Dumb Jobs

Dumb Jobs Many of us will work numerous dumb jobs in our lives before we finally get settled into a permanent  position. Dumb jobs such as working as an usher like the narrator in the essay: â€Å"Stupid Jobs Are Good to Relax With†. A couple of other examples would be jobs in a fast food restaurant or a retail store. In the essay, the narrator mentions that for the past couple of years he has relied on these â€Å"stupid jobs† in order to make enough of a living to get through life, while still studying at school.I think  what the author is saying here is very true because many students in university or college  are still in the middle of studying for that future full time career, but are still  being forced to work these jobs, part time, in order to pay their tuition and other expenses that come with university life these days. Expenses such as: residence, meals, phone bills and many others. As the title says, stupid jobs are good to relax with.Throughout the essay, the author is constantly trying to communicate with the audience that in these jobs you are allowed to be lazy and that just showing up and being there for your shift is good enough. This is when I begin to disagree with him because I believe that these temporary jobs should still be taken seriously in order to not only keep the job, but to also take away as many life lessons and common job skills as possible. This will surely help you have a better future in other jobs and careers.In general, I don’t think that these jobs are completely pointless like the author is making them seem at different moments in the essay. Finally, in my opinion these â€Å"dumb† jobs play a huge role in our society. They help develop important job skills and give teens and young adults some extra money that they can then go spends and help out the economy. They also give teens something to keep them busy and to take their minds off school or family life for a bit. Therefore, overall these jobs can be very useful in many different ways and should not be overlooked as pointless.

Descriptive Essay About a Person

Zarja G. ESSAY #: About a person They say you will never forget the person you first laid your eyes on. A tinny glimpse, which you probably do not remember, although it somehow stayed in your heart. Not the picture but the feeling you had when you saw him/her. The feeling of warmth, safety and joy. Without them you feel lost not really yourself. Somehow they are a part of you, a part of your world, your heart. For me that is my mother. Her voice calms me down.After moving to Vienna I was a bit homesick, but my mom would call me and everything would get better in a second. Just the sound of her voice is what I need from time to time. She is very good with words and almost knows what you want to hear when you are sad. Being a journalist and a writer explains her love of books and literature in general. She loves telling stories and is really good at it. She puts her heart and soul in what she writes. She never talks about her feelings, but in stories and short stories she always does.W riting somehow makes her feel better. It makes her emotions be heard without a voice just by the words on a white paper. The picture of my mother will never ever disappear from my mind. Her curly brown hair with a ribbon in them so they do not hide her face, her dark brown eyes and the smile which lights up my world. She is not that tall probably the same height as me. Her style for clothing is a bit different from other mothers, but I love that. She never wears heals and her favorite shoes are converse Allstars. My mother is a fantastic cook.Whatever she prepares is absolutely delicious. Even our neighbors tell us that after my parents moved to Klagenfurt even they miss the smell of her gingerbread cookies. For me it is a smell of Christmas. You can smell cinnamon and honey and you can almost immediately feel your mouth water. Right after the cookies were done in our family they quite quickly disappeared. She is the one who is always there for me. If I am in trouble or just sad I k now I can always count on her. She would walk to my room close the door and slowly sit next to me.Without even asking she would know I am not okay. Her presence made me always feel better even though I was broken inside. Her hand would slowly rub my back and she would whisper in my ear: ‘‘I am here everything will be okay. ’’ And it always was. I could say my mother is my best friend which will never disappear from my life. Her personality and charisma makes me want to be just like her when I grow up. We are kind of inseparable. I am always there for her as well as she is there for me. I love my mom. Descriptive Essay About a Person Zarja G. ESSAY #: About a person They say you will never forget the person you first laid your eyes on. A tinny glimpse, which you probably do not remember, although it somehow stayed in your heart. Not the picture but the feeling you had when you saw him/her. The feeling of warmth, safety and joy. Without them you feel lost not really yourself. Somehow they are a part of you, a part of your world, your heart. For me that is my mother. Her voice calms me down.After moving to Vienna I was a bit homesick, but my mom would call me and everything would get better in a second. Just the sound of her voice is what I need from time to time. She is very good with words and almost knows what you want to hear when you are sad. Being a journalist and a writer explains her love of books and literature in general. She loves telling stories and is really good at it. She puts her heart and soul in what she writes. She never talks about her feelings, but in stories and short stories she always does.W riting somehow makes her feel better. It makes her emotions be heard without a voice just by the words on a white paper. The picture of my mother will never ever disappear from my mind. Her curly brown hair with a ribbon in them so they do not hide her face, her dark brown eyes and the smile which lights up my world. She is not that tall probably the same height as me. Her style for clothing is a bit different from other mothers, but I love that. She never wears heals and her favorite shoes are converse Allstars. My mother is a fantastic cook.Whatever she prepares is absolutely delicious. Even our neighbors tell us that after my parents moved to Klagenfurt even they miss the smell of her gingerbread cookies. For me it is a smell of Christmas. You can smell cinnamon and honey and you can almost immediately feel your mouth water. Right after the cookies were done in our family they quite quickly disappeared. She is the one who is always there for me. If I am in trouble or just sad I k now I can always count on her. She would walk to my room close the door and slowly sit next to me.Without even asking she would know I am not okay. Her presence made me always feel better even though I was broken inside. Her hand would slowly rub my back and she would whisper in my ear: ‘‘I am here everything will be okay. ’’ And it always was. I could say my mother is my best friend which will never disappear from my life. Her personality and charisma makes me want to be just like her when I grow up. We are kind of inseparable. I am always there for her as well as she is there for me. I love my mom.

A Whack on the Side of the Head – Paper

Creativity can be the source of fame and success, but tapping into this resource can be difficult for some. Some say that you are either born with or without creativity, while others argue that it is learned and absorbed throughout a person’s lifetime. In either case, there has to be a trigger that can jump-start the creative process for those who are in need a creative spark. Roger von Oech’s A Whack on the Side of the Head is a short book describing how to figuratively â€Å"whack† some creativity into people.Roger von Oech states that there are ten mental blocks that hinder creativity, and sometimes, all people really need is a whack on the head to think differently and more clearly about their current situations. Members of society do not have a need to be creative for most of what they do, but for when people need to â€Å"think something different† these mental locks need to be identified and opened. Without unlocking the mind of its creative hindran ces, new technologies and inventions would cease to exist.Roger von Oech’s book discusses the various techniques and tips to whack people’s thinking, and tries to enlighten his readers with mentally stimulating puzzles and theories. A Whack on the Side of the Head is primarily sectioned into the ten mental locks that von Oech feels are forcing people to think â€Å"more of the same† in multiple situations. Each lock must be identified and overcome to progress toward a more creative and fulfilling lifestyle. The first mental lock is looking for the right answer. The educational system has taught us to always look for the single, correct answer.This is acceptable in most academic situations, but the problem with applying this â€Å"one right answer† philosophy in real world applications is that people stop searching for answers once they have found one that works. There are multiple solutions to problems, and just because one seems correct, it may not be th e most correct. Looking for the second and third right answers can lead to more efficient and innovative production. The second mental lock is thinking that something isn’t logical. There are two ways of thinking, hard and soft. Things with a hard side have one correct answer, while soft sided thinking has many correct answers.Also, there are two main phases in the creative development of ideas. The first phase is the imaginative phase, where one generally plays with ideas and asks many â€Å"what if† and â€Å"what rules can I break† type questions. On the other hand, practical thinking evaluates and executes ideas by asking questions such as â€Å"what is the deadline† and â€Å"who can help us? † Soft thinking is quite effective in the imaginative phase when searching for new ideas, while hard thinking is best used during the practical phase when one is preparing to carry and idea into action.Both thinking techniques should be used to produce mo re and better ideas, even when a certain style of thinking does not seem logical. The next creativity lock is always following the rules. Roger von Oech doesn’t become cliche by saying â€Å"rules are meant to be broken† but he does insist that some rules should be challenged. In an ever-changing world, some rules are outdated and should adapt the appropriate, current way of living. For example, basketball used to have a jump ball after every basket. In 1938, after almost a half decade of basketball, this ruling finally was changed in order to make game play more continuous.It just made sense to break and change this rule for so long, but no one ever suggested it. One should be flexible with the rules. Breaking and bending the rules won’t necessarily lead to creative ideas; it is one possibility. Many rules outlive the purpose to which they were intended, and thus should be occasionally challenged. Always being practical is an encumbrance to creativity. This wor ld was built by practical people, but they knew when to unleash their creative side and achieve an imaginative frame of mind. The author proposes asking â€Å"what if? questions throughout your day to try to spark some creativity. These questions can then be used as stepping stones towards a new idea, and although the questions will not always yield brilliance, they will surely make someone more productive. Another strange, yet effective, manner of being impractical is imagining yourself as the idea. Let’s say, for example, that you are in charge of designing a new parking meter. You could ask questions such as â€Å"What does it feel like when my time has expired? † or â€Å"What would I look like if I took credit cards? These silly questions could actually initiate a completely new design of debit card system parking meters. Being impractical not only allows ourselves to think differently, but it can almost always lead to new ideas. Roger von Oech’s fifth me ntal lock is thinking that play is frivolous, as well as pausing your mind. One must break free from their dull tactics and allow themselves to play with an idea. Having fun is one of the most positive motivators in the workplace and it is contagious, causing others around you to want to get in on the action.By playing and having fun, one can rid any preconceived notions about the proper way to do things and truly direct productive and creative thinking towards a new idea. Along with fun, taking a break to let your mind unwind can be useful in trying to solve a problem. Many times, people will have a problem on their mind all day but will never come up with a solution. Then on their drive home, while thinking about absolutely nothing, an idea, almost magically, pops into their head and they have their solution. Software developer Rick Tendy says, â€Å"I never try to solve a problem by solving it. By putting your problem on the mental back burner, one can put the problem into persp ective, it allows the seed of the problem to grow over time, and lastly, it allows a person to approach the same problem later with new assumptions and focus. The next creative lock is saying to yourself â€Å"That’s not my area. † One shouldn’t rely too heavily on specializations when creating an idea. When this happens, a person many not only delimit their problems to too small an area, they may also stop looking for ideas in other fields.These people will stop searching for an answer because it is â€Å"an administrative problem† or â€Å"only a computer person would know this. † One has to look outside their area of expertise to find solutions. For example, if you are an engineer with a problem, it might be beneficial to think of how an artist or a teacher would find a solution. By looking at a problem from different perspectives, a whole new realm of creativity can be unlocked. ADD MORE. Trying not to be foolish is major way to limit creativit y and get stuck in a routine of being sensible with decisions.Conforming to society may make people feel safe and secure, but not one single invention has come from this thinking. Someone has to be foolish, by either consulting a fool or being the fool themselves. Roger von Oech says that a fool keeps people from always thinking the same things. In other words, even though they may be a fool, they bring a new way of thinking that is full of interesting and silly ideas. People must let their â€Å"stupid monitor† down and allow themselves to play with dumb ideas and see if they work. However, you must be prepared to laugh at yourself and not be worried about being embarrassed.Just like having fear of being wrong, one can’t expect to have silly ideas and most of them not work. The next creative mental lock is avoiding ambiguity. Creative minds think ambiguously and they let ideas be open to interpretation. Just because everyone has the same notions and ideas regarding a certain problem, doesn’t mean that it is correct, or the most correct. Avoiding ambiguity is an especially good idea in practical situations where the consequences of misunderstanding would be serious. In imaginative situations, however, this manner of thinking stifles your imagination and ingenuity.There is a place for ambiguity, perhaps not so much while evaluating and executing ideas, but certainly when you are searching for and playing with them. Another way to be ambiguous is to let an oracle decide, or in other words, use a random outside source. Let random, unexpected information stimulate your imaginations. Native American Indian medicine men used to let wet rawhide dry in the sun, and the resulting wrinkles in the leather would be their new hunting map where the wrinkles represented new trails for the hunters to follow.Ambiguity was used to solve the Native Americans problem of diminishing game on their current hunting trails, and can be used today in the same manner . The next mental lock incorporates many other locks. This lock is thinking â€Å"to err is wrong† or that one must be correct all of the time to have a positive result. You must be wrong to be creative. Inventors do not get things right the first, second, tenth, hundredth, and so on time. They may go years without finding the correct solution, but they are allowing narrowing in on the answer but allowing themselves to fail.Thomas Edison said that he knew 1,800 ways to â€Å"not† make a light bulb. Christopher Columbus thought he was finding a shorter route to India. One of Madame Curie’s failures was radium. Failures give us an opportunity to try a new approach. Maybe you find a new way to â€Å"not fail† which leads to a new idea. If you make an error, use it as a stepping stone to an idea you might have otherwise not discovered. As Woody Allen says, â€Å"If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not trying any thing very innovative. † The last lock is simply thinking that you are not creative.If you want to be more creative, believe in the worth of your ideas, and have the persistence to continue building on them. With this type of attitude, you will be open to take more risks, learn how to fail, search for more than one answer, and occasionally break some rules. By giving yourself a creative license, you allow yourself to be silly, imaginative, and foolish even if that isn’t typically you. By applying all of the mental lock remedies, you will be on your way to a great idea, and by doing so, you will be able to whack yourself into creativity. ADD MORE.Now once you have an idea, you must use it. Someone can be the most creative person in the world and have millions of terrific ideas, but if those ideas aren’t carried into fruition, it is almost pointless. People who are successful in the creative process can master four key roles to allow themselves to move from incepti on into deployment. Each of these four roles embodies a different method of thinking. The first is the explorer who searches for new information and resources. The explorer pokes around in new areas and seeks out a variety of different information.The next role is the artist, whose responsibilities are to turn these resources and information into new ideas. The artist follows their intuition, asks â€Å"what if? ’ questions, and breaks or creates rules of their own. The third role is the judge who evaluates the merits and validity of the idea. The judge runs risk analyses, questions assumptions, and listens to their gut. The judge ultimately makes a decision on the idea. The last role is the warrior, whose sole responsibility is to carry an idea into action. You must have the courage and desire to do what is necessary to make your idea a reality.By mastering these roles, Roger von Oech says you will be a master of creativity. Roger von Oech has conducted creativity seminars with renowned companies such as CBS, Coca- Cola, GE, HP, and IBM to name a few. These companies all hired his services because they know of the true value of creativity throughout any phase of organizational behavior, individual, group, and organization. Organizational performance depends on individual performance from the entire work force. Hiring and molding creative workers is an excellent way to increase efficiency and boost morale in the office.Managers seek creative individuals for two basic reasons. One, they bring fresh thoughts which lead to better productivity. Secondly, they are frequently much better workers as they are not solely preoccupied with results, but rather the steps involved in achieving these results. Anyone can find an answer once, but what truly makes creative individuals an asset to an organization is their desire to find multiple correct answers in any scenario. Just as individuals are important, how groups of individuals collaborate with their creative m inds and ideas is beneficial to any company.Without a creative team of workers, a group would only be as strong and adaptive as its most intuitive member. For example, if a manager organizes a team of mostly uncreative workers, one can expect that this group will get its work done, but not offer any alternatives or advanced results. On the contrary, a group comprised of many creative minds will not only produce the desired results, they may in fact find better ways of solving problems and perhaps challenge rules to make the production more efficient.With creative mental locks slowing down idea creation, it can be seen as imperative to mold individuals into creative workers. Lastly, the entire organization will benefit from its employees ridding themselves of these deterring mental locks. This creative behavior processes give life to an organization. An organization thrives on its ability to be adaptive to change, and its ability to create the changes themselves. Apple revolutionized the concept of digital media with their iPod, and it was due to creative individuals who had disregard for the way other companies were thinking.This type of thinking is the mother of invention, which brings about a happy workforce, increased revenue, and job satisfaction. Improvements of individual, group, and organizational performance are an output of creative organizational behavioral changes and developments. This â€Å"whack in the head† thinking keeps the workplace from being monotonous and predictable, a characteristic that every organization hopes to avoid. In a society where companies race to put out the next best â€Å"tech toy,† it is crucial for any organization to heed Roger von Oech’s advice.Not only must every level of the organization be creative, they must have the will and desire to carry out their ideas into action. Creativity is a resource that will be valuable forever. Those organizations that have it will continue to be innovative, while those without will be forgotten about. The future will basically be dictated by innovative minds, and their ability to carry out brilliant ideas. A Whack on the Side of the Head was written more than 25 years ago, but all of the information is timeless.Organizational behavior has been, and always will be structured around the creative minds of the individuals, the camaraderie of the organization, and the overall effectiveness of the organization. Roger von Oech’s book demonstrates an importance on creativity that is sought after by every organization. The study of organizational behavior is a careful application of how people in groups and individuals act within an organization. Although creativity is only a single characteristic of people, it may be one of the most valued when groups are systematically studied.As stated before, the basic goal of any company is to take an idea or problem, and solve it with as little resources as possible. CEOs, program managers, and floor man agers alike could all benefit from this book both for personal development and to help their employees unlocked their minds. There will always come a time in the workplace where an individual or group will get stuck on a problem that will result in a negative effect all around them. By being creative, employees will be stimulating their mind and playing with ideas which lead to higher office morale.Interactions of workers is the whole principle behind organizational behavior, and more creative these workers are, the more positive and productive these individuals will be within their groups. A Whack on the Side of the Head has several practical applications in the workplace. Upon reading the book, a manager can use the knowledge attained to help employees solve problems by pinpointing which mental lock they need to overcome. Furthermore, these managers will also know the remedies that are stifling their workers. This book is a simple, yet enjoyable, read that can be processed on many levels.For the younger audience, this book is meant to create a future of limitless creativity by molding the mind. For the older, professional audience, this book retrains the mind to thinking differently and breaks old suffocating habits. WRITING STYLE. A Whack on the Side of the Head is a wonderful book for those looking to merely be more creative recreationally, or do so for the betterment of an organization. From an organizational behavior standpoint, Roger von Oech’s work will improve interactions individually, within a group, and among an entire organization by allowing new and exciting ideas flow freely from these now unlocked brains.

The experience of child-soldiers upon their return in the local Essay - 1

The experience of child-soldiers upon their return in the local communities (Nepal case) - Essay Example Demobilisation is the withdrawal of soldiers from armed groups, and reintegration implies the return of soldiers to civilian life. Reintegration is usually viewed to be an indefinite economic and social mechanism that occurs in communities locally (Wessells, 2006). This essay analyses the experience of child soldiers in Nepal upon their return in the local communities. The first section explains the social and psychological issues of redistributed child soldiers, followed by an analysis of the initiatives taken by the Nepal government and other organisations to help in the process. And the final section presents suggestions for possible alternative approaches. The United Nations considers the return of child soldiers in their local communities a complicated, continuous process that necessitates substantial resources. The urgent task is finding the families of the child soldiers in order to bring them back to their families and communities (Kuper, 1997). Although this may seem easy, it is often filled with difficulties. In numerous cases, the families and communities may have been severely damaged by war, are in dismal financial condition, and cannot take care of or support returning combatants. According to Gates (2010), even though it is at t imes claimed that child soldiers must be capable of regaining their ‘lost childhood,’ this is practically unattainable. The Maoists’ practice of enlisting children for combat or military assistance is one of the most troubling realities of the civil war in Nepal. The Maoists have exploited various methods for recruiting children (e.g. use of misleading campaigns, kidnapping of children) (Aryal, 2011). At the peak of the civil war, in territories strongly ruled by Maoists, the rebels enforced a ‘one family, one child’ policy in which every family had to offer a recruit or suffer serious punishment (Human Rights Watch, 2007, p. 5). The

What is the CAPM and of what practical use is it Essay - 3

What is the CAPM and of what practical use is it - Essay Example According to CAPM, the expected return of a portfolio or a security is considered to be equal to the rate of a risk free security plus a premium for the risk factor. The risk factor is mainly calculated by taking a measure of risk called as beta in the model of CAPM. Beta is considered to compare the returns on a particular security to the market return. The formula for the CAPM is as follows: The development of the CAPM was mostly to explain the pricing of risky securities in the market. It is considered as a more practical approach to stock valuation as compared to the Markowitz theory which is considered to be more theoretical (Armitage, 2005, p. 51). The assumptions of the Capital Asset Pricing Model are as follows: I) It is considered that investors in general tend to maximize the utility of their wealth. The preferences of investors are taken into consideration through the concept of utility in the CAPM. Investors considered to be more willing to take risks are considered to have increasing marginal utility with regard to wealth while investors who are considered to be risk averse tend to have less preference for incremental wealth when it is considered to be associated with higher risk. II) It is considered that investors in general show similar expectations with regard to return and risk. It is considered in this regard that if investors do not have similar expectations, there will be no homogeneity in the conceptions of investors and as such no single efficient frontier line will apply to all investors. III) It is held that investors tend to make investment decisions on a rational basis depending on their preference for return and risk. Risk is considered to be mainly measured by two factors such as variance and mean. CAPM is considered to assume that rational investors tend to diversify away unsystematic

Retirement income Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Retirement income - Essay Example The accumulation of personal savings and income during my working period will form the largest bulk of my retirement income. This is because it requires a huge amount of retirement income to sustain a pre-retirement lifestyle. Examples of investment options that I am including in my retirement income plan are money in savings accounts, stocks and bonds investments, tax free savings accounts, and RRSPs and RRIFs (Brown, Chambers & Currie, 2001). The other investment option is accumulated property including a home and business assets. The overall savings and investments strategy is long-term and this will involve a diversified savings and investment portfolio. The advantage of maintaining a diversified portfolio is that I will be in a good position to get returns in the long-run. It also eliminates the dilemma of deciding when to return to the market after making an exit when the market performance is low. I would also like to adjust my asset mix on a regular basis because this provides the opportunity to take advantage of differences in the performance of the different classes of assets. Rebalancing will also ensure that I re-align my portfolio with my goals and level of risk tolerance. I will be making progressive and consistent financial contributions to a RRSP on an annual basis. RRSP have the benefit of generating earnings that grow on the basis of tax-deferral and its contributions provide a significant amount of tax savings (Brown, Chambers & Currie, 2001). I can use the savings to make additional investments or even pay existing debts. Employers offer two types of pension plans for their employees including defined benefits plans and defined contribution plans. A defined benefits plan will involve getting a pre-determined amount of my income upon my retirement. On the other hand, a defined contribution plan will use my accumulated investment income and contributions in providing a pension benefit. I will go for a defined contribution plan

San Antonio (enviable AAA General Obligation Debt Bond Rating ) Case Study

San Antonio (enviable AAA General Obligation Debt Bond Rating ) - Case Study Example 6). These were validated by the statistics and patterns highlighted above. When compared to other common variables, as noted, San Antonio’s unemployment rate which was 7.4% was comparatively low in contrast to the unemployment rate exhibited by the whole of Texas (8.1%) and of the country, in general (8.8%). This is significant considering that, as reported, San Antonio is the only U.S. City with a population over one million to be given a ‘AAA’ bond rating by all three rating agencies. Further, their rating was likewise compared to the ratings generated by other municipalities, such as Columbus, Ohio and Kirkland, Washington; and the following highlights are noted: It is eminent therefore that rating agencies evaluate the credit ratings of municipalities based on the factors that were revealed. As disclosed by Moody’s, San Antonio’s rating could be changed to lower ratings when the following scenarios occur: â€Å"(1) failure to maintain balanced operations; (2) trend of declining reserves; (3) trend of significant taxable value loss indicating a weakening of economic position; and (4) change in the US rating that results in pressure on local Moodys Investors Services, Inc. "MOODYS ASSIGNS Aaa RATING TO CITY OF SAN ANTONIOS GENERAL IMPROVEMENT REFUNDING BONDS, SERIES 2012;." 26 March 2012. moodys.com. 27 April 2012

Auditing Theory And Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Auditing Theory And Practice - Essay Example Maybe owing to your big size, the previous audit company needed additional resources in terms of man and woman power and facilities to meet your needs. When the previous audit company held a meeting with the directors in which their responsibilities and the responsibilities of Krypton were discussed in details. The Audit Company and krypton agreed to the terms of the audit engagement. The terms of engagement which they agreed upon were documented in a form of a letter of engagement. They then discussed and agreed on the basis on which the audit fee was to be computed and any billing arrangements. We then do not understand why this is still a problem yet to be solved The last audited accounts were those for the period ended 31st December 2003. As we conduct this audit, making comparatives to the year 2004, it will make good sense if we first conduct an audit for the year 2004. To determine the implications of the figures, analytical procedures are usually performed on the financial in formation. Analytical procedures consist of mainly trend and ratio analysis with information being inferred from the resulting figures. From the financial statements of the company, the following was established. Ordinarily, a 10.16% increase in the cost of sales should lead to a corresponding decrease in stocks. Yet in this case, stocks have increased by 58.20%. The stock turnover ratio has also declined from 15.60 in 2004 to 10.86 in 2005. The stocks were expected to decrease and their increase might imply that employees could be selling their own goods brought from outside. The audit shall then focus on the existence of the stocks and their condition. In order to ascertain the genuineness of the stock figure, a revaluation test of the stocks will have to be performed to see whether their increase was as a result of a revaluation.

Genetically modified seeds Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Genetically modified seeds - Assignment Example This report summarizes public awareness on GM seeds, their benefits, risks, safety concerns, environmental concerns; and makes recommendations based on these findings. This study uses simple random sampling. The population of the sample includes individuals in the neighbourhood who were randomly selected. Findings are based on case data to derive general conclusions. To meet the objectives of this study, a questionnaire focussing on the objectives of the study was established. Most people said that there is little public awareness about GM seeds. However, eight out of fifteen respondents said that over 70% of foods in grocery stores contain an ingredient grown from GM seeds, which did not surprise them. The results showed that most consumers do not have entrenched knowledge about the benefits and risks of genetically modified seeds. However, most people are suspicious that GM seeds pose health and environmental risks. People are generally uncertain about consumer benefits from GM seeds. Environmental threats posed by GM foods are the leading contributors of these uncertainties. Although most people are concerned about safety of GM seeds, more concern is on the risk these seeds pose to the environment. When asked on benefits of GM seeds to consumers and farmers, nine out of fifteen respondents indicated that GM seeds have richer nutritional value, higher quality and are better priced. Five of the respondents claimed that GM seeds are drought resistant, pest resistant and weed resistant. Most respondents were aware that the seeds would ensure adequate food supply for the booming population. Six respondents argued that GM seeds would lead to high quality foods free from chemicals needed to keep pests and weeds away. Eleven respondents felt that GM seeds would greatly benefit farmers in producing high yields and reducing production costs. Results indicated concerns about future

Why Abu Dhabi government band shisha from Coffee shops Research Paper

Why Abu Dhabi government band shisha from Coffee shops - Research Paper Example This was posing a great threat particularly to children who could openly see the awful act done publicly (Frank & Sloan 112). The condition made government, which form part of the stakeholders, to push for a ban of shisha business. In their opinion, they argued that the business would merely increase the immorality despite of earnings it receives in form of revenue from the same (Richard, & Thomas 79). This came out despite an acclamation from one the stakeholders ‘I expect that we will make no more than Dh 100 a day, our business greatly depends on shisha.’ Government had justification in their opinion and stand on the ban of the business in Abu Dhabi. This was in the fight against various severe implications associated with conducting the business legally. Cases of children who could see people smoke publicly and try to enumerate the same declined (Sue Pryce 94). Therefore, banning the business particularly from areas with high populations and different forms of human activities became a step in achieving habitable environment for the entire community (George Fisher & Elmer Berry 134). In the economy sector, there is improvement. This is from the fact of decline in the number of people reporting having shisha related complications. There is low expenditure of finances and other recourses used to curbing the menace. These resources go to profitably profitable and critical sectors that develop the economy. Additionally, human skills that were otherwise lost from deaths resulting from smoking shisha are no more there. In my opinion in support for the ban, it is very evident that currently death rate resulting from smoking is becoming alarming. This is from the actual statistics and data from countries and regions that are facing this menace of shisha smoking. The deaths results from several chronic illnesses arising smoking even other substances like tobacco (Michael & Lyman 68). Research

Assignment 6.26 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

6.26 - Assignment Example The find it difficult to live in between two pay checks. Thus it is found that as per the theory of intersecting forms of dominion some get to live a harder life while others live a good life. According to the matrix of dominion it is stated that the experience of people regarding race, class gender and sexuality is different and dependent upon the social location of the people in the structures of race, class, sexuality and gender. In the example of waging a living it is therefore found that the 4 peoples who are talked about belong to different race, gender and color of skin. However all of them face the same difficulty when it comes to running their daily lives based on the wages that they earn. These people of different age groups and different levels of work are linked by the fact that despite working hard for living they feel that they are hustling backwards. The forces that are at act in waging a living are at one hand the forces that are acting towards the oppression of people on one hand and the determination and will of people on the other hand that is forcing or urging them to continue the fight. However the way they fight is different. However all of them have one thing in common and this is related to not resigning to their fates. There are various institutions that have an impact on the lives of the people. One is the government and its role in providing subsidy, then there are educational institutions that shape careers and determine the level of jobs which one gets and then there are unions through which people strive for a better living. The concept refers to the fact that there are multiple practices which leads to the creation of differing and unequal situations in relation to access and control over the means that are related to provisioning and survival (Acher, 2006). For example in the case of Barbara Brooks it was found that as

Hot and Cold Essay Example for Free

Hot and Cold Essay Since time immemorial, Indians have been bombarded with snacks-to-go by street vendors; fastfood is neither a modern phenomenon, nor a western innovation. But as increasing numbers of international players enter the domestic market, there are bitter lessons to learn about what local consumers will and will not welcome. just-food.coms Debasish Ganguly reports from India on the evolving sector and the challenges facing new entrants into the fastfood market. Fastfood is not an alien concept to Indians; roadside shops have offered snacks-to-go since time immemorial and the country has a long tradition of indigenous fastfood served by a variety of street vendors. Whether the southern Dosas or the Phulkas in the north, the Vada, Samosas or Bhelpuri, this inexpensive cuisine is still going strong, and street selling is a low-cost method of food distribution. However, since the arrival of established fastfood chains such as McDonalds, marketing savvy and dollar power have given fastfood a very western orientation. The weekend stampedes outside any McDonalds restaurant are standing testimony to this fact. But the burger behemoths still have a long way to go. Local fastfood is not easily undermined by these interlopers, since methods of mass production have not been perfected and, in any case, they would have to compete with low cost artisan production. On the other hand, the reality is that established local fastfood chains, like Nirulas, Wimpys or Haldiram, are sensing competition by the growing popularity of McDonalds and other international chains. Though Nirulas does not admit to any drop in sales overtly, industry sources reveal that they have lost 18% of their original market share. So far, the fastfood chains have gained their popularity among the major metropolitan cities of India and some smaller cities, such as Pune or Baroda. Before the arrival of these fastfood chains, Nirulas was the market leaderin Delhi. In fact, Nirulas taught Delhi-dwellers what pizzas and burgers were all about. Nirulas was commanding a monopoly until western chains arrived in India.

The Iron Giant By Ted Hughes English Literature Essay

The Iron Giant By Ted Hughes English Literature Essay By using literary devices and humorous events to connect with children, Hughes kept  The Iron Giant  from being too frightening. For example, his beginning with a giant clumsily stepping from the side of the cliff exemplifies his methods of creating a childrens story because this beginning sets a comical, non-threatening tone as the foundation of the story. For instance, by using similes such as, tearing the wire from the fence post, rolling it up like spaghetti, and eating it, Hughes creates a humorous picture of a giant creature. Viewing a giant in this light-hearted way contrasts giants in typical childrens stories, such as ones present in Jack stories, where the giants are menacing creatures. By using comical situations, Hughes enables himself to address serious issues without being unbearable to children. This humorous depiction of the giant also strays from the portrayal normally seen in classic fairy tales and other fantasy stories. For instance, although in the story Hogarth is a small boy who wants to help save humanity, the giant ultimately saves the day. Because the giant takes on the hero role, it is very different from classic tales, where the giant normally portrays the bad guy. For instance, in classic Jack stories, such as  Jack the Giant Killer,  the giant plays the role of a wicked antagonist outsmarted by the boy. Contrary to this, Hughess giant poses virtually no threat to humanity, save the fact he eats all the metal that he sees; the giant does not fit the stereotypical giant role. This atypical character, an important development in recent fairy tales, shows itself in works such as  The Reluctant Dragon, where the dragon refuses to be a dragon. Zipes explains the reason for including atypical characteristics. He does not fit the stereotypical dragon that fights against men while breathing fire, but instead the boy and he work together to find a solution. This partnership effort of defeating an enemy also presides in  Jack and the Devils Daughter,  when Jack is able to outsmart the Devil with help from the Devils daughter. Likewise, there is a similar partnership shown in the end of  The Iron Giant  when the giant, after being persuaded by Hogarth, uses his intelligence and non-human capability of withstanding fire to defeat the space bat angel dragon. Therefore, the giants portrayal creates a non-traditional giant story allowing for a deeper meaning. For example, Hughes uses the giant to address heavy issues that delve into meaningful subjects. These meaningful subjects include ones such as nuclear power, hidden beneath the complex story of a giant that appears bad but turns out to not be that way at all. Hughes excels in presenting the giant as a strong hero character. Hughes uses the giant to create an intelligent character, enabling the story to have the capacity to reach into profound subjects addressing threats to humanity. While Hughes used the giant as a hero, the space-bat-angel-dragon seems at first to act as the ultimate enemy; although, this character turns out to cause paranoia more than threatening situations. In his first showing in the story, for instance, the dragon fits the stereotypical adversary in classic tales, such as  Red Riding Hood  where the wolf seeks to devour a small girl and a helpless grandmother. This storys character reaches deeper than his apparent devastative actions of ruining humanity, though. The space- bat-angel-dragon possesses a deeper character than the typical shallowness of the bad guys in classic fairy tales.   For instance, the dragon, after being defeated by the giant, breaks down, revealing he wasnt always a menacing monster the space-bat-angel-dragons ambivalent name suggests his complex character. For example,  space,  bat, and  dragon  paint a haunting or sinister character, while angel  implies kindness and helpfulness. In the story, the dra gon evokes feelings around both these types of characters. For example, at first he was threatening, but he eventually became helpful to humanity. This personality allows Hughes to suggest strong points concerning the use of power, The confrontation of serious topics and suggestions about society carries through the ending of  The Iron Giant. Because the space-bat-angel-dragon realizes he does not need to be destructive and can benefit humanity, the anti-war and environmental protection theme jumps out.  The Iron Giant  concludes with a typical fairy-tale, happily-ever-after ending, but the story also presents strong statements about humanity and the way Hughes thinks humanity should exist. The former intimidating dragon causes peace on earth with his singing, Hughes ends his childrens story with his personal wish for all humanity-that humanity will live peaceable together without destructive motives. By using this message he sets his tale apart from other childrens tales by addressing these serious issues. While this message appears frightening, it is an important message that remains poignant and relative to todays society. Through its story-line and message,  The Iron Giant  presents itself as an entertaining story for children and adults. Its methods of making the story a childrens story, giants and space-bat-angel-dragons portrayals, the purpose, and the ending intermingle with ideas of the world and humanitys actions in the world. Hughes believed that children deserve to know the truth about the world they live in, which he accomplished in this story, while not frightening people of young ages.   With this belief, Hughes used strong overtones to create a meaningful childrens story about a desire for peace that is pleasing for many ages of people to read, while keeping the traditional fairy tale happily-ever-after conclusion.

Southern View of Religion in Lillian Smith’s Killers of the Dream Essay

Southern View of Religion in Lillian Smith’s Killers of the Dream â€Å"Our first lesson about God made the deepest impression on us. We were told that He loved us, and then we were told that He would burn us in everlasting flames of hell if we displeased Him. We were told we should love Him for He gives us everything good that we have, and then we were told that we should fear Him because He has the power to do evil to us whenever He cares to. We learned from this part of the lesson another: that â€Å"people,† like God and parents, can love you and hate you at the same time; and though they may love you, if you displease them they may do you great injury; hence being loved by them does not give you protection from being harmed by them. We learned that They (parents) have a â€Å"right† to act in this way because God does, and that They in a sense represent God, in the family.† -Lillian Smith, Killers of the Dream, p. 85 This short passage introduces the first of many paradoxes and contradictions that dominate the Southern way of life that Smith depicts in Killers of the Dream. It is fitting that Smith (and her contemporaries) should remember their first lesson about God as a terrifying self-contradiction, because this theme perpetuates itself in the Southern view of religion. It lays the framework for a theological doctrine that banishes a person to the flames of hell for taking a sip of alcohol, yet turns its head as human beings banish others to the ghettos and old slave quarters for having dark skin. This passage also creates a parallel between the white people and their role as the â€Å"God† of Southern society. Smith states, â€Å"We were told we should love Him for He gives us everything good that we have, and then we were told that... ...hild understands his relationship with God and his parents as such, it is fairly natural that he will grow up to perpetuate a facsimile of that relationship between himself and his own children and the black community, both environments in which he is â€Å"God.† Smith summarizes her description of her early â€Å"lesson† with â€Å"We learned that They (parents) have a â€Å"right† to act in this way because God does, and that They in a sense represent God, in the family.† This satirical presentation of the word â€Å"right† in parentheses both the parental and the societal desire for the white man to play God. However, Smith ironically suggest that God does not act this way, He is simply drawn into the trial as an unwitting testimonial justifying the behavior that society wants to believe is right, despite their gnawing knowledge that it is far from right, and far from human, or humane.

Julius Caesar - Mark Antony Essay -- essays research papers

Mark Antony, in the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, was a brave, intelligent, pleasure-loving, and cunning man. He was loyal to his friend, Caesar, whom he considered a true friend. He looked at life as a game in which he had a signified part to play, and played that part with excellent refinement and skill. Antony was devoted and preferred to be dependent upon Julius Caesar since he rather have enjoyed life than to claim the highest position in the government. He wanted the crown to be given to Caesar so that all conflicts could be avoided. However, this additional power contributed to the conspirator's motive to assassinate him. Antony was distraught with Caesar's death and sought revenge first by speaking to the crowd in his speech. He showed how clever and cunning he could be when he convinced the crowd at Caesar's funeral ceremony to side with him and not with the murderers. The people became excited and rowdy when he teased them about the will, waving it in the air and pretending as if he was not going to read it. Reverse psychology is used when he first pretends to respect the conspirators calling them honorable men, and then slowly proving that they are not. He speaks out against them because he wanted power for himself, and unlike Brutus, he is politically ambitious and so belie ves that if he can take control while the state is in turmoil, he will remain in power. He was alone in making this oration, yet he was confidant in himself and courageous. Rome began...

A Comparison of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X Essay

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X: Different Men With the Same Goal      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Martin Luther King jr. and Malcolm X are still highly controversial African-American leaders.   Martin, a Christian integrationist, and Malcolm, a Muslim nationalist have been a powerful force against racial injustice.   Each man sacrificed his life for the freedom of his people; however, Martin and Malcolm had taken very different approaches in achieving equality and identity for African-Americans in the land of their birth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to better understand why King and X took the course of action each took, one must take into account a little bit of their background.   Martin Luther King jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia into a middle-class family.   The church was his source of leadership development and it helped provide him with moral values.   Home and church were the most important influences in the early life of King.   In both contexts, he was introduced to the integrationist values of protest, accommodations, self-help and optimism as they were related to the religious themes of justice, love and hope.   He was introduced to the value of education as a potent way of helping him assert his self-worth to become a church and community leader and to fight racism in the larger society.   â€Å"King’s basis for his campaign of nonviolence originated in the highest type of love - love for people who hate you. King preached that the combination of agape (spi ritual love) with nonviolent action would elicit change†(Walton 78). It is quite easy for me to think of a God of love mainly because I grew up in a family where love was central and where lovely relationships were ever present.   It is quite easy for me to think of the universe as basically friend... ... cowardice. For many blacks nonviolence was the only option because violence would have cost them their jobs, their homes, and even their lives.   It was a creative way that an African-American could fight for freedom and at the same time avoid genocide, the logical consequence of racism.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         Works Cited    Goldman, Peter.   The Death and Life of Malcolm X.   2nd ed.   Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1979.    Hamilton, Charles V.   The Black Experience in American Politics. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1973.    Samuels, Gertrude.   â€Å"Two ways: Black Muslim and N.A.A.C.P†.New York Times Magazine, 12 May 1963, pg 87.    Walton, Hanes Jr,.   The Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.   New York: Greenwood Press, 1971.    X, Malcolm and Alex Haley.   The Autobiography or Malcolm X. New York: Ballantine Books, 1973

Alternative fuel technologies

Oil and petroleum products have been mainstay of world’s economic and technological advancement since past 150 years. The mechanism driving the entire transportation system from automobiles, airplanes, railways, ships to space rockets is based on utilization of energy of petroleum oil. Petroleum products are also extensively used in a number of infrastructure industries that form the core of industrial processes and basis of existence of modern world. However, the petroleum resources of world are very limited and they cannot endlessly meet human demands.Various estimates have put the total extractable oil stock to exist for another 50-75 years if world continues to consume them at present rate. After that the cost of extraction of remaining petroleum products would become much more than the benefits obtained them and world would require new resources of energy to exist. These concerns have already spawned intense research in alternative technologies to meet the future energy n eeds in the face of an impending petroleum crisis.The shortage of oil would be more manifest in coming times as oil demands are growing world wide, especially in China and India with rapidly expanding economy, transportation system and consequently requirement of petroleum oil. Even at present consumption rate there are grave uncertainties on the secure prospects of future supplies within next 50 years time frame, and the rising consumption rates threatens to bring the approaching crisis nearer.United States is thus faced with a great responsibility to secure its future interests without sacrificing its present requirements and needs. This issue forms the topic of the next section. Alternative fuel technologies Past decade has seen great thrust on technological researches in alternative fuels. Various new techniques and models have already been introduced in the market to test their viability and capacity to successfully replace petroleum as chief source of energy.Most of these inno vations are specifically aimed at transportation sector owing to its liability as chief consumer of petroleum oil and as principle cause of soaring oil imports. Due to distinct requirements of different sectors in transportation, the technologies vary. Passenger vehicles, public transport vehicles and freight transportation carry specific needs that are difficult to be met by a single alternative fuel technology (Deutch J, Schlesinger J. R, Victor D. G. 2006).Some of the major and most popular of these technologies, where majority of research and development has taken place, are (Aldrich, 1996) 1. Hybrid Vehicle: As the name suggests, hybrid vehicles combine dual technologies for their operation. Technically they are hybrid electric vehicle with an electric motor that drives the vehicle (Hoogma, Kemp, Schot and Truffer, 2002, 41 ). 2. Bio-diesels: Bio-diesel: Bio-diesel, as the term suggests, is a type of renewable fuel obtained by agricultural products and used as fuel in heavy-dut y vehicles.The major sources currently under research for bio-diesel are soybean, rapeseed, corn, cottonseed, peanut, sunflower, and canola (Aldrich, 1996, 85). 3. Ethanol: Ethanol has emerged as a successful alternative to fossil fuels in Brazil where more than 4 million vehicles on ethanol based fuel and it is finding increasing application in the world as well 4. Hydrogen: : There are great interests in using hydrogen as fuel in transport industry due to the great flexibility of options and performance it offers.Hydrogen can either be used as fuel in place of gasoline in internal combustion engine or it can be used as energy carrier in fuel cells, the latter being the major research area in automobile sector (Aldrich, 1996, 87). Solar energy: : Solar power has turned as a dependable source of energy in areas other than transport. All the initial costs are high in maintaining a solar energy power plant, its been shown that with increasingly sophisticated technology and wider appli cation the cost of installation as well as generation of electricity can get comparable to normal power plants. Mass Transport SystemApart from introducing alternative fuel and technologies to replace and minimize fossil fuel consumption, another area where fuel consumption can be easily reduced is creating a more robust and functional public transport and mass transit system. It is cost effective and time consuming to redesign the existing public transport system, especially in major cities, to cut down fuel consumption by reducing number of vehicles on the road. Socio-cultural impact When fossil fuels were discovered around 150 years back, the existing technologies of steam engines were unable to utilize them.However, soon completely new technologies were developed in the face of these new energy sources and they were used to capitalize on the energy content and efficiency of fossil fuels. Soon petroleum fuels revolutionized the way the world moved and worked. The past 100 years o f consumption has comprehensively depleted non-renewable petroleum deposits and estimates give another 50 more years before the remaining available sources would get almost exhausted. This fact is indeed a cause of concern, but only if viewed from existing technological frame.Declining petroleum resources offer the signal that its time to make transition towards different energy sources. Countries that would fail to read this signal or close their eyes to it are certainly heading for a major crisis. But fortunately the world has the capacity to read these signals and develop reliable intermediate technologies and systems such as hybrid electric vehicle, ethanol and public transit systems that would considerably reduce fossil fuel consumption without adding to infrastructure cost thereby extending the life period of petroleum reservoirs.Meanwhile research can take place on new age technologies such as fuel cell and solar photovoltaic cells to complete replace fossil fuels as a source of energy. It is possible that if government and industry institute providential policy measures, there would be a host of alternative technologies in transportation sector by the time petroleum oil would get exhausted. _ Reference Bob Aldrich.. ABCs of AFVs: a guide to alternative fuel vehicles.California Energy Commission, Sacramento-CA. April 1996. 1st Feb 2007 http://www. p2pays. org/ref/26/25156. pdf Hoogma Recmo, Rene Kemp, John Schot, Bernhard Truffer. Experimenting for Sustainable Transport: The Approach of Strategic Niche Management. : Spon Press: New York: 2002. 3 Deutch J, Schlesinger J. R, Victor D. G. 2006. Consequence of U. S Oil Dependency: Report of an Independent Task Force. 30th Jan. 2007 http://www. cfr. org/content/publications/attachments/EnergyTFR. pdf Alternative fuel technologies Since its discovery 150 years ago, petroleum oil has become lifeline of the world, the functional equivalent of blood in the human body. The mechanism driving the entire transportation system from automobiles, airplanes, railways, ships to space rockets is based on utilization of energy of petroleum oil. Petroleum products are also extensively used in a number of infrastructure industries that form the core of industrial processes and basis of existence of modern world. However, the petroleum resources of world are very limited and they cannot endlessly meet human demands.Various estimates have put the total extractable oil stock to exist for another 50-75 years if world continues to consume them at present rate. After that the cost of extraction of remaining petroleum products would become much more than the benefits obtained them and world would require new resources of energy to exist. These concerns have already spawned intense research in alternative technologies to meet the fut ure energy needs in the face of an impending petroleum crisis. United States of America is world’s leading consumer of petroleum products accounting for approximately 25 % of total consumption of petroleum oil world over.In 2003, world’s consumption of petroleum oil stood at around 80 million barrels per day, out of which US’s share was close to 20 million barrel (Hirsch, Bezdek, Wending, 2005). To meet these huge petroleum demands US depends crucially on oil imports that is well above 50 % today and continuing to rise upward. This overwhelming dependence on imported oil poses various strategic and security challenges for US interests in the long run. The sharp oil price increases of 1973 and 1979-81 serve as testimony to the dangers of import dependence.Further as the oil sources would continue to deplete, the prices of oil would steadily and inexorably rise until the level when world is faced with an acute fuel crisis. Based on these observations it’s v ital that U. S explores alternative technologies and fuels to sustain its development and growth structure. Need of alternative fuels The continuous rise in U. S oil consumption has forced it to rely increasingly on imported oil to meet its expanding requirements. As of today with its 20 million barrel per day consumption U.S is the largest consumer and importer of oil, surpassing the combined consumption of Japan, Germany, China, Russia and South Korea (Reardon, 2004).. The share of oil in total energy produced in USA is just 17. 2 percent while in consumption it rises to 40 percent that explains the need for huge oil import. Imports constitute 11 million barrels per day that is more than the aggregate oil import of Japan, Germany, and South Korea (Reardon, 2004). The bulk of the oil consumption takes place in the transportation sector, which accounts for the 69 percent of the total oil consumption in US (Basic Petroleum Statistics, 2007).Consumption stands highest for motor gasoli ne. Average daily consumption of motor gasoline in U. S, according to Petroleum data (EIA, 2005) is 8933 thousand barrels per day. Distillate fuel oil is the second most consumed petroleum product with daily consumption at 2817 thousand barrels. These figures give a realistic view of inevitable oil import dependency U. S for present and future if it carries on the present rate of consumption. Indeed the chances to curb the massive oil imports are slim considering the fleet of 210 millions vehicle that depend solely upon motor gasoline for their functioning (Hirsch R.L, Bezdek R, Wending R, February 2005, 4). As on 1st January 2006, the total proven oil reserves with U. S was just 21. 6 billion barrels, which implies that in future U. S would be forced to rely almost completely on oil imports for its entire transportation requirements. As the closer sources shall run dry, U. S’ dependency would shift to further sources from where oil must be transported over vulnerable supply lines, leading to rise in global oil price. The greater risk is certainly compromising with U. S national interests.The oil supply lines would always be at risk against subversive elements requiring another set of huge investment in ensuring safe transportation of oil to U. S onshore facilities. It will also place U. S interests in the hands of oil cartels such as OPEC that may freely manipulate oil supplies according to their own interests. Part II: Alternative fuel technologies The impending oil crisis has finally stirred policy makers in US. A number of approaches are suggested that include a. imposing taxes on oil consumption b. using tradable gasoline permits and c. exploration of new sources of oil ( Deutch J, Schlesinger J.R, Victor D. G. 2006 ). However, the pressing need of situation demands measures that would sustain the present structure while safeguarding the future against depleting sources and rising petroleum prices. As the world’s oil reserves are finite, eve n measures such stagnating oil consumption and using oil more efficiently are just helpful in delaying the inevitable without offering any permanent solution to the issue. Oil reserves are going down steadily and within a couple of decades prices will soar up inexorably disrupting the economy, industry and society in turn.The only practical solution to this problem is technological innovations in energy field that can reduce dependence on petroleum oil by providing alternative and sustainable sources of energy. It shall serve two immensely useful purposes that are a. minimizing U. S dependence on foreign oil and b. preventing the environment from damages associated with use of petroleum oils and products. The certainty of oil exhaustion has inspired efforts from both government and corporate sector to research and develop the new fuel technologies as a providential measure for survival, growth and progress in forthcoming days of oil crisis.Past decade has seen great thrust on techno logical researches in alternative fuels. Various new techniques and models have already been introduced in the market to test their viability and capacity to successfully replace petroleum as chief source of energy. Most of these innovations are specifically aimed at transportation sector owing to its liability as chief consumer of petroleum oil and as principle cause of soaring oil imports. Due to distinct requirements of different sectors in transportation, the technologies vary Alternative fuel technologies Since its discovery 150 years ago, petroleum oil has become lifeline of the world. The entire structure of the modern mechanized world, consisting from transportation system, automobiles, airplanes, railways, ships to space rockets today operates primarily on the energy derived from the fossil fuels/petroleum oils. Apart from being mainstay of the transportation sector, petroleum products have also found wide application in a large range of core infrastructure industries that are essential for survival of industrial processes and basis of existence of modern world.This dependence on exclusive use of petroleum resources of world has become cause of serious concern among policy planners. Petroleum resources are very limited and they have cannot be continuously exploited to meet human demand. According to varoius studies and estimates, the total oil stock of world t is expected to last for another 50-75 years if world continues to consume them at present rate. After that the cost of ext raction of remaining petroleum products would rise greatly. It would become so costly that benefits obtained from oil would be lower than expenditure incurred on them.Thus world may need another resources of energy to exist. These fears and concerns have already generated intense research in alternative technologies to meet the future energy needs in the face of an overhanging petroleum crisis. The large part of the oil consumption takes place in the transportation sector, which accounts for the 69 percent of the total oil consumption in the US alone (Basic Petroleum Statistics, 2007). Overall there are five major sectors accounting for petroleum oil consumption. These sectors, along with their consumption share in year 2005 are (Petroleum-EIA, 2006)1. Domestic/Household: Consumption in 2005 was 869 thousand barrels of petroleum per day 2. Commercial: 386 thousand barrels of petroleum per day 3. Industrial: 5061 thousand barrels of petroleum per day 4. Electric Power production: 545 thousand barrels of petroleum per day 5. Transportation: 13, 825 thousand barrels of petroleum per day. The consumption pattern in the transportation sector shows that consumption is highest for motor gasoline. Average daily consumption of motor gasoline in U. S, according to Petroleum data (EIA, 2005) is 8933 thousand barrels per day.Distillate fuel oil is the second most consumed petroleum product with daily consumption at 2817 thousand barrels. These figures show that U. S would be dependent on oil imports for present and future if it carries on the present rate of consumption. U. S has a fleet of 210 millions vehicle that depend entirely upon motor gasoline for their functioning that makes it very difficult to reduce oil consumption. (Hirsch R. L, Bezdek R, Wending R, February 2005, 4). As on 1st January 2006, the total proven oil reserves with U. S was just 21. 6 billion barrels, which means that in future U.S would be forced to rely almost completely on oil imports for its en tire transportation requirements. As the closer sources shall run dry, U. S’ would be dependent on distant sources from where oil must be transported. The supply lines may become vulnerable to leakage and terrorist attacks and it would lead to rise in global oil price. The greater risk is certainly compromising with U. S national interests. The oil supply lines would always be at risk against subversive elements requiring another set of huge investment in ensuring safe transportation of oil to U. S onshore facilities.It will also place U. S interests in the hands of oil cartels such as OPEC that may freely manipulate oil supplies according to their own interests. The shortage of oil would increase greatly in coming times as oil demands are growing worldwide. Meanwhile China and India are also expanding their economy, transportation system and hence they would need more oil in future. Even at present rate there are serious doubts on the secure prospects of future supplies with in next 50 years time frame, and the rising consumption rates threatens to bring the approaching crisis nearer.United States has thus a great responsibility to secure its future interests without sacrificing its present requirements and needs. This issue forms the topic of the next section. Alternative fuel technologies The forthcoming oil crisis has finally moved policy makers in US. A number of approaches are suggested that include a. imposing taxes on oil consumption b. using tradable gasoline permits and c. exploration of new sources of oil ( Deutch J, Schlesinger J. R, Victor D. G. 2006 ).However, the urgent need of situation demands methods that would sustain the present structure while safeguarding the future against depleting sources and rising petroleum prices. As the world’s oil reserves are limited, even measures such stagnating oil consumption and using oil more efficiently are just helpful in delaying the inevitable without offering any permanent solution to the issue. Oil reserves are going down steadily and within a couple of decades prices will soar up inexorably disrupting the economy, industry and society in turn.The only practical solution to this problem is technological innovations in energy field that can reduce dependence on petroleum oil by providing alternative and sustainable sources of energy. It shall serve two immensely useful purposes that are a. minimizing U. S dependence on foreign oil and b. preventing the environment from damages associated with use of petroleum oils and products. The certainty of oil exhaustion has inspired efforts from both government and corporate sector to research and develop the new fuel technologies as a providential measure for survival, growth and progress in forthcoming days of oil crisis.Past decade has seen great move on technological researches in alternative fuels. Various new techniques and models have already been introduced in the market to test their viability and capacity to successfu lly replace petroleum as chief source of energy. Most of these innovations are specifically aimed at transportation sector because it is the chief consumer of petroleum oil and as principle cause of increasing oil imports. Due to distinct requirements of different sectors in transportation, there are various technologies.Passenger vehicles, public transport vehicles and freight transportation carry specific needs that are difficult to be met by a single alternative fuel technology. Some of the major and most popular of these technologies, where majority of research and development has taken place, are (Aldrich, 1996) 1. Hybrid Vehicle 2. Bio-diesels 3. Ethanol 4. Hydrogen and 6. Solar energy Following section discusses the technology used in each of these new vehicle-systems and their benefits over conventional gasoline based internal combustion engine.Hybrid Vehicles: As the name suggests, hybrid vehicles combine dual technologies for their operation. Technically they are hybrid el ectric vehicle with an electric motor that drives the vehicle (Hoogma, Kemp, Schot and Truffer, 2002, 41 ). In the case of a typical electric vehicle, hydrogen fuel cell or chemical batteries such as advanced sealed lead battery, nickel cadmium and lithium ion are used for auxiliary power (Aldrich, 1996). However in the hybrid electric vehicles, the electric drive technology is combined with a gasoline-based power generator for running the electric motor and charging the batteries.Hybrid vehicles are either full hybrid or mid hybrid. A full hybrid vehicle can move forward from standstill purely on electric power while a mid hybrid requires gasoline power for initial movement, although both technologies concentrate on maximum utilization of electric motor power while reducing the use of gasoline as far as possible (Hybrid Terms, 2007). The electric motor and internal combustion engine (ICE) are connected either in parallel or in series in a hybrid vehicle.In parallel hybrid cars, pow er to engine is supplied by both the electric motor and internal combustion engine while in the series hybrid car the gasoline engine powers the electric motor and batteries to generate electricity, without directly providing power for the vehicle (Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 2007). There is another category of hybrid vehicles, called as ‘plug-in hybrid’ that can operate as a full electric vehicle. They require some additional batteries and use electricity net to charge the batteries thereby minimizing gasoline use to its lowest possible levels (Hybrid Terms, 2007).All hybrid electric vehicle use computer that constantly monitors speed, power required and charge conditions of batteries (Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 2007). Hybrid vehicles offer numerous benefits over the conventional gasoline based ICE, some of which are (Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 2007; Sanna, 2007, 12; Aldrich, 1996, 88 ) 1. Hybrid vehicles are extremely fuel efficient, with most of the driving thrust coming from electric power. 2. Unlike electric cars, they offer unlimited range of traveling and transportation 3.Hybrid technology is combination of the proven technology of ICE with electric motors, thus giving it reliability in the market. 4. Hybrid technology can be used in various sectors of transportation, from personal vehicles to heavy duty vehicles. In fact, both the major US car manufacturers, GM and Ford have come out with a range of hybrid vehicles, that are successful in market. 5. Plug in -Hybrid technology is even more fuel conserving and environmentally benign, cutting down CO2 emission by more than 30 % while using minimum possible use of gasoline.Hybrid vehicles offer the most reliable alternate technology which US can capitalize upon without risking any major upheaval in its current fuel-technology structure. These vehicles promise to drastically reduce fuel oil consumption, reducing the needs of oil imports, meanwhile purchasing time for completely oil free technology. Bio-diesel: Bio-diesel, as the term suggests, is a type of renewable fuel obtained by agricultural products and used as fuel in heavy-duty vehicles. The major sources currently under research for bio-diesel are soybean, rapeseed, corn, cottonseed, peanut, sunflower, and canola (Aldrich, 1996, 85).The process of making bio-diesel involves use of an alcohol such as methanol which is treated with oil of selected agricultural produce to form glycerin followed by separation of fatty esters, recycling of excess alcohol and purification of esters to produce a fuel that bears remarkable closeness to diesel, however with higher octane number (Aldrich, 1996, 85). Currently bio-diesel is used when blended with petroleum diesel, especially in European markets, with commendable results. Bio-diesel offers a host of benefits over conventional petroleum diesel, some of which are (Faupel and Kurki, 2002, 1).1. Reduction in vehicle emission leading to environment safe emission standards 2. As bio-di esel is an excellent lubricant it helps to prolong engine life 3. As the fuel is non-toxic and easily biodegradable it presents high safety standards in storage and transportation. 4. It will give boost to agricultural productions 5. It poses significantly lower health risks than petroleum diesel, successfully meeting health requirement standards established by Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990. 6.The technology of bio-diesel doesn’t require any major altercation in present engine technology and infrastructure models, making it a popular choice in alternative fuel category. 7. The fact that bio-diesel can be completely synthesized domestically gives US a great opportunity to curtail its dependence on fossil fuel, curb imports, optimize its economy and make a transition towards a secure and sustainable future. Bio-diesel has gained wide acceptance as a viable alternative for fossil-diesel and it is increasingly used in mass transit system, freight transportation and heavy duty v ehiclesEthanol: Ethanol as a very long history as an alternative fuel, and it was tried in even 1880 as a fuel option for Ford cars (Aldrich, 1996, 51). Ethanol is derived from agricultural produces by process of fermentation and distillation to form a high-octane liquid fuel. Normally ethanol is not used alone as a fuel, instead it is blended with gasoline in ratio of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline to form a fuel E-85, which is approved as an alternative fuel in US (Ethanol, 2007). The vehicles run on this fuel are called as flexi fuel vehicles.Ethanol has emerged as a successful alternative to fossil fuels in Brazil where more than 4 million vehicles on ethanol based fuel and it is finding increasing application in US as well. The benefits of using ethanol are multifold and they include (Ethanol, 2007) 1. Ease in use: Although E85 engine is somewhat different than ICE, it is possible to alter the existing ICE to accommodate E85 as the fuel 2. Reduced petroleum consumpt ion: Increased use of E85 promises considerable reduction in use of fossil oil. 3.Renewable and sustainable fuel: E-85 is organically synthesized. It is renewable as ethanol can be made from waste bio products, optimizing the energy sector. 4. Environment compatibility: Vehicles using E-85 produce around 50 percent less smog in emission 5. Flexible fuel options: Vehicles using E-85 as fuel can also operate on gasoline, which is useful in case of non availability of E-85 Hydrogen: There are great interests in using hydrogen as fuel in transport industry due to the great flexibility of options and performance it offers.Hydrogen can either be used as fuel in place of gasoline in internal combustion engine or it can be used as energy carrier in fuel cells, the latter being the major research area in automobile sector (Aldrich, 1996, 87). Generally, hydrogen is obtained by decomposing hydrocarbon fuels, electrolysis of water and photolysis. It is stored directly in form of gas, liquid or as chemically with metal hydrides (Hydrogen Economy, 2002, 2). Due to its low energy volume, direct use of hydrogen as a fuel would require considerably large volumes to fuel the vehicle.On the other hand, hydrogen is extremely efficient in fuel cells. In a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce electricity, Use of hydrogen offers following advantages (Hydrogen Economy, 2002; Aldrich, 1996,87) 1. It is the most abundant element in universe and hence practically inexhaustible as a source of energy. 2. When burned it produces water vapour as only by product. 3. Hydrogen can be used a fuel directly in ICE, requiring no modification in engine design. 4.Hydrogen fuel cells involve no pollution, and provide higher efficiency of the order of 45 percent in combustion. 5. In case of any accidents, hydrogen powered vehicle are likely to cause less damage due to light chemical nature of hydrogen. Solar Power: Use of solar power as energy in transportation sector has been subject of intense technological research. While the solar energy has found wide application as domestic energy supply, there are difficulties in their application in transport sector.Photovoltaic cells, that absorb sunrays to provide electricity, are inefficient under the current technology strains and unable to generate even a fraction of required power to drive a normal passenger vehicle. However, solar power has turned as a dependable source of energy in areas other than transport. All the initial costs are high in maintaining a solar energy power plant, its been shown that with increasingly sophisticated technology and wider application the cost of installation as well as generation of electricity can get comparable to normal power plants (Borowitz, 1999,112).Conclusion When fossil fuels were discovered around 150 years back, the existing technologies of steam engines were unable to utilize them. However, soon completely new technologies were developed as new energy sources were discov ered. They started to use the energy content and efficiency of fossil fuels. Soon petroleum fuels revolutionized the way the world moved and worked. The past 100 years of consumption has comprehensively depleted non-renewable petroleum deposits and estimates give another 50 more years before the remaining available sources would get almost exhausted.US has the capacity to read these signals and develop reliable intermediate technologies and systems such as hybrid electric vehicle, ethanol and public transit systems that would considerably reduce fossil fuel consumption without adding to infrastructure cost thereby extending the life period of petroleum reservoirs. Meanwhile research is continuing on new age technologies such as fuel cell and solar photovoltaic cells to complete replace fossil fuels as a source of energy.It is possible that if government and industry institute providential policy measures, there would be a host of alternative technologies in transportation sector by the time petroleum oil would get exhausted. Economic advantage of using alternative fuels Alternative fuel technologies carry great economic benefit for US. Presently USA is heavily dependent on imported petroleum fuel that accounts for massive expenditure in the federal budget. Increased use of alternative fuel technology would reduce this dependency, saving billions of dollars annually.Further, the domestic production, processing and maintenance of alternative fuel resources and vehicles would create more number of jobs, thus strengthening the economic conditions. Alternative vehicles would also create far less air pollution, which would help the quality of life with reduced lungs diseases, cancers, asthma and various other problems. It would also bring down the need as well as the cost of environmental cleanup, adding to economic benefits further (AFV-2000) Reference Alternative Fuel Vehicles, 2000, Climate Change Technologies, 21st Feb, 2007, http://yosemite.epa. gov/oar/globalw arming. nsf/UniqueKeyLookup/SHSU5BMSCX/$File/alternativefueledvehicles. pdf Basic Petroleum Statistics. Jan 2007. Energy Information Administration. 31st Jan. 2007 http://www. eia. doe. gov/neic/quickfacts/quickoil. html Bob Aldrich.. ABCs of AFVs: a guide to alternative fuel vehicles. California Energy Commission, Sacramento-CA. April 1996. 1st Feb 2007 http://www. p2pays. org/ref/26/25156. pdf Borowitz, Sidney. Farewell Fossil Fuels: Reviewing America's Energy Policy. : Plenum Trade: New York: 1999 Deutch J, Schlesinger J. R, Victor D. G. 2006. Consequence of U.S Oil Dependency: Report of an Independent Task Force. 30th Jan. 2007 http://www. cfr. org/content/publications/attachments/EnergyTFR. pdf Ethanol. 2007. Alternative Fuel Data Center. US Department of Energy. 1st Feb, 2007, http://www. eere. energy. gov/afdc/altfuel/ethanol. html Faupel Karen and Al Kukri, 2002. Biodiesel: A Brief Overivew. NCAT Agricultural Specialist. 1st Feb, 2007. http://www. msenergy. ms/biodiesel. pdf Hirsch R. L, Bezdek R, Wending R. February 2005. Peaking of World Oil Production: Impact, Mitigation, & Risk Management. 30th Jan. 2007 http://www. pppl.gov/publications/pics/Oil_Peaking_1205. pdf Hoogma Recmo, Rene Kemp, John Schot, Bernhard Truffer. Experimenting for Sustainable Transport: The Approach of Strategic Niche Management. : Spon Press: New York: 2002. 36 Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Feb 2007. Hybrid & Electric Vehicle: Implementing Agreement. International Energy Agency. 1st Feb, 2007. http://www. ieahev. org/hybrid. html#Anchor3 Hybrid Terms. HybridCars. com. 1st Feb 2007 http://www. hybridcars. com/types-systems/hybrid-terms. html Petroleum. July, 2006. Annual Energy Review-2005. 31s Jan, 2007 http://www. eia. doe. gov/emeu/aer/petro.html Petroleum Overview, 1949-2005. Annual Energy Review. 31st Jan, 2007 http://www. eia. doe. gov/emeu/aer/petro. html Prospects For A Hydrogen Economy. Oct. 2002. Postnote. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. 1st Feb, 2007. ht tp://www. parliament. uk/post/pn186. pdf Sanna Lucy. Driving the Solution: Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles. EPRI Journal. 1st Feb 2007. http://www. calcars. org/epri-driving-solution-1012885_PHEV. pdf U. S. Imports- Petroleum Navigator. Energy Information Administration. 31st Jan 2007 http://tonto. eia. doe. gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_d_NUS_Z00_mbbl_m. htm

Désirée’s Baby by Kate Chopin in 1892 Essay

The text Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby is written by Kate Chopin in 1892. The story takes place in Louisiana before the American Civil War, on two plantations, one called Valmond and another called L’Abri. The story is told in omniscient third-persons point of view, meaning that the narrator not only describes what happens, but also reveals the thoughts of the characters from time to time. You can see an example here: â€Å"When the baby was about three months old, Dà ©sirà ©e awoke one day to the conviction that there was something in the air menacing her peace.† The language is of an old kind, but that just contributes in giving the story meaning, because it puts you into the time, in which the story takes place. The story starts with Madame Valmond, who is going to visit her daughter, Dà ©sirà ©e, because she has given birth to a baby boy. On her way over, Valmond thinks about the time she found Dà ©sirà ©e all alone, when she was just a little baby. Valmonde arrives at her daughters house called L’Abri, which is owned by Dà ©sirà ©e’s husband Arband Aubigny. When she sees her grandchild, she notices something different with him. Valmond leaves again and 3 month later, Dà ©sirà ©e is still at L’Abri with her child. Armand, who had been so loving towards her, has become really cold and do not want to speak to his wife: â€Å"†Armand,† she called to him, in a voice which must have stabbed him, if he was human. But he did not notice. â€Å"Armand,† she said again. (s. 4)† She knows something has changed. One day her baby is lying on the bed, and one of the slaves on the farm is fanning the child with a fan, here she finds out what is wrong; â€Å"She looked from her child to the boy who stood beside him, and back again; over and over. â€Å"Ah!† It was a cry that she could not help; which she was not conscious of having uttered. The blood turned like ice in her veins, and a clammy moisture gathered upon her face. (s. 4)† This is the climax of the story. She now realizes that Armand thinks she is black, which was something he saw as a bad race, and did not tolerate it. She gets really sad, Dà ©sirà ©e confronts her husband, and he confirms what she thought. She writes to her mother about her concerns. Madame Valmond writes back, that she and the baby should come home to them. When she shows the letter to Armand, he just makes her leave. He does this because he is mad at her, for putting him in such a situation; â€Å"Moreover he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name.† He is too proud of his old family tree and their values, so he could never be with someone who descended from slaves. He chooses tradition over love right there. Dà ©sirà ©e begs him, but ends up leaving L’Abri and going to her parents farm Vermond, with her baby. At the end Armand finds a letter his mother has written to her father, in which it says; â€Å"She was thanking God for the blessing of her husband’s love;- â€Å"But, above all,† she wrote, â€Å"night and day, I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know this his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery.† This is when the unexpected element occurs. Armand, who as most rich people at that time, bases his worth of a person primarily on his or hers race. He has stopped loving his wife, just based on genetics, because he believes it did not suit his family’s heritage. It is now clear, that the ones Armand felt he ashamed by having Dà ©sirà ©e as a wife, his own parents, actually knew Armand was black, but they still loved him just as much. Armand has just thrown his wife away just based on something, which actually was his fault. The themes in this story are Racism, which was a really big problem at that time. It is also judging by appearances, which Armand does. When he met Desiree, he loved her outer beauty and her good family name. When he comes to think she is black, he just rejects his wife and his child, only judged by their skin. Another theme could be that love is colorblind, which is something both Armand’s and Dà ©sirà ©e’s parents know, because even though they know that their children could be colored, they do not care. Dà ©sirà ©e do not abandon her son, so she has the same opinion.

IT Case Study Essay

The Widget Wonders distribution center is the worldwide leader in widgets. Which they’re in the process of building a state of art facility to manufacture new generation of widgets. The SNHUConsulting group leads the way of consulting in information technology. SNHUConsulting has been hired to consult on new hardware that will last for at least the next three years for the different apartments. The sales department consists of 50 employees that requires mobility with access to the company’s resources while in the field with customers and presenting at sales meeting and conferences. The manufacturing department will have 45 employees and will need hardware that support word processing and spreadsheet programs and internet capable. The inventory control department will have 30 employees who would need mobility hardware as well with power to access database systems. The research and development department will consist of 20 employees that’s need hardware with graphics design and CAD programs. The MIS will consist of 5 employees who will need additional processors and memory requirements to support administration tasks. My recommendations for the sales department for mobility purposes is notebooks, smartphones, and tablets for visiting customers. For bigger presentations a digital projector that is interactive, with laser pointers that allows the sales team to talk and click on the computer to dictate its pace. Also USB drives that holds a large amount of storage that the sales team can upload from any computer systems. For the manufacturing department my recommendation are the new generation computer systems that support multi servers for the manufacturing needs. The manufacturing department will also need printers and connectivity capability to the internet as an additional resource tool to complete their job functions. The inventory department will need tablets with 32 or more GB of storage with direct access to the company’s database systems. The research and development department needs  notebooks, printers, and a docking station for automated systems backing up. Hardware that is able to compare and contrast data for the development of the company. The MIS department would need computer systems that is compatible with graphic adapters. Also the computer systems will have a multimedia screen capability for administrating tasks. In conclusion, the hardware that would be required for each department will have the durability and warranty that will last the company for at least 3 years, which will then require the company to revisit their strategic plan for any updates as needed. In purchasing the hardware, the company will included warranty and service agreement with the vendor to assist in any maintenance issues that may arrived regarding any of the hardware purchased. The hardware will have the most advance technology needed for each department efficient in their job duties.

Case Study Child Development Project Essay

Abstract After an extended period watching and observing Adrian, the bystander is able to see where Adrian is developmentally. He is growing physically, mentally, and emotionally as a child his age, four years old, should be maturing according to many theorists. While he has not mastered all the required steps for his age group he is achieving more and more of them each day. The following case study will discuss where Adrian is excelling and where he still needs a little work. A Case Study about Child Development Adrian is almost four years old and lives with his parents and older sister in an apartment. His father is a financial advisor in a bank, allowing him to spend time with the family on the weekends, while his mother stays at home as a housewife. They have a lot of neighbors and no pets. Adrian loves trains, cars, dinosaurs, animals, juice, and being inside and outside of his house. His favorite movie is Cars. He does not like the word â€Å"No† and often ignores something when it doesn’t interest him. Adrian has fun, loving, goofy, energetic personality. Throughout this study, the observation of Adrian will take place at two places: his house, inside and out and his grandmother’s house. Physical Development Adrian developed normally through the prenatal, infancy, and toddler stages. He was born on August twenty eighth in 2010 by natural birth after a full term, normal pregnancy. At birth, he weighed eight pounds eleven ounces and measured twenty-two inches long, which according to the Center for Disease Control (2000), put him in the seventy-fifth percentile for weight and ninetieth percentile for length. As an infant Adrian’s mother, chose not to breast feed and instead gave him formula. As a toddler, Adrian hit all the  important milestones, according to his mother, included learning to walk which occurred around fifteen months. As Adrian progressed from a toddler to preschooler, he continued to progress as he should according to the normal growth and developmental process. At four years, he is forty-two inches tall and weights around forty-six pounds, keeping him in the same percentiles as birth, again according to the CDC (2000). Most of this growth occurred, as it should, during the toddler years. Even though Adrian just turned four he had accomplished many of the required gross and fine motor skills according Berger (Chapter 8), he can run, hop, jump, walk up and down stairs alone, dress and undress, use the bathroom on his own. I have witnessed Adrian running or jumping many times whether it be running to tackle someone for a hug or a warm welcome, jumping on the bed/couch usually when he gets excited about a movie or favorite cartoon, or when he is playing with his cousin who is just a few months older. Going up and down the stairs at his grandmother’s house, this is not a problem problem because Adrian gets plenty of practice due to must of the time he’s visiting his gradmother’s house. Using the bathroom is a big accomplishment for him, because it took him a long time and has only mastered it within the last few months. However, he still needs practice skipping and being comfortable using scissors. Adrian is right where he should be with his physical development. Cognitive Development Similarly to Adrian’s physical development his cognitive develop is also maturing at what theorist would say is a normal rate. Piaget and Vygotsky writes that upon reaching the age of four a child should be rapidly expanding his vocabulary, beginning to think intuitively but still thinking almost entirely on himself. He progressed through the building blocks of language beginning with babbling and moving through his first word around fifteen months and first sentence a little while later. While his mother does not know the exact time when he started babbling and spoke his first sentence, she does recall this never being a concerned about the development. Currently, he is speaking in full sentences that vary in lengths and purposes. He enjoys watching television shows about super heroes and if given the chance, he will spend large amounts of time, sometimes up to twenty minutes, telling his listener all about them. Adrian’s cognitive  development in the area of language has a lot to do with the fact he is inquisitive and seems to enjoy learning. According to many theories and developmental checklist a four year old should be able to count and should be drawn to letters and sounds. Adrian demonstrates an inclination to want to read and will often ask someone around him to read him his favorite book or play with the magnetic letters his mom bought him. Additionally, by playing games like Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders where he can count the required spaces indicating a beginning understanding of numbers. Another example a time when I noticed Adrian genuinely wanting to learn and wanting things to be perfect, he spent a few seconds growing more and more frustrated as he angrily smashed the top and bottom boxes together. Eventually, he got the two pieces together but not before tearing the corners of them. However, when someone stepped in and showed him how to correctly put the two pieces together he welcomed the advice and was then able to properly close the box. Like Vygotsky mentioned the mentor provide scaffolding, or temporary sensitive support, to help the developmental zone. After getting the box together, he started to think of ways to fix the box. He suggested taping it, and was excited when that idea was welcomed and put to use. This not only demonstrated intuitive thought but helped Adrian feel intelligent and begin to learn that it is perfectly fine and acceptable to ask for help when needed. Adrian is developing cognitively a little more everyday and seems to be on his way to accomplishing all the key milestones. His language skills are growing each day and he is learning to try new things on his own with the idea that he can always ask for help. Emotional/Social Development As with physical and cognitive development, observer is able to see that Adrian is attaining the social developmental milestones as he progresses to the preschool age. While Adrian hit all the important points through in infancy and toddlerhood. For example, he was always able to show a wide range of emotions, classified as a key achievement by Freud and Erikson. He was quick to show observers his happiness, sadness, confusion, or frightfulness. He also quickly established a secure attachment to his mother, another one of Ainsworth’s milestones. Adrian was child who needed and wanted to be with his mother and would cry or search for her as soon as  she left his sight. By achieving both of these Adrian was able to understand that he could trust people, which allowed him to make the transition from toddlerhood to the pre-school period successfully. As an energetic and, for the most part, easy going four year old, Adrian is accomplishing many of the expected landmarks yet needs more time to complete other. Observers can watch Adrian feeling safe and comfortable in areas other than those he is familiar too. Similarly, however, he can/will lose complete control of his temper and lash out violently to those around him. Other noticeable developments for Adrian are his ability to play with others, cooperatively and the idea that he is beginning to get a sense of gender. He enjoys playing games with his cousin who is just a few months older and they will play with cars or whatever suits their mood that day. He will also play board games, such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders, with the understanding that it is not always possible to win. Presently, he is fascinated with Wonder Woman and when asked why he likes her so much his response was because she is a girl and has boobs, as reported by Adrian’s mother. He is getting to the point also, where he understands that there are boys clothes and girls clothes, last year for example he enjoyed trying on the clothes his cousin received for Christmas. Yet this year, when his family went shopping and glanced through the area with all the children’s clothes he had no problem telling everyone which ones were for boys and which ones where not. Over all, Adrian is where he needs to be given he still has two years left in the preschool stage to improve and grow socially and emotionally developmental wise. Reflection This experience has taught me a lot about how preschoolers act and why they do the things they do. I truly enjoyed watching Adrian in a different, more professional light during the past few weeks. I cannot say I am thrilled with how I did everything throughout the project but for the most part, I am happy. By observing Adrian for specific characteristics in the areas of physical, cognitive, and emotional growth I was able to bring the lectures and information from class to life and am thrilled to be able to say I am leaving this class with the understanding of how a preschool-aged child operates. While I am happy about learning the Adrian is on target with his developments, I wish I could have observed him at different times and  places. Also, it would have been interesting to see how he reacted at different locations but that did not work like I had hoped it would have at the beginning, instead, I primarily just watched him inside his house: inside because it always seemed to be either too hot or rainy when I would visit. By completing this case study, I was able to accomplish a lot. I now have a much better idea of where a preschool-aged child is cognitively, emotionally, and physically and if that is the age. I really enjoyed being able to step out of my family role and see how Adrian is from a different, more professional standpoint.