, and thus, we can actually widen our creative imagination. Also, we should be not afraid to ask multiple questions and be curious about everything in this world. It will help us to expand our imagination because it gives us the opportunity to gain more knowledge. In fact, it would be better if we learn about the amazing wonders here on earth. It is essential to not take everything for granted because if we don’t grab the opportunity to explore them, we will not be able to come up with our own ideas which are very helpful in widening our imagination. Additionally, it will improve our creativity and critical thinking skills. Being curious helps us to become open-minded towards new ideas and information which we can use when we need them. (Turkington, 2003; Smith & Robinson, 2012) It is also important to develop our interests. As we start to expand our concrete interests, we desire to reach a permanent goal. We should continue to learn more about the things that we are interested in. If something doesn’t work for us; then, we should try another course of movement. With this in mind, we have to have a sense of enthusiasm which will allow us to be more interested about something. Therefore, we will be more likely to continue this, and we will have more experiences which are beneficial to us. In exploring new ideas, it should absolutely be challenging and at the same time, enjoying. Instead of expecting them to be just a waste of time or insignificant to us, we should be anticipating that these new ideas will be full of enjoyment. As a matter of fact, this will help our brain to process properly. This is a real sense of enthusiasm that we should have. Furthermore, as we involve ourselves with new ideas and challenges, we should think of how to spot favorable circumstances for improvements. With this intention, we should be a good observer. Being a good observer plays an important role in associating and visualizing. Of course, the reason why we expand our curiosity is to find the answers to our questions. To be able to find them, we should do an observation. It is important to understand the things around us because the more we observe them, the more we will conceive them. (Turkington, 2003; Smith & Robinson, 2012; Eastaway, 2004) Be physically and mentally fit For us to be able to pay attention, associate, and visualize well, we should be physically and mentally fit. Doing physical and mental exercises will help us to sharpen and strengthen our memory skills. Physical exercise is important to us for it maintains physical fitness and overall health. It is good for our brain because it gives us more energy, increases blood supply and growth hormones, and abates the chances of memory decay. We all know that we cannot avoid tiredness. It hinders our brain to function well. The best way to make it function properly is to have a deep sleep. Exercising daily helps us to relax our muscles and get to sleep which will serve as an aid for us to be able to recall information and to make our brain perform well. Also, regular exercises help us to reduce stress. It is a fact that all of us have stresses that contribute to memory problems. Being physically fit helps us to relieve stress. It improves our mood, and it keeps us from anxieties that make us wo rry too much. Specifically, it increases our confidence which enables us to manage stress. (Latham, 2006; Eastaway, 2004) In addition, it is beneficial for our brain to perform mental tasks because it develops our critical thinking skills. If we really want to sharpen our memory, we need to involve ourselves in different mental activities. We can play chess, scrabble, and card games like jigsaw puzzles or bridge. These mental activities can help us to think logically; thus, it will definitely boost our memory skills. The logical puzzle like soduko, for instance, helps us to think critically. It trains our mind to process different kinds of information, details, images and techniques at a fast speed. As we do the strategies in this puzzle, it helps us to build neural connections into our brain which will help us to sharpen our memory. (Moore, 2006) The most important of all, it is essential to have a good diet for it also help our memory to be alert and active. We should make sure that all vitamins that we need are in our diet. With a good diet, we will be able to concentrate fully and to store and retrieve information. There are specific foods that are healthy to our brain, and they will strengthen our memory. To make our memory stronger, we should consider the following: * Fishes contains good fats, and they are rich in Omega-3. Eastaway (2004) stated that foods that contain Omega-3 are good for our brain. They prevent us from having Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, if we really want to have a good diet, we should eat oily fishes such as Salmon, Tuna, Halibut, Trout, Mackerel, Sardines, and Herring. * We must avoid eating too much food that contains calories and saturated fats. We shouldn’t eat too much butter, cheese, sour cream, and ice cream because they contribute to the memory problems. Nevertheless, it is healthier for our brain to eat foods that are rich in unsaturated fats because they improve brain’s learning process, and they abate the risk of having damage to our brain. (Eastaway, 2004; Smith & Robinson, 2012; Moore, 2006) * We should eat more fruits and vegetables because they are rich in Antioxidants which are beneficial to our brain. It protects our brain cells for the possible damage that may happen in our brain. (Eastaway, 2004; Smith & Robinson, 2012; Moore, 2006) * We should eat foods that are rich in Carbohydrates for they help our brain to function and perform well. They make our mind alert and active, and thus it is easier for us to retrieve information. (Eastaway, 2004; Smith & Robinson, 2012; Moore, 2006 ) CONCLUSION Given these points, we should now understand that our memories are our important assets that we should take care of. Knowing how our memories work and how they fail sometimes, we should keep in mind that we have to develop them. We should keep in mind that the ability to remember quickly is very important in our lives. We should also realize that forgetting is a natural part of how our brains work. It is true that our abilities to remember get worse as we get older. However, we don’t have to worry too much because it is possible for us to strengthen and sharpen our memory skills. All we need to do is to practice improving our attention, association, and visualization. For us to be able to improve them, we should also be healthy, physically and mentally. It should now be clear to us that paying attention, making associations, and visualizing play important roles in improving our memory skills. They are actually the three keys to have a better memory because they are the sources of all of our insights, learning, communications, and connections with others. (Eastaway, 2004) Also, it is better for us to understand that we cannot do these strategies successfully unless we learn them. Of course, it takes time to learn. If we really want to achieve something, we have to dedicate ourselves to it. We have to give our time and full attention to it. Learn to practice, and practice to learn. Keep in mind that our memories are priceless, and we cannot replace them whenever they fail to function. We really have to protect our memories in order to make them healthier. In short, we have to train our brain to gain. References Buzan, T. (2003). Master your memory: more inspiring ways to increase the power of your memory, focus, and creativity. London: BBC Worldwide Limited. Eastaway, R. (2004). How to remember: a practical guide to memory and recall. Great Britain: Bookmarque Ltd, Croydon, Surrey. Gordon, B. & Berger, L. (2003). Intelligent memory: a prescription for improving your memory. New York: Penguin Group. Latham, C. (2006). Physical and Mental Exercise. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2006/11/07/physical-and-mental-exercise/ Levy, J. (2006). Train your brain: The complete mental workout for a fit and agile mind. London: New Holand Publishers. Mason, D. J (2003-2006). The Memory Workbook. Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://www.memorydr.com/memory.htm Moore, G. (2006). The 10-minute brain workout: Brain training tips, logic tests, and puzzles to exercise your mind. Great Britain: Michael O’ Mara Books Limited