Fallacy Spotting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Fallacy Spotting - Essay Example a time that there was a claim that a school head in one of the states in the U.S was engaging in gay activities with small boys, hence sodomizing the boys. Such a claim went on and on until many people begun to generalize that school heads in that State sodomize school boys. Such a claim is categorized under hasty generalizations as it is unethical to use one isolated case to make a generalization over all school heads in the whole State. This claim is therefore based on inadequate evidence (Julia). It will be unfair to make such an unfortunate claim that will go to an extent of tarnishing the names of all school heads in the whole State without any adequate evidence (Purdue). It therefore doesn’t meet the required threshold of a claim that should be considered to be generalized to all the school heads in the State. The conclusion of the claim is therefore hasty and fallacious (Nizkor). It is also a hasty and fallacious conclusion that can be reached after interviewing just one person on a University on whether they can speak French, and if they say they don’t speak French, then your conclusion is that everyone in the University doesn’t speak French

Benefits of Distance Learning Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Distance Learning Essay The benefits of distance learning are apparent as distance learning aims at meeting student’s needs. The offered outline is composed according to student’s needs and abilities. The most important factor affecting many future students who are willing to study is financial problems. Therefore firstly they consider financial benefits of any type of learning. Ability to take part-time job along with ability to save money plays an important role in choosing studying course. Students having financial problems also consider benefits in time management and distance learning gives the opportunity to study when it is convenient for a student. Therefore time management benefits have to follow financial ones. Furthermore, effectiveness of studying process is also a matter of concern for future students. Ability to correspond with teachers and other students via e-mail, telephone and chat rooms offers wide range of studying opportunities. Constant access to on-line libraries and data bases affects student’s choice. Students having full-time and part-time jobs would be able to pass exams during their available time. Finally, social benefits take the last place, because considerations about financial and studying benefits are more important in modern society as education is very expensive and one firstly thinks abut the ability to pay for the course and only then about the opportunities to lead social life. References Distance Learning Benefits. (2005). Retrieved October, 27, 2006, from http://www. distance-learning-college-guide. com/distance-learning-benefits. html

Leonardo da Vinci :: History Biography

Leonardo da Vinci Painter, sculptor, inventor. Born April 15, 1452 near the village of Vinci, Italy. He was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci, a prominent notary of Florence, who had no other children until much later. Ser Piero raised his son himself, a common practice at the time, arranging for Leonardo's mother to marry a villager. When Leonardo was 15, his father apprenticed him to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading artist of Florence and a characteristic talent of the early Renaissance. A sculptor, painter, and goldsmith, Verrocchio was a remarkable craftsman, and his great skill and passionate concern for quality of execution, as well as his interest in expressing the vital mobility of the human figure, were important elements in Leonardo's artistic formation. Indeed, much in Leonardo's approach to art was evolutionary from tradition rather than revolutionary against it, although the opposite is often true of his results. After completing his apprenticeship, Leonardo stayed on as an assistant in Verrocchio's shop, and his earliest known painting is a product of his collaboration with the master. In Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ (ca. 1475), Leonardo executed one of the two angels, a fact already recorded in the 16th century, as well as the distant landscape, and he added the final touches to the figure of Christ, determining the texture of the flesh. Collaboration on a major project by a master and his assistant was standard procedure in the Italian Renaissance. What is special is that Leonardo's work is not, as was usual, a slightly less skilled version of Verrocchio's manner of painting but an original approach altering it. It completely possesses all the fundamental qualities of Leonardo's mature style and implies a criticism of the early Renaissance. By changing hard metallic surface effects to soft yielding ones, making edges less cutting, and increasing the slight modulations of light and shade, Leonardo evoked a new flexibility within the figures. This "soft union," as Giorgio Vasari called it, is also present in the special lighting and is emphatically developed in the spiral turn of the angel's head and body and the vast depth of the landscape. Apparently Leonardo had painted one extant work, the Annunciation in Florence, before this. It is much nearer to Verrocchio in the stability of the two figures shown in profile, the clean precision of the decorative details, and the large simple shapes of the trees, but it already differs in the creamier modeling of the faces. Leonardo da Vinci :: History Biography Leonardo da Vinci Painter, sculptor, inventor. Born April 15, 1452 near the village of Vinci, Italy. He was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci, a prominent notary of Florence, who had no other children until much later. Ser Piero raised his son himself, a common practice at the time, arranging for Leonardo's mother to marry a villager. When Leonardo was 15, his father apprenticed him to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading artist of Florence and a characteristic talent of the early Renaissance. A sculptor, painter, and goldsmith, Verrocchio was a remarkable craftsman, and his great skill and passionate concern for quality of execution, as well as his interest in expressing the vital mobility of the human figure, were important elements in Leonardo's artistic formation. Indeed, much in Leonardo's approach to art was evolutionary from tradition rather than revolutionary against it, although the opposite is often true of his results. After completing his apprenticeship, Leonardo stayed on as an assistant in Verrocchio's shop, and his earliest known painting is a product of his collaboration with the master. In Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ (ca. 1475), Leonardo executed one of the two angels, a fact already recorded in the 16th century, as well as the distant landscape, and he added the final touches to the figure of Christ, determining the texture of the flesh. Collaboration on a major project by a master and his assistant was standard procedure in the Italian Renaissance. What is special is that Leonardo's work is not, as was usual, a slightly less skilled version of Verrocchio's manner of painting but an original approach altering it. It completely possesses all the fundamental qualities of Leonardo's mature style and implies a criticism of the early Renaissance. By changing hard metallic surface effects to soft yielding ones, making edges less cutting, and increasing the slight modulations of light and shade, Leonardo evoked a new flexibility within the figures. This "soft union," as Giorgio Vasari called it, is also present in the special lighting and is emphatically developed in the spiral turn of the angel's head and body and the vast depth of the landscape. Apparently Leonardo had painted one extant work, the Annunciation in Florence, before this. It is much nearer to Verrocchio in the stability of the two figures shown in profile, the clean precision of the decorative details, and the large simple shapes of the trees, but it already differs in the creamier modeling of the faces.

John Muir :: essays research papers

The story takes place at Yosemite National Park from 1838-1914. John Muir was a botanist, geologist, and writer. He had overcome earthquakes, glaciers, and he climbs mountains. John Muir had impressed by overcoming all the dangers like animals. He was an expert on wilderness. He knows survival skills to stay alive. He studies nature and he writes about nature. He made a national park system as well as the Sierra Club. He knew that the Native Americans called the place "Pohono," or spirit of the puffing wind. At first he called it a "dainty little fall...only about fifteen or twenty feet high." John laughed after discovering that Bridalveil Fall drops 620 feet. He writes all kinds of quotes about nature, for example: "I am captive, I am bound. Love of pure unblemished Nature seems to overmaster and blur out of sight all other objects and considerations." John works in his "scribble den." John had two brothers and five sisters and their names are: Margaret, Sarah, David, Dan, Mary, Annie, and Joanna. For several years, he had toyed with writing up his findings for publication. Jeanne Carr was the one that encouraged him. She even suggested titles and copied his notes. John decided to send an article to the New York Tribune. To his surprise, the newspaper published "Yosemite Glaciers" on December 5, 1871, and paid him $200, that was a lot of money back then. On New Year’s Day in 1872, the same newspaper printed "Yosemite in Winter." John thought that he might be able to earn his living by writing, what he called "pen work." He stayed in his cabin for the winter and wrote it.

Hip-Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women Essay

According to Jennifer Mclune, a writer, activist, and librarian, sexism, and homophobia saturate hip-hop culture and any deviation from these forms of bigotry is made marginal to its most dominant and lucrative expressions. In her article â€Å"Hip hops betrayal of black women† Published on first of July 2006, Mclune is informing and trying to persuade her audience of this generation of teenagers and young adults, also seen as millennials, that hip-hop songs that have these elements of woman-hating, sexism, and homophobia, are basically a normal thing and it should not be because it causes an influence and makes the actions seem like it’s okay to commit rather than seeing it as something offensive. She claims that â€Å"Hip-hop owes its success to the ideology of woman-hating† By this, she means that it creates, perpetuates, and reaps the rewards of objectification. I strongly agree with Mclune she feels that the hip-hop world has degraded women and it became the †norm† so people became blinded so, now it’s time to fight back. To help support my claim, Mclune uses real-life evidence/examples such as song lyrics, another article similar to her topic, and language. First off Mclune starts off addressing Kevin Powell’s ’’ notes of hip-hop heads ’’ and he states how poverty breeds into sexism and that hip-hop is saturated with the past and homophobia. Mclune feels that that’s a way to silence the feminist critiques of the culture. Mclune also states how Powell forgets to mention the fact that women too were raised in the violent and poor environments as men too. Basically, it shouldn’t excuse the fact that men are degrading women through the hip-hop culture. When we as black females need to stand up and gain knowledge on how the hip-hop world participates in women-hating. You have men writing songs about black women pain, but have rappers such as jay-z who has lyrics such as I pimp hard on a trick. In particularly this article written by Sharpley Whiting called †Pimp Up, Ho’s Down† Whiting argues that hip hop’s commercial success is heavily dependent upon young black women. Creating both, this masculine and misogynistic gap in understanding the real complexities of young black women in hip hop’s commercial art. The color prejudice and sexually charged lyrics in a dominated culture, hip-hop. Whiting also states how the millennium generation has grown into the wake of the hip-hop culture, blinded by their unconscious participation, they fail to connect the destruction of feminism in hip-hop, this statement is similar to what Mclune has been saying throughout her article. It is not hip hop itself that has made the uniqueness of its own culture, but it is hip-hop itself that normalizes it. It’s very understandable that the hip-hop world bases their lyrics on real-life situations but the things that are said about such as †gold diggers,† † chicken heads† about women shouldn’t be motioned because it doesn’t do anything but make those situations become the norm. In an article written by Dr. Johnnetta Cole argues in her article that there is a â€Å"war between the sexes†. Also, that hip-hop plays a significant influence on is battle that has been going on since the 60’s. We as black women need to stand our ground for something that we believe in, which is treating us with respect and not degrading us in hip hops music. The sense of impudence toward the woman is being noticed by boys and girls at an early age. Therefore, to them it seems that what is being said and demonstrated in videos is okay. The ruthless and tyrannical gender talk in today’s hip-hop music must be put to rest, but to do that we must chan ge the way we put out our message. Words can be very motivating and inspiring, but you can’t influence someone by humiliating others.

Free Essays on The River

Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The River†: A Story of Faith? Flannery O’Connor’s story â€Å"The River† is a story of faith. The main character of the story is a young boy whose real name is Harry Ashfield. Although his real name is Harry he tells people his name is Bevel. Bevel is introduced to Christianity by Mrs. Connin, who is a babysitter that his parents have hired to take care of him. â€Å"The River† is about Bevel and his exploration of religious faith. This story is a good example that a person who is a little devil and has no religious background can change his beliefs and start to have faith in god. Bevel is a joker and is used to living everything out as a joke, almost nothing is of a serious matter to him. Bevel does not come from a religious family. In matter of fact it is said that, â€Å"If he had thought about it before, he would have thought Jesus Christ was a word like ‘oh’ or ‘damm’ or ‘God’ or maybe somebody.† (160). It can be seen that he did not even have any religious background and no knowledge of a god existing. His family becomes angry with Mrs. Connin when she told them that he was baptized. But thanks to Mrs. Connin, Bevel acquires some faith and returns to the river to try to find the Kingdom of Christ. Mrs. Connin’s introduction of Christianity to Bevel was successful because he went from having no faith to returning to the river that he was baptized at. The baptism performed by the preacher prepares us for the last scene of the story. The baptism taken place in the river and Bevel’s search of the ki ngdom of Christ brings him back to the river which leads to his death. The final scene of the story is a puzzle because it is not clear what exactly happens to Bevel, but it can be taken that he drowned in the river. This is a horror because Bevel wanted to find the Kingdom of Christ that the preacher said was in the river. Because of what the preacher said, Bevel returned to the river... Free Essays on The River Free Essays on The River Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The River†: A Story of Faith? Flannery O’Connor’s story â€Å"The River† is a story of faith. The main character of the story is a young boy whose real name is Harry Ashfield. Although his real name is Harry he tells people his name is Bevel. Bevel is introduced to Christianity by Mrs. Connin, who is a babysitter that his parents have hired to take care of him. â€Å"The River† is about Bevel and his exploration of religious faith. This story is a good example that a person who is a little devil and has no religious background can change his beliefs and start to have faith in god. Bevel is a joker and is used to living everything out as a joke, almost nothing is of a serious matter to him. Bevel does not come from a religious family. In matter of fact it is said that, â€Å"If he had thought about it before, he would have thought Jesus Christ was a word like ‘oh’ or ‘damm’ or ‘God’ or maybe somebody.† (160). It can be seen that he did not even have any religious background and no knowledge of a god existing. His family becomes angry with Mrs. Connin when she told them that he was baptized. But thanks to Mrs. Connin, Bevel acquires some faith and returns to the river to try to find the Kingdom of Christ. Mrs. Connin’s introduction of Christianity to Bevel was successful because he went from having no faith to returning to the river that he was baptized at. The baptism performed by the preacher prepares us for the last scene of the story. The baptism taken place in the river and Bevel’s search of the ki ngdom of Christ brings him back to the river which leads to his death. The final scene of the story is a puzzle because it is not clear what exactly happens to Bevel, but it can be taken that he drowned in the river. This is a horror because Bevel wanted to find the Kingdom of Christ that the preacher said was in the river. Because of what the preacher said, Bevel returned to the river... Free Essays on The River THE RIVER The River written by Gary Paulsen is a sequel to the book â€Å"The Hatchet.† This book is about a boy named Brian Robeson who has survived months in the woods by himself and now goes back to the woods to show and teach people how to survive. Three men have come to Brian’s house to ask him if he would go back to the woods to survive again. They want to write everything down and make a â€Å"survival book† for other people to read. After much thought and talking his mom and dad into it, Brian decides to go. Derek Holtzer, a psychologist, will go with Brian to the woods and document everything Brian does to survive. They are flown to the place that they have picked out. Brian decides that it wouldn’t actually be surviving if they take all the equipment that Derek has packed, such as food and a tent. The only thing Brian agrees to keep is a radio to be used only in emergencies and for Derek to check in every week. One of the first things that Brian and Derek did was to make a shelter. They also looked for food, and found some nuts and berries. Derek was writing everything down that Brian was doing. It almost seemed that everything was going really good, but then the storm hit. Brian could only hear the loud storm and see whenever lightening struck. It was then that he saw Derek reach for the radio and was struck by lightening. When Brian woke up, he couldn’t remember anything. It was like he was in a daze. Then he saw Derek lying on his bed and realized that Derek had been struck by lightening. At first he thought Derek was dead, but he was just knocked out. After waiting for Derek to wake up, Brian realized that Derek was in a coma and needed help fast. When Brian remembered the radio, he tried to call for help. The lightening had struck the radio also, and it didn’t work anymore. Brian had to think of something to do to keep Derek alive. He knew without food or wa ter, Derek would...

Modernist Angst- Misogyny essays

Modernist Angst- Misogyny essays The position of women in society has been exemplified in literature as misogynist, and although things have started to change in the last hundred years or so, one sees that women are still portrayed in a poor light. In essence, the idea of women being contemptuous, having a blatant disregard for authority dates back to Eve. Eve coaxed Adam to eat from the tree of knowledge and for such defiance, God punished both Adam and Eve, however, it was Eves punishment that cursed her (and the rest of womankind) to the role of a scapegoat. It is not hard to imagine people routinely murmuring that it was Eves fault, that it is Eves fault, or that is it will always be Eves fault for the role of women and the decline of masculinity. As for men, they have been cursed to dominate the world with the role of a stolid breadwinner. Just as this bible story has not changed to create a better depiction of Eve as less beguiling, less evil, and more caring, neither have Modernist writers who have woven societal tales of social strife. The depiction of women as conniving and despicable has not come through more clearly anywhere than in the Modernist period where women were portrayed as the Dark Horses, the archetypal forces behind social chaos and self-affliction. The depiction of women as the Dark Horses is not just confined to British novels. The American satire by Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, aptly founds itself on a series of social events that create the same Dark Horses. Indeed, most of the interaction between the characters in the novel happens not by coincidence but by planning. Everyone plans trips to the Bellomont knowing that they will spend their time gambling, and Lily, the main character, plans all of her trips with the intent of getting something out of someone. The various visits, then, are the grounds on which the entire social analyses and gossip take place. The...

TDA Essays

TDA Essays TDA Essay TDA Essay Describe the policies that you would take if you noticed that a child was ill in your setting. All staff within the nursery need to be aware of different signs and symptoms when dealing with Illnesses within children. When children are ill then may become upset or restless and therefore would need to be shown care and comfort Just by sitting with them and talking to them to keep them occupied or even give them a comforting toy to make them feel less distressed until a senior member of staff decides on what to do in this situation. A senior member of staff or the manager would be informed of every illness and incident. Every case with an ill or injured child will need to be recorded in full detail which would include; The name of the child The time and date of the illness What the illness or injury was Any treatment given The names of the members of staff involved and reported to A signature of who witnessed the illness or Injury This would be done so that the parents of the child can be fully knowledgeable about the Incident and so they can be aware In case the child becomes worse. At our setting we require the parents to sign the recorded form to show that they knew and understood what had happened. If the child is seriously ill or injured then the parent loud be contacted immediately and this would be decided by a senior member of staff however, if the child needed urgent treatment or needed to be taken in an ambulance to the hospital then the parents would need to give full permission first. At our setting we do have some children who need to be given certain medication in particular circumstances such as children with asthma and children with allergies who may need a potentially lifesaving injection. These medications would be prescribed by a doctor then the parents would give written consent for the staff at our setting to give the children the recommended medication. For every child a form would Include their name, birth date, what type of medication Is to be given, how much and at what time and each parent would need to sign and date the form. For the children who have allergies or asthma they would need their medication to be permanently at the setting so that the child is able to receive it at all times. Their medication is kept in a storage box with their name on that is kept out of reach of other children however is always in the room that the child is in. If we have a situation at our setting in which the staff have to deal with bodily fluids we have to cake sure first of all that we remove the ill child from the location and make sure that no other children can access the said area. Then the member of staff that is to clean must initially make sure they put on an apron and clear disposable gloves. To remove the excess paper towels are provided and then put Into a bin bag. We then have a specific colored mop for different areas that the member of staff would use to clean the wet area, using disinfectant and then would use clean paper towels to dry the area. After this the apron and gloves that the member of staff was using would go into the bin bag too. This bin bag would be taken to the outside waste area wash their hands and arms carefully and precisely with hand soap. When may a child need urgent medical attention? Consider your own role and responsibilities and outline what you would do if a child needed urgent medical attention whilst in your care. Some children may show some signs or symptoms that can be very serious and may require urgent medical attention. It is our Job to notice any of the signs and symptoms in the children and respond immediately. Some may include; Seizures Choking In and out of consciousness Cardiac arrest Convulsions (Fits) Dehydration, Severe vomiting and diarrhea Meningitis symptoms Wounds or cuts that are severely bleeding Cries uncontrollably and seems to be in pain Asthma attack which the inhaler does not react to Swallowing dangerous objects Difficulty breathing Head injury with other symptoms such as headache, vomiting or vision problems. There can be many more serious signs and symptoms that would need urgent medical attention. If I were to notice any of these in the children I would need to immediately find another member of staff as quickly as possible and do exactly as they ask me to. This could be to phone for other member of staff, bring the first aid kit or even make the area safe around the child and keep the other children occupied and away from the area. I am currently not first aid trained so I wouldnt be able to follow up any first aid on the child however when I am first aid trained, if there is no other members of staff around at the time I would have to follow my first aid training on the child when necessary and would also need to shout for assistance from another member of staff. Show the actions that you would take in your setting in the event of a fire. Each part of the setting has its own designated route to exit the building at the closest exit door. Our main exit in my building is through the main door over the cobbled area and through a big double gate that leads on to the drive way at the front of the building. We then go through another small gate and to the church that is opposite where we gather the children. The senior member of staff would count the children as they were exiting the building and then count them again as they were gathered know how many children we would have at that time. The register would be taken ever to the church with us so that we could count the children and know which children were with us. If we could not get through the front door because the fire was in the area of our exit route, we would take the children through the back door, through the soft play area, over the grass, through a side gate and then through the small gate to the church. Each part of the building has other routes that they can take to exit the building. With the babies we have an evacuation cot at the front door which the staff members put the babies in and carry them across to make it easier and safer than the staff carrying Just one baby across. Show the procedures that you follow to maintain the security of your setting. To stop strangers from getting into our building without staff realizing we have specific key codes on the main gate, main front door and back kitchen door that is only given to the parents of the children. If there is somebody else picking up the child other than the parent then they would have to be given a secure password from the parents, which they would provide when they arrive at the front door and ring the buzzer and they would need to know the name and date of birth of the child and the parents would information the ember of staff caring for the child about the person including the name and what the person looks like. However, only the owner or manager can allow this person into the building. To stop the children getting out of the building we have baby gates and locked gates with hooks and locks so that they cant get out of the rooms and all other main door have handles that are high out of babies reach and locks higher up also. On the back door of the building that I work in we have a key lock which is locked at all times whilst the children are indoors and on the front door we have a door bell for he parent to ring when they come to collect their children. The key is kept on a high up shelf out of the childrens reach. We also have locks on all windows however most windows are out of reach of children. Describe the policy and procedures that you would follow in your setting if there was a missing child. If any children are thought to be missing on the premises we have to follow our policy and procedures for missing children which would start with the staff checking the register to make sure the child has not already gone home and is signed out or to see if the child is opposed to be in. They would also have to check to make sure no other child is missing. The manager is to be alerted and they would carry out a search and a thorough check of the building and garden. They would check all doors and gates for any breach of security whereby the child could have perhaps wandered out from. If after 5 minutes the child still has not been found then the parents of the child would be contacted and informed along with the police. The manager would then talk to the staff to find out where and when the child went missing and was last seen and this would be recorded.

'He treated only one subject - himself.' How applicable is this to the Essay

'He treated only one subject - himself.' How applicable is this to the work of Wordsworth - Essay Example Considered one of William Wordsworth's most important poems, The Prelude occupied the poet throughout his life. Wordsworth revised the poem intermittently but he did not publish it during his lifetime. The Prelude is autobiographical and essential to understand Wordsworth' life and poetry. The Prelude's fourteen books collect Wordsworth's meditations on his life, his poetic vocation and its evolution, and some historic critics claim it contains the poet's thoughts on his contemporary political context, such as his views on the French Revolution. However can we really insist that Wordsworth only wrote about himself And if we do, could we argue that other talented poets or authors have not done the same Wordsworth portrayed himself as a gifted man as he could dedicate himself to his poetry. In that sense we find that freedom in his work as he freely talks about all the subjects that he believed were crucial at that time. We would be wrong to see The Prelude as a one subject poem: the a uthor. It is mainly an epic debate of the themes of man and nature, a meditation of the mind. We can note, even from the titles of the fourteen books, -"Childhood and school-time", "Residence at Cambridge", "Summer Vacation", "Cambridge and the Alps", "Residence in London", "Residence in France", that this long poem is purely autobiographical. It would be a mistake. Using himself as a character, applying a personification, is only the method which Wordsworth chose to explore the themes of man and nature, and depict the "life of a nineteenth century man" Wordsworth is also referring to his own evolution, recognizing he has lost his childhood's imagination and replaced it with the wisdom that comes with age. The narrator is the poet himself and the subject of the poem is the poet. However, this is a timeless theme, the loss of innocence, the passage from childhood to being adult. This newfound wisdom allows him to see the "still, sad music of humanity" because he can achieve a more meaningful and realistic understanding of nature. This poem brings together two of what were Wordsworth's most profound concerns: nature and the self. Furthermore, Wordsworth needs to depict himself in his poems as he's presenting complex notions which can only be argued by living experiences. In "Tintern Abbey" Wordsworth wrote "the picture of the mind revives again" presenting one of his most important ideas: the memory is the instrument of the associative or transformative power. He sees a landscape through his mental picture of the same landscape, but five years earlier. How would it be possible to develop such a theory if he had not experienced it himself And what better means of persuading the reader of the true nature of this theory than depicting a personal experience - therefore personifying himself - which can bind every human being For Wordsworth, poetry was more than just a form of creative expression. He regarded it as a learning tool he could use to educate his readers on significance of history. Wordsworth believed that history not only shaped the world in which man lived, but also mankind itself. Wordsworth did not allow the repetition of history's mistakes to turn him into a jaded cynic. He productively used what he had seen, experienced and red and transformed it into poetry which was not only eloquent, but educational. With "The Prelude," he was speaking directly to his readers, in

Project Management of Marks&Spencer Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project Management of Marks&Spencer - Case Study Example Project Management is the art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, cost, time and quality and participation satisfaction. In order to meet the organizational objective of providing increased satisfaction to the customers by offering products of superior quality and an efficient service in more attractive surroundings that are comfortable to the customers a continuous stores development programme on the part of Marks & Spencer is the most important factor to decide on the expansion and modernization of their stores locations. Apart from the customer satisfaction from the commercial angle also when there is an opportunity for increased profitability resulting from such relocation the company would as well take it up to get the advantage. In the instant case the new location Kendal being a busy market town as well as a popular tourist area in Cumbria offered excellent prospects of increased sales activity. Existing sales performances, proposed selling space available, local customer profile, size of the catchment of the population and local competition are some of the other deciding factors that will infl uence the decision about the project. The major obstacle was the climatic factor as the n... The initial preparation of the site by the contractor may also pose an issue though not a major one. It was necessary to get all the statutory clearances by giving notices abiding by the requirements of public notice periods so that if there are any objections from the public. Another issue in the way of the progress of the project was the important building regulations approval required was for the changes in the elevation involving design changes and relocation of entrances. One of the major obstacles faced was in the issue of the opening dates so that the sales during the festive season were not missed. However the project team did not want to rush up and end in doing wrong things. Discussion and Evaluation: As outlined earlier the organizational objective of Marks & Spencer in improving customer satisfaction and thereby achieving enhanced profitability was aimed to be achieved through this relocation project. The major deciding factor in favour of the project is the location of the new site which is a business town as well as a tourist spot which offers a twin advantage for improving the sales of the company. Moreover the geographical location also went in favour of the decision to relocate. As explained by the Stores Planner the customer satisfaction can be improved not only by offering quality products to the customers but also by providing an attractive and comfortable stores environment. When both these factors are combined in any retail store relocation, the project is bound to result a remarkable success. Moreover efficient stores design also result in an effective cost minimisation. A lot of inputs in the form of studying the existing

Organic Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Organic Growth - Essay Example Now before discussing the advantages and disadvantages of organic growth over cross border acquisitions for multinational companies, one should first understand what is organic growth and what is a cross-border acquisition. Organic growth talks about using internal sources of a company for expanding and earning profits. In other words organic growth talks about the expansion of a firm's operations from its own internally generated resources, without resorting to borrowing or acquisition of some other firms. Organic growth represents the real growth of the company. Organic growth represents how well the company has applied its internal resources to increase profits (Reuters, 2009). Increasing output and enhancing sales are some of the methods in which the growth rate of a company can be enhanced. Organic growth sometimes is also referred to as internal growth. Here the company uses funds from one year to expand in the following year. Since organic growth is a slower way of expansion and growth, and many companies wants to grow at an accelerated rate they go in for the inorganic growth. Again a firm can grow inorganically by the means of mergers and acquisitions. ... Organic growth sometimes is also referred to as internal growth. Here the company uses funds from one year to expand in the following year. Since organic growth is a slower way of expansion and growth, and many companies wants to grow at an accelerated rate they go in for the inorganic growth. Again a firm can grow inorganically by the means of mergers and acquisitions. Inorganic growth is often seen as a faster way to grow in the business and acquire new markets. Inorganic growth is seen as a major and significant event for the faster growth. Inorganic growth strategies are regarded as important tools to reach into new markets, expand customer base, cut competition, consolidate and grow in size quickly. Cross border acquisitions and mergers Due to globalization, companies have started the ways and means to gain competitive advantage over their competitors. Also the world has seen increased deregulation, privatization and corporate restructuring; globalization has led to cross-border acquisitions and merger activities. Today they are seen as the main mechanism in which a company can expand in foreign markets. The cross border acquisitions and mergers cuts down competition, helps the companies to expand their customer base and grow in size quickly. But there are many barriers to cross-border acquisitions and mergers. Some of them have been discussed below: Legal barriers: cross border acquisitions and mergers are very complex transactions which may involve a number of legal entities. The company may suffer due to lack of information which may also result in deadlock. There may be cases where even after the acquisitions the acquiring company may not get proportionate powers in the

Voices of wisdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Voices of wisdom - Essay Example There are many ways in which law can be unjust. It can prohibit conduct, which should be allowed. It can allow the conduct that must be allowed. It may be applied or enforced unfairly. Examples of unjust law are discussed in detail as hereunder. The chapter seven of the United States’ constitution allows the government to sanction racial discrimination. A person cannot attempt to defend the allegation, if the defense is required, that racial discrimination is not just. The selection of racial discrimination laws as practically unjust refers to the related experiences common law countries, for instance, when the indigenous populations are treated with respect to legalized racial discrimination and slavery subjugation. In addition, some laws also attempt to undermine some institution position of common law courts. For instance, chapters eight and nine of the constitution, examine various examples of this law. Many judges responded to these laws and failed to permit the integrity of their courts be handled in this manner. In these discussions, some basic common laws, which operate by, judicial decisions to maintain the relationship of the constitution on government organs? Furthermore, justice and law can be two different concepts. The latter must contain the basic support of the previous. When this does not happen, many people feel the need to go against the legal structure, resulting in a lack of faithfulness in all laws. One of the examples could be the time when people rebel against legal rights, which have moved against a greater sense of justice, for instance, the social institution against discriminatory laws in America (Garry, 2000). Some laws are unjust to extent that is justifiable to disobey them and even to go against the government, which established them. This shows how the America came in being. There are many examples of unjust laws seen in the text. Many Americans took the assumption of imperfect laws as they were established in the constit ution. This implied that the wrong had trumped what was right. Indeed, many argue that with no notion of good law used to fight evil laws, as many people know that it would never evolve. It is the duty of the free men and women to rise and fight the unjust laws since the imperfect laws attack the people’s liberty. First, the declaration and the United States constitution protect life, property and liberty. Yet many people believe that this is the serious threat to all these. This decision is lawless. Extremely lawless! This is because many lawyers who were in black robes of which one was purported to be conservative. These men used to issue improper decisions. This made the people to be stunned. Currently, the Supreme Court, the ruling institution made to protect the people from the tyranny decided to follow the constitution made. The court claimed to protect the peoples’ rights, but it was unjust to the people. This made the people work hard so as to elect a new presi dent. Many famous legal expositors stated clearly and explicitly that imperfect law is not binding to consider. Many laws are contrary to human good and they are not to all. This implies that if a law is not applied to all, then this is unjust. All people should be equal before the law and, therefore, not discriminated. The unjust laws force many judges to choose between

Decline of Myspace Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Decline of Myspace - Annotated Bibliography Example The author explores the experience of the company as impacted by changing trends and tastes among target consumers which have contributed to its decline. Additionally, the effect of falling performance and impending failure has had on employees as well as how the loss of internet celebrities, such as Tila Tequila, has further depressed myspace’s outlook. Ultimately, while this article dissects the various factors contributing the companies decline in some limited detail and depth, more focus is dedicated within the article to discussing the possibility of an upcoming sale by news giant News Corp. or last ditch redesign of the site intended to revitalize the companies flailing popularity. Hudson, John. â€Å"The Decay of Myspace.† theatlanticwire.com. Jan. 12, 2011. The Atlantic Monthly Group. Web. Retrieved Nov 14 2011: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/01/the-decay-of-myspace/21532/ This article, initially written during the period in which facebook surpassed myspace in popularity and profits, traces the first stages of the companies decline and the efforts of News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch to dispel concerns over the future of the site. Revealing the facts beneath Murdoch’s optimistic pronouncements, the author explores early changes int eh marketplace and projects continued future decay of the company’s popularity following their re-organization and layoff of staff. It is made apparent in the course of the article that though even this event is characterized by spokespeople as a voluntary change, the company has begun to experience the strain of decreasing popularity. The author notes myspace’s lackadaisical performance in tech, ad and user rates, and the company’s inability to match the speed of technological evolution achieved by rival facebook. Overall, this article is a negative projection for the company’s future in light of their miscalculations in strategy

Voices of wisdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Voices of wisdom - Essay Example There are many ways in which law can be unjust. It can prohibit conduct, which should be allowed. It can allow the conduct that must be allowed. It may be applied or enforced unfairly. Examples of unjust law are discussed in detail as hereunder. The chapter seven of the United States’ constitution allows the government to sanction racial discrimination. A person cannot attempt to defend the allegation, if the defense is required, that racial discrimination is not just. The selection of racial discrimination laws as practically unjust refers to the related experiences common law countries, for instance, when the indigenous populations are treated with respect to legalized racial discrimination and slavery subjugation. In addition, some laws also attempt to undermine some institution position of common law courts. For instance, chapters eight and nine of the constitution, examine various examples of this law. Many judges responded to these laws and failed to permit the integrity of their courts be handled in this manner. In these discussions, some basic common laws, which operate by, judicial decisions to maintain the relationship of the constitution on government organs? Furthermore, justice and law can be two different concepts. The latter must contain the basic support of the previous. When this does not happen, many people feel the need to go against the legal structure, resulting in a lack of faithfulness in all laws. One of the examples could be the time when people rebel against legal rights, which have moved against a greater sense of justice, for instance, the social institution against discriminatory laws in America (Garry, 2000). Some laws are unjust to extent that is justifiable to disobey them and even to go against the government, which established them. This shows how the America came in being. There are many examples of unjust laws seen in the text. Many Americans took the assumption of imperfect laws as they were established in the constit ution. This implied that the wrong had trumped what was right. Indeed, many argue that with no notion of good law used to fight evil laws, as many people know that it would never evolve. It is the duty of the free men and women to rise and fight the unjust laws since the imperfect laws attack the people’s liberty. First, the declaration and the United States constitution protect life, property and liberty. Yet many people believe that this is the serious threat to all these. This decision is lawless. Extremely lawless! This is because many lawyers who were in black robes of which one was purported to be conservative. These men used to issue improper decisions. This made the people to be stunned. Currently, the Supreme Court, the ruling institution made to protect the people from the tyranny decided to follow the constitution made. The court claimed to protect the peoples’ rights, but it was unjust to the people. This made the people work hard so as to elect a new presi dent. Many famous legal expositors stated clearly and explicitly that imperfect law is not binding to consider. Many laws are contrary to human good and they are not to all. This implies that if a law is not applied to all, then this is unjust. All people should be equal before the law and, therefore, not discriminated. The unjust laws force many judges to choose between

Developing a strategic approach Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Developing a strategic approach - Research Paper Example Apart from that, several government policies such as Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) where both uninsured and insured American citizens are guaranteed with the right of receiving medical attention at lower rates. This can harm the financial health of Jim’s Care Center (Wallace, 2006). Apart from that, the internal factors such as recruiting and retaining qualified employees. Hence, it is essential to devise relevant strategies that will allow the firm to remain consistent with the market situations. The first step in ensuring proper functioning of the business and ensure prosperity of the business is to set a relevant mission and vision statement. In addition, it is also essential to develop strategic goals for the firm as that will allow them to follow a proper direction and the process will be more systematic. In the subsequent sections, the mission and vision statement of the company will be developed and along with that the strategic goals of the firm will also be formulated. Apart from that, service delivery strategy and support components required will be discussed. Lastly, on the basis of the findings of the study, recommendations pertaining to the specific adaptive strategy or combination of adaptive strategies that would be most effective in ensuring that the organization achieves its strategic goals and approaches to manage those strategies will be clearly discussed. The mission of Jim’s Care Center is to provide health care services to the people at an affordable price and continue to offer medical consultation to the patient till the time he/she is fully cured. The vision statement of Jim’s Care Center is to make offer people make this world free from diseases. We believe that along with quality and timely treatment, sympathetic view and price affordability, together we can curb any disease and offer human

Identify the Mission, Objectives, and Responsibilities of an Organisation Within It’s Environment Essay Example for Free

Identify the Mission, Objectives, and Responsibilities of an Organisation Within It’s Environment Essay An organisation is defined as ‘A group of people working together’ (Collins Dictionary 2001). An organisation is generally accepted as a unit working together to achieve the same goals. Concurring with this statement, Mintzberg (1997) defined goals as ‘the intentions behind decisions or actions, the states of mind that drive individuals or collectives of individuals called organisations to do what they do’. In order for an organisation to work, set guidelines have to be put in place for both short and long term aspirations, to ensure that the organisation is moving as a whole, a unit, to avoid separation, miscommunication, and misunderstanding. This can be achieved by administering a meaningful and worthwhile strategic plan consisting of a progressive, hierarchical set of aims. This will give each individual, as well as the organisation as a whole, a purpose. A set of aims can be as follows (Business Essentials 2010); An example of this would be my current place of employment. Their Vision Statement is as follows; ‘We are committed to providing a modern, efficient, and cost effective service focused on meeting our customer’s needs in a friendly , timely, and accurate manner, and will provide the necessary resources to enable achievement of our objectives. We will be readily accessible to everyone in the community to maximise social inclusion, minimise barriers to work and assist people to live in decent housing. We will process claims quickly and accurately, while actively reducing the incidences of fraud or error through investigation. Where fraudulent intent is proven, we will seek to apply appropriate sanctions as a deterrent against future activity. Where we seek to collect money, we will issue bills promptly and correctly. Where recovery action is required, we will act quickly, fairly, and impartially, but with due regard to social welfare and human rights of our customers.’ (Heather Tiso, 1995) However something so unobtainable may not be in the forefront of people’s minds. This is summed up in the following article statement ‘Mission statement in some companies has a huge influence in all management levels of the firm, but in others it is still just addition on the wall and usually what’s forgotten.’ Values of an organisation are more likely to be remembered, as they are more relatable to people within. The values upheld by the people within my organisation, are that of trust, respect, pride in work, ability to take ownership, two way communication – to give as well as to receive, to maintain excellent customer service at all time, to help each other out if need be, to feel comfortable and confident enough to speak up if they have any ideas for improvements, to strive for fairness, equality, and diversity, versatility, flexibility, taking responsibility for their own development, to be open minded as our line of service is ever changing. This encourages a culture of people that are able to pull together against constant adversity, and still achieve excellent results, as well as continually exceed Service Level Agreements (SLAs). The key objectives of my organisation, can be broken down in to the following examples; †¢Operational Goal – to increase revenue (Objective – decrease number of incorrect subsidy claims by 10%) †¢Non Operational Goal – to modify behaviour of customers (Objective – to get customers to act and think in a productive manner) †¢Primary Objective – to maximise revenues with as little expenditure as possible †¢Secondary objective(s) – to maintain excellent customer service, to strive for 100% accuracy, to maintain excellent working relationships with stakeholders. †¢Corporate Objectives – To increase customer satisfaction, to minimise risk, to ensure a glide path is in place for these objectives. †¢Unit Objectives – to answer all calls within 20 seconds, to deal with all work items with a turnaround of 9 days, to see all customers visiting the offices within under 5 minutes, to identify and understand our customer’s needs, to maintain a very high level of service, to develop personal/professional relationships with stakeholders. The influence of stakeholders Identifying Stakeholders is a process of integration within the said organisation. This can be summarised with a statement from a World Bank Group article – ‘All parties should be listed which are likely to be affected by the development, both positively or negatively, directly or indirectly.’ Stakeholders in our company are highly valued and important, and therefore our relationships with them are maintained to a very high standard. Our organisation has numerous companies identified as Stakeholders. This is not just on a professional level, as on top of Internal Stakeholders (i.e. staff) we recognise a number of Connected Stakeholders (customers, suppliers,) and External Stakeholders (local community, the government). Therefore, overall Stakeholder influence is vast, extending way beyond just making a customer happy. The knock on effects of the positive or negative experience of that customer may affect my organisation greatly. As different Stakeholders have different interests, it is not possible to focus on all of them at once with a blanket gesture in the hope of satisfying all their needs. Their needs have to be prioritised by looking at individual objectives, and balancing important/urgent needs with needs that would not have an adverse effect or affect relationships by waiting to be dealt with. Examples of Stakeholders in my organisation, are employees, customers, and the Government. As staff are immediately and intimately connected with the organisation, their influence is going to possibly be the strongest influence. It has been said numerous times that employees are the most influential. Motivated employees are highly likely to be more productive in producing work, ideas, and meeting objectives. Coincidently, the objectives of staff, are to be treated fairly, be given equal opportunity, be recognised for the consistently excellent work they produce when the odds are stacked against them, feel secure in their job and working environment, and have a sense that they are achieving. These objectives are met in the most part, however, as the organisation as a whole has a hierarchy , and it tends to be the senior managers setting objectives and deciding whether these have been met. This can lead to the human element being lost, and people judged by numbers, as other factors aren’t always taken into consideration. This can affect morale, but ultimately, our nee ds are met. Achieving objectives of stakeholders One of our Connected Stakeholders, our customers, are generally the focal point of our work. The bottom line, is customers want a service provided with their individual interests in mind, with the least possible output from them. The saying ‘The Customer is Always Right’, is incorrect in my opinion. The customer may not know what they need, they need to be asked open and closed questions in order to ascertain exactly what service they require. Customers wish to be heard, treated with respect, and for a positive experience with whatever organisation they deal with. The needs of our customers are met, as they are one of the most important stakeholders. Failure to meet these needs may result in loss of business, complaints, and repercussions from higher management if objectives are not met. The Government is an example of our External Stakeholders. This is due to the fact we are a public sector organisation, and a direct derivative of Central Government. The Government’s objectives are mainly that their Corporate Objectives influence our Unit Objectives, as well as Primary/Secondary Objectives. We meet the requirements of the Government by adhering to their laws, policies, procedures, and implementing them whilst maintaining a professional forefront to other stakeholders, such as the general public.

Physicochemical Events in Production of Butter and Margarine

Physicochemical Events in Production of Butter and Margarine Byeong-Keon LEE Introduction Margarine and butter are known world-widely as spread, and have dominated the production in the western world, such as America including New Zealand. Recently, Asian countries particularly China and India have shown an increase of butter consumption. The amount of butter China consumes was predicted to increase to 13% over the next decade (Fallow, 2013). Both margarine and butter have similar a taste, texture as well as nutritional values. The characteristic of both products are significantly similar for example, water-in-emulsion and the fat content are approximately in 81% range. However, the two products are actually different when it is compared with the ingredients and the structure. The argument surrounding the diversity of butter and margarine is typically concerned with human health, the production of margarine is a man-made food which follows a lot of chemical treatments and speculation that it might cause several diseases (Guyenet, 2008). On the other hand, the butter cont ains a higher level of cholesterol that can negatively influence human digestion (Collins, 2013). In this assignment, physical and chemical properties and psychochemical processes and the changes of making margarine and butter will be discussed. Physical and Chemical difference Both butter and margarine are triglyceride (triacylglycerol) in an ester linkage composure of glycerol and 3 fatty acids that also uses the water-in-oil emulsion process where water is dispersed in phase and oil in a continuous phase. The critical comparison and contrast between butter and margarine will be the ingredients which have different states in room temperature and the chemical process of making it. Butter is an animal dairy product which is composed of a complex chain of saturated fat and unsaturated fatty acid, and a high concentration of animal cholesterol. As its clearly seen from the picture, the majority of fatty acids are saturated and some fatty acid unsaturated. The color of butter is normally yellow indicating it contains small amounts of carotene another meaning of vitamin A. (Reyes, n.d). The higher saturation levels of the fatty acids, contributes to the physical structure of the animal fat. Higher saturation levels are highly correlated with higher London Dispersion forces. Hence, due to the high London Dispersion Forces holding the saturated bonds together, animal fat is solid at room temperature (Brown, LeMay and Bursten, n.d.). Figure 2. Percentage composition of fatty acid in butter In contrast, margarine is a substitution of butter spread made from vegetable oil. Oil has a lot of double bonds, which typically disrupts the London dispersion forces between fatty acids and low effective surface area which the molecules do not pack together giving a lower melting point The mixed vegetable oil, like soyabean oil or corn oil has a structure of mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturate of fatty acids and those unsaturated fats that need to be converted into a semi-solid to make margarine. This process is called hydrogenation or additional reaction, by adding hydrogen gas with nickel catalyst in a double bond of unsaturated fat. The double bond become a single bond, and this makes the molecules pack together better. In other words, the London dispersion forces become active and the interaction between the molecules is called the Van Der Waals interaction (Burrows, 2009). The results of the hydrogenated vegetable oil, are of it process to solidify at room temperature. The majority of fatty acid in margarines are unsaturated. Most fatty acids have a cis-form and margarine is unlikely to form trans-fatty acid. During the hydrogenation, some of the fatty acid will tend to form trans-addition. Figure 4. Hydrogenation reaction occur in unsaturation reaction Chemical process of butter The milk itself come from the cow which does not have to add artificial ingredients. Therefore butter contains nutritional values such as fat, protein and different types of vitamins which are found originally in milk. The chemical process is outlined in figure 4, that depicts the chemical process. For example pasteurization the ripening, aging and churning are the most significant factors for making butter cream. 1) Milk separation The standard raw milk mostly contains 15 to 25 percent of fat globules, the globule is a tiny membrane filled with the fat molecule (Murphy, 2011). When the raw milk is shaken, the globules membranes will crash against each other and break. As regard, the fat will start to burst out and tend to bunch together with the contents of other burst globules, consequently, the butter cream is separated from raw skim milk and the butter cream will contain approximately 38% of fat. 2) Pasteurization The raw cream has to be pasteurized to a temperature of 95oC for 15 seconds to kill any interference in production of butter particularly enzyme and micro-organisms. This process is widely known as HTST (High Temperature Short Time) pasteurization. It is very interesting to note that nowadays, dairy industries implements UHT (Ultra High Temperature) pasteurization procedure to produce lower number of micro-organism, which leads to longer shelf life. HTST process are more favorable compared to UHT as in the production of butter, Lactobacillus sp. is wanted to further ferment the cream, giving of specific flavors. In contrast, if the cream is subjected to UHT, any bacteria present in the cream would be eliminated, further contributing to no flavor compound formation during the ripening process (Butler and Media, n.d). 3) Inoculation and ripening After pasteurization, then for some time the helpful bacteria ripens in the raw cream so it can proliferate to render it in a better condition for butter making. The butter maker has made significant improvements through experience, that ripened cream churns more rapidly than sweet cream. It take about 24 to 48 hours for the cream to fully ripen (Marina. 2011). The lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus helveticus) will actually further ferment or ripening the cream and breaking down the long fatty acid into short fatty acid (diacetyl compounds). This short fatty acid has which has unique taste and good smell. An increase in lactic acid causes a reduction in overall pH which cause the proteins in milk to change. As cream returns to room temperature, the lactose in milk begins to ferment and creating lactic acid which help to make butter. (Belitz, Grosch and Schieberle, 2009) 4) Agitation It is a physical change which the process of churning butter consists of the mixing that separates some of the fatty solids out of milk. The formation of fat crystal can be influence by suitable temperature control during the ripening process. Fat molecule in cream are surrounded by membranes made of phospholipids and proteins which prevent the fat from pooling together. Fat globules are bumping into each other and membrane is breaking down when it happens the fat globules are trying to stick together. Agitation cream damage these membrane allowing the fats to pool together and form whipping cream. 5) Churning Churning is essentially strong mechanical cream shearing which tears the membranes of the fat globules and facilitates coalescence of the globules. The cream breaks any tiny granules of butter appear. In the churning compartment, a rotating impact wave cause butter granule formation. The separation compartment is divided into two parts. The butter is first churned further, resulting in the formation of butter granules of larger diameter. As the churning continues fat molecule become popcorn butter which separate from butter milk. The popcorn butter has the same consistency as regular butter at room temperature. They put the butter cream on bulk tank where mixers sterile to maintain the consistency. If agitation and churning of the cream continues, finally a solid is formed(butter-cream) and the remaining liquid (butter milk) is separated (Ripema, 1970). 6) Washing, Cooling, and Vacuum Subsequently, the buttermilk is separated and the butter is washed if necessary. which cause the butter-cream fat molecules to bunch together releasing water and air. In addition, cooling process and vacuuming is performed to reduced to water and air content to 1% (Belitz, Grosch and Schieberle, 2009). Chemical process of margarine Most margarines are made from a variety substances such as vegetable oil and edible animal fats. It composed of approximately a 80% combination of fat, that is either saturated fat or unsaturated fats, approximately 18% of liquid which derives from either pasteurized skim milk or a soybean protein fluid (Ripema, 1970). 1) Crude oil Different types of vegetable oil like corn and soybean are chemically extracted and refined to form crude oil and the crude oil can be neutralized and treated with a caustic soda solution that removes free fatty acid, and corrosive and pungent sulphur compounds (Sample, 2009). The free fatty acid, influences an undesirable taste. The process follows by washing then mixing with water, so it can separate, it is then left to dry with the aid of vacuum. 2) Modification Margarine is not originally a yellow colour which the decolourisation process is for removing the grey colour by the absorption to activated clay or bleaching process (Ripema, 1970). The bleaching process utilizes bleaching earth and charcoal material in the vacuum condition. The process helps to absorb any undesirable colorants, which will be later filtered out from the oil mixture. Other sustenance impurities are both organic and inorganic, which naturally occurs raw oil that is removed by the de-acidification process using akali treatments. 3) Hydrogenation The hydrogenation is used as catalyst called nickel and the structure varies by cis-addition and trans-addition. This process helps the animal and vegetable oils blend and are able to let the formation from a liquid into a fat that is in a state that increases the melting point. However only some of the double bonds of polyunsaturated vegetable oil are hydrogenated and named partial hydrogenation. Therefore the degree of hydrogenation can be varied to give softer or harder margarine. (Haynes, 2014) Figure 10. Chemical reaction of hydrogenation 4) Deodorization The modification is complete so the base oil is prepared to reproduce similar qualities to butter, this stage decrease unwanted smells and taste (Formo, n.d). The removal of the poor smell is by a batch process that steams the oil, the temperature used is very high and reaches from175–205 °C in Europe and 235 °Ã¢â‚¬â€œ250 ° C in America, during this process the bad tastes and smells are taken away by the extractor fan. The oil can then be either further processed to make margarine or alternatively vegetable oil. (Singh, P. n.d.) 5) Emulsify When the emulsion of the stabilized immiscible liquids is blended with the use of an emulsifier. The way margarine is constructed is through the emulsion process that adds salty water droplets in oil, as well as an emulsion ingredient to a cup. Salt content is modified as an emulsifier and renamed lecithin, the final stage is the separating of starch and emulsifier that forms a consistent mixture. Moreover, all the nutrients and color in the margarine are artificially made particularly vitaminisation processed into the margarine, to have a measured amount of vitamin with butter (Hasenhuettl and Hartel, 2008). 6) Cooling and kneading process The method for the cooling an kneading process has two ways of completing, either with a tube chiller or a chilling drum-complector. Tube chiller method uses a closed system that has a one step process. Unlike the Chilling Drum-Complector that has a longer process, allowing cooling and kneading that lets the mixture rest, and the crystallization of fats at slower pace. However the advantage of the tube chiller is the reduced capacity of spoilage compact size in relation to production levels, and ease of operation. (Hasenhuettl and Hartel, 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, butter and margarine have significantly different physical and chemical properties as well as physiochemical duties in the production. Although the nutrition and texture of products are the same, but the ingredients of butter and margarine are different and this leads to a structure of both products that have different qualities. Moreover, both products have a different chemical process. In fact, margarine has extra steps to convert the butter from a liquid state to a solid state, that furthers the need to process, using hydrogenation. References Reyes, V. (2013). Chemical structure of butter. [Figure 1] Available at: http://scienceandfooducla.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/homemade-butter/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. P. B. Hawk, O. Bergeim, Blakiston, (2010). Fatty acids in butter. Percentage composition from Practical Physiological Chemistry,. [Figure 2] Available at: http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/consumer/faq/butter-composition.shtml [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Image by user called Smokefoot, (2012). Hydrogenation of fatty acid. [Figure 3] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H2forMargerin.png#filehistory [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Alpha Omega trial, (n.d.). Margarine composition in percentage. [Figure 4] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H2forMargerin.png#filehistory [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Yokogawa Corporation, (2007). Stable and Accurate Density Measurement to Control Fat Content in Skim Milk. [figure 5] Available at: http://www.yokogawa.com/us/technical-library/application-notes/stable-and-accurate-density-measurement-to-control-fat-content-in-skim-milk.htm [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Andrews, R. (2012). All About Milk. [Figure 6] Available at: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-milk [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Shannon, (2011). Making A Big Batch of Cultured Butter. [Figure 8] Available at: http://www.nourishingdays.com/2011/10/making-a-big-batch-of-cultured-butter/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Castelli, C. (2008). Crude Corn Oil. [Figure 9] Available at: http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Crude-Corn-Oil_144278983.html [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Quadro Engineering, (n.d.). Production of Margarine and Low Fat Spreads. [Figure 11] Available at: http://www.quadroytron.com/menu_app/food_margarine.asp [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Belitz, H., Grosch, W. and Schieberle, P. (2009). Food chemistry 4th revised and extended edition. 4th ed. Springer, pp.pg 526 527. Collins, C. (2013). Whats healthier, butter or margarine?. NZ Hearald. [online] Available at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6objectid=11169963 [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Fallow, B. (2013). Chinas slowdown may be good for NZ. NZ Hearld. [online] Available at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3objectid=10902631 [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Formo, M. (n.d.). fat and oil processing (chemistry) :: Deodorization. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/202405/fat-and-oil processing/50167/Deodorization [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Guyenet, S. (2008). Whole Health Source: Butter, Margarine and Heart Disease. [online] Wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.nz. Available at: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.nz/2008/12/butter-margarine-and-heart-disease.html [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Hasenhuettl, G. and Hartel, R. (2008). Food emulsifiers and their applications. 1st ed. New York: Springer, p.271. Haynes, F. (2014). Take the Guess Work from Figuring Out the Trans Fats in Your Foods. [online] About.com Low Fat Cooking. Available at: http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/faqs/f/hydrogenated.htm [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Marina, (2011). Cultured butter – CULTURED, AGED, BREWED. [online] Culturedagedbrewed.com. Available at: http://www.culturedagedbrewed.com/2011/12/20/cultured-butter/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Murphy, L. (2011). Emulsion Explosion: How to Make Butter. [online] Scientificamerican.com. Available at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-butter-emulsion/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Singh, P. (n.d.). fat and oil processing (chemistry) :: Deodorization. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/202405/fat-and-oil processing/50167/Deodorization [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Ripema, S. (1970). The Story of Margarine. 1st ed. Public Affairs Press. Sample, I. (2009). Trafigura case: toxic slop left behind by caustic washing. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/sep/16/trafigura-case-toxic-slop [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Butler, C. and Media, D. (n.d.). Why Cant You Use Ultra Pasteurized Cream for Making Butter?. [online] Everyday Life Global Post. Available at: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/cant-use-ultra-pasteurized-cream-making-butter-42002.html [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Burrows, A. (2009). Chemistry3. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. page 85 to page 86. Brown, L., LeMay, E. and Bursten, B. (n.d.). Chapter 11 intermolecular Forces, Liquids and Solids. 10th ed. [ebook] The central science, pp.slide 18 to slide 23. Available at: http://alpha.chem.umb.edu/chemistry/ch115/Mridula/CHEM 116/documents/chapter_11au.pdf [Accessed 15 May. 2014].

Hallucinations and the Human Consciousness Essay -- Biology Essays Res

Hallucinations and the Human Consciousness The idea of consciousness has been contemplated throughout the course of neurobiology and behavior. When does it begin or end? And what, precisely, is consciousness? Though researchers may only approximate the answers to these questions, a few things may be inferred. Since the subconscious mind is the sleeping mind, the conscious mind can be thought of as the awakened mind, the mind which shows itself to others most often. (1) This is not to say that the conscious mind is reality, because (as will later be explained) reality is quite subjective. (1) It is just that the conscious mind is the one most people associate with reality. For example, people who experience an event while dreaming will refer to it as a dream, because it occurred in their subconscious. Whereas, if the event had occurred while they were awake-in their conscious mind-frame, then it would be considered as an actual experience. The designation between subconscious and conscious or reality and dreamlike states seem to be cut and dry. However altered mind-sets confuse the line and cause hallucinations. When we dream, our thinking is mostly pictorial and depends on memory. (1) We may hear words, but we understand most of the dream through pictures and people from the past or present. As we awaken, our mind switches from pictorial thinking to word-based thinking. (1) Hallucinations occur when the mind does not completely switch, or switches back, to the conscious state. (1,2) The first thing to note about hallucinations is that they have long been associated with mental illness because many people become confused as to what they are seeing or experiencing. (2) Though hallucinations do occur in mentally ill peo... ...ana demonstrates how hallucinations are not necessarily negative events. Though the mind is being distorted to a certain degree, the cause of the hallucination is more important than the hallucination itself. If drug use or a mental illness brings about the hallucination, the causes themselves are problematic. However, if one chooses to hallucinate because of a culture or religion, as in the cases of meditation and peyote, their behavior is justified. There is still much to be researched in this area of neurobiology and behavior. Not only because little is known, but also because it is far more common than most people would like to think, since psychologically and biologically ill people as well as normal people may hallucinate from time to time. Internet Sources: http://bluezoo.org/ http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro98/202s98-paper1/Ebbitt.html

Alexander Hamilton’s First Federalist Paper -- Federalist Papers

Alexander Hamilton’s First Federalist Paper Alexander Hamilton’s first Federalist Paper endorses ratification of the proposed constitution. His unifying point is that the use of reason—in the form of the people’s "reflection and choice"—will lead to the truth, whereas their use of passion will lead to ruin. Hamilton attempts to persuade his readers to make the correct decision by reminding them of the sheer importance of the matter. He suggests that "good men" will want to make the correct choice in light of their "true interests" (33), while the adversaries of the Constitution will be ruled by passions, deceit, and even weak minds. He frankly warns his readers against "any impressions other than those which may result from the evidence of truth" (35); he offers them a chance to join him on the right side of the issue, which he implies he has arrived at by knowledgeable deliberation. Finally, Hamilton courts his audience by implying that they will use reason to reach the truth. By contrast, the oppo nents of the Constitution rely on their emotions and follow a "much more certain road to the introduction of despotism" (35). In the first paragraph, Hamilton introduces the idea of truth—not in passing, but by asking whether "good government from reflection and choice" is at all possible (33). He indicates that the decision is of greater importance than just one country; the wrong decision would "deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind" (33). By broadening the implications of the question at hand, depicting it as "of the first magnitude to society" (34), and describing the Constitution as "the safest course for your liberty, your dignity, and your happiness" (36) and "favorable to the discovery of truth" ... ... is a compliment to his readers’ minds. He uses words like "consideration," "frankly acknowledge to you," and "I propose" (36) to illustrate the rationalism he expects to share with them. Hamilton uses imagery and rhetorical language effectively in order to discredit his adversaries in the eyes of the people. His main tool is a rationalistic "truth" which he detaches from his opponents and associates with himself. He also portrays "truth" religiously, and connects the Constitution and its supporters with the highest cause. Hamilton passionately defends and elevates the people’s use of reason. But he equally passionately believes that the people’s reason is admirable only when it leads to the conclusion that the United States needs a strong, vigorous, central government. Source Cited The Federalist Papers, ed. Clinton Rossiter New York: Penguin Books, 1961

Acupuncture as a nonconventional treatment for chronic neck pain Essay

Acupuncture as a nonconventional treatment for chronic neck pain Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   IntroductionNeck pain has been classified as one of the commonest problems among the people. This condition arises from various disorders or it may originate from tissues located at the neck (Hush, et al., (2009).The neck is also known as a cervical spine. The necks structure is characterized by vertebrae which run from the upper torso to the skull’s base. The stability of the spine is associated to ligaments and muscles that run along the vertebrae (National Institutes of Health. (2013). A neck’s main importance is its mobility and the support it accords to the head. It is prone to injuries because it is not offered much protection like the rest of the spine. Injuries normally cause less and restricted mobility and triggers NAIP. Unfortunately neck pain are not accorded seriousness, most people treat the neck pain as temporary. There are unique cases where the symptoms do not go away and hence diagnosis and corresponding tre atment is required (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2013).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Researchers (De Loose, V., Burnotte, F., Cagnie, B., Stevens, V., & Van Tiggelen, D. (2008). have found out that the pains are caused by several factors such as wear and tear, sprains and abnormalities of the neck tissue. There is evidence of neck pains arising from other pains such as arm or shoulder pains (De loose, 2008). Normally activities such as extreme bends of the neck, falls and vehicle accidents can cause neck injuries. In certain situations damage of the neck can damage the spine causing paralysis. Researchers have also found out that Spondylosis which occurs in people above the age of 40, adds strains to neck joints creating a path for chronic neck pain. But the condition is treatable through both conventional and nonconventional methods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Researchers and doctors have identified acupuncture as a nonconventional treatment method which is a very effective method for treating chronic neck pains. Researcher (Blosssfeldt, 2004), says that, acupuncture is gaining momentum as a popular nonconventional treatment method for chronic neck pain. He also adds that, the method has been well tolerated and has low risk of adverse effects. (Liang et al, 2008) says that, a combination of both traditional and modern acupuncture technique usually result in a documented and improved neck pain patterns. (Blossfeldt, 2004) adds that acupuncture is widely accepted and it is utilized as a complementary therapy useful in neck pain management originating from cervical spondylitis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Researchers have carried out studies relating to acupuncture systematic review with an aim to find out on acupuncture effectiveness. The studies have found effectiveness evidence as inconclusive (salter et al, 2004). There are studies which have produced results which are positively favoring acupuncture and there are other results which have produced negative findings on the effective of the method (salter et al, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the varying results, this research was developed to find out on the effectiveness of acupuncture method as a non-conventional method in treatment of chronic neck pains in relation to other research findings. In respect to national health statistics and reports, Survey data analysis can be used by medical professionals to measure the pain levels of patients before and after acupuncture treatment. Gathering results from various studies and comparing with the structures of acupuncture and preventive measures of neck pains can help us determine on the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment method. In this literature review the researcher will review on 1) how to establish the viability of acupuncture therapies in the treatment of chronic neck pain; 2) understanding of how sham, shallow and randomized acupuncture therapies are utilized in the treatment of chronic neck pain; 3)provide a conclusive evidence of the success of acupunctu re as an ideal method of relieving pain; 4)establish the effects of the three acupuncture therapies in the treatment of individuals with chronic pain of the neck; 5)offer recommendation of the viability of acupuncture as a treatment option that can be used by people with chronic neck pains. The researcher will also compare the duration of acupuncture treatment with other methods and also the cost associated and risk factors thereof.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   METHODOLOGYTarget PopulationThe research data collected in this study focused on patients suffering from chronic neck pain. The individuals used in the research fell within the age of 21 and 55 years old. Although there are many patients who report about neck pain ailments in different health care facilities across the United States, patients withinthe ages of 21 and 55 years old were ideal for this research study. This was due to the fact that they were easier to track their progress of healing over a longer period of time. Elderly patients over the age of 55 years were not best placed in this research considering the various attributes in the healing processes of such people, which was proven to be relatively lower. Most of the data aboutindividuals with chronic pain of the neck was randomly collected in health care facilities in the State of California, United States. The majority of these patients were diagnosed with chronic neck pain and were put under a special focus while three acupuncture methods of therapies were performed(Witt 2004, p. 99). The study generally involved a thorough investigation of 191 patients in California’s health care. It is important to acknowledge that the various patients were deliberately initiated to acupuncture treatment as their decision to try the alternative medical practice after unsuccessful treatments in the mainstream medical procedures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There were certainly no limitation on the sex of the patients; hence the research involved both male and female patients. Additionally, there was no specified number of male or females in the study, as patients, treatment and progress of treatment of patients was randomly taken. Further, it was assumed that both male and female patients presented similar responses to the different acupuncture therapies performed in the study(Sun et al, 2009, p. 850).The research was not limited by either ethnicity or race, although believed to have different characteristics in regard to various medical procedures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Variables of the studyThe dependent variables in this study included the neck pain as an ailment caused by various aspects such as physical injury and disease or condition among others. The rates of cases involving chronic neck pains during the period of this study were generally unprecedented as the causes of such ailments greatly varied. Chronic neck pain among the patients varied in regard to the specific causes, which in this case included degenerative disc disease, neck injury, neck strain, herniated disc as well as pinched neck(Sun et al, 2009, p. 850). The first step in the treatment procedure involved a thorough diagnosis of common neck infections that caused the chronic pain. The research exploits treatment of such neck pains using acupuncture which falls into three categories including optimized acupuncture, shallow acupuncture and sham acupuncture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research LimitationsThe key limitations were based on neck pain due to common infection like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck. It was difficult in the study since some of patients did not present themselves on the day of the study. The study also used a large number of patients which was a challenge for the researcher. The different patients involved in this study had chronic neck pains attributed to extremely different causes, which included physical injuries, some rare infections, and virus infections among others(Witt 2004, p. 99). The patients with this problem are generally taken through the three acupuncture therapies, regardless of the cause of their condition(Hush 2004, p. 1533). The fact that all patients are uniformly taken into similar medical procedures without being categorized in relation to their specific cause of chronic neck pain remain as the greatest limiting attribute of this research. Additionally, time was a limiting factor since the time allowed for the research was not enough to efficiently tackle critically the objectives of the study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research criteria and Database usedIn this study, the items were collected through searching peer reviewed journal articles and therefore, the researcher thoroughly searched in various databases for article that provided information for patients suffering from chronic neck pains, specifically those individuals between the age of 21 and 55 years old. The researcher further categorized the data collected to form two groups of patients of the age bracket of 21 and 34 years and those between 35 and 55 years old. The creation of these two groups was essential as taking a wider range of people of ages 21 to 55 years old would present relatively a higher deviation in the healing processes of the patients, as those above the age of 35 years present a much longer period of healing as compared to the youthful 21 to 34 years group. The researcher focused the search on SPORT Discus, Academic Search Premier, BMJ Research Articles and Gov., database.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keywords used in the studyThe key terms the researcher commonly used while searching for the relevant articles included: Chronic neck pain, cervical pain types of acupuncture, alternative medicine, Sham acupuncture, Shallow acupuncture and Randomized acupuncture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   OVERVIEW OF ACUPUNCTURE PRACTICEPracticing acupuncture started many centuries ago as a type of medication in China. It is the practice of implanting needles at certain points of the human skin as a form of therapy. In acupuncture practices, there is no involvement of drugs but only the needles are enough to accomplish the therapy (Liang et al, 8). The practice originated from China and has been noted to spread all over west of Europe (Liang et al, 8).As argued by the model on Chinese medicine, the specific places that the acupuncture needles are placed lies on the path named meridians where the dynamic energy goes through, hence allowing its access to control and regulate the flow of energy which is believed to be the cause of force imbalance (Willich et al, 2006, p. 98).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Populations and AcupunctureAcupuncture has been practiced in several parts globally, especially in Europe even though it is in its inception stages in the United States. According to NHI survey done in the year 2007 that also considered the use of CAM in America,where 1.4% of the respondents were found to be using acupuncture before then. The 3.1 million of the American population claimed they only practice it majorly for severe migraine and repetitive pain. The study showed that half of the respondents used acupuncture to treat chronic neck pain (Sun et al, 2009, p. 850).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The practice should obviously be regarded by physicians as an ideal treatment preference due to the backing it has received from those individuals who have used it in the treatment of chronic neck pain. Subsequently, the study did not restrict the adults basing on their gender due to limited research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CHRONIC NECK PAINChronic neck pain is an ailment that is characterized by pain in the neck that lasts for an unusually long period of time, commonly over a period of three months(Blossfeldt, 2004). Although different from the common medical conditions of neck pains that last for only days, chronic neck pain is typically an ailment that takes even years without success in its treatment in the mainstream medical practices(Irnich, 2002). Chronic neck pain is usually associated with a number of disorders, as well as diseases that can involve any of the tissues around the neck(Witt 2004, p. 99). For instance, the common causes of this condition are strains of the neck, injury of the neck like a herniated disc, pinched disc, or whiplash, and degenerative disc disease. In addition, chronic neck pain is also linked to common infection like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck. Some patients also had chronic neck pains caused by extremely different causes, which include physical injuries, some rare infections, and virus infections among others. Further, chronic neck pain is also caused by certain infections like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   RISK FACTORS OF CHRONIC NECK PAINSChronic neck pain is generally caused by numerous factors ranging from physical injury to certain infections around the neck body tissues. Since neck pain affects the muscles around the body areas of the neck, it becomes painful to move the neck (De Loose, 2008, p. 475). In order to avoid or to prevent neck pains for the patients, it is always essential to consider staying away from activities may twist the neck and subsequently aggravate the already painful section of the neck(Witt 2004, p. 99). Therisk factors for the pain usually include injury from involvement in activities like motor vehicle accidents, horse riding, contact sports and bull riding among others, degeneration of cervical disc also known as Spondylitis, neck bent and twisting positions (De Loose, 2008, p. 475).In addition, it is also advisable to have activities that will enhance neck strengthening exercise, as well as neck bracing, reduc e TV watching usage of safety belts in motor vehicles and going to the gym for exercise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TYPES OF ACUPUNCTURE USED IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN TREATMENTOptimized acupuncture therapyThe practice of optimized acupuncture therapy involves the utilization of traditional acupuncture, which is usually followed by intradermal needle therapy, commonly referred to as INT(Hush 2004, p. 1533). The use of OAT usually consists of the use of nine acupuncture points typically selected for an optimized acupuncture therapy group on the advice and consensus of the national expert committee of the OAT procedures. In this case, four points are subsequently located by physician intending to perform the OAT. The points selected are usually the cervical positive reactions planes found in the top and bottom of the cervical planes as well as horizontally away from the corresponding cervical vertebra(Witt 2004, p. 99). The study found that this type of acupuncture practice is highly sensitive and hence the need to be performed by an individual with more than five of practice experiences   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sham acupuncture therapyThe practice is put into use only as a tool for control in the scientific research in order to measure the efficiency of real acupuncture in various disease treatment. This type of acupuncture involves the use of skin penetrating shallow needles on the specified sham groups’ tender points.The tender points that are used in this method of acupuncture therapy are categorized as the key areas recommended for the acupuncture, which are the Ah Shee, also referred to as â€Å"oh yes point†. The points are crucial in this therapy and have to be used throughout the treatment procedure. Typically, the location of sham points is commonly defined by 25mm lateral extending to the standard location used for the OAT group.They include: the sham point of Dazhui (GV14) 25mm, which is 25 mm vertically below the usual standard GV14, sham points of (S115) Jianzhongshu and Huatuojiaji, which is 25 mm lateral to standard S 115 (Liang et al, 8). After the sham acupuncture, individuals undergoing the process or patients are treated through the use of point pressing (De Loose, 2008, p. 475). The findings show that a patient does not notice whether it is sham or real acupuncture being used. The results showed that the variation between real and sham practices are caused by habituation or the control effects. If the real acupuncture is efficient compared to the sham, then the habituation and control effects such as expectations of the patient, behavior and beliefs are present.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shallow acupuncture therapyShallow acupuncture group undergoes similar procedures as the other OAT groups.However, the physicians are required to insert the needles in a vertical manner in order to reach the subcutaneous level at a specified depth of not more than 3 mm (Salter et al, 2004). Needle manipulation or any other sensation is prohibited in this particular group. Ultimately, after the shallow acupuncture, the patients are additionally treated by INT through the use of a similar method as in the other OAT groups. It was found that the therapy do not fully treat the pain fully due to its shallow penetration hence the need for additional treatment that follow the same procedures. It results to a more efficient treatment in comparison to other therapies though takes much time (Salter et al, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ACUPUNCTURE AS AN IDEAL METHOD COMPARED TO PHYSIOTHERAPYZhuang (2012); Robertshawe, (2008), compares the use of acupuncture and physiotherapy in the treatment of chronic neck pain in a research that took place in China. The research involved screening of a total of 310 patients. The patients were then randomly split into two equal groups, where one group was treated using acupuncture method, while the other group received treatment through physiotherapy. The outcome of the treatment of the two procedures revealed that patients treated under acupuncture procedures had better results in relieving neck pain, particularly after a period of three months. It is essential to acknowledge that physiotherapy is an alternative medical practice that can be used in the treatment of chronic neck pain. While acupuncture therapies generally used sterilizes needles that are usually inserted in the area around the neck depending on the type of acupuncture u sed, physiotherapy does not involve the use of needles. Physiotherapy utilizes several types of manipulation as well as exercise to relieve pain. The common illustration of the use of physiotherapy is the stretch, strengthen and straighten up exercise movements of the neck (Robertshawe, 2008; Willich, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   EFFECTS OF ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENTWhite, (2001); Ji-Eun, (2010), researched about the adverse effects following a use of acupuncture to treat patients with chronic neck pain. In his survey, which included a prospective survey of 32,000 consultations with physiotherapists and doctors, the researcher, Adrian White aimed at ascertaining the incidence of adverse effects that are related to acupuncture treatment, as practiced by British doctors during that time. The research utilized data that were collected for the June of 1998 to February of 2000, from a total of 78 acupuncturists. Altogether the resulting significant effects were 43, subsequently giving only a rate of only 14 patients of the 10,000 patients included in the data. The results of this study showed that only 0.14 percent of the patients who used acupuncture in the treatment of chronic pain experience adverse effects (White, 2001). All the adverse effects were reported to have had cleared within the period of one week after the therapy. Similar diminishing effects were characterized at a longer period, except for only one incident that lasted for several weeks. The result derived from the data of acupuncture treatment did not report any serious adverse effects. The rates can only be classified as minimal considering that it was only 14 adverse effects out of the total 10,000 patients who were analyzed with the data provided (White, 2001; Ji-Eun, 2010). Generally, these effect rates do not give significant risk per individual patient.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   RECOMMENDATION ON ACUPUNCTURE’S VIABILITYThe article by Chen, et al., (2010), offers exclusive views on acupuncture given by various physicians. The research by Chen among other authors who contributed to the article, there study targets collecting information that addresses the role of acupuncture in the management of pain in regard to opinions of physicians who manage such conditions. The research was conducted between 2007 and 2008 using a nationwide e-mail to 1083 physicians who were in active acupuncture practice in the United States. Chan et al., (2010) found that the overwhelmingly majority of the responders of the survey had a positive attitude and favorable experience of the use of acupuncture as an alternative modality in the management of chronic pain. The results of the survey subsequently indicate that acupuncture is considered effective by physicians in the management of chronic neck pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CASE STUDIES:Acupuncture for patients with chronic neck painWitt et al., (2006) undertook the study in examining how effective acupuncture as an alternative treatment for neck pain treatment in comparison to patients who used routine medical care. The study used a random approach of more than 14000 individuals aged above 18 suffering from neck pain symptoms within a period of 6 months. Also took a non-acupuncture for 15 sessions within a period of 3 months. The acupuncture category were given injections without any other acupuncture treatment. The group which was controlled was not treated using acupuncture but both groups could use any other mode of treatment. The study found out that patients using routine care and add on acupuncture treatment showed significant improvements in both pain and quality of their lives in comparison to patients who only used routine treatments. Therefore, the results concludes that acupuncture can be used alo ngside routine treatments to achieve optimal results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Efficacy and safety of acupunctureVas, et al, (2006) conducted a study to establish the effectiveness of acupuncture vis a vis placebo. Both methods were to be utilized to treat chronic neck pains that were not complicated. (N=123) patients, who were over the ages 17 and who possessed chronic neck pains for over 3 months were used. They were randomly selected into 2 groups, the acupuncture group and placebo group. For 3 weeks, the acupuncture group was treated with 5 acupuncture treatments. The treatment characteristics were, 30 minutes treatment followed by 10 minutes manual treatments. While the placebo group was subjected to transcutaneous nerve stimulation, which was characterized by 30 minutes of treatment and the potentiometer was being adjusted after every 10 minutes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The findings from this study were that, acupuncture as a form of neck treatment had minimal side effects. For overall effectiveness, acupuncture was found to have higher effectiveness than placebo. Researchers conclusively said that, acupuncture was effective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   DISCUSSIONIn its broad context, this research has dwelled in covering all the related material on acupuncture and especially its effectiveness in treatment of acupuncture. Most are the studies which have found considerable effectiveness and a few studies have found less significant improvement in acupuncture use. The researchers (salter et al, 2006; Liang et al 2012; Chen et al 2010; vas et al 2006) have favorably recognized acupuncture as an effective non-conventional treatment method.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the review above, it is evident that all the methods of acupuncture are effective in treatment of chronic neck pains. Sham, optimization and shallow acupuncture all have a capacity of effectiveness when administered well. The various studies by salter have provided solid practical evidence and information on patients’ health upon using all the three types of acupuncture in treatment of patients and individuals (salter et al 2004). For example in 2007, a national health interview survey in America found that, 1.4% of respondents have used acupuncture to treat chronic neck pains. That percentage reported success, which is a testament to acupunctures effectiveness (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Blossfeldt, 2004) in his research notes that, acupuncture optimized technique success rate was a favorable 68%. Blossfeldt also noted that, on short term basis, acupuncture was 78% effective, while on long term basis it was 49% effective. Salter also found out on effectiveness of acupuncture. The neck pain questionnaire that he used for a period of 3 months, found out that, of the 34 % of the patients who have neck pains, 14% of these have effectively used acupuncture therapy (salter et al 2004) another researcher Liang, who conducted studies in china in association with other scholars, they found out that optimized acupuncture as a method of treating chronic neck pains was very effective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although I extensively performed research on a wide range of databases, there are some articles that may have been missed out. Since I was individually conducting this research alone, it is possible that the large number of crucial articles were subsequently overlooked. In addition, there are many external factors that could have influenced the entire result of the use of acupuncture as an ideal treatment for chronic neck pain. The majority of studies slightly differ in a number of issues such as data collected, population, or any of combinations of these factors. White (2001) precisely researched about the adverse events following a use of acupuncture to treat patients with chronic neck pain, with an extreme number of respondents. Chen, L. et al., (2010), had a relatively smaller number of responders, and also had collection of data to be collected only through email in his research on the effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of chronic pain in the neck. These are some of the factors that were out of the scope of the research, hence determining the effectiveness of acupuncture was difficult, since the aspect of effectiveness could easily be isolated from some external factors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The analysis of the specific information provided by the studies of the literature review of this research paper indicates that either of the three methods of acupuncture can effectively treat the chronic neck pain. The procedural practice of sham, shallow and optimized acupuncture, though different, they present similar way of performing the acupuncture therapy, equally offering effective treatment for chronic neck pain. Liang et al, (2012) asserts that the three types of acupuncture to be based on the thought that decrease or alienation of pain can be enhanced by releasing the chemicals responsible for blocking pain. Issues of age in the study have been considered as the research only focused on individuals between 21 years old and 55 years, as they are likely to have a faster period of healing as compared to adult elderly groups of more than 55 years old. Generally, the use of acupuncture is illustrated as effective as it has previously been used to treat patients with chronic neck pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The loopholes evident in the research include the possibility of a prior knowledge in determining the differences that may emerge upon consideration for gender in the treatment program. In the entire study, there is no single explanation of the ratio of females against the males in finding out the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment procedures. The study focused on a general perspective of patients with chronic neck pain regardless of their respective sex or gender. The knowledge of the differences that exist between males and females could have some effects on the understanding the use of acupuncture. In addition, the paper did not focus on the causes of the various neck pain, which could also compromise the results of the study, considering that such plans are typically attributed to a wide variety of causes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Topics that can be considered for further research are establishing the element of gender in determining the effectiveness of acupuncture while treating chronic neck problem. The various studies illustrated in the research paper did not point out the importance of understanding differences in the healing process of male and female patients with chronic neck pain. I suggest a study be conducted with a major emphasis on the aspect of gender differences between patients in order to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for neck pain in male and female patients. 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